“Exploring Salem, night tours, sneaking into old houses, stargazing…” Am I supposed to keep going? Making out on ladders. Having dinner with old ladies who apparently love spying. “Casting spells on rooftops. Searching for clues.”
Hope is edging its way toward me. Small but insistent. “Every minute with you is magic.” It’s a Salem thing to say. But I mean it. Magic is when unseen elements come together to form something brand new, and that’s exactly what is happening here.
Her smile is brilliant now, which makes me feel like there’s a balloon expanding in my chest. “You’re not just saying that because we’re in Salem, are you?”
I shake my head hard. “You’d be magic anywhere. In fact, you’re going to be magic all over the world.” I take a deep breath. “Can we start over?”
Her smile is brighter than anything I’ve seen in the night sky. “I think we just did.”
I hurry toward her, ignoring the ecstatic cheers happening above us. And Willow doesn’t hesitate for even a single second. She jumps into my arms, and then her mouth is on mine, and what I’m feeling is bigger than anything I’ve ever experienced. A star exploding. Atoms reversing themselves.
Gravity.
All is as it is. So mote it be,
today, tonight,
under moon, over sea.
Acknowledgments
All my love and gratitude to: Laurie Liss and the team at Sterling Lord, thank you for being so firmly in my corner. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, in particular—Justin Chanda, Kendra Levin, Nicole Ellul (thank you for the past eight years; my stories wouldn’t be what they are without you), Chrissy Noh, Nicole Russo, Lisa Moraleda, Morgan York, Sarah Creech, Tom Daly, Jenica Nasworthy, Katherine Devendorf, Lindsey Ferris, Chava Wolin, Sara Berko, Alyza Lui, and Dorothy Gribbin.
For research help: Carter Cesareo, for telling me about Salem. Carolyn Christensen, for her wonderful and witchy insights. Meg Hastings, for telling me about her experience as a foster parent (I’m ready for the squirrels). Sarah Timms Thompson, for teaching me about the world of event planning. Ali Fife, for the spontaneous night of stargazing. Stacy Smith, for the ghost tour. The staff at The Merchant Salem hotel for their insights. The ghost at The Merchant Salem hotel for not letting me see her (yes, I slept with the lights on for three nights). My coven, for casting spells with me over Zoom and for providing a safe space to speak aloud my very biggest hopes and fears. My readers worldwide for making my writing life so much bigger and better than even a big dreamer could have imagined—I care about you so much!
For general love and support: my family, in particular my wonderful siblings and parents. Sam and Nora, I see and love the people you are. And David (always David), you know what you did.