All her life, Shadow had lived in the shadows of her older brother, Jimmy and her older sister, Sarah, hence her name. She had been the child her parents didn't want. They had all they needed, with Sarah and Jimmy. Sarah had the looks and Jimmy the brains. Everybody had always told her, especially her mother, that she would never live up to them, she'd never be as beautiful as her sister, or as smart as her brother. Her mother had the reputation of being the most beautiful woman in their village and she liked it just like that, not even Sarah could compare with her. Sarah had straight, perfect blond/brown hair with fair, soft skin, sky blue eyes and was very tall. Her mother, Candace, had tightly curled short silky brown hair and green hazel eyes, was equally as tall as Sarah with soft lips that would have given the impression that she was sweet and quiet. People who first met her were usually entranced with her beauty and air of innocence, until she opened her mouth, that is. Her mother had a tongue that could cut through a deaf man, and the only reason that Shadow could think of for her father marrying her and being able to stay alive through their marriage, was he had an equally sharp tongue. The only people that they didn't cut to pieces were her 'perfect' brother and sister. Shadow, on the other hand had coarse mouse brown hair, brown eyes, blemished skin, and was short and sturdy, though she had a pretty face.
Shadow didn't really mind that her parents didn't like her, her brother and sister did, but what she hated most of all was that her parents would say rude and mean things to her in public. When they were buying a new dress for Sarah-she was to fat to have one, she would look even more like a cow if she had a dress like that, when they bought food-Shadow doesn't need any, she has enough to last her through the winter, when they bought books for Jimmy-Shadow can't even read. None of it was true. She wasn't that fat, just stocky, and she could read, she was actually pretty smart. She also had other talents. Sense their village was so small, and the richest person barely scraped by to send their oldest child the palace to become a knight, they had set up their own little palace, not nearly as grand as the one in Corus, their capital, but one that taught sword play, archery, staff, riding, and to the ones who had the talent, Shang. Any one was allowed in this school, and it didn't cost anything, sense they lived at their homes. Shadow had started going when she was four, when the Shang Horse, Perpetua, had seen her playing around in the grass, tumbling and jumping about, she'd decided that she could be great. Shadow was the best in her age group when she first arrived and was all the way up. She could shoot the bull's eye ten times out of ten, could ride like nothing and was a mean hand with a sword. She liked the sword the best and practiced in any free time she had. Her parents, of course, hated that she was doing such things, but never interfered because of her 'rages'. They weren't rages though. Some had thought when she was little that she had the Gift but after was tested found that she wasn't. She had the power to move things, any things, with her mind and never tire and to read peoples minds without using magic. Her 'rages' were when she got extremely mad and things had started to fly every where, it had only happened twice though. Once when her friend (was a friend) had started throwing rocks at a stray dog and hadn't stopped when she told him to and when she had had a dream, but she couldn't remember what it was about. She actually had very strong telekinesis and telepathy, which was probably way she was the best in her training classes, she always knew what the other people were going to do.
Now she was thirteen and was going through the changes that made her a woman. In six months, the blemishs on her face vanished, she grew rapidly, her hair changed, her bust size, also, grew much fuller and she lost weight. At the end of those six months, she was a goddess. She was all of 5'7" with long legs, wavy long black hair, violet with gold streaked eyes, a full bosom and in good shape. She had been the ugly duckling for long enough, and now she was the swan, and she loved it. People were talking to her, boys were talking to her and her mother no longer hled the title for being the most beautiful woman in the village, Shadow did. This made Candace furious. She had always been the most beautiful, always. She would not stand for this. She was always the prettiest, and the prettiest she would stay, no matter what, even if it meant her own daughter.
That's when the real trouble started. At first it was little accidental things-dropping pots on her feet, elbowing her as she turned around, splashing the hot water. But then, it got even worse. She would get made at Shadow for the tinest little thing, and the punish would always be harsh. After a week she had bruises on every part of her body. She'd make excuses for her hurts-she fell, or got in a fight, but anything but the truth. It got to a point where she couldn't stand it. She'd rather die than get hit one more time. But it wasn't only that. What hurt the most was that some one could hate her so much, her own mother.
