SSADA

“Once Upon a Time

In a land far far away

A truth was uncovered

And named SSADAs

 

Of how a little piggy made a difference

And saved all the fairytales that you know.

You know their stories

Now let the almost ignored truth be told”

What happened when the need of vengeance caused an inhabitant of FTL (Fairytale land) to make her way to earth. What happened when all evilness got together and all hope seemed lost.

The misguided character was not brave or beautiful or strong. She was not brilliant and no where near perfect. She was more of well a pig.

…So here I am to tell my story   

But before I tell you mine let me go back to the very beginning….

 

#1 Meet Adiscordia and Grizelda

It all started many years ago in a land far far away in a land named FTL lived a family.  They were very poor, but not because the economy was bad or that they didn’t have the strength for the job. In fact they had Great working qualities. A strong man with muscular arms and a kind personality. A less strong but clever and pretty woman with a nice personality as well. These two married a couple of years ago convinced that after all the abnormality, hating, cheating, and backstabbing they could live a normal life. You see both the man and the woman were the generations that would’ve put a stop to the terrors before them. Their ancestors were the leaders of the two most powerful groups of witches, and demons. Although their parents had been stone hearted and cruel both managed to develop a desire for pure innocence in their hearts. So now here they were trying to put a stop to the damage the generations before them had created. They had tried to convince the villagers that they didn’t want to hurt anybody but the villagers were terrified of them and thought it was some sort of trick. They sold them a decent house. It was cozy but it was miles before any village. They loved their new house and despite the backstory they became one of the sweetest people in the area. No villager was convinced although they weren’t really scared anymore.
About two years in their cozy house they thought that everything was forgiven and that having a child wouldn’t pose a threat. They had a baby girl and named her Adiscordia, Which meant purple sapphire. Her parents still couldn’t find jobs because everyone was still hesitant and a bit worried so they lived by themselves with no help. They understood why they had to live this way and they accepted it. They hunted for themselves and planted, there was a river nearby to get water. However this didn’t give them the money to keep the house so as the notice of the eviction came in the woman named Katherine realized it was too late.

“Nicholas what are we to do the baby shall be born with no home.

 She said talking about their second baby still in Katherine’s stomach.

 ”Kathy…It will survive”

 He said boldly. As the last weeks and days of living under a warm roof passed they had another child and named her Grizelda which meant strong survivor.

The family moved out back to the village which by now were a bit frightened and regretted evicting them. They lived on the streets being the rejected and the unmentionable. They still accepted it with grace but also sorrow, pain and regret. They rarely had food to eat. Luckily there was a public well nearby and some families who felt sorry for them would spare some pieces of fruit or bread for them. Katherine insisted that they shouldn’t accept charity but Nicholas kept reminding her that they needed it. So they took it and shared it giving the bigger portions to their children. Gradually this lessened and lessened as slowly the new generations took place and forgot all about them. It was all lost until one day fourteen year old Grizelda realized her parents were dying of starvation. After conversing with her sister carefully she left and arrived the next day with four hundred dollars. When asked about this she almost cried but said that the money was not stolen. No matter how hard Nicholas and Katherine tried to get the answer Grizelda never told how she got the money. Time passed and the villagers’ children began to make fun of Adiscordia and Grizelda. They were ridiculed and laughed at for being so poor ,dumb(they didn’t have enough money for an education) and not fearsome like their ancestors. This really made them angry and they were very tempted to do some evil tasks but with their parents help they didn’t give in. Little did Adiscordia and Grizelda know that their parents were also being tempted, over tempted perhaps.

They lived with this but soon Adiscordia and Grizelda were alone. Their parents were gone, simply disappeared. The sisters remembered their parent’s lesson of not to steal but sadly for them evil had not skipped this generation and it was in their blood. They had chosen good but now “good” villagers had betrayed them and laughed in their faces. It was late spring when Grizelda noticed that even her big sister’s clothing was getting too small for her belly. Was that the fourth kick this month? She asked to herself. Although she had lost her virginity it was a small price to pay for the money that kept her parents alive for the last few months. Or are they alive? She thought. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and decided what to do with the baby. …I’m having the baby she thought.

“Grizelda”

Adiscordia called. As Grizelda approached she could see Adiscordia’s serious look.

“We have to do something, it’s time to stop crying and searching.”

“We have to do sumthin just like that time I went out in the streets for Ma and Pa…”Grizelda said. ”Addy, what do you suggest?”

Adiscordia sighed “Well certainly not what you did last time “ she said pointing to her sister’s bulge.”Maybe.. We can steal a loaf of bread…or two..”

Grizelda was surprised at the suggestion “Adiscordia! How can you say that?! What would Ma and Pa say? Breaking and entering, stealing? Plus what would happen when we run out of bread, and where exactly do you plan to steal from? Besides people would call us thieves!”

Adiscordia hung her head low noticing all the flaws of her plan. Her younger sister was most definitely considerate. “Ma and Pa are gone! Besides maybe we are pathetic our ancestors took over countries! And we can’t even steal a loaf of bread?! Adiscordia leaned in and lowered her voice. “Listen…I’ve been observing the baker for a while…she hides her keys under the window sill, who says we have to break and enter? And I think your son…daughter might need it.”

Grizelda bit her lip “What if we get caught...”

Adiscordia smiled with a sinister twinkle in her eye. “Then time for plan B” she said walking down the alley.

Grizelda ran after her “Wait what is it?” Adiscordia ignored her. ”Addy!!”

“Coraline” Adiscordia said stopping and turning her head she smiled. Grizelda didn’t understand but she chose not to go any further. She silenced and walked along with her sister.

As night came they saw light after light dim into darkness and they were engulfed in the foggy yet warm night. They saw the room above the bakery shut off its lights and they slowly tiptoed to it. Adiscordia opened the crack in the windowsill showing the compartment, which she opened and found a rusty old key. Adiscordia carefully opened the door and crept in. She grabbed her sister and looked around. They saw tempting cakes and tantalizingly close cookies, which were delicacies her family could never afford. Adiscordia opened the lid of a cookie box and slowly put her hand in. Grizelda found the bread box and opened it, she grabbed the bread and turned. “Adiscordia what are you doing!” she said whisper yelling. Adiscordia dropped her cookie and slightly jumped up. She put the lid back on. ”Just the bread Addy!” Grizelda said with authority Adiscordia was easily startled which was an extreme weakness in their plan because her small jump awoke the baker.

The baker was startled and looked down. She saw that the key compartment was opened and thought she might’ve left it opened. ”Oh my” she thought out loud as she rushed down to close it. She slowed down when she heard two arguing voices. I’m being robbed! She thought. “Addy! We shouldn’t even be doing this.”

“Grizelda it’s just one cookie and a loaf of bread!” The baker noticed the two voices were frail and young. She decided to approach them but what if there were more she thought. She crept down, it was dark but enough to make out two desperate faces. Although the sisters didn’t know it they had been caught.

“Who are you?!” the baker said toughly. Adiscordia jumped up …for real this time. A knife that was on a rack above her fell followed by another and another. ”Watch Out!!” the baker screamed, ironically concerned of her robbers. Her scream woke up some of the neighbors and some of them grabbed some torches and joined together.

Grizelda put the bread in the bread box only to meet a teary and bloody Adiscordia. Her left eye had been completely sliced, she had a large cut on her cheek and a gaping bloody tear in her leg. The baker didn’t know what to say. Grizelda pulled the knives from Adiscordia’s eye and leg. Her leg was extremely bloody and the knife had even reached the bone which luckily wasn’t damaged. Grizelda tried to pull up her sister but she wailed louder each and every time. “Stop! I can’t walk or see I’m not gonna make it! Run Sis!” They heard footsteps and saw lights. “The Villagers are coming Run!!Go!!!!” Grizelda wasn’t leaving her sister behind. The baker was left speechless but she walked and grabbed an apron and tied it on Adiscordia’s leg while Grizelda removed the bloody remains of what used to be Adiscordia’s eye. The blood filled Adiscordia’s face as it had flooded her eye socket. Adiscordia winced painfully and tried her best to be strong. She cried silently as she was propped up in excruciating pain next to her sister. Grizelda gave the baker the key.

 “This is our punishment  ...” She said gripping her sister tightly trying to walk. Then the door opened .It was the villagers.

 “Look Ma It’s those bums from the street ”

“Leave now you ain’t welcome here”

“Were ya’ll causin trouble to ol’ Lizzie?”

 

Voices from all over perked up. Elizabeth the baker stood in front of them. “So what if they are homeless” The baker turned and gave them a knowing wink. Grizelda grabbed all her strength and ran holding her sister tightly. Adiscordia could barely keep quiet but she managed. “Yes they were stealing but listen now and listen hard. They are homeless and stealing because it’s the only way they can stay alive. You are so prideful and aristocratic of being proper ladies and gentlemen. But would ladies mock those who are poor? Would gentlemen kick and insult those who have nothing to eat? Tell me, how would you feel?! That child is carrying a new creation and is responsible for it. Now tell me which “gentleman” would do that! You are ALL foolish. You insult those but if you were in their position what would you do! Kill? Commit suicide? Run away perhaps? but those children chose to stay here in hopes that things will change. So tell me should you insult them or yourselves? Proper ladies and Gentlemen?  ABSURD those are simply titles! But inside we are nothing!” the crowd calmed a bit and looked to the floor

“Do you need help” a voice said referring to Adiscordia.

“They are gone” Elizabeth said moving so they could see the bloody and empty space. “Now good night Sirs” she said with an exaggerated curtsy and a hard slam on the door.

The crowd was left dumbfounded while the pair kept running. They weren’t far thanks to Adiscordia’s leg. They were at the beginning of the forest. They stopped and looked as each light headed home and faded into the night. Soon it all became a blur of darkness. Grizelda nearly bent over when she felt a painful kick. ”What now Addy?” Adiscordia propped herself up near a bush. She was breathing heavily

“Plan B…Coraline.”

“Who’s Coraline?!”

“Shush I may be caught but you mustn’t. That name is forbidden”

“Then why do you have the liberty to say it? And who is she?”

Adiscordia grunted, the blood of her leg was seeping through the apron.”She…” she lowered her voice to a minimal whisper. “She is a demon ...Our grandmother”

Grizelda grabbed Adiscordia, she was mixed with emotions should she be happy to have a grandmother or angry that she wouldn’t keep her pure heart.

“You’re strong don’t worry it will be alright” Adiscordia said. She leaned in her head in the bushes, Grizelda laid next to her and they drifted off to sleep.

Grizelda was greeted with a painful kick. It was morning. She examined her sister’s injuries. Her cheek stopped bleeding and didn’t look so bad any more. Her socket although was bare, she would never be able to see from her right eye again. Her leg had lost a lot of blood; she would most likely never walk well. “Addy” she moaned “Addy wake up”. Adiscordia woke up. She slipped her hair over her empty socket and without a word she painfully stood up.

“Thanks for waking me up. Now let’s go meet Cora-Grandma”.

Grizelda stood up and held her sister who was about to fall.

 “Thanks Sis” Adiscordia said,

Grizelda nodded in response “Where to?” she asked

“Grandma lives in the woods. She worships and helps her tribe there.”

Grizelda sighed “why are we even doing this Ma and Pa would Not agree.”

“Ma and Pa are gone besides I can barely take care of myself, and now I have to take care of you and I can’t take care of a baby!!! We have to learn how to survive…and thrive. And who do you expect to help with the delivery? You do want to keep it right?”

“Of course!!...so... We are going to do this..Even…if we lose our purity”

“We don’t have pure hearts we almost stole bread remember?”

“I want to be good…..” Grizelda said but she still helped Adiscordia walk in the direction that she pointed. Grizelda felt her parents were still alive and that they wouldn’t approve. However Adiscordia was right. She wasn’t going to let the baby die. Grizelda figured that although she had a strong urge for evil and that it probably would become more when she met her grandmother, she would stay good..or try the best she could for her daughter/son. She tried as she walked to ignore the thoughts of evil even though they were becoming more and more tempting. She kept reminding her that she had to behave and rationalize for her child. If it was a boy she would name it Nicholas in memory of her father. If it was a girl she would name it Kathy or Katherine for her mother. Her thoughts were interrupted by a kind and loving but odd Adiscordia.

“Are you okay?”

There was something new in Adiscordia’s voice. It wasn’t as loving. No that it was but there was just a slim coat of bitterness. Grizelda couldn’t speak she knew her sister was giving in to the fire of evil and desire for revenge at the villagers that burned inside her.

“Please…” Grizelda said it was only a coarse whisper but it worked.

“What?” Adiscordia replied nervously

Grizelda continued “Addy please, please don’t give in. I don’t wanna be alone in this. I don’t think I can do it without you. I get that things are harder than ever and that you see evil’s mark every time you comb your hair. I know it’s very temping it is to me too but  Please….just don’t…..” A tear rolled down her cheek. Adiscordia looked down she had nothing but a cloak , a shirt and some rags that were supposed to be a skirt. She was able to find a string to hold up her hair and it was no doubt that anyone could see the evil in it. Her parent’s tried to separate the cruelty that had stained all the previous generations but they couldn’t so as a reminder some of the strands were blackened. Adiscordia’s hair was so white it looked like a dream but also jet black, blacker than ashes, blacker than he eyes of a blood thirsty beast ready to pounce.

She hugged her sister, it was their birthday today and they were spending it in a forest. “You’ll never be alone as long as I’m around.” She hesitated and cried “sorry…. But it’s getting far too hard.” She had desperation in her voice as she spoke “I need it”

Grizelda saw it flash for a second. She backed away, her sister was still crying softly. Grizelda could see it again for a second, Adiscordia’s demon form.  Adiscordia had been disobeying her parents and gave in a long time ago, but now she couldn’t hide it.

Adiscordia’s demon form had hair which was blacker than anything Grizelda had ever seen. In contrast to Adiscordia’s pearl white teeth which were also razor sharp just like her overgrown nails. Her tongue slithered. Her eyes though….her eyes became so unhuman, pointed and completely black, They were just so indescribable. She had small horns rising above her head and the most peculiar things of all her wings… Wings stronger than stone, sharper than knives, that looked as if made from ashes, Wings that were broken and never stopped bleeding, Wings that would melt your skin at the touch,  Yet their beauty was undeniable. Adiscordia saw terror run through her sister’s face. She leaned in and with tears in her eyes whispered

‘It’s too late…But don’t worry evil or not I shall never leave you…” She raised her hands trying her best to keep her balance and not fall. She saw her sister frozen with fear.” I won’t hurt you..or anyone” Her sister loosened up and grabbed her hand. A faint word made its way through Adiscordia’s lips. Grizelda seemed to hear it but she just couldn’t listen. She couldn’t decipher what her sister said when her sister said “Yet”.

Grizelda sighed “Happy Birthday by the way..”…

“You too” Adiscordia replied

They walked and walked until Adiscordia couldn’t hide it anymore. She slipped her hood on and her hands in her pocket and tried to make sure her hair was hidden. Grizelda could see little triangles pointing from her sister’s hood and points all over the back of her cloak. The wings were really hard to hide. After walking in silence for what seemed to be an eternity, Grizelda decided to stop ignoring her thoughts and soon she was drowning in the ocean that was her worries. It truly is too late She thought.

“Are you okay?” a voice asked. The voice wasn’t Adiscordia’s, it couldn’t be, it wasn’t animal or monster or human or truly demon. It couldn’t have been her sisters yet it came from her mouth. Grizelda swelled with pure sadness but acceptance. 

“mmmm hmmm” she replied

After a truly tormenting day they found a clearing and some wooden sticks that formed a fence. The fence however was dirty not with dirt but blood. The area smelled as if innocence was slaughtered at just stepping in this territory. There was a fire but nothing burned in it. The fire was redder than blood yet there was no wood to start it, there were only bones.

Adiscordia nodded they had reached their destination. Grizelda smiled slightly to the fact that at least one person might be glad to see her but might was pushing it.

“Grandma?” She asked, Her voice far more cheerful than she expected it to be. She looked around she couldn’t find anyone.  She set Adiscordia near the fire and set next to her. She bent over a bit. This was the sixth contraction today.

 “Grizelda are you okay “Adiscordia asked with the hood still on. Grizelda nodded

 “baby” she said. Adiscordia looked worried it couldn’t be 9 months already. Wait was it?

 “Sis how many months??” she asked a bit panicked. “8 and a half” Adiscordia was deeply concerned she was about to say something but she heard a voice whisper in her ear “Coraline”

It became louder and louder. There were now many whispers and yells screaming Coraline, Their shouts piercing Adiscordia. She could barely find meaning in the words which were as tangled as her hair. She looked at her sister who didn’t seem to hear it.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. Adiscordia couldn’t hear her through all the voices yelling Caroline. Adiscordia couldn’t handle it anymore she began to scratch at the log they were. Line her nails formed after line on the log, scar after scar, the log was scarred just like the two sisters were scarred for life.

A wind swept and began to separate the two sisters. “Adiscordia! what’s happening?!?!” But still Adiscordia couldn’t hear her. Adiscordia’s face sharpened itself and changed even more fiercely. Going through the transformation sent a chill up her spine. Adiscordia couldn’t take it anymore, she opened her mouth and let the whispers through. She yelled “Coraline!!!” Her mouth tried to bleed but all her blood had dried up and blackened. Her voice was no longer human and almost all trace of the former Adiscordia was gone.

The wind continued stronger than ever. Grizelda held on to Adiscordia who didn’t move at all. A voice rose against the wind.”Call me Agatha” her voice was sweet and luring Adiscordia looked up and barely noticed that the wind was even stronger and showed no signs of stopping. Grizelda held on to her sister’s shoulders. Grizelda’s body began to lift above the ground yet Adiscordia didn’t move at all. Only Adiscordia’s hair moved wildly, her hair burnt like the sun. Coraline had a side pony tail with thin gray hair. Her cloak reached to her feet but one was missing. Her missing foot was replaced by a stick. Her hair covered her face but you could still see her sinister smile and sharp teeth.  She spoke and the winds strengthened with each word said. “I know who you are, Adiscordia and Grizelda Hex! You want to learn how to survive and thrive...Don’t you?”  Grizelda looked at her sister upsettingly, no one ever told her she had a last name and NEVER that it was Hex! Hex was the last name of all the demons on her dad’s side, Grizelda thought. How come she never knew it? If her parents were good why did they keep the last name? She wondered who this woman was, was this their grandmother? How did she know who they were?  How did she know what they wanted?

 “Grandmother?”  Grizelda asked trying to sound casual about the situation.

 “Ah yes Katherine was always a disappointment.” Grizelda was distracted and loosened her grip on Adiscordia’s shoulders. The fire burnt all around them now.

“What!” Grizelda screamed angrily. “Oh with her passion for innocence what nonsense love is nothing but weakness and pain” Coraline continued.

 “Um Excuse me that’s my Mother!!!” Grizelda screamed and strengthened her grip. “Adiscordia..” she said worried that she might fly off in the wind.  Her sister’s horns reached up to the sky and flowed through her back.  Grizelda was frightened and furious she could start to feel herself slipping and her hands burning off of Adiscordia’s skin.

“She just couldn’t understand that in order to survive you had to leave your heart behind.” Coraline continued. Adiscordia looked up, “What do you mean?”

“I thought you’d never ask” Coraline said with a grin. Soon the wind howled like never before. Coraline took off her hood and laughed. She was a grandma but her face looked like the early twenties.  Her chin was seemed to be pointing at the fire before her which was blazing uncontrollably. Her whiter than snow skin contrasted her red as blood lips. Her tongue slithered. Her horns were crooked and beautiful. The wind roared and tore off her cloak, she had long fingers with claws like a hawk, her bony hands went on until around her heart there was no skin at all, no blood it had all dried up, no muscle it had melted, and no heart. She threw a bird at the both of them and screamed “Take them, take your disappointments of parents!” The bird which was thrown at Grizelda was as white as snow with eyes that looked like her mother. The other was black with eerie eyes and sinister wings, her father. Coraline screamed as it began to rain harder and harder. Thunder and lightning followed.

“If you want to live you must leave your heart behind! You must worship those who have! Join your ancestors! It’s killed or be killed!” The fire flowed all over Coraline as if to clothe her. “Devour the innocent Praise the evil and you shall succeed!!” Grizelda began to cry it burned so badly but she had to hold on, the contractions were coming. Only five seconds apart now. “Defy Justice!!” Coraline wasn’t burning in the fire to Adiscordia she was a hero … so invincible. Now Coraline pointed at Grizelda. “Grizelda shall be destined to succeed! She will deny it at first but through great tragedy she shall learn!” Only three seconds now. Grizelda was now barely holding on holding her stomach bent over in pain. Now Caroline pointed at Adiscordia “Now Grizelda shall leave you and you shall finally become who you were destined to be use sweetness to lure the innocent and devour them!! Become impure till it shows!!” She laughed. Grizelda could hold on no longer ,she let go. Adiscordia turned

“Grizelda!!!” she screamed but it was too late. Smoke flowed all around and Adiscordia couldn’t breathe but when she woke up Coraline was gone and so was her sister.

                                                                                                                                         

2: #2 Adiscordia’s new plan and baby Nicholas

Grizelda opened her eyes with a pang of pain. She could only yell those four words of panic and desperation. “My baby ...It’s coming!!” She screamed but no one heard. ”Addy!!!”  she looked around, she was completely alone she was only surrounded by the trees that mocked her with each moving branch. A bird flew on her shoulder and chirped. It was that bird that looked like her mother but could in no way help, or at least that’s what Grizelda thought. She began to breathe heavily, she could barely talk now. There was no one there but she had heard the procedure once before, She pushed. It was excruciating but she could see a little head, Excitement shower over her but as soon as she stopped the head went back again. She pushed even more and didn’t stop, blood dripped on the grassy floor. Soon she heard crying and as soon as she saw her creation she knew that after all that had happened she had delivered a nice and healthy baby. She smiled and said “Nicholas”. Yet it still wasn’t finished she still had to cut the cord, with no resources and only desperation she grabbed one of the nearby branches and snapped it. She stabbed the cord and it broke. She had to finish but she was too exhausted to do so. She fell back and let the tears flow down her cheeks. The bird pulled at the cord until painfully it was yanked out. It bit off the rest of the cord from the baby and let it rest on the floor. The baby started whining, it was covered with blood, pus, mud, and a bit of urine. The bird ripped a piece off of Grizelda’s cloak and wrapped the crying baby in it. It then carried it by the beak and attempted to wash it in a nearby river. Grizelda struggled to follow but as soon as she saw the bird bathing her son she was drowned herself in fear that something might happen to him. She rushed in the water and grabbed him in her arms. The pain was lessening now, the bird then pecked her shoulder and was greeted with Grizelda’s unapproving smile. The bird then led her into a wooden abandoned shack. As Grizelda opened the door it fell to the ground, Grizelda carefully walked in. It was simply one room with a box, chair, cupboard and bed. Grizelda let herself fall in the bed. It was rock hard but she was too tired to complain. She laid  for a while rethinking the day’s events she soon though fell asleep and so she napped for a while, while the bird took care of baby Nicholas and soon put him to sleep.       

Meanwhile Adiscordia was still running around, her leg as if nothing had happened. (It had healed with her encounter with Coraline.)

“Grizelda!!!”

She yelled which must’ve been the 30th time today. She sighed and leaned against a tree. Unfortunately Coraline had transported Grizelda along the opposite side of the forest a few 100 miles away. The area Adiscordia was in was also really close to a large clearing, the perfect size for her soon to be discovered sinister intentions. Adiscordia decided to give up. She sighed loudly and in a last attempt screamed at the top of her lungs “Grizelda!!!!!” A bird landed on her shoulder, it was the same one Coraline had given her. She thought of her father’s disappearance and of what Coraline had said. One last look at the bird’s eyes confirmed that this was definitely her father. Adiscordia pulled off her hood showing her horns. “Sorry dad” she said looking towards the ground. The bird pecked her hard on her shoulder “right you can’t talk…” She could see her father’s response to anything in his eyes and bird movements. She immediately sensed her father’s forgiveness and disregarded her last statement. “Thanks dad…” she said still feeling very awkward to be talking to a bird. That’s when she noticed the bird wasn’t white it was black. She let herself fall to the floor and let her knees point to the sky. “you too ..huh?..”. She started to think of the day’s events sorrowfully again and again. Better solve this now she thought. Great..  My sister Grizelda is gone… She was destined to succeed so I guess I needn’t worry for her. All I’ve ever wanted was revenge, revenge or those who treated my family so poorly. What happened to the compassion, the love, the ugh now I’m getting all dramatic. Anyways if this is the way… she though. She grinned eagerly, her heart blackening at the thought. If only I could take away their happiness, their love, their children! Wait a minute children are innocent, devour the innocent. Coraline! She was right. I could devour them, taste their precious blood. Their parents would be sad forever! Not sad, tragic! She replayed it over and over again in her head. Use sweetness to devour the innocent. Sweetness ? Sweetn- candy! She thought. “I Adiscordia Hex will have my revenge if it’s the last thing I do.” She stood up pridefully and for once happily. The bird was still on hger shoulder and tinted with sin. It tweeted as if it wasn’t upset but agreed whole heartedly. “I shall devour every last drop of blood that crosses my path. And I’ll kill anyone who tries to stop me!”  “And maybe. Maybe I can think of  better land and torture everyone in this land! …later in my sweet dwelling. Everyone will suffer!!” Any hope that Adiscordia might change was gone now. “Time to build a great sugary trap!!”  She announced proudfully as if she wanted the world to hear.  Now what she thought, there was a great glitch in this plan where would she get all this candy? She then realized she  was staring at the answer straight in the face.  “Oh daddy…have I got a plan for you.” She looked for a clearing to build left and right. Coincidentally there was one right next to her. “Perfect!” she said excitingly.  She explained to her father the plan and to rob as many goodies as he could, The more the better. By a week she had enough to start her little project.

She started with Gingerbread walls, clear sugar windows, and chocolate door. Now what she thought. Then she added some lollies on the floor as flowers. Soon her creative mind got the best of her and she might’ve done a bit much.

Grizelda was in her shack. Her belly had gone as well as her hope .She had her son, her shack, and a bird. Her son was wrapped in two pieces of a cloak and was growing rapidly. She lived only on a few berry bushels and a few loaves of bread that her mother would steal. But now another famine had come. Rumors had said that a sneaky raven stole all the food especially the sweets. Grizelda decided that she was well enough to be off on her way. She grabbed her son, Nicholas and fit her cloak over her shirt like a backpack with Nicholas inside. She gathered all the berries and left.

She walked around the forest looking for anything to save her, rationing her berries knowing that they would not last forever. She searched for weeks which soon faded into months. By four months they were out of food and too far away from both water or civilization. Nicholas cried day and night but exhausted Grizelda never quit.

Meanwhile Adiscordia had put the last marshmallow on her house and went inside. She had stocked her house with everything needed. What couldn’t be brought was made. After a day of diligently working she fell asleep. She woke up to the most horrendous sound. She hated it, loathed it. Despised it, she couldn’t STAND IT. Whatever it was she would have to stop it. For it was the sound of innocence. She looked out her window to see a boy around the age of six chomping away at her gum drop pathway. This is going to be so satisfying she thought. She opened the door and hid her demon form. She actually looked like a pretty young lady. She walked over to him.

“Hello hon, what’s your name”

She said trying to speak with an accent that matched her form. The boy looked startled

“I..I’m” 

He dropped the giant half frosting covered lemon gumdrop.

“I’m sorry..I’m Mathew”

“Hi Mathew I’m Adiscordia but you can call me Addy”

“I’m really sorry Addy”

He was scared but her face was too pretty to run away from.

She’s as pretty as her house he thought she must be nice too!

“It’s fine I was getting lonely anyways. Come inside though you looked half starved.”

She lifted her hand and he grabbed it. She couldn’t believe she was being so kind, she hated it. The only way to comfort her mind was that soon she would be tasting his precious blood. He followed her inside as Adiscordia ushered him to a table. She quickly went to the kitchen and zapped up a feast. Surprised at her power she brought it to him and started wondering how skinny he looked. It looked like she was going to have to fatten him up, at first she shuddered with disgust but then she realized that there would be more skin for him to feel pain, and more blood and tears to be spilled. She smile impatiently and watched him eat every last bite.

At last it was dark out and Mathew couldn’t eat another bite. She convinced him to stay an extra night in a bed enchanted to be as comfy as a cloud but give him nightmares he had never before even thought of having. She watched as he fell asleep and twisted and turned and cried and screamed. She grabbed a recorder and recorded it, what soothing music she thought. She went to the kitchen and zapped up bars of iron and a cage of steel. She then prepared as much fattening food as she could and threw him in the cage.

He awoke to his own screaming.

“ Addy What are you doing? Where am i?! What’s going on?!”

“Long ago your people maltreated me and now I’m going to kill for revenge”  she said vaugly.

“I’m so sorry for eating your house I just got so hungry and..”

“Shush here’s a treat..If you eat everything I give you you’ll be free to leave this cage. I give you my word.”

He silenced and reached for the 3 layer chocolate fudge cake Adiscordia had left in the cage. She was able to trick him because he was so innocent.. so naïve… so hopeful. It was useless in this case. He was far too naive and easily manipulated.

Meanwhile Grizelda was getting closer. She was more than exhausted and nearly starved to death. She walked and walked but between Nicholas’s crying and the endless sea of trees.  She seemed to be getting nowhere. Luckily sometimes she could find a fruit tree or two and would harvest them but she had run out of apples two days ago and their acid was the only liquid in her body. She was only an hour away from her sister but she was too dizzy, tired and malnourished to continue. She fell on the floor, Nicholas in her arms. They slept silently, as they did minutes changed to hours, hours faded into days, days became weeks, weeks turned to months. Time went on and yet they did not arise from their slumber. The bird cried sorrowfully but did not move. She cried and cried wishing tears could stroll down her face. Her melody turned into a sorrowful tune that the mocking birds sang day and night. It was so sad that when night came the villagers’ children had to cry themselves to sleep at night. When Grizelda’s birthday came Katherine (the bird) cried stronger than ever. The melody etched into Grizelda’s brain made her shed a tear. She woke up and began crying. She awoke Nicholas and the bird stopped its singing. It was miraculous. She stood up and remembered the last events but did not know she had slept for so long.

Adiscordia sat up in her chair. It had fully been a year since she lost Grizelda and she missed her more than ever. In the last year she had eaten Mathew, Delanie, Eric, Brian, Erica, Svetlana, Alexander, Ben, Andrew, Mia, Brooke and Chrissy. She had however made a plan and a pretty good one. She had decided one day while preparing Mathew, wow I’m so evil what if there were two of me or three. She soon thought of all the great evils becoming one. All she needed was a wishing heart. She would definitely sneak into the graves and revive them and call a meeting, but why would they listen to her if she hadn’t even obtain the heart yet.  She finished her daily journal entry and sat.  She walked to the window and opened it, careful not to break it. She stared outside wondering where she would find a wishing heart. Little did she know that she was looking for me in that sense.  Meanwhile Grizelda smelled the faint  unforgettable smell of gingerbread in the air. It was just like the bakery long ago. She started walking towards the smell it grew stronger and stronger. Nicholas was about to cry again we he began smelling the wonderful aroma too. “Don’t worry we’ll find something soon.. I hope.” She would have sprinted to the smell if she had the strength to. Adiscordia  hear a someone and quickly transformed herself, she found though that she couldn’t . Oh well I’ll just have to kidnap thiks kid, she stared out the window in anticipation. Grizelda saw a fence in the distance made of cinnamon?, And peppermint? I must be hallucinating she thought. “real or not here I come” she said. She set Nicholas on the ground, grateful that his teeth had grown. He bit into the cinnamon fence. Grizelda couldn’t believe it was real, She sunk her teeth in just like Adiscordia had done to her so many victims. “Grizelda?” The voice sounded like her sisters but it couldn’t be, she had disappeared last year. I must be hearing things she thought, she turned around anyways. When she saw no one she took a bite of peppermint. Soon she felt two hands grip her from behind. She turned and saw her barely recognizable sister, but she was terrifyingly different. “Adiscordia?” she asked. As soon as she said this she felt long nails stabbing her arms. “Ow!! That hurts!!” She screamed but Addy didn’t stop, she simply went deeper and deeper. Adiscordia looked at Grizelda she had no idea what she was doing.

 

 

3: #3 Adiscordia loses herself

Adiscordia backed away looking at her long overgrown nails. “I’m, I’m so sorry, you’re, you’re so innocent. Oh my Gosh “ She held her head, now she was going partially insane. She couldn’t leave her but she had no control, she was innocent she had to kill her. “Addy!!!!!”she hugged her sister but sensed something was wrong .”Addy are you okay?” She slid past her arms and fell on the ground. Soon a wind started breezing which soon began to blow harder.” Addy?!?!?!?” Adiscordia couldn’t understand what was happening. Now her eyes were flaming. “Adiscordia!!” Grizelda yelled trying to get closer but she couldn’t because Adiscordia’s hair blew in her face and the fire singed her fingers.”I have to help her she’s my sister! She’s too innocent KILL HER!!! She’s a threat and she doesn’t know what’s best for herself!!” Grizelda watches her flaming sister speak to herself. Adiscordia knew she couldn’t do this, she quickly made a basket for her sister and set it right next to her. “Grab it and run!” Adiscordia screamed. Grizelda slowly took the basket but she finally found her sister she wasn’t losing her again. “Run …”Adiscordia’s fire stopped, the wind stopped , her hair fell back on her face. “Adiscordia what’s going on?!” Grizelda said . Adiscordia cocked her head as if she didn’t understand but she quickly pinned Grizelda on the ground and bit her. Adiscordia had lost all control. All the innocence she had devoured wanted revenge and vengeance and that made darkness. The darkness choked her soul and took over. She wasn’t Adiscordia anymore, Adiscordia was gone. Adiscordia shook her head trying to get back in control but she couldn’t for her last shred of innocence was lost forever. Her face wasn’t hers anymore it was full demon. “why,..” Grizelda cried. With Adiscordia occupied in her thoughts Grizelda wriggled free,grabbed Nicholas and the basket and ran. Adiscordia  wasn’t going to quit. She  had put little children in cages for so long, made them suffer and cry. Now she was being held prisoner in her mind. She fought until she fainted right on her porch. Yet her body was fully conscious and headed towards the village.

Grizelda cried as she looked in the basket. It held clothes, baby supplies , a jug of water and lots of food. She jammed a spoonful of strange red stew in her mouth as she put on a new skirt and cloak. She didn’t know what the stew was but she loved it, she soon finished with one thing left in the container. It was a little girl’s thumb, nail torn off.

A few days later Adiscordia had won. Where am I ? she thought she tried to get up but felt heavy. She looked around her table, chair. She was in her home yet there was an undeniable stench in the air. She loved it. She looked around and grinned. “1..2..3..4…5…6..7…8!”eight slaughtered bodies. “Whut happened..” she said drowsily . Her eyelids felt heavy but if she fell asleep she might lose control  again. They were all children 5 boys and 3 girls. She got up and realized they were all missing limbs and some even had bite marks. She turned around and looked at herself in a mirror lined with licorice. Her face and nearly her entire body was filled with blood and so was the floor. “Ugh not again.” She said sleepily as she sat on a floor. She wanted to be with Grizelda but alas she had forgotten her previous encounter with her.  She said some uncharacterized words and soon a holographic image appeared. “Have you seen ANNE!!!!!” A voice screamed. “What about my Jacob!!” LOST CHILDREN signs were posted all over. It was chaos .Dark in the night but everyone was awake trying to find the children.  Some people were crying, some were screaming , some commit suicide. A young woman  and an old man bumped into each other. It wasn’t long until the flame from the woman’s torch fell in the ground and it burned the man and the ground and it spread. Adiscordia  grinned “don’t die so soon, live in the torture!” she said as  trickled her fingers around the picture and made it rain.The fire was put out but 12 people were already dead. She watched the crazed people run around desperately. “oooh I cant wait for next time” She waved away her hologram furiously. The noise was at work again. She looked she had been staring at the hologram long enough it looked as if it were noon. Surprisingly she was still in control as she took a quick rinse. At her door was a boy and a girl.

 

4: #4 Hansel and Gretel

While this happened another story unfolded. These two stories were destined to meet and thus I was born but I’m getting ahead of myself. There was once a city that resembled Eutopia. It always successed and usually made other cities and countries jealous. All until one day the head maid was found guilty of witch craft. She was to be executed. Once she found out she panicked and threatened to kill the many hundreds of people whom lived in that city. They didn’t believe her and underestimated but soon she started a fire that killed a tad over than a third of the population. She wanted to rule the country so she killed the queen by putting poisoning in her wine. The day she was executed the queen Ester dropped down dead. As she was tied into the pole she shouted her threats and some spells. Soon the land began to shiver and shake. Hands erupted all throughout the earth, They were all the citizens that she had secretly stolen. By that I mean all the hearts she had stolen and all the souls at her will. She was burned at the stake but her minions weren’t they and the country fought. The princess only a child at the time was frightened and secretly ran behind some bramble bushlings. She though could not be hidden from her curousity and she saw the war until the very end. In the middle of war a wolf came and killed many of the enemies but it wasn’t enough. The wolf looked much like a girl named Violet the princess thought. When the war ended no one survived except the princess. Days passed and she dared not to go back in the castle for she didn’t want to see want to truly see what had become of the city. So the five-year old princess waited for some to rescue her, she cried and wept and sulked. She drank the blood of the dead bodied and some berries from nearby. By four days a terrible storm broke out. It was freezing and the young princess had only her mother’s cloak that covered her head to toe, a yellow shirt, a necklace that was covered with opals, a skirt and golden slippers. Hail, snow and harsh rain came and she cried for the only person that could help her. “Celestia!!” she cried. Celestia was her fairy God mother but instead she didn’t come. Celestia flew past through the trees and whispered into a man’s ear. The man was a woodcutter who was running home. “come..” She dropped some rocks that she knew glowed as the sky got darker. The man asked no questions and turned around. The princess had never experienced anything like this “Celestia!!!!” she screamed. Soon Celestia fluttered  her assuring her that everything would be alright. The princess tried to be as strong as she was when she was watching many die in battle. Yet she knew she couldn’t stay as silent as night as she was before. Tears flowed down her red cheeks. The man though was from the opposite side of the forest which separated this city from his. These two were always country VS city and were completely against each other. In his country any contact made to a person from the opposite side would be punished by death. About yesterday his country received the news that the enemy had been turned to ruins and it was now safe to lifts the laws against this country because nobody had survived. Of course they didn’t know about the princess. As the woodcutter hesitantly stepped over the line that once had separated this city from his, he heard crying and followed it. Despite the thundering rain he knew that according to his value he had to follow the cries, what would happen if this was his son? Surely he would do the same, he was abandoned as a child and could not to see a child cry. For all he knew he was simply following cries he knew nothing of Celestia. Once he climbed up he saw a body that lay motionless on the ground. Everything was so eerie and ominous, he stepped over the body and followed the cries. Everyone seemed dead he heard crying but saw no one. “Any body here?!” he asked loudly yet the thunder seemed to envelope his question. The princess peeked through the thorns on the bush and stood up and ran over all the bodies and ruins of buildings. She ran to the stranger and hugged him. He couldn’t tell who she or he was for the cloak covered every part of her petite body. He pulled her up in his arms and carried her over her shoulder. Then he ran home.

About an hour later the woodcutter turned the knob of his home. If you could call it a home, it was so small and uncomfortable that the princess could immediately tell that he had barely any money to his name. As soon as he opened the door a young boy ran to his legs. “Oh father I was so worried! The the storm happened and you didn’t come and ..” The young boy was alone and was around eight years old. “Let me get in” the man protested as he pried the boy off his legs. He closed the door  “I was late because..” He lowered the soaking wet princess on the floor. “Who’s that daddy??” the boy said. “I found im’ alone cryin” He took the cloak off of the princess and took his own off. “You’re a girl…” The boy said as The princess adjusted her long golden as sunshine hair. The man began to ponder if the princess had ever really died as he looked at the extremely strong resemblance. “What’s your name?..” The girl stood up and looked at him with a hug. “..Gretel… princess Gretel..” she said mumbling into his cold shirt as if it would make him not hear. The woodcutter pushed her off “of Rhionine?”She put her hands behind her back and her face pointing to the floor. “Yes..” The man began to pace around the floor. “If we are seen with the princess we shall surely die!” Gretel found that he might just ditch her. “Oh please sir don’t send me back.” She pleaded. The boy threw his arms around the girl who seemed to accept his kindness with pleasure. “Dad …please.” The man stopped and crossed his arms.

 “I’m sorry Hansel but we cant do this. Even if we kept her people could tell the similarity and I think she would not allow it.

“Oh no sir please that’s a great idea!” Gretel said just wishing that he would  not leave her to fend for herself.

“We could disguise her, hide her dress and necklace and dirty her up a bit.”

“This necklace was my mother’s! I am NOT losing it!

“I said hide it!”

..”That could work!”

“We barely have enough money for ourselves us how do you expect us to take care of a princess?!”

“Treat me like a poor girl I just want to be safe and loved”

Hansel and Gretel exchanged glances and smiled wholeheartedly. The woodcutter put his head in his hands and sighed. “This better work”

Gretel’s dress was then hidden as well as her precious necklace. Her hair was then tangled up a bit and she was washed with dirty water in order to get rid of the many perfumes she had on. She wore a dress made of a chicken feed bag and some lace. Although her dress was made of such poor materials it looked gorgeous and so did she. She looked like a poor alley girl. She looked in a mirror and saw her self. She was filled with mixed emotions but smiled.

“Nobody must know” her new fake father repeated “you are simply an adopted orphan.”

“ Yes sir” Gretel said lowly trying to get rid of her accent. “Hansel is it? Thanks” she said and they hugged. Time passed and they developed a relationship unlike any other. “When wolves howled he comforted her and when dangers came they worked together. By spring they were inseparable and in a year they loved each other more than their own family and themselves. By the time Hansel was eleven and Gretel eight their father brought home a strange woman. When their father was gone she abused them, yet we he was present he saw her as innocent. She never showed her true colors to him until one night.

They were extremely poor to the point that they had nothing but a loaf of bread left.

“Ugh what are we to do” said the woodcutter

His new wife who had long since seen the resemblance between Gretel and the princess was completely against the city of Rhionine decided to use this to her advantage.

“Ya know…you could just.. get rid of the girl.”

She decided to use the fake love they had for each other to her advantage as well. You see since she had seen the picture in his wallet,she knew it was the princess and wanted to torture her as much as she could so she seduced him and pretended to love him. They were both far from ugly so she didn’t mind doing what she had to do next. She kissed him and began taking off his clothes.

“Oh Honey I couldn’t just leave her to die..”

“No no I just meant.. leave her in the woods… there are berries there and you wouldn’t wants us to all starve would you?… there wouldn’t even be enough money to pay for our death beds.”

“But if I ditch her we will have to leave Hansel as well”

“Oh am I not enough for you?”

As minutes passed she somehow convinced her idiot husband to do just that. (By somehow I mean some hard sexual acts no more details needed)

Since they did’nt live in a mansion and they lived in a crappy little cottage Hansel and Gretel absolutely heard everything. As they were trying to unhear and unsee what happened they found themselves in a bit of a panicked mood.

“Oh no Hans they are to be rid of us” Gretel whisper-screamed.

“Don’t worry sister we’ll find a way” Hansel said not really knowing what he’d do. As she cried silently on her bed he hugged her tight and asked her to think of the early nights in the castle. She barely remembered anything, it all seemed distant and blurry but once she had grasped a memory she played it over and over and didn’t let it go. She was so mesmerized in her thoughts she didn’t notice when her brother left.

He smiled nervously with his plan as he left. He ran past his busy parents quietly and escaped into the night. Luckily his memory had not left him and there were some stones that sparkled brightly in the moonlight but were barely visible at day. He shoved as many as he could in his pocket. Then he crept to his open window and entered his room. The moon was bright and he heard a long howl causing him to fall into his floor and swiftly but gently closed the window.Gretel was still crying but absorbed in her thoughts.

“Gretel…Gretel.. Don’t worry we’ll be safe.”

The wind howled or was that a wolf? They hugged each other tightly and fell asleep in each others arms. The wind grew stronger and stronger and the rain began to pour by the gallons it seemed. Soon the cottage got it’s long deserved break. The window next to their bed cracked and water seeped its way through. The wind seemed to push the window and its shards of glass exploded all over the room.

“Gretel watch out!!” Hansel screamed as  he awoke and jumped in front of her to cover her body from the glass. She awoke almost immediately but too late for the warning. Her arm had glass in it as well as her leg. It cut deeply and was bleeding almost as much as it seemed to rain. She sat up quickly and tears welled up in her eyes. ”Hansel.. help!” she said as she looked up at her brother. Now though the feeling of pain went away as she realized that her brother had a fresh coat of blood and glass all over. Rain began pouring in. They expected their father to barge in any second but he never came. Gretel grabbed a bowl nearby and filled it with water. She took her brother’s handkerchief and began to clean up their wounds. She piled all the glass in the corner but when she came back her brother was surrounded by blood again. She went to grab the handkerchief again but her brother grabbed her leg “It’s fine.” She dropped it in the overflowing bowl and returned back him. They crept under the bed and she hugged him blood covering her nightgown but she didn’t care. Blood seeped in the floor cracks she grabbed a blanket and used it to cover the opening and water began to flow inside slowly. It was  freezing and they couldn’t sleep for they were scared that one of them might drown in the rain or their own blood.

“Gretel!!!” their stepmother screamed as she kicked the door open. The pair hit their heads startled by her shout and crawled out.

“My look at what you imbecile children have done to the window! Husband!!”

They knew there was no chance of arguing but they protested anyway and were greeted by two painful blow and a “You selfish liars!!”.“Look what you’re children have done!”

 The woodcutter stood their speechless and looked at the blood on his son’s face. ”Son are you alright?”

Hansel looked at him obviously engulfed in pain but he looked back to his stepmother and remained silent.

She grabbed the woodcutter by the hand and turned around and left. “And clean up that mess!!!”she screamed and slammed the door.

Gretel looked at all the water and blood on the floor. The curtains and quilt were only two of the things ruined after the incident and began to clean.

“Don’t you think we were a little hard on them? It is after all their last day.” The woodcutter told his wife.

“I know” their stepmother lied “It’s just I was so scared im sorry.. I’d better apologize to them .. don’t get the bandages just yet get them later so I can have some alone time with them to apologize.”

“okay..”

They left to the kitchen.

Gretel though was still making sure that she was cleaning well because she didn’t want to get punished. Her cuts stopped bleeding but her brother’s face and toes still were. Hansel grabbed his clothes and changed carefully trying not to dirty them and transferred the rocks into his pocket. He threw some clothes to Gretel and began to mop the floor with their dirty clothes from the night. The floor was ruined as well as some parts of the walls. Damage that could not be fixed.

“Hansel will they get rid of us?” Gretel asked worringly.

Hansel really wasn’t sure anymore.”I don’t know..but just in case..” He walked past the door and motioned her to stay, quietly he ran to his father’s room and pulled out a loose floor board. Inside there was a box which he opened to find a neckalace. The neckalace which was the last reminder of the young Princess Gretel. It was worth enough for them to live in luxury for the next five years and have money to spare but it was worth more to her than almost everything. He held it in his hand and rushed back only to see his stepmother tugging Gretel by the ear outside. He ran towards her and held her hand letting her feel the cool touch of gold. She smiled and didn’t let go. When they were outside their father came axe in one hand and bag in the other. Blood was still trickling down Hansel’s nose and his stepmother smiled. “Husband go get me those bandages” Her husband left and she pulled them close violently. When she did this a stone fell out of Hansel’s pocket. ”What is this?” she question angrily as she picked it up. She grabbed the rest of the stones and pulled them out angrily. Hansel wasn’t scared because he knew he had to be brave not only for himself but for Gretel but answering in this case wasn’t going to help either. She was furious and interpreted his silence. She grabbed the axe her husband had left and aimed it towards them. “I know what you saw last night, you’re nothing but sneaky conniving rats, and do you know what happens to rats?” she asked as she leaned in, Hansel and Gretel began to step away now. She swung the axe and they began to run as fast as they could but their stepmother was always close behind. They took one sharp turn after another until finally she was left behind.

Once Gretel caught her breath she looked behind her and saw that she had no idea where she was.” Hansel…we’re lost” Hansel tried to not acknowledge that thought, and tried to change the subject. “It’ll be okay…lets..lets’s start making a fire.” Gretel held her head low and followed her brother. She was grateful because Hansel knew what to do but sad they were lost, yet happy she was rid of her stepmother. They walked for a long time and when they finally found the branches they found nothing to start a fire with and it was starting to get cold.

“Hansel!”

“What?” he asked sensing his fake sister’s concern.

“Stay still”

He was frightened but he trusted his sister. A shooting pain came from the back of his neck, he turned around quickly and put his  fingers in the back of his neck where there was a great gap and  more blood.

“Gretel!!” he snorted angrily. She held a sharp piece of glass that was gooey because of all of he blood.

”It was stuck… in your neck.” He felt bad at screaming her royal-ness when she was doing her a favor so he bowed and apologized.

“Sorry .. your highness” Gretel jumped up

“I told you not to call me that!” she pouted Hansel said nothing but took the glass from her hand, wiped it clean and let the sun’s reflection seep through it ,reflecting it towards the branches on the floor. Soon there was a smoke that made its way into a small flame. Gretel sat down on  the moss.

“Hansel..I’m hungry”              

“We’ll find something tomorrow” he said lying on the grass next to his sister. Gretel closed her eyes, tired from the restless night and fell asleep next to her brother. Soon she was nudged awake to find her brother pointing to the moon which shone brighter than ever.

“How long was I asleep?” she asked drowsily.

“For the rest of the day” Hansel answered nonchalantly. Soon Gretel was awoken by a loud howl, it was really close.

“Hans did you hear that?!” she asked all sleepiness replaced by fear. Hansel jumped up and pulled her up.

“Gretel be as quiet as possible” he whispered as he pulled her behind a tree with him.

“What are we doing!?” she whisper-yelled.

“Hiding SSShhhhush!!” they heard another howl. Gretel was about to the scream but Hansel engulfed in a hug so tight she could barely breathe. She loved every minute of it. Fear still grew stronger  as they found they were staring at the eyes of a blood thirsty beast. It can smell blood Hansel thought. I might as well have drowned myself in it. He looked at Gretel who was mesmerized by the creature’s sharp teeth. He had to save her.

“Gretel there’s no use.. sorry.. lets lay together so we can at least die together. Fall asleep ..it’ll hurt less” He whispered so low she could barely hear him. She smiled knowing they’d be toether in heaven. She laid and dreamt of heaven and it’s many surprises. As soon  as she fell asleep Hansel got up and stepped over his sister. He offered himself to the beast in hopes it would leave Gretel alone. He laid on the floor right below the wolf’s nose. It didn’t seem so angry anymore. A tear strolled down his cheek. He saw the swift movement of a claw and it all went black.

5: The smell of Gingerbread

Gretel woke up, trees and leaves surrounded her. I’m alive! She thought. The second thing she noticed was the emptiness at her side. “Hansel?” she asked as she stood up and looked around. She saw a body lay lifeless on the ground. ”Hansel!!!” She said as she ran towards the body and tears began to flow as she feared the worst. Unbelievably there was no blood, in fact the blood from yesterday was gone. She noticed though that he was drenched in a saliva type liquid. Ew… she thought but she was elated when she placed her head on his chest and heard his heart beating. The wolf must’ve licked all the blood off. That still did not explain the fact that there was no sign of wounds on his body from yesterday only a faint claw mark remained on his face. She realized what had happened and decided she owed him three BIG favors. She was starving thought that her brother must be too, she grabbed the branches from yesterday’s fire and walked through the trees. The branches were black and burnt so they could easily be distinguished from the others. As she dropped the last branch she sat down she realized she had found nothing. She looked at the ground below her, there was something red sticking out from under some leaves. She grabbed the leaves and swept them away to a pile on the side. It was a rusty old brick that luckily was followed by another and another, a path! She thought and she ran down the branch path to tell her brother the news.

Hansel woke up and smiled. He was alive and he had no pain. He got up and began looking for his sister. He walked towards the tree they had hidden yesterday she wasn’t there. “Gretel?” he was really frightened by the fact that she wasn’t where he left her. “Gretel?!” He looked around in a panic. What if the wolf got her? He thought she would be gone and I wouldn’t be there for her. “Gretel!!!!!” He didn’t care if he attracted a predator but he wanted his sister and he wanted her Now. He ran around to see if he found a trace of the princess he had helped save many years ago. He noticed the pile of branches were gone and he noticed that a burnt one lay between the trees. He ran towards it and saw another. She was the one who taught him to leave things so that he wouldn’t get lost many years ago so he was sure this would lead him to her. He ran down the trail as fast as his weak legs could carry him. Gretel followed her trail quickly and soon they met face to face. Head first they hit.

“Hansel!”

“Gretel!!!” They crawled together and hugged tightly.” Gretel… I thought..you were…Oh Gretel ..Where were you?!”

“Sorry Hansel but I have great news I was out looking for food and guess what I found?!”

“What?”

“A path Hansel a path has to lead to somewhere! And anywhere is better than home!!!”

She grabbed his hand and ran with him towards the bricks. ”Hans help me out” When they got there they knelt down and began to shake off the leaves. They followed each and every brick.

“Where do you think this leads to?” Hansel asked

“Who cares? Does it matter?”

“I don’t want to get caught in a trap, remember we’re just two gullible kids.” They reached the last brick and looked up. It led nowhere but there was a sign that said “Watch out below” and there was a big hole in the ground under it. Scratched on the tree next to the sign said “WONDERLAND”

“I guess it does matter.” Gretel sighed. “I’m so hungry…” She sat next to the tree and let her legs hang down the hole.

“Gretel watch out!”

“Relax I’m careful…how deep do you think it is?”

“I don’t know and I don’t want to find out.” Hansel said as he pulled her away. Gretel threw a stone and watched it fall but she only saw it slip into the darkness.

“It’s pretty deep..” Gretel contemplated to herself wondering if she should jump and see what was inside.

“Don’t” Hansel said in his commanding voice as he turned her around and walked another direction. They could see a white rabbit run past them and they could have sworn it had a wrist watch. They weren’t sure where they were walking they just were. Gretel’s stomach growled loudly and she blushed. ”C’mon let’s find something to eat.” Hansel said happy that he could find a purpose for her to walk away from the hole. They walked looking for anything at all but the animals kept running away too fast and they couldn’t catch anything. Soon it was noon and they had nothing.

“What now Hans?”

Hansel had no clue what to say. He heard a chirp and looked up. He decided he could use a minute or two to make Gretel smile. “Hey Gretel look at that pretty bird.”

Gretel smiled it was pretty, it was only a raven but the feathers reflected the sun and it smelled like gingerbread but sin at the same time. It flew slowly enough for them to follow and when they stayed it flew back. “I think it wants us to follow it!”

“I don’t think...”  Hansel was pretty sure that it was simply an animal but if it made her happy he decided he wouldn’t ruin her imagination. ”ok” They bird flew and they followed it. Of course they didn’t know it was Adiscordia’s father nor did they know who Adiscordia was. Soon they came to a house made of edible delicacies. The pair couldn’t believe their eyes. Gretel rushed towards it but Hansel was a bit more cautious.  Gretel tore a piece of gingerbread from the walls and began eating. Hansel was also starved (hungrier than Gretel actually) but he wanted to make sure it wasn’t a trap and he wanted to make sure nothing would happen to Gretel.

“Come on Hans!” Gretel yelled happily between bites. Reluctantly he went at her side but didn’t eat a thing. Right then the door swung open. Gretel jumped up and shoved the piece of gingerbread behind her back. Gretel trembled this woman was so sinister looking yet so luring. “Sorry for eating your house… I was just so hungry..And”

“Who are you?” Hansel said getting between Gretel and the woman.

“You can call me Addy who are you?”

6: Chapter six

“I’m Hansel and this is my sister Gretel” Hansel said studying Adiscordia’s disguise. Her disguise was almost perfect she looked ageless and beautiful, you couldn’t tell at all she was Adiscordia and it was extremely hard to resist.

“Again I’m really sorry for-“

“No its fine I was getting quite bored and now I’ll have some more goodies to bake she said smiling falsely. “Come in Come in there’s better things inside”Gretel rushed in but Hansel held her arm.

“What are you doing!”

“Hans any place is better than home remember, she’s nice, and she’s offering us food!”

“It’s not safe it could be poisoned for all we know”

“we were going to die in the forest anyways Hans just trust me you’re hungry aren’t you?”

“I..” Before he could continue his stomach growled and she pulled him in. The inside was just like a normal house which made Gretel slightly disappointed but there in front of them was a large feast fit for a king and his many servants. There was something about the smell though.. it smelled of.. death?”

“It’s just like it was in the castle!” Gretel smiled and began to eat. Hansel hesitantly followed her lead but soon they had forgotten their manners as hunger had overcome them and they began to eat like animals. Hours passed and they ate until each morsel was devoured.

“Thank you so much for this meal Addy”

“We would definitely have died of starvation if it weren’t for you” Gretel joined in.

“Nonsense thank you for keeping me company” Adiscordia was struggling to be nice she couldn’t keep it up for long. She just wanted to eat them. See their blood and hear them scream now. I have to speed this up she thought. “It’s getting dark out how would you like to spend the night? I have a spare bedroom upstairs.” She said seeing as they couldn’t possibly say no as it was dark and they were falling asleep already. Hansel and Gretel looked at each other they felt bothersome but they agreed. Adiscordia quickly escorted them upstairs and opened the door. It was a hideous room and was nowhere near as pretty as the rest of the house. It was almost as ugly as their room back home. Gretel was exhausted and her full tummy made her want to sleep even more. There were no beds so Gretel thought Adiscordia might have made a mistake. She didn’t want to sound ungrateful so she tried to speak in a kind voice.

“Um..Addy… there’s no bed” She looked at her brother he had really outdone it, he was beyond stuffed and sleepy. Adiscordia reached for the cool metal in her apron pocket and began pulling it out slowly so she could se the fear rise in Gretel’s face. “Addy what are you doing?” Gretel said fearfully.

“Oh nothing it’s just that this place needs a bit more… color” She said as she threw the hammer at Hansel’s head, Not hard enough to kill him but enough to make him fall to the floor unconscious. Blood splattered all over the walls, the floor, Adiscordia and Gretel.

“HANSEL!!!!” Gretel screamed as she knelt to the floor next to her brother and held him tight. Adiscordia let her nails grow till their full length. She was going to stop  but she couldn’t, not now. The real Adiscordia began to unravel and Gretel could smell smoke coming from behind her. She was having trouble breathing she turned around and saw Adiscordia’s true self. Adiscordia pierced her nails through Gretel’s neck. Gretel couldn’t talk or breath at all now, she could feel her body pounding with pain as Adiscordia pulled her higher and higher. Now instead of her nails piercing deeper her palm held Gretel’s throat tighter. She felt something wriggling its way through her body, her eyes began to bulge out. Tears and blood marked the floor followed by her lifeless body.

Adiscordia chuckled. ”Two at a time.. Maybe I won’t have to work after all.” She said aloud. She grabbed Hansel and threw him in the cage rather harshly. She threw the keys back in her pocket and made sure the iron door was closed. She quickly prepared a basket of delicacies to fatten him up when he awoke and wrote in her journal.

Hey I met two kids today Hansel and Gretel. This is the first time I have two kids at once double the fun! This is also the last pair I will consume before I start my plan. I panicked and almost killed them both. It was a blood massacre I loved it! There is something unique of these two, they seem to have a passionate affection for each other and they actually care and love each other. I haven’t seen that since..Grizelda. she took a moment to think about this and for a moment you could see a small smile appear on her face. It was sick!  I cant wait to let them burn! Here their screams! I think I’ll ket the girl do all the work so I can see her cry because she is readying her beloved brother for his death and I shall tie her up so she can see him burn. I can only imagine her screams and her face then. – Adiscordia a Hex forever.

Gretel woke up with a throbbing pain in her neck. She rubbed it to find that the pain was excruciating. She quickly put her hands at her sides and left to find the only thing that mattered, she had to find her brother. She opened the door and saw that that was the only room on that floor. She crept down to find only four rooms. The main room which was where her and her brother were feasting yesterday, the kitchen with a monstrous oven, A bathroom, and Adiscordia’s room. She peeked inside a room and saw Adiscordia on her bed munching on an arm happily. She silently closed the door and almost screamed. She would’ve if her voice weren’t gone. No wonder Gretel thought She’s going to eat us! Hansel was right. That damn feast. What have I gotten us into! Oh I hope Hansel is alright. I never want to see candy again! Oh no Am I too late? She ran to the kitchen desperately looking around. The first thing she saw was the oven which was bigger than she would ever be. Would Hansel be there at one time or had he already been burnt. Her fear set her walking backwards tears falling. She bumped into a door she hadn’t seen before. She opened it and a body fell on top of her. It was a girl she was dead. She backed away and hit something hard. She turned around to see the cage and inside lay her brother sleeping. She was showered in relief but then fear again as she remembered what would become of him. She pulled the door but it seemed to be locked. She tried to scream at her brother to wake up but she couldn’t it hurt too much. She slipped her thin arms inside of the bars and poked him. She tried again this time harder. He woke up drowsily.

“What..Where am i?” He looked in front of him and the first thing he saw was Gretel’s neck. He put his hands through the bars and hugged her tight avoiding her neck. He let go almost immediately. “Gretel what happened? who did this to you? Where’s Addy? Why am I in here? No Gretel just run!” Gretel closed her eyes I’m not leaving without you she mouthed wincing with obvious pain. “Gretel please you have to go I can’t live knowing you might die!” I’ll die anyways she mouthed you don’t even know what’s going on… I cant live without you .. she mouthed as she pulled a body for him to see. “she eats children… she’s going to eat me….maybe you…Gretel please run as your older brother I command you to!” Gretel didn’t budge. “Gretel run NOW!” he cried pushing her away through the bars. She had never seen him cry before or push her before. No she mouthed I’m not. Gretel couldn’t stand seeing her brother cry, he might die she thought and so will I. She started crying roughly. Adiscordia opened the door and entered. ”Oh please” she said as she pulled Gretel’s hair. “Come on girly here’s what you’ll do. You see this kitchen? It’s yours I want you to cook as many fattening treats for little Hansel here and clean, yes clean as much as you can too.” No she mouthed. “No? you don’t have a choice.” Gretel crossed her arms. Adiscordia held her with one hand and let the other enter her neck just a bit for pain.

“Stop!!! Gretel just do it..please” Hansel screamed. ”Addy she’ll make it but I won’t eat it, and I wont get fat and you wont eat me!” Adiscordia released Gretel 

“If you don’t I will kill your sister”

“No you wont”  Hansel I can’t Gretel mouthed. They shared a secret no one else knew but Adiscordia seemed to be catching on.

“Smart boy..but i will do this.” She went back to Gretel and not only pierced her nails through her neck again but transferred something. Gretel couldn’t stand it. “I knew there was something unique in you” A red glow began to cloud over in Gretel’s eyes. She had only shared part of the secret with Hansel. You see, Gretel’s mother Ester had been a white witch and had kept the maid under control. When she died no one could control the maid’s revenge except Gretel of course who had no idea how to use her powers. Gretel had almost forgotten about that until now. She could beat Addy if she knew how. Adiscordia though had transferred some evil. Since she couldn’t defend herself the thoughts went right to her fragile little mind. Adiscordia let her go and her eyes went back to normal. “Start with this “She gave Gretel  a basket and told her to put it through the door of the cage. Gretel slid it through reluctantly and as Adiscoria left she poked her, when she turned around she mouthed you are nothing but an evil witch!

“I like the sound of that.” Adiscordia said smiling as she left. Hansel lifted the blanket off of the basket. It was overflowing with different foods. Given the circumstances he really didn’t want to eat anything, he wanted to stay skinny as long as possible so that he wouldn’t be eaten and so that he could stay with his sister. He had never been so displeased at the thought of eating in all of his life. About an hour later Adiscordia came “What are you doing your supposed to be baking up a storm?!”…

“He’s not done with the basket yet” Gretel mouthed with her head held low trying not to get her brother into any more trouble.

“Oh he’s not, is he!” She walked to the cage. She wanted to see blood and someone dead Now! (Of course she didn’t state whose blood that was) She saw Hansel staring at the air trying his best not to eat anything laid before him. “ I thought you’d be more gullible..”

“Well I’m not and you can’t threaten me because you wont accomplish your threat because if you do kill Gretel I will be sure to starve to death and you won’t get your dinner.”  Adiscordia’s mouth hung low at his audacity and knowledge.

“I will make you!” she stared at the basket making the contents fly all around. A honeybun made a bee line for his face, he dodged. (not that there was much space in that crappy little cage.) Then she sent it in a U-turn. He couldn’t believe he was cowering from a piece of food. It splattered in his face and the tiniest piece wormed it’s way into his mouth . His eyes began to cloud over in green that tinted everything he saw, making the basket look like paradise. He tried to resist but he couldn’t ,he started inexplicably stuffing his face. Gretel pulled Adiscordia’s dress tears flowing down.

“What have you done with my brother?” she mouthed

“A little something I’ve been working on for a while.. I guess it works. He shall be stubborn no longer. Remember cook and clean! That’s all you’re good for anyways. Oh and don’t eat anything I’ll deal with you later.” Gretel took some flour and put it a bowl watching Adiscordia from the corner of her eye to see when she would leave. She needed to talk her brother but not when the witch was watching. She baked a whole cake and still she didn’t leave. She added a tier and another but she was still there. She frosted it and added sprinkles but she was still there. She took the empty basket away and gave the cake to her brother. The witch was satisfied ..for now. She left but just as she was going to talk (er….whisper?) to her brother  Adiscordia came back. ”Almost forgot.” Gretel backed away as she approached the cage and watched worryingly.”give me your finger so I can see how fat you’re getting.” Hansel didn’t  give her anything so she reached in the bars and snatched it.

“Ow!” Hansel said as he was pulled to the other side of the cage.

“Nope you are far too much of a twig for my taste.” She said  squeezing it then letting it go and walking away.” She left the room and Gretel ran to the cage to see her brother munching on her masterpiece.

“Is it good?” she said barely audibly. Although she had other things to talk about she hadn’t eaten since yesterday and the aroma was making her quite hungry. He immediately felt terrible, he reached behind and grabbed a chicken leg and gave it to her between the bars. She smiled, grabbed it and gnawed on it hungrily. When Gretel finished devouring it she gave her brother the bone. “Thanks but I think the witch would notice if I had a bone.” She gave it to him and an idea formed in his head.

“Gretel I have a great idea so she wont eat me!” Gretel glanced at the door nervously.

“SShhhh! She might hear you...what”

“Well when she wants to check my finger I’ll just give her this bone, she wont thnk im getting any fatter and she won’t eat me. Her hair is always in her eyes anyways.”

“She’s not blind! Besides wont she think something’s up when you’ve suddenly lost your skin.” Hansel frowned and ripped a piece of his shirt (which luckily happened to be almost the same color of his skin.) He wrapped a piece around it and smiled

 “How about now?” Gretel smiled they really did look similar. She felt the bone and his finger.

“I guess it’s decent.. It might work… but how shall we escape?” Hansel shrugged and yawned.

“We’ll figure sumthin out tomorrow.”

“You are to be eaten and you don’t care??”Gretel whisper shouted with enough worry in her voice for the both of them.

“Gretel I can’t do much in here it’s mostly up to you now” (The truth was he was too tired to get worried and the green cloud over his eyes numbed the worry) Gretel took the empty plate away and a tear strolled down her cheek. They spent the whole day baking, cooking and occasionally cleaning (in Gretel’s case) and eating and sleeping (in Hansel’s case). The bone fooled Adiscordia through her one eye.

“Stupid childhood metabolism” she muttered the first time she was tricked. As days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months Adiscordia was getting furious that boy is the exact same she thought. She played the other slaughters she had done, they had all went more peaceful than this one. She knew something had to be going on. She left the room and watched them speak through a small hole in the wall. Gretel walked towards where her brother was being held prisoner and she spoke.

“Hansel we have to think of something soon, that bone won’t fool her forever.”

“And if it doesn’t I’ll just give her my real finger, no biggie.” Gretel’s eyes widened when he said this.

“No biggie?” she whisper shouted.(which still hurt her purple neck.) “ Your real finger?! Are you insane?! Addy would throw you in the oven at the spot!” Hansel looked confused so she decided to clear it up for him, not knowing Adiscordia was nearby. “Hansel” she whispered “You’re so fat …its well”  She made s death motion as well as the matching sounds. Her eyes rolled back as her hand supposedly cut her head off. Her brother looked at himself and pushed what he was eating away, tears welled in his eyes.

How could I have been so foolish he thought.

“It’s  okay “ she lied as his tears fell. “It’s not that bad” she hated seeing him cry. “don’t cry…please” She turned around her lies were obvious and so were her tears. She couldn’t look at him, it was all too much.

“Well then let me see how bad this really is.” Adiscordia shouted as she barged in. ”You can’t fool me! I’m Adiscordia Hex!” Gretel looked up, Addy was one of the missing Hex sisters she thought. She ran towards the cage. “Give me your finger now!” Hoping she hadn’t heard the conversation Hansel gave her the bone. He was terrified. Flames shot out of her eyes as she threw the bone against the wall, her voice was distorted beyond normal. “Your real finger bitch!” He refused but Gretel knew where this was going. Adiscordia reached in and snatched his finger harshly,he pulled back but it was too late.

“Ow lemme go ya old hag!! Ow!”

 “Marvelous Dearie.” She said walking over to Gretel who was bawling on the floor . “Fine!” She let her hands flow in front of her. The fire blazed in the oven but not a regular fire, A fire redder than blood and burnt like the sun.  The fire was hers, it came naturally as if she had been this way forever.It was her need for vengeance that now hit her like a drug. “Gretel check if it’s hot enough , that’s right go on walk right in. burn Gretel BURN!!!”

…”how?”

“Like this!!!” Adiscordia gripped Gretel and threw her towards the oven. As she was in the air she grabbed Addy’s head and made a flip. She pushed Adiscordia into the oven and shut it as soon as the witch went in. Adiscordia had built the oven so strong that to her irony she couldn’t get out. The screams were music to Gretel’s ears and this was the start. The start of her battle between natural white witch and the way being evil made her feel thanks to the thin Adiscordia had put in her eyes earlier. A piece of her soul . The witch knew she was going to die, she wanted to because she just couldn’t handle it more this was pure torture but she had to leave her legacy by giving it to someone else.

Hansel smile but Gretel’s smile faded away. With a pang of guilt she realized that Addy had the keys to the cage. She saw through the window that the fire was dulling as Adiscordia was dying. She opened the door and walked in slowly avoiding the flames. She quickly ran to Adiscordia and reached in her pocket as quickly as possible and grabbed the keys throwing it to her brother. She stayed a minute to stare at the melting witch. She smiled and got closer as the flames dulled. She thought she was dead. Adiscordia held her arm and yelled.

 “Through great tragedy, Grizelda will carry on my revenge!” She coughed and spit blood on Gretel’s face. Gretel tried to run but she couldn’t, Grizelda’s hand was stuck by melted skin to her arm.  She pulled her hand from the sticky substance and ran. She shut the oven as thoughts ran through her head, she was so confused. Her neck throbbed, and her whole body was almost burnt. She grabbed some ice and put it on her burning back. She sighed as she washed her face.

“Are you okay?” her brother asked finally starting to get his senses back.

“Yeah it’s not my blood anyways.” As she continued to watch her face Hansel could see her golden hair and delicate skin. She really did look like a princess, but now he thought she qualified as an assassin too.

“So…can I get out soon?” he asked nonchalantly.

Gretel sighed again in desperation. She still worried of her brother’s health and wanted nothing more but to hug him.  You’ll have to wait the keys are hotter than burning coals.” Hansel shrugged,  he was ecstatic to be out of danger but still too relaxed to show it.

“Uh… Gretel?”

“Hmm?”

 “When the keys do cool off and the door does open how do I …get ...out?” Gretel looked at him, she had almost forgotten. He had been stuck for three days now.

“Can you walk?” she asked doubtingly. Hansel looked at the floor, he wasn’t sure and thus he wasn’t going to answer. Gretel reached for the warm but now cool enough to touch keys. “Better loose some of that extra weight tubby.” Gretel felt something urge her forward. She walked towards the dining room where Addy had feasted on her victims but that was gone now. Now it was time for the next generation of evil to take place. She saw the black book peek out and she pulled it out. It was Adiscordia’s diary. She smiled, she had to write something and now. She had the quill pen and dipped it in ink, then she wrote.

“So I did it

I killed the witch.

After all

She was just a cannibalistic _____. - Gretel”

She smiled, she had never cursed before. She smiled yet she hated it, something bad was going on but she wasn’t sure what. She shrugged off the feeling and closed the book. The raven (Adiscordia’s father) swung down and grabbed the book with his beak and flew off. She was still far too gullible. You are still under the illusion that you are safe the bird thought in wordless thoughts as it left.

7: Escape!

"Bird no stop it drop it come back!" Gretel yelled after the bird hoping no one would see what she had written. "Shoot I'm totally busted I'll definitely be sent to the gallows now." Gretel muttered to herself. She was horrified she wanted to be innocent yet going to the gallows didn't bother her. Somehow there seemed that fate might bring something even worse come in her life.

"Gretel are you alright?" Hansel asked. His sister never had talked to herself about the gallows before. She decided not to tell him as she grabbed the keys and sprinted back to the cage to open it.

"Oh my Gosh.." Gretel said out of utter shock. She tried her best not to be rude so she said nothing, just grabbed his hand and pulled. She grunted and pulled some more until he was almost out. She wiped the sweat off her forehead, Hansel was blushing wildly. "when we get home … don't eat anything for another bazillion years." Hansel was beyond embarrassed and was regaining his sensitivity, which also brought the pain of extreme fullness.

"Ugh yeah im going to have to do that." She gave him one last pull and he got sighed with relief but her brother was really dizzy. He tried to maneuver his feet although he couldn't see them. Left, Right Left, right, eh…I dunno he thought as he fell.

"You alright Hans? Gretel asked pulling him up. The room stopped spinning and he stood up. He walked to the door but stopped when his sister didn't follow him.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know maybe I don't want to be sent to the gallows for killing the bastard plus mom and dad will treat us horribly and I just… Its all going to be the same!" She fell to the floor upsettingly staring at the floor.

"Gretel…stay here I've got an idea." Hansel said smiling as he walked through the door that led to Adiscordia's room. He looked around and saw a box with designs. He opened it and found many jewels. He guessed she would have a box of riches, which witch wouldn't? "wow…"There were rubies, emeralds ,diamonds , gold, crystals, opals, sapphires and many other riches. He saw a book from the corner of his eye. With the box in hand he walked over to it. A spell book Adiscordia had written. He wondered for a minute and grabbed it. He didn't bother opening it yet since he felt he better check up on his sister. The kitchen was empty as he walked past it. "Gretel?" He said making his way to the dining room . He heard what must've have been his sister crying and found his sister outside with a knife. "Gretel!" He ran to his sister and grabbed the knife right before she plunged it into her chest. He threw it hard and watched it disappear in the trees. "What were you thinking!"

Gretel couldn't talk, she couldn't explain what it was like to live in constant disagreement and anger as she wanted to be good yet evil. She was born to be good but being cruel just had that feeling that made her feel so alive!Would she kill her stepmother when she got home? No she couldn't kill, how dare she she thought. How could she explain. She looked into her brothers eyes. If she were gone she wouldn't see them again. She had to stay alive.. just until they were safe. "Hansel..I"

"Gretel…tell me whats wrong?"

"I….It…er…Hans I just.. " She was choked by this new feeling , she couldn't tell him. He wouldn't understand. "I don't want it to be the same..stepmother will just.." Hansel didn't say a word he smiled and gave her the box."What?"

"Open it"

She did and marveled at its contents. As she did Hansel hugged her."What? you aren't mad at me she said laughing at how hard it was for her to put her arms around her once thin brother.

"Why?"

"Why?! Because I almost fed you to death!"He hugged her tighter.

"You had no choice and I'm alive aren't I?" She smiled and relooked through the box in excitement. Meanwhile Hansel explored the book and found a page that might have been of some use to him. He walked swiftly to the smallest cupboard and opened it. There was a bottle with yellow liquid. He opened it and drank looked up to find her brother gone she walked back inside and saw him bent over in pain, a shattered bottle on the floor.

"Hans? What's going on?" She saw him shrink, and saw him transform into what he looked like before the whole incident with Adiscordia.. She smiled it seemed like the only reminder that they'd have of this horrid encounter would be jewels. He tucked the book under the cupboard and smiled. "What did you do?"

""Nuthin" He said not wanting Gretel to know about the spell book."Any way let's go home I'm sure that Stepmother will bother us no more and with this we can fix our house and buy animals and al we need!" Gretel smiled and hugged him again tightly befor grasping his hand and heading off into the forest.

Meanwhile Grizelda was still in her shack. "Mama" her son said crawling to her mother's legs.

"Oh Nicholas " she said picking him up and twirling him in the air. He laughed but his face grew with panic as Adiscordia's mother panicked and fluttered around. "What's wrong?"

"Mama look" Nicholas said as he saw a dark looking bird come in holding a book in it's beak.

"Papa?" Grizelda said looking at the bird thoroughly .The bird let the book fall to the ground and it sat next to its beloved wife who fluttered to the other side of the room in disgust. Adiscordia noticed that the white bird was in all costs avoiding the black. She grabbed her mother and sat her next to her father but she simply flew away again. "What are we racist now?" She asked hoping they still had at least a small sense of humor. The black bird tweeted and with its beak opened the cover of the book which said Property of : Adiscordia Hex. "Addy!" She said in excitement. She kneeled next to the book and flipped to the next page. "Dear Diary " she read aloud. "Today my bird has just brought me the last of my sweets and I just finished my house. I'm very excited to drink the blood of innocence. You know the same Innocence that made me live in poverty and starvation. Lure kids and drink their blood can't wait ! Also today I met with Coraline who assured me that my sister Grizelda is alright. I asked her about my parents and she said they had gone looking for her in desperation. Coraline couldn't stand the look of Katherine my mother but she said she could live with my dad. After all everyone knows he was pretending to be good because he loved my mom. She really held him back but now with her out of the way who knows what we can do! Anyways Grandma insisted that she killed Kathy for her innocence but Dad said he would die of a broken heart if she did. So she turned them into birds and separated them in hopes that my father would become more evil. It was insane I have to go bye."

Grizelda read page after page with interest and concern. Addy…what happened to you she thought. She turned to a more recent and desperate entry. "Dear Diary I need help. (Although I don't mind if I don't get it )(No wait I do I mean…All this innocence is dwelling up inside of me and I WANT REVENGE. I have to beat it, it's just so uncontrollable. I love eating children but their bones haunt me Yet their screams of pain and agony are so precious. I keep passing out and when I wake up there will be a number of (yummy) bodies around me. ..I just cant do this anymore but I need to…Gosh I think I'm going mad! I'm not mad am I?"

There were blood stains on the pain and the writing began to look more shaky as if Adiscordia was shaking as she wrote it. She flipped some more ; pages to find out why this book had come, why now? "The noise is at it again a boy and a girl….last pair I will consume before wishing heart…..The wishing heart is crucial to my plan for…" This page seemed to be red as if Adiscordia's boiling anger could not be contained for the page burned Grizelda's fingers. "I WAS TRICKED!" she read on. "…I will kill them both NOW and make them watch each other suffer!..." Grizelda was now confused as she saw different writing yet the same quill pen.

"Daddy Addy was killed!?" she screamed getting up and running to where she knew Addy lived. She ran inside screaming her sister's name. She saw the bird lead her to the oven, The fire seemed to have cooled down and was barely burning. She opened the oven and kneeled next to her sister. Adiscordia was now simply a pile of bones and ashes. "Addy…."

The ashes whispered to her and so did the blood spilt on the floor. "Don't let me die in vain …"

How Grizelda thought I've done so much to keep from harming others.. despite of all the damage they have done to me and all that they have taken away. This is what I receive! No…. NO I refuse to belief this injustice! I've been on the wrong side long enough!

"Dad!" she screamed firmly "Let's go get a wishing heart."

8: New Grizelda

Grizelda's thoughts raced, all the principles she had abided for so long had rewarded her with hunger, poverty, the disappearance of her parents and now the death of her sister. All the thoughts she always had,crept in yet this time they were listened to. … "Adiscordia don't worry.. I WILL avenge your death. " She muttered. This time she would actually do something, as all the thoughts raced in in a second, she gasped for breath. All this at once was too much, stone spikes erupted from her back cutting her skin suddenly. Her teeth sharpened and she screamed. Her skin grew pale and her eyes and lips turned red as blood. Her hair black as ashes. (If I were to explain each and every change this chapter would be dozens of pages long) For her change was far more sudden then Adiscordia's .Katherine was furious and just as Grizelda changed she shed her feathers and showed her true ones. They were violet. "Papa I want you to search for wishing hearts all around town." Her voice changed as even more thoughts raced into her mind to blacken her purity. "Ma lure children here, there on that tree ." She pointed to a tree and the birds left. She spotted from the corner of her eye the book. She opened it and began to study her spells.

In the forest Hansel and Gretel were trying to get back home but they were lost.

"So what now?" Gretel asked.

"We look for that wonderland hole…we can follow those bricks …then we'll figure it out from there." Hansel said but his eyes gave a desperate I have no idea where to go look.

"We're lost again aren't we?"

Hansel sighed. "yup."

"We should've checked if the witch had a map or a compass or something. I know we walked straight here from the wonderland hole so we could just walk straight back. Hans is that all you found when you were checking the witch's inventory. Gretel asked.

"to be honest I didn't really look much after the box…since we're already here want to go back and check.?"

Gretel had a sick feeling in her stomach when she found she might be going back. She didn't want to see what had become of Adiscordia but before she could think her mouth answered for her.

"Yes." She took his hand firmly and they walked back. The whole time Gretel had a conflict in her mind where she wondered if she should tell her brother to turn back but yet she kind of wanted to relive the thrill of killing the witch. A bird came through the door and pecked Grizelda's shoulder who was in Addy's old room studying spells.

"Nicholas go see what's going on" she said. Gretel made the mistake of opening the door slowly with her brother behind her.

"mama…" Nicholas muttered. Gretel stood speechless as she watched Grizelda stare at her with her cold, eerie eyes.

"Gretel.." Grizelda said smiling as she walked towards them.

"How..how do you know my name?" Gretel asked not being able to look away.

"It's easy…I'm Grizelda." Grizelda said grabbing them both by their necks. She raised them higher and higher. Rage engulfed her as she began to fly up in the air, flames around her body. She spun them around and around, holding them only by their throats. Gretel knew now who Grizelda was and she knew than Grizelda knew about her sister's death and who caused it. She had to think of something to let herself and her brother go free from Grizelda's grasp. She had barely no voice left, she had to think of something and she had to do it now because clearly stop wasn't going to make a difference.

"Addy… mentioned..you" She managed to say. Grizelda loosened her grasp. Those were the only words that mattered in the moment.

"What did she say?" Gretel tried to wriggle free but Grizelda tightened her grip on Hansel and he lost his consciousness. "What did she say?!"

"Trajedy…you would … revenge." She had no voice face began to turn purple.

"Damn right I will" Grizelda tightened her grasp but just as she was going to kill them she thought no wait what am I doing. They don't need to die, they need to suffer. Suffer more than they would with a simple death. She squeezed harder making Gretel's neck burst with blood and let go. They hit the wall and fell down. She stopped spinning and gently made her way down. Gretel gasped she was barely alive. " Now leave before I change my mind." Gretel wondered why but she didn't need to be told twice.

"mama…." Nicholas wailed.

"Shut up Nicholas" Grizelda growled.

Gretel grabbed her brother's hands and pulled him out . She dragged him to the forest. Thank God for that yellow liquid she thought.

"Mama why?.."Nicholas asked in fear of the sudden change.

"They my dear Nicholas are a pair of two powerful and evil enemies."

"They need a good spanking." Nicholas said watching his mother make his way to the fridge.

"Oh yes they do." Grizelda reached in and found an arm. She bit into it , it was fresh and blod dripped down Grizelda's chin.

"Mama!"Nicholas yelled in terror but Grizelda ignored her son, he had to learn she thought.

"mmmmmm" she groaned in pleasure.

"Mama!" Nicholas yelled again.

"Shush just watch " Grizelda said forcing her son to watch the blood feast in progress.

Meanwhile Gretel dropped her brother. Her body was burned and thumping with pain all over. Blood dripped on the ground. Even her muscle showed and her wounds were unbelievable. She could barely breathe, she put her hands on her brother's chest quickly. His heart beated faintly. She fell to the floor next to him knowing she would be next. Tear streamed down her face as she kissed him in the fore head. She coughed up blood and her neck was swollen. She thought of how secure she used to be in the castle and how here she was. As the world faded away a thought came into her mind. She could remember exactly through her shattered state. Her mouth moved and she whispered the word that might make a difference.

"Celestia…" An excruciating pain ripped through her throat. She took her brother's hand and watched as the colors left her eyes. The world turned black

9: Castles

"Gretel oh my dear princess!" Celestia exclaimed as she flew faster than light in the fifth dimension. As she saw Gretel's lifeless body she flew straight down and fell on her body. "Gretel! I'm too late!" She reached in between her breasts to find her necklace. An turquoise stone with fairy dust flowing inside each and every splotch of blue. She opened the top and let the dust flow down on Gretel's neck and heart. She saw Gretel holding her brother's hand."So you're the one who has kept Gretel safe all these years.." She let dust flow on Hansel's llifeless form. He awoke first with a

"Gretel!" His neck healed quickly, he sat up not letting go of his sister's hand and he looked up to Celestia. "I was dead what happened? Who are you? Can you do the same for Gretel?"

"My name is Celestia I am the fairy of dearest Gretel and you are who"

"I'm Hansel can you fix her please!" Gretel's neck had healed but her eyes remained closed. He shook Gretel in hopes she would awake. "Gretel please wake up!" Gretel could hear her brother call her name. He was alive she thought.. and she could hear so so was she. Her eyelashes fluttered as she awoke.

"Hansel?" she said as she hugged him. Tears of joy which had barely been used in the siblings lives fell to the floor. "

"Yes Gretel it's me.."

"Princess…" Gretel let go of her brother excitingly.

"Celestia?!" She yelled happily. Celestia nodded. "Thank you…but I'm afraid I'm no longer a princess the kingdom is in ruins.."

"Nonsense you shall always be royalty." Gretel pulled her brother up and gave him a kiss in the cheek which caused him to blush a lot.

"Celeste is it?" Hansel asked reaching to shake her tiny hand.

"I suppose you could call me that..its cute" Celestia responded."Lost I see… "

"and an evil stepmother wants to kill us."Gretel added.

"Oh I can take care of that" Celestia said winking at Gretel causing her to smile "Gretel do you remember your favorite song at the castle?"

Gretel thought back "the little duckling?" Celestia smiled now and sprinkled dust over her and her brother and they fell. When they opened their eyes they were near a river. They stood up and looked around.

"Hansel this is where me and my mother used to sing to the ducks and sometimes they would cross us over!" Gretel said happily not being able to hide her happiness as memories came flooding in.

"Do you know where you are?" Hansel asked with twinkles of hope in his eyes.

"Mmmm hmmm! You cross this and go straight till you see a secret bushel, and then there's a hill and a trail we can follow home!" She said excitingly.

"What about stepmother?" Hansel said beginning to worry again.

"I think Celestia can take care of that." She said grinning.

"So how do we cross this river?" Gretel put her hands to her brother's lips and began to sing.

"Little duckling

Doth you see?

Hansel and Gretel

Are waiting for thee

There is never a toll

nor a bridge in sight

Please take us across

On thy back so white"

Two majestic looking swans them came as on cue with their heads held high. Gretel sat on one and told her brother to get on the other. He was scared he might hurt it but found the swan to be extremely strong. The swans swam swiftly and gracefully. When they got to the other side they both got off without a word. They could see the mountain Gretel had spoken about and they began to climb. Gretel's head filled with memories. She was in the castle with a blindfold on, only four years old.

"Mama tell me what it is."

"Not just yet my little bird be patient…okay ready." It had been so long and Gretel could hear her mother's voice repeat in her head as she continued. In the memory queen Ester took off her daughter's blindfold and watched her daughter marvel at what stood before her. It was a crown too big for small Gretel at the time but it would've probably fit now. The crown was silver with eight turquoise opals.

"Is it mine?" Little Gretel asked.

"Not just yet eight days after your eight birthday we shall have your first ball. You shall fine a prince and dance the night away, then you shall find a maiden of honor and she shall present you with this crown which you shall use until you turn thirteen. Oh my little Gretel is growing up I have this dress. It is turquoise and silver I'm afraid I can't show you till a year before but it's in the dressing room. Gretel I have everything prepared the feast, the clothes, the music, the decorations. You'll love it!" Gretel could see queen Ester was clearly happy.

" Mama what's so important about this ball?" Gretel said nervously.

" It's a celebration for my queen to be!" The queen said happily, not happily ecstatic, she seemed to not be able to wait for that moment. Since then on both the queen and the king had been talking about it often and Gretel usually found herself in dresses that she felt were too simplistic and angelic for her but they made her mother so happy so she dared not to say a word.

Gretel somewhat wished she could have her ball she was eight after all, but she had a need to spend her time in something useful. Now she had no time for dresses and dancing, she was no longer a princess. In fact she was a queen her mother had died so by law it was all in her hands. The ruins were in her hands. She felt nervous and afraid as if she were at the peak of a mountain about to fall. She looked down and found herself to be on the highest peak of the mountain. If she were to take another step she would fall. She felt hands grip her from behind.

"Be careful" a familiar voice said. She turned around it was her brother she had almost forgot about him. She stepped away and sat down staring at all that was to be seen below.. There were ashes in the ground and the flowers seemed to give beauty and honor to those who lay on the floor. It seemed to be like Atlantis in its ruins. The only thing that wasn't ruined was the castle which was too strong to be broken.

Hansel was speechless he didn't know what he should say. "sorry…" He whispered and watched his sister nod. They sat staring at what was below them after a while Hansel spoke up. " Want to go see it?" Gretel nodded and got up.

"Can we go inside?"

"Yes…." Hansel wondered if it was safe after these years but he could tell his sister needed to see this. They walked down the mountain and looked at the entrance. First Gretel stopped to see her mother for her father had disappeared in the battle and no one dared to touch the queen Esther. The queen Esther sat on her throne wearing a white dress with daisies around it. So there she remained almost as ageless and as beautiful looking as she was when she was alive. Flowers had begun to grow with her and her feet began to look like the beauty that were the flowers. Eventually the stench of death made them go inside.

The walls of the castle were cracked and insects crept all over. Rooms were all around the hall , doors open as if there were treasures calling to be unopened. The doors were opened and some lay on the floor. Some streams of light crept from the holes in the ceiling."I'd never thought I would be here…" Hansel said in awe at what it was imagining what it once must have been.

"This used to be the grand hall…"Gretel whispered as she explored. "And those stairs used to glimmer like the sun." She said pointing to a marble staircase. Hansel stopped when he felt something fuzzy under a hole in his shoe. He looked down and saw a white rug, even now it was as white as snow and daisies were at the edges leading to each room. "It's so beautiful." He said looking at it, he didn't usually see a fuzzy rug let alone one that was snow white.

"My mother made it." Gretel said smiling remembering each stitch that her mother had put into it. She walked past doors walking only into some and sometimes leaving her brother behind in the process. She stopped at the staircase obviously some of the steps were loose. She didn't care she began to climb up when she heard someone call her name. She turned around in midstep.

Hansel wanted to protest in her going any higher but he could see the memories flowing in her and the twinkles in her eyes. "Be careful …." He said wondering if he should have said something else. She smiled because he understood she had to go up. She ran up the stairs and her brother ran after her. A step shattered to the floor as they reached the last one filling Hansel with concern. Gretel although didn't seem to care. "Gretel I don't think…." He stopped when he looked in front of him. The floor was made of glass and some of it was already cracking. "Gretel don't move…"

"Hans relax its super thick and some of these cracks have been here for as long as I can remember. It's perfectly safe." She ran quickly to the seventh room leaving her brother to walk slowly frightened that he might fall. As she entered the room her eyes twinkled. "This used to be my bedroom." The bed was big and looked extremely comfortable. A large wardrobe stood in the left with a mirror. Gretel opened the wardrobe and took a dress. She held the dress to her chest it was lavender, it had daisies and ruffles. She laid it on the bed carefully and laid next to it. She sunk into the bed's comfortable caress which welcomed her with open arms. Her room was so clean yet it looked like it might have been recently used. She looked at the wall and the handprint she had made on the wall so many years was so close to the bed it was as if she could simply reach her childhood. She placed her hand on the hand print. It obviously didn't fit but somehow… just somehow she thought that it might have (despite her obvious growth)…and if it did… She could somehow start over, start the country over. Just her, Celestia and her brother. No stepmother, no hurt, no abuse, nothing bad just good but reality hit her with a pang her country was lost and so was her royalness. She walked over to her drawer and opened it. She put her box of jewels on top before she forgot them and looked through her drawer until she found a diamond necklace that matched the one she had held in her pocket for the past placed it around her neck surprise that it still ran out of the room and ran to another one. Her brother grabbed the box before she could forget them and ran after her.

"My parents room…." She said her eyes sparkling with the memories. She tried her best not to be so emotional. After all the tears she cried of sadness this moment was not sad it was joyful so there was no need to cry she thought. This room could have been five rooms in one. Yet even though it was huge the truth was that the queen and king were only in their rooms at night and at day they let their servants and maids browse and enjoy it. For their values was that everyone deserves joy. Gretel walked over to one of the walls that seemed to be covered in books. She touched the books and picked one from the fourth row. She opened it up and marveled at it's contents. They were pictures…yes pictures that captured each amazing moment of Gretel's happy childhood. Her absolute favorite was one rimmed in was the very first picture in the book which showed Gretel, her mother and her father on three swans. She put it against her heart after staring at it for a while.

"What's that?" Hansel said pointing to a box with a combination the corner of the room. Gretel seemed to have noticed it for the first time. She walked over to it placing the pictures on the bed and she began to wonder. 8…4…6… she thought as she turned the lock. She wasn't sure if it was the code but if what was inside was what she thought was inside it should work. The lock popped open and the door was a crown with silver lining, a crown with 8 turquoise opals in total. "Was this your mother's crown?" Hansel asked seeing that it was a bit too small for the lady he had seen outside. She shook her head.

"No..it was supposed to be mine.. this was the first crown I was supposed to get in my first crowning ceremony, which I was supposed to have when I turned eight."

"You are eight..Hey Gretel.. what if.. we have a crowning ceremony now?"

Gretel sighed." Hansel I would need a dress.. and to dance at the gala ballroom with a prince..then I would need a maid of honor to crown me and the queen must approve."

"oh…" Hansel wanted something fun to cheer Gretel up and this was the thing."

Gretel could see her brother simply wanted to cheer her up and she knew her parents would hate it if she weren't crowned princess ,but of course her mother had died so now she was queen.

"But of course I'm the queen now and I've got my prince right here." She said touching her brother's chin. He smiled

"we need a dress…"Hansel said thoughtfully.

"And you need a suit." Gretel said smiling happily. She took his arm and ran to another room. As she opened the double doors, Hansel could have sworn he heard footsteps. He turned around quickly to see a glimpse of red, blood stained cloak run across the hall.

"Gretel.. I think we should…"

"We should what?" Gretel said smiling so sweetly that Hansel couldn't bare ruining her moment.

He shook his head and said "never mind" but inside he was concerned of what could be lurking in the depths of the castle. When he finally looked inside the room he could see there were racks and racks of clothing, opened boxes with shoes, bags with ties and necklaces, and all was reflected on the many mirrors in the room. Gretel's smile shone brightly.

"Just like I remember." she said.

"Wow.." he said almost speechless because he had never seen clothing so beautiful before.

"Come on Hans" she urged taking him further into the labyrinth of clothing. She ran past racks and racks. It's easy to get lost in here Hansel thought. He was about to say something when Gretel came into a halt. Before her were eight glass containers with eight of the most beautiful dresses in the entire room. "My mother gave me the liberty to choose. We have always agreed on this one." Gretel said pointing to a white and blue dress. It had rhinestones and complimented her sky blue eyes. Another dress was orange and yellow as bright as the sun. The third dress was lavender and slim with violet roses all over. The fourth was snow white with white flowers all around it. The fifth was black and pink with tads of teal, green, red, purple, and other colors. The sixth was brown yet industrial, sexy and cowgirl-ish. The seventh was made of peacock feathers and the eight was like the blue, brown and two black dresses all mixed into one. It was punk yet girly, sexy and it looked even independent. There was no doubt it stood out and was different."But I don't know now.. what do you think Hansel?"

He stood there amazed by the dresses. It took him a moment to realize that she was talking to him."hmmm… what? Oh sorry. Whatever you desire your highness"

"Hansel…." She said blushing. She grabbed the top of the eighth container and pulled it out grabbing the dress that was inside. "I'll go change suits are over there." She said pointing ahead. "Have fun choosing."

"Alright your highness." Hansel said as he bowed and kissed Gretel's hand. She smiled and walked back with her cheeks as red as roses. Hansel walked around when he finally got to where he was supposed to be he found that the outfits were all too… fancy for him. He picked one that was humble looking. It was black and white, Simplistic but as handsome as he was. He took it out of the bag and put it on. He walked towards a mirror he didn't know how but it fit exactly. He found a comb and brushed his hair, he couldn't even recognize himself. He walked back and when he got to where Gretel was he was stunned once hair which shone like the sun was held up in an incredible manner. Her dress flowed down like a waterfall. Her opals necklace shone if not more than her shining eyes. Her lips were light pink and even her black heels had opals. She looked as if she had become older in five seconds of having the dress on. "You look… gorgeous sis." Hansel said not completely convinced that it was his sister.

"You too Hans." Hansel sighed with relief because Gretel's voice proved that sshe was after all his sister. "Now I just need a maiden of honor.." Hansel heard the steps again and quickly turned around again to see a tall figure run away. This time Hansel ran after her. "HALT!" Gretel yelled with her Rhionine accent back. Hansel stopped and so did the figure. Suddenly a sound echoed itself through the halls and before any of them knew what was going on. Both Hansel and the figure were dangling from the staircase. Steps beneath their feet had fallen and now steps all over were crumbling and crashing down. "Hansel!" Gretel screamed. Soon most of the marble had shattered on the ground and Hansel and the figure had barely anything to hold on to. Hasel tried not to look down but when he did he found it was a long way down.

10: The Ball

The Ball

"Red!" Gretel screamed as the steps under the figure shattered. The figure jumped and flung her self up, she then grabbed a piece of the floor. She dangled her fingers bleeding from the sharp glass which was the floor yet she forced herself to hold on. She looked at the princess who was now very occupied with something else."Hansel!" The princess screamed. Don't look down, Don't look down, Don't look down, Hansel repeated to himself. The stairs under him gave way and just as quick as they fell he felt a hand grip his wrist. He looked up and saw his sister and he took her arms. She pulled him up as his shoes felt the floor he could hear another crash and a scream. He made his way onto the glass floor safely and turned around to see the figure on the floor pinned down by two pieces of marble.

Her leg was bleeding and he could see that she had autumn hair that stretched all the way to her neck. She had a ripped red hood that nearly covered her face. "Red?!" Gretel screamed.

"My leg!" She screamed wincing in obvious pain. "I think.. I think it's broken!"

"We have to do something!" Hansel said looking at his sister who was in deep thought. A floor piece was cracking and was about to fall on Red. With no hesitation Gretel gave her brother a weak smile as she kicked the step down. -CRASH-

"Gretel!" Hansel yelled angrily. As he looked at his sister a black beast pounced on her, a very familiar black was the wolf he thought.

What the heck! You could have killed me! Gretel grunted as she stared at the gold and black pointed eye.

"Your leg seems better doesn't it?!" She said through gritted teeth.

"Oh.. right.." Red said turning back to her blushing beauty.

Gretel sighed "So Violet, maid of honor?" She said giving Red her hand to shake. Red shook it and said.

"I would love to your highness." Hansel was shocked and was slowly picking up the pieces. He wanted to ask so many questions but decided to ask later when they were alone. He didn't want to take the chance of that wolf hurting them for a wrong answer.

"Great I'll meet you at the ball room. "Gretel said smiling proudly as she ran off. Hansel couldn't help but blurt.

"Am I the only one who cares about what just happened?!"Red smiled as she turned to Hansel. He was a total stranger to her but she knew if Gretel loved him, she better not ask questions and get to know him.

"This is princess Gretel we're talking about, she always as a plan. She probably already has one so this problem has come and gone to her." Hansel swiftly looked back at the week's events. Red was right , it made total sense. He still wasn't calmed down and the "thick" glass just made him want to panic even more, But he concluded that who would know more of the building than princess Gretel herself. He summoned his bravery and walked with Red to the ballroom. Gretel had already managed to turn on the lights, add some music to the scene and there she stood there waiting for her prince. With her legs crossed and her back slightly bowed and one hand extended she really did look like a princess. Hansel walked down as if he had known the process before and he put his hand on hers.

"My lovely Gretel would you allow me a dance?" He said which left Gretel shocked not only by his words but his prince like movements.

"Of course." She said wondering if he knew how to dance. She put a foot out and so did he. She bent with her foot out and he twirled her and when she laid back in his arms he kissed her. (In the cheek of course!) She closed her eyes and let her body flow with her prince's. Step after step, twirl after twirl, song after song they danced the night away. "Hansel where did you learn to dance like that?" she asked as the sun rose.

"I taught myself I guess." He said vaguely.

"Time for the maiden of honor. "Gretel announced. Red came in the room with the a very peculiar but beautiful dress. It was red, black and white and layered. She came holding a turquoise pillow with the crown on top. Hansel let his sister's hand go as she knelt down and let the crown carefully be placed on her head. Red hugged Gretel and even though they were almost enemies she hugged her back.

'Your father would be proud." Red whispered in Gretel's ear. A single tear in symbol of her great joy rolled down Gretel's cheek. "Now time for the feast in Gretel's honor. Red said not knowing what the princess had been through. Gretel gave Red an intense stare.

"Right I almost forgot." She said in a monotone voice.

"What? Your parents always had this prepared you know that."

"How do you know that?!"

"I've been chilling here for a while." Red said. Gretel looked down she couldn't pass this up but she was still traumatized from fattening her brother. She sighed.

"Alright.." She exchanged glances with her brother, he dared not to ruin the moment but she was concerned for her brother's ravenous appetite. They walked down to the table and Gretel lifted up some tiles and planks. Under a blanket was a feast with preservatives. That was it nothing could surprise Hansel, he had seen it all now he thought.

"The king and queen were really looking forward to this moment weren't they?" Hansel asked knowing already the answer.
""They were obsessed with it." Gretel replied plainly as she grabbed dish by dish and set them on the golden mantel covered table. Red began to take out the silverware.(which wasn't silver.)

Hansel sat next to Gretel smells wafting through the air. "Wow you really were in paradise weren't you?" he said bummed out because there was nothing he could give her that she hadn't already seen.

"Beyond first class." Gretel said pretending to be enthusiastic while saying it. "Now don't eat yourself out of house and home this time." She whispered in his ear. Hansel blushed as Red finally sat down. Red took one glance at Hansel's face and laughed. "What's so funny?" Gretel asked her smile pulling up again.

Red tried her best to be respectful as she did not want to offend the prince. "I swear in my fifteen years of life I have never seen someone blush as hard as your brother." Saying this made Red laugh even harder and it made Hansel blush even more. Gretel looked at her brother's face which was redder than crimson. She couldn't help but join in the laughter. Hansel's face grew redder and redder so he hid it in his hands. Red and Gretel exchanged glances then looked back at Hansel and continued in their laughter. Hansel decided that in his current embarrassed state, he was just going to make them laugh even more so he looked at his own reflection in one of the plates and he couldn't help but laugh. This laughter seemed to go on forever until it slowly died down. "So princess shall we get started?" Red asked. Gretel thought for a second All this food? Well I'm sure they don't expect to eat all of it.

"Sure" she agreed and they dug in. Red really ate meat like a carnivorous wolf and Hansel well…" Gretel cleared up her second plate then she looked around filling her hungry mind with memories. Meanwhile Hansel and Red stared at each other stunned. Red stunned that Hans ate as much as she did and Hans stunned that she ate like a carnivorous wolf. After they finished up Red asked

"What would your highness like to do now?"

Gretel yawned "sleep." Gretel brought them back to the dressing room where they changed into nightgowns. Then they walked into the queen's room and slept. Hansel laid next to his sister, Red was about to protest but decided to sleep for a bit. Red woke up soon enough and climbed out of the bed as silent as night. She found a quill pen and paper and quickly wrote a note with a candle at her side. She blew out the candle and looked out the window where overgrown vines grew. She slid down on them and ran into the forest. She climbed up a tree and let out a loud howl. She laid down on the branches and rested, she preferred to sleep in the forest like the animal she was. She simply cleaned up the remains of her homeland which was the castle remains once in a while, But she certainly wouldn't sleep on the queen's bed. She took off her gown and hung it on the tree. Her fur grew out and soon you couldn't tell she was ever human. Except for the red bloodstained cloak she wore she put the rest of the clothes around the leaves of the branches. Her eyes shone with intention and she looked so beastly. She looked cruel even though all she had ever done was help the good and kill the evil. She was a fugitive but in reality she helped others.

"Let's leave it like this…Like the brave knight no one shall ever know my acts of kindness." The wind took her words as she dozed off.

11: Heading Home

Gretel woke up first, she got up and stretched. She rubbed her eyes, It had been so long that she had been in her parent's bed she felt as if she were in a dream. She wondered where Red was but she decided it wouldn't make a difference to ask. Red was gone and she was an animal she needed no one to worry for her. She went to her old bedroom and grabbed a backpack. She put inside the box with jewels, some pictures, clothes, jewelry and other possessions. She went and changed into yesterday's clothes that were quite dirty by now but she didn't care. "We should go early." She awoke her brother whose hair was everywhere and his eyes opened drowsily. "Let's go home.." Gretel announced. Hansel was confused, he thought that now that Gretel had come to the castle again she had thought that she had everything here, and that she would try to build the city anew. "I cant stay in the castle without my prince." She said hugging him. Hansel changed into his clothing from yesterday but he was confused how they get out if the stairs had been destroyed.

"How do we get out of here?" Gretel pointed to the window and began to climb out slowly. Hansel ran towards the window and watched as Gretel slid down the vines. He had a thing for heights. He turned around for a second to breathe and saw a piece of paper that Gretel must have not seen. He grabbed it and jammed it into his pocket. Then he jumped down the window clutching a vine. The wind swept through his hair as the sun rose. The vine ended and he grabbed another quickly. He felt wild and free but he decided to push the feeling aside although he loved it. His feet touched the floor and he felt bad that it was over yet relieved. There he was on the moss with Gretel at his side. "Um.. I think you forgot about this" He said not mentioning the thrill and giving her the note.

I'm off to the forest, I don't belong with you or Hansel. If you ever need me call my name.-Red

Ps don't tell anyone of what I know you have found out about me.

Gretel shoved the note in her pocket. She grabbed Hansel's hand and led the way to the bushels. They were hard to find because they were so cleverly hidden but since Gretel had once hid there it was not impossible to find.

"You know.. you're regaining your accent." Hansel said trying to get a conversation going .

Gretel blushed a bit. "I know.."

"You looked amazing yesterday." He said grabbing a dandelion and placing it in her sunshine hair.

"Thanks Hans." She said smiling. "You know.. you looked like a prince yesterday…"

Hansel shrugged. "Thanks to that suit." They silenced and tightened their grip on their hands as they walked past the deceased warriors. When they passed the deceased Gretel said what had been in the back of her mind since the ball.

"Hansel it wasn't the suit… it was you." Hansel stopped and blushed before recovering from her words and walking off again.

"you got me blushing again.." She walked and walked on without saying a word until she came to something that made her stop. The line that said that the two cities could not get along. Hansel and Gretel proved differently. "So princess would you like to erase the line?"

"It would be of great honor" She said stomping and kicking up where the line once was. She didn't stop until it was all gone. She then smiled at Hansel and grabbed his hand again. They walked on.

"Hey I know where we are!" Hansel said excitingly. Gretel squeezed his hand and walked over to a tree.

"Hansel…." She said for against the tree was a corpse. Not just any corpse but it was the corpse of their stepmother. The corpse was rotting and some parts of it were eaten by animals. Not animals, An animal, A wolf. "Red…" Gretel chuckled. She jumped up and hugged Hansel. "Step mother is dead!" She said gleefully. They hugged tightly and walked down hope returning to their lives. They kept walking and the path became more and more familiar. They began to see the outline of their cottage.

"Papa!" Hansel yelled happily but he stopped in his steps. "Gretel… there's sumthin wrong."It was true. All the windows were cracked and the door was on its hinges. Bugs crept all over and there was no light from inside. They crept inside, it was unusually quiet. All you could hear was the creaking of a single rocking chair. It was all gone , Everything was gone. There was no furniture ,nothing but the chair. "Papa?" Hansel asked as he saw the hunched figure in the rocking chair. It was his father, but he was far from fine his beard was untrimmed and he was paler than snow. He was literally all bones and they weren't sure if he was alive, his eyes were closed. Gretel hugged the cold man whom she called her father. And tears strolled down her cheek. Hansel burst into tears but still remained silent. Hansel put his head on his father's chest. His heart was beating but barely, as if it could shut down at any minute. "Papa!" he said almost screaming, tears welling up in his eyes. The woodcutter blinked as he began to wake up from his trance.

"Hansel?" he asked in disbelief.

"Papa?!" Hansel said hugging his father harder than he had ever done in his entire life. The woodcutter was hesitant as if he doubted it was his son. It was only until he hugged him that he knew he wasn't dreaming.

"Hansel..." The woodcutter said. A tear flowing down his sunken in cheek. Gretel stood awkwardly feeling out if place.

"Where's Gretel?" The woodcutter croaked causing Gretel to thrust herself into his arms. "Oh children I thought you were dead. Your stepmother disappeared the same day you did. I'm afraid she is gone but she was always bad anyways and now that I have you back…Oh dear children you have come back to greet death for I have had to sold all our things for daily bread and after all it has been nearly four days since there has been none. Oh children I have missed you so." Gretel let go, opened her pack and showed him the jewels.

"Where did you find that?!" The woodcutter asked causing them to explain the entire story. He nodded in amazement and they came to the conclusion that they would sell the jewels and use the money for all they needed and to help others too.

"But first.." Gretel piped up." I want to buy a little piggy. he will be just like Hansel. Hansel blushed.

"And I want one too to be just like Gretel who insisted to eat some gingerbread. Their father smiled and agreed. By two weeks builders had fixed up their home and it was no longer a crappy little cottage. They had gotten food, water and clothes. They had also given a loaf of bread to all the poor people in the neighborhood .They had crops planted and some animals, 2 cows, 4 sheep, a rooster, 6 chickens and two pigs. Hansel and Gretel's favorite thing to do now was help others and to play with their pigs named Max and Sunshine. It wasn't soon before Sunshine became pregnant, A male pig. When it came out everyone was confused. Pigs are supposed to have more than one pig at a time. That mystery was never solved but there seemed to be something remarkable about this pig. He glowed and he seemed smarter and more human than any pig ever could be. After three days of bonding Hansel named this pig after himself. The pig was even able to comprehend and begin to speak human language and he began to walk on two hooves like a human. Only a year after, Sunshine had another piglet, she was a girl and like the other was incredibly smart. Gretel couldn't help but love her and name her after herself… and thus I got my name.

12: My Beginning

My Beginning

Back at the sugary trap Grizelda was munching on her latest prey Jacquelyn while practicing her magic.

"CAW CAW" Grizelda turned around to see her father. He had a sinister gleam in his eyes, and through her magic she was able to understand him. (let me translate.) "I have found two wishing hearts."

"Two Wishing hearts?!" Grizelda yelled. Most magical animals or humans with wishing hearts usually die before they are born and you found two?"

"Caw CAW caw" (Translation "They are but newborns so you shall have to wait.")

"Indeed I will wait centuries if I have to." She said grinning. "Nicholas!" she yelled as little pitter patter of feet were heard. He was there and she had waited long enough to say these words. "I think you are old enough to let me tell you about the black arts."

"Okay mommy."

After two years my brother who seemed to learn smarter and faster than humans had learned speak English and chop wood. Although he was a pig he acted much more like a human. He was cold hearted most of times and was a grand troublemaker. He always boasted of his skills but I always tried to be humble. We never really spent time together, whenever we did people would have to pry him off of me or separate us, so I never really knew him. By the time I was three I had finally learned to speak English. One day I was in the middle of a lesson when I felt to give my mother a hug and a really tight one. I excused myself from the classes for a minute and went to my mother's pen. That's when I realized something wasn't right. Although her name was sunshine only me and my brother shone, she was as dull as a rusted nickel. By now she was quite old for pig and unlike my father she seemed to have barely any strength left. I tried to push the thought away as I hugged her tight. That day she hugged me as if she would never see me again that's when I knew I couldn't ignore the thoughts. She escorted me back to my lessons where Gretel was waiting patiently. Gretel had a very serious look on and I saw that Max and Hansel were there too. I could see a dark figure leaning against the opposite wall. As I walked closer it turned out to be my brother. I didn't remember his jaws being so big I thought as I backed away and asked my mother what was going on.

"Honey I am getting old." My mother spoke trying to figure out the right words to say. My brother walked up next to me to listen to mother. It was the closest we had ever been unless we were fighting so I was terrified I put my thoughts on hold as I listened to my mother who continued on." And weak now there is always a part in a pig's life when humans…" she paused for thought. After waiting a few minutes my brother was getting impatient.

"Spit it out!" He said disrespectfully.

"Humans decide we aren't worth much and they slaughter us." My head revolved around the words. Did she just say what I think she said. I mean there was no way she could have meant what I thought she did. What my brother said next confirmed my fears.

"What the hell Hansel first you treat me like a freakin prince and then you kill my crappy excuse for a family!" It never dawned on me that my brother knew too many words. Although my brother's words were always hurtful everyone knew that under his hateful exterior he was weeping like the child he wouldn't admit he was. I on the other hand couldn't hide it and tears flowed down my cheeks. We hugged together but a thought came popping in my head.

"What about Max… and me ..and my brother?" I asked, Gretel put her hands on my shoulders then glanced at her brother who was nodding her to continue.

"Listen we love you guys but dad...just wants you for pork so we aren't going to let that happen. Tomorrow we will leave the fence open and you, your brother and Max will run. Run quick up North until you find a little door in the ground, slip through it and there will be your new home." Her words cut me like knifes for she had left out one crucial detail.

"What about Momma?" I asked. Gretel looked down to the floor before continuing.

"I'm afraid Sunshine won't make it." That night we were up for hours discussing what would happen once we got there, and how we would survive on our own. It was chosen that since we were special we had to be treated different and thus our true lives began. Gretel gave me some clothes that fit me as I wasn't too different than a little girl. We all spent our last hours with Sunshine. When I was alone I screamed and cried.

"Why?... no I don't want to say good bye.. Please.. I don't know who is out there to listen to me but…" Then my voice broke ,I cried and cried. Someone heard me and put their arms around me. They gave me a shoulder to cry on and said.

"Don't worry.. it'll be alright." I opened my eyes to see that it was my brother. I didn't know why he was with me but I loved him for it. I hugged him but the hug didn't last long. People had begun to notice we were gone and before they could realize what had happened he ran back and left me alone. By the next morning I had my hoof marks all over Sunshine. I was really upset that the 2 humans I loved so much were simply going to let my mother die. Before I knew it a dark figure came and took my mother away, we heard her screams which were our signal. I ran as fast as I could but even with that my short legs failed to keep up with Max and my brother. Eventually Max got sick and tired of me slowing me down so he took me in his back and ran on all fours. Soon we spotted the door and as we opened it we were greeted by a ladder. We climbed down to see an underground home, our underground home. It looked so human that I almost forgot I wasn't one. There were beds, a table, chairs, a hole to make a fire, a trunk with clothes, an axe, Well I was amazed. The next day Hansel and Gretel came to visit. They said they would visit every week. As I grew I learned how to sew, clean, cook anything that a "young woman" needed to know. My brother and father would usually leave me alone for hours while they chopped up wood and left it in an alley. The next day they would go to the alley and find the wood gone but coins in its place. By my fifth birthday I was usually alone in the house, cleaning, sewing or making traps to catch small animals to eat. Although I didn't look human I sure acted like one. Hansel and Gretel came less and less often but when they did I was usually the only one home to greet them.

One day around Spring I was lonelier than ever. I opened the door to see some petals floating in from a cherry blossom tree nearby. I was too down to work and all my chores were done. I sat up in my bed just listening to the silence that was in the air. All of a sudden a sound emerged and stopped my thoughts. I looked up to see a figure rising from the darkness. It jumped up trying to escape where it had just purposely fallen. He looked about three years older than me. He couldn't see me the lighting was all wrong so I decide to approach him.

"Damn these stupid hunters and their traps." He sighed and turned around that's when we saw each other. He had black hair and pale skin, his teeth were sharper than an animal's and his eyes were blood red.

"Who are you?" I asked He smiled when he saw me a bit shocked that I could speak. He stood there a moment pondering if he should tell me his real identity, He did.

" Nicholas.. who are you?" For some reason I felt that something was calling to me to get closer as if speaking to him wasn't already enough. I felt fear creep in as I realized who he was but then it melted away when he smiled with assurance. It wasn't him… It couldn't be I thought.

"Gretel…my name is Gretel." He winced as if it brought him some painful memories and almost growled a bit. He couldn't call me that not after what happened to his aunt and that small poem that haunted his mind.

"Well piggy why are you so alone?" I was a bit surprised that my expression was that obvious. Despite all the warnings from Hansel and Gretel this boy before me seemed to be so … I couldn't put my hoof on it , This boy just had something that drew me closer and closer to him. I wanted to plead for him not to leave me but I knew that would be an inappropriate action at the moment. I didn't answer I just motioned for him to come in. We talked and talked, I don't remember about what all I remember was that I felt that he was the best guy in the world. I know that I was like a puppet, he was asking me questions and with no suspicions I answered them all giving him all the answers he needed. I blinked and for a second reality crept through my mind.

"Oh no my brother is coming soon" I said. It was Friday and on Fridays he always came a little early. It was around five and I still had to start cooking dinner. I pointed to the ladder and just as fast as I pointed it out he left me. I was star struck wishing that he would come back tomorrow. I stood there awaking from my daze for a couple of minutes before I climbed up the ladder and walked over to one of my traps. There was a rabbit caught I it, I grabbed it, reset the trap and ran back home. I dropped it on the table, fetched some vegetables and water and by about an hour I had some stew. I say an hour because It's super hard to grab things without any fingers. Luckily my brother came home late but unfortunately I had been too busy cooking to realize the boot prints that Nicholas had left on the floor.

Nicholas arrived home and kissed his mother's bloody cheek. She was out cold, lately she had been killing even more children as a way to survive because she needed their blood considering that now her own blood had melted inside of her because of her boiling hot anger towards the world. Nicholas looked around counting, Twelve in total. He rubbed his tired eyes and dragged his mother to her room. He then reached in the fridge and grabbed a cup of scarlet. He drank as he piled the bodies in the corner. He grabbed some drops of the yellow liquid and poured it on his mother before finishing his drink and dozing off.

Max dropped the bag of coins on the floor, He didn't seem to care to much about me and I think it was pretty obvious that he loved my brother more. My brother on the other hand saw the mud stains and saw that since I couldn't wear shoes they weren't mine.

"Gretel who was here?" Knowing him I didn't answer knowing that if I did he would probably insult me, fight or worse. He kicked me knowing that I was dodging the question.

"I asked you a question!" He said harshly. Being on the floor anyways I decided that if I was going to be hurt anyways I might as well answer the question.

"Nicholas .. I let him in only because I was lonely because you are never around.!" I somewhat lied because I didn't exactly let him in.

"You let a stranger in our house you ungrateful brat?!"

"Maybe if you weren't gone all the time I wouldn't be so lonely!" He grabbed me by the tailand hoofed me in the rib.

"Stop being such an crapface Jeez what the freak is wrong with you. Such a dumb bastard" I still couldn't believe my brother's colorful vocabulary. He grabbed me just as I was limping away and threw me against one of the walls. Just to anger him even more I said

"Max is my dad right? So im not a bastard you freaktart" My father just looked at me with a disappointed look in his face.

"You should have never have been born." He whispered as the words cut through my soul I fell to my knees and was hit by another blow.

"Alright my bad you are just a dumb lonely pig so go sleep outside you brat!" He hoofed me in the stomach and threw me up the stairs outside. "And don't you ever think of coming back!" So I laid there with pain in the rain as he locked the door. The black mark in my tummy was bleeding and my father's voice echoed in my head. "You should have never been born." I soon started to cry and I went to the only place I could go back to the home where I had lived so long ago. I limped and knocked on the door hoping that no one would decide to butcher me. Soon the door opened and a tall figure came out. I shivered crying.

"Please don't eat me." Was all I could mutter with my face buried in my hooves.

"Now why would I want to that" The person said as he lifted me up in a hug." I'm glad you came for a visit." He set me on the ground and closed the door behind me. "Gretel!" He yelled. I opened my eyes and removed my face from my hooves. It was Hansel but he was much taller now and a bit more handsome.

"Hansel?"

"Who else would I be?" He said smiling.

"You are really tall…"

He smiled. "That happens. You are so wet let me get you a towel." He said leaving quickly. Gretel soon rushed in.

"Gretel?" She asked picking me up.

"I'm Gretel are you Gretel?" I asked smiling. She laughed but soon her eyes were glued to my stomach.

"What happened?" she asked. I looked down the blood had dripped down to my legs. I sighed

"My brother and I kind of got in a fight and he kicked me out."

She frowned " That brute.." Hansel arrived and Gretel pointed to my wound. They dried me off , put a bandage on my cut and then I explained to them the situation.

"What about Max?" Hansel asked.

"He kinda…didn't care." I said leaving out his painful words. As they took the full impact of what I said their eyes locked on each other's.

"Grizelda's son is named Nicholas… you don't think..?" Hansel left the thought in the air but my little brain couldn't piece it together. Gretel put her hands on my shoulders.

"Gretel watch out okay? Not everyone is who they seem to be." She said seeing that I kind of went into a trance whenever she talked about him. "Tomorrow we will talk to your brother., and he better not do anything like this again!" I nodded. Those were the last words I heard before I dozed off.

When I woke up Hansel and Gretel were gone. I looked around I was on my bed. I was scared if I was in my trench then that must mean that my brother must have been nearby. I must've have fallen asleep and they carried me. I heard some voices so I closed my eyes and concentrated on what they were saying.

"You kicked your sister out?!"

"Yes, she was being an brat!"

"How dare you talk about Gretel like that! What did I tell you about not being a jerk?!"

"You, What did you tell me?! You told me you loved me then you killed my mom. You said you would come back to visit to make sure I was okay. Where are you, you don't even care about us anymore."

"I do care and I do come but whenever I do Gretel is all alone so how would you know if I come or not and did you know that your sister might have just met Grizelda's son?!"\

"So?"

"So?! Look I don't know what she has planned but I do know that it's nothing pretty. You know she is trying to avenge her sister's death. Your sister is special and she is hidden pretty well, the fact that she met Nicholas is no coincidence. This ..is just the beginning."

"Your problem not mine." Hansel grabbed my brother by the collar the anger beginning to show in his voice.

"Yes it is your problem if she is after your sister what do you think will happen to you besides have you no feelings for her? The thing that make you special is your wishing heart and I think she probably wants it. If he rips her heart out who knows what Grizelda would do not just to her but to all of us." My brother was about to argue more but Hansel held his lips. "Take care of your sister and stop being so heartless and selfish." With that he climbed up and slammed the door.

My brother snorted angrily. I'm not heartless you dumb jerk". At this Hansel opened the door and jumped down. He threw my brother against the wall and kicked him in the stomach just as painfully as he had done to me

"And stop thinking you are better than everyone else." Hansel left for real this time leaving my brother to grunt in pain.

"Ugh what the freak that hurts!" I got up and sat on the bed.

"Now you know how it feels." I said nonchalantly standing up rubbing my eyes.

"Shut up snitch." I walked over to him and held out my hand to pull him up but he pushed me away. "I don't need an ungrateful brat to help me." He grabbed Max's shoulder and the axe before limping away. I wanted to say something else but them Max gave me a disappointed look and I couldn't help it so I said nothing. Their comments and looks did make me feel as if I should have never been born. They left leaving me alone again. I was really depressed that Max thought of me as such a disappointment. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice when Nicholas slid back in. He put his arms around me and suddenly all the warnings I had been given were lost in the wind. I couldn't remember anything only the fact that Nicholas seemed to be the only one who loved me and cared for me.

"What's wrong princess?"

"My brother hates me, my dad hates me and they think I should have never been born!"

"Aw.. I love you." He said hugging me

"I know…" I smiled but somehow some fear crept in. There was something wrong but I had no idea what. I felt so comforted in that hug I felt as if I wanted to be in his control forever. Yes I knew there was something unnatural and I knew he was leading me right into a trap but yet I just didn't seem to care. When he was about to leave I felt love struck and a pain shot through my arm as if Cupid had hit me with his arrow of love or so I thought. "Nicholas…?"

"Yes princess?" he said with a smile. It almost seemed as if he wasn't lying that he loved me.

"I think… I think I love you." He leaned in for the kill and kissed me on the mouth. That's it my thoughts were completely in his hands. He ran up the ladder .

"Same time tomorrow?" Something told me to never allow him there again but I couldn't listen to it now . I might have listened to the warning yesterday but not today. It was as if I were under his spell.

"yes." When he left I went outside to find dinner but not before I cleaned the boot marks in the rooms left by a certain someone. Actually I realized I hadn't eaten in the whole day. It didn't really bother me anymore. I looked in the traps, I had caught a goat. Yikes I thought, I wasn't sure who owned it so I was pretty sure to drag it in the trench quickly. I fixed it up and just as I finished it my brother and Max entered. I thought I was in love which made me look and feel extremely dreamy and happy.

"What's the occasion?" My brother asked seeing as I was so happy and the dinner was larger than usual.

"Oh what I can't cook a nice meal for my hardworking family." Max smiled at me but my brother knew something was up.

"Since when do you think we do hard work?" He asked.

"Oh just eat it." I said pouring some in a bowl and giving it to him. I gave some to Max and we sat in the table together. It was extremely quiet, this rarely happened, we were usually too caught up in arguing to do anything together. I was so caught in my daydreams that I didn't hear my brother when he said

"So what makes you so happy today?" I blinked barely hearing him my mind was like a broken record repeating those that kiss again and again. "Hello?"

"What?" I said a tad annoyed to be ripped away from what seemed to be paradise.

"Wow you really are deaf I said why are you so happy?" I froze for a moment not knowing what to say. I stared at him for several seconds until I thought of something.

"Because you are here dear brother." He looked confused but most of all annoyed. I could even see a bit of worry shine in his eyes real quick, but there was no way he could be worried and even if he was it wouldn't be for me I thought.

"No seriously why?" I looked down and tried to dodge the question. I pretended to be more occupied staring at the wall than to be listening. I grabbed the plates silently and went to wash them in the river without saying a word. As soon as I left Max and my brother began to converse.

"Dad .. I'm a bit worried about Gretel." My brother said putting his head on one of his hooves.

"Since when do you care about her?"

"I've always cared about Gretel!"

"Its that little runt's fault that Sunshine aint here why you gotta worry bout her?"

"Because she is my sister and it wasn't her fault It was mine I was the one who made her tough enough so that she would survive but one life was needed for us to escape that horrid death."

"It should have been her."

"Dad! Don't you see what is happening? Don't you care?!"

"No when you give me a good reason why I will"

"Father…you are heartless.."

"What did I tell you about that! One must show no love or weakness if they want to get on in life! That what happened to me and I don't want that to happen to you son.. they will tear all you love away.." He said slamming him into the ground and digging up the hole with the bottle. He drank and drank, then he hid it again as I approached. If only I knew then what I knew now, that my brother did love me, so much in fact that he toughened me up so I wouldn't be the runt of the litter and get killed, So much that he picked me over his mother, So much he hid my faters hatred towards me so much that he saved my life.

13: Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I arrived at my home and put the dishes on the counter.

"Hey what do you think if I stayed with you tomorrow?" My brother asked. I didn't see it at the time but Max growled at my brother and looked as if he would re-dig up that bottle and smack him upside the hid with it. What should I say I wanted my brother to stay with me, I really did but Nicholas… If I said no he would get furious but it was too late for this Nicholas was already coming.

"Thanks.." He smiled and got closer to me. "But no thanks…"

"Alrighty then.." He said worryingly before almost immediately going into his cold exterior."So tell me brat first you act so desperate wanting not to be so lonely and crud and now that you aren't going to be you don't want to?!You know what Screw you don't deserve it anyway!" My father smiled as if he agreed. "Who the freak do you think you are?! stupid Romeo and Juliet?! You are going to die!" He yelled his worries out, but quickly covered it up ." And I don't care!" He hoofed me in the face.(making a baby tooth fall out in the process.) He stopped and growled at me before climbing back up motioning Max to follow him.

"Dad I'm going to check out just who this Nicholas is. I'm sure you can cut wood in your own right?"

"Why are you going to care about that runt. Im telling you one day she is going to be ripped away from you and there wont be nothing you can do about it."

"Dad answer the question can you or can you not?" Max sighed. "Hey after they kill Gretel who do you think will be next?"

"Yes.. Yes I can."

"C'mon before Gretel thinks there is something wrong." I was sitting in my bed staring at the wall.

"Hansel….Why did you want to stay." I whispered painfully trying to avoid looking at him as he approached me. He looked at my father and rolled his eyes.

"I dunno.. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He said honestly hoping he didn't sound too nice, Max looked at him angrily before he dug up something I couldn't see and left.

I smiled " I knew somewhere in that big bad Hansel someone cared." My brother chuckled and pushed me playfully.

"Shut up." He said not serious at all.

"Don't worry." I said happily "Nicholas is alright." Hansel was still worried but he decided to continue with his plan. He hugged me and I fell asleep in his arms. My brother stayed up until my father came back, and he tucked him in bed, hid the bottle and went back to sleep.

The next morning I woke up and made breakfast. Everyone else was awake and dressed, I gave them their sandwiches for breakfast and lunch and watched as they left me.

"You are sure you want to this?" Max asked my brother.

"Yes." My brother said firmly proving to his father that he wouldn't change his decision. He handed him the axe and watched him leave before crawling up into a tree so that he could see the inside of the trench. I could have seen him if he stayed in one of the lower branches but he just grabbed one after another until he got lost in the labyrinth of leaves. He watched until the familiar figure came. He jumped down and instead of the usual greeting he hugged me.

"Now where did we leave off?" I kissed him in the cheek smiling before understand what he meant. "We left off on that kiss right?" He kissed me. That was as far as my bliss could go, He controlled me now. I would do whatever he asked me to do even if it meant death. I remembered nothing at all only the fact that he was there. He gave me a lollipop from his mother's garden.

"What is this?"

"It's a lollipop you suck on it." I did and soon my tongue was red. His mother's magic was working its way through me. My eyes began to cloud over all you could see was redness in my eyes. My brother forgetting that he was so high jumped down. He heard a crack and he wanted to scream. He stood there for a minute trying to figure out what to do but when he looked back it was too late. "Do you like it?"

"mmmhmmm."

"Do you want more?"

"mmmhmmm"

"Then follow me…"

He took my hand and led me. As I climbed up I saw my brother in the distance I wanted to scream for him to help me but the redness wouldn't let me. We went further and further and he could barely see me now. He closed his eyes. He needed his leg to heal and now he focused and the pain was gone, he was confused but he knew he was special he didn't have to be asked twice. He ran and ran but he could barely see me and he couldn't catch up..

I looked around I didn't know where I was. I tried to focus but I couldn't, despair began to creep in my mind and a single tear strolled down my cheek as a shooting pain entered my chest. I gasped for air but I couldn't breathe. I looked down to see a hand in my chest. I tried to scream as hard as I could but nothing came out. He wasn't used to this so made a hole in my bones in the process, which then fell making a mess out of my other organs. I felt something grasp my heart. It was the most pain I have ever been in. I saw rip out my bloody beating heart. He let me go, he had used me he didn't need me anymore. The red began to leave my eyes and I screamed but all that came out was a whisper. I couldn't see when he left but thankfully was someone was unto him. Red ran in front of him and she showed off her sharp teeth. His magic was stronger than she thought and it sent hurt flying to a tree. She whimpered and lay in the silence. He stayed there for a bit and thought she was dead. He started walking back home but she quickly got back up and bit his leg.

"Crap!" he yelled. He dropped the heart which Red caught in her mouth before jumping off into the trees and disappearing. He looked down and muttered a healing spell but it didn't work. He ran to his mother empty handed.

I was still alive..i wasn't sure how but I screamed and soon I heard footsteps. Then I heard a pause.

"Gretel?!" I knew right then that it was my brother. I heard another series of quick steps. I heard him gasp.

Red dropped my heart back in where it went hoping that it would make a difference. It didn't. She turned into the girl that she rarely looked like nowadays. She tried to fix it up, what you call surgery now. She bit her fingers seeing as she couldn't fix it and looked at my brother.

"Its unfixable.." she lied before running away and living him alone. He knelt next to me crying. "Gretel.. please Don't die on me." Father couldn't have been right he thought. "No!" He screamed angrily "You cant die on me!" Max heard his screams and followed his son's pain and sorrowful screams. He arrived speechless. He felt a twinge of guilt and for a moment he felt emotion for me.

"…I told you so" Max said barely audibly. My brother ignored him he just kept crying, and hugging my lifeless body.

Tears flowed down my chest. Tear by Tear magic flowed. Moment by moment I was healing. My veins were attaching the blood was disappearing but magic could only do so much and it can't bring back the dead.

Luckily I wasn't dead was I my heart was beating, faintly but still beating. Slowly the magic from his tears helped reanimated my heart. He whispered to me.

"Please...Please come back to me ..I..I love you."

I heard his voice but I felt pain. My bones were still broken, but they were in the right places at least. He kissed my forehead and my eyes shot open in realization. It was all gone, Nicholas was gone, The fake hatred were gone, the secrets were gone and the alone days all gone. "Gretel!" My brother then hugged me tighter than he ever had in his entire life, So hard I could barely breathe.

"Hansel… you're hurting me" I said hoarsely.

"Sorry!" He immediately let go, he had a huge smile and he didn't know what to say."Sister.. I love you and I want you to always know that. Remember we will be together forever." He kissed me on the cheek. The petals from the cherry blossom tree got swept up in the wind. I stood up still in pain.

"I..I'm sorry.. I didn't know that.." My voice broke again and I was enveloped in another hug. Max just stood there with no expression in his face. That day we walked home each with an important lesson in mind. I learned never to trust strangers, my brother learned that he could let love show and he didn't need to act like such a jerk after all and Max began to learn how to love again. That night I slept as more peaceful than I ever had before.

The next day Hansel and Gretel arrived and my brother told them what happened. Gretel became furious and showed him the gift she had made for me, It was a little stuffed bunny. It was white and made of cotton, with two buttons for eyes and a red pink ribbon tied around its neck. When they left around noon, Max left axe in hand to cut wood. When I awoke I decided to simply fal in normal routines so I decided to make some oatmeal. I pushed my spoon around and then I pushed my plate to the middle of the table. I put my head on my hooves and I tried not to think of the pain I had in my chest which still hadn't healed properly.

"What's wrong sis?" My brother asked.

"I don't really have much of an appetite after yesterday." Besides that I had developed a new fear of food all because of Nicholas and his stupid lollipop.

"It'll get cold."

"I'm serious!." He sat there quietly and began eating his oatmeal. "Where is Max?"

"Chopping wood." He finished his bowl and took mine. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" I said chuckling as he wolfed it down. He put the bowls in the corner and looked at me.

"So what do you want to do today?"

"I dunno" I said as I shrugged and hugged my bunny. After a while I shyly asked if he would teach me to fight to which he hesitantly agreed. That night Max did not come home. As days passed I became more quiet, I rarely spoke I was usually filled with a bit of anger towards life. Me and my brother grew closer and closer together. Max usually came and Hansel and Gretel just stopped visiting. One night Max came home bottle in hand and a woman, Yes a woman in the other. Max was gone when my adventures started again. You might think you know what will happen but trust me when I say nothing could prepare us for what happened next.

14: Lost! Dreams

 

I could see humans. A human in particular. She was a girl, She had eyes that shone like polished crystals. Her parents called her and she came. There was something missing in her life but she didn't remember what. I saw Grizelda smiling that was what she wanted, she wanted the girl to forget. I saw flashes then I awoke to a sound whispering my name. It was eight years since my incident and I was now thirteen. The last I had heard Hansel had become a woodcutter like his father but Gretel had disappeared one night. Since then I had grown a huge attitude and really big eyelashes. I looked more of like a pig girl than a pig now. I had been a living miracle, I rarely ever ate and I was extremely thin. My bones never healed but I got used to living with the pain. I stared at the leaking roof and I heard a

"Psst" I turned around and saw my brother smiling.. he wanted something. We weren't alone Max's new "fiancé" was living with us. I use the "" because she was a woman, An insult to women everywhere. Sadly I was one hundred percent sure that she only followed him for a place to stay and money. Recently she had gone out of control and pretended to be the boss of everything. Probably because the trench was the only place where people er…things… (pig-kids?) would actually listen to her. "Psst!" He whispered again.

"What?" He ushered me over, took my hoof and crept over to the counter. Lately Jewel (the woman living with us) was stealing or using anything we bought or anything that was ours. The only thing she hadn't touched nor would I let her touch was my bunny.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty.."

"Get to the chase what do you want?" He grinned a bit.

"Okay..um I know you hate food but I love it and I'm starved." (It was true he loved it enough to be both of us.) "There has to be crumbs somewhere and I need someone to help me find them PLLEEEEAAASEE!" He whisper shouted. He said it so quickly that I had to smile but that didn't mean I accepted the request. I shuddered at the thought of food. Just as I was about to go back to sleep he gave more those puppy pig eyes. I looked behind me at this woman that lived with us. If he eats the last crumbs I thought she will throw a fit…not that she would know it was him, and at least it wont be wasted I thought.

"Fine." I whispered, he smiled and so we foraged. He looked all over but I trned to the place that I never thought I would a little thing I called Stepmothers secret stash. (I called her stepmother because she was acted worse than Cinderella's stepmother.) I crawled behind her bed and reached for the frame, I pulled the fame. It Creaked and I looked up on a panic she simply turned around in her sleep mumbling something that sounded like she killed Victoria she must suffer… I rolled my eyes and let the small pieces make their way to my hoof. I took a rock and placed it in the opening to keep it from closing. I carefully walked to the table and placed them there where my brother stood in awe. There were seven small ripped pieces of bread, four of ham, three of cheese, 2 of rabbit and a piece of kid (goat). I went and grabbed my stuffed bunny so I could hug it tightly. I treasured its embrace which by now was dirty and broken but I still loved it.

"Where did you get this?" my brother asked.

"Doesn't matter eat." I hadn't eaten in a week, I was quite used to it by now but either way my mouth began to salivate. He look at me and pushed the piece of goat towards me.

"No." I said but my stomach growled in protest.

"Eat it." He said crossing his arms. In a movement so quick I grabbed it and put the whole thing in my mouth. I'm sure if I had a mirror at that moment I would probably laugh because I probably looked like a chipmunk with big cheeks. My brother chuckled but I crossed my arms and gave him a look which cause him to be as serious as possible. (Looking back I kind of have to laugh) I let the taste fill my mouth and then I quickly swallowed. I liked the taste of meat, I always secretly desired to have some taste of flesh and blood but I would never do so…or so I thought. He raised a brow.

"No" I said crossing my arms knowing that even if I wanted to my fear wouldn't let me. He then ate the rest hungrily. He smiled cheerfully, I loved to see him happy.

"Gretel we'd better get back before she notices. I rolled my eyes, Of course her I thought. I hoped she could just go away. I turned around to see an angry face looking down on me. It was her."Uh oh.."

"Looks like someone has been eating my food… I guess I'll just have to get more." She tried to hide the butcher knife but she couldn't. She swung the knife right as I tugged my brother from danger's reach. We ran to the stairs and we started to climb but she grabbed my tail making me fall down. She held the knife next to my throat. "Stay still this will only take a minute."

My brother came and jumped right on her face!"Leave my sister alone you twit!" I climbed up as I watched him. He hoofed her in the face and ran up the steps. Then he grabbed my hoof and ran. We ran, and ran .. and ran and ran even more.

"I didn't need you two anyways!" she yelled. About an hour and a half later we stopped running when we reached a clearing. I stopped to rest throwing myself on the grass.

"I guess… I'll start a fire then.." My brother said exhausted from the long run. I nodded and he gave me a hug which always made me feel better. We started looking for wood and soon we had a small pile. Then I noticed that no matter how hard I look I couldn't seem to find any coal or anything. I tried not to look as clueless as I was.

"Can you go get some coal?"

He snorted lightly and said "You know there is none."

"Just get the coal before its too late." I said crossing my arms. He went and looked, Eventually like another hour later he found some. I was grateful that this happened in early morning and not at night. He threw the coal next to the branches for later use. Later we lit the fire and we talked.

"So tell me what are we going to do now?" My brother asked.

" I dunno you're the oldest."

"We need food, and water and shelter."

"Ugh what is up with you and that , Is that all you care about?"

"Hey im just pointing out all of the flaws in your plan of running out in the forest. Getting lost is not going to help the situation."

"Hey I was just trying to help did you want to get eaten?!" He silenced I felt so mean for screaming at my brother but I just couldn't stop.

"Alright."

"No need to be ungrateful after the crap I did for you this morning!"He slumped his shoulders and held his head low. I turned around guiltily. I reminded myself of my brother long behind I felt some hooves. "What do you want?!"

"…a hug" He said backing away. As much as I didn't want to I loved him too much. A strand of black hair made his way to his brown eyes. II ran into his arms. "I love you" he whispered.

"I know.." I enjoyed his embrace far more than the rabbit's which I still held in my other hoof. As He was turned he didn't see the desperation that consumed me. He was right how would we get these things.

"What now?" he asked releasing me. I wanted to say more hugs but said something more leaderlike instead.

"We find water." I said trying to sound nonchalant. He nodded, and opened his mouth to say something else but he stopped. I didn't want to insult him anymore so I just pretended that I didn't see him. We began looking around for water. One hoof held his and another held my bunny. After a few hours we were beginning to lose hope. We were lost and there was no water or shelter and we were alone where the beasts were. We retraced our hoof steps and the whole time I was hugging my bunny so that if it were to have any hope it would give it to me because right then I really needed it. It was getting dark so when we got back to where we were I tried to light the coals. "C'mon light!" I said angrily. They didn't light and when they did I nearly burnt my hooves. "Crap!" I exclaimed. My brother hugged me. He always did that! As if it were the answer to everything. Sure it made me feel a whole lot better but it still didn't change the fact that I was starved, cold , thirsty, and in pain. I looked up at the stars in the sky hoping that one of them would give me a solution. Soon I fell asleep in my brother's arms. Unknown to me He stayed awake that whole night just to make sure that no beast ever came to hurt me. He was awesome.

There I was crying and screaming. "No you can't do this to me!" My brother was tugging at my chains. She smiled.

"too late…" She said as I went away leaving my brother behind.

"No!" He screamed Then she put his hand in his chest and grabbed his heart. He used his fingers to try to get her hand out but he couldn't. Grizelda smiled at me and then I woke up.

I looked besides me to make sure it was just a dream ,to make sure I was safe. I was I smiled but then I remembered the pesky situation I was in. There was a leaf in my face I shook it off awaking my brother who looked as if he just fell asleep minutes before. I got up and found it strange that my brother did not speak he just got up and followed. I started walking I didn't know where just walking. After a while a whisper voice piped up.

"Where are we going?" My brother asked rubbing his eyes.

"I don't know…"

"Maybe we should stop walking and do something useful." His eyes widened and he was about to say apologize but it was too late. I slapped him in the face and since I had hooves you bet it hurt. "Do you have any ideas?!"He didn't answer." Exactly." I said rushing off faster and faster. I looked back when I had speed walked long enough and found that I could barely see him. He was almost like a speck in my vision. That's when it dawned on me how small we were in this infinite forest. I was scared I wanted run into his arms but something kept me in place.I felt so bad for treating him like I had. I looked at the speck to see that it was a little bigger. Soon all emotions were replaced with fear as I saw that a beast had pinned him onto the floor. He screamed and from a distance I could see it sink it's teeth into his leg. I couldn't handle it so I ran.

15: Two pigs (Oink!)

~~I ran and ran towards him. (You didn't think I'd leave him did you?) As soon as I got there the wolf turned and scratched my face with its sharp claws. I was terrified but then I remembered something I had told myself long ago I had no use for emotion and especially not fear.

"Get off my brother now you jerk!" The wolf stared at me clearly not understanding what I was saying. Then he just bit into my brother's leg again just Nom nom-ing on it.I hoofed it in its back to get its attention. "Hey you want me come and get me!" I said backing away quickly. It pounced on me and I wriggled out. I jumped on its back and pulled its ears. "Giddy up pony!" As I held on I kept hitting him as hard as I could. It whimpered and began to run away trying to get me off. I jumped off and it ran. "That's right you better run!" I smiled until I turned around and saw my brother. He was knocked out I could tell right away he was alive but the terror and pain had struck him too quickly. I saw that his leg was bleeding a lot and the blood was just falling to the ground. I bit my lip I desperately wanted to know what blood tasted like. I ignored the thought until I couldn't anymore.

I knelt down and licked it. The salty taste of blood filled my mouth and slid down my throat. I began to drink his blood happily. I wasn't surprised when my saliva started healing the wound up.

"Gretel?" His voice said. I turned my head to face him. "What's that on your face?"

Alarmed I quickly turned and wiped all the blood off my face before he could even think of what it was. I had tasted blood now and it was lucious, so salty, so metallic, so addicting. I turned back and ignored him when he asked me again.

"what was that?" I grabbed his hoof ,picked up my bunny and started walking again. "Maybe we should rest and think of a plan?"

"No." I said I was walking to the middle of nowhere just to run away from all the worries that haunted my mind. He sighed we started walking day and night, night and day. We became weak, tired and desperate just hoping we were walking to a miracle. We scarcely spoke in those four days, the only noise that filled the air was our hoof steps and sometimes my brother's stomach growling from hunger. I turned when I heard a thump. I looked to my right, my brother had fallen. I kicked him and that's when I saw it. I saw his bones sticking out and each individual hoof mark that I had created on him. If only I had listened to him. I held my bunny in my mouth and with both hooves I began to drag him while I ran further and further it was too late to think of a plan now. I saw something in the distance a bush with red dots on it. Was that a berry bush? I ran towards it as fast as I could. I grabbed some berries and gave them to my brother. I'll never forget that moment, is eyes shot open quicker than a bullet pierces its prey. When he was busy chewing and not looking at me I found some raspberries which I put in my mouth too quickly to be seen.

"Oh my God thank you!"

"I knew this would happen you are too dramatic about things." He stood up and saw the bush he began to harvest them. (By that I mean taking as much as he could and putting it in his mouth.) He did the worst mistake he could in my book. He put a strawberry in my mouth. I know now he was just trying to help me but back then…My eyes flashed back to the strawberry lollipop. I spit it out and snorted angrily. "Are you trying to stuff that crap in my mouth?"

"I was just trying to help and don't call this crap if you don't like strawberry you could just tell me." He said handing me a raspberry but I smacked his hoof away.

"I'm serious about that crap!"

"Gretel I am sick of you and your attitude ,why can't you just be grateful for once in your life."

"You want to eat some freakin berries then Fine! eat some freakin berries but if you are sick of my attitude then I'm going to leave." I said stomping off as I looked to the right just for a second. I could only stare and point.

"Gretel wait." My brother said then following my hoof point. There it was the house of Grizelda.

As I saw him run to the gumdrop pathway I stomped away unnoticed. I kicked the leaves on the floor. I sang my emotions out of how I felt about my brother.

" Why why are you still here with me.. didn't you see what I've done in my shame I want to run and hide myself. It is here I see the truth I don't deserve you but I need you to love me…"

I finished up my song as I leaned against a tree. My stomach growled and I let myself fall to the ground. "Shut up already! I gave you some berries." I saw a squirrel in the distance. "Just this once." I whispered as I got up and ran towards it. I jumped on it but it scratched me, then I let go by accident and it ran. "Shoot!" Then I saw a bird I tried to catch it but it flew away. "Ugh!" I groaned louder than I meant to. " Fine I guess I am just as desperate as my brother" I said to no one in particular. I could hear the bird high up in the branches just mocking me.

As I arrived I was in shock. "Wow.." I said as I saw the once made candy house.

Although Grizelda's house was somewhat destroyed she smiled.

"You know he's only a pig right?" Nicholas asked leaning against the wall. His black hair and pale skin complimenting his red eyes and sharp teeth. He was drinking some more scarlet. That's all he ever drank nowadays. That's what he was a natural born vampire.

"No." Grizelda said "The pig has a wishing heart let him enjoy his life for these are his last moments. Besides I should enjoy that pig also if he is to be the start of my revenge."

"Isn't that what you say every child you eat? It's just a pig! Or do you just want to enjoy the magic in his blood?"

"Someone is finally catching on..besides you can never have too much.." She thought of her excellent idea to build a concrete house and just slip Addy's candies over it. That way her victims could have hope to escape but they wouldn't be able to. She was too excited to lecture Nicholas on his disappointment all those years ago.

I was still before the bush. Each bush picked, the cinnamon gate gone and the gumdrop pathway cleared. The whole front nearly devoured while concrete took its place. This was no trench it was a mansion! (Well for what I had been used to it was.. It was probably a little smaller than a cottage.) So how did this happen!? I thought as I walked closer and examined it. Jeez! that day I titled my brother the new Tasmanian devil when it came to candy. I looked at the lollipop garden there was only one left. It was the same exact type that Nicholas had given. It then dawned on me that this was Grizelda's house. I looked at the window I was being watched.

"Crap!" I exclaimed. "I better help him!" I said as I ran towards him at the side of the house. His pupils were gone all you could see was red. He had eaten the lollipop .. I wanted to cry. I knew there was no reasoning with him but I had to try. "What the freak Hans will you stop eating that garbage!"

"No I'm starving!"

"How the freak are you freakin hungry you ate a whole side of the freakin building !" I said trying my best not to curse or panic. This is Grizelda's house Nicholas lives here we have to ditch!" Hansel didn't answer he just kept doing what the redness in his eyes told him to do. "Please just Listen to me!"

"Why do you always have to ruin everything?! You are worthless and that's all you will ever be!... you're so annoying!" The redness said making me feel bad. I tried to pry him off but it was too hard. "Stop! You little runt!" He said pushing me harshly to the floor. I wanted to cry so bad the redness made him forget but even though he had forgotten about me I was not giving up on him I loved him too much. As I stood up he grabbed a mint and put it in my mouth. I tried to spit it out but I couldn't it was too late. I swallowed and I wasn't sure what was going on. I was no longer in control of my actions. All I knew at the time was that I was hungry and my hooves were shoveling food in my mouth. I couldn't stop it no matter how hard I tried my body had other ideas. I lost all control and felt my eyes roll back and red tinted my vision.I was stuck being a pig just like my brother.

16: Nicholas's truth

~~Luckily my hatred for food was really big and it fought Grizelda's powerful magic. Soon enough I was able to see and taste and feel. Stop it Stop no seriously stop I thought trying to get my body to stop. I tried my best to stop but I could only slow down, I was no match for Grizelda's magic. I noticed I was already in the other side, I wanted to just vomit right there on top of her disgusting little house.

"Mom just kill them already." Nicholas said setting his drink down and sharpening his claw like nails.

"You don't know how to have fun do you? Such a kill joy" Grizelda said opening the door.

I finally managed to stop and I fell on the floor moving my legs and arms around like a useless bug. I felt like an overstuffed turkey but starved to death. Which was correct as a turkey is eaten I thought I would be. Little did I know that the punishment that I would suffer was much worse. Grizelda though she better treat us children as opposed as simply meat.

"Two very hungry children are eating my house.."

I stood up dizzily "Children?! Are you blind?!"

She thought of the shock in our faces if she lied but she couldn't fool me. "Yes. Oh you poor things are malnourished you need some love." I see her lip curl in disgust at having to use that wording. "Come on in." She entered and waved her arms so we would come in. I looked at my brother his eyes were still red, I looked at mine in the reflection of the doorknob. My eyes were pink I smiled she still believed I was under in her control. My brother ran inside but I grabbed him by the tail hoping that I could reason with him this time.

"What do you want now?" He asked annoyed.

"Well I'm sorry for looking out after you but this is obviously a trap."

"Yeah right." He said crossing his arms. At least I had his attention.

"Hansel Listen to me I know you are in there this is the same woman who sent her son to rip my heart out of my chest. Think of Hansel and Gretel and you know for a fact, she just wants our hearts! I lowered my dress so he could see my scar maybe just maybe he would remember.

He frowned "Let go of me and lift your dress up!" He said yanking his tail out of my grasp. He wouldn't let me save him. "Look I don't care about you so with or without you I'm going."

"You are Not my brother! So stop pretending! He smiled

"Then who am I?"

"How dare you?!" Right then Grizelda came and said.

"What's going on my sweets? "How dare the redness pretend to be someone as amazing as my brother and how dare that beast call me sweet.

"Absolutely nothing!" My "brother" said as he rushed in and continued making a complete pig out of himself. I was really depressed that he picked food over me. I entered solely for the purpose that I wanted to be with him and I wasn't going to give up on him. My stomach hurt so bad but I couldn't help taking a bite out of an apple. It was so sweet and so sour just like me. As I watched him I wondered how in the world my brother could eat so much?! Grizelda watched eagerly. I looked in the corner there was Nicholas. He looked at me he didn't know I was here.

"You…" I whispered. I was about to scream at the top of my lungs at him until I saw what he was drinking. My face went pale. "What's that?" I said pointing at his cup of scarlet.

He was startled at the fact that I was even talking to him. "Um…" He looked at his mother who was staring at him wide eyed. "Punch." He lied.

"Um sure.. yeah can I have some." I knew blood and he couldn't fool me. It was too dark and wasn't liquid enough to punch.

"We don't have anymore." He said sipping the last of the scarlet. For a brief moment I could see his fangs they were extremely sharp. I was about to protest when I heard a Crash.

Not only was my brother knocked down on the floor but he had broken the chair as well.
"Oh dear he's exhausted." Grizelda said in fake sympathy.

"Or it's a food coma." I said which it obviously was. She lifted him up sweetly and let her nails pierce his skin. I could see his blood drip into the floor. I had to fight to control myself I really was going to kill this woman.

"HEY!" She followed my stare and saw what I was looking dropped him but before I could see what she was doing next a tingling sensation filled my throat. I bent down and vomit on her floor just as she swung at me. My pain had saved me from her fist. Then she grabbed frying pan and hit me hard, for me it was lights out.

Nicholas looked at my brother disgusted. He threw him in the cage that had held screaming captives for so long and slammed the door without bothering to lock the door.

"Nicholas what is wrong with you? Don't be getting an attitude with me!"

"What is wrong with me? How about you doing all this crap what is wrong with you?

Grizelda smacked him in the face making his lips bleed. She insulted him in words so cruel I can't even begin to explain. His face grew as red as a beet. He stood there shocked that his mother would even dare to say words like that but he regained his composure and continued on.

"I am not a slave."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about all the crap I'm doing for you! This is nothing to me you are the lonely crazed woman with no education, no friends, no anything!"

"ENOUGH!" Grizelda said infuriated, She gripped Nicholas choking him in the process. "I'm freakin Grizelda, I'm no fool and I need no education, no friends no anything! If you didn't want to be my slave you would have run away a long time ago! So go and stop being such a coward because I gave you a chance and you were too scared to try it so now you are stuck! You think I care about you? You're wrong you are my slave that's all you ever will be. No one will ever love you trust me I've tried you will never be more than a blood sucking greedy parasite!" She threw him in the floor next to his own pool of blood.

She was right he thought. No one could ever love me. I'm sick of this! Dos Grizelda even love me?! Of course not! Why do I put up with this? .. Not that I have a choice. Or… he grinned staring at his bloody hand that had hit a sharp part of the floor. I can't just wait to suck your blood. Killing the evil would make me righteous right? Nicholas beamed at his plan and he limped over to his mother.

"I would like to apologize for my behavior."

"What are you becoming?" She said smacking him the face. "You don't apologize! And never show weakness." Nicholas rolled his eyes and left to his room to rethink life. Grizelda locked the cage and began to sharpen her knives. I do hope magical blood is better than children blood she thought.

I woke up I had to vomit again, I silently crept through the opened bathroom. I really wished I hadn't made such a pig of myself earlier. I closed the door surprised that Grizelda hadn't seen me Maybe I could defeat her after all.

My brother bumped his head on the roof of the cage. The redness was gone and he could barely remember a thing?

"What? What happened? where am I? what's going on? Where's Gretel?" Grizelda smiled eagerly.

"Aaaah my little magical piggy is awake..I'm sure you know what is going on after all ...you brought it on upon yourself." She took a lollipop from her pocket and waved it around slowly.

He lunged for it before realizing where he was.

"Where?..." He paused for thought and realized that it was the same lollipop that had enchanted me. He then realized what was going on.

I coughed up blood and opened the door. Grizelda was very occupied in something else, I could escape! I began to run as quietly as possible until I saw what she was smiling at. Our eyes locked on each other's for a second while I turned the door knob. I couldn't do this… I couldn't if my brother wasn't with me.

"Hey!" Grizelda screamed as she ran towards me. I waited until she was too fast to stop, I ran to the first door I saw and she slammed in to the door. I locked the door and breathed in relief. She could have opened the door if she wanted to but she had to make me hopeful so she could crush everything I had. I saw a figure on the bed.

"You..Why..."

"I.. I .." Nicholas stuttered.

"NO why did you do it !" my voice broke. I could hear Grizelda screaming at us to open the door but I was not going to. I wanted to cry again like had done so long ago but I wasn't going to My walls that I had built against emotion wouldn't let me.

"I didn't have a choice.." He said clearly ashamed of his actions.

"NO Excuses! You always have a choice!" He put his arms around me as to apologize. Getoffame!" I said as I kicked him sending him to the floor. Then I noticed something, I wasn't enchanted this was all very real. So why did I care so much, why did thinking of him always mess up my emotions. Could it be that for a swift moment we could have fallen in love for real. I just couldn't accept the truth. I had fallen for him.

" IF YOU DON'T OPEN THE FREAKIN DOOR RIGHT NOW I WILL KILL YOUR BROTHER IN THE FREAKIN SPOT!" I looked through the key hole she had the knife next to my brother's throat and he couldn't move. He tried to distract her so I could run but she silenced him in such a way that to this day I do not understand. I gripped the lock with my hooves. Nicholas stood up and held it. He began to whisper things in my ear.

"Gretel listen I'm on your side. I know it's hard to believe but I really didn't know any better at the time. I want to kill her but I can't if she knows. I just want to suck her blood I saw how you acted toward the blood I was sucking you want some don't you?"

I couldn't deny it. "Yes.. but how can I trust you?"

"You cant ..but right now I'm all you got." I silenced a moment he was right.

"Fine but you get one shot if you blow it.. It's over." I said opening the door. Quickly she lunged at me and grabbed me.

"I don't who you think you are but I am freakin Grizelda and I always win you brat!" I spit on her face. She bit my arm harm, I winced in pain.

"So yummy! Now did you have anything to say before I tell you my intentions?"

"You have got real problems if you think I am going to ready my brother for death!"

"how do you know that?"

"I'm may be a pig but I am not stupid!" She punched me but since I had been hoofed before it didn't really hurt as much.

"Tell me now." I smiled.

"Let us go." She was getting annoyed , she let her hair shoot up in flames and her whole body just shot up and just burst in flames. It burnt so bad.

"LEMME GO!" I screamed trying to breathe but the air was filled with smoke and ashes.

"I said how?"

"I know Hansel and Gretel." She dropped me to the floor next to the table and screamed

"Well then you know the process!" Although I could barely keep from crying I continued on.

"No."

"What?!"

"You heard me I said no." Her eyes shot daggers at me I wanted to scream. She pierced her nails in my shoulders but I couldn't do this and I wasn't going to or so I thought. "You cant make me!" I said trying to convince me.

"Why didn't you escape when you could?"

"Because I love my brother."

"Oh that's what this is about…love?" She bent down and whispered in my ear something I will never forget. "Love is weakness."

"Just take my heart..please and let him go." She looked at him as if she might accept my offer .

"Please do you think I would let you die a simple death without any pain." I was scared if that was a simple death to her then what did she consider cruel? "No I will make you kill your precious brother." She muttered a spell I could barely hear.

"This monstrosity is not your brother now listen and obey This beast isn't your brother now do as I freakin say."My walls of emotions broke." Now fatten up your scrawny brother so I can eat his heart, magical blood and flesh." As I was forced to walk each zombie like step the first tear in eight years fell, followed by another and another. Soon I couldn't stop.

17: Chapter 17

~~My bitter tears just wouldn't stop flowing down my cheeks, They took up my entire face and for that past few days they had owned me. I loved my brother too much to forget about him with some dumb spell but I had to obey Grizelda. I was crying so loud that she smiled every time she told me to do something. I was crying so much that she almost didn't mind having me around. My brother rarely saw me cry and this really worried him. One time she caught us trying to communicate so she took me into her bedroom and she sewed my lips shut. Fortunately when I tried to scream the thread broke so she developed a spell where she could lock my mouth shut literally, but each spell has a way around it.

Nicholas would come once in a while and gave me a bit of blood to drink I really loved it but it still didn't help my predicament. One day I noticed Grizelda never slept, of course being a demon she didn't need it but if just for a moment…. That night Nicholas came while his mother was busy. He looked at his mother's room, the door was closed.

"True love." I looked at him with a confused expression. "The lock." He said pulling the chains that were fused into my mouth. I understood now, I fumbled trying to find a pen and paper when he suddenly yawned. I nodded and pointed to Grizelda's room.

"A sleeping spell.. Gretel I can't I'm not as good as she is with magic." I tried to do those puppy pig eyes that my brother always used to pull off. He looked at me wondering how I must feel. "I can try but it probably will only work for a minute or two but I really don't think this is a good idea." I smiled and hugged him but this time I wanted to, there was no spell. He left me blushing and he awoke my brother who was sleeping. (By awake I mean he slapped him in the face but it wasn't too hard so I didn't mind and when he saw me approach him I don't think he minded either.) His long eyelashes were still fluttering in a result from being awaken so quickly.. it was kinda cute. As soon as I heard silence come from Grizelda's room I tried to speak resulting in a failure.

"MMMmmm hmmm mmmm hmm." I said He put his hooves on my shoulders and I heard a Clang. They were off, I could speak!"

"Gretel run away from here now!" (sound familiar? No trust me it's way different.)

"I'm not leaving you."

"listen you have to burn her."

"I cant she knows all the tricks in the book besides I'm just a worthless little pig This is all my fault!"

"No it's not and you are not worthless!"

"Yes it is I could have stopped you.." I said turning on the waterworks again.

"Nonsense you know how uncontrollable I get when there's food around besides there was no way you could compete with her magic, you are brave. I cried even more because of his kindness.

"I can't do it!"

"Then run!"

"I won't." Suddenly I was pinned against the wall.

"Well!" Grizelda said she seemed to be up and at it again, Where was Nicholas had he betrayed me? "I'd hate to ruin this horrid moment but for once I am concerned that you might drown us all in your petty tears." She ran to me too fast to be seen and she pierced her claw like nails in my neck. I remembered the story of Hansel and Gretel except this time there would be no happy ending. Her nails though didn't stop there I bled and bled. She stuck a pill in my throat and then I immediately fell to the ground. My eyes closed and they didn't open up.

18: Chapter 18

~~While I was blacked out here's what happened the pill expanded as it slid down m y throat. With all the pressure Grizelda's nails were putting on my throat it couldn't handle it so I fell in my own pool of blood.

"Nicholas!" she screamed. He came out of the room in shame. His magic wasn't strong enough and he couldn't warn me beforehand. He saw my blood and tried to resist but since lately he had been giving up some of his share to give to me He was wanting it more than ever. He knelt down and lapped the blood up like a puppy. Grizelda approached my shocked brother.

"What now hmmm? You know you are going to die don't you? Your sister is going to die too and there is nothing you can do about it. I'll make sure you watch your sister burn. .. So useless.." She said grinning.

"Leave my sister alone!" He screamed as he hoofed her through the bars right in the nose. He broke it and scratched her lip. He did it again and again too quickly for her to recover. Her head was bleeding and she fell to the floor. She pretended as if he had done it but it angers me that she did it so well. Nicholas was still sucking on my throat ,he grinned and walked over to his mother. "Thanks." "He bit a chunk off o his mother's neck. Her blood flowed through his lips, He loved it. Revenge is sweeter than candy he thought. He took the key from his mother's pocket and opened the cage. Then he splashed my brother with the yellow liquid and smiled.

"Ow.." my brother said talking about the pain that the liquid caused. Nicholas ran to the small library in his mother's room looking for a book that could tell him what that pill was for. He grabbed a book and flipped through the pages. He found the pill in one of the pages, it was really powerful. It caused nightmares, constant pain, the need to obey, memory loss … Nicholas had read enough he skipped to the cure and smiled, he grabbed another book and left.

My brother laughed a bit, but why would Nicholas help me he thought. He walked to my body and kissed me on the forehead. I was alive but burning hot. He waved his hoof around my neck and it began to slowly heal. He heard footsteps and he looked behind him, it was Nicholas.

"Why did you help me?"

"I wasn't on my mom's side.. you killed her and helped me so now I will help you." Nicholas licked his lips and showed him the cure. Then Nicholas flipped through the pages of the other book to find a page labeled frog prince, he then set the book on the floor.

"To cure a subject from the pill one must find an animal that is special in any way, then the animal must kiss the subject to express their love for the subject."…"The cure will turn the animal into a frog. I'll do it." My brother said ,then Nicholas pointed to the other book. "A kiss from a princess." My brother smiled.

I opened my eyes, I felt as if my heart, soul and will to live had been ripped out of my body.I had no idea what I was doing as I got up. I walked up to my brother and put my hoof on his shoulder.

"Gretel!" he exclaimed happily. I didn't share his excitement I just hoofed him in the face just as he had done to Grizelda, truly the pill had taken over. He pinned me to the ground and I bit his snout yet he kissed me on the lips. Then he backed away violently wiping the blood off of his face. I couldn't breathe and I assume that neither could he .It was excruciating my organs stretching, my hooves began to separate into five fingers and my skin began to change. Violet powder surrounded me all over. I looked down I had feet! I wiggled my toes I was in awe, I ran up to a mirror.

"EEEK!" I jumped to the floor. I had fingers! I looked ..human.

"It's alright." Nicholas said getting closer. He took the mirror and brought it to my face. The first things I noticed were my eyes, they shone like crystals. I had tan skin and a white dress with jasmines all over. I felt something had disappeared, I looked behind me.

"My tail! Where is it?"

"It's okay you don't have one." I never felt so weird in all my life but hope quickly turned itself into worry.

"Hansel? Where are you?" Nicholas's eyes widened.

"Watch your step." He brought me the books. I looked at the first one and quickly looked at the other hoping to find the answers which of course I found. I looked in the floor in the fear I might have stepped on him. Then I heard a croak and turned around. There he was sitting in the counter patiently. I hugged him lightly then I looked at Nicholas.

"Where are we going to find a princess?" I asked. He looked in my crystal eyes then looked at the clock. It was eleven fifty-nine and we had to find a princess by midnight.

"Kiss him."

"What me?! I'm no princess!"

"We don't have time for this look! just do it!" He said pointing at the clock. I lifted the frog in my hands and kissed it.

"MWAH!"

Questions rushed through my head it had to be done before midnight would it work? Would I ever see my brother again? I looked at the clock, it was twelve, I looked at my precious froggy it didn't change.

19: Chapter 19

~~I held the frog up to my chest. I loved him dearly and the fact that I might never see him again or communicate with him made me want to cry but all my tears had been used up the nights before.

"Froggy." I whispered. Nicholas went and laid me on the ground, I closed my eyes and let him open my arms. Something was different, I wasn't sure what probably because I was too busy focusing on the fact that I wanted my brother back. I felt as if a ray of light was shining at my side. Which there actually was, It was a light that was blinding and shone so much that even Nicholas had to close his eyes. I could feel a weight increasing in my arms, I felt the creature squirm all over my arms like poison ivy as it changed. I opened my eyes to see the transformation complete. He was human just like I was. He grasped my hands and we hugged, Nicholas just sat there feeling out of place. Nicholas decided just to bite his mother's leg. He didn't know what to do so he just taste the sweet taste of victory.

"Hey Froggy.. to celebrate!" I said as I also sucked on a bit of blood from Grizelda's leg.

"Um..no thanks. That.. that doesn't look um.." I licked the blood off of Nicholas's cheek, I was acting like an animal. I still wasn't used to not being one. I scolded myself mentally but Nicholas licked my cheek too. Looking at my brother's face I could tell he didn't think what we were doing was right. Not that I thought it was , it just felt so natural. "um.. Gretel.."

"My name's not Gretel anymore froggy." I told my worried brother as I kissed Nicholas's cheek. Wait did I just kiss him? After he nearly killed me was I confessing with my actions that I loved him? …I guess I was.

"Just like the old times, except this time there is no jerk trying to keep us apart."

"Gretel..no" My brother said as he put his hands on my shoulders and grabbed me away. Seeiing as he found this completely inappropriate I tried to lick away my bloody body but I couldn't . The blood was in my hands. "You are a cannibal?"

"no! that's ridiculous.. I just like blood." He looked at me not knowing what to say. "No blood is better than revenge."

"Gretel you are starting to sound just like her. Are you alright?" He said pointing to Grizelda. I wasn't focused on what he was saying I was lost in his eyes. Forget about Nicholas my brother was sexy, kind, smart, generous… WAIT what was I saying he was my brother! Well he did kiss me first… Hey! What was I thinking!.. I shook away my thoughts to see my brother completely focused on something else. I heard a THUMP and I swiftly turned around. Nicholas had just been thrown against the wall but by who? Grizelda was nowhere to be seen. My smile was pushed down as I was being thrown against the wall with chains of iron wrapped all around me. My brother ran and frantically began tugging at the chains which were unmovable and so tight that they were cutting into my blood circulation. Suddenly there she was looking as if nothing ever happened with no bite marks, scratches or anything. I had no idea of what she was doing but I was sure it wasn't anything good. "No you can't do this to me!" I said trying to hear myself through the thumping of my veins.

"Did you really think that would work?" she said nonchalantly. "I'm invincible, deathless and You!" She said pointing to Nicholas. "you traitor! Do you know what happens to slaves that anger the great and powerful Grizelda!? They suffer a very painful death but since you are my son I want you alive so lets do something a little different. She grinned a terrifying smile and for a moment I could hear the screams of tortured souls trying to get out. All I could see was that smile and Nicholas began to rise up in the air. He began to bend and his eyes began to glow, he couldn't control it. His mouth opened and darkness came out, he spun so quickly I couldn't keep up. He went so fast that he began to burn and his eyes began to bleed. His nails grew and he grew wings just like his mother, he screamed only once. His skin was covered in a thin layer of black fur and spikes erupted all over from his body. He wasn't a demon, he was a beast. He fell right on the floor in pain as more spiked erupted from all over. "You think it's over?" Without lifting a finger she made him stab himself with his claws. Blood splattered all around." Now You!" She said but I could barely hear because of my veins thumping, demanding to be free.

"Gretel!" My brother screamed but he could do nothing.

"You are such a pest I hope you enjoy your trip." She said smiling. I was so confused but soon all my cells were tingling and they were gone, My body was rapidly disappearing. I felt so tiny, I couldn't breathe but somehow I knew I was okay. I couldn't see my brother or Grizelda anywhere, I focused. I didn't care if I was in danger I had to make sure Hansel was alright. How could I be Gretel without my Hansel. Oh how I missed my froggy already. I focused even more and there I was.

"I suppose I could skip a meal" she said. "But I need your heart."

"What have you done with my sister!" he screamed but she ignored him. Everything went in slow motion. Her hand thrust forward. I tried to scream but I couldn't. I looked down at my rapidly disappearing chest. I didn't have one but there was still a tiny bit of magic shining within me. I used the last of it and imagined a girl. A girl who was timeless, as old as I was, pretty and powerful, As fierce as the color red and she shined more than a ruby. I saw the image of what was happening change and everyone was stunned.I tried even harder, first a red heart shaped ruby appeared, then it connected itself to a necklace then a neck then a body. Her dress was unlike any other Redder than blood, it shone , ripped, destroyed and beautiful , broken and proud. Black and white encircled her arms and legs, her hair floated in a sea of red. A few freckled were the only imperfection in her otherwise perfect face. Her red as blood lips turned into a frown as she pushed my brother out of the way and let the witch have hers instead but Grizelda's hand came out with no heart for the girl had none. Grizelda roared and ran outside my brother was gone so in anger she froze the girl in a block of ice.I had given the ultimate sacrife , my heart was going to be gone anyways I thought. I was about to start a different world anew. Red ruby I thought , my brother's guardian. Goodbye Froggy was the last I thought before I could no longer think.

20: epilouge

~~Epilogue

So Red Ruby stood frozen in a block of ice simply waiting for justice. She required no water, food, or air. So even in ice she was still alive ,and one day she got out but Grizelda had her chained and encased her in ice. She watched Grizelda live her evil ways day at a time.

Froggy retreated to the trench, his family was gone and he was able to turn human and frog anytime he wished. He soon became so sad and shy that he usually hid from anyone who came by. Many have forgotten about him but some know him as the lonely frog, All except for Grizelda who vowed to find him.

Nicholas became a permanent beast and obeys his mother's every command. He is too embarrassed to ever show his face but he is always secretly doing good when he can.

Grizelda watches me day and night, wanting me to forget what happened in this world. She continues with her evil.

To find out what happens next read the next book coming out soon!

21: error