The Binding (ON HOLD)

Chapter 11

I close my eyes, trying to decide what to do.
I'm fifteen. I should be able to have a normal conversation with him. He's a person like Bart or Bart's parents or the old man. It doesn't have to be deep, it doesn't have to be personal or complicated. Just a normal conversation between two people who know each other a little bit.
"Yes, it's me. How are you? Did you pass your exams?" I walk over to the table and sit down, trying not to trip on the cable while doing so.
"Yes, I did. My grades weren't as good as they usually are, but some teachers allowed me to retake the exam so I'm quite happy with the results I have now."
"That's good," I say and play with the cable, wrapping it around my finger.
"How are things going at the farm?" Hunter seems as determined as I am to keep things light.
"Your mom is teaching me how to cook.", I tell him.
"That's probably for the best. Do you know what sauté is now?"
I let go of the cable and put my feet on the table, looking around to make sure Cora isn't there to catch me. "Yes. You cook it in a pan with a little bit of oil until it's brown."
"That's pretty much what we did!", Hunter calls out. I smile
"I told you it wasn't that bad. You were the one who refused to eat it."
"And I stand by my decision. That thing would have taken years out of my life."
Silence ensues. What else can I say? I already asked him about his grade and I'm not going to talk about the weather. It would be too obvious and too desperate.
"How are Elena and Marc?"
"Over the roof now that they are without a doubt head of the class and will be allowed to meet the Espíritus.", Hunter replies.
We cannot have a single conversation without bringing up magic. I sigh but realize that magic controls so many parts of our lives that it is impossible to ignore.
"That's why you did it, no? You went out that night because you knew one of you was going to be without an Espíritu, unless something changed."
I can feel, more than hear, that Hunter is afraid to answer that question.
"Would you hate me if I said yes?"
I push a strand of hair out of my face. "No. You chose your friend over a stranger. That is a very normal thing to do."
"It's not something you would have done.", Hunter replies, and I think about what he is implying.
"I would have chosen Alina over a stranger.", I answer him truthfully.
"What about the old man?"
I grin. "He is old. He would have died soon after, anyways."
"And you would have had the boat all to yourself. You could have taken it and driven off into the sunset, never to be seen again." There's a joking undertone to his voice and in that moment, Hunter sounds so much like his mother.
"Because I would have drowned. I never could have driven that old thing by myself."
I hear the front door open and turn around to see Cora enter the house, a bag of food in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other.
"Your mom just got home. I assume you called to talk to her?", I tell Hunter.
Cora and I make eye contact and hers widen in surprise when she sees that I am talking on the phone. Then her eyes darken, and she mouths: "Feet off the table." I stick my tongue out but reluctantly follow her order and sit up straight in the chair.
"Yes. I tried calling yesterday, but no one picked up the phone." I was so busy making faces at Cora, that I nearly miss his response.
"We were over at Bart's. His family invited us for dinner."
"You are still friends with him?", Hunter asks.
"We just started becoming friends.", I correct him, wondering why I shouldn't be friends with Bart.
Cora starts putting away groceries, and I realize that she's trying to elongate mine and Hunter's conversation.
"Is my mom avoiding talking to me, so you and I will talk longer?", Hunter says out of nowhere. I burst out laughing.
"YES! How did you know?"
"Every time we talks, she makes sure to tell me what you have been doing in great detail.", Hunter explains. Usually, I would have been angry, but I can't stop laughing.
"She does that to you, too?", I ask. I turn around and tell Cora: "You're busted." She has the good sense to turn red.
"What do you mean 'too'?", Hunter wants to know, and I tell him how after his phone calls his mom always tells me everything about his life. "Do you want to shout at her first or should I?", Hunter asks when I finish my explanation.
"You kids might be complaining but it worked. You are talking. Now give me that phone.", Cora chimes in. I tell Hunter that I need to go and give his mom the phone. I'm halfway up the stairs to give them some privacy, when I hear Cora say: "You most definitely needed my help. You ran away three days after you met her. If it weren't for me, you two would have forgotten that the other existed."
I slap a hand over my mouth and manage to get to my room before I start laughing again.