Once upon a time. . . Okay, maybe not that long ago. Once upon thirty years ago, four identical girls were born into a world where science and magic happily coexist. The girls were the daughters of a wealthy and successful couple. They were named Sarah, Allison, Rachel and Cosima Niehaus. They lived with their parents in an old, renovated castle tucked back in the woods. They had a great life, a life to be envied.

As the girls got older they each grew into distinct personalities. Sarah was rebellious and wild, with a reckless streak. Allison was uptight and fastidious, with a flair for the dramatic. Rachel was focused and driven, with passion for magic and power. Cosima was intelligent and free-spirited, with a passion for science.

Rounding out their household were a couple of amazing servants- Siobhan Sadler (once their nanny, later the caretaker of the house), Felix Dawkins-Sadler (Siobhan's adopted son, more of a playmate and companion, though he helped his mother around the house), and Cal Morrison (the young yardman).

Though they were different, they loved each other very much and stayed together through everything: When Sarah got pregnant at age 20 (and had a little girl named Kira- she insisted it isn't Cal's child, but the child had his eyes); when Allison married Donnie Hendrix when the girls were 21 (the couple moved into their own wing of the castle, Allison not desiring to be separated from her sisters.) The only odd one out was Rachel, who just didn't seem to connect or want to connect with her family.

Everything changed though, on the morning of their 22nd birthday. The quintuplets spent every birthday together, and nothing would stop that. Cosima, the only daughter to go away for school (simply because no schools in the area were equipped to handle the young genius) flew back from working on her PhD just for the occasion. Instead of sending a car, the Niehaus parents drove to retrieve their daughter themselves. It was March though, miserably cold, and on the way home the car hit a patch of ice and skidded into the forest. Their parents were killed instantly, and though there is magic in the world, it cannot resurrect the dead. Cosima somehow survived without a scratch.

The sisters grieved together, tragedy making them closer than ever. But then the will was read. The estate was to be divided up evenly, which was perfectly fine and fair for all of the sisters, but one. Rachel knew she was the most capable, most cunning and that she should be head of the family and the fortune. She called for a meeting, bringing along Daniel, her personal lawyer and sorcerer, knowing she would need his help to persuade her sisters out of their shares one by one. She had a plan.

Rachel started the meeting by stating that Cosima was clearly to blame for the death of their parents, expecting at least one of her sisters to support that viewpoint. She was wrong and an argument broke out as her other two sisters leapt to Cosima's defense. Sarah slapped Rachel, who lunged back. But Cosima herself stepped in the way and pushed Rachel away from Sarah. As Rachel staggered back, she stumbled and twisted, her left eye meeting the corner of the table on her way to the ground.

That's how Rachel lost her left eye, permanently (for that also could not be fixed by magic), a thing she blamed Cosima for (the other two as well, for taking her side), as she fled her family home, Daniel beside her. She vowed revenge on her sisters. She vowed revenge on the lowly servants who had always loved her sisters more. But Cosima had cost Rachel her eye. Cosima was responsible for the death of their parents. Cosima would have to suffer the worst.

It was a few days later that the whole household awoke to the sounds of screaming from Cosima's room. They all ran to her and threw her bedroom door open, stopping helpless as they watched her small body transform in midair. Her thin, neat dreadlocks twisted into thick ropes of matted hair while her face grew into a short snout, brown hair covering it all. Her small, lean body bulked out with muscle, all covered with a thick layer of brown hair. Her fingers and toes twisted into sharp claws.

Finally, she dropped, panting, onto her bed. She looked down at her body and then looked at the group standing in the doorway.

Her voice rumbled deep in her chest, "What just happened?"