Eva's POV
The sun shone its rays into my little room in the attic. I squinted as I adjusted to the brightness. I sat up and yawned as I stretched.
I had a horrible headache. I groaned, holding my head as if I were uncertain it would stay on. But I was alive! I didn't even have time to think how and when? when I heard someone.
"Sorry, I got weak when I was trying to fix that one." The apologetic voice said.
I turned to meet its owner. Doing so slowly because of my throbbing head. She was pale in complexion with a rouge hue, slightly skinny and had long pale pink hair. Her eyes, set slightly farther apart than convention, were also a soft shade of pale green. A pointed nose while her smooth, unadorned forehead invites curiosity for she had no eyebrows. With every feature uniquely her own, she exuded an aura of enchantment that defied the ordinary. She had on rare leather pants and an opulent looking white chiffon blouse. She had an otherwardly beauty that would leave you unable to look away. "Who are you?"
"It's me, Rosé." She smiled widely, her arms behind her.
"No," I was confused, Rosé was an old lady or for accuracy's sake an old witch. "You are not Rosé."
The girl giggled and brought out what she hid at her back. It was her purple cloak.
"But you..." I was trying to figure everything out but ended up hurting my already shaken up brain.
"When witches get weak, we conserve our powers and bodies by aging quickly." She moved closer to you. "Now, I am back to normal because of you."
"Me?"
"The food and the shelter you gave me, gave me energy and time to get stronger."
****
Flashback
I backed away too fast standing fully on an already injured leg. I shrieked as I fell on the muddy ground bruising my buttocks and leaving the beef long forgotten. I raised my head only to find her standing over me. How was she so fast?
I couldn't even scream, my airways refused to make a sound and I could only close my eyes tight and wait for a spell or a knife or something. I knew I would never be able to fight back. So it was better I gave up.
After waiting up to two minutes and still nothing. I slowly peered my eyes open. To see her with her hands out. There was no wand, no knife. Did she want to help me up?
I was hesitant at first but she still stood there with her hands out. Finally, I reached for her shriveled hands. Surprisingly, she was strong and pulled me up with ease.
"Are you okay?" She asked in a shaky voice, her face was close so I could hear her despite the rain. She sounded younger than she looked.
I was too nervous and flabbergasted to speak.
"Sorry, about your bread," As she aided me to the tree she had been hiding. "And for scaring you, it was not my intention."
I was quiet as she sat me down. I was wary of her and why wouldn't I? Only two people wore purple clothing in the whole kingdom; witches and royals. And not to mention her face...
I was pretty sure that no royal would be found in the crook of a tree on a dark rainy night. And anyone in the kingdom would guess that an old woman in a purple cloak would be a witch. But how could I be sure when I wasn't sure I was not one myself.
There had to be an explanation for the covering I was found in by Thomas. But thinking now about how it must have felt for Thomas to bring in a child wrapped in purple to his abode. He wasn't sure of anything but took a chance. Just thinking of him made me forget where I was. In the rain, injured with a witch by my side.
I heard her sneeze again. I made a decision. She seemed sick and harmless. Just like how I must have been abandoned in the wild those years ago. Thomas took a chance back then and I would take a chance today.
"I know where you can stay," I said.
"What?" She couldn't hear me.
"I have a place." I had to get her to shelter, I didn't wait for a reply and grabbed her hand.
She got up without any objection at first, as I started to head towards the place she stopped me.
"Wait!" Startled, you let her go.
"Sorry." She said and walked away. She was leaving, I felt an unexpected pang of disappointment. I stood there for a while, speechless. I signed heavily and turned to leave when I heard footsteps coming towards you.
"I had to get this," she didn't leave? I looked at her hand to see the bag of wet groceries I had completely forgotten about. How long had she been watching me?
"Let's go." She said her voice was filled with a youthful zest. She didn't even know where to but I took her hand and headed to the location whose map had been imprinted into my heart like a scar from a hot iron.
The downpour continued but I still made my way into the forest, touching trees to find my way. The witch followed obediently almost like a lost child on its way to its parents. I paused when I touched a tree with a familiar hole in its trunk. We had made it.
The forest's edge where the special cave was located had been undiscovered even after more than a year. It was intact.
The large specially carved circular stone that guarded the entrance to the unique somewhat right-angled triangle-shaped rocks kept the stone unmovable to animals. There were two, pushed into the sides where the larger stone touched the ground.
We both went to work and soon we were inside the relatively cozy cave with my unusual partner.
I sat on the ground of the dry cave. It was around the remains of fire me and Thomas had made back then
There was an odd silence for about five minutes. We were both quiet.
"I think I should make a fire, the wood is right here anyway." She said unexpectedly, her voice sounded like a teenager's, It made my skin crawl, since it was coming out of the mouth of a old lady. Still, I got up but she stopped me.
"No, I will do it myself."
"Su...su...sure." I tried to hide my igniting fear and dread. I didn't understand why I was aghast, I knew what she was. She was probably going to cast a spell of some sort.
I heard some inaudible murmuring, from the occasional lightning I saw her point towards the used firewood and watched a spark appear and disappear quickly. There was a more awkward silence before I spoke.
"I guess I will try now, then." My tone failed in my attempt to hide my disappointment as I got up reluctantly.
"Wait." She said unsure.
My eyes caught a flicker and then another and soon the comforting and familiar tongues of yellow and orange made their appearance.