The Witches (Book #1)

𝔐𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔠 ℌ𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔟𝔦𝔯𝔡

After another minute of climbing a practically vertical trail, we come out on the top of the hill. How did a cart get up here, much less one carrying people?

"This is the exact spot where the convicted witches were hanged," Mr. Wang says and scans our group. "Bongsoon Bishop, Sang Gaeul, Wang Subin, and many more."

I lean toward Sehun and whisper, "Wait, Mr. Wang is descended from a witch?" No wonder he doesn't like me.

Sehun shakes his head. "I think his name is just a coincidence. There was some scandal about it years ago, but I don't really remember."

Mr. Wang looks pointedly at me and Sehun, and we pretend we weren't talking. "In this park, they threw a rope over a high tree branch. The convicted would stand on the back of the cart with nooses around their necks and the cart would roll away."

That's disgusting.

"I'm going to give you all time to look around. Don't wander off this hill. We'll meet back here in ten minutes."

Sehun grabs my hand. It's warm and feels solid against my own. Heat shoots up my arm and into my cheeks. We follow a small offshoot of the trail to the left and into a patch of trees.

"It's kinda creepy to think about this stuff," I say, trying to pull my attention from his thumb gently rubbing against the back of my hand.

Sehun shrugs. "I don't even notice it anymore. I've  been hearing it my whole life."

Sehun stops and leans his back against a tree. My hand slips out of his. "So, now tell me what happened in your house."

Me and my big mouth. "A rock came through my bedroom window with the word DIE scratched into it." Between the sighting, the drawing, and Sehun's hand, I'm too frazzled to argue about not telling him.

Sehun's face hardens. "Are you serious? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I mean, what were you going to do about it?"

"Help you find the people who did it and beat their asses." He says this like it's obvious.

Even if one of them might be a figment of my imagination? "I don't know."

"Is that it?" he presses. "Was there anything else that happened?"

I bite my lip and look down.

"You're obviously not telling me something."

"I'm just not good at trusting people, or telling people my problems, or talking in general. Really, the list goes on." I say. Little does he know that this is the most I've opened up in years.

"Try."

"I wasn't kidding when I said people get hurt around me."

"I'm willing to take that chance."

Are you? "You might think I'm crazy."

"I already do."

I smile. "It's not your problem, though."

"Don't you get it?"

"Get what?"

His face softens. "That I like you." He pulls me close to him and my stomach bottoms out. He puts his hands on my hips, and I can feel his fingers guide me.

I place my hands on his chest, trying to concentrate. My body's acting like a lost, manic hummingbird. "It's kinda weird."

"I still wanna know."

My thoughts are too cloudy to protest. "Fine. You win. I'll tell you."

He smiles. "If I was winning, you'd be kissing me right now." He leans close, and his breath is warm on my face. I consider walking away, but my body won't budge. In fact, it's betraying me by moving closer to him. His lips lightly graze mine.

"You taste like strawberries," he says.

His lips press into mine again, only not so softly this time, and everything inside me lights up. He pulls me closer, and I open my mouth.

"Best to leave the letters out of it," a voice says next to me.

I push off Sehun's chest so hard and so fast that I slam him into the tree he's leaning against. The dark-haired guy stands next to us. I shake my head, hoping he'll disappear.

"I'm sorry, I just thought . . . ," Sehun says.

"He cannot see me," the dark-haired guy says, as calm as ever.

I look wide-eyed at Sehun. He doesn't even glance toward the guy standing a foot away from us. Ghost. This is just bad. I'm so embarrassed, that I'm angry.

"You need to go away, now," I say through clenched teeth.

"Shit. Sorry," Jaxon says. "But you did kiss me back."

The dark-haired guy raises an eyebrow and turns back into the trees. I stand there for a few seconds, trying to make sense of what just happened. He just ruined my first kiss. "Not you. I didn't mean you should go away."

"Well, you said it."

"Ten minutes is just about up!" Mr. Wang yells.

I can't do this. It's all too much. From friends to kissing in one day, and now this dead guy who's stalking me. I'll figure out all this stuff about a family curse by myself. I don't need anyone's help. "Sehun, seriously. I'm not good for anyone. I'm not so sure I'm not cursed." My bottom lip trembles. I turn away and walk toward the class.

Sehun grabs my arm. "I don't believe in curses."

I brush him off and keep walking. "Just stay away from me before I get you hurt, too." I wish I could crawl in a hole and disappear.

"I don't want to stay away from you," he says.

"Well, I want you to." I fight back tears as I rejoin the group.

"Great, you're all here! Quiet down, everyone. Now, did you all know that it can take more than an hour to die by hanging?" Mr. Wang asks cheerfully.