Misty stood ready by the door, watching them enter the clearing. She rarely saw Cordelia arrive, as she usually just waited for the knock on the door, the knock Cordelia still insisted on. It was one thing witnessing Cordelia appear in the clearing by herself, but something else completely when she was surrounded by a horde of little children.

She looked so happy. Misty always knew she liked children, but seeing her like this, guiding and managing fifteen kids, truly showed how much she adored them. And she was good at it too. That helper girl, Zoe, was only there for show. She walked in the back, holding a girl's hand as they tread forward. She had long blonde hair like Cordelia, but not the same golden shade and she was a little shorter. She wore a large black hat, which made her seem older than she probably was. She smiled at the kid and bend down to talk to her.

"Hey there", Misty said to Cordelia when they were close enough. She couldn't help the grin. The pull towards her was immense today. It had been stronger ever since their first night together, but something about the joy that radiated from her made it almost irresistible. Misty knew the code, however, and she accepted the hug instead of a kiss. It was just as loaded with emotion so she didn't really mind.

"Thank you for doing this", Cordelia whispered in her ear. Misty wanted to say so many things, but she bit her tongue and smiled instead. Cordelia turned to the lot. "Everyone, this is my friend Misty."

"Hi Misty", they chimed in unison. Misty couldn't help her laughter.

"Hey y'all, nice to meet you."

Zoe stepped forward and offered Misty her hand. She was only a couple years younger than Misty herself, but the span seemed greater. Or maybe she was just different. Misty never could fit herself with the few of her own age she had met when in town. She always felt different. "Hi, I'm Zoe", the girl said.

"I'm Misty. Hey."

"I love your cottage! It's such an awesome space you have here!" She had a friendly face, Misty noticed, and big eyes, which wandered over the clearing with an expression of quiet wonder. Misty decided she liked her.

"Thanks", she said. She turned to Cordelia then. "How'd you wanna do this, Delia?"

"Oh I thought we'd take a quick look around and then I'll hold a tiny lecture – it will be tiny, I promise", she added while looking at the kids. " – And then you guys get to eat lunch and take a look around, so long as you stay very close, sound good?"

The kids yelled out a united agreement. Misty snickered and started to see why Cordelia would want one of those for herself. Cordelia caught her eyes: "Is that all okay with you?"

"'Course."

"Good. And your friend?"

"Down by the river." Zoe looked from one to the other, but didn't comment.

Misty took it upon herself to show them the area they were allowed to stay in. It was a small clearing, that didn't stretch far behind her shack, but the kids watched with a fascination that told Misty most of them had never been this deep anyway.

They all gathered in her front yard then, made a small crowd in front of Misty's garden, the one where she kept most of her plants. They stood still, listening to Cordelia's lecture, while Zoe and Misty stayed in the background. They found a sunny spot to stand in and watched the lecture from there.

"She's a really good teacher", Zoe commented.

Misty, who was mostly entranced by Cordelia's voice and the lecture she gave, took a couple of seconds to realize the young girl was talking to her.

"Oh, yeah I know. She taught me to read as a kid."

"That's right, you guys grew up together. She mentioned that. She didn't say that much about you, but she thinks the world of you. I can tell." A smile followed her words, one that was friendly and didn't imply that the girl was digging for answers, merely making conversation.

Misty didn't quite know what to say, that wouldn't give her away. She so rarely talked to people, that even this harmless conversation made her feel awkward.

Zoe saved her by asking another question: "So have you lived out here for long?"

Misty shrugged. "I guess. Some years."

"Does it ever get lonely?"

"Na, I like it just like it is. 'Sides, Delia visits me."

The girl nodded. Then she smiled, gave a nervous chuckle and said: "Can I just say that I admire you a little? For living out here. It's really cool. I wish had so much quiet sometimes. It just gets so loud sometimes, living in the city. Sometimes I think about moving in with my boyfriend, maybe we could get a quieter space. His name's Kyle…" Misty didn't want to zone out, but she couldn't help it; when her gaze fell back on Cordelia, her mind followed. Cordelia asked the crowd questions and tiny hands reached into the air. She smiled at them, encouraged them just as she had Misty, when she had taught her.

Misty listened, too, for what Cordelia said. She had never been to school and this was the closest she would get. She didn't know a lot of the fancy words Cordelia used, but she knew of the plants and their properties and found that she could still keep up.

At one point, their eyes caught each other over the heads of the children and Cordelia's smile grew warmer. Misty would have thought they were so securely rooted with each other by now that the times of butterflies had passed, but in just that moment, Misty felt a flutter in her stomach. It took all she had to keep her cool and stay put.

She felt Zoe's eyes on her, but didn't turn her head. She had only eyes for Cordelia and the way her eyes lit, when she was teaching.

After the lecture, Misty gathered a handful of blankets for them to sit on. The split up in little groups and Cordelia sat down by Misty. A few of the kids joined them, and Zoe sat far away on another blanket, already invested in conversation with a young boy.

"So what do you think of fourth grade biology?" Cordelia asked Misty and handed her a sandwich. At first Misty was too held up by this old routine to answer – Cordelia always used to make them lunch when they were children, but Misty hadn't thought she would do it now – but she gathered herself for the sake of facades.

"Thanks. I thought it was great. You're really smart."

One of those shy smiles, Cordelia always wore whenever Misty complimented her, broke out on her face. "Did I say anything you didn't already know?"

Misty shrugged. "You said a bunch of words I didn't know. Good enough?"

"You talk funny", said one of the kids, a little girl with ruffled, brown hair and glasses. She studied Misty over the edge of her own sandwich.

"Now Trisha, that's not a very nice thing to say. If you want to know something, ask instead", Cordelia chided. She kept her voice soft with only a hint of sternness, but the girl shamefully bowed her head.

"Sorry", she said and dared looking up again. "Why do you talk different?"

"It's okay. It's 'cause I don't come from the same place as you", Misty explained to her.

"Where do you come from?" The boy next to her asked. He had darker skin and big brown eyes, which curiously followed Misty's every move, as if he had never seen anything quite like her before.

"I come from a small town behind the swamps. It's not a nice place, don't go there, okay?"

"Okay", said the boy. "Why is it not a nice place?"

"Um…" She paused. How was she to explain to a little boy that they were religious fanatics, who banned her for witchcraft?

Cordelia saved her: "That's for your history teacher to tell you. Now off you go, if you want to look around before we go home."

The children scattered shortly after, leaving Cordelia and Misty alone in the front yard.

Zoe got up. "I'll watch them", she said and went around the shack.

Suddenly alone, as alone as can be with fifteen children running around the grounds, it felt even harder to keep from physical contact. Cordelia's hand rested on the blanket and her fingers were spread out just inches from Misty's own, but Cordelia had made her promise they would keep their connection to themselves. People would ask questions. Misty didn't really care, but she wouldn't deny Cordelia her secrecy, if that was what she wanted.

"I'm so glad I got to bring them here", she said. "It's been a wonderful day."

Misty was hesitant to look at her. She would be so close and she would have that look on her face, Misty could hear it in her voice.

She finally tore her eyes from the ground and looked up. Oh, there it was. And the urge to lean forward came with it. The restrain she forced on herself made her heart pound.

"You're really good with them. The kids."

Cordelia's eyes flashed with a sense of longing. "I love them. And they're probably as close as I'll ever get."

"Don't say that now. That smart doctor of yours'll figure it all out, you'll see."

Cordelia smiled and her eyes briefly looked to their hands, still grounded on the blanket close to each other. "I love your optimism. I have to go watch the kids for a while." She got up, and her hand graced Misty's before doing so. The butterflies took another twirl.

Misty got up too and took to watching after the children as well, but she stayed by the garden instead of going around the house. That way she could add some distance to the magnetic pull and she could watch the path to the river.

After a moment, she realized the girl with the glasses, Trisha, was watching her from around the corner of the shack.

"Hey there. How long've you been standin' there?"

She came out of the shadows without a word and shuffled around the garden. Misty gave her space and looked away. She didn't know how to get children talking, like Cordelia did.

Soon after, girl pulled at her sleeve. She had a determined look in her eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Mrs. Foxx says you're her old friend…" She paused and shot Misty another look, as if weighing her words. Then a crooked smile came on her lips. "But you're not really her friend, are you?"

Misty twerked her eyebrows and snickered. "Smart kid. But don't tell anyone, okay?"

She nodded and smiled again. She didn't let go of Misty's sleeve, but entangled her fingers in Misty's instead. Misty stared at their hands in wonder, but didn't pull away.

"What was it that one did?" Trisha asked and pointed at a plant in Misty's garden. Misty ended up explaining half her plants again and Trisha commented that she didn't answer like "Mrs. Foxx does it."

"That's 'cause I ain't no teacher."

"But you know things just like a teacher."

Misty didn't know what to say to that. She didn't need to, because it wasn't long before Cordelia called them together and packed up. Zoe gave Misty a polite goodbye and Trisha gave her a hug. Misty laughed with incredulity and ruffled the girl's messy hair a little more. It looked like a brown version of her own.

"Bye, guys", she said to all of them. Cordelia came last and gave her another hug.

"Bye, love", she whispered into her neck. Misty was glad the lot couldn't see her face. Cordelia pulled away with a much more concealed smile. "See you in two days."

They had spread out their time together a little. Now that Cordelia sometimes stayed the night, she had to reduce her visits, or Hank would feel left out. Misty couldn't care less for Hank's feelings on the matter, but she didn't object. She only waved as they left the clearing and waited out, until Nick came back.

He did so not five minutes later. He waddled on slow feet, a strained walk and Misty shot him a concerned look. His movements spoke of pain. She sat down by him to examine his skin. In the valleys of his scales where small pools of blood, some already clotted. Misty put a hand the rips in his dark scales and let the energy surge through her body towards the wounds. The blood would stay, but the source closed in seconds.

"There you go, Nick. Sorry they're so mean to you."

The alligator wiggled into his favorite spot by the garden and stayed still.

O0O

Gavin had wandered through the swamp for days already. She had to be here somewhere. That's what she had foolishly told her dying mama. It was blunt stupidity to give up her location like that. Did she really think no one would come for her?

But of course he would. He planned to hunt her down and free the world of her wickedness, now that he finally understood. He couldn't believe it had taken his father this long to come clean. Nineteen years! That's a long time to hold onto a secret so dark and filthy. It was like carrying around an infested wound. It had eaten at his poor, soft-cored soul. Once mesmerized, always mesmerized. The girl had enchanted him, just as her mama had, from the very day she was born. It was obvious in his voice. So of course he couldn't do it. Of course it wouldn't leave him pure to hunt her down himself. He was the new priest after Gavin's grandfather had passed away. He couldn't have blood on his hands, even if it was the blood of the damned.

So, Gavin took it upon his shoulders to rinse the devil from their land. But despite his determination, he had been searching for almost a week. His supply was slipping up and his patience heading the same way. How well could a witch hide? They said such creatures could only be found, if they wanted to. They could hide in the shadows, turn to clouds of smoke to avoid the eyes of the outsiders.

Gavin wasn't sure he believed those stories though. Had the Day-woman not claimed she was just an unusual girl? Wicked, but a girl nonetheless? She was a container for the devil to inhabit, but she was a solid container. She couldn't just vanish.

Finally, the Lord willed his luck to blossom. Noise had led him to a path. He hid as a flock of little children came by, accompanied by an adult woman and a teenager. He hid in the cover of the trees and listened for the joyous children chatter to subside. As soon as they were out of sight, Gavin snuck in the opposite direction, kept a parallel trail to the path.

It led him to a clearing with a small shack standing in the middle.

And there she was. His heart pounded with sudden sinister excitement. It had to be her. The chaotic hair, the wildness about her. She looked just like her mama had. She stood with her arms crossed, looking towards the path. For a moment, her eyes flickered and he feared she had seen him, but then she turned away.

Gavin adjusted his position as carefully as he could and was now able to watch her as she greeted something. She crouched down and his heart skipped a beat, when he realized she was greeting an alligator. It appeared wounded. Wounded animals were vicious. It puzzled him why it didn't tear her to pieces, but soon enough he realized: She was enchanting it. She did that thing, he had seen her do to Margaret Day, heard that she had done to old Norma's boy. That boy had grown up to be a weird man. He was a quiet as it was, but he shut up like an oyster whenever old maiden Day and her witch child were brought up in conversation.

He could hear that she said something to it. She talked the exact same way he did and he hated it. How could she sound like one of them, when she clearly wasn't? He had to remind himself that the devil was a master in disguise.

He wanted to do it now. He wanted to shove his blade through that deceiving container and be done with it. But he hadn't been prepared for the guardian she kept. And he was weak from the lack of food. He would go into the city and regain his strength while planning his attack. He would need time to figure out how to get around her enslaved beast and get directly to her. He wouldn't return to his hometown, before he could bring good news with him. And maybe her head.

O0O

The children's chatter brought them all the way back to the school. Cordelia felt lighthearted in a way she rarely did. Bringing the kids to Misty had been every bit as rewarding an experience as she could have hoped for. It felt like a circle coming to a perfect close. At the same time she felt silly, because there was something about being so close to Misty without being allowed to touch her, forbidden to act on these twirling emotions, that was oddly arousing. It made her feel like a rebel teenager. She regretted having to wait two full days to see her again.

Hank had started making complaints. He didn't know anything, she was sure, but he had commented on how little she was home. He was going through a rough patch at work, being punished for a minor mistake and it took its toll on him. She wanted to be there for him. He might not always know how to handle her moods, but he was always there the best he could. She wanted to return that comfort. And frankly, now that she felt lighter at heart, their time together was lighter too. Hank wasn't afraid to go near her at the moment.

When they reached the school entrance, Cordelia called the children to a circle to say goodbye for the day. The children talked over each other, begging to go again another time.

"It was a really cool trip, Mrs. Foxx."

"Yeah, I wanna go see Misty again!"

"Yes me too!"

Cordelia shushed them with a smile. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I'll see what I can do about it, but for now we're done with ecosystems. I want you all to write me a small paper on a flower from Misty's garden. I'll have them on my desk in a week. Off you go now."

The children said goodbye and scattered. Only Zoe remained.

"It really was a nice day, Mrs. Foxx."

"Please just call me Cordelia, Zoe."

"Cordelia", she nodded. She didn't leave, but fidgeted with her hat. An unknown pressing question lingered in her features.

"Was there anything else?"

Zoe looked startled, appeared to have been lost in forming her own words.

"Oh, um, it was just… Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure", Cordelia offered, but cautiously.

"Okay, so I know it's really none of my business, but I was just curious. And it's totally cool and all, but I was wondering, are you and Misty like a thing?" Cordelia froze in shock for a second and missed a few words of Zoe's babbling explanation. "… and I know you guys grew up together and everything, but like with the way you looked at each other, I thought maybe…" Finally, she trailed off.

"Zoe, I'm married", Cordelia said, her voice a little more stiff than she intended.

"Oh. Right, yeah I knew that. I-I shouldn't have asked, it just looked…"

"Was there anything else?" She repeated. "Because I have to prepare for tomorrow's classes."

"No, nothing, that was, um, it. But thanks for bringing me. I hope I didn't just ruin my chances at coming with you next time?" The girl looked so panicked that Cordelia forced out a warm smile, just to get her to calm down.

"No, of course not. But perhaps keep your wonderings to yourself from now on?"

Zoe looked beyond relieved.

"Yeah of course, totally. I'll see you around, Mrs.- Cordelia."

"Have a nice day, Zoe."

Cordelia left the fidgeting girl and headed for the teacher's lounge. She hoped to God or whoever, that the young girl hadn't noticed how her heart almost stopped for a moment. She had to conceal her emotions better.

She took a swing by the toilets and locked herself in a stall, until she was certain her face wouldn't betray her.

She couldn't put words to the connection she and Misty had, but she was fully aware that the innocence of it was gone. She couldn't explain this away with semantics. Cordelia suddenly realized the situation she had put herself in. As if the severity of it only dawned her now, triggered by Zoe's innocent question. Are you and Misty like a thing? Were they? It didn't feel like any relationship she had ever had, it needed a name of its own. But they were something. Something committed.

She thought of her husband and felt a pang of guilt. Not the first, but the most consuming so far. Hank used to act as if her sapphic tendencies was something to brag about. He thought it was hot that his wife used to make out with girls. She dreaded what he would think of it now.