"Well, this is unexpected." The fairy mused. I looked her straight in the eye, or what I could see of it. She had a translucent look to her, and she almost glowed. Her name was Meridian. "I never thought a little girl like yourself could find our haven." She added, looking skeptical. I nodded.

"I had some help." I admitted. She smiled in a matronly fashion, making me feel at home.

"What's your name, child?" she asked me.

"Gretel."

"What a unique name." Meridian smiled without showing her teeth. She was patient and kind, waiting to hear my request. "How did you find us?"

"My brother, Hansel, and I were captured by a witch who lives in the woods. You might know her; she lives in an unusual sort of house."

"Yes." She responded. "I know her, and her wicked deeds."

"Well, my brother has been locked in a cage, so he can be fattened and then eaten!" I paused, for dramatic effect. "I was used for odd jobs, like cleaning and washing clothes. Now, the old witch is almost blind, you know?"

"Of course. We caused her poor eyesight when she lured a fairy to her house-of-sorts." Meridian answered.

"My brother pretends to not get any fatter, for he doesn't eat the food she tries to force on him. He puts a stick through the bars to make her think he is still skin and bones."

"What a genius plan!" Meridian exclaimed. "I would very much like to meet this brother of yours."

"That's what I need your help with. To get here, I stole a map from the witches house." I explained my journey. "I need your help to free my brother."

"Everything comes at a price, Gretel." Meridian told me coolly. I could tell she was pondering my fate. Finally, she held out her hand to show me a beautifully crafted mirror, with roses up and down the handle.

I gasped at the beautiful mirror, and then gasped again as I saw the reflection. My normally dirty blonde hair had been replaced with silky, slightly curly, golden blonde locks. My boring brown eyes were deep and piercing, and my normally chubby cheeks were shaped and smooth. My skin was porcelain and I looked almost as beautiful as the specter across from me.

"That's not me!" I questioned Meridian. She nodded.

"It will be, if you accept the price." She smiled eerily. For once, I saw her as she actually was: A vicious and evil monster. Faeries, I remembered hearing, were not always good and wonderful. Sometimes they were menacing, and used mortals for their playthings. I realized that I was now Meridian's toy. My breath came in sharp beats. I knew now what was going to happen to me. Beauty is not always good. I thought. It can be deceiving.

"What's the price?" I asked slowly.

"I will rescue your brother, but you will come and be a faerie with me. You will be beautiful. It's not much of a price, but I would love some company here. You would be immortal and mysterious." I thought about her request. Did I want immortality? Did I want to be beautiful and glorious? Did I want to be evil?

Did I want Hansel to be saved?

The answer was yes.

"I'll take it." I answered confidently. Hansel was going to be saved. Meridian laughed. She raised her hand and stretched it across to mine. As soon as she touched me I felt the change. I stifled a tear, with the thought that I was no longer mortal.

"We'll save Hansel, and we'll create a new Gretel so they won't be suspicious." Meridian explained to me icily. She was obviously enjoying this. She cast her hand and a figure that looked much like I had formed next to me. She whispered something to the replica and 'I' skipped off towards the witch.

"I think you'll like living here." She smiled to me, now just as warm as she had been in the beginning. But I knew the truth now.

"Of course," I said, straining a smile.

Hansel. I thought. Come find me.