Witch Bewitched (New)

Chapter 11

The festival was the most fun Misa had ever had in her life. She lost count of how many times she'd burst out laughing from Torren's antics, and her interactions with the city folk were much more pleasant without her uniform.

Barring a few persistent admirers, Misa had enjoyed talking to everyone she came across. As the night deepened, families with young children began to trickle out until only adults roamed the streets. Still, the festival had not died down, and flashy costumes populated the area.

Misa stood near the wall, waiting for Torren who had drank too much wine. He had told Misa to wait while he relieved himself, but she was beginning to think he had gotten lost on his way back.

Getting a little worried, Misa left the wall and pushed past the crowd in the direction she had seen Torren go. She hauled the bag he left with her over her shoulders.

"Torren!" she shouted. "Torren!" It was no use. The music drowned away all her calls. Torren wouldn't be able to hear her unless it was his ear that she was screaming into.

Misa took a moment to take in her surroundings. The streets had turned unfamiliar with the decorations the festival brought—the hanging lanterns, the wooden dummies acting as proxies to confuse evil spirits, the temporary stalls selling food, talismans, and souvenirs—but Misa was able to figure out where she was during her time with Torren. She decided returning to the purgehouse would be the best decision given that she had no idea where Torren would be.

She pushed her way through the crowd, avoiding people as best as she could. The path eventually began to quieten, and fewer people lingered the closer she approached the purgehouse. The officers guarding the entrance to the purgehouse had made sure to keep the area as empty as possible. It certainly helped that no one wanted their mood soured by boring guards and having the law hover over their every move.

Misa headed towards them, forming a story in her mind in case they probed her with questions. They tensed at the sight of her.

"This is no place for the festival," one of them warned. "You should head back, Miss, before your day is ruined."

Misa hesitated. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, officers, but I have come in search of Lieutenant Torren. Is he here?"

The two exchanged glances. The older of the two, who had also been the one to warn her, spoke, "The lieutenant took the day off. He won't be coming back until tomorrow."

"I see. Thank you, anyway." Disappointed, Misa turned away. She had no idea what to do. She worried that Torren had gotten himself in trouble.

A familiar meow brought Misa's attention to the shadows pooling beneath a wall at the opposite side of the street. She recognised it and hurried towards it, her heart filled to the brim with joy.

"Min-Min!"

At her call, the black cat pounced into her arms. Misa laughed, squeezing the feline against her chest.

"Oh, I missed you so, so much!"

Min-Min licked her face in reply, eliciting another round of giggles. Misa let her down and gazed back to the purgehouse. It stood, imposing, cold, and uninviting; it was no wonder everyone at the festival kept away. "Well, it's time I head back." She swallowed down her reluctance. "I just need to find a place to change."

As Misa began her walk back towards the festival, she heard Min-Min hiss from behind her. A familiar voice made her freeze.

"Having fun at the festival?"

Misa gulped. She was suddenly very conscious of her hair swaying against the wind and the dress fluttering at her feet. It was just her luck that the captain had been leaving the purgehouse when she returned.

Slowly turning around, Misa faced the man. The captain looked like he hadn't slept in days. Dark circles hung under his eyes, stubble shadowed his jawline, and his hair blew wildly against the breeze in the absence of his cap. His uniform was wrinkled, almost sagging with his shoulders. The impeccable, sharp man Misa had grown used to was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you all right?" Misa asked out of impulse, taking a step towards him. "You don't look so well."

Captain Bentham chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, well, I've been busy."

"I can tell," Misa said drily. "What are you doing out here, anyway?"

The captain grew serious. His eyes raked her body before roving up to meet hers. Then, with a quick glance at the purgehouse, he took long strides towards her.

"What have I been telling you over the past few weeks, Miss Carpenter?" he said in a low voice.

Misa bit back a sarcastic remark. Her concerns for the exhausted man diminished as a glimpse of his nagging, bossy, irritating, insufferable personality surfaced. She refused to back away, even as she had to look up to face him.

"You were to be a man, even during times of privacy. You cannot slip up and reveal who you really are, or you'll get all of us in trouble."

Annoyance began to surface. Misa tried and failed to keep a friendly tone. "I wasn't born to be a man, Captain. Tonight is the one night I can safely act like myself again. I don't see why it's a problem."

Min-Min bristled as if sensing Misa's irritation. The captain shook his head. "It's a problem because you're risking everything I've worked for. You don't understand how important it is for this to be seamless. You can't go off acting on your wants like a child. I understand that you never got the chance to really experience the world, but it's time for you to grow up."

Misa felt something snap. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Unable to control her temper any longer, she closed the distance between them.

"I don't know who you think you are, Captain," she hissed. "You are not my father, you're not my mother, and you are most definitely not the royal council. I don't think you have the right to say how I should behave."

"I do when your behavior puts the country into jeopardy. Wake up, Miss Carpenter. You are not in your sheltered world anymore. You have to understand the consequences of your actions."

"I know damn well what my actions cost!" Misa blew up. She didn't care that the captain's claims were rational. It was never even her idea to go to the festival nor to dress like a girl, and she couldn't stand how the captain thought she was an impulsive child. "I've been working harder than I ever have these past few weeks, and I'd be stupid if I did something that would make it all worthless. I would greatly appreciate it if you stopped treating me like a child! I'm not, and though I still have a lot to learn, I'm trying my hardest to do what I must."

"So why did you come here dressed like a woman?"

Misa couldn't take any more of the captain's calm and cold demeaner. She wanted him to be as mad as she was. She wanted him to lose control of himself and quit being so rational about everything he said. She hated that his arguments always made sense. That she could never seem to win against them.

"I'm dressed like a woman because I am a woman!" Misa raised her voice. "I'm sick of this! All of it! I'm tired of being someone I'm not and trying to hide who I really am. I'm tired of being afraid of getting caught. I'm tired of you!" Misa jabbed a finger on his chest. "I hate you! I hate that you think you're so self-important that you always boss me around like I'm a little kid! I'm not a man. I repeat, Captain!" Misa took a breath to shout at the top of her lungs. "I! Am! Not! A! Ma—"

The captain's hand clamped over her mouth and backed her into the wall. His eyes blazed into hers, and Misa found a twisted satisfaction in his anger. "I would keep my mouth shut if I were you, Miss Carpenter."

Misa grabbed him and bit down hard. Her teeth sunk into the captain's hand. A metallic tang assaulted her tongue, but she didn't let go until the captain pulled away with a pained expletive. Misa spat and wiped her mouth.

"And I would keep away from me if I were you," Misa snapped. "Don't ever touch me again. Once this is all over, and once I get rid of this cursed magic inside me, I'm going to do whatever I want, and you won't be there to stop me. I hope to never see you after this."

"You are impossible to reason with," the captain said, nursing his hand. "Biting like an animal? Is that how little control you have over yourself?"

"Believe me, I am controlling myself." Misa's fists shook. She didn't know for how much longer she could keep herself from doing something stupid. "I'll be taking my leave, then. Goodnight."

Fuming, Misa whirled around and stormed away from him. Min-Min trotted beside her after giving the captain a hostile hiss. The lights from the festival began to brighten the pathway. Misa halted and dropped the bag filled with the uniforms. She fought back tears. She wasn't going to let the captain ruin her day, not after feeling so alive for the first time in a long while.

"Come on, Min-Min." Misa sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I'll get you something to eat."

She found a nearby stall selling skewers and bought two sticks of cooked mutton. Grilled vegetables were sandwiched between the meat. The savory aroma reminded Misa that she hadn't eaten much at the festival. Taking Min-Min out of the stall-owner's sight, Misa pushed the skewered pieces off the wood and let them fall to the ground. Min-Min mewed and devoured the offering in hunger.

Biting into her own skewer, Misa stood and leaned on the wall. She tried not to think of what had transpired with the captain but couldn't help but wonder how she was going to get along with him for the duration of their mission.

"Misa!" Torren's voice carried over the music, which had quieted down as the night deepened. He waved at her from beyond a small cluster of people. Relief flooded into Misa, and she pushed off the wall to greet him.

"Torren! Where were you?"

He shrugged with a sheepish laugh. "Well, I bumped into a few of my old friends. I got a bit distracted. I'm sorry you had to wait for so long, but you weren't where I'd left you."

Misa didn't tell him about her return to the purgehouse and her bitter argument with the captain. "I was just getting Min-Min something to eat."

"Aha!" Torren crouched next to the cat when he noticed her. "So, you were the one to pull Misa away. Always the charmer, little fiend." He gave Min-Min an affectionate rub, and the cat rolled on her back to give him better access to her belly. He hummed in thought. "She's not what I thought a black omen would be like."

"We should turn in for the night," Misa said, not in the mood for Torren's quips. "I have cleaning duty early tomorrow."

Torren stood and dusted his hands. Min-Min purred against Misa's leg before bounding away with her tail in the air.

"Are you alright? You don't seem to be in a festive mood. Did something happen while I was away?" His eyes lit up as he thought of something. "Ah, perhaps this will help. Here, I was getting a few trinkets for my mother and sister and got you one too."

Torren grabbed Misa's wrist and dropped something onto her palm. She studied it in wonder. It was a talisman, similar to the ones the boys had used to taunt them earlier that night, only it wasn't made of cheap paper. This one was a sturdy piece of wood carved with beautiful symbols and lettering. A clean hole had been drilled at the curved tip for a silky tassel. A talisman, to ward off evil spirits. Misa wasn't sure how to feel about receiving one.

"That's to protect you from other witches," Torren said as if he'd read her mind. "I know Royle wants you to infiltrate their society, and I can't change his mind. So the least I can do is give you the strength to protect yourself."

Misa grazed her thumb over the symbols. "I don't know how effective it'll be for a...for me."

"It'll work. At the very least, it helped you feel better, I hope."

"Thanks Torren, but there's nothing wrong. I'm just tired." Misa managed a smile. "I'm not used to walking around for so long."

"Of course." Torren then puffed out his chest and offered his arm. "May I escort the lady to her residence then?"

Allowing herself a small chuckle, Misa stashed away his gift and took his arm. "Fine, but just this once. I don't know how else you can escort me when I won't be a lady after tonight."

Grinning, Torren led them to a different inn than the one they had first entered to change. This innkeeper was much more amicable, though it was likely it was because they weren't wearing their uniforms and he was more than happy to lend a room to let them change out of their garments. Fortunately the festival called for a busy night, and it would be near impossible for him or anyone else to connect a man and woman to two purgehouse officers.

Wearing the uniform reminded Misa of the captain, and her mood dampened again. She was not keen to see him again. With a sigh, she bagged her dress and checked her reflection on the window to make sure her uniform was smooth. She had a tailor resize it, and though it fit her much better, she still reflected that she could never get used to the itchy material and stiff collar.

"Ready to go?" Torren's demeanor shifted with his clothes. Somehow, he felt more distant than he was at the festival, even with his constant jovial nature.

Misa nodded. "Yes." She found the same change in the way she spoke. How clothes could wire her to be so alert and aware of her position was beyond her. Was it possible that the uniforms were enchanted? She shook her head. Not likely, but it did explain why the captain always had a rod for a spine. Always being in his uniform must have turned him into a boring drudge who knew nothing of loosening up.

"Let's go, then," Torren said, opening the door. "Back to the purgehouse."

Misa sighed, a little disappointed that she couldn't spend more time at the festival. "It was a fun night, Torren. Thank you."

"Not a problem." Torren winked. "Anything for my enchantress."

They made it back onto the streets, walking towards the darkness that bore none of the excitement and warmth the festival brought. Following Torren back to the purgehouse, Misa couldn't help but think that her future was as dark as the shadows pooling the streets before her.