Chapter 17

I eyed the clump of weeds that sat in the blistering heat. 

Dewbells.

Gorgeous clusters of flowers that made 

At the moment, they were hideous. Clumps of skinny seedlings that struggled to rise in the sweltering sun. They were an odd shade of green and blue, scrawny stems that were covered in unblossomed leaves and tiny colored bulbs.   

I couldn’t wait for them to fully bloom.

This is my first time growing plants by myself. 

After papa helped me settle on what I should grow, he left me to my own device to learn how to grow them. It took a while for me to actually plant them. My magical ability was nowhere near powerful enough to grow tulips, let alone Dewbells.

It took a few months of training with papa to finally muster enough magical prowess. Dewbell seeds grow off of a specific type potion laced water, sunlight, and magic energy. My energy levels were pathetic. Not enough to summon a ball from my palms nor enough to seep into the soil to feed into the hungry seeds. 

It took months, but now I’m able to help my seeds grow into the plants they are meant to be. 

It is a slow, grueling process.

A feat that I can only accomplish once a week.

Thankfully, I’ll be able to-   

“Hey.”

I yelped, water canteen fumbling in my hand at the random voice that spoke up. I turned around, startled gaze landing on the person behind me. I instantly relaxed at the sight of Kalen. “Oh, Kalen. You scared me.” I huffed. “I was going to take those sandwiches up to you when I was done watering my plants.” I fiddled with the knobs, twisting until the water shut off. “Help yourself to them. Have as many as you want.”

Kalen wandered over to the table, eyeing the plate that was stacked high with sandwiches. They weren't anything fancy. Some of them were smoked ham and a blend of spicy, melted cheese. Others were a type of club sandwiches that consisted of smoked ham, fresh lettuce and tomatoes, melted cheese, and spicy mayo.  

“Did you make these?” He asks.

“I helped papa make some of them.” I answered, “He made most of them.”

A frown made its way to his face. 

“Is there something wrong?”

He probed a stuffed ham sandwich. The frown on his face grew as cheese began to spill out. Removing his and ignoring the cheese that was spilling onto the other sandwiches, Kalen glared at me. “What are you doing?”

“I just finished washing the dishes.” I motioned towards the freshly washed dishes. “Now I have to water my plants.”

As I heaved the canteen from the sink, I could hear Kalen grumble to himself. I carefully made my way off the stool I was standing on, arms straining against the weight of the canteen. I shuffled away from the sink, eyeing Kalen as he continued to stand in front of me. “Did you need something else?” I asked, “Did you want to join me?”

Kalen stared.

“No?”

Taking a step to the left, Kalen motioned for me to walk.

“You're weird.” I responded, beginning my shuffle towards the door. “You might want to put on some gloves. Some of the plants we have are poisonous.”  

“Where-”

“You can borrow one of my brother’s. Papa doesn’t like it when people touch his gloves.” I interrupted. I nodded my head towards where our gloves are kept. Each glove was separated by a hook. “Joaquin and Antonio won’t care if you use their gloves. They don’t really use them. Probably because they don’t come out to the garden a lot.”

Kalen didn’t respond, merely snatching Joaquin’s pair from the hook and slipping them on. Thankfully the door was already open so all I had to do was awkwardly shuffle my way out into the garden. Carefully making my way through the rows of flowers and bushes of herbs, I finally made it to my patch of Dewbells. 

I could tell that they were in a desperate need of some water.    

“What the fuck is that?”

“These are Dewbells!” I happily answered, “I’m growing them myself.”

“They're ugly.”

“Hey!” I gasped, offended by the insult. “There are only seedlings!” I continued with a scowl, “It takes time for them to bloom!” 

“They’re still ugly.”

I shot him a glare. “There’s no need to be so mean.”

“I was being honest.”

“You could’ve been nicer about it.”