16.

J ack watched as Emma morphed from her best friend into what she imagined must be the witch.

"What are you doing?" Jack whispered. "How did you do that?"

"Your friend is dead," Alex said firmly. "Eleanor can only shapeshift into dead people."

"Now, now," Eleanor clicked her tongue. "What makes you say that, Alex?" She changed again. This time, she morphed into an older woman with silver hair and a big smile. Alex closed his eyes. Without asking, Jacqueline knew that Eleanor had taken the form of Alex's late wife.

It was a cruelty he didn't deserve, and one that Jacqueline couldn't stand.

"You're supposed to give them today," Jack reminded the witch. "This is their day. They're allowed to spend it together without you."

"Today is the day my curse is complete," Eleanor corrected her. "I'm not going to let some stupid little bitch ruin it."

Jack slapped Eleanor before she could stop herself. It was like her hand acted of its own accord. Eleanor jolted back, shocked. She reached for her cheek.

"You...slapped me?"

She morphed back to her "normal" self. She was gorgeous. Jack would give her that.

"She's low on power," Alex told Jack. "She can't do anything else until the day is up. Don't worry."

"I'll do what I like, old man," Eleanor growled, but something in her tone let Jack know that Alex was right.

"You spent too much of your power this year spying on me," Alex said. "You whittled away what little you had left. Now you're forced to wait until the day is over so you can see if your spell finally finishes percolating. Tough news, sister: it won't."

Eleanor opened her mouth to say something else, but before she could, the door to the apartment flew open.

It was him.

Zeke.

He'd come.

He barged into the room, and then he paused, looking from Alex to Jack and finally, to Eleanor.

"No," he said. "This isn't how today works."

"It's my curse," Eleanor hissed. "It's my rules."

"No, it's the rules of magic," Jack said, stepping forward. She surprised even herself with this move. "And the rules of magic say that the witch cannot interfere with her own curse."

Eleanor's face turned red, and anger bubbled just beneath the surface of her skin, but they all knew that Jacqueline was right. Jacqueline ignored Eleanor, and she turned to Zeke. He stared at her.

"I've spent the year studying magic," she said, "and I've spent the year studying you, Zeke."

"You have?"

"I've talked to your father, and I've read your old journals. Even though I haven't been able to talk to you, that doesn't change how I feel. I love you, Zeke."

"No!" Eleanor screamed.

"I love you, too," Zeke said, stepping toward her. "I can feel the pumpkin loosening on me. The curse is breaking," he said.

"It's not enough," Jack told him. "We need to seal the deal."

She dropped to her knees, and she looked up at Zeke.

"Zeke, will you marry me?"