The lock clicked. She heard the door open and shut, just loud enough to reach her bedroom. Cordelia became alert. It was only five in the morning. Was someone coming in or going out? With all that had been happening recently, Miss Robichaux's did not need an intruder. She silently crept out into the hallway, listening for any other possible sounds. All she heard were the steady, sleeping breaths of the girls.
The girls.
A quick head count could do no harm, so she poked her head into each room. One by one she made her way down the hallway. So far so good, all was as it should be. She reached Misty's room. Her breath hitched- the door was ajar. Cordelia burst in, looking for any sign of a struggle. She found none, only a pair of abandoned slippers next to a picked over pile of shawls. The worried headmistress let out a sigh of relief. However, that still didn't explain where Misty was going- or why. She ran downstairs as quietly as she could manage, and followed out the unlocked door.
The overcast sky was just beginning to get light, giving everything a slightly gray wash. Birds were chittering away in the treetops, giving off the feeling that they had just woken up as well. As she ran towards the back yard of the house, Cordelia noticed the cool morning air had a bite to it. Regardless of the fact that it was summer, the sun had yet to grace the earth with it's warmth. She wrapped her thin satin robe tighter around herself. The dew covered grass dampened her slippers and then her feet. By the time she spotted Misty sitting serenely on a bench, she was quite chilled. The swamp which wasn't really doing anything, merely staring up at the sky and humming a tune Cordelia didn't recognize- presumably something of Stevie's. Cordelia approached her.
"Misty?"
She turned to face the headmistress, startled by her voice. She thought she was alone.
"Morning Miss Delia." She said with a calm smile.
"Mist, what on earth are you doing? It's 5:00 A.M. and the sun's not even up yet. You should really be inside. It's freezing out here."
Misty laughed to herself. She always enjoyed Cordelia's concern. She always made her feel so important, so cared for; so loved.
"I couldn't sleep. Thought I'd take a little walk. Maybe watch the sun rise."
She patted the space on the bench next to her, shooting Cordelia an encouraging look.
"Why don't you join me?"
Cordelia contemplated for a moment, finally yielding with a contented sigh. She settled down next to the ethereal blonde.
"I love it like this, ya know? The world before it wakes up?" Misty mused. "It's like a secret. I get this whole place to myself. No one else has ever seen this exact view before." She gestured to the yard around them. Cordelia nodded, fully taking in their surroundings.
"That's quite a different way of looking at it. We have our own little kingdom. No one to bother us right now." She said in agreement. A breeze swept across the two women. Misty was wrapped up in both a large sweater and a shawl, while Cordelia only had on her shift and dressing gown. She shivered, and then kept shivering long enough for Misty to take notice.
"You poor thing. You're about as cold as a frosted frog. Come here." Misty crooned in her soft southern drawl. She pulled Cordelia closer to her, removing her own shawl and wrapping her in it. She left her arms around the other woman. Cordelia leaned into the warm, comforting contact. She laid her head against Misty's shoulder, returning her gaze to the steadily brightening sky.
"Everything is so still. So quiet." Cordelia observed. "It's peaceful."
Misty rubbed Cordelia's arms, trying to warm her up.
She was pretty sure that she loved her. She knew she loved learning from her, talking with her. Yes, she was positive that they were friends. But this- just being together. Staring off in the same direction, holding her. It was different. Many years ago, when she had asked her mama what love was... This was it.
While Misty was gazing at the sky silently contemplating all this, the sun broke through the clouds. Suddenly the world was gilded- everything the light touched was now gold. Cordelia snuck a glance up at Misty. She was smiling; she looked absolutely blissful at the fact that she was bearing witness to this sunrise in particular. Cordelia was awestruck by the way the light painted every detail of the other witch's face. Pure, untouched beauty; seen only by her. She felt a smile creeping across her own face as well. The sun began to warm them. Misty held her tighter.
The two just sat there awhile- queens in a temporary kingdom.
Neither wanted to move; wanted to just stay there in each other's arms forever.