THE APPRENTICE III

30

Word about the adoption spread like wildfire all around the world. The following day, as they went together along with Wong and Heskit to submit the papers to the court to be reviewed, hundreds of people flocked outside to show their support. Cameras flashed as they walked out, crowd cheering their names and airing out their congratulations.

"Hazel, Stephen, how do you feel about the adoption?" A reported asked, walking alongside them with a mic on hand.

"Great." Hazel couldn't help but smile in response and she squeezed Heskit's hand.

"Me too. Hazel and I have always been family, now I just hope the good people of the court will acknowledge that legally." Stephen strategically appealed to the camera and gave a nod. He needed all the luck he could get to make sure they would approve it.

"So does this mean you're ready to kiss your biological parents goodbye?" He continued.

Hazel stopped in her tracks and so did Stephen. A wave of anxiety rushed all over him, his nerves tingling, as the question unlocked a fear he never knew he had.

"Uh...I never met them. They died before I could." She responded quickly. She looked up at Stephen and gave him a tight-lipped smile.

"Heskit Sharpe seems to have come out of nowhere. Is he a new member of the team or, perhaps, something more?"

Heskit looked to Hazel questioningly, as if asking her to call the shots. She responded by grabbing his collar and kissing him on the lips, making more cameras flash and reporters bombard them with questions.

"Alright, alright, leave us alone." Stephen waved his hands. He frowned when the reporters ignored his request and continued on following them. "Hey, that's enough questions for today,"

"Leave them alone!"
"Yeah, let them live!" The crowd urged to the reporters and let out boos. Slowly, the reporters left the scene with shame and contempt and the people cheered.

"Thank you." The two turned to the crowd and nodded at them to express their gratitude.

"I'm so excited!" Hazel looped her arms around Stephen and Heskit and jogged in place. Heskit gave a small but warm laugh at her giddiness. "Oh, my gosh! Look, ice cream!,"

"Hazel, wait!" Wong grumbled as she dragged the prince to the stand's direction.

The ice cream man was in the middle of handing Heskit's cone when he and Strange got there. He took a picture with the sorceress and Stephen got himself a cone too, because why the hell not?

"I have a business idea." Hazel brought up as she took in a mouthful of ice cream.

"No the fuck you don't." Stephen let out a humorless laugh through the mouthful of ice cream, already exhausted. He was fully aware she would continue speaking, but it was worth a shot.

"Hear me out: we could start an ice cream shop." She, as Strange predicted, continued on speak and held her hands out. "Okay. So, we could make the ice cream in the North or South Pole and store it there, so we wouldn't have to pay for electricity. We could just use portals as people order! Low cost, high profit!,"

"That's...actually not a bad idea," Stephen frowned and squinted his eyes.

"And we could incorporate flavors from Pentadilune by altering some ingredients to make them suitable for earthling consumption." Heskit added and pointed a finger.

"And when do you plan on managing this business? In between saving the world and being a master?" Wong raised an eyebrow and hummed. "The point of magic is to detach from the material and you decide to capitalize on it?"

The sorcerer supreme awaited some sort of snarky response, but there was none. Instead, Hazel stood frozen, in place, stuck gazing at one specific spot by the park. The prince furrowed his brows and shot Stephen a look who returned it.

"Hazel?" Heskit leaned in closer to acknowledge her expression.

He was about to open his mouth to speak some more when she let go of her grasp of the two men and began walking forward. Stephen squinted his eyes and investigated what, or better yet, who she was approaching.

His body relaxed as a familiar sense of dread that presented itself to him when the reporter asked an unwelcome question crept back up. He slumped down and bit and clenched his jaw.

"Shit." He breathed out roughly and clicked his tongue. Why today, of all days? Why her, and what for? The universe really has a way of being so twisted, sometimes.

"What wrong?" Heskit asked the man this time. He observed her approach a pregnant woman with light hair.

"You know this woman?" Wong followed up, the doctor was stunned in silence. He blocked his gaze to garner his attention.

"That's her sister." He revealed to them and a frown crept on his lips. "Why, Hazel? Why are you still talking to her?,"

"Although she tried to get in the way before, I'm sure she can't affect the adoption process." Wong assured to him and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

Stephen nibbled on his lower lip for a moment, a line appearing between his brows. He recalled the stories he had heard and the memory he witnessed back in memory lane.

"It's not because of that." He clicked his tongue again and shook his hand off his shoulder."It's because she was abusive."

He stomped his way past the crowd as a look of shock dawned upon the two. They followed the doctor and his soon to be daughter with caution.

"You're...pregnant. And married?" Hazel managed to breathe out. There was a cocktail of emotions going on inside her, but all she could tell was none of them were pleasant.

"And you're getting adopted." She stated in response.

Her eyes travelled to the doctor who put his arm around her sister's shoulder protectively. He couldn't hide the resentment he had for her. It took him every bit of his self control not to express his disgust.

"Yes. Now we can all move on to our own families and be on our merry ways." Strange interrupted the conversation and began to lead the girl to turn around.

"Why did you talk to me?" Stella asked and Hazel stopped in her tracks. "You didn't have to come up to me, so why did you?,"

"I... don't know,"

"Come on, Hazel. Let's go." This time, it was Heskit who gave her an encouraging nod and cocked his head back. Wong gave her a tight smile.

"I have something to show you." She quickly turned around and blurted out. "Or give you, I don't know,"

"What is it?," she squinted suspiciously.

"I'll send it to you. Did you change your email?,"

"There are other ways to contact people, you know." She laughed a little and gave her a, from what Hazel could tell, warm smile. "I can't believe you're younger than me. You were always the more...mature one, the smarter one."

Stephen frowned at the sight of her attempting to fraternize with her. He couldn't help but scoff.

"I'll send it to you there." Was the only thing she said in response. She turned to the both of them and nodded. "Let's go."