Reincarnated as an Ugly Step Sister

Chapter 32

I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't this. I suppose I thought the sea witch would be half octopus but instead it's a beautiful mermaid. Every part of her is gorgeous, except for her hair which is a tangled mess. The room is rather cave like, though construction must be hard underwater. There are shelves, clearly taken from shipwrecks, that line the whole room and an empty stone cauldron sits in the center. The sea witch drifts around the room, humming to herself. I watch her spin from shelf to shelf, trying to look as brave as I can.

Suddenly, the door slams behind me. I can faintly hear Chase and Nicholas calling my name but their voices sound distant. I turn back to the witch. "I'm here-"

"I know why you're here," she says, interrupting me. "You're here to nobly save your sweet little sister. You think she's in danger and I have the cure. When I hear how far you're willing to go for it, I'll just give it to you."

"You're wrong. I'll pay whatever you want," I say, my voice surprisingly steady.

"Let me tell you a story," she says as she floats in front of me, finally staying still. "I used to be ugly, just like you were. You got lucky. You started treating your body better and all your imperfections... poof! Went away. I had to get creative." I try to process everything she's saying. I'm not too surprised she knows why I'm here, seems like a witchy thing to know. But how does she know so much more about me? Before I started my journey? "I hid myself in a cave for years, practicing magic. Long story short, I got banished and I realized that money is no use to me. So I-"

"You asked for people's attractive traits," I say absent mindedly.

"Uh... yeah." She's clearly thrown off guard that I guessed something she hadn't anticipated. This explains her hair, the only unattractive part of herself. In The Little Mermaid she asks Adella's sisters for their hair in exchange for a dagger that will save Adella.

"What do I have to give you, like you said, I'm not particularly attractive. At least, not compared to the traits you already have."

"I know, that's why I'm going to send you on an epic journey across the world so you can collect some random items for me," she chuckles and I can't help but be surprised when it isn't an evil cackle. She must have stolen her laugh from someone else.

"Why?" I ask as casually as I can.

"Well, I mostly want to test you. I mean, I do need the items for a spell I'm trying but really I'd just like to see how far you're willing to go for your step-sister," she replies. I'm taken aback by how easily she tells me this. Most villains would probably not disclose this information, though I'm not entirely sure she really is a villain.

"Fine, but that could take me months or even years. What about Cinderella? What if her curse worsens and she-"

"It won't worsen. She'll sleep forever, until someone wakes her up at least. She won't age either. It's a pretty boring curse if you ask me. You know, it'd probably be easier to have people kiss her awake."

"I'm aware."

"Why don't you just do that then?" she asks with genuine curiosity.

"I don't want my sister being kissed by hundreds of strangers, in the hope that one of them will be her 'true love'. True love is made, not destined."

She smiles, not in an evil way, but in a way I can only describe as impressed. I wait, studying her flawless face, until she finally asks, "Are you ready for your test?"

"No," I say plainly. "First, tell me why you know so much about me."

"I'm a witch, I watch people."

"But why me? You can't watch every single person, so what made me worth watching? Even before you knew I was coming here, even before I knew?"

"Are you aware your soul is misplaced?" she asks.

"Yes."

"One morning, in the potion I was brewing, I saw you, waking up with your soul all out of alignment with your body. I've been keeping an eye on you ever since."

"Oh." It was a rather simple, yet discomforting explanation. It made me wonder who else might have noticed that mishap and decided to keep an eye on me. "How much do you know about me?"

"I know you know more about this world than most people do." I don't know why but when she says this a chill runs down my spine. Does she mean she's aware that I know about fairytales?

"Okay. Now I'm ready for the test."

"Good. You will find me three items that all have one thing in common. The first is the prison of a slave. The second is an egg from which nothing will ever hatch. The third is a product of straw and a mule."

I repeat her riddles in my head a few times, to make sure I have them all memorized. "I understand, thank you. When I have all these items, how do I get back to you? I'm pretty sure Ione's help was a one-time thing."

The sea witch rolls her eyes but gets me a small vial of a dark green potion. "There you are, free of charge. Drink it once you're in the water and it'll temporarily turn you into a mermaid."

"Thanks," I say flatly.

"That's only enough for you. Don't bring your friends next time."

"Okay." I turn to leave before remembering to ask her something. "I have dreams that I'm with Cinderella and we're sharing a dream. Is that-"

"Yes, that's really her. Right now she's lost in a dreamscape, luckily a pleasant one, and you, for whatever reason, are able to visit her."

"Thank you," I say and surprisingly, I mean it. Even though she's testing me for the fun of it, she's still given me a lot of reassurance about Cinderella.

"No problem, dear. I'll see you soon," the sea witch says with a charming smile. She waves her hand teasingly and the door swings open. I give her a nod goodbye before swimming out.

Chase and Nicholas embrace me with relief as the door slams loudly behind us.