I was never the best at anything, at least compared to my mother and sister. I wasn't the smartest like my sister Libby or the most social and diplomatic like my mother Queen Elene. All i'm good for is sitting around and looking pretty, today's no different as we're going to the davey's ball. we all filed into the carriage like pigs, all crammed in no space to move it was barely enough for one person never mind three! But that's always how it goes we settle for less and less because mother always says "we settle now, strike later!" but when I can't keep living like this! last week we lost 5 servants 5! Now we just have 14 while all the other royal families have at least 20 we're not lowly peasants, we're royalty too ,of a smaller country mind you, But royalty non the less.

We arrive at the ball and practically pushing each other out of the carriage. The davey's ball  is always held at the Paxton castle they were more wealthy then us and it showed as the castle is huge with four ivory towers that reach gracefully into the sky, each crowned with pointed, slate-blue roofs and adorned with flags that bear the symbol of there family. It's truly amazing and I hate that we don't have it. We walk up to the entrance and we greet the Paxton family with a courtesy and a "thank you". There was king Elliot his queen Elsie together they had 5 kids like rabbits. the oldest princess evie the youngest was princess Eleanore she was the cutest one but the youngest always are. the rest are boys which they were rather unremarkable you could hardly call them men. But even so I want their life I want their power but no I'm just here lifting my dress like i'm beneath them.

We enter inside and it's like every ball people standing around doing nothing at all, it was rather drab. Mother said to us "go and talk meet people, people with power preferably" Libby and I went but there weren't many to speak to no our family was never granted major physical appeal well I believe i'm the exception. Though not many liked me for a reason I couldn't understand. "Cathrine you should talk to somone how anout that boy I believe he's been looking at you" Libby said suddenly, I looked where she pointed and I saw a boy he looked tall without any real muscle definition he had brown hair and big round dougy brown eyes with a baby face he look kinda idiotic though. i'm insulted she suggested it "no" I say "why cathrine? you never meet anyone and i'm" libby was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder by a surprisingly handsome man "I couldn't have help but notice you from across the room my you want to dance with me" now my sister was blushing but couldn't understand why he went for her though she wasn't that attractive "oh well uh take care Cathrine i'll meet with you at the end of the night" Libby said giddy it was embarrassing getting so riled up just from a man talking to you unbefitting for a woman of royalty. 

I stand off to the side and I look for my mother she seemed to be talking to a noble woman so I get ready to march towards her when someone walks in front of me "h-hello m-my I t-take you to dance" oh it was that idiot boy . He kept his head down while he was talking it was strange and a little cute but mostly strage and I didn't want to humor him so i walked around him but he stepped in front of me again. "p-please" his eyes looked desperate I felt uneasy so i just said "oh i would love to" he smiled a dopey stupid smile and he took me to the ball room floor and we began to dance he tripped up on himself a lot I don't want to admit this but I also fumbled a couple of times more then likely his fault but it was also my first time. It was horrible so when he asked "that was good right?" of course I said "no" but surprisingly he didn't yell or nothing he just didn't respond which I like. So I turned and walked away but he followed me I tried losing him but he kept following so i turned around and asked "why are you following me!" he didn't answer I was so mad I thought I was going to punch him but then right next to me I saw something that caught my attention.

It was a ring, the most beautiful ring I ever saw but it was attached to a person a sleeping woman with older features wrinkles, greying hair yet on a young body. I inched closer to the ring "what are you doing?" the idiot boy says. "just getting a better look" I get closer almost grabbing it when the idiot boy grabbed my arm it made jump and almost instinctively I say "don't touch me" and I grabbed back my arm he stood there stunned standing there like a statue. I turn my attention back on the ring as I boldly just grab it and her eyes just shoot open they were a piercing yellow. She stood up without bending her knees she locked her eyes on me, then she smiled and said in a deep booming voice "naughty girl" she stepped forward "you should learn to keep your hands to yourself" she walks towards me her dress blackens and her finger nails lengthen to claws all I can do is crawl backwards and scream for help but none come it's as if they couldn't hear me. Her claws inches from my face as she says "my your inside become your outside and my you die from the outside in" I scream one final time this time the idiot boy comes and pushes her last second. she falls to the floor into ants and they race onto me crawling all over my skin it even feels a few are in my skin i give one final blood curdling scream that this time everyone in the ball heard.

I awaken in my bed to servants and my sister Libby "oh thank the lord your awake! mother come quickly cathrine is awake!" I hear the sound of heels coming down the hall then my mother bursts in "oh christ be blessed your alive" "mother!" They're all smiling and being thankful but all I could think about is my skin all of it felt so itchy, flaky and rash. I had to scratch and scratch and scratch. I dragged my sharp nails across my skin I had to get it off. the smiles of my fade and Libby takes my hands and hold them. "What why are you doing that? Your making yourself bleed!" Where I had scratched had become like wounds for how hard I scratched I felt the blood roll down my skin but the pain was so small compared to the itch "I just need a bath that's all" my mother and sister looked concerned so they ordered a urgent bath as I walked to the washroom I clawed at my wretched skin then I ripped off my dress getting at the skin underneath it needs to get off. it needs to get off!

I get inside the tub servants around me ready to wash. As they started to scrub me it was slow methodical trying to get every crevice "scrub faster!" They speed up and wash with less detail but it was still too soft I could still feel my itchy skin "Harder! Faster!" They started to press hard and dragging brushes and sponges scraping off skin as they do but it's still not enough I need it off I need the feeling to leave so I grabbed a sponge from a servants hand and scrub like I was mad the skin it was peeling bleeding but I still felt it I need it off and I started clawing at myself but for some reason I felt I wasn't the only one like something was clawing from inde if me. The servants slowly disappeared from the wash room leaving me to scrub and claw myself for hours till a servants entered and relaid that it was supper time.

By the time I stopped all my skin was beat red and it still itched! Why? Why? Why? I got dressed and headed to the dinning hall and sat at the table my mother and sister looked up worried at my appearance "oh Catherine are you alright?" Libby said worried while my mother just looked displeased by the sight. "Yes I'm fine really" I say frustrated as Libby fell silent with a worry some face. They served us and we began to eat not that I could focus on eating no the searing pain and my insides trying to claw there way out made sure of that. But I tried to persevere and I picked up my knife and fork to cut into our meal but the sound of metal scraping against metal makes my head melt as the itch grows stronger. I couldn't take it any longer and I grabbed my fork and dragged it on my hand hoping this will make the urge fall away unsurprisingly it did not. All I got from that was my mother screaming "she's gone mad!" I would protest saying things like 'i'm not mad it's the itch' or something like that but I didn't have the time as I could feel something happening my damaged skin cracked and opened as if the thing clawing me from the inside had won. Just then servants rushed to restrain me from orders from my mother they dragged me to my room and locked the door. As I was being dragged I heard the servants say things like "poor maiden she could've made a fine wife" or "how could this happen to her she was so pretty how could this happen to her?" It was sickening to hear those below me talk as if I was below them. But I heard them say something else "I wish I don't want to touch her I believe she's cursed" cursed? No that makes sense the itching, the peeling. I look at my hand and its skin open flapping as suddenly a liquid fills where the skin has opened, it wasn't blood it was viscous and green. When I saw it I screamed loud and I tried to wipe away the green substance but it kept oozing out. This has to prove it it's a curse and I bet it was that woman that creepy woman but I couldn't do anything now I was trapped in my room.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I laid in my bed with my whole body now oozing the liquid, at least the itch is gone. Then the door to my room was opened and a gaggle of servants rushed in one of which held an iron helmet and chainmail gloves then came my mother the amount of disgust in her eyes was astounding "it's gotten worse. Hurry" before I could do anything the servant with the iron helmet quickly tried to put it on me I tried to fight but the rest of them held me down. The servant got the helmet around my head and locked it. "There that's much better, we'll start your training in the morning" "training? What training?" My voice had a hollow ring with the helmet on. "Your training to become sane again darling." As this left my mother's mouth my face underneath the helmet contoured into a confused glare. What? Does she think me mad! "also darling wear those gloves." I look down at my oozing hand and couldn't help but agree. I took the chainmail gloves and as I slid it down my hand the green goo that gushed from it pressed against my tattered skin it was cold. I slid on my other glove just then hopped out of my bed and walked out of my room every step I took a trail of slime was behind me. I ran into Libby who seemed to have ran to my room worried. "I'm sorry" she stopped as she looked at me and fear grew on her face when she didn't recognize me with the helmet "who are you?" "Your sister." Libby's face fell from fear to worry "oh Catherine what has happened?" "Nothing I'm fine" "but Catherine this helmet and" Libby looks at the trail I left behind "your dripping?" "I said I was fine" I marched out to the courtyard trying to get rid of Libby when I see a horse ride up to the gates with that idiot boy from the ball.

Libby comes running behind me "Catherine you are clearly not fine if you need help just tell me I'm your sis-" before Libby could finish her sentence she to was distracted by the idiot boy's arrival "oh Charles what brings you here?" Charles I guess that was his name? But I don't think it suits him though. "My brother sent me to give you a message" Charles hand in his hand a lavender flower and a note my sister took it and read it and her face became red and she smiled and she suddenly turned to leave but before she did she told Charles "tell him thank you too!" She said it with a giggle. Gosh she came to help me but got turned around by a note from a man I hope I'm never like that. Charles turns to leave but as he does I remember that he saw the woman so I called out to him "Charles wait!" He stops on his tracks and turns to me "have we met you sound familiar?" "It's me Catherine" "C-Catherine" he responded his eyes also failing to the but it's strange I don't think I ever told him my name. "What happened?" "Nevermind this I think I'm cursed, look!' I take off my glove showing the oozing goo Charles looks and is appalled by the sight. I put the glove back on "I thInk that woman did this to me" "you mean that witch" "witch?" "You know, a woman who sold her soul to the devil. She just had to be a witch." "Ok but that doesn't help us find her." "Well I can tell my father maybe he can help us." "No it'll take to long, I don't feel like I have a lot time left." "Not a lot of time?" Charles is now small and sad and he looks worried "I feel myself fading, I can't feel most of.my body anymore I fear the worse" "if we can't go to my father then what about your mother?" "She thinks I'm mad we're on our own Charles." "Then what do we do?" "I don't know but we need to find her." I walk forward not really having a destination. But Charles stood thinking till he spoke "what if we don't need to find her but bring her to us." I was ready to dismiss his idea before I thought about it it wasn't half bad "how?" When I asked him, his voice went meek. gosh he really is an idiot but never the less it gave me an idea "maybe we could find something in my library there's always something there that can help me." "Your library? Doubt it has anything about witches in there." "You have a better Idea?" And with that we run into my castle. As I run there's a sloshing sound as the substance has started to pool in my helmet.

We arrived at the library and we begin to search for a book that could help but we had trouble finding anything. We searched for almost an hour before I found something that seemed useful a book called "miss savea's book on anti-witchcraft, sorcery, and demonic craft" savea? That's my family name yet I don't know the woman but that doesn't matter now we found what we needed but as I went to claim the book my fingers wouldn't grab it they couldn't bend so went to see what was wrong and I take off my chainmail gloves when I did most my fingers went with it. I watched in horror as my hand slowly fell off my arm. Charles watched his face ghost white "Charles the book we need to hurry" I yell as I do some of the substance gets into my mouth it's slowly filling the helmet threatening to drown me. "Right uh" Charles picks up the book and flips through pages frantically "I think all we need to do is draw a pentagram and say you want to make a deal" with that we run outside but as we do I fall as both my feet are no longer attached to my body so I crawl on what's left of my arms. Charles makes the pentagram on the ground I crawl over to it. "Just say I would like to make a deal."  "I would like to make a deal..." I began to choke as the green substance enters my lungs though I doubt those are intact either. The pentagram begins to smoke as the wo man appears "it worked Catherine." He looked back to see the substance pouring out of the eye holes of the helmet "Cathy noo" he rushed over and tried in vain to pry the locked helmet off of me. The witch laughed as this was happening "you want to make a deal right? Well come on tell me what you want." She says with sarcasm in mind. Charles still trying to get this helmet off  says "you know she can't" "then you shall be her mouth piece" Charles looking back at me dying "yeah whatever just save her!" "Oh I don't work for free" she smiles "how about this I'll save her for her first born child" "her child? What could  you from that?" "Why wouldn't I want the slayer?" He looks confused at what she said but quickly focusses back in "ok you can have it just save her!" With a grin that goes behind her ears she snaps her fingers and I go back to how I was my body in one piece no longer oozing and the helmet falls off I feel my face and it's fine. I look up at Charles and his eyes are avoiding mine and he says "I'm sorry Catherine i-i sold your first unborn child" I looked up at him I wanted to get mad but I just couldn't do I said "it's ok. Charles you did it to save my life." He looked down at me and smiled just then my mother came out to the courtyard "today will be your first lesson and.... Your helmet is off and your face is okay?" I looked at her with a smile "yes mother I'm okay now." She looked astonished "well... never the less we will start your lesson today say good bye to your friend" she says as she picks me up and drags me into the castle I wave at Charles before she closes the doors. We start "lessons" today oh gosh why can't anything just happen one at a time.

The End