Till Sunrise ┊Luke Castellan

17 .·:· Whispers Among Sunflowers

Zandelli, Nadia. 2022 ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Words:  1,618

╔═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╗
two days before the summer solstice

"Okay, Charlie, how did this happen again?"

"Dude, I have no idea," Charlie groaned, throwing his head back into the pillow in frustration. "I was just walking through the strawberry fields with Selina, then suddenly this," he explained, pointing at the sprouting sunflowers growing from his skin.¹

"Does it hurt when I touch them?" Phoebe asked as she began to touch a flower growing from his arm.

"I can't feel them at all," Charlie said, shaking his head.

"Ah, so they have no nerves," Phoebe mused absentmindedly, jotting down notes on her paperwork. Placing it on Charlie's bed, she retrieved a scalpel from her coat pocket.

"This shouldn't hurt, it should hopefully be like a haircut or trimming your fingernails," she assured him as she sliced through one of the stems. "Which nymph did you piss off anyway?" She asked with a teasing smile, looking up from her cutting.

"No one! No one, pretty sure." Charlie groaned out in response.

"Okay, dude," Phoebe replied, trying to hide a smile.

The sound of footsteps echoed on the wooden floorboards, and Phoebe turned to see Lee swaggering in.

His eyes widened when he saw Phoebe's patient. "Oh my god, Charlie, who'd you piss off?" Lee exclaimed, laughing as he came over to their side and lifted up one of the wilting sunflowers for inspection.

"No one!" Charlie protested, his eyes pleading with them.

"Well, all this," Lee gesturing around Charlie's whole body, "says otherwise."

"I swear I didn't do anything. I was just on a walk with Silena, she kissed me and then suddenly... sunflowers!" Charlie tried to explain

Raising his eyebrows, Lee interjected, "Oh, so Silena does know about this?"

Charlie looked at him worriedly. "Yeah, why?" asking slowly.

"These," Phoebe tried to say kindly, as she dumped a pile of sunflowers into a nearby basket, "kind of give the impression you're messing around with a nymph," she shrugged.

"What! No!" Charlie exclaimed, trying to get up.

"Woah there, buddy," Lee said hurriedly, pushing him back down. "You need to stay put."

"No, I need to go," Charlie insisted, struggling against Lee's hold. "She can't think I'm cheating on her."

Shooting a quick glare at Lee, Phoebe tried to reassure him. "She won't."

"Ehh," Lee said, unconvinced.

"Lee!" Phoebe whispered sharply at him. "What are you doing here anyway?" she asked, frustrated.

"Oh, right. Luke's looking for you," Lee replied casually.

Tilting her head in confusion, Phoebe questioned, "Why? What does he want?"

"Dunno," Lee shrugged. "But whatever it was, didn't give him any time to come up here and get you."

"Damn," Phoebe muttered, looking down at her watch, "I've still got another two hours here."

"Go, I'll cover for you," Lee offered with a smile.

"Really? Are you sure? It's your day off."

"It's chill," Lee reassured her. "Looks hell dead here anyway."