The Witches (Book #1)

𝔚𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 . . . ?

"I will unlock the door," Joohyuk says as I crouch behind a bush in Mrs. Oh's front yard. I grip the spell book to my chest and scan my house. Yoomi's car is in the driveway and the lights are on. Joohyuk opens Mrs. Oh's front door.

I bolt across the lawn in the fading light, my heart pushing against my rib cage. I take the two entrance steps in one jump, clumsily barreling through the doorway. I close it behind me with a bang.

"Hello?" says Sehun from the living room. I want to run at the thought of facing his hurt look. Within a few seconds he's standing in front of me.

"Hey," I say, looking at my feet.

"Did you just break into my house?"

"I didn't want anyone to see me. But I didn't mean to break in." It's the truth.

"Why do you care if someone sees you come into my house?"

Joohyuk frowns. "Time is passing quickly."

I'm silent for a few seconds, unsure how to answer either of them. "Well, I . . ." I run through the various explanations, but they all suck.

There is one thing I can say. "I should never have believed Soojung's lie. I know I made you uncomfortable with all the spell stuff and the auditorium. And then again in the street today. I'm really sorry. I so want to tell you something that will explain it all, and convince you that I never meant to hurt you, that I care. I just haven't sorted it out myself yet."

"You care?" I've never seen Sehun vulnerable before. It makes me feel so much worse.

"Sooji," Joohyuk warns. I give Joohyuk a please-give-me-a-minute look. I know he's afraid that I'll get lost in this conversation, but I don't want to hurt Sehun any more than I already have.

I nod. "Yes."

Sehun's face relaxes slightly. "As long as I know that, I can deal with the rest of it. Even the ghost." He says the last part unhappily.

Joohyuk scowls. Guilt overwhelms me as I look from one to the other. How did I get myself into this mess?

"Sooji?" Mrs. Oh enters the front hall. "I was worried."

I tense. "I'm sorry I ran off."

"When I saw that feather, I . . . Well, to be perfectly upfront, the idea that your grandmother was correct about the crow woman has been haunting me all day."

I take a deep breath. "I need to track her down . . . the crow woman." Mrs. Oh nods as though she expected this. "And I could really use your help."

Sehun's upset expression returns. "So you came here to apologize, huh?"

I've really botched this up. At this point, all I can hope he doesn't hate me.

"Sehun, I'm gonna tell you the truth. No lies, no omissions. But I can't explain everything. There just isn't time. You're gonna have to believe me for now. Can you do that?"

His eyebrows push together, and he looks at his mother before answering. Maybe she talked to him? "Only if you promise not to shut me out like that again. I felt ridiculous."

I release my breath. "I promise." He's way more forgiving than I might be. "So . . . the reason I've been acting so crazy lately is cause I'm positive Kai's death was part of a larger pattern. Seulgi is next. And I'm betting my dad and I are close behind."

Mrs. Oh and Sehun exchange looks again. What did they talk about today?

"If you really think this, you need to go to the police." Sehun says.