"so. . . you're the unlucky maiden that's broken my spell." Anita said slowly standing up from her seat. Bree, on the other hand, froze on the spot. She opted to dousing Anita with poppies again but a cloud of green smoke entwined dangerously around her fingers like poisonous snakes. Bree had encountered snakes before - not a nice memory - even though she'd come out alive.

"How do you know that?" Bree asked.

Anita made a cute pouty face and placed a finger on her lower lip. "Let's see... When i woke up on your homely furniture, you put up a good amount of courage for a few minutes which prevented me from sniffing my magic around you. Then your little shield of courage broke and voila, i could smell my magic on you. Isn't that interesting?!"

"I don't care what you're talking about, get out of here. You know you don't belong here."

"Oh, don't i now?" Anita asked with a chuckle. "dearest me, i've walked this earth long before you were born."

"Like i said, i don't care. Leave!" Bree said more boldly this time.

"Just give me the young prince and i'll be on my way." Anita said admiring her smoky fingers.

"He's not here and you can't have him. You've had your fun. Give it up!"

Anita's chuckle became full on laughter. "How brave you are! No wonder you broke my spell."

"It wasn't that hard." Bree muttered.

"Oh but it is. You have to understand the concept of my magic." Anita said proudly.

Bree tilted her head, a fetus sized idea forming in the back of her mind. "Please, i would like to know. Explain how your wonderful magic works."

Anita smiled genuinely and walked over to the sketch of Beasley lying carelessly on the kitchen counter. Bree couldn't remember putting it there or even the last time she'd held it but it was there anyway looking as neat as when she'd first drawn it.

"You see. That rascal of a Prince refused my hand. . ."

"Aren't you a little too old for him?" Bree interrupted with a hint of disgust. She expected another deathly glare from Anita but the witch only smiled like she was proud to be geriatric. Frances had mentioned she was possibly an old lady but Bree did not need any further proof. Anita acted like a grandma and she had that ancient look in her eyes, like she was there when civilization first arose.

"He told you eh? Well, it doesn't matter with my magic around me to keep me youthful for ages." Anita said and tweaked the edge of the sketch paper.

"Oh, right. Go on!" Bree urged. She glanced at her phone screen. Her squad had been gone an hour and that was a good thing unless they found answers quickly then decided to come back home early. That would lead to very a awkward reunion.

"Anyway, my spell was like no other and it was supposed to be impossible to break. Frances stumbled across the continent for years alone, dispirited and wherever he went, he was feared and cast out. Rejected in the same manner he'd done me. I was kind enough to allow my spell be a reversible one otherwise he would've suffered alone until his demise. I made sure though, to hone the spell so it would reflect on whoever could break it and i would have no trouble finding them in this realm like that modern thing people do. GPS, no?. Anyway, i had hoped that that lousy royal scoundrel would remain an animal for life. He mistreated me. Disrespected me when our marriage was supposed to be for the good of both our kingdoms. I'm used to getting what i want when i want it and if i don't get what i want, well, bad things happen."

"So that's why you turned him into a beast, because he was on your wishlist and you couldn't check it off?" Bree asked innocently.

"He rejected me." Anita snapped. Her eyes clouded with anger and burned a bright green. Bree had a sick feeling of déjà vu. "Nobody! Nobody turns me down! He dared and he had to face the consequences."

"You're just a psycho who thinks everyone is supposed to serve you." Bree stated.

"Yes, everyone is supposed to serve me. My father is of royal blood. I am of royal blood. I have seen kings rise and fall but i am still here, still powerful, still young and no one can take that away." Anita yelled.

Bree hoped her neighbors were too busy to pay attention to the noise since Oakwood was pretty much popular for being noisy.

"So you cursed him and let him suffer all these years and for what?"

"I didn't just curse him. I wanted him to learn to fear me. Everything you think is good about him, he learned from the outcome of my spell. He never appreciated his family. Separating him from them opened his eyes to how important they are."

"That's not true. He talks about his mother all the time." Bree objected.

"That is definitely because he hasn't seen her for ten long years. Poor lady! She's lost her mind over her dear son. Finally, they'll learn. They'll all learn to fear me and my household."

"Excuse me? Isn't Frances your only target here?" Bree asked looking confused. Anita was absolutely cuckoo and wanted nothing but world domination. Bree could see it. Anita was a complete psycho. If Jimothy prayed to the god of psychos, he definitely prayed to Anita.

"Believe me, i would have spared the young prince but he was too naive to see, just like his parents."

"What do you want from them?" Bree asked. She was starting to get fed up with the conversation but it was the only thing keeping Anita from poofing her into a talking coffee mug.

"Their kingdom. Villeneuve is way too rich and fortified to be under the rule of that wretch, Adam. He doesn't know the first thing about being a proper king. The throne rightfully belongs to my father" Anita said. The swirls around her fingers grew longer and Bree wished they'd rope her around her neck and choke her to unconsciousness but the smoky serpents seemed to be waiting for an order of attack.

"Adam!" Bree muttered. She guessed it was probably the name of Frances' dad.

"And as for you, my little dear, you've ruined my plans." Anita said and stretched her hand. The green smoke congealed into one another then elongated and bloated until it looked like a thought balloon with spikes.

"What?" Bree asked, panic taking over her senses.

"Frances does not deserve a happily ever after."

Like an angry lasso, the smoke lashed around Bree forming a giant green airtight bubble until she found herself floating inside it, spinning terribly while trying to keep her balance.

"What are you going to do to me?" She yelled but her voice came out like she had spoken from a bad microphone.

"You dear, are going to get me everything i want - completely." Anita said and cackled like a soprano singer with a really bad wedgie.

Bree banged on the bubble and immediately regretted it. Hot pain racked her hand as the shield was twice as strong as a metal gate. It only appeared to be fluffy and light because of a mirage. Sparks of green came off it like she had struck a match.

"You'll never win." Bree spat. At that moment, the apartment door flung open. Frances and Melinda walked in and both their jaws hung in surprise.

Frances froze for a few minutes then suddenly gathered his composure as anger crept up his spine. He balled his fists and with his free hand, moved Melinda to stand behind him.

"Would you look at that? You're right on time." Anita mused and strolled gracefully over to Frances. She was dressed in a black top, knee high skirt and flat shoes so she looked like a perfectly normal teenage girl. She glided to a stop in front of Frances who was either struggling to hold back a cuss or a punch.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his tone laced with anger. His gaze flickered to Bree who was rotating in a large green ball. Other than the panic on her face, she looked fine.

A warm finger traced his jawline and turned his gaze from Bree. Frances shuddered. He found himself gazing into Anita's eyes like that night in his bedroom. It suddenly felt as if no time had passed since his sixteenth birthday. It was like Anita held a sway over time itself. He tried to look away but her eyes were compelling, somewhat distracting. If she had told him to jump off the edge of a cliff, he'd have done it without question.

He edged his face away from her but her finger remained in midair. "Still as stubborn as always. You haven't changed one bit."

"Get out of here. And let her go." Frances growled. He gripped Melinda's hand so she wouldn't move because even without seeing her face, he knew she wanted to bolt for her daughter.

"Sadly, i can't. We have unfinished business, sweetheart!" Anita said and caressed his hair. Frances narrowed his eyes resisting the urge to reach for his sword. It was right underneath the table, only a stone throwaway.

"You're even more handsome than the last time we met. That annoys me." Anita muttered seductively.

"Your curse is broken and that means you have no reason to butt into my life anymore. Now leave, before i hurt you."

"Hurt me?" Anita laughed like she had heard the funniest joke on the planet. She placed a hand on her cheek and bent over, still laughing hard.

"Any idea what's funny?" Melinda whispered behind Frances. She did not sound scared, just a little perplexed.

"I guess we'll find out." He replied.

Anita finally stopped laughing. She wiped a tear from under her eye and made a humming sound. Then she glared at Frances. "You have no idea what that word means. But you're about to."

She slowly mimicked grabbing the air and closed her fist. The air bubble around Bree suddenly tightened around her like a leather onesie.

"No!" Frances yelled and made to move but Anita threw a spark of green flames on his and Melinda's feet so they were rooted to a spot.

Bree's eyes bulged out of their sockets. The bubble was squeezing her like a giant python. The pain was real, almost too real and it lasted for so long that Bree's ears popped. Her skin turned white and all the circulation in her body was cut off. Her insides felt like she had electrical wires plugged to them. Her vision blurred and her head began to droop. From the distance, she could hear someone yelling her name but it was impossible to reply. Her mouth felt dry and cracked like the sun had held a party inside it.

"You'll watch everyone you love get hurt over and over until you can't take it anymore." Anita scowled.

"She has nothing to do with this. Let her go! This feud is between you and me." Frances strained. The magic around his feet restrained him with the force of two dragons. The more he struggled, the tighter and more painful they got.

"You know so little." Anita said. She finally opened her fist and the bubble expanded into a bubble again. Bree did not float this time, she dropped to the bottom with a loud THUNK! and rolled into a ball. Frances watched her intently, waiting for her to move but she laid in that position - frighteningly still.

He gasped, fear and panic overcoming him. A small sob came from behind him reminding him that Melinda was still there. She had one hand clasped over her mouth and the other on her chest as tears streamed down her face.

"My daughter!" She managed to say even though her voice cracked terribly.

Frances had never felt so much guilt since the first time he realized he couldn't get back home. He took Melinda's hand in an attempt to comfort her but she trembled so bad that he also wanted to cry himself.

"You can't stop this. All you can do is accept it." Anita said in the most calming tone. Her voice made Melinda cry even more and Frances had to fight to hold back tears too. Apparently, Anita had gotten even more powerful over the years. Her tone alone was strong enough to influence strong emotions.

"Accept what? The fact that you ruined my life? You separated me from my family for ten years and now you've. . ." His gaze went over to Bree who still hadn't moved. He couldn't bring himself to say she was dead but he also seriously doubted if she were  still alive. Inside the bubble, she looked like she was smoking. Anita had probably infused a thousand watts of electricity into her. Frances could feel his heart shattering into a million tiny pieces.

"I made your life miserable? Do you know how long your family has been making mine a nightmare?" Anita countered. Her voice carried so much anger that turned the air to acid.

"What are you talking about?" Frances asked.

"My father was adopted by your ancient predecessors. They were barren before then and in desperate need of a son, an heir to their throne. My father was named crown prince. He would rule over Villeneuve. But then the king was blessed with a child. He abandoned my father and made his flesh and blood the new crown prince. My father was maltreated by the king's wife. She was a witch and my father tried to warn the king but he turned a blind eye. Several years after the king's son took the throne, he remembered my father, his  adopted brother and made him conseiller personnel. It was a great honor until that evil woman manipulated my father. He poisoned the king and was sentenced to die. I was only but a child at the time. I watched as my family was thrown out of Villeneuve by the same people we loved and held in high admiration. That witch made me who i am and i have hated your family ever since. I swore to make them suffer for all the pain they caused me and i don't intend on going back on my word."

The room was dead silent. Frances listened to Anita with divided attention but managed to get everything she'd said. He couldn't tell if she was lying, trying to manipulate them again but he knew one thing - there was a whole lot of pain in her voice. He could recognize it, unfortunately, he understood it.

He sighed and his head dropped. "I'm sorry."

Anita perked up ever so slightly. "What?"

Frances looked up. He stood straight. He stopped trying to fight the sparks on his feet. "I'm sorry that my family made you suffer. I apologise on their behalf. They never should've treated you badly nor i. I was only afraid that our union would shape my future into something i didn't want. I thought i was- i was meant to be free. I never wanted to be royalty because it restrained me too much."

Anita's green eyes sparked dangerously but she stood so still that she began to look less like she wanted to rip everything apart.

"I misunderstood a lot of things until i met. . ." Again, Frances'gaze darted over to Bree who was beginning to look like she'd spent a whole week in a cold storage room.

"The point is," he continued. "I get it now. Your father didn't deserve to be cast out and neither did you. That was my family's fault and for that i am truly sorry. I hope you forgive us all."

He felt Melinda's hand gripping his forearm. He turned to look in her tear stained face where a small smile was beginning to form. She had an expression that seemed to say that took a lot of guts!

He placed his hand on top of hers and managed to smile back.

Anita stared at the red rug that lined the floor as if she contemplated on whether to punch a hole in it or to lie down for a quick nap. Her eyeballs darted aimlessly like she had trouble focusing on one object.

Frances stared at her carefully. His brows knotted. He must've imagined it but Anita tilted her head slightly like she was listening to something. Her eyes kept darting across the room until it finally settled on him.

"A thousand words of apology will not make up for what you have done to me." She snarled.

Frances held Melinda's hand tighter and they both braced themselves for the worst.

"You want to be united with your family again?" She asked and began to slowly levitate off the ground. Green smoke twirled around her then filtered across the room wrapping around whatever it came in contact with. The weightless magic seemed to rattle the whole building as if it was pulling the structure from its foundation.

"Happy reunion, your Majesty." Anita said in her old lady hissing tone.

Frances only had but a moment to register his surroundings. The walls were coming off as the green plume radiated across it. The building seemed to be contracting into the cocoon Anita was creating. The house groaned and creaked as the smoke filled every inch of it, blocking Frances from seeing anything else.

A sound like that of a hundred balloons popping at once followed by the loudest groan was the last thing Frances heard before the world came crashing down on him. His grip around Melinda's hand loosened rougly. She screamed and was suddenly separated from him. He couldn't see a thing in the vortex of darkness that had formed all around.

Everywhere had gone dead silent. He let out a breath and reached out to touch the walls but there was none.

He shifted in the darkness and kicked what he imagined was a stone.

"Who's there?" A trembling voice asked from a corner. Although in the darkness he wasn't sure where exactly the voice had come from.

Frances' eyes suddenly lit up with wild anticipation. He recognized that voice.

"Mother?"