“Well, she performs well under pressure. She’s always been able to use it the moment you’re in mortal danger,” Nathalie said wryly.
Luke blushed. “I have that effect on her,” he said.
Nathalie could see that he was extremely pleased by that.
“I have that effect on Sadie Kellar, Nathalie. The Sadie Kellar. Who happens to be my girlfriend—” he emphasized.
“I get it!” Nathalie said, laughing. “Does she still have the demon token?”
“Yes. We’ve put it in a safe place. It looks as if all of Danner’s pennies disappeared with him.”
“Did she go home?”
“Yes, briefly. Her aunt was there, acting as if nothing happened.”
“So…”
Luke shrugged. “It’s her home. The Kellar legacy is over. Liora actually let me into the house for the first time ever. She just barked at me to take off my shoes.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that,” he said. He didn’t mention anything to Nathalie about Boris being Sadie’s father. Sadie had no plans to confront him, yet. She needed time to think through how much Willow, and Willow’s revenge, had manipulated her life, and all the Kellars, for centuries.
“Did you talk to Hannah?”
“No,” he said curtly, “and I don’t plan to. She showed her true self through all of this. I’m not sure I can be friends with her anymore. I still don’t get the letters, particularly the hate mail. Why get the town riled up? I’m surprised Willow didn’t want revenge on her for putting the spotlight on Sadie.”
“The fact is, with everyone watching Sadie, no one was watching Beth. She did everything she needed to do without anyone getting in her way—right under everyone’s nose.”
“I hope Beth got what she deserved,” Luke said. “She was one horrible witch.”
“She was sent back to wherever she came from, and at the time she was being hung as a witch. I don’t think she escaped that in the end.” Nathalie handed the journal she had printed and bound to Luke. “Look through it and let me know if I missed anything.”
“I will, Lore Keeper.”
“Thank you, Seer.”
They hugged each other and laughed.
THE BARRINGTON BUGLE – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Issac Heimler Fired From The Barrington Bugle!
By X. Agerate
Issac Heimler has been fired from The Barrington Bugle for “unprofessional conduct in the printing of the town newspaper.”
Apparently the town council reviewed The Bugle’s reporting over the summer and “[they] were shocked and appalled at the nonsense that was printed, especially the hate mail that was published in the ‘Letters to The Editor’ section.”
Heimler didn’t go quietly. He continued to yell his outrage and protest his innocence as he was escorted from The Bugle’s offices.
According to friends, Heimler has been offered a very lucrative position at The Inquisitor, and will be joining their editorial staff as Editor in Chief.
We wish Issac much luck in his future endeavors.
Epilogue
November
By the end of All Saints Day, all the strangers were gone. Sheriff Holt, his deputy, and many determined citizens rounded up the party stragglers sleeping under tables and bushes in Town Circle and sent them packing. The town was theirs again. Over the month many of the adults in town had to live down their behavior during the Harvest Festival. It was especially painful for parents with teenaged kids. The reproving looks and repeated questions as to where they were going were difficult to swallow, but like all things, the novelty of torturing their parents passed and things went back to normal. By mid-November Barrington’s schools reopened and kids went back to class. Both parents and offspring sighed in relief.
Liora disappeared in the middle of November. Sadie and Boris had no idea where she went, nor did they care.
Luke and Sadie were a bona fide couple again, and the teens accepted Sadie as one of their own. While they still had strange memories of Halloween night, they somehow knew Sadie had protected them all, even if they couldn’t quite put a finger on what she had protected them from.
Hannah Farmer was the only one who refused to accept Sadie, and looked at her with hate-filled eyes. She hissed the word “witch” at her and tried to turn the kids against her, but they weren’t interested in hurting Sadie anymore. Nathalie tried talking to Hannah, but she wouldn’t listen. She was too far gone in her world of anger, so in the end they had no choice but to ignore her.
Despite the loss of his childhood friend, Luke was happy. He was ecstatic to have Sadie on his arm again as his beloved girlfriend. Their fingers were always twined together and he kissed her every chance he could get. While not accustomed to (or comfortable with) public displays of affection, Sadie allowed it. She knew he had suffered as much as she had during their time apart and his need to touch and kiss her was a physical thing.
She felt the same. Sadie glowed with happiness and confidence beside Luke. She stared at him with open adoration and love in her eyes. Dean teased Luke about it, but Nathalie often reminded him that he lived by a doubled edged sword, and that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Dean just laughed.
Dean didn’t suffer any ill effects from his near death experience. In fact, Sadie’s healing pulse had made him practically invincible for months afterwards, as they discovered. His cuts healed instantly, he didn’t get sick, and his muscles didn’t hurt.
“Lucky,” Luke would mumble painfully the next day after a strenuous bout of basketball the night before.
Dean and Nathalie were just happy to be a normal couple again, and able to enjoy time alone together that wasn’t tinged with fear of attracting perverted magical beings. Her parents did eventually catch on that they were dating. Nathalie’s mom was thrilled. Nathalie’s dad was happy too. He liked Dean, but he did make frequent comments about the new shotgun he had ordered “for pests.”
Dean made inroads with Nathalie’s dad by allowing Mr. Parker to teach him how to use a barbeque.
“It’s all in the distribution of heat,” Mr. Parker would say zealously, staring at his Grill Master 4000 and rubbing his hands together.
“Sir, your meat is burning,” Dean would very often point out.
December
By December, Barrington County was covered in snow and the town celebrated with Christmas lights and extravagant decorations. On weekends, hot chocolate and nut roasting stations were set up in and around Town Circle for Barringtoners to enjoy. At first many adults rushed to the drink stations. Memories of the summer’s liquid treat danced like sugarplums in their heads…but after a few cups they realized it was really just hot chocolate.
Sadie and her father celebrated their first Christmas at Barrington manor. Boris thoroughly enjoyed himself. In the absence of his evil and controlling cousin (it turns out), for the first time in his life he finally felt free to enjoy the company of his daughter without the overwhelming obligation of fulfilling a hex passed down for generations. He enjoyed the festive atmosphere and the twinkling lights strung throughout the Barrington’s home. Their scotch was also outstanding and he often just sipped his drink and watched the family interactions from a large stuffed armchair by the Christmas tree.
The family was boisterous and loving, and Sadie soaked it all in. She and Luke often marveled at the Barrington/Kellar family mix.
The Kellars stayed with the Barringtons for four wonderful days. The nights were just as sweet as Sadie slipped from her guest bed and curled up with Luke, sighing with pleasure in the deep dark of night as the snow and the cold swirled outside.
Nathalie and Dean spent the holidays with them as well. Sadie and Nathalie adored each other. “We’re kindred spirits,” Nathalie declared.
They often reminisced about the events of the summer.
“I’m looking forward to a normal Harvest Festival this year,” Dean said.
The four were chatti
ng as they got ready to watch a movie in Luke’s sitting room. Luke was organizing snacks while Sadie put the movie in.
“Thankfully there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be normal,” Sadie muttered as she fooled around with the DVD player.
Nathalie often caressed the amulet Taline had left her. She missed Taline and Wayman.
Luke was handing out hot chocolate. “What would be the attraction at this point?”
“Exactly,” Nathalie agreed. “What could possibly happen? I’m not worried.”
The End
Acknowledgements
When you have great friends and family, no project you attempt is ever done alone. If my husband hadn’t entertained our children and managed our household so I could write, HEX would still only be an idea. Hampton, Nikos, Shanna—thank you for leaving me alone.
To my bridal party reading group—Liz (my twin), Carolyn, Dominique, and Linda—thank you for the reading, editing, your suggestions and overwhelming enthusiasm and praise that made my book so much better. I do realize that I still need to learn how to spell, use commas properly, and conjugate verbs (in English!). I think I fixed everything.
Lastly, to my brother Rob, who never stopped saying to me, “Stacy, you should write a book. You’re funny.” This book actually started as an act of desperation to shut him up.
Thank you. Love you all.
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 by Stacy Charasidis
First Edition – August 2012
ISBN
978-1-77097-360-2 (Hardcover)
978-1-77097-361-9 (Paperback)
978-1-77097-362-6 (eBook)
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information browsing, storage, or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, or events either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover and Map Design: Samuel Lampron
Published by:
FriesenPress
Suite 300 – 852 Fort Street
Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 1H8
www.friesenpress.com
Distributed to the trade by The Ingram Book Company
HEX Page 45