Everything changes
Waverly's POV
Waverly went to the Homestead, got a bottle of wine and drove to the Blacksmith's place. The place looks like a junkyard and she's feeling skeptical about going in, but she's already there so might as well. The sliding door opens and a young woman appears within. "You did see the No Trespassing sign, didn't you?" she says pointing towards the giant red sign near Waverly. "Uh, I was wondering, um.. I need to talk with you." says Waverly feeling a little nervous about the woman's demeanor. "And you think an $8 bottle of pinot's going to make me listen?" says the Blacksmith sarcastically.
"Hell, no. No, the wine's mostly for me." Waverly says. "My favorite uncle in the world just left me this." She moves the box with the skull forward letting the Blacksmith see. "Curtis McCready. I shoulda known. Hurry up." she says as she walks back in. Waverly practically runs after her, nervous and excited about what she may discover. The Blacksmith, Mattie, is a part-time archaeologist who has been looking for this skull for years to complete two fossils of some abnormal couple of humans that may have been a part of an old Nomadic tribe no one knows about. This discovery could place her on the map within the archaeologists society.
Waverly, not really interested in fame, just wanted to help her figure out if this is such an important part of history. She spends reading up on the time from which the fossils belong to and learning about Mattie's part-time job. Mattie also is seen as a witch, she swears by spiritism and the belief that everything should be bonded and that nothing happens without reason so she does a little ritual with Waverly and the skull.
She asks Waverly to place her hand on top of the skull and begins. "I ask the Earth to give up this ash. " She spreads some on the back of Waverly's hand. "I ask the air to silence its name." She blows air on the ash, it falls all over the skull and the table. "I ask the water to cleanse this girl." She grabs a fistful of water and slowly spills it on the ash. In the midst of all this Waverly just opens and closes her eyes, breathing in and out, skeptical at what this ceremony means, but letting Mattie do her thing. "I ask the fire...to loosen its hold." Waverly panics thinking this woman is going to burn her hand, but Mattie just moves the stick, hot from the fire, on top of the ash in a circular motion.
"Free from the tethers, purified by the elements, Waverly Earp, you are now open to receive this fragment of a man into your life. Do you accept?" Waverly doesn't think about it until the words come out of her mouth "I do. " She whispers to Mattie trying not to interrupt the ritual "Wait, did I just marry a skull?" Mattie continues on as if she's possessed "You are connected. You are as one. The Keeper of the Bones and the God-Made Son." A chill runs through Waverly and she gasps. "Ok, uh, when I bonded Curtis to the skull, I didn't know whose it was. It never told me. " "What? Told you? It's a skull." Waverly wonders if she messed up letting this weirdo do this ceremony.
"She's gonna be coming for me. I need protection. I, uh, I need to find some salt." Mattie runs arounds the place looking for it, feeling scared. "What? Who's coming? Am I in danger?" Waverly stands up and looks at the skull trying to see if there's any sign of it being haunted. "Of course you are! I mean, this is what it means to be blessed. You poor sweet girl, what was Curtis thinking?" She looks at Waverly with a worried look on her face.
Waverly went home after being kicked out by Mattie with no answers. "Ok, so I may be married to a skull and now someone is coming to look for it. Oh God could my life get any more complicated?" Waverly was pacing back and forth shaking her head. Abruptly she halts in the middle of the living room. "No! I am going to have a normal, uncomplicated life and that's it. I'm finally free of Champ. Maybe I can date Nicole, if she's interested. I could invite some friends over. I know Stephanie got engaged recently and we haven't hung out in a while. Yeah, ok, Mr. skull you are going to be here behind this pillow which no one moves and I'm going to call Steph and Chrissy." With the decisions already made and the skull hidden behind an ugly pillow on the sofa, Waverly runs up the stairs thrilled about her new life and all the changes that were starting soon.