As Marnie made her way back to her Grandmother's house, having completed all her shopping for the Halloween party, her thoughts were far from the party and were completely focused on Kal. Had he really reformed? According to Luke, whom she trusted completely, he had. But what did that mean? Was he expecting them to be friends? Did she even want to be friends? Did her family know? If they didn't, how would they take it? She had so many unanswered questions. Even if she didn't want to admit it, aloud or to herself, it was true that she was drawn to Kal, even after realizing that he was behind the gray spell and what his plans were. He was using you. He knew you were into him and he used that against you. She thought to herself. Maybe Kal wasn't even into her at all. She stopped and remembered a conversation that she and Kal had after he revealed his villainous ways. He had said that he still wanted her by his side as he ruled. She could be his queen. He wanted to teach her some of his magic. Maybe he was into me after all. She thought as the memory receded back from where it came. Or maybe he was only into me because I'm a Cromwell and our family has always produced strong witches and warlocks with each generation. She thought grimly. Marnie shook her head. She didn't even know why she was even thinking about Kal romantically this way. She was still weary on his intentions and whether or not she believed he had changed and wasn't just an act.
All thoughts of Kal were suddenly forgotten when she reached the gate of their home and saw Grandma Aggie in the yard, beginning to put up some of the decorations that Marnie had zapped home. "Grandma!" Marnie threw open the gate and started to run toward her. Aggie had stopped what she was doing and turned toward the direction of the shout and good thing she did because Marnie almost knocked her over as she crashed a hug into her.
Aggie laughed. "I'm glad to see you too." She dropped the decorations in her hand and wrapped her arms around her eldest granddaughter. "How is the future Matriarch of the Cromwells?" She asked, placing a kiss on Marnie's head.
"Better now that you're here." Marnie answered. She didn't realize until that moment how much she truly missed her grandmother. She pulled back from the hug. "Where's Sophie?" she asked looking around.
"Ah, I we stopped by your mothers house because she demanded to see Sophie the moment we got back." Aggie explained. "She and your mother will be joining us shortly." She gestured to the boxes around the house. "Marvelous decorations you picked. Don't think I could have done a better job."
"This is your first Halloween back and I just wanted the party to be perfect." Marnie explained as she let go of her grandmother and bent to pick up a few decorations. She smiled slyly, "What is it you always say? The Cromwells sure know how to party?" Aggie chuckled. Quite right, she thought.
Hours later the house was decorated inside and out. Marnie and Aggie were in the kitchen, brewing up some delectable concoctions for their guests. She was standing at the cauldron, reading the instructions in the potion book when she remembered Kal. "Grandma?" Marnie asked, getting her grandmother's attention. Aggie looked up from her potion. "Do you believe that people can change, like honestly change?"
Aggie thought for a moment, trying to choose the right words. "Yes, I do believe people can change. Whether it be good or bad. I think it depends solely on their experiences. You can have someone who is a genuinely good person, tries to do for others but run into a string of bad luck. That might cause them to think more about themselves than of others. Or someone could lose everything they have and while they may have been an upstanding citizen, that experience could cause them to become more greedy."
"Okay, but do you think someone who may not have had the best of intentions, someone who may have been wicked, do you think they could realize the error of their ways and change for the better?"
Again, Aggie paused. "I do. Your best friend is a prime example. Luke was lost. He didn't make the best decisions. He did things that some would consider villainous. But he realized the error of his ways and has since atoned for that. I don't believe it's ever too late to change who you are. Someone could be wicked their entire lives and in the last few years of their life, see they were horrible and make amends. What is that story Charles Dickens wrote that you love so much? The one about the greedy, despicable man who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. He was made to see the error of his ways and he changed for the better."
"A Christmas Carol." Marnie answered. Grandma Aggie was right, she realized, It's never too late to change your ways. "Okay, but how do you truly know that people have changed? People can say they've changed and even pretend, but people can have two faces, like the Roman god Janus. They can be one way in public and be another way at home. It can seem like they've changed in public but at home, they could be plotting your demise."
"Oh my darling girl, you can never truly know." Aggie smiled, bringing wrinkles around her eyes. "That's called trust. Sometimes it's hard to trust someone who may have wronged you in the past. You fear getting that trust broken again. But sometimes we have to take a chance on people. There's nothing wrong with being guarded, but you should never close yourself off to possibilities. You never know what you may learn from someone. If you take the time to get to know someone, only then you can know whether or not their words ring true. That's the game of life. It's all about taking risks."
Marnie nodded and went silent for a moment, turning her attention back to the potion book but her mind was far from the contents. She took a chance on inviting Kal to the party that night. Part of her, she realized was because she didn't fully trust him and wanted to keep an eye on him. Another part because she wanted to believe what he said was true and wanted to give him another chance. A third part was because she secretly wanted to see him again.
Aggie next question brought her mind trailing back, like someone pulling her through space and time by her navel. "Is there a reason you're asking? Or should I ask, is there someone you're asking about?" Aggie had a knowing twinkle in her eye.
"I ran into someone today that has plotted against us in the past. Someone who almost had destroyed everything." Marnie answered. "This person explained they had seen the error of their ways, was wrong in their original beliefs and has spent the last several years making up for what they have done. It all sounded too good to be true. I just...have my doubts."
Aggie smiled even harder and what came out of her mouth next even more surprising. "Sometimes it's hard to deal with the pressure our parents place upon us. Sometimes it's even harder to differentiate what we are told to what is fact. Before your student exchange program, the residents of Halloweentown were raised to fear mortals. It was only acceptable to travel to the mortal world on Halloween because mortals would mistake us for wearing costumes. It wasn't until you showed everyone that mortals have changed and it was no longer dangerous for us to live among them, that everyone realized they were misinformed." She paused, mostly for dramatic effect. "Kal has turned into a fine young man. An even finer warlock." Marnie's mouth dropped open. Aggie laughed. "Kalabar raised him to think we were the bad ones. While he went about it all wrong, he believed his father's motives were right. It took everything you've done for him to realize that his father was wrong. He has used the time since to make up for his misjudgement and actions."
"But.." Marnie started. Aggie continued, oblivious to the interruption. "He first came to me and like you, I was in disbelief, doubtful. But I believe everyone deserves a second chance so I gave him one. He checked himself into the Witches Rehab Center, no one forced him. He voluntarily helped me around the house whenever needed. All of the volunteer work he does, he does it on his own accord, not because he's made to. Whether you choose to give him another chance or not is at your own discretion but he spoke the truth with everything he's told you."
They were interrupted briefly when a bouquet of roses materialized on the counter with a note Thanks for the party invite. Looking forward to seeing you tonight. Kal. Marnie finished reading the card aloud and swore that her grandmother was smiling harder than she ever had before. "Wonderful!" Aggie exclaimed. She clapped her hands together. "Come, we've got much more do to to be ready for tonight."