Half of What I Could Be

Chapter 36

Warning: there is some spice in this chapter. This is more of a filler anyhow. We are about to get to the good part! 

Taylor POV

The term "garden" did not describe what I beheld. What I saw was something straight out of Alice in Wonderland. As I walked through the poorly groomed paths, I could evidently see how her brain deteriorated. In the beginning, Kate had everything organized. For some of the raised beds, she even made little signs that depicted what laid. Nutmeg, Star Anise, Cinnamon, Cardamon... Everything grew within their own square footage. As I trailed through, the raised beds became irregular in shape. Some were two feet in heights, while others barely left the ground. One bed had a plank of wood on one side and on the other three planks. This led to a very uneven bed of soil. Herbs, flowers, vegetables all became intermingled. The signs she wrote were barely coherent

For the Toads

Said one of the signs. With my multitude of knowledge, I could tell the "For the Toads" in question was in fact Tarragon. Not quite sure how the amphibian was related to Tarragon. She also began to place plants together that were bad bed mates. Onions and sage, Rue and Basil. Her mind was mush. The fact she was able to find things in her little overgrown forest was miraculous to say the least.

"Isn't Senna that pill old people take to poop?" Roan asked as he weaved his way through the jungle. Roan had no green thumb. I could have deduced that even without him saying it every five minutes. Yet, he volunteered to help me find the herbs for the spell. No one forced him.

"Senna Leaf is what we are looking for. And yes, it can be used to help constipation. We consider it a 'Relief' plant. It can relive more than just bowels," I explained to him as I skimmed my hand over rosemary. The fact that it was near winter and it was in full bloom blew my mind. No only was Katelyn able to keep her garden up, but she was also able to maintain some control over the seasons. She was a strong Witch indeed.

"Why the hell is there a giant statue of a golden Rat in the middle of the Garden?" Roan quipped, which got my attention. I turned my head to behold a monstrous golden figure positioned in the middle of a raised bed. There were no plants around it. Just mulch and a 4 foot statue of a rodent of some sort. It was sitting on its hind legs with its hands outstretched like a T-Rex. Like every cartoon, it had two front teeth protruding from its jaw, and small wires of gold flaked around its nose. Right next to it was a sign

Ron

"I think this is her imaginary friend," I motioned to the sign. The statue was not magical in nature. The evident "Hallmark" etched onto its right paw said as much. What I didn't understand was why Hallmark would make a giant golden rat statue in the first place.

"Oh my goodness," Roan whispered as he shook his head, "She made a shrine for her Imaginary friend?"

"Well, I think in her head, he is very much real. There is no point in dwelling, we have work to do," I reminded as I turned away from the structure.

Senna Leaf, Fresh Distal Rose Petals, and Yarrow. Three simple ingredients that need to be fresh from the stem. Everything else was easily found inside her numerous mason jars. It was crazy to think such simple plants could lead to such disastrous paths. In the matter of hours, there was a chance we would never see Jacin, Mae or Kate again. Yes, losing Jacin and Mae wouldn't break my heart. But, I would shed a tear or two. Maybe. I was not sure. I like Mae. If she wasn't my charge, we could have been friends. She had spunk. She was young, immature, and had massive insecurity issues, but she was unique. She cared, which is rare for high schoolers. Honestly, I was surprised that she didn't deal more my way when she realized the plot twist that was her existence...and how I was going to deliver her to hell.