Chapter 7
During the following days Misty was quieter and more absent-minded than usual, but she kept on going, held her head up high and slowly regained her confidence. The girls did a great job, occupying Misty with all kinds of tasks and assignments, making her feel valuable and needed. Cordelia was so thankful and proud, to be part of such a great community.
Queenie even came up with the idea to give Misty her own class. In one of their council meetings they discussed and decided to let her teach "herbalism". And Misty loved it. She was a great teacher and the young witches adored her. She was found with her nose in a book more often than without a book and prepared her lessons with such enthusiasm and creativity, she quickly became the student's new favorite teacher. Cordelia observed her with pride and contentment and, to her great relieve, found Misty to grow more and more cheerful and chipper every day. Her eyes started to glow again, she started laughing again, she started talking more again, she started singing again and she started dancing again. Dancing with confidence and passion.
Which Cordelia coincidentally could witness one day, when she passed Queenie's room and found her and Misty getting their groove on to some of Queenie's R'n'B tunes.
Completely lost in music, Misty moved her body to the rhythm of the song - her eyes closed, smoothly rocking her hips and arms, looking like she has never done anything else, like she was born just to dance. There was nothing innocent about it. But it was pure and wild and hot. Hot like Cordelia's cheeks and her blood. She could not take her eyes off of Misty. She was mesmerized - hypnotized.
Then Queenie spotted her, standing by the door, and waved her inside. And when Cordelia, too busy staring, didn't move, she grabbed her by the hand, dragged her inside and twirled her around, making her join their little dance party. Catching the mood of the jolly girls, she shook off her fluster and started dancing along. Misty beamed at her in delight and the three of them enjoyed the music, the moment, just smiling and laughing and busting a move.
"Dang, Delia! I didn't know you could shake it like this" Queenie exhaled in glee.
"Oh, there's a lot you guys don't know about me" Cordelia countered and winked at the two stunned girls.
The song had just ended, when Madison poked her head into the room and huffily complained: "You're having a party, without me?" She let herself in.
The ipod on shuffle, the next song started to play and the women frowned in amusement, recognizing Harry Nilsson's "Coconut".
"Uhmm Queenie?" Madison looked at her in confusion.
"What? I love this song! It's from that cute witch movie with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman." she explained.
"Practical Magic!" Cordelia and Madison exclaimed simultaneously and started laughing.
"I love that movie!" Madison added excitedly
"Meeh it's alright…a little white though", Queenie commented.
"Less talking, more dancing!" Misty suddenly shouted out cheerfully and grabbed Madison by the hand to make her dance.
"No, no, no, it goes like this", Queenie interfered, stepping in front of Misty, making her put her hands on her hips, and shaking to the beat of the song. "Delia, come on, you know the drill!"
And she did! Broadly grinning, Cordelia stepped behind Misty and showed her the moves of the little dance.
At last Madison joined them as well and they danced, wiggled and shimmied one behind the other, singing along at the top of their lungs.
"Doctor! Ain't there nothing I can take, I said doctor! To relieve this belly ache…."
The music blasted through the whole house and when Queenie lead them outside the room, little witches' heads popped out of the doors all along the hallway, gazing at them curiously. Some of them joined them right away, giggling and having the time of their lives, seeing their teachers go nuts like that. Some of them needed to be cheered on, but they shyly went to the end of the dancing line and copied the moves from the others.
By the staircase, Kyle ran into them, all confused but smiling at the girls gone wild.
"Zoe, come here, you gotta see this" he called down the stairs and was suddenly pulled into the line by Cordelia, beaming at him in pure joy. "Less talking, more dancing" she repeated Misty's words and laughed out loud.
In that moment, she was so carefree and so full of bliss, she closed her eyes and wished it could forever be like that.
Later that day Zoe asked Cordelia to sit with her in the living room - she had some news, some findings that she wanted to share with the Supreme.
Seeing the gloomy look on Zoe's face, Cordelia tensed up and wondered, if something bad had happened. She worriedly asked: "What's going on Zoe? Did something happen?"
"No, no, everything is fine, I'm just a little concerned about how you will react to what I've got to tell you." Zoe answered. Cordelia just frowned and let Zoe explain.
"I found some things concerning Misty's reappearance that seem interesting and that might be able to explain what had brought her back."
"Oh, but that's good news!" Cordelia exclaimed. Zoe nodded, smiled at her and continued. She told Cordelia that she had read through almost two thirds of their library books and that she had finally found similar stories to Misty's. Registered cases, in which lost souls had roamed the realm, having lost their bodies for different kinds of reasons and then had not been able to make themselves visible or noticeable. Yet there were some very powerful witches, who after losing their body were able to transfer into other living beings, preferably animals.
"A little bit like shape shifting", Zoe added, when she saw Cordelia's puzzled expression. Then it seemed to dawn on the Supreme and she breathed out heavily: "The frog!"
"Yes", Zoe said, as if she had waited on Cordelia to finally realize.
Cordelia, too shocked by the revelation to utter anything else, let Zoe continue.
"That still doesn't explain how Misty got her body back." she eyed Cordelia warily and went on: "That's why I wanted to tell you about these two cases", she opened one of the books that she had brought and laid it in front of the Supreme. "Two witches in the bodies of, one time a cat and one time a robin approached their families, their grieving husbands to be precisely. And with barely a chance to reveal themselves, to make themselves recognized for who they really were, they still somehow managed to make their husbands see." She paused, looking at Cordelia, who was now nervously shifting in her chair.
"There is only one thing powerful enough to reunite a soul with a lost body," Zoe said and took a deep breath: " A true love's kiss. A kiss from the one they were meant to be with."
Cordelia got hot and cold at the same time, her heart started beating fast and she didn't quite know what to make of this new information. She did not dare to look Zoe in the eyes and just started stammering:"But…but…how…I mean that's not possible. I mean…I…I was just being silly….when I kissed her…the frog! I mean when I kissed the frog. That's nonsense! There must be something else!" She got up abruptly, suddenly in a rush to get away, still all worked up and confused.
"There's not always a reasonable explanation! Especially not when it comes to magic!" Zoe tried to calm her down and Cordelia actually hesitated and turned to face her again. So Zoe kept on talking: "When Madison and I brought back Kyle no spell would work and we hadn't developed our power of resurgence yet. Still, he is here and alive. Do you know what brought him back? Back to me? A kiss, Cordelia! I kissed him!" She hoped Cordelia would come to her senses. The Supreme seemed to be contemplating for a moment and then softly touched Zoe's shoulder and said: "Thank you, Zoe, for your help and effort. But in this case it has to be something else. I will do some research on my own and see what I can find out." With that she left a puzzled and disappointed Zoe behind.
Desperately needing some time to catch her breath and to calm down, Cordelia ran up the stairs, her thoughts running wild and her heart in her chest nearly exploding from feeling so many things at once.
Confusion. What did all of this mean? Was there some truth to it? It couldn't be! Not like that!
Fear. What was there to be afraid of?
Love! Yes she loved all her girls, a sisterly affection! Nothing more!
And then there was the pain of denial. The pain you feel, when denying your feelings, denying yourself.
In this state of mind she stumbled across Misty, of all people. The woman beamed at her, like always, but her smile faded when she saw Cordelia's expression. She worriedly stepped towards her and asked her if she was ok. "Yes, I'm fine Misty. I'm fine!" she answered agitatedly. She was on edge and proceeded rashly and impulsively.
"I think it's time though, that you try and sleep on your own again. You seem to be better and you barely wake with nightmares anymore." Seeing Misty's sad and confused look, she quickly added: " I just think it's for the better….for you…you have to learn sooner or later." And before Misty could protest or reply anything, she turned on the spot and vanished into her room.
At first she thought she couldn't go through with it, it felt wrong. But she was too scared, too confused to do anything else. So she slept on her on, for the first time in weeks.
Except she didn't really sleep at all. Her thoughts caught up in circles she tossed and turned all night long and by the time the sun rose, she was so unnerved and angry at the circumstances, at her confusing state and at herself - she got up in a stubborn and spiteful mood. I'm the Supreme for heaven's sake. I won't let a silly tale and a strange kind of affection rule my life. I have to get a clear head and therefore I need some space. She said to herself to confirm her own decision.
Determined to go through with her plan she made her way downstairs to start the day and have some breakfast. She entered the dining room somewhat cheerful and confident, but her positive attitude crumbled when she saw the girls huddled up conspiratorially with a look of disapproval on their faces. And then there was Misty, sitting next to them, spaced out, staring holes into the wall, looking groggy and tired.
Cordelia took a deep breath and wished them all a good morning, maybe a tad too enthusiastic - she even herself thought, that her words sounded prim and fake. The girls' manner made her upset and brought out her defiantness - and so she unwaveringly continued her little act of cheerfulness. Someone had to take the reins and turn this situation for the better.
"How did everyone sleep?" she asked, sitting down in her chair and smiled bravely. Queenie and Madison just looked at her reproachfully, Kyle pretended to be too busy with his cereals, and so Zoe was the only one who eventually, mercifully answered: "Good, and you?"
Cordelia sighed inwardly and wondered how that day would turn out if it had already started as lousy as that.
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