The Witch is Back

Chapter Sixteen




That night’s meeting was smaller than usual. And not just because the rest of the Cleri was back at home enjoying their summers off. Tonight, we were minus two people: Asher and Jinx. To my disappointment, Asher had already made plans with Dane and Hudson, which he apparently couldn’t get out of. Jinx, on the other hand, had gotten too much sun while we sat around during our break that afternoon and seemed to have a mild case of sun poisoning. I’d visited her before we left for the meeting, and despite the redness of her cheeks, I could tell she wasn’t herself. I promised to look in on her when we got back.

So Jinx was off the hook, but I couldn’t help but be annoyed that Asher was blowing off a Cleri meeting to hang out with his buddies. Of course, if I was being honest with myself, my first thought had been that he was actually going out to meet Brooklyn. But since these thoughts would block me from having a strong casting session—a witch needed total concentration while doing magic to achieve optimum results—I pushed my feelings to the back of my mind and focused on why we needed to be constantly improving our magicking skills: threats like the Parrishables.

And maybe even love spells or other charms by certain blond enemies.


But first, my focus had to be on Samuel and his deranged followers. They were leagues more dangerous than Brooklyn and whatever games she might be trying to play with me. Although both set off alarms in my head, it was more important to make sure Samuel wasn’t coming back anytime soon.

And the only way to know whether this was true was to continue to cast protection spells on our coven, our relatives, and our loved ones. The Cleri also performed location spells to see if there was any of Samuel’s residual energy left in this world, as well as incantations intended to keep our eyes open to the truth in all situations. True, we’d been doing this periodically since we’d come home from the cabin, but this wasn’t a one-and-done deal. I’d probably always be looking over my shoulder for the next big bad. Whether it was a not-so-dead Samuel Parris, the Parrishables, or someone—or something—we hadn’t even conceived of yet. We’d have to just wait and see.

At midnight, Abby and I quietly left our room and scooted down the hallway to the back stairwell, taking care not to make any noise as we locked things up behind us. When we got down to the ground floor, there were two doors to choose from: one that led into the cabin lobby, and the other that led outside. We enchanted the knob on the outside door to make sure it remained unlocked so we’d be able to get back in when we were done, and then performed a spell to shroud us in darkness as we ran across the grounds. We didn’t want anyone who just “happened” to be looking outside their windows to spot us and tell the elders.

When we were sure it was clear, we snuck out the door and rushed down the walkway, not stopping until we’d made it around the corner of the amphitheater. We’d decided that the boys’ outdoor class space would be the best option for a meeting spot, since it was completely blocked off from the view of the cabin, and was far enough away that we wouldn’t have to worry about anyone hearing us. Just to make sure, though, I cast a noise-bubble spell that would make it so our voices wouldn’t carry past where we were standing. The bubble was only about ten feet wide, but it would completely envelop our group of five.

“How can it be so cold at night when it’s so hot during the day?” Sascha complained as she appeared out of the darkness, followed by Jasmine and Fallon.

I tried not to stare as Fallon walked right over to Abby and sat down beside her. They started to chat quietly and the change in Abby’s attitude was obvious.

Is it possible she really likes him?

“You guys have any trouble getting away?” I asked the others.

“Nah. It was easy-peasy,” Jasmine said, plopping down in one of the dozens of empty seats around us. “It’s not like this place is Fort Knox or anything.”

“Still, getting caught isn’t an option,” I said. “And unfortunately, it’d be too much of a risk to do this indoors, with everyone around and all. So that leaves us out here in the woods.”

“We’re not in the woods. We’re in the amphitheater,” Sascha said and looked at her phone. “Can we hurry this up? I was sort of hoping to ‘accidentally’ run into Dane tonight.”

“In his room?” I asked. “Because that’s where Asher and the guys are.”

“I figured if I waited outside of it long enough, one of them would come out and invite me in,” she said, as if she had it all planned out. “Then, maybe we’d watch a movie—a romantic comedy or something—and he’d realize I was the witch of his dreams. . . .”

“Sounds like you’re the one who’s dreaming,” Fallon said under his breath. Sascha made a face at him and then went back to her fantasy.

“I wonder how I could get the other guys to leave for a few hours so we could be alone?” Sascha said thoughtfully. “Had, you think you could invite Asher over for a slumber party? Maybe Hudson can come, too? I’m sure Colette wouldn’t mind. . . .”

“Sascha, focus,” I said, trying to get us back on task. The last thing I had time for was planning a hookup party. “Look, it’s been a few weeks since we’ve run through these protection spells—the longest we’ve ever gone before. And even though we’ve all been distracted lately, myself included, it doesn’t mean we can let up on everything. We need to be prepared for anything.”

Sascha looked like she wasn’t ready to give up on a romantic rendezvous with Dane just yet, but was smart enough to stay quiet for now. The others just waited for me to continue.

“Good. Let’s get started,” I said, sitting down between Sascha and Jasmine, and leaving Abby and Fallon on their own across from us.

It took us a little more time than usual to cast the spells, proving that we were slightly out of practice. We’d had the sessions down to a science before, each knowing what we had to do and which order the spells were to be cast. But being down several people and with the threat of being caught by the counselors hanging over us, we were admittedly off our game. Still, we pushed forward.

We started with protection spells, using objects that belonged to each of us as the vessels in which the power of defense was stored. The spells were intended to give us a layer of protection, sort of like magical armor. It wouldn’t make us immune to evildoers, but it was better than nothing.

Each object was charmed individually as the five of us repeated the protection incantation in unison. My ring was up first. The red jewel glistened under the glow of the tiny ball of light that I’d created earlier. The magical flashlight wasn’t bright enough to alert anyone to the fact that we were out there, but it was enough to see what we were doing.

For about the hundredth time since I’d found it, I admired the craftsmanship of the ring that had once belonged to Bridget Bishop before it was passed down to her daughter, Christian. The heirloom had been hidden under the floorboards of our family’s summer home, where I eventually retrieved it after having one of my flashback dreams. It had been on my finger ever since, not just because it was probably worth a small fortune and vintage jewelry was making a comeback, but mostly because of the buzz I got from wearing it. There was something there, a sort of power that was worked into the metal that made me feel connected to the universe. It had become a sort of lucky charm of mine and I rarely went anywhere without it. In fact, I only took it off when we were casting these protection spells. Otherwise it was always on my finger.

Focused on the spell now, we said the chosen words and I watched the ring shine even brighter, proof that the spell was working.

Innocence and light, may you be guarded,

Wrap caring hand round those not yet departed.

Let no ill be cast against the wearer,

May danger return to that of the bearer.

If good meets evil and things look bleak,

Then protect pure of heart and leave

the other one weak.

I waited a few seconds after finishing the spell before picking the ring back up. It was still warm to the touch and felt at home as I slid it on my pointer finger. Then, we went on to perform the same spell on Jasmine’s black spider necklace, as well as on Sascha’s grandmother’s earrings, Fallon’s medallion, and Abby’s locket. Lastly, we finished up by charming Asher’s black leather cuff and the Claddagh ring that Jinx had worn since she was a kid.

Once each had been enchanted, we moved on to the location spell. To do this, we placed a small jar of the soil where Samuel had last stood before we’d vanquished him in the middle of our circle. While saying the designated words, I placed a snakeskin agate—a very powerful and unusual stone that helps to find lost things—on top of the jar. Slowly pulling my hand away from the gem, I watched it balance on its tip without falling.


The way the spell was supposed to work was that the stone would remain in place if the person who’d crossed the soil no longer walked the ground. If he was in fact in this universe—and not in heaven or hell or whatever happens to people after they die—the stone would fall in the direction that the offender stood. For months, the gem had stayed still as soon as I’d let it go. But even so, I found that I always held my breath for a bit until I knew it wasn’t going to move.

Luckily, this time wasn’t any different and I let out a sigh of relief when the bluish-yellow rock remained vertical. I began to get up, pulling my hair behind my shoulders and brushing off my pants.

“Okay, well, guess that’s it. In the future, we should make sure to—” I began.

“Whoa! What’s that?” Jasmine asked, interrupting me.

“What?” My attention drifted back to where she was now staring, wide-eyed. Then, I sat back down with a thud.

“Is the stone . . . moving?” Sascha asked no one in particular.

It was.

At least I thought it was. The stone that had been motionless on top of the jar just a few seconds before now appeared to be vibrating. It wasn’t a lot of movement, but there was something going on.

But then it just stopped.

If Jasmine hadn’t been looking at it, we probably would’ve missed it altogether. My heart was racing now, as I told myself that we didn’t need to worry since it hadn’t actually fallen over.

“That was weird,” I said, though it was the understatement of the century. “I’m sure it was nothing, though. Maybe a glitch because the others aren’t here?”

“You sure?” Fallon asked, looking over at Abby with a worried expression on his face.

I thought about it for a few seconds and answered the only way I could.

“I hope so.”