Salem 1993
They took the long way through the woods, a path the cat seemed to know by heart. It had them weaving through trees, ducking under low branches, and jumping over fallen ones.
In the distance, they could hear the whine of emergency vehicles on their way to see why the sprinklers had been set off at what was probably still public property.
The group emerged at the edge of the road, still following the cat. He lept off the curb without looking, Allison and Dani following without hesitation.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Max stopped short. "This is the graveyard."
"Yes, it's the graveyard," the cat acted like Max was the most annoying people it had ever met. "Witches can't step foot here."
"He talks," Max waved a hand at the cat, offering no more explanation than that.
"At least he's not trying to electrocute us," Dani said, which was a fair point.
"Is this a Halloween thing?" Allison asked. "Did the Sandersons cast a spell on you?"
The cat didn't answer, only slipped through the gate. "Follow me!" he called. "Over here." He did wait for Allison to pry open the gate. Once she had, they filed through into the graveyard. Max was careful to shut the gate behind them. If there had been a lock he would've bolted the thing and taken the key.
"I want to show you something," the cat explained, "to give you an idea of exactly what we're dealing with."
They moved through the silent trees. The gravestones weren't in neat rows like most others Max had seen. They were clumped together oddly or left alone in an unexpected place. It almost looked like a park in some places, with its benches and fountains.
It felt like they walked for a long time when they finally reached the clearing. The cat stopped at a tombstone near the edge of the woods.
"'William Butcherson'?" Max read the name on the stone, crouching near it.
"Billy Butcherson was Winifred's lover," the cat said, "but she found him sporting with her sister Sarah. So she poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut with a dull needle so he couldn't tell her secrets, even in death. Winifred always was the jealous type."
Allison looked at the cat in wonder. "You're Thackery Binx."
"Yes."
"So the legends are true," she added. "What about Abigail Cromwell? She was cursed to be stone the same day you were turned into a cat right?"
Thackery paused, unsure of how to answer. "Well, follow me," he finally responded, leading them deeper into the graveyard. "I want to show you something else."
Binx took Max, Allison, and Dani to a small gravestone whose inscription was nearly invisible in the dim light of the full moon. Max knelt down to get a better look.
The grave marked the burial of a beloved daughter and sister, Emily Binx, who died on October 31, 1693.
"Because of me, my little sister's life was stolen," Binx explained, staring at the grave marker.
Max sat down, wrapping his arms around his knees. He could hear the wistfulness in the cat's voice, and he'd never known a cat could look so sad. Dani knelt across from Max and Allison sat on a rock between the siblings, Winifred's book in her lap.
"For years," Binx said, "I waited for my life to end so I could be reunited with my family, but Winifred's curse kept me alive. Then one day, I figured out what to do with my eternal life: I'd failed Emily, but I wouldn't fail again. So for three centuries, I guarded their house on All Hallow's night, when I knew some airhead virgin might light that candle."
"Nice going, airhead," Dani teased her brother.
"Hey, look, I'm sorry, okay?" Max defended, getting up. He paused before adding, "We're talking about three ancient hags versus the twentieth century. How bad can it be?"
Abigail had been resting in the graveyard, leaned against the back of her own tombstone. She stirred at the sound of her friend's voice, hearing him talk about his sister and what happened that horrible day. She was surprised to learn that she was now in the twentieth century, for her it felt like she'd just been turned to stone.
"Bad," she answered, her voice half-horse from disuse. She didn't know anything about this new time, but the Sanderson sisters brought trouble with them. She stood, scaring the three children that were with the cat. "And it was not your fault, silly cat."
Thackery hissed at the sight of her. He had thought she wouldn't be a problem since her statue had been moved to the graveyard. She'd turn human again and die from standing on holy ground; now he had four witches to deal with. But there she stood, looking exactly like he remembered from three hundred years ago. The same auburn curls that always escaped every plait and bun her mother tried to tame them into, the familiar green eyes, and the freckles she'd gotten from spending her days outside, the ones he and Elijah used to tease her about.
She'd been his best friend. And, at sixteen, his parents were trying to find him a girl to marry when he was old enough. He'd hoped it would have been Abigail, but now he is glad he was turned into a cat. He might have ended up married to a witch if he hadn't, and who knows how badly that would have gone. He doubts she would have even told him, he would have turned her in, at least he thinks he would have. But there was a small part of Thackery that wished that day had never happened; if only so he wouldn't have learned her secret.
"'Twas the Sandersons that lured your sister to their home and stole her life," the girl spoke again, her voice rough. "And I do remember that 'twas the pair of us that failed to save thine sister, not just thee alone."
"Abigail Cromwell," Allison whispered, though everyone heard.
"Yes," the girl, Abigail, smiled, "that is my name. And you are?"
"Don't answer her," Thackery hissed again. "She is a witch, like the Sandersons."
"Thou art a liar, Thackery." A scowl crossed the girl's face as she stumbled towards the cat. "I signed no pact with the devil. I harmed no one with my magic, save the time I hexed Elijah with bad luck for a week. But mother made me undo it and he wasn't harmed at all. I used my magic for good, to help people."
"Why should I believe you?" the cat bared his fangs. "You didn't stop the sisters from killing Emily or turning me into a cat!"
"I am – was still learning," Abigail took a few more shaky steps forward as she spoke. She supposed it was from being stone for so long. "I have to plan spells, or they don't work right, if at all. I had no time to save thee. Though I wished I could have spared thee this fate, or at the very least joined thee in it."
Thackery didn't respond. He glowered the best that he could at the girl before him.
"Now, what is the year and who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Abigail turned to the others.
"I'm Allison Watts. And you've been stone for three hundred years."
Abigail tilted her head, squinting at the girl. "Thine family is from Salem, yes?"
"Um… yeah. Why?"
"I believe thee descended from my sister, Annabelle."
"What?"
"Thou art a witch, should thee choose to learn."
"Wow." Allison leaned back, surprised.
"Um, I'm Max and this is my sister Dani."
"A pleasure to meet thee." Abigail held out her hand to Max, who shook it. That's when Abigail noticed the small cuts on his arms. "Thou art bleeding, Max!"
"What?" Max looked down at his hands, seeing the cuts. "It must have been from the case the book was in."
"Let me help." Abigail took both of his hands in hers and opened her mouth to recite a spell.
"Broken skin
From toe to chin,
Close and seal,
Renew and heal."
The cuts closed and Max felt better immediately, but Thackery gave out an angry noise.
"If you're a witch," Allison spoke, "maybe you can reverse the curse on Thackery and help get rid of the witches." She drew back the cover of the spellbook.
"Stay out of there!" shouted Binx.
Allison was startled and slammed the cover shut. "Why?" she asked. "There might be a spell to help you."
"It hold's Winifred's most dangerous spells," Abigail explained. "She must not get it back. And I doubt I would want to do many of those spells. The Sanderson sisters practiced Dark Magic, which is easier but it corrupts thy soul. My mother and I were white witches. We drew our magic from the natural properties of things."
Max, sort of understanding, grabbed the book from Allison and threw it to the ground. "Let's torch the sucker," he said, striking the lighter again. He held it to the pages of the book, but the flame leaned away, as if there was a barrier around the book, protecting it.
"It's protected by magic," Binx explained.
Cackling laughter broke the air and the group turned. The Sanderson sisters hovered above them, perched on wood-handled brooms.
"'It's just a bunch of hocus pocus'," Winifred quoted Max from earlier. "Sarah. Mary." She gestured to her sisters, who veered off in opposite directions.
Sarah went for Max. "Brave little virgin who lit the candle," she cooed, "I'll be thy friend."
"Hey," Allison swung a tree branch at Sarah. "Take a hike!"
The end of the branch scraped at Sarah's skin and cloak, making her wince and cry out, but most importantly, back away.
Winifred spotted her book on the ground and smiled. "Book!" she called. The tome lifted off the ground and began to float towards her.
Abigail lunged for it, and Thackery jumped on top of it, making it fall back to the ground.
"'Fraid not!" he called.
"Thackery Binx, thou mangy feline," Winifred sounded surprised. "Still alive?"
"And waiting for you," Binx responded.
"And the little white witch, thine curse broke did it?"
Abigail didn't respond, she only glared.
"Ah! Thou hast waited in vain. And thou will fail to save thy friends, just as thou failed to save thy sister." Winifred pointed her broom down towards the cat and dove.
"Grab the book!" Binx shouted.
Allison nabbed it, though Abigail was closer, the colonial girl feared to touch the book, she would grab it if it kept it from Winifred's grasp but she wouldn't want to touch it for long. The group bolted away, running for the protection of the trees, but Mary cut them off, grinning as she bore down on them. They dodged out of the way and she flew past, no doubt looking to come back.
Max pulled his sister close, sheltering her with one arm. "They can't touch us here, right?" he double-checked with Binx.
"Well," the cat mumbled, "they can't."
"I don't like the way you said that." Dani turned to the cat.
"We must keep moving, or things will get worse." Abigail started to move once more through the graveyard.
It wasn't until the sisters reappeared that Max realized they were back to where they'd started. At the grave of Billy Butcherson.
A/N: Abby is here! I may not be consistent with the old English, but I'm trying. Also, Max, Allison, and Dani will sporadically call Abigail "Abby". Not super often but I didn't want anyone to get confused. As for the bit about Thackery being 16, I got that from the book. I also figured if he was 16 that his parents would expect him to marry by the time he was 18 and start a family.