Evanesce

(Chapter 1) Promise

I stretched, absorbed in the golden glow illuminating the clearing. The emerald field speckled with spots of white, yellow and purple. The birds sang softly in the distance, the sound muffled by the surrounding trees.

I lay outstretched in the center of the peaceful glade, basking in the solitude. The serenity only lasted temporarily, before my little sister came barreling through the thick brush.

Her dark hair flowing elegantly down her back, as her sharp eyes scrutinized me. She pursed her thin lips in content as she approached, long thin legs closing the distance quickly.

"I figured I'd find you here" she said, struggling to catch her breath. "Mom is looking for you, you were suppose to be collecting medicinal herbs for our training tonight." She finished, glaring at the empty basket by my feet. I kicked it over and sighed, sitting up.

"She still has plenty of Ginseng and Valerian. And no one has come to the Apothecary in months. There is no point, and it's not like she's teaching us anything of importance. I know how to treat a fever and a scraped knee, cool. How do I defend myself against an attacker, or put out a forest fire or save someone's life?" I ranted, exasperated.

"I'm capable of doing these things but incapable of teaching myself, I'm tired of it. If I'm gonna do nothing, I'd like it to be on my own terms"

I glowered at the grass, ripping the blades out individually and tossing them aside. Sunji stood staring at me in disbelief.

"Suddenly you're the one wanting to skip out on studies?" she snickered, as she sunk down next to me. "She probably is planning on it, she probably just hopes she won't HAVE to. You know mom cares about us so much, she just doesn't want anything to happen to us." I scoffed at this.

"If she cared about that she would have already taught us how to defend ourselves by now." Sunji looked like she wanted to speak but sighed instead. We sat in silence for a long time until I noticed the sun getting low.

"Come on," I sighed, climbing to my feet. Sunji held her hand out for assistance, which I took reluctantly, yanking her up forcefully. She yelped a bit and shot me a dirty look before snatching my basket up from where it lay in the grass, forgotten.

"At least with the two of us, we should be able to get a few herbs for mom before it gets too dark" Sunji mused, skipping ahead into the dark forest. I grumbled under my breath and followed.

After we finished gathering roots and herbs for mother's shop, we made our way home. Mom had just finished cooking dinner, and beckoned us into the kitchen. After washing up and eating, we helped store the ingredients and then made our way to bed.

I sat on my old, lumpy mattress while I pondered. I thought about the conversation I had with Sunji earlier and then I thought about my father. I never really knew him, I've only seen pictures. My mother doesn't like talking about him, so he must not have meant much, or maybe he meant too much. The only thing I know is he left of his own accord when I was a toddler. He's visited me a few times as a child but always when my mother was away. I sometimes wonder the person he may be. Was he a horrible person, and that's why she hates him so? Or was he a great person who had to make his own decisions? Would he want me to grow and become self sufficient or would he want to coddle me like my mother? I can't help but wonder.

The closest thing I ever experienced to a father was Jinyoung. Sunji's father, a human, married my mother when I was still young, old enough to remember but too young to have any sort of opinion of it. He was a kind person, he always was very open and accepting of my mother and our lifestyle, he's also been a great father influence, but him and I have a mutual understanding that he can never fill the hole my father created.

A knock on my door snapped me out of my thoughts. My bed creaked as I stood and approached the door.

My mother stood, soft and warm, smiling from ear to ear. No matter how upset or annoyed I am, my mother has always had the power to soothe all my frustrations.

"Can I come in?" She asked in her silky voice. I opened the door wider, inviting her in. She took my hand and led me back to my decrepit bunk. I sat with her, big brown orbs boring into my own, until she spoke.

"I've been thinking a lot, and I don't think I can teach you anymore herbal medicine. I've taught you all I know." She said calmly, confident in her words. I nodded along unphased, I knew she was running out of material since last year, she's just been perfecting our skill since.

"So I figured," she continued, expectantly. "Tomorrow we can start on potions and spells." She rushed out before my brain could even process. I sat in silence for a few moments, still stunned, then I jumped onto her taller frame and embraced her, tears threatening to spill.

I pulled away to look her in the eyes, "You actually mean it? You're not just saying this to appease me?" She cackled and shook her head.

"Since when do I appease my children?" She rolled her eyes and we both laughed. I gathered her into another hug and sniffed, trying to hide the sudden emotion. She held me at arms length, kissed me on the forehead, then stood to leave.

"Oh, I do have one condition" She clarified, arrogantly. I deflated, flopping back onto the covers.

"You have to assist at the shop on the weekends." She replied, ignoring my exasperation. I sat up, pouting but silent. My mother patted my head and chuckled lightly before leaving the room, the light click of the door handle now the only sound echoing through the room.

I sighed, and turned the light off before collapsing back into bed. I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my face as I reassessed the conversation. Tomorrow I will start my witch training, after 18 years of being a glorified hippie.
I slowly started to doze off, a wolf howling in the distance, the last thing I heard before sinking into darkness.