“What were you?” I asked. “Where were you?”
“A cardinal,” she said. “Truth be told, I didn’t mind it. Cardinals are pretty birds, though I’m not much for heights. But it made it easier to look for her, and I was flying along just last week, and there she was, padding down the street. I think she was happy for us to be back together, and we both wanted to come home.”
“That’s nuts,” I said. “I mean, that doesn’t just happen. Dogs don’t just run away and come back several months later.” I stroked her ears. They were as velveteen as ever.
She sighed. “Sure they do,” she said. “Don’t tell me you started believing in magic and stopped believing in miracles.”
“No,” I said, “not at all.” I sat there for a minute, stroking her ears. “I have to break Mom’s curse,” I said. “I have to find that talisman she stole from Wanda. You don’t know where it is, do you?”
“I don’t,” she said, “but I’ve got a pretty good idea of where to start our search.”
“The backyard,” I said.
“Righty-o,” she answered. “And lucky for you, your grandmother happens to have four feet and be very good at digging.”
I smiled as I gave her one more pat and stood up. She was right. I was a very lucky girl.
First and foremost, always and forever, Krista Marino. You are like a book fairy who skips around, making stories sparkle by sprinkling gemstones of twists, turns, wisdom and insight every which way. Thank you for your humor, your expertise, and your understanding. I’m so glad we’re friends. Also, thank you for your Instagram—my mom really enjoys it (and so do I).
Kerry Sparks, I feel so fortunate to have an agent who kicks ass at her job and who is also a wonderful person. Words cannot express how happy I am to be one of your authors, as you have truly built a coven of talented, supportive writers. I don’t know if “Kerry’s Girls” is a thing, but if it isn’t, I’m starting it now and ordering us jackets. Thank you to everyone at Levine Greenberg Rostan as well.
Beverly Horowitz, fearless publisher, for leading us through 2020 and other disasters, and everyone at Delacorte Press. There’s no place else I’d rather be.
Regina Flath and Rik Lee—I still can’t get over the gorgeous cover illustrations and the fact that my books have pentagrams on them. Thank you for turning these books into objects of magic.
Copy editors Bara MacNeill and Colleen Fellingham—thank you for catching all the little things and for laughing at my jokes. I live for a copy-editor note that says “Funny!”
To Daria, Kourtney and Taylour, my trio of IRL babysitters.
To Amy and Joe, for being such cheerleaders and distributing the Coven to all the age-appropriate family members.
To Rosie, for being a good girl and protecting the house from the people who need to get into it for legit reasons.
To the House on Pearl Street, for providing sunshine, bougainvillea, bird of paradise, and a place to write by a window.
To Lawrence, for welcoming us with open arms.
To our new house, for giving us a home.
To Star, I miss you every day.
To Carolyn—if twenty-three years of best-friendship isn’t magic, then I don’t know what is.
To Molly, Zack, and Poppy—family over everything. Thank you for being our favorite person’s favorite people.
To Joe and Diane, for making me the person that I am today, and for being such awesome grandparents.
And to the Baby Penguin and the Daddy Penguin—it’s a very special thing to wake up to your two favorite people every day. Remember that time we drove halfway across the country in a pandemic with raw dog food and a bunch of children’s Dramamine? I never want to do it again, but I sure am happy we did it once. I love you both more than anything.
And lastly, to Esme, Janis, and Cassandra. The three of you have gotten me through some pretty tough times over the last few years, and I am so grateful that it was my head you decided to pop into. It has been a joy to spend so much time with you, and while this may very well be our last book together, I have no doubt that you three will continue to live on, in forms and ways I haven’t even imagined yet.
Heart emojis all around.
Kate Williams has written for Seventeen, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, Bustle, Vans, Calvin Klein, Urban Outfitters, and many other brands and magazines. She is the author of the Babysitters Coven trilogy: The Babysitters Coven, For Better or Cursed, and Spells Like Teen Spirit. Kate lives in Kansas. To learn more about Kate and her books, go to heykatewilliams.com or follow @heykatewilliams on TikTok and Instagram.
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Spells Like Teen Spirit Page 34