Roses and Black Glass: a dark Cinderella tale by Lani Lenore Page A

looked on at the table, the stems of the roses dried and disintegrated,
leaving only the blood red petals.  Amanda began to move her mouth slowly and
speak in a tongue that was unknown to Cindy.  As she chanted, the petals rose
from the table and began to spin through the air in the gentle circles of a
whirlwind.
    After several
moments, the woman stopped her chanting and blew into the cyclone, sending the
petals floating toward Cindy.  The girl watched with wide eyes as the
blood-dipped petals drifted around her.
    “Close your
eyes,” called the woman.  “Embrace what is yours!”
    Closing her
eyes, Cindy reached out with her arms and pulled the air into a strong embrace.
 She pulled tighter, feeling the soft brush of the petals against her skin.  Finally,
sucking in a deep breath, Cindy returned from the embrace of the wind and next
wrapped her arms around herself.
    There was
stillness.    

Chapter
Six
    1
         The party
was the grandest that Greenhaven had ever seen – the most extravagant of all
the Charmings’ previous bashes.  The house was pristine from top to bottom,
aglow with candles and colorful lamps.  Nearly the entire town was in
attendance.  Ladies dripped jewels from their necks and their laughter was
filled with mirth.  Gentlemen flooded the hall, perhaps hoping to take up some
of those lovely young ladies that Christian cast off. 
    Mrs. Charming
was as jovial as usual while she was being complemented for her spectacular
party, but behind her smile, she had a mission as she shifted through the
crowd.  Not all was perfect, and it would not be long before others noticed it
as well.
    The guest of
honor was not there.
    Christian sat
at the window in his dark room, calmly smoking one of his soothing cigarettes. 
Letting the smoke roll from his lips was still one of the few things that gave
him pleasure, but he was beginning to partake more and more as the days
passed.  He sat by the open window, letting his arm hang out in the night air
and sending the smoke spirals along their journey through the wind.
    He could hear
the sounds of the party below as people danced and the musicians played their
strings.  The guests seemed to be having a fond time, save for the fact that he
wasn’t present.  There was no doubt that many were wondering where he was – he
was the guest of honor after all – still, he could not tear himself from the
window.  Perhaps it was because he knew there was nothing for him downstairs.
    A soft rapping
on the door gave warning as his mother entered, dressed in her finest clothes. 
Her gold-colored dress set off the candlelight magically, though one would
think she would have toned herself down so as not to draw attention from the
young ladies.  She peered through the dark and to the window where Christian
was only slightly illuminated by the moonlight.
    “Everyone is
waiting for you,” said Mrs. Charming as a pointed reminder.
    “You’re
imagining things,” her son countered, looking back to the window.
    “Really,
Christian.  Put out that cigarette and come downstairs.  There are several young
ladies here to see you,” she insisted.
    She had been
trying to force him, but this was entirely the wrong thing to say to him. “Just
bring them all up here and we’ll have a different sort of party.”
    The woman was
appalled, but not shocked by this sort of response from him.  “Is that any way
for a gentleman to speak?" she scolded.  "Especially to his mother?”
    “And this is
how I am to spend my evening?” he asked, ignoring her.  “Greeting girl after
girl and never having a chance to actually talk with a single one?”
    “You’ve had
the opportunity to talk with them this week already.”  Samantha sighed
deeply for her trouble. “Why must you act this way, Christian?”
    “Why must you ,
mother?”
    “You may do
what you like afterward, but just come down .  If you don’t want to dance
with all the girls, you don’t have to trouble