Chapter 50: Witches: Part One

Esme held the plate with the pie and followed Grannie and Kasia to the door with the sign reading: 

STAFF ONLY

Beyond it was a few steps of a bleak hallway that led downstairs to a basement, the floorboards old, almost green looking and in need of replacing. But Esme didn't comment, thinking back to many places she had lived in which were in worse conditions. Once they were at the bottom of the stairs, she was led through another door, and she eyed the junk-filled apartment with a few freezers and sacks of flour and other ingredients. She was expecting something a little more.. witch-like? Or, well.. not a damned basement. 

Her hopes of being impressed dropped. 

That was until Grannie said an incantation and with an elegant flick of her wrist, lifting her hand up, the room slowly faded and changed. It turned into a living room with pink carpet, orange sofas with green cushions across from each other, a fluffy blue rug with a white coffee table in between. To the left side of the space near the door, she walked through were bookcases full of what looked like grimoires because she sure as hell couldn't read the symbols running down the sides of the leatherback books. Crystals and a few hour glasses with red sand inside were set up on the corner of one of the wooden bookshelves. 

To the right was a workspace, a large table with melted candles, and small corked bottles she presumed were potions. Behind it was large wooden shelving of rows filled with glass jars full of all sorts of herbs, liquids, some tiny eyeballs in one of them that made Esme pause fractionally before continuing with the other strange components in the jars

Her curiosity was growing stronger, and she wanted to check everything out, but she had no idea if touching something might cause some weird spell. It was better to be safe than sorry, and with that thought, she clutched the plate closer to her chest but still couldn't help but assess the witch's room.

Esme's mouth fell open as she looked up at the ceiling, it was not at all ordinary but looked like a mist floating above them, the dark blue and purple hues twisting with the luminous lights of twinkling stars, a galaxy that Esme couldn't look away from. "So fricken cool," She breathed.

Kasia snorted. Of course, to her, this was the norm, and maybe having a werewolf, a rogue at that in their abode relaxed in their company, was probably absurd and funny to see. 

"Do not stare for too long, dear," Grannie said ominously. Esme whipped her head in the older lady's direction, a brow already raised.

"To us, it is fine. To non-witches, you can find yourself getting lost in the galaxy's beauty and in turn end up losing your mind," Kasia added in a sing-song voice like what she just said was not something quite frightening. 

"What do you even use it for.." Esme breathed, followed by a small shudder. 

Witches were a little… scary.

"I'd say," Isana said in a hauntingly low voice in her mind. Esme almost jumped from the sudden interruption. When did she return? With a sigh, she didn't bother kicking her out again.

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"It's our crystal ballllll..." Kasia waved her hands in a haunted ghost, 'spooky' kind of way, and Esme's brow lifted. The girl adjusted her glasses and rolled her eyes. "I was actually serious. We see stuff through it when we want to.. It's how I knew how to find you."

"Sit and eat your pie before it cools down. You must be tired from all the fighting," Grannie suggested as she gestured towards the sofa closest to her. 

Esme obeyed and sat down. She grabbed the fork on the plate and started eating her food as her eyes flicked from different parts of the room and to the women. They weren't glancing her way while she ate nor paying too much heed to her. So, it seemed the 'scary rogue' was not threatening enough to them, or they had powers she knew nothing about that could incapacitate her. 

Interesting. Watching the witches still, Esme stabbed her fork into the pie, grimacing slightly when it hit the plate and made a low scraping sound. Luckily, it did not break. Kasia seemed to be grabbing different jar glasses and placing them on the worktop while Grannie was at the bookshelf and grabbed a large navy leather-bound grimoire. Esme finished the pie and gently placed the plate on the coffee table.

Something suddenly jumped forwards, and Esme jumped back in her seat, ready to strike out when she realised the small black blur she saw out of her peripheral vision was a black cat. It was sitting on the seat next to her, its head tilted to the side as it watched her. One eye was a brilliant blue, the other a green and orange; they were pretty enchanting. It was like it could look into her soul with those beautiful eyes. 

Esme subtly inhaled its scent from where she sat; it seemed.. too intelligent to be a cat. A small wave of burning hair entered her nostrils, but Grannie was walking past her. 

Esme waited to smell the cat again, but then it came forwards and started pitter-pattering on her leg and started purring. "Oh, look, Einar likes you. I told you not to worry, Kasia." 

"I was never worried.." Kasia muttered under her breath, but Esme caught onto it with her hearing. 

Grannie beamed at Esme and looked at Kasia, who rolled her eyes and continued to throw some ingredients into a small pot. "He doesn't like anyone. He's a grumpy old man, really."

The cat's purr seemed to turn into a growl before it returned to a purr, but only Esme seemed to hear it. She watched the little furball as it spun around and curled up in her lap. Esme frowned, unsure of what to do but kept her hands raised above her as though the creature might swipe at her. Cat's never liked werewolves.. So this was strange, and hey, it was a witch's cat; it might be some crazy beast for all she knew.

"Well, you had me intrigued. Now I'm very curious. You kidnapped me, brought me into your.. colourful basement.. loving the colours, by the way, Grannie, getting quite a retro vibe here-"

"Thank you, dear."

"Gave me some pie which, yes, thank you, my aches have all gone now, so I guess that was some magical pie. But now you have me.. what do you want to say?" Esme continued and glanced between the pair.. By now, she didn't realise her hand had started to pet the cat in her lap, its warmth making her feel less anxious.

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