Witchy Tales: A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fairy Tale by Amanda M. Lee Page B

a wolf can fool you by putting on a nightcap and glasses, you’ve got bigger problems than the wolf. That also means you’re either blind or stupid. I’d rather fight a wolf than be stupid.
    – Aunt Tillie’s Wonderful World of Stories to Make Little Girls Shut Up

Ten
    “What just happened here?”
    I was at a loss for words.
    “What just happened here?” Landon repeated, turning to face off with me. “You said there was no wolf.”
    “I … .”
    “That looked like a wolf to me.”
    “Calm down,” Marcus said, pushing between Landon and me. It was a useless move. Landon would never put his hands on me, but his face was so red with anger I didn’t blame Marcus for being worried. “We all thought he was the boy who cried wolf.”
    “What are you doing?” Landon asked, looking Marcus up and down. “Do you really think I’m going to hurt her?”
    “I’m worried that you seem a little … intense,” Marcus said.
    Landon faltered. “I would never hurt her.”
    “I know, man,” Marcus said, taking a step back. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I thought that.”
    “It’s this place,” Thistle said. “The longer we’re here, the more it’s messing with us. Aunt Tillie knew what she was doing when she cast the curse.”
    “It’s not only the worst parts of ourselves that are coming out now,” I said, wrapping my hand around Landon’s wrist briefly. When I moved to pull it away he placed his other hand over it and held it there. “We’re taking on characteristics of the story characters themselves now.”
    “When did you figure that out?” Clove asked.
    “I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve been thinking about it for a little while, I guess. It’s the reason I feel as if I’m going to start crying. Aunt Tillie always said the women in most fairy tales were weak.
    “I think it’s also the reason Thistle is getting … grumpier … as we go on,” I continued. “She’s turning into a … villain.”
    “Is that what’s happening to me?” Landon asked, worried.
    “I don’t know,” I said. “The men in the stories are … different. There’s more room for conflict. I mean, think about it. Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel … all of them … what do they have in common?”
    “They’re all good,” Clove said.
    “They’re also weak,” I said. “Snow White doesn’t save herself, the prince does. Cinderella doesn’t tell her stepmother and stepsisters where to stick it, because the prince saves her. Rapunzel sits in that tower for years waiting for a man to save her. All they do is sit around and wait for someone to save them.”
    Landon moved his hand from mine and pulled me closer to him, resting his face against the side of my head. “I don’t know what to think about that.”
    “I think the curse is latching on to certain parts of our personality,” I said. “That’s why Thistle is getting grumpier. That’s why Clove is getting whinier. That’s why I’m getting more … uncertain. The longer we’re here, the more our personalities are going to change.”
    “This is such crap,” Landon said, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead. “I’m going to have to kill your Aunt Tillie. You know that, right?”
    “That’s probably why you’re turning into a villain, like me,” Thistle said.
    “We need to keep moving,” I said. “Any detours we take, we need to make a plan and get through them.”
    “Are we leaving that kid to be eaten by a wolf?” Landon asked.
    “He’s not real,” I said. “He’s not being eaten. He’s not feeling pain. He’s a fictional character.”
    “Okay,” Landon said, giving in. “Let’s keep moving.”
    As everyone turned to file back to the path Landon kept me close. “I can’t turn into a villain,” he murmured.
    “You won’t,” I said. “I have faith. You’re just … emotionally charged right now.”
    “I feel out of control.”
    “We all feel out of control.”
    “I would never hurt you, Bay,” Landon said. “You