There's A Circle of Witches

Part 1: So can we please be absolutely sure...

No, it was of the lingering scent of blueberry pancakes, the only meal he knew how to make. She could smell it.

Oblivious to her memory, Kid scratched his nose suddenly smelling their shared nostalgia. It took him by surprise.

Darla repeated, "there were great times shared in that neighbourhood." She thought of their home.

Kid spoke too honestly as a smile sadly pulled at him. "More than great doll." He swallowed sharply feeling the lump in his throat. He can sense her breath and knew he caught her off guard.

Doll, she never truly appreciated the hold it had on her.

And there it was. Their first dreaded awkward pause after two and a half years of not speaking. Kid looked up to the window as the curtain danced with the Spring breeze. He can smell the water by the pier. Everything around him slowed down as a familiar tune played from a nearby shop. His supernatural hearing could make out every word.

The instrumental opening tugged on his heart as if there was something up with the wiring, as if he were a puppet on the other end.

This song was released two years ago, right when Darla left his world. He couldn't escape its truth as the words played through him. The motion of the curtains slowed.  Everything around him moved slowly.

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I'll wait for you

Darla stood outside the airport, in a queue of payphone booths, she felt the breeze. Later that night the moon would be full and bright, signaling a new cycle. They didn't say a word but felt their bond grow stronger with the body of water surrounding the city. One of the taxis parked close by tuned into the station. It landed on that painful tune.

Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails, she makes me wait
And I wait without you

For a moment both their guards were down. Darla recalled a memory of him sitting by the pier a year after he kept waiting for her, holding onto hope. His eyes were red behind his loose curl. He was crying in silence, swallowing back his shaky breaths. She channeled herself from Edinburgh to look after him whenever she was close to the water. Darla wasn't sure if he felt her presence.

With or without you
With or without you

He did. And as much as he wanted to speak to her, he never wanted her to stop visiting him. He held onto it. And she never stopped. She always checked in.

Through the storm, we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more
And I'm waiting for you

Darla felt the breeze play through her hair as she held onto the payphone receiver, she shut her eyes momentarily, allowing herself to get swept in this feeling. Her guard was down and Kid was able to hear her fighting the urge to jump into his arms and kiss him.

With or without you
With or without you, ah, ah
I can't live
With or without you

It took him by surprise. However the image was too painful for him to linger in its casted shadows. He let out a faint and inaudible gasp to himself, snapping back to reality. The music faded.

"Darla?"

Darla watched as the taxi drove off with a passenger. "Yes?"

".....When do you wanna meet?"

She smiled and waved as Ray pulled up into the arrival lot. Her coin purse fell out of her leather jacket. She leaned over and pulled at the chain of keys attached to the coin purse. Turning to the receiver she felt lightheaded realizing the weight of this reunion. She nervously twirled the keys and charms. Her thumb caressed a piece of plastic with a jagged edge. She looked down at the orange ring Kid won at the carnival on Coney Island.