How to Make a Monster

Tzipporah

You think you know who you can trust. It should be easy to tell those who wish to harm you from those that won’t. And yet, it really is those that are closest to you that can do the most damage. They wear a mask that laughs and smiles in your face while all the while they are plotting your demise.

In hindsight, I really should’ve seen it coming.

“Priscilla, why?” I asked, clutching at my heart where she had just yanked the essence of my power. Without my power, my knees buckled under me and I crumbled to the floor.

She stood over me, holding my power in her hand. It shimmered and fluttered like a butterfly. She looked her nose down at me. “Why?” She asked me. “Tzipporah, do you really not know?”

I wracked my brain for some clue. Some explanation for why my dearest friend and oldest confidante would betray me. I could find none. My parents, the King and Queen of New Arden, took Priscilla in when her mother, my father’s sister, and her father decided to go on a second honeymoon trip around the provinces. Priscilla had to have been 5 at the time and she missed her parents terribly.

“They’ll be back any day now,” I would always tell her. How could I have known I was wrong? Angry, dark clouds consumed the sky heralding a vicious storm on the day Priscilla’s parents should’ve never went out on the water. But they were young then and thought themselves invincible. Now, their daughter would have to grow up without her parents.

Soon after, the battle of Tilleia broke out. It was supposed to be like any other fight, an easy win. I don’t know why my parents were on the frontlines, but they lead the army into battle. They fought bravely. They just weren’t lucky. Our side still won, but we paid dearly, with my parents’ lives.

With both our parents gone, we were all each other had. It’s been just us for as long as I can remember. We might as well have been sisters by how close we were raised. So, what happened? How did we end up here?

“I don’t understand,” I said. Priscilla and I are from a long line of power wielders or wielders as we were usually called. My father was a wielder and so was his mother. There was only one wielder in a generation and that person would lead New Arden. Between Priscilla and me, it was anyone’s guess who the wielder would be since even though her parents weren’t wielders, wielding was known to skip a generation. When my power awakened at 7, I don’t think I fully understood what it meant. That I would be prepared for the crown every day hence until my 21^st birthday when I would ascend the throne. I was not yet aware what that would do to our relationship. Priscilla had always said she didn’t care that I was the wielder and she wasn’t. I was naïve enough to believe her.

“For years, cousin, I’ve watched you wield this power like a child,” she said. “If you don’t know what to do with it, then you don’t deserve it.” 

Pain shot throughout my body. I had been a wielder since I was a child. My body had gotten used to the essence of my power coursing through it and now without it, it was as if my body was revolting.

“I don’t know why the gods chose you of all people. Maybe it was a test all along to prove which one of us had the strength to take what they wanted.” She looked with interest as the essence seemed to dance in her hand. “It should’ve always been me,” she said. “You were never strong enough.”

I didn’t have to be because we had each other. I never had to be strong on my own because I had her by my side, but now…

“Guards!” She called. I heard the clang of multiple suits of armor coming towards us. They stopped maybe a few feet from where I laid. 

“Princess, what’s happened?” I knew the voice. It was Samuel. He’d broken formation and was kneeling beside me. He brushed my braids out of my face and looked me in the eye. His eyes were fearful and concern was etched all over his face.

Priscilla yanked him to his feet. “Guard, that is not the princess. I am!” She held the essence in her hand to prove her point. “Now if you would be so kind as to take her to the dungeon where she belongs.”

Samuel didn’t move and I could imagine the war going on in his head. He was bound to serve the crown, but what he wanted was to follow me. I no longer held the power and by extension, the crown, so Samuel must’ve felt conflicted as to what he should do. In the end though, there was nothing he could’ve done.  

Slowly he turned to me, “I’m so sorry, Z.”

The guards threw me in the dungeon to rot to death. I had no power, no family, no friends, nothing. Priscilla took everything from me. Something broke inside me that day. That fragile piece of me that thought the best of the world and trusted much too easily. It was gone and in its place darkness and bloodlust and an overwhelming, all-consuming desire for revenge.

Three years later

Samuel

They say it’s the one that wins that gets to write history. Three years ago, Priscilla ripped the crown from Tzipporah’s head, the day before Tzipporrah’s 21^st birthday. Priscilla claimed she was the true wielder and Tzipporah had stolen the power all those years ago. Priscilla had only taken what was rightfully hers. And the people believed her. To Priscilla’s credit, New Arden flourished under her reign and no one spared Tzipporah even a fleeting thought. As far as anyone knew, she was to this day rotting in the palace’s dungeons and had not seen the light of day in all that time. There were whispers though that she’d killed herself a year to the day after she’d been captured and Priscilla had ordered the body hidden from anyone with the inclination to try and resurrect her. 

Someone like me. Priscilla fired me the minute she took power. She questioned my loyalty and she was right to do so. The moment she slipped up I would be there to push her over the edge making way for the rightful queen. So, I can’t blame her for not trusting me. Luckily, I wasn’t completely blacklisted and could get a job at a bar that I frequented. Unluckily, that bar was a favorite spot of the guards and I was forced to still see my former brothers-in-arms. For some, there was no hard feelings and they still saw me as their brother. For others, I was a traitor and they liked to remind me every chance they got.

“Oh Sammy, get us another pint, will you? And make it snappy.” It was Ebenezer, one of the many guards that despised me. “Sammy! Sammysammysammysammysammysammy!” Ebenezer yelled incessantly. It was going to be one of those nights. I had to ignore him or I would never get through this with my sanity.

Suddenly, the yelling stopped. I turned around to see what had happened.

A brown-skinned woman with a shaved head had her hand gripped around the front part of his neck, very nearly crushing his windpipe. Her voice dripped poison as she said, “Shut your mouth before I make it so you never utter another asinine word again. The gentleman will help you when he’s good and ready and not a moment sooner, do you understand?”

With her hand around his throat, he couldn’t answer. “Blink twice, if you understand.” He blinked once and then twice. She smiled. “That’s a good boy.” She released him then. He crumbled to the ground coughing and wheezing.

“Oh come now, Ebenezer, it wasn’t that bad. You’re embarrassing yourself.” She turned to the two guys that came with Ebenezer. Jaime and Luther were their names and they could be just as annoying as he was. With as much alcohol as they had in their systems, they were going to be a pain to deal with now that their leader had been incapacitated.

The woman looked Jaime up and down. “Jaime, goodness, you’ve gotten fat!” To Luther, she said, “Oh no, Lu, the years have not been kind. Now I know what you two are thinking. You think you’re going to get me back, but let me give you some friendly advice, don’t.” And I swear, her eyes turned black and the air around her went thick with an imperceptible force. Just as quickly, her eyes went back to normal and it was if nothing had happened. But I’d seen it and Jaime and Luther had seen it, too, evident in how quickly they gathered up Ebenezer and hightailed it out of here.

She sat in Ebenezer’s now vacant seat. I wiped down the counter in front of her. “Thanks for that,” I said. “I owe you a drink. What’ll it be?”

“Oh, you owe me a lot more than that, Samuel.” She looked me right in the eye and for the first time, I was able to get a good look at her face. She was older, gone were her signature braids, and she had apparently learned some new tricks, but there was no mistaking it. “Tzipporah?”

***

I took her into the backroom, so we could talk in private and even then, I couldn’t allow myself to speak above a whisper. “You’re supposed to be in a dungeon or dead. How are you here?”

“I’m fine, Samuel. Thanks for asking. How have you been?”

“Tzipporah? What happened to you? Priscilla stole your powers, but it looks like you found new ones. How is that possible?”

She scoffed. “Priscilla stole my powers? You seem to be the only one in New Arden that believes that.”

“I know you, Z. You would never do something like that. That’s not you.”

She leveled me with an intimidating glare. “Me? What do you know about me? I’ve changed, Samuel. You knew who I was, but you don’t know me.”

“Explain it to me, then.” I desperately wanted to know what had happened. “For starters, let’s talk about your new powers. Tell me that’s not dark magic you’re wielding.”

“And what if it is? You think you have the power to do anything about it?” There was an edge to her voice, but she shook it away. She took a deep breath. “I didn’t come here for a lecture. I came to see an old friend. We were friends, weren’t we? Or was I fooling myself with you, too?”

“Of course, we were friends. I would’ve followed you to the end of the earth, and I’m sorry that the one time you needed me to, I didn’t.” When Tzipporah was dragged away, I did nothing and I’m going to have that on my conscience for the rest of my life.

With a light touch, she brushed a hand against my face. “It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t blame you. You were just a pawn. What I want is the queen.”

In an instant, I knew exactly who she was after. “Don’t do this,” I said. “Don’t let her make a monster out of you.”

“Look at me!” Her voice took on a frightening timbre and for a brief second, her eyes flashed black. “She’s already made a monster out of me."

She moved to walk away and I stepped in her path.

She turned those terrifying black eyes on me. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she said. “But I will.” I could hear it in her voice that she was serious. I stepped aside. She touched my face one final time. “Don’t blame yourself,” she said. “There was nothing you could’ve done.”

As she left, I realized that she was right. There was nothing I could do, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t try.

Priscilla

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. My desk was covered in stacks of papers and declarations that all needed my attention. Had I known what I was signing up for I might’ve rethought what I had done. I still remember the look on Tzipporah's face when I snatched her power away using a trick I learned from the family's tome. Poor little Tzipporah. She was so foolish, so naïve. It was her own fault what happened. How could I trust this much power to a whiny little girl like her?

A knock at the door brought be back from my thoughts. “Enter,” I said.

A guard stood in the doorway, waiting for permission to speak. “Yes?” I asked impatiently.

“There’s a Samuel Vincent here to see you,” he said. “He says it’s urgent.”

 Samuel? Tzipporah’s little pet. When we were growing up, those two were attached at the hip. I would’ve liked to have kept him on, but it was clear his loyalty was with Tzipporah. What a waste. I wonder what business he had with me now.

“Send him in,” I said. The guard left and a moment later, Samuel strode into the room. I came around the desk to meet him. “Samuel, it’s been too long. You’re looking well.”

“I’m here to warn you—“

I held up my hand to stop him. “Ah, but first, bow before your queen.”

“You won’t be queen for much longer if you don’t listen to me. Tzipporah is back and she’s out for blood.”

I laughed. The way he was sounding, I thought it would be something more serious. Tzipporah had disappeared from the dungeon years ago and I hadn't seen her since. It didn't matter. Wherever she was, she was no threat to me. “Tzipporah is weak." I said. "She always has been. What can she do to me?”

“You have no idea and it’s all because of what you did. Why’d you do it? You were cousins, sisters. How could you betray her like that?”

I shrugged. “I wanted what was owed me. I deserved it more than she did.”

“So you stole it from her? And then lied about it.”

“The people believe what they want to believe. That’s not my fault.”

“Just admit it. Just this once.”

How annoying, but what did it matter? “Yes, I stole her powers. What of it? Now if that’s all. You may leave.”

There was a knock at the door and then Samuel burst in. “Priscilla, you’re in danger!” he yelled.

My eyes widened. “Samuel?” I looked at the Samuel that had just got in and then turned my attention to the Samuel right in front of me. “Samuel?”

He smiled. “Afraid not.” He wiped his hand across his face, blurring the edges of his facial features. When it came back into focus, it was a face I never thought I’d see again. “Tzipporah?”

“I always wondered what I did to deserve you,” she said. “What crime I committed to deserve what you did to me. But no, it was you. Priscilla has to get what she wants.”

Samuel held up his palms to her. “Tzipporah, I know you said you changed, but there’s got to be the old you in there somewhere, right? She’s not gone for good, is she?”

“Yes, she is and let me present you to the murderer.” She held her arm out to me and as she did, her eyes flashed black. I jumped at the sight of them. “Oh, did I scare you?” To Samuel, she said, “I commend your effort, Samuel, but this conversation is between me and her.” In an instant, he collapsed to the ground though she hadn’t touched him and she was nowhere near him.

I fell to my knees in front of her. “I’ll give you whatever you want. Just please don’t hurt me.” I didn’t like the weakness in my voice, but I believed in self-preservation.

She looked her nose down at me. “Oh, I’m supposed to give you mercy. Where was my mercy, Priscilla? Do you know how painful it is to have your power ripped right out of your chest? Would you like to find out?”

I flinched. I’d almost forgotten the look of pain on her face after what I’d done. She tilted her head, examining me. “Are you scared? But I’m weak, little Tzipporah, remember? What could I do to you?”

“I’m sorry, okay. I was jealous and I wanted what was yours.”

She shook her head. “I don’t care. I really don’t care.” She raised her hand and I closed my eyes. This was it. I was about to pay for all my sins, but right when I braced for the lethal blow, nothing.

I looked at her and there was murder in her eyes yet she did not move from where she stood.

“I won’t kill you,” she said. “That’s not me. I want you to live long enough for me to destroy you. I want you to watch as your world crumbles around you.”

“Y-You can’t touch me, I’m the queen,” I said, feebly holding on to what I had left.

“And your days as queen are numbered, I’m afraid. I got in here, didn’t I? There is nothing I can’t do, nowhere you can go that I can’t reach.” The implication of what she said sunk in. Knowing that that future lay before me, I really wish she’d killed me instead.

She made her way towards the door, stepping over Samuel’s unconscious body. At the door, she turned back and said, “I should thank you. Where would I be if it weren’t for you? Whatever happens next, you have no one to blame but yourself. I am the monster you made, after all.”