Witness (boyxboy)

Chapter 3: Miss Mable

Transportation didn't change as much as everyone thought it would. There's no teleportation or even time travel, but things like planes have been improved. Nowadays, the travel time has been cut in half and the actual planes have gotten decor upgrades and function more smoothly. That's all that has really changed.

The people sure haven't.

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Plopping into my seat and buckling myself in, I looked out the window at the mostly artificial world. Everything is manmade. The plants, although they're spewing out oxygen at an alarming rate, were all made in a lab.

I sighed to myself and twiddled my hands in my lap. Court wasn't very fun with multiple douches staring me down as I recalled what happened, but it's done and over with, meaning I get to be shipped off to the other side of the country.

Oh joy.

I glance up as an elderly woman hobbles over to me, taking the seat on my side. She smiles at me charmingly, reminding me of a grandmother. Her caramel brown, eyes twinkle with wisdom and peace as she takes in my appearance. She studies my eyes and nods, as if in approval.

I don't really understand why. After all, I don't think I'm much to look at. I have messy black curls piled onto my head, crystal colored eyes that always seem to make people uncomfortable, and I don't exactly have a 5 star body. I'm not fat, but I'm not exactly the poster boy for the Olympics. I'm strong and lean, just not some beef cake on drugs.

I, in turn, take in the woman's appearance. She has long grey hair cascading down her back in wispy strands, wears a dark blue dress with folds of fabric, making the dress billow around her as she moves, and she holds a thin wooden cane by her side.

"Hello," she greets me with a sweet voice, reminding me of the lullabies my mom would sing to me.

I feel like I can trust this lady. I mean, she seems nice enough.

"Hello, ma'am," I return with a small nod.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" She looks at me with curiosity and mischief gleaming in her eyes.

"Conrad," I tell her, slightly interested in what she has to say.

"Well, Conrad," she starts, patting my hand, "my name is Mabel. I'm a witch."

I feel a small smile break across my face for the first time in a while. Nowadays, people who practice any religion are rare, especially those that deal with magic. Most people always assumed that witches were evil people that made sacrifices, but in actuality, majority of them were not.

Pleased with my reaction, she continues, "And I can sense something to come." She stares at me seriously and I feel a nervous chuckle begin to bubble up in my throat.

Swallowing it down, I quirk an eyebrow. "What's coming?" I ask, shifting nervously in my cramped seat.

"Strife," she says before pausing, "and love." She looks at me with a knowing look. "You're gonna have quite the little spitfire," she adds with a small giggle.

God this old lady is adorable.

I love old people, if you couldn't tell. They're always so interesting with weird stories and quirky personalities.

"Sounds like I'm in for a rough time," I say with a small chuckle.

She grins at me. "Oh, I think you'll turn out just fine young man."

"Thank you, ma'am," I say respectfully.

She smiles at me with eyes that have seen more than I'll ever know and pats my hand again.

I look away and catch sight of a few people staring at me. Some stare with hatred, others with pity, and some with bubbling curiosity. I feel my stomach drop and my palms grow sweaty. I've never really liked attention, so my face is probably the same color as my blue hoodie. Speaking of my hoodie, I throw the hood over my head and slouch down, trying to avoid unnecessary conflicts. You'd be surprised how often humans start things with my kind. Oh, and, in case you didn't know, my kind has literally blue blood.

"Don't worry about them, sweetie," the old woman comments quietly, "I can sense your big heart."

I feel a smile make its way to my lips, begging to be let loose. Submitting to it, I let a lopsided grin grace my lips, making Mabel's eyes crinkle in delight.

The plane starts to hover with its supporting gear before rising quickly into the air.

I immediately plaster myself to the window, eagerly taking in the amazing bird's eye view. Ignoring Mabel's chuckle, I commit every detail to memory. I love flying. I love the idea of flight.

"When I was little," I start, catching the woman's attention, "I always wished that I could grow wings, so I could fly."

I can practically hear the smile that graces her features. "We're all entitled to our own wishes," she says lightly in a teasing voice, making me chuckle.

"What's your wish?" I ask, glancing at the kindred spirit.

She studies me with another knowing smile, reminding me of my mother. She takes a breath and looks up, as if to ask the heavens for permission. It's rather dramatic of her, but I can tell she's thinking about it seriously.

"I would wish," she says quietly, "to have been able to have children." She chuckles softly and shakes her head. "Frederic always wanted children," she mutters sadly, making my heart ache for her. Her husband must've passed away before they could have kids.

"Then it's settled," I tell her, causing her head to snap up to me in confusion, "I'm your new kid. Hello, Mom."

I grin at her cheekily and ignore the flare of pain at the word "mom". She studies me with a small smile before wrapping her arms around me in a hug. She smells earthy, which is rare nowadays, but I don't complain as I gently wrap my arms around her frail form. She has this comforting quality about her, making me feel a little bit better about everything that's happened.

Maybe things won't be so bad after all.

Mabel releases me from her hold and kisses my cheek lovingly before leaning back in her chair, closing her eyes and bidding me goodnight. Returning myself to my own space, I boredly pick at some lint on my sweatshirt.

As I stare out of the window, my thoughts start to drift to what my life will be like now that I'm alone. Will the people like me? Will they hate me? The thoughts stubbornly cloud my mind, making me worry and stress over them.

Twisting one of my curls around my finger, I lean against the cool surface of the window and let my eyes flutter shut.

Maybe some sleep will get my mind off of things...

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If anyone decides this is actually worth their time, THANKS FOR READING! ^-^ I hope you enjoyed this update and I'll try and start to make the chapters longer. See y'all nuggety readers in the next update! Bai!!! >:3

-IggyScones