hostile veins (h.s)

Chapter Fourteen

A/N: new chapter! over 8200 words so enjoy! i'm so happy with how this chapter turned out!

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The cold darkness surrounds us, only the distant streetlights illuminating the small decrepit wooden shed in Akhila's backyard. Past the tall oak wooden fence, one of the streetlights turns off in the distance. A small blue oil lantern with flames flickering inside it enlightens the small area around us. I scuff my feet against the cold concrete subconsciously, feeling the freezing air start to seep into my clothes and trying to replace the warmth my body begrudgingly produces.

Heated orange ash quickly replaces the dried herbs, ground cannabis turning grey at the spark of flames. Outlined by a delicate sliver of blue, the flames feature flickering shades of orange and yellow, burning hot to the touch. All-consuming, these short bursts of plasma devour everything in its vicinity. The flames dance carefully upon the witch's index finger. Her dainty, dark manicured fingers wrap around the glass bowl of the paraphernalia and pull upwards. The muted sound of bubbles rushing to the surface draws me from the sight of literal flames sprouting from her fingers. It's always awe-inspiring to see her make fire appear out of nowhere.

Bubbles of different sizes, filled with white smoke, flow up to the surface of the water in the bong and burst at the touch of oxygen. No matter how many times I watch her do that, I will never get over how she manages to make herself look so good while doing so. Then there's me, and I look like a damn deflated blowfish with its face stuck up to a glass wall. Whatever, though, she's the only one I ever smoke with. I don't trust others enough to smoke and essentially let my guard down around them.

I press play on the music app of my phone and the silence is soon replaced with mellow beats. Akhila places the bong on the ground with a small glass clink and proceeds to take a sip from her iced water.

"Aren't you afraid using magic to light your tokes will attract the demons?" I ask her, reaching for my translucent bong while simultaneously pulling out my black grinder and a lighter.

I'm not as special as her, I can't make fire spark from my fingertips. I still need a lighter, sadly. Absentmindedly, I pack a bowl with ground weed, small bits of kush sticking to my fingertips. I dust them off on my leggings and pull back on the metal trigger of the lighter. The hot flame dispenses from the small plastic cartridge, instantly igniting the combustible material.

Smoke begins to pool inside of the bong, slowly filling my lungs. I pull the bowl and the feeling of heat rushes through my body. Inhaling deeply, I pull all of the smoke into my lungs without losing any. My chest burns but I hold my breath in. Exhaling slowly, I put the bong back down to the concrete flooring and take a large influx of air.

"Fuck," I gasp, coughing into my elbow. "I don't know how you don't cough at all." I shake my head with another vicious hack for air.

"Iron lungs," she shrugs. "Where'd I put the wine again?"

This time, I'm shrugging back at her. "No idea, you had it last. Did you leave it inside?" I ask.

"Oh, shit, there it is!" She points to the bottle peaking out from behind the barbecue near the back door to the house. "Thank God, I'm too lazy to go inside right now," she laughs, reaching for the bottle and taking a swift sip.

Before I realize it, I'm packing another bowl and go for it another time before passing it back to Akhila.

"And, answering your question from earlier - it's a flame, it doesn't take much energy to produce. But I am still cautious, I don't overdo it," she answers simply but quietly. Her back relaxes into the comfy green patio furniture.

"You better be, if someone normal saw that they'd lose their mind," I tut.

"Girl, when am I not careful?" She rolls her eyes and takes a sip from the half-full wine bottle. "You think I'm just going to do this in front of a crowd full of people? I think not."