"I didn't think you'd give me the time of day, otherwise, Zoe."
Jamison's rather ritzy getup is stifling to look at. Zoe's nose wrinkles at the ridiculous sight of her childhood friend dressed like some kind of old money douche. To be fair, that may be what he is?
"You're right about that," Zoe sighs.
Having had enough reunions for one party, Zoe turns on her heel in an attempt to leave the conversation. Jamison follows. His shoes click softly a few paces behind her. The smell of his rose scented cologne lingers in the air as he walks. It's overpowering.
Jamison's voice breaks the silence between them. He sounds more refined nowadays, speaking smoothly.
"Zoe, I wanted to apologize."
Zoe scoffs, an amused smirk playing upon her lips. She leads Jamison out of the main venue. The dazzling lights and bumping music are quickly replaced by dark corridors and echoing footsteps. Moments later their scenery changes again: Zoe pushes out of the building. Jamison is hot on her heels, yet he doesn't try to stop her.
She turns around.
"I accept your apology, Jamison," Zoe says suddenly
"Wait, really?" Jamison replies, disbelieving.
Zoe smirks coyly, taking a few steps back from Jamison. There's a faint cawing of crows carrying on the night air. Zoe speaks again, parting her lips softly.
"Yes, really."
"Well, haha… That's great!"
"Mhm..."
Jamison looks ecstatic. He combs a hand through his slicked back hair, his eyes flitting from Zoe's face to her dress as she stands there. The moonlight frames her silhouette. Unable to help himself, Jamison asks a question that's been on his mind since he caught sight of Zoe.
"Would you perhaps dance with me, then?"
"I'm afraid I can't."
The moon is now obscured by a flock of crows. Their cawing grows more distinct as they approach the pair. Jamison takes a tentative step forward. An inexplicable dread fills his heart, as if something terrible is about to happen. His words come out strained.
"W-Why not, Bunny?"
Zoe shakes her head at the use of her old pet name. There’s a flicker of regret in her eyes which quickly vanishes. Her voice is smooth and icy as she replies.
"I've got to go get a handle on this whole magic thing. I don't want to hurt you or the boys anymore than I already have."
The crows are so very near. Their terrible squawking cries form an eerie chorus. The flapping of their wings is audible at this distance. Jamison reaches out, gently taking hold of Zoe's hand. He speaks softly to her.
"How will I find you?"
"You've become quite the romantic, haven't you?" Zoe replies airily.
Jamison's hand is left empty as Zoe steps away. The crows have arrived. They're swarming the area, swirling like a cloud of banshees. Zoe parts her lips, letting magic flow from her mouth as the crows prepare to whisk her someplace else.
"Look for me in Manavale, Jamison."
With that final phrase, Zoe disappears in a flurry of feathers. Jamison is left alone to watch the cloud of crows take flight. He tries and fails to suppress a smile forming on his face as he watches his friend depart.
~
Crickets chirp in a summer chorus as two girls enter a forest. The full moon overhead guides them, illuminating a gravel road. Green leaves rustle in the breeze. The taller of the two girls shivers despite the summer warmth. She speaks up, her voice sounding slightly stilted.
"H-Hey sis, are you sure this is safe?"
Tracy looks reassuringly to her sister. She flashes her best comforting smile and gives her sister a little squeeze. She offers a few words of comfort for good measure.
"It's fine Mat- Er, Lexi!"
"Hmf."
Lexi gives Tracy the stink eye for that little transgression. Tracy shrinks under her sister's gaze. Her guilt is evident in her voice.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to..."
Sighing, Lexi shakes her head.
"I know, Sis."
The two keep walking along the gravel road. It’s eerily quiet out here, leaving the two girls alone with their own thoughts. Lexi is the one to finally break the silence.
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"It's just hard to let it go, you know?"
Tracy doesn't respond at first. She's mulling Lexi's words over in her head.
"I--" Tracy starts.
"Oh my god, look!" Lexi interrupts.
Lexi is pointing straight ahead. There, hidden amongst the trees, is a particular carriage. Violet lanterns sway in the summer breeze. The purple light illuminates the carriage. The thing is adorned with carved words, too far away to read.
Tracy doesn't get a chance to comment on its appearance. Her sister, Lexi, bolts. The sheer enthusiasm Lexi is showing surprises Tracy. She charges after her sister with a smile on her face.
"Lexi, Wait for me!" Tracy calls out.
The two girls sprint down the gravel road with reckless abandon. Their feet kick up loose rock as they run, the night air filling their lungs with fresh gulps of oxygen as they go.
Arriving at the carriage first, Tracy appraises it. The old wooden thing looks as though it hasn't moved in years. The paint that once coated the paneling likely peeled away years prior, leaving only the carved lettering reading Esmarelda's Emporium.
Lexi joins her sister. She's a bit more out of breath, her face flushed with exertion. Tracy speaks up, her voice uncertain.
"We should... go in."
"Y-Yeah."
Tracy leads the way. Her strides are short and timid as she approaches the door to the carriage. Lexi hesitates, her eyes tracing the shape of the wooden cart. The hoot of an owl gives her goosebumps.
"You coming, Lexi?"
Shaken out of her stupor, Lexi nods.
"Yeah, I'll be right there."
Tracy turns back to the carriage door. She grabs ahold of the handle, and pushes inside. Lexi watches her sister disappear into the purple interior of the carriage.
Not wanting to be left alone, Lexi hurries after her sister.
Once inside, Lexi sees rows upon rows of wooden shelving. The space is illuminated by an array of candles topped with purple flames. Strange objects adorn the shelves. Tracy stands near the door with a rather thoughtful look on her face.
"It looks exactly as Zoe described it..."
Lexi looks away from her sister, inspecting a strange looking onyx statuette. It's shaped like a panther. Lexi reaches out to pet the statue's head. She pauses, her hand trembling as the muffled sound of a cat growling reaches her ears.
Lexi nearly leaps out of her skin when Tracy suddenly pipes up.
"Remember, Lexi, we're looking for a bottle of black fluid."
"Y-Yes!"
Turning her gaze back to the panther statuette, Lexi finds it missing. There's no sign of the statue. Where it once rested is a thin layer of undisturbed dust.
Lexi wipes her hands upon her clothes as she backs away from the shelf. Her eyes flit from item to item in search of their objective. A bottle of black inky liquid.
"Oh, fuck," Tracy groans.
"What? You okay?"
"Just look at this."
Lexi shuffles over to where Tracy is standing. Here the shelves are lined with glass bottles and jars. Their labels and contents vary, but they're all undeniably potions.
Unfortunately, there is an overwhelming amount of potions matching their objective’s description clustered right where Tracy is standing. There's no way of knowing which one is going to produce the desired effect.
"Shit... that's definitely a problem," Lexi agrees.
Tracy grabs ahold of a rectangular bottle filled with sparkly black sludge. She holds the label up to a candle, reading it out loud.
"Extract of Rainbow Newt?"
Lexi looks over the array of black potions. She's at a loss for what to do.
Tracy doesn't slow in her efforts to identify all the potions. She replaces the Extract of Rainbow Newt before grabbing a star shaped bottle. It's filled with a strangely frozen black liquid, air bubbles are suspended in the black ice.
"I'm not sure this counts... Zoe said she drank it."
Lexi nods in agreement with her sister. Her eyes slowly scan the bottom shelf, eyeing the potions there. She stops.
Ah. That's the one.
Bending down, Lexi reaches for a teardrop shaped bottle of black inky fluid. Tracy raises her eyebrow at her sister's choice.
"Shouldn't we try everything on a particular shelf before we move onto other shelves?"
"No, this is the one."
"What? How can you be so sure?"
Lexi smirks at her sister coyly. Her words come out laced with a mixture of sarcasm and mystery.
"I felt it call to me."
Tracy's eyes narrow. She grabs the bottle from Lexi, and turns it around to look at the label. It's a shockingly new label. It looks as if whoever bottles this put the fresh label on just yesterday! Tracy reads the label aloud.
"Witch's Ichor. Draw magic from the moon to become a witch in your ideal body."
Lexi reaches out with a pleading look in her eyes. Tracy gently hands her sister the bottle, and smiles. The sound of wood creaking breaks the moment.
The girls whirl around to look at the door. It creaks open to reveal... an owl. The girls watch with rapt attention as the large owl calmly struts into the carriage. It politely moves past them, and leaps upon the shop counter.
"What... is happening?" Lexi whispers.
"I-I don't know!" Tracy stutters.
An unpleasantly loud hoot erupts from the owl's beak. It shifts, feathers falling away to form a blanket of brown and black rags. The crack of bone fills the girls’ ears; The stench of freshly dug dirt permeates their noses.
The witch herself now stands before them, her horrible smile gleaming in the violet candlelight. Her voice comes out as a grating rasp.
"Two pretty things at my door,
have you found what you came for?"
It takes everything Lexi has not to bolt for the door. It's like the room is filled with syrup, suffocating her on some unseen level.
"I-I have," Lexi whimpers.
The witch leans back, her bones creaking like old tree branches blowing in the night. Her hat moves slightly as she does this--as if alive--and she calmly settles into a chair behind the counter.
"Then off you go fair girl,
go and give it a whirl!"
Lexi doesn't need to be told twice. She grabs ahold of her sister's wrist and drags her out of the shop. The witch watches from her seat, an amused twinkle in her obsidian eyes.
~
Sunlight shines upon grand stonework in a spectacular display of both natural and artificial beauty. The chiseled nature of the stone bricks is complemented by the natural light and a healthy population of plantlife. Vines grow across much of the vaguely medieval structure. Bright red tile serves as a roof over the heads of those within the buildings.
Far below these towers and walls is a road, composed of round cobblestones. An absence of motor vehicles make this the ideal place for foot traffic.
Among those using this path is Zoe.
Dressed in a dark charcoal colored top and maroon skirt, she walks with her eyes trained above. The bag slung over her back makes it clear she's a new arrival. That notion is furthered by the map held in her hand.
This place is amazing!
Zoe's cool and collected demeanor she had at the end of high school is nowhere to be found. It feels like she's a kid again, wandering into a world of magic.
An imposing gatehouse slows Zoe's steps. The portcullis is open, as is the gate itself, and inside she can see even more people dressed in the same uniform as her.
Zoe can hardly keep the smile off her face as she steps through the gate, and into the next chapter of her life.
Which character do you wish Zoe ended up with?
