Must the Flowers Die

Chapter 10: Passion

"God, I hate this emo side of you." Joe came into the living room and flopped on to the sofa where Alex was sitting, stuffing his face with a carnitas burrito. Joe reached to grab the half of the burrito left in Alex's bag, prompting a cry of protest and a sharp slap from Alex.

Alex leaned back when it appeared that the other half of his burrito was in fact safe. He sighed, "I hate this emo side of me too."

"Well, can you snap out of it then?"

Alex frowned at Joe's lack of empathy.

Joe continued, "There's nothing you can do about it. You can't have a future with her. You have to stay right here, and she can't wait to get out of here. Even if she were to remain in Piston, which would be the largest tragedy since the Titanic, mom and dad would never."

Alex shook his head impatiently. He had heard a version of this refrain his whole life, but times were changing. He spoke around his mouthful of refried beans and juicy pork, "Why not? Olympus is dying. Grandmother believes that, at most, it'll be a few more months before Olympus permanently collapses. After that, we are free. We wouldn't need to keep the spell going, because there wouldn't be anyone on Olympus's side trying to enter our realm. I could go anywhere I want. Go to school in New York, or wherever Mia's going. I wouldn't need to marry a sorceress to keep our magic strong." He was trying to convince himself as much as Joe. Would it work? Could it work? It was too much to hope for, yet he hoped.

"In this fantasy of yours, are you going to tell her her kids with you may end up crazy and deranged?" Joe grabbed a bag of Doritos from the kitchen and began munching noisily on chips. The sound grated Alex's nerves in his delicate condition.

"Uncle Declan thinks that may change after the portal closes. It's the stress of the spell that drives all half-sorceresses crazy. If our kids don't practice..."

Joe shot Alex an incredulous look. "Listen to what you are saying. First, Uncle Declan is merely theorizing, and he's kinda a maniac. Would you really want to risk your future on what he says? Second, would you really be ok with your children not practicing?"

Unlike Alex, Joe enjoyed being a sorcerer. He loved the ritual, the closeness with the woods and the plants and the animals. His specialized in herbs and earth magic and was a wunderkind at healing nature. It made him a favorite amongst the local nymphs.

"Mia doesn't even want kids, and once this is done, I am happy to never touch magic again in my life. If I never have to collect haircap moss again, I would be willing to kiss Wentworth."

"Ew." Joe scrunched up his face. "I get it. No need to be gross about it."

Alex laughed. "I thought he was your type."

Joe scrunched up his finished bag of Doritos and tossed it at Alex. "Please. I have better taste than that. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like myself a pretty boy, but his personality is just too atrocious."

Joe paused a moment and looked at Alex appraisingly. His face was thoughtful. Alex felt discomfited by his gaze. They were close, but they rarely spoke of anything of importance. Alex had Mia for that, and Joe, well, Joe never appeared to have any need to. Joe approached life with a natural stoicism and matter-of-factness that made him extremely efficient but not particularly tender.

"And what about Mia. How does she feel about your relationship evolving? Have you spoken to her since the State Fair?"

Alex took another bite into his burrito to give himself time to think and then promptly regretted it. His stomach tightened, and the greasy food he had consumed now sat heavily, making him slightly nauseous. The bite in his mouth was no longer a satisfying blend of textures and spices. Instead, he noticed the excessive saltiness that sucked the moisture from his mouth, leaving his tongue and lips dry and shriveled.