Rise of the Night Witch

For SUAR 4

Marissa shivered between the whispering woods. Those oak forests blocked the light and left the mushrooms and ferns surrounding Marissa and Simon in cold humidity. It resulted in a penumbra dark enough to be gloomy and bright enough for Marissa to see him vis-à-vis.

He seemed pretty harmless, as far as guys went. He stood without tension and watched her with a wide-eyed, inquisitive glance.

"Your arm looks bad," he said.

Marissa turned her arm away. Perhaps she should have added some clever quip about how those wounds were just paper cuts, but she preferred to stay serious.

Simon squared his shoulders until he stood straight like a pencil, shrugging off any residues of spiritual harm he suffered in the Otherworld. "I'm Simon, by the way."

Should she give him her name? If he gave her his, it was best not to be rude. "Marissa," she said.

"You look like a face I've seen in a hallway or two. Are you also a student at Whateley University?"

Marissa fidgeted with a twig between her fingers. "Just enrolled here. You missed Professor Weber's lecture today."

"That's on Friday, isn't it?"

"Friday is today."

He held his head. "Oh. I think I forgot about the time."

His eyes then darted to Siris.

Siris pretended not to notice him. He was too busy trying to get nettles out of his fur.

"Hey, is this your cat?"

Marissa twitched. He could see Siris? Was that a sign of him being a practitioner? Or was Siris now generally visible now that he had a master and all? "What if it is?"

"Just asking."

Since he didn't volunteer, she preferred not to ask about his necklace. "Do you know the way home?"

"I've been going on adventures here all my life. After me."

He lifted a low-hanging branch like he was opening a door.

As an urban kid, Marissa had yet to get used to becoming dirty like this. Especially now that they were hiking in summer where the understory was at its worst. With every step they took, another patch of tall grass, bush, or hedge stepped in their way, threatening to scratch Marissa's arm wound. She wasn't a touch-sensitive person or anything, she was just being careful. Anyone would be cautious after having faced two life-threatening situations on a single day. As if the branches were not enough, ridges and toppled-over tree-stems added to the obstacles they had to jump over.

If they only had a hiking trail.

Marissa almost slipped over a wet fern when something skittered through the shrubs. 

Just a bobcat, probably, but she could never rule out another hellhound.

Simon ripped another branch down. "Can I ask you a question?"

Marissa stopped mid-stride.

Since it took her too long to answer, Simon took the initiative. "See, I met a pretty girl. She gave me gifts and invited me to dance and, look, I'm a young man. I can't dance, but I thought it can't be so bad. The next second, I was with her," he pointed at his necklace, "without my lucky charm, and everything got groggy. When I stopped sleepwalking, you were suddenly here. What happened?"

Marissa's feet froze.  Her legs tingled as if urging her to move as far away from the danger as possible, but she wasn't having any of that. Puberty was over, she could deal with awkward questions. "Long story."