sorry it's late but at least I got one up this week!

Sleep had become a thing of nightmares. Literally. Every time I closed my eyes, I was bombarded with images of August all bloodied, bruised and barely hanging onto life. Aside from that, I kept seeing Iris' face and if that's not enough to keep you awake, then having her creepily, perfect voice consume your entire mind should do the trick.

I couldn't sleep. Every time I tried, I'd wake up in a sweaty fit. Chord didn't say anything but he continued to watch me as if I were a bomb waiting to go off. I hadn't told them about my dream (or would you call it a vision? I don't know) I had with Iris, or how August was in trouble. They had their own problems to deal with. I didn't need to add to that list.

Chord had taken us to his house and we'd been there for several days. He wasn't around much as he insisted on searching for the castle nearly every day. I wanted to go with, but when I mentioned it, Chord had given me a look of concern and quickly refused. He told me to stay put and rest up while he searched. Juniper had agreed to stay with me and make sure I didn't try to sneak out. I wasn't sure what the big fuss was about. Ok so I had passed out. Big deal. It wasn't even my fault. It was Iris and her stupid dream-vision thing.

Juniper kept the place looking clean and neat while I spent most of my time sitting on the bed with my knees pulled up to my chest. I was so bored I thought I was going to die. Just when I started thinking we'd be stuck in this stupid tale forever, things started getting interesting again.

"Guess who I ran into today." Chord plopped down at the kitchen table next to me, and downed a glass of water in three gulps.

Juniper brought out a pot of soup and sat it down in the center of the table. Then she took the seat across from Chord and began dishing out our bowls. "A talking frog."

He shook his head, clearly oblivious to her joking tone. "That's the wrong tale. No, I ran into Roland. Apparently, his wedding is coming along quite nicely. It's taking place in two days."

I frowned and took the bowl that Juniper was offering me. "What happens if we don't attend that wedding?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I've never not completed a tale before. This is all new to me, but I also ran into the old wise woman from the story. Apparently the curse was getting tired of waiting for me to go seek her out."

"So, the curse is trying to get this story moving whether we want to participate or not." I sighed. "I really hate this place. So, what? That leaves us two days to find the castle before the tale changes and we have to start all over again?"

"Have you had any luck tracking it down?" Juniper asked Chord.

He blew out a frustrated breath. "No, there's nothing. It's been over a week and I haven't found a trace of it. It would help if I actually knew what the thing looked like."

"Iris would never make it that easy. I think it's time I start looking." I said. "I can't keep sitting here doing nothing. It's driving me crazy."

"And what happens if you black out again?" Chord countered through a mouthful of soup.

Juniper reached across the table and smacked him with her spoon. "Swallow before you speak. That's disgusting."

His cheeks flushed and he quickly cleared his throat. "It's pretty clear that Iris doesn't want you snooping around. It's not safe for you to be out there."

I rolled my eyes. "I think I can hold my own."

"Taryn, you're the only one who can break this curse. Our freedom is riding on your shoulders."

"No pressure." I groaned.

"I can't risk having you get hurt over something as insignificant as this."

"Insignificant?" I jumped to my feet as my anger rose. "Finding this castle is literally the key to stopping Iris and you're calling it insignificant? How dense are you? You just don't want me to go out there and look for it. Well guess what, Pal? You can't keep me here. I'm going out there whether you like it or not. Too much is riding on us finding this castle for me to just sit here and do nothing. Too many lives are at stake."

Chord leapt up and leaned toward me. "I realize that, but without your help, defeating this curse is a lost cause. If you die out there, we're all doomed."

Something about the way he'd phrased that made me mad. He didn't really care about me at all. I was just a tool to achieve his means. I knew it was true, and I wasn't expecting anything other than that, but hearing him say it out loud stung. I was going to end up punching him in the face if I stayed, so I left. I turned so fast, I knocked my chair over and it fell to the ground with a satisfying crash.

Chord and Juniper called after me, but I ignored them. I needed to get away for a minute. Chord wasn't wrong. They were all doomed if something happened to me, and that scared me. I wasn't sure I could manage that kind of responsibility. I was accident prone. Bad things tended to happen to me. My ideas usually led to some bodily injuries. I would have given anything to have August there with me. He was good at coming up with ideas that didn't involve anyone getting hurt.

I was so lost in thought, I nearly ran into the old building. I scrambled back a few steps and had to crane my neck to get a view of the entire thing. I wasn't sure how I had missed it. The building was at least four stories, but it was old and falling apart. If you tilted your head at the right angle, it kinda looked like a giant gingerbread house. The reddish-brown bricks were crumbling and giving way. White-turned-yellow shutters hung limply off their hinges in nearly every one of the six windows. If I had bumped into it, the whole thing probably would have come down.

"Well that looks safe." I said to no one since I was alone. Or I thought I was alone, until someone answered.

"Are you blind? That place is about to come down." Isis' voice was unmistakable. Although she sounded freakishly like her sister, I'd recognize her anywhere.

I jolted away from the deranged woman so fast, I tripped and fell through some of the boards on the side of the house.

"It's a really good thing this building is supported by magic or you'd be buried right now."

I spat dirt from my mouth and quickly got back to my feet. "What are you doing here Isis? Aren't you supposed to be in jail?" I scrambled out of the building and glared at the woman who'd caused me so much grief. "And what do you mean it's supported by magic?"

Her hair was pulled back into a simple braid and her makeup was kept to a minimum. It was a good look for her. Her blue eyes seemed to be softer than they were before, more vulnerable. Maybe her time in jail had done her some good.

She straightened her pink blouse, "I was let out early for good behavior. As for the house, welcome to Iris' castle. Why anyone would want a castle that looks like this, even if it is just an illusion, I have no idea. The place is a dump."

I looked from the massive, crumbling house back to the witch. "Why am I having a hard time believing you? What are you doing here? Why don't you go back inside whatever hole you crawled out of."

She sighed. "I'm only here to warn you."

"Warn me? You're kidding me, right?"

"Do not continue searching for my sister's castle. Even though you've already found it." She paused for a second, looking a little confused. "Very few have found it, and those who have were never seen from again. I would recommend not entering the building . . . again."

Maybe her time in prison had fried her brain? Was this even Isis? I wasn't sure anymore. She looked and sounded like Isis, but her mannerisms were all wrong.

She studied the house for minute before shaking her head dejectedly. "She should have some form of security out here. My sister is always so sure that no one will be able to see through her magic veils, but seriously, you almost walked right into it. It's clear that the building is emitting magical power. Even you could have picked up on that eventually. A giant, killer squirrel would have added a nice touch."

And there it was. All doubts vanished. This was definitely Isis.

"I'm not an ordinary person." I countered. "I'm hard to kill. Remember? You've tried."

Isis winced. "Yes, well, I only did those things because I knew you would come out of it alive."

I seriously wanted to punch her. "Are you trying to tell me that you never wanted to kill me? That's a load of crap. I ought to kill you right now for everything you've done to me and my family."

"Look, my point is, life would be so much more boring if you were to go and get yourself killed. I speak the truth when I say that I have never met a more interesting victim. It's quite entertaining to manipulate you. It's not easy either. You're a challenge. I know my sister well enough to know that is a large reason why she's chosen you to be her opponent. If you were to ever harness your abilities as a witch, Iris' own powers would be no match."

"I'm not a witch."

"Are you sure about that? Where do you think those blue sparks came from? The special effects department?"

Suddenly I felt really dumb. But how could I be a witch? Was that even possible? Didn't that require at least one other person in your family to have been a witch too? It was a hereditary thing right? As far as I knew, there was no one in my family with those powers.

"Oh please," Isis waved me off like she knew what I was thinking, "you weren't born a witch. My best guess would be that at some point during our time in the previous curse, some of my abilities were transferred to you. Probably when I actually made you a part of the curse."

"Please tell me you're just trying to mess with my head."

She gave me an apologetic look. "Afraid not sweet."

"Don't call me that." It was time to change the subject. I wasn't sure I could handle any more talk of me being a witch. "Earlier you mentioned me being an opponent. Opponent for what?"

"Her game of course. What? Did you think that all of this had some deeper meaning? It's a fairytale curse that can be broken with true love's kiss. If Iris wanted to cause any real damage, she'd use something a little more sophisticated. She's toying with you, Taryn. Get your head out of the clouds. This is all just a game. Start acting like it. Think like an opponent. Iris saw you inside my curse, so she created her own to draw you back in. She's finally found an opponent worthy of her. You have powers you haven't even begun to tap into yet. If you were even to unleash your full potential, Iris wouldn't hold a candle to you. Knowing that makes you a threat, which only makes the game more intriguing for her. But this is where my sister and I differ. I created my curse to detain you, to keep you from breaking your own family's curse. It was my role as a member of the Ingreman family. My curse had rules and guidelines. It was intricately put together and brilliantly thought out if I do say so myself. It was never meant to kill you. Iris however, she doesn't play by the rules. This place is nothing like the one you were in before. Raw magic is at work. She's enlisted the help of our other sister to perfect it. Be careful how you proceed with your plans from here on out, or you'll find yourself six feet under."

I looked at her with skepticism. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

She shrugged. "Iris believes the game will be over when one of you dies. I never much cared for my sister, but I would hate to lose such an interesting pawn as you. I wouldn't mind seeing you defeat her."

I shook my head. "This isn't right. You aren't on my side. You killed Alfie! It's your fault he's dead and now it's your fault we're all stuck here again. If this is really just a game to Iris, why is she keeping August? Why would she threaten to harm him if all she wants is me?"

"August is her bargaining chip. Her 'get-out-of-jail-free' card, if you will." Her attention drifted to a spot behind my head and her eyes glazed over. "Aww! Isn't the squirrel such a magnificent creature? Just look at the way the mother natures her child."

What was this lady's obsession with squirrels? It just wasn't natural. I cleared my throat and motioned for her to continue.

She shook her head, "Right, August. Got it. That boy is important to not only you, but also to our sister, Sam. Although, you've already figured that out." She actually looked impressed. "As long as Iris has August, she's able to manipulate you both. Iris doesn't play nicely. If you want to have any hope of beating her, you have to be willing to bend the rules."

"You have no room to talk. You held August's life over my head too. You did the same with Alfie and it cost him his life." I ground out.

"I've never used another person's life to manipulate you. Frankly, I find that to be cheating. Where's the fun in knowing your opponent's moves? It takes all the suspense out of it. No, that entire endeavor was my dear brother's idea. He and Iris have always been similar in that way. They enjoy the feeling of power they get when they're able to control your actions."

Something Isis said got me thinking. Iris was using August to control not only me, but his mother too. Which meant that I might actually be able to gain an edge over her. It was a gamble, but if I played my cards right, I might be able to pull it off. I wondered just how far I could push the witch before she started causing any sort of harm to August. She couldn't harm him to get to me without severing any ties she had with Sam as well.

Isis giggled. "I can see you already thinking of new solutions to your problem. This game is only just starting to get interesting. For now, I will be your cheerleader. You have me at your disposal now, Taryn. What you choose to do with that is up to you. For now though, I believe it's time for me to go."

There were very few times in my life when I'd been rendered speechless, and this was one of them. I stared at the witch as she disappeared. I wasn't sure I could believe anything she said, but something told me she was telling the truth. Or, at least part of the truth. Could she be trusted? Was that even possible? I doubted I'd ever trust her completely, but if she was willing to help me defeat Iris . . . no. I couldn't afford to think like that. This was Isis for crying out loud! She was cunning and manipulative. She couldn't be trusted. My friends and I would find a way to defeat Iris and return everyone to their real lives. We would rescue August and go back to living normal lives. We didn't need her help. The risk just wasn't worth it.

Still, a small part of me kept on wondering . . . what if?

Review! Let me know what you think of the new twist ;)