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Table of Contents

  Chapter one: Nightshade

  1-4

  Chapter two: Candice wants Faith Dead. 5-6

  Chapter three: The Nightmare.

  7-8

  Chapter four: A Nightmare Come True. 9-13

  Chapter five: The Stranger Beast.

  14-17

  Chapter six: Johanna or Faith

  Who am I? 18-22

  Chapter seven: The Carination. 23-25

  Chapter 1

  Nightshade.

  Once upon a time, in a land long ago there was a princess named Candice. She was the evil step sister of Faith. Faith dreamed of being a princess her entire life. But her step sister just couldn't stand the idea of seeing that brat sitting on her throne.

  One day while Faith was cleaning out the pillar Candice decided to trick Faith into leaving the castle and to never come back.

  "Faith! Can you do your tender old sis a favor?" Candice asked innocently. "Will you please leave the kingdom to find a lovely berry called Nightshade. This berry is black as night itself, and anyone who eats it will have eternal life! Isn't that wonderful? I want you to bring it back so I can make a delicious pie and share with the entire kingdom!" Candice explains with her fake cheerful squeal. What Candice didn't mention was that Nightshade happens to be a berry only the Woodland Witches have the ability to eat. If anyone else eats this berry they will die without a second thought. It was a good plan. She would have Faith go and retrieve the berry and then she would make the pie but only give a slice to Faith. Then she will be gone and Candice can become queen without having to deal with some child trying to steal her crown.

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  With Faith always wanting to help her elder sister and loving a good adventure, she agreed. She packed up her bag and headed out into the dark forest.

  Faith has always loved the forest. Even though she has always been told scary stories about man eating trees and wolves with a second layer of razor sharp teeth that lived in the forest, she has never been afraid.

  She used to have friend who was a shape shifter but wasn't very good at getting out of the shape she just entered. One day her friend was out in the woods and suddenly turned into a large weeping willow and has been stuck there ever since.

  She has gone into the forest many times looking for her old friend but it's hard to pick out one tree among thousands. When she goes into the woods she feels as if her friend is always watching her and protecting her.

  One night when Faith was a little girl she was out in the woods looking for her friend. When she noticed that she had gone too far into the woods, she tried to turn back but all she could see was the forest floor and thousands of trees around her.

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  As she worked her way out she just got deeper and deeper into the woods.

  A deep growl interrupted her thoughts. She jumped, surprised by the sudden sound. When she turned to see where the growl had come from, she found one of her worst nightmares. A wolf. A large, lean, muscular, and probably starved to death wolf stood inches from her face. She squealed with fright at the sight of the 100 pound beast with two rows of razor sharp teeth.

  The wolf lunged at her but before it could rip into her flesh a giant, leaf bathed branch swung down and scooped the wolf up and flung the beast across the forest floor.

  The wolf had scratched Faith seconds before the branch took hold of the wolf. What most people don't know is that wolves have a toxic liquid on their claws that renders the victim unconscious long enough for the wolf to rip into the poor victim.

  As Faith slipped into her unconscious slumber she

  began to hallucinate. The tree that just saved her life

  had begun to shrink and before she could let go, standing before her was her best friend, Nikita.

  Nikita reached down to pick up her old friend and carried

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  her to the camp she had made.

  Nikita has been living with a wicked witch who is the only one of her kind left in the world. The witch's name was Zelda.

  Zelda was the last of her kind. Her kind used to be feared throughout all the kingdoms. They were able to transform other normal human beings into anything they wish. It was very rear to find a witch who is able to turn one person into a creature with three or more different strands of DNA. Zelda could do just that.

  Chapter two

  Candice wants Faith dead.

  When Faith woke up she felt a buzzy vibration in the back of her head. When she tried to get up it turned into a sharp pain. "Hello? Is anyone there? Where am I?" She asked nervously. "The angel has awaken. How are you?" Exclaimed a voice coming from the hallway to her left. "I'm fine, but I'd be much better if I knew where I am and who you are." She replied sheepishly. "Oh, Faith. Don't you recognize it? It's our old camp. We used to come out here in the spring season. You'd pretend to be the queen and I the princess. It's been a very long time." Came the voice again, this time closer. "Nikita?" Faith asked confused. "Oh, goody! You do remember me! I was so worried about you. I carried you all the way from those scary woods." Nikita squealed. Running from her hiding place and attacking Faith with extreme delight. "Hey," she said looking up into Faith's beautiful gold eyes. "What were you doing in the woods in the first place?" She asked, serious now. "You remember Candice right? My sister. Well, she's the princess and my mother is dying. She will be queen soon and she

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  wanted me to leave the castle and find a berry called Nightshade. She said that Nightshade gives the person who is eating it eternal life. She's going to bake a pie using the Nightshade and give a piece to the entire kingdom." Faith explained. Nikita's face just went completely white like she just saw a ghost. "What's wrong?" Asked Faith. Just noticing Nikita. "Nightshade. Like, black as night, purple juice. Nightshade?" Nikita asked with her voice quivering. "Yes, what's wrong?" Faith asked, suddenly getting nervous.

  "Well, I'm sure Candice doesn't know this but Nightshade is extremely deadly. Only a Woodland Witch can eat the berry without dying. In fact, the berry will only make them more powerful. If anyone else eats the berry, they will die." Nikita explained. 'None of this made sense. Candice was about to become queen. She's not a Woodland Witch so she wouldn't eat the berry herself. She wouldn't give it to the kingdom because if she did she would only kill them all and she wouldn't have a kingdom to rule. She only has one real threat. Faith. But why would she want to kill Faith? Faith is the best sister anyone would be lucky enough to have. Candice will soon be queen, Faith is hardly a princess. Besides, Faith can't be queen until Candice dies. Unless...'

  "I know why Candice wants the berry! You can only become queen before Candice if you overthrow her by convincing the council that she's not ready.

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  Whether she is or not, the council with replace her with you as queen if you give a convincing predicament." Nikita exclaimed. "But, I'd never do that. Candice is ready to be queen. I am not. It's all clear as day." Faith was now very scared. She finally pulled herself to reality. "Nikita, Candice is trying to kill me."

  Chapter 3

  The Nightmare.

  Faith awoke screaming in the middle of the night. Nikita came rushing in, "What's wrong? What happened? Faith, are you alright?" Nikita asked urgently. "I had a nightmare about an old woman who kidnapped me and took me to a dark place. It smelled like mold and the walls were slimy and cold. The woman was saying something but I couldn't understand her. And then, just when I felt this weird cold feeling run through my body, I started to shake violently. The old woman was confused. I just shook for what seemed like hours and then there was this huge explosion. I didn't feel the same. I just wanted to rip everything in my path apart. I don't know what happened. When I saw old woman, I had this ur
ge to just trample her. I was looking around to see where I was when I saw a broken mirror at the far end of the cave. I ran towards it. When I had a clear view of myself, my breath got caught in my throat. I looked different. Scary even. My hair was dark and wild, my eyes glowed gold. But those are minor details. What really scared me was, me. I had white fangs. They almost glittered when I moved my head. When I looked at my hands, I had claws. Just as white and clean as my fangs. And to finish it all off. I had wings! Huge, dark purple wings. They looked amazing." Faith

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  told Nikita. "That wicked old woman did that to me." Faith said. "I don't know how, but she turned me into, a beast." Faith was crying now. "Faith, it's fine. That was only a dream. Besides, there's only one witch left and she lives with me. I mean us. Her name is Zelda. She can be crabby at times but she would never do anything to hurt anyone. Especially you. Like one time I came down with a really bad cold over night and she took very good care of me." Nikita reassured Faith. "Just go back to sleep, ok?" Nikita whispered. "Ok. Good night Nikita." Faith cooed. "Good night Faith."

  Chapter 4

  A Nightmare Come True.

  It's been three weeks since Faith had her nightmare. The old woman, Zelda, Nikita mentioned hasn't introduced herself to Faith. She's locked herself in her room and hasn't left since Faith moved in. She only goes downstairs to eat, refill her canteen, and do her business once everyone is asleep. Faith really wishes she would come down stairs and introduce herself.

  One evening after dinner, Faith came up with a plan. 'I'd stay up real late and wait for Zelda to come down stairs and then I'll block the stair case so Zelda can't go back up stairs. I'd introduce herself, we'd become friends and then, BAM! Mission complete.'

  It was a good plan. So that night, Faith stayed up real late. She sat at the end of the stair for what seemed like forever until finally she heard a 'creek' 'click click click.' And then those little clicks turned into shuffling as Zelda ran down the stairs, out the front door, slipped on a puddle of mud, grunted with annoyance, got up, and raced to the out house. "Man, she must've been holding that for a long time." Faith whispered to herself. Then chuckled at her own joke.

  Faith waited and waited and waited but Zelda took forever. 'Old women always take the longest to use the bathroom.' Faith thought to herself amused. Then finally Faith fell into a deep sleep.

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  She woke with a start. When she got her bearings and looked around, she realized she wasn't in the cottage anymore. She began to panic. 'Where am I? How did I get here? Why am I here?' She had so many questions whirling through her head. Then it hit her. That smell. She's smelled it before. It smells like wet moss. She felt around. Then she touched something. The wall. The cold, wet wall. 'Oh, no.' Her heart began to beat fast. Her blood pressure rising. 'I've been here before. This is my nightmare.' She began to weep. "Why are you crying child?" Came a voice from a distance. It bounced off the walls creating an echo. "My nightmare. It's come true." Faith cried out into the darkness. "Nightmare? This is a gift I'm about to give. What could be so nightmarish about it?" The voice came again. Closer now. "You call this a gift? Turning me into a beast?" Faith asked, her temper rising. "That's a little harsh, don't you think? Do I look like a beast to you?" The voice came again but this time, Faith could see the owner of the voice. "Zelda? You're the cause for this? But, Nikita trusts you and loves you and cares for you. How could you do this?" Faith was shocked. Nikita will be crushed when she finds out Zelda is going to try to turn Faith into a beast. "I'm the cause of what? Helping you? Giving you a chance to live a new life. Did Nikita ever tell you that I'm the last of my kind with the ability to transform human beings into anything I wish? I've

  10

  seen my kind do it many times. Hundreds of years ago. You should trust me." Zelda explained. "But, I don't understand. I had a nightmare about you. You turn me into a full fledged beast." Faith felt so confused. 'Why should I trust her? She's going to turn me into a monster. A beast.' "That was just a nightmare darling. Nightmares are just taking all your fears and putting them into one night in your head. None of it is real." Zelda reassured her. Faith was still a little edgy. But made up her mind. "Fine, I'll let you do whatever it is your going to do to me." Faith felt the blood rush to head with nervousness. "Wonderful decision darling. Now just lay down on your stomach and breath in and out, in and out. Very good. Now close your eyes. Imagine your in the ocean on a boat. The boat is gently rocking back and forth, back and forth. Good. Now, sleep." Then all went dark.

  When Faith awoke she heard a murmuring sound, she couldn't make out the words but she knew it was coming from Zelda. As Zelda murmured the words Faith was getting dizzy. When Zelda stopped there was a huge rush of pain. It came from her head then just spread like wildfire. Where the pain hurt most was her brain, spine, jaw, and hands. 'Oh no. It's happening.' Her dress ripped along the skirt and shoulder where she got stronger. She was in so much pain. Then out of nowhere her back just split open and huge dark purple wings sprouted from her spine.

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  'Oh great, first the wings.' Her entire body felt like it was engulfed in flames. Then an exploding pain burst in her jaw and her top two canine teeth began to grow longer and sharper. 'Now the teeth.' Just as she began to relax, a new pain sprouted from her wrist to her fingertips. All five of her fingernails grew stronger, harder, longer, and sharper. 'And now the finally. I get the claws.' Then her brain got fuzzy and she felt like she couldn't control herself. The last thing she remembered was seeing her reflection in the broken mirror down the hall. Then all went dark.

  When Faith finally got her bearings and pulled herself awake she found herself on the floor of the cave. She was back to normal now, accept for all the rips in her dress and her eyes still glowed. She looked around and saw Zelda lying on the floor of the cave. Faith rushed to Zelda's side and saw the she had claw marks all down her side and face. 'Oh no. I did that. I mean, the beast did that.' Faith felt so crushed. Her entire life changed just then. She began to cry. She felt so much pain. Her insides were shaking all over. "Faith?" She snapped her attention over to Zelda. "Faith. Please don't leave me." Zelda rasped. "I'm not going anywhere." Faith cried. Her skin felt hot again and her claws sprouted from her hands and fangs grew again and her wings unfolded. "Faith, you need to learn to control your emotions. They trigger her power. I'm so sorry. I didn't know it would work. I've

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  tried several times to turn a human into at least a bat but I've only succeeded once, it was an accident. I'm so sorry." Zelda whispered "I did this to you." Faith cried. "No you didn't. The new you did this to me. You're not the quiet and sweet Faith everyone used to know. You're a new person. You must think of this as a gift, not a curse. You have an adrenaline unlike any. You seek revenge. You're not Faith anymore, you're a new person entirely. You need a new profile, a new name, a clean sweep. Your new name is," Zelda rasped and when she tried to take another breath, her eyes rolled back and she went still. Zelda was dead.

  She screamed as loud as she could. Her body was engulfed with flames, her claws were sharper than ever, she suddenly had a thirst for blood, and her wings were pitch black. " Zelda was going to help me. She was going to give me a new name. I'm going to give myself a name." Johanna whispered with great anger in her voice. "My new name is; Johanna Dread. And I'm going to make sure I'm never known as soft. I'm going see to it that Candice never touches that crown." Johanna said and unfolded her wings and shot into the air like a bullet and made her way to the castle.

  Chapter 5

  The Stranger Beast

  There was a pounding on the palace doors. Johanna has calmed down enough for her to transform back into her normal self. When the doors opened, Johanna's mother was sitting on the throne. Her once beautiful, flawless face has shrunk down to her cheek bones. She was pale as a ghost and all the color was drained from her beautiful blue eyes. "Faith, welcome home darling." Her mother said once she was in the room. "Johanna." Joha
nna corrected. "Excuse me?" Her mother was quite confused. "My name. It's Johanna." Johanna replied getting frustrated. She can feel her skin getting hot and her claws sprouting but she forced herself to calm down. "Oh darling. I'm old but I'm not that old. I named you Faith after the feeling I had at your birth. Your name is Faith." Her mother cooed. Has her daughter gone mad? "My name, is, Johanna Dread!" This lit the fuse deep down inside her. "No. Your name is Faith Sharp! My daughter! What has gotten into you?" Her mother was now furious. What is wrong with her? "How dare you. You'll be extremely sorry you ever got on my bad side. All thanks to Zelda, I'm a new being. You don't want to know what I can do." Johanna sneered. Then a bell went off in Queen Sharp's head. "Oh no, darling. Please don't tell me you met up with that horrid

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  woman. She tried to kidnap you at childbirth. She said that her time was up and she wanted you to carry on her work. She is a wicked woman. What has she done to you?" The fuse was all burned out. "Never speak of my mother that way!" Johanna shouted. She didn't even try to calm down. She just let her anger flow through her veins. She felt her skin heating up and her claws sprouting out from her hands, her canine teeth growing, sharpening, and her wings unfolding. She looked up at the queen and smiled a blinding smile. "Oh, did I forget my manners? Excuse me." And she bowed and then shot across the room at the queen, just inches away from her face she stopped. Johanna laughed. "What has she done to you?" She uttered. Johanna frowned. "She was there for me. She didn't try to kill me." "I never tried to kill you." The queen squealed. "No, but Candice did and I'm going to see to it that she never touches this crown." She said. "But first, you have to tell me where she is." Johanna smiled her blinding smile. "She's in her chamber getting ready for her carination." The queen said nervously. "Thank you, your highness." And she sprang away from the queen and made her way to Candice's chamber.