"What are you doing in there, Sarah? We haven't seen you all morning. Mum's worried. Come down and have breakfast before I come in there to get you myself!" Bella called from the door and stalked off.
Bella was Sarah's older sister — a fine young girl with ash-blonde hair who was bright and had a keen eye for fashion and luxury, exactly how noble daughters were supposed to be. She didn't like Sarah very much, suffering from a large inferiority complex. She wouldn't go out of her way to bully Sarah — it was too much trouble for no reason — but she would openly ridicule her in the harshest way possible if the situation called for it. Sarah had known this for a long time and avoided her at all costs.
Sarah looked at herself in the mirror, now dressed in her usual white pants and top. Her blue hair spilled wildly over her shoulders and back. *I hope they won't make too much of a fuss if I go down like this,* she thought.
For no particular reason, she tiptoed toward the door, opened it just enough to stick her head out, and peered both ways down the long, marble hallway. No one was in sight — not even the maids, though she normally preferred it that way. She dashed down the hallway as stealthily as she could, convinced she was doing a perfect job of being sneaky. She clambered down the grand staircase, glancing around nervously. Still no one. She made her way toward the dining hall when she heard a loud gasp.
"Sarah! What is this? What's going on?" boomed her mother, Celia, from behind.
Sarah froze, not turning around, as her mother hurried over, jerked her around, and stared into her face. "What's going on? Why is your hair blue? You look really pale. And what's with your teeth? They look like they could bite an arm clean off."
"Ummm… I was…" Sarah stuttered, desperately searching for an excuse for her bizarre appearance. Nothing came to mind.
"Did you drink something bad? I hear you've been turning your room into some sort of lab," Celia stared at her sternly. "Why would you drink chemicals? That's not how a lady should behave!" she boomed.
Sarah stared back indifferently. Her mother was genuinely a good person and always looked out for her, but for some reason Sarah couldn't bring herself to like her. She didn't hate her — she just saw her as a nosy woman. Or maybe it was the constant attempts to arrange playdates for her. She couldn't really tell.
Her mother had dark raven-black hair and equally black pupils. It terrified Sarah whenever she was being scolded.
"It will wear off" Sarah finally said. They had been through something similar before — the time she drank something that made her as tall as her mother. It had worn off in three hours.
Sarah shook her head. "I don't know," she muttered.
"Curses," Celia muttered, biting her fingers. "We'll have to dye it in the meantime."
Sarah had already tried that, but she let her mother ramble on. Telling her would be a waste of time; she'd rather let her experience it herself.
"Now I know why you didn't come down yet," her mother sighed. "I haven't had breakfast either. Why don't we eat together?" She took Sarah's hand and led her toward the dining hall.
The moment Sarah stepped into the grand dining hall — with its long oak table, crystal chandelier, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the rose gardens — she was greeted with gasps and murmurs.
"Playing with chemicals again?" her eldest brother Andrew scoffed.
"I wonder why none of them have blown her fingers off yet. Maybe that way she'll learn to leave them alone," her second brother Mark smirked.
"Silence!" At the head of the table, an ashen-haired, dark-eyed man sat — the head of the Rose family and Sarah's father, Marco. Mark and Andrew instantly shut their mouths.
"Are you well, Sarah?" he asked, twisting a wine glass in his hand. She nodded slightly.
"Fine then. Take a seat," he continued. "Usually you're the first one here, but seeing as you didn't show until you were called, I assume it had something to do with your appearance?"
She nodded again, keeping her eyes on her knees. Her father had always made her feel uneasy. He never scolded her for her experiments or commented if she ended up taller or shorter. He simply asked if she was fine. Still, it felt weird.
The butler brought in their meal. Thanks to Sarah's continued suggestions and nagging, they now had vegetables for breakfast — she wouldn't shut up about it. Staring at the large plate of peas, beans, and a glass of orange juice, Sarah didn't feel like eating. For some reason, she felt like her father was trying to please her, and she knew where it was going.
"What? Is the food too strange for you now that you look like a shark?" Andrew smirked. Mark burst into laughter and almost choked on his beans.
"Yes, actually," Sarah replied, letting her predatory grin show in full. "I rather prefer human flesh." She smiled broadly.
Andrew gulped and inched closer to Mark, who shoved him away.
"What?" she continued, getting up from her seat and walking toward him slowly. Andrew made to run but tumbled and fell from his chair. Their father and mother smiled but said nothing. Sarah got close, face to face, so her new teeth were clearly in his line of sight. "You look quite tasty, wouldn't you say?" she said slowly, inching closer. "I think I'll have a bite." She opened her mouth.
Andrew closed his eyes in horror as his noble pride vanished instantly. Bella turned away. Mark was sweating bullets. Sarah pricked Andrew's cheek with a needle. He howled like a dying man.
Satisfied, she walked back to her seat, smirking, and returned to her peas. It took Andrew a while to realize she was no longer near him. He got up unsteadily, not daring to look at Sarah, and sat trembling in his chair.
"It's like you've seen a ghost," Sarah added, taking a single pea and biting into it. She tossed the roughly bitten pea in front of Andrew. "Mock my appearance again and half your face will look like that," she scoffed.
After the whole ordeal, the table fell quiet for a while, aside from the clinking of forks from Sarah and her parents.
"Sarah," Marco began, "aside from your current appearance, you seem to be in good shape, is that not so?"
She nodded, not looking away from her plate.
"On our way out today, we're going to drop you at the palace. You're to keep the prince company for the day," Marco said, taking a sip of wine.
"I'd rather you burn me at the stake," she muttered.
"What was that?" Marco asked, as if he hadn't heard.
"I said I'd be pleased to," she replied. "But only if Bella accompanies me."
"Me? Why?" Bella responded, aggravated, but one sharp look from Sarah calmed her down. "Why me?" she continued more calmly.
"I don't want to be with the prince alone. I might accidentally set him on fire. I need you to get water in case that happens."
"Sarah!" her mother boomed, almost choking on her pea.
"Leave her be, Celia," her father cautioned. "She's just jesting," he said calmly, without a hint of joy in his voice.
Mark couldn't stop laughing at her remark. Andrew, still lightly shaken, could only chuckle.
"So your only condition is Bella's company, is that it?" their father confirmed. "I was sure you were going to ask for the keys to my office again."
"No, Bella's company is fine," she sighed. *Not to mention I already got the key to your office,* she thought. *And knowing Bella, she wouldn't refuse. She partially worships the prince like a god. She should get chummy with him instead of me.*
"So get dressed, Bella," their father said, rising from the table and walking toward the door. "You're accompanying Sarah to the imperial palace today." He left.
The imperial palace was the most beautiful and naturally decorated building in all of Villia. It was adorned almost entirely in gold, with dragon statues spitting water like fountains. Sarah was bored of it all, but Bella clearly wasn't. It was the first time Bella had talked to Sarah so much. She kept pointing out landmarks, beautiful statues, and knights as they went. Sarah obliged and occasionally added remarks. It almost felt like they were on good terms.
They arrived at the palace entrance. Bella stepped out first. She was two years older than Sarah and much taller. Her red dress gleamed under the sun as she exited the carriage. Sarah got out still in her pants and shirt — basically horse-riding clothes.
They were greeted with a familiar voice Sarah knew all too well.
"Sarah! Sarah!" yelled a boy, fighting his way through the knights stationed at the entrance for his safety. Sarah quickly hid behind Bella, whose dress was big enough to conceal her. The prince came up to them beaming and clearly flushed. His obsidian-colored hair gleamed in the sun, and his blood-red eyes matched his height with Bella. He stood for a while looking at Bella. They exchanged quick, awkward hellos.
The prince then proceeded to pull Sarah out from behind Bella. She didn't give in without a fight, smacking his hand as hard as she could. He left rubbing the back of his hand.
"Why do you look like that?" he asked. "Drinking stuff you shouldn't, aren't you?"
"Touch me without my permission again and I'll use my teeth on you," she growled.
At the sight of her teeth, he backed away a little, then laughed and came forward again, pulling her from behind Bella. "You always threaten me and never do anything."
Sarah's eye caught a shade of blond hair walking past. She broke free from the prince's grip and darted after the boy instantly. He was being escorted by a formidable wall of knights.
*What am I doing?* she thought as she ran, trying to catch up. *It can't possibly be him. I mean, there are many kids with blond hair in this city. So why am I chasing after him like an idiot?*
"Carl!" she yelled before the boy got into his carriage. She saw the boy turn slowly, blue eyes taking her in. He was quickly rushed into the carriage, and it pulled away instantly.
"You know him?" asked Mike, the prince, coming closer and staring at the carriage as it left the palace grounds. "I heard from father that he's from one of the great knights' families — particularly the Heilo. They were among the descendants of the three great knights that brought down the calamity dragon. Apparently he inherited the shared power passed down from bloodline to bloodline, but it's practically useless now. No one has seen a monster in ages. They might as well find a new line of work."
"Don't you dare call them useless," Sarah barked.
Mike backed away slightly. He had never seen so much emotion and fire in Sarah's eyes before. "Why are you getting upset over some family you've never even met?"
"Just forget it," she sighed, taking the steps into the palace. "Go play with my sister. If you're looking for me, I'll be in the library." She vanished behind the palace door.
After spending almost the entire day in the library, the prince decided to grace Sarah with his presence. Unfortunately for him, she had locked the library door with an artifact she had found in her father's office. Unlike most kids her age who manifested magic and could perform simple spells, Sarah possessed no magical powers. She relied heavily on artifacts and magic-infused objects. She didn't mind — she would rather strike a match than project fire from her fingertips.
The prince shook the door vigorously. After realizing it wouldn't budge, he called out her name.
"Where's my sister?" she called from the other side of the door.
"I left her in the garden," the prince replied. "It was really hard to shake her off."
"You'd better not hurt her feelings," came Sarah's calm voice with a hint of warning. "Better go keep her company before she realizes you ditched her, or you might actually be booking a ticket to my bad side."
"It doesn't really matter," he responded. "Please open the door. I want to know if you're still mad at me."
*Damn, he's obnoxious,* Sarah thought. "Well, you could always order me to. I mean, you're the prince after all, and I doubt I'd be able to say no if you used your authority on me," she said, flipping through a book about magic stones. Around her, large books about magic, dragons, and monsters lay half-opened.
"Come on, you know I can't do that. It's not nice to use one's authority on friends," came the prince's reply.
"Then be ready to stay there for a long time," Sarah drawled. "Because I'm definitely not opening it until you order me to."
"But this is my home and my library!" cried the prince.
"That's why you're free to order me out," she scoffed. "I wouldn't refuse then."
The prince made to respond but was interrupted by Bella's cheerful giggle as she grabbed him from behind. "Found you!"
"What are you doing here anyway? We're supposed to be playing hide and seek in the gardens and along the great hall," she stared at him askance.
The prince looked around for something to lie about. Sarah saved him. "He was looking for a place to hide when I called him to help. I accidentally locked myself in here," she said calmly, flipping a book and not batting an eye.
"Oh! Are you alright? Should I try melting the keyhole?" Bella asked, walking toward the door.
"No, it's fine. The problem has already been resolved. Just get the prince out of here now that he's done his job."
"You sure?" asked Bella.
"Definitely," replied Sarah indifferently.
"Well, if you say so. Come on, Mike. Now it's my turn to hide," she said, dragging the prince away. He stared at the library door as he was pulled awkwardly away by an abnormally strong Bella.
It was around sunset when the carriage came to take them back to their manor. Sarah walked awkwardly out of the library carrying stacks of books. She was greeted with looks of awe as she dumped them in the carriage. Their butler asked if she was stealing books from the kingdom's library.
"Me? Steal books? Never. The prince is right there — he gave them to me as a gift," she said charmingly, staring at the prince.
The butler looked at him hesitantly for confirmation.
"Ah yes," the prince responded, flushing. "I gave them to her as a token of our friendship."
"What about me?" Bella asked softly.
"Here," Sarah said, handing her a green emerald. "He specifically asked me to give you this," she whispered to her sister. Bella flushed instantly.
Bella got into the carriage first, almost as red as her dress. Sarah got in after her, covering the window so the prince couldn't see her face.
On the way back home, Bella asked, "Do you like the prince?"
Sarah, flipping through a book about spells and hexes, replied flatly without looking up, "I'm going to assume you mean romantically. If that's the case, then no." She added with a small smile, "By the way, you guys seem like a cute couple. His eyes matched your dress perfectly."
"You think so?" Bella blushed.
"I know so," Sarah confirmed. *I think this will do. In the future, Bella becomes a very powerful fire mage and helps significantly in the battle against the monsters. She didn't directly hate me to begin with, but she didn't like me either. Getting on her good side should be beneficial. Besides, unlike Andrew, Bella is actually a nice girl — just saddened that my parents and her crush fawn over me rather than love her properly. Making it seem like I'm not interested in the prince and he in her should get me on her good graces. Other than that, I can't help but like her,* Sarah thought.