Bloody Mary

Y/N

Boocifer and I stood at the base of the large forest surrounding Evershade Valley. I can't stop looking at those beautiful old tress. 

"Come on, L/N. Stop gawking. They're just big ass trees." Boocifer urged me to go on.

"I haven't been in a forest with such beautiful trees before, excuse me if I'm a little excited!" I snap at him.

"Does it look like I care. Besides, you can grow trees exactly like that in a split second. I don't know how you can be so impressed." he starts to move forward.

"They're naturally grown, that's why!" I start to follow him. "Yeah, trees this large are pretty easy to grow for me. But if you chop one of them down, there aren't any tree rings."

Boocifer turns towards me. "What do you mean?"

"The trees I grow don't  have rings because they haven't lived long enough to have more bark grow on them in intervals. Every season, new water and food collecting cells, or tracheids, are added around the trunks of naturally grown trees. That's how they get their rings." I explain excitedly.

"So, because Plantbenders can grow plants in one sitting, the tracheids don't have enough time to attach themselves?" he asks as we continue to move through the forest.

"You have the right idea, but it's more like new tracheids are attaching themselves faster than the old ones can form bark." I respond. "What we can also do is feel the history through the trees. But we can only feel what the tree has felt and that tree needs to have rings. For instance," I start to reach for the tree right next to me. I wince when some more stitches come loose. 

"Are you alright? That didn't sound good." Boocifer looks concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. Like you said in the car. I need some rest." I turn towards him with a forced smile. Boocifer doesn't seem convinced.

"I do wish that we were able to bring the car into the forest. You didn't seem to be under as much strain when you were driving." He looks at the ground, defeated. "But the car won't fit in between the trees. Not to mention, once we enter Evershade Valley, the car will bring unwanted attention."

"And a living human won't?" I tease.

He looked at me, unimpressed. "You were saying, about feeling what the tree felt."

Trying to change the subject, huh? I smirk and turn back to the tree. "When I touch the tree, I can feel how cold the winter was in previous seasons, what sort of animal has scurried up it, and if the ring is close enough to the surface, I can feel hand prints. Very valuable for man hunts."

"And how cold was the winter twenty years ago?" Boocifer asks.

Without missing a beat "negative 30 degrees Celsius being the coldest and negative 10 for the warmest." I smirk at his face.

Aw, he thought he could stump me.

"Just when I thought I had you figured out, you pull something like this."

"I'm afraid I don't follow." I say as we continue walking.

"It doesn't matter. But what does matter is something I think you will love in Evershade Valley." He smiles at me. "And it's one big tree."

My face lights up, but before I could respond we hear shouting.

"I found the car! She went this way, Sir!"

"Find her! That wrench must pay for her crimes!" 

"Daniel." I say in a hushed voice. I turn to Boocifer.