Mollie shot up in bed, yet again heavy breathing and covered in sweat. This time when she made her way out to the kitchen, it was only 2:30 AM. Knowing she couldn't go back to bed, she put on a pair of shoes, grabbed a jacket, and went outside. She meandered around the streets, not really paying attention to where she was going, until she ended up at the gazebo. The last time she'd been here was with Shiva, when she first met Carl.
"Hey." She jumped, turning around at the sound of Carl's voice. "Sorry." He chuckled.
"Whatever." She huffed, turning back towards the gazebo.
"So, should I ask why you're standing in the middle of the road staring at a gazebo at 2:30 AM or is this just normal for you?" He asked, walking up next to her.
"Carl, I have to tell you something." She turned to look at him. "It's important. I've...I've only ever told a few people. Ezekiel, Jerry...Ben. And I need to tell you, too. I need someone here to know." His eyebrows furrowed.
"Yeah, what's up?" He asked.
"Look, it's gonna sound crazy, I get that, but I can prove it." She said, and he nodded. "I'm a witch." Immediately his face softened and he snorted.
"Okay, sure, and I'm immune." He scoffed. "Come on, be serious, what did you have to tell me?"
"No, I'm being serious." She insisted. "I'm a witch. I can prove it to you."
"So do you have like, a wand or something?" He asked. "Like Harry Potter?"
"Dude, real magic is nothing like Harry Potter." She rolled her eyes.
"Real magic is dudes with too much free time doing card tricks." He countered.
"Oh my god, do you want me to show you or not?" She huffed.
"Fine, go ahead." He nodded. "But I already don't believe you." She thought for a moment. "Well?"
"We need a couple flashlights."
———
"This is actually insane, you know that right?" Carl asked, his beam of light flicking across the trees. "Why did I agree to this?"
"Because you know I'm telling the truth and you wanna see magic." She said, glancing over her shoulder. "Ben was the same way."
"That was his name?" He asked. "Ben?"
"Benjamin, yeah." She nodded. "But I called him Ben more than anyone else."
"What changed?" He asked. "With saying his name?"
"It...it still hurts." She admitted, spotting another one of her marks on the trees. "A lot. But...but hearing Morgan say it today, it just...I dunno. I just don't want to forget him, you know? And hearing his name made me think of so many beautiful memories...I don't ever want to stop saying it." She spotted another. "We're getting close."
"Where exactly are you taking me?" He asked.
"I found this a week after I got here." She said, just as they came around the tree and up to the silver fairy circle. It was glowing a little brighter in the night. "This is a fairy circle. Think of it as a naturally occurring well of magic, they appear whenever magic is present. There used to be dozens in the woods around my house as a kid." She quickly kicked off her shoes before looking back at him. "Take your shoes off, and come here."
"What?" He asked.
"Just do it, and then you'll see." She said. He let out an overdramatic sigh as he leaned down to untie his boots.
"Every second that goes by I'm more convinced that you're crazy, I just want you to know that." He commented.
"Remember when I told you about my mom?" She asked as he stood back up. "How she died?"
YOU ARE READING
THE ROMANTICIST | C. GRIMES
Fanfictionmollie mccloud had only ever seen the human world through a tv, until said world crumbled and she set out into it. after finding and joining a human settlement called the kingdom, mollie has plenty of learning to do. along the way she makes friends...
