Faith the Cinderella Fairy

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  A Tiptop Morning

  Two Rude Girls

  Whisked to Fairyland

  A Moaning Mystery Guest

  Twilight in Fairyland

  Cinderella at the Ball

  Teaser

  Copyright

  The Fairy Tale Fairies are in for a shock!

  Cinderella won’t run at the strike of the clock.

  No one can stop me—I’ve plotted and planned,

  And I’ll be the fairest one in all of the land.

  It will take someone handsome and witty and clever

  To stop storybook endings forever and ever.

  But to see fairies suffer great trouble and strife,

  Will make me live happily all of my life!

  “Another beautiful day at Tiptop Castle!” exclaimed Rachel Walker, throwing open the window and breathing in the crisp morning air.

  She was looking out of the bedroom that she was sharing with her best friend, Kirsty Tate. They had been having a fun time at the Fairy Tale Festival, and they couldn’t wait for this morning’s ballroom-dancing lesson.

  “I can’t believe how lucky we are,” said Kirsty, who was brushing her hair at the beautiful vanity table. “It’s amazing that the festival is being held here, so close to Tippington—and we’ve made some great new friends.”

  Lots of children were staying at the castle, and there were fun fairy tale activities to enjoy every day. Tippington was Rachel’s hometown, and Mrs. Walker had arranged this special treat for them while Kirsty was visiting during spring vacation.

  “It was so much fun dressing up yesterday,” said Rachel, thinking of their fairy outfits. “I wonder what adventures today will bring!”

  “Magical ones, I hope,” said Kirsty with a happy smile.

  On their first day at the castle, the girls had met their friend Hannah the Happily Ever After Fairy while they were exploring. They had shared many adventures in Fairyland, because they were good friends with the fairies, and they were thrilled when Hannah whisked them off to meet some very special fairies: the seven Fairy Tale Fairies.

  The fairies gave the girls The Fairies’ Book of Fairy Tales. It was a wonderful collection of the girls’ favorite fairy tales, but when they looked inside, the pages were blank.

  Thinking about the fairies’ shocked faces, Rachel felt a pang of worry.

  “It would be wonderful to be able to help another of the Fairy Tale Fairies,” she said.

  Kirsty nodded. Right after the girls met them, the fairies had discovered that Jack Frost had stolen their magic objects. Without them, the characters in their fairy tales fell out of their stories and got lost! Jack Frost was planning to rewrite the fairy tales to star him and his goblins, and he had taken the fairies’ objects to the human world.

  “We should go down to the ballroom,” said Kirsty, looking at her alarm clock. “The ballroom-dancing lesson will be starting soon and I don’t want to miss a second!”

  The girls hurried down the spiral staircase, still thinking about their fairy friends. So far, they had helped Julia the Sleeping Beauty Fairy and Eleanor the Snow White Fairy get their magic objects back. Now Sleeping Beauty and her prince and Snow White and the seven dwarves were all back inside their worlds. But there were still five magic objects left to find, and many more fairy tale characters to return to their stories.

  The best friends ran all the way through the castle, but Kirsty paused when they reached the ballroom. Rachel stopped, too.

  “Are you OK?” she asked in concern.

  “What if I’m not good enough?” said Kirsty, sounding suddenly nervous.

  “That’s why we’re having lessons,” said Rachel, squeezing her hand. “Anyway, it’s just for fun. Don’t worry!”

  She pushed open the door and stepped inside. The first thing she saw was a young woman standing on a stool, polishing one of the gold-framed mirrors that lined the walls.

  “Hello,” said Rachel as Kirsty followed her into the room. “Are we in the right place for the dance lesson?”

  The young woman turned and gave them a beautiful smile.

  “I think so,” she said in a longing voice. “The others are over there—it sounds like lots of fun!”

  She waved her rag toward the far end of the ballroom, where a small group of children were giggling and dancing around.

  “Thank you very much,” said Rachel, wondering why the young woman wasn’t joining in with the lesson.

  She and Kirsty went to join the others, and then one of the festival organizers entered the room, dressed in a beautiful silver gown.

  “Hello, everyone!” she said. “I’m Rosie, your dance instructor for this morning. I hope that this beautiful ballroom will inspire you to dance like true fairy tale princes and princesses!”

  Looking around, Rachel and Kirsty understood exactly what she meant. The grand ballroom had plush velvet curtains at the windows and a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

  “Let’s start with a waltz,” said Rosie. “I’ll give you a demonstration first, and then you can try it.”

  Rosie showed them the whirling waltz steps several times, and then everyone found a partner and started to practice. Rachel and Kirsty danced together. At first they felt as if they were doing really well, but when they tried to twirl, their feet somehow got tangled up. They ended up in a heap on the floor, giggling helplessly.

  “That was awful,” said a mean, nasal voice.

  “Really dreadful,” said another voice, sounding even ruder.

  Rachel and Kirsty looked up and saw two girls glaring at them through narrowed eyes. They were both wearing fussy ball gowns in bright colors, and they looked as if they had stuck on false eyelashes—very badly.

  “What strange costumes,” said Kirsty under her breath.

  “What bad manners,” said Rachel, scrambling to her feet. “Come on, let’s try those steps again.”

  “You shouldn’t be allowed on the dance floor,” said one of the girls. “Move out of the way. We’ll show you how dancing should be done!”

  “Let’s go,” said Rachel in a low voice.

  They moved to the side of the ballroom and watched as the mean girls elbowed their way past other dancers and whirled around, getting all the steps wrong. Rosie kept stopping them and trying to show them the correct steps, but they didn’t want to listen. One by one, the other children in the class came over to stand with Rachel and Kirsty.

  “This isn’t much fun,” said Emily, who was dancing with Aaron. “Let’s go and find somewhere else to practice our steps.”

  Everyone thought this was a very good idea, and they started to leave the ballroom. Rachel and Kirsty were last, and as they went to follow the others, something caught Kirsty’s eye. She looked up and saw a fairy fluttering down from the crystal chandelier!

  It was Faith the Cinderella Fairy, and she was looking excited.

  “Hello, girls!” she said in a happy voice.

  “Hello!” said Rachel. “Does your smile mean that you’ve found your magic object?”

  “No,” said Faith, her smile fading slightly. “But I have found Cinderella!”

  “Oh, where is she?” asked Kirsty with a gasp.

  Faith laughed and waved at the young woman who was still polishing the framed mirrors and pictures on the walls. Rachel and Kirsty could hardly believe it—the young woman they had talked to earlier was Cinderella!

  Cinderella waved back and Faith let out a little sigh.

  “I have to find my magic glass slipper soon,” she said. “Without it, Cinderella is stuck here in the human world and her fairy tale is ruined.”


  Just then, the ballroom door opened and Jack Frost swaggered in, walking in a somewhat lopsided way.

  “He’s wearing two different shoes,” said Rachel in surprise.

  “One of them is my shoe,” said Faith in a horrified voice. “It’s my magic glass slipper, and as long as he’s got it, he will be able to do anything he wants with Cinderella’s fairy tale.”

  Rachel glanced over at the mean girls, but they were too busy arguing about steps with Rosie to notice what was going on at the other end of the ballroom.

  “You,” Jack Frost snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Cinderella. “Come and clean my Ice Castle from top to bottom right now.”

  “But I have to find my way home and finish my cleaning,” Cinderella pleaded. “If I don’t make the house sparkle, my stepmother won’t allow me to go to the ball tonight.”

  “Tough luck,” said Jack Frost. “I’m preparing for a fabulous ball myself tonight, and I’m going to be the star of the show. I need a nice clean castle, and you’re going to help me!”

  “But the ball is all I’ve dreamed about,” cried poor Cinderella, clasping her hands together.

  “I couldn’t care less,” Jack Frost barked at her. “You’re coming with me!”

  With a bolt of icy magic, Jack Frost and Cinderella vanished back to Fairyland.

  “Quick, turn us into fairies!” Kirsty exclaimed. “There’s no time to lose!”

  Faith’s wand moved so fast that it was just a blur of sparkles. Instantly, the ballroom disappeared and Rachel and Kirsty were in Fairyland before they had time to catch their breath. They found themselves fluttering on gauzy wings, high above Jack Frost’s Ice Castle. It was early evening, and the setting sun shone on the gray stone walls.

  “That’s funny,” said Rachel. “There are usually lots of goblins on guard, but I can’t see a single one.”

  “Let’s go and find out what’s going on,” said Faith.

  The three fairies swooped down and entered the castle through an open door. They flew quickly through damp, dripping hallways, shivering in the sudden darkness. Rachel and Kirsty had been inside the castle before, so they led the way. When they were close to the Throne Room, Kirsty stopped so suddenly that Faith almost bumped into her.

  “Listen!” Kirsty said in a low voice. “I think I can hear something.”

  They paused and heard the bad-tempered squawking voices of several goblins coming from the room opposite the Throne Room.

  “Come on,” said Faith. “Let’s find out what they’re shouting about.”

  The door was open, so it was easy for the three tiny fairies to slip inside without being noticed. They flew up to a high curtain rod, hid behind the fabric, and gazed down upon a wintry ballroom.

  Icicle chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Shiny blue and white stars made of ice dangled from them. There were several goblins on their hands and knees, polishing the wooden floor. Others were painting snowflakes on the tall windows and stringing blue lights around some ragged-looking potted plants.

  Rachel spotted goblins dressed as chefs, each carrying a platter piled high with green and blue cupcakes. Three goblins were crowded around a small desk, writing invitations very slowly and elbowing each other as they wrote. So far they had only completed the first line:

  You are hereby invited to a spectacular ball in honor of a mystery guest.

  “Look,” Kirsty whispered, nudging Rachel and Faith. “There’s Cinderella.”

  Still wearing her ragged clothes, Cinderella was busily dusting a huge silver throne at the front of the ballroom.

  “Poor thing,” said Rachel. “How can we help her escape?”

  “First we have to find Jack Frost and get my glass slipper back,” said Faith. “Then Cinderella will be able to return to her story.”

  Just then, Kirsty noticed a trail of richly embroidered clothes scattered across a grand staircase behind the throne.

  “I bet Jack Frost made that mess,” she said. “He would expect Cinderella or the goblins to clean up for him.”

  “Let’s take a look!” said Rachel, feeling excited.

  Staying hidden from the goblins, they flew over to the clothes and fluttered up the staircase. Kirsty saw that Cinderella looked very unhappy and wished they could comfort her, but she knew that they shouldn’t risk being seen.

  At the top of the stairs, the trail of beautiful clothes led them to a very big walk-in closet. The door was wide open, and a steady line of goblins was walking in with armfuls of puffy, lacy, fancy outfits.

  “No, no, NO!” Jack Frost yelled from inside the room. “My outfit has to be the best. These are all ugly—take them away!”

  A goblin came flying out of the room and landed on his bottom. A mound of pink fabric followed him and fell on his head. While the other goblins were laughing, the fairies slipped into the dressing room and hid behind a curtain. They found themselves next to a tall window, which looked down over the snow-covered forest beside the castle. Faith peeked through the curtain, and Rachel and Kirsty peered over her shoulders.

  In the middle of the room, Jack Frost was standing in front of a big three-way mirror, frowning at his reflection.

  He was wearing green robes and a goblin was sitting at his feet with a mouthful of pins.

  “What about this one, Your Iciness?” asked another goblin.

  “I told you, you have to call me Cinderfrost!” Jack Frost yelled. “And you had better find me the perfect ball outfit—or else!”

  Jack Frost tore the robes off and kicked them away, holding out his hand for the next outfit. This was pale blue with white ruffles. He pulled it on with rough hands, and a goblin tied a yellow sash around his waist.

  “That doesn’t match!” Jack Frost howled. “Take it off! Hurry up—you’re too slow!”

  “He’s still wearing my magic glass slipper,” Faith said, noticing as Jack aimed a kick at the goblin who had tied the yellow sash.

  “How can we get it off his foot?” Kirsty wondered aloud.

  Rachel was looking out the window, and noticed two goblins running away from the castle through the snow, each carrying a large mail bag.

  “They must be going to deliver the invitations,” she murmured.

  “This isn’t good enough for Cinderfrost!” Jack Frost snarled, drawing Rachel’s attention back to the dressing room.

  “What about a diamond pendant?” a goblin nervously suggested.

  “I know!” Rachel whispered. “We need a pair of shoes that Jack Frost will like better than the magic glass slipper!”

  Faith waved her wand at the big wardrobe and a pair of sparkly ice-blue shoes appeared. A goblin grabbed them.

  “Look, these are blue like the beautiful robes,” he squeaked. “They’re just the thing!”

  The goblins gathered around in admiration as Jack put on one of the sparkly shoes.

  “A perfect fit!” said one.

  “Fabulous!” said another. “Put on the other one!”

  The fairies leaned forward, keeping their fingers crossed. But Jack Frost shook his head.

  “I’m not taking off this glass slipper,” he snapped.

  The goblin at his feet frowned.

  “But it’s too big,” he argued. “The sparkly ones look much better.”

  “I’ll just wear one of each,” Jack Frost declared.

  The goblins started to laugh, and Jack Frost glowered at them.

  “You’re no help at all!” he shouted. “I need a fairy godmother to help me dress for the ball.”

  He stamped the foot that was wearing the magic glass slipper, and there was a sudden puff of glittering fairy dust. When it cleared, a kind-looking elderly fairy was fluttering in the air beside Jack Frost. Her wings shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow, and her snow-white hair was swept up into a neat bun.

  “Good evening, Cinderfrost,” she said in a low voice. “Why have you called for me?”

  “Give me the perfect party outfit now!” demanded Jack F
rost. “And you had better make it more beautiful than any other outfit that’s ever been. Cinderfrost is going to be the most spectacular sight ever, and I want everyone else to look awful next to me!”

  Rachel and Kirsty wondered if the Fairy Godmother would refuse such a rude demand, but she simply sighed and waved her wand. Suddenly Jack was wearing an ice-blue flowing cloak that glittered with thousands of tiny sequins. Long, floaty sleeves covered his arms and shoulders, and a diamond crown sparkled in his spiky hair.

  Jack Frost gasped and gazed at his reflection, turning this way and that to see every inch of the beautiful outfit.

  “It’s my favorite color,” he said at last. “This is the perfect outfit for Cinderfrost!”

  The goblins around him heaved sighs of relief and several of them collapsed into a heap of clothes.

  “It’s about time,” said one, glancing up at a clock on the wall. “You took forever to choose.”

  “I’m going to make a grander entrance than any princess has ever dreamed of making,” Jack Frost boasted. “Everyone will be looking at me! My carriage is waiting at the back door, and then I’ll ride to the front to make my entrance. They’ll all be waiting in the ballroom for the most dazzling mystery guest that ever was—Cinderfrost!”

  “I’ve got an idea,” said Rachel, sounding suddenly excited. “Faith, can you disguise us as Cinderella’s stepsisters?”

  Faith looked uncertain.

  “It would take some very special magic,” she said. “I can do it, but I’ll need the Fairy Godmother to help me.”

  Kirsty peeked into the room again. Jack was staring at his reflection, entranced. The goblins were cackling as they rolled around among the unwanted outfits. No one was looking at the Fairy Godmother.

  “Psst!” said Kirsty. “Fairy Godmother!”

  The Fairy Godmother turned and her face crinkled into a smile when she saw Kirsty. She fluttered behind the curtain to join them.