Confusion flickered across Matilda's smeared face as she stared at the book in Seth's hand.
The cover was gray.
A flat, tired gray.
At its center, a shape seemed to press against the surface— but whenever her eyes tried to focus on it, the shape would convulse and it became something else.
Then nothing.
Then something again.
Until she forgot what she had been looking for in the first place.
Only one thought surfaced in her mind.
"Witchcraft..."
Her eyes narrowed.
Fear flickered behind the exhaustion.
She looked at Seth with a mix of shock and suspicion.
Seth didn't answer.
He simply smiled.
Matilda took a long drag from her cigarette, then exhaled slowly.
Her shoulders relaxed— just a little.
"Sorry," she said.
"I don't want to involve myself in such practices."
Seth was calm.
"What do you know about witches exactly?"
Matilda was silent for a moment.
Then she spoke, her voice quieter.
