CH. 2: Let's Gate Crash!

"You speak liesss," I hiss. "Why would my potion not work on a Prince? Princes are the most docile creatures in Kavornos! So eager to please, so eager to be ... charming." I shudder, remembering my first view of the Prince of Resan, Prince Gavin. I was still a wee babe of five when Aunt Agitha took me in the market to buy ingredients for our potions. A monstrous looking Prince -- with symmetrical facial features starting from the cut of his brows, the angle of his nose, the arch of his cheekbones, the form of his lips -- so perfect Aunt Agitha had to tear her eyes away to avoid vomiting.

She blinks at me and a ghost of a smile appears on her lips before it is suddenly back to being firmed. "Have you never been to the courts?"

"No. What would a witch like me do in such a filthy place?" I lift a quizzical eyebrow at the girl. She may have told me her name but I tend to forget names especially when they don't really matter.

"Prince Sorien is everything but docile," she says as if she is lecturing a child. "He's charming yes but he's different from his brothers."

"How different?" I ask.

"He's... He's difficult." She looks at me and I see the same reaction from the infertile woman, only that she seems to tolerate me more. "Listen, the three Princes will come to the Lunar parade this evening. It's in Yakor. If you come, you'll see what I'm talking about."

I narrow my eyes at her. Is she laying a carefully devised trap for me so she can put a stake to my heart in front of everyone? So she can claim the reward for killing a witch?

But first, she must have solid proof of my witchery before she can claim the reward. And I've been very careful so far, only picking those who are truly desperate.

"I will find out what went wrong with the potion," I said. "Now be gone from my sight. Your ugliness is bothering me."

Her jaw almost drop to the ground. "I'm ugly?" She snorts. "Do you know what's a mirror's for?"

I bare my crooked teeth at her. "A mirror is the most devious device ever invented!" I shake my head. "It only shows you what you want to see."

She harrumphs and rolls her eyes. "I can't believe I fell for this. You're a crook." She lifts her skirt and whirls around, not waiting for me to respond.

A crook? Did she just call me a crook? Blood flows from my feet to the top of my head and I think it will splurge out, making my head explode and pieces of my skull will shower the ground. But that's not a fantastic way to die so I sigh and prick my finger instead. With that, no powerless human shall reach my haven. The shadows of the trees shift and the sun hides behind them and into an endless dark abyss. It is now the moon's turn to light the land and with it comes the changes in my body.

I lift my arms and the loose sleeves of my blouse fall smoothly down my shoulders, revealing skin that is covered by varying sizes of moles and warts. The moonlight touches my skin and all the blemishes start to recede as if my skin are slowly absorbing them. I close my eyes and feel the familiar remodeling of my facial bones and gasp when it clicks into place. This has been happening since I was born but the transformation still feels foreign every time. My lips feel like they've been stung by a dozen bees for they feel a lot thicker than they were seconds ago. Grabbing the locks of my hair, I sigh in disappointment when I see that from being a greasy matted black, it's now a shining obsidian down to my shoulders and ombres into a glistening silver to my lower back.

Marching back to the nipa hut that I previously shared with my Aunt, I catch a reflection of myself in one of the dusty mirrors. My face resembles them now, the powerless humans. I don't know why I have this curse. I don't know why I turn like this at sundown. Why can't I look the same as my mother or my Aunt and all of our deceased relatives? Why do I have this weakness? Is my curse connected to the reason why my potion doesn't work on Princes?

No. That can't be right. There must be another reason.

I sit on a stool and weigh all my options. Aunt told me to stay here and never wander. She hammered into my head that people would not understand my greatness and a little misunderstanding might lead to my demise. When I was little, the concept of humans scared me so much. But when I got to see them, my Auntie's customers, I figure they weren't so scary after all -- just greedy. A wish becomes ten more wishes and then more. They are never content.

But am I? Am I content with spending the rest of my life here in the shabby hut I inherited from powerful witches before me?

The answer is no.

Just like them, I also want more. I want the world to discover my greatness. I want to show them that witches aren't supposed to be killed but to be glorified instead. They should build a shrine for us! We are like genies who grant their wishes.

I nod. And nod some more. And then I laugh like an insane woman.

"Hik hik hik. I, Andromeda Felicia Darling will rule the world!"

"Rule the world!" Leonardo echoed.

I can almost hear my Auntie saying, "Tut tut tut, you're being foolish again, Andromeda."

Shaking my Aunt's gravelly voice out from my head, I peer at Leonardo and grin. "That's right, Leonardo. Let's go crash the Lunar parade."