When Candi was born, her eyes were originally orange. Her mother, fearing that her daughter might someday be seen with the wrong eyes, pleaded her father to change them. He did, changing the eyes of her brother and sister as well. After this, he left her, feeling ashamed of his birthright and the effect it would have on his children.

The last time Candi saw her father, she was two years old.

In her house, it was normal for someone to have a strange color of skin. After all, when she was born, she wasn't exactly normal looking either. Her father and mother, though, both had beautiful blue skin. Her eyes, yellow, were only rivaled in intensity by the bright red allure of her father's. They were both filled with mirth, kind and understanding. Having bot been the black sheep in their families, they treated each other and their children with a love they had wished they had received themselves.

Her mother though, stood in the kitchen making their family dinner. Candi sat in the living room, playing with the enchanted doll her father gave her. It talked and moved on its own, and and turned itself into her best friend, seeing as none of the children could go outside of their quaint home like their parents could, not having enough control over their magic yet. The doll grew with her, so it was the same size as her, to provide her with as much fun as possible. Her parents also realized that if the doll had a "normal" skin color, the girl might feel not as pretty, so, they made the doll match her wisteria skin tone, and made sure to compliment her on it everyday.

Her mother was dancing along a song coming out of the old radio that sat on top of the refrigerator. It was a gift from her father to her mother, a replica of a classic radio from the 60's, reminiscent of her childhood. Her hips swayed back and forth to the beat of the music, and Candi became enthralled by how graceful her mother was. Standing on her pudgy toes, she out her hands out to balance herself. Caroline, her doll, stood next her, curious as to what was happening. She copied her mother's movements, but soon created her own, having so much fun.

Her mother, unaware of her daughter's activities, only turned around when she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her. "My love, look at our little Hershey kiss," he told her, referring to her as the nickname he created when she turned in her Aesir form when she was upset, her skin being a rich color of chocolate. They both turned around to view her swaying to the music that still played, Caroline giggling along next to her.

Her father smirked at her mother, and then ran up behind the unsuspecting two year old, tickling her. She giggled and turned in his arms, kicking at him. He fake growled at her. "Rawr, I'm the Candy Monster! Give me all of your candy, Candi-Cane!" She giggled again and kicked, unknowingly hitting him on a bruise on his stomach from a battle he had just returned from with his brother. He hid the pain well, but sat her down, her super strength apparently growing stronger by the minute. It was only a matter of time before she was as strong as them. Her bright orange eyes peered at him, love and devotion in her eyes.

"I missed you, Daddy." His heart melted and he picked her up in a hug.

"Oh, I missed you too Candi-Cane."After their tender moment, Candi ran over to her mother and pulled her by her hand to where her and her father stood.

"Now let's dance!"

That night, as she lay fast asleep in their bed-she would have slept in her room but her other two siblings were sick and they didn't want her to catch it either- her parents spoke in hushed whispers downstairs in the kitchen.

"Sweetheart, we need to talk." The seemingly young man turned to his pacing wife, confused with her agitation. "Why yes, of course my darling. What's wrong?" She sat him down at the small coffee table, taking his hands in hers.

"I'm worried, for the children. Love, there have been stories told to me, by contacts far more involved in that world than I am." His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, and he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Why have they been saying?"

"There's a man, they say. Who talks of making the perfect one of us. His name Stryker, I last heard." She shook her heard, trying to shake off the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Do not worry, my love. I shall strike down these-"

"No! Sweetheart, you can't fight everyone! We need to act preemptively. We need to remove as much of their mutations, physically anyway, as possible." He sighed, feeling guilty. He put his kids into this mess, and now he needed to get them out.

All through the night he worked his magic on his children, removing the swirling tattoos from their arms and legs, and only leaving it on their torsos. He also made it so that their Aesir forms were the default, and he changed their eye color from that bright, radiant orange to something more subtle. Still not normal, but nothing a radioactive, nothing as dangerous as that bright mix of their eyes.

That night, after her mother had gone to sleep as well, he walked over to his side of the bed, where she lay. He kissed her forehead, and whispered in her ear.

"My sweet Candi-cane, fear not for your life as your mother does, but rejoice in it as I do. My darling, may I return to you someday." Before he could stand up though, she turned, and opened her now lavender eyes to peer at him. "I love you Daddy," she whispered.

"As do I, my child." He left in a puff of smoke, the faint smell of peppermint curiously wafting through the air.

Not remembering the past color of her eyes, every time Candi viewed the color orange, a deep sadness ran through her.

It was a while before she realized why.