Witchy Love • Thackery Binx

four

Running quickly, the four kids and black cat wound up at the gates of a cemetery. Max, Dani, and Allison stared up at it in shock. Max was the first to speak up in protest. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Come on, this is a graveyard."

"It's hollowed ground." Thackery, the black cat, stated.

Max looked at him like he was stupid and the blonde teen butted in. "Witches can't set foot on hollowed ground, you imbecile. Did the smell of graffiti melt your brain or something?"

Max looked at Allison and Dani, pointing to Thackery nonchalantly. "He talks."

"No shit, Sherlock." Blair sighed, agitated by the boy.

"Follow me!" Thackery called, galloping into the cemetery.

Allison pushed the gate open. Dani walked in after her, then Max. Blair took a cautious step inside, and she was relieved to discover that she was able to enter. The witch followed after the others. Thackery led them through the graves.

"Over here. I want to show you something." He told. "Give you an idea of exactly what we're dealing with."

The black cat settled on William Butcherson's gravestone. Blair stared at it with a tinge of lingering sadness in her eyes. Max, Allison, and Dani stood in a row, looking at the stone. Blair gingerly sat beside it.

"'William Butcherson'? 'Lost Soul'?" Max read out in confusion.

"Billy Butcherson was Winifred's lover. But she found him sporting with her sister, Sarah." Thackery explained, glancing at Blair. "So she poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut with a dull needle, so he couldn't tell her secrets even in death."

"His daughter never got to meet her father because of Winifred, her own aunt." Blair sullenly sighed.

"Winifred always was the jealous type." Thackery tried lightening the mood, to which Blair smiled.

"You're Thackery Binx." Allison realized.

"Yes." The cat responded.

"Huh. So the legends are true. But that means..." She turned to Blair slowly. "You're..."

"Mhm." Blair nodded, not meeting the eyes of the three. "I'm Blair Sanderson."

"Well, come along. I want to show you something else." Thackery interrupted.

Walking beside Allison, Blair spoke up. "Sorry for lying to you, but if I had told you the truth, I'm not sure you'd have believed me."

"It's alright, I understand." She smiled. "But, what I don't understand is why you can walk on hollowed ground. Aren't you a witch?"

"My father is a human, which means I'm part human. Because of that, technically, I'm not entirely a witch. I can do more things than regular witches can. And I never signed my soul away to the devil." The blonde explained.

Allison nodded in understanding. Soon enough, they all made it to Emily Binx's grave. "Because of me, my little sisters life was stolen, and Blair was tormented to die and be reborn forever. For years, we waited for our lives to end so we could be reunited with our family... with each other. But, Winifred's curses kept us alive."

Thackery sat on Blairs lap as she stroked his fur. "Then, one day, I figured out what to do with my eternal life. Now, I'd failed Emily and Blair, but I wouldn't fail again. When Winifred and her sisters returned, I'd be there to stop them. So for three centuries, I've guarded their house on All Hallows' night, when I knew some airhead virgin might light that candle."

"Nice going, airhead." Dani sarcastically said.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry, okay?" Max stood up. "We're talkin' about three ancient hags versus the 20th century. How bad can it be?"

"Bad." Thackery said.

"Really, really bad." Blair emphasized, looking at Allison as she started to open the book. "Hey! Stay out of it!"

Allison quickly shut the book. "Why?"

"It holds Winifred's most dangerous spells. She must not get it." Thackery growled.

"Well, let's torch this sucker." Max threw the book on the ground with a smirk and tried to light it on fire.

"Yeah, like I hadn't thought of that." Blair held up her hand, and small fires blazed from each of her fingertips. "It's protected by dark magic."

Cackling witches collected the attention of all of them. Max grabbed hold of Dani and pulled her back, and Allison latched onto Blair. Winifred, Mary, and Sarah sat on their brooms in the sky.

"It's just a bunch of hocus-pocus!" Laughed Winifred. "Sarah... Mary..."

The women spread out, going on either side of the group while Winifred stayed in front of them. Blair stared hopelessly at her mother, wishing all of this would stop; wishing she were strong enough to make this stop.