Eda, Luz, Mateo, and Vida all arrived at their location, the Gravesfield Historical Society. The museum was a two-story building with brown walls, a black roof, and an aesthetic that reminded Eda of home. The four of them walked up the staircase leading to the double door main entrance and stepped inside. Their first sight was the front desk where a woman gave a teenager and his friends something. "Thank you for the tour, Miss Delilah." One of the teens said.
The woman was fair skinned, had brown hair and eyes, and wore a black dress; she had a noticeable gap in her teeth when she gave them a friendly smile. "I'm glad you had fun." She said, waving goodbye as they left.
They ran in between Eda and Mateo, nearly knocking them both down. But that is when the witchling spotted what their gifts were. She recognized them when her Uncle Edric taught her and Lilith how to play the game Hexes Hold 'em. Lilith never got into it as Eda did, with the younger sister believing it was because she would always beat her. If those are here, then Luz's guess was probably on the mark.
"Hey there, Delilah." Luz greeted the woman, grabbing her attention.
"Oh, hey, Luz. And…" Delilah then noticed the only other adult in the group. "Vida?" Her face lit up.
"Hey, Delilah." Vida's face became red, smiling nervously.
Delilah made her way around the counter and walked up to give Vida a hug, which made the woman even redder in the face. Eda and Mateo both watched and made a fair observation that these two are, or were, more than just friends. "I didn't know you were back in town." They broke from the hug.
"Uh… yeah… we're back."
Delilah then looked over to her old friend's son. "And you must be Mateo?"
"Ese soy yo," Mateo said confidently. "And it's nice to meet you; Mamá has told me about how you and Tía had been long friends."
"Ever since we met at camp."
"We had the best cabin!" Luz added in.
"CABIN 7! Hoo-ha-ha!" The three adults chanted with pride, which turned into friendly laughter.
Delilah noticed Eda next. "I don't think I've ever seen you around here."
"This is Eda. She's new in town." Mateo covered for her. Hoot. Owlbert reminded everyone of his presence. "And this her pet owl."
"Hi." Eda greeted quickly, wanting to get things moving. "You wouldn't happen to sell plants here, would you?"
"Plants?" Delilah raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah… Herbs. Potted plants. Flowers. I like to… grow them."
"I do. I'll show you where they are." The woman pointed in the direction leading down a hallway.
"Sweet." Eda smiled.
"But before we do. I want to get a reading on you." Delilah walked back behind her counter.
"A what?" Eda asked, following her with the others.
"It's something I do with all my guests. It adds to the mystical atmosphere of the place." Delilah looked at Vida. "Remember when I did one for you?"
"Yeah, I do." Vida casually answered.
"I still remember how it went." Delilah cleared her throat and fiddled with something under desks, which dimmed the lights in the room. "You're running from your past. From a previous life that was unkind to you. However, the guilt and fear you carry will eventually catch you in a self-fulfilling prophecy that you won't be able to escape from." Vida looked away nervously. "But what do I know? Everything's turned out all right for you."
"Yeah." Vida looked at Mateo, smiling fondly. "It has, hasn't it?"
"Your turn, kid," Delilah told Eda as she took out a Hexes Hold' Em cards deck. She placed three cards down while Eda rolled her eyes, thinking this was a waste of time. "You're struggling. There are two sides of you fighting for control."
"Wait, what?" Eda whispered, her attention now grabbed by the woman.
"Both are suffering equally. Caused by a betrayal. Only through understanding will the best of both shine through and take flight." Delilah returned the lighting to normal. "So, how'd I do?"
"Um… alright, I guess," Eda said. She was surprised by how close the first half was; but found the second half to be a load of hogwash. "So, the plants?"
"Oh, right. Come with me." Delilah walked around the counter and looked at Owlbert. "Oh, you're pet owl can't come in."
"Why not?" Hoot? Both the witchling and her palisman questioned.
"I should've said this earlier, but pets aren't allowed in the building."
"I can wait outside with him." Luz offered. Hoot. Owlbert flew from Eda's shoulder and perched himself onto the human's shoulder. Luz leaned down into Eda's ear. "We won't be far." She whispered. "Find what you need."
"I'll make it quick," Eda assured.
Luz nodded and made her way to the door. "Follow me." Delilah led the current tour group down the hall and into a small room filled with strange plants. It was like a flower shop back in the Isles, and Eda recognized the flora from back home. "Feel free to look around. But remember, you break it; you buy it."
"Right," Eda whispered as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the page she tore from the book. "Let's see here—" She went over the list and what it included: Some Cursed Fairymoss, a few Bouncing Wortberries, a Plague Holly, two Bleeding Roses, a dozen Spider Peas, and a foot of Titan's Teeth. An optional ingredient included non-alcoholic apple blood for easier consumption. This would be enough to last her a couple of weeks, at least.
"What'cha got there?" Mateo asked, making Eda jump.
She quickly put the paper away. "Nothing. It's nothing." The witchling began her search for the ingredients, keeping her focus on the plants and her mind off the itchy feathers that were starting to pop up faster.
Eda looked at the prices and saw a strange symbol in front of each number. It looked like an "S'' with a vertical line through it. She guessed it was an equivalent to snails in the Human Realm. Eda managed to find the Fairymoss and picked up some of it. If Lilith were here, she would be complaining about how the list lacks specific measurements. But Eda will do what she does best and wing it.
Her scalp felt like it was on fire. She must scratch that itch before it drives her mad. Fortunately, the aisle where she could grab the holly and roses provided her with enough cover to just that; without any of the humans noticing.
She pulled off her hat, freeing her hair, and began to scratch it. Ignoring the feathers that started popping up around there. "Oh, Titan. This is absolute bliss." After that, she resumed finding the final ingredient: a foot of Titan's Teeth.
Strolling down the aisle, the witchling came across the familiar thorny vine. "There you are." She reached to yank out what she needed. Thwap! "Ah!" The vines wrapped around her arms and hands like a snake coiling a tree branch. Then, the redhead remembered what Professor Barcus said about Titan's Teeth, translated by Professor Jerbo.
Bark. Bark. "Remember class, Titan's Teeth is one of the most dangerous plants on the Isles'. They latch on to their prey with thorns and keep their grip on them until death. Titan's Teeth can only be harvested when two individuals work together. One serves as bait, with the other cutting the vine."
She was stuck, and if it were not for the clothes, those thorns would have punctured her skin by now. Eda held her breath, trying not to let a pain-filled scream escape and bring attention to her that she did not need.
"Eda?" The redheaded witchling stopped squirming and turned her head to see it was Mateo, who now knows she has pointed ears and feathers. She did not put her hat back on.
"Oh, farts." She cursed under her breath.
He approached her. "What's going on? What's that plant doing?" He saw it was starting to tighten, causing the girl discomfort. "Hang on." Mateo looked around for something, then spotted a pair of shears. He grabbed and opened them by the vine. Snip! He chopped through the vines, and they stopped tightening around Eda, falling limp onto the floor.
Eda picked them up and was surprised — and welcomely so — to see it was exactly one foot.
"Um, here…" Mateo held forward Eda's hat.
She quickly snatched it and placed it back on. "You saw nothing!" She began to walk away as fast as she could.
"Hold on, wait." The human teen followed after her. "Are you okay?"
"Stop following me."
"I won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about."
"Just leave me alone. I grabbed my stuff; now it's time to leave."
"Are you sick? Are you trying to get some medicine or something?"
Eda stopped and faced him. "You wouldn't understand if I tried explaining. You'd probably think I'm a freak. And I don't need anyone else looking at me like that."
"Does Tía know?"
"What does it matter if she does?"
"Well, you seem pretty trusting of her. And she trusts you. So, you can trust me. Tienes mi palabra."
Eda looked at the ground. For the brief time she has been here, Luz has done nothing but tries to help her, even if she does not fully understand it all. Despite only knowing each other for about half an hour, Mateo has been friendly to her. Just like Morton and Raine. Just maybe… Eda pulled off her hat again, exposing her feathers and pointed ears. "Okay, Mateo. The truth is, I'm a witch."
"A witch?" He looked surprised at first, but it turned into a look of excitement. "¡Eso es increíble, de verdad!"
"Um… thanks?" Not fully understanding the other human language she has been hearing, Eda could only interpret what he said as something good. "But I've also been cursed. Hence, the feathers."
"Oh." The teen had sadness in his tone. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. This trip here is to help deal with it." The witchling pulled out the list and showed it to him. "The ingredients I need for this potion are here. Don't ask me how I know that because I'm not in the mood to explain."
"Fair enough. But I do have some questions."
"Of course you do."
"But they can wait for another day. I'll let you continue with searching for what you need."
Eda put her hat back on. "And you swear you're not gonna tell anyone?"
"I promise."
"Well… thank you."
It was time to pay for the ingredients in hand and return home to make the potion. Whatever the total was, Eda could only guess it was expensive, considering Luz mumbled something in her language that did not sound pleasant. Luz said her goodbyes to Delilah and Vida, and Eda did the same with Mateo, her first human friend her age. With that, the witchling and current caretaker returned to the latter's home.
"¡Mamá, estamos de vuelta!" Luz announced as she and Eda stepped inside.
"Eda! Luz!" King shouted as he ran up to his sister and hugged her leg.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Eda asked.
The little demon looked up at her. "Don't ever leave me here again. It's so creepy."
"What is?"
Sniffle. They heard what sounded like crying. "¿Mamá?" They followed the sounds until they spotted Camila on the couch with her face in her hands. The television was on. Hooty was… sitting — if you can call it that — next to her, holding a box of tissues in his beak.
He placed them on her lap. "Don't cry, Cammy! Hoot! Hoot!" The house demon said.
"Lo siento, Búho." Camila picked up the remote next to her and turned the TV off. "Those nature documentaries always get me emotional." She took a tissue. Snort! She blew into it. "Gracias."
"Don't worry! What are friends for?! Hoot! Hoot!"
"What am I watching?" Eda said, questioning her vision and sanity.
"I think they're friends," Luz answered.
"This is what I was talking about." King shared.
Camila then noticed the three of them standing in the living room. "Luz, you're back." She spoke.
"Hi, guys! How was shopping? Hoot! Hoot!" Hooty asked them.
"Well… we got what we needed," Eda said. "I'll need to borrow your kitchen for a half-hour."
"Alright." The older woman nodded. "Please, just don't make a mess in there."
"I'll show her how everything works," Luz assured, leading the redhead into the kitchen.
Eda followed the instructions for the potions with Luz's help to use the equipment. The witchling nearly set the electric stove on fire. A half-hour to forty-five minutes went by, and the potion was finally ready. They did not have any apple blood. So, Eda had to use the human drink — something called, apple juice — instead. Inside the pot, the orange-yellow liquid bubbled, and it smelled awful.
"Okay, let's do this," Eda said, trying to keep herself from hurling.
"Right." An equally sick-feeling Luz said as she handed Eda a coffee mug and poured the potion in with a spoon.
Huff. Eda sighed. "Down the hatch." She put the cup to her lips. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. She downed it all. "Augh! Blech! Ugh! That was vile!" Poof! All the feathers then puffed off her body and landed on the floor. The witchling drew a circle with her finger, and a magical trail followed behind. "It worked!" In her excitement, she hugged Luz, then let go after realizing. "Um… Thank you, Luz. For helping me."
"I'm just glad you're alright." The human smiled.
"Okay, let's bottle-up the rest of the potion for tomorrow, and the other days I'll be here. And back to looking for a way home." The witchling and human got to work filling the remainder of the potion into individual bottles that happened to be lying around. All and all, Eda was happy with how the day turned out, exploring more of Gravesfield and making a new friend… a new friend she may be saying goodbye to, soon.
But she has friends back home who must be more than worried sick for her. She wondered how they were doing.
I'm back. For the following chapters, we'll be shifting the POV away from the Human Realm for a bit and seeing how Eda's friends and family back on the Boiling Isles are doing. Expect some angst.
Also, Titan's Teeth references the same plant featured in a MoringMark comic.
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