The Witch is Back

Epilogue




In a blink, we were back at the beginning of the Brighton Challenge, amidst a now frantic crowd of counselors and stunned campers. Brooklyn was busy trying to explain to everyone what had happened in the caves, which wasn’t very easy considering the other girls couldn’t recall a thing after starting the competition. There was just a huge chunk of time missing and they each had roaring headaches, like they’d been magically roofied. The counselors had impatiently listened to Brooklyn give her version of the story, but as soon as she’d mentioned the Witch in the Woods, they’d pretty much shut down.

An evil witch they’d believe. But a ghost witch? Yeah, that was out of the question. Maybe the adults had never experienced a visit from an ancestor before or possibly they just didn’t want to believe that ghosts could exist too. Whatever their reason, our counselors dismissed our explanation.

Beyond that, they were also having a tough time believing that it was Eve who’d created most of the chaos. They’d never suspected a twitch was actually behind the girls’ going missing from the counselors’ radar. They’d just assumed it was a glitch. Eventually they’d noticed that those who’d been disqualified weren’t making it back to camp, and knew something was wrong.

So, they’d gone looking for us, but we were nowhere to be found. Even the boys’ side had gotten involved in the search, but all it accomplished was getting both Asher and Fallon so worked up over our disappearances that the male counselors then had to focus on keeping them from starting a riot.

By the time Colette and I finally did show back up at the cabin, Asher practically tackled me. He was so happy to see me that he smashed my face into his chest and held me there until I forced him to let go.

“I don’t ever want to be away from you again,” he said.

It was what I’d wanted to hear from him all summer, but it wasn’t enough. Not anymore. After nearly getting killed, calling a truce with the girl I’d thought was my sworn enemy, and facing a tragically angry ghost-girl, my patience was gone. No more tiptoeing around the subject of us. I was too tired to worry about how I sounded. It was time to be a hundred percent real with the love of my life. And if he couldn’t handle it, then tough.

“I’m all yours, but you’re going to have to start being honest . . . beginning with what you’ve been doing every night,” I said. “And speaking of . . . I need to be a priority in your life again. I’m glad you have friends, but I miss my boyfriend.”

Asher looked at me totally confused. “I told you, I’ve just been hanging out with the guys. . . .”

“Doing what?” I responded, feeling like we were heading into yet another fight.

Asher looked like he was trying to work something out in his head and finally he sighed and gave in. “Fine. There is something I haven’t told you,” he said, looking down at the ground.

“Just say it, Asher,” I said, my stomach tightening.

He was nervous, I could tell. “The guys and I sneak out at night to . . .”

Here it comes

“. . . we play Witches and Warlocks, okay?”

I blinked at him, completely stunned.

“That Dungeons and Dragons for witches game?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“It’s not nerdy like D&D. It’s sort of more like a fantasy football game, but for witches. There’s casting and role-play and I just made Witch-Master, and completely destroyed Hudson’s coven and . . .”

“Please stop,” I said, closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose like I was fighting off a headache. This was what I’d been stressing over? “How did I not know that my boyfriend is secretly a . . . big-ass nerd?!”

Asher’s face went from concerned to annoyed to playful in about five seconds.

“Yep. That’s me. I’m a closet nerd and you’re stuck with me,” he said, leaning forward and kissing me deeply on the lips.

“Well, at least now I won’t have to worry about you attracting other girls,” I said, walking away. “What with the possibility of your secret getting out and all.”

His eyes got real big. “You wouldn’t dare!” he yelled, running after me.

“After the day I’ve had, I think I’m capable of just about anything,” I said, looking back and giving him a wink.



By the time I’d answered all of the elders’ questions, eaten dinner, and returned to the cabin, it was well after midnight. I was exhausted and felt like I could collapse at any minute. All I wanted to do was sleep off this whole day.

But when I stepped inside my room, Abby was there. Sitting on the back of the couch, staring in the direction of the door like she’d been waiting for me. She didn’t even wait for the door to close before she started to talk.

“Hadley?” she asked, her voice soft.

“Hey, Ab,” I said, walking over to my bed and sitting down gracelessly.

“Can I talk to you?” she asked, joining me on my side of the room, but sitting down more carefully.

I raised an eyebrow at her curiously before saying, “Sure. What’s up?”

I bent down and untied my shoes, using one foot to kick off the other, until both were free to move around. I let out a contented sigh and sat back up to look at my boyfriend’s sister. I didn’t know what this was about, but I hoped it was quick. I was going to pass out any minute now.


“Um, well, I just wanted to say, you know . . . I’m sorry. For everything before with the . . . hating you and all,” she said.

I could tell this was hard for her. Not only because she wasn’t a big talker, but because she’d once again been used as a pawn in someone else’s game. It had to be frustrating.

“It’s okay, Abby,” I said, before she could continue. “I get it. You were under Eve’s spell. There’s nothing you could’ve done to fight it.”

Abby looked down at her lap. “Well, thanks for that,” she said, “but I also haven’t been exactly welcoming to you. The last time a girl dated my brother, she broke his heart. And in a way, mine, too. I didn’t want that to happen again, so I guess I didn’t allow myself to get close.”

I nodded because I totally understood. She was just looking out for the people she loved. I would’ve done the same thing. And I respected her for that.

“But I’m going to start trying,” she said, raising her eyes to mine. “I won’t be braiding your hair anytime soon, but I’m gonna try.”

“That means a lot, Abby,” I said. “Because the truth is: I really love your brother. And I think we could be friends if you just let us.”

“I think so, too,” she said. Then, taking a big breath, she got up from my bed and started to walk back over to hers.

“Abby?” I asked, causing her to look back at me. “In the interest of our new budding friendship, I think there’s something I have to tell you.”

“What’s wrong?”

I hated telling her this, but she deserved to know what was happening.

“Well, when I was down there with Eve, she said something that could be really bad if she was telling the truth,” I said, slowly. “She said we didn’t actually kill Samuel that night.”

It was almost as if Abby had been waiting for this news for months and she just stood there waiting for the rest.

“And she said that he was coming back,” I finished.

Abby grew pale and stiffened as I said this last part. She never had told any of us what had happened when the reverend took her, but it would be naive to think it wasn’t horrible. This was probably the worst news I could have given her.

Way to ruin a beautiful moment, Hadley.

“What are we going to do?” Abby asked, almost in a whisper.

“Same thing we always do,” I answered. “If he comes back, we plan, we train, we fight.”

Colette bounced into the room then, walking past both of us and collapsing onto her bed. “Why’s the vibe so wonky in here? I thought Eve’s spell had worn off by now.”

“It’s nothing. Just a long day, that’s all,” I answered, giving Abby a look that said not to repeat the news about Samuel. Then, I turned to our other roommate. “Why are you so happy?”

“Hudson just asked me out,” she said, squealing happily.

“Wait. Asher’s roommate, Hudson?” I asked, in disbelief. “Isn’t he a jock or something?”

“Yep. A jock who digs smart girls,” Colette said, pushing her glasses up on her nose with a flourish. “We’re going to hang out tomorrow night. Now what should I wear . . . Oooh, there was this supercute jumper thing that Aunt Betsey had in one of her shows once that could be superiffic!”

My head was spinning with how quickly she was moving around the room. “One of her shows?” I asked. “Colette, who is this aunt of yours, anyway?”

Colette stopped moving and found her phone. Flipping through a few pictures, she finally came to the one she was looking for and passed it to me.

“Your aunt is Betsey Johnson?!” I exclaimed, flipping through dozens of pictures of Colette with the famous fashion icon. It all made sense now. The incredible outfits. Colette’s wacky personality. Her insistence on being an individual.

“Yeah,” Colette said, plainly. “Who did you think she was?”

“Betsey-freaking-Johnson,” I muttered to myself as I shook my head in disbelief. “Incredible.”

Colette continued to flutter around the room, picking out tops and pairing them with skirts and then throwing them in a pile and moving on to the next outfit. I turned back to Abby who just shrugged in response.

“I think we need to tell the others,” Abby said, going back to the conversation we’d been having when Colette had walked in.

I nodded. “But not tonight,” I said, yawning and falling back on my mattress. Immediately, I felt it lifting into the air. “Let’s give everyone one last night of uninterrupted, nightmareless sleep. It may be the last one we have for a while.”

And then I was out before the bed had even stopped moving.