Even teen evil queens need love. Right? (Or at least a handsome sword-fighting minion to do their bidding!)
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Bad things happen when Rowen is around and the worst part is, she has no idea why until a massive family secret sends her on a fantastica...
Our whole lives we've been told that to share a wish was to kill it dead.
So ...
Blow out your candles.
Toss a coin into the fountain.
Catch a falling star.
But never tell.
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Evidently, I, Rowan Keckilpenny Brown, a crazy-haired redhead, yoga-hating, bringer of bad luck, was Prom Queen.
I sat upon a stage on a throne woven from the clawed branches of a rowan tree, speckled with clusters of blood-red rowanberries. The sharp twigs dug into my arms, back, and behind, but I enjoyed sitting on a throne. It suited me, I thought. I wore an enormous shimmery black Cinderella gown and had long curls, the color of moonlight, that spilled over my shoulders. My head felt heavy. I reached up, and my fingers delved into the metal fillagree of what must've been a crown. Beneath me, on the floor, hundreds of people dressed in all their finery bowed. They waited for my signal to rise. But I relished seeing them bent over like that, unsteady, holding the pose for too long.
Someone behind me moved my hair aside, his fingers grazing my neck. His lips touched the shell of my ear, and goosebumps erupted down my arms. Warmth coiled inside my belly.
This was the most perfect moment of my life, and I wished I could stop time.
Maybe I could.
But with three words, he broke the spell. "Who are you?"
It was like a douse of cold water on a winter's day. I knew what he meant. Only a monster would enjoy the pain of others.
Who was I, indeed?
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From far off in my consciousness, I heard a bang, bang, bang.
"I'm up, Dad!" I grumbled. There was no alarm clock worse than incessant pounding at your door. I squeezed my eyes shut against the morning light, grumbling to myself about forgetting to close my curtains last night before I went to bed. "I'm getting dressed," I lied. The dream faded to wherever dreams go when you're awake.
