Chapter Twenty-Four #2
The prophecy said trust must be earned again. But whose trust? Blair’s, Belinda’s and Bianca’s? Luke’s?
Or maybe the Stormvale witches’ trust. Hecate’s. The people who founded Moonbeam Hollow definitely broke her trust when they killed her and her family. And it was up to Blair and her sisters to make Hecate trust the town again.
Waking up with all that optimism wrapped around Blair was why she knew the answer. She smiled. ‘I know how to stop her.’
‘How?’ Bianca asked.
‘Remember what Hecate said when she was in Luke?’ Blair said.
‘She said it wasn’t safe for us. That this place will never accept us.
Moonbeam Hollow destroyed Hecate and everything she loved because she was different.
Of course, she doesn’t trust that this town is safe for the witches who live here now.
I think . . .’ Blair paused. ‘If Hecate lived here today, she’d be welcomed in Moonbeam Hollow. ’
Belinda shook her head. ‘If Moonbeam Hollow is so accepting, then why have we been hiding who we are for so long?’
‘How could people here accept us as witches when no one knows we are witches?’ Blair asked.
‘Mom and Dad made us promise never to say anything. And they had a good reason to live in secret – witch hunters. But regular people in Moonbeam Hollow? I don’t think people here would hurt us for being witches if they knew the truth.
I mean, there might be a few bad apples who hate witches, which is why we have to live in secret, but I doubt it would be the majority of residents, the way it was in Hecate’s time. ’
Bianca nodded slowly, maybe understanding Blair’s point. ‘You want to convince Hecate that Moonbeam Hollow has changed.’
‘Exactly. Hecate has a good reason for being mad, and the town back then deserved her revenge. But Moonbeam Hollow today doesn’t deserve this. We need to convince Hecate of that.’
This town had been built on a foundation of hating witches, but it had been nothing but kind, welcoming, and a home to the Briarwood family since their parents first arrived here and bought their house on Acorn Lane.
Mom and Dad had been immigrants, escaping a place that wasn’t kind to people like them.
They were Brown – they didn’t look like the majority of the residents of Moonbeam Hollow at the time.
They even spoke with accented English. They were also witches, but no one knew that.
But it didn’t matter that the Briarwoods were different in Moonbeam Hollow.
They were not only accepted in this town, but they were also welcomed.
They became valuable members of the community.
Mom worked in the pharmacy for years and became known for the home remedies she made for long-time customers.
And when Blair, Belinda and Bianca were born, the three sisters fit perfectly into the quaint little town, making lots of friends, and rivals, too.
Blair even managed to be valedictorian. Blair loved Moonbeam Hollow because the town had always loved her and her family.
That’s why she’d never regretted staying here after her mother died.
Why she was okay with giving up on her life dreams, most of the time. Because Moonbeam Hollow was her home.
‘Think about it, Belinda,’ Bianca said. ‘If we told Raj, or Gladys, or the mayor and Dr. Fairwood that we are witches, what do you think they would say? Do you think they would kick us out of town? Announce to witch hunters that we’re here? They’d be on our side.’
Blair smiled. ‘This town has always been on our side.’ She remembered something Agatha said when she first found out about the bakery next door. We do not let people come for one of our own in Moonbeam Hollow.
And Blair wasn’t going to let anyone come for Moonbeam Hollow.
‘Okay, so what are you suggesting?’ Belinda asked. ‘We tell the whole town we’re witches?’
Bianca snorted at that. ‘No. Absolutely not. Even if we could guarantee there are no witch hunters here, I know a few witches who live openly, and people will not leave them alone. “Make someone fall in love with me; improve my harvest; kill the mice in my house.” It sounds exhausting.’
‘I’m not suggesting we tell the town we’re witches,’ Blair said.
‘Remember, Luke is the key to stopping Hecate. I think . . .’ She paused.
‘I think we should get Hecate to possess him again. She can only possess someone related to her. Luke. When she’s in him, we can earn her trust like the prophecy says.
We can convince her that Moonbeam Hollow is different now.
It’s not what it used to be, and it doesn’t deserve this anymore. ’
Belinda’s eyes widened. ‘But that fever! This seems dangerous.’
Bianca shook her head. ‘We had no idea what was going to happen last night. If we do this expecting a possession, we can take steps to protect him. I can give him fever-reducing herbs before we start, and we can also cast protection spells on him.’
‘And I can make a potion to keep his temperature down, too,’ Blair added. ‘The moment his temperature rises, we’ll push Hecate out.’
‘How?’ Belinda asked.
‘Actually,’ Bianca said. ‘Getting a witch spirit to leave the host is the easiest part. I asked Kass, and all it takes is a witch to tell the spirit to get out. Remember, I told Hecate to get out of Luke, and she did. As insurance, we can all say it together.’ Bianca turned to Blair.
‘This is the best chance we have, at this point. I think we should do it.’
Belinda nodded. ‘Yeah, okay. If we’re careful.’
In truth, Blair hated the idea of putting Luke at risk again.
But this had to be the solution. Luke was the key – they had to use him to stop Hecate somehow.
‘I have no idea how we’re going to get him to eat the spinach.
He hates spinach. Like it’s a passionate disgust. And I don’t want him eating that addictive kale again. ’
‘We could try telling him what we’re doing,’ Bianca suggested. ‘I’m sure he’d do it if we explained why.’
Blair immediately shook her head. She may have developed a kernel of hope that she and Luke would have a happy future together, but all the objections she’d had about telling him still held. ‘I can’t tell him I’m a witch. I won’t do it.’
Belinda smiled. ‘Last night you also said you couldn’t tell him that you loved him, but I clearly heard—’
‘Belinda don’t you start on me,’ Blair snapped. ‘I swear, the longer Bianca’s been back in town the more you’re turning into her.’
Bianca rolled her eyes at that. ‘And what’s wrong with being me? I’m not trying to hide things from people I love.’
Blair shook her head. ‘I’m not telling him. It’s not negotiable. We need to figure out a way to make this happen without Luke knowing. And we have to monitor him to keep him safe the whole time.’ She looked at Bianca. ‘Can you make a spinach dish that doesn’t taste or look like spinach?’
‘Probably.’ Bianca paused. ‘Would he drink a spinach smoothie?’
Belinda shook her head. ‘I wouldn’t drink a spinach smoothie.’
Blair frowned, thinking. ‘Leave it to me. I’ll find out what his favourite green food is. Then we can sneak some spinach into the dish. I can even use magic to bring the flavours he likes to the forefront.’
Bianca nodded. ‘Okay. Try and find out soon. We’re going to need to work quickly on this, the festival opens on Saturday.’