Melpomene || H.G

𝟽: ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴏғ sᴡᴏʀᴅs

Word Count: 7,104

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

Calista hated writing for one reason: wrist pain from writing lessons in her parchments. But when Jiwon contacted her, she quickly forgot the pain and started writing back to her. She felt sincerely exhilarated, a feeling she had never felt for a long time. She had moments where she felt excited, but it was not as intense as what she felt with her long-time crush's letter.

She wondered what Jiwon looked like now. Calista recalled Jiwon had short hair with bangs, blonde hair, an oval face shape, and was shorter than her. She could not accept the fact that Jiwon might become taller than her if they had the chance to reunite. She preferred her shorter as it was easier for Calista to hug her and make the older witch comfortable in her arms.

A better mood after two months was refreshing. Calista retraced what happened to her ever since she entered the castle grounds. The second and the remaining weeks of November made her have a fight-and-flight response, a stressful and traumatic time due to her escape with her friends being recent at that time, and she had to deal with problems with her Korean peers.

The whole month of December was better, but they were still closed off, and she started to adjust slowly until the discovery that Shin Byung-Ho was still alive and was the remaining member of the Shin clan. There were no positive moments in her life last year, only pain, suffering, stress, trauma, and many more. Calista couldn't believe she and her friends handled that much stress.

January of the current year was decent, as there was a new member of the circle who brought hope and joy to their lives. They adjusted better, especially Esme. Calista felt better, but not enough. She felt something negative coming back from her, and she could not figure it out, but she brushed it off, knowing Haven and Jade would not like what she did.

The negative feelings came back worse in February. Calista was able to point out the reason behind her emotions thanks to Haven, who could read her like an open book. She realized that she had a delayed reaction. She knew it was due to her familiarity with swiftly putting things in the past and embracing what was next. She moved forward without mourning her late father.

The remaining weeks of February were her recovery stage. Her friends guided and supported her to re-learn how to cope more healthily and remove the toxic habits she had. They gathered in one bed and talked to each other deeply before they slept every night, an open conversation for them to understand each other's trauma, worries, and many more.

In the open conversation one night, Calista and Jade eventually found out Esme had relapsed with her bad habit on the night the youngest had a massive breakdown. Esme thought it was the appropriate time to reveal what she had done. Both Calista and Jade did not react or scold her the way they usually do and only listened to Esme with open ears and minds.

Esme was softly reminded of the reason why she decided to cut smoking in the first place; the three promised they would help her more to be clean from drugs until she no longer felt the need to smoke permanently. They also promised to help each other out with their issues: Haven with her PTSD, Jade's anxiety and worries for the future, Esme's bad habits, and Calista's delayed traumatic emotions and vulnerability.

March was also a month of recovery and openness,, and April arrived. Pranks were a daily occurrence in the school, and the four Koreans had pranks in their own way, exclusive to them. Esme was the biggest target within the circle for pranks and teasing, and she was annoyed, but seeing how happy Calista, Haven, and Jade looked, she did not mind. Her patience was tested every day in April.

Calista was outside for fresh air after dinner. She was with someone else at the Forbidden Forest. She was not afraid of the area anymore. She also had the same beliefs as Esme, where people were the scariest compared to a haunted house or a forbidden place. The Forbidden Forest may be dangerous for her, but she had been in many dangerous places, and she felt braver.