The moon hung like a slightly crooked smile, glowing faintly yellow and sending twisted shadows scurrying through the orchard. Few clouds were present to obscure the stars, which was lucky because on a dark night, the woman striding purposefully across the orchard would have been invisible, and that would make her that much more deadly. The woman's dark cloak swirled around her, the large hood concealing a face of stunning beauty. Although it was bright in the orchard, the woman did not cast a shadow. She slowly made her way to a large, knotted tree leaden down with ruby red apples big as a fist. Slowly reaching up, the woman wrapped a pale hand around the ripest apple and plucked it. She brought it to her lips and kissed it lightly, leaving a dark stain on the crimson flesh. She laughed softly, gazing at the fruit in her hand. "You'll do nicely," she whispered. "You're the perfect apple to kill Snow White."
