The Witch of The Woods Ch. 02

"I um... I have a question, a personal one."

Alice had a good night's sleep for the first time in ten days and woke up absolutely lucid, with all prior symptoms of catatonia gone. She'd also been absolutely ravenous, and Christine was only too happy to feed her a hearty meal - after she called Alice's parents and told them to come down in an hour. They didn't talk much, Alice still being slightly overwhelmed, and Christine not pressing the girl into conversation.

Now they were climbing the hill, heading to dropoff point at the end of the road. The sun was already high, starting to roast their backs, and while Christine could've sped up things to head out earlier, kicking the guest out without breakfast would be unbecoming.

"Okay, girl, shoot," the witch smiled.

"Is that... um... Do you actually look like that?" Alice stuttered. "Naked, I mean."

The girl was trudging forward, looking under her feet, slightly pink from both exertion and embarrassment.

"Yes, Alice," Christine chuckled. "I made some minor adjustments to suit our tactics better, but I promise you - in your dream I only made myself look younger, not prettier." And hid my cock too.

Alice turned several shades of red darker, still avoiding eye contact.

"Oh please, I'm not offended by your curiosity!" The witch laughed. I'm only willing to encourage it. Just don't go gay on my account.

"A fair bit of warning though - I don't want you to go into details about your nightmare and how it was defeated. You shouldn't mention it to anyone - not your parents, and especially not your shrink, if they take you to one."

Alice briefly looked her way, nodding in agreement.

Christine parted the bushes at the end of the trail, letting the girl go forward. Molly and Richard, already waiting for them, rushed to their daughter, locking her in a double hug.

"Go easy on her," Christine smiled. "Girl still needs to breathe!"

Molly detached from Alice and stomped in Christine's direction, repeating the hug maneuver and squeezing the witch tight, sniffing over her shoulder.

"Thank you, Christine..." There were some tears in her voice, and the witch hugged the woman back, softly caressing her hair, and giving a nod to Richard, who was smiling confusedly her way over Alice's shoulder.

"Hey, big girl, don't even mention it," she whispered. "It's all okay now."

Molly pulled back, blinking away tears, her hands on Christine's shoulders.

"May I... um... I'm inviting you to a family dinner at our place tonight," she sniffed one last time. "It's the least we can do for you."

"Only if you promise me it will also be the most you will do for me," Christine smiled warmly. "I'll be there, Molly."

The woman beamed.

"Oh! Good! Is around 7pm okay for you? It's..."

"Maple and Fayette, red brick?" The witch grinned. "Alice showed me already. Now go, you need to reconnect with your girl."

The family said their awkward and hasty goodbyes, loaded into the SUV and were off, Alice waving to her and Christine waving back. Shade flowed into the clearing the moment the car was out of sight.

"Grocery run. You're out of everything."

"You mean I need to go down and change?" Christine groaned, looking at her homely jumpsuit and keds.

"I foresaw that," Shade fished her bag out from somewhere inside themselves and proceeded to turn into the Mustang. Christine undressed where she stood, pulled the dress and heels out of the bag, redressed, then fixed her hair with a snap of her fingers.

"What would I do without you?" She said with a sigh, getting behind the wheel and throwing the bag into the passenger seat.

"Brooms still exist," the engine roared, making small birds fall off the branches.

-//-

Aldi's parking lot was the same kind of empty as last time, but her favorite parking spot was taken - by a sheriff's car, no less, with the sheriff nowhere to be seen. She steered the Mustang into the next spot and got out.

"Doctor Leyland?" The voice asked from behind her back.

She turned to face the voice and was met with the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. The owner of the voice - and eyes - was young, no more than 25, tall, a bit taller than Christine, obviously muscular and... She'd even call his chiseled face handsome if one nagging detail she couldn't really put her finger on weren't forcing her to define it as... beautiful? His short blonde hair was swept to the side, his somewhat plump lips were stretched in a friendly smile.

"Sheriff Lance Brody, nice to meetcha," the beautiful visage introduced himself with a bit of a southern drawl and extended his hand in a greeting.

"Nice to meet you, Sheriff Lance Brody," she shook his hand, giving him a restrained smile. "You're Sander's replacement, I take it?"

"Yeah. Thought I'd introduce myself at the first occasion. Hearing people talk made me think you're the most important person around these parts."

"Second most important," she nodded. "After Reverend Barlow."

Sheriff guffawed.

"That guy... sh... yeah," he leaned on his car. "Listen, Doc, whaddya say if we get to know each other a bit better? Say, over dinner?"

Christine gave out a hearty laugh and shook her head.

"Has it ever worked for you, Sheriff?"

"Hey, you can't blame a guy for tryin'," he shrugged, showing her a set of perfect teeth in a grin. "You miss all the shots you don't take."

She stepped closer.

"You're a pretty thing, Lance. However, I must decline. You see, I'm not interested in men," she leaned closer to whisper in his ear. "Only their asses."

She bit her lip seductively and gave him one last glance, then turned and went inside, hiding her wicked grin from the astounded sheriff, who slowly turned pink. Mischief managed.

"Hey girl," Connie greeted her with a hug. "New Sheriff's hitting on you already?"

"Oh yeah, he just did," the witch grinned. "Told him how exactly I like my men."

Connie giggled and looked over Christine's shoulder.

"Looks like he's contemplating all his life choices right now!" She leaned closer and her voice became a conspiratorial whisper. "Are you going to?.."

"No, unless he specifically asks for it," Christine smirked and ventured forth. Doubt it'll happen. Southern jocks are rather protective of their masculinity.

Her usual sweep through Aldi's was uneventful, except for some small talk with Connie and old man Tanner, whom she bumped into, doing a little dance for her while singing her a thousand thank-yous. The Sheriff's car was gone, and she returned home in the same uneventful manner, wishing for the rest of the day until her social outing to be the same.

-//-

"Oh gods, what's all the ruckus about?"

Small flock of birds descended down into the clearing from uphill, screaming bloody murder. It took Christine, who was lounging on the terrace with a glass of sangria, a minute to understand the message in their noise - some nosey and unlucky person stuck in one of the multiple traps the forest has prepared for intruders.

Well, there goes my peaceful afternoon. She pulled her jumpsuit back, grabbed the rescue bag from the lab and headed into the forest to where the birds were leading her.

This part of the woods - closest to the town and the road - was much more protected than the other paths leading to the house, with nastier traps, some of them outright deadly for unprepared hikers. Maybe I should finally invest in warning signs and fences? Or that will just draw more attention?

Christine heard the huffing and the puffing from afar - someone was desperately trying to escape their predicament and, by the sounds of it, was failing miserably. She turned the corner and stepped into a small clearing under an ancient oak, stopping to admire the scene - a tiny redhead, struggling to break free from the thick green vines that were splaying her body on the rough surface of the tree stump, coiling around her arms, thighs and waist. The girl was obviously graced with good genes, giving her body perfect proportions, but didn't rest on it - her biceps, toned legs and taut stomach screamed gym freak, and the absolutely perfect skin and absence of any hair below her neck hinted at meticulous self-care routine. Yes, the girl was naked, save for a pair of sneakers and a tank top playing a bib right now, bundled above a pair of her perfect breasts.

"Well, it's not something you see live everyday," Christine chuckled, folding her arms and watching the girl. "Outside of hentai, I mean."

The girl, who was too busy trying to break free, finally noticed her. Her face and neck flushed, turning the color of a ripe tomato, her eyes widened and her arms jerked in a desperate attempt to cover herself.

"Um... You're Doctor Leyland, I guess? Can you please... help me?" She stammered, still minding her manners, somewhat.

"Why would I?" Christine found a boulder big enough to sit - a perfect front row seat. "Olivia, you're big enough to know about what curiosity does to cats, but that didn't stop you from trespassing on private property for the sake of your podcast."

She looked around. Girl's clothes were neatly folded and laying on the ground beside the pocket tripod holding her phone.

"And just in case podcast material wouldn't pan out, you decided not to lose the chance to debase yourself for your fans. Am I right so far, Miss CuteFoxy69?"

Olivia Wheeler, the host and the only author of the Local Legends podcast was moonlighting as an OnlyFans model. The tomato turned cherry red.

"I thought I filtered Missouri out," the girl whispered.

"I use European VPNs. In fact, half of Caldwell does," Christine smirked and picked up the phone. "But I'm not here to shame you. Want to finish filming this scene?"

Two curious vines holding Olivia's thighs were slowly heading to their destination between the girl's spread legs with laser focus, and the witch saw curiosity fight with embarrassment plain and obvious in Olivia's face.

"N-no, please, get me out," she gasped.

"Suit yourself," Christine shrugged, turned the recording off and put the phone down. She stood up, pulled a spray bottle from her bag and began dousing the vines in the solution. Slimy green tentacles recoiled and released Olivia from their grip, letting her stumble down to the ground.

"What's this?" She asked, getting up and brushing off dry leaves and pieces of bark off her skin. She sniffed. "Smells like vinegar."

"Because it is vinegar. They don't like it for some reason," Christine put the bottle back and gave the girl a once-over. Cute. That upturned nose. And those eyes, wow! Olivia's were emerald green, just like Christine's own.

"They seem alive," the girl looked back at the vines.

"No more alive than Venus flytrap, just more advanced," Christine took a step back and folded her arms on the chest again. "You can find your way back, I hope."

"Yeah, I guess," Olivia shrugged and turned to pick her clothes up, flashing her perfect backside to Christine. And absolutely shameless. "Thanks for the rescue."

"You sound almost sad, Olivia," the witch chuckled. "Sorry if I ruined your show."

The girl snapped, turning on the spot, her face quickly turning from pink to pale in anger.

"You can laugh all you want, witch! I'm not ashamed of being a slut," she spat, standing tall at her barely 5', fists clenched and not making any attempt to cover herself. She glared for a couple of seconds, then visibly deflated and her eyes dropped. "There are much more immoral ways to make a living. I'm just... ashamed of being useless. Scared of ending up like my family - a broken alcoholic, drinking my life into a ditch."

Christine felt the girl's anger starting to boil again at her last words. My, a feisty one! She tilted her head to the side, like one bird she knew - the tiny naked girl in front of her suddenly seemed very different from the lewd adventurous skank the entire town thought she was.

"Do you want some tea, Olivia?" The witch was smiling.

-//-

They were sitting in the main living room, where Christine served the tea, silently sipping from their cups. Olivia, fully clothed now in her tank top and booty shorts, was looking around with curiosity written on her face, and the witch decided not to interrupt the inspection.

"I thought it would be different," the girl said, turning her eyes to Christine, and grinned. "Something... more witchy?"

"I still have a cauldron somewhere," the witch smirked. "But modern chem lab equipment is much more effective. Would be foolish not to adapt to new technologies."

Olivia giggled, taking it as a joke, set her cup on the table and stood up.

"May I... look around?"

"Sure, girl, go ahead," Christine nodded.

Olivia circled the room, not giving the fireplace and the large TV on the mantle a second glance, moving to stand in front of the only thing that broke the style of the interior - the tall antique mirror Christine moved here from the bedroom. The witch gave a wink to the mirror as soon as the girl turned her back.

Olivia ran her fingers on the frame, then on the surface of the mirror, looking at her reflection, which suddenly made a face and struck a silly pose.

"Boo!"

"Eep!" The girl nearly jumped, but instead stumbled back and landed on her ass, looking at her own reflection with a mix of horror and disbelief.

"Oh, it's so fucking funny, I swear," the mirror Olivia broke in a fit of giggles. "I've been waiting to do this for years! Chris, you need more new girls around here!"

Christine couldn't hold it anymore - she laughed, joining the mirror's fun. Olivia turned her face to the witch, her expression full of shock.

"Oh gods, you should've seen your face, girl," the witch cackled. "It's priceless! Woooo..."

She exhaled and turned somewhat serious.

"Come sit," she patted the couch beside her. "We need to talk. Ena, behave."

The reflection distorted, turning the mirror normal, and now only reflected Olivia still sitting on the floor. The girl stood up, slowly and carefully circled the couch, sat down beside Christine, her eyes not leaving the witch's face for a second.

"Y-you are a witch," she whispered.

"Bingo, Liv," Christine smiled. "And I'm offering you a chance to become one too."

Liv's jaw dropped and her eyes became really big. She just stared for several long seconds without uttering a word, then blinked and clicked her mouth shut, rapidly licking her dry lips.

"I'm... I don't know what to say?" She shrugged, unsure. "Like, I mean... I don't know anything about this... Are you sure I can be a witch? It's not like I have magic powers or anything..."

"What you have," Christine leaned to her, looking Liv straight in the eyes. "...are two qualities I respect the most - curiosity and the will to fight for your life."

She leaned back again.

"The rest? I can teach you. The curriculum includes biology, chemistry and magic arts, and I make sure my apprentices have a lot of practice in each."

"But..." The girl was still looking at her incredulously. "Why me? I'm just..."

Her eyes dropped suddenly, and she heaved a sigh.

"...a town slut."

"Hey! I want to hear none of that," Christine reached with her hand, took Liv's chin with two fingers and lifted her head. The girl's eyes were brimming with tears. "I will teach you to love yourself, that will be the first step."

"Okay," Liv sniffed and nodded. "How long does it take?"

"Ten years, give or take, before you're experienced enough to become independent and settle down on your own piece of land."

"That's... I'll be 29, then..." Liv chewed on her lip.

"Age won't matter to you anymore - if you do decide to join us."

"H-how old are you?"

"Old," Christine chuckled. "Haven't met any dinosaurs though."

The girl giggled at the sudden joke and relaxed somewhat.

"Um... Doc..."

"Call me Christine," the witch interrupted her.

"Okay... Christine, I need to think about it, okay? Like, there's nothing that's really holding me back, but a decision this big and life changing..." She fidgeted.

"It's okay, Liv," Christine reassured her. "Take all the time you need. I'll be waiting for you, whenever you're ready. The path will remember you, so you'll have no trouble going in or out on your own as often as you'd like, but I'll prepare a room for you to move in."

"R-really?" Liv stammered.

"Yes, girl, really," the witch smiled. "I'd rather not have you distracted by mundane, trying to make a living while learning the trade. I can afford to take care of one girl. Or a dozen of them."

"How many... apprentices do you have?" Liv asked cautiously.

"Right now? None. My last one got her own domain years ago. But you can be the first of my new class."

The girl nodded, studying her hands.

"It all sounds too good to be true..."

"The decision is yours and only yours to make."

"And what if I decide not to?" Liv looked into her eyes again.

"I won't hold it against you," Christine shrugged and smiled. "We can still be friends."

-//-

"I say she will take the offer," Shade rattled.

"She looked so scared! I'd love to have her around but I highly doubt it," Ena offered.

"There's really nothing holding that girl back - no career, no social life, her only living relative up in Kansas and they're not close," Christine responded, slowly turning in front of the mirror and running her hands on the fabric of the dress to smooth it out. "I bet she'll be here tomorrow morning."

Heavy flaps of large wings announced Bartholomew's arrival.

"We should make a betting pool," raven announced, perching on the windowsill.

"None of you have material possessions," the witch chuckled. "And I'd win anyway."

Finally satisfied with her looks, she grabbed a pair of heels from the closet, a bottle of wine from the rack and headed out, in keds on her feet. Shade followed.

Exactly two minutes to 7pm, Christine exited the Mustang on the corner of Maple and Fayette and headed to the front door of Dougherty residence, wine bottle in hand, keds swapped for heels. Richard opened, grinning somewhat shyly, and invited her in. Molly, bustling about the kitchen and dining room, wrapped her in a sisterly hug.

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" The woman swiped the bottle off Christine's hands.

"I absolutely had to, otherwise I'd just drink it on my own," the witch grinned.

"Hello, Christine," Alice, in a dress, came down the stairs, smiling the same shy smile her dad had. Molly carried the casserole in and put it in the center of the table.

"Okay, everybody welcome to the table!"

Christine sat across from Alice, with Richard at the head of the table and Molly serving a plate for the guest first, then for everybody else.

"Oh gods, Molly, this is amazing!" Christine had her first bite.

"It is, isn't it? One of my favorite recipes now," the woman smiled, digging into her plate.

"Did you know this dish is originally Bosnian?"

"That explains the pickles," Richard chuckled.

"Oh yes, I was hesitant to add them at first," Molly nodded. "But they really add to the flavor!"

"Every ingredient in a European recipe is there for a reason," Christine smiled.

"If you don't mind me asking, Christine, where are you from, originally?" Richard looked at her curiously.

"That depends on the century, I guess," the witch chuckled. "The borders were shifted a lot. Originally - Carpathia."

"I've heard the name but... can't really point that on the map," the man shrugged.

"It's a region in... Transylvania," she rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"Ooh, have you met Vlad?" Alice, who's been eating silently until this moment, chimed in.