Sleeping Beauty by Maureen McGowan Page A

hair in her hand, her insides stirred with excitement. She’d really done it. This would show her father and make him sorry for all he’d put her through. She chopped off another section, then another, until almost half of her long hair was gone, leaving ragged chunks about an inch from her head.
    The door to her bedroom opened. “Lucette!” her mother cried. “What have you done?”
    She tucked the contraband scissors under her leg. Her mother ran over, grabbed her by the shoulders, and tried to pull her up. But Lucette was both taller and stronger than her mother, so the queen’s attempts were futile. Lucette curled her body over, sobbing, ashamed.
    Her mother sat down beside her and rubbed her back. “Why, darling, why?”
    â€œI wanted to prove to Dad that I’m not pretty enough to date boys. They only pretended to like me tonight because I’m a princess. It was horrible. I wanted to make sure he didn’t make me do that again.”
    â€œOh, Lucette.” Her mother ran her hand over the scarred remains of her hair. “You are beautiful, you’ll see that someday, and there’s a reason your father wants you to find love.”
    â€œWhy? So I can make sure there’s an heir to the throne?”

    â€œNo, Lucette. So the curse will lift. You need to prove you found true love.”
    Lucette snapped her head up. “You were serious about that?” She shook her head, vaguely remembering her mother telling her something about the curse lifting if she proved she’d found love, but she’d been more focused on the part about being alone in the night with vampires.
    Her mother pulled her face to hers and kissed Lucette’s tear-stained cheek. “I wanted to wait until you were older and showed interest in boys before talking more about this.”
    Lucette looked up to her mother, who wiped the tears off her cheeks, her soft fingers such a comfort. Hope flooded inside Lucette. “How do I find love and how do I prove it?”
    Her mother picked up a chunk of Lucette’s hair from the floor and pursed her lips as she set it aside. “I’m not sure, darling. There’s no formula for love. But you’ll know when it happens.”

    Lucette watched with wonder as the fairy queen flew across the room and hovered in front of them. The fairy, with her translucent wings and sparkling pastel dress, embraced Lucette’s mother.
    â€œWelcome,” her mother said. “Thank you for coming so quickly. This is my daughter, Lucette.”
    Lucette tried to hide her awe as the fairy queen turned toward her and offered her delicate, long-fingered hand.
    â€œAh, Lucette,” said the fairy queen. “I see my visions were right. You are turning into a great beauty.”

    Lucette dropped her head in embarrassment. Why did all these grown-ups keep calling her beautiful when she so clearly wasn’t? Especially now that her hair was so short. To keep it even, the royal barber had to cut it all very close to her scalp.
    â€œWhat can I do for you?” the fairy queen asked as she settled back down to the floor.
    Lucette’s mother cleared her throat and leaned forward. “It’s about the curse.”
    The fairy queen flew back several feet, then drifted forward again, slowly. “I already told Stefan, I cannot interfere any further.”
    â€œYou spoke to my husband?”
    â€œNot since I enchanted those sheets of glass,” the fairy queen replied.
    â€œOh yes, of course,” her mother said, but it was clear to Lucette that her mother didn’t know about any enchanted glass. “But we don’t need anything from you. My daughter merely has a question.”
    The fairy queen crossed her slender arms over her chest. “When Queen Natasha found out I’d altered the curse, she tortured my attendants as punishment. My people paid a high price to allow your daughter to remain protected