𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 // ꜱᴀʀᴀᴡᴀᴛ ✕ ᴛɪɴᴇ

xxiii

"Earn?!" I stared at the woman, wondering how she spawned out of nowhere.

"Tine." She nodded her head at me, taking confident strides towards me. I would be lying if I said I wasn't still wary of her despite the fact that she had helped me.

"To what do I owe the visit?" My eyes scanned the area to notice that it was just us and the flickering streetlight.

"I heard about, y'know." She cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact. "Its kind of the talk of the witch town."

"Of course." I rubbed my forehead in frustration, fighting the urge to roll my eyes.

"But I'm here to offer you my support." Her words were comforting but somehow I couldn't help but hold no interest in her words.

"It's been a year." I sighed. "A part of me has realized that it's better this way because our love was designed."

It hurt to dismiss our time together so easily, but it was the hard truth. The time we spent together was just one of those woman's ploys. It made my heart ache, still, after all this time.

"I can't tell you that isn't true but it is. But I can find a way to kill that despicable bitch." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"But what would be the use, it's not like he has a reason or a calling to be with me like before. We're nothing but-" I paused, "-strangers."

"I know I'm really late but you can make him love you." Earn grabbed my hand to assure me. "Deep down you're still made for each other."

"But Pam-"

"-Pam.. isn't God. She may have designed the poison for Sarawat's curse but she did not will for the two of you to meet." She was right. Pam had me thinking that meeting Sarawat was all a part of her plan but only his curse was.

My eyebrows knitted into a frown as I stared at the ground in front of me. There was an answer all along. It took a year for Earn to come in search for me to tell me this simple answer.

"I really.." I sighed but the cries left my chest as the tears fell from my eyes. "I really wish you came earlier." I pulled her into a hug and she stiffened before comforting me.

"I'm so sorry, Tine." She sighed, rubbing my back. "Let's get you home."

-

The suns heat bore into my skin as I pulled myself to sit up on my bed even though I was still half asleep.

"Tine?" The door opened with a knock as I glanced towards the door with my eyes cracked open to see Earn at the door.

"You came back?" I asked in a groggy voice as I shuffled to my feet.

"No I kind of slept in your mother's room." She rubbed the back of her neck.

I walked out of my room with her to eat breakfast before I got ready for my shift.

Though my eyes were still fuzzy I glanced towards the kitchen where I saw my mother on her feet and pacing around the kitchen making food. "Mother?" I called out, shocked that my mother looked as healthy as a horse.

"Tine!! Look at my legs!" She pulled her skirt up to show off her healthy legs. And he had obviously gained the healthy weight she was meant to have. But over one night? I immediately looked down at Earn who had a sheepish smile on her face.

"My biggest regret in life was not turning to magic sooner, I could have at least used it to save my mother, but of course I would've had to be a 13 year-old witch." She smiled, hugging herself. I pulled her into a tight hug, tighter than last night. This woman was my guardian angel... my guardian witch.