The Spectator

“Ms. Youngman! Ms. Youngman!” the reporters cried after me.

I smiled at them kindly but pushed through the wall of people.

“What gave you the idea for Little Red Riding Hood’s Dark Ending?”

“Will there be a sequel to Snow White: The Blood Red Apple?”

“When is Deathly Beauty being released?”

“Ms. Youngman!”

I shut my door locking it swiftly. I staggered back sitting down on the bench by my door. A wave of exhaustion rushing over me. These people needed to learn when enough was enough. I’d teach them that soon. I sighed taking off my shoes and placing my keys on their hook by the door.

“Oh, well look who finally came home,” my girlfriend, Skyler, said from the top of the stairs. Her arms were crossed firmly across her chest. Her dyed sky-blue hair a beautiful curly mess. Her pale grey eyes glaring down at me.

I put my hands up in surrender. “Look outside. Those reporters harassed me all the way home.”

Her eyes slightly glanced to the people outside before she sighed loudly. “Come on. Dinner’ll get cold.”

I nodded walking up the steps. Our house was weird. Our kitchen and dinning room were upstairs. We had a bathroom on that floor along with a room we called “the cat room”. It was just full of our cats’ things like their beds and cat tower. We also feed them in there except Pumpkin who’s so tiny she has to eat somewhere else, so the others don’t steal her food.

Anyway, our basement has two bedrooms and a bathroom. Then the first floor is our entrance, my office and Sky’s too, and then a bathroom. The top floor is just our bedroom. It’s huge.

“You worried me, that’s all,” she said simply. “You forgot your phone and… well…”

“Hey, don’t worry about me, Sky. You didn’t drag me into those self-defense classes for nothing.”

She smiled faintly. “You sucked at it.”

I grinned. “Yeah, I don’t even compare to my prince charming.”

She blushed at the nickname I’d unofficially given her. My sweet prince charming who would save me from harm if needed. It’s only fair since everyone else gets one.

“Oh, and you got a really pissed off phone call from a reader.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, she kept on screaming about how Snow White couldn’t have a bad marriage and yadda yadda.”

“Snow White was like, eight, when she got married in the original. It only makes sense that she wouldn’t have a happy marriage.”

“And then another one about Red and how she couldn’t be male.”

“It’s a retelling. They have to expect I’ll change the characters around,” I say as we enter the kitchen.

I take a good whiff of the heavenly aroma. I quickly served myself and sit down at the bar. Sky sits down next to me serving herself as well. Leave it up to Sky to wait to eat with me.

“Oh, and did you ever figure out the ending for Deathly Beauty?”

I nodded. “I think it’ll end with the prince trying to wake her, but she won’t because Maleficent isn’t stupid and made sure her curse did the job properly.”

“Wow, leave it up to you to strip everyone of their hope for the hero to win.”

“She does win, technically. She doesn’t suffer and is considered a saint. Isn’t that a nice ending?”

Sky shook her head. “She still dies, Mae.”

“Yeah, I guess. Still ends in heart break, but then again,” I grinned, “that’s kinda what I’m famous for. My dark retellings of fairy tales.”

Sky rolled her eyes glancing away. “I’ll never know how you get these ideas.”

I smiled and continued eating without giving her a response. We finished our meal in silence. I got up as soon as I finished.

“Come on, Mae. Why don’t we watch a show together?”

I shook my head. “I need to finish that book. The due date’s coming up.” I pecked a kiss at her lips. “I love you and thanks for the food!”

I heard her sigh as I headed for my office. My office doesn’t have any windows, and it appears tiny because of the bookshelves that line the walls. It might sound cramped, but it fits my needs. My desk sits against the only wall without a bookcase. I have a few of my book poster’s plastered above it. Sky had convinced me to do that awhile ago. Sure, I take pride in my work, but hanging up my own poster’s feels a little self-assured, ya know?

I traced the spines of my books. All different colors and sizes. My hand finally fell on what I was looking for. I gripped the large book pulling it out of the shelf. Let’s see how Deathly Beauty will truly end.

You see, one thing my readers always love is that all my books take place in the same world. Sometimes I bring older characters back or use the same ones in multiple books. In all my books I always hint at a higher power watching and controlling the stories. I’m just surprised that the Brothers Grimm never had the idea to bring their stories to life on purpose.

I smiled as I opened the cover. The pages flew at incredible speed until they arrived where I wanted them too.

You see, this “higher power” never interferes. She lets life happen as it was meant to. Not forcing happy endings on people.

My fingers grazed the golden pages as I read the words.

She let’s people pay for their mistakes… normally.

I frowned. The princess was supposed to die, not live. Hmm, that needed to be changed.

Those who see her describe her as tall and elegant with piercing green eyes. Almost bone-white skin. Long hair the color of a night’s sky. Her eyelids, lips, and nails would be painted black. She wears long dresses decorated with feathers.

Ah well, I guess the princess will win after all. What a disappointing ending. I sat down and started recording what the next chapter held into my book.

Be wary of her, for she’s known to shapeshift and travel through the realms. She’s always watching and will change things if she wishes. She believes that the realms she lives in, it is her job to show the other realms around her.

I sighed glancing over at my mirror.

They call her The Spectator.

My piercing green eyes shone back at me. I smiled. I’d never change them, no matter what realm I choose to show the truth.