The Witch Is Back (19 page)

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.”

“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.”

“She's been practicing, Asher,” Abby spoke up in a rare attempt to contribute. “She's already reached
our
level . . . might've passed us, actually.”

“She's not as good as me, but she can cast,” I added. “And she's made it pretty clear that she doesn't appreciate some of us being here.”

“You think that message was for
you
?” Asher asked.

Of course
it was intended for me. Brooklyn wanted to let me know that she was watching me. That she'd been behind the bathroom thing and that she could do it again if she wanted. She was watching, waiting, and when she was ready, she'd attack.

“She wouldn't do this, Hadley,” Asher said. “You don't know her like I do.”

“Like you
did
,” I corrected. “You knew her over a year ago. People change, Asher. You did.”

“I've talked to her, Hadley. She wouldn't have done this,” he insisted.

My chest constricted when he mentioned this. He'd told me he was going to clear things up with her, but since he hadn't confirmed that he'd done it yet, I'd been able to tell myself that maybe it wouldn't actually happen. But now I
knew
it had. They'd been alone together, walking down memory lane, discussing a time in their lives when they'd been in love. The thought made me sick.

“Wait, Brooklyn is your
ex
?” Hudson asked, with a laugh. “Are you kidding me, bro? How did we not know this?”

“Because it's in the
past
,” Asher said, staring at me as he said it. It did nothing to make me feel better about the situation.

“We talking 'bout the blond babe?” Dane asked. As soon as the description was out of his mouth, Sascha frowned. She didn't want competition.

“Can we change the subject?” Asher warned.

“Well, if Brooklyn
didn't
do it—though I still think she's a viable suspect—then who else could it have been?” I asked. I wasn't ready to give up on my theory that Brooklyn was bad news, but I also didn't think right now was the time and place to air our dirty laundry.