Staci’s Story

        My name is Katherine-Anastasia Royale. What a great name, huh? Kinda makes you think of a tall gorgeous chick with silvery blond hair and an absolutely lovely diamond-studded dress, right? Hate to disappoint you, but I am not, in any way, what you are thinking. For starters, I have normal brown hair, normal brown eyes, am a normal height, and have an absolutely normal life in a suburb of Los Angeles. There is nothing intriguing about me, except for my last name, which I think is incredibly romantic. I am mostly called as Staci.

        This idea of a diary is completely new to me. I just got this for Christmas and I can’t help but love your soft velvety cover and that cute little lock that only I can open. I just love the idea that I can confide all of my deepest, most important secrets in this.

        I live in a really nice little town called Sun Valley and live in a white and tan, Mexican-style house on El Cinder Road with my two annoying stepsisters and stepmother. Melinda, my step-mother isn’t too bad when you get to know her, but her twin daughters, Muffin and Cupcake (whom I swear came straight from Horrorsville) have had it against me since my dad went and married Melinda. Dad’s at a meeting in New York. He has a majorly important job (or so he says) and can’t be spared by the company he works at. He’s not gonna come home until June, and it’s only March. That is about two months with just the steps. Darn! I have to go, ‘cause Melinda is calling me. She’s taking all us “kids” shopping for clothes, but mostly for Muffin and Cupcake. Bye for now.

        I swear I will, one day, get revenge on my selfish stepsisters. They are now both in Middle School, but they keep their stupid little bakery names. I don’t know what I did to deserve this. Today, we got an invitation to this major school event: The New Year’s Marathon. Everyone is welcome, and it is to be held at this really awesome hotel on the beach. The hotel, Sheraton Hotel and Resorts is really into the publicity thing, and our party will be on the newspapers and stuff. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event (our school will be allowed to use the pool!), but now it’s all spoiled for me.

        Can you believe what the little pastries did this time? They actually persuaded Melinda that I didn’t need a new dress; that my old blue dress actually was in style now. Now I can’t get a new dress for the Marathon. They got matching silver silk slip-dresses with a layer of pink lace over it. When I asked if I could get a new swimsuit for the pool, Melinda said that we could use the ones that we had because they were still wearable. Yeah, well, of course Muffin and Cupcake didn’t complain!! They got new suits to “prepare” for the summer last week. I like to do things when they’re actually going to be used in the near future!! What am I gonna do? December 29, 2000

        The New Year’s Marathon will be the day after tomorrow: Monday. I have to figure something out fast. I will never wear that awful dress to that party. Never! My reputation will be done and over with if I even stepped foot into the hotel in such a costume!! I don’t know how I’d live it down…

        Muffin and Cupcake are going on about how they have the best dresses and swim suits in the world. I am so embarrassed. Maybe I won’t go to the party after all. I’ll just tell Melinda that I’m sick or I don’t feel well.

        Just looking at my last entry makes me feel like such a wimp!! I am so pathetic. When did I ever give those two demons the power to control me? I will not let them get to me. I guess I’ll just have to hold my head high (even when I am wearing that out-of-date blue dress and that completely last year swimsuit. I am ready to get out there and prove that those two cavity-filled desserts do not have any sort of power over me. They may look like angels on the outside, but they have all the characteristics that the devil would want in an apprentice inside of them. Wish me luck… I’ll need it….

        Oh my god! You will never believe what happened to me last night. I definitely do not think I am very normal now. I found out yesterday that I have a guardian angel! She’s really nice and she’s been watching over my mom, grandma, great grandma (and so on) since they were born! I have also found out that I am a distant relative of Cinderella’s husband, the Prince. My angel, herself, is the great great granddaughter of the cousin of Cinderella’s fairy godmother’s sister’s husband! Talk about family connections! I can’t believe that I have met a person… no … um… angel… that has been alive… no … existing… for so long and knew a lot of my family. She sometimes calls me Amelia Louise, my mom, or even Anne Gertrude, my great great great grandma because she says that I am their carbon copy!

        My angel did something for me that I will never forget. I knew that someone had to be watching over me, since Mom is gone and Dad is not here. Guess what happened! I’ll just tell you:

        Yesterday (after I finished my diary entry), when I was moping around (stalling from going to the party), I saw a shimmering light in the window. When I went outside to check it out, I realized that it… um… she… was an angel!!! At first I just stood there, but then I really thought I was losing it. I went back inside, but then I heard a sharp tapping on the door. I cautiously answered the door and saw a tall, beautiful lady with rich brown hair layered to her shoulders. I just stood there looking dumb until she introduced herself. She told me that she was my guardian angel and would help me to look acceptable at the party. She said that she would be teased out of her eternal existence if her current trust showed up at such a big event looking like she had just popped out of a 1995 soap opera. She absolutely would not allow me to show up at the party dressed up like that.

        I just tried to speak but I had absolutely nothing to say to this immortal who called herself my guardian angel. I t was too much for my mind to handle. By the time I figured out what to say, she was already waving her finger and muttering rhymes. I could see a wisp of silvery smoke curl around me, and pretty soon, I was dressed in a gorgeous silky thing with silver lining and ice blue satin. I had a delicate film of purple, see-through, satin-woven, scarf wrapped around my arms. I definitely felt like a Katherine-Anastasia… and especially a Royale.

        I was gloating with joy as I twirled in front of the floating mirror. I could just imagine the looks of envy the sweet cakes will have on their faces as I walk in. Suddenly, I remembered the pool. I looked at my angel and she just held out her hand and a pastel-colored gym bag materialized in my hand. I rummaged through it and saw a definite hit. My swimsuit was a two-piece black tankini with blue metallic lining. I could not believe my luck.

        When I finished admiring my stuff, I remembered Cinderella, my famous and distant relative. Hadn’t her fairy godmother (of whom I now know as Lucinda-Annetta) said that the spell would be over at 12? What was my curfew, my deadline… the catch? I eyed her suspiciously and she just looked sheepish. Seriously. Did she think I was that dense? Of course, I had to be home by 11. That was nothing, but she said that, like Cinderella, all of my beautiful outfit would turn into my old stuff.

        When I got to the party, I saw the cinnamon buns look at me, green with envy, and mortified to the core. Where had I gotten such fashionable and stylish clothes? Hadn’t they, once and for all, gotten rid of all my chances of wearing gorgeous clothes? Boy, you should have seen their confused faces! I have never seen them so jealous of me before. I practically blew raspberries at them with all the attention I was getting. Finally, the clock struck 10:59, and I knew I had to get out of there fast. I looked for a quick exit and headed for the door without looking conspicuous. I was desperate. As I ran off, one of my slippers skidded across the marble floor (they were not meant for running), but I didn’t care. I heard the clock seconds tick, one by one, as I ran down the hall, with one shoe on, to the revolving doors. I heard someone shout out at me that I had left my shoe there. I looked back for a split second and saw a lone figure waving my shoe hopelessly. I saw him stop and stare after me. I felt just like Cinderella and all her pumpkin junk, and thought how much better my story was. I will never forget that wonderful night. I really showed them! Now I know that whenever I think I’m alone, I’m really not, because my guardian angel is watching over me…