The Witches (Book #1)

𝔖𝔥𝔢'𝔰 𝔑𝔬𝔱 𝔒𝔫𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔘𝔰

Double Update!

☽🔮🃏🌕🕸✨🍃🕯🧿🌙🍄☾

"You expect me to believe that?" Wendy asks, cracking her knuckles and leaning back on the burgundy pillows on Hyeri's couch. Hyeri's house has a much more homey feel than mine does. Nothing is terribly fancy or breakable, and everything looks lived-in. The coffee table has light scratches, and there is a small chip in the platter holding the veggies and dip that we've been munching on.

"Look." I lean forward in my armchair and hand Wendy my phone displaying a map of Manyeo. "Mr. Wang said the main requirement of the hanging location was that it had to be outside of town. The only way out of town at the time was over Town Bridge. That pharmacy is right on the other side of where that bridge used to be. It would have been the closest and easiest place to choose."

"We should go check it out," says Hyeri, sitting cross-legged on the floor, wrapping a strand around her finger.

Wendy examines the map. "Being in a convenient location and visible from some window you say you found doesn't mean you're right."

"Okay, well, look. There's an old cart road on that map right behind the pharmacy is now. And no cart road or any road at all where everyone thinks the hangings happened. I mean, I went to the place you guys call Soowoon Hill and there's no way they got carts full of people up that steep thing easily. They definitely didn't do it without a cleared road," I say.

Seulgi and Wendy share a knowing look.

Seulgi nods. "Then it's settled. We go."

My recent woods experience comes to mind. "Now? In the dark?"

Wendy smirks. "If you're scared, you should stay here. You won't be missed."

I shift in my chair. "I'm just not sure what we'll get out of seeing it in the dark."

"Clarity," says Seulgi, and looks at me. "Your grandmother thought the real hanging location was important, Sooji, because it holds an imprint of that event. Like a memory."

I'm not following.

Wendy shakes her head. "No way, Seulgi. We're not doing that with her."

"I think we should," says Hyeri.

Okay, seriously, what's going on?

"How can we expect her to tell us what she finds, if we don't include her in what we know?" Seulgi asks.

"She's not one of us," says Wendy. "Don't forget that."

"She is one of the lineage families," says Hyeri.

"On the wrong effing side of history, Hyeri."

"Well, she wears black," Hyeri says as though that means anything. I crack a smile. There is something endearing about her.

"Wendy, it's too important." Seulgi plays with fringe of the pillow on her lap.

Wendy points her finger at me. "If you say one word of this to Sehun or anyone else at school, I will burn you to the ground."

"Uh, okay," I say. Her threat doesn't really make sense, but it sounds morbid.

Hyeri stands up, practically bouncing. "I'll get the candles."

Candles? I do not want to be in those woods with candles. But if I don't go, I might break this thing we have going, and they might never include me again.

Hyeri opens the coat closet near the front door and digs around the bottom of it. She returns with a cloth bag and four black hooded capes and tosses one of each of us. My life is getting more ridiculous by the minute.