CHAPTER ONE

Emily sits in the principal’s office, looking annoyed to be there. The deep bruise on her cheek makes her feel even worse about everything.

“What was the fight about?” Principal Jacobs asks.

“Nothing,” Emily answers, not wanting to talk about it.

“Your brother will be here soon. You need to tell me what happened. If you don’t, we’ll have to assume that you started it,” Principal Jacobs says.

“Assume what you want. I can wait for my brother,” Emily answers angrily.

Emily and Principal Jacobs wait in silence for a long while. Emily isn’t sure how long she’s been waiting when someone finally knocks on the door.

“Come in,” Principal Jacobs calls.

Her brother, Edel, opens the door and enters the room.

“Emily, are you okay?” he asks.

Emily nods, purposely avoiding her brother’s gaze. Edel frowns as he sits in the chair next to her and looks at Principal Jacobs.

“Sorry, I’m late,” he says. “What happened?”

“Emily got into a fight,” Principal Jacobs explains.

“Emily, what happened?” Edel asks gently, turning to look at her.

“They made fun of me ’cause I don’t have parents,” she says. “So I punched them.”

Edel sighs. It isn’t the first time that Emily has been in trouble for fighting. He looks at Principal Jacobs again.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologizes to Principal Jacobs. “I’ll make sure to talk with her, and whatever punishment you give her, we’ll accept.” He puts a hand on one of Emily’s shoulders. “Right, Emily?”

Emily doesn’t want to be forced to apologize, but she knows better than to argue in front of Principal Jacobs.

“Yeah.” She nods. “Whatever.”

“She’s suspended for two weeks,” Principal Jacobs says. “I hope that she will be punished at home, too.”

“Yes,” Edel agrees as they leave the principal’s office. “Don’t worry. She will.”

“You’re grounded,” Edel says as soon as they walk through the front door of their house.

“But I was—” Emily starts.

Edel interrupts her. “I know why you did it, Emily. I know that it’s been hard, losing Mom when you were so young. I know you’re struggling, and I know that it sucks. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to get into fights with other students. So, you’re grounded for the whole two weeks.”

“That’s not fair!” she argues.

“It’s not fair to me either,” he sighs. “I can’t keep leaving work to pick you up because you started a fight, Emily.”

“If Dad were here…” she grumbles under her breath.

“What about ‘if Dad were here?’” Edel asks, sounding angry. Edel never liked talking about Dad.

“If Dad were here, then no one would make fun of me,” Emily says.

“If not for Dad, we would still have Mom,” Edel snaps angrily. “He’s gone because he’s not safe to be around, and because he doesn’t care about us, Emily. Now, again, what about ‘if Dad were here?’”

“Nothing,” Emily huffs. Edel rolls his eyes.

“As part of your punishment, you’re cleaning out Dad’s old library, too,” Edel continues, sounding more annoyed than angry now. “Go upstairs.”

“Are you serious?” Emily shouts. “I just—”

Edel doesn’t let her finish. “Go upstairs now, or you’ll be grounded for an extra week.”

Emily stops arguing, knowing from experience that Edel does not make threats like that without following through.

“Fine,” she snaps. She turns around and marches up the stairs toward their dad’s library.

The room is full of shelves, filled from end to end with books of various shapes and sizes. The books’ spines are a variety of interesting colors, and many of the shelves contain boxes and small collectible items.

The room is dirty, so Emily starts pulling book after book off the shelves to dust them.

“Do we ever clean this place?” she asks herself.

As she goes about her work, she notices that one book is bigger and thicker than all the others.

“Weird…” Emily says, taking the book down and looking at the design on the cover. It has a large circle with triangles and other shapes on it.

“It looks like someone drew this,” she says as she opens the book.

Inside the cover she finds a name, written in messy, hard-to-read cursive. Harris Ellenson.

“This was written by my father!” she exclaims.

She starts flipping the pages. About halfway through, a drawing catches her attention. There’s writing at the top of the page that matches the messy cursive from earlier. It reads: “Spell for Escaping.”

Emily almost laughs. “A spell?” she says, smiling at how ridiculous it sounds. “Magic isn’t real.”

Even so, she can’t help but find the drawing interesting. She looks at the title at the top of the page again.

For some reason, she can’t stop herself from copying the spell into the notebook she always carries with her.

“Why am I even doing this?” she mumbles to herself. “It’s not like it’s gonna work or anything.”

She draws anyway, finishing the drawing by closing the circle that surrounds the other shapes.

As soon as the circle is complete, there’s a bright flash of light, and the library disappears before Emily’s eyes.

CHAPTER TWO

Emily opens her eyes and finds herself in an odd-looking town. She sees people wearing robes and pointy hats. Some are carrying brooms.

“This is crazy,” she says. “Am I in a witch town? I must be dreaming.”

As she looks around, she notices that one of the buildings has a sign sitting high on the wall that reads: “Welcome to Witchington!”

“Well, I guess I am in a witch town!” she says, totally shocked that such a thing could even exist.

But, more importantly, she wonders how she got there in the first place. She looks down at the book that she’s holding and remembers the “Spell for Escaping.”

“That must be it! By drawing the picture, I created a spell that brought me here!” she says to herself and then thinks about it. “If this town is full of witches, someone might recognize the book. And if it’s a book of spells that Dad wrote, maybe someone will know where he is!”

She wanders around the town, not knowing where she’s going, for what feels like hours.

“Everyone’s staring at me,” she says to herself. “But it’s okay. I’ll find Dad, and he’ll come home. Edel will forgive him, and everything will be okay again.”

She reaches what looks like the town square. There are shops with odd names that Emily can barely read.

“That one sells brooms, and that one has charms,” she says as she squints at the signs. “And there’s a grocery store and a pet shop…”

Finally, she sees a store that sells magic books.

“Aha!” she says excitedly. “Maybe the owner will recognize this book.”

Emily walks through the front door and is met with a smiling shopkeeper.

“Need any help, little lady?” he asks.

“Yes, um, I’m looking for the author of this book, Harris Ellenson,” she says.

He looks at the book, and his face grows serious. “He tried to sell this book to me over ten years ago,” he says gravely.

“Really? He’s my father! Do you have any idea where he is now?” Emily asks.

“Oh my. Well, I don’t, but the Red Witch might,” the shopkeeper answers, trying to be helpful.

“The… Red Witch?” Emily asks.

“Yes, she and your father were a couple, back in the day.”

“They… were a couple?” Emily repeats.

“They were. She might know where he is,” he says. “Even if she doesn’t, she can tell you more about him than I can.”

He pulls out a piece of paper, scribbles something on it, and hands it to her. “This spell should take you to her. Just close the circle when you’re ready.”

“Okay,” Emily says with a nod. “Thank you.”

“Hold on,” he says. He takes out another piece of paper and sets it on the counter between them. “You should know this spell, too. This one will take you to the place you think of as home, no matter where you are. Understand?”

“Yes,” Emily says, noting his seriousness as she takes the spell. “Thank you so much for your help.”

“No problem, little lady,” the shopkeeper says. “Good luck.”

Emily nods again. She pulls her pen out of her pocket to draw the first spell in her notebook, and, as she completes the circle, she disappears from the shop with a flash of light.

CHAPTER THREE

As the light from the spell fades, Emily finds herself in front of a house with a red door. She knocks, and when it swings open, a woman with red hair, red eyes, a red dress, and red high heels stands in front of her.

“Are you the Red Witch?” Emily asks.

“What gave it away?” the witch answers dryly. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for someone. A shopkeeper in town told me that you might know where to find my dad,” Emily explains.

The witch’s expression softens. “You’re Harris’s kid, aren’t you?”

“Harris Ellenson? What makes you say that?” Emily asks.

“You look just like him. Of course you are,” she says as she steps aside, inviting Emily into the house.

“So you do know my dad!” Emily says excitedly as she sits on a chair decorated with fancy red fabric. “You can tell me where he is, right? I need to find him.”

“Listen, kid. You don’t want to talk to your dad, okay? Trust me.”

“Why not?”

“Did your brother not tell you?” the witch asks. “About your dad’s work? About what happened to your mom?”

“He just told me that it was my dad’s fault that Mom died, but he didn’t tell me the whole story,” Emily answers. “So you know where he is, right? Can you tell me?”

The witch sits down across from Emily on a chair covered with shiny red sparkles.

“I could, but I won’t,” she says firmly. “Your father is a very angry, tortured man. You won’t be able to handle him the way you are now. You’re too weak.” The witch frowns. She lifts a hand to her chin in thought.

“Tell you what. We’ll have a little magic duel. You can use magic, right?” The witch hands her a book of spells without waiting for an answer. “Prove to me that you can handle yourself, and I’ll tell you where your dad is. I’ll even send you there myself.”

“I didn’t even believe in magic until today! I barely know how to use it.”

“You can stay here and study for two days to get ready. If you can make me use both of my hands in our duel, that will prove you are ready,” the witch says.

“What happens if I lose?” Emily asks.

“I’ll send you back home to whoever’s worrying about you right now.” The witch crosses her arms over her chest. “Deal?”

Emily thinks it over for a moment.

“Deal,” she agrees.

CHAPTER FOUR

Emily studies the Red Witch’s spells for the next two days, writing each one carefully in her notebook as the witch looks over her shoulder.

“What does this one do?” Emily points to a spell in the witch’s book.

“That one lets you throw fire,” the witch explains. “It was one of my favorites when I was younger.”

“And this one?” Emily points to the spell on the next page.

“Moves water,” the witch answers.

Emily turns the page. “What about this one?”

“That one lets you fly by moving the air underneath you,” the witch says, then thoughtfully asks, “Why are you looking for your dad, anyway?”

“Because I don’t have any parents,” Emily answers. “The other kids at my school are really mean about it.”

“Why do you care what they think?” the Red Witch asks.

“I don’t care what they think. I just want to be more normal,” Emily says quietly. “I think everything would be easier if I could just… have a normal family. lf I could have one of my parents back.”

The witch hesitates, then leaves the room, shaking her head.

After two days, Emily is ready for the duel. She and the witch stand face-to-face in an open space outside the house.

“How many spells did you prepare?” the witch asks.

“A lot,” Emily answers, holding up her notebook. It’s full of almost-finished spells. All she has to do is complete the circle to use each of them.

“All right then. Let’s get started.” The witch pulls out a small pad of paper.

Emily holds up her pen. She closes the circle of a spell that makes the ground move under the witch’s feet.

“Whoa!” the witch exclaims as she is flung high in the air.

“That’s just the beginning!” Emily shouts.

Emily then closes the circle for the spell that throws a ball of fire right at the witch.

“Nice try!” the witch shouts as she jumps to avoid it. She closes her spell circle to soften her landing before she hits the ground.

“You’re a quick study,” the witch says.

“Thank you.” Emily feels proud of herself.

She uses another spell. This one pulls water out of a nearby pond and throws it at the witch. In response, the witch throws fireballs, making the water turn into steam. For a moment, Emily can’t see anything.

Aha! Emily thinks of a new idea.

She uses the same spell again and throws more water at the witch.

“The same spell? Kind of boring, don’t you think?” the witch shouts.

The witch does the same thing as before, throwing fire at the water, and it bursts into steam again.

“This won’t be boring!” Emily calls back.

Before the steam fades, Emily uses another spell to throw chunks of earth at the witch. The witch, unable to see because of the steam, holds up both her hands to cover her face.

“You used two hands! I won!” Emily shouts excitedly. “I won!”

The witch sighs and moves carefully toward her.

“Fine, I guess you did. I’ll tell you what you want to know,” the witch says as they both sit down on a bench.

“Thank you!” Emily says.

“Your father is not who you think he is,” the witch begins. “I wanted to fight you because I needed to make sure that you would be ready to face him.”

“What do you mean?” Emily asks.

“He’s been studying dark magic for many years now,” the witch explains. “That’s what killed your mother, drove him away from your brother, and eventually, ended our romance. After I heard what happened to your mother, I knew he needed to stop practicing dark magic, but I let my feelings for him get in the way.”

“How did it kill my mother?” Emily asks.

“Dark magic is forbidden for a reason, Emily,” the witch explains. “Even the slightest slip-up can destroy everything.”

She pauses, then continues, “Your mother was scared your father would hurt himself, so she tried to stop him. But she got in the way when the dark magic went out of control, and it took her life.”

Emily is shocked. She doesn’t remember her mother, but Edel explained that her father’s actions had caused her death. She had always doubted Edel, but now she knew he was telling the truth.

“But my father… He’s still practicing dark magic, even after what happened?” Emily asks, shocked.

“Yes,” the witch says, nodding. “I couldn’t stop him.”

“Why do you think I can? I just started learning magic,” Emily asks.

“You’re his daughter,” the witch explains. “You might be able to bring something out of him in a way that I could not.”

The witch hands Emily a piece of paper with a spell partially drawn on it.

“This spell will take you to what you desire most,” she explains as Emily takes the paper. “It should take you right to his front door, if that’s where you want to go.”

“I do. Thank you for all your help, Miss Red Witch.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the witch says. “You know, kid, you might just make a fine witch yourself.”

A witch… Emily thinks that she would like to be a great witch someday.

She completes the circle and disappears in another flash of light.

CHAPTER FIVE

When the flash of light fades away, Emily is standing in front of an old stone house. She knocks on the door several times but hears no response.

“Hello?” she calls. Still nothing. She reaches out to open it. It’s unlocked.

The front hallway of the house is dark and quiet. As she steps further in, the floorboards creak loudly.

“Is anyone home?” she shouts.

“Who’s there?” a deep, male voice calls. Emily jumps in surprise.

“I’m looking for Harris Ellenson!” Emily shouts back.

“Who are you, and what do you want?” the voice responds angrily.

Ignoring his questions, Emily follows the sound of the voice and takes the staircase up to the second floor. She steps into the first open door she sees.

There’s a man kneeling over a large circle drawn across the floor. The circle is drawn in red ink, and the sight makes Emily uncomfortable. She thinks this is the dark magic the Red Witch warned her about.

The man looks really familiar. He’s tall, with a handsome face, and eyes the same color as Emily and Edel. Emily knows immediately that he’s her father.

“Dad?” she calls. The man looks up from what he’s doing.

“Emily? Why are you here?” the man asks, taken aback.

“I’m looking for you,” she says excitedly, holding out the book for him to see. “I found this in your library at home, and it had a spell that brought me to town. Then the man who owns the bookshop showed me a spell to find the Red Witch, and she helped me get here.”

“I didn’t ask how you got here. I asked why you’re here,” Harris answers, sounding annoyed.

“I want you to come home,” Emily explains. “Edel and I miss you.”

“Your brother misses me?” Harris asks, standing up to face her.

“Of course he does,” Emily answers.

“He was the one who told me to leave and never come back.” Harris looks down at the large red spell on the floor.

Emily is shocked.

“He did? I didn’t know…”

“He claimed that it was because of what happened to your mother,” Harris answers. “Even though what happened was her fault. She got in the way of my magic. What was I supposed to do?”

Emily doesn’t know what to say. She didn’t expect her dad to be so… coldhearted.

“Get out,” Harris orders. “Or I will make you.”

“No,” Emily answers.

“Get out, I said!” Harris orders again. He pulls a notebook and pen from his pocket and holds it out, ready to close the circle of a spell.

“No!” Emily shouts. “I came all this way, and I am not going home empty-handed!”

Harris closes the circle of a spell that summons wind into the study. The spell sends Emily flying across the room. She cries out as her back hits the wall.

“Get! Out!” Harris shouts.

Emily pulls out her own notebook and closes the circle on a spell to summon a wave of water. It wipes the red spell circle off of the floor, leaving Harris’s work ruined.

His face twists in anger. He uses another spell, throwing Emily back. She hits the wall behind her with another thud.

“Look what you’ve done now!” he shouts. “I tried to be nice. I tried, but you wouldn’t listen to me! If you don’t get out now, I won’t be so nice!”

“I’ll leave if you come with me!” Emily shouts back.

She holds the book open in front of her so she can see all the spells inside. The pages flip on their own, as though possessed by magic.

“Why do you want me to come with you?” Harris demands.

“Because I want a family!” Emily shouts back, close to tears. She uses a spell to send him flying into the opposite wall. “I want a normal family! I’ve never had one! I’ve only ever had Edel! I want us to be together so we can be a normal family!”

Harris laughs as he gets up. His laughter just makes Emily more angry.

“What’s so funny?” she demands.

“As if we could ever be normal,” Harris mocks. “After what happened to your mother, do you think your brother would ever think of me as his father again? Anyway, you and your brother would only get in the way of my research. Tell me, would you like to end up like your mother?”

“Your research?” she says curiously.

“Dark magic is the way forward for all of us,” he declares. “The other witches can’t see it. They think we have to follow the rules and do what is right. But I have no such problem. Your mother’s death was a setback, but I have recovered. Soon enough, I’ll be able to prove that dark magic outshines all other magic.”

“Did Mom even know about magic?” Emily asks.

“Your mother was not a witch. She married me knowing who I was but hated what I became. She could never see the worth of what I was doing,” Harris answers.

“What about Edel?” Emily asks. “Does he know?”

“He knows about magic. He knows what happened. If I remember correctly, he vowed to never use it again after your mother’s death. He demanded I leave and never come back,” Harris explains.

“But—”

“I have no interest in your brother. I have no interest in going home. I have no interest in you,” Harris interrupts.

Edel warned her in the best way he could. The Red Witch warned her, too. Her father was not who Emily wanted him to be. She should have listened from the start.

“Get out,” he orders again with a snarl. “Don’t make me ask again.”

Humiliated, she turns and runs out of the study, down the stairs, and out of the house, desperate to get away from her father as fast as she possibly can.

CHAPTER SIX

After Emily uses the spell to return home, she finds herself back in the library. The room looks the same as it did when she left, and she’s still holding her father’s book in her arms.

She puts it back on the shelf. No matter how powerful the magic made her feel, Emily doesn’t think she wants to touch it again.

She makes her way down the hallway. She can hear Edel’s voice coming from downstairs. It’s hard to make out exactly what he’s saying, but he sounds upset.

“Edel?” she calls. Edel’s voice stops.

“Emily?” he calls back. “Where are you?”

She makes her way down the stairs and into the living room. Edel stares at her. His eyes are wide. He looks panicked and worried, with tears running down his face. Emily has never seen her brother cry before.

“Edel?” she calls again. “What’s—”

“Where have you been?” he shouts, running over to her. Emily isn’t sure what to do. Before she can decide, Edel wraps his arms around her and hugs her close to his chest. “I was so worried about you!”

“I—”

“You’re so grounded,” he interrupts her. “You were already grounded, but now you’re grounded forever. Forever. Do you understand me? You’re never leaving this house again.”

“I’m sorry,” Emily says quietly. Edel stops talking. She reaches out to return the hug. “I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“Are you okay?” Edel asks, pulling away slightly so he can get a look at her to make sure that she’s all right. “You’re not hurt at all?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I’m fine.”

She hugs him again, and there are tears in her eyes.

“Never, ever do that again,” he says, hugging her back.

“I’m sorry—for everything. I’m sorry for getting into that fight, for what I said about you and Dad, and for scaring you.”

Suddenly, Edel realizes something. Like he’s figured out where she went. He starts to speak, but Emily does not let him.

“I thought that we needed a parent so we could be more normal. But we don’t have to be like every other family,” she says. “Our normal is perfect. I’m sorry I didn’t see that before.”

Edel seems surprised, but his face softens. He holds Emily a little tighter.

“I was serious about you being grounded, literally, forever,” he says.

“I know.” She laughs quietly.

“Good.” He nods.

“Even if I’m grounded forever…” Emily looks up at him. “Can we still watch a movie together?”

“Yeah.” Edel ruffles her hair lightly. “Of course we can.”