Lovesick Witches

"First Date"

I watched myself smile in the mirror as I peacefully brushed out my long hair. I had told my friends that I was studying that night and couldn't go to dinner with them. What I was actually going to do was far from studying. 

As I combed through my soft, brown locks, I jumped up and down in excitement. I, once again, had butterflies floating around in my stomach. I felt so nervous, but the nerves sort of excited me even more. 

My eyes twinkled as I gazed at my reflection. You know, I had never really appreciated my appearance. I'd always thought of myself as very average. Not ugly, but not particularly pretty either. However, in that moment, I was pretty. 

I had quite thick, dark eyebrows and long eyelashes. My skin was fairly clear and my lips, pleasantly pink. I smiled to myself as I appreciated my reflection. Miss Hardbroom had told me to think more positively of myself. She was right. Life was far more colourful when looked at with gratitude and positivity. 

I was still wearing my uniform, but I had made an effort to look my best as I braided my hair and curled my eyelashes. 

When it was almost time to meet HB, I left my room and wandered through the school to the library. There were a few students in the corridors, but as the sun started to set, most girls were either eating dinner in the dining hall or studying in their bedrooms. 

I reached the large, brown door of the library and stood still for a moment as I noticed the back of my neck start to tingle. I took a deep breath to calm myself as I knocked. 

"Enter," a familiar voice said, making the tingling spread throughout my body. I walked in and closed the door behind me. 

"Hello, Ana. Do come in." 

Miss Hardbroom was sitting on an armchair near the fireplace. I walked over and sat down on the armchair opposite her after she gestured me to. It was so warm near the fire as it crackled, peacefully. It was very quiet in the room, immediately calming my mind and relaxing my body. 

"How are you, Ana?" 

"Very good thank you, Miss Hardbroom. How are you?" 

"I am well, thank you." 

Miss Hardbroom looked stunning as the long, black hair she usually had tied up in a bun was now loose and free. Her eyes shimmered as she smiled at me. 

"I love your hair like that, Miss Hardbroom. It looks really pretty. You should have it down more often." 

She beamed at me as she received this compliment. "Thank you, Ana. It is very long and very thick, as you can see, so having it in a bun is most practical for school. But I prefer having it down, too." 

"Here," she said as she reached over to a nearby table and picked up two bowels. "I got these from the dining hall for dinner." She handed me a bowel of soup. "I had hoped for something a bit less... plain. But Miss Tapioca refused to listen to my requests." 

I giggled as I looked down at the chicken soup I was holding. It was warm, at least. I looked at Miss Hardbroom as I picked up the spoon and began to eat it. 

"But I brought you a hot chocolate too to make up for the boring meal," she said as she handed me a cup of hot chocolate. 

"Thank you," I said. I looked at the teacher. Her soft eyes and sweet smile gave me such an incredible feeling of comfort. Her presence made me never want to be away from her. 

Miss Hardbroom and I talked about how my school work was going as we ate our soup. 

She reached for me to hand her my bowel once I had finished. She stood up and walked over to a table near the door to put the bowels down. 

"Miss Hardbroom," I said, admiring her flowing locks as she had her back turned to me. She placed the bowels onto the table. 

"Hecate," she said. 

"Sorry?" 

She turned around to face me. "Hecate," she repeated. The teacher walked over to me and sat back down in her armchair. "Call me Hecate when we're not in lessons." 

I felt my heart thump in my chest as she said this and I couldn't help but beam in delight. 

"Hecate," I said, shivers running through all the cells in my body as I got to call her by her first name. "Do you know what I should do next year?" I paused and thought. "I have been thinking a lot over the past week. I only have six months left at this place before I graduate. But I have no idea what I will do when I leave. If I'm honest, I think I am a little bit scared. I don't know if I'm ready to be an adult yet." 

I made a frown as I listened to these words leave my mouth. I was scared. I was scared of what the future would hold and I was scared of leaving childhood behind me. I didn't feel like I was supposed to be an adult. I still felt like a child. I was intimidated by the idea of adulthood. 

"Ana lovely, don't worry. I'm sure you will be absolutely fine. You are a smart girl. You're insightful, independent and responsible. It might be scary at first, leaving school, but I promise you that you will be okay. I may be ageing on the outside, but inside I don't feel a day past seventeen. I am responsible, yes. But I still see the world just as I did when I was your age. Adulthood can be just as wonderful as childhood. You will be absolutely fine, Ana." 

I radiated a smile at her. Hearing those words gave me a huge sense of comfort and hearing her call me 'lovely' intensified my tingling sensations. 

"Thank you, Hecate," I said. I paused and thought about what to say next. "I really appreciate everything you do for me. You give me so much comfort with your presence. So much happiness. I am truly grateful for you, Hecate," I said. 

"It is my pleasure. And it makes me very happy to hear that from you, Ana." 

We talked for another few hours, before noticing the time and the fact that we had lessons the next day. But I hardly slept that night. I was too excited by the wonderful experience I had just had. My feelings for Hecate were starting to get incredibly intense. Everything about her was addictive to me and I couldn't control my rapidly growing affection for her. 

But could it ever actually work? Her and I? Did she even have feelings for me? I couldn't imagine someone as perfect as her wanting to be with me. And even if somehow she did, she was my teacher. I was her student. It would be illegal and inappropriate on so many levels. She always followed the witches' code. She was stubborn and would abide by the rules no matter what. To Hecate, following the code was more important than feelings. So even if she did have any feelings for me, which I was sure she didn't, she wouldn't break the rules. She would never be in a relationship with me.