Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is my entry for fashionablyobsessed's contest which I was reminded I needed to post by the entries that came out yesterday. I've been reading the other entry's and I pretty much have no shot. They're amazing! I'm seriously impressed.

I know in the summary it says that I'm using "Combined Prompts." Basically, I took two prompts from the challenge and put them into one story. You won't really learn what the prompts are till the next chapter, but enjoy this one! Let me know your thoughts!

The story is based off of an amazing short story called "The Monkey's Paw." If you haven't read it, you'll still understand the story though :)

Disclaimer: I don't own HOA or The Monkey's Paw.

The gun shots fired, the swords were stabbed, and the blood continued to shed. Was I afraid? Maybe. Could I show it? Not at all. This was war.

How? How did this even happen? I'm standing on a battle field. People I once called friends and enemies are now wounded soldiers, gasping their last breaths of air. They're losing. They're losing this war called life.

Everything that happened in the past 10 days was completely unexpected. None of it was supposed to happen. I changed fate. I ruined lives. I ruined my own life. I tipped the scales. To think, that's all Victor ever wanted. To tip the scales of life. Change fate. But fate isn't forgiving. Everything you change, every ripple you cause, gets revenge. So I warn you, as I explain the last 10 days to you, expect the unexpected.

Throughout this story, you will hear different stories. And lucky you, you're starting with mine. My name is Patricia Williamson. I'm 17 years old. 10 days ago was just another normal day.

My neighbor Eddie and I were having sex on the couch after school. No, Eddie is not my boyfriend. He's just my neighbor. He's 20, and occasionally my mother would ask him to "check up on me" after school. That didn't last long. Back when I was a freshman and he was a junior, we had a fling (secretly of course). It was stupid, and lasted about a week. Nevertheless, when Eddie came to check up on me that first time, we ended up making out. We've only gone all the way three times, that being the third.

But, there was always one problem. Willow.

Willow Jenks was the 11 year old who I was supposed to babysit once she for off the bus. Her parents both worked hard to earn a living, seeing as they had Willow when they were so young.

Willow had almost caught Eddie and I twice already,and today the bus came earlier than usual. Eddie and I both had to hide behind the couch, naked, so that Willow wouldn't see us.

"Hello? Patricia?" Willow called to me, walking in.

"Stop breathing!" I whispered to Eddie.

He looked at me sourly and I shrugged. I was counting on Willow needing to go to the bathroom or something, so that we could get out from behind the couch. Unfortunately, she had the bladder of a camel. She placed herself on the couch and I scowled. Her innocence was leaving her second by second and she didn't even know it.

Long story short, Willow did catch Eddie and me. And we had to bribe her a hundred bucks each to keep quiet. Turns out 5th graders these days know a lot more than they let on, and she'd suspected that we'd been "fraternizing" for a while.

Willow agreed to forget about it, and pretend she was never scarred by seeing both of us butt naked. But, Willow was no longer the problem. When Eddie pulled me outside before he left, I knew he was calling it quits.

"That was way too close," he explained to me. "She's a little girl and we are taking her innocence away. As long as you're watching her we can't keep doing 'this.' She could easily catch us again."

"Taking her innocence away?! Are you forgetting that you're the adult here, and what you did to me?" I scolded.

"Patricia, I was in high school. You have to understand how high school guys are-"

"I KNOW how high school guys are. But you made me believe you were different. In fact, I'm rethinking this entire situation as well. I gave you what you wanted didn't I? You probably moved here for the soul reason of getting into my pants didn't you?"

Eddie's expression changed from angry, to upset. Disappointed. I knew by his expression that some of what I said was true. And that's what upset me the most.

Actually, no. That's not what upset me the most. What upset me the most was that standing here now, it seemed like it would be the last time he ever came over. We wouldn't ever make up. We wouldn't ever kiss again. It was like breaking up, and not even being together. If Eddie stopped coming over, I wouldn't see him anymore. Maybe at a distance, but I couldn't see whether he was happy or sad at a distance. I couldn't tell if he loved me or not from a distance. But then again, I couldn't even tell from close up. I didn't know if he felt the same way. And now I wouldn't know.

Our high school fling made me mad because he didn't want to be with me for the same reason I wanted to be with him. He wanted me, and I wanted to love him. And I wanted him to love me. I've always just wanted him to love me. But I'd now come to the conclusion that he never would, and this was the best I'd ever get.

I cried in my bed that night. Not knowing what to do. I glanced over at Eddie's house, which was right next to mine. One light was on. It had to be him, because he lived alone. I wanted to go over there more than anything and tell him the truth. But I couldn't do it. He was 3 years older than me. What was I even thinking?

But, I found myself wandering in the street anyway. Walking over to his house in my pajama shorts and a sweatshirt, not knowing what to expect.

That's when I saw it. I saw the shining green light coming from the house across the street. I knew that house belonged to my creepy neighbor Victor, but I'd never actually been over there before. Abandoning my mission to go see Eddie, I walked over to Victor's house instead.

The door was open, as if it was welcoming me inside. The inside was terrifying. There were stuffed animals EVERYWHERE. Blood on the walls, and potions on every shelf. However, Victor didn't appear to be home.

I followed the shining green light up the stairs, till I found its source. The light was coming from a stuffed monkey's paw, drawing me toward it. The paw was disgusting, yet stunning at the same time. Underneath it, there was a crumbled up note.

This paw will grant one wish to its holder. But choose wisely, for the paw is meant to teach the wisher the dangers of fate.

A wish?! Well of course I had to take it. Magic wasn't real anyway, so what chance was I taking?

I took the paw in my hand. Don't ask me how I knew to, I just did.

Eddie had said as long as I babysat Willow, he couldn't be with me. So, all I had to do was get rid of Willow.

"I wish Willow didn't need a babysitter," I whispered to the paw.

The next day, after school, I waited. And waited. Not for Willow, but for Eddie to come over. I figured that the universe would tell him that I wasn't babysitting Willow any longer and he'd just- come. But he never did.

My curious mind and I got worried. So, of course I had to go over to Eddie's and find out what was going on. Why hadn't he come over yet?

Suddenly, there were two cars in his driveway instead of one. Two cars? Was his father visiting?

I walked up to the house and knocked on the door. An attractive strawberry blonde woman answered it.

"Uh hello?" I said to her.

"Hi Patricia. Do you need something?" the woman asked.

How did she know my name? I didn't know this woman. I couldn't.

"How do you know my name?"

"What do you mean?" she said with a chuckle. "We've been neighbors every since Eddie and I moved here last year."

Eddie and I? Her and Eddie lived together? No. There was no way he had a girlfriend. He's been alone ever since he moved in. I'm sure of it.

"Willow?!" Eddie's voice called. "Who's that at the door?"

Willow. This woman- this woman was Willow?! That couldn't be! All I wished is that Willow would no longer need a babysitter! Not that she would become a beautiful woman and start dating Eddie!

"It's Patricia," Willow told him. "She seems awfully confused. I'll bring her inside."

Willow and Eddie dragged me inside and sat me in their living room. I looked back and forth between the two of them in confusion. This could not be happening. My wish had come true in the worst possible way. But it came true. Willow didn't need a babysitter. She was grown up. She was Eddie's girlfriend. Eddie loved her. Loved her the way I had always wanted him to love me.

Author's Note: Sad I know :( But hey, this is merely the start of the story!

I hope you liked it! The next chapter is Mara centric, however Patricia and Eddie will continue to pop up. Stay tuned, because it will be interesting to see how the girl's changed fates align! Review!