Cinderella Is Dead

by Kalynn Bayron

I don’t want to be saved by some knight in shining armor. I’d like to be the one in the armor, and I’d like to be the one doing the saving.

My path has been chosen for me since birth. My future is already written, and I don’t have a say in any of it.”

“Happiness is a bonus, Sophia. You’re not entitled to it, and the sooner you accept that, the easier your life will be.”

don’t dare tell him that once while I sat in her lap she told me that if I ever went to the ball, I should set the palace on fire and dance on the ashes.

“Why are you dressed like that?” I ask. She looks lovely, but I’ve never seen a woman wear pants and a tunic before. “The pockets,” she says. She puts her hands in them and gives a little twirl. “I love pockets.”

“The palace underestimates the resourcefulness of women forced into a dark and dangerous place.”

“I think we need to burn the whole thing to the ground and start over. The entire system, the ideals that have been woven into this society. It all has to go.”

“If my life could serve a purpose,” the woman begins, raising her head a little and looking directly at the king, “then let this be it. I would die to give even just one person the chance to be free from you.”

“That you try to flatter me when I have a blade at your neck makes me want to slit your throat and spare the world your ignorance.”

“When the leader of this kingdom treats women as property, it sets an awful precedent. People think it’s okay to do the same.”

“I’ve never understood why people follow along so blindly,” she mumbles. “Even when they know something is wrong, they do it anyway. Maybe you all should start thinking for yourselves.”