As she walks in the livingroom she tosses the pouch into a chair. Walking into the kitchen Tara sees her mother and younger brother making dinner. Her mother turns and smiles to her, "How was your visit with the crone, dear?"

Tara looks a bit iritated and sits at the table. "That old woman has really lost it. She has out done herself this time. Telling me I am a daughter to those freak Kesi's. She is a crazy old hag."

Her mother's eyes grew strangely cold and she sat down with Tara, sending the boy out of the room. "Tara, I was afraid of this. The old crone may have heard the town rumors and started to believe them. People have been saying that the Kesi's had two daughters that were given away. The rumors have been around for years and perhaps in her old age senility has led her to believe them. The Crone gave you to us, but she never said you were a Kesi. They are monsters and you are not like them. You could never have come from those... creatures."

Tara laughed, "I knew it wasn't true, I feel sorry for the old woman. She really is crazy as everyone says she is. Now im off to my room." She kissed her mother's cheek and walked out to her room grabing the pouch on the way.

Tara sat on her bed and opened the pouch spilling the objects on the bedspread. She pawed through them and picked up the three small bottles. They were black glass bottles that had cork stoppers. Each had a label on the bottom so she read them. There were ink bottles, one was labeled "Black ink" and the other two were labeled, "Dragons blood ink" and "Doves blood ink". She put them back on the bed and picked up the candles. Knowing that candles can always be usefull she put them in the drawer of her night stand with the blue one nearest the front because it was her favorite color. Then she placed the black red and white candles behind it. There were blank sheets of parchment which she put in her desk drawer along with the ink and empty journal. Looking past the wooden figures she saw a necklace cord sticking out from the edge of a folded parchment. She pushed the small wooden figures to the side and pulled out the necklace. It was a silver pendant of a curious looking symbol. She wasn't sure what it was about this symbol that caught her eye, but she liked it. She held it in her hand and looked at in closely. Suddenly she felt a breeze on her neck and turned to see if someone had entered the room. Seeing no one there she looked back to the necklace and decided to put it on. The metal felt cold against her chest when it settled against her skin. She reached for the folded parchment and as she began to read she felt the breeze again. This time it was blowing on her face and it was cold. The breeze seemed to freeze her and she shuddered with the cold. She put her hand to her chest and felt the pendant, it felt colder than it had when she first put it on. The breeze got stronger and filled her nostrils. She opened her mouth to breath and the cold air filled her mouth. Trying to scream only made it worse because the freezing air traveled down her throat and into her lungs. With each breath it got harder to take the next breath. She felt as if she were suffocating, it was as if her lungs were frozen. She tried to reach for the pendant to take it off but it wouldnt budge. The icy chill was affecting her muscles and she couldnt lift the necklace cord from around her neck. Frantically she clawed at the cord trying to break it. Then as quickly as it had started the cold air was gone. Warm air flooded her lungs and she began gasping and heaving. She touched the necklace and it was warm from laying against her skin. As she caught her breath she looked in the mirror at herself and sighed, "It was only an attack, I forgot my medicine today." She walked to the dresser and picked up a black bottle and poured a bit of the dark powder into a glass of water. The powder turned the water red and she drank it down quickly. Still feeling a bit short of breath she decided to go to bed early. She gathered the pouch and its contents and lay it in the chair by the window. She changed into her bed gown and went to sleep.

A warm gentle breeze blew across her closed eyelids as she woke. She opend her eyes and looked around the room. Sitting up she glanced in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and seh went to the vanity to brush it. Being such a nice day she thought she would wear her hair up. Once her hair was up she took off her bed gown, careful not to mess her hair. She dropped the gown to the floor and looked in the mirror at her naked figure. Her eyes quickly settled on a mark which had appeared at the top of her right breast. She had seen it before, but where. The pouch, it was the symbol on the outside of the pouch the Crone gave her.