Based off the wonderful fic The Titan Laughs in Flowers by LazlosLulls on AO3

An alternate direction where Hunter gets sent to another foster family. (This picks up while Hunter is in therapy and Darius is waiting for him in the cafe)


His scroll rang.

Darius was surprised to find that it was Chantal. He had thought they were on vacation. Well, maybe he would bring up adopting Hunter to them now, and see if they thought it was a good idea. He knew this was only supposed to be temporary, but maybe, given how things had changed between them...

"Hello, dear shepherd."

"Darius, you won't believe this," Chantal said, forgoing the greeting. "We've found a family that I think would be the perfect match."

His heart dropped into his shoes.

Oh.

He was too late.

"They live just on top of Lumbar, they have a little family farm. Plenty of room to run around and get some sunshine and fresh air."

It's your own damn fault. You knew they were interviewing potential families this whole time. You were unsure. You didn't say anything. You could have said something sooner.

"Darius?"

"That's great." His voice sounded robotic, even to his own ears, and he tried to put a little more pep into it. This is what he wanted. Right? "That sounds like a nice place to live." A place where he might not get chewed out for tracking mud in. Someplace he might enjoy more than Darius's house. Doubt snuck in again. What was he thinking just a few minutes ago?

This was what was best for Hunter. It would be selfish of him to object.

"Once he gets through the initial adjustment, I think he's really going to love it there. I can come by this weekend and tell him, alright? Then they're ready to take him any day now, so when he has his things packed we can head off whenever it's convenient."

"Oh. That seems rather quick."

"Yes, we're lucky we found someplace suitable this quickly."


Darius picked at his dinner, forcing himself to take a couple of bites and seem normal. That's funny. Usually, he wasn't the one doing that.

He really should tell Hunter. He shouldn't be the coward who let Chantal do all the talking.

Hunter grinned, scooting a bite of food over to his palismen, who tweeted that familiar melody. The house would be so quiet without them.


Hunter felt as if the rug had been whipped out from under his feet. Darius hadn't been able to meet his eyes as the news was broken and then talked over.

He was supposed to be okay with this. Happy that someone out there wanted to keep him. (At least they did right now, what if they changed their minds?)

He'd always known this would be a temporary arrangement, right? (But he'd still unpacked everything, bit by bit until there was nothing left in the suitcase under his bed, not even the winter coat that he wouldn't need until the temperature dropped.)

So why was he fighting tears as he packed his things, and left with Chantal?

"I'm sure you'll love it there. They sound like lovely people," Darius had said.

"Yeah." Hunter tried and failed to make his voice sound not-hollow.

"Hey, if you ever- I don't know, need to talk to me about anything, just call, alright? I'm still here for you."

"Okay."

Then be here, don't leave me, a childish voice in the back of his mind screamed.

But he wasn't a child anymore. Not really.

And he wouldn't cling to someone who didn't want him. Not again.

He could handle this. He would handle this.


Hunter arrived at the doorstep of the little house with one suitcase.

This time his stuff wasn't sliding around in it, it had actually been kinda hard to zip it. He folded up the 'civilian clothes' he'd acquired on one side, and packed the books that were his and his journal on the other. The sleeping caps he picked out were tucked in there too.

The trek up the hill that the house stood atop was harder with his backpack on. He vaguely remembered he had some sort of homework left to do. What was it?

He wanted to ask if he could hold Chantal's hand. He didn't.

The Planters opened the door and beamed down at him. Hunter couldn't quite remember the introductions. Chantal spoke for him, and two redheaded kids peered around their father's legs at him. They kept glancing at each other. Communicating. Assessing?

They showed him his room.

"The top bunk is mine," the boy, just a few years younger than Hunter, chimed in. "But the bottom one is good too."

Hunter didn't answer.

"Um... I'm Sam," the boy stuck his hand out. Hunter looked, frozen. He didn't reciprocate.

"What's that weird stuff on your head?" the girl asked.

"Pauleen, don't be rude," her mother reminded her.

"Looks like plants," the boy scurried up the ladder and looked at Hunter's head from the top bunk. "Why are there plants on your head? How can I get some?"

He reached out and Hunter flinched.

"Oh. Sorry. Personal space."

They gave him some time to himself. To settle in.

Sleep felt like hardly a blink.

The next morning, a packed lunch was set into his hands. "Are you sure you want to go? Sometimes it's good to have a day to adjust."

Hunter tried to speak but found the words caught in his throat. He just nodded. Flapjack twittered, rubbing his head against Hunter's jaw.

Okay. We'll be okay.

Hunter fed him a few bites of his breakfast. He pushed the rest around his plate before they started off on their route to school. Sam and Pauleen stuck by him right up until they got to the steps of the school.

"See you later, Hunter!" Sam called.

Before he even made it to his locker, his friends found him and enveloped him in a big group hug, all careful to avoid touching his head.

"Oh my Titan, Hunter, we heard what happened!"

"Congratulations!"

"How is it at the new foster home? They're treating you alright, right?" Willow grabbed his face in her hands. Lies always showed in his expression, and she wanted to catch it if he tried to lie.

"It's... it's fine."

"What do you mean, fine? Is something wrong?" Luz grabbed a handful of glyphs from her pocket.

"No, I- I'm fine, really. Just... it's new."

"But not a bad new?"

Hunter shook his head. It wasn't really bad. They weren't mean to him.

The bell screamed, and Gus looped his arm through Hunter's. "Class?"

Hunter nodded. "Yeah, let's go."


He shouldn't dread going back- there.

The house was cozy. Sam was a rather considerate roommate for a fourteen-year-old who owned a drum set. Mr. and Mrs. Planter didn't ask much about the flowers. He was allowed to roam the woods outside the house as long as he was back by dinner. There were chores to do, but Hunter happily pitched in, enjoying time spent with the animals in the barn. He could complete everything at his own pace, without the threat of punishment looming over him.

He still clung to Flapjack in the house out of habit. But no one would take him away here. He hopped around with the chickens, and Hunter laid in the grass to watch him. and make sure they all played nice.

It was nice. He should be happy.

Instead, he was inexplicably crying into his apple moatmeal this morning.

Oh no, Flapjack chirped. Don't cry, okay! Okay now.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Mrs. Planter asked.

He shook his head, a few tears dripping onto the wooden table. The warm smell of cinnamon and apple kept drifting up to him. It made his heart ache.

"Are you feeling sick?" Mr. Planter placed a wrist on his forehead. "You feel fine."

"Is Hunter staying home from school?" Pauleen asked.

Home. Staying home? No.

He looked up at the kind faces of the people who had made room for him in their lives. Overwhelming guilt crashed over him. He should be more grateful.

He choked on a sob, hiding his face in his arms. Flapjack chirped softly, preening strands of his hair.


"Hello, Darius," Eda said when she opened the door. "This is... not a surprise."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you've been over for the past three days. You used to not be able to stand the place."

"Not that we mind having you over," Raine cut in, "because we don't mind at all, it just seems... out of character?"

"I haven't the slightest clue what you mean."

"They mean you're lonely," Eda's kid piped up.

"Aw, I'm a sucker for the big tough one having a soft spot for one person," Luz said. "You miss Hunter, don't you?"

Darius sighed. Then, to Raine and Eda's surprise, he nodded.

"It's quiet now. I've become... unaccustomed to it."


Flyer Derby practice was one place where Willow saw Hunter's worries visibly slide from his shoulders. He seemed lighter, more prone to smiles than ever.

So why did he seem so sluggish and weighed down today?

Viney gave her a look, tilting her head toward their teammate.

I'll talk to him, Willow mouthed.

She approached him at the end of practice when everyone else was getting ready to set off for home. He was pulling off the green jersey from over his grey shirt, and a few petals drifted down.

Uh oh. Is this normal?

Maybe this is normal.

Suddenly, everything Willow was going to ask left her mind as she bent to pick a golden one up.

"Hey, do these keep falling off?"

"Oh. Um... sometimes. Sorry. I'll try not to make a mess."

"No- it's okay. I mean it's not- didn't these just start blooming?"

"A few days ago, yeah."

"Can I take a closer look?"

Hunter knelt down in front of her, tilting his head so she could peer down into his hair. The flowers that had been so sturdy and bright a few days ago were... wilting.

"Have you been drinking enough water?"

"No less than I usually do."

"Sunlight?"

"You know, I'm not all plant, it's a little more complicated than that." Hunter stood abruptly, turning to grab his bag.

"I know, I'm just ruling out possible reasons." It seemed she had touched a nerve.

"Well, you aren't exactly the expert on this. No one is because I'm a freak."

"Hunter-"

"I'll take care of it myself. Bye."

Willow bit back a retort and watched her friend stalk away. "Uncharacteristic mood swings," she muttered. "Another concerning symptom."


"And it's like- I feel selfish because who am I to want to keep him when I'm probably the worst parent in the Boiling Isles-" Darius was currently lying on the couch ignoring all the feathers stuck to it, his head resting on Raine's knee as they encouraged him to let it all out.

"Well, I wouldn't say the worst."

"There are definitely worse."

"Okay, but I'm still not the best."

"But is anyone the best?" Luz asked. "I mean, I've had my fair share of arguments with my mom, with Eda... nobody is perfect."

"But I hurt him. Even if he doesn't realize the full gravity of what I did by ignoring him all those years, I still did it. Why do I think I can suddenly turn it around now?"

"You've caught a classic case of paternal instincts," Eda nodded sagely.

"That doesn't mean Hunter feels the same. He doesn't. He has a new family now, a better one. He doesn't need me anymore. He hasn't even called."

Luz's brow furrowed. She remembered Hunter's strange, quiet behavior at school. The math wasn't quite mathing.

"Did he say he wanted to leave?"

"I- well, we always knew it was meant to be a temporary arrangement. I told myself I wouldn't get attached, and here I am." Darius crossed his arms. "This is so stupid."

"Aw. Well, we won't let you stay lonely. How about some rounds of Hexes Hold'em? It was your favorite back in high school..." Eda pulled a deck of cards out of her hair.

"That's a good idea, it'll take your mind off worrying. Come on," Raine pushed Darius up.


Hunter's eyes threatened to shut as he concentrated with all his might on the board in the front of the classroom.

No matter how early he went to bed, he still felt tired these days. It was making him snippy and not fun to be around.

Mr. and Mrs. Planter kept using the word 'adjusting' to each other or under their breaths.

The only thing that really helped was Willow's vitamin water she let him try. It made him feel a little more energized. But he would never admit it.

She would start giving it to you on a regular basis- like fertilizing a plant.


Willow finally found the book she was looking for and grinned triumphantly before flipping to the chapter she needed. The yellowing pages smelled nice.

The Care and Keeping of Palistrom Trees

There it was. She was hesitant to show Hunter the book. After what he said at Flyer Derby practice, he might take it the wrong way. She had to be very sly in offering that vitamin water just a few days ago.

Something was up with her friend, and she was determined to find out.

She found a beanbag chair and settled in, beginning the chapter.

Palistrom trees are a vital part of the Boiling Isles environment, both for wildlife and witches...


Ugh.

Hunter woke up feeling groggy; like he'd tried to pull an all-nighter with four cups of coffee.

Which he didn't do anymore, Darius said that wasn't allowed.

His stomach twisted. That happened a lot when he thought too hard about where he was now, and where he wasn't anymore.

He should stop thinking about it. School would start soon. He could hear Sam and Pauleen already in the bathroom arguing over who was hogging the sink. He'd slept late.

Stay. Sleep. Not well.

Flapjack hopped onto his chest, tugging the blanket up another inch.

"No, Jack-Jack. I have to get up."

The room spun when he stood. That wasn't good.

He could still do this though. He could totally do this.

Mrs. Planter gave him an odd look when he came downstairs.

"What?"

"Your uniform is on backward. Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"Luz says I'm always pale," Hunter mumbled.

He forced a few bites of food down. It felt like chewing wet leaves. Flapjack nuzzled into his neck. Stay home.

"You look like you're dead," was Pauleen's astute observation when he met them at the door to go.

"Thanks. Let's go."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should go back to sleep," Sam said.

"I can call the school," Mr. Planter said. "Sit down."

Hunter was steered to the couch. Before he could protest, the words caught in his throat and he coughed into his elbow. He let himself be eased into a lying position. Flapjack rearranged his hair to his liking before Hunter drifted back to sleep.


"Where is Hunter?" Gus asked in gym class. Usually, he was the first one to get changed and outside, even while everyone else was dragging their feet due to the early morning.

"He wasn't in the locker room?" Willow asked.

"No."

The two friends glanced at each other. They had a bad feeling about this.

"Meet later?"

"Yeah."


A nap should have made me feel better.

What time is it?

I'm so cold.

Jack-jack? Where did he go?

I need this blanket off now, it's so hot it's too hot dear Titan

Where's uncle?

Oh. He's dead now.

Shit, school is starting soon. I need to go to school, I overslept.

Where's my dad?

Hunter hit the floor with a hard thud.

I can't get up. Oh well.

The floor's not so bad.

Except I'm cold. It's super cold down here.


After school, Gus and Willow raced to the Owl House as fast as they could go. The thick book- The Care and Keeping of Palistrom Trees- bounced around in her backpack.

"Luz, is Hunter here? Have you heard from him?" they called up to her window, where she was leaning out.

"What? No, why?" Luz slid down the roof without missing a beat and used a plant glyph to lower herself to the ground. "Wasn't he in your gym class?"

"No."

"That's funny. He was going for perfect attendance..."

"What's this about Blondie?" Eda stuck her head out the kitchen window. "He hasn't been calling as often as he should."

"Maybe something is wrong," Gus began to chew on his thumbnail, a bad habit he hadn't quite broken.

"Eda, can we steal Luz?" Willow asked.

"Sure. Why?"

"Wh- you're supposed to ask why first!" Luz sputtered as Willow pulled her over to Clover.

"It's okay, we'll be back before it gets dark."


Chantal flipped through the papers in Hunter's file. "There's no mention of any preexisting conditions... then again, I don't even know if this kid got taken to a healer."

"Would anyone else know why none of this is working?" Mrs. Planter pushed the bin from the medicine cabinet toward Chantal. The gargoyle glanced at the assortment of potions. Some basic painkillers, fever suppressants... He had only gotten worse throughout the day, and the adults weren't sure what to do. What typically worked on sick kids wasn't working, and the grimwalker was dropping petals everywhere now too.

"The man who might know is dead. So we just have to figure something else out."

The three heard a loud sneeze and glanced over to see a few more golden petals float to the ground.


"Okay, we're here," Willow sighed, tucking Clover into her bag.

"In record time too. I'll ring the doorbell!" Gus all but sprinted up the front steps and hit the doorbell two consecutive times.

The awkward silence that ensued stretched on for an uncomfortable amount of time. Luz shifted from foot to foot, then reached out.

"No!" Willow pulled her hand back. "It would be rude to ring it again so soon."

"I'm really worried about him, Willow."

"I know. I am too. But we have to be patient."

The seconds ticked by. A minute. Two.

"Okay, maybe we can ring it again. Just once."

On their third try, a short red headed girl answered the door.

"Who are you guys- wait, I know you! You're the Flyer Derby Captain!" the girl gasped, her face lighting up. "Hunter likes-"

A boy, her brother, quickly snatched her up, covering her mouth. "To talk about Flyer Derby! Hunter likes talking about that. You're here to see him, right? He's a little under the weather but you can come in, maybe seeing his friends will help."

"Thank you," Willow flashed a quick smile to the two before grabbing Gus's hand and heading in to find Hunter. Under the weather, huh? That didn't sound good.

Meanwhile, Sam let Pauleen go. "Hey, you can't just tell a guy's crush he likes her!"

"But he does."

"Yeah, but he's supposed to be the one to say it."

"Oh..."

Luz was the first to round the corner and spot her friend- no, practically brother- curled up on her couch surrounded by petals. She recognized his caseworker, who sat tapping her claws on her snout nervously. A man in the next room paced back and forth, trying to speak quietly into a crow. A woman waited, listening to their conversation with a pensive look on her face. Luz heard a few dry coughs from the lump on the couch.

"Oh my Titan, Hunter!"

"Hm?" he rolled over, squinting at the three figures above him.

"You really are sick... how long have you felt bad?"

"I'm just resting," he mumbled, a small smile on his face. Willow pulled the book out of her bag, and his expression fell. "What's that?"

"I need you to tell me what's going on. No more hiding, okay? We are your friends and we are going to help you."

"But-"

"No buts. Please."

Hunter sighed. He really couldn't argue with her. He didn't care if that made him weak. At this point, it sounded nice, to let Willow take the wheel. He couldn't muster the energy to feel guilty for taking up her time. "Okay. I don't feel good."

"It's not a mold," Gus said. "Is it?"

Chantal shook her head. "If it were a mold or stomach bug, it would be gone by now. The Planters tried what they could for the basic possibilities."

"And when did these start falling off?" Luz asked, picking up a petal.

Hunter shrugged. "Last practice? But it was like one or two."

Willow muttered to herself, flipping through pages. "Dropping leaves... dropping leaves..."

"Willow... Maybe- my lungs are stone sleeper, right? And my skin is made out of selkidomus scales. I'm made of all this random shit that's been reused Titan knows how many times, and maybe something is finally giving out. Maybe it's my time."

"No," Willow sounded choked up. "No, I refuse to believe that. We're going to figure out how to fix this."

"Don't even worry about it, Hunter, we're going to have you better in no time," Gus said. Hunter to surprised to find himself genuinely believing it.


Darius stared down at the page Hunter's friend (girlfriend? crush?) held out in front of him. He had gotten the call just as he was getting ready to leave work.

"We need you to come over, as soon as possible," Mrs. Planter had said. "It's about Hunter."

He felt a small spike of nervous adrenaline and agreed before questioning why. While he finished up his last bit of work as quickly as he could, worst-case scenarios started to develop in his head.

He never could have dreamed this up. It seemed fake.

"Transplant shock?"

"Yes," Willow nodded, entirely serious. "The symptoms match. I tried to transplant my snapdragons once. They started acting like this and almost didn't revive."

"But Hunter is a person."

"Made of Palistrom wood. Growing flowers. Who has recently been transplanted to a whole new home, which might have acted as a shock to his system, causing him to get sick like this."

"Are you sure?"

"No one is sure," Chantal chimed in. "But this is the best theory."

"Okay..." Darius tried to wrap his head around it. "And what do you want me to do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Luz scoffed. "You both miss each other, take him back!"

"I can't just do that! That's not how it works, he was placed with a better family, and I can't just take him away and undo that. And what if moving him again just- I don't know, double shocks him?"

"Well, that is kind of how it works. I can move him back with you if you agree to it," Chantal said.

Mr. Planter nodded in agreement. "If it turns out he's not going to thrive in this environment, we won't take it personally. We just want what's best for him."

Darius glanced into the next room at the back of the couch. He didn't know what to say.

"Well, we can't make you take him back," Chantal sighed. "What's our Plan B?"

Willow sniffed, starting to sound a little choked up. "Maybe I could take him to my house. I'm- I'm a familiar person."

"But he isn't used to your dads. You know how he is around unfamiliar adults," Gus said.

"I know. The Owl House?"

"He's afraid of Hooty. Would it stress him out?"

"Lillith can take Hooty for a weekend, or until he recovers, or maybe until we figure something out that's more... permanent?" Luz suggested.

"Can we risk calling a healer? Is it safe to explain all of this to someone?"

"If he's still like this by morning, we might have to..."

Guilt gnawed away at Darius as the discussion around him escalated in volume. He couldn't do this. He wasn't cut out to be a parent. His own had been quite distant, he had no clue how to act as one. Hunter deserved to be in a place where his emotional needs could be met as well as the physical ones like a roof over his head.

Hunter couldn't possibly like staying with him so much that it hurt him to leave. He couldn't possibly be that attached to Darius of all people.

He heard Hunter start to cough in the other room. He sounded awfully congested. Ew. Before he was even aware that his feet were moving, he was kneeling next to the couch. The boy had his face buried in his blanket, trying to muffle the noise.

"Hey, that's not very good for you. Come on, let yourself breathe," Darius pulled the blanket off of Hunter's flushed face. Titan, he really was out of it, his gaze unfocused and his ears limp.

"Hm?"

"You're going to suffocate if you do that." Another petal, blue this time, dropped. Darius frowned. "Have you been drinking enough water?"

Hunter scoffed. "'m not a snapdragon."

"Don't sass me, young man."

"Willow's been making me drink water, old man. I'm fine."

Darius raised an eyebrow and laid a hand on Hunter's burning forehead. "Oh yeah. You sure feel fine," he deadpanned.

Hunter whined, flopping back onto the couch cushions.

"Care to tell me what's going on here?"

"I don't know! I dunno, I just feel bad. I feel bad all the time and I don't know how to make it stop. I'm not a very good kid."

"What makes you think that?"

"If I were a good kid, I'd do better. I'd be better. Uncle was right. I'm horrible and ungrateful and-"

"No, that's- I don't think that's true. You're always trying to be good. Always. That's more than I can say for myself."

"Well, you're a grown-up," Hunter said, sounding childish for a moment. "You don't have to try to be good when you have no one to answer to. Well, 'cept maybe the law. Unless you're Eda and you don't care. Ugh, you get what I'm saying."

"Not really, no."

"I mean I have to be good, or- or nobody wants me, and I don't want to be by myself." Darius was alarmed to hear a sniffle, then Hunter started to cry. This seemed surreal. "I did something wrong that made you not want to keep me, I know it. Or else Chantal wouldn't have had me move. Right? And now the Planters won't want me anymore."

"No, no that's not how- living with me was always meant to be temporary until they could find somewhere better for you."

"Better? For... me?"

"Yes, that's what I said."

"Why did anyone think I wanted to be anywhere else?"

If Darius had been standing when Hunter asked the question, he would have had to sit down. "What?"

Hunter turned to his side, staring at Darius with tired eyes. "I mean, I guess I was worried at first that we wouldn't fit. But then it was going well, and I was hoping I was being good enough to stay with you."

"Why would you want that?"

The boy made a sound of exasperation. "Because?!"

"That is not an answer. Kid, I don't know what I'm doing. There are probably a million different better parents out there-"

"But they aren't you. You were the first person that saw me. You kept Flapjack secret, you- you helped me stay in contact with my friends, and you didn't expect me to be someone else. Of course, I had other options. Gus wanted me to live with him. Luz wanted to adopt me for fucks sake!"

Darius couldn't hold back a snort of laughter at that. "She what?"

"She wanted to adopt me, and so did Eda."

"If she wanted you, why not go?"

"I liked living with you better. And I'm scared of her house demon," he said the last part very quietly, sinking further into the couch cushions in embarrassment. "I don't know, maybe Chantal will put me there anyways. Whoever the next people are, I'll try to do better for them.

Darius was still hung up on the first part. Hunter liked it living with him best. I can't have been doing that badly then. But that wasn't a very high bar to jump. Maybe Hunter didn't know any better after how his uncle had raised him. Maybe Darius was just as bad a parent as he originally thought, totally unknowledgeable and unprepared-

Then again, who could be prepared?

Were any of them- even Hunter- prepared for the flowers that grew out of his scalp? Did anyone foresee the need for those sleeping caps or the (alleged) effects moving had on his health?

Even with a normal child, how could you ever predict everything they would need?

Darius felt a lump of emotion starting to grow in his throat. "I'm not very good at family," he admitted. Despite his efforts, his voice still shook. "I use 'mutt' as a term of endearment, I've never been particularly good at showing people that I care. I'm afraid I'm not the best person to..."

"To what?" Hunter asked when the pause had gone on for too long.

"I've thought about our arrangement. As housemates. Your little girlfriend told me you might be... wilting? Because you've been transplanted. If you want to go back to the old arrangement, we can do that."

"You don't have to do this just because of these-" Hunter gestured at the shriveling leaves on his head.

"And I might have missed you," Darius blurted. "More than I expected to. Again, I'm not very good at family, but we can try. If that's what you want."

That seemed to have stunned the boy into silence. Hunter tried to process what had just happened in his foggy brain. "For real?"

"Yes."

Hunter glanced down, fiddling with the edge of the blanket. "Will Mr. and Mrs. Planter be mad at me?" he asked softly.

"Why would they be? They want what's best for you. Just like I do. Just like your friends do. Whatever that is."

This time, when tears started running down Hunter's face, he could tell that they weren't all bad tears. "Okay," he said, swiping at his eyes with his sleeves. "I want to go back home with you."

Darius nodded. "I'll talk to Chantal about it. We'll get it sorted."

"And you won't get rid- um, have me move away again?"

"No. Not until it's time to move out on your own as an adult, not until you're ready. I promise."

The gap-toothed smile that Darius had missed appeared on Hunter's face. "Thanks," he said, sounding happy but more tired than ever. "Can I go today?"

"I don't know, you still look like a wreck."

"Hey, I-" Hunter's voice caught again, and he turned over and started coughing into the pillow.

He was shaking. Darius stood, unclasped his cloak, and draped it over the shivering boy. "What here one second."

"Like I was about to get up and go anywhere," Hunter rasped sarcastically.

Darius rolled his eyes and returned to the kitchen to work out the next few steps.


Just as Willow suspected, Hunter bounced right back as soon as he dragged his suitcase back into his old room and slept in his own bed. Small green buds appeared where the old leaves had fallen off.

He sent the Planters a "thank-you-and-sorry" card, for trying to take care of him, flowers and all.

"Maybe you're right," he admitted to Willow. "I think I will read more about Palistrom trees. I'm still... uncomfortable, thinking about how I'm so much different than everyone else. But it's not going to go away. I can't ignore it, or something like that might happen again. I don't like scaring you guys."

"We're just glad you're okay. If it would help, we can read this together," Willow offered, sliding the book across the table to sit between them.

Hunter smiled. "I think I would like that."