The fire crackled softly as Mrs. Hodgins leaned forward in her rocking chair, her voice trembling.
"They didn't just burn me," she whispered. "They burned everything I loved."
Anne sat frozen, her tea untouched, her heart aching.
"My mother and father," Hodgins continued, "were hanged in the square. No trial. No defense. Just rope and fear. They said witches were filthy. That we didn't deserve burial. So they left us to rot."
Her voice cracked.
"The crows came first. Then the dogs. Then the silence."
Anne moved closer, gently placing a hand on Hodgins' shoulder. "I'm so sorry."
Hodgins wept quietly, her tears glistening in the firelight. "We were just people. Just… people."
Zahir shifted uneasily. "There's nothing we can do about the past. We should go."
Hodgins stopped rocking.
She looked up, her eyes gleaming.
"Oh, but you can," she said.
Zahir stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Hodgins stood slowly, her skirt brushing the floor. "I know who you are, Zahir. Genie of the Crescent Flame. Bound to the girl with the fractured heart."
Anne's eyes widened. "You… know him?"
Hodgins smiled. "I know him very neatly."
Zahir stepped in front of Anne. "Don't."
Anne looked between them. "How can we help?"
Zahir turned sharply. "Anne, stop."
Hodgins chuckled. "You make a wish, darling. That's all it takes."
The fire flared.
The song played again.
And the room felt smaller.
Meanwhile, in the Overworld....
Brittany strutted across the school courtyard, her boots clicking like punctuation marks. She spotted Mira sitting alone on the bench, scrolling through her phone with a worried expression.
"Where's Anne?" Brittany asked, arms crossed.
Mira looked up. "I don't know. She hasn't replied to any texts."
Brittany frowned. "You two are supposed to be besties. How do you not know?"
"I'm not her babysitter," Mira snapped. "But something's wrong."
Brittany paused. "You think it's that creature?"
Mira nodded slowly. "I don't know. But the weather's been weird. Hot one day, freezing the next. It's like something's… off."
Brittany sighed. "Let's go to her house."
They arrived at Anne's place just after sunset.
The porch light was off. The windows were dark.
Mira knocked. "Anne?"
No answer.
Brittany banged harder. "Anne! Open up!"
Still nothing.
They circled the house, Mira spotting the trellis beneath Anne's bedroom window.
"You're not seriously thinking—" Brittany began.
Mira was already climbing.
Brittany groaned. "Ugh. Fine."
They reached the window and pushed it open.
Inside, Anne's room was untouched. Her bed made. Her phone on the desk.
Mira picked it up. "It's off."
Brittany looked around. "What if she's been taken?"
Mira's face paled. "We need to find her."
Then Brittany glanced at the phone screen.
Her name.
Saved in both Mira's and Anne's phones.
As "Bitch 💅"
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
Mira smirked. "You earned it."
Brittany rolled her eyes. "I'm iconic. You're just jealous."
Mira laughed. "Let's find Anne before your ego burns the house down."
Outside, the wind howled.
And in the woods, the fire whispered.