Blood Bound

My mind had gone numb ages ago. My eyes wondered without purpose, seeing everything but taking in nothing. The burning, aching feeling in my wrist the only thing that kept me from loosing my mind completely.

Down. Twist. Up. Repeat.

Down. Twist. Up. Repeat.

I didn’t know how she did it. Day after day after day. Crushing up leaves and mixing all sorts of liquids together with no pattern. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it were done at random but everything my Aunt does is intentional.

I’d been helping my aunt for years and I still didn’t know anything, how is that possible? I rolled my eyes and huffed out of frustration. I didn’t come here just to bore myself to death but that seems to be what my Aunt had in mind for me.

“You know Luna, this builds character. You should be more grateful.” My Aunts voice appeared right behind me moments before she placed her hands on my shoulders. I jumped, startled and nearly dropped the heavy stone pestle. I swatted her hands away in annoyance, that damn thing could have broken a toe if I didn’t catch it in time.

" You know how much I hate it when you do that!” My Aunt was like a ghost sometimes. Coming and going without a sound and when she finally did show herself, it usually ended up scarring the shit out of you.

“Maybe you should pay better attention to your surroundings then.” She grabbed the bowl out of my hands and inspected the crushed up leaves, “You’re getting better.”

I tried to fight off a smile but I couldn’t stop it from taking over my entire face. Her approval always meant the world to me. I loved my aunt more than anything. She was always my role model growing up, even at the age of 23 I still looked up to her.

My mom always hated how much I adored her sister. They’ve had a strange relationship since before I was born. I’m pretty sure it all started with my grandma and her beliefs. Those beliefs being that we’re witches. My mom was always doubtful to say the least but my Aunt believed every word my grandma ever uttered which created issues between the two.

My mom almost had an aneurism when she learned that I started working with my Aunt at her shop a couple of months ago. It got even worse after I moved away from home and decided to go to school so I could help my Aunt further grow her business. My mom believed that her sister had brainwashed my mind just like my grandma did.

“I know you didn’t ask me to come here just to crush up some leaves, what do you want?” I watched my Aunt walk around, grabbing handfuls of different dried up leaves and throwing them into a big bowl methodically.

“You always were a smart kid.” She turned towards me, one hand on her hip while the other hugged the bowl to her stomach. Her eyes sparkled with happiness but I could tell that something was off. Like she was trying to hide something. So for the first time since I got here, I really looked at her face, analyzing every inch of it.

She had bags underneath her eyes that were poorly concealed by makeup, her smile was thin and shaky and the creases on her forehead seemed deeper than the last time I saw her. Something was definitely off and she didn’t want me to know. Why?

I leaned back onto the table I had previously been working on and smiled at her, pretending I didn’t notice anything.

“I need your help,” My smile fell flat, was she going to tell me? How serious was it going to be? “I’m mixing up something important for a customer but I need two sets of hands and your strong spiritual connection for it to work, I can’t do it on my own.” My disappointment was immeasurable. She didn’t want to tell me.

I plastered a smile back on that no doubt looked just like my aunts now. I wish she could’ve just told me what was bothering her. I’m sure I could’ve helped somehow.

I nodded my head in response and followed her as she walked to the back of the shop and into her private office. She leaned down and pushed her forearm across the entirety off her cluttered desk from one end all the way to the other. Dozens of items fell to the floor in unison while I stared in shock. How important could this possibly have been for her to just disregard everything that was on her desk? She’s always been so careful and delicate with her belongings, this isn’t like her.

My Aunt laughed almost nervously as she placed the bowl on her now empty desk. “Give me one second.” She proceeded to grab an old looking, leather journal off of a cluttered bookshelf and began frantically flipping through pages. Maybe this is for a high paying customer and that’s why she’s acting so weird, money had been fairly tight recently so it would make sense.

“Yes!” I flinched, I wasn’t expecting my Aunt to speak so suddenly. She was really beginning to worry me. She practically slammed the journal on her desk and smiled up at me, this time her smile seemed to reach her eyes fully but that only made me worry more.

She ran around to the other side of her desk while pulling a chain from around her neck that had a key on it, how had I not noticed that? She crouched down and unlocked one of the few drawers attached to her desk and pulled it open slowly. She very gently reached in and pulled out what looked to be a dagger draped in a brown cloth with symbols drawn all over. I looked at my aunt questionably, I had never seen that before. What was it?

She placed the clothed dagger on top of the bowl and pulled out a vial of dark purple liquid from the same drawer. She set the vial beside the bowl and reached across the desk for the journal. She fingered along the pages, looking for something specific I assumed. The moment her finger stopped moving I reached for her hands, I knew the drill. She would recite the “spell” and would call upon my “spiritual energy” to help strengthen it. I loved my Aunt, very much, but that didn’t mean I believed everything she did.

She gripped my hands roughly and nodded at me, asking if I was ready. I nodded back and she smiled before closing her eyes and I followed suit.

She began to speak in a language I had heard many times before but yet still didn’t understand. She spoke so fast and aggressively to the point where it started to sound like gibberish. She let go of my one hand and soon after I heard the sound of liquid landing on something solid, the dagger no doubt. I could hear it dripping onto the leaves in the bowl, it was all I could hear. I couldn’t hear my Aunt speaking anymore, I couldn’t hear the swish of the fan blades above me, only the sound of that purple liquid smashing into the leaves below.

I could feel my heart start to race and my breath become shallow and quick. I felt light headed. Why? What was happening? A burning feeling in my chest began to grow.

So hot.

Too hot.

“Luna! Luna!” My Aunts worried face appeared above me. Was I on the floor? How did I get there?

“Huh?” I couldn’t put words together, my head was fuzzy. I must have hit it on my way down.

“You fainted, have you ate today?” My Aunts eyes were frantically searching my face and body, making sure I was okay no doubt.

“No, that must be why.” I closed my eyes before I placed my fingers on my temples and began to rub them softly. My head hurt so bad.

“What did you say?” I opened my eyes and looked at my Aunt quizzically. It sounded like she was whispering something but I couldn’t understand her.

My Aunts eyes seemed to widen in what looked like surprise. She must not have meant for me to hear whatever it was she said.

She didn’t answer me but instead stood up and offered me her hand which I took gratefully. Once I was on my feet I began to look around but my Aunt had other plans. She placed her hand on my back and ushered me out of her office which cut off my view of the room and the one thing I wanted to see; the dagger.

“I think you should head home, eat some food and get some rest okay?” My Aunt continued to lead me towards the front door but I didn’t say anything, there was no point. She wasn’t suggesting I leave, she was telling me to go.

I nodded my head in agreeance and grabbed the door handle. “You’re right, I’ll rest up and come back tomorrow, okay?” She frowned at me but nodded back.

“I’ll be waiting.”