Cream and flour covered Ella's face along with large portions of the kitchen countertops. The only place untouched by the destruction were the careful arranged trays of pastries.

From the moment she'd returned home, Ella had been sent to cook. In only a few days their house was due to be visited by the duke to find the mystery princess. At first Ella thought to refuse. When was a better time to acquaint her family with the idea that they'd be bowing before her? It was always better to become accustomed to big changes sooner rather than later.

After some thought she'd decided the pastries would be her parting gift. There was no telling how long they'd have to suffer through Annie's horrific attempts to cook. If Ricky allowed it, maybe she could send one of the palace maids to teach the girls to care for themselves and their mother. It was far too late to teach the marchioness a new trick.

Ella clapped her hands, laughing at the cloud of flour that exploded from her palms. She'd never felt so light, unless she counted her night at the ball. It had to be counted though since it had been the catalyst for everything.

"Are you done?" Lady Tremaine asked. This time she courageously stepped into the old kitchen rather than lingering in the doorway.

"Yes, I think this will be enough even if the duke decides to bring an army," she joked.

Besides the pastries, a roast was cooking in the oven, fresh bread rested in baskets around the room, and perfectly ripe fruits were piled high in decorative bowls. It all looked like a bit much and normally she would have disagreed with the entire affair. That day, she was alright with not letting the duke see that his future queen came from a house of such low standing.

Both Annie and Drizella were spending large portions of the day resting so that they would appear well rested. Their mother forced them outside occasionally for the sunlight and to pick fresh flowers to decorate the halls. The chateau almost looked like a real home again.

Ella's preparations had been much more subtle. She didn't have much in the way of precious possessions so packing them in secret had been easy. The best pieces of her embroidery were wrapped around what remained of her mother's jewelry. Letters from her parents, both those they wrote to each other and to her, were tucked away in the leather folder her father had used to store his trade agreements.

The only thing not packed away was the glass slipped which was tucked away in the fireplace again where she could be sure it remained undisturbed. Thanks to her hours of cooking over the last few days she'd been able to ensure no one so much as thought about digging into the fireplace.

"An adequate job," Lady Tremaine said. She waved her long thin fingers at a bag that rested against the wall. "Take this to the back shed until after the guests have left. It's some things I've been meaning to dispose of but I don't want to air our garbage in such esteemed company."

The bag in question was a lumpy sack tied shut with a leather chord. Ella lifted it easily and she mused at what could be inside as she walked to the shed. The shed was another of the places on the property that was left untouched except by Ella. It was so far back some could have argued it wasn't part of their lands at all.

The door was always left closed, which made the wide open door and the chicken waiting just inside all the more confusing. "Come out of there you silly thing, you'll be eaten whole if an animal wanders by."

Ella dropped the sack into the shed and bent to lift the chicken. It clucked calmly under her arm but squealed loudly when the door slammed shut. The mid afternoon sun was blocked out, save for a few slivers coming through the cracks in the roof and along the top of the door. A flash of a green dress went by only moments before Drizella's giggles.

"Have fun with your prince chicken, Cinderella," she called out. Already her laughter was growing distant as she ran from the shed. In moments only Ella's uneven breathing and the chicken's clucks remained.

"No, no please," Ella cried out. She slapped her palms against the wooden door until they were bruised and filled with splinters. Old as the shed was, the heavy door was made of sturdy stuff. The stone walls were well sealed and banging on them only brought worse bruising.

She didn't know when she started screaming for help, but as the hours dragged on and the sunlight faded, her throat ached from the strain. By nightfall she could only croak out a word or two when she was sobbing between her pleas.

Ella finally dropped to her knees, still tapping just her fingertips against the door. The sound set an uneven tempo that matched her frenzied heartbeat. There was no one to hear her out there, at least no one that cared. She could see that it had all been a well thought out plan. From the hectic preparations that could have been done the day before to the chicken in the shed, everything had been planned to keep Ella out of the way.

Fear clawed at her heart. They couldn't possibly know. Everyone had been in masks that night, even the prince. There was no way they'd managed to find the slipper either with how vigilant she'd been in guarding it. The thing hadn't been outside of her immediate proximity since it had come into being.

Except the day she'd gone into town with the marchioness.

The glass slipper hadn't been in the chimney then, it had been in her room tucked into a drawer with a false bottom. There was only one other person who knew about her secret treasure trove. She shouldn't have been surprised by the betrayal after the events with her mother's gown but it hurt all the same.

Soft light peeked through the cracks as a lantern bobbed by outside. Rustling fabric accompanied the light. "Ella?" Annie called out. The light stilled in front of the door but there were no signs of it opening.

Ella stayed quiet, even her tapping at the door stopped. The fact that she would come now to rub it all in was possibly the worst offense yet. She couldn't even stick to her own disgusting convictions.

"Ella. I'm sorry. I didn't think this would happen," Annie said. Her skirts swished as she moved around along the outside wall. The light was blocked out of the cracks one at a time as she tried to use each one to see inside. She jumped, trying to reach a better possible viewpoint.

It reminded Ella of when they'd both been little and they took turns trying to look inside the wares Ella's father brought home. Drizella had never wanted to look, content to wait for her gifts like a proper lady. Convincing Annie to sneak around was always easier since the younger girl followed around both her sisters like an eager puppy.

Annie kept up her attempts to garner a response from Ella until the lantern started to die down. When she finally walked away, Ella stood and set to work surveying her meager surroundings. They'd put thought into her imprisonment. Nothing that could help her escape was left. Only the sack and the chicken remained aside from an old mattress and moth-eaten blankets. At the very least they didn't want her to die of cold or hunger.

Nearly three days went by before Lady Tremaine opened the door to the shed. She didn't say anything, not even to push Ella towards some menial chore. All she did was walk back to the house ahead of her stepdaughter.

The duke had come and gone. Neither sister fit the glass slipper provided and they either hadn't found Ella's half of the pair or hadn't thought to show it off. Whatever the reason, neither girl had been called to the palace as a bride and no one had come looking for the lost serving girl of the household.

While Ella was hurt by their actions, they had only sent her back to her original plan to leave and go to the palace herself. Ricky would recognize her with or without the glass slipper and he would still take her away from it all. Then she found her luggage unpacked, money gone, and the last of her mother's jewelry around Drizella's neck.