The Witch is Back

Chapter Eighteen




“So, this might actually be the Witch in the Woods, then?” Hudson asked, almost gleefully, as we set down our trays of food.


“The counselors said that it wasn’t the Witch in the Woods,” I corrected. “That most likely it was someone at camp. And I kind of agree with them.”

“They also said it would take a superpowerful witch in order to move those seats,” Fallon said. “Now, if it wasn’t that witch, then which witch was it?”

Nobody said anything at first, but one by one, everyone began to look over at me. I tried to ignore them at first, but even when I looked away, I could feel them staring.

“Why are we all staring at Hadley?” Dane asked, confused.

“Hadley was the one who got rid of Samuel Parris and the Parrishables,” Colette said, filling him in.

“It wasn’t just me,” I said, exasperated. “It was all of us. We defeated him together.”

“Dude, you didn’t tell me she was that Hadley,” Hudson said, punching Asher in the shoulder.

“No kidding?” Dane asked, looking at me with wonder.

“Your girlfriend is famous,” Hudson said, shaking his head.

“You’ve all heard of what happened with Samuel?” I asked, surprised.

“Just because I come from the land down under doesn’t mean I live under Uluru,” Dane said, leaning back in his chair lazily. “I wouldn’t be surprised if even the koalas in Oz knew about what you guys got up to.”

“I’m not totally sure what you just said, Dane, but we didn’t do this,” I said bluntly.

“Is that our official story?” Jasmine asked, her eye fixed on me.

“That’s the truth,” I said slowly, confused by what she was implying.

“It’s just that you were the last one to leave last night. . . .” Sascha said.

“I cleaned up like I told you I would and then went back to my room,” I said. “I was like, ten minutes behind you. Ask Abby.”

Abby looked up, surprised by the mention of her name. I watched as her and Fallon’s hands fell apart and fought the urge to call them out on it. We both knew she’d been caught red-handed.

“Uh, I went to sleep as soon as we got back,” Abby said. “Sorry, but I don’t remember you coming in.”

Way to have my back.

“You guys went out last night?” Colette asked, surprised. “I thought we all went to bed at the same time.”

Uh-oh.

“Sorry, Colette, but it was sort of a Cleri thing.” I said, not wanting her feelings to be hurt. I hated to exclude her, but it was the truth.

Colette gave me a weak smile and then looked around the table at the rest of the crew. She adjusted her glasses and then shrugged. “I understand,” she said, sounding disappointed. “But I hope you know that I wouldn’t mind. Being dragged into things, I mean. I get that what you guys went through was dangerous and all, but there are some things in this world that are worth the danger, you know? If I can be helpful to you and the rest of the Cleri in any way, I’m in. We may belong to different covens, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be there for each other.”

What she said made me love her even more. I leaned over and gave her a quick side hug.

“Hate to break up this lovefest, but we still don’t know who messed with the guys’ side of camp,” Jasmine said.

“Are we sure there’s even anything to be worried about?” Fallon asked.

“It was sort of a funny prank,” Sascha said with a giggle.

“Except for the message, ‘I’m watching.’ The paint was bloodred, Sascha,” Jinx said, visibly shaken. “I doubt that was a coincidence.”

“So what are we looking at here?” Asher asked, trying to keep us on task. “Possible suspects are this Witch in the Woods, who we’re not even sure exists. . . .”

“She does,” Colette said. “Or did.”

“Okay,” Asher said, looking at Colette briefly before turning his attention back to the group. “It could also be someone here at camp.”

“Someone that’s not me,” I added.

“So, who—besides Hadley—could’ve done this?” Asher asked, flashing me a supportive smile.

“Well, on the guys’ side, you’re looking at all the top contenders right here,” Hudson said, gesturing around the table. “Not to brag, but you, Dane, and I are the most powerful dudes at this camp.”

“Uh, hello? Forgetting someone?” Fallon asked.

“Ah, right. Of course. That included you too, mate,” said Dane. “No need to get your knickers in a knot.”

“Maybe your knickers are in a knot,” Fallon said under his breath. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Abby place her hand on his back and rub it comfortingly. Almost immediately, Fallon relaxed. I shook my head.

“And there’s no one else out of the guys who could’ve pulled off something like this?” I asked.

Asher shook his head. “It’s pretty clear that most of the guys here are more focused on chasing girls than learning magic.”

Sascha giggled and looked at Dane hopefully.

“How about the girls?” Asher asked me.

“Well, there’s us,” I said.

“Colette’s got some mad witch action going, too,” Jasmine said, giving her a rare compliment. “You should see what she can do with an exploding spell.”

“Thanks!” Colette said, perking up. This was possibly the nicest thing Jasmine had said to practically anyone and we all knew it.

“I tell it like it is,” Jasmine said, not acknowledging that she’d been kind in any way. “Case in point: Why do we even care about this whole amphitheater debacle?”

“Do I need to remind you what happened the last time we didn’t take a threat seriously?” I said.

“But is this really a threat?” Sascha said. “Someone’s watching, but they didn’t say they were watching us. Who says this is even something to worry about?”

“I’m not willing to take the chance that we’re wrong,” I said, thinking about my mom and the other parents who’d died at the hands of Samuel.

“So, is there anyone else who could have pulled this off?” Asher asked, after a brief pause.

The others didn’t answer. I’m not sure whether they were waiting for me to take the lead or if they honestly had no clue. Either way, I hated that I would be the one to have to say it.

“Brooklyn,” I said finally. I didn’t want to make eye contact with Asher, because I was afraid he’d see the contempt I had for her and then not take her seriously as a possible suspect. “Next to me and Colette, Brooklyn’s probably the most powerful girl here.”

It killed my ego to admit this, but they needed to know that Brooklyn had the potential to be a serious threat. Not just to me and my relationship, but to everyone at camp.

Asher shook his head. “It can’t be Brooklyn,” he said. “She could barely cast a year ago. No way she’s gotten that powerful in such a short amount of time.”

“She’s been practicing, Asher,” Abby spoke up in a rare attempt to contribute. “She’s already reached our level . . . might’ve passed us, actually.”

“She’s not as good as me, but she can cast,” I added. “And she’s made it pretty clear that she doesn’t appreciate some of us being here.”

“You think that message was for you?” Asher asked.

Of course it was intended for me. Brooklyn wanted to let me know that she was watching me. That she’d been behind the bathroom thing and that she could do it again if she wanted. She was watching, waiting, and when she was ready, she’d attack.


“She wouldn’t do this, Hadley,” Asher said. “You don’t know her like I do.”

“Like you did,” I corrected. “You knew her over a year ago. People change, Asher. You did.”

“I’ve talked to her, Hadley. She wouldn’t have done this,” he insisted.

My chest constricted when he mentioned this. He’d told me he was going to clear things up with her, but since he hadn’t confirmed that he’d done it yet, I’d been able to tell myself that maybe it wouldn’t actually happen. But now I knew it had. They’d been alone together, walking down memory lane, discussing a time in their lives when they’d been in love. The thought made me sick.

“Wait, Brooklyn is your ex?” Hudson asked, with a laugh. “Are you kidding me, bro? How did we not know this?”

“Because it’s in the past,” Asher said, staring at me as he said it. It did nothing to make me feel better about the situation.

“We talking ’bout the blond babe?” Dane asked. As soon as the description was out of his mouth, Sascha frowned. She didn’t want competition.

“Can we change the subject?” Asher warned.

“Well, if Brooklyn didn’t do it—though I still think she’s a viable suspect—then who else could it have been?” I asked. I wasn’t ready to give up on my theory that Brooklyn was bad news, but I also didn’t think right now was the time and place to air our dirty laundry.

“Well, there is one other possibility,” Jasmine said. “But it’s a long shot.” She looked over at me and raised her eyebrow questioningly.

“What?” Asher asked.

When I didn’t answer, he asked me again. With a quick glance over at Jinx, I silently prayed that Jasmine would just let it go for now. But then Jinx must have realized she was out of the loop, too.

“What aren’t you telling us?” she asked, sounding both scared and angry at the same time.

Dane, Hudson, and Colette watched our exchange like it was a tennis match. Finally, Colette stood up from her chair and motioned to the guys. “I guess that’s our cue to leave,” she said.

“It’s not like that,” I said to Colette, reaching out to her apologetically.

In fact, if she and the boys stuck around, then I definitely wouldn’t have to talk about our meeting the night before. And that was fine with me. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to having this conversation. But the bottom line was that we’d been burned by people in the past—and had the scars to prove it. It still pained me every time I thought about how Emory had nearly destroyed the Cleri from the inside out. As much as I wanted to believe that our new friends were allies, I just couldn’t yet. And if Samuel or the Parrishables were back, we didn’t need them knowing we were privy to the fact. The less they knew, the better.

“Seriously, Hadley, it’s okay,” Colette said. “I have some stuff that I have to take care of anyway. I’m sure these guys do, too. We’ll just see you in class.” Dane and Hudson didn’t argue with her. They just picked up their trays and followed her out the dining hall.

“Subtle,” Jasmine said to me, sarcastically.

“You’re the one who brought it up,” I said.

“Excuse me for stating the obvious,” she answered back. “We can’t just ignore what happened.”

“What are you guys talking about?!” Asher asked.

Taking a deep breath, I looked around the room to make sure no one was listening in on our conversation. After all, the message had said, “I’m watching.” Luckily, most of the camp was gathered at the amphitheater.

“Last night, when we did the location spell on Samuel, the response was . . . unclear,” I said, choosing my words carefully.

Jinx’s face changed from fear to absolute terror. I’d never actually seen the color drain from someone’s skin before, and the effect was haunting.

“What do you mean, ‘unclear’?” Asher asked.

“I mean, we did the spell and instead of staying still like it always has in the past, the gem moved.”

“It fell over?” Asher asked, eyes growing wide.

“Samuel Parris is back,” Jinx whispered, staring blankly at the wall.

“It didn’t fall over,” I said quickly. “More like it . . . wobbled.”

“What does that mean?” Asher asked me.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” I said. “All I know is that if the gem falls, that means he’s back. It didn’t fall, so . . .”

“But it didn’t stay still,” Jinx said.

“No, but . . .”

“Should we ask one of the elders about it?” Sascha asked. “What about your dad, Had? I bet he’d know.”

“He doesn’t even know we’re doing any of this,” I said. “And I have a feeling he wouldn’t be all that happy to learn we’ve been messing with anything Samuel-related. I think he’s like the rest of the witch world, in that he really thinks Samuel is gone for good.”

“Then shouldn’t we do the same?” Sascha asked, growing exasperated.

“Do you feel that way, though?” I asked. “Deep down, do you really think he’s gone for good? That the Parrishables will never come after us again?”

Everyone remained silent for a beat. I’d proven my point.

“The gem didn’t stay still like it was supposed to,” Jasmine said quietly, but forcefully.

“It could’ve just been an error in the spell,” Sascha said, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than us.

“So we’re back to the original question. Was this the work of another camper or the Parrishables?” Jasmine posed to all of us.

I was tempted to blame Brooklyn for what had been going on around here rather than Samuel. But was I letting my emotions cloud my thinking? Or was I just following my gut, which at the moment was telling me that Brooklyn was out to destroy me and the others?

“I don’t know,” I said finally. “I guess I don’t want to count anything out yet.”

Jinx slowly stood from her chair, and without saying anything, began to walk away from the table. We all looked after her, surprised. I looked over at Asher and then rose, too.

“I’ve got this, guys,” I said, racing after Jinx. She was hurrying away now, picking up speed with every step. I caught up with her just outside the dining hall and linked my arm with hers. She jumped when I touched her, but then relaxed slightly when she saw that it was me.

“Whoa, slow down, Jinxy,” I said, like I was talking to a jittery horse. “What’s going on?”

She wouldn’t slow down and the shoes I was wearing weren’t made for running. So, I pulled on her arm lightly, forcing her to stop and face me.

Tears streaked down her cheeks. Her eyes were wild, pupils so dilated that I could barely see any white area. But it was a different kind of blackness than the one that usually signified an evil witch. This was what happened when a person was in full-on panic mode. Jinx was trying to decide between fight and flight. And from the way her head was darting around, it was easy to see which she was planning to do.

“Calm down, Jinx,” I said, worried. “Take a few deep breaths. It’s just you and me. Right now, everything’s okay. I promise. Just breathe.”

I pulled her down to the ground beside me, so we were facing each other and holding hands. I put all my energy into making her believe that what I was saying was true. It was times like these that my powers of influence really came in handy.


“Breathe, Jinx. In and out. We’re okay. You’re okay. Breathe. Nothing is going to hurt you.”

Her eyes slipped closed and her breathing slowed until she was nearly calm. When I felt like she was over the fit, I spoke to her while still using my influence so that I could keep her below panic level.

“What’s going on, Jinx?” I asked. “You haven’t seemed like yourself lately and I’m getting really worried.”

Another tear fell down her cheek. I reached forward and wiped it away gently.

“I’m worried, too,” Jinx said, quietly.

“About what?” I asked.

“The Parrishables coming back,” she said.

“But the spell weirdness was probably just a fluke,” I said.

“This isn’t just about last night, although it sure doesn’t help,” Jinx said. “Hadley, I’ve been terrified every single day since I woke up in that hospital. Samuel didn’t just hurt me that day when his thug gutted me. It’s like he took a part of me. I’m scared of everything. Going outside, being alone, casting spells, hanging out in big groups . . . I feel like a prisoner in my own life. It’s like I could die any minute and I’m just waiting for it to happen. I can’t sleep, I’m nauseous, and nothing matters anymore. My life’s a mess, Hadley. And everyone else seems to be fine. The only person who even remotely understands is Abby, and even she’s handling things better than I am.”

Jinx looked down at her hands, helplessly. My heart broke for her. I’d had no idea that things were this bad. That she’d held all of this in for so many months.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked. “You know you can talk to any of us. We could help you.”

“How?” she asked, quietly. “Besides, I wasn’t even there during the big fight . . . I don’t deserve your help.”

“Just because you weren’t there the whole time, doesn’t mean it didn’t affect you,” I said. “Everyone deals with things in their own way. And what happened to you was a big deal. You should probably talk to someone about what happened. And that’s okay.

“In the meantime, I think there’s something I can do to help,” I said, the wheels in my head spinning. “Meet me after our last class and we’ll get started.”

Jinx nodded and began to stand up. She gave me a small smile, one that I thought might’ve even been real.

“I promise, it’ll get better,” I said. “I’ll make sure of it.”