Cinderella Complex (3 page)

Sucking in a lungful of air, I squeezed my eyes shut.
I must be insane
. “Fine, I'll do it.”

“You'll make a wonderful Godmother, Maggie.” She bent forward and kissed my forehead. “Now comes the hard part.”

From under her dress sleeve, she once more produced a glowing wand. Made from white oak, it had a crescent moon on the top with intricate carvings along the handle.

“What do I need to do?”

“When you take the wand from me the power will be yours. But I'd better warn you. There will be some pain at first. And once I give you the magic, I can't take it back.”

The not-giving-it-back part didn't seem too bad, but the pain? It didn't sound too promising.

Grandma held the wand out to me. “Maggie Winters, I bequeath you all the power, knowledge, and honor of a Fairy Godmother. May the wind warm your wings and the night air caress your skin. Know that happiness and fate are intertwined. And the darkness must never be allowed to destroy.” Grandma paused. “Now, repeat after me. I, Maggie Winters.”

“I, Maggie Winters.”

“Accept the power and claim my place as the next Fairy Godmother.”

“Accept the power and claim my place as the next Fairy Godmother.” My voice trembled as she released the wand. It touched my fingers. Heat scorched my skin, flowing through my veins like lava. White spots blurred my vision.
Crack
. The sounds of bones breaking in my back echoed off the walls. Pain overwhelmed me, and I fell to my knees. A scream lodged in my throat. What was happening?

“It's okay, Maggie. Just give yourself to the power.”

I arched my back, trying to escape the agony. “My back—”

“Shh. The wings are coming in. It's almost over.” Grandma's voice sounded far away.

My head throbbed like it might explode. Every inch of my skin crawled and pulsed. The pain coursed through my system until I screamed. What had I agreed to? I wanted to tell Grandma to take it back. That she had to stop. But I fell into blackness, tumbling over and over, trapped beneath a great set of waves.

 

Something cold and wet touched my cheek. I groaned. It felt like someone had tried to shove me down a toilet, only I wouldn't fit and they'd used a plunger to get me out. I opened my eyes and saw Grandma hunched over me with a damp cloth.

“What happened?” I sat up.

“You absorbed a lot of power, Maggie. Your body needs a few moments to adjust.”

Music from downstairs drifted under the door and I cringed. Right, we were at the retirement party. I focused on the clothes hanging in the closet and the light pouring through the open door behind us. The hidden door.

I nodded toward the light. “Please tell me that isn't Narnia.”

Grandma grinned then stood up. “Oh, heaven's no, that was just a wardrobe. This is the Godmother Room. Which reminds me. Once you leave here tonight, this door will be at the back of your closet.”

“You're kidding?”

Grandma shook her head as she helped me to my feet. “It's a package deal. The room is used to store magical items and wishes.”

I peered over my shoulder. “What happened to my wings?”

Grandma walked to the Godmother Room. “They shift away when you don't need them.”

“So, how do I get them back?”

“You command them with your mind, same as your arms and legs.” She pushed into the room at the rear of the closet.

Bright light spilled over us as we stepped into the secret room. I trailed my fingers along the stone walls, gazing with wonder at the scenic paintings. At the center of the room sat a long, mahogany table with bench-style seats. Behind the table loomed a fireplace made of river rock. A cast-iron cauldron hung over dancing orange and yellow flames.

My gaze focused on the shelves lining both sides of the fireplace, which displayed leather-bound books and empty cages of all shapes and sizes. I'd stepped into a fairytale cottage. The only thing missing? A witch stirring up a potion. Then I noticed the wooden paddle making circles in the cauldron. It sloshed up liquid as it clanged against the sides.
Unbelievable.
It stirred itself.

Grandma led me to the corner where an ornate oversized trunk sat.

“This is where the dream spheres are kept.” The lid groaned as she tugged it open and revealed what looked like bubbles. But after a closer glance, I realized they were crystal globes. I reached down to pick one up. It fit perfectly in my hand, kind of like a glass apple.

Turning to her, I asked, “What are these used for?”

“These, my child, are how you get your assignments. When someone needs a happy ending or a dream come true, one of these spheres will appear in your hand. You need only look into it to see who the person is. Once you've met them, it'll show you what their happily-ever-after should be.”

“What happens once I've completed the mission or whatever?”

“The sphere disappears and becomes a star in the sky. And then you move on to the next assignment.”

I set the globe back down and Grandma shut the trunk. A tinkling of laughter drifted through the open door of the closet.

“Shouldn't you get back to your party?” I walked across the room and took a book from the shelf.
The History of Romance.
Just what I needed.

“The party is only a cover.” Grandma smiled as she sat at the table. She patted the spot next to her and I sat beside her. “With this many people and happy endings swirling around, it'd be hard for anyone to sense me handing the power over to you. We don't want Grimms catching wind of this until you've gotten some experience under your belt.”

A shiver crawled through me. My throat went dry.

“Grimms?” My voice squeaked. For the second time, I shivered at the mention of the word.

“They're the essence of darkness. They stand in the way of our happy endings. Our failure gives them power.” Grandma folded her hands in her lap, the humor gone from her face and eyes.

“You mean, like Grimm's fairytales?” I focused my attention on the wood-grain in the table. Anything to avoid looking at Grandma.

“Worse. They will destroy you. Sometimes it's hard to recognize them. Most of them will show themselves as shadows, but others are human in form, with wings and power. Some of the Grimms can even take the shape of our worst nightmares.” She reached for my hand, her cold fingers trembling. “They become the monsters we envision in the dark. They're dangerous. And pure evil.”

The Fairy Godmother thing suddenly sounded like a bad idea. “How do we stop them?”

“By not letting them destroy the happy endings. And by using your power. They hate light magic.”

Grandma held up her wand and tried to hand it to me.

I drew back from her. “I'm not sure I'm ready for this. I mean, I have no idea what I'm doing.”

“You'll learn, just like I had to. Like my great-grandmother before me and hers before her.” With her free hand, she grasped my wrist. “Your wand must stay on you at all times. When you're not using it, it will soak right into your skin, like this.”

She tapped the wand tip on my wrist. It wound around my skin like a snake, then sank in. It was as if someone had laid a hot washcloth across my arm. Strange loops and symbols appeared on my skin, like I'd gotten a bracelet tattoo. Beneath the surface, tingles surged through my blood. An electric current stirred inside me.

“How do I get it out?” I gawked at my wrist.

“When you need it, just call for it.”

“Wand,” I whispered and, like a snake uncoiling, it pulled from my body and appeared in my hand.This was freakin' crazy. My fingers trembled as I tapped it against my wrist once more and watched it absorb back into my skin.

Grandma chuckled. “All of this will take some getting used to, but I promise, the reward of making people happy makes everything worthwhile.” She rose and walked to the fireplace where she put another log on the flames. “Maggie, you must know that Fate is in your hands now. You must ensure the people you're helping get their ending. If, for some reason, you fail in any of your missions, it can have a domino effect.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let's say you get an assignment, a young woman fated to marry a certain young man. And something goes wrong. Perhaps you can't get her to the ball in time or maybe an accident happens and she doesn't arrive. Then she ends up missing her chance. She meets another man who is nice, but
not
whom she's supposed to be with. She marries him instead. A few years later, they get divorced. So, not only does she not get her happy ending, but neither does the person she's with or the man she was supposed to be with.”

“Kind of like Mom,” I said in a hushed voice. “Sometimes she talks about this guy, Philip, from college.”

Grandma's eyes welled up with tears. “Yes, kind of like your mother. But that's another story.” She paused. “What I'm trying to tell you is it's important to make sure the happy ending happens. Whether it's for a job or a school play or finding love. It's imperative we keep the Grimms away and make sure we've granted the wishes that need granting.”

I pushed away from the table and went to Grandma's side. “I might not be any good at this. I mean, it's not like homework or board games. These are people's lives we're dealing with.”

“And you're ready to take it on. I wouldn't have been able to transfer the power if you weren't.” She hugged me to her, stroking my hair. “Maggie, things won't always be easy. You won't be able to tell your friends or your brother. It'll be lonely. No one will understand when you disappear to take care of an assignment. You'll miss out on things, but you're doing this for the greater good. As long as you're here to make things happen, there will be hope.”

There was so much more I needed and wanted to know. But Grandma released me and pushed me toward the door. Once we stepped out of the magic room, it disappeared with a
pop
like a bursting bubble.

“Isn't there more you should tell me?”

A smile spread across her face as she led me from the closet. “Only one more thing. At some point in the near future, you'll likely be assigned a Knight of the Godmother Order. You will know him by the sword tattoo on his neck. He'll be your protector against the Grimms.”

That got my attention. “When will this happen?”

“Don't hurry the process along, Maggie. A knight won't normally appear until you need him. When you're in danger.”

“Oh.” Yeah, good idea because I dang sure didn't want any danger. The knight could wait.

“Now comes the fun part.” Grandma opened the sliding glass doors leading onto the balcony. “You need to learn how to fly.” She tugged a lounge chair next to the railing. “Just climb up here and leap off.”

Not that I didn't love my grandma, but she'd lost her ever-loving mind. No way in the world did any of my plans include jumping to my death.

I took a step back. “I don't think that's such a good idea.”

“It's like riding a bike.”

Maybe now was a good time to remind her how much I'd fallen down while learning to ride my bike.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at the ground below. It was a long way down. My pulse buzzed like a warning bell in my ears. Insane didn't begin to describe this idea. More like freakin' idiotic. And yet, I climbed onto the chair, then up onto the railing. I felt like a suicide on the ledge of a skyscraper.

“Think of your wings.” Grandma stood next to me, her hand resting on my calf.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I imagined my wings. The back of my shirt ripped and my wings expanded. Ugh, I loved this shirt.

“Okay, I'm up here.” I kept my focus straight ahead. As long as I didn't see the ground, I'd be all right, or at least I hoped I would be.

Grandma shoved me. I flailed off the balcony. She was trying to flippin' kill me. In two seconds I'd be splatter on the lawn.

“Flap your wings,” she called.

The ground came at me at an alarming rate. Then, to my amazement, my wings kicked in, brushing air. Like a butterfly, I shot forward, gliding.

“Make sure you're steering yourself.” Grandma's voice sounded far away.

My lips tilted into a smile as I flew higher. Cool night air kissed my cheeks and whipped through my hair. I felt so free. I felt so—
smack
—a low-hanging tree limb whapped me in the face.

Ow, crap! My face stung and my eyes watered.
Right. Need to watch where I'm
going
. A strong gust of wind billowed in, catching my wings and tipping me backward. Like an out-of-control kite, I half fell, half glided toward the ground and into the side of a car.

Beep. Beep.
Beep.
The car alarm blared. I rubbed my arm and head. Now I knew how road kill felt.

“You okay?” Grandma hollered down.

“Sure, just give me a second to pull the fiberglass out of my face.” I stood and wiped myself off.

Grandma laughed. “You'll get the hang of it. Maybe you should fly home tonight. Give yourself a chance to get used to your new wings.”

Sure, great idea. Then maybe I'd fly into the grill of a semi-truck or a hunter might shoot me out of the sky, thinking I was a big duck or something. And they'd stuff me like a turduken—only I'd be a turMaggen. Yeah, not a great visual. Because either way I looked at it, something or someone was going to be shoved into some place they didn't want to go.

What had I gotten myself into? Grandma smiled and gestured for me to fly back up to her. A Fairy Godmother. Me. Maggie Winters. The new Fairy Godmother. And I had no idea what I was doing.

 

Jackson poked his head in my room the next morning. “Mom said to get your butt up.”

“I'm up already.” I kicked my blankets off, crawled out of bed. Yawning, I stretched my arms over my head. My body ached all over.

Jack stepped further into my room and frowned. “What happened to you? You look like you got run over by a car.” He pushed my hair from my face.

Startled, I rushed to the vanity mirror. A bruise painted the whole right side of my cheek . “No, I didn't get hit by a car.” I groaned. More like my face had taken on an old Buick and lost.

And of all days when I needed to look my best. Maybe I should tell Connor something came up and he can't come over after school.

“Did someone hit you?” Jackson said.

“No. I—I rode my bike into a fence.”

“Yeah, right. No way did you get up early and go for a bike ride.” He crossed his arms at his chest. “We practically have to drag your butt out of bed every morning just to get you to school on time.”

“Fine. You wanna know the truth? When I got up last night to get a drink, I fell down the stairs.” Why couldn't Jackson go back to his normal, not-giving-a-crap-self?

Jack looked thoughtful then turned to the door.

And just when I thought he'd bought the story, he stepped on my clothes from last night. Eyes wide, he bent down and picked up my shirt. Almost the whole back was torn from where my wings had punctured through.

“Fell on the stairs, huh? And I suppose your shirt got caught on one of the ceiling fan blades on the way down?”

I stomped my feet and tried to rip my shirt away from him. “What do you want me to say, Jackson? I went on a date with Bigfoot and he got a little rough?”

“If that's what happened, then yeah.”

“I'm fine, okay? I tripped. My shirt ripped. End of story. Now, please get out of here so I can get dressed.”

But he didn't move. Instead, he cupped hands around his mouth. “Mom, you need to come up here.”

Aw, this wasn't good. My first day on the job and my identity was gonna get blown.

“It's too early for you two to be fighting.” Mom pushed into my room, trying to put an earring in. “Can't you just be nice and hug?”

“No!” we cried out in unison.

Jack gripped my arm and tugged me closer to Mom. “Look at her face.”

“Jackson, I'm not in the mood for your jokes this morning. I've got to get to…”

I closed my eyes, pleading Mom wouldn't notice.

She gasped. “Maggie, what in the world happened?”

“Apparently she's been dating Sasquatch.” Jack handed her my torn shirt.

What a prick. I was half-tempted to grab my wand and turn him into a giant turd. But Mom would probably make me clean it up.

She held my shirt. Her eyes widened then her gaze fell to the tattoo mark on my wrist. Crap. I was so dead.

“Jack, go get breakfast while your sister and I talk.”

He hesitated, glancing between us. “If someone at school did it, Seth and I will kick their a...”

Mom spun around. “Jackson Charles! If I ever hear
th
at
word come from your mouth, I'll make you drink a bottle of dish soap. Do you understand?”

Jack held his hands up and backed out of the room. “Sorry, I'm just saying.”

Mom shut the door and sighed. “Grandma had the chance to talk to you last night?”

“Um—yeah.”

“Then you've officially taken over for her?” She moved to my side, brushing my arm with her hand.

“Wait, you know?”

She nodded. “Grandma tested me when I turned sixteen. I was the only person, other than the people she helped, who knew her secret.”

“So you didn't want to do it?” I ran a hand through my tangled hair.

“I didn't possess the Godmother power. But even if I did, I would've still said no.” Mom hugged me. “My mom was gone a lot. I didn't understand her constant disappearance. At least not until I was older.”

The scent of Mom's perfume clung to me as she pulled back. “It's a lot of work, Maggie. And you'll miss out on things.”

“I know. Grandma explained it.”

She gave me a sad smile. “I'll try to help you as best I can. And I'll make sure to give your dad some excuse to cover for you. Maybe tutoring…something that'd take you away.”

“Thanks.” Relief flooded through me. At least I wouldn't have to lie to her. “So, any idea how I'm supposed to explain my face?”

She quirked an eyebrow as strands of blonde hair tumbled across her forehead “Do I want to know what happened?”

“Flying lessons.” I laughed, flapping my arms like a crazed bird.

“If anyone asks, you fell.” Mom walked to the door. “I'll tell Jackson to say the same. Now, go on and get dressed.”

With a smile, I hurried to pick out my clothes. Nothing could ruin today. Not my bruised face. Not my brother. Heck, not even Katrina. Nope, today was the day my life would take a drastic change. Four magical words. Connor. Prince. After. School.