Confession. Admission. Revelation. - Dusk

Blyntonbury's streets were as populated as any other saturday evening, full with people roaming around the multiple shops and establishments scattered across the main pedestrian road of the town. A thirty meters long corridor made of cobblestone that went through the main plaza up to the tourist area, illuminated by specially made victorian-like street lanterns that, together with the building's facades, gave the little town a nice vintage look typical of the British landscape.

Some families and couples were glancing at the several colorful stalls where the vendors would tell the public the magics of their products. Others where just pacing through, enjoying the setting or having a snack in one of the benches and the little kids would beg their parents for a glimmering ballon or a delicious candy cotton ball. Sure this was like any other evening in Blytonbury, save for a couple of young witches walking slowly and quietly in contrast with their surroundings.

Hannah and Barbara were heading back to Luna Nova. If this had been like any other weekend, their trip back would've taken place some hours later, after having a tea time in the Last Wednesday Society, a must-do every time they were in town, and a rapid walk-by at their favorites stores. Also, if there wasn't an assignment or an errand which had made them look at some of the old and dubious establishments in the less crowded parts of town, surely their time there would've ended hours later. But today wasn't like any other weekend.

Barbara was almost dragging her companion back to school, holding her thigh by her shoulders, guiding her through the crowded space, concern still filling her heart. When they first arrived the daylight was almost over and now the dark of the night had already bathed the clear sky and the moon was high uptop, shining brightly at them. For Barbara this would've been the perfect time to take advantage of the lunar light and have a flight above town and enjoy the view that came with it. But tonight was not the time.

After taking her time to calm down back in the restaurant and wiped her eyes from the green shade that ran down her cheeks guided by her tears, Hannah decided that it was time to head back. She was about to take her purse to get some money but the hottests was mindful enough to see the distress in the young girl and she kindly told them that it was alright and added something akin to "men are jerks" in a not so subtle french slang. Hannah managed to offer her a small smile and a nod. She wanted to tell her the truth but her voice was silent. And so, after the waiter came back with her coat, which she didn't even try to put on, Hannah and Barbara were off.

The noise of the people, the screams of the kids, the calls of the vendors, the hunks of the cars across the street, the laughter and joy, all of that filled the night at the town. But for Hannah all of that was muted, just distant mumbles she didn't mind to pay attention to.
She was immersed in her mind, slowly walking alone surrounded by dark, the sound of her high heels against the cobblestone was the only thing grounding her at the moment. Not even the cold of that autumn night or the warm embrace of her friend were enough to make her feel something beyond the numbness plaguing her body. What had happened? Did she do something wrong? Did she misread the signals? Did she go to far?

"This was a mistake".

A mistake, Amanda's last words. Amanda's last painful words. Time and time again she would find herself standing behind the redhead, trying to reach her, desperately trying to talk to her, and yet, no matter how hard she tried or how loud she yelled or how far she stretched her arms, Amanda would remain unreachable and time and time again she would hear the same words.

"This was a mistake".

For the past hour or so, she wasn't sure anymore, her mind would play back the same scene in an endless cycle of self loathing and sadness. And with each new remainder she would find herself unable to keep at bay a new torrent of tears.

On the brief moments where her mind would allow her to take notice of her surroundings, be in the form of a passer by or an overly illuminated store sign, she would try to remind herself to be strong, because she is strong, she has never let anything despond her, not in her childhood where she had to grow up with the strict discipline of her father, not in school where she was a hardworking student and albeit the sudden departure of Diana did bump her down, it was one of the many experiences that made her stronger. And certainly she would not be despond by a rejection, if that what it was, of Amanda O'Neill.

But it hurt so much, and now, she wasn't feeling strong enough, the pain in her heart was all she could feel.

Her vision blurred again and a newly river of salty water fell down her already sore face. She frowned and closed her eyes, trying to block the tears to no avail. Her softly painted red lips furrowed and her jaw quivered, little sobs escaped by her nostrils. A reassuring squeeze on her shoulder brought some relief to the distressed girl.

"Hann… Please, talk to me, what happened?".

Swollen red eyes shut open and glanced at Barbara's face whose features showed nothing more than concern and uneasiness for her, and her eyes were at the brink of releasing her own tears. She needed to be honest with her, she was her best friend in the whole world and she kept her at bay of this side of her life for far too long. So, she wiped her tears one more time and took a shaky breath.

"Come, sit with me". She nodded to a nearby bench, secluded of the fuzz of the night. But the moment she realized where she was she couldn't help but remember.

"I would like a pistachio cone please". Hannah ordered at the ice cream stall. Ignoring the disgust glares send her way by her friends.

"How can you eat that? Is like ordering an avocado flavored ice cream".

"Leave her be Sucy, like, you eat wild mushrooms all the time". Barbara scolded her from her seat next Lotte, where they were reading their favorite novel (by the third time this year).

"Yes I do. Still, way better than that". She shrugged and let die the topic. Constanze who was by her side, also disgusted by Hannah's choice, decided to let it go as well. Both of them enjoying their own desserts.

Jasminka who didn't say anything, was too much invested on finishing her own cup of ice cream, or to be more accurate, her bucket of neapolitan ice cream, which was already half empty.

"Sorry miss, but we are out of pistachio, it's actually one of the favorites around here". The vendor whispered the last part. "Would you like anything else?".

'Anything else?'. No. She didn't want anything else, she was looking forward for that sweet spoon of pistachio ice cream to melt into her mouth and fill her with happiness and glee that only it could achieved. It was an uncommonly warm summer afternoon, almost hitting the thirty degrees and all she wanted was a delicious cone of her favorite ice cream to mitigate the disasters of the climate change. But now she was ripped of that sweet dream and had to pick from a variety of lesser flavors. What would she do now? Pick vainilla? Ludicrous, she was no commoner, she had standards. She would have none of it, and so, with and apologetic smile, she was about to address the vendor when a smug sounding voice called for her.

"Yo Hannah, wanna share mine? I got the last bit". Amanda offered as she got close the the shorter girl. "Also, is on a cup, so we ain't have to be awkward about it".

The easiness which Amanda made the offering was enough for Hannah to considerer it, not without feeling a light warm on her cheeks, certainly a product of the sunlight and not the sincere smile the taller girl was displaying towards her as she lifted the cup to her eye level.

Her hazel eyes looked at the cup, then at the other girl's green ones, then at the cup again, and after what it felt like too long, she agreed with a subtle nod. Amanda's smile grew a little bit and with swift movement she grabbed a second spoon from the stall counter, planting it directly uptop her ice cream cup and motioning Hannah to follow her.

They went a little far from the rest of the group, where Barbara and Lotte were trying to explain some of Nightfall's lore to the rest of the girls, who obviously weren't tuning out every word that came out of the excited fans. Hannah was no stranger to Barbara's, recently awaken, verbiage about her favorite novel so she was relief to see Amanda was clever enough to take them to a safe distance of said outburst.

Amanda took a seat on a secluded bench, blessed with a shadow casted by a nearby tree, tall enough to shield them from the burning light of the sun. She took the place on the left and playfully patted the spot to her right for Hannah to join her. With one last look at their friends and a rolled of her eyes by the overly excited hand gestures of her teammate, she sat down next to Amanda who wasted no time and shoved the cup into Hannah's personal space, prompting her to taste it.

"I didn't know you like this flavor too". Hannah said as she took the spoon from uptop the cup and then guided it directly at her mouth. As soon as the flavor hit her tongue she melted at the sweet sensation of the long craved ice cream. She closed her eyes in delight and suppress a moan at the back of her throat as little goosebumps ran down her arms.

"It's one of my favs actually. I thought I was the only weird one". She filled her spoon modestly and took it back to her mouth, enjoying it in a more casual way, she left the spoon stuck on her mouth and took a side look at her companion, who seemed to be having the best day of her life. "I'm glad to see we are two now".

One auburn brow lifted followed by a peek of one hazel eye. "I wouldn't say we are the weird ones, like, for all I know they are the ones who lack our sophisticated taste and quite frankly I pity them". A smug smile formed in her face as she flipped her ponytail like a true member of the noble class. "Except for Barbara, of course".

"Ouch, that's harsh, glad to be on your side". She took another spoon of ice cream and leaned forward, resting her elbows over her knees, still holding the cup for Hannah. "Our peasant friends gonna get SO jealous of me tho".

"Oh, shut up". She nudged at Amanda's shoulder and giggled a lit bit at the American's out of context statement then she dug her spoon into the cup and grabbed a more suggestive portion of dessert which was quickly sent to her mouth. She couldn't avoid but to melt yet again at the delicious flavor of her favorite ice cream.

An amused Amanda also giggled at her friend's reaction and joined her, taking a spoon of dessert for herself. They fell in a comfortable silence as they slowly finish up the cup of sweet. If Hannah hadn't been so busy focusing on the delight that came with every new spoon, she perhaps have noticed the way Amanda's green eyes would took a peek from time to time at her gestures and the side smile that grew in her face.

She was, in fact, so invested in enjoying the sweetness of the cup, that failed to notice how, slowly but surely, she was leaning into the taller girl's personal space, as she would made little bounces here and there, taking her closer and closer to her left. For Amanda though, it was a little more clear how the space between them was narrowing.

She had plenty of space at her left side, she could have easily just jump to the side and made the breach wide enough again. But, for whatever reason, she chose not to and instead, decided to lean at Hannah's side a little more, closing the gap between them.

It was a hot summer afternoon indeed, one of the warmer days England had seen in a long time. Perhaps a whim of nature or the consequences of the industrial era. But such happening gave the opportunity to a group of young girls to have a nice and sweet day which would have ended with no major occurrences if not for Hannah's sudden realization.

As she was about to take another spoon, her hand got a little too fast to the cup and in her slip she almost drop it. Thinking quickly, she threw her free hand just in time to avoid catastrophe, saving what was left of its contents of a sure demise. Proud of her saving she let out a soft sigh, but she also failed to see that her hand wasn't holding just the cup, but something a little warmer than that. When she squeezed harder to prevent another slip up, and rose her spoon to take another bite, she felt it. Rough and warm skin. She was holding Amanda's hand.

In any other scenario, this would have been nothing more than a friendly mistake, worst case scenario an awkward mistake that would have lead to an endless teasing from the taller girl or perhaps just a "Can I have my hand back?" kind of joke. Anyway, just awkward. That certainly would've been the ideal scenario.

But this was not such case.

With Hannah's strange and controversial new feelings towards the redhead, which apparently she forgot she had due to such a delighting snack, her brain went to overdrive and slammed all of her subtle actions of the past hour or so into the front of her mind, culminating in the recently, and still ongoing, holding of hands.

Her eyes opened wide and her breath hitched, the hand holding the spoon stopped midway and a sudden heat build up in her cheeks followed by a burning sensation in all her left side. The side of her body that was in touch with the girl she had a crush on. What was she thinking? Sitting by themselves, away from their other friends and sharing an ice cream cup. All that was missing was for them to share the same spoon and a sign above them saying 'Look at us, we are practically girlfriends'. That would be lovely, if not for the fact that Hannah was as far of accepting her feelings for the redhead as she was, ironically, sitting close to her.

It was strange how often she found herself in this kind of predicaments, being that last year the time they spent together was close to nothing, when the three teams were minding their own businesses. And now, after they merge into one big group, fate had no lack of opportunities to put them together. And with every time her feelings would grow more and more, breaking her barriers and throwing everything she thought she knew about herself to the trash can.

But deep down in her mind she knew Amanda was worthy. She was pretty or handsome pretty or whatever, she was good looking, she was sly and brave, she was funny and easy to hangout with, save for the times where she was a total hassle, but a lovely hassel nonetheless.

With all that turmoil inside her head, the little flustered witch remained frozen in her place. Face red as a tomato and her arms stiff as the wood they were sitting on. She didn't want to look at her side, not wanting to know how the other girl was reacting to her strange behavior, but she was pretty sure her hand was sweaty, her own body felt sweaty and it was not for the warm weather. And so, with a slowly tilt of her head, she carefully looked at her side, waiting for the worst, a scowl or a frown at her dirty hand perhaps, but what she found was none of it.

Amanda was looking impressed, glancing at the cup of ice cream save in their hands, her mouth forming a small 'o' and her brows almost hitting her hairline. The glint in her eyes show nothing more than true wonder and nothing akin to a teasing intention.

"Nice save Hann…". Letting go of a whistle she took the spoon from Hannah's hand and after filled it with what was left of the dessert she stuck into her owner's mouth. "You deserve the last bit". She gave her a quick wink and a little nudge with her knuckles into the shorter girl chin then she got up, tossed the cup into a nearby trash can and nodding at the others to join them.

Hannah was speechless, she didn't see that one coming, not the whistle, not the wink and certainly not the soft and teasing touch of Amanda's hand in her face, which she still could felt as a new shade of red grew in her cheeks.

As she stared at the bench where those happy memories took place, she couldn't help but smile at the recollection. It was just a reminisce of what they had, but a happy one nonetheless. She took the place where she once was seated and patted the spot to her right.

Barbara sat down without taking her eyes from her friend and immediately holding one of her hands, patiently waiting for her to start.

Hannah closed her eyes and took a deep breath, tilting her head backwards and then looking at the clear sky filled with stars. The same tree was still there, but now its foliage long gone due to the season. She kept her face looking up not wanting to look at her friend just yet.

"I-I… I was not been honest with you, Barb". She brought the coat resting in her arms closer to her chest trying to hide the trembling of her body. She had confessed to Amanda, yes, but that didn't mean that she was ready to tell everyone else, not with how the first time ended. "I wasn't on a family reunion".

Barbara said nothing, it was clear that the reunion was a lie, that was pretty obvious, but she chose to keep it to herself, at least for now. "Then what were you doing?".

Hannah took a long breath and finally turned to face Barbara. "I was… I was on a d-date".

"A date?". Barbara's features turned confused. "Wait, that's why Amanda was there?".

"Y-Yes she was-".

"She was pulling a prank on you didn't she?!". She lifted an accusatory finger towards the far restaurant, now a bit of anger peeking through her eyes. "By the nines, that girl has no limits, like, I thought she was past her stupid antics, at least with us, she seemed almost mature this past months, geez… When I see her I will-".

"Barbara, it's not what you think". She placed a hand on Barbara's shoulder to stop her from ranting more about something that was not the truth. "I was on a date… With her…". She gave her a kind of apologetic expression.

"What…?". Her train of thought suddenly stopped and she turned her face perplexed to Hannah. "WHAT?! WHY?!".

Hannah manage to smile a little more, there were some reasons for her to not be on a date with a girl like Amanda O'Neill, endless teasing, getting pranked, probably damage to public property, but also, there were several reasons for her to be on a date with Amanda O'Neill and one stood out from the other ones.

"Because…". Her smile grew even more at what she was about to say. "Because I like her… I asked Amanda O'Neill on a date, because I like her". Even though the past hour was nothing but distress and anguish about her possible rejection, to say it aloud one more time felt liberating, to finally come out at least with her best friend removed a burden off of her back.

"You like her…?". She stared baffled at her friend, the little hamster in her head going fast as she processed the new information given to her, then all came to place. She facepalmed and crackled at how oblivious she had been. "Of course! First Diana and Akko and now you and Amanda, geez! I'm like the worst friend ever. But Hannah, why didn't you tell me you like girls?". She sank into the bench still laughing at herself.

Hannah followed suit and laid beside her also giggling a little bit. "Because I don't… I mean I do… I-I don't know… It's not like I like any girl, or girls in general whatsoever… Just Amanda… I'm very sorry for keeping it a secret from you… I-I honestly wasn't sure myself and I didn't want to you to judge me…". A few tears threatened to escape her eyes one more time but a sudden hug from Barbara prevent it from happening.

"You silly… You are my best friend I would never judge you by who you like, but wait...". Hannah's watering eyes and broken face appeared in her mind. "You were crying… And Amanda left… That means…?".

The hold of the hug went loose and a sudden pause to the laugh emerged. "It was a mistake… I should have known better…". She knew she didn't believe that, she knew there was something between them, but all the negative emotions came back in an instant and she didn't want to be there anymore, she didn't want to feel that way, to be a mistake. She suddenly stood up, put on her coat and moved away of the bench. "Sorry… I don't want to talk about it anymore… I-I'm… I'm tired…".

"S-Sure…". Guilt embraced Barbara because of the poorly way she handle the situation, of course it still was a sensitive subject. She had never seen Hannah in such a fragile state and she must had been mindful of that, but she failed. She said nothing more and tagged along behind her friend.

The rest of the place was still flourishing with glee and happiness as all the people were having a good time. Yet, all of that seemed so distant for the two young witches who walk quietly leaving the loud town behind them, entering into the moon showered path leading to the leyline.

Hannah was a mess, but now she felt bad not for what happened in the restaurant but for how she talked to her friend, Barbara was just there trying to support her and she only threw her away again with her sudden silence. She stopped in her track and turned to her friend. "I'm sorry Barbs… I didn't mean to sound harsh on you… It was… It was just too much… Please forgive me…". She sent her a sincere little smile, she didn't feel like smiling but she tried anyway.

"It's okay Hann, I understand, we can talk about it when you feel better". She hugged her by her shoulder and prompted her to continue walking. She used her free hand to wipe a tear from Hannah's cheek and smile warmly to her. Hannah leaned in on the embrace and nodded to her, keeping up in her tracks.

The way back was a lot more comfortable, each other found peace in their mutual silence and neither of them felt that more talk needed to be done. After a swift trip through the leyline, the evergreen tunnel surrounded by Yggdrasil branches, they arrived at Luna Nova's grounds where they were received by professor Nelson who gave them back their respective tokens and a warning for the approaching curfew. She also noticed the sad demeanor of her auburn student, but chose not to mingle into the young girl's affairs, probably something with a failed sale or a broken nail was the reason, teenagers never lack a reason to be dramatic about, she thought.

The two girls thanked their professor and went into the building where its poorly lit halls were already lacking the presence of other students and the light of the moon flowed in by the large windows with a view into the courtyard. Soon enough they were at their room's door ready to bring this day to and end. Hannah opened the door and was greeted by the scent of grey tea as the two of them made their way in and were surprised to see Diana waiting for them at their center table. Strange, not only for the fact that Diana never prepare tea past nine but also because she never waited for them when they were out. She usually would been in her side of the room studying or reading a book, or she would not been there at all on her sentry duty nights. So Hannah glanced at her with a question mark almost visible uptop her head.

"Hello girls, Hannah… Barbara". She awkwardly stood up from the couch and cleared her throat as she leveled her right fist to her mouth. "I would like to announce something to you two, although I believe it wouldn't be news to one of you". She slightly tilted her towards Barbara.

Hannah frowned at the weird and sudden announcement of Diana, she turned back to Barbara who smiled smugly and crossed her arms over her chest. Still confused she returned to Diana who had a light blush adorning her cheeks and was fidgeting in her place not knowing what to do with her hands. "What is it Diana? Are you okay?".

She jumped a little bit by Hannah's words and quickly composed herself. "I assure you I'm- Wait, Hannah, is everything alright? You seem awfully distress". She got closer to her teammate, carefully examining her face. "Were you crying?".

Hannah got caught off guard, she sent a quick side look to Barbara who gave her a reassuring smile which translate to 'It's okay, you don't have to talk about if you don't want' and thinking quickly she returned to Diana. "Oh… It's nothing… I had a heated debate with my father, you know about those, it's no biggie. You were saying?".

"I see, I would not brought back your argument with him then. As I was saying, I am fine, but first I would like to apologies for retain this information from you girls". She stepped back and averted her blue eyes from her teammates and tapped the tip of her shoe to the ground. "It was foolish of me to think that-".

"Aaaaw, come on Diana, just say it". Barbara almost threw herself at her blonde friend as she took a step forward, for taking so long to just say one thing.

It was clear to Hannah that her teammates were into something, Diana was out of character, she was struggling to speak her mind as she avoided eye contact with them and was rubbing her hands a little to much frantically with her arms. Something was odd, but then it clicked, she never asked Barbara about her self proclaimed quest, she totally forgot about it, and she didn't seem let down by it, so it could only mean one thing. Her brows shut up to her hairline and turned back to Diana. "By the nines, is it really…?".

Letting out an exasperated sigh, she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Akko and I are... romantically involved… W-We are girlfriends…". The last part was almost a whisper, she lowered her face and waited for the upcoming burst of laughs that surely her teammates would repeat after the first time the idea was even mentioned. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks but after what happened earlier on the cafe, this was more manageable.

But, after a few seconds, nothing happened, she lifted her face and what she saw was far for teasing or mocking. Barbara was smiling, yes, but she had a smile more akin to a winning smile or a proud grin, maybe for the fact that she already knew about them.

And then suddenly Hannah hugged her tight, like she were to be gone and wouldn't see her in a long time, her face burrowed into her collarbone and her hand squeezed at her back. Diana found herself puzzled by such a display of affection, but returned the hug nonetheless.

"I'm so happy for you Diana…". She told her between sobs. "She is a nice little dunce and I hope you two the best". She lifted her watering face to give Diana the biggest smile she could muster. She truly felt happy for her, between all the commotion that happened to her, this news were something beautiful in a day full of distress.

"Oh my… Hannah, you don't have to cry". Diana didn't know what to do, so she just tapped the back of the shorter girl.

"S-Sorry… It's just that I'm really happy for you… Excuse me…". She gave her one last squeezed and a bright smile and let go of the embrace. She stepped back and glanced at Barbara who was about to hug Diana too. They shared a knowing look, saying 'It's going to be okay' and then Hannah went into the bathroom. She leaned her back on the close door and took a moment to composed herself, this had been a really long day and she needed the wash her face and put on her comfy pajamas.

She could her Barbara ranting with Diana as she took off one by one the pieces of her outfit. First her necklace, bracelet and the earings which gave her a headache back in the afternoon, followed by her high heels and finally her dress, the lovely dress that she thought would impress Amanda. Silly her.

After a little chat between the three of the them and the announcement of Diana about the next afternoon meeting with all the three teams to reveal the 'big news'. Hannah finally got to feel the soft and tender fabric of her bed in her face. She felt tired and a little downsy, but she hoped that a good night of sleep will make things better in the morning, maybe she could have a talk with Amanda and sort things out. Best case scenario they will stay as friends, she needed to at least stay as friends. And so, with hope filling her heart she snuggled into her bed and tried to get some nice and sweet dreams.

She hadn't. She couldn't sleep at all. She was constantly remembering Amanda's last words, because obviously there wasn't anything remotely happier to think about. No, it had to be that precise moment, that precise painful moment.

With a faint growl she stood up from her bed and decided to end this right now. The sun was barely casting its light through the windows, it was certainly early in the morning and the green team will probably be still sleeping. But she didn't care, Amanda didn't let her sleep, so she will interrupt her dreams as well. With the most silence she could made, she put on on her uniform, fix her hair and set her yellow ribbon uptop her head, the bags under her eyes were very unappealing but it didn't matter, she would face Amanda and get over with it.

As soon as she was out of her dorm she stomped her way to west dormitory wing. No student will witness of her resolute march, not in a sunday morning and clearly not a seven in the morning. All the sadness and anguish she felt last night were gone, now she was livid, as anyone without a sleep night would be. Her footsteps were fast and hard, sounding loudly on the hallways, almost making the window glass to tremble. She was going to put Amanda on her place and when she finish with her, she will beg to at least be friends, at least that was what she was thinking, but as soon as she turned the corner to enter the west wing and go straight to the green team door, it suddenly opened, revealing a concerned pink haired girl.

"Jasminka…?". She stopped in her tracks, confused at why the russian witch would be awake at this hour and the confusion grow when said witch was followed by her german teammate. "And Constanze….? What are you girls doing up so early?".

"Hi Hannah…". They greeted the blue team member, a disappointment look grow on their faces which had the same bags under their eyes. "We thought you were Amanda… She didn't come back last night…".

And just like that a bucket of water wash off all her anger and a sudden tug in her heart froze her. "What…?".

A/N

Hello guys! Things are going great aren't they? *Cof* *Cof* Anywho… As always, thank you so much for reading! If you have anything to share don't hesitate, I'm open to all criticism.

Fun Fact - By Hannah's logic I would be a commoner.

Best regards!