The Witch Is Back by Brittany Geragotelis Page A

collecting his thoughts. Then, he raised his eyes to mine and began to talk.
    â€œBrooklyn and I went to school together before I moved in with my aunt. I was interested in her back when she was just this quiet sort of clumsy girl with no friends, who blended into her surroundings.”
    â€œUm, how is that possible?” I cut in. “The girl is practically a supermodel . No way she was ever a wallflower.”
    Asher sighed. “That was before . Before she used magic to change herself,” he said. “See, Brooklyn’s parents were sort of weird about using magic—they were always worried that people would find out they were witches and persecute them—so they bound her powers until she turned sixteen.”
    â€œI’ve heard of low-magic households, but I thought they were just an urban legend. Like a well-adjusted former child star—you know they must exist but you’ve never seen one yourself,” I said.
    â€œRight. And if you deny a witch the right to cast for most of her life, she’s likely to go a little crazy when she finally does get to use her powers. Which is exactly what she did. Brooklyn changed her hair, her height, her eye color—everything about herself to ensure that she would make a name for herself at our school. Only, she sort of became obsessed with becoming popular and was willing to do anything to achieve that. Even lie and cheat.”
    I knew something about her was fake.
    â€œWait, so, I don’t understand why you think that you need to make things right with her if she was really that awful,” I said, confused. “Sounds like she owes you an apology. Not the other way around.”
    â€œI’ll get to that in a minute, but first, I have to tell you what broke us up. I want to be honest with you: I liked Brooklyn. A lot .” I couldn’t help but wince when he said this. Even though I knew that their relationship was in the past, it still hurt to think of him with her . “I liked her when nobody else knew who she was. Not only was she my first girlfriend, but she was one of the first witches I ever got close to. I trusted her, even when I began to catch her in lies. But then she started making decisions that hurt other people—innocent people—all so she could fit in with the group of popular kids at our school. We finally broke up when she kissed another guy.”
    I could tell the memory hurt him and I wondered how a person could be so messed up that she could cheat on Asher . He was practically perfect. Well, as perfect as a teenage boy could be. Still, I could understand Asher’s decision to end things immediately. I would’ve done the same thing. No hesitation.
    â€œWhile all of this was going on with Brooklyn though, things had started to get weird around my house,” he continued. More people were coming back from dinner now, and Asher and I had to scoot closer together in order for me to hear him without his having to talk too loudly. I reached out hesitantly and took his hand, letting it rest on his leg. “My parents had begun to fight and were having whispered conversations whenever Abby and I were around. They got really over-protective and wanted us home all the time. At first I thought they were having problems in their marriage, even though that didn’t make any sense because they never fought.
    â€œThe day that Brooklyn and I broke up, I decided to find out what was going on with my parents once and for all. My plan was to confront them both and try to make them work things out—go to therapy or something. But when I got there, my parents were gone, and Samuel Parris was waiting for me. And well, you know the rest.”
    I did, and the memory brought back pangs of sadness for every life that was lost at the hands of Samuel Parris and his clan. During the weeks after my mom was killed I’d had dreams and visions, which had made me feel like my mom and I were still