Unraveling Eden ✔ [ONC 2021]

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

When I imagined what I would be doing this morning, trudging through the woods and searching for ingredients didn't come to mind, but here we were. The list of what we needed was extensive. It was a distraction, though, from all of the things I didn't want to be thinking about. The more elaborate ingredients... I pushed it far out of my mind that the blood of a rabbit was going to come from an actual, living rabbit. Ethan said he would take care of those ones, but just the thought made me want to be sick. Harming the poor helpless creature... Let alone drinking it when the ingredients were all mixed together. Though I knew it was what needed to be done, there was no going back now.

We were already knee-deep in the creation of the potion and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. I could have sworn I was yawning every few seconds. Ethan laid a hand on the small of my back and took his car keys from his pocket.

"Go rest in the car, I'll wake you up when it's finished," he suggested, rubbing circles, comfortingly. I shook my head.

"We're almost done, I'm okay," I told him and looked back down at the recipe, clearing my throat. "So next we have to add the rose petals and peppermint concoction." The pose petals and peppermint had been ground and soaked in pure alcohol. The smell was so strong as Ethan poured it into the chalice that it burned my sinuses.

I pulled the collar of Ethan's jacket up over my nose and took a step back.

Ethan seemed unphased as he chuckled to himself. "Okay, what's next?"

"This is the last bit, I think. We have to add a drop of our blood at the same time and say the words, in caritate non potest esse, quia non novissima eorum in perpetuum." It sounded like Latin, but I wasn't sure what its translation was. Probably something along the lines of, stop reincarnating us please, and thank you.

Ethan's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he took a knife in his hand and held the blade to his palm, hesitating like he thought I was going to stop him. I didn't move, though. This was his idea, after all. He then pressed the blade into his skin, wincing as the cut began to pool with blood.

He held the blade out to me and I quickly followed suit, making a small cut across my palm. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. It stung, but the second I removed the blade, it went away.

We counted down from three as we held our hands over the chalice, letting a single drop fall and create rings in the liquidy brew. Holding the Grimlore between us, we slowly chanted in unison, "In caritate non potest esse, quia non novissima eorum in perpetuum."

The potion began to churn on its own in the cup. We leaned over the chalice and watched as the liquid thickened and turned an odd silver and red metallic color. It was almost shimmery, like glitter was mixed in wine. It stopped as quickly as it started.

"Is it ready?" Ethan muttered, his complexion white as a ghost.

"Hey." I reached across the table and took his hand. "We don't have to do this... Maybe the doctors can figure it out and we can be together. I'll tell my parents to screw off," I joked, trying to lighten the mood, but Ethan frowned in response.

"I just...I have this feeling," Ethan argued. "I can't explain it."

"I know how you feel. Even standing here, it's like the magic of the potion is drawing me in."

"So we're doing this?" he asked and I nodded.

He went to pick up the chalice, but I stopped him by throwing myself in his arms. "I love you."