Cinderella Is Dead

by Kalynn Bayron

  The entirety of Lille has gathered in the front drive of the palace. A few people nod and embrace each other, but even more have looks of disbelief, of confusion. They need more convincing.

  “I know this is hard to understand,” I say. “Many of us have never known anything other than Manford’s way.”

  “How do we know he’s dead?” a woman yells, fear distorting every syllable.

  “I put him in the ground myself,” I say. “You don’t have to fear him anymore.”

  Constance stares at me as tears well up in her eyes. A murmur runs through the crowd. A group of people have broken off and are talking among themselves. Forty deep, at least a half dozen palace guards and many suitors from the ball among their ranks, they shove their way toward me.

  “We’re going to have a problem here,” I say to Constance, who follows my gaze.

  “Are we?” she asks as she holds up her dagger.

  Émile takes a wide stance. Even though her frame is skeletal and her face bears the look of someone who has seen unspeakable horrors, she is ready to fight.

  Shouting erupts as this faction of angry men push their way through the crowd. The man at the lead is the same man I’d seen haggling with the guard in the dungeon. He’s found a sword and apparently has made himself the leader of this mob.

  “Who is the king’s lawful successor?” the man asks.

  “He has no heirs,” I say. I stare at the man unflinchingly. “And if you think we are going to allow another monster to sit on that throne, you’re mistaken.”

  “Why should we listen to you?” The man clasps his hands together around the sword’s grip. “You’re just a girl.”

  Constance steps in and disarms the man so quickly that I don’t know exactly how she’s done it. All I see is her flaming red hair and then the man lying on his back in the dirt, clutching his chest, a trickle of blood dripping down his lip. I pick up his sword and stick it in the ground.

  The crowd pushes in, surrounding the mob who at the very first opportunity are trying to put us right back where we’d been before. I didn’t kill the king and almost lose my life in the process for them to do this. The people of Lille—women, men, the children from the dungeon, the girls from the ball, the families who’ve come looking for them—stand at the ready, glaring down at the man.

  “We want a say in what happens next,” the man on the ground says as he scrambles to his feet.

  “You’ve sat idly by while the people of Mersailles suffered and died, and now you want a say in what happens to us?” I’m shocked at his arrogance. “You’re not in a position to make demands. I watched you try to buy a young girl in the dungeon.”

  Whispers and groans ring out. Some people in this crowd have no idea what the king did behind the walls of the castle. All they have are rumors and hearsay. The man glares at me with contempt.

  “Leave,” I say to him. “Leave. Or stay. You have choices now, but I suggest you make the right ones. Your actions will have consequences from now on.”

  The man scrambles back, tripping over himself as he flees. Some of the others follow him. Some stay. An uneasy calm settles over the crowd. I turn to Constance and sigh.

  “They’ll be back,” I say.

  “I know,” Constance says. “But we will be prepared.” She nods at Émile, who tilts her head and gazes up at the sky. I wonder how long it’s been since these prisoners have seen the stars.

  As I look out over the gathering, two familiar faces emerge. My parents. My mother’s knees buckle when she spots me, but my father catches her, and they push through the crowd toward me. My father seems to have aged ten years, and my mother looks as if she hasn’t slept in days. I search my father’s face for the anger I’d last seen when I left home, but find only sadness.

  “I thought you were dead.” His voice breaks as tears roll down his face.

  I’ve never seen him so broken. I don’t know what to say or how to feel. I look at my mother, who is unable to speak.

  “I had to put a stop to this,” I say.

  My father stares up at the palace. “You did this?”

  I nod. I wait to see if he’ll chastise me, but instead he holds out his hands. I hesitate, then slip my hands into his.

  All I’ve ever wanted is to be seen by them, to be precious to them. I don’t know if what has been broken between us can be fixed, but this feels like a good start. I hug my father, and over his shoulder, I see Luke in the embrace of his parents and his sister. Constance comes to stand at my side, and I gently pull away from my parents to take her hand. They look at each other and then at me. My mother smiles. Something I haven’t seen her do in a very long time.

  “Your family would be proud,” I say to Constance. I hand her Cinderella’s journal.

  “Your grandmother would be proud,” Constance says.

  Tears come again, but she wipes them away with the tips of her fingers, kissing my hand and pulling me close.

  “I couldn’t have done this without you,” I say. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

  She leans in and kisses me, but it’s no longer a sorrowful goodbye. It’s full of hope and tenderness. This is what all our planning has come to. She and I at the edge of an uncertain future, but one that is bright for the first time.

  38

  THE TRUE STORY OF CINDERELLA

  People’s Approved Text

  • • •

  Recorded this First Day of the Growing Season

  by Sophia Grimmins

  Once upon a time there were three young women: Gabrielle, Isla, and Cinderella. The sisters loved each other dearly, but in a land ruled by a ruthless king who was cursed by dark magic, love was not enough to save them. The sisters were brave, and each of them did what they could to stand against the king, but forces outside their control made that an impossible feat.

  Cinderella’s father had been the favorite to rule Mersailles before Prince Charming came to power. He should have taken his place on the throne, but fate had other plans.

  King Manford, in his many guises, ruled Mersailles for two hundred horrid years, until a time came when the people of Mersailles stood up for themselves and broke the curse. It was then that a new ruler emerged.

  Constance.

  As the only kin to Cinderella, the rightful heir to the throne, Constance presided over Mersailles as head of a council made up of six individuals, handpicked by her. They care only for the safety and well-being of Mersailles’s people.

  Constance and the council immediately abolished every single law Manford had set forth and put in place new rules that allow all the people of Mersailles access to the same privileges once only afforded to men.

  The transition was fast, and of course, some rebelled. The council considered making changes slowly over time, but ultimately decided that the equal treatment of Mersailles’s citizens was far more important than some people’s inability to handle those changes.

  The faction of angry townspeople who’d confronted us the night of the cotillion came back and burned down several houses in an attempt to seize power. Émile, a member of the resistance before she’d been captured by Manford, led the effort to push them back. With a well-armed battalion at her side, she drove most of them out past our borders into the Forbidden Lands. The others, including the prominent Baron Marcellus Moreau and his sons, Édouard and Morris, were rounded up and sent to a tribunal for their abuses. No amount of money or power would allow the mistreatment of Mersailles’s people to go unchallenged ever again. Constance made sure of that.

  We record here the true history of Cinderella and her family, who fought hard to ensure that the people of Mersailles could live their lives in the way that brought them the most happiness. They began a movement, a resistance that persists to this day in the hearts and minds of all who seek justice and equality. King Manford tried very hard to deny the people these things. But we will not be denied. We will not be silenced.

  Let Cinderella’s truth stand as a testament
to her persistence and her bravery even in the face of oppression. Understand that what King Manford, in all his incarnations, feared the most was the will of the people he so desperately wanted to control.

  Do not be silent.

  Raise your voice.

  Be a light in the dark.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  When I sat down to draft Cinderella I started with a few questions: What effect do the fairy tales we are told as children have on us? What happens to our view of the world when the characters in these stories don’t look like us or love like us? When do we get to be the heroes of our own stories? From there, over countless cups of coffee, over innumerable late nights and early mornings, through tears and self-doubt, Cinderella Is Dead took shape. It really has become, with the help of so many others, the book of my heart.

  To my amazing agent, Jamie Vankirk—all I can say is thank you, a thousand times thank you. When we started this journey, I wasn’t sure there was a place for this story. You told me, unequivocally, that not only was there a place for it, but that my story was important and worth sharing. I couldn’t have done this without your support, your hard work, your tenacious spirit, your kind heart. Thank you for being Cinderella’s champion and for helping pick me up when I’m down.

  To my wonderful team at Bloomsbury—Mary Kate Castellani, Erica Barmash, Anna Bernard, Lily Yengle—thank you for all your hard work. I don’t take any of this for granted, I’m so incredibly thankful to everyone at Bloomsbury for this opportunity. Mary Kate, you have made this entire experience a dream come true. Thank you for your insight, your unfailing encouragement, and for taking a chance on me and on Cinderella. You have made this story what it is and I am forever grateful.

  To my family—my amazing partner, Mike, thank you for supporting me. You never doubted me, even when I doubted myself. I love you with my whole heart. To my babies—Amya, Nylah, Elijah, and Lyla—I see you in the worlds and characters I create, it’s why I love them so. You are, and will always be, my greatest inspiration. To my brother, Spencer, thank you for always being there for me, for encouraging me, and for listening to me go on and on about this book. I love you! To my dad, Errol Brown—I miss you every second of every day. You taught me to be proud of who I am and where I come from, and that if I have a dream, I should go for it no matter how impossible it might seem. I went for it, Dad. I hope you’re proud of me.

  To my BFF Sherrida—your friendship over the years has never wavered. No matter the distance, you’re always in my heart. I love you, boo! Thanks for always being there.

  To the booksellers who got to read early copies of Cinderella—I want yall to know that I printed out the wonderful things you said and put them up on my wall. On days when writing is hard, when I feel like I should just throw in the towel and move to a cabin in the woods, your kind words encourage me and make me want to keep pushin’. Your support is invaluable. Thank you.

  And finally, to anyone and everyone who picks up Cinderella Is Dead, I want you to know how much it means to me that you would give your time to this story. I wrote it for you, for us. Be a light in the dark.

  BLOOMSBURY YA

  Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

  1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018

  BLOOMSBURY and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

  First published in the United States of America in July 2020 by Bloomsbury YA

  Text copyright © 2020 by Kalynn Bayron

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

  Bloomsbury books may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at specialmarkets@macmillan.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Bayron, Kalynn, author.

  Title: Cinderella is dead / by Kalynn Bayron.

  Description: New York : Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2020.

  Summary: Queer black girls team up to overthrow the patriarchy in the former kingdom of Cinderella.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2019048162 (print) | LCCN 2019048163 (e-book)

  ISBN 978-1-5476-0387-9 (hardcover) • ISBN 978-1-5476-0388-6 (e-book)

  Subjects: CYAC: Fantasy. | Lesbians—Fiction. | Feminism—Fiction. | Sexism—Fiction. | Blacks—Fiction. | Characters in literature—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.B386 Cin 2020 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.B386 (e-book) | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019048162

  To find out more about our authors and books visit www.bloomsbury.com and sign up for our newsletters.