"What the hell?" I took a step closer to the mirror, staring at my reflection in disbelief. The person looking back was still me, but at the same time it wasn't. I had the same thick, dark, curly hair. The same hazel eyes. The same olive skin with a light dusting of freckles (ugh) scattered across the bridge of my nose. But my curls were now streaked with highlights. And not the subtle, golden-brown ones that sometimes appeared during the summer. No, these were an aggressive, dazzling blond that went from the roots of my hair all the way to the tips. It looked like I had spent a full day getting my hair done in some upscale salon. Never mind that I had never set foot in such a place since the day I was born. My eyes appeared somehow wider and more luminous. The colour brighter, my eyelashes darker up against them. And, when I looked closely, my pupils seemed to be slitted almost like a cat. I looked down at my body. My skinny arms-which had always refused to gain any definition no matter how hard I exercised-were lined with flat, wiry muscles. My bony shoulders were now curved and smooth. My scrawny legs were toned like a dancer. I reached down and lifted my shirt, revealing two subtle lines running vertically down my perfectly flat stomach, hinting at the rock-hard abs underneath. My whole body was rippling with strength. Like liquid steel.

*Featured Story* Readers of dark tales, are you in the mood for holiday cheer? Enter DEAD WINTER and get your fill. But mind your step! In this frozen world, victory belongs to the villains. DEAD WINTER: A CRYPTIC Anthology is a collection of 25 chilling tales penned by Wattpad's finest authors. Stories will be published one per day beginning on New Year's Day. Highest Ranking: #30 in Short Story.

I'd Like to think I was a good person, before it all began. I didn't cheat on tests, or steal. But throughout my entire life, I was treated if I were a monster. At the age of five, after several agonizing tests, I was diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder. But not even that title could describe just how strange I was. When another kid got hurt, I would cry. Whenever someone else was told a funny joke, I would laugh hysterically. People looked at me as if I were crazy- and for while I agreed with them. That was until I, Caddie Jones, was exiled to Nox Haven Academy, a school for truly special kids. Not the mentally ill, psychotic kind of special but the magical kind. Like witches, vampires, fairies and werewolves. Call me crazy if you want, you wouldn't be the first. But the stories are all true. The supernatural did exist and I was one of them. Life there was cool until suddenly, I was faced with two-faced witches, egotistical princes, hormone driven werewolves, and an army of evil warlocks who were threatening to destroy the world. ... Maybe Nox Haven was a school for psychos after all. ---------------------------------------------------------- Highest Rank: #2 in Paranormal 1st Place winner of The Night Shift's Killer Competition 4/10/16 Illustration by: Stephanie Pitino (www.ClairObscur.fr) (1st book in series)