Reveal to us Suzan's family tree.
And who our new Circle member will be.
Immediately, pinkish purple lines soaked into the veins of the paper like blood. Up from the bottom of the page, a tree began to draw itself in watery magenta strokes. It was thick at its base and grew upward and out in long stalks, spreading across the entire canvas. Branches formed and then names attached to each branch.
"It's working," Diana said. "I don't believe it."
Cassie watched each generation of Suzan's family grow from the tree like blossoming fruit. The first names to appear dated back three hundred years, which meant Suzan's ancestors must have been among New Salem's founding families. The tree grew fast through the decades and seemed to be picking up speed as it neared the present. By the time Suzan's parents' names appeared, almost every inch of paper had been inked over in fine print.
"Linda Forsythe," Laurel said. "That was Suzan's mother who passed away in the storm. We would have known her as Linda Whittier."
"Forsythe?" Cassie said aloud, but nobody heard her. She hadn't remembered until now that the surname Whittier came from Suzan's father's side. She hadn't given any thought at all to Suzan's mother's bloodline.
"Forsythe?" Cassie said again. Her stomach twisted at the sight of it. "That was Suzan's mother's maiden name?"
But no one responded. Everyone was too focused on the next line being drawn to the tree.
Linda Forsythe's name connected to her husband's and then branched out to form Suzan's name. But then another branch formed from Linda Forsythe's name: Laura Forsythe.
"Who's that?" Melanie asked.
"It looks like Suzan's mother had a sibling we didn't know about. A sister. Forsythe ..." Diana said, turning to Cassie, her face pale. "Hold on. Isn't that - "
The final name on the tree brought Diana to a deathly silence. It branched downward from Laura Forsythe's name and glowed in bright magenta: Scarlett Forsythe.
"No," Cassie said. But she watched in horror as one final deep red line connected Suzan's name to Scarlett's. "This can't be right," she said. "Suzan and Scarlett can't be related."
"Suzan and Scarlett were cousins?" Adam said.
"Does this mean what I think it means?" Laurel asked.
Cassie broke into a cold sweat. So that was the name of Scarlett's mother. Laura Forsythe. The woman who'd sparred with Cassie's own mother over Black John's affections. She had run away from New Salem, Cassie knew that. Her mother said she'd disappeared, never to be heard from again. But here she was now, long after she'd died, appearing once more as a crucial element to both the past and the future.
"Suzan definitely had no idea she had an aunt," Melanie said. "And Scarlett must not have known either. Or else she would have gone after Suzan the same way she went after Cassie for her spot in the Circle."
Diana picked up the canvas and stared at Scarlett's name. "And now she's gotten it anyway. She's our new member, whether we like it or not."
"Unless we don't initiate her," Cassie said.
Chapter 23
"If we don't initiate Scarlett into the Circle," Adam said, "we'll be much weaker when we're fighting the hunters."
The rain continued pouring down in sheets. Cassie watched it through the large bay window in Diana's living room. It was better than staring down at the magenta ink of Scarlett's name on Suzan's family tree.
"We have to initiate her," Melanie said. "Nothing matters more than defeating the hunters, especially after what they did to Suzan."
"But we know she has ulterior motives and can't be trusted," Nick said. "Remember, she wanted Cassie's place in the Circle so she could use our Circle's power for her own agenda. She'd be as bad as initiating Black John himself."
Melanie scoffed at Nick. "That's an overstatement if I've ever heard one."
Cassie wanted this conversation to stop. The sky outside had settled to a deep purple and the clouds rolled and shifted in ever-changing shapes. Cassie saw a heart and then a castle, and then nothing, just a sheet of gray. Her mind wandered and an image flashed into view: herself back at the Mission House on the brink of killing Scarlett. But this time she'd gone through with it. She completed the killing spell and Scarlett's eyes had glassed over the way Suzan's had up on the roof, and then she stiffened to a lifeless statue. Cassie imagined exactly what it would feel like for Scarlett to be gone forever - how the Circle would be free at last.
That's it, Cassie thought. That was the solution. She would have to kill Scarlett. Then they could take their chances with another lost family member to be next in line for the Circle.
But then she shook the idea from her mind. No, she told herself. Send light to that dark thought, and cast it away.
Cassie knew she had to fight off every evil intention the moment it appeared now, before it could really get to her and take hold.
"Cassie," Adam said. "Are you okay? You're as pale as a ghost."
"I'm fine." But the faintness of Cassie's voice gave her away.
"See," Melanie said. "Even Cassie is weaker now. I told you."
"I'm not weaker," Cassie shot back.
But Melanie was adamant. "Yes, you are. We all are."
"Let's just see about that." Chris directed his attention to the bowl of fruit on Diana's coffee table. "Who wants to see me levitate an apple?" he asked. But seconds passed and nothing happened. The apple didn't move, and Chris grew more and more frustrated as the clock continued to tick.
Melanie crossed her arms over her chest, looking smug.
"Maybe if we both try," Doug said, going to his brother's side. He focused his attention on the fruit as well. With their combined powers, the apple began to shiver. It lifted from the bowl for a brief second, but then it dropped back down.
"Shoot." Chris was breathless with fatigue. "We almost had it."
"Thank you for proving just how powerless we are," Nick said. He looked worriedly at Cassie. "We may actually be weaker than we were before you came to town."
Cassie returned her gaze to the window and took a deep breath. It was becoming more and more clear that their only option wasn't destroying Scarlett. It was going against all logic and asking her to join them.
"We can barely do the simplest everyday magic with an incomplete Circle," Melanie said. "Let alone anything strong enough to fight off the hunters. I say we initiate Scarlett, defeat the hunters, and then figure out what to do with her later."