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Sophia’s Revenge -------------------------------------------It was at that moment that I realized my mother must be stopped. I set down my mother’s journal, which detailed the horrible plan for her make her husband, my father, promise that he would not remarry unless he found a woman as beautiful, charming, and captivating as she was. I did not like my mother, but I knew she was the most beautiful person in the world, especially to my father, and he would agree to the promise, which left my poor little sister defenseless. She was not the smartest girl, but she was just, if not more, beautiful than our mother. I looked over at Spooks, who was licking his paw, and I handed the journal to my familiar who took it back to my mother’s room. When my mother got sick, I killed her. I snuck into her room and poisoned her with a poison I had developed during my studies. I did not know if the sickness would have killed her in the end, but I was so tired of dealing with her shit that I killed her anyway. She deserved it for everything she did to me. I did not regret it, but I knew that it would devastate my sister who adored our mother. She did not know her like I did. She did not know her red wine addiction and her resulting abusive blows that she took out on me. I wasn’t nearly as pretty as her, and she said everything she did was to make me prettier. One time she wrapped a corset so tightly around me that a couple of my ribs snapped. I think that’s why I became a witch. The magic chooses you, and the magic saw that I needed help. First, it sent me Spooks, who entered my room at night, and I knew he was my familiar without his saying so. He does not actually talk, but he is intelligent, and we can understand each other. After that, it all rushed into me. I found old books on magic in the palace library and studied them in all my free time. I practiced in the royal gardens. Then, my father sent me away. I tried to convince him not to because Cindy still needed me. She was still a girl, only fifteen years old. But my father said that she was better off without me, and I knew that he had reached the conclusion to marry his own daughter. The bastard. I stormed off to Cindy’s room to tell her the bad news, and my heart immediately melted when I saw her staring into her mirror, trying to brush the tangles from her beautiful blonde hair. “You’re going to pull all your hair out, Cind,” I said fondly and walked over to help her finish brushing her hair. Spooks knew we were leaving, and he comforted her, purring on her lap. His gray fur shed onto her white night gown as she pet the soft fur on his back. I sighed and remarked, “You look just like Mother.” I said it with all the sadness that her beauty meant, but she did not catch on. She was still so young, so sheltered from the real world. “I wish Mother was still here,” Cindy said, and tears filled her eyes. “Me too,” I lied because I could not bring myself to tell Cindy the truth yet. She deserved a better mother. “Look, there’s something we need to discuss.” I moved the conversation quickly away from Mother. I set the comb back on the vanity and walked over to Cindy’s king-sized bed. I sat down on the bed, and Cindy picked up Spooks and sat