Grim, Speak the Shadows

Part 4

Willow was alone now; the others had all gone their separate ways since it was getting pretty late. She was still texting Hunter by the time she reached her house, and although she didn't really want the conversation to end just yet, she wanted to see her dads for a few minutes before they went off to bed. She held out her scroll as she stood in front of her front door.

Hello_Willow: I have to go now, Gnight!

RULERZREACHF4N is typing...

Willow grinned. Caleb--no, Hunter--really was a slow typer. Golden Guard or not, she found it a bit odd that he apparently never used a scroll before (which certainly explained his inability to handle one). Just from what she'd gathered today, the Emperor's Coven was a lot more strict than she used to think it was. She wondered how many witches would still be interested in joining if they knew what it was really like. She knew Amity, for one, definitely wasn't as keen about it now. Did Amity even want to join a coven anymore? Hm, Luz would probably know.

RULERZREACHF4N: WhAts. Gnight MEan?

Hello_Willow: It means goodnight :)

RULERZREACHF4N: oH.ok. gOodNig.ht.

She held back a laugh. It really was something else, witnessing Hunter trying to figure the whole 'social media' thing out. He was really, really bad at it. She could tell he was trying his best, but it really was quite hilarious. Willow wasn't going to make fun of him or anything though. This whole day must have been filled with new experiences for him.

It was sad, to be honest. He shouldn't be working in such a high ranking, incredibly stressful position. He really shouldn't be working, period. He should be attending Hexside with the rest of the team, he should have normal teenage worries instead of worrying about completing his next mission or failing Emperor Belos, or whatever else it was that concerned him. He definitely shouldn't have all of those scars--besides the obvious one on his face and the knick in his ear, she noticed several scars of varying shapes and sizes along his arms. She knew being the Golden Guard had to be a dangerous job, but what kind of reasonable, responsible adult would put a kid in that position?! What were his parents thinking, what was the Emperor thinking?

Wait--didn't Caleb mention that you were forced to leave your family when you joined the coven? Oh Titan, he didn't actually leave his parents, did he?! That must have been horrible for all of them. Maybe...Maybe he was just exaggerating that part though? There's no way Belos would ban the coven members from seeing their families once in a while...Right?

She...Willow knew it really wasn't any of her business, but based on what she'd seen today alone, she was worried about him. She thought Caleb was a little odd when she first met him today, sure, but she and her friends were also a bit odd, so she didn't think anything of it. She thought he was at least somewhat normal, but the second that he revealed himself to be the Golden Guard, she realized how incredibly wrong she'd been.

He wasn't normal, by any accounts. From what little she learned about him today, he had some pretty messed up morals, and she would daresay he seemed a little...brainwashed. The way he spoke about the coven, the way he tried to force them into joining...It was pretty clear to her that someone had been drilling these ideas into his head for some time now. Years. Probably since he was just a child.

It wasn't right, it just wasn't.

Hunter was probably a year or two older than her, and he didn't even know how to use a scroll.

He was young enough to be a student at Hexside, but instead of the school uniform, he wore a cloak and mask.

He should be surrounded by adults trying to guide him instead of convincing him it was okay to stab others in the back.

It was all just so, so wrong.

If it was up to Willow, she'd get him out of that castle right this second.

If it was up to her, he'd get to experience all of the things normal teenagers did, like hanging out with friends, going to school, having fun.

But it wasn't--it wasn't up to her, was it?

She figured that the best she could do now was just keep trying to earn his trust, and hopefully his friendship. She got the feeling that he could use a friend.

Hmm...A friend, huh? What about friends, plural?

A wicked grin spread across Willow's face. Though she had just put her scroll away moments ago, she took it back out again and got back onto Penstagram. She scrolled through her list of friends, tapped a few names, and then voila!

Hello_Willow started Emerald Entrails group chat.

Puddles_time, BardQueen15, HUMAN.GUS, and RULERZREACHF4N have been added to the chat.

Hello_Willow: Hey guys! Just thought I'd make a chat for our new team b4 I logged off

BardQueen15: Good idea!!!

Puddles_time: Now we have a way to keep in touch with Caleb

Puddles_time: Since it will be a while till we can see him next ;)

Willow read the messages starting their new chat and then put her scroll away once more, feeling more content now. She could look at any new messages in the morning (hopefully hunter would send at least a short text in the chat). If this really was the only way they could keep in contact with Hunter until his next day off rolled around (which was an extremely long time away), then she would make sure he enjoyed being a part of it.

Because whether he liked it or not, Hunter was still a member of the Emerald Entrails, and Willow definitely wasn't leaving a teammate behind.