Fairytales. Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Alice in Wonderland, and The Little Mermaid we all know the drill. Tales and stories told to us since we were little, and have ceased believing in once we had grown old. But did you know that these stories are all true? That they did and still exist. Yes, all these stories and others live in a world of magic. A world filled with wonder and hope, that is Storybook Cove. A place where happy endings existed.

The world of Storybook Cove is divided into four areas; each fairytale belonging to one of these parts. North was the home of Animal Tales. Where the main character of the story is some kind of animal or mythical creature. South the home of Magic; the stories where magic is the main factor instead of just a tool to progress the tale. For example, "Rumpelstiltskin" and "The Princess and the Frog. Next we have the East, the land of monsters. Ghouls, ogres, witches, trolls you name it. The part of Storybook where stories like "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Hansel and Gretel" reside. Now the last area, the west, the land of royalty. Princesses, Princes, Kings, Queens, and Knights. Stories where commoners marry into royalty or characters discovering they are royal.

Now, I know what you are thinking. That is a lot, how could they all possible get along?! Well, they get along quite well I must say. And despite roles, everyone loved the world of Storybook Cove. Well…that was until they came.

It was a strange day. Stranger than usual. No birds flew amongst the clouds and the whispering wind had gone silent. The land of Storybook cove had a dark shadow hanging over it, one that no one could explain. But it wasn’t until they came that everything started to make sense.

They came like a shadow quiet but cold. They said nothing nor greeted anyone. Their story was unknown and ending unheard. They lived amongst the other fairytales in peace for so long, so no one had bothered questioning the strangers. So when the strangers had moved, it came with no real surprise.

It started off as a simple space nothing to big. They took over the center of Storybook Cove, creating their own little area, separate from the original four. Though there were many who protested and disagreed with what they were doing, at the time it seemed they meant no harm. So the four sides pushed their lands back to make room for this new land, the home of the Cursed.

Soon the strangers once again blended into Storybook Cove with their new home, and the land of the cursed became merely another piece of the fairytale world. And harmony continued...if only that was the truth. If only. No, something was wrong, and maybe not everyone realized it but enough did. Sadly, by the time these suspicious fairytales reacted it was far to late. Fate had already been set in motion and the four lands could only standby as one by one each of them fell.

On your way to wherever your intended destination was, you walk through the silent rain, passing by busy people and wailing cars. The sound of the pitter pattering rain could be heard bouncing off the top of your umbrella. Followed by small drops running down the tips, falling toward the ground. Quashed between groups of people, you awaited the light to turn green.

Awaiting the change of lights, you went over your daily schedule. It was just another typical day and the usual events was to be followed.

Letting out a sigh, the light flashed green and the people pushed you along. Walking against the crowd, you spotted something in the distance, a shadowy figure smiling at you. Noise was all around you so you couldn't make out the words it was saying. Memorized you began to read its lips. Mouthing out the words, trying to make out what was being said past all the noise. As you were about to say the message out loud, a bright light filled your vision, and everything went white.

Lying there paralyzed, everything moved in slow motion. The people, who surrounded your vision, spoke in slow sentences. Even the rain had slowed down to a turtle-like pace. Turning your head you saw that the person was no longer there, and their words slipping from your memory... "Do you wish to live?"

An umbrella was held over your paling face, as the one who asked the question repeated herself, "Do you wish to live?" Maybe it was the pain that overtook your whole body, but for some reason something inside you wouldn't allow to say anything but..."Yes."

As if in response, your heart started to slow down and the air around you thinned. The person who was holding the umbrella had disappeared, and everything was going at normal speed. Gasping for air you hold out your hand, toward the greying sky. The cold rain mixed with your salty hot tears ran down your face. No words could escape past your lips; slowly you descended into darkness.

Empty. Floating in an ocean the color of darkness. It wasn’t terrible, but something felt off…you wouldn’t move, or it was better to say that you couldn’t move. You started to wave your hands all around in a panic, soon a strong force pulled you under. Gasping for breath under the pitch water, memories flashed before you. Some brought feelings of sadness, others anger, and many of happiness. But what was strange was that none of these memories were yours. These images were of someone else's life or something else's life, pictures straight out of a fairytale. But you couldn't look away, you were drawn to them rather they made you happy or sad, they pulled on you. Lifting your arms you reached for them, for the memories. Before you could touch them, right in front of your eyes they were ripped to shreds. A loud wail escaped your lips, as your whole being was consumed in raging water.

Waking up you gasped for air. Once in control you realized that you are lying on a dirt ground. There you are surrounded by three others, you sat there processing the information you just acquired. These eight innocent children, their lives will forever be changed, and their fate set in stone. As they were happy in one world, and now returning to their original world, fate had turned them against each other. Oh, how life has hurt them so. Lover against lover, sibling against sibling, and friend against friend fate has done them a cruel injustice.