Adeline pulled away, suddenly feeling self-conscious as she gathered her thoughts and he glanced at her nervously then looked away shamefully as she took in her father on the floor and everything that had happened in such a short span of time. Water was pooling around her as it dripped quickly from her drenched locks and he was unsure how she would react.
When she went to stand, Credence quickly scrambled to his feet, standing slightly away from her with fists clenched and jaw set. Would she scream? Still out of breath and hands on her hips, chest heaving, she looked at her father as he stirred slightly, but did not get up.
Finally, she placed a hand momentarily on his shoulder before gesturing towards her Father, "Could you help me carry him to his room?"
They carried Mr. Nickels up the narrow stairway. Credence's heart nearly stopped, causing him to halt on the steps when Mr. Nickel's head rolled forward, bobbing. It wasn't till they had gotten Mr. Nickels into bed and Adeline shut the door behind her that he let himself breath. They sat together on a velvet covered bench in the hall that was mostly used to toss the newspaper onto at the end of the day.
He leaned forward with elbows on his knees while they both sat in silence. He glanced at her as she wrung out her hair, seeming lost in thought and content to just sit for the time being. But as the moments ticked by he could feel himself becoming more and more restless with the unknown before him.
"Credence," She spoke finally, letting her hair fall back against her wet dress and he tried not to notice the transparency of the damp fabric against her skin. She placed a hand on his and looked at him meaningfully.
He couldn't quite describe what he felt in that moment. Their relationship had been so strange from the time they had met, that he couldn't quite begin to wrap his mind around the reality in front of him. Her kindness always jolted him, always caught him off guard.
"Thank you so much," She said quietly, eyebrows furrowed and a little bit sad. "But you really shouldn't have."
The words stabbed him in the stomach and he began to sit up to protest. Her father would have killed her! But she squeezed his hand tighter, and he found himself subdued, his emotions quietened.
"Adeline...If you need help..." His voice shook. "To get away I...I-"
"No," She didn't look at him, then turned a serious gaze up. "Credence, you need to get away. It's one thing if Mary Lou finds out about you, it's an entirely different thing with father. You should leave town, at least till we've gone."
He knew what she was talking about, because Graves had told him. However, Graves had told him they were nothing to worry about, just laughs in the wizard community, and this had made him feel better. But by the look on Adeline's face, he felt just the slightest bit of doubt creep into him.
"I...can't," The words were hard to say. He knew she wouldn't understand.
"You must," Adeline leaned forward, gripping his hand pleadingly. But he shook his head and searched her eyes, wondering how much to tell her, too soon and she might be scared off. Graves wanted to help her, this he understood. But would she?
In a matter of a couple of weeks, Adeline had gone from being the girl in the store to being the daughter of a witch hunter and wanted by Graves. And, despite the jealousy that he felt with Graves' attention on the girl, he wanted to help her escape as much as he wanted for himself. But he could not do that by scaring her off.
Adeline withdrew her hand, smoothing down her dress on her lap stiffly when he didn't speak and he closed his eyes for a moment, the small gesture a rejection.
"Is it your family?"
"There's... There's this…" He searched for the right words, desperate to bring her back to his side.
"...Man?"
He blinked, straightening up. "Yes, How...?"
She straightened up as well, her whole face flushing red, for a moment seeming like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Oh well," She cleared her throat, "Credence, your secrets are safe with me. But, surely you could leave together?"
Credence shook his head. "We have to find a child first."
"There are children in every city!"
"No, not like this," He looked her steadily in the eyes. "There is a child, a witch or wizard, and I must find them first."
"Then...then the child in danger as well, as long as we are here."
Credence gripped his knees and nodded, watching carefully for her reaction.
"And...the man is a wizard as well?"
Credence nodded again and watched as her eyes grew wide with realization.
"Then we must find the child before my father does, and you can be on your way."
Later that evening, when Father had not yet woken and Credence had already gone home, Adeline was careful, and quiet, to pull one of her mother's old recipe books from the shelf. And, when she did, she flipped towards the back of the book, to a folded up piece of paper labeled Forgetfulness Tea.
Her heart thudded in her chest and her fingers felt weak as they unfolded the worn paper to the recipe inside. And Adeline knew, with much certainty, that this was not a simple recipe as she had seen her mother use it on many occasions of an argument between her and her husband. At the time, Adeline had been too young to understand, and her mother had always insisted on its secrecy.
"This is our secret. Right, Nickels?" Mother giggled, booping her finger on a young Adeline's button nose. Adeline smiled, revealing a missing front tooth, the first of her baby teeth gone. She liked that they had this secret together, just her and mother.
"Right," She gave a big, certain nod.
"And one day," Mother dipped the tea bag into the steaming cup and handed it to her daughter. "When it's time, you'll have this recipe all for your own."
Adeline nodded again, inhaling the intoxicating fumes of the tea. She turned carefully, holding the cup with both hands so that it wouldn't spill when her mom spoke kindly with a small, knowing smile on her pretty lips.
"Adeline, do you remember the prayer?"
Adeline's eyes got big and she shook her head. Her mother kneeled down in front of her, cupping her hands around the cup just below Adeline's for a moment, before waving a hand over the top.
"Oblivi omni apsque felix."She spoke carefully, enunciating each word over the tea, glancing up with a smile at Adeline's wonder. "There, all done, you can take it to your father now."
Adeline grinned, a bit of tea sloshing over the side as she turned hastily to find her father.
Now, as Adeline measured out the ingredients, her hands shook. And she jumped at the sound of toast popping up from it's maker, herbs scattering. She cursed under her breath, cleaning up the mess hastily before going back to her potion with a frown on her lips and anxiety in her throat. But even so, as she set the mixture brewing, she could feel pride boiling up in her chest and she wondered, Would she be proud of me?