How [Not] to Jump to Conclusions 2

  ?na agreed to accompany Mom to the hospital. I flew along. Hovering beside her, I noticed ?na shifting from one foot to the other, biting her lip as she nervously tugged at the hem of her sundress.

  ?What's wrong?? I asked her.

  Glancing at my mom, engrossed in a conversation with a neighbor she ran into, ?na whispered to me, her cheeks flushing red,

  ?I left my panties in your room. Didn't have time to put them on.?

  I couldn't help chuckling,

  ?O, you're an orthodox witch now??

  ?It's not funny,? ?na retorted, though she couldn't help chuckling herself.

  ?Sorry-sorry,? I said, feigning serious. ?But, do you feel a surge of power or something??

  ?I feel,? she pulled her hem down, ?the gusts of wind under my dress. And if it hikes it up in front of your mom, I'll die of shame.?

  ?It has to be a storm or hurricane to do that, no? Has that ever happened before??

  ?No… But it could,? ?na pouted.

  ?I just don't get it, really,? I continued. ?After all those poses, how can you fuss over such a trifle? It's a mystery.?

  ?The real mystery is how someone who draws girls so well still doesn't understand them at all.?

  ?You know, as quantum physicists say, "If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics". Same goes for girls.?

  ?O-o right,? ?na laughed. ?I do feel as bottomless as quantum mechanics.?

  She seemed to relax a bit, finally letting go of her hem.

  As we walked on, Mom told ?na that I had been in a coma for the past week. They didn't know what happend, but there were a dozen other patients in the same state. However, the attending doctor, pani Zari?na, assured her that we would all recover eventually.

  Ever-compassionate, ?na, seeing my mom's anxiety, hurried to assure her.

  ?I have a feeling that ?r will recover very soon,? she said confidently. ?Maybe even today.?

  Mom smiled softly, her eyes glistening with gratitude.

  ?Thank you, dear. It means a lot.?

  When we arrived at the hospital, a pristine white building with a well-maintained garden, Mom left to find pani Zari?na while ?na and I remained in the room with my comatose body. The room was clean and bright, filled with a subtle scent of disinfectant.

  Seeing myself from the outside was an odd experience.

  ?na seemed surprised by my physical form, assessing it from head to toes with interest.

  ?You're… taller than I thought,? she commented.

  ?Yea, I know. Get-that-thing-off-the-top-shelf is my middle name. By the way, how do you see me now? Because I can't see myself at all.?

  ?I rather feel your soul's aura than see you,? ?na admitted. ?It's like a translucent haze, shifting colors from silvery gray when you're scheming, to bright white when it regards drawing… Why I agreed posing for you, first place…?

  Damn! She saw through me all this time!… In all senses.

  Then she asked, seeming sad,

  ?… Should I… do it now? I mean… break our bond so you can return to your body.?

  It was obviously the right time to do it, but I hesitated to respond.

  ?… When you say it like this… somehow… it feels like a farewell…? I mumbled.

  That same moment, the door burst open, and a striking pani in a doctor's white coat entered the room. She looked elegant, with a sharp jawline and high cheekbones, and even the loose white coat couldn't conceal her forms. Her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun, emphasizing her piercing dark-blue eyes behind thin gold-rimmed glasses. She exuded an air of authority and confidence.

  ?Finally, you're here,? she said, looking straight at me. Then, turning to ?na, she added, ?And as for you, lil sis, stealing someone else's familiar is a dangerous game. You'd best be prepared for the consequences.?

  ?na hesitated, looking warily at the woman.

  ?Are you… pani Zari?na?? she asked.

  ?Call me Mar?na,? the woman nodded with a smirk.

  I glanced back and forth between them, feeling the tension but having no clue what's going on.

  ?She's a witch too,? ?na explained, seeing my confusion. ?I knew something was off here.?

  She squinted at pani Mar?na,

  ?Are all the comatose patients your doing?? she asked with a cold voice.

  Pani Mar?na scoffed, her expression haughty.

  ?Yea… So what?… It's none of your business.?

  ?But!… They're living humans! Someone is worrying for them! Not to mention, meddling with human souls is a crime!? ?na exclaimed.

  Pani Mar?na raised her eyebrows.

  ?O-o, that's rich coming from someone keeping a human soul as her pet,? she pointed at me. ?It's not for you to judge me.?

  ?na clenched her fists.

  ?That was…! I didn't…! It doesn't make what you are doing right!?

  ?I don't care what you say,? pani Mar?na replied dismissively. ?And I'll be taking this soul back. Sorry, lil sis.?

  She started chanting, and a chilling sensation washed over me as a swarm of ghostly… "things", like some black smoke, swirled around her, giving her quite a spooky look.

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  ?The souls?!? ?na gasped. ?Using them as your power source is just… disgusting!?

  Pani Mar?na continued chanting and suddenly, invisible chains yanked me away from ?na, attempting to sever our bond. ?na chanted too, struggling against the force pulling on me, resolved to protect me no matter what.

  Pani Mar?na's voice grew louder, her chant becoming more powerful. The pulling force intensified, and I felt my connection to ?na slipping away. Our eyes met for an instant, and I realized… she was losing. Fully concentrated on her chanting, unable to digress for a split second, she still couldn't resist pani Mar?na's strength her familiars gave her.

  Without much thought, I did the only thing I could in my current state. I felt bad doing it, not for what I did through, but for the tool I used… After maneuvering it stealthily for a few long seconds… I jabbed my precious pencil, ?na gave me, in pani Mar?na's round buttock.

  ?Wa-a!? she jumped in surprise, with a startled expression on her face. ?What the…?!?

  The chanting interrupted, and in that moment of distraction ?na seized the chance to escape the room, pulling me along.

  As we fled, I glanced back at pani Mar?na, rubbing her rear with a grimace of fury.

  ?After that darking brat!? she screamed to her familiars, voice thundering after us.

  ?na sprinted down the hospital corridors, I flew along, our bond still intact despite pani Mar?na's relentless efforts.

  Flying beside ?na, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen pani Mar?na's angry face before. Her hair was loose that time, and she wore no glasses, but her anger felt eerily familiar… Or was I imagining things?

  As we dashed toward the exit, we kept spotting pani Mar?na's ghostly minions lurking from behind every corner.

  ?They're everywhere,? ?na huffed, her breath short. ?We need to lose them somehow.?

  ?Can you subdue them like you did me? We'd use them against pani Mar?na,? I suggested, genuinely curious.

  ?na frowned.

  ?It's forbidden to toy with human souls,? she scolded me, but then added. ?And beside that, their mistress is too strong for me to sever their bond.?

  We continued our race, but suddenly we hit a dead end, where there should've been stairs leading down.

  ?Did we take a wrong turn somewhere?? I asked, confused.

  ?na shook her head.

  ?No, it must be pani Mar?na's doing. She's manipulating our senses… Or memories.?

  ?na squinted, looking around, and then yanked open a door nearby, revealing an office with a desk and medical diplomas framed on the wall, alongside a neatly organized bookshelf and a stethoscope hanging by the coat rack. A typical doctor's office.

  We entered, ?na locked the door and rushed to the window.

  ?Third floor, I can jump,? she glanced outside.

  ?You sure? It's quite high.?

  ?It's fine,? she waved dismissively. ?Witches are tougher than humans. I'll survive.?

  The window had two latches. ?na easily opened the lower one, but the upper latch was beyond her reach. She glanced around, her gaze landed on the table nearby. Moving as fast as she could, she grabbed its edge and pulled the table a bit closer to the window. Once it was in position, ?na hopped onto the table, her movements swift and agile. But sooner than she reached for the latch, the locked door burst open, and pani Mar?na barged inside, her familiars swirling around like a menacing cloud.

  ?Well-well,? she said, sneering, her voice dripping with malice. ?Patients normally wait outside. And don't climb on my table with their feet.?

  ?na stood tall on the table, her eyes blazing as she faced pani Mar?na.

  ?O, do they? And that's how you thanked them?? she gestured at the black swirling souls.

  Pani Mar?na's expression contorted, a mixture of anger and annoyance.

  ?I don't want to hear this from you, little hypocrite. You've got something that's mine, and I'm taking it back.?

  ?No, you're not!? ?na retorted, voice full of defiance. ?And these poor souls, I'll set them free too!?

  With that, ?na began chanting. I recognized the chant – the same one she used when she made me her familiar, but… She'd said she couldn't seize pani Mar?na's familiars. Then why…

  Pani Mar?na's face changed from annoyance to a wry grin.

  ?O? Well, bring it on!? she taunted, folding her arms and staring skeptically at ?na.

  ?na continued chanting, her voice growing stronger and more resolved, but this alone wouldn't be enough to stand against pani Mar?na… I suddenly realized that ?na might be simply trying to buy us some time, so… I shouldn't have wasted it.

  I glanced at our escape route through the window. The top latch was closed, but I still had my pencil (even though its tip was broken). I used it to try and lever the second latch open.

  As ?na's chant intensified, I struggled with the latch, my heart bleeding for my poor pencil. I could feel the energy building in the room, a palpable force in the air.

  After several attempts, I managed to pry the latch open with a satisfying click. ?na was just finishing her chanting when a gust of wind blew in through the window I'd opened, tousling her hair and… lifting her skirt.

  ?Wa-a-a!!!? ?na yelped, struggling to catch her sundress flapping around.

  The eruption of ?na's emotions unleashed a sudden burst of power, a surge of energy that, aligned with her chanting conclusion, exploded from within her like a magical shockwave, swiping the room and severing pani Mar?na's bond with her familiars. In an instant, they all turned brilliant white, their spectral forms bound to ?na.

  I could see the shock and disbelief on pani Mar?na's face, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

  With the saved souls swirling around her in a luminous whirlpool, ?na stood on the table, radiating an ethereal light. Her eyes sparkled with energy and determination, reflecting her unwavering resolve for justice. The wind blew through the window, whipping her blond hair, adding dramatic flair to the scene. Her one hand gracefully held the hem of her sundress, while the other pointed accusingly at pani Mar?na.

  ?Your wickedness and manipulations end here!? she declared. ?You won't harm another soul again!?

  Pani Mar?na swallowed, slowly recovering from the shock.

  ?Okay-okay,? she raised her hands in a placating gesture. ?I give up. You could've said you were an orthodox right away. I've heard you people have some screws loose.?

  ?I'm… I'm not an orthodox!? ?na squeaked, pressing her hem to her thighs, blushing. ?It was…! It's just…!?

  Ignoring her, pani Mar?na continued.

  ?I didn't harm these souls,? she said, rummaging through the shelf by the wall and presenting a document to ?na. ?Here! Read it!?

  Confused, ?na took the paper while still standing on the table. I flew closer to see it too (nudging away a few of ?na's familiars). Although I could understand the individual words, the overall meaning escaped me.

  ?What's this?? I asked.

  ?Permission,? ?na replied, dismounting the table. ?Granted to pani Mar?na Zari?na to manipulate human souls for healing and research purposes… Approved by the Church and the Council…?

  She looked at pani Mar?na.

  ?What does it mean??

  Pani Mar?na explained:

  ?When a damaged soul starts harming its own body, it's very difficult to heal. That's why I temporarily extract these souls, keeping them as my familiars in a semi-dormant state, allowing their bodies to regenerate. The souls take longer to heal, but they eventually recover too. By the way, it's impressive how you managed to heal them all at once. Would you like to work with me? Your help would be invaluable.?

  ?na blushed.

  ?I... won't do it again... it's embarrassing.?

  Pani Mar?na laughed.

  ?I don't ask you to dance striptease on my table. There are other ways, you know.?

  ?na remained silent for a moment before narrowing her eyes at pani Mar?na.

  ?But what about ?r?? she inquired, motioning at me. ?Why was he haunting that changing cabin on the beach??

  Suddenly, it dawned on me – I had seen pani Mar?na on the beach and even spoken to her, right before becoming a "ghost".

  Pani Mar?na's eyebrows shot up.

  ?The changing cabin? Darkness! How could I miss it?!? she muttered, then said to ?na, ?I admit, it was my mistake. But when the 5th guy tries to woo you in 15 minutes, it's hard to keep your magical power in check.?

  ?na frowned, her gaze fixed on me.

  ?I object!? I said hastily. ?I only thought it would be rude to draw someone without asking for permission! That's all!?

  ?Didn't you say you only draw girls in the nude??

  ?Well, pani Mar?na was topless, and her silhouette was prominent in contre-jour…?

  ?To…! Topless?!...?

  ?What? Wanna say something, no-panties girl??

  ?N… No...?

  ?So, you weren't a wooer after all… Sorry about what happened.?

  ?All's fine that ends fine. Don't sweat it.?

  ?An artist, hm? I can pose for you if you want. Even nude, it's not a big deal for witches, you know.?

  ?Yea, I know. My mistress's an orthodox witch.?

  ?I'm not an orthodox witch!!!?