Adiscordia ran further from her sister, it was for her safety. Running through the forest, she knew had given in and had no idea what would happen next. Currently, all she felt was an overwhelming sense of energy, anger, rage, and a bit of hate that lacked both control and a target. If her parents had never left her this wouldn’t have happened. Adiscordia was only six years old, and they had left her with a life to take care of. They hadn’t explained to her how to take care of Grizelda, they hadn’t even given her a choice! She had never asked to be born into this world with this curse to this family. She had no choice but to disobey them!

She was attentive as she raced through the darkness of the forest. She kept away from places where the moon didn’t shine. Her parents had warned her of that much before they left but slowly her thinking was flooded away by adrenaline. Her legs didn’t’ stop running. She loved the rush of being void of weakness. She didn’t fear every step being her last, she didn’t even have to focus on her feet! They were just running without her thinking about it. She laughed, taking a break from her journey to jump on a tree and climb. No child would have been able to climb straight up the pine without strong branches or shoes but Adiscordia found her toes gripping at the bark just fine. Her nails were no longer fragile but gripped the bark swiftly. Reaching the top she looked down in amazement. She could see the whole forest and village!

Adiscordia was free of the worry of her sister. She was free of the rules and expectations from her parents. With her body stronger as the curse rose she found herself free of the desperation. She could see the forest, and it was hers. Each tree, each noise, the dark sky, even the colors that blurred together into muddy colors near the horizon belonged to her. For once she felt like a normal child, without a care in the world.

Only one issue remained. The rage was still keeping her from breathing properly. All this desperation had always preyed on her, without her having any power over it. Now it was the other way around, she needed something to prey on. Adiscordia gripped a branch just before racing and jumping, causing her to tumble along the floor. She got up. There it was again, that rush! It had been her choice to jump off that tree. She started running again, looking for things to inflict damage on. At that moment she heard a crackling of leaves and an animal scurrying. Her head turned to listen for less than a second before she pounced. She fell back on the floor, the rodent in hand.

The young animal whimpered with large eyes. It reminded her of her sister. It was weak! The whimpering stopped as Adiscordia gripped it tightly stopping its breath. It wasn’t enough. Adiscordia raced further, a den- that would be enough. A den of wolves, a family with strong animals that liked to fight. That would be both competition and a victory. Adiscordia raced further into the woods not realizing as her surroundings became dark. She was losing track of the moonlight and the tracks from where she came.

“Adiscordia.” Came a whisper that sent chills down her spine. Despite her newfound energy, it made her freeze in place. She was supposed to be alone! Looking around she saw no one. “Addy” A name only from her family echoed. She turned around again but was alone.

“Who’s there?” She called out.

“What have you done?” It was a familiar voice.

“Mamma?” Adiscordia looked above her, there was nothing but darkness.

“Did you leave your sister?” came a gruff male voice. Adiscordia soon felt panic as she looked up, down, left, right, turning around. Where were they? No. She couldn’t, she wasn’t going back to them. She started running again. “Adiscordia…” She couldn’t help but run faster as the voices continued. Closer and closer they began to jumble together. What was happening? Why wouldn’t they go away! Adiscordia’s feet ran faster and faster, with a force that blew leaves away. “Adiscordia! You can’t leave us! You need to take care of your sister!“ Adiscordia looked behind her, nothing. Then in front, a fence she hadn’t seen appeared before her. She tripped and tumbled right past it. She found herself next to a pile of stones in a clearing. The voices had stopped. She paused to catch her breath and surroundings in confusion. There was a fence all around her, made of – It was hard to see in the darkness. She jumped back as the pile of stones in front of her lit themselves on fire. The light revealed the fence to be made of human bones. Looking up at the sky Adiscordia realized that there was no moon at all. Thick fog and darkness were spread above her.

Adiscordia’s rage quickly became fear. She rushed to get out of the fence but was blown back inside by a sudden gust of wind. She rushed to try another exit but failed again. There was a laugh of pity as Adiscordia tried again. With all the strength she had, she fought through the wind. She ran past the fence and rushed laughing as she jumped over the fence to the other side. She laughed. She did it! She looked behind her to see the fence far from her, but when she turned back the fence was there to face her. She was inside it again.

“Welcome to the family Adiscordia Hex.” Adiscordia didn’t respond. She was pushed into a sitting position to look up at seemingly nothing. “You don’t need to be afraid of anything anymore. What happened happened. People will fear you now. You will no longer need anything because it’ll come to you! Silly girl. Your parents didn’t teach you much about how the world works did they?” Adiscordia saw an opening, racing towards it. She tripped on a rock causing her to fall but continued running on her hands and feet before being picked up by an invisible force and put back in her seat. “You don’t listen, do you? You’re like a wild animal.”

Adiscordia shook in fear. There was no getting out. “I-I’m not evil! I just wanted to save my sister! I had to! My parents left and-And!” Adiscordia began to stutter. what else could she say? She closed her eyes tight. She had to be someone else. She couldn’t be helpless little Adiscordia any longer. “My parents came by here!” she yelled with a hint of confidence. “They’re Hexes too! You’ll be sorry!” There was a period of silence. Adiscordia stood up once again, hoping to leave.

“Sit down.” She knew better than to disobey. “I have them.” Adiscordia sat down, ears now fully opening to listen. “I know what you want. You’re torn. You want your sister to survive and live well. You don’t want to hurt her or others. You want to please your parents. At the same time, you want to be free of the burden that has been placed upon you. You’re sick of being at the bottom by everyone and trampled over. You want freedom and control.”

Adiscordia couldn’t help but nod. She knew exactly where this was going. Everyone knew the song and rhyme. “This is when you offer it to me. I know what you can do.” Adiscordia confessed. “What’s your price?”

Quietness came again. Wherever Coraline was, she was surprised. “and here I thought you were nothing but a naïve desperate child. On the contrary, you have intelligence and boldness, I like it.” With that, a jar of cookies appeared on Adiscordia’s lap. She looked away and pushed it to the side. “It’s safe. Go ahead.” Adiscordia was careful at first, taking only a small bite. True to her words it had no effect, better so it seemed just like those from the bakery. Adiscordia gladly gave in.

“I’ll give you your father, still cursed in bird form. You won't be alone, but neither will you be told what to do or how to do them. I will send your mother to watch over your sister and rest assured, I will make sure she remains with a wealthy family, earning her keep and given enough to live. You will be able to prey on the innocent and wealthier children that mocked you while having all the delicacies you could ever want. A jar of cookies won’t compare to this. After you’re gone your sister will succeed, and even thrive, becoming known by everyone. She will look back with gratitude at your sacrifice. In return, I ask for one thing. I want your eyesight.

Adiscordia was confused. “My eyes?”

“No, not your eyes. Your eyesight. Slowly in the next few years I will take away your eyesight from one eye, then the other. You’ll live six more years just fine until you lose your sight completely. Then after that, it’ll slowly return.”

Adiscordia thought it over as she munched on her treats. Did she trust Coraline? Absolutely not, but what other choice and assurance did she have? “Other than helping her you won't harm my sister?”

Coraline came into view in a shocking revelation. She wasn’t human. She was more of a humanoid cloud of whispers and darkness. “I will not even lay a finger on her life other than providing her with safety. I won't intervene and I will only take your vision. I promise.”

Adiscordia nodded quietly. “okay, so be it. It’s a deal…” With that, the bones and rocks were broken off the clearing and a gust of wind swept them away. It created a clearing and almost a path to where Adiscordia was left standing. A raven was perched on a branch nearby watching her.

Most notably, Adiscordia was free. She had given away her burden. She gave in and even gave her sight away to protect her sister. What else could they have expected her to do? Her father was there without a mouth to tell her what to do. What rules could he now give her? Feelings of pain, desperation, worry, and guilt were gone. There was nothing left but a desire for control and release. Not even the wild animals stood against her now. This forest was hers, but even so, the blood of the forest creatures would soon not be enough.