Chapter 13 : Apprentice
"Are you sure you're ok with it?" Beatrice asked Auntie Whispers again as everyone was back in the living room for tea time.
"Yes, my dear. At least my sister won't be able to turn anyone into her puppet now", the old woman pointed out.
The redhead still couldn't quite believe it. Yes, Adelaide had it coming, but she still didn't expect Whispers to be so calm about it. She was seeking truth regarding her sister's fate but didn't show any sign of seeking vengeance.
Though, Beatrice still wasn't entirely convinced. She carefully observed the witch's every move in case she'd spontaneously decided to attack her or poison her drink.
"Plus you said you only left the window open. You couldn't have known."
The girl in blue didn't dare explain that she actually did more than just leave the window open.
"Anyway…" the old woman continued, turning to Clover, "since the Unknown lost one of its witches, maybe you could…"
"Replace her?" the Woodsman's daughter finished.
"Not quite, my child. No-one really is replaceable. But you can take up the slot Adelaide left."
"This won't lead to anything dangerous, is it?" the Woodsman intervened.
"Not if your daughter doesn't want it to."
"Don't worry, Father", Clover said, "I know how to take care of myself."
Beatrice opened her mouth to point out her girlfriend did take care of herself for several years while her father was out there chopping Edelwood, but closed it when she realised the subject must be way too sensitive.
The old man nodded.
"I will show you the basics if you wish", Auntie Whispers told Clover, "but you will have to learn the rest by yourself."
"Would that make me your apprentice?"
"Yes."
It was decided Clover would go to Auntie Whisper's once a week to learn the basics of witchcraft. Progress was slow, but they had all the time they needed anyway.
One morning, the witch's apprentice and her father arrived at the old mill. They were first welcomed by Beatrice's parents. Clover did just enough small talk to seem polite before looking for her girlfriend inside.
The girl in blue was currently preparing breakfast for her younger siblings in the kitchen. When the other girl entered, she dropped what she was doing immediately to greet her with a hug.
"Hey, you've seen each other only three days ago, calm down!" one of Beatrice's brothers joked.
The brunette couldn't remember his name. Actually, she could never remember any of Beatrice's siblings' names but she was too ashamed to say it out loud.
"Cut it off, Carl", the girl in blue replied, letting go of her girlfriend.
"And what are you gonna do, turn us all into-"
"Can we please get past this now?"
Clover cut the siblings' conversation short by reminding Beatrice that the food might burn if she left it unattended for too long. The girl in blue immediately went back to her previous task, finished it then led her girlfriend outside, to their spot on the river bank, holding her hand as soon as none of her relatives could see them.
"They're never gonna let the bluebird incident thing down, are they?" the brunette laughed as she and her partner sat on the ground.
"This and the whole 'you spend more time with Clover than with us' thing my parents keep bringing up", the redhead replied.
"They're starting to notice something only now? My father had guessed pretty early on that we were dating…"
"He only has one child to pay attention to. Between all my younger siblings and their work at the mill, they don't have much time to pay attention to me."
"Oh…"
"So, how's being a witch's apprentice going?" the girl in blue enquired.
"Pretty good", Clover said. "Actually…"
With her free hand, she produced a small wooden bracelet from her pocket and gave it to the other girl.
"We made this!" she told her.
"You mean you and Whispers?" Beatrice asked.
"No, actually. Lorna made the bracelet and I enchanted it."
The girl in blue took the bracelet in her free hand and examined it.
"I didn't know Lorna made jewellery", she said.
"'Told me that now that she doesn't have to keep doing chores all day she has more time to learn new things", Clover explained. "Oh, and this should protect you from curses."
"'Would have been useful to have sooner…" the redhead pointed out.
She temporarily let go of her girlfriend's hand only to put her gift on her left wrist.
Then a loud scream of pure terror made itself heard in the distance.
"Carl?" Beatrice called, immediately standing up but losing balance as her partner didn't follow fast enough.
They both got up and went towards the house, searching for the source of the noise.
They found Beatrice's brother standing outside behind the house, right next to a dead deer that certainly did not die from old age. It had been partially eaten by… something. And it looked quite fresh.
The girl in blue asked her brother if he was alright ; the witch's apprentice closed her eyes, trying to focus. She could feel something nearby. Or rather, someone. She opened her eyes again and looked north.
"Lor-" she started to call but interrupted herself almost immediately. "Wait, no, that's not her…"
"You sense something?" Beatrice guessed.
"Whatever it is, it's dangerous", Clover stated. "Let's go back inside."