The Witch Is Back (20 page)

“Well, there
is
one other possibility,” Jasmine said. “But it's a long shot.” She looked over at me and raised her eyebrow questioningly.

“What?” Asher asked.

When I didn't answer, he asked me again. With a quick glance over at Jinx, I silently prayed that Jasmine would just let it go for now. But then Jinx must have realized she was out of the loop, too.

“What aren't you telling us?” she asked, sounding both scared and angry at the same time.

Dane, Hudson, and Colette watched our exchange like it was a tennis match. Finally, Colette stood up from her chair and motioned to the guys. “I guess that's our cue to leave,” she said.

“It's not like that,” I said to Colette, reaching out to her apologetically.

In fact, if she and the boys stuck around, then I definitely wouldn't have to talk about our meeting the night before. And that was fine with me. I wasn't exactly looking forward to having this conversation. But the bottom line was that we'd been burned by people in the past—and had the scars to prove it. It still pained me every time I thought about how Emory had nearly destroyed the Cleri from the inside out. As much as I wanted to believe that our new friends were allies, I just couldn't yet. And if Samuel or the Parrishables were back, we didn't need them knowing we were privy to the fact. The less they knew, the better.

“Seriously, Hadley, it's okay,” Colette said. “I have some stuff that I have to take care of anyway. I'm sure these guys do, too. We'll just see you in class.” Dane and Hudson didn't argue with her. They just picked up their trays and followed her out the dining hall.

“Subtle,” Jasmine said to me, sarcastically.

“You're the one who brought it up,” I said.

“Excuse me for stating the obvious,” she answered back. “We can't just ignore what happened.”

“What are you guys talking about?!” Asher asked.

Taking a deep breath, I looked around the room to make sure no one was listening in on our conversation. After all, the message had said, “I'm watching.” Luckily, most of the camp was gathered at the amphitheater.

“Last night, when we did the location spell on Samuel, the response was . . . unclear,” I said, choosing my words carefully.

Jinx's face changed from fear to absolute terror. I'd never actually seen the color drain from someone's skin before, and the effect was haunting.

“What do you mean, ‘unclear'?” Asher asked.

“I mean, we did the spell and instead of staying still like it always has in the past, the gem moved.”

“It fell over?” Asher asked, eyes growing wide.

“Samuel Parris is back,” Jinx whispered, staring blankly at the wall.

“It
didn't
fall over,” I said quickly. “More like it . . . wobbled.”

“What does that mean?” Asher asked me.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” I said. “All I know is that if the gem falls, that means he's back. It didn't fall, so . . .”

“But it didn't stay still,” Jinx said.

“No, but . . .”

“Should we ask one of the elders about it?” Sascha asked. “What about your dad, Had? I bet he'd know.”

“He doesn't even know we're
doing
any of this,” I said. “And I have a feeling he wouldn't be all that happy to learn we've been messing with anything Samuel-related. I think he's like the rest of the witch world, in that he really thinks Samuel is gone for good.”

“Then shouldn't we do the same?” Sascha asked, growing exasperated.

“Do you feel that way, though?” I asked. “Deep down, do you
really
think he's gone for good? That the Parrishables will never come after us again?”

Everyone remained silent for a beat. I'd proven my point.

“The gem didn't stay still like it was supposed to,” Jasmine said quietly, but forcefully.

“It could've just been an error in the spell,” Sascha said, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than us.

“So we're back to the original question. Was this the work of another camper or the Parrishables?” Jasmine posed to all of us.

I was tempted to blame Brooklyn for what had been going on around here rather than Samuel. But was I letting my emotions cloud my thinking? Or was I just following my gut, which at the moment was telling me that Brooklyn was out to destroy me and the others?

“I don't know,” I said finally. “I guess I don't want to count anything out yet.”

Jinx slowly stood from her chair, and without saying anything, began to walk away from the table. We all looked after her, surprised. I looked over at Asher and then rose, too.

“I've got this, guys,” I said, racing after Jinx. She was hurrying away now, picking up speed with every step. I caught up with her just outside the dining hall and linked my arm with hers. She jumped when I touched her, but then relaxed slightly when she saw that it was me.

“Whoa, slow down, Jinxy,” I said, like I was talking to a jittery horse. “What's going on?”

She wouldn't slow down and the shoes I was wearing weren't made for running. So, I pulled on her arm lightly, forcing her to stop and face me.

Tears streaked down her cheeks. Her eyes were wild, pupils so dilated that I could barely see any white area. But it was a different kind of blackness than the one that usually signified an evil witch. This was what happened when a person was in full-on panic mode. Jinx was trying to decide between fight and flight. And from the way her head was darting around, it was easy to see which she was planning to do.

“Calm down, Jinx,” I said, worried. “Take a few deep breaths. It's just you and me. Right now, everything's okay. I promise. Just breathe.”

I pulled her down to the ground beside me, so we were facing each other and holding hands. I put all my energy into making her believe that what I was saying was true. It was times like these that my powers of influence really came in handy.

“Breathe, Jinx. In and out. We're okay.
You're
okay. Breathe. Nothing is going to hurt you.”

Her eyes slipped closed and her breathing slowed until she was nearly calm. When I felt like she was over the fit, I spoke to her while still using my influence so that I could keep her below panic level.

“What's going on, Jinx?” I asked. “You haven't seemed like yourself lately and I'm getting really worried.”

Another tear fell down her cheek. I reached forward and wiped it away gently.

“I'm worried, too,” Jinx said, quietly.

“About what?” I asked.

“The Parrishables coming back,” she said.

“But the spell weirdness was probably just a fluke,” I said.

“This isn't just about last night, although it sure doesn't help,” Jinx said. “Hadley, I've been terrified
every single day
since I woke up in that hospital. Samuel didn't just hurt me that day when his thug gutted me. It's like he took a part of me. I'm scared of
everything
. Going outside, being alone, casting spells, hanging out in big groups . . . I feel like a prisoner in my own life. It's like I could die any minute and I'm just waiting for it to happen. I can't sleep, I'm nauseous, and nothing matters anymore. My life's a mess, Hadley. And everyone else seems to be fine. The only person who even remotely understands is Abby, and even
she's
handling things better than I am.”

Jinx looked down at her hands, helplessly. My heart broke for her. I'd had no idea that things were this bad. That she'd held all of this in for so many months.

“Why didn't you say anything?” I asked. “You know you can talk to any of us. We could help you.”

“How?” she asked, quietly. “Besides, I wasn't even there during the big fight . . . I don't deserve your help.”

“Just because you weren't there the whole time, doesn't mean it didn't affect you,” I said. “Everyone deals with things in their own way. And what happened to you was a
big
deal. You should probably talk to someone about what happened. And that's okay.

“In the meantime, I think there's something I can do to help,” I said, the wheels in my head spinning. “Meet me after our last class and we'll get started.”

Jinx nodded and began to stand up. She gave me a small smile, one that I thought might've even been real.

“I promise, it'll get better,” I said. “I'll make sure of it.”

The day's classes were cancelled due to the incident that teachers were now calling “a misguided and unfortunate attempt at a prank.” We were instructed to use our free time to start researching our witch history projects, but most of us looked at it as a day off. Counselors also told us we were to make ourselves available to help find whoever had messed with the amphitheater. Apparently the adults were more than annoyed by whoever had rearranged the seating area and planned to punish the culprits if caught.

After my talk with Jinx, though, I decided to use the time to work a little magic of my own.

It was clear that Jinx was beyond stressed and needed a little help coping with the aftermath of our run-in with the Parrishables. And if there was something I could do to ease her mind, I would do it. My influence over her mood earlier had been effective in calming her down, but it wasn't possible for me to be around her 24/7 to make sure it lasted.

I had to find a more permanent solution. At least, until Jinx could move on and heal.

Giving the situation some thought, it finally dawned on me what to do. And once again, my mom was going to come to my rescue. Well, her wisdom was, anyway. Back when she'd been alive, Mom had owned a shop called Scents and Sensibility, where she'd created custom perfumes for clients. Each concoction focused on the person's individual needs. Mom would infuse perfumes with herbs, roots, and other elements that would bring out certain qualities in the wearer. Then she'd seal the mixture with a spell—a fact that the customers weren't privy to. All they knew was, whenever they wore it, they felt good. And they smelled great, too.

I'd learned a lot about potion-making while working at the store after school, but my mom was a master at mixing. Watching her zoom around, picking out ingredients that would be perfect for each person who came in, was like watching an artist at work.

By the time I was a teenager, I recognized each of the ingredients my mom used and the powers they invoked. Every once in a while, Mom would give me refill orders to work on. That way, I'd learn how to infuse while still keeping her customers safe. She'd just begun to let me create perfumes on my own before Samuel Parris had killed her.

That had been the last time I'd meddled with potions.

Until now.

Now I wanted to create something for Jinx. Something to take the edge off until we found a more permanent solution for her nerves.

I changed into some woods-appropriate clothes—a long-sleeve, sheer white shirt, which hung off one shoulder and covered a bandeau bathing-suit top, paired with acid-wash shorts that made my legs look extra long. Completing the look with midcalf brown slouchy boots, I took off on my new mission.

Placing headphone buds into my ears, I pressed the button on my digital music player and let my favorite tunes fill my head. The woods were too quiet for me to think. I know it sounded weird, but I'd always studied better with music on. So, as I left the safety of our cabin, I turned the volume up on Taylor Swift's latest album and began to hike.

I walked deep into the woods, looking for the ingredients I needed. It would take a lot of concentration to try to identify each of the items I'd need to make Jinx's potion. True, I'd been around the elements my whole life, but I was out of practice. And I was used to looking at plants and gems while they were organized in my mom's store, not growing out in the wild.

If I was even the least bit distracted, I would miss something. And I didn't want to do that to Jinx.

Sun streamed in through the tops of the trees and cast lines of light in the air like rays through blinds. Everything around me was green and lush. Plants were growing everywhere, making it look as if I'd wandered into a wonderland of sorts.

It was calming to be surrounded by so much beauty and I felt myself begin to relax as I studied the plants and herbs along the way. I had my list of items needed for Jinx's perfume, but depending on what was growing in the area, I understood that I might have to improvise and switch a few things up.

My mom taught me a long time ago that every living thing found in nature has a purpose and power assigned to it. Flowers, roots, and even gems and rocks can be used to help invoke a feeling or reaction within the human body or psyche. Most people were completely unaware of the kind of resources they had growing in their own backyards. If they understood, then they'd be able to save themselves dozens of unnecessary trips to the doctors.

Luckily, I knew the kind of power these woods held.

I saw the single delight first. A single flower protruded from a stemful of dark green leaves, thus the reason for its name. It was white and dipped forward as if it were looking down toward the ground. I plucked the flower and slid it carefully into a canvas bag I'd brought, and silently thanked Mother Nature for the gift it was giving to my friend.

The single delight helped to get rid of feelings of isolation and allowed for a better connection with those we're spiritually linked to. Perfect for Jinx.

Next, I searched for the osha. This herb also grew in rich, moist soil and was a part of the same family as parsley and dill, so it had a sweet and strong celery-like fragrance. The root was often called “bear medicine,” because animals would use it to clean out their systems. And bears were notorious for intuitively using herbs for their own healing processes. Native Americans believed the osha root to have healing powers and often burned it as incense to ward off illness, as well as negative influences and thoughts. I snagged a few of the plants at the roots, so I could use all parts of the flower.