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Chapter Text

Ten minutes before her shift ended, Cinder scanned the last of her customer's purchases. She placed the carton of eggs neatly in the plastic bag, and spun the turn-around. After paying and collecting their groceries, they left, and the next in line placed their items on the conveyor belt. The single pack of gum was moved all the way down.

"Is this all?" She didn't bother looking up yet as she passed it over the scanner. The computer beeped and she rang him up.

"Yeah. Just felt like some chewing gum today." Recognizing the voice, Cinder froze and swung her gaze up to meet Kai's.

Kai, Mayor Rikan's son, and the most sought-after boy (technically young man, he was almost nineteen now) in the city. She wasn't affected by him like all the other wild girls—at least, that's what she kept telling herself. Almost three years older than her, she hadn't seen him in school a lot, but he was very handsome—and supposedly very kind.

Her heart thumped, and she pulled at her gloves, making sure her prosthetic hand wasn't visible.

"That'll be a dollar twenty-two, please." He handed her the change, and she placed them accordingly in the cash register. "Would you like a bag?"

He shook his head, "No, tha-" He froze, his gaze fixed just over her shoulder. Kai went pale, and he shoved the gum in the pocket of his grey hoodie. "Oh stars, do you mind?" He ran around the counter and jumped behind Cinder and into the semi-cubical former by the two back-to-back check-out counters. Luckily the other was currently unoccupied.

Cinder gaped down at him. "What on earth?" He shushed her, putting a finger to his lips frantically.

"Just pretend I am not here. And whatever you do, do not look behind you, or you might draw her attention." This of course made her extremely curious. She tried to catch a glimpse of his subject of panic from the screen's reflection. Her mouth went cotton-dry.

"Oh, no."

It was Levana Blackburn, Kai's ex-girlfriend. Levana was a older than Kai, a few years into college at the time they were dating. Cinder didn't know why, when, or how they started dating (the rumors were crazy), but she knew their break-up was nasty. Levana became even bitchier than ever, and she was still furious with Kai. People said whenever the two came into direct contact, things got messy.

She prayed Kai wouldn't bump into her left leg and feel the hard metal limb. She was very self conscious about it, and the last thing she wanted right now was for Kai to look at her with the usual unease, and in some cases, disgust.

She watched the reflection as Levana came closer and closer and finally, passed her counter. Both released their held breath with relief. Kai remained crouched.

"Is she gone? Like, gone gone?"

Cinder nodded. "Yep. She turned around the corner and started heading toward the back." Kai rose from his crouch and brushed off his pants.

"Thanks, by the way." Her looked at her name tag. "Cinder. I hope you don't get in trouble for this."

Cinder bit her lip. "Maybe, maybe not."

Kai groaned. "Sorry."

Cinder shook her head, her ponytail swinging. "Eh, don't worry. I'm sure the manager will let it slide. Wasn't that big of a deal, really."

"Well if you do, I'll come and I'll tell him it was my fault."

Cinder gave a small smile. "Alright."

They stood there, staring at each other before Kai blinked and said, "Oh, right, I should get out now." Cinder moved aside as he reappeared on the other side of the counter. Luckily there were no other customers in her line. She checked her watch. Only a few minutes before her shift ended.

Kai was still there, leaning against the counter.

"Can I ask you something?"

He looked at her. "Sure."

"What's up with you and Levana?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "You haven't heard?"

"I don't listen to rumors. They all sounded farfetched."

He laughed. "The truth sounds pretty farfetched itself." He paused before continuing, "A few weeks before the split, this girl from school, Cress or something, told me that she had overheard Levana talking with her friend Sybil Mira that she was using me to glean information about my father's campaign for Mayor. The next election is next year, and she was planning on running."

He laughed at Cinder's horrified expression. "I know, Levana as mayor?

Insane. But it was true, though, I discovered. I confronted her about it, and she was furious. We broke up, obviously, but she still hates my guts. Sometimes I imagine she's plotting my death, even as we speak,"

Cinder laughed. "I've heard about some of your encounters afterwards. It must have been horrible dealing with all the aftermath."

"Yeah, well, I guess that's what I get for dating Levana."

Cinder chose her next words carefully. "Why did you date her in the first place?"

Kai shrugged. "I don't really know, to be honest. It was like she had me under some kind of spell. She seemed so nice at the time, despite everything I heard about her. I don't even like older girls, but with her, I don't know. It wasn't even that bad at the beginning."

Cinder's watch alarm went off. Kai jumped back, startled.

"Oh, sorry," she turned off the alarm. "My shift is done."

Kai nodded. "Hey," he began, stuffing his hand in his pocket. "Do you want to grab a drink or something? I like talking with you. You're easy to talk to."

Cinder blushed furiously. "I, um, yeah, sure. Why not?"

"Great." Kai smiled, and it melted her heart. "Come on, I know a great coffee shop."

Chapter Text

Cinder followed Kai outside to the parking lot and stopped beside his car. It looked new, but she knew he'd had it for a while now.

"Nice car," she said. Kai smiled, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

"Thanks." He clicked the car unlocked, and they slid into the front seats. "Want some gum?" Kai held out the pack, the plastic wrapper already torn off.

Cinder shook her head. "No thanks. I don't want the taste to clash with my drink."

"Oh, that's a good idea." Pink tinged his ears, and he ran his hand through his hair, resting the other on the steering wheel. "Did you have a car or a bike or something to get here? I completely forgot that you might have transportation waiting here."

"No, I walk. My stepmother doesn't have enough money to buy me a car." Not that she'd buy me one if she did. 

Kai nodded. "The coffee shop is really nice. I found it when I was trying to evade Levana one time. I ducked inside the nearest building and it turns out its really nice. Oh, I said that already, didn't I?" The color spread to his cheeks and neck. "I'm sorry, I'm a little nervous."

Cinder's skin prickled, not unpleasantly. She forced a chuckle. "What do you have to be worried about? I'm no axe-murderer. And I'm certainly not running for mayor."

He laughed. "No, it's been a while since I've hung out with another girl since Levana. I usually try to avoid the general female population. Not," he hurried. "That I dislike being around girls, but I'm not too keen on being in another wacky relationship."

Cinder tugged on her gloves. "I understand. I promise not to make any romantic advances towards you, intentional or not."

She instantly regretted making the joke, fearing it sounded weird, but relaxed after he laughed again. "Alright, Cinder. Let's go grab a drink."

The café's name was New Beijing. It was run by a sweet elderly couple, both immigrants from China. The café featured drinks from both America and China, mainly coffees, and had tasty-looking desserts.

A bell jingled from the top of the opening door. A young man, maybe in his early twenties, stood behind the counter and nodded at the two. "Hey Kai," he said. "The usual?"

"The usual," Kai confirmed, sliding into a booth.

The teenager peered at Cinder, who lagged behind shyly, looking at the décor. "Who's this?"

Kai gestured at Cinder to sit down across from him. "Cinder, this is Ze'ev. Ze'ev, Cinder. We met earlier today."

Ze'ev walked over to their table, a laminated menu in hand. "You can call me Wolf; everyone else does."

Cinder scratched her wrist. "Wolf. How did you get that nickname, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I used to street fight. That's where I got it. What would you like?"

Cinder examined the menu he passed to her. "I'll have the pearl milk tea, please."

Wolf nodded and headed to the back of the shop behind the counter again and fixed their orders.

She turned to Kai, who, she saw, had already been watching her. She fidgeted in her seat. "What's your usual?"

"Oh, a chocolate latte and blueberry muffin."

"Sounds good," she said. Cinder brushed a stray lock of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"Pearl milk tea, huh? Have you had it before?"

"Yeah, a few times. I like the tapioca pearls. Have you ever heard of tapioca-banana-pudding?" He shook his head no. "It's good. Maybe I could try and make some sometime, if you want. I'm not that great at making food, though."

He smiled that easy, genuine smile again. "That'd be great, thanks. My dad is Chinese, and so was my mother. Neither cooked a lot, so all our cultural food comes from foreign-themed restaurants. Speaking of which, what's your nationality?"

Cinder shrugged. "I'm mixed Asian/Caucasian, but the specifics are unknown. I'm adopted, and I don't remember my parents." She hesitated, unsure how much of her she wanted him to know. Kai looked at her with such kindness, and she couldn't help but tell him. "I was in a car accident when I was younger. My parents didn't make it."

Kai looked down at the table then met her eyes again. "I know what it's like to lose a parent," he said. "If you ever need to talk about it, I'll be there, okay?"

They sat there, looking back and forth from the rest of the café to each other, both daring and not daring to meet each other's eyes. It was a little awkward, as they had only just met in person not only an hour ago, but not uncomfortable.

Wolf returned, drinks and muffin on a small platter. "Here you go. Enjoy."

Cinder and Kai drifted through their conversation easily. True to his reputation, Kai was kind and easy-going. Cinder began to like him more and more, hoping that he would see her as a good enough friend to keep in touch with. In the end her wish was granted, and they exchanged numbers, promising to meet up again soon.

Wolf came back with the bill, and despite Kai's protests, she paid for her own half.

"At least let me drop you off home," he insisted. "You don't have to walk." Cinder accepted, with the request that he drop her out a block away from her apartment.

They began towards her house, Cinder pointing out the turns. "I'd rather not let Adri or Pearl know. They'd be… surprised, to say the least." Sensing the questions in his head, she explained, "Adri is my stepmother, Pearl is my older stepsister. I don't think they'd take it to best heart if they know I've been talking with you. Not the you you part, but like the "he's too good for you" part. They're horrible, I know." Cinder tugged at her glove. "It's fine, though. I'm used to it."

"You're used to it? That's not very—"

She interrupted him. "It's no big deal, honest." Thankfully Kai didn't push the subject any further.

They reached her street, and she hopped out of the car. "Bye, Kai, and thanks for today. It's been nice meeting you," Cinder said, closing the door behind her. She walked to the lobby's front steps, and watch Kai pull away. She climbed up to her room, itching to tell her best friend Iko all about it.

Chapter Text

"I know, it was so strange," Cinder said over the vidlink with Iko. "But I liked it. He was really, really nice." Iko squealed so loudly she had to turn down the volume several notches.

Through the screen she clapped and jumped up and down where she sat. "I told you. I told you! Even you can't resist Kai, Cinder." She gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth and said, "Do you like him? Does he like you? You're going to talk to him again soon, right? Right?"

Cinder chewed on her lip. "Maybe. I don't know. Yes?"

"You have to!"

"I don't want to bother him, Iko. Maybe he was just being polite." She hoped he hadn't promised further contact to be nice.

"Does he know?" Cinder knew exactly what she meant. Did he know she had metal limbs?

Cinder shook her head. "Unless he knew already, which I doubt. I didn't tell him. He probably wouldn't want to hang out with me again."

Iko scoffed. "Come on, Cinder. Kai's not like that. What does having prosthetics have to do with anything anyways?"

Cinder frowned at her hand, uncovered by her gloves. They were old and rusting a little, and her foot was too small now—had been for a while, actually. "I see the way people look at me. Chang Sacha, the baker, won't even pay at my register, even when I have the shorter line."

"I have a few choice words for her, but Cinder, don't worry!" Iko leaned in closer so her face on the screen grew bigger. "Anybody who judges you for what you are, doesn't even deserve to get to know who you are."

Cinder smiled bashfully. "Oh, surely I'm not that great."

Iko smiled back. "You're not my best friend for nothing. Anyways," Cinder rolled her eyes jokingly. "You, me, shopping. I don't care if it's a date or not, next time you see that fine work of humanity, you are going to be looking your best."

"But I don't have any money for that," Cinder protested.

"Nuh-uh, no buts. I've been saving up for this day. My piggy bank insists on bursting its guts out for you."

Cinder sighed. When Iko wanted something, she got it, so there was no use arguing. "Alright, alright. But you hear me? It's not a date; he doesn't want a girlfriend."

Iko waved her hand. "Pssh, who said anything about that?"

Iko and Cinder met at the mall the next afternoon. It'd been hard to convince Adri to let her go; she promised to bring along Peony in the end and to not spend any of their money on "nonsense" (a.k.a. anything Cinder might want for herself).

Peony bounded alongside Cinder and Iko in a light-pink dress, nearly jumping out of her skin. Her brown curls danced. "This," she said, squeezing Cinder's hand, "is one of my dreams come true. Cinder going shopping? For nice clothes? For a guy? What are the chances! And Cinder with Kai," she squealed. "It's astronomical!"

Cinder pulled her hand out of Peony's grasp, wringing out the pain in her fingers. "Stars, Peony. Let's not announce it to the world." It was weird, she admitted. This was certainly not something she had ever imagined doing.

Iko grinned and flipped her blue, braided hair. "We're going to make some magic."

Cinder had been shoved into dozens of skirts and dresses. Her feet had worn more shoes in an hour than in her entire lifetime, hosting heels, boots, sandals (which, to Cinder's unease, gave a full view of her left foot), and her hair had been pulled into several styles adorned with endless varieties of hair accessories.

"I feel like a doll," Cinder complained. "Why can't I wear my old stuff?"

"Because we won't let you," Peony answered, holding up a sequined shirt to Cinder's torso.

"Also, this is something I thought I'd never see before I die," added Iko. "Cinder in a dress."

Cinder was in fact wearing another dress. It was silver, and actually very pretty, though Cinder wouldn't tell anyone she thought so if it meant she'd have to buy it. "This looks like a ball gown."

Peony fawned over the dress. "And it looks gorgeous. So what?"

"One, I'm not going to a ball, or any kind of dance for that matter. Two, I don't even know if we're going to hang out again, much less what the occasion would be. Three, no."

Iko and her stepsister both wore matching frowns. "True," said Iko. "Why don't you make arrangements to meet again? Would it be less awkward if we tagged along?"

Cinder tugged at her gloves. She had insisted on keeping them on throughout the afternoon. "It's only been a day. It'd be way too weird to ask so soon."

"Then I'll do it for you." Iko winked at her. "I'll be your wing-gal. If I see him, I'll totally ask about you."

Cinder gaped. "Please tell me you won't."

"I'm joking. Kind of."

The trio left the mall, bags filled with clothes in her hand. While Peony and Iko had certainly helped themselves, Cinder had chosen on a long but simple blue skirt and white blouse. She'd decided on some low-heeled red flats, which she'd wear with white socks. She wasn't ready to tell him about her prosthetics yet; there was no need to.

After the group split and the two Linhs arrived back at their apartment, Cinder carefully tucked the bag underneath her bed from prying eyes.

"I hope," Adri had said. "You didn't waste any of my money." Of course, most of it was all technically Cinder's money, and she hadn't said a word about Peony's bags.

"No," she replied cooly. "My friend Iko insisted on paying for it herself. I'm very thankful."

She went to bed that night, not realizing she slept with a smile.

Chapter Text

The next day after work, she found Kai standing outside the supermarket entrance, despite the summer's noon heat. He was leaning against the wall, checking his watch, when he looked up and saw her.

Cinder walked to him, fiddling with her left glove. "Hi."

"Hi," he said. He stood straight, his eyes briefly sweeping over the passerbys. "I was waiting for you."

Cinder hoped she wasn't blushing. "I thought so. Why?"

Kai stuffed his hand in his pocket and shrugged. "Well, uh, I didn't really have anyone to talk to before; not the way I wanted to."

Cinder tucked loose hair behind her ears. "What do you mean?"

"It seems like everyone is… trying too hard, do you know what I mean? Like they're trying to be someone they're not, to be well thought of… it's hard to explain. I just wanted someone I could relate to. To just talk to."

"No, I get it," she said, because she did. Adri wasn't a kind person at heart, not by a long shot. When she had company though, she was all smiles and joy. Fake like the actress she was. She was happy to have Iko, and she loved Peony as well.

Kai breathed a sigh of relief. "I was hoping you'd say that. I get enough weird looks from Torin as it is."

Cinder cocked her head. "Torin?"

"My father's adviser, Konn Torin. He helps my father with work and watches me sometimes. I try not to think of him as a baby-sitter."

Cinder laughed. "Oh."

"Ah," Kai said, as if he suddenly realized something. "Were you planning on doing anything today? I'm sorry, am I in the way of something?"

Cinder felt a tingle run down her spine. "No," she said, perhaps a little too quickly. "I'm free this afternoon. Did you want to do something?"

Kai started walking towards the parking lot, his car parked near the back. "Maybe we could… I dunno, where's a place friends talk? I guess I didn't think this though," he winced, but Cinder warmed. Friends, he had said. So they were officially friends.

Cinder thought. "The park?"

Kai nodded. "The park sounds good."

She sent a quick comm to Adri, telling her she'd be busy this afternoon, working a little overtime. She didn't really want to lie, but the less Adri knew about things, the happier she tended to be.

They drove to the park with the radio on and the windows rolled down, both humming and tapping their hands and feet to the songs they knew. It was… happy. Calm. Pleasant. No worry about Adri or Pearl or work or being judged. She glanced at her hand, but decided she didn't care right now.

The park's small parking lot had a few cars in it already. Children and their parents were sprinkled around the play-sets. Joyful squeals of laughter and chirping birds turned faded into the background. Kai and Cinder walked towards the nearest unoccupied bench and sat down. Cinder thought about her new clothes, and wondered if she'd ever get the chance to wear them.

"How was your day?" Kai began.

"It was alright," she replied, tearing at a leaf lodged between the wood. "My friend Iko really wants to meet you."

"Iko?"

"Yeah, she's been my best friend since I was eleven, after I was adopted and moved here. I uh, told her about you, and she was really excited that we started talking."

Kai smiled. "Well I'll be looking forward to meeting her." Cinder smiled back.

The two were shaded under the canopy of a nearby tree, and welcoming breezes blew gently at their hair. The day couldn't get any better, she thought. And she was right.

Cinder's portscreen pinged, and she halfheartedly glanced at it, almost dismissing the notification for later when she saw who it was from. Her heart jumped. Adri. She prayed it wasn't anything.

"Kai, do you mind if I check my portscreen?" She wet her lips. "It's Adri, but I'm sure it's nothing." He nodded okay, and patiently sat back against the bench. Cinder's finger nervously swiped at the screen, bringing up the comm.

WHERE ARE YOU? YOU'RE NOT AT WORK. COME BACK IMMEDIATELY. YOU'RE IN A LOT OF TROUBLE, CINDER.

Cinder groaned, running a hand down her cheek. Kai turned to look at her, concerned. "Cinder?"

Cinder's tongue felt over-sized, and she had trouble forming the words. "I have to get home now," she half-truthed. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

"Let me take you home, then," Kai said, standing up and holding out a hand for Cinder.

"No," she countered, "I'll walk." She ignored his protests. "Really, it's fine, my apartment's not far from here. I don't want to inconvenience you. My step-mother just… I need to go." She quickly walked away, but Kai jogged to meet her pace.

"Cinder, something's wrong, tell me." She turned her face away, shutting her eyes. If she was in as much trouble as she thought she was, she wasn't going to be able to see him anytime soon. "Cinder, please. Talk to me."

But she shook her head and stopped, turning to face him. She took a breath to calm her nerves. "I told my step-mother that I was working over-time for a while, but somehow she knew I wasn't there. She's going to be mad, but I really need to get home right now." Cinder gave him a small, sad smile before walking away again. Thankfully Kai didn't follow her.

She tried to keep her breathing steady as she walked the thirty minutes trek to the Phoenix Tower Apartments. She scanned her card at the front door and entered the elevator in the lobby, tapping her fingers nervously at her sides. Adri would be furious with her. She got off on her floor and walked slowly to her room number, 1820. She turned the handle and stepped inside.

Chapter Text

Adri's face when she saw Cinder was red as fire. Cinder shut the door behind her, but her feet was glued to her spot. Adri stormed forward, putting her face mere inches away from Cinder's.

"What," she spat, "were you doing?"

Cinder didn't answer.

"Why did you lie to me, Cinder? You told me you were working, but when I called your work they said you had left."

Over Adri's shoulder she could see Pearl emerge from her room, a smug look on her face. Cinder swallowed the frog in her throat. "I was, um, wasn't feeling well and I went to the pharmacy to buy something for my headache."

Adri's fingers twitched, no doubt itching to cause some pain. "Liar. Tell me the truth, girl."

Cinder really started to get a headache. It couldn't possible get any better, so she said, "I was out with Kaito, the mayor's son?"

Adri let out an angry puff of air through her nose. Cinder would have found it amusing another time, but unfortunately she was in hot water. "What were you doing with him? You should have come straight home."

This sparked something deep in Cinder: rebellion. "What does it matter," she retorted. "Why do you care who I hang out with, or whether I come home right away? You let Pearl go out, and she's not even that much older than I am! I feel like a prisoner here!"

She flinched back, waiting for a blow, but it never came. Instead Adri said, through clenched teeth, "You are under my guardianship, you ungrateful wretch. I never wanted to adopt you, but Garan—" She shook her head. "You live under my roof, you abide my rules."

Cinder's heart beat so hard her chest ached.

"You aren't getting away with anything anymore, Cinder. This summer, you're going to work and home only. Now," she held out her hand. "Give me your foot."

Cinder gaped. "My foot? That's barbaric!"

"Give. Me. Your. Foot. You won't need it anyways."

"How am I going to get to work?"

Adri almost smiled. "You'll be able to limp just fine."

Cinder tried to keep her balance behind the cash register. Her right foot and underarms ached from using her makeshift crutches, which currently lay against the counter. She'd tried to stick her prosthetic leg stump into the top of a boot and wrapped a few rubber-bands around it to give the impression of a still-attached foot.

She scanned item after item, hoping her good leg wouldn't give out. She didn't know how much longer she could keep standing. If she had to do this all summer…

The rest of her shift had slowly ticked by, so she grabbed her crutches and hobbled as best as she could out the door. To her great dismay, Kai was anxiously waiting for her again. He dashed to her side, taking in her limp and crutches.

"Stars, Cinder, what happened? Are you okay?"

Cinder winced. "Kai, please,"

"No. You're," he waved his arms at her feet. "Hurt, you left yesterday and I didn't know what was going on, what was happening…" He trailed off. The look in his eyes was painful. He asked in a hushed voice, "Did she do something to you?"

Cinder didn't know how to answer. "Yes and no."

"That's not… did she break your foot or something?"

Cinder shook her head, "Gosh no. No, no, no, she didn't. It's just…" She bit her lip. "Can you promise me something?"

Kai nodded, looking wary at her. "Of course."

"Don't… please promise me you won't stop talking to me for this. I really like your company, I do, but…" Cinder shut her eyes, half regretting saying anything. "My step-mother took my foot."

Now Kai was confused. "She took… your foot?"

Cinder made for the store's bench on the side of the building, dodging the people walking by. Kai followed, sitting beside her.

Cinder placed the crutches next to her and gingerly pulled off her left boot. Kai's eye widened as he saw nothing at the end of her leg. "How…?"

She rolled up her pant-leg and tugged off her glove while she was at it. She couldn't meet Kai's eyes, couldn't bear to see what he thought of her now.

"Oh," was all she heard.

"Oh?"

Kai ran his hand through his hair. "That uh, explains how she took your foot." His expression grew serious. "It's awful, though. She shouldn't do that. It's abuse is what it is."

Cinder stared at the ground. He didn't seem to care about her prosthetics- that part of her wasn't normal flesh and bone. It was a relief, but there were more pressing matters—Adri. She knew her step-mother was (she mentally bit back the word) abusive. But there was nowhere she could go, and Adri, though mean and definitely cruel, had never done anything like this before. Taking her limb was a new low.

"Cinder, you should tell someone."

She looked at him. Kai's concern for her was endearing, even though they'd only become friends… four days ago. Only four days? It seemed like forever. "What am I supposed to do? I need to stay here; it's the only place I have. It's not so bad. I have Iko, Peony, you, school, a job…"

"Is this the first time your step-mother did something like this?" Cinder nodded. Kai furrowed his brow. "Maybe I can get her to give you your foot back? If someone knows what she did I'm sure she'll try to save her image and give it back, yes?" Cinder nodded again. "Then I'll go with you. C'mon, Cinder, let's go get your foot back."

Chapter Text

Cinder and Kai stood in front of apartment 1820. Kai had helped Cinder into his car and to the room, where Cinder hesitantly opened the door. Adri wasn't in the living room, so she must either be in her bedroom or the bathroom.

Cinder waved Kai inside. She heard footsteps coming from the hallway.

"Cinder?" Peony walked into the living room, running a brush through her hair. "Is that you?" She stopped when she saw Kai, standing behind Cinder. He gave her a small wave. Peony squeaked, "Hi," and hastily hid the brush behind her back.

"Peony, where's Adri?" Cinder fiddled with her glove between her two hands. Peony stared, her eyes darting from Cinder's prosthetic hand to Kai.

"She's in the bath, and Pearl's out right now."

Cinder grumbled. She'd have to wait for Adri to finish and dress. Though she didn't really want a dramatic entrance, it would be anti-climatic. "Fine," she ushered Kai into her bedroom, Peony trailing behind.

She wished she was tidier, because Cinder's room was a mess. Her bed wasn't made, so she quickly tucked in all the corners and offered a seat to Kai. She sat down at the bed's end, laying her crutches next to her.

"How are you planning on doing this?" Cinder asked Kai.

"Doing what?" Peony stood by the wall, too shy to look at Kai, too curious not to.

"We're getting my foot back." And teaching Adri a lesson, she thought bitterly.

Peony's eyes were wide. "Really?"

Kai nodded. "Really really."

"So what are you going to do?"

Kai's ears tinged pink. "Well, we were just going to ask—demand she give Cinder her foot back. It's inhumane and cruel, what she did."

Peony blushed and cast her gaze to the floor. "I—I never thought of that."

Cinder bit her lip. "It's okay. She's your mother, after all. I wouldn't ask you to do anything that would make her mad at you."

Peony nodded, and moved to sit next to Cinder on the bed.

From across the hall, she heard Adri, finally done bathing, getting dressed, presumably in another of her usual house robes. Cinder tried to calm her thundering heart. This is it. I'm finally going to stand up to Adri.

She heard the quiet shuffle of Adri's slippers as she walked by. Cinder's door was open wide, so when Adri walked by, throwing a bored glance inside, she saw Kai glowering beside Cinder and Peony on the bed.

Adri looked questioningly at Cinder, her eyes hard. Cinder glared back, grabbing her crutches and pulling herself up.

Kai took a step forward and said, "I've come to understand that you've taken Cinder's foot."

"And," continued Cinder, raising her chin. "I want it back."

Adri's face bloomed red. "Why I—" she glanced at Kai. "Don't understand what you're talking about."

"I don't have a foot because you took it."

"Which you have no right to do," Kai said.

Adri sniffed. "She's under my guardianship, which means anything and everything she owns is legally mine. Including, her 'foot.'"

Cinder seethed through her teeth. "I can't believe you'd deny me my own limb! You're horrible—why is it you hate me so much? Why can't you treat me like a normal human being?"

"Please, Cinder, you don't honestly think you're normal, do you?"

A collective gasp came from the three in the room. "Why… why wouldn't I be?" stammered Cinder.

Adri sneered. "A normal girl doesn't have a metal hand or leg. She'd have flesh and bone, not a silly replacement limb."

It was like a slap in the face. Cinder's skin prickled as she said, "Well you'd better return my 'replacement limb' or," Cinder gulped. "I'll report you to the police."

Adri almost snarled. Instead she said, "Fine, but you haven't won anything, Cinder."

Cinder met her challenging stare, feeling the presence of Kai and Peony waiting anxiously behind her. "I'm not here to 'win' anything. Now, if you will, my foot, please."

Chapter Text

Cinder sat in the booth in the New Beijing café, across from Kai. She fiddled with the fabric of her blue skirt. She was wearing the outfit she bought for a date, her red shoes on her feet—both of them.

Adri had given her the foot back, albeit reluctantly. The low-heeled shoe clicked against the floor as she jiggled her leg nervously, eyes transfixed on a spot on the wall.

Kai had his hands folded together over the table, occasionally glancing around the café and at Cinder, though he tried to hide it. She pretended not to notice.

They'd gone out to eat again for the first time in a while. It'd been a little more than a week after the big confrontation. Cinder's relationship with Adri was even more strained than usual, but Adri had let her leash on Cinder grow looser. It wasn't much, but still enough to be noticeable.

Cinder and Kai's relationship, on the other hand, continued as smoothly as ever, if not more so. They'd become closer and started hanging out with each other on a regular basis, sometimes with Iko's company. Iko was certainly ecstatic.

"I'm going to burst, Cinder, seriously!" She'd said once. "My hopes and dreams are coming true!"

"Your hopes and dreams?" Cinder asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe not my hopes and dreams," Iko admitted. "But I've still totally fantasized about this kind of thing! You, a boy, together. Being friends. Wink, wink."

Cinder flushed. "I—we—we're not a couple, Iko. And I'd rather you stop saying those kind of things. It's making me uncomfortable." It was the truth, but Cinder couldn't completely figure out her feelings for him. She wasn't sure if she liked him as just a friend… or not. And there was still the "no-dating" thing Kai had after the big Levana fiasco, and she was sure it was still standing.

Back to the present, she held in a sigh as she watched the girl lounging behind the counter. Her name was Scarlet Benoit, as she'd introduced herself, and she had long, curly hair to match her name. She was older than Cinder, about the same age as Kai. She was Wolf's girlfriend, and was waiting for him to finish with Cinder and Kai's order to continue talking.

"I was wondering," Kai said, the sudden noise startling Cinder. "If you wanted to, you know, go to the town's annual party with me this year."

Cinder's heart did a skip. "You mean the 'ball'?"

"That's the one."

"Oh. Er…"

Kai's ears turned pink. "I mean, only if you wanted to. As just friends. If you were planning on going, anyways."

"It's just that I—" It was her turn to warm. "I can't dance. I've never been to the party before, actually. Adri never let me go. And I'm sure I'd be a terrible dance partner anyways."

"So, you're not going?"

Cinder grabbed Kai's hand over the table. "No—I mean yes, I'll go with you. It'd be fun, I'm sure."

Kai's gaze fell to her hand on his and they both blushed. She quickly retracted her hand. "Oh, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—."

"It's fine," Kai said. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but Wolf came with a serving tray, steam rolling off the hot food.

"Here you two go," Wolf said, placing a bowl of noodles in front of Cinder and Kai's plate in front of him. "Enjoy." He left, eager to return to his waiting girlfriend.

Cinder tried hard not to slurp her noodles. Maybe I should have eaten something less noisy, she thought, but then Kai crunched loudly on an eggroll and she snorted.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. I guess my nerves are kind of making me a little… unraveled."

"Ah," Kai just said.

Through their meal they shot the breeze. Kai told her about a book he had finished reading, which she promised to check out sometime soon, and she told her about some of her old customer stories, the radicals and the funny ones. They left the place still laughing.

"You're not serious," Kai got out between breaths. "That many?"

Cinder grinned. "You have no idea how many times little kids have thrown up in the store. I've seen enough to last several lifetimes."

"I don't think I can handle working in a place like that. It must be pretty difficult."

Cinder shrugged. "It's not the best, but I'm strong. Sometimes it's pretending to be happy all the time that gets to me. Smiling for show? No, thanks."

Kai nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Being my father's son, I have to look perfect all the time. It really does get to you."

The two got into Kai's car and headed back to Cinder's place.

Cinder scratched her wrist nervously. "Well, if you need anyone to make you smile for real, you can come to me. I'll try my best, I promise."

Kai met her eyes in the rear-view mirror. "Thanks, Cinder. And you, too. I'll be there."