Winter's Dead Bride

Chapter Three

I moved around in the warm-lit room, finding the appropriate plants to mince up. I needed more sleep nowadays so I had to make a sleeping potion. I found some lavender, Peace Lily and Devil's Ivy. I cut the tops off and crushed them in my marble mortar and pestle set. The world would continue spinning, It'd make no difference if I also crushed my remaining joys. I stopped midway and went on to the stems thinking I should boil them for their fragrance. I found the kettle and poured some purified Curiuma water into it. A knock came at the door as I plugged the kettle into the nearest switch.

"You don't have to knock," I assured, wiping down my hands on my stained apron.

He came in as the kettle started up.

"May I try making something too? I'm not really tired," he informed, looking around the room.

I nodded, going back to crushing the plants. He walked around the room, examining the jars with great interest. I reached out for some essenced Curiuma water from one of the green glinting bottles and added a few drop to the mixture.

"You can use this if you want," I told him, passing my recipe book to him.

"That'd be a great help. Thanks," he replied, accepting my handmade fabric book.

He flicked through the pages and the whistling kettle came to a high-pitched end. I turned it off then poured it into the bowl of stems. Almost immediately, the smell of sleep lingered in the air then the liquid started to slowly ice over but the Curiuma kept it from doing so.

"I'll be back. I just need to put this in my room," I assured, already running to the door before I could collapse because of the dreamy smell.

"Right," he yawned, still gazing curiously into the book.

I closed the door behind me and made my way to my bedroom which was only across the herbs room. I rushed over to the drawer beside my bed and set the plants there, pinching my nose so I didn't decide to fall asleep. I hastily went out of the room, closing the door quickly. Regardless, I already felt sleepy.

"Found something yet?" I tiredly checked, undoing my messy ponytail.

I took the leftover crushed plants and stored them in a jar. I lazily combed my red hair out with my fingers and then strolled over to look at what he was doing. Once I saw the page he was on, my eyes opened wider than the world's face.

"W-why that one?" I stuttered, wishing I had ripped the page out in advance.

Why had I kept this page for?!

"It looks interesting," he shrugged, looking unmistakably amused.

"B-but...I don't think it'll work and anyway...there's no, no one to use it on," I mumbled, trying to get rid of the book.

"Then let's try it just for fun," he teased, adding another ingredient to his mixture.

I wanted to collapse and faint. H-how could he want to make...?

"I only made it because I liked the smell. It probably doesn't work," I lied, mostly because I knew it worked.

"More the reason to test it again," he teased, stirring the aromatic drink.

"T-then... I offer to take the first sip," I burst out, taking the drink from him.

"But what if I did it wrong and it becomes poison instead?" he warned, looking ominous.

I gulped, feeling hesitant now as I grasped onto the glass tightly, trembling.

"Y-yeah! I can take that risk for you," I quivered, planning to finish all of it so he didn't get affected.

"No. It's okay," he assured.

I watched in horror as he easily took the drink from me and drank it. I gasped expecting him to collapse in front of me. I should act faster... I reached out and took it from his lips. I placed it on my lips and looked straight into his eyes with a blaming expression towards him as I drank it. It tasted so good!

"You know what an indirect kiss is, right?" he checked, keeping our eye contact.

I immediately went red. What had I done? He grinned at my flustered face and took the drink from me again. He drank the rest of it, making me scarlet.

"Aren't we even?" he reassured, gently stroking my cheek.

I was just dying, right? Wait, was the potion working?!

"I-I guess," I droned, still in a daze as he placed the glass cup down.

My crush... I was honestly just dying...

"Hey... I should make dinner. W-what would you like?" I stammered, unable to get the fact out of my head.

He waved his hand in front of me, waking me from my daydream. He looked so handsome. More than before?

"I'll eat whatever you want," he replied, still gazing at my lost face.

I nodded, slowly, turning to leave. I suddenly felt him hug me around my waist as I held the door handle. Huh?

"That wasn't the love potion, I just used some of the ingredients," he assured me and my ears burned red.

He laughed gently, his voice close to my ear as he spoke.

"Seriously... Just act as you would with a normal friend," he told me, holding me a little closer.

I died. And I'm still dying!

"S-sure," I blushed, loving how his warmth calmed me down. 

Almost, barely, alive. Yet, it made me feel like I wasn't suffering anymore and I was learning how to seek refuge in someone else...it also made me think about everything that I could no longer shake off...

For three years, after my parents' deaths, I felt like I've been carrying my own coffin through all these torturing times. And now that Sinh is also dead, it feels as if this heavy coffin has opened wide and is just waiting for me to enter and then lock itself. Then I'd be trapped in eternal darkness and a night of everlasting sleep. With a nightmare swimming within me, I will be one amongst the people lost in the ice-rink of their own frozen blood. I'm not sure if I'll ever make it out...even though there's someone here trying to help me out. I can trust them though. I can try. Maybe...

"You can trust me," he whispered gently into my ear.

Agh!!

I slowly opened my eyes in a land of mist. I finally understood. A beautiful feeling filled my heart and I knew what it was...

Trust.

"Don't worry...I trust you," I reassured, holding onto his hand.

It was warm in my trembling one and for the first time in ten years, I was no longer scared.