Gathering the Ingredients
Arabelle almost touched a poisonous plant beside her. She's mesmerized by its color but she doesn't have a clue what it is. Good thing Ralph warns her before she touches it. The plant has a deep purple flower that seems to be moving. She has never seen anything like it before which makes her scared of the secret garden. No matter how pretty the flower might be, they can be deadly. How can she get the ingredients for the spell around here?
“Don't worry, I'll get the ingredients.” Ralph said as if reading her mind.
“Thank you! Be careful.” she said gratefully.
“Poisons can't harm me.” he replied and started to take the plants required for the spell.
Even if she already knows that Ralph is not human, she still can't help but worry. After all, he's helping her to break the curse her mother is under. They are just trying to start from the beginning. Locating the direct descendant of the black witch will not be easy. Good thing there's a secret garden around the castle. They don't have to go far for the ingredients for now. What worries her is if she can do the spell correctly with the ingredients.
Ralph gathered most of the ingredients for the spell. He even joked that it seems they are cooking some dish. It seems like it since most of them are herbs and even spices. What made it different is that it should be taken from moving plants. All the plants in this garden seem to be more lively compared to the regular ones. Even the tree branches seemed to be wiggling when they were approaching them. As if they are aware that they are here with them. Some of the vines tried to tie up Ralph's arms.
“I think we've got everything for the part about plants.” He informed her.
“That's great! I think we have to go. The poison ivy seems to want to touch us.” she replied.
They agreed to get out of the secret garden since the plants seemed to be getting curious about them. That's why there's another door for it. Those plants need to be contained or they can harm anyone. They leave the secret garden the same way they went. It feels like an adventure since Arabelle's heart is beating too fast. She got scared but excited at the same time. Nothing like that ever happened to her before. Her life was boring with a twist of poverty. Now she has to deal with those plants.
Arabelle looked at her checklist and what's left on it are the things that seem impossible to get. Why do they need to get the tears of an ant and the sweat of a grasshopper? She's not sure if that's even possible to acquire but that's part of the spell. The altar she will make needs candles, incense, and other witchy stuff. She can do that part except the impossible ingredients. That’s the reason why she's not practicing witchcraft. How can the witches complete the ingredients for every spell?
“Is it possible to get the other ingredients?” She can't help but ask Ralph about it.
“I think it's possible since it's a witch who wrote that spell.” He replied while looking at the checklist.
She feels defeated since even her boss doesn't know where to get the rest of the ingredients. They went back to the castle to think. She suddenly remembers that she didn't go out to do food shopping. Her mother's condition made her forget the things she needed to do. She decided to go to the market first to buy what she needs. It's better to have it out of the way. She can think clearly with a full stomach. Although she remembers that she's the only one around here who eats. Is it awkward to ask her boss if he needs her to find some blood for him?
She didn't ask him but decided to just find some blood for him. His help is needed so she needs to get him his supplies as well. She took the food money from the kitchen cabinet and went on her way. Ralph was left in the castle alone trying to figure out where to find the remaining ingredients. He never experienced needing to find tears of an ant or sweat of a grasshopper before. While Arabelle is out, he decides to feed himself first. He found out that there are only two remaining blood bags.
“I only have enough for the day.” he told himself and sipped from one of the bags.
Arabelle was able to arrive on the market without any issue. She decided to check on the meat shop if they are selling animal blood. Maybe her boss can live with it for a couple of days. There's no notice for her when the blood bags will be delivered again. Cassie mentioned before that she needs to wait for a notification. If there's none, she can get some animal blood in the meantime. She knows that Ralph could be a vampire back then. She was able to confirm it when she got a cut before.
She saw how his eyes turned red with the sight of her blood. That's why she ended up sucking her own blood that day to avoid any incident. Her grandma used to tell her to do that whenever she got wounded. There could be vampires lurking around, she said before. She never thought she would experience it firsthand. It was obvious before she even met him. Cassie seems to try to hide it but she's smart. She immediately gets it when she discusses the blood delivery.
“Hello there! Do you have animal blood left?” she asked the meat vendor with a smile.
“Yeah, I still have five kilograms. I'll sell it to you cheaper if you take all of them.” the vendor offered.
“Okay, I'll take all of it. I'll pay first and then go back before I go home.” she replied.
“Awesome! That's a hundred for all of them.” the vendor said excitedly.
She paid the meat vendor first to make sure that he will reserve the animal blood for her. It's normal for her to buy them because they're cheap. She makes it clot first so that she can cook it with a little meat. It's a good extender for someone who can't afford to buy pure meat. She hopes that her boss will be okay with that though. At least she can also feed him from the food budget he's giving her. She decided on having fish and vegetables for her food. At least they're fresh and she was able to choose.
“Excuse me, do you want to buy the tears of an ant? I also have the sweat of a grasshopper here.” an old woman asked which made her shiver from the coincidence as she turned around to look at her.