A Witch's Way

Chapter 1

"You okay? You look like you're trying to carry three elephants," A voice beside her joked when Serena stepped outside into the scorching sun.

She turned her head to locate the voice and saw a greeter standing outside, his hands in his green apron. His brown hair hung just above his bright, blue eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she huffed, setting down the soil bags. Standing up, feeling her back ache, she wiped the sweat off of her brow. "I got it, yeah," Serena said again, though it sounded like she was trying to reassure herself that she had this instead of the greeter beside her.

"Well, I mean, if you say so, but I'm here to help, so where's your car at?" The boy pursued the question.

Serena ignored the boy's persistent questions and scanned over the parking lot. She inhaled too fast, and ended up doubling over coughing. She put her hands on the soil bags and squinted at the deer--yes, a deer, in the parking lot. Heat shimmered off the asphalt, and she hoped that it wasn't Rosemary and just a hallucination from the intense heat.

The boy beside Serena opened his mouth, jaw slack, pointing at the deer in the lot. People noticed and looked with the two, but no one ever asked Serena why they were pointing.

"Is that a deer? Standing in the middle of the parking lot?" The greeter asked Serena, his head cocked to the side in question.

"Rosemary? Is that you? What are you doing here in broad daylight?" Serena questioned her familiar.

The deer, Rosemary, turned its head towards the couple standing at the entrance of the store. "Serena, dearest, I felt your distress all the way back at the house. Though it seems like it's caused from the bags of soil at your feet," Rosemary said, and a quiet laugh echoed inside Serena's head at this. "I'll go back to the house, but it seems like that boy wishes to help you. Let him, won't you? He seems like a good soul."

At that, Rosemary ran off, leaving Serena in an agitated state at her recklessness and the boy in awe.

"Did you just talk to that deer or something? That's super cool!" he exclaimed, his eyes shining through his dark hair.

Serena turned, her face etched with panic. He had seen Rosemary? Only when she had her Earth form on could people see her. Serena nodded to herself. That must be it, Serena thought happily. She just forgot to turn back before leaving, she was worried and forgot. "Do I look like one of those elf creatures who makes friends with animals?"

He paused, contemplating her reply. "Well, no, but I swear I saw a connection between you two! Did you maybe nurse her--or him?-- back to health before?"

Serena shook her head at the boy's crazy thoughts. Her eyes landed on his name tag pinned to his green apron. It read 'Jasper'. "Okay, Jasper," Serena started, "Sure, let's say that I nursed her back to health, but can you help me?"

Jasper stood tall, awaiting her plea of help, it seemed. "Well I work here, so I better help you, right?" he said, flashing a smile. "So, where's your car?"

Serena deadpanned. Right. A car. She needed one of those to get these bags back to her house. She can't just throw them over her shoulder and expect them to be lighter than air, could she? "Ah, funny thing about that..."

Jasper cocked his head in that innocent, child-like way. "What's so funny?"

"I don't have a car. I usually walk here. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided to buy these without having something to put them back at my house," Serena explained sheepishly, a red blush crawling up her neck.

Jasper rocked on the balls of his feet, ignoring those who entered the store and exited. "Ah! Hold on! I'll ask my boss to see if she'll let me go early!"