Carol, Part 9 - Cup

It's hours later that we remember we were supposed to meet My and Nick to discuss the Christmas carol. Leea calls them and comes up with a story about a English presentation we had forgotten about. It's lucky me and Leea have some classes without My and Nick, and after rescheduling the choir meeting for tomorrow after school she turns back to my laptop. While Leea has been consulting google, I've been wading through a gigantic book on magic symbols mom has. It's crazy, how many different symbols there are and how a slight mistake could mean a drastic difference.

Flame tugs at the tiny sweater I've been knitting at the same time to help me concentrate and I let it push its head through the tube. I can start the sleeves soon. Leea groans and hits her head on the table.

"There is nothing," she moans. "I mean, there's tons and tons of symbols that have a circle with lines through it, like a pentagram or the Deathly Hallows symbol or flipping Illuminati, but nothing with this design and nothing about rocks. Google, you have failed me." She slaps the laptop closed with more force than necessary and I wince slightly.

"I can't really find anything either," I admit as I pull the unfinished shirt off the squirming elemental. "Maybe we should take a break, eat something?"

Leea's stomach grumbles loudly before she can answer and she smiles sheepishly. I wrap Flame in scarves and it seems to fall asleep again as we leave to the kitchen with Leea.

~x~

After a few more hours we give up on trying to find information and head out to the mall. Flame is packed in my backpack with the hastily finished sweater and one of my old beanies on. We get a ride from mom and we're standing inside the main hall half past six.

"So, where now?" Leea asks and pulls off her hat.

"Uhh," I say. Her eyebrows rise all the way to her hairline.

"She didn't say? Wow, that girl couldn't have been more unclear!" There's a few benches in the middle of the room and she sits down on one with a huff. I glance around for the girl or the symbol or anything out of the ordinary. Flame shuffles inside the bag and lets out a small noise before staying still again.

"I don't think Flame likes to sit in the bag," I say and sit down next to Leea, opening up the bag. Flame pops out and makes a purring noise. I give it a few sticks to chew on and scratch it behind the ear.

"Dude," Leea says and slaps my shoulder. I look at her, but she's looking past me, pointing at something and I turn around.

A man walks past. I furrow my brow, and open my mouth to ask Leea what exactly I'm looking at when I notice the cup. It's red, and it has the same symbol as on the rock. I scream internally.

The man takes a sip from the cup and ducks into a shop and both me and Leea scramble to our feet as fast as we can, rushing after him. The sign on the door says it's a tattoo parlour. A bell jingles when I push open the door. The man is standing behind the counter and he turns to look at us. I freeze.

I know this man.

"I'm terribly sorry, we're already closing," the man says. "You can come back-"

"Carol," I say. The man stares at me. I can hear Leea whisper "what" next to me.

"No, my name is Cecil," he says cautiously. "Do I know you?"

"You- you were in my dream," I say and I know it's crazy but so is everything else so what the hell. Leea is looking at me, confused. I never did tell her about it.

"In your- OH! Interesting. How did you find me?" he asks, and pushes his glasses up his nose. I lift up the stone. "What-? Ah. Rachel!" he yells to the back of the shop. "Have you been handing out rocks to people again?" He turns back at us with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that, we do have a business card but Rachel keeps giving out the rocks for some reason."

A second person emerges from the backroom. It's the girl from before.

"Oh great, you're here," she says.

"Yeah, no thanks to your shitty directions," Leea says, crossing her arms. ""Meet me tonight at the mall"? That's really vague y'know."

The girl, Rachel apparently, blinks a few times. "Who're you?" she asks.

"Leea is my friend. Whatever you want to tell me you can tell her, too," I say. Rachel looks at me and arches an eyebrow, smirking. I flush slightly as I realize how cheesy that sounded but stand my ground. Cecil picks up the cup that led us there, finishing off whatever the cup had contained. He lets out a long sigh before grinning madly, an excited glint in his silvery eyes.

"Let's get started then."
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Yoooooo. I don't know where this is going, but whatever. Your topic is Butterfly. IDK.

I'm so glad I don't have to right tomorrow, because with Hobbit and the SPN midseason finale I don't know how coherent I'll be. BUT ANYWAY. I'm gonna go now bye.

Pie out.