It was a beautiful night, the moon shining with a beautiful splendor, which was hitting a small lake and creating a marvelous spectacle. In front of the lake, and stepping out of an old, but quite well-preserved hut was Black Queen Cinderella Rose. The young woman, cheerful and a bit playful, was running towards her friends who were waiting for her inside the lake. With a great jump, Cinderella fell into the water and splashed everything around her, soaking the faces of her friends.
Cinderella popped her head out of the water, her back to her friends.
She wipped her face and took a deep breath before turning to look at her fellow adventurers, who were still showing a cheerful and carefree expression.
"Put the music on the cassette, let's have some fun while you tell us what it is that you wanted to talk about." Said Black Queen Sofía Courvoisier as she handed the cassette to Cinderella.
"No, it's something important, really important." Cinderella could barely look at her friends as she said that. Her hand wandered through her hair trying to brush it, while taking a deep breath after putting the cassette aside.
"Baby, you look a little worried. Is everything alright, Cinndy?" Black Pagan Queen Sunnhild Mévouillevé's voice was a little higher-pitched than usual. Trying not to show that she was a little frightened by her friend's look, which wasn't exactly one of happiness, a rare thing in their meetings.
"No, I'm not okay. Please come with me to the cabin." Said Cinderella as she walked to it, the girl's legs trembling with every step she took and every time she got closer towards it.
The three Queens she was with followed her into the cabin. As they watched her sit on a sofa inside the cabin, Claudia took the initiative and began to talk to Cinderella.
"You're worrying me already, tell us, what's going on?" Claudia Bellucci, the oldest Queen of the group, but also the most emotional one. She wasn't very talkative, but the moment completely demanded her utmost concern.
"Yesterday, a tall man in a gray trench coat came to my door, he kept apologizing to me, even though he said he was going to guide me through the whole process of becoming a Nobody. He said he didn't want to break the news to me, but someone had to. He said he hoped I would be good at this new job I was going to have to do." Cinderella picked up a brown fedora that was lying next to her on the couch and showed it to her friends.
"After that, he said that he thought I was going to be a good Nobody, and that I had to be strong. He knocked the heart crown off my head, the one you gave me for our anniversary, Sofía, and after that he gave me the fedora. I didn't really know how to deal with it right away, but at this point, I can only feel helpless, I need your help. Please." Cinderella tried to wipe away her tears while gently resting her head on Sofía, who tried to comfort her and understand everything her girlfriend had just told them.
"W-when are you going to leave?" Sunnhild asked, her voice cracking and still hopeful that this might somehow not be true.
"Tomorrow. When I found out I felt broken, I won't be able to spend enough time with you. But I wanted to ask you one last thing. Can you all spend the day with me tomorrow?" The young woman could not bear it and fell into tears while all her friends hugged her, trying not to cry and make her feel better.
"We'll be with you all day and for as long as you need us, my Darling." Sofía kissed her on the forehead and lay down next to her on the sofa. She watched as her beloved fell asleep quickly and thought about how she could prepare herself psychologically to see her disappear in her arms.
After the restless night before and having had little rest, the girls left for the Wanderers' Library. They arrived much more faster than usual, perhaps because they had quickened their pace compared to other days, or perhaps the Library wanted them there. Within the wide corridors of the Library, full of roots and books, the girls had long ago found a place to move through time and reach different places they wanted.
"Well girls, what are we going to do?" Cinderella leaned forward a little. She was curious as to what her friends had planned for their last day.
"We're going to party!" Sunnhild said as she shoved a few whiskey bottles into her backpack.
"Pretty much that. We're all going somewhere that's special to us, you know, so we can say goodbye." Claudia pushed a few drawers to the side as she urged her friends to go through the door that appeared behind the furniture she moved.
"Come on, I want to be the first to show you my special party place."
Claudia was the first to enter, followed by the other girls. They all hurried in smiling with excitement, as this was going to be their last day, but they were going to enjoy it to the fullest.
Upon walking through the door, the four Queens found themselves in a gym room full of school boys and girls between 17 and 20 years old. They seemed to be having fun at their prom. Everything was dimly lit, with colored lights that were actually annoying to the eye rather than helpful, although they served as a nice way to create a celebratory atmosphere. On the sides of the place were two large tables, filled with punch, various types of pastries, meatballs and a few salads. On top of the stage (set up for the dance in the gym), was a rock-and-roll band composed of a bunch of high school kids.
"Ohhh, you've already told me about this place, Clau. I remember it perfectly. This is where you met your husband." Cinderella couldn't help but see her friend's joy and nostalgia in her eyes. She couldn't help but let out a giggle of happiness as she watched her friend approach the stage to see the musicians.
Claudia and Cinderella moved closer to the stage, so they could hear the music better and have a better atmosphere for dancing. Both girls were not very skilled in the field of dancing, and their movements were erratic, even a little funny, but nevertheless, the two women had fun dancing for almost six hours. Meanwhile, Sofía and Sunnhild roamed around the place, both of them on their own, looking for something to do. Sometimes they tried to dance, sometimes they tried to chat with people, and so on. Until a few hours later, they both met at the same table and began to talk.
"He's her husband, isn't he? I'm talking about the guy playing the guitar over there." Sofía asked Sunnhild as they both drank some punch.
"Yep, they make a nice couple. You know, Claudia has told me the story hundreds of times, but even so, I always notice how excited she gets when she is telling it to me. He was on his way out of here, but his car broke down, so he had to sit and wait, and Clau was tired with all the partying, so she went to sit down. The two of them met and started chatting, and well, the now Mrs. Bellucci gave him her number, since she knew about cars and they needed help from time to time. When he saw that his car wasn't arriving, he asked her to dance and after a few years they ended up getting married. Hahahaha, it sounds a little silly when I say it, but you should hear her, she makes it sound spectacular."
"Heh, yeah, I've seen her when she tells you. And look at her, she's super happy watching the band and dancing with Cinndy." Sofía made a little smile as she watched her girlfriend dance to the music while spilling some punch on herself.
"I'm going to go help her, she just spilled all the punch, I'll be right back, Sunny."
Both Queens said goodbye and Sofía walked towards her girlfriend, trying to help her with her clothes, which were completely wet.
"Honey! You're just in time, can you help me a little with this?" Said Cinderella pointing to her wet shirt.
"That's just what I came for, I was going to give you some clothes to change into. By the way, I wanted to let you know that we have to leave already. It's been a long time and we still have to go wherever Sunny wants to take us. And also to the place I want to take you."
"Ah, okay. I'm going to change and then I'll let Clau know. Okay, I'll see you later, sweetie."
"Alright, I'll be waiting for you at the door. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. You look beautiful in that wet shirt. But you better cover up, I don't think everyone should see you like that, and you better start wearing a bra when we go to public places, you weirdo hahaha." Sofía threw a shirt at Cinderella while she laughed and winked at her. On the other hand, the future Nobody, totally blushing, went to the bathrooms to change her clothes.
Sofía headed for the door, followed by Sunnhild. While the two of them waited, Cinderella finished changing and walked over to Claudia to tell her that they had to leave.
"Clau. We have to go now, we've spent a lot of time here. It's time to see where Sunny invited us. I also wanna thank you for taking me to this beautiful place to have a good time dancing." Cinderella said as she grabbed her friend by the shirt to get her attention.
"Oh, do we have to go now?" Claudia replied in a soft and slightly slow tone.
"Yep, we've been here for about six hours already, and we don't have that much time."
"Baby, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I think I'm going to stay here." Claudia was holding her arm with her hand, looking a little embarrassed for saying that to Cinderella.
"What? Why?" Cinderella tilted her head slightly forward, while she involuntarily moved her head to the left.
"Cinndy, I would like to remember us both dancing like crazy and enjoying this, as my last memory of you. The truth is I know that I'm not capable of seeing you disappear the way you will, so I guess this would be our goodbye. One last hug?"
Cinderella rushed to hug her friend with all her strength, while they both cried a little.
After that, the two girls said goodbye and Cinderella headed for the exit to join Sofía and Sunnhild.
"Girls, Claudia won't be joining us anymore tonight. She wants to remember me with this happy moment and she doesn't feel capable of watching me go." Although a little sad, Cinderella moved towards the door excited to see herself in a new celebratory place.
Sofía and Sunnhild were shocked by the news. Sunnhild even thought about going to look for Claudia, but knowing what was going to happen and knowing her friend, she decided not to go for her. The three of them went to the place that Ms. Mévouillevé had chosen for them.
The three girls stepped into what appeared to be a circular room, with a reddish-orange color. The place had no ceiling, but that didn't cause cold, on the contrary, that space felt quite warm. But not like a normal warmth, it was more like a kind of embrace, it felt like the warmth of a good hug. To be more accurate, they felt protected in there.
"Woah, this place is super weird." Cinderella said as she laid down on the floor. In an area that felt like one of the most comfortable blankets she had ever laid on.
"Enjoy, this place is only for the three of us." Sunnhild lay down next to Cinderella, while offering Sofía a space for her to lie down as well.
"Ohh, I've never felt so uh, mmmmh, so calm. What exactly is this place, Sunnhild? Ah, it feels great." Sofía said while she lay down and gave her girlfriend a hug.
"Oh, well. That story… okay, it's a special night, so it's best to just unveil this today. Well, you see. Since I was little, around six years old, I was sent to a church where everyone was way too caring with little girls. I always asked my father to get me out of there, but he didn't care. Then I started praying with hope, thinking that God would help me, but that never happened." Said the Black Pagan Queen, who was growing angrier with every word that came out of her mouth.
"I was in there until I was sixteen and I barely escaped. I felt bad and abandoned, so I created this place, to feel the warmth of happiness. The problem is that I was still feeling down, I could only feel the silver moon giving me some warmth and company here. That is until you came and I could feel comfortable with you, girls." It was very hard for Sunnhild to remember all that had tormented her for so long in her past, but she was still smiling for having her two friends in front of her. She liked them both very much. Ever since they met, they had been a great support in any situation she was in. The thing was that, at that moment, once Cinderella left, things were going to change a lot and that was eating her up inside.
"I love you girls very much." She said almost as soon as she finished her previous sentence.
"Aww, we love you too, Sunny. Let's hug, girls." Said Cinderella, who was quite moved by what Sunnhild had just told them. She rushed over to her and gave her a hug, while also pulling Sofía to do the same.
The three girls hugged each other on the spot, as they fell into the arms of Morpheus. They were all tired from the previous night and that place was the best to take a little nap and enjoy each other's close company. Thus, the girls were able to rest peacefully for a few hours. It didn't matter how they lay there or the position of their backs, they woke up perfectly after sleeping like babies. Well, only Sofía and Cinderella woke up, both of whom got up and watched Sunnhild while they talked.
"We have to go now, Cinndy." Sofía said as she rubbed her eyes and tried to fix her hair.
"Aww, Sunny looks so cute when she sleeps, just 5 more minutes and then we're out of here, pleaseeee?"
"Oh, sweetie, I think we should leave Sunny here. She's a bit impulsive and I don't want to make her night so stressful either, I know she's going to be too worried. Besides, I want this last moment to be just you and me. Is that okay with you?"
"Oh, I think I understand. Alright, let's go."
Cinderella gave Sunnhild a kiss on the forehead, whilst brushing her hair out of her face and giving her a hug.
"Well, we can go now." Cinderella took a deep breath and entered the last door she would walk through alongside her lover.
Sofía and Cinderella stepped into a large ballroom. The place had two large windows on the walls, which were covered by beautiful red curtains. The curtains had black embroidery depicting crowns and hearts, while the sides had a golden border. The room was brown, except for the floor, which, although it was probably brown, was covered by a large white carpet, obscuring the visibility of the floor.
The two girls stood in the center of the room and began to waltz. Sofia was leading Cinderella in the dance, and both were moving slowly, but with almost perfect moves. After a while and with more fluency in the dance, both girls looked at each other and began to talk about what was going to happen.
"What do you think about all that is going on, Sofí? The truth is that I'm very nervous and I don't know if you girls will be alright. I know you can take care of yourselves, but I won't be able to see you, I won't know how you are, I won't see you anymore. And that scares me, a lot. Plus I'll never have happy times with you again and I-I don't want that." Cinderella held Sofia's hands tighter as she pulled her body even closer to hers.
"You shouldn't worry about us, sweetheart. Not seeing you again is going to burn me every day inside, and I know that having a normal life is going to be very hard for me. But I will have Clau and Sunnhild's help. What really scares me is what is going to happen to you. The thing is that you're going to be alone and I'm worried about how you're going to handle it. So I want you to promise me something, okay?" Sofia could see the tears coming out of Cinderella's eyes, and she gently wiped with her hand the face of the person she loved the most in the world.
"S-sure, just tell me." Cinderella was breathing heavily, because she wasn't able to control her crying at that moment. It made it more difficult for her to speak.
"It's just one thing. I want you to promise me that you will be okay even without us, please. That's the only way I can feel better." Sofía stopped the dance and put both of Cinderella's hands on her chest.
"But… I don't know if I can do that, I don't know if I'm capable of it." Cinderella didn't want to lie to her girlfriend about that. She was aware that her mental strength was not the best and what was ahead of her was just too big.
"Darling, you know that I won't be able to be comfortable without knowing that you're alright."
There were a few seconds of silence that worried Sofía. However, after a sigh, Cinderella found the courage to speak.
"Okay, I'm going to try, just for you and the girls. I swear I'm going to try. Even without you." Cinderella laid her head on Sofía's shoulder as she closed her eyes.
Sofía let out a sigh of relief. Both girls knew what was coming, but they would fight with everything to stay okay, they were going to give it all for each other.
Following the conversation, both girls resumed their dance, and they continued for a few minutes, until Cinderella noticed how everything around her began to change. The grandiose embroidery on the curtains began to change and look like hats. She thought that, perhaps, this was just an illusion of her mind, a trick. But that was not the case. After that, everything in the place started to disappear from Cinderella's sight. Including Sofía.
Sofía slipped a small ring into Cinderella's pocket. The ring had a heart shape and was made of a completely black onyx.
"Wear it when you feel you've gone through the worst and you'll feel like everything is going to be all right, sweetheart. And don't ever, ever forget that I love you, and I will never stop being with you." Sofía said with a soft smile, before giving Cinderella a kiss on the lips. No, not a kiss, more like their last kiss.
Cinderella fell to her knees, and although she had tears in her eyes, she could see how Sofía disappeared from her sight, never to be seen again. The young girl Nobody stood up, barely able to breathe, and was able to glimpse in the distance what would be her new home.
