The Witch in the Woods

The cabin was quiet and clean, a sharp contrast to the inferno from the previous night. Inside, Alinda and Lua sat in the kitchen, their mugs of herbal tea steaming in front of them. Colombia, Ali’s cat, slept peacefully on the kitchen counter, her favorite place in the cabin. Lua was caressing her gently.

Alinda was animated, her hands gesturing as she spoke about her latest experiments with some of the witchcraft objects from Whispers.

“You won’t believe the results I’ve been getting,” Alinda said, her eyes wide with excitement. “There’s this one spell bottle Mrs. Lynx gave me, it’s meant for protection. I followed the instructions perfectly—filled it with salt, rosemary, and a piece of black tourmaline, then sealed it with black wax. I hung it by my front door, and ever since, I’ve felt this incredible sense of calm and security whenever I’m home. It’s like nothing can touch me.”

Lua smiled, listening intently. “That sounds amazing, Al. Mrs. Lynx really knows her stuff. Hey, ask her if she has something that can help you find the girl you kissed in the woods last night!”

“Ha-ha, very funny. Oh wait –maybe there is something like that! I’ll text Mrs. Lynx and ask.” Alinda said, reflectively.

“Ali, how could you have just walked back to the cabin without asking for her number? I truly can’t understand!” Lua teased her.

“It was the elixir. I blame the elixir! I’ll tell Mrs Lynx that too,” Ali said, as she typed furiously.

“How about you? Kelly told me you were gone for a while, where did you go?” She then asked, still on her phone texting.

“I was just at the pier. Peter Gallanti showed up, we chatted a little bit.” Lua said, trying to downplay the moment she actually couldn’t stop thinking about since it happened.

Ali let her jaw drop and put her phone face down on the counter, staring at Lua with her eyes wide open.

“We talked for half a second, Ali. It’s no big deal.” Lua insisted, trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

“Why do I get the feeling this is actually a huge deal?” Ali replied, as their conversation got interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching the kitchen. Gael appeared in the doorway, looking a bit disheveled. He gave them a smile and walked over to the sink to get a glass of water.

“So, Ali,” he said, turning to her with a teasing grin, “have you finally moved in already?”

Alinda laughed, playfully swatting him on the arm. “Not yet!”

Gael chuckled and took a sip of his water. “How’s Tori doing?” Alinda asked, her tone shifting to one of concern.

“She’s fine,” Gael replied, his expression softening. “The cut wasn’t too deep, it just bled a lot. She shouldn’t have been messing with the knife anyways, I told her I’d chop cocktail fruits, but she’s so stubborn. She’s resting now, and I’m keeping an eye on her.”

Both Lua and Alinda expressed their relief, wishing Tori a speedy recovery. Gael thanked them with a big smile and pet Colombia on the head as she yawned. He then left the kitchen, heading back out to the garden, rock and roll music blasting in his airpods.

Alinda leaned back in her chair, a thoughtful look crossing her face. She glanced over at Lua, her curiosity bubbling. “Hey, Lua,” she began, her tone casual but probing. “I’ve been wondering… are you Wiccan?”

Lua raised an eyebrow, surprised but not entirely taken off guard. She was relieved Alinda’s short attention span had already made her move on from what Lua had just told her about Peter. “No, I’m not,” she said, smiling slightly. “But I do share some of the beliefs Wiccans hold. There’s a lot about Wicca that resonates with me.”

Ali nodded, intrigued. “I thought so. After last night, I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Can you explain what Wicca actually is? I mean, I’ve heard of it, but I don’t really know much about it.”

Lua set down the cup she was holding and folded her hands on the table, her expression softening as she spoke. “It’s a religion. A modern pagan religion. You know pagan, right? It’s whatever doesn’t fit the traditional religions, basically. A guy named Gerald Gardner introduced Wicca as a nature-based religion in 1950. But its roots run much deeper—there’s inspiration from ancient pre-Christian beliefs and practices that honored the natural world and its cycles.”

Alinda leaned in, clearly fascinated. Lua continued, her voice calm and steady. “But I guess the main thing you should know is Wicca is about living in harmony with nature and the universe. Wiccans believe in the power of the Earth and the elements—earth, air, fire, water—and they see these forces as sacred. They also follow the cycles of the moon and the seasons, which is why rituals and celebrations often align with things like the full moon or the solstices.”

Ali’s eyes widened. “Wow, I didn’t know it was so connected to nature. Although Joyce did mention something about that last night, actually. But what about the magic? People always associate Wicca with witchcraft…”

Lua smiled, nodding. “Yes, Wiccans practice witchcraft, but it’s not the kind of magic you see in movies. It’s more about setting intentions, using rituals and symbols to focus energy toward a specific goal. Think of it like meditation or prayer—there’s power in intention.” Lua paused for a second and poured more tea into both their cups. “They believe in the law of threefold return, which means whatever energy you put out into the world, whether good or bad, will come back to you three times over.”

Ali took it all in, her expression contemplative. “That makes sense. And it doesn’t sound as ‘out there’ as people make it seem.”

“No, it’s not,” Lua said, her voice thoughtful. “Wicca is a peaceful religion that emphasizes respect for all living things. It’s not about doing harm; it’s about living in harmony, honoring the Earth, and understanding the interconnectedness of everything.”

Alinda smiled, clearly inspired. “That actually sounds beautiful. You know, you could be a professor.” Ali said, meaning every word.

“Maybe some day.” Lua pondered.

“Just being around you so much, I feel I’ll soon be graduating in Witch.” Ali started, then her phone beeped. She went silent for a second, reading the message. “It’s for you again. Scotty wants to… take you out… on a date!” Ali said, almost shouting.

“Who is Scotty!?” Lua asked, matching her intensity. “Brett’s friend! Ryder Scott! The Detective! Virginia’s son!” She said enthusiastically. “I love this for you” Ali added while holding her phone to her chest in a cute way.

—

Meanwhile, Kelly got out of the shower and sat in her bed, wrestling with her own internal conflict. She turned on the tv for background noise and started putting on a moisturizing face mask.

Kelly’s head was still spinning with terrible hangover and she couldn’t shake Brett’s words from the Halloween party. What did he mean when he asked if she saw herself in his future? Was that really what he wanted?

And more importantly, could that be something she wanted? Maybe. The words sounded so good coming out of his mouth at the time, she wanted to jump on him right then and there. But instead they ended up barely connecting at all after that interaction, which was kind of a bummer.

Overall, the party had been perfect, though. She’d danced, laughed, and let go of her worries, if only for just a few hours. Yes, she had assumed that she and Brett would naturally end up hooking up again—like always—but it hadn’t happened. And it surprised her how much she missed it. Being with him was always good. They had incredible chemistry, both physically and emotionally.

And there he was again, creeping back into her thoughts.

It is true, she thought. Every time they were together, she felt truly happy. Their conversations flowed effortlessly, and their physical connection? Amazing. And it drove her crazy to see other girls flirting with him, which, to her frustration, seemed to happen all the time, and yesterday had been no different. That bitch in the Sabrina Carpenter costume, she thought. I bet she went home with him.

Her phone buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. She glanced at the screen to see a message from Peter. He was replying to a message she’d sent earlier, asking to talk. “Hey, sure. Wanna come over now?” he wrote. She hesitated, staring at the screen, her heart pounding. Kelly was ready to admit she might like Brett more than she thought, but this thing she had for Peter consumed her more than anything else she’d ever experienced.

Before she could overthink it, she typed back a quick, “On my way,” and headed toward his place.

—

Peter sat in his ultra-modern home office in his luxurious apartment, the sleek lines and minimalist décor reflecting his meticulous nature. He stared at the email draft on his laptop, unable to find the right words to send to Arthur Martin, who he knew was Kelly’s father. He needed a large donation for GallU, specifically to elevate the LINAFEST festival to the next level, and Arthur and the BrightStar corporation were the key. They’d been discussing the possibility for months, but Peter couldn’t seem to close the deal.

His phone buzzed, and he saw Kelly’s reply saying she’d come over. A pang of guilt shot through him. He knew he was using her, and there was no rational way to justify this. But there was something much bigger than him at play here.

Feelings shouldn’t matter at this moment.

But the truth was, ever since last night at the pier by the cabin, he couldn’t stop thinking about Lua. The way she had spoken to him, the way she looked at him—it had stirred something deep inside him he had no idea was there.

Staring at his screen, still unable to write the email to Martin, he saw a notification for a new email received. His motion to evict Lua from the cabin had finally been approved by the university board. He had forgotten all about it, and now that it was happening, he felt a deep sense of regret. She had until the end of the year to find a new place and move out.

He closed his laptop, now more than ever unable to focus. The butterflies in his stomach every time he thought about Lua were as unexpected as they were a stark contrast to the cold, calculated decisions he had been making lately. He had never felt like this before, and it terrified him.

A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. He opened it to find Kelly standing there, her face a mix of emotions he couldn’t quite read. He stepped aside to let her in, and as she walked past him, he couldn’t help but wonder how everything had gotten so complicated.