Witchy Days 20: Hinting at a Trip

What’s better than having a lovely dream about a delicious-smelling apple pie?

Waking up and realizing that the smell is real because your boyfriend actually baked it.

“You woke up this early just to make it?”

“Sort of. I know you like apples and, well, Mom and I have a competition – I try to figure out her secret dessert recipes. She plays them close to her heart. As a result, I’ve ended up perfecting some of them. I thought you might like it.”

“You’re not wrong! This is heavenly,” she tried a bite. “You have to teach me to make this.”

“Hmm, not so easy,” he winked. “What’s the plan for today?”

“Lakeisha said that fortuneteller wants to talk to me for some reason. I thought I’d go.”

“Sounds like a plan. Want me to come along?”

“Sure, the more the merrier.”

“You know, this garden is really coming together,” Terra commented as they reaped a bountiful collection of fruits and herbs. “I thought we could have just a little something for potions, but this is good.”

“I agree. Come to think of it, we could probably quit other work for real,” he mused. “This produce could fetch good money.”

“Not a bad idea,” she considered it. She liked working at the lab, for the most part, but sometimes it was nice to just be here, with the plants. If the lab didn’t work out, it was good to know there was a backup if she decided against working there.

“Speaking of plants, I got some plasma fruit seeds the other day. I know vampires love that stuff and we have some good friends who are – maybe we should grow some as a gift for Dahlia and the Schlicks.”

“They can be a little tricky to properly grow,” she told him. “But we can try.”

“I wonder if they got any further with their search,” he mentioned. “And if the Schlicks had any more contact with their kids.”

“Maybe. I can’t help but feel they’re not looking at all of this right,” she told him. “I this old vampire leader is really alive and out there, then what’s stopping her from coming back and taking her old spot as the leader of the coven? But she’s not doing this. So, either she isn’t alive or she is but can’t really knock Elvira out of power.”

“I hear you,” he agreed. “I hope Chris and Dahlia aren’t putting all their eggs in that basket.”

Matthew was just waiting for Terra to get off work when he met with her family at a local cafe.

He did notice Sylvia was doing her best to stay away from him for some reason and wasn’t as affectionate as usual with Barron. Before he could muse about it more, Sylvia excused herself to go chat with someone who came into the cafe.

“You must be Elspeth, right?”

“Yes, have we met before?”

“No, but I’ve heard of you around town.”

“Good things, I hope?”

“You wish.”

“Mom? What’s going on here? Are you ok? You’re not pregnant, are you?” Terra arrived and noticed her mother socializing with the last person she expected to see her talking to.

“No, honey, your sister’s definitely the last one of you – but this is a really nasty stomach bug I’ve been dealing with lately.”

“The fuck?! You’re sick?! Stay away from me!” Elspeth backed away muttering “Crazy ass family…”

“Funny you should say that, considering that you really don’t understand when people tell you to stay away!” Sylvia spat.

“Mom, please, let it go,” Terra asked her. The last thing she wanted was a violent altercation between her mother and the younger woman, especially because she knew Sylvia could absolutely take Elspeth on. But it really wasn’t worth it. “That’s all settled anyways.”

“I’ll let it go when I decide it’s time to let it go.”

“What do you want from me?” Elspeth backed away a bit more.

“I want you to stay the fuck away from my family and to learn some manners. Otherwise, someone really will hand you your ass someday.”

“Whatever…”

Of course, Terra tried to convince Sylvia that all matters with Elspeth were absolutely settled and there was absolutely no reason to get involved with that family any more.

But when Sylvia headed to the bathroom, the young “lady” was there, muttering about her in a way she did not approve of. On a good day, Sylvia would’ve ignored her, but this stomach flu has been kicking her butt lately and she was royally pissed.

“So, who’s old, stupid, and out of touch?” she raised an eyebrow. “Besides, shouldn’t you be at work right now?”

“It’s my day off, you hag,” Elspeth informed her. It was bad enough her allowance was cut because of that jerk, but now she had to deal with his in-laws?

“Hag? I just might be. But sweetie, if you want to have any luck seducing men in the future, you’re gonna need to grow a brain at some point. Simply flashing boobs doesn’t get you far these days.”

“How the fuck do you know about that?!” Surely, Matthew didn’t tell her, did he?

“I know everything that pertains to my family.” Terra may not have told her, but Monica held back neither the information nor her opinion on the situation during their girls night last weekend. “Behave yourself, or else…”

“Or what? You’ll beat me up? Take your mafioso ass elsewhere.”

“Ah, I see…”

Five minutes later…

An important lesson was learned by Elspeth that day: never insult a person who has reasons to be pissed at you and is already having a bad day, unless you’re willing to deal with the consequences.

---

Meanwhile, Terra sincerely hoped her mother listened to her and actually stayed away from that girl. After all, if anyone should have beef with Elspeth, it should be her, not her mother. Then again, Terra knew her mother could get offended easily and she didn’t like letting things go without getting in the last word…

“Hey! What’s up man?”

Terra barely noticed when Chris and Dahlia waved at them, but Matthew did.

“Mostly, good. You?” Chris answered

“Not bad. Any luck with your search?”

“Nope.”

“Tough.”

Terra was glad to see Dahlia. She and the girl became good friends in the Stoneshields but somehow, they had trouble finding good time to spend together here. They had to do something to correct that.

“You’re looking good,” Terra complimented her friend. “Sleeping well?”

“For the most part, yeah. Carly keeps me healthy, lol.”

“We should hang out soon. What are you up to today?”

“Not much, just finished buying the groceries. We like chipping in with the household expenses, since we live with the Fairchilds. Nellie always tells us not to, but neither one of us feels ok just living off of them.” She told Terra. “We’re pretty much done for today, though.”

“We’re actually going to see a the local psychic later, around seven. Want to come with us?” Terra got an idea.

“A psychic you say? Real?”

“As far as we know, she’s the real deal. She has predicted a bunch of stuff for my sister-in-law and it came true.”

“Then I think it could be a good idea for us to pay her a visit,” Dahlia followed her line of thinking. “What do you think, Chris?”

“I’m in. But what are we doing before seven? This heat is finishing me up. Can we go somewhere cooler?”

The local indoor pool it was.

While the guys were busy figuring out which one of them was more athletic, Terra and Dahlia took the time to catch up.

“I still can’t believe you two have really moved in together already,” Dahlia admitted. “It feels kind of surreal. Like, we’re all just thrown together in Boris’s house and now, the majority of the people who were there have totally paired up. You and Matt, Carly and Wade, Leo and Julius. You know, those two have moved in together too.”

“So they were crushing on one another, huh? I thought there was some chemistry there,” Terra smiled. “Not everyone has paired up with someone in Boris’s house, though. I saw a picture of Frankie with this girl… strangest thing, she looks really familiar. And then there was a picture of Lawson with this blue-haired fairy.”

“Oh, that’s Maggie!” Dahlia told her. “I don’t think they’re dating. She’s a close childhood friend or something – they’re practically like siblings. I’ve heard she’ll go to the Academy with you next year.”

“With me? Are you sure you won’t come back?”

“I don’t know. I like the idea of studying at the academy, but I’m scared after going to the Stoneshields the last time.”

“Understandable,” Terra knew what she went through. “You can’t live in hiding forever, though.”

“I know. I keep telling Chris that, but he’s, well, he’s Chris.”

“What’s up with the two of you, anyways?” Terra asked. She recalled them dancing at her brother’s wedding. Was there more?

“We tolerate each other. And we don’t punch each other out anymore,” Dahlia joked, referring to their first meeting. “I admit, he has some great survival skills, but he’s always looking out for a potential enemy. Even more than I do, which is really saying something.”

“Can’t blame him for that,” Terra told her. “He’s been through hell because of the coven.”

“I know. So has everyone who’s ever had to deal with them.” She leaned back. “I just wish we could finally breathe easy, you know.”

“Maybe it’ll happen?” she could hope. “By the way, we’ve planted some plasma fruit in our garden. I’m not promising anything, but if we manage to grow them, they’re all yours.”

“Seriously? That’s so wonderful of you!” Dahlia smiled. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank us just yet. Race you to the water?”

---

They arrived at the fairy’s house a little past seven and she was already waiting outside for them, almost like she knew exactly when they will arrive.

Judging from Lakeisha’s description of the woman, Terra thought she probably did know.

“Hello,” Ophelia greeted them. “You’ve made it here. Thank you. Why don’t you all come in.”

“I know none of you are in a good mood lately, and let me tell you, your worried are all real and it’s ok to have them. Terra, there is danger, I won’t lie. That man Coryn will reappear again, sooner rather than later and I’m sorry but I don’t know where he is right now. However, I already asked the local law enforcement to make the population aware of him – what he looks like, what to expect, so on and so forth.”

“Thanks for warning Lakeisha last time,” Terra remembered.

“Not really, it didn’t help much. Has she had much more contact with the older ghost?” Ophelia asked.

“Not as far as I know. But that girl saved us last time.”

“I know,” Ophelia nodded. “Now, Christopher, Dahlia, I know you are worried about what to do with your futures. And let me tell you, you won’t always have to live in fear. That much I can guarantee you.”

“For real?” Dahlia asked. “How come?”

“Because the vampire you are so worried about has been building her castle on a pile of sand. And soon, it will all come out. And Christopher, you might not think so right now, but while knowing how to survive is very important, it’s not the only thing you’ll need in life.” 

“Huh… so, that means the coven will be off of our backs?” he asked.

“Yes. Now, Terra, can you come outside with me for a moment?”

As soon as they were alone, Ophelia told her, “I know what you’ve been going through and I’m sorry you had to go through it. But let me tell you, it’s a blessing you weren’t pregnant during your encounter with Coryn.”

“What do you mean?” Terra narrowed her eyes.

“This pregnancy was never meant to be a successful one. I actually saw several outcomes of it. Had you been pregnant when you encountered that man, you would’ve lost the child then and you would not have had any more children.”

“….”

“I know, this sounds dark, but let me reassure you – you’ll have kids. At least two, as far as I can tell at this point.”

“You’ve seen them already?” Terra’s eyes grew big.

“Yes,“ Ophelia smiled. “Although, if I may so advise, hold off on getting pregnant for the next year or two. They’re going to be kind of stressful. Of course, it’s not like there is any way to prevent these things if they are meant to happen.”

“How come you’re telling me all of this?” Terra asked.

“I thought you’d want to know, that’s all. And one more thing – don’t worry about feeling lost. You’ll figure your life out.”

“Thank you,” Terra told her with some confusion. How did this woman even know what she was feeling?

“The others must be wondering what’s taking us so long. Let’s go back in.”

Once indoors, Ophelia asked them what the group was planning for the short-term future and suggested they all take a nice vacation.

“What do you mean by a vacation?” Chris asked her. “It’s not exactly safe for Dahlia and I to travel right now.”

“You’ve been living here without any issues, though, haven’t you?” she shrugged. “And a vacation can do you some good. Seeing new places, meeting new people… yes, very positive. I hear Roaring Heights is quite lovely at this time of year.”

“Roaring Heights?” Terra asked. She had heard of that place – it was very retro and they had a lovely beach, according to the postcards. But so did Moonlight Falls.

“I’ve heard they have nice museums and parks there,” Dahlia said. “I guess I’ll keep the place in mind.”

“I’ve been there. Mom and I have visited that city when I was little,” Matthew chimed in. Turning to Terra, he remembered, “Come to think of it, your Great Aunt Addie has family living there.”

“All the more reason to visit!” Ophelia smiled. She could only tell them so much without messing things up, but she sincerely hoped they would take her advice.

“Well, that was kind of weird,” Christopher told them, once they were all back at Terra and Matthew’s house. “You say your sister-in-law is friends with her?”

“Yep. She seems friendly, if a little strange. But all things considered, how would you behave if you were constantly bombarded with knowing the future? Pretty weird, probably,” Terra understood the fairy’s situation.

“I think she told us to go to Roaring Heights for a reason,” Dahlia told them. “Why else mention the place?”

“I agree,” Matthew nodded. “She probably knows something she can’t say. Will you come if we go?”

“It isn’t safe,” Chris argued.

“Everything in life is unsafe,” Terra told him. “I think, if a known psychic is telling us to pay that city a visit, we should listen.”

“I’ll go,” Dahlia agreed. “Might as well see whatever there is to see.”

---

As it happened, the opportunity for a trip presented itself quite soon. Terra and Matthew were meeting up with Sylvia at the park and Adelia ended up joining them. A conversation ensued.

“You know, I still don’t understand something,” Terra told them. “How did the enchanted compass, which was supposed to be in the Crimsons’ household, end up inside of that grand piano?”

“I’ve been wondering that too,” her mother admitted. “And it wasn’t just the compass, there were many expensive, important-looking things in there.”

“Oh that?!” Addie laughed. “I have a pretty good idea of what happened. Matthias Crimson – your teacher’s grandfather – and Jonah were good friends. Matthias was quite a bit older of course, but that’s not an issue when you have a universal connector such as music. He was a wonderful violinist and he and Jonah would play whole concerts for friends and family.”

“So he had access to Jonah’s piano?” Matthew followed along.

“Exactly. Some time before his death, there was an attempted break-in at the Crimson house and Matthias was absolutely furious. Sure, they never officially found out who did it, but Matthias knew it was that no good son of his, Reuben. That one was a nasty character all around. I’m still surprised he managed to raise such a polite and studious man as Boris. He was always sniffing around for something he could take and sell. But anyways, Matthias usually had quite a temper, and I recall being surprised by his calm demeanor after the break in. Thinking back on it, he must’ve grabbed a bunch of things from his house and hidden them in our piano – no one was the wiser and there is no way his cheapskate son would’ve looked in our house for his father’s collection. The only reason those things started interfering with the instrument’s sound is because the compartment they were in broke.”

“And if not for that, none of us would’ve been the wiser for years!” Sylvia realized. “And he didn’t even warn Jonah?”

“I don’t think he did. He probably would’ve told him eventually, but then Matthias passed on before he could get around to it.”

“And he never told his own daughter either,” Matthew realized. “You say Mirabella Crimson was just as amazed to find out their things were at your house. I get hiding the items from the troublesome son, but she should’ve been in the know, don’t you think so?”

“Everything you say makes sense, dear, but sometimes, families just don’t behave in sensible ways. Like I said, Matthias was quite a character. He might’ve been afraid if he had told Mirabella, the information would’ve leaked out to Reuben. Don’t know why he would’ve thought so, considering the siblings’ relationship was awful, but he didn’t always behave reasonably. Besides, at that point, he was fairly old.”

“I get what you mean. Families can be messy,” Sylvia agreed. “If I told someone that my asshole father, who I hated for the duration of my life, managed to father a son in my old town and that I was now raising that kid, people would do a double take.”

“That is a wild situation, though,” Terra chuckled. “Hey, for all we know, your old man really got around. How would you react if a bunch of other secret half-brothers showed up on your doorstep?”

“Don’t even go there, Terra!” Sylvia looked horrified. “Carter’s adorable, but we’re lucky he only seems to take after that jerk in appearance.”

“For all you know,” Addie told her. “Wait until he grows up. Kids change so much as they age. Take mine, for example. My daughter Marla – she’s in her 50s now and still doesn’t want to settle down. I used to think she just had to meet the right person, but no. Apparently, she considers the concept of long-term, committed relationships overrated.”

“Are you in frequent contact with her?” Terra asked. “What about your other kids?”

“Oh, yes! We call each other all the time – I need all the tea on my family,” Addie laughed. “My two younger sons are as different as can be. Liam has always been a very bright young man but he’s… highly sociable. Jonah and I used to joke that he was our secret weapon, because that boy could always talk anyone to exhaustion, on any topic. And Reed is always kind of in his head. I admit I worry for him a lot – after becoming widowed, he is much quieter. He really loved his wife. I look forward to checking on him soon.”

“They’re coming for a visit?” Sylvia asked.

“No, I’m going to see them in Roaring Heights next week.”

“Roaring Heights?” Terra and Matthew exchanged a look.

“Yes, it’s a lovely city,” Addie continued. “Actually, why don’t you all come along with me? Your cousins are excited to meet you and Barron.”

“I’m afraid we really can’t go,” Sylvia apologized. “Traveling with the kids is a hassle at best, besides, I’ve been checking in on Bristol and Lakeisha frequently and I don’t want to leave them on their own just yet. Why don’t you go, Terra, Matthew?”

“Would this be ok?” Terra asked Addie, who nodded happily.

“Oh yes, my kids all have their own kids around your age. You’ll get to meet them.”

“Would you be alright with us bringing a couple of friends with us? We’ll pay for all extra travel expenses, of course,” Matthew asked.

“Come along, dears! The more the merrier!” Adelia laughed. “In fact, I’m quite enjoying the idea of a young entourage. Will you be able to get off work next week?”

“Yes,” Terra assured her. “I’m only concerned about our garden. Would you be able to check in once in a while, Mom?”

“I’m not too good with plants,” Sylvia shook her head. “But I think Xander and Laurel should be able to help.”

---

Years ago, when good friends Matthias and Jonah were both alive and making music together.

Adelia was actually quite close to figuring out how those items from the Crimson collection ended up inside of the piano. As it happened, Jonah had a pretty good idea the items were there. He just didn’t tell anyone because Matthias asked him not to. Matthias snuck into the Wickhams’ home at night to hide them and Jonah caught him red-handed, but Jonah knew what was up because he had talked about the secret compartment in the piano with his friend very recently before that. And knowing about the break-in at Matthias’s house, he had no problems letting him hide things in his own home.

They were all wrong about one thing: it wasn’t Reuben Crimson trying to break into the Crimsons’ house – it was Maera Pearson, who was already busy tracking down the compass! But with his terrible reputation, everyone just naturally assumed that it was Reuben.

Witchy Days 19: Reveals

Note: Mentions of miscarriage.

---

After their visit to the cemetery, Matthew and Terra insisted on Monica coming home with them. Matthew, because he believed he and his mother had quite a bit to discuss right now and Terra, because she wasn’t sure she wanted Monica to stay by herself after an emotional moment like the one she had just gone through.

On the one hand, she thought the mother and son had a right to know the full story of what happened to Mitchell. But on the other hand, Terra couldn’t shake off the opinion that hashing it all out this many years later was kind of selfish on Mitchell’s part. Monica had over 20 years to deal with whatever feelings she had for him and Terra was afraid that this meeting might’ve reopened old wounds or even made new ones.

Of course, if that was the case, the woman wasn’t showing it. If anything, she seemed cheerful.

“What is the deal with all these Bigfoot hunters looking and behaving like they’ve been destroying their brain with a fancy mix of drugs for the entirety of their life? I’m just saying, maybe if they had gone looking for him sober, they’d actually find him,” she commented on the show that Terra put on for some background noise.

“If they were sober, would they really be looking for Bigfoot?” Terra joked.

“Nope,” Matthew decided. “But then, we wouldn’t have shows like these.”

“Bold of you all to assume there is no Bigfoot equivalent of potheads,” Bartholomew snickered. “Who do you think gets spotted by these types?”

“This is a good point!” Monica chuckled, after Terra translated Barthy’s joke. “Takes all kinds to make the world. It’s all the more fun. Speaking of fun, how’s work going for you two?”

“I’m good, I got a promotion a while back,” Terra told her.

“And I’m actually looking for something else now,” Matthew told her. “I quit that place.”

“Really? What happened?” Monica was surprised.

“You mean, Jedediah didn’t tell you?” Matt asked. “I thought he’d complain to you.”

“No, I haven’t actually talked to him since… when was it you quit?” she asked.

“About a week ago.”

“Since then,” she said. “Did something weird happen?”

“I’ll say. That crazy daughter of his sent me nudes. This was the last straw. I quit and showed him why. Thought he should know why all of his workers keep quitting on him.”

“What?” Terra stopped mid-thought. “You showed him? His daughter’s nudes?!”

“And I deleted them afterwards,” he reassured her.

“Why would you show a man his daughter’s naked pictures?!” Terra confronted him.

“Terra? This is Elspeth we’re talking about. The same person who’s been harassing me since day one. And who sent your boyfriend her naked pictures, even though I’ve never expressed any sort of interest in her. Why are you angry at me?” Matthew was confused.

“Because I didn’t think you’d do something like this!”

“Do what, Terra? Another guy would’ve kept those pictures or leaked them all over the internet. Another guy would’ve taken both her and her father to court for all they’re worth – and won. I didn’t do any of that. I simply showed that man proof of what his daughter was doing to his workers,” Matthew reasoned. “Why are you making me out to be the bad guy?”

“Because he’s her father,” she shrugged. The idea that someone could someday show her Dad her pictures that way was disconcerting.

“Yes. He is. That’s the point.” Matthew was at a loss for words.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

“About the pictures? Because I already knew what I was going to do as soon as I received them. And I didn’t want you to worry about it.”

“I see.” She pinched the bridge of her nose to make her eyes stop tearing up. This wasn’t how she pictured the day going. Or anything at all. “I need some space.”

As she stormed out of the room, Matthew looked at his mother.

“I don’t understand. I thought she would see this from my point of view.”

“Well, it was a questionable thing to do,” Monica admitted.

“So, I was in the wrong? I was just fed up with her,” he explained. “I normally would never do something like this.”

“I know,” Monica nodded. “It’s a gray situation. I mean, you have a point – sooner or later, someone would’ve taken them to court over her behavior. And the last time I’ve stopped by that shop, she was working there. Not very well, I might add, but he was telling her when she made mistakes.”

“Elspeth?! No way!”

“I know. I think it’s Jed’s way of making her learn some responsibility. So, it does look like he took her actions seriously.”

“Well, at least something good came out of this mess,” Matthew sighed. “But how do I make things right with Terra?”

“Give her some time to calm down and talk to her. I admit, I also didn’t expect this kind of a reaction from her,” Monica told him.

Terra just wanted to wash her face and cool down from the confrontation.

Why did the stupid sink have to break right now?

It was a brand new house. Things should have been in good working order.

Just like this relationship.

Just like the communication between her and Matt.

Just like the pregnancy.

Just like everything else…

She thought bringing her brother home safe and sound would fix things in her life. She thought having Matthew here, in the same town, in the same house, would make her life complete.

But damn it, she felt so lost all the time… as she watched the stupid thing leak water all over the floor, she knew she had to fix it, but really, she just didn’t have the energy.

This was how Monica found her when she needed to use the bathroom and heard the water running for a really long time.

“Terra? Honey, are you alright?”

“…..”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“…Maybe?”

Monica joined her on the ground, disregarding the sizeable puddle of water that was starting to collect next to them.

“Between the two of us, I agree that showing those pictures to Jed wasn’t the smartest move on my son’s part. Even though I see the factors that led to that decision. He should’ve quit months ago, which would’ve meant giving up on something. But as we can see, stubbornness and impulsivity run in the family.”

“I guess they do” Terra agreed. “Can’t even blame him for acting impulsively, I’ve done that hundreds of times myself…” Sometimes in ways that would’ve endangered herself and others, she knew.

“This isn’t just about the pictures, is it?” Monica asked. She already had a pretty good idea of what happened, but at this point, it was still guesswork on her part.

“No, it isn’t,” Terra admitted. She found herself spilling everything to her. About the unexpected pregnancy and its equally unexpected end, about feeling out of sorts all the time, about the constant fear that something bad will happen to people she cares about. About constantly feeling lost and out of place at work, where everyone complimented her work ethic. “I just don’t know what I’m doing with my life.”

Monica listened attentively, nodding along and understanding what was going on in Terra’s head. Finally, she said, “No wonder you’ve been feeling so terrible, dear. Frankly, it would’ve been strange if you weren’t feeling like this. You’ve gone through what most would call a traumatic life experience – nearly losing your twin. Just because you got him back safe and sound doesn’t mean those worries are going to naturally dissipate. And don’t even get me started on everything that happened at Boris Crimson’s house. Matt told me what I’m sure is only a small part of it all and I’m already horrified. Wouldn’t be surprised if that whole family and all of the students are in therapy right now.”

“You’re not wrong. At least about one of them,” Terra remembered Polina mention once when they were chatting that she was seeing a therapist. Terra thought it a good idea for the girl at the time, but thinking about it all now, maybe it was a good idea for her as well?

“I won’t tell you that worrying about current events is unreasonable,” Monica continued. “Especially after what happened at your sister-in-law’s house. You are right to be on high alert. But about the miscarriage – that’s not something you have to carry alone. Too many of us women do this and it serves no one. It only hurts and makes you feel more alone.”

“You think I should tell him?” Terra asked.

“Yes. This is something you should deal with together. After all, it takes more than one person to create a pregnancy. Dealing with its end should not be on one person either.”

“Thank you,” Terra told her. “For listening. I’m sorry I made you deal with all this today.”

“You mean Mitchell?” she smiled. “I know you’re worried that I’m about to have some sort of breakdown after talking to him. It’s actually quite the opposite.”

“How so?” Terra asked.

“My whole life, after that breakup, I’ve been comparing every potential partner to him. Even after the pain he caused me,” Monica smiled sadly. “And meeting him now was like ending up in the days of my youth, but with the knowledge I have today. Don’t get me wrong, I still wanted him, which is probably not what you would expect to hear from your boyfriend’s mother!”

Monica laughed at that. “You must admit, the man has always been a looker.”

“True, I can see why you were into him,” Terra smiled a bit.

“Oh yes. Except, while we were talking, I could suddenly see exactly how our life together would’ve gone. And we would not have lasted. Maybe we would’ve stayed together for a few years. Maybe we would have had a few more kids together, until it all imploded on us. He was always impulsive, Mitchell was. And while it seemed very romantic to seventeen-year-old me, I know even a few years into my twenties, I would’ve found it extremely irritating. So, while I’m extremely sad for what happened to him and can now mourn the loss of my son’s father, I can finally stop mourning the relationship that we could’ve had.”

“That’s a really neat way of looking at things,” Terra admitted, realizing that Monica was right about this.

“I hope so. But really, talk to him about what happened. I know he was really worried about you a few weeks ago.”

“I know and I wanted to tell him,” Terra told her. “I just couldn’t bring myself to do it, somehow. I never thought we’d have to deal with miscarriage this early into the relationship.”

“No one ever does,” Monica told her. “It gets everyone by surprise.”

Matthew was just looking for the women after they have both disappeared on him when he overheard the last part. Suddenly, everything that’s been happening with Terra lately made perfect sense.

Coming into the bathroom, he was about to say something to them when he noticed the still broken sink that was threatening to flood the whole room.

Talk would have to wait until he dealt with this mess, which he tackled with fervor.

Eventually, the sink was fixed, the water dried up, and the women were both looking at him with anticipation.

“Mom?” he asked.

“Dear? Terra, I’ll give you two some space, alright?”

“Hey,” he joined her, trying to figure out the right words to say. “Are you angry at me?”

“I don’t know,” she told him. “I don’t like that you did this.”

“I get that I should’ve thought it through first,” he conceded. “Can’t go back in time and change it now. I’m sorry about it, though. Sort of. I’m sorry that I did something to make you upset.”

“It’s ok, you don’t have to pretend to regret it,” Terra told him. “I can’t honestly say that I wouldn’t have behaved the same way in your shoes. It’s just the whole situation is so ugh.”

“You would’ve found a better way to deal with this, I’m sure,” he smiled. “You’re good at that stuff.”

“Are you just saying that to make me feel better because you’ve overheard the talk between me and your Mom?” she asked.

“I’m saying it because I really think so. And I really don’t like fighting with you,” he told her. “Can we not fight anymore?”

“I don’t like fighting with you either,” she told him. “I don’t know if it’s possible to never fight anymore. All couples fight sometimes.”

“Alright, then can we not fight unless we absolutely have to?” he asked.

“I suppose we can try,” she told him. “But you haven’t really answered my question.”

“I did hear the last part,” he admitted. “How come you never told me?”

“I wanted to, at first and I was going to once I got over it. But then I didn’t want to make you sad,” she told him. “And I guess, a part of me was afraid that you won’t be sad. I know we didn’t plan to have children yet and this pregnancy came out of nowhere.”

“No, we didn’t plan to start a family yet. That doesn’t mean I don’t want children, especially with you. Although, you’re probably right that I don’t feel as sad about it as you do – simply because I found out about it after it was over. I didn’t go through getting my hopes up the way you did.”

“I didn’t have much time to get my hopes up,” she admitted. “I only found out in the morning and in the evening it was over.”

“That sucks. Are you ok?”

“I don’t know. But I think I will be now.”

“Ok. Hey, can we not keep things like that from one another?” he asked.

“I think we can manage.”

“I think we should do something fun and relaxing soon,” he told her, as they headed back to the room. “No work, no school, just something for unwinding.”

“I’d like that,” she told him. “Your Mom’s right, we’ve been through some serious stuff a few months ago and it all takes a toll.”

“Can’t argue with that,” he agreed, hugging her. “Maybe we should go somewhere. Like a vacation?”

“That’s a nice idea. Hey, what’s that smell?”

“Mom’s cooking Mac’n’Cheese,” he recognized the smell. “Perfect comfort food.”

“Oh no, we were supposed to be taking care of her today!” Terra exclaimed. “And now, she’s taking care of us.”

“Honestly, I don’t think we need to worry about her right now. She got to tell my Dad all those things she’s been holding in for two decades. That counts for something.”

“What about you?” she asked. “How do you feel about meeting him?”

“Honestly? I think I’m pretty happy with the parent that raised me. He’s really not what I imagined. But who knows, maybe he’ll grow on me? I wonder if he’s going to want to check in with us like that every now and then or if this was a one time thing.”

“Do you want him to?”

“I guess it’s fine with me, as long as I don’t have to start calling him ‘Dad’ – that’s just too weird right now,” he admitted.

“Fair enough.”

Sometimes, unhealthy and cheesy foods really are good for the soul.

Witchy Days 18: Clearing up the Past

Once Lakeisha settled in somewhat with taking care of Anthony, they have arranged for the visit to the cemetery. Terra initially thought only Monica and Matthew will go, but as the day approached, both of them asked her if she would like to come along. Neither one tried to seem nervous, but it seemed both the mother and the son required some moral support on that day.

She wasn’t surprised. It was one thing to know the man you loved did something to hurt you years ago, but to have him reach out from beyond the grave for a talk was at the very least unnerving.

“Mitchell, are you in there?” Lakeisha addressed the gravestone. “You wanted to speak to Monica and she’s here. Everyone is here.”

Behind them, Terra and Matthew noticed the Bishops approach but keep their distance. She wondered if Mitchell wanted to reach out to them as well.

Matthew, for his part, wondered what to expect. How would this man react to seeing all of them? Would he be happy to see them? Would he be happy to see his own father? Now that was the big question. He promised his mother he would come along, but now he was having so many second thoughts about it. He was curious about the guy, but after his Mother and Harper told him a bit about him, he felt somewhat angry with him. If he was such a great guy, then why did he have to hurt her the way he did?

Monica pretty much knew she didn’t want to be here. She had dealt with all of her feelings regarding this man years ago. At the same time, she knew she would regret not coming, so here she was.

And then, he was just there, almost as if he always had been. Trying to fight her growing sense of déjà vu, Monica looked at the man who appeared to be no older than the last time she had seen him.

“Monica?” he asked in disbelief. “You really came?”

“Well, it’s not every day you get someone reaching out for you from the other side,” she told him, trying to keep a straight face and not roll her eyes. This was Mitchell, alright – despite his charisma, the man always had a flair for dramatics, and from the looks of it, dying didn’t change that for him. Everything about today was one big show. Then again, he was dead, so maybe she should give him the benefit of doubt, at least for Matthew’s sake. “You wanted to talk.”

“I wanted to apologize,” Mitchell looked down, downcast. “I lied to you when we broke up.”

“I know,” she told him.

“I had to. For your sake, and for that of our child,” he explained.

“So you did know about the baby,” she inhaled sharply. “Even before I did.”

“Of course, how could I not? And if I knew, they would’ve known as well,“ Mitchell reasoned. “You were in danger while you were near me.”

“So you simply decided to play with my feeling the way you did to keep me safe,” Monica studied him. “How could you even know I’d keep the baby after the way you’ve talked to me? Did you even care?”

“What kind of a question is that?! Of course I cared!” he exclaimed. “I did what I did to keep you safe.”

“You know what would have kept me much more safe?” she told him. “Actually talking to me like a normal person. Telling me about the problem and letting me decide what to do next. But you took all those choices away from me with your actions.”

Monica knew he called her here to apologize, but she finally had a chance to let him hear it all and she was taking it.

“Should we mediate for them?” Terra whispered, observing the conversation. “It’s not going too smoothly, is it?”

“No, but he should’ve known better than to behave like a fool with her,” Matthew responded with a chuckle. “He wanted to talk to her – let him. For as long as necessary. But it sure won’t be a one-sided conversation.”

“Oh no,” Lakeisha agreed. “But a necessary one. Something tells me your mother has quite a bit to unload on him. I almost feel bad for him, but they both need this.”

“I know I didn’t react to the situation the way I should’ve,” Mitchell admitted. “Trust me, I’ve had plenty of time to stew over all the mistakes I’ve made back then. But what would you have done if it was your sister who was attacked by these creeps and was inches away from death? I freaked out. I was afraid you’ll be next.”

“What creeps?” Monica asked.

“Our old pack. They killed our parents and we ran from them, years ago. I never told you about them because I didn’t realize they would actually track us down. We were practically children when the conflict between our parents and the leader happened, I couldn’t believe the guy would actually care enough about us to expend resources and time on following us. But he did.”

“So you thought you would try to take him on by yourself? Is that what happened?” Monica asked, appalled. “Did you even tell anyone what you were going to do? You didn’t!”

“I’m afraid so,” he admitted sheepishly. “I was angry. After they attacked Harper, I was a mess, but an angry one. I wanted to show them they couldn’t just mess with my family. I was tired of them hurting people I cared about. So I invited their leader to meetup with me and hash it out like grown men.”

“And how did that work out?” she asked, trying not to be too sarcastic.

“As you can see…” he sighed. “I knew he wouldn’t come alone like we agreed to, but I didn’t think he’ll bring that many of his people. But I took out a good many of them while I was at it, including the bastard himself!”

“And then they took you out!” she screamed at him. “Why did you have to do it all alone?”

“I’m sorry,” he told her, approaching her. “If I could go back in time and change how things went, I would do it. But it’s not an option. All I ask is for you to forgive me for lying and hurting you back then.”

“Mitchell, I…” she took a deep breath. “I forgive you. You gave me a wonderful son and for that, I am forever grateful to you. I won’t lie and say I’m not still angry at you. Because I am and it took me a long time to start trusting people again after our breakup. But I guess, knowing what happened back then, I can see what made you behave the way you did. Will you be at peace now?”

“More or less,” he told her. “You know, I’ve always planned to come find you after the matter with the pack was settled. I wish I got the chance. But thank you for coming here and letting me explain myself. May I?”

Gently, he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.

“Now that we’re all here, you should meet your son,” she told him, trying not to think too much about all the times he used to kiss her like this when they were together.

“Of course! Wow, I never thought I’d get the chance to meet him. And he’s all grown up,” Mitchell looked at Matthew in amazement and extended his hand. “You look just like your Mom, you know. Just like I hoped you would.”

“So I’ve been told,” Matthew returned the ghostly handshake. “I must admit, you don’t look quite like what I’ve imagined.”

“In a good way or a bad way?” Mitchell asked.

“Neither, just different,” Matthew smiled awkwardly. In all truth, this guy was the exact opposite of the sort of man Matthew imagined his mother to have been in love with. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “I’m sorry about how things turned out.”

“Me too, kid. Me too. But I’m delighted to see you doing well. You’re a wizard, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. That’s for the best.” Mitchell wasn’t completely sure some of the old pack didn’t remember the Bordens still and he didn’t want for them to have any reasons to come after his family once again.

“Don’t worry, Mom taught me to take care of myself if anything goes wrong,” Matthew assured him, following his line of thought.

“I know she did. She’s pretty amazing. And this lovely lady must be?”

“This is Terra. My girlfriend,” Matthew introduced her.

“Hello, sir,” Terra greeted the man, feeling a little weird calling him “sir“ when he looked to be only a couple of years older than her. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. You kids be happy now and don’t make the same mistakes I’ve made.”

Eventually, Mitchell caught sight of the Bishops trying to catch his eye. It was high time he talked to them.

“Harpy?”

“Mitch? Is that really you?”

“Do you really have doubts?” he roared at her, making her laugh and roar back.

“No, brother, I don’t. I see you’ve already met your kid.”

“I have. Great kid. And this is?”

“Mitchell Jr,” Damon told him. 

“You named your son after me?” He would’ve teared up if he had been alive.

“Are you really surprised?” Harper asked him. “We’ve been missing you.”

“I know, Harpy. I miss you too. And you, Damon. But I see you two are doing well. That makes it all worth it.”

“It would’ve been worth it if you had been with us,” she told him.

“Yeah, but it is what it is. No one’s bothering you anymore?” he asked.

“No one from that bunch has been around here since then,” Damon told him. “I’ve been keeping tabs on them.”

“Good. Looks like they’ve learned their lesson.”

“Did you really kill the bad guy, Uncle Mitch?” his nephew asked.

“Well, uh…” Mitchell wasn’t sure how much they told the kid.

“He did,” Harper told him. “To keep me safe. But are you…?”

“I’m good. I’ve moved on,” Mitchell reassured her. “This, me being here, this is sort of a special situation. In fact, I think I should be going back now. Thanks for coming here, all of you. Take care.”

After he disappeared, the Bishops approached Monica.

“It’s nice to finally meet you properly,” Harper introduced herself. “I’d love to keep in touch.”

“Both of us will, actually,” Damon told her. “I’m sorry I didn’t look into why you’ve disappeared on us all those years ago. We were sort of dealing with a situation back then.”

“I’m starting to see it now,” Monica understood. “I have nothing against staying friends.”

“Matt! Can you come over to our place on Friday? Mom’s going to be making hot dogs and pies,” Mitchell approached them. “They’re really good.”

“Sure thing, kid. I’ll bring something over too,” Matthew promised.

“Speaking of visits,” Lakeisha tried to stifle a yawn. “I don’t think I’m needed here anymore?”

“Thank you for doing this for them,” Terra told her. “Are you feeling quite alright?”

“Just sleepy. Anthony kept both me and your brother up for most of last night. But before I forget: my friend Ophelia asked me to tell you that you should pay her a visit soon.”

“She did? What’s this about?” Terra asked.

“I don’t know. She just said she wanted to talk to you.”

---

For anyone curious, here’ Mitchell Borden without the ghost shader.

Witchy Days 17: Last Straw

Warning: NSFW for nudity.

Several days later…

After Ophelia had so rudely interrupted her attempt at making things happen between herself and Matthew, Elspeth decided to forego magical methods and opt for the most direct one – show him what he’s missing.

After all, a picture was worth a thousand words, right? And she already had Matthew’s number, after peeking it from her father’s phone.

Chilling at home, doing some easy chores, enjoying yourself, receiving a text message and carelessly opening it up…

“What the hell!”

“When you finally realize you want a real woman, you know where to find me.”

Matthew didn’t know whether the pictures or the message made him more furious. But one thing he did know for sure.

He was done being nice about this.

He went out to the garden, where Terra was busy trimming the weeds from their plants. The past few days have been kind of uncomfortable, with both them and their families constantly staying on high alert after Coryn’s reappearance, but after the ghost chased him out, he seemed to have disappeared again.

Slowly, they were breathing easier and getting back to the usual order of things.

“How are the plants?” Matthew asked, neutrally.

“Oh, good! These are certainly the reddest tomatoes I’ve ever seen,” she laughed. “I may not have a green thumb, but I guess all these books taught me something.”

“Cool. Hey, I want to ask you something. We’re doing really well in terms of finances right now – would you care much if I quit my job and took a break to look for something else?”

“Not at all,” she smiled, relieved. “To be honest, I’m kind of amazed you’ve lasted in that toxic work environment for so long. I would’ve told you to quit on day one, but really, it’s not up to me to decide.”

“Oh good! Because I’m over that place. I’m going to go give Jedediah my resignation,” he told her, heading out.

“Can’t you just call or email him?”

“I’d rather do it in person,” Matt explained.

Luckily, the potions shop was empty when Matthew came in. He didn’t want to involve anyone extra in this.

“Mr. Aleister, hello.”

“Hello, Matthew. What brings you here? It’s your day off.”

“About that, Mr. Aleister – we need to talk. I’m quitting, effective now. And I really want to tell you why, or rather show you. And I really am sorry about doing this, but I want you to realize why your employees keep quitting on you.”

“Is this about Elspeth?”

“Yes.”

He pulled out his phone and opened up Elspeth’s message so that Jedediah could see exactly what sort of behavior his daughter was involved in. He almost regretted showing him, when he observed the man’s reaction. Almost.

“Goodness…” Jed whispered. “She did this after I talked to her?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Aleister. But I’m guessing, she took your talk with her for proof that I was actually secretly into her. Now look.” He made it extremely visible and clear to Jedediah that he was deleting the message, the pictures, and any cache files related to them. “I’m not keeping this. I only came in to make you aware of what’s happening. And once again, I’m super sorry that I made you see this.”

His message to Jed was clear: Matthew was willing to let this go, but a different person would bring him a sexual harassment lawsuit.

“No, thank you for making me aware of this,” Jed told him grimly. “I wouldn’t expect you to keep working here after this. If anything, I should’ve realized what the problem was.”

“Is everything going to be ok?” Matt worried.

“Oh, yes!” Jed nodded. “Don’t worry about it. And you should probably block her number. I seems I can’t guarantee what she will or won’t do. But it’s high time something changed in the way she’s been living and I guarantee that it will.”

“What do you have in mind?” Matthew asked.

“It appears my daughter has far too much free time on her hands.”

---

After Matthew left, Jedediah thought long and hard about how he and Fiona let their daughter’s behavior get to this point.

He knew they spoiled her. But after they lost Emrys in such a tragic way, both he and Fiona couldn’t bring themselves to ever chide Elspeth for anything. If anything, they lived in constant fear of losing her as well.

Except now, Jed realized, they were losing their daughter while she was alive, by failing to instill any decent values in her.

They were far too soft.

“Hi, Daddy!” Elspeth pranced in, unaware of Matthew’s visit to her father. “Why are you still here? I thought we were going out to dinner.”

“Hello, Elspeth,” he turned around, studying her. Yes, indeed, she was a grown woman. But sometimes, he wondered if there was much going on in that head of hers at all. “No, we’re not going to dinner today.”

“But Dad!!!”

“Elspeth, sit down.”

“So…so… if someone ‘wants a real woman,’ they know where to find you? Is that how it is?” he asked.

“Daddy?!” her eyes grew big.

“Don’t ‘Daddy’ me, Elspeth. Why were you sending your nudes to this boy? Especially after both he and I told you to leave him be? Which part of him not being interested in you do you not understand?”

“What? I’m not a minor, it’s not a crime. And everyone does this!”

“First of, not everyone. Many people don’t do it because they realize how easy it is for their nudes to end up in the hands of a wrong person and be used against them. And those who do exchange them do so with people who have actually asked for them. And this boy most certainly did not. Elspeth, today you’ve lost me the best employee I’ve ever had, all because you don’t understand the concept of basic consent.”

“You fired him?!”

“He quit!!! And before he did so, he made it clear he won’t be keeping the pictures and will not pursuing legal action against us. Do you understand how gracious of him this is, Elspeth? You are not a minor, you are a legal adult. In other words, you can be taken to court for sexual harassment. And frankly, I won’t be able to help you – pretty much all of our clients saw how you behaved with him during these past months. They would all be witnesses, even without those pictures.”

“I’m sorry,” she told him, but he wasn’t too sure she meant it. “So what now, you’re going to need a new employee for the shop?”

“Oh, that’s alright, I already found one.”

“Really? Who?!” she perked up and he realized that he was absolutely right about her not getting any of this.

“I’m looking at her as we speak,” he smiled.

“What? No! I can’t work at the shop!” Elspeth exclaimed.

“Why not? Are you illiterate? Do you have no knowledge of potions and how they are made? Are you unable to measure servings for our clients?” Jed asked her. “I know your mother and I have taught you everything. Now is as good a time as ever to put your learned skills to use. Besides, you’re going to need to, if you want to keep on shopping at all your favorite stores on a regular basis, because, like you’ve said yourself, you are an adult. And adults don’t get allowances, they earn their own money.”

“But Daddy!”

“Be here at 9 straight tomorrow morning, Elspeth. Tardiness in the workplace is not acceptable and will be taken out of your pay.”

Witchy Days 16: A Return and Unpleasant Altercations

Warning: This chapter is kind of violent.

---

This morning, he managed to catch Terra before she ran off for work.

“Good morning,” he greeted her, studying her face.

“Right back at you,” she smiled. “Are you planning to work late tonight?”

“Early, actually. Mom wants to meet up and talk about something,” he told her. He paused for a few moments, firing off his question, “Are we ok?”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I don’t know, it just feels like you’ve been avoiding me lately,” he admitted.

“Oh! I’m so sorry,” she leaned over for a kiss. “I didn’t realize I’ve been doing it. But you’re right, I have. I guess I let work get the best of me.”

“So we’re good?”

“We’re good. See you. I promise I’ll make it up to you soon,” she told him, leaving for her shift.

Matthew’s workday went fairly smoothly, despite Elspeth’s annoying presence at the shop. He was able to finish the potions for the next day and clean up the supplies before leaving for the day.

“I think that’s it, Mr. Aleister,” he told the man, finishing up. “See you next week.”

“That’s right, have a good weekend,” Jedediah smiled at him. “Say hi to your Mom for me. Oh, and can you let her know that root she wanted is ready for use? Thanks.”

“Will do!”

As he left, Matt did his best to ignore the way Elspeth was looking at him. He had a feeling Jedediah did talk to her, but something told him, the effect was questionable.

For her part, Elspeth found Matthew’s words to her old man rather amusing. He asked her Dad to make her stop flirting with him – clearly, her advances were working if he was so hot and bothered! It was just taking far too long…

Oh, but she had an idea – her parents had some books with interesting recipes and some of them would really do the trick.

Of course, her Dad didn’t normally keep those types of ingredients at hand. How inconvenient. But she had a pretty good idea about where to find them.

“Hi Mom,” he greeted Monica, arriving at the Crumplebottoms’ place. “I’m here. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Hi honey,” she looked nervous. “Your sister-in-law was here yesterday to see me. She talks to ghosts apparently.”

“Yes, Lakeisha does that.”

“Apparently, a particular ghost wants to talk to me – your father,” she told him.

“Wow, that’s unexpected!” he was taken aback.

“In a way,” she agreed. After filling him in on the situation, she told him, “I said I’ll do it. I’ll talk to him. Might as well hear whatever it is.”

“I’ll be there with you. Just let me know when you’re going,” Matthew told her.

“Thank you, dear. That’s why I called you here – to invite you. I figured you’d want to be a part of this as well.”

“I do. And to give you support, if necessary.”

“You’re a dear. How are things with Terra?”

“Better, I think.”

“Good,” she nodded. She didn’t know what was causing issues in their relationship, but she knew miscommunications happened to anyone. And also, that sometimes men and women simply saw the same matters through different lenses. Of course, she hoped this would happen less to those two kids.

Elspeth knew the woods near the pond usually grew the particular water lily plant required for the potion she had in mind. One newly-bloomed lily, water kept out overnight under a full moon… well, she’ll get to the other ingredients in their time. It wasn’t a difficult potion to make.

Now, just to find that lily…

Busy looking for the plant that interested her, Elspeth was startled to realize she wasn’t alone.

“What, not even a hello?”

“Ah! Hi? Didn’t see you there.”

“That much is obvious,” he grinned. “Looking for something in particular?”

“The lilies. I’m sure they must’ve bloomed already.”

“Love troubles?” he nodded, understanding.

“More like, love miscommunication,” she rolled her eyes.

“Then I would suggest that flower over there,” he pointed to a bush of tuberose plants she had previously ignored. “It solves such miscommunications much more effectively, if you get my drift. A one time use would make sure he’s yours for good.”

“You don’t say!” Elspeth perked up. Yes, this was exactly what she needed.

Forgetting all about the strange man who was all alone with her in the woods, without anyone knowing her whereabouts, Elspeth turned her back on him and pranced off to the bush he pointed out.

Elspeth wasn’t Coryn’s intended target today. But she was here and she walked right into his line of sight. It was practically fate.

Too late, Elspeth realized what sort of an error she made.

“You idiotic teenagers and your useless obsessions and empty problems,” Coryn complained, as he plunged the knife into his target. “There’s only one thing you’re good for.”

As her lifeless body dropped to the ground in a pool of blood, he looked around. No one was around and no one knew he was here. Now, he just needed to find the others that interested him. After what they did to his island, they were owed a little “reward”.

At home, Ophelia nearly lost her footing as the vision surged up on her. This was it, this was happening, there was nothing she could do about it!

Or was there? Was this really happening this very instant?

No, she realized. This was still to come. But she had very little time to act. She had to hurry.

Elspeth was just on her way out to the clearing in the woods, where she planned to look for a special lily for her love potion. She reached for the door and was nearly barrelled down as that crazy fairy ran inside.

“There you are!” Ophelia accosted her.

She had two choices here: tell Elspeth it was dangerous for her to go out right now or keep her in here through other means. From experience, Ophelia knew the second option was more efficient.

“You messed up my order last week. Three wolfsbane flowers and five valerian roots, no need to clean them up or do anything especially demanding. And yet, you sold me absolutely rotten plants!” Ophelia yelled at her.

“What?! No I didn’t! I don’t even work here!” Elspeth denied the accusation, even though she knew she filled the order last week, when the fairy showed up while both Matthew and her father were busy. “It was Matthew!”

“And is he here right now?” Ophelia asked.

“Well, no…”

“Then fix it. Now. I’m not going anywhere until you do. I need more things too. I’ll tell you which ones as we go. And this time around, the goods better be satisfactory or I will be having a serious talk with your father about his supplies’ quality.”

As the young woman hurried to appease her, all the while throwing her dirty looks, Ophelia breathed a sigh of relief. Disaster was averted for the day.

But she felt unquiet about her vision. The man she saw was dangerous and even though Elspeth was safe from him today, others weren’t. He talked about hurting people she knew.

She had to warn them. If only she could see more of his future actions, but intervening as she did, she already caused things to change enough that the timeline readjusted.

---

After work, Terra visited Lakeisha’s house to check on her sister-in-law. These days, she was far enough along that the baby was going to be here any day now, which made both her brother and his wife very happy – they were just about done waiting.

“I really don’t mind being so huge,” Lakeisha complained. “The back pain is a bummer, though.”

“Is it really?” Terra asked.

“This past month, yeah. And today. Be glad you’re not dealing with this.”

Terra wasn’t sure she felt up to talking about this.

“How have you been with these ghosts here? Do you think I’ll be able to meet them?” she asked.

“I doubt it. Amy only ever shows up at night and she’s pretty skittish. Maybe a bit later?” Lakeisha shook her head. “And the sister never shows up. I don’t know. I think she has trust issues.”

“Who could blame her?” Terra understood.

“Not me, that’s for sure,” Lakeisha agreed.

Their conversation was cut short by a phone call.

“Hi, Ophelia,” Lakeisha answered. “Yeah, I’m home. My sister-in-law? She’s with me. Oh! Ok! We will be! Thanks for the heads up.”

She ended the call.

“This is Ophelia. She’s saying Coryn Maddox is in Moonlight Falls and warning us to be careful. He seems to have it out for you and Bristol.”

“Oh… how lovely,” Terra frowned. This was not what she wanted to hear, not at all. “We should call Bristol and warn him.”

“On it already,” Lakeisha dialed his number, asking her. “Are you hungry? Let’s get a bite.”

Terra heard the front door slam while Lakeisha was busy getting out the food and hurried to greet her brother.

“Bristol, thank goodness you’re…” Her words fell apart when she saw who was in their house instead of her brother.

“Oh yes, where is Bristol?” Coryn grinned. “I’m a fan of efficiency and getting things done quickly.”

Before Terra could summon up a defense spell, Coryn’s incantation had her up in air and tossed against the wall with intense force. Reeling from impact, she hoped Lakeisha heard enough of the commotion to stay away, but her hopes were dashed when her sister-in-law leaned out of the kitchen asking, “Hey what’s going on out here?”

Coryn looked like he just found a goldmine.

“Oh, this is even better than I planned! If this doesn’t teach you all a lesson, nothing will.”  With this, he directed his magic towards Lakeisha. In seconds, the young woman was off the ground and struggling to breathe.

“Let her go!” Terra yelled, trying to pull herself up, but still weak from impact.

“Shut up!” he spat. “This serves all of you right. Don’t stick your noses where they don’t belong next time. Of course, there won’t be a next time.”

This was Terra’s worst nightmare come true. She knew something bad was going to happen, but this was worse than anything she could’ve imagined. Starting to crawl towards them, she realized how heavy and charged with energy the room was. This must’ve been the result of his spell, she thought.

Just then, the entire house shook.

“PUT HER DOWN!!!” a furious voice exploded from all around them. “THIS VERY INSTANT!!!!”

“What the hell?!” Coryn’s eyes grew wide as a burst of angry red light nearly blinded him. Disoriented by it, he released the spell, dropping Lakeisha and she quickly moved to put a distance between herself and the maniac

In a flash of light, there was a furious teenage ghost right in Coryn’s face, and she looked positively murderous.

“You!” he exclaimed.

“Who else, dipshit!? Who else would be in this house? Missed me?” the girl spat at him.

“NOW YOU WILL LEAVE AND YOU WILL NEVER COME BACK HERE! AM I MAKING MYSELF CLEAR?!!!” the girl moved in on him. “OR I WILL DO TO YOU WORSE THAN WHAT YOU’VE DONE TO ME!!!

“ON SECOND THOUGHT, WHY WAIT FOR NEXT TIME?” Sarah smiled and lunged at him.

Sarah Miller might not have been very strong when she was alive, preferring books and art over physical endeavors. But being trapped here as a ghost, the inability to move on, and worry about her and her sister were circumstances that gave her a lot of anger. Some of it was directed at the dumb jerks who would move into their house and try to exorcise them the moment they realized there were ghosts in the house. Some was directed at the whole unfairness of it all.

A huge part was directed at the monster who did this to them!

And the last thing Sarah wanted was to see him here again, being violent towards the one person who showed her and her sister kindness for the first time in decades!

An angry poltergeist, when confronted with the person who killed them, is a force to be reckoned with, which Coryn quickly found out, as she landed punch upon punch on him.

Doing his best to duck from another well-aimed hit, after the previous one winded him, Coryn made a run for it.

Sarah followed, close on his heels.

“Lakeisha, are you hurt?” Terra pulled her into a hug after crossing the distance between them.

“Are you?” Lakeisha asked, concerned.

“Mostly winded, that’s all.”

“Good, do you think you can drive us to the hospital, then? I’m pretty sure my water just broke.”

---

“He’s so precious,” Terra cooed at her tiny new nephew.

“He sure is,” Bristol agreed, relieved about the day ending the way it did.

Terra got the two of them to the hospital in record time – and Lakeisha delivered Anthony in less than an hour, without any complications, just as Ophelia predicted she would.

Bristol arrived at the hospital barely in time to greet his son as he came into the world. He was absolutely horrified when Terra filled him in on what happened, and he insisted that Lakeisha stay overnight at the hospital, but she was adamant about going home.

Something about feeling safer there.

There was no sign of either ghost when they came back, but Lakeisha had a feeling they were still around somewhere. After Sarah saved her life, she was hoping to see her soon and thank her.

Of course, now she had more pressing things on her mind.

Little Anthony.

After Lakeisha fell asleep, the siblings went downstairs for a quiet chat.

“Man, I can’t believe I’m a father!” Bristol exclaimed. “Still feels surreal.”

“It’s a miracle, after all you two have been through,” Terra agreed. “But he’s absolutely adorable. I’m going to spoil him rotten, you know.”

“Oh, yeah? Just you wait, then I’ll spoil yours,” he teased. “Thanks for the baby clothes, by the way. They fit him perfectly.”

“Yeah…”

“Worried?”

“I am. That ghost chased him away this time around, but now that he’s back, what else will he do? He really has it out for us. We should reach out to Olga and warn her,” Terra suggested.

“Already done,” Bristol told her. “I texted her on the way home. Although, honestly, he’d be a fool to go after her, she’s fucking intense.”

“True. We need to step up our game,” Terra agreed.

“Have you warned Matthew yet?” Bristol asked.

“Ah! No! He’s probably worried sick! Gotta run,” she realized.

“Be careful!”

“I will.”

It was far too late when she finally arrived home, after watching every strange shadow on her way with extreme scrutiny.

Matthew was asleep on the couch, after waiting for her for hours, but he jumped up the moment the door opened.

“Hey!” he greeted her. “You’re ok! I was worried.”

“I’m so, so, sorry I didn’t call,” she apologized. “It’s been a really crazy day.”

“Did they keep you at work all this time?” he asked incredulously.

“No, Matt, I was at Lakeisha’s when Coryn showed up,” she started filling him on on everything. At some point into her tale, he had to catch her, because her own knees started sagging as everything caught up to her.

“But are you ok?” he asked. “You aren’t injured? You were at the hospital.”

“Yes, and I’ve had Iverson take a look at me,” she reassured him. “Nothing’s broken, I’m just a little bruised up.”

“The gall of that guy. If he shows up here…” Matthew started saying what he’ll do to Coryn, but Terra stopped him.

“You’ll look for the closest exit out and let the authorities deal with him. Please, Matt. This guy is terrible. I really don’t want him to hurt you. You saw what he and the others did on the island. He really has no morals or conscience. And I really don’t think I can deal with the idea of you getting hurt. Not now or ever.”

“Hey, I’m here. I’m fine. Nothing’s going to happen,” he promised her. “Terra?”

She pulled him into a kiss. After everything that happened today, she really needed to feel him close to her.

“Are you sure you want to do this right now?” he worried when she pulled him into the bedroom. “I don’t want to make you feel worse.”

“The only way you’d make me feel worse right now would be if you weren’t here,” she smiled. “I need you right now. Here, with me.” In me, but she didn’t need to say it for him to understand.

She needed to feel him physically close with her or she was going to have a major freakout.

“And I want to be with you.”

He had to admit, whatever was happening between them for the past few days was especially unpleasant because they didn’t have this kind of intimacy. But from the looks of it, their closeness was back.

Terra was glad it was back too. She didn’t even realize she was putting a distance between them until he pointed it out this morning. It scared her how easily that happened.

She missed being so close, she thought as they made each other feel good.

She just hated that it took that jerk’s reappearance to make her stop pushing away the one she wanted to be with all the time.

Witchy Days 15: Family Contact

Matthew wasn’t surprised to see Harper when she showed up at the potion shop towards the end of his work day. After his talk with Monica, he was curious to talk to his newfound aunt and figure everything out.

“Hi,” he greeted her. “It’s good to see you.”

“Likewise,” she told him. “How’s it going? I got a certain kind of vibe during our last talk.”

“Yeah, I know. I was surprised because I didn’t expect to encounter family in Moonlight Falls. Especially on my father’s side. I didn’t really know much about my father’s side at all, to be honest. Not until last week.”

“Oh, I see,” Harper understood. “Let me guess. Things between my brother and your mother didn’t end on a good note.”

“Majorly so.”

“Ouch. But I can’t say I’m surprised,” she gave a tired sigh. “Mitchell was a good person, but he was a big idiot in some ways.”

“That’s not the sort of description I expected from you,” Matthew giggled.

“But it’s a true one,” Harper rolled her eyes. “Is everything alright?”

She noticed him side-eyeing Elspeth, who showed up at the shop a few minutes ago. Jedediah was sort of keeping an eye on her, but something told Matthew his employer was actually pretty useless when it came to dealing with his spoiled daughter.

“Oh, I see,” Harper winked, noticing the looks Elspeth was giving him. “Is your work over for the day? Perhaps we can talk elsewhere?”

“I’d love that,” he quickly agreed.

While the aunt and nephew talked, Ophelia observed the situation from afar.

She had warned both Fiona and Jed so many times.

Take care of your daughter. Stop spoiling her. Deal with her problems.

But did they listen?

No.

The way Ophelia was seeing it, that girl was on a certain course to become a goner in a very unpleasant way. Sure, some would probably consider it to be good riddance. But not Ophelia. She was sure that with a little effort, Elspeth could set out on her right path in life.

Of course, that meant she had to survive this summer.

---

“You say he was a good person, but not the smartest,” Matthew prompted her when he and Harper arrived at the park.

“He wasn’t exactly stupid. Sometimes, he just made really dumb decisions,” Harper explained. “Not completely his fault, I suppose. I guess that’s what happens when you have to grow up really fast. Our parents were killed in a pack skirmish when I was little and since then, Mitchell was my only family, even though he was barely fourteen at the time. But he was always a rock for me, no matter what, even though he was probably scared shitless of what tomorrow will bring.”

“Mom says he was always the life of the party and that people flocked to him,” Matt chimed in.

“Oh, he was!” Harper nodded. “Whatever he lacked in common sense, he always made up in charisma. I was a little envious of him at times. I felt like whatever I did would always be overshadowed by him. If only…”

She smiled wistfully, missing her brother.

“What happened to him?”

“He was killed by our old pack,” she told him, her face darkening. “After our parents’ death, we ran from them, but eventually, they caught up with us here. I’m not sure what exactly happened, but our parents had a falling out with their leader and he took a personal offense against our family. Apparently, Mitchell tried to settle things with them by himself, but it didn’t work.”

4 days ago22 notesPerm

“I see,” Matthew understood. He wondered if the skirmish with their old pack had something to do with the scars that laced her shoulder. From what he understood, werewolves had a higher healing factor than regular humans and witches. It must’ve been a bad situation that left her with them.

“You’re at most 20, aren’t you?” Harper asked.

“Yes.”

“Your mother must’ve been expecting already when she and Mitchell had a falling out,” she calculated.

“He told her the relationship meant nothing to him and that there was a rule forbidding werewolves and witches from mixing,” he told her.

“Oh no, tell me he didn’t!” she gasped. “That’s the dumbest crap I’ve ever heard. But it sounds totally within character for him to do if he thought she would’ve been safer away from him. Your mother really loved him, didn’t she?”

“I think so. She was very hurt by this,” he told her.

“I’m sorry, on his behalf and on mine. I had a feeling there was a woman in his life, I just didn’t know who it was. I should’ve reached out sooner, but I wasn’t in any condition to do so at the time and by the time I could, I didn’t know where to start looking for you.”

“It’s all in the past,” he reassured her. Somehow, he believed Harper. She seemed genuine in her behavior.

“I’d love to meet your mother, if she’s ok with it,” she told him.

“That can be arranged, I think,” he agreed.

“Good.” Her attention diverted towards a young kid running into the park. “Mitchell! Young man! It’s nighttime, what are you doing still out and about?”

“But Mooom! There was a cool dog and I wanted to pet it,” he explained. “It was super fluffy.”

“You and your dog obsession… did you finish your homework, at least?”

His cousin’s guilty expression told otherwise.

“Alright, time to go home,” Harper shook her head.

“Ok, but who’s this?” the boy asked.

“This is Matthew, your cousin,” his mother told him.

“I have a cousin? Cool!” Mitchell Jr. quickly warmed up to the idea. “Do you have a dog?”

“No,” Matthew chuckled. “My girlfriend has a familiar cat, though.”

“Oh, that’s ok,” the kid shrugged, disappointed. “What do you do?”

“I work at Aleister’s for now, but I’m going back to school in the fall.”

“What about video games? Do you play?”

“Sometimes, sure,” Matthew smiled.

“Neat! We can play together sometime, right?” the boy asked.

“If your Mom says it’s ok, then sure, why not?” Matthew promised.

“His Mom is ok with whatever he does as long as he stays safe and does his homework on time, rather than chase after strange dogs,” Harper laughed. “Take care, Matthew. I need to take this adventurer home.”

His mind was still on the Bishops when he returned home. Just as per their first conversation, Harper gave off good vibes. He wondered how things went so poorly between his mother and that man.

Terra was already asleep, but there was food in the kitchen. Not that he was hungry. Mostly, he missed her during the day, but lately, things have been weird. It was almost as if Terra was doing her very best to make sure they got to spend as little time together as possible and he couldn’t understand why.

Did he do or say something wrong?

“Hey,” he called quietly, coming into their bedroom. She stirred lightly, moving closer to him. 

“Matt? Come sleep.”

“Coming, coming,” he got in next to her, careful not to wake her. She moved closer until she could hug him. He wondered if she realized she was doing it. In any case, he wasn’t complaining.

---

While he was having the talk with Harper, Lakeisha finally made up her mind and tracked down Monica when she was home. This, in itself, proved to be quite a feat, since the woman was always out and about somewhere.

“Monica, you have a visitor,” Belinda welcomed Lakeisha in. “We’ve met, right? You’re the wife of Addie’ great-grand-nephew?”

“Yes, you have a good memory.”

“Hello,” Monica greeted her, curious about the visit. “What brings you here?”

“Well, this is kind of a touchy topic and you might not be happy to hear it,” Lakeisha warned her. “Basically, there’s a spirit at the local cemetery who really wants to talk to you and apologize. His name is Mitchell and he says he hurt you in the past.”

“Mitchell? He wants to apologize? Wait, spirit?”

“He’s dead,” Lakeisha told her. “This is kind of why he’s reaching out through me and not directly.”

“How long has that been the case?” Monica asked carefully.

“For a while now,” Lakeisha told her, remembering the dates on the gravestone. “Around two decades.”

“Oh…” Monica wasn’t sure what to think. If this was the case, he died very soon after they parted. If this was to be trusted, of course. “This isn’t some sort of a joke, is it?”

“I assure you, it is not,” Addie chimed in, joining the room. “I’ve heard enough, I know what’s up. What does he want from her?”

“He wants her to come to the cemetery and talk to him. I might have to be present there,” Lakeisha told them. “I’m not completely sure how it all works. I’m still new to this.”

“Of course, dear,” Addie understood. “What do you say, Monica?”

“I’ll do it. I’ll talk to him,” she agreed.

If this could give her some closure about what happened all those years ago, it could be a good thing. And after he son asked all those questions, she felt like she needed to hear the answers as well.

“Just say when.”

Witchy Days 14: Knowing Too Much

Note: This chapter deals with miscarriage.

---

“So, why are we playing chess with the lights off again?” Bristol asked as they led another match. “You’re thinking it’ll make them show up?”

“Yeah, at least Amy. I want you to meet her,” she smiled.

“I’d like to meet her too,” he told her. After they bought a bunch of toys and a TV, he noticed that, on some mornings, the items would be moved around. But while Lakeisha had a few more encounters with the little girl, he had yet to meet her.

Of course, his wife did have a much softer approach with kids, that much he had to admit. 

“Don’t worry, it’ll happen,” she smiled. The kiddo was just being careful, especially since she hadn’t met him yet. “Hungry?”

“I could eat.”

It was already late when they finished their meal and Bristol left to fix something for work the next day. Returning, he got a big surprise, seeing Amy already in the kitchen.

She seemed reticent to be discovered, but Lakeisha thought quickly and assured her, “Amy! Hi! Meet Bristol. He’s the one who picked out the TV.”

“You did?! Thanks!” the girl beamed at him, all fear forgotten.

“Ha, ha, you’re welcome,” he grinned. “So, Amy. What shows are your favorites?”

“The adventure ones!” she told him happily. “The ones where they do ninja challenges.”

“Really? Me too!” he admitted. “They’re badass.”

“We should watch some together,” he offered.

“I’d like that,” she readily agreed. “Today?”

“Sure, why not? You joining us?” he asked Lakeisha.

“Sure, I guess I can, but only for a little while. It’s late already,” she agreed. 

She wasn’t really that tired, but there was something she wanted to do earlier in the day tomorrow.

Just as her luck would have it, the skies were pouring buckets the next morning. But she still had to make a little visit, even if going out in this weather was the last thing she wanted to do. 

Luckily, the cemetery was empty. Supernatural town or not, trying to have a two-sided conversation with someone on the other side of life and death was always worthy of a few strange looks. But for the past few days, every time she passed by this place or even thought of it, she felt a strong pull – someone was calling her because they needed to say something.

The pull became stronger when she came across a particular grave. The name on it wasn’t familiar to her, but this wasn’t the first time in the past few months that strange spirits reached out to her. Every once in a while, someone would need her assistance. Usually, it was easy to help them – find an item that the living ones were in search of, reassure them their loved ones were really ok, tell them they could rest easy. This will probably be similar, she thought.

“Hello, I’m here,” she greeted awkwardly. “I think you’ve been calling me.”

“Thank you for responding,” a man’s voice replied. “Perhaps you could help me? I’ve made a terrible mistake years ago – and a person I deeply cared about suffered for it. I really want to make amends, if possible”

“What kind of a mistake? And do you know the name of this person?” she asked.

“Of course, I do. I could never forget…”

---

After her time at the cemetery, Lakeisha had mixed feelings. On the one hand, what the man wanted to do was absolutely achievable. On the other hand, it involved people she knew, and for this reason, she wondered whether helping him would be beneficial or detrimental to their current lives. 

For the most part, she didn’t mind being able to talk to ghosts. But previously, helping them didn’t involve intruding into personal matters and she wasn’t sure what to make of it.

She needed advice from someone who could relate to her situation.

“Thanks for being available on short notice,” she told Ophelia, who smiled in return.

“I knew you’d stop by. Come in.”

“Tea? Coffee? Something to eat, perhaps?” the fairy offered.

“No, thank you, I had a big meal already. I just need an outside opinion on something.”

“Of course. Is it about your abilities?”

“It is. How do I keep them from completely affecting my everyday life?” Lakeisha asked. “And affecting my family.”

“You don’t,” the fairy told her honestly. “These abilities are a part of you. They’re not going to disappear anytime soon. Has it caused you issues yet?”

“Not until now. I just don’t want to do more harm than good. And I don’t want to open up what is potentially an old would for someone.” She explained the ghost’s problem to Ophelia. “Something like this could be a major personal intrusion.”

“You’re right,” the fairy agreed. “It could. But it could also help. Who knows, maybe it will be something that would make her happy? What does he want you to do?”

“Give him a chance to talk to her and apologize. I don’t think he realizes she’s so close by,” Lakeisha explained. “Or maybe he does?”

“You should tell her,” Ophelia said. “Give her the information and let her decide whether she wants to hear his apology. I think the outcome will be beneficial for both of them.”

“How do you usually deal with this?” Lakeisha asked, getting up to stretch. Her back was killing her these days. “Knowing everything about everyone? Doesn’t it bug you?”

“I don’t know,” Ophelia shrugged, following her. “It’s just normal to me.”

Except for when she knew bad things would happen to people and they ignored all her warnings. That was always annoying.

Of course, sometimes, a bad thing couldn’t be prevented.

“How’s your family doing? Is Bristol ok with the ghosts?”

“He met Amy yesterday and she absolutely loves him. Turns out he’s pretty good with kids,” Lakeisha smiled. 

“That’s good,” Ophelia agreed. “He has a sister, doesn’t he? Terra? Bring her to me in a few weeks from now.”

“Is something bad going to happen to her?” Lakeisha became wary.

“Nothing life-threatening,” Ophelia assured her. “I just want to give her a piece of advice and a prognosis she would want to hear.”

That morning, Terra finally got around to taking the pregnancy test and saw the expected two lines. 

Pregnant. She was pregnant. 

Unexpected and unplanned or not, she knew she could make it work.

Of course, she had to tell Matthew!

“Matt! Hey!” 

She ran out of the bathroom with the test, but he was already gone.

“He just left,” Bartholomew informed her.

“Yeah, too bad. I guess I’ll tell him in the evening.”

“About the pregnancy? That boy’s going to be shocked!” 

“Well, I didn’t exactly get her by asexual methods,” she chuckled. “We’ll make it work. How did you know, by the way?”

“Please, I’ve known for days. I just wasn’t telling you, since you were putting off taking the test. Figured I’d let you find out at your own pace.”

---

That evening, she got home much later than she planned to, completely exhausted. To be honest, she felt exhausted in the morning as well, but she attributed that to her condition and to all the gardening she’s been doing lately. She definitely had the back pain to show for it.  But today, she had half a mind to tell her supervisor she wasn’t feeling well and to just come home and rest.

The only reason she didn’t was the rain outside – the idea of getting drenched on the way home was unappealing. Unfortunately, the rain didn’t subside by the time her shift ended and she still ended up soaked.

Coming home, the first thing she did was light the fire and sit down to warm up a bit.

“Hey. You’re wet. Go change,” Bartholomew approached. “You’ll be much warmer once you dry up.”

“I will, just let me rest a bit, cool?” she told him, leaning back in relief. That did the trick, more or less – she wondered if she had perhaps pulled a back muscle earlier.

“Are you alright, dear?” he asked, worried for her.

“Just really tired,” she grimaced.

Didn’t look like she was just tired, he thought. And back pain? 

“Are you feeling cramped up as well?” he asked carefully. He already knew the answer, as well as why she was feeling so unwell. As a familiar, he had a way to sense these things.

“Kind of,” she admitted. “Why?”

He hated this part, but the last time he kept information from her, she wouldn’t talk to him for weeks.

“Terra, honey, I don’t want to freak you out, but I don’t think you’re pregnant anymore.”

“Oh…”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. 

“Not your fault. I know the statistics,” she accepted. “Is that why I’m so tired?”

“Pretty much,” he affirmed.

“Ok,” she nodded. Stretching out, she allowed herself to relax and let the fire warm her more. It wasn’t long until she fell into an uneasy sleep.

Bartholomew simply stayed close. There wasn’t much he could do now but be there for her.

She was still asleep by the time Matt got home, surprising him to find her there. 

“Terra? Is something wrong?” he asked, gently waking her.

“Matt? Hi, how was your day?” she sat up. “I really knocked out, huh?”

“I can see. Long day?”

“Yeah, way too long. Hungry? I didn’t want to eat alone. Just let me take a quick shower and we can eat,” she told him.

“Sure, but are you sure you’re alright?” he noticed that something was off but couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

“No one likes getting soaked on their way home,” she smiled. “And it’s just been a really long day.”

As the couple chatted over their meal, Bartholomew couldn’t help but worry. 

Terra behaved like nothing had happened, but he knew she was upset. Was she even going to tell Matthew? That was a lot to just keep to yourself. 

Of course he’ll be there for her, but Bartholomew didn’t want Terra to have to deal with this all on her own.

Of course, it wasn’t like he could talk to anyone else, and even if he could, it would be a major violation of her privacy…