Melinda hears the wind blowing outside when her hands are buried in a bowl full of lotus seeds. If she were out in the woods, she could feel the autumn chills running down her spine. Yet she chooses to stay here, in her cabin with her cat, Judas, who was napping on the table where she placed most of her potions and spell books, but now he is fully awake and messing with one of her sculptures of the goddess, Guanyin.

 

"Oh Judas, no, my mom would kill me and turns you into something unspeakable if you broke that one. Stay on the cabinet." She shoos him away, and he even has the guts to appear angry at her. Melinda sighs, she really should have listened when her mom suggested her to keep a bat, instead of a cat. Bats mean good luck in Chinese, and her mother insisted her honoring her Chinese roots. A younger version of her rejected and wanted to fit into her fellow witches and wizards, yet her eyes and other features hindered that from happening, and later in life, she would realize that she stands out in a crowd for other reasons as well. Her tea is already boiling in her teapot, and the flame on the candle is flickering. She thinks it is only her imagination, but the candle is actually burning. It hasn't occurred in a while, not after she casted the spell to keep out unwanted visitors. Once the spell is casted, only a very few people who can reach her, so that leaves only one possibility. 

 

Melinda sighs again, her mother used to say that sighing brings bad luck, it turns out old, Chinese wisdom is right. She wipes her hands with a rug, just in time to reach the front door when it is knocked. Through the narrow crack, she can see his ruffled hair, dusty coat, and hands that instantly grip the door once she opens it. "If you cherish your fingers and want to keep all of them, I suggest you leave before I slam the door." His golden eyes shine under the afternoon light. That was the first thing about him that caught her attention back in the academy, dark brown hair and striking eyes in the color of amber. To her surprise, he seems genuinely delighted to see her. "Your sign says open."

"Ah, must have been the wind. Very common during fall."

He looks at her with hurt on his face, which she is almost certain is only to gain sympathy. "Is a chat with an old friend from the academy too much to ask?"

"You shouldn't be here, you're not welcomed, and we were hardly friends when we were still in the academy." 

He shrugs. "Oh, I am not welcomed anywhere, Birdy."

 

"Don't call me that, Elias. I have told you before, but you are stubborn." 

Elias grins. "It is fitting once I learned your last name. Song, isn't it? Are you going to sing now, pretty little songbird?" 

Melinda crosses her arms in front of her chest. "That depends. Are you going to keep this encounter a secret if I let you in?" 

"Really?"

"Get in before I change my mind, Halloway. I, Melinda Yun Song, invite thee, Elias Halloway, to my cabin."

Once these words leave her lips, he seems relieved and follows her into the cabin. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me too soon, me and Judas were having a marvelous time, before you came and ruined it." 

Melinda can tell he is amused. "Is that so? Then I should apologize to Judas, where is he?"

Judas, like his namesake, immediately jumps off from the cabinet and wrecks some bottles simultaneously. He looks up at Elias, purring and rubbing Elias' leg with its head. 

"You traitor, Judas." Melinda mutters, while Elias gently scratches Judas's jaw and looks around.

 

"Don't scold him, we happen to get along." 

"What do you want, Elias? I suppose you didn't go through all those troubles to catch up with Judas." The teapot is not hot anymore, so Melinda grabs its handle and pours herself tea. The afternoon tea tastes good and clears her mind, which is precisely what she needs right now. Elias smiles. Unlike the grin he gave her earlier, this one is more boyish, almost reminds her of the boy that was competing with her at everything. "Nothing can escape your eyes, huh?"

She meets his gaze for the first time since he enters the cabin. "You, however, did escape from the confinement they casted, didn't you? I saw the newspaper, Elias. Even though I am no longer in touch with our world, the wind carries the words, and words fly." His smile vanishes, and suddenly the Elias that was patting Judas and cracking up jokes is gone. His voice becomes cold, "Are you going to summon them? Tell the council that I am here?" 

 

Melinda recalls reading about his connections with the dark arts, and his eventual imprisonment, ordered by the council. She wondered where would Elias Halloway, her former rival at the academy, now a convict, go to once he managed to escape. She imagined him turning to his followers. The possibility of Elias standing here, in her cabin, is supposed to be low. Yet here they are, two serpents, observing each other, and waiting for the other to strike. 

"No, I am not going to summon them." She finally speaks, and he raises an eyebrow. "You aren't?"

Melinda shakes her head, and Elias laughs. "Well, still smart as ever, Birdy. I can cut you down easily."

"You think I did this out of fear? I simply desire to protect my peace, and I am not afraid of you. Remember who won the tournament?" 

"How can I forget? You poisoned yourself, I was not expecting that from the daughter of a councilor. You would do anything to score, and you don't stop, unlike most people. You always aim higher. So, what kind of life is this? Hiding in a forest, making tea, when your wit and power can be used elsewhere. You can be valuable, you are valuable. But you squander your talent in the mortal world."

 

"They call themselves humans, Elias. And I make baos and dumplings occasionally. You should read some of humans' books and novels sometimes, too, when you are not so occupied with, well, yourself." 

Elias runs his hand through his hair impatiently. "You asked me why am I here, and I will give you the answer. I want you to join me, Melinda. Join me, so you can see the beauty of dark arts. It is in your nature, Birdy, not this. You are hungry for knowledge and power, and dark arts can be our key to it."

He tries to touch her hand, but she takes a step back to place her tea on the table. "You are wrong. I never crave power."

"Liar." He responds softly, his lips quiver a little.

 

"I am telling you the truth. I still love to learn new things, which is a part of the reason why I am here. In the world of humans. I like watching the seasons change, making tea and food for myself and the others, and reading. I enjoy my life here so much that when I do look back at the past, it is nothing but a dream, and now I am finally waking up from it." She inhales a shaky breath and continues. "But power? I have to refuse, for I am too tired for it. You are partially right, my yearnings in the past accomplished many things, but they have also consumed me in some ways, and it took me years to recover from that." 

Melinda takes a sip of her tea. "And I can tell it's going to cost you the same, if you keep going down that road." She examines his face carefully, same amber eyes, same sharp, annoyingly perfect cheekbones, with a faded white scar on the left side. They were both marked at the tournament, she with an injury on her right shoulder, and he was scarred on his face. In the end, they both have to carry the price of winning, and sometimes she ponders on the meaning of it and what does winning truly mean. Nevertheless, at least to her, none of it matters anymore.