New Game

A young couple

(If any part of this seems offensive or wrongly worded please tell me.)

Once upon a time, there was a young couple. They were a simple and hard-working pair, not wanting for much besides the modest roof over their heads and enough food to feed them both. After a few years of trying to expand their family, the couple was blessed with a beautiful baby girl.

Unfortunately, their daughter was deformed. Her fingers were curled under like a hook. Unsure of how to handle the situation, the parents traveled to the city with their girl in tow, in search of somebody who could give them guidance on how to handle their peculiar situation.

Every doctor that met with the frazzled parents was flummoxed by the abnormal deformity, unsure of what tactic to employ to remedy the infant's issues. The physicians hypothesized that if they removed her fingers entirely and replaced them with false ones, it would most likely compromise her future ability and they were hesitant to leave a baby fingerless.

The parents were saddened but understood that separating was akin to cutting off a limb and could not bear to harm their child in such a fashion. They could not imagine a life in which their daughter would be unable to utilize it.

The couple thanked the doctors for their help and returned home to raise their child as best they could manage, showering her with endless praise and love. The adoring parents doted on their daughter, telling her what a wonderful and talented woman she would grow up to be.

It turned out that her parents were not too far off when the girl began showing an aptitude for talent that none had expected from her. She was clever, quick-witted, and had a talent for illusionary magic that dazzled those around her. She became a bit of a show-off. She adored hearing the praises of those around her, accustomed to it due to her parents' constant veneration. She wanted to be famous and showcase her talents for the world to see.

The girl soon became well-aware that she did not look like the others around her and this made people give her the types of looks she did not like, not ones of respect and admiration, but rather fear and disgust. Despite her parents' reassurance, the child began wearing large mittens that hid her fingers from sight.

It was not until she entered the school that she had her first real taste of the type of exclusion awarded to one simply for looking different from everyone else. Her talents, long admired by the schoolteachers, had earned her a recommendation to an exclusive School in LA. Unfortunately, it was a private school that required all of its students to live on campus and because she was there on scholarship rather than because of her parents' money, she could not afford a private room.

However, she did not sleep in these items and she could remove them in the safety of her own home without worrying about the probing stares of those around her.

For the first few months, she managed to hide her issues from her roommate, stringing up an elaborate canopy around her school-issued bed and waking up early to get ready and showering in the dead of night when no one else was in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the ruse did not last for more than a few months. During a practical exam, she pushed herself a little too hard so that she could impress her peers. The abuse began shortly after.

Thus, the young girl, once so full of hope for the future, became a hollow shell of her former self. Her aspirations of fame and glory crushed, she withdrew into her own self-hatred and stewed endlessly in agony. It felt that no matter her accomplishments, no one took notice, too preoccupied with her looks to actually notice her talent. She became cold and distant.

She rationalized that things would be different if she looked like everybody else, but her parents had told her that cosmetic surgery of the fingers would end her talents and crafts. Unconvinced, the ambitious woman took to the LA library and began what would amount to years of research on the subject.

Finally, she came across a practice that would allow one to receive the fingers of another without compromising the receiving party's ability. It was black magic. In the past, it was said to have been used during times of war using captured prisoners as guinea pigs to save the lives and abilities of the wounded. It was all very simple, really. She wondered why she hadn't considered it before.

All you needed was a living host...