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...
"At last, it's time for you to pay me what you owe," she said, her eyes shining like a deranged werewolf."
"No. No way. I won't do it."
"You will!"
"I can't! I can't hurt him."
"You can hurt him. And you'll enjoy it. I promise."
"As if your promises mean anything!" I spat.
"I promise to kill you if you don't do as I say. How's that for a promise? Do you think I mean it?"
I gulped. She meant it. And when she killed me, I knew she'd enjoy it. But the bigger problem was, I worried if I did as she asked, I would enjoy it even more.
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As we crashed into the tip of a towering pine, time switched into slo-mo while Blade slowly slid out of my grasp. I forced all my magic into him, jagged blue zaps of power flowed from my fingertips, and Blade hung in the sky like a levitating assistant in a magic act. Sadly, I had barely a moment's relief before I plummeted, my stomach relocating into my throat, choking out my screams. And my breaths.
Maybe infusing all my magic into Blade had been a mistake.
Would I ever learn balance?
Probably not right away because at that moment, I was too busy fighting gravity, a foe famous for winning every battle. I fell, striking every branch on the way. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! The needles hissed as they scraped my skin and shredded my gown.
A blood-curdling howl pierced my eardrums.
"Stop shrieking!" I shrieked. Then I realized I was the one shrieking and stopped. Finally, after hitting every branch, I slammed into the ground with a thud, agony radiating through my back and head. I gasped for breath when something heavy landed on top of me, pushing me further into a bed of pointy, prickly things. I bit my tongue, and more pain exploded in my mouth, along with the copper taste of blood.
My head throbbed and felt like it was stuffed full of cotton, making it impossible to think straight.
Think ... straight! I demanded, clenching my teeth.
No! My brain replied. Remove the cotton first.
How?
How do I know?
Because you're the brains of the operation.
Very funny, my brain said.
Fine! I'll do it! I have to do everything around here!
Okay, all I needed to do was answer five questions.
