Chapter 1

It is strange how something as simple as eye color can ruin a life. How can insignificant features suddenly determine fate? Why are my golden eyes deemed the mark of a monster if I have done nothing wrong? When they chose to label me such, they, in their own ignorance, created what they feared. I become the monster they said I was.

The light was filtering through the giant trees forming random patterns on the ground. There were dried leaves littering the ground, crunching under my feet as I walked. The empty basket I carried jostled back and forth as I moved. Much of my focus was on the trunks of trees as I looked for mushrooms and insects for potions. In truth I was trying to waste time so that I did not need to stay in the village any longer than necessary.

I hated the village. Well, mainly the villagers; the village was quite nice if they were removed. A modest village on the edge of the woods deserved no hate, the inhabitants did. Being raised by a witch was not a very good way to make friends. Even if Syrup was kind and shared her skills with them. The villagers remained suspicious of her and, by proximity, me. I was the strange girl living with the witch after all.

Perhaps it was not Syrup they disliked; maybe it was solely me: the monstrous child with yellow eyes. No one else seemed to share my particular eye color. No one human that is. There was only one creature that had the same hue: Poes. I was first told this by an old man that lived in the village. He had whispered it to another person, but louder than he had intended. The idea must have caught on because that quickly became my name when they spoke of me. I was the Poe Girl to them, not that I cared much. A name is a name, but when the other children decided it was grounds to tease me, I quickly began to loathe them all.

They are why I was now walking through the woods at a dreadfully slow pace, dragging my feet the entire way. I did not wish to deal with them and I wish that Syrup would understand that. She told me it was better to ignore them but not let them bully me. Now how does one ignore but tell off someone? I never understood her logic and decided that she just did not want to go so she sent me.

The trees began to thin and I knew that I was regrettably almost to my destination. I sighed when I could see houses. Now that I had made it to the village, I quickened my pace so I could be gone as soon as I could. Syrup only wished for me to deliver a potion to someone -I had not bothered to remember their name and memorized only their location. It was a tan house with red shutters located on the west side of town, which was close considering I had entered from the south.

As I walked, I did my best to ignore whoever was nearby. It worked and I was left alone as I delivered the bottle of potion. The woman took the potion and gave a mumbled "thank you" as she dropped a few blue rupees in my hand. I counted it just to make sure she gave the correct amount; people always tried to sort me, even if they knew the money went to Syrup. Just when I reached the edge of town, on the way back home, did someone decide it was time to bother me.

A small rock hit me in the back of my head, childish giggling following soon after. I turned slowly to the noise, my eyes narrowed. It was two boys and a girl, both about the same age as me. One boy was short and on the heavy side while the other was somewhat tall and lanky. The girl wore her hair in pigtails and was the same height as me. Their laughing ceased when my eyes meet with theirs. For a moment we glared at each other, waiting for the other to look away in defeat.

"Go away, Poe Girl," one boy said, breaking the tense silence.

"No one likes you here," the girl quickly added. The boys nodded in agreement before all three scanned the ground for more rocks to toss.

Despite knowing better, I stood my ground and waited defiantly. They would not get their way, today, I decided. The plump boy was the first to locate and lob another rock in my direction. It hit me on the arm with little force before falling next to my foot. I fought back a smile; they had no idea that I had learned a new trick since the last time.

It was ironic, really. Their calling me Poe-girl gave me the idea. The forest was filled with the ghostly creatures at night, and I happen to enjoy sneaking out then. One such night I had met a darling friend and her sisters. Only recently, though, had they proclaimed they would help me. I deemed this moment worthy of calling one to aid me.

"Beth?" I looked to my side, sensing where the blue Poe was hidden. During the day Poes' stayed hidden, but, by no means, did not mean they were not there.

A phantom giggle was her response as she materialized next to me, the blue flame of her torch swaying in the slight breeze. She began to float near the stunned children, who were too scared to move at the moment. The tall boy was the first to scream and run away. He tripped and fell on his face before he got far, causing Beth and I into a fit of giggles. Once he stumbled to his feet, the other two decided it was time to flee as well, but the girl yelled over her shoulder.

"Monster!"

That word again. I had heard it so many times before, perhaps it was the truth after all. Monster. That is what I am to them, because being different is not tolerated among them. Conformity was their way and in no way did I conform to them.

I turned to leave, walking the same path I had followed earlier. The sun was still high in the sky, not even midday yet. Syrup would not stand for it if I wasted more time than I already had. It was time for me to return to the only safe haven I had and to complete my chores in order to useful enough to keep.

Author's Note- First, thank you so So SO much for reading. As this is my first story, reviews would be grand. I need some feedback to know how I am doing.

-AwkwardBlackCat