Lovesick Witches

Romantic Revision

Raindrops stuck onto my little, slit-shaped window and I watched them fall peacefully as I studied in my bedroom. The faraway crystals of the night sky glistening and the cosy atmosphere in my dimly lit room gave me a great sense of comfort. 

I felt my pen glide across the paper as I focused on learning all the information on my flashcards. I used pink and purple highlighters to brighten up the somewhat boring words on the pages into a beautiful piece of art, making me want to study for hours, which was, in fact, my plan for the night. 

I'd never really been too fond of studying. But Hecate had always loved it. That was something I admired about her; her deep desire to learn. And it was all that drive for success and the hard work she put in to get that, that allowed her to become the incredible teacher she was. I wanted to be more like my love in many ways. And so she motivated me to love to learn, just like she did, so that one day I would be able to become the best version of myself, just like she was. 

The smell of the damp air slithered up into my nostrils, but with that came freshness, like watching the sun rise on a crisp winter morning. 

My newly washed hair was almost dry and I felt my silky locks when placing a section behind my ear. I spoke to myself in my head as I tested my knowledge of familiar control after revising it. As I was satisfied with my successful retainment of information and found a feeling of pride for myself, both corners of my mouth rose. 

My eyelids flickered shut and back open again as if they were a slinky that had been stretched all day, pleading to be let go of. My hand ached from all the writing and my body was wretchedly weak. But I decided to push through and keep going, just like Hecate always did. I would find growth from discomfort, and growth would bring me happiness. That was something I learned from Hecate. She didn't state that directly, but her, just being her, implied it and I worked on trying to live by that. 

I'd been tempted to go to my girlfriend. To snuggle into her and sleep happily in her welcoming arms. But that was far from discomfort and if I wanted to be more like Hecate, I would have to revise. I wanted to make her proud, even if that meant sacrificing time with her so that I could study. 

I reached to my pile of books and brought out another textbook, plonking it onto my little, wooden desk. I took a minute to observe the front cover of the heavy textbook as it appealed to me more than workbooks typically did. 

The biggest word on the front of the book read "Divination" in bold, cursive lettering of silver and gold. We didn't get taught much about divination in school, but as it had been mentioned in various lessons over the course of the year, I decided it would be best to revise it just in case it were to come up in our final exams. 

My finger slid into the middle of the book and opened up the pages, the book like a butterfly ready for flight, fluttering feebly as I flicked through the fine rectangles of worn paper to find the parts I intended to study. There was something magical about the book and I couldn't wait to start studying its contents. I was fascinated simply by the concept of divination itself as I'd always felt a strong connection to the divine. It was after midnight but I found myself eager to explore more about divination, so my sleep would have to wait. 

The use of my highlighters to highlight key bits of information looked very out of place in the ancient-looking textbook of neutral tones and I considered carefully whether I wanted to add anything to it before I did. 

I spent another hour or so blissfully revising, my eyelids forced to stay open, before a sudden noise came to my attention. The knock on my door seemed loud and somewhat imposing as a result of so many hours enjoying the silence and I jumped when I heard it, my heart rate instantly quickening. 

Dropping my pen, I hesitated. Should I have just jumped into bed and pretended I'd never heard the knock at all? But what if it was important? 

Before I could contemplate any more, a familiar whisper rushed into my ears, joy and peace easing all my stress as I knew straight away who it was. 

"Ana," she hissed, the soft sound of her sweet tone sliding through the keyhole, sending a smile to my lips. 

I tiptoed over and gently twisted the handle to open the door, cautious not to make any noise. 

Hecate slipped into the room, closing the door behind her before casting a sound-proof spell over my bedroom. 

I greeted her with a kiss and I gestured for her to join me on my unused bed. 

"Why didn't you just use a transfer spell?" I asked as I allowed myself to cuddle up into her and I began to twiddle her beautiful, lengthy curls. 

"I didn't want to wake you." She paused, her mouth producing a bridge shape, "but... it seems you are not asleep, nor have you been sleeping." 

"I've been studying," I said. 

"You know, sleep is very important. Studying without sleep is a truly terrible method of revision. Surely your brain will be simply unable to retain complex information at such a late hour." 

I let out a mumble as I didn't know how to respond to that. I knew she was right. She was always right. That was one of the many things I loved about her. 

"Why did you come here, sweetheart?" I said quietly, beaming as her tender breath weaved through my baby hairs, leaving a tingling sensation on my scalp. 

"I know you've been studying all day so I thought you might have wanted a little bit of comfort and support." 

"Thank you," I whispered, fully relaxing into her arms, my eyelids finally releasing over my eyes as I let go of the determination to keep them open. 

"And," she added, "I wanted to be with you. It was rather lonely in my bedroom." 

"It's been a rather lonely day. But I feel like the most privileged person in the universe when I'm with you." 

"I feel that with you as well, princess," Hecate said, her words barely hearable but incredibly strong as they waltzed through me, kissing my every cell.