Cinderella Smith Read Online Free Page B

wasn’t too shook up by this news, but she wasn’t. “ Her father married for his second wife the proudest and unkindest woman that ever was seen.” Now why would a dad marry someone like that? He has a kid, for heaven’s sake; you’d think he would be very, extremely careful who he brought home. That makes me wonder why Erin isn’t worried about a wicked stepmother too. That should be my first question for her.

    I wrote QUESTIONS: really big at the top of the next page in the notebook and then:

    1) What about a wicked stepmother?
    I kept reading. “ She had two daughters who were exactly like her in every way.”
    Tess pointed to a picture of the wicked stepmother and her daughters arriving at Cinderella’s house. The stepsisters had brought tons of chests that were all piled up on top of the carriage. Frilly clothes and sparkly jewels and high-heeled shoes with curlicue toes were all spilling out.
    â€œMessy,” Tess said.
    â€œYes, sir.” I wrote on the QUESTIONS page:
    2) Are they messy?
    3) Do they have lots of luggage?
    We kept reading and I kept adding to my list of questions: Are they loud and bossy? Are they lazy and sleep a ton? Do they stare in the mirror a lot? Do they have lots of clothes? Do they have big feet?
    â€œI think that’s a pretty good list of wicked stepsister questions,” I said when we got to the end of the story.
    â€œMore,” said Tess.
    â€œMore questions?” I asked.
    â€œMore reading,” said Tess.
    I sighed a big sigh, but I’m not sure why because I like reading fairy tales and I like Tess too, most of the time.

Chapter 6
Flip-flops
    â€œW hat about your wicked stepmother?” I asked Erin the minute we got our first recess the next morning.
    â€œWhat wicked stepmother?” she asked.
    â€œThe one that comes with the wicked stepsisters,” I said.
    â€œThey come with a stepfather.”
    â€œIs he wicked?”
    â€œHe’s okay, I guess,” she said.
    I followed Erin over to a bench and showed her my notebook.
    â€œWhat’s that?” she asked.
    â€œA WICKED STEPSISTERS NOTEBOOK ,” I said.
    â€œWhere did you get it?”
    â€œI made it.” I fished the pencil out from the metal spirals and opened to the first page. “I have some questions for you.”
    â€œOkay,” she said.
    â€œWhat can you tell me about your wicked stepsisters?”
    â€œNot much,” she said. “I haven’t met them yet.”
    â€œWhy not?” I asked.
    â€œI’m not going to meet them until right before the wedding.”
    â€œThat seems a little fishy.”
    â€œIt does?” she asked.
    â€œYes,” I said. “Maybe your stepfather is very, extremely ashamed of them.”

    â€œMaybe,” said Erin. “But I think it’s just because they’re away at college.”
    â€œHmm,” I said, “so
    they’re a lot older and
    bigger than you.”
    â€œI guess so,” she said. “What are your stepsisters like?”
    My heart dropped a little bit inside me. “I actually don’t have any.”
    Erin stared hard at me.
    â€œThat’s not why I’m called Cinderella,” I said, and then got all nervous about what would happen next.
    â€œSo you can’t help,” she said.
    â€œYes, I can,” I said. “Even though I don’t have stepsisters, I can still help you find out if yours are wicked or not.”
    â€œOf course they’re wicked,” said Erin.
    â€œBut you haven’t met them yet, so how do you know?” I asked.
    â€œBecause all stepsisters are wicked,” she said.
    â€œNo, they’re not,” I said very sure, even though I wasn’t so sure really.
    Her forehead crinkled into one big frown and she opened her mouth to say something, but Rosemary T. appeared right by the bench just then.
    â€œWhat are you two doing?” she asked. She didn’t