Don't Forget

14. Farm Hands

Autumn was my favorite season. I adored the painted leaves that slowly turned brown and withered. The crisp air was refreshing, and the smell of the final bloom of the year was full and inviting. Earth itself changing delighted me, and I often claimed that autumn was the best time to make a change.

But the upcoming week was one of my favorites. It was the first break of the semester, and the students of Vietate High needed it. It lasted a week, and it was the perfect excuse to visit home.

            It was actually a holiday. Not one celebrated by humans though: a holiday for witches primarily. It was a solstice, not observed on any calendar. It celebrated the changing season, the shift from summer to fall. According to the history textbook in my locker, it was this time of year that witches were the weakest in terms of magical ability. And so, they kept amongst themselves and vowed peace so their magic could replenish and strengthen. It evolved into a holiday, and thanks to it, we got a week off from school.

            As per custom, I planned to visit the farm. I missed my Aunt Mollie and my Uncle Dale and my cousins. I missed the horses and the chickens and the cows and the pigs. I missed the sight of wheat in the distance, the red barn, the acres waiting to be harvested, the smell of dirt and plants and animals. I couldn't wait to be back.

            I hummed as I stuffed my suitcase with clothes. I bit the inside of my cheek, debating if I should take Shar's feather with me. With a shake of my head, I shut my desk drawer and decided against it. Aunt Mollie would love seeing an angel feather, but she would prefer seeing an actual angel.

            Maion sat on my bed and shot a smile at me. "Excited to be going back home?"

            I returned the smile. "Yes. How about you? You're going back to the drove community, aren't you?"

            "Of course. It'd be boring to be here when campus is practically abandoned." She chuckled.

            "Are you going with Cassiel?"

            She nodded. "It should be fun. We're going back with a big group of us."

            I hesitated asking, but it slipped from my lips anyway: "Shar?"

            "He's from a different drove." Her voice was quiet, as though she knew the topic was sensitive at best.

            Rolling my shoulders back, I stood straighter and fixed a smile to my face. "A break will be nice."

            May visibly relaxed, thankful for the subject change. "We need this. I was worried I'd become birdbrained if I was forced to sit through another class."

            Classes had gotten out early that Friday so we could start the break. It was only one in the afternoon, and the sun beat down from its station in the sky. Thanks to the magic of Vietate High, it was eternal summer here. But outside these walls, the nip of chilly autumn would greet us with all its breezes and scents.

            "Not many people stay at school for this break, do they?"

            Maion shrugged a shoulder and played with a strand of caramel hair, twirling it between her fingers. "As long as they have a place to go and people to see."

            My lips pursed. A knot settled in my stomach, as though telling me that someone I knew would not be lucky enough to have that this break.

            "What are you thinking?" the angel inquired, studying my face.

            I shook my head and smiled. "Nothing. I just feel like someone I know is going to be left behind this break."