I grin as I take it in my hands and watch as the tension in her body drains away. Bringing the bottle to my nose, the floral and fruity scent rises to my nostrils, and I gasp at the familiarity of it. “Moon flowers… But what are they mixed with?”
“Grandma gave me this bottle before I left and said I’d know when the time was right to open it. I guess she saw you in her leaves,” she laughs, and I grin at her terrible joke. Melia has the powerful gift of foresight, so I have no doubt she did see Ariella would meet me.
I take a small sip, and my entire body tingles. “Wow… It’s like I’m drinking light,” I whisper as a shudder works its way from my head to my toes. I hold my hand up closer to my face and notice the very slight sparkle working its way through my veins.
Ariella nods. “Moon flowers plucked during the full moon have incredible healing properties, but when mixed with healing waters, it can create an incredible brew. The only side effect is it makes you feel like you’ve been drinking hard liquor for days.”
I stare at the bottle in my hands and back to Ariella, biting my lip. “Are there any rules against a student and a teacher getting drunk together?”
Ariella grins and shakes her head, her vines glowing softly from the Moon’s Brew. “Nope,” she pops, and she shrugs. “Besides, you’re not exactly an average student, I’m not your average teacher, and we’re both definitely not human, so…”
I click my fingers with a smirk, “I like the way you think”, and take another, much larger, sip. My body shivers from the euphoria surging through my veins, and I pass it back and close my eyes.
“And besides, you’re primordial, so who’s going to tell you no?” she laughs, and I toss my head from side to side.
“Eh. That’s not exactly true. I’m primordial, but I don’t come into my powers until I die,” I say, and not even one part of me cares about that small tidbit.
Ariella let’s out a strangled cough as she sputters, “Die? You have to die before getting your powers? How the hell does that work?”
I shrug. “As far as I know, once my human life ends, the rest of me will be consumed by primordial magic, and I’ll be reborn… or something like that. I never really did understand the process. I was too focused on the whole death part when Nyx warned me about it.” I definitely should have paid a little more attention.
Ariella takes another sip of the brew before passing it back to me. “Well, here’s to us. To our long friendship. And you not dying.”
I tip the bottle to her. “That’s something I can definitely cheers to.”
I take another gulp as her words float through my mind. Not dying, huh? Wouldn’t that be nice? I shake my head and watch as the glittery and glowing liquid swirls within the bottle. There’s not enough of this to make me forget.
But it can’t hurt to try.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you to your dorm?” Ariella giggles as I sling my backpack over my shoulder and gaze up at the glowing moon. A smile forms on my lips as I close my eyes, the moon’s glow bathing my skin; a strong urge to run around naked fills my mind. An arm hooks through mine, leading me god knows where, and I don’t care.
Moon’s Brew. Who knew?
I giggle, and Ariella laughs softly beside me. The familiar smell of the forest fills my nose, and for once, my feet don’t itch to turn and run.
“Thank you for tonight, Ariella. I forgot what it was like to just be me,” I whisper as I open my eyes, not surprised to find myself on my way back to my dorm.
She grins as we round the corner. “It’s no problem at all, Serena. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe a little too much.” She grins, bumping me.
When I look up the street, I notice the lights in my house are still on.
“What are you doing this weekend?” I ask as we pause just shy of the path to my front door.
Ariella smiles, her eyes twinkling. “I’m heading back home to see Grandma and possibly get some more Moon’s Brew.”
My throat tightens as my love for the older woman surges forth. “Will you… could you tell Melia I said hi? And that I miss her? And that I haven’t forgotten her?”
Ariella nods. “I’m sure she knows, but I will tell her,” she says as her eyes flick to my dorm. “And you should probably get going. I can feel the angst coming off your house from here.”
Without thinking, I wrap my arms around her and give her a quick hug which she mirrors automatically. “Thank you for agreeing to come here. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I didn’t realize I needed someone to talk to until tonight.”
She pulls back and nods, her eyes dimming a little. “Me too, Serena. And anytime you need someone, I’m here. Moon’s Brew or not.”
I nod and wave goodbye as I walk to my dorm with the lightest heart I’ve had for a very long time.
Opening the door, I’m met with an uproar as soon as I step inside.
“Oh, thank the gods!”
“Where were you?”
“You had us so worried.”
My eyes move to Paxton who simply shrugs, but I can see the relief in his eyes.
“Aw, you guys! You were worried about me?” I press my hand to my chest, the warmth spreading from my heart and filling my body. Is this what it’s like to be cared about by someone, or is this just the Moon’s Brew?
I grin as I shrug off my backpack and drop it onto the couch before going into the kitchen in search of food. Citrus fills the air, and I know the brownie has created some kind of sweet
