Page 21 of Potions & Prejudice
She rolled her eyes. “Maybe he doesn’t have an angle? Have you ever considered the possibility that he’s just a nice man?”
“Everyone has an angle,” I murmured, thinking of Johanes. He’d been a nice man too. Or so I thought.
“What do you propose we do, Elspeth?” Mama emerged from behind the house. She lifted her skirts as she walked over the muddy forest ground. “Go back to our broken tent that no longer protects us from the elements?”
“We can have it fixed,” I argued, not wanting to be in Elm’s debt, not wanting to live in this forest with all the other residents of Thistlegrove. We’d passed several other cottages on our way here.
In fact, just through the tall trees, I could see another cottage, so close to us it made my heart race.
Elm stepped forward. “I understand your hesitation. I really do.”
I crossed my arms. I doubted that.
“But this isn’t a gift. You’d be doing the entire town a huge favor by moving into this cottage.”
I narrowed my gaze. “And why is that?”
He took a deep breath. “I think it’s time we went inside so you can see for yourself.”
That gave me pause. Now I was doubting everything. Maybe Elm wasn’t looking to find out our secrets. Maybe he was looking to do something far more ominous.
But no one else seemed to share my sentiments. Mama bustled up the rickety steps of the cottage, my sisters following her like little ducklings. I didn’t like this. Not at all. But it looked like I was outnumbered.
I walkedup the stone steps, cracks in them that allowed weeds to sprout through. Elm gripped the door handle and attempted to turn it.
It wouldn’t budge.
“Is everything okay?” Adelaide asked.
“It’s stubborn,” he muttered.
“Who is stubborn?” I asked.
Elm didn’t answer, pulling again, grunting as his muscles strained underneath the green tunic he wore. If it was too hard for a werewolf to open a door, then I wasn’t sure how we were supposed to get inside.
All of a sudden, the door swung open, jolting Elm backward and through the air.
Adelaide cried out while the rest of us stared in confusion. Elm landed at the bottom of the steps on his back, a groan escaping him.
My older sister rushed to him, helping him to his feet. “Are you okay?”
He rubbed the back of his head. “I’m fine, but I did warn you.”
I looked back at the house, not so sure I wanted to enter anymore.
“The house did that?” Prue asked, eyeing the door and backing away.
Elm stood. “Do you still want to go in?”
“Yes,” Mama said with a decisive nod. “I think we do.” With that, she marched inside, Prue and Auggie following her while shooting unsure glances at each other.
Adelaide and Elm went next, and I took a deep breath before following.
The smells of mold and earth hit me all at once as I stepped into thesingle room. Dust covered every surface, the grime so thick on the windows that only small slivers of sunlight shone through. The threads of light illuminated big cobwebs that stretched over the corners, silvery spiders perched on the webs.
A kitchen table sat near the back window, at least an inch of dust sitting on top of it and insects scuttling across it. Prue walked toward a small hearth with an old cauldron knocked over on its side and rotted wood underneath. Cabinets with broken and cracked doors lined the wall by the hearth, and a long countertop spread out underneath, covered by splotches and stains so old I couldn’t ascertain what they were.
My stomach twisted.
