I was walking on air when I got home, and my mom noticed.
"Hello, Elise. I thought you'd be home before me. You seem happy." She said, drinking her water at the little table.
"I am happy," I said cheerfully.
"Care to share?" she probed.
"No," I said, and I jauntily made my way to my room. I finished the last bit of homework I had left, and laid on my bed remembering Finnegan's kiss.
I sat up and went to my mirror to look at the pendant on the necklace. It was simple and inconspicuous. And the fact that Finnegan put it on me made it more special. Even more than that, it was supposed to help me focus and keep me protected while I leveled up as a witch in order to not become a snake permanently. Wow, did my life take a weird turn. But I can't say I'm disappointed. I guess if I was going to learn about paganism, I was going to become a witch anyway. Now, I'm also half snake. Ever since I became this, I have felt an inner awakening of sorts. I feel more confident, and less concerned with what I think others think. I feel more alluring, but I am also more keen and cautious.
My eyesight does seem to be getting worse, however. And I'm always cold. I stay awake all night, and I apparently am not hungry for dead food. I decided to text Finn.
"Finn, what can you tell me about snakes? I still haven't gotten to hold Dolores, and I don't really know much about them."
I was suddenly connecting all the dots. I almost wish I hadn't wasted a day being mad at Finn because I have to start work tomorrow after school. My phone buzzed.
"Well, ball pythons are really gentle. They are nocturnal, and have pretty poor eyesight, but they can see infrared heat. They also can feel minute vibrations with their bodies. They like to hide, and they are cold-blooded so they need a hot and a cool place to regulate their body temperatures. "
I didn't reply for a while. I sat thinking about my dreams and how I felt in them.
Suddenly, I remembered the weird prophecy Finn's mom had given me from my tea leaves. I would be involved in an accident, and I would undergo a great change. I had goosebumps. I had been driving extra carefully since I was new to driving, and I subconsciously wanted to prevent the prophecy from happening. I guess if it is meant to happen, it will. Finnegan texted me again.
"I miss you. I hope you aren't working this Saturday. I wanted to invite you over for a bonfire. And your mom still hasn't met my parents. What if you both came over for dinner, then we could enjoy the bonfire after?"
"I like that idea a lot. I'll let you know after my shift tomorrow, and I'll ask my mom about it."
I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Then, I went to sit on my mom's bed next to her.
"Hi, sweetie. I was thinking I would go to bed early. Everything ok?"
Ha! If she only knew. "Yes, everything is fine." I took a sip of my water. "Finnegan invited me over to his house for a bonfire on Saturday night. He also suggested that since you haven't met his parents yet, we could both go over for dinner, before they start the bonfire. What do you think?"
She had gotten under her covers and snuggled down. "Hmm, well, that sounds alright. They don't drink do they?"
"I don't think so, unless you count tea."
"Ok. Alright. Should I bring anything? You know what, I'm just gonna bring something. I hope they like bologna fried rice."
I set my water on her bedside table and threw myself over her to hug her as best I could over the covers.
"Yay! Ok, thanks mom." I sat up, and took my water glass in hand again. "I really like Finnegan."
"Elise," my mom said in a scolding tone, "your not thinking of, you know, with this boy, are you?"
"Mom, no! It's not like that. He's just really sweet, and I like him." I blushed. This was getting uncomfortable.
"Well, remember what I said before."
"I know, Mama. I will behave with him. But you'll see. Anyway, Good night. I love you."
"I love you too. Good night."
I walked back to my room with my glass of water and set it on my dresser. I immediately texted Finn back, saying we would come for dinner and that I could stay for the bonfire. He replied, "That's great! I can't wait to see you tomorrow. Will you meet me early before school?"
"I will. Ok, good night. Maybe I'll actually get some sleep tonight."
"Ok, good night, Mo Cuishle."
I got into my pajamas and climbed into bed. My mom can never know about my snake side. She is terrified of snakes and will probably execute me on the spot if I was ever a snake in front of her. But I can suppress it. I hoped I could sneak over to Finn's after I got off work so I could start asking about how to go about that. Or if Finn could make me some kind of study guide or something. I also made a mental note to do some research on ball pythons. Man, all this research and midterms coming up too. It's like I'm in two schools. I already felt like I was living in two worlds with trying to learn about paganism secretly, but now I had to live in three. I had to live as a snake secretly too, and Finn could only help me up to a certain point. There was no one who could help me on that path. It was my path alone.
I thought about this until it was past midnight. I can't be nocturnal and go to school during the day. I need to sleep. I focused on being still and breathing. I focused on my pendant. The weight of it. The purpose of it. I became part of the darkness around me. I became part of the covers. Soon, I fell asleep.
I woke up when I heard my mom getting ready. Four hours of sleep wasn't much, but it was better than none. I got dressed, with an extra layer underneath, and got ready the rest of the way in the bathroom. I had forgotten to wash my make-up off last night. I was going to need to invest in some wipes to keep by my bed after my first paycheck. I made some toast, scraped some butter on it, and went out the door and drove to school. I got there before Finnegan.