“Matilda?” said Katrina. “Shall we find somewhere to sit so we can eat this pile of food your mom bought for us?”
Matilda turned to her friends, trying to bury what she knew was an irrational fear. Oliver had disappeared after she’d threatened him with her ancestors’ wrath. After he’d gone, she’d checked his social-media accounts and found they hadn’t been updated, like they’d frozen in time, and Gravewick Academy was blazing with gossip about how he’d suddenly cleared out his bedroom and disappeared. She was satisfied that he was far away from those she loved, but every now and then at night she’d jolt upright, like someone had shaken her awake. Whether she liked it or not, she would remain connected to Oliver for as long as she needed to be, as her bloodline watched and waited in case he emerged from the gloom of his dark soul.
Matilda knew that her fear came from growing close to people and having them in her world, but it also meant that she was ready to protect them if she needed to. She looked at her friends, full of excitement and possibility, then smiled as she noticed something curling by their feet at the bottom of the barrels.
“Yeah, sure,” she said, turning to watch her family walk beneath one of the festival’s cloaked scarecrow figures holding a sign, an ivy vine lined with green star-shaped leaves curling around the post as they passed. “Let’s go.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A spell needs the right ingredients to make it successful, otherwise things can go awry. The same is true for writing a book, though instead of basil or belladonna, a book needs the right people.
Kirk Seymour. Thank you for your unwavering belief in me and for encouraging me to be my own Annie Wilkes (minus the hobbling, obviously). I couldn’t have gotten to this point without your support, especially since we had our beautiful children, and definitely not through lockdown. You told me five years ago that you knew I was going to get published, and it turns out you were right.
Mum, I know you’ll see these words somehow. Thank you for that time in the car when you pointed to the woods and told me that’s where the witches meet. You sparked something in my imagination that day, and I’ve never been able to shake it. Dad, obviously I need to thank you, too, for everything, but also because you were probably driving the car at the time.
Cynthia Murphy. Cynthia, Cynthia, Cynthia. Thank goodness the universe brought our dark souls together when it did. I couldn’t think of a better person to share this incredible writing journey with, plus the not so great other things we’ve had to endure along the way. You’ve been there for every single step, and I’m so thankful for your friendship. Thank you for your always spot-on feedback, for loving my twisted ideas, and for being my fellow weirdo.
Katherine Bowers, thank you for being the best bestie and the best SIL anyone could ask for. You’ve made so much time for me and for my writing, and I know how precious that time is. Your encouragement gave me the confidence I needed to pursue this dream, and your belief in me picked me up when I was down. I promise I’ll write a romance one day to give your nerves a break.
Sue Shead. Thank you for being my office cheerleader and encouraging me to never give up whenever I got a rejection in my in-box. We can finally see my name on the catalog now! Also, I’d just like to let you know I’m available for library events.
Rachel Diebel. How lucky am I to have you as an editor? You’ve held my hand as I’ve taken my first steps into the world of publishing, and you never made me feel like I was asking a silly question. I couldn’t have done this without your guidance and patience. Thank you for pushing me to make the ending better and for not letting me kill the horse. Also, thank you for the Buffy references in your notes; you truly know how to motivate me. Let us not have to change quotation marks ever again.
The team at Swoon Reads, who I know have worked hard to make this book a reality. Jean Feiwel, Lauren Scobell, Trisha Previte, Starr Baer, and Celeste Cass. Also, the incredibly talented Marcela Bolívar, who created the most perfect artwork for the book cover. It’s honestly like someone reached into the dark depths of my imagination and painted what was lurking there in the shadows. It’s a thing of beauty and I still can’t stop staring at it.
My friends and family, and everyone in the Swoon community who read and voted for this book. Writing can be a very solitary place, and seeing your comments made me feel like I wasn’t shouting into a void. I’m so lucky to have your support and enthusiasm, and I really can’t wait for you to read this book again.
Public libraries and library staff. Where do I even start? I have so many memories of being nestled in the outstretched arms of bookshelves, the reassuring smell of shared books and muted sounds of others learning, enjoying, and inquiring. My mum took me to our local library as often as I wanted and probably watched proudly as I fell head over heels for books and reading. That love for books led me to a career as a librarian, and then a passion for writing. Every book I’ve written has been researched using library books or cuttings from the local studies section, the materials I read planting seeds and inspiring different scenarios. From devouring Point Horrors to sobbing over the dog in I Am Legend, I would not be the person or the writer I am today without access to those, and hundreds more, books through what has to be the greatest service on the planet.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
GEORGIA BOWERS lives in Bedford, England. When she got to the age where she had to decide what to do with her life, she was obsessed with two things: books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It seemed sensible to follow in the brogued footsteps of Rupert Giles, so she became a librarian, though sadly not the demon-fighting kind (but there’s still time!). Ever since her mum told her that witches used to meet in the woods near their village, she has been obsessed with witchcraft and the paranormal. After completing a course in writing YA fiction, she was a winner in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Undiscovered Voices. Since then, she has dabbled with stories of chosen ones and ghostly best friends until she conjured up the magical ingredients for her debut novel, Mark of the Wicked. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2021 by Georgia Bowers
A Swoon Reads Book
An imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271
fiercereads.com
All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bowers, Georgia, author.
Title: Mark of the wicked / Georgia Bowers.
Description: First edition. | New York : Swoon Reads, 2021. | Audience: Ages 13–18. | Audience: Grades 10–12. | Summary: When sixteen-year-old witch Matilda grows closer to Oliver bizarre things begin to happen in their town, but as she faces blame for these strange occurences, Matilda sets out to discover the true culprit before anyone else turns up dead.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020038387 | ISBN 9781250773890 (hardcover)
Subjects: CYAC: Witches—Fiction. | Magic—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.B686 Mar 2021 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020038387
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First hardcover edition 2021
eBook edition 2021
eISBN 9781250773906
Mark of the Wicked Page 29