Because You Love to Hate Me(48)

The problem is, I am a coward. Despite how desperately I needed those answers, I could not and would not dare try that sneaky maneuver. I just knew in every fiber of my being that the moment I turned my eyes even a fraction of an inch to the left, my teacher would pounce on me and that would be it. I would be thrown out of school and forced to live a wandering life on the streets, out of work, because who in their right minds would hire a seventeen-year-old who can’t solve a simple derivative? Oh, and on top of that, it was wrong, against the rules, and did I say wrong?

Okay, that might be a tad dramatic, but honestly, that’s what passes through my mind every time I toy around with the idea of doing something bad. My focus always jumps immediately to the consequences, usually overdramatizing them to the point that I believe this one decision, no matter how small, will dictate how the rest of my life plays out. I then decide that it’s better to play it safe and do the right thing rather than follow that inner voice that tempts me to take the other path.

Are you like Nerit? Find out if you are a hero or a villain with this quiz.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

1)You are traveling on a path when you pass an old woman begging for food. She looks hungry, but you have only a small loaf of bread and need something to eat for the next day of your journey. You . . .

a.Keep it for yourself. You need the food for energy, and you’re sure someone else will come by with food for her.

b.Give the old woman your food. You don’t know how long she’s been without food, and you can find something when you get to your destination.

2)After your teacher leaves the room, you notice that the answer sheet for the next test is sitting on the edge of her desk. You . . .

a.Take a look. If your teacher didn’t want you to see it, why did she leave it in plain sight?

b.Close your eyes and flip it over. You and your classmates will pass or fail on your own.

3)You are offered the opportunity of a lifetime! Unfortunately, if you take it, you will hurt your friend’s feelings. You . . .

a.Take it. These opportunities don’t come around every day, and your friend will understand. If they don’t, were you ever really friends?

b.Turn it down. Friendship is more important than any opportunity. What’s success without someone to share it with, right?

4)While you are walking, you stumble upon an ancient spell book that teaches powerful dark magic. You . . .

a.Read it. You might not use it, but it’s good to know—just in case.

b.Give it to the proper authorities so they can destroy it. No one should have access to something this dangerous.

5)Like Nerit, your true love—or so you thought—betrayed you after you risked your entire life to be with him or her. You . . .

a.Return the favor. As they will soon know, you are not to be messed with.

b.Move on. Creating more pain won’t solve any problems.

ANSWER KEY:

Mostly A’s: Villain

Though you might not feel the urge to go on a crime spree, you possess all the tools you need to become a serious villain. Some may call you selfish—but you think you’re really just looking out for yourself. Just bear in mind that stories are fiction—the villains in real life face real consequences.

Mostly B’s: Hero

Welcome to the club. True, you might not always get the recognition you want or deserve as you’re busy looking out for others, but people can rest easy knowing you’re always there to help.





BEAUTIFUL VENOM





BY CINDY PON





What did it feel like to have your body slowly turn into stone?

Mei Du slithered between the dust-coated statues of gods and goddesses and knocked them over, one by one, with a swipe of her powerful serpent body. They were large figures and crashed with thunderous noise. She avoided the tumbling stone fragments with finesse, smooth and graceful as a dancer, sliding between their ruins. Dust obscured her vision, rising high toward the pitched temple roof.

She paused in front of the lone statue that remained, and as the air cleared, the Goddess of Purity’s impassive face emerged, perfect lips pressed together in an enigmatic smile, the orbs of her marble eyes blank and unyielding. She stood tall and majestic, the folds of her white robe carved to drape elegantly over her frame. One hand was pressed over her heart, and the other arm was extended, palm lifted heavenward, as if in benevolence or forgiveness.

But Mei Du knew the truth.

From the time she was just a girl, Mei Du had prayed to the Goddess of Purity, believing her to be just and the protector of women. But no longer. The goddess’s betrayal still stung. Mei Du had thought that her heart had grown as cold and hard as all the mortals she had turned into stone, but the Goddess of Purity’s image pained her like a fresh-cut wound. She fought the urge to cower and sob, remembering the humiliation and hurt like it’d happened yesterday—and she was once again a helpless girl with some other name.

The snakes on her head hissed, thrashing until her scalp burned. Mei Du raked her yellowed nails over her face, crusted with warts and pustules, eyes roving to the dark corners of the derelict temple. She listened, the rough green scales of her arms prickling.

A man was approaching.

She had been on the run for centuries, but her legend and infamy had only grown, as had the number of those who were determined to slay her. Always men—she knew they pursued her with murder on their minds, for there was no capturing the evil Mei Du alive. Death was the only solution, the only ending to her story.