anadil's mother +oneshots and short stories

chapter 6

6. (hester's pov)

I am ranked number 1 at School. I am the most feared witch here and no one dares to even look my way. Yet here I am, looking over Anadil to make sure she's okay. I groan and bury my hands into my face. What am I doing?

I glance over at Anadil. She looks so peaceful, so at ease when she's asleep. Long gone is her cold, emotionless facade. Now, she's just Anadil.

My mind drifts to Lady Lesso's chambers- her hand on Anadil's cheek. If you told me that she was her mother, I would believe it. The same pale, cold, skin, the colored eyes, and the way Lady Lesso was so gentle with her. Lady Lesso is cold to everyone- only warming up to some people, like Anadil.

And then I realize that Anadil is just the same. Like ice, only melting for some.

One of her arms is outside of the blanket. Not wanting her to be cold, I attempt to lift the covers over it. I stop suddenly, seeing a bruise from under her sleeve. Slowly, I pull her sleeve up. Purple bruises and handprints where it's evident her mom grabbed her all over her arms. I inhale sharply. Why? How could someone hate their daughter so much?

I find that it's comparatively hard to pretend that I don't care about Anadil. There's just something about her. Her pale features, her bright red eyes, the way she talks, in a warm rasp. The way she's so affectionate with her rats when she thinks no one is watching.

As if on cue, her rats crawl onto the bed and next to her head. They squeak at her worriedly, and very high-pitched.

"Shhh! She's asleep," I say to them, as if they can understand me. "She'll be okay. Don't worry."

They tilt their little heads at me. They start squeaking at me. Are they talking to me?

Oh god. I'm going crazy. I think about how long I've been awake- ever since I woke up in the middle of the night. That was around 3...

I feel my eyelids start to close. I lay down next to Anadil and drift to sleep.

I wake up to Anadil coughing violently. I groan and rub my eyes.

"Ani? You good?"

She coughs a bit more and rubs her temples. She sits up and against the bed frame. I sit up and hand her the water bottle.

"Drink." I say forcefully.

She doesn't say anything and drinks the water. She adjusts her position and inhales sharply. From pain? I decide not to say anything about it. She rubs her eyes.

"God, what time is it? I feel like I've been asleep all day." She talks in a low whisper and I have to lean in to hear her- it's probably because of her sore throat.

I look at the clock.

"Six."

"Oh."

I take the medicine from her side table and pour it into the cap.

"Take it. Or else." She groans. She begrudgingly takes it and swallows the medicine.

I look around the room- it's empty. I'm thankful Dot and Sophie aren't here to see me literally wake up next to Anadil. Ever since I made that stupid potion for Sophie, she's been sulking in the common room cause I kicked her out for whining. She said she supposedly had 'a plan' to get Tedros to notice her tomorrow. That girl is ridiculous.

"Do you feel better?" I ask Anadil.

"No."

I get off the bed and stand next to it.

"Try walking."

"No. I'm cold," she says, pulling the blankets up to her chin and curling up on the bed. She looks so cute when she does that.. CUTE??? What?? I don't know what I'm saying. I just woke up! I was imagining her rats talking to me earlier. I'm just going crazy.

I pull her covers off. She gasps loudly, and very dramatically.

I extend a hand out. She begrudgingly takes it. She's usually so cold to the touch- it feels strange how hot her skin is.

She slowly gets off the bed and stands up, holding both my hands to steady herself. Her legs wobble and she falls into me, her breath heaving against my chest. I feel my face flush. Maybe she's getting me sick.

She immediately falls back into the bed and sits down. Her pale face is unusually pink. From sickness?

"I give up. I'll stay bedridden forever and end up a Mogrif." I roll my eyes and take her hands again to pull her up.

She takes a step. She wobbles a little, I help steady her. After falling and getting back up several times, she begins to take steps by herself. And then she's able to walk across the room and back with no pause.

After a while, she flops back into her bed.

"I'm tired."

"You woke up an hour ago."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Let's get food." I suggest.

Her eyes widen at the idea.

"Yes."

We walk over to the indoor cafeteria which we only use on days when the weather's bad. It's empty. One of the wolves is behind the shelf at the far end of the room, probably making food for the next day. I walk over to him.

"Do you have food?" I ask bluntly.

"I have gruel." he growls.

I roll my eyes and drag Ani out of the cafeteria.

I walk outside and to the blue forest. As much as I want to say that it's ugly and colorful, some parts are pretty.

"Where are we going?" she questions again. "I'm tired."

I take her to a part of the forest with several apple trees. I pick two, hand one to her, and sit against the trunk of the tree. She sits down next to me. She eyes the apple before biting into it. Her thigh brushes against mine.

"Thanks," she says.

I shrug. "Everyone knows about the apple trees." I say, biting into the apple again.

She looks away.

"No, for helping me. I.. I assumed that you would like, tell the whole School that I was weak or something or kick me out of our room." Her voice trails off. "I don't know... I was just surprised."

I raise my eyebrows at the idea. I had never even thought of doing something like that.

"Nah, you're the only thing keeping me sane being in a room with Dot and Sophie. Like, are you kidding? Both of them had to end up in the same dorm?"

She laughs, the mood lightened again.

"I.. wouldn't do that to you."

She tilts her head to the side and smiles at me in a way I feel propelled to smile back.

I touch her forehead.

"You're burning up again. Let's go."

She rolls her eyes. I stand up and extend a hand out for her to take.

We walk back inside in silence.