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Back Spells for Lost Things Save as PDF
Chapters (42)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Prologue
  5. – 1 – Willow
  6. – 2 – Mason
  7. – 3 – Willow
  8. – 4 – Mason
  9. – 5 – Willow
  10. – 6 – Mason
  11. – 7 – Willow
  12. – 8 – Mason
  13. – 9 – Willow
  14. – 10 – Mason
  15. – 11 – Willow
  16. – 12 – Mason
  17. – 13 – Willow
  18. – 14 – Mason
  19. – 15 – Willow
  20. – 16 – Mason
  21. – 17 – Willow
  22. – 18 – Mason
  23. – 19 – Willow
  24. – 20 – Mason
  25. – 21 – Willow
  26. – 22 – Mason
  27. – 23 – Willow
  28. – 24 – Mason
  29. – 25 – Willow
  30. – 26 – Mason
  31. – 27 – Willow
  32. – 28 – Mason
  33. – 29 – Willow
  34. – 30 – Mason
  35. – 31 – Willow
  36. – 32 – Mason
  37. – 33 – Willow
  38. – 34 – Mason
  39. Acknowledgments
  40. More from the Author
  41. About the Author
  42. ALSO BY JENNA EVANS WELCH

I walk for hours, until my feet are sore and I’m forced to stop at a gas station for water. My head is pounding, and I’m so hungry I can’t feel it anymore. But I keep going. What else can I do?

I gulp down my water and immediately wish I had more. Eventually I end up at a playground, a young mom is pushing her baby on a swing, and I must look as terrible as I feel, because when we make eye contact, she quickly looks away. I find a graffiti-covered bench to sit on and open my backpack to look at what I have even though I already know. Twenty-four dollars, some clothes, some books, and a few toiletries.

That’s it. That’s all I have in the world.

I rifle through my items again, my breath getting more and more shallow, when suddenly I spot something at the bottom of my bag. It’s the playbill, the one the girls left on the computer desk for me. They must have put it in my backpack. This time I don’t worry about the glitter.

The first page lists the girls in their respective roles as director, choreographer, and “costume person.” The next page is an illustration of me, which I know because I’m holding a blue notebook, my hair a black scribble. I’m standing in a ship, three yellow stars dotting the space above me, black crayon filling in the rest. A bubble is coming out of my mouth with the words “ARGG MAYTEES!”

The next page is called “Story of Play.” The spelling is terrible, the writing slanting all over the place, but I manage to read it. Mason the pirate is looking for treasure and he gets lost! But he has a boat and he goes on a ride! Come see the amazing story. Mason sees the stars 1 2 3 and he follows them to the treasure! He will dance a lot and maybe do the splits!

My body has gone completely still. I read the second to last line again. Mason sees the stars 1 2 3.

I flip back to the drawing of me to check the stars, and there they are. One. Two. Three. Exactly like my mom said.

And that’s when I actually see the signs.

I see the girls forcing me to rehearse. I see Emma sliding me a hot coffee across the kitchen countertop. I see Simon dragging me on bike rides, and Nova standing in the freezing-cold water, her face earnest as she recites facts about sloths.

And most of all, I see Willow sitting across from me on the roof, and me being able to tell her how I actually feel.