As a child, one locked away in a tower for her father’s own reassurance, I often found myself wishing for my freedom. Trapped within unyielding walls and forced to whittle my days away, growing old with the years and yet never experiencing what life could offer. When my hero came, I was unchained, pulled from my prison to a world welcoming me with abundant curiosities. It was ours to travel, our own decisions carving our future.

When I lost everything and gambled with stakes outside of my reach, I found new imprisonment. I could roam the Earth and uncover any secret it had to offer. There were no walls to hold me nor any captors watching over me. And yet, I was shackled by an inescapable weight. My former captivity had been reversed. Now, the world was mine to see without restraint, but I was barred from the passing of time. I walked in stasis, forever a prisoner in my undying body.

I had nothing left but no possibility to find rest. I was alone, spare for the animals and Creatures of Grimm. I watched them tear down the abandoned civilizations, erasing them as their residents had been until nothing remained. And they held my answer.

I threw myself into their pools of bottomless destruction, praying that my curse could not withstand their churning hunger. I was wrong, but I was gladly corrected. I emerged as someone new, my old life swallowed as a new one was birthed. Magic and destruction, forces beyond what the world could manifest, were within my hands. The Grimm bowed to me, and I crafted more to join my side. My powers grew as time passed, never bowing to heartbreak or naivety. I became something beyond control.

I will never be imprisoned again. I have turned my curse, strengthening myself as I continue to live without an end in sight. I will burn this world to the ground, finally unleash the fury that gnaws away inside me. And one day, I’ll finally have my freedom again.

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My wedding day.

I was awakened roughly from my spot against the wall where I had cried myself to sleep the night before. Obsidian was nowhere to be seen. Standing over me was Deino, fitted in a sky-blue dress and her modest hair highlighted with streaks of silver. Her face, however, was unchanged under a layer of makeup. She sneered at me before reaching down and yanking me to my feet. “Mother wants you.” She said before pulling me out of my cabin.

I didn’t put up a fight. Over my shoulder, I say goodbye to the pitiful belongings I had scavenged over the years, held inside a miserable shack of rotting wood. The dirt floor was littered with shreds of paper, the remnants of the photographs I couldn’t destroy any further. I didn’t want to look at it anymore. When night comes, I’ll be far away from this excuse of a shelter, locked away in a luxurious prison. The vials of Dust I had hidden away in nooks and crannies seemed like empty rebellions now. Everything here was just a waste. We left the door open as I was ushered out.

Deino’s hand was tight on my wrist as she pulled me along. “Are you excited? I bet you are.” She answered herself without waiting for a reply. “Getting married to a handsome man from a rich family. It’s every girl’s dream. I’m almost jealous. Almost.” She gave my arm a hard tug, making me stumble. “Aren’t you going to ask why I’m not?’

I stayed silent.

Deino scoffed. “Now you’ve figured out how to shut up? What great timing. Anyway, I’m not jealous because it’s a sham wedding. You’re basically a present we’re going to wrap up nicely before shipping it away. It’s more of a business transaction than anything else. Mother said that this is the best you were ever going to get. It’s true, obviously. It’s not like a girl like you was ever going to amount to much.”

I want to be a great Huntress like you!

My heart started racing as Deino kept running her mouth. “On the bright side for you, you’ll never have to do anything ever again. No chores, no job, no fighting. Just looking pretty and clinging to Keane’s arm. Well, I guess you’ll have to give him kids someday. Oh man, can you picture it?”

Her Semblance activated. I felt the dread wrap around my mind, bringing the scenario she built to life. A life of being a trophy, deprived of my will as the days trudge by. Standing by Keane and being gawked at like a flashy pet. Giving him children that end up just like him. Her powers made them solidify, pounding against my head and leeching the strength from my limbs.

And I wanted her to burn.

I suffered at the exposure of her Semblance for most of my life, being forced to suffer through artificial anxiety that made my body tremble. Her grip on my wrist made me remember the times she grabbed me, hit me, hurt me. And I had to take it. If I tried to protect myself with my Aura, they would pummel more until it broke, and Pem would punish me further. I let myself be stripped of my only defense for them to harm me. The sensation in my chest grew. I clenched my teeth to keep it from erupting from my throat.

Deino was watching me with a cocky grin. “Don’t have anything to say? You won’t even beg? You really have given up. That’s no fun, but Mother will be happy.” We reached the mansion. Deino opened a door and pulled me inside. “I think I’ll actually miss you. You made things fun, at least.” We turned corners as we traversed the seemingly endless corridors. Finally, we reach a large set of doors with the emblem of a silver crescent moon painted on them. Deino pushed them open and announced: “I’m here!”

Pem and Enyo turned at the dramatic entrance. Pem was her usual display of metallic beauty. Her dress and necklace of the prettiest silver seemed to glow, and eyes were brought out by a glittery-gray powder she had brushed on her eyelids. Her dress was more proper than the high cut from yesterday, the backless, silver dress only exposing her heels instead of her entire leg. The only things that stood out were the gloves she wore, woven into large braces clasped around her wrists. Their material was thicker, and the braces were overly large to fit her attire. I knew with a flick of her wrist, those braces would transform into her weapons, Shimmer Selene. She was wearing them to show off her class as a Huntress.

Enyo was wearing violet material with tiny jewels that shone like stars and a black sash. The only jewelry she wore was a studded ring holding her braid together. Unlike Pem, Enyo had dark lipstick and eyeshadow, the night sky against her mother’s silver grace. Like Deino, Enyo had silver streaks dyed in her hair to match their mother.

Enyo rolled her eyes. “We see that. You might want to tone down the dramatics today.”

Deino crossed her arms. “Just having fun. Might want to try it sometime.”

Enyo just shrugged. “Maybe later.” The two shared a smile, making Deino chuckle.

“Are you two ready?” Pem asked, her daughters straightening up instantly. Pem straightened the sash around Enyo’s waist and readjusted a stray lock of Deino’s hair. “Deino, call the Chartreuse family and make sure everything is still on schedule.” Deino nodded, ducking out of the room to fetch her Scroll. Pemphredo turned to me, looking me over. “You’re a mess. Enyo, come help me.”

The two of them got to work. They pulled me into a white dress with silver trim. The sleeves exposed my shoulders but covered everything else up to my wrists. Next, they plastered makeup on my face, something that I had never done before. The stuff felt thick and sticky. It made my skin itch. They crammed my feet into slippers that pinched my toes. They brushed my hair, pulling roughly on any tangles. I didn’t make a sound as they dressed me up like a doll even though everything inside me wanted to scream at their touch.

Eventually, Pem assessed my appearance with a frown. She said: “Enyo, keep working. I need to find something.” She left, leaving me with her daughter.

Enyo was silent for a bit as she continued working, weaving my hair into intricate braids that were famous among their family. I couldn’t see her since I had my back to her, but the nearness still unsettled me. Halfway through, she started to speak. “Are you feeling nervous about today?” I didn’t reply. “You don’t have to say anything. You’re practically shaking. It must be strange to be suddenly married off to someone you don’t even know. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.” She continued to work, her fingers dancing through my hair. “You never told me, you know.”

I didn’t ask what she meant.

“Your monster,” she clarified. “Whenever I use my Semblance, people see a monster tailor-fit to horrify them. It targets their deepest fears and gives them shape. I just can’t see them. Sometimes they’re snakes, others bees, or something humanoid, maybe something else entirely. I tried it on Deino once.” I tensed at her casual confession. “When we first discovered our Semblances. We tested them on each other. She saw a beast with sharp teeth that would coil itself around her, teasing her. She told me she wished it would just attack instead of drawing it out. I promised never to put her through that again.

“I never saw my own, since I can’t use my Semblance on myself. It makes me really curious about what I would see. From the first time I used my powers on you, I always wondered what took you down. What the monster looked like is important, but more of how it acted. That’s where the real interesting bits happen. I’m guessing you’re not going to tell me.”

I kept my mouth shut, my scalp burning from her fingers in my hair.

She sighed. “I can’t make you say, especially now. I’ll have to go on wondering. After all, we probably won't see each other after today. Does that make you happy? I feel a little disappointed. My mother wasn’t around much when we were growing up, especially after our father ran off. I wasn’t in the best place. I don’t know what it was, but you… something about you made me feel better. I want to say thank you. I’m in a better place now because of you.”

I clenched the fabric of the dress as my chest filled with scalding heat. You made my life miserable! Those monsters chased me in my nightmares. I was scared and hurt and you made it worse! You feel better now? I’m in the worst spot of my life!

The doors opened again. Pemphredo walked back in, a necklace dangling from her hand. “I found it.” Pem checked me one last time before nodding. “This will work. Enyo, we’re preparing to leave. Go find your sister.”

“Yes, mother.” Enyo exited, but the memory of her creatures remained.

Pem put the necklace on me, a thin string of silver links that must be from her personal collection. “There. Perfect.” Pem checked her Scroll. “Time to go. Come on.” She stood beside me as we left the room, watching over her cargo.

It felt like my chest was melting, the roaring heat inside wanting to burn through my skin. My blood was pounding in my ears. I took one look at Pem and I found my mouth moving on its own: “Why do you hate me?”

Pem’s steps didn’t falter. After our talk yesterday, my question didn’t seem so surprising. “I never hated you. You were just a problem.”

“A problem,” I mimicked.

“Yes. When I came along, your father was devastated by your mother’s death. Among other things. Did you find your mother’s Scroll yesterday?” I nodded. “You read her messages?” Another nod. “Then you know what your mother did. Your father was so distrusting towards everyone after that. He was on the path of self-destruction. I did everything I could to pull him back from that fate. And I continued to work, helping him heal while providing a good life for my family. It was tough, but he got back on his feet and was restoring his life. The only problem was you.

“Every time he saw you, he changed a little bit. Angry and hurt. I did what I had to do, distancing him from you and handling you myself. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best I could do.”

“Why not just get rid of me?” I asked.

“And say what?” Pem challenged. “That the daughter of a wealthy Dust trade employee was a bastard from his wife and her secret lover in Atlas? His credibility would be ruined. And you couldn’t suddenly disappear without drawing eyes to us. We had to wait for the right chance, which came in the form of the Chartreuse family.”

“So all of this was for nothing?” I stopped and faced her, my eyes locked on hers. “Everything you three did to me was because I was inconvenient? It wasn’t because of hate but for your benefit? Why did it have to be me?”

Pem didn’t look guilty. There wasn’t a shred of remorse in her expression. Instead, she was calm, at ease. “Dear girl, this has nothing to do with you. In a different time, under different circumstances, we could have gotten along. Maybe we all could have been a real family. But here, now, you just don’t fit.”

Pem flexed her hand, the material of the glove fitting perfectly as the limb moved. “I was young when I had my girls, and I wasn’t able to give them a good life at the start. I spent years building my reputation so that I could give them the life they deserved. I wanted them to be happy, so I kept working more and more, reaching higher heights in society at the expense of being with them. When you’re father and I met, everything came into place. We had a new family, and I could finally give my girls what I had worked to achieve. The only thing in the way was you. You’ll always be the outlier with us. You’ve been dealt a bad hand. It’s just an unfortunate draw of destiny that your life turned out like this. There’s nothing you can do but go along with it until the end.”

My body was shaking. I clenched my fist as noise blared in my ears. “Are you sorry for what you did to me?”

Pem rested a hand on my shoulder, the contact almost painful. “I did what I had to do for my family.”

“Are. You. Sorry?” I forced through my clenched teeth.

Pem took a moment to look at me before she let out a resigned breath. “No, I’m not.”

I was on fire. Every inch of my skin felt like it was burning, ready to burst into flames and swallow me. We didn’t say another word as we continued walking. The past years swirled in my mind like a storm, all the pain and loneliness I had to suffer because of the three of them. Pem shone through it all, a beacon of moonlight that did nothing but call the worst moments of my life into being. She made me suffer for years, and she felt nothing for it.