She doesn’t realize this decision is so important. She doesn’t realize that it will seal her fate forever.

She goes. She follows Kendra to the other witches in the darkness under the tree. She’s joined the coven again.

“What?” she asks eagerly, the pain in her feet forgotten now. “How can I help?”

She is useful. She is wanted. She’s willing to follow them anywhere, at any cost.

“Yes,” she says as they tell her their plan. “Yes.”

THIRTY-FIVE

Kendra

“Are y’all sure you want to stay out here?”

Alice’s voice wavered, even as she threw another log in the firepit. The wind blew the flames sideways and sent a cloud of smoke over us.

We were in the open air, surrounded by the tree shadows. Menace. Anyone could be out there, crouching. Waiting.

It was Mischief Night. Teenagers skulking around pulling pranks. Wrapping toilet paper in trees. Using the night as their cover.

Whoever was threatening us could be out there, too. I didn’t want to be here, exposed. But I’d be damned if I was going to let someone send us scurrying into rabbit holes. We wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

“Yes. We’re fine out here.”

They all eyed me. I didn’t care if they disagreed.

“It’s just creepy,” Alice said, rubbing her arms briskly.

“Dude, I learned how to flip someone over my back in self-defense class last week,” Pia said. “So if anyone tries to sneak up on us, I’ll kick their ass.”

Theresa was on her way, but I knew her guard would be up. She’d lied about Jackie’s whereabouts. She’d lied about not talking to Maggie and must’ve known we’d seen the story.

But we’d lied, too.

And now we were going to use the situation to bait the hook.

“So, like, why are we here?” Pia asked, chipping away at her nail polish. She was wearing a wool hat with a pom-pom that wobbled each time she spoke. It was hard to take her seriously.

Bettina scowled. “Really? We have to go over it again?”

Pia shrugged. “I guess I just don’t get it.” I couldn’t tell if she was obtuse or apathetic.

Even Alice seemed impatient with Pia. She whispered, but it came out in hissy bursts. “For frick’s sake, Pia. Jackie’s trying to blackmail us. And Theresa told us she was unreachable. Then Theresa lets Maggie into her house for that absurd story after she swore on her mother’s Bible she wouldn’t. I don’t know about you, but I reckon that’s a little suspicious there.”

“Don’t forget the timing,” Bettina added. “All these messages and things started right after Theresa moved here.”

“Or that she pulled a bunch of strings to land herself here,” I said.

“In our neighborhood,” Bettina finished.