Bewitched

Chapter 2 - Elvira

I wasn't immune to the solitude of the woods. But getting supplies was dangerous. Not the going out itself; us being so reclusive might have been a bigger problem. But the supplies I needed were unconventional at best. At worst, they'd stir thoughts of witchcraft in some people.

And that was exactly what we wanted to avoid.

I went over the list once more, nursing a slight throb in my head. I'd spent all night reading again by dim candlelight. It was annoying at best, but the sooner I found a cure for Asha, the sooner we could both stop living in fear. 

"Ready?" I asked, although Asha was already waiting for me by the door, bouncing on her feet. I tried to remember if I had the same joyful glimmer in my eyes when I was sixteen - her age. I must have. It was only six years ago, and yet, it felt like a lifetime.

We looked like our mother. We both did. That's what our father used to say. Our gray eyes and dirty blonde hair were all that was left of her. Of them both.

"Can we go for a walk around town this time?" she asked. 

"If we have time." The fewer people were familiar with our faces, the better. 

"Are we getting a lot of supplies then?"

"Enough so we won't have to go back for a while."

Her joy vanished at once. No matter how many times I did that to her, it never got easier. But I did it to keep her safe. I had to keep telling myself that.

We left our cottage deep in the forest and made our way to the nearest town. It was slightly too far away for comfort, but that was what kept us hidden. Safe. Unnoticed.

We arrived at the market and I was grateful for the drizzle that allowed us to pull our hoods up. It was a delicate balance of being secretive enough so no one would remember us, but not so secretive that we'd stand out for it. So far it had gone well. In this town, at least. It wouldn't be the first time we had to hastily pack our belongings and move somewhere else. It had been our life for the past six years. And it would be our life until I'd find a way to cure Asha.

We let the streets swallow us, drifting along in the stream of people. I moved swiftly, knowing exactly where to go, which routes to take, and which to avoid. I was about to take Asha along into an alleyway when she fell against me. "Ouch!" She hissed and looked around her.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone bumped into me."

"Are you alright?"

"That hurt." She pulled up her sleeve. There was a mean scratch on her arm.

I was about to inspect it when a pain shot through my arm as well. A hooded figure moved away from us, but before I could take a good look at them, they were long gone. I pulled up my sleeve to reveal a similar scratch.

"Unbelievable," Asha said. "Why would someone do that?"

"I don't know. But we'll have to treat it when we get home." Pretending to be sick was one thing, but an infected cut would bring problems we weren't prepared for.

"That stings." She lowered her sleeve again. "What am I risking my life for out here again?"

"I need some herbs," I whispered. "I found a spell that sounds promising."

"They all sound promising," Asha mumbled, perhaps thinking I wouldn't hear. "Fresh or grounded?"

"Fresh. A whole plant, actually. We'll get a bunch so it doesn't stand out." We grew our own food, which was a perfect excuse to buy a whole range of seeds and sometimes grown plants. It only became a problem when the plants on our list weren't as conventional, or if they were grown for specific purposes. Like the one I needed today.