The Witch Is Back (21 page)

Then, there was the river beauty. This flower stayed true to its name and was as beautiful as it was powerful. The river beauty helped to aide in emotional recovery and encouraged those who were around it to start over after devastating experiences. It promoted cleansing and growth in people overwhelmed by grief, sadness or shock. Just right for what Jinx was going through.

Forget-me-nots were some of my favorite flowers, not just because of their magical properties, but because of their ability to brighten my day. The flowers were tiny and cute, usually bright blue, pink, or white with yellow centers, and grew in big patches. They were pretty common, which meant they'd been a go-to plant for my mom's old shop. This small but lively flower helped to release fear, guilt, and pain from a person's subconscious. And from my talk with Jinx, I knew that fear was practically holding her hostage.

I had to walk quite a ways into the forest to find foxglove and fireweed. Both plants thrived in areas of land that had been cleared or burned over. Almost as soon as I'd found the open space in the middle of the canopy of trees, I spied the two plants.

Fireweed is a willow herb that has purple flowers growing in abundance up the stalk of a single stem, and opens up to flattened flowers. It's widely used to heal shock and trauma by initiating cycles of renewal and revitalization.

Foxglove flowers are shaped sort of like long, slender bells. I used to get in so much trouble as a kid, because I'd walk around Mom's store with them covering my digits like fancy fingernails. The foxglove releases fear and emotional tension from the heart, and allows us to connect with the truth of a situation.

After leaving the clearing where I'd found the foxglove and the fireweed, I wandered back in the direction of the cabin, and before long, found a patch of carline thistle, a plant that looks slightly intimidating. Careful to grip the nonspiky section of the stem only, I snapped off a piece and added it to my bag. The carline thistle drew strength from those around the wearer, and was used for protection from harm.

I peered at the treasure trove of flowers, roots, and herbs I'd gathered and decided they were more than enough to create Jinx's perfume. If I performed the spell and made the potion correctly, then Jinx would be left with a concoction that would help to get rid of her fear, anxiety, and pain, hopefully allowing her to finally begin to heal. I smiled as I realized I was sort of following in my mom's footsteps, creating perfumes to help those in need.

Especially since Jinx was in her current predicament because of me. Because
I'd
been the target of some psycho evil witch and his crazy coven. I owed it to her to help her heal.

I looked at my cell phone and saw that I'd been gone now for over two hours. I'd missed lunch, but I wasn't terribly starved and I'd seen some berries growing along the path that I knew were safe to eat if I got hungry on my way back. Turning in the direction of camp, I started to head back, considering the afternoon a success.

I'd only made it a few strides, before my whole world was turned upside down. Literally. I felt something pull tightly around my ankles and then I was falling toward the ground face-first. Before I made impact, I was lifted up into the air, upside down, and then hung there like a trapped animal.

“What the hell!” I yelled out, looking down at the ground where my bag now lay, overturned in the flight. A few of the flowers had escaped and were scattered nearby.

Before I could take stock of what had just happened, I felt something slither its way down my leg and toward my face. My first thought was that it was a snake, which was horrifying in itself, but as I brought my chin to my chest, I could see it wasn't a reptile at all. What was coming toward me was brownish-green and plant-based.

And totally alive.

I started to cry out, but the vine wrapped around my neck and began to tighten. Almost as suddenly, I was being flipped right-side up again and pulled farther into the air. Frantically clawing at the vine around my neck, I tried to free myself from its dangerous grip. But I was only able to force my fingers underneath long enough to give myself a single breath, before it cut off my oxygen completely.

I was being hanged.

As many times as I'd experienced the feeling in my dreams of Bridget, nothing had prepared me for the real thing.

Knowing you're about to die is the worst part about dying. I felt it firsthand through my dreams of Bridget Bishop's murder. The fear of what's coming is both paralyzing and terrifying, and no matter how imminent it is, you still wish there was something you could do about it.

And of course, that desire for survival often makes things even worse. Because it forces you to fight, which often makes death come sooner.

All of this popped into my head as I tried desperately to free myself.

My breath came out in gurgles and I could feel my eyes begin to bug out of my head. The thought came that I should try to use a spell to get myself down, but I needed one of my hands to be free to do it, and if I let go now, I might pass out before I could even think the words.

All I could do was jerk around as I waited to pass out.

Just before I gave in and closed my eyes, I heard a few branches snap nearby.

“Looks like we've caught ourselves a bitch—I mean, a witch,” a voice said behind me nastily.

My eyes flew open as I continued to struggle against the vines that were attached to the tree.
Someone was here to help!
Hope flooded my body as I realized I might not die out here after all.

And then I saw who my saviors were.

Eve placed a hand on her hip and looked at me with disdain. Brooklyn stood stiffly next to her, a perma-frown on her face. I should have known they would be behind something like this.

“Fitting, don't you think, Brooklyn?” Eve said. “That she'd end up just like her ancestors?”

“It's definitely an interesting position to be in,” Brooklyn said, analyzing the situation.

She was going to let me hang. Because she wanted my boyfriend. Or didn't like me threatening the kingdom she'd created. Either way, she wanted me dead.

My vision was going in and out now, giving the illusion that I was in some psychedelic dream. Brooklyn and Eve appeared to be swaying to an unheard beat, even though they were most likely standing still.

Brooklyn sighed and took a step toward me. Before I could process what was happening, she was yelling. “Exbiliby totalitum!” Brooklyn said, barely looking at the vine she was sending the spell to.

Only, nothing happened.

When Brooklyn saw that I wasn't falling toward the forest floor like she'd intended, she squinted her eyes suspiciously. “That's weird,” she said.

“My turn!” Eve said gleefully, stepping in front of Brooklyn without waiting for an answer. “My aim's not awesome, Hadley, so sorry if I miss the mark.”

I wanted to yell, but I had no energy or breath left to use.

The magic hit the area of vine just above my head and I felt the shock of it reverberate inside my body. It didn't hurt exactly, but it did cause me to spin a few times, which made the vines tighten just a bit more.

“Missed. Darn,” she said, not sounding upset about it at all.

Brooklyn was moving now. She picked up a stick from the ground and wordlessly began to walk toward me. She closed the distance in four steps and then stood there staring at me blankly, gripping the stick so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Visions of Brooklyn treating me like a human piñata danced in my head and I started to wonder if there was a fate worse than death.

Brooklyn said a few words under her breath and suddenly the stick turned into a knife. A sharp, shiny, long knife. One that was perfect for cutting.

Well that's not good.

A wave of blackness swam across my eyes and I thought I was going to pass out. But then it cleared again and I could see Brooklyn moving closer to me. Finally, when she was just a few inches away from my helpless body, she stretched up and began to saw at the ropes. If I'd been strung any higher than a few inches off the ground, it would have proved even more difficult. Luckily, Brooklyn was so freaking tall that she could reach the area right above my head.

Though it felt like a lifetime since I'd taken my last breath, it had only been about thirty seconds in actuality. Still, it was a half a minute too long.

I faded out again. This time I wasn't sure for how long. But then the final threads were giving away and I was plummeting toward the ground. I didn't even have time to try to soften the fall and my left shoulder made a smacking sound as I hit the dirt. I tried to scream out in pain but nothing came. Rolling over onto my side, I lay there for a few minutes just forcing air into my lungs.

Breathe. Breathe.
It was all I could focus on.

Once I could talk again, I looked up at the two girls who were standing just a few feet away, silently hating me.

“You couldn't have softened my fall with a little spell?” I asked them, angrily.

Eve shrugged. “I could have,” the dark-haired girl answered. “I just didn't want to.”

I would have lunged at her if my legs weren't still tied together. Instead I forced myself into a sitting position and glared at them.

“You almost
killed
me,” I said angrily.

“You've
got
to be kidding me.” Brooklyn snorted and then looked over at Eve, who started to laugh. “You think
we
did this?”

“Didn't you?” I asked, growing hysterical. My hands shook as I fumbled with the noose that was still around my neck and then reached down to free my ankles.

“Hardly,” Brooklyn said. “This is a little . . .
cliché
for me.” She motioned in my direction like she was bored.

“Besides, death is too quick. It's much more fun to piss you off,” Eve said.

When I was finally free from my bindings, I stalked over to Brooklyn, pushing her hard until she stumbled backward. “If I find out you had
anything
to do with this, you're going to wish you'd killed me.”

“Back off, Bishop,” Eve said, stepping between her friend and me. “She just saved your butt. You should be
thanking
her.”

It was true. None of what had happened here was adding up. Why
would
Brooklyn help me down if she'd orchestrated the whole thing? Well, other than to throw me off her scent, and look like the hero to Asher. Eve was right: there were better ways to torture me.

Like taking everything I loved and making me watch while she did it.

I was about to confront her about this, but Brooklyn was already walking away, dragging Eve along with her.

Reaching for my bag, I quickly gathered the flowers that had spilled out. Inspecting one of the bright purple flowers closely, I was relieved to find that they were still intact. I was still angry and rattled over what had just happened, but at least the whole afternoon hadn't been a complete bust.

“Oh, and Hadley?” Brooklyn said as I got up from the ground slowly. She didn't even look back as she addressed me. “You owe me now. And I
will
collect.”

“I know they were the ones that set the trap,” I said adamantly.

As soon as I'd gotten back to camp, I'd called an emergency meeting of the Cleri. We met in our room, so we wouldn't have to worry about eavesdroppers or running into Brooklyn and Eve again. This time I let Colette stay. She needed to know how dangerous the girls were, too, and if there was going to be a battle, I wanted her on my side.

Once everyone was gathered around the room, I launched into a retelling of my near-death experience, complete with the unveiling of the growing bruises around my neck. Everyone listened with rapt attention, seemingly in disbelief over the fact that there were clearly enemies at camp with us. When I was finished, they all remained silent for a few minutes as they tried to digest what I'd just unloaded on them.

“I don't know, Had,” Sascha said, finally. “Why would they tie you up, only to cut you down later?”

“Hanged. They
hanged
me, Sash. And I don't know why crazy people do crazy things. Maybe they thought that by helping me escape, I'd be indebted to them,” I said, not getting why she wasn't automatically on my side over this. “Which is basically what Brooklyn said before she left me out there in the woods by myself, I might add.”

“Well, isn't that how it works?” Jasmine asked. “Someone bails your butt out and you do them a solid later?”

“Not if they were the ones that put you in the situation in the first place,” I argued.

“No offense, but why do you even
care
about them, Hadley?” Fallon cut in. He was sitting next to Abby on her bed, looking more than comfortable with his surroundings. “I mean . . . you're
Hadley Bishop
. A centuries-old evil coven went after you last year and you beat them. Why would you let a few bitchy girls get to you? And if they're really evil, then why not take them out? Next to you they're nothing.”