"Baby, wake up."

A five-year-old boy started sulking at his mother's voice.

"Please, let me sleep for five minutes." The boy covered himself with a thin blanket again. It was early winter in Finrich.

"Hurry up!"

"You will miss the school bus if you continue sleeping," a woman in her late 20s said, removing the blanket."

"Can I miss school, mom?" the cute little boy pleaded."Alec, baby, you can't miss school today. Aunt and I are busy with the store. No one is there to care for you," Paige smiled, stroking his blonde hair. Alec opened his eyes, pouting.

"I have made your favourite pancakes for breakfast." Paige started walking out of the room."Then I guess you won't be eating pancakes today."

Alec suddenly got off his bed and dashed towards the bathroom.

"I will get ready fast. I want to eat pancakes."

Paige looked at his adorable face and smiled. She went to the kitchen, made breakfast, and started packing the lunchbox. While she was putting the lunchbox inside the yellow SpongeBob bag, Alec began eating his breakfast. Paige looked at him with adoration. She wiped his mouth with a white napkin from the counter. Putting his bag on his shoulders, Alec was now ready for school. He wore a grey hoodie, cute white sneakers, and light blue pants.

He looked like a model from a kid's magazine. He had platinum blonde hair, chubby cheeks, aqua blue eyes resembling a little doe, and a dimple on his left cheek. All his features made him stand out in his class. Paige had black hair and grey eyes. It was for sure that the kid resembled his father more than his mother. In their single-room apartment, there was no trace of a male presence.

"Let's go to school, baby. You look so cute today." Paige kissed her little boy before heading down the building with him in her arms. The bus stop was within walking distance of the building. After ten minutes, a yellow-coloured school bus arrived at the bus stop. The kids on the bus were talking to their friends and giggling. A few in the front seat smiled at Alec when they saw him. Putting Alec down on the bus steps, Paige kissed him before he walked inside the bus. She kept waving at the bus until it was out of her sight. She returned to the apartment, cleaned it up, and got ready before heading to work.

************************

She stood in front of an old store down the street. She took out a silver key with a black star-shaped chain attached. Unlocking the door, she turned the sign on the door to 'Open'.She started cleaning the store. The clock showed 8:30. She had thirty minutes to clean up and set everything up before the owner, Dawn, arrived. It was 8:40 am now. Paige has finished up everything. She sat on the chair behind the counter, sipping tea and watching the busy street.

The door opens with the ring of the bell.

"Welcome to Mystic Arts"

"It's me, Paige," said the red-haired woman.

Dawn was the woman who entered the store. She had coloured her hair from dark brown to red on a whim.

"Not again..." Paige sighs, looking at her coming towards the counter.

"Why did you colour your hair again?"

"You will go bald if you continue changing it frequently on a whim."

Dawn was amused by her reaction and sat on the counter before saying, "Hahaha...I broke up with my boyfriend. I needed a change."

"Can you not give me that look for today?" Dawn pointed at Paige, who had a repulsive expression on her face.

She is wearing a tight black top, blue high-waisted jeans, and black heels. She looked young for a woman in her late 40s. She is a witch who works as a spiritual healer for needy people.

The store had no signboard on the outside. The spells cast on the charms hanging outside prevented the store from being noticed by others. Only the ones in need were led to the store and could enter it. Sometimes, Dawn gave out business cards with direction magic on them, serving as a guide to the store.

It is not easy to have access to a high-level spiritual healer like her. Paige and Dawn met roughly five and a half years ago. Paige had nowhere to go at that time. Dawn allowed her to stay with her on the condition that she would work for her.

"So, how is it today? Do you still feel any pain?" Dawn asked, looking at her exhausted face.

"Ummm..." She was unable to reply.

"Come here, let me have a look." Dawn bends toward her, inspecting the back of her neck.

"It has gotten worse than before. I will give you a potion of the herbs I collected yesterday." She said, still looking at the dark skin around the back of her neck. The skin where the bite mark is has turned black and stiff.

"It is not as painful as it was before. The pain is bearable since the condition is stable." Paige replied, touching the area with her right hand.

"Don't pretend to be strong in front of me, Paige. You know I care about you a lot." Dawn was serious this time.

"How many customers have an appointment today?" Dawn asked, looking at the old rosewood clock hanging on the left side wall to the counter.

"Only one customer has an appointment in an hour," Paige answered, checking the logbook on the counter.

Paige's cell phone rang while she was busy checking the logs. The call was from an unknown number, so she picked up the call.

After hearing from the other side, her complexion turned pale.

Even before ending the call, she hurried out of the store, grabbing her handbag. She rushed towards a taxi near the next store, and her expression was worried as she got in the cab.

After a moment, the taxi drove down the street and turned left.

Dawn was left alone in the store in confusion. She guessed what the call could be about, but still, she was worried for her.

As soon as the taxi stopped in front of a school, Paige dashed out and toward the main gate. A teacher guided her to the infirmary.

Paige walked anxiously towards the door, which she was guided and opened. On the opposite side of the door were three beds and a big cabinet between the two windows.

A young male doctor sat near the bed in the corner beside the window.

He turns around at the sound of the opening door.

Paige walks towards the bed, fidgeting with her fingers. Tears roll down her eyes when she sees her little boy lying asleep on the bed. Near his pillow laid a blood-covered cloth. Her heart skipped a beat at that sight.

She walks near the bed and sits on the empty stool. She looks at the doctor while caressing Alec's cheeks.

"What happened?" she asked him in a low tone.

"Are you his mother?" he asked. Paige nodded, still looking at Alec with worry in her eyes.

"His math teacher rushed him here. She said that suddenly, during the lesson, his nose started bleeding. She brought him here before he fainted. The bleeding didn't stop while some blood oozed out from his left ear. We had a difficult time stopping further bleeding."

He explained, pointing at the blood-soaked white cloth near his pillow.

"This is the fifth time something like this happened to your kid. Did you get him checked up at the city hospital last time?" He asked with seriousness in his tone

"Yes, we did go to the city hospital. The appointed doctor couldn't pinpoint the cause of his sickness," Paige answered while holding Alec's hand tightly.

"Ma'am, you know how sick he is. He is weaker than his peers. You should get him to rest for a week before attending school again."

Paige nodded before looking up at him.

"I will go talk to the principal. Can you take care of him until then?" she requested, standing up and walking towards the door.

*************

After fifteen minutes, Paige returned to the infirmary with a permission letter. She asked the doctor in charge to hand it over to Ms Anna, Alec's homeroom teacher.

She picked up his belongings from the table before lifting his sleeping body from the bed. She wrapped her around his waist carefully.

Thanking the doctor, she left the room. Reaching outside near the school's front gate, waiting for the cab to arrive.

It was getting cold outside. She got worried that Alec might catch a cold.

************

It took them twenty minutes to reach home. Alec was still sleeping. He did stir up from time to time on their way home. Paige laid him down in bed after getting inside the apartment.

After settling in and calming down, she called Dawn. She explained the whole thing and asked her to come over immediately. Getting off the phone, she went to check up on Alec again.

It was a long day.