Mason:
It wasn't so difficult to admire the girl. She was way too innocent, but she didn't even realise it.
She was still in bed when I woke up, her back facing me. She was hurt, so I didn't expect her to be up by this time moving about. However, I noticed something: she was breathing heavily and her body shivered.
"Hey?" I called her. There was no response. I went over to her side of the bed. Her forehead and neck were covered with beads of sweat and her shirt was drenched.
"Let her be," The witch said, standing at the doorway with her arms crossed. "It's the first stage."
"First stage of what?"
"The healing process." She came and stared at the girl, cocking her head. "It'll take a week for her wound to heal."
"Oh." I felt relieved. "What do we do with her?"
"Like I said..." her eyes met mine, "Let her be." She began to leave.
"She's going to be asleep for a week?" Why did that make me feel so worried?
"Is there a problem?" She didn't wait for my answer. She walked away to continue her rituals. I turned again to look at her. She was Piper...she looked like Piper but something about the way she carried herself convinced me that she was someone else. I had to stare at her face...her long eyelashes, her small, soft lips, her rotund face...everything about her was attractive.
After a week
I woke up, expecting to see the girl weak after the impact of the medicine. She wasn't, and for some reason, she actually looked more beautiful and radiant. Her skin was glowing, even under the dimly lit lanterns. She was in the kitchen with the witch, cooking or whatever. She looked lively, though composed. She smiled meekly at everything the witch said. I felt warm inside to see her okay.
"Ah, boy!" The witch exclaimed when she saw me. "As you see...your girl's looking good." She is! The girl turned shyly towards me and lowered her head. Why did I find this gesture so attractive? "Your work starts tomorrow...early in the morning." Oh that! I almost forgot. "Baby girl will help in the kitchen for today and you..." she paused, staring at me from head to toe, as if calculating my work according to my height, "you'll see."
We sat at the breakfast table...more like the ritual table which was crooked and creaked with every slight movement. They was we sat made it look like we were starting a demon-summoning ritual.
"We eat." The witch said, "I've said the prayers already." She began with the fork, licking every piece of food like she was stabbing an enemy. I looked at the girl. She smiled at the witch and gently picked up her fork. When she brought it to her lips, I couldn't help but stare as she gracefully parted her lips to receive the food. She had my girlfriend's body and her face...a face I saw every morning beside me in bed and every night before shutting my eyes. The person was different. The things I would have done to her then could not be now. She was different - shy, innocent. I could hurt her with any little thing. Everytime I craved for her touch, her kisses and her body on mine, I had to restrain myself; she was not my girlfriend.
"Cold food doesn't taste great," said the witch. She was glaring intense at me. With the way she look at me, I realized she knew. She knew what I was thinking about. "There's more time to think about nasty things...and that's not now." I actually hadn't touched my food since my attention fell on the girl.
The witch pulled me in one corner and sat me down.
"You know, boy, you've got a whole burden placed on you now."
"The girl?"
"Uh-huh." We both looked at her as she cleared the dining table. Everything she did was graceful. Her long silky black hair was tied in a bun; something Piper never did. "You have to protect her. She's got a lot on her plate."
"Like what?"
"You'd know if you asked her in the right way. What is happening now is just the surface. There'll be more pain in the future..I see it."
"You see everything?"
"Its not detailed. You must protect her. Give her all your support." Her eyes widened. "Don't get her go."
I didn't quite understand the intensity of what the witch said. She got up to leave but stopped, "Call me Mama Rue, not 'The Witch'." She swept past me, leaving a whiff of smoke and herbs in the air. What a witch!
'There'll be more pain in the future'. Her words struck a cord in me. Maybe if I made her tell me what she went through, I'd be able to protect her. Not because it was my desire, but because of what the future held.
Evening:
She adjusted the jacket in the middle of the bed. We hadn't spoken for literally a week. It felt weird.
"Hey?" I said. She looked startled, not expecting my greeting. "How are you feeling?"
She nodded shyly, "I'm better."
I had to find a way of framing the question so I didn't sound prying.
"Are you going through any pain?" I asked. She looked at me, barely confused.
"No. Mama Rue treated it well. I'm better." Well...she knew the witch's name too?
"That's not what I meant." Was my question not clear enough? "I meant...is your heart hurting?" I tried my best.
She frowned, "It's not." Okay...was I the problem? Wasn't my question clear enough? A simple 'yes' would do. Then I'd ask 'why', then she'd spill it all out and I'd find a way to help. Isn't that how it worked?...No? "Good night." Her vlive was soft. She turned, pulling the covers over her body. This was way harder than I thought, and to get the girl to open up was going to be a huge problem.