Chapter 69

As soon as the blade entered Maria's flesh, she cried out and changed back into her true form. The appearance of the queen melted away as she slumped to the ground and her normal, scarred face emerged.

Then several things happened at once.

Avril's husband leapt back in horror, dropping his hand from the knife handle. Nicole, Jasmine, and Alicia surrounded Maria as blood started flowing from her. It made an awful dark spot on the floor, as it seeped into the hard, compact dirt. They pressed in all around, and the house was a hive of activity. They began shouting and yelling for Maria.

Jasmine turned to Avril's husband and shouted, "What have you done?" She swiftly turned and got on the ground to tend to Maria. She pushed a hand on the wound to try to stop the blood flow.

Avril's husband continued to look on in horror.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't know she wasn't...how was I supposed to know?...She looked exactly like..."