Will of the Witch [Legacy, BK 2 - Completed]

Chapter 3.2

John

It was quiet in the car. Hunter seemed deep in thought. I wrestled with what I should say to break the silence, or if I should even break it in the first place. Hunter spared me the trouble.

"Ezra explained it to me," he said. "About the witches and how you had saved his life."

I glanced at him briefly before turning my attention back to the road. "Yeah?"

"I can't say I understand it all or any of it for that matter," Hunter continued. "But what I do understand is that you're a good guy."

I ignored the hot feeling coming from my ears. In the long run, it shouldn't matter what he thought of me, but somehow it did.

"So, where do you want me to drop you off?" I asked, changing the subject. I looked at him, and just caught the hint of a smile as he turned back to face the window.

"The Arboretum on the north side of town; my dad is a botanist there. He helps maintain the greenhouses, but his true passion is researching and caring for orchids."

Ah, so that's how he'd known about the soil and the beans yesterday. "I used to love visiting arboretums and gardens. It's been a long while since I did, though."

In fact, I think the last one I'd gone to was years ago, with a few other earth witches my age from the Coven. We'd spent the entire time making some of the plants bloom out of season and watching the confusion on people's faces. It was fun, and part of me wanted to go back, but I couldn't. I thought of Ezra and all the other Necromancers that had been hurt by the lies the Coven had been spreading, whether or not they knew they were lies in the first place. 

As we got closer to the Arboretum, Hunter asked, "Why don't you park and come inside for a bit? I'll show you around."

I thought about it quickly but still felt anxious. As much as a day out seemed like a good idea this morning, I didn't really feel safe. "I need to get to the store; I don't want to be gone from the house too long."

"Not even 10 minutes?" Hunter asked, a soft look crossing his eyes.

He couldn't possibly be into me. Right?

I pushed the thought away. It was ridiculous to even contemplate. Hunter couldn't like me, he was just being nice. But still, the thought of immersing myself among the plants was tempting.

"Alright," I gave in as I pulled into the sparsely filled parking lot and parked.

We went in the main entrance, and Hunter went straight for the service desk line, but one of the ladies working the desk waved him forward.

"Hi, Mrs. Yoshida," Hunter said cheerfully. 

"Hunter! What a nice surprise." She gave him a big smile. "How's college, dear? Not getting into any trouble I hope?"

"Of course not. Is Dad back in the lab?"

She pulled out a couple of VIP passes and set them on the counter. "I think he's out in the gardens today. He mentioned checking on the orchids before the winter exhibits come in this afternoon."

Hunter took the passes and handed one to me. "Thanks, we'll go find him then."

I smiled as Mrs. Yoshida gave me a curious glance before turning back to those in line. Following Hunter past the ticket gates, we entered the main lobby of the Arboretum. The building was set up as an atrium with tall glass ceilings and an impressive tree planted right in the center of the lobby. It wasn't super crowded, it was still early, but there were a lot of school groups and some elderly patrons walking around.

"Come on, this way," Hunter said, pulling on my sleeve.

I followed him down the hall and into the section labeled Orchid Hall, which was nearly empty. A couple at the end of the exhibit turned the corner to the next one as we entered.

It was quiet, and the whole placed hummed with natural magic, to the point that the air felt electric around me, lifting my mood instantly. I smiled, closing my eyes a moment in relief. I felt whole for the first time in weeks, months even since I had left the Halfworld with Ezra.

When I opened my eyes, I found Hunter watching me.

"You looked like you were having a moment there." He laughed a little, his eyes bright.

I wasn't sure how I could explain it. "This place is amazing, the plants and the energy here are...," I searched for the right words. "It's a rush."

Hunter smiled, glancing over some of the plants. "My Dad says the same thing."

The good feeling drained from me as I processed his words. That wouldn't be something a normal human would say, right?

"Hunter!" 

We both turned to the middle-aged man heading towards us from an employee-only door. He was tall, his skin tone slightly darker and more tanned, than Hunter's. But what stood out most to me was the power that wove around him. He was an Earth Witch, like me.

"Hey, Dad," Hunter said, reaching to give him a hug.

His dad returned it but kept his eyes on me. "Who's your friend?"

I could see it in his eyes, he'd recognized me just as I had him. I needed to go now, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving Hunter. Did his Dad know what Hunter was? I highly doubted it. 

"This is John. He..." Hunter chose his words carefully, "was nice enough to give me a ride into the city after my car died. John, this is my Dad."

"Hey," I said, desperately trying to think of a way out.

"It's nice to meet you, John, I'm Cameron." He held out a hand and I shook it.

"Likewise," I said, and turned back to Hunter. "I should probably be going-"

"Nonsense," Cameron said. "Why don't we go back to my office to talk? Let me at least get you some gas money for going out of your way."

I hesitated. "That's not necessary, really."

"I insist. Come on, my office is this way." He headed down the hall, not waiting to see if we followed.

Hunter glanced after him, then back to me. "What was that all about?"

I shook my head and followed after Cameron. I didn't want to say anything, not here, in the open. I also didn't want to clue his dad in if he didn't know what Hunter was. Oh, yes, I'm sure that would go over well. 

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Just a couple of announcements:   

Will of the Witch will now be updating on FRIDAYS. I'll have chapters go up in the mornings. Patreon subscribers will still be a week ahead. So the next update will be on Friday, January 26th.

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