Succulents on the Window Sill

Chapter 1

One might ask how Corinne ended up in her best friend's boyfriend's bed, wearing nothing but his college football shirt, with his arms wrapped protectively around her. To explain: Corinne wouldn't know where to start. 

"It's a family thing," she thought aloud as she wriggled free from Zach and made for the bathroom. 

Most families had Christmas traditions where they played Monopoly all afternoon or visited the same campsite for a week every summer, despite how much they hated camping. Corinne's family was a little...different. 

They had emigrated from France during the 1930's along with the majority of their quint little village. Quint was rather a nice term to describe it though. There was a good reason why only a few families of descendants still kept in touch with the community that they had fought so hard to maintain over the years and through the generations. 

The community had a rather traditional outlook on life, which was fine if said traditions were more...conventional. They weren't though, and the fact that Corinne was stood brushing her teeth in a bathroom that was not her own was proof of that.

She had anticipated feeling dirty after the night she had just had. Tears had been expected, along with screams and punches to Zach as she cursed at him for not being able to overpower her. To overpower both of their desires as they had taken over. He'd been as weak as Corinne. At six-foot tall, built of as much muscle as he could gain in these past few weeks, she had expected better of him. 

"Corinne, I think the effects of the potion might still be running through me." The bathroom door pushed open from where Corinne had left it ajar, and with ruffled hair and squinting eyes, Zach entered.

"Sure it's not just morning wood?" It should be embarrassing to talk to him like this, but it wasn't. 

He came up behind her, so close that she could feel the heat of his body as it acted like a furnace in the cold morning air. She could see his reflection in the mirror as he wiped the sleep from his eyes, before watching Corinne's own mirrored image as she spat out the last mouthful of toothpaste. 

"How sexy."

"I'm not here to be your eye candy, Zach." Corinne wiped her mouth on a nearby towel she prayed was clean.

"Nah, you're just here to have my babies and keep this damn cult alive." His tone was bitter. For that reason alone, Corinne knew the potion was indeed wearing off, if not now completely gone from his system. 

She turned towards the bath, climbing into it and tugging across the shower curtain, before ridding herself of Zach's shirt. It was tossed over the top of the curtain rail, and Corinne could only hope that it didn't land anywhere dirty, like down the toilet. A sudden sound of water hitting water told her something else was going down the toilet though, and she couldn't help but screw her nose up at it. 

"Zach, seriously?"

"What? I need to pee."

"Can't you wait, or do it elsewhere?"

"You honestly want me to walk around the rest of the house in just my boxers?" 

"I'm just glad you're wearing boxers..." 

Whatever Zach said in reply was drowned out by Corinne turning on the shower. It was hot, with a pressure that relaxed muscles she didn't know she had been holding. There was an underlying stress that she could feel, but it seemed to be covered in a layer of something. It reminded her of an anaesthetic, a chemical calm. 

It was down to those damn succulents on the window sill. 

Her mum had insisted on her taking them with her, a stupid accessory when armed with nothing else but a simple overnight bag. Who needed a tray of plants for one night away? No matter how much her mum tried to play innocent, Corinne knew she had placed a charm on them. Whatever it was though, it was working.