WITCH - ARA

Twelve

A faint chime sounds as I push open the door to the café, the familiar scent of coffee and pastries greeting us. Ava walks in beside me, her expression distant, as if she's still processing everything. We find a corner booth, the one we always choose, and settle into our seats but I miss Silas's presence beside me.

I order two regular lattes, nothing fancy, just enough to warm us up on this cold, tense day. Ava's fingers play with the edge of her sleeve, and I can tell she's nervous, probably dreading what I'm about to tell her. But she needs to know. She deserves to know.

As the lattes arrive, I take a deep breath and start explaining everything that happened in the past few days—starting with the woods. Ava listens intently, her eyes widening as I describe the moment when something unseen scratched her hand while we were exploring with those spirit-seer goggles and how she acted after that. Her face turns pale, and I can see the disbelief in her eyes, but she doesn’t interrupt. Not yet.

When I finish, she just stares at me, shaking her head slowly. "I....I don't remember any of those, everything that happened after we came from the woods is a blur...." she pauses

“I…I can’t believe this. It doesn’t even feel real.”

I reach across the table, gently taking her hand in mine. “Ava, look,” I say softly, lifting her sleeve to reveal the scratch mark on her wrist. It’s almost healed now, just a faint line, but the memory of it is still raw. Her eyes well up with tears as she looks at the mark, and before I can say anything, she breaks down.

“It’s all my fault,” she sobs, her voice choked. “I’m the one who asked to go to those woods. Silas… Silas is dead because of me. Everything that’s happened—it's all because of me. I’m just causing trouble for you, Blaze.”

I can feel my own eyes sting with unshed tears, but I fight them back, trying to stay strong for her. I move from my seat, sliding in beside her, and wrap an arm around her shoulders. “Ava, no. This isn’t your fault. None of it is. We made decisions together, and Silas… she made her own choices too. You’re not to blame for any of this.”

She leans into me, crying softly into my shoulder. I hold her close, my own heart aching with the weight of everything that’s happened. But I don’t let myself cry. Not now. I need to be strong for her.

“We’ll figure this out, Ava,” I whisper, trying to believe it myself. “We’ll get through this, together. You’re not alone in this, okay?”

She nods weakly, her sobs slowly subsiding. We sit there for a while, just holding onto each other, as the world continues to spin outside the café. The coffee grows cold, untouched, but neither of us cares. Right now, all that matters is being there for each other.

Ava pulls back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, still sniffling. “I... I need to find out what happened to Silas. We need to know why she... why she died.”

I look at her, my chest tightening. “Ava, I don’t know if—”

“No, Blaze, please,” she interrupts, her voice shaky but determined. “We could talk to a priest or something. Maybe they can help us figure this out.”

My heart skips a beat. A priest? I’m a literal witch, for crying out loud. If we get involved with a priest, things could go south fast. But Ava doesn’t know that. How could she? I’ve kept that part of me buried deep.

I hesitate, chewing on my lower lip. “Ava, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Priests... they might not be able to help.”

“But what else can we do? I don’t have any other options, Blaze. I can’t just sit around and do nothing.” Her eyes plead with me, full of a desperation I can’t ignore.

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. “Ava, let’s just... think about it first. Rushing into things might make it worse.”

“But what if there’s something out there, Blaze? Something that could help us understand what really happened?”

She’s right about one thing—we need answers. But I can’t risk exposing myself. Not now, not like this. I need to find another way, something that doesn’t involve priests or holy ground.

“We’ll figure something out,” I say, my voice soft but firm. “Just... trust me, okay?”

Ava nods, but I can see the doubt lingering in her eyes. She’s desperate for answers, and I am too. But I can’t let her walk into something she doesn’t understand. And I sure as hell can’t let her find out about what I am. Not yet.

Not ever, if I can help it.

Ava’s eyes widen with determination. “But, Blaze, we can’t just ignore this. What if there’s something we’re missing? A priest could have answers—maybe even lead us to the truth about Silas.”

I feel a cold sweat on my back. “Ava, it’s not that simple. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”

“But that’s exactly why we need help!” she insists, her voice rising. “If we keep brushing it off, we might never know what really happened. Please, Blaze, we can’t just do nothing.”

I feel the walls closing in. If I refuse outright, she’ll start to question why. And I can’t let her suspect anything—not about what I really am, and definitely not about the danger that might come with getting a priest involved. But if I push too hard against it, she’ll know something’s up.

I take a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. “Okay, Ava... we’ll look into it. Maybe just talk to someone, see what they have to say. But we won’t commit to anything without thinking it through first. Deal?”

Ava looks at me, her expression softening slightly. “Deal,” she says, but there’s still a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

I force a small smile. “We’ll figure this out together, okay?”

She nods, but as she does, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve just walked us both into something much bigger than either of us realizes.