Then I pushed him into the portal. He screamed and toppled forward, the magic sucking him in and wrapping around his body like an embrace. It only took seconds for him to disappear altogether. I stood there in the sudden silence, breathing hard and fast. Tears pricked my eyes, but it wasn’t out of sadness. It was a relief. Ichabod was gone, and he was never coming back… I’d make sure of it.
I turned around and faced everyone who was watching in silence. My family. The only people I could trust with my life. “It’s done,” I whispered, wiping away a tear that trailed down my cheek as my emotions caught up with me. Michael stepped forward and kissed me on my cheek, taking my pain with him. One by one, the rest of my guys did, too.
“We need to destroy it,” I said to the aunties, and they nodded solemnly and stepped forward.
We needed all the magic we could get to do this, so Michael stepped forward too. I heard a rustling noise, and we all glanced over to where Calvin was getting back to his feet. He staggered a little, and magic played along his fingertips, but he set his jaw and walked to my side.
“I need to help you do this,” he said, his tone grave, but I watched his throat bob. He had a power flowing through his veins now that wasn’t just about mixing potions and calling it a day. It was dark, and if he wasn’t careful, it could consume him just like his father, but I had faith he could handle it.
“Are you strong enough to do this right now?” I asked, looking him up and down with a raised bow. I would understand if he wasn’t.
He nodded. “I’m stronger than I’ve ever felt…thanks to you.”
I wasn't about to say you’re welcome, not after I’d just banished his father to the mortal world, but we both knew it was something that would linger between us from now on.
We gathered together and joined hands, though Auntie Pip held my left shoulder as I held the grimoire in that hand. “We say it together, and we say it right. The portal will shatter forever.” The others nodded.
“Wait!” We all turned at once. Maddie came close, eyes glossy with tears. She was biting down on her bottom lip, and she looked like she was shaking a little bit. “October…”
“What is it?” I asked, heart falling into my stomach.
“I’m going back,” she said. We all sucked in a collective breath.
I blinked at my best friend. “What do you mean you're going back?” My voice turned raspy as my throat clogged with emotion. I couldn’t lose her too.
Looking guilty and so sad, it made me want to cry, Maddie took my hand and squeezed. “I have to go back. My family probably thinks I’m dead or missing…and to be honest, I still have to wrap my head around this whole witch thing. Everything’s been happening so fast, I don’t even know where my head is anymore. I need to do this…just for a little while.” Her eyes begged me to understand.
“B-But the portal—” I stammered, trying my hardest not to burst into tears.
“Will still be there on Halloween. I’ll come back on the bus, Toby, I swear. I’ll come right back at the stroke of midnight on Halloween. I just need to handle my shit before I choose to make a life here, ya know? Plus, someone needs to keep an eye on Ichabod for a while, make sure he doesn't terrorize the mortals.”
“You’re serious about this?” My heart was breaking, but I knew I couldn’t stop her.
“Absolutely. It’s what I need,” she said, and I saw the truth of it in her eyes.
“Here ya go, Maddie girl,” Auntie Fe said suddenly with a sad smile. She reached in the pocket of her dress and pulled out a tiny compact mirror. “This is a witch mirror, so it has the power to transcend worlds. Whisper the words inscribed on the back of it here,” she gestured to the pewter siding, “and we can speak with you anywhere. It’s like FaceTime for witches!”
Tears rolled down Maddie’s cheeks as she took the mirror and held it to her chest. “Thank you, Auntie.”
Maddie looked at Baen, and I followed her gaze. His jaw was clenched tight and so were his fists, but I could tell he wouldn’t say a word. They’d barely gotten to know each other, so he knew he had no say in this decision she was set on making. But his eyes were impossibly sad, and she looked away just as quickly. Gaze flickering to Cal, her brow furrowed, and she turned back to me before she said something she might regret.
I took my best friend in my arms and squeezed her impossibly tight, tears leaking down my cheeks as I sucked in heavy breaths. I hadn’t cried this hard since the night my parents died, and it sort of felt like a shard of my soul was splitting off. Maddie and I had been inseparable since we were little kids, sisters in the truest way. She was my family, and I suddenly needed this next year to pass us by as quickly as possible so I could have her back.
“I miss you already, you bitch,” I murmured into her inky locks.
She sniffled through a laugh. “I’ll think of you every time I see a spider.”
“Aw, you do love me…” Jessica said, though her voice was wobbly.
“Never!” Maddie mock hissed, but I could tell she would miss Jessica too.
When I let her go, Maddie gave the guys a round of goodbye hugs and kissed the aunties on the cheeks. She bit her lip as she gazed between
