𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝

22 - [𝙃𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩]

𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜:
𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙. 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠.

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𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢.
His gut wrenched at the thought of betraying Georgia's trust, but something was off with how she reacted, and he couldn't help but let his worry get the best of him. Midnight was drawing near, and he'd already heard the first chime of the bell, reminding the boy of his exhaustion.

"Maybe she's just tired," He muttered, nearing her room door, a small bag of snacks entangled in his grip, his staff in his other hand.

"Or maybe I'm going mad."

He huffed, contemplating whether or not he should knock, or just leave the bag before Georgia's door. He narrowed his eyes at the wooden door before him, a frown growing on his lips before an exasperated sigh escaped his lips.

"No, no. I need to trust her on this. I need to stop worrying about her."

With a wave of his staff, a paper appeared along with a sleek gold-covered pen. Scribbling on some words, he stuck the note within the bag, hanging it on her door handle. He turned to leave, but not without leaving a rhythmic knock on Georgia's door.

And so, he retreated back into his room, back to silence, and the stacks of his books.

–––

"Alright, Evelyn," Georgia muttered, her staff before her threatening and ready to strike. "Where are you taking me?"

"Patience, child," Her soothing voice echoed as they walked through the forest opposing the Bonesborough market. 

The two continued to walk in the darkness, the only source of light being the small flame that flickered in Evelyn's palm. Shadows danced around them as they walked upon the red grass, and finally, a large boulder came into view, and questions began to rise within Georgia once more.

Before Georgia could say anything more, Evelyn halted, and Georgia did the same, the light dying out as she watched Evelyn's every move cautiously. The woman's back still faced the younger witch's direction, and Georgia raised an eyebrow in confusion. 

A flick of the hand was all Evelyn did, and it was enough to cast the spell as the boulder rumbled, splitting into two with a light blue glow.

Without another word, Evelyn walked through the darkness, and Georgia hesitantly followed behind, her golden eyes searching in the darkness for any sign of Evelyn's golden locks or her calming blue eyes. As soon as she was completely through the hole, the boulder sealed up, encasing them in the shadows once more.

"Welcome home, Georgia."

Georgia winced at the sudden flooding of light, blinking a couple of times while adjusting to the brightness. A small gasp escaped her at the sight of fairy lights strung all over the ceiling, the overall atmosphere of the room comfortable and cosy, like one of a cottage.

"What is this place?" She asked, glancing behind her to find the mantle place, not the boulder from which they arrived, finding all sorts of trinkets and stone carvings.

Her eyes traced every bit of the room, piles and piles of books covering every inch of the wooden dining table, lit candles resting on some of the hardcovers as well.