According to Chord, we were supposed to have wandered around the forest for three days before finding the witch's house. Thankfully, since the curse had made us stay longer at the house earlier, it was making up for lost time now and allowed us to find it quickly. On the downside, the house looked disgusting.

I suppose I had never really thought about it before, but a house made of gingerbread from the smell of it, sitting in the sun for who knows how long, wouldn't make for an overly appetizing sight. Even at our distance, I could see the green mold growing along the edges of the house, and though it still smelled of ginger, it also smelled rotten.

"We can't eat that." I pointed out as we approached the rotting house.

"No kidding." Chord kicked at one of the gumdrops lining the path up to the house. It rolled a few feet and broke in half. I wasn't much of a candy person, but I was pretty sure gumdrops were supposed to be soft candies.

Even the cakes surrounding the house looked old. I wrinkled my nose at the various candies lying around as we passed them. "I really hope the curse doesn't expect us to eat any of this. Can't we just go inside and have something to eat in there? Maybe it'll be a bit more fresh in there."

Chord shook his head. "The witch is supposed to come out and greet us first. Then she'll invite us in. We can't enter until that happens."

"So we just wait?"

Chord looked pained as he said, "We could, but I don't think anything will happen until we eat something. In all versions of this story, the children eat the outside of the house first. Unfortunately, that means us."

"You have got to be kidding me."

He pointed to the window, "Gretel is supposed to start licking the windows and window sills as they're made out of hardened sugar," he looked up at the roof where even I could see bird droppings and evidence that the roof was often occupied by a variety of animals, "and Hansel goes up to the roof to eat."

"I think I prefer the windows."

He turned to glare at me, "your support is incredible."

I grinned and bounced over to the window. The sugar glass had clearly been licked on before. Large smears covered every inch of it and I had to fight to keep myself from gagging. "This has to be the most disgusting thing I have ever done."

"Speak for yourself!" Chord called from up on the roof. He hung his head over the side and grinned at me. "There are actually quite a few clean spots up here to choose from," to prove his point he stuffed a piece of gingerbread in his mouth, "my spots not looking so bad anymore, is it?"

I went to punch him in the nose but he pulled himself back up. Turning back to the window, I steeled myself for what was to come. I knew I had to do this. I was just going to have to close my eyes and hope I didn't contract any sort of nasty disease.

The window didn't even taste like sugar. All I could taste were the thousands of germs I was picking up. I quickly licked both the window itself and the sill just to be on the safe side and then back away, furiously wiping at my tongue.

Almost immediately, the door swung open and the ugliest woman I had ever met limped out of the house. The first thing I noticed was her nose. It was huge. Add the giant wart on the side and it was the classic witch's nose. Her eyes were literally sewed together with what looked like patches of skin and her nails were half a foot long. When she smiled in our direction, she had an entire set of clean, white teeth. It surprised me. I was completely expecting the iconic, single yellow tooth to make an appearance after taking in the rest of her.

Chord jumped down from the roof and landed beside me. He was tense. His fists were balled at his sides and his teeth were clenched. What was he so worked up about? I tried to remember any little detail about the story that I could, but all I knew was that we somehow managed to cook her instead of the other way around. Besides, as long as we worked together, this shouldn't take long at all. Of all the villains I had faced before, this one was pretty far down on my list.

"Who is that, nibbling away at my house?" Her voice was frail and scratchy, as if she hadn't spoken in years.

"The squirrels?"

Chord jabbed me with his elbow and shook his head. I just raised a shoulder in response.

"Children! How delightful. Please, come inside and have some nice warm cakes. I have just taken them out of the oven." She motioned toward the door and we obediently stepped inside. "There is nothing to worry about. Please, have a seat and make yourselves right at home. I shall put on some hot tea for us."

She did more than that. Within fifteen minutes, the entire table had been covered in delicious looking food, from pancakes to caramel apples. It took everything in me not to eat anything. Even my stomach growled at the beautiful aroma.

I looked to Chord and then to the array of food, begging for permission to dig in, but shook his head once and that was it. He was right of course. We had no way of knowing if the food was safe. Iris was behind all of this after all. We couldn't be too careful. Still, it beyond tempting to reach out and just try one delicious red strawberry.

The witch sat at the head of the table and ate the food happily, content in her belief that we were eating as well. She kept encouraging us to keep eating until our stomachs stopped growling. I realized then that both our stomachs kept making estranged noises and the longer we sat there, the louder they became. The curse was toying with us again, forcing us to play along.

Despite Chord's warning, I grabbed a pancake off the stack and took a big bite off of it. As soon as the pancake hit my mouth, my stomach relinquished its crying. It didn't take long for Chord to follow my lead. We didn't eat much, only enough to make the noises stop and to appease the witch.

When we had finished the meal, she directed us to the small room in the back where she had conveniently prepared two beds with clean white sheets. Chord and I each took a bed and feigned sleep. The old witch stood and listened to the sound of our breathing for a while, occasionally licking her lips and then quietly left the room. After that, the house remained quiet. She had gone to bed.

"I don't remember the children ever spending the night here." I whispered.

Chord didn't say anything. He was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling and nervously cracking his knuckles.

"What's wrong?"

He turned to me and the look of fear I saw there made me pause. What was it about this tale that had him so worried? "Do you really believe we'll finish this tale?"

"Excuse me?"

He stared at me earnestly, fearing my answer.

I scoffed. "Of course we will. Look, if I can survive Little Red Riding Hood and Neverland, I can handle some dumb old blind witch."

Chord rolled his eyes but he looked relieved. "You sure do have a lot of confidence in yourself."

I shrugged. "Someone has to. Everyone else only ever doubts my abilities."

"What abilities?"

Glaring, I threw my pillow at him which he easily dodged with a quiet chuckle.

By dawn, the witch had returned to our room.

"I'm so glad you're both up." She greeted cheerfully.

I cocked an eyebrow. "For a blind old woman, you sure know a lot."

"Why of course! It is the sound of your breathing that alerted me you were awake."

"Mhmm."

She padded over to Chord's bed and felt his arm, and once she touched it, a smile crossed her lips. Even I had to admit that Chord was well built. He was tall and muscular and quite easy on the eyes. Of course, if August had heard that, he would have killed me, then killed Chord and just for extra measure, killed me again.

"You shall do nicely." With an ease that should not have been possible in such an old woman, she lifted Chord over her shoulder and strode out of the room.

I was so shocked by the sudden action that I didn't respond until she was crossing through the doorway. By the time I had shouted and jumped to my feet, the witch had closed the door and I heard the distinct click of the lock. What the heck was that about? And why hadn't Chord put up any sort of a fight? Just what was going on?

I paced. My mind was racing faster than my heart and I couldn't sit still. It seemed like forever before she returned. I faced her head on as she came through the door. I didn't feel all that brave in that moment, but it helped that she couldn't see me.

"Fetch water and some wood for the stove, girl. Cook up something nice for your brother to eat. He is being held in the stable, in the little cell. I want him fattened up. He has plenty of muscle, yes, but a little fat always makes the meet so much juicier."

"You are revolting." I couldn't think of anything else to say. I stared at the witch in pure disgust as she grinned at me.

"It is not your place to judge me girl. After your brother, you will make a fine dessert. Perhaps a pie?"

"No freakin way."

"You have no choice." She laughed. "If you do not do as I have asked, your brother will die. Only I possess the key to his cell and the lock can not be picked as I have used my magic to seal it. Likewise, the cell can not be broken into any other way, as my magic prevents it. Therefore, you must do as I ask, for your brother's sake."

"Why? You're just going to eat him anyway? No matter what I do, he's dead." And suddenly it hit me why Chord had been so worried. He didn't trust me to get him out of this alive. I groaned and rubbed my head. "I suppose I'll have to show him."

"What are you jabbering about?"

"Oh nothing. Just wondering what I should make my dear brother to eat. He's rather picky you know."

"I don't care what you make him, just make him something. Something with a high calorie count! The sooner he fattens up, the better."

"Salad it is then," I murmured under my breath, "You got it, Lady."

The next few days were all the same. I would be forced to cook food for Chord, while I was fed scraps from her table. It was maddening. The curse refused to let me snitch anything either. It appeared as though it wanted me to starve. I couldn't keep living off bread crusts. I could feel myself growing weaker as the days past. By now, I should have guessed that something was up. Chord tried to warn me about what was coming, but even he wasn't sure how this part of the tale was going to happen.

Days turned into weeks and before I knew it, an entire month had passed. Chord remained the same, as I kept him well fed, but I had lost a considerable amount of weight. More than should have been possible. I guess it was the curse's way of helping the story along.

The witch was growing tired of waiting and one morning she finally broke. "Gretel, fetch some water and make a stew. When you are finished, bring your brother to me and I shall cook him."

"Yeah, right. Like I'm going to do that."

The witch laughed. "My dear, you do not have a choice. You are far too weak to do any damage to me now. You will have to do as I say."

"Not on your life."

She made a tsk sound and shuffled across the room to the oven. Bending down, she stuck her head near the door and took a deep breath. "If you do not wish to make the stew right now, I suppose we could get the baking done first." She motioned me over and the curse forced me to oblige. She opened the oven door and pointed inside. "Do me a favor, girl, and climb inside there to see if it is efficiently warm to make the pies."

"What sort of sick logic makes you believe that having me crawl inside will give you that sort of info?" I asked, disturbed by her odd request.

"Just do it. It is the most efficient way. Believe me, I have been baking far longer than you have been alive. I know what I am doing."

"Oh good, then you can crawl in there to see for yourself."

"I would, but my old bones no longer allow me such luxury."

"I don't even see how that oven is big enough for someone like me to fit inside."

"Now, see that is where you are wrong. Have I not been making you smaller over the past month solely for this purpose? You are of perfect size for this job."

"Is there any part of your mind that's still sane?"

To my surprise, she actually paused to think about my question for a brief moment. Then she shrugged and shook her head. "I doubt it."

"At least she's honest."

"Now hurry up and do as you're told girl!"

"I'd rather not." I stepped around behind the hunched woman. Didn't the story end with them pushing her into the oven instead? I raised a shoulder in response to my own question. It was worth a shot. With as much strength as I could manage, I pushed the witch toward the open oven door.

She cried out in shock and stumbled a bit, but was able to catch her balance before falling in.

Crap.

She turned an angry face in my direction. "For that, you will pay."

Around the room, everything began shaking. The fire in the oven shot up and the water in the cauldron began to boil. Around her, a glowing white aura appeared. The patches of skin over her eyes dissolved, revealing the blood red eyes hidden behind them.

"I don't remember this in the story." I breathed.

"I am not as dumb as you believe me to be, Taryn Bauer. Simply because the story ends with my death, does not mean that is how this tale will end." Her voice had changed. It was no longer that of the old witch, but that of a much younger woman. Someone with a huge amount of power. A witch who could kill me with a single word. I was so screwed.

"So, you know my real name, huh? Impressive. I suppose that means you're not just some fabrication of the curse. You're another human, just like me."

"No, we are far different, you and I. I would never lump myself in with your kind."

"My kind? You do know that I'm the one trying to save your butts from this curse, right? I'm trying to send you all home to your families and this is the thanks I get." I scoffed.

"Perhaps some of us prefer to remain working under Iris and Isis."

I paused. "I've noticed, no one ever mentions Colton. It's like you all are fine working for Iris and her sister, but what about the maniac brother? He's really not that much different than his sisters."

She sighed. "Men are idiots. That man couldn't hold a torch to what his sisters can do. He's simply hopeless and outrageously arrogant on top of it. I can't stand that man."

I nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that. Believe me, I've spent more time with him than I care to admit."

"I do pity you for that."

"Enough to let me go?"

She laughed. "A noble effort, but no. I'm afraid I must destroy you."

"Darn," I snapped, "and just when I was beginning to like you."

Flames shot to life in each of her palms. "Goodbye, Taryn Bauer. I must say, it was a pleasure knowing you."

Sorry I didn't get a chapter up last week! But the NaNoWriMo novel is coming along quite nicely :)