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Chrissy’s wings fluttered, for a moment buzzing like a hummingbird. “Oh, excuse me, but you’re the one who made yourself stupid. I was only working with what you gave me.”

“I’m not stupid,” I said.

Her expression turned patronizingly tolerant. “You only wanted to be loved and beautiful. Don’t blame me if it didn’t make you happy.”

“I never asked you for a half-wit prince.” She looked up at the sky for a moment like it was a point hardly worth defending. “Well, what kind of guys do you think half-wit girls get in life? Do you think intelligent guys want to hang out with stupid girls for very long? I would have thought you’d already learned that lesson with the whole Hunter and Jane thing.” She shrugged and smiled in my direction. “Don’t worry, though, because Prince Hubert is very handsome and kind. That’s all you wanted in a boyfriend, wasn’t it?”

“No,” I said.

She raised an eyebrow. “It must be. If you had admired any other qualities you would have developed them in yourself, wouldn’t you?” Which was really too much. I put my hands on my hips. “Aren’t fairy godmothers supposed to be nice and make you feel better about yourself?” 128/431

She rolled her eyes. “No, you’re confusing fairy godmothers with sales clerks.” She stepped away from me, but continued to watch me carefully. As though she were talking to, well, Snow White, she said, “You’d think you would have learned something from your last wish. I didn’t send you into Cinderella’s life at the climax of that story; why would I do it this time? If you had paid attention to the weather or the trees in the village, you would have known that apples are in season right now. Why would the evil queen think you could be tempted to take one from a stranger when you could get them anywhere else? The queen doesn’t show up until winter, when all the fresh fruit is gone and a fresh apple is a delicacy worth taking a risk for.”

Okay, when she put it like that, it did make sense. But still, how was I supposed to know that? I lived in the land of supermarkets where you could get fresh fruit all year round. Besides, I wanted to go home, not to analyze whose fault it was that Snow White was stupid.

“Look,” I said slowly. “I want to make a wish and I want you to listen very carefully to all of it so that you make sure you get it right this time. Can you do that before you rush back to the mall?” Her wings fluttered in agitation and she folded her arms, but she nodded. “You have my full attention.” 129/431

“I don’t want to be in some medieval fairy tale. I want to live back home with my family. When I said I wanted a prince, I didn’t mean somebody from history or the pages of a storybook. I meant that I wanted that type of guy, but I want him from my own day and age. I want a boyfriend who is nice, kind—and handsome too, but that’s not the most important thing.

“As I’ve thought about Jane and Hunter during my time here, I realize the problem was he never really liked me, he just liked what I looked like. He always wanted someone who was more like Jane and when they met, well, it was just bound to turn out that way. So I want someone who is loyal and has integrity—but most important I want a guy who likes me for me, who likes my personality.” It was hard to say that part after Chrissy had just accused me of being stupid, so I added, “And okay, I admit that in the past I haven’t applied myself in school like I should have, but I’m turning over a new leaf, so I want a guy who is smart too. And I want this guy to go to prom with me.”

She stared at me for another moment, then finally said, “That’s it? You’re done and won’t accuse me of not listening to the whole thing?”

“Right. I’m done.” I held out one hand to her. “You heard the part where I said I wanted all of this to happen back home in my day and age, right?” 130/431

“Yes. I heard that part.”

“Good, because I so want to take a—” Before I’d even said the words “hot shower,” the two of us were standing back in my bedroom.

Chapter 8

I looked around, blinking at the things that seemed familiar and yet so new. Relief engulfed me, and then surprise. “Hey, everything’s still in focus and I’m not wearing my contacts.”

Chrissy shrugged. “Yes, well, that’s one of those side effects of magic that I warned you about. After people live through a couple of wishes they almost always see things more clearly.”

I went over to my bed, ran my hand across the soft comforter, and sat down. Now that I was safely back home all the questions that I’d thought of over the last few weeks rose to the surface of my mind. “Where were the real Cinderella and Snow White while I was being them? And how come everyone thought I was them even though I still looked like me whenever I saw myself in a mirror?”

Chrissy took her sunglasses from her purse and slid them over her eyes again. “I gave the real Cinderella and Snow White lovely vacations in Costa Rica, and everyone thought you were them because the magic made it seem that it was your face that had always been the face of Cinderella or the face of Snow White.” She took the 132/431

wand from her purse and said, “As much as I’d like to stay around chatting about the intricacies of magic, I’ve got to go find your prom date.” She glanced down at her watch, “And get ready for a party.” Glittering lights sparkled up and down her length, then the next moment she’d disappeared altogether and I was alone in my room.

I sat on my bed for a moment longer. The clock on my dresser read 10:00, but it felt like I’d been gone for years. I wanted to find my parents—and even Jane—throw my arms around them, and tell them I’d missed them.

Of course I couldn’t do it, especially not looking like I did. I took off my Snow White dress, grabbed some clothes from my dresser, and darted into the bathroom.

The beautiful, marvelous, completely modern bathroom.

I must have stood in the shower letting the warm water run over me for a good twenty minutes before I even picked up the shampoo bottle. And then I nearly cried when I did. Shampoo instead of that hard, bad-smelling soap. It made bubbles in my hair. Could anything be more wonderful?

As it turned out, I discovered many things that were. I put creamy, soothing hand lotion on my hands that were still chapped and blistered from my days as Cinderella. I found my parents just as they were about to turn in for 133/431

the night and gave them both big hugs. My mother smelled of a mixture of her perfume and hairspray. I’d missed that smell.

My dad’s embrace felt so secure. This more than anything convinced me I was really home. No memories of wicked stepmothers in all their evil glory could bother me while my dad was around. With that one hug they vanished back into the pages of fiction.

Jane was talking on the phone with Hunter, so I didn’t say anything to her, and she averted her eyes when she saw me. I flipped the lights on and off in the kitchen just because I could. Ditto for the water in the sink. My reunion with the refrigerator was especially touching.

I stood in front of it staring at the many contents and felt tears press against my eyes. Cold milk and leftover pizza. Yogurt, jam, oranges, lunchmeat, and little pre-packaged slices of American cheese. I didn’t know what to eat first.

Jane walked into the kitchen to return the phone to its cradle and saw me crying in front of the fridge. “What’s wrong?” she asked in a tentative voice, like she was afraid of the answer.

“Nothing.” I emptied the fridge of several items, putting it all on the table. I caught sight of a loaf of bread and picked it up, cradling it in my hands like it was a 134/431

baby. “Can you believe how light and soft this is?” I asked Jane. “There’s no gritty little hard pieces in it.” She didn’t answer, just watched as I grabbed the ice cream from the freezer. I kissed the carton, set it down on the table, and grabbed a bowl. I served myself two large scoops, which I ate in between nibbling on everything else.