His One and Only

Watch Your Back

"It's nothing, Leah, I just picked them because they were pretty," I said with a small smile, trying to sound sincere and she narrowed her eyes at me.

"That could be a possibility," I sighed in relief, "But! It's just too obvious that you're trying to hide something!"

She shouted and I hushed her, pulling her upstairs with me. Maybe, I could tell her.

'Nope. Not at all. What are you thinking?!' Liz stared at me in disbelief but I pushed her aside, to the back of my mind.

I desperately needed someone to lean on right now. Maybe I had gotten too used to having the support of others, because just last year, I was without any support or anything and now I was wanting it.

"L-Leah, the t-truth is...l-last night...y-your mother, sh-she..." I winced, feeling horrible for trying to tell her something like this.

It would be better if she didn't believe me and continued to live her life without the pain. My heart felt heavy and I second guessed my decision.

I thought, it wasn't my place...

Leah glared at me before sighing and shaking her head.

"I thought that you had finally learnt to trust us and be open. But I guess not..." she gave me a small, sad smile and my eyes filled with tears upon seeing the dark emotions swirling in her eyes. She trusted me to trust her, but I broke that trust.

Even with that, I believed that this was the right choice.

'This was the right choice. It would've hurt both of you,' Liz' words almost made me feel better.

"I-It's not th-that," I dropped my gaze as she left and went to her room. I flinched at the sound of the door closing and went to my room as well, softly closing the door and locking it.

'I feel horrible, Liz! I shouldn't have said anything...' my mind was a mess and I was starting to get a headache.

'Don't say that. It was a slip of the tongue, nothing more. And you made the right choice, not shattering her world into tiny pieces. If she believed you, that is,' her words didn't make me feel a better at all and I just sat down on my bed, sighing.

***

The very next day, I couldn't sleep and stayed in bed until I was sure everyone was asleep. I had packed my bag with the little things I brought with me and some food.

I was changing when I heard a hesitant knock on the door. I kicked my bag under the bed and opened the door to see a tear-stained Leah.

My face contorted in worry as I let her in and closed the door, turning the lock.

"She, sh-she is a witch! My mom, how could she...?!" She started sobbing and sat down on the bed. My heart clenched seeing her like that but I didn't know what to do.

I awkwardly sat down beside her and patted her arm and head until she calmed down.

"Wh-What happened?" I handed her a tissue before she could wipe her tears with the same one she used to wipe her nose.

"I heard mom. She was in her office, talking to herself. Sh-She said that she was sick and tired of always being the one to make sacrifices. She s-said that this was the only way to make Amanda suffer even in the afterlife, by making you suffer," she was hiccuping every now and then, but her voice blended into the background so well.

Amanda...? My mother? She wanted to make my mother suffer? But why? I knew my mother super well. All those years Karen didn't see her, I was right beside her. She loved Karen.