Read By my own volition :: Sure fooled me

Writer - PreciousPeach, Character - Elijah

I found myself once again in Rose's room, looking over her shoulder as she was methodically crushing dried herbs in a small pot of dark liquid. I felt uneasy knowing that I'd have to drink the nasty looking potion, nose wrinkling as a whiff of its stench made its way into my nose.

- Could you pass me that elder root?

- Which one?

- The purple one, on the top shelf.

I let my eyes wander across the many colorful bottles and vials filled with every different kind of flower, root, herb and varying animal parts. Plucking the clear flask with what looked to be some kind of spindly purple root. Rose picked the thin roots in-between her fingers whilst muttering under her breath. The root began to slowly disintegrate into a fine powder and was gently poured into the pot alongside whatever other horrors brewed under the surface of her cast iron gauntlet.

- You know I'm doing this because I love you.

- Sure fooled me.

Rose gave me a weak punch on my arm, before refocusing on making the wooden ladle stir around the ingredients slowly brewing into a thick dark mush.

- I could like just not care and let you go buck wild during the blood moon. Bet your dad would love hearing all about that.

- He'd probably not care, as long as I get away with it.

- I guess. Then I'm doing it for me.

- What do you get out of it?

- I won't feel as much shame being seen with you.

I didn't bother with a dignified response, just rolling my eyes and crossing my arms defensively. I was just about to let my mind wander off before Rose ripped my attention right back to her cramped dorm room.

- So how's your little boyfriend doing?

I sputtered loudly, my hands gesturing in the air as I tried to gather my thoughts to give Rose an answer.

- Well he's not my boyfriend, first of all.

- Right, I forgot about that.

- You wha-

- I heard he got in a fight with some of the werewolves.

I felt myself tense up, eyes focusing onto Rose.

- A fight?

- Calm down big bad wolf, it was probably nothing, you know how people blow things out of proportion around here.

- Do you know who was picking on him?

- Why? So you can go and beat them up for touching your mate?

- He's not my mate!

- That's what I said. Anyways, maybe you should just check on him? If the other wolves are giving him shit you should maybe talk to them. Since you're their king or whatever.

- I'll talk to them. They can't lie to me anyways.

- Creepy, but I like it when you abuse your super alpha powers.

A grunt was all she got in response, leaving the subject at that. After a few minutes she seemed to be happy with the liquid spawn of satan she'd created. Swiftly pouring the bubbly dark cocktail into half a dozen vials.

- Remember to take these a few hours before and after the blood moon, as well as the day before and after. Never drink them-

- On an empty stomach, I know. We've done this a few times now.

- Right, cause you're the expert here, smart ass.

Before she could keep scolding me on the ethics of proper potion consumption, I grabbed the glass vials out of her hand, before making a run for the door.

- Love you!

I began a brisk jog down the musty hall, I could hear a low rumble of what sounded like "stupid mut". Pretending as if I hadn't heard that, I swiftly rounded the corner before throwing myself down the dwindling stairs of the witches dorms and outside into the chilly night.

Looking up towards the moon, I couldn't help but take note of how far the moon had come along.

- Shit.