The Witch Is Back

by Brittany Geragotelis

  “I feel so bad that I had to stay behind last night,” Jinx whispered to me as Colette walked up ahead of us.

  “You needed the sleep,” I said. “Speaking of: you look a little better today.”

  It was true. The redness had faded to a light pink and for the first time since we’d gotten to camp, she didn’t look like she was seconds away from passing out. She seemed happier, somehow. Even if she wasn’t smiling.

  I had chosen to withhold the information on Samuel and the stone, which had definitely been the right decision.

  “I feel like every time you need me, I’m not there,” she said, sounding guilty.

  “You know that’s not true, Jinxy,” I said.

  Without her having to say it, I knew that something was going on. Something was taking a toll on her. I’d been planning to log some alone time to ask her about it, but she’d already been asleep by the time we’d gotten back to our rooms the night before. That had probably been for the best though, since I’d been too shaken up to be helpful anyway.

  “Well, I promise I’ll be there next time,” Jinx vowed, looking me in the eye.

  I just nodded.

  We were about to enter the dining hall for breakfast when Fallon ran up to us from the direction of the amphitheaters. He was out of breath and seemed oddly excited.

  “You guys have to come see this,” he said, barely stopping before turning back around. “Something’s happened.”

  I’d been wrong. It wasn’t excitement I’d seen in his eyes; it was fear. My stomach lurched.

  “What?” It was all I could get out before we all started to jog toward the area where our classes were held. As we got closer, I could see that a group had started to form.

  We ran around the corner that led to the boys’ side and then skidded to a stop, causing several people to run into us in the process. There was a gasp somewhere behind me, and I felt a little light-headed as I tried to make sense of what we were seeing.

  “Where did it all go?” Sasha asked.

  In front of us, there was now a cleared-out space where the seats had been. Everything was gone, down to the bolts that had held the rows of chairs in place. Only cement steps remained. Hanging from the rafters above the stage was a ratty, old banner, with the words I’M WATCHING written in a dark red liquid.

  “Is that blood?” Jinx asked, her voice shaking. “Please tell me that’s not blood.”

  I was too busy gaping at what the message said to answer. It was eerily similar to the one that was left for me in the shower.

  “Where did the chairs go?” Jasmine asked. “I mean, it’s not like someone could just get up and walk away with them.”

  “Uh, guys?” Fallon said, causing all of us to look in his direction. When he pointed up into the air, our eyes followed his finger.

  “No way,” Colette said, adjusting her glasses before tilting her head back.

  Up on top of the curved roof of the amphitheater were the rows of missing chairs. Each one pointed in our direction below, as if an invisible crowd were watching us. The effect was beyond creepy.

  Miss Peggy walked along the roof, checking out the chairs and shaking them every few feet. Finally she stepped off the ledge, and with a few words, floated down until her feet touched the ground again safely. The move was very Mary Poppins, except for the fact that Miss Peggy’s accessories jangled the whole way, sounding a bit like Santa’s sleigh. At least it gave those below her a chance to move out of the way before she landed.

  Hurrying over to the other counselors, Miss Peggy began to confer with Mrs. Jeanette and Mrs. B. Her tone was hushed, but I was standing close enough that I could hear everything she was saying.

  “They’re bolted to the roof,” Miss Peggy said, shaking her head. “I tried to move them, but they won’t budge.”

  “I don’t understand how they got up there in the first place,” Mrs. Jeanette said, looking back up at the chairs. “Or more importantly, why?”

  “You really want to know why? Well, that’s the easy part,” Mrs. B answered, crossing her arms over her chest, smugly.

  “Do you know something we don’t?” Miss Peggy asked.

  “I have six kids and they pull stuff like this all the time. One time, the girls took all the furniture in our bedroom and charmed it to the ceiling, so we’d think we were actually upside down,” she said. “It took us nearly an entire day to put it back into place and even then, the dog was so confused that he wouldn’t come into our room anymore. A fact my husband actually appreciated, I might add.”

  “So, you’re saying this is just a prank?” Miss Peggy asked.

  “Seems like a lot of work just for a gag,” Mrs. Jeanette said, unconvinced. “And what about the sign? When I first saw it, I thought it was actually written in blood. How is that funny?”

  “Oh, Jeanette, didn’t you ever raise hell as a kid?” Mrs. B asked, lifting her eyebrows at the other woman mischievously.

  The buttoned-up counselor hesitated before letting out a small smile. It was the first expression I’d seen her give that didn’t scream “scientist.”

  “Well . . . once I rigged my father’s glass to keep refilling with water, so it would look like he hadn’t drunk anything. He just kept chugging it and it never went down,” Mrs. Jeanette said, a sparkle in her eyes. “It took him an hour to figure out I was behind it. My mom and I laughed for hours.”

  “Wait, so you tricked your dad into hydrating?” Mrs. B asked. “That was your prank? Making someone drink more water? I’ve got news for you, Jeanette, pranks have changed since you were a kid.”

  “I thought it was funny,” Mrs. Jeanette said, quieter than before.

  “Back to the matter at hand,” Miss Peggy said, blinking away the conversation. “We know that the message was left in paint, not blood, so that should be a load off our minds. If it was a prank, then what was the point?”

  “At the risk of being burned at the stake . . . could it have been the Witch in the Woods?” Mrs. B asked.

  My ears perked up as Mrs. B mentioned the urban legend. Until she’d said it, I hadn’t even considered it.

  “You aren’t actually suggesting that the Witch in the Woods is real,” a man asked as he walked up to the others. I recognized him as the grumpy counselor who’d refused my request for a double room. By the looks on the counselors’ faces, they weren’t fans of his either. “Please don’t tell me you’re that gullible.”

  Mrs. B placed her hands on her hips and gave the handlebar- mustached guy a look that would’ve been intimidating to anyone else. To someone as ego-driven as him, though, the gesture flew right past.

  “Of course I’m not saying that, David,” she said, sounding like she’d already lost her patience. “What I’m saying is that it might be possible that whoever did this wanted people to think it was the Witch in the Woods.”

  Miss Peggy nodded her head thoughtfully. “There’s a chance you’re right,” she said. “Every summer someone tries to resurrect the ghost of Moll Brenner. It’s a good story to tell around the campfire. And a way to place blame on someone else.”

  “We don’t have a campfire,” Counselor David said, sneering.

  “You know what she means,” Mrs. B answered.

  “But they’ve never done anything this big before,” Mrs. Jeanette said, waving her hand at the chaos around us.

  “Well, we do have some new heavy hitters at camp this year,” Counselor David said, turning to look in our direction. Luckily, I’d turned away before they could catch me eavesdropping. “Maybe it’s a juvenile attempt to mark their territory, prove that they’re superior? I say we look at them first.”

  I glanced around at the others to see if they were listening to the exchange too, but most were either talking to each other or still studying the rooftop seating. They had no idea that we were currently being implicated for something we hadn’t done.

  So much for being innocent until proven guilty.

  “This could’ve been done by anyone,
David,” Mrs. B said, defending us.

  “Well, not really,” Miss Peggy chimed in slowly. “You haven’t been up there, Rose. Those things are bolted down tight and each row has to weigh at least a thousand pounds. It would’ve taken a really strong witch—or several witches—to pull this off.”

  “Okay, but I still say we need to look at everyone,” she said.

  “And we should try to put the kibosh on the whole ‘Witch in the Woods’ thing before it gets out of control,” Mrs. Jeanette said. “Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” David said.

  “Agreed,” both Mrs. B and Miss Peggy answered.

  The four counselors dispersed then and walked in the direction of the stage to try to take down the banner, which was still dripping paint onto the floor below. Just as they were pulling it down, I felt someone come up behind me.

  “Whoa, dude, what happened here?” a voice I recognized as Hudson’s said. I turned to see Asher, Hudson, and Dane walk up to where the rest of us were already standing.

  “Bugger, that’s some epic shit!” Dane said, his accent making Sascha swoon. “Is this the type of warped activity you Yanks do for fun in the States?”

  Asher, who was now standing by my side, spoke up. “I don’t think this was done in good fun,” he said, frowning. “Anyone know what’s going on?”

  The others shook their heads, but Asher had his gaze set on me.

  “I might have an idea,” I said, causing the others to flash me surprised looks.

  “Well?” Jasmine asked when I didn’t respond right away.

  “Let’s go somewhere we can talk . . . freely,” I said, looking around at the crowd, which almost included the whole camp by this point.

  We began to retreat from the scene of the crime and walked toward the dining hall. Our casting sessions were supposed to begin in less than five minutes, but from the looks of it, things weren’t going to be starting on time. If at all. Might as well get something to eat and maybe a little caffeine fix in the meantime.

  Asher placed his hand in mine and we pulled up ahead of the others who were already chatting behind us.

  “Wasn’t that where you guys met last night?” he asked, keeping his voice low so no one else could hear.

  I nodded. “Yep.”

  “You guys didn’t do it, did you?”

  I gave him a look that told him he was being ridiculous. “You’re seriously asking me that?” He raised his hands up in surrender as a response. “Maybe if you’d been there with us, you wouldn’t have to ask.”

  And maybe he should’ve been looking at his ex instead of his current girlfriend. . . .

  “You’re right. I’m sorry, Had,” he said, leaning over and kissing me lightly on the cheek, a feat considering we were mid-stride. “But if there was anyone powerful enough to pull that off, it’d be you.”

  “Don’t try to butter me up, Asher,” I said, but I appreciated the compliment.

  “So, who’s really behind this?” he asked. “And should I be worried?”

  I took a deep breath and looked over at him. “I think we’re way past worried.”

  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.”