Chương 23: I am Fifi

I woke up very early. It was still pitch black outside, with the sky just starting to fade from deep blue toward dawn. For some reason, my hand was wrapped around something soft and warm that smelled nice. It was, in all likelihood, a sleeping Cinderella. How strange. I don't think I have ever woken up before her. I looked at her, and she looked absolutely peaceful. Her chest rose and fell with small, quiet breaths, and her golden hair spilled across the pillow. She looked so serene, almost like a painting.

I didn't get out of bed. I didn't have anything remotely better to do than watch Cinderella sleep, so I just lay there and watched. It wasn't long before the distant clock tower prepared to strike six o'clock, and Cinderella began to stir. It would be terribly embarrassing to get caught staring at her, so I quickly squeezed my eyes shut and feigned sleep. I felt the mattress shift as Cinderella sat up. She gently patted me on the head, then slipped out of bed. I opened my eyes, peaking through my lashes.

She walked over to the window and looked outside. Oh, I know what comes next! She is going to sing! I love when she did. And indeed, I was spot on.

"♪ A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep. ♪""♪ In dreams, you will lose your heartaches. Whatever you wish for, you keep. ♪" Consequently, as she sang, the room filled to the brim with critters. The fact that this bizarre spectacle felt perfectly normal to me now, was honestly, a bit disturbing. I waited for her to finish, and sat up too.

"Oh, good morning Drizella," she said.

"Did I wake you with my song?"

"It's quite alright," I said.

"I like your singing."

"Why, thank you," she smiled sweetly.

"You will see, after a couple of… er, dozens of lessons, you will sing just like that!" I was somewhat skeptical. I looked around the room. There were probably a total of thirty mice. I would see how many would come when I sang. I could measure my improvement rate based on the number of rodents. That… that was really stupid.

"What is sheeeee doing here!" asked Suzy, pointing at me accusingly.

"I told you already," laughed Cinderella.

"She is my dear friend."

"Yes, but sleeping in your bed too?" Suzy squeaked.

"Will she be moving in to our room?"

"You are being silly, Suzy," said Cinderella, before turning to me.

"Drizella, do you mind if…"

"You take a shower?" I finished for her.

"Not at all." Cinderella walked behind the bath screen, and Suzy immediately got to work, shooing all the male mice away. It was always funny watching her do that. Then, the birds dipped sponges in water and began bathing her, while other birds and mice prepared her clothes. That was so weird to watch. I'm sure I'll never get used to that, not in a thousand cycles.

"Don't you find it weird?" I shouted to her.

"That the birds help you bathe?"

"Why, not at all," Cinderella said.

"It's rather convenient, actually."

"Yes, but I mean," I pressed, "how did it all start? Did you just ask them to, one day?"

"I think I just left the sponge out of reach," she said.

"They happily supplied it, and they like soaking it in water and squeezing it, I think."

"Oh." I was thinking about something else now.

"Are you sure that the birds are all female?"

"Why, what do you mean?"

"Oh, never mind." Cinderella finished her shower and easily got dressed with some more avian assistance. Once she was presentable, the flock of birds and mice scattered to attend to their daily chores, but Suzy stayed behind. She kept staring at me suspiciously.

"I get it, you don't trust me, do you?" I said to her.

"You bet I don't!" she squeaked.

"I don't know why Cinderelly suddenly likes you. But all those years you treated her badly! Realllly badly! Do this Cinderelly, do that Cinderelly, not a moment of peace! And all she does is her best to please you! She…" Suzy took a breath, looking sad.

"She always tried to be happy, despite how hard it is for her! Poor Cinderelly." She looked at me now and turned angry.

"You should be ashamed!"

"Suzy, come here, would you?" I tapped on the bed beside me. Suzy came, climbing up the sheet and onto the bed beside me. Even if she didn't trust me at all, she wasn't afraid of me one bit. I liked Suzy. I really did.

"I do feel bad about it," I said to her.

"I truly treated her badly, and she didn't deserve it. But I really did change. Now I want Cinderella to be happy." Suzy kept looking at me. She was still suspicious.

"Listen, I have this… time curse on me," I explained.

"I repeat the last two days over and over. When this day is over, for me, it will be yesterday again, but only I will remember it. So… it looks like a sudden change, but I actually have had many days to befriend Cinderella." I couldn't actually prove it to Suzy. True enough, everything I just said sounded completely ridiculous. But Suzy just came close and put her tiny hands on my finger.

"I see, I see," she squeaked, looking incredibly serious.

"So you really are a friend of Cinderelly. If it is so, you are a friend of mine, too." Suzy was a very trusting rodent… someday it will get her into serious trouble. When I looked at Cinderella, I noticed that, just like last time, she had put on her work clothes.

"I don't think you will need to do any chores today," I said to her.

"Well, despite all that happend yesterday," she said, smiling at the memory of it all, "today is still just a normal morning. And anyway, I don't mind doing my chores, I'm used to it."

"That's not what I mean," I told her.

"What will probably happen is that Mother, through some town gossip, will hear that the mystery girl who conquered the prince at the ball was seen together with her very own daughter. So she will know it was you. Then Mother will assume you are going to be a princess, and she'll try to suck up to you to stay in your good graces."

"Oh," said Cinderella.

"That… will certainly be weird."

"Yes, well," I sighed.

"You can just tell her to go to the devil, if you want."

"Oh... I couldn't."

"Anyway, I don't think they will give you trouble today," I said while getting up from the bed and looking in the mirror.

"I really ought to be taking my leave shortly."

"You need to…" Cinderella hesitated.

"Oh, you aren't going to meet with that Juliette, are you?"

"I am most definitely going," I said with firm certainty.

"I want that time looper journal."

"Those people put a musket to your face the last time you met," Cinderella reminded me, "and specifically told you not to get involved with them." I gave Cinderella a'you are not my mother' look.

"I, it's just…" Cinderella looked lost for words.

"Dangerous, and..."

"I know!" squeaked Suzy.

"I will come along! I'll make sure Drizella is safe!" Yes, I thought. No need to worry about time magicians with muskets when Suzy is around. Cinderella smiled gently.

"Ah, thank you, Suzy. That is thoughtful of you. I'm just not sure that…"

"You worry too much," I cut her off.

"Suzy here will surely keep me out of trouble."

"Yes! Worry too much!" Suzy quickly climbed up my nightgown and onto my shoulder. I tried not to wince.

"Oh, just please be careful!" Cinderella pleaded.

"Sure we will." I offered a reassuring smile, and together, Suzy and I slipped out of her room. We walked to my room so I could change into a simple day dress, then slipped out of the chateau. Mother and Anastasia were still fast asleep this early, so there was no danger of encountering them. As we headed down the dirt road toward the town, I glanced at the mouse perched on my shoulder.

"Could you... maybe hide in my dress pocket while we're in town?" I asked. Suzy sighed.

"Yes, I know, most people can be awfully mean to nice mice." She scurried down my bodice and tucked herself neatly into my pocket. It wasn't long before we got to the North Gate, and it was easy enough to locate the small house with the red door—Widow Claire's. I… wasn't supposed to knock, was I? Claire obviously wasn't supposed to be in the house, as it was being used by the time loopers. I wondered if they murdered her! Oh, I hope her body isn't still inside.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. The door wasn't locked. I stepped inside to the sitting room. It was tidy and quaint, lined with heavy oak bookshelves, a small unlit fireplace, and a polished wooden table in the center. And, as Juliette had promised, there was a small silver bell resting on the table.

"A nice house!" Suzy peeked out.

"Will we meet the time magician now?"

"They aren't here, I think," I explained.

"I need to ring that bell twice, and then someone will come, put a cover over my face, and take me to some secret base of theirs."

"Oh, that's… exciting!" squeaked Suzy. Well, it was. But it was scary, too. As Cinderella pointed out, I could safely expect a musket barrel in my face at some point… Honestly, having Suzy's tiny, reassuring presence with me kept my mounting panic at bay. I rang the bell twice and… nothing happened. Of course, we had to wait.

"What now?" asked Suzy.

"I guess we just wait," I said.

"Unless… unless this was all a prank!" Now that I thought about it, it wasn't below that blasted Juliette to pull something like that. But also, what was the point, really?

"Borrring!" called Suzy, jumping out of my pocket.

"I'll go search for tasty food." I myself was bored too. Ten minutes had already passed and nothing seemed to happen. I walked over to the bookcase and started pulling out volumes to pass the time. First, I pulled out A Treatise on the Agrarian Policies of the Republic, then The Architectural Integrity of Roman Aqueducts, and finally Reflections on the Philosophies of Locke and Hume. Ugh. I saw no high-quality literature here like The Scandalous Adventures of Fifi LaRousse —only dreadfully boring stuff.

Who reads this rubbish anyway? Suzy eventually came back, complaining she hadn't found anything tasty, and climbed back into my dress pocket. She had no reason to hide since we were alone, but it seemed she really just found my pocket comfortable. It did look comfortable. I wished some nice giant would carry me in their pocket. It could have been nice. I sat on the couch at the table, utterly bored. I think Suzy fell asleep in my pocket. The waiting was making me sleepy as well.

After what felt like an hour had passed, I finally heard a voice. And it was a squeaky one.

"Ah, I daresay it is you! Yes, yes! The clueless little time looper!" I turned around and saw Roger, the English mouse with the silly top hat.

"Juliette told you, Just yesterday… not to get involved! yes!" Roger said, his voice heavy with an English accent, his nose twitching.

"Oh, dreadfully clear, she was! And yet, here you are!"

"Yes," I said angrily.

"Here I am, and I waited here over an hour!"

"I wasn't exactly nearby when you rang," Roger squeaked frantically.

"It's a magical bell! It notifies me from afar, and I'm a frightfully busy mouse! I can't just materialize at the mere drop of a hat—even a hat as splendid as ours. Precious time, you see!" I felt Suzy stir in my pocket, but she didn't come out. She probably thought it would be better to conceal herself. She was smart to do so.

"Fine," I said, rolling my eyes. This Roger character was so incredibly weird.

"Can we go already?"

"Oh, but naturally," the mouse replied with a courtly bow.

"However, if one might be so bold... may I ask your permission to mount your shoulder for the… expedition? Yes?" Mount? What was I, a horse?

"I.. guess…" He climbed up my dress and hopped onto my shoulder. It felt somewhat rude even though he had asked permission. I mean, Suzy was one thing, but this mouse was basically a stranger!

"There is a thick canvas head cover beneath that chair. Put it on, put it on!" he instructed, bouncing on his feet. I picked up the thick, musty sack that smelled faintly of old potatoes, and pulled it over my head. Now it was all black.

"Wait.." I said, thinking ahead.

"Are we really going to... walk like this?" I expected some handsome guy to lead me by the hand while my face was covered. Was I really about to walk the town streets with a black sack on my head and a mouse on my shoulder?

"Oh, don't worry about that!" squeaked Roger.

"We shall exit through the back door, yes! Into the hidden places… secret passages…. yes, and dark alleys!" That… somehow sounded worse.

"F.. Fine," I said. I didn't like it at all, but I guess I didn't have much choice.

"But… if my head is covered, how can I know where to walk?"

"You do exactly as I say! Yes!" squeaked Roger.

"Let's see Let's see… turn ninety-seven degrees clockwise and walk exactly seven feet forward! Yes!" he instructed.

"What!? I only have two feet!" I exclaimed.

"What are you even talking about!?" This was important, I knew, but I was starting to lose patience quickly, and I didn't think I liked Roger very much. Roger then mumbled something in English that I couldn't understand, but I caught the words 'French' and 'imbecile', which apparently sound the same in both languages.

"Ah, I know!" Roger said excitedly, his nose twitching.

"Give me your right finger, yes!" I did, and he gripped it with his tiny hand.

"Now, when I push like this," he demonstrated, "walk forward. If I push to the side, rotate slowly. Yes, we walk like this." We did a little test and walked around the room, and Roger seemed to be satisfied. This appeared to be effective, but also… weirdly humiliating. Now I really was a horse, mounted and ridden by a mouse, no less. The humiliation was absolute.

"Now toward here, yes…" he said.

"Good, good, you are doing well." I will… maybe squish that Roger someday.

"Now to the door…"

"OUCH!" I hit my head on the door frame.

"oh dear me," Roger said.

"Apologies." I will… definitely squish him! We apparently made it out of Claire's house, because I felt a breeze. Then we walked here, turned there, and… there was an awful smell here! Ewww! Turned here, bumped my head again! Finally, he told me to open a door. Oh, I do hope these many alleys keep us hidden from any spectators! Of all the humiliations I'd endured recently, playing blind pony to an aristocratic rodent was easily taking first prize. But even after we entered the house, we kept walking.

We went through various rooms and finally descended into a kind of basement before Roger ceremoniously announced we had arrived. I threw off the horrid head cover. Now my face was all sweaty… I looked around the room. It was a damp, drafty cellar, cluttered with wooden crates and thick cobwebs, illuminated only by the flickering orange glow of a single oil lantern. In the center of the room sat Juliette and Victor, resting on a large crate. Standing beside them was another young man I hadn't seen before.

He had blond hair, pale skin, a top hat, and wore this smug smile on his face with his arms crossed.

"Welcome," said Juliette, smiling at me.

"To our humble base." It was indeed very much humble.

"Victor thought we'd probably never see you again," said Juliette.

"but I told him you'd come quick enough. I saw it in you. I should have made it a bet."

"Avoiding us entirely would have been the sensible choice," Victor sighed.

"But Drizella is not the brightest of them," Juliette insulted me, though she was still smiling.

"So, are you here to tell us about Cinderella?"

"About what now?" I asked, not understanding the sudden question. Juliette's smile disappeared.

"You told us you'd contact us if you found anything out about Cinderella," Juliette said impatiently.

"That's why I told you how to meet us!"

"Oh, that…" I remembered something like that…

"Listen here," Juliette stood up from her crate and approached me angrily.

"We are busy people. The time loop may be a fun game to you, but we are fighting a war. You better have a good reason to waste our time." I was afraid of Juliette, but I also didn't have any good answer.

'I want the journal' was maybe not a good answer, and if she was angry at me, she might just say no. So I changed the subject.

"Won't you first introduce me," I asked in an offended huff, "to this gentleman whom I haven't met before?" The entire time, the blond man just kept standing there with his arms crossed and a smug expression. I think… I think he was weird.

"This is only James," Juliette gestured impatiently.

"He is not important, now..."

"That is hardly an introduction," I scoffed, and turned to James.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Drizella Tremaine, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." But James just stared at me, smug smile, arms crossed. Victor laughed.

"James is an English man," explained Juliette.

"He doesn't speak a word of French." I jumped back immediately, wide-eyed! I pointed at him.

"But… he is the enemy!" I looked at everyone else, and no one seemed to think the dangerous English man was a cause for excessive concern. Juliette rolled her eyes.

"We don't care about things like that," she said.

"Our faction has many English and French members. Even Roger here is English, too." Yes, but he was a mouse. Mice, cats, chickens—well, they were the same in any country, after all! I looked back at the Englishman, squinting my eyes suspiciously. He certainly looked like a normal person... I took a few steps to look behind his back.

"They don't have tails!" shouted Victor from his crate.

"I... I knew that!" I said, embarrassed.

"So if you are finished with the nonsense," said Juliette angrily, "will you please entertain us and explain what we are all doing here?"

"Well.. I…" I stumbled.

"I need to ask you for a copy of that… time loop journal. Like the one you said Victor uses. It is… ah, of the utmost importance to me." Juliette stared at me with flat, unimpressed eyes. Victor huffed, Roger sighed, and James still looked smug.

"You lousy girl!" spat Juliette.

"You waste all of our time! You are not getting that journal. Put that head cover back on, begone, and don't you dare…"

"No!" I spouted, without really thinking what to say next.

"No?" repeated Juliette, lips stretched thin, clearly losing patience.

"I… I will…." I started.

"I'll tell Lucifer… I mean, the Liaison, all about this! Oh, and he will get angry with you, he will scratch and…"

"Miss, let me offer you an important lesson in life," Victor interrupted smoothly.

"You should never threaten dangerous people more than once with the exact same threat. Because when you do, you are leaving them with only one logical option." Victor then brought his musket to his lap and lightly tapped on it.

"To kill you!" jumped Roger.

"The only option is to kill you, yesss…"

"I think she gets it, Roger…" said Victor dryly.

"Okay, I won't tell Lucifer," I managed.

"But.. this Journal… I simply must have it. If there is a price, just…"

"10, 000 francs," supplied Juliette dryly.

"I… what?" I said, wide-eyed. Even if I robbed every store in town… this was just too much.

"Yes," Juliette said.

"This is not for you. You should go now." But I didn't understand something.

"What do you need money for anyway?" I asked.

"It will just disappear at the end of a cycle." Juliette took a long breath.

"When time loopers trade with each other," she explained, "they don't use normal money. We trade in scripts that lay out the best and proven methods to… er, achieve something valuable. Which can be used in the last cycle." Juliette liked to explain things, I think. When I asked questions, she loved to answer and forgot her anger, so I decided to keep going.

"Oh, so you mean, like how to steal things?" I ask brightly.

"Ah.. yes, that," she said dryly.

"We call that a B. M. P – Best Method Protocol. We can trade in this, and while in the loop, we test it of course, preferably by time loop assistants."

"Why assistants?" I asked.

"We can die in the time loop," offered Victor.

"It's er… not ideal, but we just come back the next cycle. In contrast to you time loopers, where a horrible fate awaits you." Oh, that made sense. So a time loop assistant was basically immortal in the time loop. It was interesting they get this advantage even without the time loop magic. If I get this Journal, Cinderella could become like this.

"But even with testing the B. M. P," Juliette continued, "that still means whoever you deal with will know exactly when and where you will be in the last cycle. Since time loopers as well as time assistants die permanently in the final cycle, they could easily set a trap."

"Hmm hmm!" said James, looking pleased with himself. Apparently, he wanted to be part of the conversation even without understanding.

"And that is why," continued Juliette, "with the nature of our… circumstances, such deals can only happen when both parties trust each other. So, the real, most important currency for us is trust."

"And why exactly are you telling her all of this?" asked Victor.

"Aren't we just kicking her out?"

"But yes!" I said, feeling like I had found an opportunity.

"I can do this! Give you that… B. M… something. For the Journal! Yes, we will make a deal! Just.. tell me what you need."

"Oh no…" said Victor.

"That is not a good idea."

"Oh yes!" said James.

"Oh shut it, James," Juliette told him, then looked at Victor.

"Yes, I can give her a job, what do I care? I'm not her mother." Then she looked at me.

"But the Journal is an expensive item, so the job is hard."

"Hard... like?"

"I would say that an experienced time looper will probably take four to six cycles to complete it with a high-quality B. M. P. But for you, it may take much more." Four to six cycles? That.. that was not good. I couldn't have so many cycles pass without Cinderella joining me. Oh, but… it was probably my only way.

"What.. what do I need to do?" As I said those words, I felt a ping of excitement, like I was getting a secret mission! Like Fifi does! Oh… but I shouldn't get my hopes up… it must be something boring.

"There is a vault in the palace," Juliette started.

"Yes…?" I prompted, practically vibrating with excitement.

"And we know from a trusted source that the vault contains a high-value collection of family jewelry."

"Yes, yes!" I nodded vigorously.

"And we also know that only royal family members are in possession of the special key…"

"Yes!" I shout, unable to contain my excitement any longer.

"I will do it! I will seduce the prince and steal the royal treasure!" I noticed they all stared at me with wide, extensive looks. They were definitely impressed with my courage.

"I didn't say anything about…" started Juliette. But I cut her off.

"Have no doubt, I will bring you that treasure, and win the Journal!" I will be like… Fifi LaRousse!