What her heart desires

Chapter 6

Authors note:
Sorry, it has been a while. Stuff has been happening so haven't had the chance to update. Anyways here's another chapter. The next one should be out within a week, provided I don't get more writer's block. 

Josie and Hope did their first magic practicing a week ago, and Hope, desperate to keep hanging out with Josie, to have her close like old times, asked to make it a weekly thing. Josie agreed, leaving Hope relieved and excited that she would get to spend time with Josie and help her with her magic. That they could exist in the same room without it being because of a new threat or new monster, something that feels like it hasn't happened in a while.

Hope waits eagerly in her room for Josie to arrive in a few minutes. She's prepared some grimoires, some candles as well as anything else that is needed to practice the spells. It's all laid out on the floor.

A knock arrives at the door, and Hope rushes to open it.

"Hey." Hope greets her, stepping aside to allow Josie in. 

"Hey." The pair walk over to where everything is set up, taking their seats opposite each other.

"Did you ever finish that side project of yours?" Hope asks, opening up a conversation. She notices Josie's face drop ever so slightly, something most people wouldn't notice because they aren't looking close enough. But Hope sees it, and she gets the feeling that the question brings up some negative emotions for Josie. Hope's not sure what, but she feels it. She knows it.

"Oh...uh...yeah. All done." Josie answers. It seems like a very layered response, and with each layer that you peel away, there will be more to it things that she's not saying with words but can be heard in her tone and seen in her expression.

"Can I see it?"

"No!" She says sharply. "I-I don't really want to share it with anyone else. This gives Hope so many thoughts, so many more questions she wants to ask. For example: Whycan'tt she see it? What was it about? And, Is she telling the truth?

They put their minds to focus on what they came here to do, crossing their arms and holding each other's hands, creating an infinity symbol. She feels Josie pulling the magic from her endless supply. She feels it leave her, but she doesn't miss its absence. Siphoning would usually affect someone far more, make them weaker, but to Hope, it's like it never even happened. If anything, it calms her and quietens the strong and constant buzz of magic that she usually has. Lessens the burden of having the most amount of power that anyone has ever had, if only for a moment. It's as if she can breathe better.

"You're getting better already," Hope says after Josie performs a basic spell with little mistakes.

"Thanks," Josie answers, but Hope looks at her, truly looks at her, and she can see something in her eyes. So much emotion, so much of something that she can't name, but something she can see is there.  

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Josie answers, but Hope knows it's a lie. And that scares her. It scares her because there's something that Josie feels the need to hide or not tell the whole truth about. Hope wants to be there for her, to help her through whatever it is, but she can't if Josie won't let her.

"I...don't know." 

The conversation dies after that, eventually forcing them to talk about something else and practice a few more spells before calling it a night and returning to their rooms. Landon joins Hope when she goes to bed, but her mind doesn't relax. As she tries to fall into a deep sleep, her mind is besieged by an array of concerns and thoughts, mostly surrounding Josie.

~a few days after Hope got out of Josie's subconscious~

After a minor argument with Landon, Hope feels the need to go outside to clear her mind, maybe even go for a run. She heads deeper into the woods, the sound of music drawing her attention as she remembers that the wolves were throwing a party. Hope heads towards the noise, thinking maybe it will be a good distraction, only she doesn't make it all the way there, instead her feet wander off course, guiding her to her best friend, sat at the base of a tree, alone. Hope kneels in front of her, her eyes all teary, her left hand clutching a near-empty bottle. Josie makes eye contact with her, but then looks down, as though ridden with shame or fear or perhaps an entirely different emotion. Hope scans her face some more, noticing a fresh wound on her cheek.

"What happened?" Hope asks, small flames of anger burning in the pit of her stomach. Josie's response is impossible to understand with the way she stumbles over her words. Her speech is slurred, no doubt a sign of how much she's drunk, as is the smudged makeup across her face.

"We need to get that cleaned up before it gets infected. Can you walk?" Hope asks. At Josie's nod, Hope helps her to her feet. They can make it to the safety of Hope's room without any major difficulties, aside from Josie's constant stumbles. Hope sits her friend down on the bed, immediately grabbing her a glass of water, and coaxing her to take large sips. She rushes to find her first aid kit. She gently dabs the wipe across the cut, tenderly cleaning away any dirt that could prevent it from healing properly.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Hope asks, noticing that Josie seems slightly more aware than she was ten minutes ago. She points to her arm and Hope lifts the sleeve to find a small graze on her elbow. Hope cleans that wound too, before putting a bandaid on it. "Are you okay?" She asks, receiving a quick nod in response. Whether that be the truth or not, Josie is still drunk, and all she needs is a friend to be by her side.

Authors note:
I feel the flashbacks are important in filling in some of the story a bit, and also showing Hope's side of things a bit. Let me know what you think! I'll admit, I was having a bit of a struggle getting the story from where it was to where I wanted it to be, but I think I've figured it out. Maybe. Idk lol. Not sure how I feel about this chapter but oh well