Cinderella Junior Novelization by Melissa Arps Page A

sat down on Anastasia’s bed.
    â€œThe Duke is?” asked Anastasia groggily, sleepily lifting her cap to reveal her eyes.
    â€œNo, no, no, the PRINCE!” shrieked Lady Tremaine.
    Cinderella gasped and her eyes opened even wider.
    â€œThe Prince?” she whispered to herself. Cinderella finally realized that the man she had fallen madly in love with at the ball was the Prince himself. She dropped the tray and everything went crashing to the floor.
    Lady Tremaine jumped and quickly turned toward Cinderella. She was disgusted with her. “You clumsy little fool!” she yelled. “Clean that up and then help my daughters dress.”
    Cinderella’s stepsisters saw no reason to get up and dressed if the Prince was already in love with a girl. Drizella let out another big yawn and Anastasia rested her chin in her hand. Neither of them made any attempt to obey their mother. They both pulled Anastasia’s quilt over their heads and chose to go back to sleep.
    Lady Tremaine became even angrier. She ripped the covers off the girls and demanded their attention from the foot of the bed. “Now, you two listen to me,” she insisted. “There is still a chance that one of you can get him.”
    Anastasia and Drizella peeked out of the quilt in unison. “One of us?” they asked.
    Lady Tremaine changed her tone and became quiet and calculating. She leaned over the footboard. “Just listen,” she said, waving her finger at her daughters. “No one, not even the Prince, knows who that girl is.”
    Gus and Jaq were still on stakeout in the candelabra. Gus popped his head out with excitement when he heard what Lady Tremaine had said.
    â€œWe know, we know!” he yelled. “Cinderelly, Cinderelly!” Jaq quickly quieted Gus. He pushed him back down under the candle in the candelabra. He didn’t want to blow their cover.
    â€œThe glass slipper is their only clue,” continued Lady Tremaine. “The Duke has been ordered to try it on every girl in the kingdom.” Cinderella was on the floor picking up the pieces from the dropped tray. She locked her eyes on her stepmother and listened intently to every word she said.
    â€œAnd if one can be found whom the slipper fits,” continued Lady Tremaine, “then by the King’s command, that girl shall be the Prince’s bride!”
    â€œBride?” Cinderella whispered. Her body froze. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
    Drizella and Anastasia couldn’t believe it, either. They jumped off the bed and scrambled around the room to get ready. They wildly grabbed clothes and threw them at Cinderella. They commanded her to iron, mend, and sew.
    Cinderella stood up holding the tray with a dreamy look on her face. She smiled from ear to ear and slowly batted her eyes. She paid no attention to the clothes being thrown at her. She was standing there, but her mind was somewhere else. She was in love and the Prince was in love with her—that was all she could think about.
    After loading Cinderella down with even more clothes and making more requests, the stepsisters finally stopped. They noticed that she was not responding to them.
    â€œWhat’s the matter with her?” asked Anastasia, pointing to Cinderella.
    â€œWake up, stupid!” yelled Drizella.
    â€œWe’ve got to get dressed!” growled Anastasia.
    Cinderella snapped out of her daydream and finally reacted to her stepsisters’ demands, though she was still in a daze.
    â€œDressed?” said Cinderella, looking down at her own clothes. “Oh, yes, well, we must get dressed.” She handed the pile of clothes back to Anastasia and turned away from her. She mumbled to herself about getting dressed as she walked out of the room.

A nastasia and Drizella were shocked by Cinderella’s actions. There were also furious and demanded that their mother do something. But Lady Tremaine once again shushed