Okay so after school Georgia, Tilly and I are heading out to the logging roads. I called Neal and he basically said he didn’t know of anything that could spread magic to other people like that. So then I called Celeste and she said, “listen is someone currently dying? Then this is gonna have to wait?” and hung up on us.

So, that doesn’t really leave us much of a choice. We’ve gotta find it ourselves. If we don’t find anything then we’re going to try doing another summoning spell and try to get it to come to us. We have Iphigenia and Sophie now so we can troubleshoot a little bit and you know try not to get everyone killed.

Georgia’s a little uncertain about this whole thing. I don’t know if Tilly’s on board or just pretending to be; I’m a little bit worried that she’s scared to step in because she doesn’t want me to think I’m on her dad’s side. I wouldn’t think that, even if she weren’t down to try more spells. I trust her.

Idk I can kind of feel myself hurtling down the rails right now — I know I’m like this close to losing it. But I’m barely holding it together here and finding and getting rid of that monster is helping. It feels like something I can do.

My mom asked me to bring in a package after school today, so we stopped by my apartment after school on our way out to the woods. I got the mail and right on top was an envelope with my name written on it.

I dropped all the mail. I’d recognize that handwriting anywhere.

I sat down right there in front of the mail boxes and tore into the envelope to read.

What the letter said:

Dear Shiloh,

I always wanted to write an if-you’re-reading-this-I’m-dead letter.

I’m writing this because I think they’re going to kill me. I don’t know what you do or don’t know, so I’m going to sum some things up for you.

First: There are people in this town that call themselves the New Black Lake Coven. They want to revive the dead tradition of magic in this town — just like we did as kids.

Second: Surprise bitch — magic’s real.

Third: There is a creature in the woods. She draws girls out to her in September, right before the leaves change. I don’t think she means to do it. I think she gets lonely when summer fades. But she calls, and when we’re sleeping we hear her. Some of us, if we hear her loud enough, follow her call. That’s it. That’s the answer to the great mystery of Black Lake. It’s just a lonely creature in the woods.

A lonely creature in the woods who happens to possess a great deal of magic.

The New Black Lake Coven believed that if they could possess her they could possess her magic — but they caught her and she did not offer her magic. So, they thought that if they possessed the girls she called, they might discover more about her magic — but they kidnapped Serena Wiley and she offered no insight into how to gain magic.

So, they thought if maybe they could study the creature and a girl she called together, maybe they might understand how to have her magic.

That’s where I was lost summer. There was no school trip. I was locked in the cellar of the old Black Lake Coven homestead with the creature.

The New Coven didn’t learn anything from us, but I learned a great deal from the creature. The most important thing was this: she has the power to bring things back to life. And that was a very important thing for me to realize because — and I hope you won’t be too alarmed Shi, I know how anxious you get, so I’m sorry — but you’re going to die.

That’s the fourth thing I have to tell you. You’re going to die. I’ve been seeing it in visions for months. You’re going to get shot in the woods. Right in the damn face you idiot. I see it over and over every night in my sleep.

But don’t worry. The fifth — and most important — thing I have to tell you is this: I’m going to save you.

I’ve done some research. According to the Black Coven Grimoire the creature can choose a champion, someone she deems worthy, to share in some of her power. That is what the cult wants me to become — but they don’t understand what that means. They think that if they sacrifice me to her, she’ll bring me back and I’ll be a full-fledged witch, a witch who can bring the Black Coven back to it’s original glory.

I don’t think that’s how it works. We’ve tried other sacrifices before — I killed a lamb in the woods, but she just brought it back and it didn’t become like a magic super lamb.

I think she wants to make me like her. The New Black Coven disagrees. But they’ve never understood. They want to take, to possess the creature and her magic. I only want what she is willing to offer me. She offers me the opportunity to be like her, and if I’m like her than I can save you Shiloh Tamblyn, you big idiot.

I love you I love you I love you

I’m sorry

Madelyn

So yeah, I didn’t handle the letter super well. I pretty much put my head between my knees and yelled until Tilly and Georgia got out of the car and came running. Georgia read the letter too, and I wasn’t paying a ton of attention at the time but she must have taken a lap or something because she sorta disappeared for a while.

Fuck I didn’t realize until this exact moment how fucking terrible this must be for her. She didn’t leave Georgia an if-you’re-reading-this-I’m-dead-letter. And Georgia hasn’t said anything about it to me, she’s been nothing but lovely and supportive and giving, but if the roles were reversed I’d have been dying with jealousy and rage. I should call her. I gotta go.