BooksBarbecue
Back Spells for Lost Things
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

What are they talking about? I force myself to breathe. There’s no way of knowing now, and I have to calm down. If I don’t, I’ll be too loud and angry; I’ll make a mistake. I force myself to wait until the count of one hundred, then when I can’t wait anymore, I ease myself over the edge of the roof, then run to match my racing pulse. I have never had any control over anything in my life—nothing. Whatever they were talking about, this is another confirmation of that. And I have no intention to integrate into their family, whatever that means. Escaping has never sounded better.

The witch’s house is even more beautiful in the moonlight: tall and sweeping, the windows shining in the darkness. But when I look up at it, I suddenly don’t think it’s a good idea to go into the actual house. That’s breaking and entering, isn’t it? I want to see the mermaid again, but the roof is what is actually important. Can I climb? I check the windows of the nearby houses, all dark, no one should see me trying to get it. It’s risky, but the sky is so perfect for stargazing, I have to at least try.

I quietly make my way through the garden, finding my way to the tree next to the house. The bark is slippery, without enough footholds, and I slip off a few times before noticing the trellis on the side of the house, leading all the way up to the roof. If it could hold me…

I try one foot, then the other, and before I know it, I’m climbing into the night, my feet steady, my arms pulling me. As long as I don’t look down, I’m fine. When I get to the top, I’m breathing heavily and my backpack feels like it weighs about a million pounds, but I feel lighter than I have in a long time.

The view is even better than I thought it would be. For a moment I stand there, taking it in, then I drag the chair to the edge. I don’t even need the telescope yet, that’s how clear it is. The sky presses in on me like a warm blanket, the moon settled into a thick orb. I felt completely safe, enclosed and hidden. After a moment I take out my notebook, and for the first time since I arrived in Salem, maybe for the first time in months, I feel my shoulders soften, feel myself relax.