Young Writers Society

Erin strolled down main street, hands in their pockets, head tilted down, looking for all the world like an average teenager. At least, that was the hope. In reality, they had been tailing a girl and a boy for several blocks. One of them, the girl, was descended from the famed Brothers Grimm, while the other was a fairytale monster. Erin's mother had been killed by a distant relative of the girl and they were a monster themselves. They weren't an average teenager.

The fact that Erin had spotted a Grimm or monster wasn't altogether surprising. New York brought all types of people, although Grimms and monsters tried to keep their identities hidden, though for very different reasons. The fact that they were walking side by side in earnest conversation... that was far beyond normal. Erin could believe that a monster wouldn't recognize a Grimm or vice versa, but neither recognizing the other was too much to count on.

Erin ducked out of sight and transformed into a crow. Pigeons were more common in New York, but a crow would never be called out of place. Besides, Erin could never take themselves seriously if they became a pigeon. Their vision telescoped as they shrank and their hair and skin was buried under ebony feathers. Erin's hands and arms became wings, their feet became claws, and their face elongated into a beak. In a heartbeat, the transformation was complete and Erin was in the air.

If it had been anatomically possible, Erin would have grinned as they watched the Grimm and the monster from above. Shapeshifting made it laughably easy to follow people without their knowledge. It also made it more difficult for Grimms to discern Erin's identity as a monster.

Erin swooped closer to the pair until they were just within earshot. "...You don't know what it's like, Rosie," the boy said. "Being a monster. Always on the run. Never knowing who to trust. That's why the person who wrote this letter was so vague. For all they know, you could just try to kill them. Anyway, a lot of us, the monsters, have grown to hate Grimms as much as you hate us."

"But, Leo, I don't hate you," the Grimm, Rosie, said. "Or any monsters, really. I mean, you're the only one I've met, but how bad can they be if you're one of them?"

So, Erin had been right. Both the girl and the boy knew about the other's heritage, yet they weren't trying to kill each other. They were also intrigued by the reference to a monster writing a letter, presumably inviting the duo to... something. No matter what the end goal was, inviting a monster and a Grimm to the same place was a recipe for disaster, even if they did seem friendly towards each other.

"I didn't mean you personally," Leo continued. "I just meant, you know..."

"Grimms," Rosie finished. This was followed by an uncomfortable silence, which the girl finally broke. "Do you think this could work? Peace between monsters and Grimms?"

Erin squawked in surprise. Someone was trying to organize peace? This could end in a bloodbath!

The girl glanced up at Erin, finally noticing the crow following her and her friend. They watched in horror as Rosie's expression shifted from blank to confused to realization.

"Leo," she said, voice hushed. "That's not a crow."

Erin released a long and colorful string of curses, which destroyed the last shreds of their already blown disguise. Thankfully, no humans were in the general vicinity to witness the swearing crow. Erin decided the game was up and they should just go for broke.

They swooped lower to the ground and shifted back into human form. "This is a bad idea," they said without waiting for the confusion to register on Rosie or Leo's face.

"Who are you?" Rosie managed to say.

"Hah! Like I would tell a Grimm my name. Do I have the word "gullible" tattooed on my forehead?" Erin spat. "As I was saying, turn around, go home, and forget about any of this letter stuff."

Rosie's brow furrowed. "But you're a monster. Don't you want peace?"

"Peace? Sure. I'm all for peace." Their lips curled scornfully. "But it's not going to happen, and it will probably get you both killed. Grimms have been slaughtering us for two hundred years. You think you can make a difference? You can't. Anyway, peace isn't a new idea. You, Leo, isn't it? You're a monster. Tell her what happened last time."

Rosie turned to the boy.

"Uh...he...she..." Leo flushed red.

"They," Erin supplied.

"They kind of have a point," he said, staring at the ground. "The last time there was talk of peace, it went bad and a lot of people died. But there's no reason to think that will happen this time."

"No reason except all evidence and past events," Erin growled.

Kara Stevens:

They had finished walking over to the abandoned mansion, talking and chatting and an argument between Kara and Andy about whether candy corn or chocolate was the better candy.

Obviously chocolate is better, mused Kara, laughing silently in her head. It can come in so many different flavours, whereas candy corn comes only in one. Unlike that trash they call candy, chocolate is actually natural with the exotic taste of South America-

She hadn't noticed that she had started to hum the Hershey's Milk Chocolate song under her breath, annoying everyone around her. They loved Kara, but sometimes her shenanigans were too much.

"Oi, mi amigo, could you stop that?" Andy cried with his hands over his ears. "It's ruining my candy corn vibe."

Kara laughed out loud this time, fully mocking. "Nah, 'ow 'bout you shut your pie hole?!" She began to hum even louder, annoying the crap out of Andy.

The mansion loomed overhead them by now, with the group sort of having no idea what was going on. What was Kara and Andy going on about again? None of them could remember. The argument had gone through the topics of chocolate, candy corn, gay rights, what toppings were better on pizza, what the cities in California were like, which types of birds are the best.

A large picket fence surrounded the seemingly unoccupied building, pokes of untamed grass peeking through it. The tall grass continued through the yard, seeping through remnants of a garden and pathway and married to the weeds and dandelions that were also scattered throughout the unkempt place. The house itself had broken shutters, most of them falling off or already fallen off. Ivy crept up the bleached and dirty walls and a bird's nest could be seen on the roof. Speaking of the roof, the shingles of it were falling off, several hanging like there was only a thread connecting it to the gutter. Several windows were broken and all of the rest were so dusty you couldn’t even see inside. Several dying trees littered the yard, their leaves and branches drooping down in defeat.

Kara wasn’t scared at all. Most of her comrades – as she liked to call them – certainly were. She glanced over at Manny, who was chewing his nails nervously.

“Come on, what t’is there t’be afraid t’of?” Kara teased. “’Tis just t’an old house, you chickens.”

Luke decided that now was the time to say something, but he stopped, looking a bit anxious. And not in the good way either.

Andy leaned in towards the artist. ”Mi amigo, what do you want to say?”

Kara rolled her eyes. ”Si, what is it?” she mocked, earning glares from some of the others. “What?”

“That was overstepping your boundaries, Kara,” Rhea pointed out.

Kara glared at the student. She disliked Rhea a little bit due to Rhea’s arrogant attitude, but she had never commented on it. Most of the others were just fine and quiet, after all. However, Rhea, and occasionally Minerva, got on her nerves whenever they shot her down. Which was often.

“Boundaries, schmoundaries, there’s point t’in them, watch!” Kara said, trying to redeam herself. She grabbed the picket fence and hoisted herself up, albeit with a little trouble. She slipped over it, holding in a sigh of relief as she hit the overgrown, brown and greenish grass. Minerva followed, landing besides Kara not long after.

God, Kara was so jealous of how Minerva just climbed it so… fluidly!

Kara hid her jealously well, though Cassandra noticed something was wrong. She and the others looked at each other with hesitation but eventually followed, Kara and Minerva helping them as they went.

They walked across the lawn, Minerva attempting – and failing to – dodge all of the tall weeds and grass to avoid the inevitable ticks in the plants due to her costume. When she makes the path, Minerva sighs in relief, as there are less weeds there than the rest of the yard.

The gang walked across the lawn and came across a huge oak door and a shiny golden doorknob. It was forboding. Even Kara was a bit nervous, but she tried to not show it.

Eventually, it was Minerva who turned the slightly rusty doorknob