"Was Anastasia jealous?" you asked?
After seeing Prince and Ella dancing in the center of the hall, beneath the luxurious chandelier, under the soft glow of countless candles. Ella, in her gown and glass shoes, paired with Prince whom my daughter, Anastasia, adored.
Can you imagine it, Inspector? The romance of those two teenagers. Their closeness. Ella placed her hand on Prince's shoulder, while Prince held Ella's waist with one arm. They moved slowly, following the melody as if it had been created solely for the two of them. Their warm gazes. Their smiles. It was obvious that Anastasia was jealous, Inspector. There was no need for you to ask again. Especially after seeing that sight, Anastasia hurriedly left the ballroom.
With one hand covering her nose and mouth, holding back her sobs, Anastasia walked quickly through the corridor, pushing through a crowd filled with curious faces.
"Anastasia!" I shouted, calling out my beloved daughter's name. Over and over again. I wanted to calm her down. But the girl kept running and running. Until she reached the back restroom of the school. Anastasia, my daughter, locked herself inside one of the restroom stalls there. Crying alone.
I remember hearing it from Drizella before. After being teased by her classmates, Anastasia would usually keep to herself as well, hiding in that second-floor restroom for quite some time.
I understand why Anastasia chose this place to be alone. Aside from being far from the crowd, this restroom could be considered comfortable. Clean. Not smelly. I felt like I could scream and cry freely here as well.
In front of the locked restroom stall, I stood there, leaning against it, listening to every sob coming from inside. The first heartbreak Anastasia ever felt.
"It's okay."
That was all I could say to comfort her.
I knew there was no one I could blame for this matter. It was not Anastasia's fault for choosing too late. It was not Ella's fault either. Even though it felt unfair, Ella was not at fault. All that girl did was dance with Prince. No one forbade her from doing so. Even if Ella truly fell in love with that man, that was not Ella's fault at all.
"Anastasia, Mama knows you like Prince. But…." I was afraid I could not finish that sentence.
It felt like nearly an hour passed with Anastasia and me staying silent there. When I thought Anastasia had calmed down and her crying had stopped, I intended to return to the ballroom.
Drizella. That girl should have been tthere
After I chased after Anastasia, I did not know what had happened to my other daughter. Drizella. She should have been fine. She must have been busy tasting the food, I thought.
Unfortunately, she was not.
Drizella was in the middle of the corridor. A group of girls surrounded her, mocking her, laughing.
"Oops, evil stepsister, sorry. I spilled a drink on your nice dress."
"Oh come on, Alice, what are you talking about? What Drizella's wearing isn't a dress, it's just a cleaning rag."
"Oh really? Hahahaha! No wonder it's so dirty."
"Covered in chocolate and sauce."
"Hahahaha!"
Just hearing it from afar was enough to make my ears burn. Immediately, I approached them, driving those insolent girls away from my daughter.
"Ew, the evil stepmother is here."
"Let's go, Fae."
"Come on, come on. If we don't leave, we might be the ones tortured all night. Forced to sleep in the storage room."
Accompanied by the echoing sound of their high heels, the girls laughed again.
Those girls were unimportant. What mattered was Drizella, my poor daughter.
Just as those girls had said, the dress Drizella was wearing looked dirty. The waist and skirt were slightly wet from spilled juice. There were also stains of chocolate and some sauce smeared all over. It seemed that was their doing as well.
"Drizella, are you being bullied again?" I knew it was a foolish question. No matter how you looked at it, it was obvious that Drizella had been messed with.
"Ella," she whispered.
Her voice was so faint that it was drowned out by the booming music. I could only read her lips. Ella. There was no mistake. That was what she said.
Ella. Ella. Ella. Ella. What had that girl done again this time? Hadn't she promised she would stop lying? Hadn't she promised she would not let anyone bully Anastasia and Drizella again?
I should have known. Once again, it was just another lie.
"Where is Ella right now?" I asked.
Drizella did not answer. All my daughter did was lower her head and shake it slowly.
Without a clear lead, I forced my steps toward the ballroom. That was the last place I had seen Ella. She should have been there, still dancing with Prince, or eating snacks with her group of gossip-loving friends. I should have been able to find Ella there.
She was not there.
Ella was not there. Among the hundreds of teenage students and teachers gathered in that large room, I could not find Ella's figure. The figure in a blue gown with glass shoes seemed to have vanished just like that.
"Mrs. Tremaine, what are you doing here?" A teacher, Ella's homeroom teacher, approached me. "This is an event for students. Is there something you need...."
"Excuse me," I cut the female teacher off. "Have you seen Ella? Where did Ella go?"
The teacher looked confused. She frowned, her gaze filled with suspicion. "Why are you looking for Ella?" she asked. "Ella is doing just fine here. She's happy at this dance."
"I just want Ella...."
"Do you want to take Ella home, lock her in the storage room, or force her to clean the entire house by herself?" The woman smiled bitterly. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Tremaine. I don't want to interfere in your household matters. I don't know why child protective services have never arrested you. But I beg you, please stop abusing Ella. Ella is a good girl."
I shook my head, unable to comprehend it.
"Child protective services have never arrested me because I have never abused Ella. Not even once." That was nothing but a lie Ella had made up. I wanted to emphasize it. However, it felt pointless for me to explain. "Where is Ella?" I asked again.
The woman shrugged.
Without saying much more, I left the place. I wandered aimlessly, asking several people I encountered. Still, no one knew. No one wanted to tell me.
With my legs beginning to tire, I finally decided to go to the back restroom of the school, the place where Anastasia had locked herself away. I intended to check on my daughter again. To see whether she was feeling better or not.
However, before I reached the restroom area, I saw Ella first. As if it had already been destined. Just as I was about to give up searching, that girl suddenly appeared right in front of me. A beautiful girl in a gown and glass shoes.
My stepdaughter. The girl who rejected every gift I gave her. The girl who never considered me her mother. Never considered us her family.
In that place, I killed her.