Rise of the Sea Witch (Unfortunate Soul Chronicles, #1)

by Stacey Rourke

I was unprepared for the ruthless fashion in which the devastation had robbed my entire appearance of its vibrant pallet. Long, flowing raven hair drained to a dull platinum. A once creamy complexion had taken on the shade of an overcast day. Bright violet eyes I inherited from my mother blinked back a steely gray. Hands trembling with the shock, I pinched my cheeks to give them a dash a color. It helped … a little. Extracting a petal from a sea flower my boys had generously supplied, I painted my lips a brilliant red. The girl staring back at me would never be what she once was. On the other hand, there was nothing saying she couldn’t be … better. Fabulous even. Spying my fencing sword propped against the wall, my hand instinctively closed around the hilt. Twisting my bleached locks into a knot on top of my head, I administered one quick swipe of my blade. All that remained of Vanessa was sliced away, drifting off on a passing current. Curling my fingers into my short-sheared hair, I gave a pull here and a tug there. The strands darted off my head in a messy disarray. Sucking in my cheeks, I turned my head one way then the other, admiring the end result. It was new. It was unexpected. It was … fierce.