They never knew the change had been made. All they knew was that by some miracle, their child lived. They called her Cinderella.

Although raised well, Cinderella was a plain child. She was smart, but never popular. Her parents, Maurice and Sarah Hawkins, were poor, and couldn't give her much.

When Cinderella was 14, Maurice lost his job. As a result, Cinderella hired herself out as a maid in the afternoons. She would have quit school altogether and worked full time, like her mother, but Sarah wouldn't let her, believing that, with a good education, her daughter could go far in life.

Cinderella's dress became ragged over the years, but her parent's couldn't afford to buy her a new one, or even make one. No boy in school even looked her way because they saw her as below them. And as time went on, it became apparent that things would remain as they were.

So she remained friendless until her 16th birthday, when her life would change forever.

When she woke up that morning, it was just another day. She got up and got ready for school, like she always did. She arrived at school 5 minutes early, like she always did. She was greeted by the bully's making fun of her. Like always.

"Hey, Cinders."

"Sleep well in the fireplace?"

One boy threw mud at her. "Hey, Cinder-soot, you missed a spot."

One of the bigger boys bumped into her, causing her to drop her books. "Hey, watch where you're going, soot."

A girl kicked the books away as Cinderella was trying to pick them up. "Oops. So sorry."

As Cinderella scrambled around trying to get her books, the unexpected happened: someone stood up for her.

"Hey, cut it out! Leave her alone!"

They did. And everyone, including Cinderella, stared at him in shock. No one had ever stood up for her before. But for some strange reason, he had.

Then the warning bell rang, and everyone scrambled to class. But Cinderella couldn't get that boy out of her head. He had been dressed like an upper class family, all in white, but his ruffled black hair and his crooked smile set him apart from the others.

As soon as the last bell rang, Cinderella gathered up her courage and walked up to him.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

He smiled. "You're welcome."

"Why did you do it?" she asked. "Why did you stand up for me?"

He shrugged. "Why not? You weren't standing up for yourself."

She ducked her head. "I never do."

He looked at her curiously. "How come?"

"I don't know," she answered. "What's the use? They just come back."

"That's not the point," he told her gently. "You've got to prove that you can stand up for yourself. Only then will they respect you."

Cinderella shook her head. "I don't need their respect anyway. Nobody likes me. Just ask anyone."

She turned to leave, but he stopped her. "Maybe you haven't given them a chance."

She turned back to him. "What do you mean?"

"Look," he said, "I know it's hard being different, but if you're willing to try, you can fit in among everyone else."

"I don't want to fit in," Cinderella said, a bit harsher than she had intended. "I'm just a freak of nature to them, and always will be. And they're such jerks, I don't want to be like them at all!"

He looked surprised, and a little hurt. ""Look, I'm just trying to help, that's all."

"Why?" she challenged him. "Why would you want to help me?"

"Because we have something in common," he answered.

She rolled her eyes. He was rich, she was poor. What could they possibly have in common? "Like what?"

He shrugged. "You said it yourself. We're both freaks of nature, and always will be. Look," he said, lowering his voice and looking around to make sure no one was listening. "The tribes are gathering. We need you with us."

Cinderella was surprised. "Why me?"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Because this concerns you, as well as us."

"Who are you?"

He smiled, and held out his hand. "Aladdin. Aladdin Li. And you?"

She smiled back, and shook his hand. "Cinderella Hawkins."

"Well, Cinderella," he asked, serious again. "Will you help us?"

"Help who?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

"All the other freaks of nature hidden among us, but never seen."

Cinderella just stared at him. Surely he was playing some kind of joke on her. But no, his eyes were dead serious as they looked into hers. And that made her more uncomfortable than ever. She began to back away, frightened. "Surely it's not me you want. Surely it's someone else. It has to be."

"No," he insisted, "no it's you."

He reached for her again, but she turned and ran, not stopping till she reached the edge of her driveway. She just stood there for a few minutes panting, extremely frightened.

"Oh, if only tomorrow was a holiday," she cried. But it wasn't. She would have to go back to school and face him again. That thought was on her mind all through work that day, and when night came around, she didn't sleep a wink.

The next day, when she arrived at school, the bully's ignored her. She looked around, and saw that Aladdin was talking to a boy who looked a few years younger than the rest of the students. He was dressed in poor clothing as well, wearing a black shirt under a deep brown sailor's coat and deep green pants that were tucked into his boots. His brown hair was in a mess around his eyes, except for the rat tail that hung at the back of his neck. He looked so out of place, she wondered if Aladdin had to save him too.

Relieved that Aladdin hadn't seen her, Cinderella slid into her seat just as the bell rang. About five minutes into class, however, she could feel herself being stared at. Glancing around, she saw a boy with black hair and piercing eyes steadily staring at her. She tried to motion him to look at the teacher, but to no avail. He just kept on staring at her throughout the entire class, making her more and more uncomfortable, so that by the end of class, she hadn't learned a thing.

After the last bell had rung that day, Cinderella leaned against her locker, yawned and rubbed her eyes. When she looked around, she saw the boy Aladdin had been talking to earlier looking at her. She tensed up, bracing herself for another encounter, but he simply walked away, not giving her a second glance. All throughout the day, she wondered who those boys were, and why they were so interested in her.

The lady Cinderella worked for, woman named Juliana, waved Cinderella over late that afternoon, before Cinderella went home.

"Something has come up with my mother," Juliana told her, "and she needs me to go stay with her for a while. All my mail will be forwarded to me there." She sighed, then continued. "I'm afraid I won't be needing your help for a while. If you would, it would be nice if you could check on the house now and then, at your convenience, just to make sure that no one has broken in or anything, but that would be all. And if you need a reference," Juliana added, reaching into her pocket and handing Cinderella a piece of paper, "you can write me at this address, or call me at that number, and I'll be happy to recommend you."

"Thank you, miss," Cinderella said as she received her money for the day, but her heart sank. Even that little bit of cash each day helped, and now it was gone. She would have to find a new job, and fast, before the next bill was due.

When Cinderella got home that night, she told her parents the news, but Maurice had some news of his own.

"I got a job today!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I start tomorrow. I'll be repairing machines at the factory when they break down. It's not the best of jobs, but it pays well."

"That's wonderful, Father!" Cinderella told him, relieved that they wouldn't be affected by her lost job.

"Cinderella," Maurice said, "Your mother and I have been talking. Now that I've got a decent paying job again, we want you to focus more on your studies. Make a friend, enjoy being a teenager while you can. It's not fair for you to have to grow up so fast."

"I don't mind, father," Cinderella said humbly. But Maurice shook his head.

"We mind," he insisted. "You should be enjoying yourself, not working the days away. Starting tomorrow, I want you to start being a regular teenager again. No more apron."

"We will still need your help around the house some," Sarah added, "but not nearly as much as a job would. If you want to go out some, go out. Just let us know."

Cinderella sighed with relief. "Yes, mother. Thank you. I love you both."

Sarah smiled at her daughter. "We love you too, sweetie."

Later that night, after she had finished her homework, Cinderella crawled into bed, wondering what the next day would bring.