Chapter one
Hot warm heat radiates off of his skin as I find myself peeling off the gauze that is soaked through with pus and blood as he flinches. He's in danger,he got caught in the woods by witches a few days ago,they knocked him out,carved into him,left bruises. He never said a word to me,or Roz or Suzie,he kept it to himself,and he lied about the bruising and the head wound,said it came from his father,who got drunk again,Tommy was at work,so he couldn't protect him. I found out today,more like we found out,when Roz noticed there was blood on his shirt during lunch,we drug him to the girls bathroom,despite his protests,I took him in,as she kept watch,and I took a look. That's how I found the wound,on his right side,in his stomach,the sign of the devil star,a sign witches use to mark mortals they catch,to make a point to other witches and others,to not touch them. I re-bandaged the wound,knowing I'd need to take him home,to my home,not his,we needed the knowledge of my aunties,I don't know enough about this to help him,I'm too young,I'm learning.
I brought him home,after going by his to get him stuff he would need,leaving a note for Tommy,then came home,had dinner,told Auntie what was going on. And now we're in my bathroom,Auntie Hilda is getting stuff around so we can treat him,chamomile,herbs,and stuff to check if he's hexed,the eggs. "Sorry Harv, I hate hurting you"I murmur carding a hand through his short brown hair,he's running a hell of a fever on top of everything else,and he's tired,he's easily leaning into my touch,letting himself be vulnerable. "It's alright Brina,I understand,I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner,it just scared me,I didn't know what to do"he murmurs softly as I grab a wet cloth so I can dab the wound,clean it out,see what we're dealing with better. "It's alright Harv, this isn't going to feel pleasant, I need to clean this alright,see what we're dealing with,then once I get a look we can start applying herbs and chamomile,it'll help with the healing"I murmur softly as he nods too tired to say much more. I let him lean against me as I clean the wound,I feel him tense every so often,but he eventually relaxes in my arms,trusting me enough to take care of him.
He's told me a little of what happened to him,that he got into a fight with his dad a few nights ago,when he was drunk and Tommy was working overtime,so no one to protect him. He stormed out,went for a walk in the woods like he does sometimes to cool off,and he ran into some witches by accident. They knew he associated with me,and they grabbed him. The next thing he knew he was in a mausoleum and he tried to fight back,got out of their grip but he lost his balance and hit his head against the edge of the marble slab. He woke up,alone,laying on that cold slab,with his shirt up to his breast bone,that mark on his pale flesh,a gash on his forehead,and a bleary memory of what happened.
It's sorta scary,I know why they did it,they did it as a message to him of what happens when he associates with a witch,he knows I am one,that my family is,but he doesn't care about the cost,he loves me and I love him,which is enough. I hear a knock on the door and I let her know it's ok to come inside,it's just Auntie Hilda,Auntie Zee is out of town for a few days, thank goodness,she would not approve of me bringing him here,but I didn't have a choice. "How's he holding up my dear girl"she asks softly as I see her set the supplies on the floor,grab a towel,then sit down in front of us,to be down on his level. "He's alright,he's just hurting"I murmur as I hear him let out a mild groan,he's in alot of pain and discomfort,which isn't good. "I know dear one,I know it hurts,I'm going to start putting the paste on alright,do you mind holding him"she asks,comforting him and talking to me at the same time. "I don't,I got him"I murmur as I hold him tighter and he relaxes into my arms,trusting us,he knows we won't hurt him,that he's safe here,and that Auntie Hilda will take good care of him.
I sense him nod,then it's time to get started,the first paste she'll put on is an herbal paste it'll help with the infection part of things. I see her take some of the paste out of the bowl as she looks at his wound,she knows the situation,knows what happened out there a few days ago,she's going to have the coven look into it,because this isn't right,nor is it common for this to happen. I watch as she spreads the sickly green paste over the wound as he flinches,it's cold,but it's affective,it'll help draw infection out. We give him a break,let the paste settle in a bit,then it's time to wipe off the excess,which she does with a warm wet cloth. Then she does the same thing with his forehead,to be safe,he has a hard time letting people into his space,but he allows her to do it,to help him. She does the same with the chamomile paste,to help with healing,then she puts gauze over the wound on his stomach,we'll have to do the same thing for the next couple of days,nature is the best medicine for this,not antibiotics that most think is good,they are good for major infections,but otherwise I feel it's best to heal naturally with herbal remedies.
She get's his temperature,he's running a fever,103 the screen reads,hopefully the herbal remedies will help bring his fever down,she'll make him take basil here in a bit I'm sure,it'll help with the fever. I see her grab it,the basil,and she has him take it as he makes a face,I know the taste is a strange one to get accustomed to,it's sorta licorice tasting,with a little mint after taste,but he get's it down ok. She then does the egg taste,they come back normal,so thankfully he's not cursed,thank god,that would be one more thing to deal with if that had happened. I sense her touch him,she's using a little magic to give him some pain relief,and a little to make him sleepy,ease his nightmares for tonight. "Let's get you to bed dear one,you're tired"she murmurs softly,kissing him on the head like she does with me sometimes to comfort. "Is it alright if he goes up to bed with me Auntie,I'll keep an eye on him"I murmur softly, "Of course dear girl"she murmurs as we help him get up as he winces,looking at me sleepily. "Where are we going Brina"he asks,obviously out of it, "just to my room Harv,you need some sleep,I'll text Tommy,letting him know you're with me for the night alright"I murmur as we guide him to my bed.
We help him into bed,under the covers,and after a quick kiss on the cheek,auntie leaves me alone with him,to let him sleep. I change into my comfortable clothes,knowing he's fast asleep,and he'll probably stay that way the rest of this afternoon and into this evening due to the spell. I then grab my book,then go lay beside him,turning on my lamp before I get too settled. I lay there with him,reading,and after awhile auntie comes back,leaving a bowl with a cool cloth,then leaving again,to bring his fever down. Before I know it I'm getting sleepy,despite it being only 8:30,but I know if it's time to go to sleep,it's time,so I don't fight it. I send one text to Tommy,letting him know what's happening,in case he didn't get the note we left earlier,then I place the cool cloth on the back of his neck. His fever is coming down,slowly but surely,so that's sort of a relief. Then I turn off the light,and I lay beside him under the covers. I feel him shift,but he does so to get comfortable,but he never wakes. Before I know it I'm starting to fall asleep as I rub his back gently,in comfort,and Salem get's on the bed at some point as well,curling up at the foot of the bed. The last thoughts on my mind are whether or not he's going to be ok,how we're going to handle all of the fall out from this,and how I'm going to keep him safe and never let this happen again.