Anything but a Cinderella Cliche Solo

Marietta hopped off the train, Fengel Jello Sr. in her arm. She was so excited to go home! See her dad again, chill in her room- See her mom! Last summer they had worked out that Marietta would get to see her mom on the weekends sense her mom didn't make enough money to support the two of them. Her dad was the one who had really supported the family. Marietta's mother continued to work because aromatherapy was sort of her dream job. Sure, she has to be based out of a couple of spa back rooms, and nobody really knows what aromatherapy is any more, but she loved it and Marietta respected that. Even if it meant she didn't get to see her mom as often.

Once off the train, Marietta would attempt to look for her dad. This sadly, immediately failed thanks to the throng of other students coming out of the train. So she had to just follow the crowd for a bit in an attempt not to get trampled. Marietta couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief once out of the crowd and in an area that the people were more thinned out. It wasn't easy to forget how many students were in Hogwarts but somehow, Marietta managed. I guess its easy to forget how many people there are when you feel so alone. Marietta thought to herself, then shook her head. No, no she has friends now! True it was only a few, but that's all she needed. Better to have a few good friends then an obscene amount of acquaintances. Marietta was quickly pulled out of her thoughts though. As she became acutely aware of a woman staring at her.

The woman looked like one of those stereotypical Pureblood purists. With skin so pale that it made you worry if they had a deficiency, a sharp nose, and hard green eyes. She tilted her head at Marietta causing the woman's straight black hair to ripple off her shoulders like a silky waterfall. Marietta would pat her messy twig-and-leaf-filled hair without out really intending to. The woman would laugh, a chilling, forced sound. Marietta would look around for her father, or really any excuse to run away without appearing scared. Marietta didn't mind people seeing her scared. She just knew that if the woman was some sort of stalker, giving chase would be the worst thing Marietta could do.

In the end that turned out to be unnecessary, as Marietta was looking for escape, it seemed the woman began looking for something as well. The lady found what she was looking for, long before Marietta did, and shouted the last thing Marietta ever would have expected. "Newell! Darling! Shes over here." Marrietta whipped her head around to where the lady was looking. Taking not even a moment to spot her father. S-since when is a woman on a first name basis with dad? Marietta thought, panic rising in her throat. Until she felt Fengel purr against her in his sleep. Right! ...Right, no need to jump to conclusions. Goofy Marietta always assuming the worst. Marietta would chide herself gently, shifting around her luggage and cat so she could properly pet him.

Marietta's father had rushed over to Marietta once he spotted her. "Dad!" Marietta would cry running towards him and letting him wrap her up in a hug. "Marietta." He'd say, full of joy. "Its so good to see you agian." He'd say squeezing her a little tighter while minding Fengel Sr. . Marietta loved hugs from her father. In that moment that she finally got to be in his arms again, she wished the hug could last forever-up until the woman joined in. Marietta cringed, "Um excuse me miss. I hate to be rude but uh" before Marietta could figure out a polite way to tell the woman to back away from her family moment, she would squeeze Marietta and her father tighter, then let go. "Oh sorry dear. Its just sooo good to meet you in person! With how Newell has been talking about you I almost believed you didn't exist! Now I see he was just over exaggerating a smidge." The woman said gently smacking her father's arm.

This made Marietta want to sink in on herself and just disappear. She tried to come up with an excuse for why the woman was acting this way, but she couldn't think of anything. Her father was very insistent on the fact that he never had any siblings and this lady looked nothing like him. She could just be a co-worker, but she doubted a co-worker would get in-between such a private family moment. Marietta wasn't even sure why she minded. Had someone asked if she would be okay with another person joining a hug she would of responded with 'Of course!'. Though usually when an outsider joined in a hug with out permission they apologized and gave a good reason for it. This lady just jumped right in for no apparent reason.

Marietta's father chuckled. "Over exaggerating? I told you Marietta was a young lady of stunning beauty. Who had gorgeous, flowing copper hair with some cute leaves stuck in it and broad shoulders. How is that over exaggerating?" He would ask, good natured as usual. The woman would puff her lips and mutter something about broad shoulders not being the only issue. Of course, Marietta couldn't hear it very well. So maybe it was something else! Right, she was probably just imagining the lady said that because her father brought up her size. Her father would shake his head.

"Doesn't matter I suppose. Lets get our mosey on and head home." Newell would say, turning to start walking to the Floo network. He would wiggle his fingers signaling for Marietta to grab them. She would reach out to hold her father's hand, when the lady snagged it. Marietta would stop and wince away from the woman. Marietta would look up, to say that she thought her father was reaching for her, when she met the woman's eyes. She had a nasty look on her face, like Marietta was some sort of mess from a failed potion that she had accidentally stepped in. The lady seemed insulted that Marietta would dare go near her own father. Marietta would shrink underneath the woman's gaze, her shoulders folding inwards.

Fengel, the sweet old cat, would try to cheer up Marietta as the woman squeezed her father's hand. "Darling, don't you think you should discuss things with the poor, girl, before we head home?" The woman would ask in a sweet voice that made Marietta squeeze her cat a little tighter. Jello would let out a worried meow in protest. Newell would release the woman's hand immediately and whip around. "Are you okay Marietta?" He'd ask, bending down. He knew that Fengel usually didn't meow unless Marietta wasn't doing well. In situations like this, Marietta would usually immediately tell her father, but he seemed to be close to the woman. She didn't want to hurt her father's feelings and besides, it wasn't like the woman had done anything really bad. "Yeah I'm fine dad." She would say in response. Pretending to smile, putting on the mask she typically only used at hogwarts. If she wasn't so concerned with what was happening in the moment, she might worry about what having to use the mask outside hogwarts meant.

The woman cleared her throat. "Newell." She'd say a touch sternly. Newell would sigh and give Marietta a sad look. "Sweetheart... how would you feel if I told you you're not seeing your mother anymore?" He would cautiously ask. Marietta felt her heart plummet. "W-what?" She would ask hoarsely. If emotions were recorded the same way hearts were, Marietta would be flat lining. She didn't know what to feel. Her body felt numb, as if she'd been seriously injured and and now her body simply couldn't bear to pass on the information. The woman watched Marietta with no sympathy in her eyes. Newell swallowed. "Now I know you're upset-" "upset?!" Marietta would shout running a hand through her hair. She'd flinch. "S-sorry I didn't mean to raise my voice. I-I understand that this was probably a very hard decision for you an-" It was Newell's turn to interrupt this time. "Oh I'm so glad you understand honey!" He'd say rushing over and hugging her. Marietta would try to ask why, she wanted to know why in the world she couldn't see her mother any more, but she'd missed her chance. The hug was finished and her father was beaming down at her with joy that she understood. Marietta would inwardly sigh. She couldn't take that joy away from her father, it would be wrong, right?

Newell would clear his throat. "Now that that's out of the way, I have some much better news!" He declared grinning. Marietta would perk up a little at that. She was still numb and hurting, but emotions could usually be pretty easily pushed aside when you have something else to focus on. "Oh?" Marietta would ask, trying to crinkle her face so she looked excited. "I know you were probably wondering why I stopped writing letters to you back in March. Well its because," Newell would look to the pureblooded woman standing right next to him. He would take her hand in his. "I met this wonderful lady, and we decided to move in together! So I've been busy moving our stuff into, their manner its been a lot of" Her father kept talking, but Marietta couldn't hear him anymore. He had a-a girlfriend. He had decided to move in, to completely shift her life without consulting her first? Marietta felt lightheaded, yet heavy, she felt a headache forming and her breath falling short. Her father was so happy, last time she had seen him, he had been so sad. Almost unbearably so. Yet, she couldn't agree to this. 'You don't have to agree to this, its already done.' Whispered a cruel voice in her mind.

Marietta wanted to throw up. She couldn't do that in front of her father though, so she ran. Pushing past and through people in rush to lose her father and get to a trash can. She suddenly found herself leaning over a disgusting, public trash can. Marietta grabbed as much of her hair as she could and pulled it out of the way, vomiting. She wished she could vomit until her stomach was empty, but she saw the woman. Her dad's girlfriend, approaching after her second upchuck. She had a small frown on her face, though something told Marietta that the woman would be scowling if such things didn't give her wrinkles. The woman would lean in. "Look, this doesn't have to be hard. I may not like you, but I can pretend to. I can make sure you're well taken care of and even married to a nice boy of high standing. However, if you want any of that to happen all of this," She'd wave a hand over Marietta. "Needs to stop. It took me forever to convince your father to move in and I'm not going to have him change his mind just because you decided to have a panic attack." The woman hissed. Briefly looking over her shoulder to make sure Newell would be there soon. Marietta really did have no control in this situation, no say. There was nothing she could do. Her father was probably going to marry this woman and she was likely going to live out her life the way she always knew she would: as nothing. NO screeched a defiant voice in her head. I can't be nothing if I'm are hated. That means someone cares, even if its a negative way. Marietta thought, rebeling on her mind's encroaching darkness. Though if she wasn't nothing, that begged the question: What was she? "You are going to smile, tell your father that you just really needed to use the bathroom, and that you're ready to go now." The lady said, straightening and turning towards Marietta's father as he approached them. Marietta tried not to cringe as the lady laid an arm around around her.

Marietta's mask of joy would slip on like a well fitted glove. A mask of false joy. Her father would look down at her. "Hey kiddo, you alright? You left in an awful rush earlier." He asked clearly concerned. "Oh I'm fine dad, I just really needed to use the bathroom and Miss, uh," Marietta realized she had just been thinking of the lady as 'the lady' and had never gotten her name. "Oh please sweetheart just call me mom!" She'd say chipperly. Marietta would tense. She would never call anyone other than her own mom, mom. 'Yeah right, more like stepmo-' Marietta would begin to think, but then have an epiphany mid-thought. Thats what she was, she was Cinderella. 'Awe come on! Cinderella?!' Marietta thought, frustrated. It wasn't like she disliked Cinderella, it was just, of all the Disney princesses did she have to be Cinderella?!

"Marietta?" Newell would prompt. Marietta would shake her head. "Um I'm sorry miss. I don't think we're there yet." Marietta would say, softly. Surely her Dad would understand this one. She saw her father wince a little and look at the lady. She was smiling at Marietta but her eyes said something else. Something Marietta didn't want to decipher. "I understand dear. In that case, call me Miss Mozelle." She said, her face clearly pinched with rage. "O-okay Miss Mozelle." Marietta would say, her inner voice screaming at her for stuttering. Newell would smile. "Seems like we've had a long day, how about we just mosey on home?" Marietta would feel quesy but nod. Miss Mozelle would squeeze Marietta's shoulder. "That sounds lovely darling."

And so, off the three went. To Marietta's new 'home'.