Cinder X Bella ~ Twenty-Seven!

Anywhere the haze reached, the mice started coughing, then dropped to the ground convulsing. Seconds after they were first touched, they stopped moving. 

“Back! Get back, everyone!” Bella frantically called, and the mice rushed to obey. Even so, less than forty of them were able to get away from the writhing hedges, thorns, and deadly smoke. Before she could somehow convince herself this was a natural phenomenon, Bella watched as the roots of the hedges lifted out of the ground, wrapped around the fallen rodents, and pulled them below the surface. 

For far too long, she simply stood there, staring at the now-innocuous hedgerow in horror.

“Oh me, oh my.” The simpering faux concern drifted into her ears, and Bella slowly turned to watch as her stepmother stalked across the lawn. “You're so angry about possibilities that you would endanger the entire family by trying to destroy my beautiful plants? Humm…”

Matringa came to a stop, taking a moment to admire the despair on Bella's face. “It seems we're going to have to make some changes around here sooner, far sooner than I thought.” 

Bella felt completely numb, unable to respond in the slightest even as her stepmother had the cellar doors at the top of the stairs fitted with an oversized padlock. She simply sat on her bed, replaying the memory of her valiant vermin being viciously victimized by the vindictive vines. The few dozen who’d survived had scattered only after Matringa had arrived on the scene, and her stepmother barely commented on them—but she had seen them.

The young woman barely mustered the energy to glance up as Signora Vigatori suddenly loomed in her doorway, staring her down with cruel delight. “I certainly hope you can understand the need for this extra layer of security. How am I supposed to keep this estate in check if I don't even know if you are in your room when you’re supposed to be? From now on, you will have a curfew. I will personally ensure you are in your room before going to bed myself.”

Even as the words echoed in the small space, Bella felt as though she were watching herself from a distance. All she could see in her mind was herself in the cellar for two more years, eight, who knew when it would end? In fact, why would it end, when her servitude directly benefited her stepmother? Until she was at least eighteen, even if she managed to call for help and someone bothered to listen, Matringa could simply point out the fact that she was taking care of her stepdaughter as legally required.

“Are you even listening to me?” Matringa’s sharp words cut through the haze around Bella's mind, and she nodded ever so slightly. “Good. Now, come with me, we're going to have our second family meeting of the day. Look what you’re doing to us, Bella. You're making us act like executives who can't make a decision. Your father would be ashamed.”

After deciding her stepdaughter was moving too slow, Matringa gripped her arm and practically dragged the young woman up the stairs, and into the dining room, where Malvagio and Cattiva were already waiting. As she was sat down, Bella’s attention was drawn to the three silent maids, who were staring at the ground, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. 

“It appears the changes we discussed are going to come sooner than I’d expected, and all of you can thank Bella for the shortened timeline.” Matringa began without preamble, not even bothering to sit. “As I can't keep track of my plants and an errant child’s whims, the contracts of the staff shall be sold off immediately.”

“Mother! No!” Cattiva’s gasp almost gave Bella a spark of hope, but it was immediately followed by, “You said it would be almost a year before we had to manage our rooms; why do we get punished for something we didn't even cause?”

“It does seem somewhat unfair.” Malvagio agreed with a rare show of solidarity with her sister. 

“Enough. The maids are leaving. Their bags are already packed; we're only waiting on the carriage to arrive. I'm retaining a part-time servant for chores outside the estate, such as fetching us our weekly supplies. However, there will be no more outside influences living in the estate with us.” Matringa turned to her daughters, who seemed ready to explode with indignation. “I understand the frustrations you two must feel, but I’ve no desire for Bella to intrude into our space. Remember how we talked about sacrifices that needed to be made?”

Malvagio and Cattiva’s eyes darted over to their stepsister before they nodded in reluctant understanding. Matringa inhaled, straightened her posture, and waved at the maids to exit the room. “The lock on your door will remain as long as I deem it necessary. Actions have consequences; it's time you learned that lesson. Perhaps a firm hand is what’s been needed this whole time… well. We'll find out, won't we? Your father wants you safe. You are the most safe right here, but apparently you need chores to keep you away from idle, dangerous behaviors.” 

A loud knock on the door interrupted the rant, and the women were ushered out of the dining room and into the entryway. One of the silent maids opened the door, stepping aside as a man with a long, ragged beard and mustache stepped in. 

“Signora, I'm here to pick up your baggage and drop off your order.” 

“Thank you kindly, Scagnozzo,” Matringa responded with great familiarity, causing Bella's gaze to sharpen as she looked between the two of them. “The speed with which you can accomplish tasks never fails to astound me.”

The man smiled broadly, revealing rotten teeth, “That's the reason the coins sing for me, Signora. Here’s your crate; I've already been paid, now come on, baggage.”

He motioned for the maids to follow him, nodding at Matringa before tossing the small amount of luggage onto his wagon and hoisting the silent maids up. Ignoring the reins, Scagnozzo lifted a whip and flicked it at the single horse, causing it to surge forward in a panic and yank its burden away from the manor with a rapid clatter. 

“Were you all aware we had a rodent infestation?” Matringa’s inquiry drew Bella's attention over to her stepmother, who was pulling apart the crate with an astounding amount of brute force. “Well, Bella the basic Beast Singer certainly did. Instead of dealing with the issue, she fed them our food, trained them in our house, and tried to turn them against our first line of defense. Imagine what could have happened, who could have been allowed into our home, if she tore down the only protection we have against the world outside this safe space?”

The wood finally gave way with a cracking groan, and six obese black cats stalked their way out of the container, hissing with clear wrath as they looked around the room. Slowly, all of their eyes came to rest on Bella, and she felt a shiver run up her spine and took an involuntary step backward. Instinctively she called out with song, “Run! Run! As fast as you can, don't let them catch you, you’re the-”

“Too late for that!” Matringa shouted with fury as the cats scattered into the house, yowling with hunger. “My sisters saw fit to lend me some of their pets, and they are fantastic hunters.”

The oversized cats were as dark and malicious as they appeared at first glance, and within minutes, they began to bring back one tiny body after another. 

Matringa grabbed Bella’s chin and forced her to look into her eyes, “This could have easily been your task, something you handled for the family. These creatures are filthy and could easily be spreading pestilence in our house! What are they doing when you aren't around? Eating the walls, destroying our home? How would you know? As soon as I saw them around you, the cause of so many little annoyances came to light.”

Bella was released, and she staggered back, clutching at her chin where she could already feel a pair of bruises forming. Matringa wasn't finished with her, instead jabbing a bony index finger at her face. “I know what your father said, but I can't in good conscience allow you to keep practicing these disgusting skills. I'll take that oath you owe him, or you'll be working in this house each day until you drop.”

Silence filled the air for a few long moments, with the stepmother waiting impatiently and the stepdaughter keeping her mouth closed with all her might. The staring contest continued long enough that Cattiva and Malvagio became uncomfortable, fidgeting in the background, before their mother began shaking her head and chuckling from sheer anger. “Defiant ‘til the end, aren't you, Bella?”

Still, the young woman refused to say a word. 

“Good… very good.” Matringa stepped forward and clenched her hand around her stepdaughter's arm once more, dragging her through the house as she marched along. “This is exactly how I prefer you. Silent. Let's make this a regular thing, shall we? Unless one of us speaks to you directly and asks you a question, you are not to speak at all. Anytime I hear you doing so out of turn, I will find a way to punish you, do you understand?”

Once again there was no answer, so Matringa suddenly paused and rounded on Bella, her grip tightening to the point of being painful. “Let me make myself understood, when we ask you a question, you will answer. Do you understand?” 

“Perfectly,” Bella growled out her answer, not bothering to hide the intensity of her own emotions as she glared at her stepmother in return.

“Then what comes next should be no surprise.” Matringa’s voice was almost a whisper as she trembled with anger at the disrespect in her stepdaughter's tone. Bella was shoved into the entrance of the cellar, missing her step and falling down the stairs. 

 As she lay at the bottom, trying to catch her breath, the young woman stared up at the silhouetted form of Signora Vigatori. Her father's wife shook her head once, then reached over and slammed the door to the cellar closed. *Click* went the padlock, followed by Matringa stomping away. 

Now alone in the dark, Bella finally allowed tears to run from her closed eyes.