~ White Streak ~

"Dark magic can be really dangerous if you don't know what you're doing."

Of course she'd heard all the warnings before. Of course she knew that it was easy to hurt yourself if you didn't cast dark magic correctly, or if you were trying to invent a new spell that no one else had ever used before... Heck, some of the more powerful spells were known to cause damage to the user even if they were done exactly right.

But all of those warnings went right out the window when the doctor told her that there was no way for her brother to recover from his injuries. There was no spell in her spell-book that would work with ingredients she had on hand, either.

In her desperation, she figured out a new spell on her own. And it worked!

After that, every time she saw her reflection, the new white streak in her hair reminded her of what creating that spell had cost. And every time, she reminded herself that it was worth it to have her brother back on his feet, even if what she'd done had damaged her in a greater - but less visible - way than just the white streak.

~end~