Hazel Fuzzworth's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Hazel Fuzzworth stopped at the edge of the Whispering Wood as the sun sank low. She had walked all day to find the Witch who lived deep inside. The Witch could brew a potion to calm the hair that sprouted under her arms whenever fear took hold. Right now, both her armpits itched and prickled. New hair pushed against her sleeves. She did not know the way, and she did not have much time. The trees stood close together. Between them ran a dozen paths, and every one looked the same. Shadows grew long. Somewhere ahead, water dripped. Hazel pulled the sewing knife from her boot, her grandmother's blade, and gripped it tight. The prickling under her arms turned to a burn. Hair curled past her cuffs. "You'll get lost that way," a voice said. Hazel spun. A girl about her own age sat on a fallen log. She wore a plain dress, and dirt streaked her knees. She watched the darkening trees the way a rabbit watches a hawk. "I'm Luna," the girl said. "You shouldn't be here when night comes." Her hands shook in her lap. She kept glancing at the rising moon. "I have to find the Witch," Hazel said. "Do you know the way?" Luna's face went tight. "I know it. But I can't stay out. When the moon comes, I change." She hugged her knees. "I turn into a wolf. I can't stop it." Hazel stared. She saw the fear pull Luna's whole body small. It looked like her own fear, the kind that made hair grow. "Then walk me fast," Hazel said. "Before the moon." Luna hesitated. Then she stood. "This way. Stay close." She led Hazel between two crooked trees, down a narrow path Hazel would never have found alone. They moved quickly. Luna named the turns as they went. Left at the split stump. Past the black pond. The wood seemed to breathe around them, branches ticking. Hazel's arms burned, but she kept up. The moon rose higher through the branches. Luna's breath came fast. "There," she gasped, and pointed. Ahead stood a crooked house, smoke curling from its chimney. A lamp glowed in the window. "That's the Witch's home," Luna said. Her voice cracked. She doubled over. "Go. Now. It's starting." Hazel ran the last stretch. At the door she turned to thank Luna, but the girl had dropped to the dirt, gripping the earth, her back arching. A low sound rose from her throat. Hazel had found the way. She had reached the house at last. But the girl who saved her was changing into something that hunted in the dark, and only Hazel stood close enough to help.