So it's been a while....

Things have changed. I mean, I'm in college now.

So... anyway

Recap: Leo is sick. His siblings Jason and Piper venture into the woods to find the infamous witch to help heal him. They end up lost and attacked by pixies when saved by the familiar Frank who takes them to the the witch who turns out to be Hazel who helps them free of charge and then she causes them all to sleep and a painting flips over on which her siblings are and they shout for her "guests" to run. But Hazel tells them it's too late, she's already got a new pet.

Alright read on.

-Jaz

~~~~

Be Careful What You Wish For (Part 2)

Jason was woken up by the sun shining on his face. He opened his eyes slowly with a yawn and looked around and surprisingly found himself upon his cot in his small home. Last he knew he was in the witch's tree home with Piper and Leo.

At that thought Jason jerked up and looked around to see both Piper and Leo lying asleep in their usual spots. Jason gave a sigh of relief as he stood up and gave a stretch. But he still questioned how he had gotten home, or if he had even left home the first place.

Slowly he stood and walked over to Leo.

Leo wasn't as pale as he had been and when Jason placed a hand on his brother's forehead he was pleased to know that Leo's fever had gone down but he was still warm. Jason then went to fetch some water.

When he was done he came back to find Piper awake. He gave her a small smile as he took a cloth and dunked it in the water. He rung out the cloth twice before passing it to her and she laid it on Leo's head. For a moment both were silent simply listening to the sound of Leo's breathing and enjoying the fact that it sounded less labored.

"How did we get home?" Piper asked him finally.

Jason sighed and shook his head. "I am not sure. Last I knew Leo had just been given a potion and now..."

"It's morning," Piper commented. "Surely we had been gone for a while... it did not seem close to morning last I knew."

Jason nodded. "At least it seems that Leo's condition has improved."

"Thankfully," Piper responded smiling down at Leo. "Perhaps the witch is not so bad after all."

"I doubt that," Jason replied quietly.

"What do you mean?" She asked him confused.

"She's the witch Piper. As much as I wold like to believe that that was the end I can't shake this feeling."

Piper looked to Leo again. "Let's hope your feeling is wrong then."

~~~~

It was a week later that Leo was up and moving on his own once more. While Jason couldn't have been happier that Leo was alright he still couldn't shake the sense of dread which hung over him, something was wrong. He knew it, but he just didn't know what yet.

"Jason!"

Jason was pulled from his thoughts as Leo ran up to him when he walked up the path toward his small home.

"You shouldn't run," Jason chided. "You're still not completely well."

Leo ignored his response. "Guess what!"

"What?"

"You know the couple who own the little book shop in town? Well the husband fell while trying to fix their roof and hurt his leg. So she came earlier and asked me to fix it for her since she knows I'm good with my hands."

Jason shook his head. "No."

"What do you mean no?"

"You're still ill it's not good for you to work."

"But you haven't even heard how much she's offering to pay me! Well us, I'll need your help."

"No," Jason repeated. "You're not well enough."

"Jason," Leo started grabbing his brother's shoulders. "This is more money than someone has ever offered to pay us. If we do this right we'll be able to fix up our own house! Look if you're so worried, I'll just tell you what to do and you do the heavy lifting. Please? We need this!"

Jason bit his tongue as he stared into Leo's pleading eyes. Finally he sighed. "Only if you promise not to overwork yourself."

Leo smiled. "Promise!"

~~~~

"Let's take a break," Jason told Leo. "You've been working for a while."

Leo frowned from where he stared at the hole in nearly repaired roof. "We're almost done. I feel fine and we might as well finish it."

Jason opened his mouth to argue when the young woman who lived in the home called out. Jason sighed and  headed down the ladder.

"How is it going?" She asked kindly holding out a tray with two cups of water on it. "I also assume you boys are a bit thirsty."

"Were almost done," Jason smiled. "I'll accept the water in a moment, let me grab my broth-"

Jason was cut off as Leo's gave a shout before he came dashing down the ladder.

"Fire!" He shouted.

"Fire?" Jason repeated. "How?"

Leo's mouth opened and closed his eyes wide as Jason was able to see as roof was suddenly alight.

"What the hell did you bastards do!" Screamed the owner of the home as he dashed out. Around them other villagers came to stare in shock while some carried water to help, but the fire was spreading too quickly.

Jason looked around bewildered when Leo tugged on his wrist. His eyes met his brother's, and Leo gulped and turned and ran dragging Jason along with him.

They didn't stop running until they reached their home, and barged inside startling Piper who had a broom in her hands.

"What's wrong?" She asked surveying them both for injuries.

"The roof set on fire," Jason responded.

"How? It rained last night, it's not dry enough out for a fire."

Jason glanced at Leo who covered his own mouth with his hands. "I started it," he said his voice muffled by his fingers. "I don't know how exactly but... I was coughing and then I coughed- I coughed fire."

"Don't be ridiculous," Jason told him. "It can't be your fault."

"But it was. I did it."

Jason locked eyes with his sister, but neither spoke. None of them spoke for the rest of the day or evening. Piper silently made their dinner, and Jason took to helping with chores to keep busy. Leo meanwhile had curled himself into a ball in the corner staring at the door to the small home, waiting for the villagers to come for him, but they didn't.

~~~~

Jason rose early the next day and headed back into town. He walked slowly trying to figure out what he would say to the couple when he arrived. Though when he reached the badly burned bookstore and home, still nothing had come to mind.

"Are you and your brother okay?" Asked the young woman when he approached. She was outside going through some slightly burned items on the grass, while her husband walked inside apparently trying to salvage what he could.

"Y-yes," Jason nodded. "Though uh brother he uh- he had been ill and the smoke wasn't good for his cough, so we left quickly. I'm sorry we did not help put out the fire."

"It's alright."

"No it's not!" Her husband shouted dropping what looked like it was once a table on the grass in front of Jason. "One of you started that fire!"

"I swear to you sir we didn't-" Jason started before the man threw a punch which connected with the side of Jason's face causing his to stumble and fall. Jason heard the wife begin to shout at her husband who yelled back, and Jason took advantage of the moment to run home.

"They aren't going to let us walk into town for a while," was all he said when he saw Piper's sad look.

"I told you I did it," Leo mumbled from the corner.

"And we are saying you didn't," Piper challenged. "It's not possible for you to cough fire."

"Me being alive isn't supposed to be possible either. But the witch changed that didn't she? How do you know she didn't do more than that?"

"We don't," Jason answered quietly.

~~~~

A week passed before Jason was woken by a scream.

He sprang up to see Piper had backed away toward the wall her eyes trained on Leo- or who was supposed to be Leo.

Leo's face was covered in small cracks forming diamonds- scales? Jason was sure he was still asleep. Or perhaps the creatures of the wood had been playing tricks on them.

Leo looked down at his arms and hands in horror. He poked his own leg and Jason saw as a shiver of terror took his body. His eyes flickered up to Jason who recoiled seeing his brother's eyes had changed. Leo's eyes were no longer brown. Now they were orange with black slits.

"Help me," Leo begged tears coming to his eyes. "Pleassse," he tried again, and a forked tongue escaped his lips. "Help me!" He stood up and turned to Jason openly crying. "Pleassse."

"We're taking him to her."

Jason tore his eyes away from the creature- Leo- and looked to Piper. The girl stood wide eyed still staring at Leo her fists clenched as she mustered confidence. Something Jason currently lacked. "We're taking him to her," he said once more. "Tonight."

Jason gulped once and nodded.

~~~~

They were lost.

Completely and utterly lost.

They had wandered all night and the sun was beginning to rise but, they had made no progress. Though what worried Jason more was that no creature had come to bother them. They hadn't even heard a single one. Nothing, just silence besides the three of them.

"We are never going to find her," Leo said quietly.

"We will," Piper told him gently.

"No we won't!" He shouted and Jason fell back in fright as flame escaped his brother's mouth.

Leo crouched down and Jason could hear as he began to sob. "We aren't going to find her. I'm going to be a monster forever. I can't even go home!"

"Yes you can!" Piper told him, moving to kneel in front of him as Jason slowly stood.

"I can't! Even Jason is afraid of me!"

"He's-"

"He hassssn't said a word to me sssssince yessssterday morning!"

Pipers eyes flickered to Jason who opened and closed his mouth unsure of what to say.

"Where am I sssuppossed to go?" Leo sobbed.

"With me of course."

Jason's turned sharply to see Hazel walk up to them. A raven sat on her shoulder, and her golden eyes shone in the light of the early morning.

"What did you do to him?" Jason demanded finding his voice.

"What you asked me to do," she replied simply.

"We didn't ask for you to make him into this!" Piper shouted. "I asked you to-"

"You wanted me to heal him of all human ailments. Perhaps you should be more careful with what you wish for," Hazel responded, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "I did, he's no longer human. Come with my pet."

"He's not going anywhere with you," Jason shouted moving to stand in front of Leo.

Hazel frowned, "So he should go back with you? With you the brother who fears him? To a village who will fear him as well. To a village who will drive him out, and even try to kill him? What's left for him there? Nothing. But if he stays with me..." she trailed off smiling once more, and held out a hand toward Jason.

Jason shook his head, but was surprised to see a scaly hand in her outstretched bone.

"Leo," Piper said quietly.

"Sssshe's right," Leo sobbed. "I can't go back."

Hazel pulled him closer to her and Leo stood at her side his eyes on the ground tears in his orange eyes.

"Please can't you turn him back?" Jason asked her.

"Why should I?" Hazel asked innocently.

"Why did you do this in the first place?"

Hazel shrugged and tapped a finger against her lips, "Hmmm... Because I hate humans."

"You said you reminded us of your siblings!" Piper sobbed lashing out, but with a wave of Hazel's hand she was sent crashing to the ground and Jason hurried to her side.

"I did say that," Hazel said that cruel smile widening as she grabbed Leo by the arm and pulled him with her into the trees until they vanished from view, but her last words still wrung out like a taunting echo. "But I never said that I liked them."