CHAPTER 2

Did Somebody Say Cinderella?

OOOF! Where am I? Cupid thought, gingerly touching the top of her head. She’d fallen into a storybook to take her midterm hexam, but this did not look like her story at all. She had been hexpecting to land on top of Mount Olympus, but instead of seeing clouds and bright-blue sky, she was staring up at the roof of a cozy house—probably in a small village somewhere.

As she looked around, Cupid felt hexcited. Had Headmaster Grimm put a special twist on her hexam assignment? Was she supposed to bring love to this little town? Ooh! That would be spelltacular! Cupid thought. Then she became aware of a delicious smell. Something fairy yummy was cooking. Peering around the little room, she saw that there was a pot bubbling on the stove and a roaring fireplace in the corner. The smell of the food was making her hungry, and Cupid’s stomach rumbled. Is there a feast about to be served?

Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the wooden door. A muffled voice shouted something from outside. Before Cupid could answer, a tall woman with pale-blond hair and serious gray eyes and her two grumpy-looking daughters burst through the door.

“Now, I am your stepmother and you should respect me, young lady! When I say supper on the table by seven o’clock, that means you have supper on the table by seven o’clock!” The two daughters nodded in agreement with their mother, hands pressed firmly on their hips. While Stepmother looked disappointed and frustrated, her two daughters looked positively furious! Cupid couldn’t understand why they were so upset.

“Just look at her, Prudence,” the daughter with short hair said to her sister. “She’s just sitting there doing nothing, and meanwhile it’s dinnertime.”

“Yes, Charlotte. She’s being lazy as usual,” Prudence agreed. “We’re all starving! Where’s dinner? When are you ever going to get your chores done on time?”

Rather than react to the fact that everyone was being fairy mean for no reason, Cupid did what she always did: She studied the girls to try to figure them out. Part of being Cupid meant really understanding people. How could she help them fall in love if she didn’t understand what made them tick? Cupid looked closely at the two sisters. Charlotte had short brown hair, bright-blue eyes, and a sprinkle of freckles across her nose. She looks like she has a lot of energy. She kind of looks like a gymnast, Cupid thought. Prudence had long, straight dark hair pulled back in a high ponytail and hazel eyes. She is probably the quieter sister. She reminds me of a ballerina, Cupid decided.

The sisters and Stepmother stared at Cupid as they waited for her to respond, but she was too deep in thought trying to imagine with whom the sisters might fall in love to answer. “We will await our supper in the sitting room,” their mother said to Cupid finally. “And you’ll finish all your chores… tonight.”

Cupid stared blankly at Stepmother and the stepsisters as they strolled out of the kitchen. Chores? Well, she’d never thought of bringing people love as a chore, but maybe mortals saw it that way. Cupid reached back to find her bow and arrows—just to make sure they were handy in case a handsome duke or a nice stable boy came by—only to discover they were missing!

Okay, what in Ever After is going on around here? Cupid wondered. Had she lost her bow and arrows? Then she caught sight of her reflection in a mirror. Instead of her usual outfit, she was wearing a dress and an apron. And not a particularly nice dress and apron, either—the dress was old and raggedy, and the apron had quite a few stains on it.

This outfit is definitely not my style, Cupid thought.

But then Cupid replayed everything in her head. Two mean sisters and their mom shouting orders at her about chores… raggedy clothes and an apron… hmm… Why did this all sound vaguely familiar?

“Cinderella!” the stepsisters called. “Serve us our dinner this instant!”

Oh. My. Wand. Suddenly, it all made sense—Cupid wasn’t on Mount Olympus… because she had landed in Ashlynn Ella’s story! In this storybook, she wasn’t C.A. Cupid, Olympic Champion of Love. She was Cinderella!

Cupid tried to look at the bright side. This could be a little vacation from matchmaking! It had been so demanding this semester at Ever After High. She’d already used more than half her supply of arrows for the year! Now, instead of worrying about practicing her archery skills, Cupid could just sweep some floors, practice her father’s angel food cake recipes, and maybe even go to a ball! This little mix-up wasn’t so bad ever after all.

“Cinderella!” Stepmother barked. “Are you even listening to us? Quit daydreaming and get dinner on the table… now!”

“I’ll be there in a moment!” Cupid replied.

So long, Cupid—Hello, Cinderella!