Petting snakes

Erin and Cicely were sitting at the dining room table, with a large spread of various foods displayed on the table. "Do you like cooking, Cicely?" Erin asked, assessing the great variety of food, and the greek dishes looked the absolute best!

Cicely smiled, "absolutely. I find cooking incredibly therapeutic. I don't know what it is about it, but it has such a calming effect on me. Do you like cooking, Erin?"

Erin put her hand to her chin, "No, not really. I really enjoy eating the food. All kinds of food." Erin watched as Cicely occasionally brought some food up for her snakes. "Do you think it would be okay if I touch them? Ya know introduce myself. Or is that totally rude?"

Cicely wore a shocked expression.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, that was super rude!" Erin quickly replied nervous that she had upset her, especially after everything that she had done for her. She knew her very story and the secrets that only the coven members knew about.

"No, that would make me so happy, it would make my millenia! Most people are terrified. Most people don't make an effort to greet my snakes. For all intensive purposes they just are ignored. Please." Cicely took Erin's hand bringing it close to her head and thereby her snakes.

Erin was a little apprehensive, but they were sweet and she spent a fair amount of time petting them. Erin withdrew her hand and turned around when she heard the front door open. Hattie and Dinah walked in and stopped at the dining room.

"I will go upstairs and change. Then, I will come back down and join you for dinner." Hattie spoke her eyes glancing over towards the two women and Erin's hand hovering by Cicely's snakes.

"Yes, I too shall change for dinner. I am famished." Dinah didn't stay by the dining room entrance for long and then she disappeared upstairs.

Erin's eyes followed their footsteps up the old stairs and in the hall upstairs. She could hear a door close. She then brought her attention to Cicely and in the brief second, Erin thought she witnessed some kind of concern, but quickly it fell from her face and it was like her worry/concern was never even there. Erin squinted her eyes, but regular, normal, and happy Cicely was sitting beside her.

Erin shrugged her shoulders, everything seemed normal. About 15 minutes later the dining room was bombarded with the entire coven sans Heather.

"Is Heather okay?" Erin asked, concern plastered on her face when she noticed that she didn't join them for dinner.

Hattie spoke up before anyone could answer, "Yes, she is fine. She is--she just needs to rest. Nothing serious I promise you. Over exertion." Hattie answered, all the truth, I guess it was the selective truth, they couldn't tell her yet. Hattie glanced over at Erin, the girl smiled and then began to eat the food in front of her. Erin looked unconcerned. Only a couple more days, then…then they could share with her everything. Well, almost everything.

***

The following day, the sun was shining brightly with only a slight breeze. It was absolutely beautiful and Erin decided to take a stroll around the Octagon House. When Erin was coming back to the house after being gone for some she noticed Heather.

Heather was sitting out on the steps of the wrap around porch of the Octagon House. She had her legs stretched out in front of her and she was aimlessly tapping her feet together. Her eyes were closed as she basked in the sunny day of late May. She wore a smile on her face, which was highly unusual for the morose young woman. But she seemed to have bags under her eyes, possibly still recovering from whatever ailed her yesterday.

Erin was not expecting to see the woman, who was the bringer of bad dreams, well actually nightmares with a smile on her face. Erin had yet to see her smile or speak more than a handful of sentences. Heather always maintained a blank face devoid of any emotions. Her speech was similar, only speaking when necessary and in few words. Erin just stood there for a couple minutes watching the nightmare. Erin didn't want to startle the young woman who appeared to be enjoying herself.

After a good couple of minutes Erin realized how incredibly creepy she was behaving and decided to make some noise. Or better yet, Erin decided she would just back away slowly and enter the house a different way.

However, her plan was quickly spoiled at she was backing way, she stepped on something that made more noise that anything on the ground had the right to make.

Heather's eyes shot open. Surprisingly her smile only faded slightly due to her surprise.