There is always that one time. That time you always want to change, a time when you look back and say, "Man, I wish I could change that." Of course, until this point I had completely been satisfied with my decisions, and I thought I was correct. Who cares what happened? I was supposed to be this way.

No, I was wrong, but was I really above the consequences? I thought so.

No wonder my story ended this way.

I'm sure you're confused. You need a backstory right? That's okay, I guess I should start from my first mistake, my first choice.

~~~

I was the strongest, most advanced mage. I was ahead of everyone. I was asked by multiple people to tutor them, but I was mean. To those who wanted my help studying, to the teachers and advisers, I was the perfect student. The one everyone was supposed to be.

So, anyway, there was this one kid, Andy (He's important, remember him), who asked for my help. Nobody important was around, so a gave a haughty laugh and sneered, "Who'd help you?"

Andy, man, he was a saint, and totally adored me. He thought he heard me wrong, but no, he did not. He heard what everyone else who I didn't think would serve of any use to me.

Mistake number one.

~~~

It was weeks before I saw Andy's face again. When we did run into each other, he distanced himself from me glaring the coldest glare I'd seen in a while.

I guess I was who he looked up to, and like most people who see who their heroes in their true personalities, I was now dead to him.

At least, that's what I thought.

I laughed with my 'friends' and brushed off the sign.

Mistake number two.

~~~

It was December, two months after the incident.

Andy was beginning to rival my 'perfect student' act. Oh, his act was good. So good, that I didn't even realize the trick up until recently, but that'll come later.

We, Andy and I, were now at equal groups of 'friends', most of them actually being the same people. We spent many days trying to undermine the other by means of sending our 'friends' to fight our internal battles within each other.

We got a lot of people expelled. We didn't face consequences though, we could never do anything wrong. So, people began to turn. Seeing us as the common enemy, we began to be the targets, and I know my reputation began to crumble before my eyes.

But, for some reason, Andy's did not. Did I stop trying to one-up him? Did I try to apologizing to those I had wronged so that I may have had some credibility?

No...was I aware I would need any sort of credibility in the near future?

Nope.

Mistake number three.

~~~

Three mistakes. That's all it took to completely shatter my reputation. A series of mind-boggling, life-changing secrets began to shine in the light.

I was not an only child. Of course, I knew this.

My older brother was not someone I wanted to associate myself with. He was the main reasons why there were so many rules to follow. So young mages wouldn't become the monster he was. He did this thing called blood magic. It involved sacrifices, and IF I'd seen the signs, I would have known this was my biggest problem.

So, word got out that I was related to the infamous Gaoli, inventor of blood magic. Related, no that's not the right word. . . I was an experiment. That was the rumor. I was his sister by blood, but my word meant nothing versus what Andy said.

People began to avoid me. I was slowly going insane from the buzz of 'the experiment' rumor. It painted me a monster who was dormant until something would finally cause me to explode, leaving only disaster behind.

~~~

What really did me in was during a spell casting class. I was up, but someone had messed with the spell I was supposed to cast. All I was doing was growing a flower. That's it.

Instead, I ended up enchanting the flower to turn into an evil, demonic rose monster. It had long, thorny vines, and very quickly attacked not only me, but the teacher and students around me.

We were all pretty much doomed as soon as the flower demon got a taste of blood. I mean, c'mon, when you get scratched by a thorn you bleed.

But, anyway, at that point, everyone thought I was trying to use blood magic. No, I wasn't, but that didn't matter. I was in no way, shape, or form credible, so once 'our hero' ANDY shows up an extinguishes the threat with little to no trouble at all, I get thrown into the strongest magic-canceling room the academy had to offer.

~~~

I guess you could say it was karma. That, I got what I deserved, and yeah, I would teach him again if I could. Andy was my age, but he turned to the wrong side, the side that throws friends as well as foes under the bus to save your own skin.

So, now I'm still sitting in this room, unable to make any mistakes because I have no choices. I am not idolized, in fact, I'm probably feared. I created my worst enemy by showing him MY way of dealing with those around me.

I can blame him all I want, sure, but I know the truth.

I created a monster. I am a monster myself, but your son didn't need to follow in my footsteps. I know this will be thrown away, or burned, or even go through the most pain that could possibly be inflicted on this piece of paper, but. . . if for whatever reason you make it this far, and you're wondering why I'm even writing this from a cell that has made me so insane that even I myself am surprised that the words written here are even of our native language, I want you to know one thing. . .

I'm sorry.

Pretty pitiful, huh. I have written this to show what my side is, although I venture you do not care. Andy has an alias now, The Wretched Warlock of Winderburg. I'm not proud of my creation, and I'm sure you really hate me now.

But. . . If for what eve reason you don't, I want to pass on a secret. Something that may return your little Andy to his rightful place as a saint.

There is good in EVERYBODY.

I wish to stress this because I have to atone for my sins soon. I don't want Andy to face this too. Please find him, be helpful, be kind, be comforting.

For he will need your support in order to turn back to who he once was.

I had nobody and now look at me. I'm writing hopeless letters to people whom I do not even know trying to stress what I have learned to help someone who I did not even to consider helping before.

So, I may not have helped Andy before, but if you've read this far, I want you to know this is my attempt to help him now.

With much regret and little hope, Lilliana Anderson

Convict #33121 : Blood magic.