Selene

Home is quiet. The windows are closed, and no lights emit from it. It's just like the rest of the town. I hope Mama turns out to be different from them.

We silently make our way into the house. Through the dark I lead them to the kitchen. As I light the single candle on the table, Eve sits down. Matias hops up and sits in her lap, her hand reaching up to stroke his head. Calchas lands on the back of the chair.

"Are you good to wait here while I wake Mama?"

Eve nods.

I nod back before leaving the room and making my way down the hall to Mama's room. I pause for a moment outside my own. Should I pack my things? Just in case.

With a shake of my head, I continue on. Mama's door is slightly ajar, and with a small push it swings wide open. Her soft snores fill the room as I tip-toe to the side of her bed.

"Mama," I whisper.

 Her head snaps off the pillow as her eyes slowly drift open. "What?" she asks, her voice thick from sleep.

"Mama, can we talk?"

"What time is it?" She blinks up at me. 

"I'm not sure... some time very early." I give her a sheepish smile.

She groans as she flips onto her back. "Give me a few minutes, okay sweetie?"

I nod and leave her room, but I don't go back to the kitchen. Instead I stand outside her door, leaning against the wall. Her groans, her yawns, and her mumbles reach me as I wait. As I wait I play with a loose string on my shirt.

"What are you doing out here?" I look up to find her standing in the doorway.

"Waiting for you."

She glances down the hall to where a strip of light from the candle dances against the floorboards. "Why not in the kitchen?"

I'm quiet for a moment, trying to think of what to tell her. "You'll see." I lace my arm through hers.

She raises a brow. "Why are you being sneaky?"

I gulp but don't respond. The floorboards creak under us. 

As we enter the kitchen, Mama's arm goes rigid in mine. At the same time, she inhales sharply. I don't turn my gaze to her as I guide her to the only other chair. Once she's seated, I grab her a glass of water. Throughout the time it takes me, no one speaks.

The plink of the glass hitting the table fills the silence.

"What is she doing here?" Mama finally asks.

I stand between the two of them, no chair left for me. The words start slow and quiet as I tell Mama what has happened since the witch went missing. The words come faster as the tale goes on, and my voice gets louder as my confidence fills up.

The whole time, Mama sits quietly. Her hands grip the cup before her, and her gaze almost never leaves Eves. But her eyes widen and snap to me when I tell her what I did.

"Mama?" I ask once I'm done.

She stares down into the water I've poured for her. Is she looking for answers in there? I can only wonder.

"Will you say something?" I hadn't noticed he moved until my hand is resting on fur. Matias looks up at me as I stroke his head.

"I need you to know I love you. I love you so much." Her eyes are teary as she gazes at me. " I am so, so, proud of you."

"You don't hate me?" I whisper, my own eyes getting tear filled.

She shakes her head. "I could never hate you." Her hand reaches out to me, palm up.

I take it.

" You are so much like your father. "

And that's what finally breaks the dam. I cry out as the tears storm down my face. Mama reaches up, wraps her arms around me, and pulls me to her chest. "Shh, it's okay sweetie," she coos. But that only makes the tears fall faster. 

I think, somewhere deep inside of myself, I knew she could never hate me. But the fear was too strong. Because what if she did? What if she had kicked me out instead of embracing me?

I pull back and look at her. My mama, who I've gotten all my looks from. "I love you," I whisper.

She smiles, her own cheeks damp. "I love you too."

The sound of shuffling pulls us out of our little bubble. We look to see Eve standing just beside her chair, Matias sitting on it. 

"Sorry, I uh... felt you two might want space." Her hands are folded together in front of her. 

Mama's arms fall from my shoulders. She runs her hands through her hair and takes a deep breath. "I think I owe you an apology."

Eve's eyes widen. "That's not... That's not needed."

Mama shakes her head. "I think it is." She reaches across the table, her arms make it about halfway. She's left her hands so the palms face up towards the ceiling. "My own mother, and this town, had taught me to be scared of witches, of the powers they hold." She takes a deep breath but never takes her gaze off Eve. "So, I was scared of them, and because that's the only thing I knew, I passed it on to my daughter." 

She glances up at me and smiles. "But luckily my daughter is too much like her father and has a big heart." Her gaze turns back to Eve. "I shouldn't have judged you for a title you hold. You never did do anything that seemed evil or wicked. Really, you were, and still are, a child."

Eve sits down, her eyes still wide and captured on Mama. Matias hops up onto the table to avoid being sat on. 

"I'm so terribly sorry that I treated you by my fear. I should have looked past that and seen you for you. Someone good, and worthy of love."

"I-" Eve's face it wet, and her nose is red, alongside her red-rimmed and puff eyes. "No one's ever said I've been  worthy of love, or seen me for me."

"Well I have," Matias mutters.

I shot a glare his way. He rolls his eyes right back at me. 

"You deserve to be loved, not feared, child." Mama closes her eyes. "I should have believed you when you told me about my husband. But my grief and my fear got the best of me."

"It's alright," Eve whispers. 

Mama shakes her head. "No. It isn't. But I hope you can forgive me."

This silver hair girl looks up at my mama, and reaches out to link their hands together. "I think I can."

Mama squeezes her hands. 

After a beat of silence, I ask, "So what do we do now?"

Mama sighs and pulls her hands out of Eve's. She turns so her body is full facing me. "Once the town finds out you've helped-" She looks over at Eve. "I'm sorry, what is your name again?"

"It's Eve," she says.

Mama looks back at me. "Once they've found out you helped Eve, and used magic to do so, I don't know what they'll do to you." She takes a deep breath as if to steady herself. "And I don't know if I'll be able to protect you." Her voice wavers as she speaks. A piece of my heart feels as if it's breaking.

"What are you saying, Mama?" I whisper.

"I don't think it'll be..." She pauses, covers her mouth with her hand and takes a few deep breaths. "I don't think it'll be safe for you girls here."

"We'll have to leave?" My voice barely even reaches my ears.

But Mama hears it, she nods and grabs my hands. "I want, need, you to be safe, and if I can't protect you here, then maybe it's for the best that you try to find somewhere else, where you can be happy." She smiles softly, but the tears that well in her eyes betray her.

"Are you not coming with?"

She shakes her head, her curls falling over her shoulders. "I'm afraid it would look worse if I did come with you. Plus, you and your pa always wanted to go on an adventure. Right?"

I nod, but really no. Never like this. I never wanted to leave home. How can I even do that?

"You'll protect each other, right?" She turns and looks at Eve.

"Yes, of course." She looks up at me. "I owe my life to you."

I shake my head. My throat too closed up to speak. If I tried, only wails would escape. 

A cool hand reaches up and cups my cheek. I turn and look into Mama's brown eyes. "You'll be alright." She pushes up out of the chair. "I'll go fetch the cart, and you girls can use that."

"What will you use to carry the pastries then?" I ask, finally finding my voice again.

"Don't you worry about that, okay? Just go and pack your things." With that she leaves the room. The sound of the front door clicking closed follows after a few short moments. 

I look at Eve, who now stands beside her chair. "I should go and pack my bags."

"Do you really want to do this?" I ask. 

Her blue eyes find my brown ones. "I never really belonged here. So, yeah. I think I'm ready to leave. We have each other now, right?"

I nod. 

"I think I know a place where we can go. That's more welcoming to witches."

I nod as words get stuck in my throat again.

"I'll be back before the sun rises, okay?"

I nod. 

Eve smiles before turning and leaving the same way Mama did. 

As I stand there, alone in the quiet kitchen, the tears roll down my face. Soon the quiet suffocates me and I escape to my room. 

I bend down and reach under my bed for a bag. When I pull it out, the three books that I'd borrow for my research slide out with it. I pick them up and place them on my desk. I'll have to get Mama to return them. 

Placing the bag on my bed, I start shoving clothes in there. I settle for shirts and pants, leaving my skirts and dresses folded in the dresser or hanging up. I pack up one extra pair of shoes and any other clothing item I'll need. 

Next, I open my dresser and pull out a few notebooks before tossing those, along with pencils, into the bag. Sitting on my desk is a picture of me, Mama, and Pa. I pick it up, trail my finger over Pa's face. 

It's the last thing to go in my bag.

I decide to change out of my current clothing and put something more suitable for travel on. Once I'm done that, I tie my hair up so it's out of my face. 

Picking up my bag with my belongings, I sling it over my shoulder. Then I grab my pillow and carry it under my arm. 

With a deep breath I cross my room for the last time to the doorframe. I pause, turn and take it in for the last time.

The bed where Pa and Mama told me stories, the desk where I'd spend my afternoon doing homework, or drawing, the closet where all my clothes would get tossed in. I never thought about the day I'd leave. But I never expected it to be this soon. I didn't think I'd already miss it, and I haven't even left yet. 

I take one last deep breath and step out of my room. The door swings shut behind me, closing me out of my old life and into a new one. 

Chapter word count: 1,935

Total word count: 22,416