Chapter 5

Long chapter ahead. It's like three chapters in one, but I didn't want to cut it into pieces.

Author note end.

When I arrived back in my room in the evening, I once again lamented my lack of magic. Something that instantly dried my hair after a bath would make my life so much more comfortable.

I stood in front of my collection of clothes and was about to decide what to wear.

Knock Knock

I was a little confused. I didn't know why my mother would visit me at this time, especially since I hadn't created any trouble if one didn't count the little mermaid.

"Come in." If she was already here, she could help me choose a dress.

"Do you think the blue or the green look nicer?" I asked and turned around.

"Ahhhhh, get out, get out." Instead of my mother, I looked into the tomato-red William. I didn't know what to do, as I was standing there barely in my panties. I tried to cover my chest with my arms until I realized that my scar was visible that way, so I changed my position multiple times before Willim had finally left my room.

Couldn't he have knocked? Couldn't he have announced who he was before entering? Couldn't he have stopped staring earlier? "Ahhh damned."

I was angry and embarrassed. One of the two more than the other. The problem was that I couldn't really fault him for that. At least not for the entering part. For the staring part, I could definitely fault him. The only question was if he had left after seeing my scar or if he was still waiting for the "date."

I threw something over and risked a look through a small slit after opening the door a little.

He was still there. Why was he still there? Didn't he only want the date because he thought I was pretty, not knowing about my true self?

"Charly I… I'm sorry I didn't see anything. II.."

"Liar." I had seen him ogling me, no need to lie about it. It won't change the fact that it happened.

"Sorry. I didn't know that you were naked. I swear, I wouldn't have come in if I knew."

Had that idiot just told me that he was too focused staring on my chest to notice my scar? Should that make me feel better? It kind of did, but I was still far from feeling good.

"Did you see it?" I asked. I wanted to be sure.

"See what?" he questioned, and I wasn't sure if he was playing dump. It was quite hard to read someone if one couldn't really see them.

"Do you still want the date?" I asked him.

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I want to have a date with you?" That was definitely suspicious. Did someone pay him? Was he retarded? Was he trying to prank me?

"Wait a moment," I said. I would give him one final test. If he was still willing to go out with me afterwards, I would give him his honest chance.

I hurried and changed into my red dress. The one that made me look good. With the only exception that the dress didn't cover the scar on my arm.

I looked one final time in the mirror and noticed that my hair was still partially wet and would normally need at least half an hour of care before I could go out.

"Come in."

"Are you sure."

"Yes, this time I am." Couldn't he have been this careful before?

"Woow." He stared at me, his eyes wide open. Not as wide as the first time we saw each other today, but it was close. It made me feel strange. On one side, I liked that he looked at me like that; on the other side, I didn't even like him. I didn't want to give him hope that there was a future for us. And as much as I wanted to deny it, I didn't want it to give me hope. I didn't want to get hurt. I had been hurt enough by hope. In my opinion, hope was the most cruel punishment one could give. For every step it pulled you up, you would fall ten downwards when you realized it was a false hope.

"Is the scar not ugly?" I asked him directly while staring at him. I didn't even blink when he answered or when I hoped for an answer.

Instead of answering, he started to laugh. Not a full-out laughter, more like laughter that he had tried to suppress.

"Get out!" I yelled at him and realized that I indeed had hoped again and that once again I had been punished for it.

"No, wait, it's a misunderstanding." I didn't listen to him anymore and pushed him out of the door. He tried to struggle, but I was far stronger than him.

"Wait Charly I"

"Don't call me Charly!" I yelled at the closed door.

"Please, just listen to me. I didn't laugh at you. I laughed at myself. You know…"

"I don't want to hear it; please just leave." I feel my tears already streaming down my face.

"No, I won't leave. Not after I just realized what our problem was. Please just listen. If you say that I'm wrong, I will leave."

I didn't answer him and caught myself hoping again. Hoping that he wasn't lying. Hoping that there really was a misunderstanding.

"You know, I wanted to talk to you since my third grade, right?" He asked, but seemed to accept that I was just listening.

"The reason wasn't because I was attracted to your beauty. Even though I still think you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen." If he really needed to lie, he should at least make it believable. Especially after having seen my arm.

He had stopped. Why had he stopped? Why didn't he continue to tell me why he asked me out in the first place?

I waited.

"Will you tell me or not?" I asked, a little annoyed.

"I thought you weren't listening anymore, sorry." He said but I could feel the happiness in his voice.

"When I was at the end of my second year, maybe you don't remember it, but you played a lot of pranks on Conrad Windsor and his gang. Maybe you remember me from then."

"I don't." I answered truthfully. A good memory was not one of my blessings, as today's "date" proved quite well.

"Anyway, the point is that you played a lot of pranks on them without them even noticing. The good and the bad part of the story is that they thought it was my doing it. They had bullied me before, but after you started to prank them, they started to fear me a little."

"Is that all? I took care of you, bullies?" I asked a little perplexed that someone would want to date me because of that. Was love so cheap?

"No, that's not it. I mean, it's part of it. After you helped me, I started to ask around about you."

"I don't see how this could have led to our current situation."

"Just let me finish speaking."

"Do you want to finish looking as well?"

"What?" Okay, I admit that was mean, even though I'm not sure if the joke was at his or my cost.

"Just continue. It was a joke. Man, I can't believe you thought I would let you for even a second.

One didn't need to be able to look through doors to know that he was blushing.

"It just took me by surprise. So anyway. I asked around a bit and noticed that you had quite the bad reputation."

"So you are into girls with a bad reputation?" I asked a little confused.

"What? No, that's not the point of the story. Just let me finish speaking." He almost pleaded, and I could hear a little frustration in his voice. I decided that I had annoyed him enough. I actually wanted to know what he wanted to tell me, I was just punishing him a little because he was a little pervert.

"So then I asked around a little more. I noticed that many people who were talking badly about you had never really talked to you. It's just because of your eyes that they think..."

"I know that part; skip to the interesting part," I interrupted. I didn't want a complete overview of the good and bad I had committed and what people attributed to me just because I was a tinsy little bit special.

"To sum it up, I know that you are a nice person. You just go to great lengths to hide it. And I wanted to get to know you. The real you. Not the picture of the silent savior I had about you for some time, not the girl that is hated for no real reason. Not the girl who tries to somehow push everyone away from herself. I wanted to get to know the real you."

Well, that was a big load of crap. I didn't push everyone away. I had mother, Percival, and Uncle Severin. But at least it was nice to know that he was not only looking after my appearance.

I sighed. My consciousness told me that I should at least give him the one date I promised him. He had put so much effort into finding out about… me. Well, that didn't speak for his intelligence, but a promise was a promise.

I slowly opened the door and led him back in.

"Thank you; I thought I had screwed up." He said visibly relived.

"You almost did. I have to admit, you are really stubborn. I'm sorry for interrupting you the whole time. I know you just wanted to explain yourself, but I sometimes react that way if someone is coming closer to me."

He stared at me. A little disbelieving.

"What? If you don't like it, you can go."

"No, that's not it; I was just surprised that you apologized for it. I didn't expect that.

"Why, shouldn't I apologize for something I did wrong?"

"That is a surprisingly mature attitude." What should that mean? Was he trying to... Ah whatever.

"So where are we going to? I asked him, not wanting to linger too long on my errors. I was willing to apologize, but that didn't mean that I enjoyed it pretty much.

"Did you forget that you were responsible for picking the place?"

I was what? Oh, wait, he is right. Damn, I forgot about that part.

"Well, would you be angry if I said I forgot?" I asked him. Half expecting him to get angry before I realized that if he was that easy to anger, we wouldn't even be in my room.

"No. But I still want to go to a place you pick. Like I said, I want to get to know you, and that's what dates are there for. So let's just go to your favorite place if you want to."

"You have seen enough already. I'm not going to the bath with you."

He blushed a little, and to my surprise, I felt the warmth rise into my face too. I should stop making jokes about it. It was obviously not good for both of us. The problem is, the bath really was my favorite place.

"Then we go to your second favorite place."

Thankfully, he said that. Bought me time to decide which place I liked the most after the bath.

"I know where. Follow me."

"Wait. The picnic basket." He said, and I saw a small picnic basket with a few blankets and bottles next to my door .

"Can I finally get back into my frame?"

Ups, I forgot that the portrait I used as an entrance was used by that Greek guy. Archi-something. Maybe I should treat him nicer. He normally never complains, even when I wake him up in the middle of the night.

After I apologized to Achimedis and led William out of the castle,

"Where are you pulling me to?" Was he getting impatient? I didn't know. I didn't even know if what I was going out for was really there today.

"You wanted to see my second favorite spot. It's just that he is a little bit outside your usual routes.

"Initially, I wanted to see your favorite spot." He complained. I was contemplating giving him a soft kick for that, but I was scared that I would accidentally break his leg or something.

On the other hand, I liked that he was picking up with my way of thinking. If what he asked for weren't so embarrassing, I would have applauded him for that.

"We are almost there. We are lucky." I said as I saw the place. It was at the edge of the forest, but still on the planes. A small hill from which I could see the great lake, and on the hill walked one of the most majestic beasts I knew.

"Why are we lucky? Because there are no clouds? Do you want to see the stars together?" He asked, a little confused.

I internally facepalmed. I forgot that not everyone can see them. Uncle told me that only those who had seen death could see them.

"Do you know anything about Morntrals?" I just wanted to make sure how much I needed to explain to him.

"Nothing?"

Uneducated Idiot. Ups, did I say that out loud? No, I didn't. That was close. Brain, calm down. We want to be nice today.

"Morntrals are like the unpopular cousins of Lumosil. You know what a Lumosil is, right?" I asked him, hoping that he wasn't so uneducated to not even know what a Lumosil is.

"Yes naturally. Small dragons with white hair instead of scales that are said be the protectors of Love. It's said only those who experienced true love could see them. They are in so many stories, who doesn't know them? But what do they have to do with Morntrals, and why are they relevant right now?" 

"Well, before I explain it, I want you to feel it." I said, and grabbed his hand, and pulled him towards the big Morntral on the hill.

When we were around ten meters away from him, he turned around and stared at me with his big yellow eyes. I recognized that Morntral. He had a scary scar on the right side of his face where no hair grew. I had met him a few months ago, when I was here the last time. I gave him the name Harvey. Or was it Steve? I should stop naming any animal I see. It was Harvey, I'm sure. Almost.

"Most likely Harvey" stood up when we were five meters away. He was tall, almost two meter shoulder height, and his black hair reached to the ground.

I could see that he was eyeing me cautiously but wasn't aggressive. I went slower and slower before I was able to reach out my hand and touch his snout.

"What are you doing?" asked William, confused, as I was petting Harvey. It must look quite strange when one is unable to see Harvey, but I wanted to pull through with this.

Instead of answering, I took his hand and slowly guided it towards Harvey. I wasn't sure if Harvey wanted to punish me for forgetting his name, but instead of staying still like when I patted him, he came a step closer and licked our hands with his slimy, long, coarse tongue. It was honestly quite disgusting, so I wasn't surprised when William jumped back in shock.

"What was that?"

"That was Harvey, a Morntral. Imagine him as a Lumosil, with the exception that his hair is pitch black and reaches to the ground. Even their eyes are covered by the long hair. They also can't be seen by everyone." I explained, hesitating if I should tell him what kind of people could see them.

The next few minutes were quite fascinating to watch as William tried multiple times to touch Harvey, who always moved a step away.

"Come here, I will help you." After some time of watching the comedy in front of me, I decided that I should probably help him, so I guided him again.

"That is incredible. That such a large animal can live with us, and most can't even see them. How does that even work?" I flinched a little at that question. I didn't know if I wanted to talk about something personal on the first date.

That was strange. Was my brain just telling me there will be a second? Brain, I said peaceful, not lovey-dovey mode.

"I don't know if I really want to tell you. I mean, it's not really a big secret, but I know what question will follow."

"So you are saying I should look it up in the library by myself?" Was that guy dense? I just told him I didn't want to talk about it, and now he is trying to portray me as someone who would give him homework. I'm not someone like that. I'm not mother. I don't give homework.

"Fine, you win. Only those who have experienced Death can see Morntrals." What an idiot!

"Experienced Death?" The standard question What did I expect? I naturally mean the skeletal guy who uses an old, rusty farming tool to reap souls. That death.

"Those that have seen someone die. Someone they were close to. And they need to feel responsible for their death. They need to wish that they could have died instead. In some Legends a Lumosil who lost its partner transforms into a Morntral" Now it comes. The question we all have waited for.

Except it didn't come. That fool instead did something I would have expected mother to do. He hugged me. His reaction surprised me so much that I even forgot to resist. I could smell his hair, his clothes and hear his breath in my neck. At least he had showered beforehand and brushed his teeth, unlike some other uncultured swiny Baron.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Yeah, naturally, I want to tell everyone my life story on the first date. Maybe I should make a flyer and throw it around at school. Now that I think about it, this is my first "first date". Mmmmhh do I tell him or not? I have never really talked with anyone about it. Even Percival doesn't know.

"Is this really a first date topic?" I asked him, a little unsure.

"Do you want a second date?" What a whity idiot! There can only be one answer to that question.

"No."

"Then it is a first date question." Damn, he got me. But do I really have to? When he asked me, there was as much curiosity in his face as there was worry. Even now, the worry still didn't disappear, and I knew he wouldn't force me to answer.

"Tell me something about yourself first, and then I will decide if I tell you." Okay, now it would be fair trade. Wait a moment. I don't want to know anything about him. That is not a fair trade. I want my money back.

"Is there something specific you want to know?" he asked me, smiling a little. Could I bring it over my little heart to whip that smile from his face and say the truth? Say that I don't care and that everything is fine. Damn, yeah, I can.

"Tell me about your family." Mouth, I think I have a complaint. You missed our last meeting. We agreed to say that we don't care.

"My Family? Sure. Well, my father, William Whimsby Sr., owned a Fwooper farm in the Highlands until he got married to my mom. Her parents worked with dragons. Basically, every dragonheartstring core in the country was supplied by them, and almost every dragonlether glove was made by them. They naturally wanted that such a business gets continued, so my father closed the Fwooper Farm, and we now live in Bristol. I'm the oldest of three brothers. The second one, Henry, is in his third year, and the youngest, Geroge, will enroll in Toadwits next year. My grandparents from both sides are both dead by now, but I wasn't present when it happened. Obviously. So yeah, I guess that's it, or do you want something more specific?"

Wow. His father was really a genius. Naming his son after himself. Normally I would say that I would have probably forgotten the rest by tomorrow but a Dragon Farm sounded awesome. I would like to see a Dragon someday but mother told me it is to dangerous. But if they have a farm, it should be possible I think. He also had two brothers. Maybe one of them could become a friend for Percival. I know my brother has greater problems finding friends than me. No wait that is wrong. He just things that finding friends is more important.

"To be honest, I'm not good with this stuff. I wouldn't even know what else I should ask. I mean, besides asking if your dad and mother are nice or how your siblings are, I wouldn't even know if there was something one could ask." Okay, that was surprisingly honest. Brain I'm currently contemplating whether you should get a promotion or a demotion.

"There is plenty of stuff you could ask, but it's not like you need to ask. I mean, it's not like the founders of Toadwits are my family, where every little detail is interesting." Well, they aren't mine either, so what do you want to tell me here? I guess he doesn't know. And here I assumed he had put effort into his research. So much for disappointing on the first date. But I guess he told me something, so it's my turn now.

"Is everything okay?" What was he talking about now?

"Your hands are shaking. But it's quite warm here. Ohh. Wait a moment."

He pulled a blanket out of his picnic basket. No, he pulled out two blankets, one for us to sit on and one to cover us. I wasn't sure if I should tell him that we would be sitting barely a few inches away from Harvey, but I decided against it.

"Come, sit down." I sat down at the edge of the blanket. Quite close to Harvey.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I protested.

"Covering us both with a blanket?" he answered but looked more confused about what my problem was than the actual question.

"Fine, but keep your hands to yourself." I said, quite dissatisfied with the arrangement of sitting so close next to him under a blanket. How far did he want me to go for that single date? I mean, he has already seen me almost completely naked, so I think we can cross that off the list. I just hope he doesn't plan to kiss me later on. I didn't want to give him hope, but for some reason my body is doing what it wants today, and the situation afterwards would be quite awkward.

"Are you better now? Your hands at least stopped shaking." Should I tell him that the cold barely affects me and let him live in his belief that he helped me? Well, it won't hurt me, and I guess it would make him happy.

I lightly nodded.

"Wow, the stars are beautiful. Do you see the reflections in the lake? This spot is awesome." It's my second favorite spot; what did he expect? Naturally, the view is awesome. If I only wanted him to see old Harvey, I would have drawn him a picture. I guess in that case he would have been able to see Harvey better than now, but my point still stands. But still, the sky is so clear tonight that the view is really awesome, even if one considers that the view would always be good from this spoot.

I knew it. I felt a hand carefully touching mine. He can't keep his hands to himself. I will just let it go because he complimented my spot. And after a minute, I will pull my hand away. Yes, that sounds like a solid plan.

Oh, no, is that a head that is coming near me? Stop. SoS. Momy. Help. I don't want this. I leaned so far away from him as our shared blanked allowed.

He seemed to have realized that I didn't want it because he looked quite embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, it was just in the heat of the moment."

"I think you forgot the reason why I even agreed to this date in the first place. Why did you think that was a good idea?" Oh, I said that out loud. Ups. Sorry William. I didn't want to be so direct, you are a nice guy, and what you have done so far wasn't really that bad. Please don't take it personally.

He did take it personally. He looked quite hurt. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.

"I think it would be better if we go back now." No, please. I'm really sorry.

"But I didn't tell you my story yet." I stammered. Why was I working so hard to keep him here? I should be relieved that he finally accepted defeat.

"The story you didn't even want to tell me? Why would you want to tell me now if you did your best to keep me away till now?" That wasn't fair. I wasn't ready. I am not ready. I just… Why can't he just sit back down and talk a bit more about his family? It was so nice until now.

"Fine, you win. But just a short one." I said, gnashing my teeth.

"What are you talking about?" Did he want to humiliate me now?

"A kiss, you idiot. You wanted a kiss, didn't you? Sit back down, and I give you one." I can't believe I said that. What has become of my plan to let the poor guy go as pain-free as possible?

"Are you sure? You didn't look really enthusiastic about it just a minute ago." I know. I know. Just sit down now and let's get over it.

"Yes, I'm sure." Not really, but come on, it's my first kiss. I would never be sure about that.

He slowly sat back on the blanked and we were sitting closer than ever.

He stared at me, waiting in anticipation. I could see his veins pulsate and could only guess that my own body was glowing like a red candle.

I slowly went a little closer. I was close enough to feel the warmth of his body on my skin.

"No tongue. If you do that, I will bite." I whispered, and before he could answer, I pecked him on the lips. Quick and efficient. That wasn't so bad, was it? I mean, I'm not hurt, and he is smiling from ear to ear. This is a win, I guess. Oh brain, you will definitely get the demotion. Since when have my priorities shifted like that? Okey, who wants Brain's old job? No, Hearth, not you; I suspect you were a partner in crime. If liver could pump blood, you would lose your job too. Okey, Stomach, you got the promotion. New priorities are food.

"Hey, what are you…?" Wow, while still working through the trauma of my first kiss, that idiot thought he could use the opportunity to snatch another one. Seriously.

Wait, that doesn't feel so bad. The kiss is far longer than the fist. I can actually feel his lips on mine. Kind of salty, to be honest, but not really disgusting salty; more like just the right amount of salty. Is that a thing? I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't have given my stomach the command.

When his lips separated from mine, he grinned at me. "Was that really so bad?" Yes, yes, it was. You didn't ask for permission.

I realized that I was putting on a pouting face. Oh no, NOOOOOOO! Mother told me that women only did that when they wanted to look cute in front of their boyfriend. I don't want to look cute in front of him. Why did I do that? Do I really? No, that can't be. He doesn't even know. He needs to know. Now and fast. Otherwise, it will become horrible.

"No, it wasn't." I answered, but that idiot interrupted me.

"And yet you are not satisfied. What makes you unhappy? Speak to me?" Idiot, if you would let me talk, we could already be halfway through.

"You need to know a few things, and please don't interrupt me. I will only tell you this once."

He nodded. Thanks the magic, at least he listens now.

"So about the topic, I didn't talk about. My mom died during my birth. But she didn't die the usual death. She was killed. Killed by a vampire named Corvinus. I don't even know if that's really his name or just an identity he used at that time. Anyway, my mother became pregnant with me when she had just turned sixteen. It was a time before Toadwits, and she had Nowitz parents, so while she was a witch, she didn't really realize it herself. My father was just a run-of-the-mill farmer. Eight months later, Corvinus appeared on the farm. He had killed my father and did …. Did things to my mother. He must have thought she was dead because he simply walked away when she lied in her own blood. But my mother was "alive", and she was slowly turning into a vampire. She knew probably instinctively that I wouldn't be able to survive the transformation, so she started to scratch her own stomach open and bit through the umbilical cord before dying. She died seconds after. Mother, I mean Helga Humblehill, told me that my birth was, in some sense, a wonder. Normally, during a vampire attack, the bite first kills the victim and then transforms the victim into a vampire. But because the poison was used up to kill my mother and the transformation was already starting before the poison could kill me as well, I became some kind of hybrid. Not Vampire but also not human. I'm weaker than a vampire but far stronger than a human; I get sunburns within seconds, and I still have a mirror image. But like with vampires, my magic gets used to strengthen my cells. So when I use magic, I essentially steal the energy from my own body. There are a few other changes I won't explain now, but I think you get the gist of it."

He looked at me, eager to say something, but was waiting for my permission to speak. At least that has worked so far.

"Ask your questions. I'm sure you have a lot." I said. My mind, which was preciously jumping around like crazy, was surprisingly calm now.

"Can I give you a hug?" Is he serious? I tell him that I'm not human, and his first idea is to hug me? Well maybe I should have told him that I could suck out his blood faster than he can count to twenty.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, or are you going to bite me now?" What an idiotic question. If I wanted to do that, he would already be lying on the seabed of the lake.

His embrace felt warm, like the previous one, yet different. He knew what I was and still dared to. His survival instinct is probably underdeveloped.

Why am I crying again? I don't feel hurt.

"No need to cry; everything is fine. I'm here for you." Yep, definitely a fool. I couldn't stop just because I wanted to.

Crying or not, we laid there in each other's arms, not moving an inch. Even when Harvey decided that he wanted to leave us alone.

"Charly?" he asked.

"You know that I hate it when you call me that. My name is Charlotte. "

"Sorry I will.."

"You will do nothing. Its fine. But only you are allowed to call me that. You know, Charlotte was the name my mother had given me, and Elenor was my mother's name. It's the only thing I have left from her." I didn't know why I told him that, but I guess the most logical explanation would be that I want him to understand what it means to me when I allow him to call me by a different name.

"Thank you, Charly." He gave me a small pec on the lips. This time I didn't resist, but instead waited patiently for the question he wanted to ask.

"How do you know that all? You were still a child, right?" Okey, I want another guy, this one is stupid.

"You do know that seers look as much into the past as they look into the future, with the difference that the past is actually fixed, right?" His eyes told me he didn't know. But at least I didn't need to explain the rest to him.

"I understand. Okay, next question. Vampires are immortal and unchanging. How do you look like this?" Honestly, this was a question even mother wasn't sure of.

"Our most likely theory is that I aged until I reached the same age as my mother. I used her cells to transform. But there might be other explanations too. Maybe that is just the age hybrids like me reach.

"And you will remain like that for the rest of your life?" Was he worried that I would grow old and ugly? No, if that were the case, he would have left the moment he saw my scar.

"Probably. I haven't aged for almost two years."

"So, I will grow old and die while you will live on withoutf me." Uh difficult question. Do I tell him about my tears? Mother told me not to. Uncle is the only other person that knows, but mother doesn't know that.

"Does that worry you?"

"Naturally. I mean, at the moment, that looks so far into the future, but my body will probably be older than yours at the end of the month." Okey, I honestly don't know what he thinks I should do. He doesn't know about my tears, so he might think I could transform him.

"I can turn no one Will."

"Will?" Does he really want to play that game now?

"Do you have a problem with that?" I asked him teasingly. If he had, he would have to return to Charlotte for the next fifty years.

"No, its fine. I just didn't take you for a person who would use a short name." What was that supposed to mean? Was that good or bad now that I did it? Brain, please, I need instructions.

"You were worrying about growing old. I just thought you wanted to save time." Okey, that sounds like old me. Brain, we are happy now; we don't do that anymore.

"Hey, I won't crumble to dust the next second." Compared to eternity, he might as well do, but I wouldn't let that happen.

The only problem. I couldn't cry on command, and the prospect of getting hurt to tears on a regular basis sounded not really enticing. Maybe I should catch every tear I shed from now on.

"Close your eyes." I would just feed him one or two tears from earlier. They haven't completely dried yet. He doesn't need to know its effect yet.

"And now?" Now surprise. "Did you just put your finger into my mouth?"

"Yes? Is that a problem?" I stare at him. He didn't know it, but I had just gifted him around one month of life.

"No? But you have to admit that it's weird." Well, I guess he would need to live with weirdness then.

"Did you hear that? I think I heard thunder in the distance. Maybe we should go back before the rain comes." I didn't need to lie there to avoid the awkward situation, as there really was rain coming for us. In fact, I was too late to warn us, as the way was quite long and Will didn't want to get carried by me.

So we both got wet because my boyfriend had a problem with his masculinity if I carried him. Wait, did I just call him my boyfriend? I needed to make that clear as soon as possible. It would be quite embarrassing if I told mother about it, and he then said they weren't at that stage yet. Is there some kind of guideline or checklist one needs to work through, and then it is an automatic process? I mean, he had seen me almost naked already, so that had to count for something.

When we arrived at the castle, he was already completely soaked. I took him to my room, as it was a shorter way. I was just contemplating to let him strip for me in return for what he did when I realized something. He could use magic. What an idiot! Or maybe he was a genius, depending on what he wanted. To be honest, I would prefer if it were the letter. It would be more fun that way. I mean, dealing with a fox is more fun than dealing with a lapdog. Maybe I shouldn't compare him to animals; it might anger him.

"Use your wand to dry yourself up. Are you a wizard or not?"

I saw how he immediately used the wand to dry himself up. Maybe he was a fox in sheepcoating. Or was it a wolf? Still, punishment was necessary.

"Nice try. Almost worked too. But now you need to go." I said. I would have thrown him out anyway, but he didn't need to know that. I needed some time to process what had happened today. It felt like my emotions were a small fishing boat in a century storm, and I'm honestly surprised it worked out so well. Which in itself was a bit strange, as just this morning this outcome was far from my definition of well.

Oh noo, he looked at me with puppy eyes. Anyway, I threw him out.

Well, he did manage to sneak another kiss in, but the more we did it, the more I enjoyed it. Not only the act itself but the whole game around it. It was like the prank wars with my uncle and He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. It was a constant but friendly competition with an ever-changing dynamic. It was fun as long as one stayed within certain boundaries. Boundaries that he and I needed to set first. But I guess that could wait for our next meeting. Maybe I should also tell him about a few things I left out in my explanation. But was he really ready to hear the full story? Would he just hug me again? Would that be his answer to everything? I mean, I wouldn't complain, but I think I should give him some time to sort out his feelings too.

The next day was a Saturday. The best day of the week. At least that's what Uncle always says because he doesn't work on Saturdays.

I spent the night reading. The same page over and over. Maybe the past evening was distracting me a little, as I tried to evaluate my actions. To say I was difficult would be an understatement, but I wasn't sure if I should make it easier for him. Maybe he does like a bit of drama.

Ahhh damned I can't do drama on command. Okay, that was not true, but I didn't enjoy it that way.