Page 67 of Practically Magic

“Love that binds,” I say. Because she’s my sister. She’ll be my sister forever.

“Love that finds,” she repeats, holding up the donut. I almost laugh as we both lean in for a bite.

As the cakey sweet crumbles away, we lock hands and tighten the apron.

Right away, I feel the difference from the first time I cast this spell. The ground feels like it’s settling, not cracking open again, and I feel a strange sense of peace. “I think it’s working!” I say, hopeful, spitting donut on my sister’s face. She frowns at me.

“We need more power. Our love isn’t enough.”

“It is,” I tell her. “I know it is. You erased Jack’s memories of your love, just to maybe save my heart.”

Her smile trembles. “And you forgave me, even when I failed.”

I grip her hand tighter. “I know you were just trying to be a good big sister. And I was just trying to measure up as your little sister. But we’re more than our failures.”

She clasps my hand right back. “We’re sisters. And there’s no love truer than that.”

There’s a blast of white light that extends from our hands and shoots up into the sky, arcing down across the entire town. Harry smiles at me. We’ve fixed the wards. She quickly kneels and scrabbles in the dirt at the base of the monument, burying the knot to seal the spell.

But then her smile falters. Because even once it’s in the dirt, the Horseman is still coming, and his army of undead zombies is overcoming my army of lovesick boys.

“What do we do now?” she asks.

“A family makes a home,” I say, thinking of Beatrice. “And you and I, we saved our home. But it takes a community to make a town.”

“We’re here!” Zach calls.

He’s leading a large crowd of people our way with Laney at his side. There must be two hundred of them! I recognize several people from my party, Chris from Haunted House of Hamburgers. My teachers, the grocer, my neighbors. Mayor Croft and his wife are here too, and so is Laney’s and Zach’s werewolf guy/dog.

“I told everyone the Hadley sisters can’t protect Mystic Hollow alone, and they all want to help,” Zach explains.

“Mystic Hollow is nothing without the Hadleys!” Mayor Croft cries. He’s wearing his traditional Halloween blazer, the one with the Headless Horseman on it in a checkered pattern that I’m certain after tonight he may never wear again. He looks around nervously. “Where are your aunts? And your mother?”

“It’s just us, sir. And now all of you.” I adjust the brim of my witch hat as the mayor looks at me nervously. The crowd murmurs to one another, and I can feel the fear radiating off them.

“Don’t worry,” Harry addresses everyone. “We’re going to stop them, but everyone needs to listen.”

“Where do you need us?” Laney asks.

“Everyone gather round the circle,” I instruct them. “Don’t step into it. Just gather round and hold hands. Quickly now!”

“He’s coming!” someone cries, and everyone starts screaming.

Behind the crowd, I can see the Headless Horseman and his army advancing. My eyes lock with Zach’s.

He nods. “You’ve got this, Hadley sisters!” a few others chime in.

“Go, Hadleys!” someone yells.

“Go, Kat, go!” Laney cheers as Ronald/Fred howls in agreement.

And then people start to cheer, their voices rising into the cloudless night.

“We aren’t alone,” I tell Harry, my heart thumping madly. My jitters fade away. How could I think I wasn’t loved? My sister loves me. My family loves me. And my town loves me. “Let’s finish this together. All of us.”

“All of us,” Harry agrees. “Everyone, get ready!”

People get into position, the circle growing larger and larger as people take each other’s hands. Harry and I are the only two not part of it yet. With a nod, Harry flicks on another match and ignites the monument. The stone shouldn’t catch, but with magic it does, the marble melting like butter in the sun. We’re sacrificing the town monument for the town. I feel my magic tingling, working along with the spell.