The Witches' Night festival was one of the most eagerly awaited events of the year. It was said that a saint, whose name Sofia could not remember, had driven out a coven of witches, and in his honor that day was celebrated. In reality it was another pagan festival of Celtic origin that marked the end of the harvest, and in which the ancestors and ancient inhabitants of those lands were honored. The legends claimed that, during that night, the barrier that separated the world of the living from the world of the spirits weakened, allowing contact with them through various incantations that nobody remembered anymore. In any case, the village celebrated it in style, with a medieval market, sword dueling shows, minstrels, and a lot of people dressed up to play the part. It was like traveling back in time, and Sofia loved it.

There was still a while before Sara's sisters started their queimada show, so Sofia was using the time to browse the craft stalls. She did stay away from those displaying jewelry, just in case. It was probably costume jewelry, but she thought the same thing when she was thirteen, and that silver bracelet had left her with a scar as a souvenir. However, she amused herself by browsing through a stall of handmade soaps and candles that displayed an interesting and colorful collection. There were all kinds, from those with simple shapes to others that imitated butterflies, flowers or pumpkins. The mix of fragrances and scents was intense, enough to make her sensitive cinanthrope nose feel overwhelmed.

“Can I interest you in something? Some soap perhaps?” asked the stall owner, offering her a bar with the color and scent of lavender.

“No, thank you,” Sofia replied politely.

As she turned to return to her stroll among the stalls, she bumped into someone who had stopped in the middle of the incessant flow of people. Suddenly a new smell, reminiscent of pine, damp earth, rain and nature, flooded her nose, pushing away all other scents, including those of the stall.

“Why did you stop all of a sudden like that, you piece of...?”

“I'm sorry, I... Sofia?”

“Oh! Dave, hi,” her irritation abated suddenly, and although she didn't want to admit it, she was glad to see him there. “You actually decided to come.”

“Yes, although I'm not sure it was such a good idea,” he replied as he looked at the crowd around him and licked his lips in obvious discomfort, “Do you know where that thing with Sara’s sisters is? I've been looking around for a while but I can't find it.”

“Yes, it's this way. Come.”

Sofia made an attempt to grab his hand, but stopped herself before her fingertips could touch his skin. For a moment she considered her options, but in the end she decided to grab him by the dark jacket he was wearing so they wouldn't get lost as they moved through the crowd. There were so many people that walking was almost impossible, and Sofia noticed that the boy didn't seem comfortable at all. He was frequently running his tongue over his lips, a gesture she had noticed he did whenever he was nervous, and he was constantly averting his gaze as if looking for something to distract him from this situation.

“You don't like these places,” observed Sofia.

“Not really. Crowds stress me out a lot, so I've always preferred open spaces. I'm afraid I'm not the best company to come to a market, or to go to a concert,” he confessed with a little apologetic grimace.

“I don't like crowds either,” Sofia confessed. “Come, I know a shortcut.”

Sofia pulled the boy to the side to get out of that suffocating tide of people. The two of them walked through the space between two stalls and out into the square on the other side. As soon as they left the crowd behind them, Sofia broke into a run towards the town hall building at the far end and headed into an alley.

“What kind of shortcut?” asked the boy as they ran.

“The kind of shortcut we shouldn't be in, so you're going to have to be quiet or we're going to get in trouble,” said Sofia, who couldn't help but smile.

The two teenagers stopped by the wall of thick gray stones that bordered the town hall's gardens. Sofia jumped up and peered over to check that no one was at the other side. Thanks to her night vision, she could clearly see inside the grounds. There was nothing interesting about it, it was just a courtyard with large grassy areas crossed by dirt paths, and sections with yellow-leafed trees and bushes. During the day it was open for neighbors to walk around, but at night it was closed.

“There is nobody here. We can go through,” she said, as she sat on top of the wall and prepared to jump over to the other side.

“God... Are you sure about this?”

“Relax. I've done it many times. The most important thing is that you follow me and don't make any noise. Will you be able to do it?” she asked, a little more seriously.

“Yes, of course,” he said, and again ran his tongue over his lips.

Satisfied with the answer, Sofia dropped onto the trimmed grass on the other side, and crouched down to take advantage of the shade of a nearby tree to hide. Mere seconds later Dave joined her, and again she caught the scent of pine that camouflaged his own. Using the darkness and vegetation as cover, Sofia crawled to a nearby bush and peeked through its branches. Again she saw nothing but that empty garden bathed in cold moonlight. With any luck they wouldn't have any unpleasant encounter. It had never happened to her before, since her hearing allowed her to anticipate the presence of security guards, but she had never done this while taking someone with her. She hoped the boy was up to the task.

“Let's go,” she whispered, gesturing for Dave to follow her.

Very quietly, Sofia slipped across the area next to the wall to use the cover offered by the shadows and well-tended vegetation. Dave followed her, and proved to be able to move as deftly as she did. Considering how tall he was, he barely made a sound with each step he took. Perhaps she should have listened to the alarmed little voice in the back of her mind which told her that only hunters knew how to move like that, but she pushed it aside when a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. This adventure was being much more exciting than getting lost among the stalls at the market, and she didn't want to spoil it because of her absurd fears.

Suddenly, Dave grabbed her hand and pulled her behind a bush, where he practically forced her to duck. Sofia's heart skipped a beat and she nearly let out the growl of insecurity and fear she felt bubbling in her throat.

“Mind telling me what...?”

“Shhhh. Quiet,” Dave cut her off, putting a finger to her lips.

Then she, too, heard footsteps approaching, and a male's voice. The door leading to the gardens opened, shedding a pale, yellowish light rectangle on the trimmed grass, and a man, as full-fleshed as he was old, stepped through it. He was talking on the phone, and from his jaded voice it didn’t seem like he was enjoying the conversation. As he spoke, he walked absentmindedly down the dirt path just in front of the building’s entrance, oblivious to the two kids who remained hidden in the undergrowth. After a few minutes, during which the two of them dared not move a muscle, the man hung up, huffed and walked back into the town hall.

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“Whew,” Sofia gasped. “That was close...”

“Yeah, he almost got us,” Dave commented, twisting his lips into a relieved smile.

The two teens exchanged a glance and started laughing. He was so close to her that she could clearly smell that pine scent she liked so much, and also feel the warmth emanating from his body. A little voice in the back of her head told Sofia that she was entering dangerous territory, that she was enjoying the company of that boy who smelled like the forest. If she didn't stop, he would end up becoming her friend, and he shouldn't because it was too dangerous for him. However, she couldn't help it. She liked him, she thought he was a nice guy, and she had to admit that she enjoyed spending time with him. After all, she was still a seventeen year old girl who needed to have some friends.

“YEEEEEEES!” There was a collective shout coming from somewhere beyond the gardens.

“Shit! We're missing the ritual. Come!”

The two kids got up and, following, the cover offered by the shadows and bushes, they started running towards the other side of the garden. When they reached the wall, the girl jumped the two meters height without stopping, and so did he. They both landed in a shadowy area occupied by several hundred-year-old trees. The dry leaves that covered the ground like a carpet crunched under their feet. They were in a park so large it looked like a patch of forest. Since there were no streetlights, the only light falling on them were the silvery rays of the moon, which played with the almost bare branches to draw patterns on the shadows.

“It's this way.”

Without thinking, Sofia grabbed the boy’s hand and ran. That darkness would have been enough to slow a human down, but she could see with absolute clarity, which allowed her to move safely among the thick trunks. She didn't know at which point she became aware that she was smiling, that she felt butterflies in her stomach and her heart was beating faster, not just because of the sprint. Again fear surfaced inside her and reminded her that she was walking a dangerous path, but Sofia pushed that voice aside again. Not that night. She just wanted to enjoy this fantasy a little longer.

“Who will be the brave one who will dare to look through the eyes of the spirits?” said a powerful and mysterious voice that seemed to reverberate throughout the forest around them.

A few meters just ahead of them they finally saw the site of the spectacle. A crowd had already gathered around it, but from that angle they could clearly see the installation. In a wide dirt square where several paths converged, there was an enormous iron cauldron surrounded by candles and candelabra. A circle, with geometric motifs and symbols reminiscent of runes, had been drawn around it with a white powder. Among those lines and geometric motifs were herbs, feathers and stones such as geodes and amethysts. Both Sara and her sisters were there, disguised as witches with large black cloaks and peaked hats, although the teenager stood apart from the other three.

“It's over there!” Sofia said through gasps.

When they arrived, the two teens went to a side away from the crowd, and stopped. Panting, their cheeks flushed and their hands still clasped together, they exchanged a glance, and a smile broke out on both their lips.

“I think we're a little late. We missed the ritual. Taking the shortcut wasn’t such a good idea,” she said.

“I don't mind. I had a good time,” Dave replied without losing his smile, that restrained smile that was already beautiful, but would be even more so if he let himself go.

“You two!”

That voice sounded so loud that both teens jumped and looked around. Monica, Sara's older sister, was pointing at them. They hadn't really made any grand entrance, they were just two teenagers who had come running because they didn't want to miss the show, but thanks to the witch everyone was now paying attention to them. Sofia especially noticed how Sara was looking at them. The expression on her face, which clearly said that as soon as they were alone she was going to pepper her with questions, made her very aware of the hand that was still intertwined with hers. The two teenagers exchanged a quick glance and both let go practically at the same time. The blush that ascended to both their cheeks evidenced their embarrassment.

“What an interesting couple,” Monica said in a mysterious tone as she walked around them with fluid movements. “Will you be the first brave ones to take the potion? Will you dare to see what the spirits want to show you?”

“Monica, I'm going to kill you,” Sofia muttered, suppressing the urge to growl at her.

“U... us?” Dave asked, licking his lips.

“You bet, buddy! Come, you're going to get your minds blown!”

Sara walked over to them and took them by the hand to lead them towards the huge iron cauldron. The liquid inside it emitted a bluish glow. Dave looked at it with some wariness before turning to Sara, frowning.

“You didn't tell me I'd have to drink magic potions,” he pointed out, disgruntled.

“Relax, man. It's got a suppressant in it,” Sara told him.

“A suppressant?” Sofia asked.

“Our pal here is a teetotaler, and the queimada is made with alcohol. My sister pours an alcohol suppressant in it so that kids and teetotalers like him can drink the potion without any risk, and without it being fucking illegal,” the girl explained as she picked up a wooden bowl and handed it to her sister.

“Ah, so you dare to look through the eyes of magic, are you ready to dive into the realm of spirits?” said the witch with a mysterious voice.

“Cut the crap, Monica. I was already here last year,” Sofia answered with a laugh, making the woman and the other sisters laugh too.

There was trust between them. Sofia had spent many days in the company of Sara and her sisters, who in the year that she had known them had made her feel that they were more like family than her own mother. That's why she could afford to take those liberties with them. Of course, this meant that Monica could also allow herself to take liberties with her, and a sibylline smile suddenly appeared on her lips.

“Ah, but last year you didn't come with a boy. What will the spirits reveal this time?” She lowered her voice just enough so that only Sofia and Dave could hear her.

“No, we aren't...” stammered Dave, blushing with embarrassment at the suggestion.

“I barely know him...” Sofia replied, noticing how her cheeks lit up as well.

“That doesn't matter to the spirits.”

Monica took the wooden bowl from her sister's hands and, with a ladle of the same material, filled it with the luminous liquid and handed it to Sofia. The girl looked at the bright concoction with some apprehension. It was only a game, a magic trick that for a moment created the illusion that she was seeing things that were not real. There was no spirit realm, no arcane powers. All this was nothing more than an elaborate staging. She looked up, and her eyes met Dave’s. The sky-blue color of his irises seemed more intense because of the light emanating from inside the bowl and cauldron. Sofia clenched her jaw in an expression of determination and brought the bowl to her lips to take a long drink. She wasn't going to back down now just because Monica was trying to mess with her.

While Sofia savored the berry aftertaste the liquid had left on her tongue, she handed the bowl to Dave. As he took it, the boy grazed her hands, and Sofia didn't know if it was the concoction, which was already starting to take effect, or the stares from Sara and her sisters, but she was suddenly very aware of how his skin felt. Dave looked down at the bowl, not quite convinced, but he let out a long sigh and jumped into the river. In one sitting, he drained the entire contents. The effects were not long in coming for either of them.

The first thing Sofia noticed was a slight dizziness that made her close her eyes for a moment. The energy in her chest awoke and began to flow through her veins, through her blood, through her muscles and skin. Just a pinch, enough to fill her with an overflowing strength. When she opened her eyes again her world had completely changed. It was the same, but now the tree trunks were marked by tattoos made out of pale blue light. Winding lines formed complex lattices that branched and twisted in loops and spirals. It wasn't just the trees. Those motifs were drawn on the blades of grass, on the feathers of birds, and even on the very people around them. Some had brighter markings, like her, Dave and Sara, others had much duller ones, but the one that stood out was Monica. In the center of her chest seemed to shine a star whose cold light was so intense that not even her clothes could hide it.

“Wow,” Dave whispered, looking at his hand.

“It's amazing, isn't it?” Sofia exclaimed, and on impulse put her hand over his to compare the patterns on their skin.

“Yes, it is.”

Again their eyes met, and again they smiled at the same time. The boy kept holding back his smile, but it seemed different, more sincere, more spontaneous. That was a magic trick, nothing more. Although their tattoos looked alike, and shone with the same intensity, there was nothing in them that linked them in any way. Yet Sofia could not deny that she was having a good time with him. It had been a long time since she had felt so alive, so happy, and it frightened and thrilled her all the same. It had been a long time since she had smiled as much as she was smiling that night.