Molly did not wake up in her own bedroom. As she stirred from her slumber and rubbed her sore eyes, an unfamiliar tangerine blanket fell from her shoulders.
Her duvet was a pale pink with white polka dots.
Alarmed, she lurched upright. This was utterly and most certainly not her familiar home. The aroma of honey and roasted coffee filled her nose. As Molly swivelled around examine her surroundings, she yelped once again as she locked eyes with the wizard who was standing a foot away. Meanwhile, Finn was sleepily waking from sleep and gave a grand yawn, unfazed by the change of environment.
"What's going on?" she fired, perching on the edge of his bed.
The wizard's expression was of mere annoyance. Lazily playing with the braid dangling before his mismatched eyes, he barely twitched under her menacing gaze.
"I told you not to go in the mines so late at night…"
"I was looking for pontata roots!" Molly protested stubbornly.
"Were you... Angry… Again...?"
Molly sighed. Of course he would assume the latter. "Owen and I were supposed to look for pontata roots yesterday," she explained. "He bailed because Chloe was sick."
The wizard pursed his lips. "So late…"
"In my defense, I was there at noon and I'm still not done."
Impassive, the wizard turned, his soft cloak brushing against her bare legs. Her outstretched hand could have grasped the sieny cloth. The farmer watched sedulously as the wizard drifted up the stairs and then began working. He crushed violet-blue mushrooms into a coconut shaped bowl, grinding it into a profuse amount of lavender powder. It sparkled under morning rays from the domed ceiling.
They were uncomfortably silent for a number of minutes. Molly noticed the wizard had the propensity to stay quiet, only speaking when necessary. On the other hand, Finn was fidgeting, worriedly glancing between the pair and whispered loudly, "Are you guys going to say anything?"
The wizard finally uttered, "You have... Fatigue..."
"I'm always tired."
"I'll... Collect... The roots..."
"I'm perfectly capable."
"I insist..."
The wizard was evidently proficient in his work, pouring the crushed powder into a midnight blue potion with absolute precision. She watched from where she was sedentary. "Is that your spell?" Molly questioned and he nodded. "What does it do?"
"See... The stars… It has been a prolonged process..."
"Is that why you've been in the caves?"
"Precisely…"
She thought of mentioning the bubbles and his lack of pants, since she found that night hilarious. However, she shut her mouth and instead replied, "I can't believe you made me get cornmeal, hibiscus and butter for a freaking spell."
"It was...necessary," the wizard pointed out. He placed a glittering lapis lazuli on the adjacent table and then extended a long finger. "Ardero."
With an abrupt, wailing hiss, the gem burst into incandesce purple flames.
"Awesome," Molly remarked.
Moments later he grabbed a fish and stabbed it.
"Lovely," Molly said, while Finn screeched, "Gross!"
His eyes lingered on their disturbed expressions before returning to gutting the fish. Between his fingers he held the fish's eye in the sunlight, examining it with squinting eyes. As he tossed the fish's remnants into the potion, Finn gagged. "Don't tell me you're actually drinking that!" he exclaimed.
"I'll put vanilla extract in it."
"But you're eating it," Molly protested.
"It's like...food for the soul."
She stood. "I think I need food."
The wizard remained hunched over his bubbling potion. He was rapt with the spell's construction, almost disregarding her presence save for the slight nod of his head.
"Let's go to the Ocarina Inn," she said to Finn, but he glanced at the wizard.
"Can I stay here?" he pleaded. "You can come get me tonight - I haven't seen magic from anyone else besides the Harvest Goddess for the longest time. Except that one time when we turned the witch into a frog maybe..."
Molly grinned. "Sure. I'll see you later."
She had slipped on her shoes and was about to stroll out the door when she caught her reflection in the mirror. At the sight of dishevelled hair and rumpled clothes, she nervously attended to her appearance. Then a thought occurred to her. "Wizard?"
"Hmm?"
"Thanks for always being here."
Then he peered at her with his mismatched eyes. "Of course…" he said before returning to his potion with Finn hovering around him.
"Could you fetch the vanilla…?" the wizard was asking as she departed.
"You weren't home this morning," Chase noted, sliding into a seat at the Ocarina Inn. Molly had stopped by Candace's house an hour ago in hopes of buying breakfast together. Upon walking to the inn together, they ran into Chase and subsequently invited him along.
Placed before her was a fluffy, buttering pancake adorned with fresh strawberries and light dolops of whipped cream. Her mouth was watering from the edible heaven on her plate. "I was in the mines," Molly said.
"So early?"
"So late. Are you stalking me?" She took a long sip of orange juice.
His face turned an alarming shade of red. "N-no," he stuttered. "I was actually going to ask you something. I mean, I had a really good time at the Flower Festival..."
Molly's heart began to race, knowing what was coming. She was mortified that she had avoided his kiss and his touch altogether. Her trepidation was that she didn't want to be enthralled with Chase and his smile to lose him quickly. It was unthinkable, really. And she had no idea how to explain that so she feigned a smile. "Me too."
"I was thinking - I know we got off to a weird start and I'm sorry, it was incongruous of me but if another time you'd like to, y'know, go out with…"
"Chase, Molly, I have a problem…" Their attention snapped to the girl approaching the pair carrying a plate of blueberry waffles. With the startlingly azure shade of Candace's hair, the crimson shade of her face was more atrocious.
Relieved by her interjection, Molly stabbed her waffle.
"You're going blonde?" Chase teased, but glanced anxiously at Molly.
Appalled, Candace blinked several times. "My problem isn't that bad," she said hotly, "My problem is Julius."
She let this settle uncomfortably. Nobody acknowledged that the real problem was Shelly at Choral Clinic while they waiting in distraught for what would transpire next. But Candace was chagrin with the idea of being attracted to Julius. Ultimately, she adored him. But her sister Luna was frequently teasing her for his flamboyant and vivacious personality.
On the other hand, Candace admired his passion for fashion and the confident demeanor he carried himself around with. Between Candace, Chase and Molly, neither of them were biased or intransigent - they firmly believed that looks did not determine any interpersonal characteristics about a person. And they frequently reminded her this.
It was Chase who lightened the mood by teasing, "How's that coming along? Have you asked him out yet? He's quite the dashing guy."
With a laugh, Molly licked whipped cream off her spoon.
"But guys - I don't know if he's gay!" Burying her face into her thin hands, Candace furiously turned a deeper shade of red. She furiously added, "Everything about him says gay!"
"I normally don't say this about anyone, but let's face it Candace - I would get naked in bed with Julius," Chase said in a serious tone.
Molly quipped, "Candace, I really don't think…"
"He has turquoise highlights!"
"Anyone can have highlights," Chase said.
"Chase wears a bobby pin," Molly chimed, motioning to the side of her head.
"Hey!"
"He has a fur-lined coat!" Candace added.
This time, Chase and Molly exchanged dubious yet amused looks. Chase continued, "Candace, I'm sure if ever, Julius is bi…"
"More like bye-sexual," Candace waved her hand. "He'd never ever like me!"
"Who wouldn't like you?" Molly asked.
"I can't like someone who won't ever like me back," explained Candace. "I can't believe Luna got me paranoid about all of this…"
"I actually don't think you have anything to be paranoid about," Chase said. "If anything, I actually think he might like you?"
They had tried to assuage her but she fell silent, her face gradually darkening as the seconds passed. Continuing to devour their waffles with Chase sipping Molly's orange juice with a salient smirk, Molly thought hard. If she went on a date with him, she wouldn't have to kiss him. She could say she wasn't ready for that step or she wasn't comfortable yet.
He interrupted her thoughts by saying, "Candace, you look like a peach right now."
Molly disappeared into fits of giggles and the two soon followed, causing people around to cast them annoyed glances. As soon as she could compose herself, Molly cleared her throat. "Hey guys, this might sound weird but if you guys could wish for anything in the world, what would it be?"
"For Chase to shut up," Candace immediately fired.
"For a fur-lined coat more beautiful than the one Julius has," Chase proclaimed.
Molly laughed. "Guys, seriously!"
The two paused, knitting their eyebrows and twisting their mouths to come up with an answer. Molly tensed, wondering if they were thinking of the endless possibilities and contemplating everything they wanted in the world.
Candace piped. "What do I wish for? Let's see… I want Luna, my grandmother, and all the people I love to smile and be happy. Oh, maybe I should wish that for everyone…except Chase."
"Hey!" he said with a hearty laugh. "But I just want to make people happy with my cooking. I guess already do that though."
"You didn't make me this waffle," Molly said.
"I'll make you waffles one day," he offered, finishing the last of her orange juice.
Molly was embarrassed she even opened her mouth. Making a special note of their wishes in her mind, she told Candace, "I know it will all work out. And everyone will eventually be happy, even if they aren't now."
"I'll make you waffles, too," Chase added. "Or anything at all. We're always here for you, Candace."
She was effusive, giving a small smile to the two as she finished her breakfast and then stood. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I think I should visit the clinic to see Grandma." Her previous problem of developing precocious feelings for Julius were gone. Now her mind was occupied with Shelly and her well-being, Molly could see.
Shortly after Candace left, Molly began to worry. It emanated from Chase's earlier preposition and the fact that Shelly was still in the clinic. She worried for her best friend and she worried for hurting Chase. As she turned to Chase, he casually said, "So before we got interrupted I was saying…"
"Yes?" Molly quipped.
"Would you like to go out with me tonight?"
If she wanted to do this, she had to proverbial about her stupid, stupid curse. But his smile was golden and when he looked at her, she melted. And she found herself saying something she didn't expect herself to say.
"Yes."
He couldn't fight down his widening smile. "Meet me at the Flute Fields at seven."
Needless to say, Molly was extremely excited yet extremely agitated. She had never been on a date before and here was a man she admired yet could potentially cause to die. Lovely. How many people could say that? Since Candace was preoccupied, she had thought of visiting the wizard for advice but pushed the idea aside; he was mesmerized with completing his spell. With no idea how to dress up or act, she decided to be herself.
But that didn't stop her from feeling like a complete idiot when she arrived eight-and-a-half minutes before seven in jeans and a sweatshirt. Chase had already beat her to it and arranged an evening picnic completed with steaming bowls of pasta and rich coffee.
"Wow!" was all Molly could say, at loss for words.
"Hello," he greeted with a shy smile. "You look fantastic."
"I really don't," she said modestly, carefully taking a seat. "But you do." He was dressed in blue and black plaid and charcoal pants which she found adorable.
But he shook his head. "Molly, you always look beautiful."
She looked away, hoping he couldn't see her cheeks turn red.
"So I was thinking since it's summer," Chase said, hands delving into his rucksack and clumsily fumbling for his possessions. To her surprise, he took out two empty jars, a flashlight, and a net. "Have you ever caught fireflies?"
"I was a city girl," she said. "Fireflies don't exist there."
"We're going to catch fireflies," he said. "After dinner, of course."
Dinner was spinach and shrimp ravioli with creamy rose sauce and chives. It was warm and buttery, sweetly melting in her mouth. It was one of the most delicious meals she had ever eaten. Upon telling Chase, he swelled with pride.
During dinner, he explained the process to her. "Fireflies are relatively easy to spot if you look around marshes and tall grass," he began. "The way I learned it is that if you want to catch fireflies, you have to act like one. So with the flashlight, we'll mimic the patterns of the fireflies so we don't scare them off...but don't directly shine the light at them..."
She listened dutifully and eagerly until they finished their meals and picked up their supplies. The pacific forest was swaying with a gentle wind as Chase and Molly quietly approached its entrance.
"You take the net," Chase said. "I'll hold the jar."
Holding the net with both hands, Molly neared the glowing lights that were sprinkled underneath the trees. They were scattered through the forest's entrance, maneuvering through the vicinity with a golden glow. The fireflies were revealed in the indigo night and Molly couldn't help but admire the encapsulated beauty in front of her.
"I love it," she whispered.
"It's one of my most favourite things in the world," Chase said.
Together they mimicked the fireflies' patterns. She giggled at the travesty of her attempts and Chase couldn't fight down his chuckles. "You'll get it soon," he assured her as a firefly skirted away, startled by her flashlight.
Molly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for this," she said. Maybe she couldn't kiss him, but this was an adventure worth so much more than kisses or holding hands.
"No, thank you," Chase said, and took her hand. He smiled once more and she almost forgot all her fears.
"Molly!" There was a faint echo and Molly swivelled in the direction of the voice. She tore her hand from Chase's grip, bewildered at the call.
"Did you hear someone call my name?"
Chase blinked. "No," he said carefully. "It's just us and the fireflies."
There was another call. It was urgent, more frantic, and fast approaching in a panic. "Molly! Help!"
An instilled easiness caused her to run from the orifice of the forest, seeking whoever was calling her name. But she immediately knew who it was by the light zooming down the path of Flute Fields. "Molly! Molly! Molly!"
"Molly? Is everything okay?" Chase asked.
Finn was already with them, a chaotic trail of glitter following wherever he moved. He was shrieking and talking quickly and explicitly. However, Molly couldn't catch a word.
"Slow down," Molly said.
"Are you okay?" Chase asked again, this time more worried. It probably looked like she was talking to thin air.
The Harvest Sprite inhaled deeply. He was on the verge of overwhelming, frustrated tears. The sight of him was frightening, and she felt her heart begin to pound when he cried, "You have to come! Something terrible has happened!"
A/N: I don't know why that took me so long to write - however, I think the next update will be next month because I'm going to Greece and Italy for a while for spring break. Thank you so much to tolkeinlover, siralex0014 and for your kind words - they mean the world to me. Balloons for you! Let me know what you think (reviews keep me motivated). Have a wonderful March :)