The Witch Is Back (18 page)

“Sascha, focus,” I said, trying to get us back on task. The last thing I had time for was planning a hookup party. “Look, it's been a few weeks since we've run through these protection spells—the longest we've ever gone before. And even though we've all been distracted lately, myself included, it doesn't mean we can let up on everything. We need to be prepared for
anything
.”

Sascha looked like she wasn't ready to give up on a romantic rendezvous with Dane just yet, but was smart enough to stay quiet for now. The others just waited for me to continue.

“Good. Let's get started,” I said, sitting down between Sascha and Jasmine, and leaving Abby and Fallon on their own across from us.

It took us a little more time than usual to cast the spells, proving that we were slightly out of practice. We'd had the sessions down to a science before, each knowing what we had to do and which order the spells were to be cast. But being down several people and with the threat of being caught by the counselors hanging over us, we were admittedly off our game. Still, we pushed forward.

We started with protection spells, using objects that belonged to each of us as the vessels in which the power of defense was stored. The spells were intended to give us a layer of protection, sort of like magical armor. It wouldn't make us immune to evildoers, but it was better than nothing.

Each object was charmed individually as the five of us repeated the protection incantation in unison. My ring was up first. The red jewel glistened under the glow of the tiny ball of light that I'd created earlier. The magical flashlight wasn't bright enough to alert anyone to the fact that we were out there, but it was enough to see what we were doing.

For about the hundredth time since I'd found it, I admired the craftsmanship of the ring that had once belonged to Bridget Bishop before it was passed down to her daughter, Christian. The heirloom had been hidden under the floorboards of our family's summer home, where I eventually retrieved it after having one of my flashback dreams. It had been on my finger ever since, not just because it was probably worth a small fortune and vintage jewelry was making a comeback, but mostly because of the buzz I got from wearing it. There was something there, a sort of power that was worked into the metal that made me feel connected to the universe. It had become a sort of lucky charm of mine and I rarely went anywhere without it. In fact, I only took it off when we were casting these protection spells. Otherwise it was always on my finger.

Focused on the spell now, we said the chosen words and I watched the ring shine even brighter, proof that the spell was working.

Innocence and light, may you be guarded,

Wrap caring hand round those not yet departed.

Let no ill be cast against the wearer,

May danger return to that of the bearer.

If good meets evil and things look bleak,

Then protect pure of heart and leave

the other one weak.

I waited a few seconds after finishing the spell before picking the ring back up. It was still warm to the touch and felt at home as I slid it on my pointer finger. Then, we went on to perform the same spell on Jasmine's black spider necklace, as well as on Sascha's grandmother's earrings, Fallon's medallion, and Abby's locket. Lastly, we finished up by charming Asher's black leather cuff and the Claddagh ring that Jinx had worn since she was a kid.

Once each had been enchanted, we moved on to the location spell. To do this, we placed a small jar of the soil where Samuel had last stood before we'd vanquished him in the middle of our circle. While saying the designated words, I placed a snakeskin agate—a very powerful and unusual stone that helps to find lost things—on top of the jar. Slowly pulling my hand away from the gem, I watched it balance on its tip without falling.

The way the spell was supposed to work was that the stone would remain in place if the person who'd crossed the soil no longer walked the ground. If he
was
in fact in this universe—and not in heaven or hell or whatever happens to people after they die—the stone would fall in the direction that the offender stood. For months, the gem had stayed still as soon as I'd let it go. But even so, I found that I always held my breath for a bit until I knew it wasn't going to move.

Luckily, this time wasn't any different and I let out a sigh of relief when the bluish-yellow rock remained vertical. I began to get up, pulling my hair behind my shoulders and brushing off my pants.

“Okay, well, guess that's it. In the future, we should make sure to—” I began.

“Whoa! What's that?” Jasmine asked, interrupting me.

“What?” My attention drifted back to where she was now staring, wide-eyed. Then, I sat back down with a thud.

“Is the stone . . .
moving
?” Sascha asked no one in particular.

It was.

At least I thought it was. The stone that had been motionless on top of the jar just a few seconds before now appeared to be vibrating. It wasn't a lot of movement, but there was something going on.

But then it just stopped.

If Jasmine hadn't been looking at it, we probably would've missed it altogether. My heart was racing now, as I told myself that we didn't need to worry since it hadn't actually fallen over.

“That was weird,” I said, though it was the understatement of the century. “I'm sure it was nothing, though. Maybe a glitch because the others aren't here?”

“You sure?” Fallon asked, looking over at Abby with a worried expression on his face.

I thought about it for a few seconds and answered the only way I could.

“I hope so.”

It was difficult getting up the next morning. Not only had we been up late casting the protection and location spells, but I'd also had a hard time falling asleep. I kept picturing the gemstone shaking and couldn't stop thinking about what it could mean.

But it hadn't fallen over.

That would be the
real
sign that Samuel was back.

After all, the movement could've been a response to just about anything. Distraction while casting. Not having the full thirteen of us in the circle. Interference from the dozens of other witches inhabiting the camp. There were a ton of excuses why the spell might've gone the way it had—yet the only thing I could focus on was the possibility that Samuel was still alive. And if that was the case, then we were all in major trouble.

“It's too early to be this hot,” Jasmine whined as we walked out the front door of the cabin, dressed in clothes we could cast in. “I don't know why you guys wouldn't just let me stay in bed this morning.”

The rest of us walked beside her, most of us dragging our feet the whole way. Only Jinx and Colette looked ready to tackle the day, which we knew wasn't a coincidence considering both had actually gotten sleep the night before. Sascha, Jasmine, Abby, and I, however, had no business being out among people. The dark circles around our eyes and the fact that we couldn't stop yawning were dead giveaways that we'd been up late.

“You're going to have to rally, Jazz,” I said, silently willing myself to do the same. “This isn't like missing a day of school. We can actually
use
the stuff we're learning here.”

“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.”