The Supreme and Me

Chapter Five

It was an hour or two after the group of witches finished their chatter, Zoe and Nan had gone back up to their rooms while Madison had gone across town to see her apparent boyfriend, and so Willow and Cordelia were walking through the forest at the back of the academy. "I told you this place was nice, it's just a little further until my surprise for you" Cordelia smiled. She had planned on taking Willow to her secret garden, it was right at the center of the forest, which ran deep with trees that grew different shades of orange, green and red leaves. So far they had walked the majority of the way, almost getting tangled in the branches that hung down off the trees, mud filled the ground at this time of year, but you could still see the mixture of moss and grass that usually laid on the forest, protecting the ground like a blanket. They stepped over the giant roots, which gripped to the ground. "I'm excited, especially since you have decided that you would prefer to keep me completely in the dark about where we're going, you could be leading me to my death for all I know" Willow laughed, Cordelia stopped in her tracks and looked surprised, "Crap, you found out my plan" She said sarcastically. The pair instantly started laughing at each other, Willow rolled her eyes and smirked as she carried on walking, Cordelia walking close behind, they carried on walking for about ten more minutes before finally reaching the garden. "Wait" Cordelia giggled as she ran behind Willow and placed her hands over her eyes. The young witch laughed as Cordelia guided her into the magical place, as they continued walking Cordelia sat Willow onto the bench there and gently removed her hands, letting Willow see all the beauty the garden held.

As Willow opened her eyes she looked around to see beautiful trees dancing softly in the wind as they surrounded the enclosed scene. Wild flowers crowded the grass, filling the garden with colours and wonderful smells, the essence of summer flowing through the grounds. The sun shone beautifly through the trees into their secret space as the heat layered itself onto the pairs body, surrounding them with warmth and it almost immediately forced smiles onto their faces. "So you like it?" Cordelia whispered, suddenly highly aware she let Willow see her most secret place that she would go to when she needed time out of the academy, none of the others knew about it, she didn't even know why she thought should show Willow, she just felt different to the others Cordelia thought, She's special.

"Cordelia I love it!" Willow gasped as she took in the surroundings, she turned to look into the older witches eyes, which were a deep shade of brown and in the sun shone golden; Willow suddenly wrapped her arms around Cordelia, which was a foreign feeling to her, not even her mother hugged her she just told her to get over it or to stop being a baby. "I-Im glad" Cordelia smiled hugging her back tightly, embracing the soft smell of vanilla she could smell from Willow's perfume.

Eventually the pair sat back down onto the bench and started a discussion on their old family life, "What about you? What were your parents like?" Willow asked after explaining to Cordelia that her parents loved her dearly before she started manifesting her powers, but since they were christians and very prominent on the way they view witchcraft, they sent her away to the academy. She explained how her mother was from france and so she spoke fluent french from when her grandparents came round and she learnt from them, how she had two younger siblings, one twelve and the other sixteen, they weren't witches though they didn't judge her for it, they knew it wasn't her fault and she didn't ask to be a witch, but although she would never admit it to her family, Willow actually loved the whole witch world, especially meeting Cordelia, she loved making friends with the beautiful older witch. "Well, my dad left me when I was about five or six, and my mother became supreme about your age actually, yes she was in her mid twenties I think, anyway she was constantly under stress from the coven to fulfill her duties and so I was always second in her responsibilities, from the age of about nine I was left alone for days at a time, Myrtle came round during the day sometimes to make me some dinner, she was like a second mother to me, but eventually I was taken to the academy at around twelve. They didn't even know if I was a witch or not but Fiona was adamant I was going to be a witch, fortunately I started manifesting my powers around thirteen but if wasn't a witch I would have probably been thrown out of the academy and god knows where I would be now, Fiona sure as hell wouldn't give a goddamn about me if I wasn't a witch. But i've been at the academy ever since, when I finished my education there I went into the world for awhile, I moved to new jersey for about two years and worked at a few shops, but i've always been so closed off from the rest of the world it was like I couldn't function properly, so I returned to the academy to teach. That way I could always be in my own little world and not have to worry about anything but the academy." Cordelia finished her explanation, not noticing the tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Oh my god Cordelia, that sounds horrible i'm so sorry" Willow spoke softly, taking the older witches hand in her own, a subtle way of showing she really did feel bad for her, no one deserved to be treated like that. Cordelia was so pure, she wouldn't dare hurt anyone, she protected her girls at the academy like her own children, the young witch didn't understand who could treat such a beautiful soul like that. "It's fine honestly, I survived it and i'm much happier now." She smiled back at Willow, squeezing her hand back as a tear fell delicately from her eye, "I-I'm sorry, i'm never normally like this. It's pathetic of me" Cordelia sighed as she wiped the tear away yet only more tears followed, trailing down her angelic face.

Willow frowned at Cordelia and pulled her into a warm embrace, she wrapped her arms round Cordelia's slim figure and held her as she cried silently into her chest. "Shh, it's ok Delia. You're not pathetic, I promise you, ok?" Willow whispered as she held Cordelia's face in front of her own, "You are the strongest person I know, you have been through so much and yet you always have that beautiful smile on your face" Willow smiled in sympathy as Cordelia smiled back, biting her bottom lip slightly as her cheeks flushed red from blushing.

Cordelia and Willow talked some more and then decided to go back to the academy as the sun was setting over the horizon, an array of orange and pink flowed through the sky as the pair walked back through the woods and into society again.