Olivia froze with fear when she saw Josie approaching her and her friends' table. "Your boss?" she asked. "Who'd send you out here?"

"Only the greatest witch to have ever lived," Josie answered. "And she has a bounty on you and your friends."

"What does she want us for?" Saige asked.

"Well, she only told me to take one of you," Josie answered. "My colleagues have already gotten another young woman like you."

"What are you talking about?" Olivia asked. "What do you mean, another young woman like us?"

"Enough questions," said Josie. She looked between the girls, as if deciding which one to take. "You," she said to Olivia. "You are coming with me."

"No!" Olivia protested. Josie grabbed at her, and she recoiled. Before Olivia could make another move, Josie had grabbed her by the arm and pinned her to the table. The woman pulled a pair of handcuffs out of her pocket and fastened one of the clamps around Olivia's wrist.

"Let her go!" said Saige. She charged at Josie, but Josie waved her hand, and an invisible force knocked Saige backward.

"Oh my..." Zack gasped. "You're a witch, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am," said Josie. "And I've heard all about your little endeavor, Miss Zoe Fletcher."

"It's Zack right now," Zack said indignantly.

Josie scoffed. "Names are nothing," she said. "You can call yourself Bob for all I care."

Bailey realized Josie was distracted and took her chance. She came at Josie from the side and tackled her to the ground. "Run, Olivia!" she urged.

"But Bailey-" Olivia started.

"Just go!"

"You little bitch!" Josie growled. She rolled herself on top of Bailey and conjured up another pair of handcuffs for herself. "Perhaps you'd like to be our test subject instead of your friend, wouldn't you?"

Bailey struggled with every fiber of her being, but it was no use. Josie clamped the handcuffs around her wrists and started dragging her toward the exit.

"Let her go!" said Olivia. She got up and ran after Josie, only to have the witch whirl around and face her.

"Miss, you may not realize it now, but we're ushering in the dawn of a new era," said Josie. "Sharon Johnson and Angelina Aguilar tried to start it themselves, but they failed thanks to you. How ironic that you'll help us succeed where our former proteges failed."

Olivia and Saige exchanged glances. "How did you know..." Olivia started.

"No time to talk right now," said Josie. She cupped her hand to her ear as the sound of police sirens started to fill the air. "I think that's my cue to leave." And with that, she took Bailey and dragged her outside. Olivia, Saige, and Zack followed, but they were too slow. Right as they came out of the restaurant's front doors, they saw Josie throwing Bailey in the back of her car and then getting in the driver's seat. Before any of them could do anything, Josie drove off in a cloud of smoke.

Miles came running out of the restaurant-with a metal spatula still in his hand! "Was that another witch?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so," said Zack.

"She took Bailey," said Olivia.

"Uh, guys?" said Saige. Everyone else followed her gaze to where a police car had just parked in front of the restaurant, and a squad of officers were getting out.

***

It took an hour for the kids to clear things up with the cops. The cops asked Olivia, Zack, Saige, Miles, and some other witnesses for full accounts of what happened, to which everyone answered in full detail. Unfortunately, no one was able to recall Josie's license plate number, meaning the police wouldn't have a way of tracking down her car.

After the cops left, Olivia, Zack, Saige, and Miles sat together outside the McDonald's. "This is hopeless," said Olivia. "That witch has probably already taken Bailey back to her master by now."

"I don't suppose you know who this master is?" Zack asked.

"No," said Olivia. "We've never seen that witch before. Ever."

"It sounded like she knew you," said Zack. "The way she was talking about her master's 'former proteges' and how you defeated them."

"Former proteges?" Miles asked.

"I think she said..." Zack thought for a moment. "Sharon Johnson and Angelina Aguilar?"

"No idea who Angelina Aguilar is," said Saige. "But Sharon Johnson...I think she was referring to Miss Johnson."

"I never knew her first name was Sharon," said Olivia.

Zack's head started to spin. "Maybe that's what Carter Halbrook was talking about," he said. "That plot or whatever it was."

"Who's Carter Halbrook?" Olivia asked.

"He's a guy I met earlier today," Zack answered. He gave Olivia and Saige an explanation of how he and Skylar had gotten an unexpected visitor at Starbucks earlier that day.

"You think all this is connected?" Saige asked when Zack was done. "That this Carter Halbrook character somehow knows what these witches are up to?"

"It can't be a coincidence," said Zack. "We've gotta find out where that witch took Bailey."

"And that other girl," said Saige.

"Who?"

"Josie mentioned that they'd gotten someone else like us," Saige explained. "I think she meant another girl who used to be a boy."

Zack and Miles exchanged glances. "Then why didn't she go for Zack?" Miles asked.

"I don't know," said Saige. "But maybe she was talking about someone else from the Y. F. F. H. that they somehow tracked down?"

"Could be," said Olivia. "Maybe Piper, or Andrea, or Stephanie."

"Well, we'll have to find out," said Saige.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Olivia asked.

"I don't know," Saige admitted.

"Wait a minute," said Miles. "Did Bailey have her phone on her when Josie took her?"

Olivia and Saige exchanged glances. "I think she did," said Olivia. "Probably in her pocket."

"Then we can track her," said Miles. "Mr. Al has a device where you can enter in a cell phone number, and it'll pinpoint the cell phone's location."

"Wait a minute," said Olivia. "Mr. Al's that witch hunter who helped you guys root out that witch here, right? Shouldn't we leave it to him to sort this whole mess out?"

"Mr. Al is in the Caribbean right now," said Miles. "By the time he gets back, it'll be too late."

"Where is this device?" Saige asked. "Is it back at your orphanage?"

"It is," said Miles.

"Great," said Saige. "We can go over there, get this device, and then start following Josie-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Olivia. "Who said we were gonna follow Josie?"

"Olivia, they just said Mr. Al can't help us," said Saige. "We have to go after our friend."

Olivia's face fell. "But I didn't...we didn't sign up for this..."

"Olivia!" Saige said accusingly. "Are you just gonna sit by and let these witches torture-and maybe even kill-Bailey?"

Olivia said nothing.

"Don't you remember when Miss Johnson captured you, and Bailey came with me, Tony, and Stephanie to save you? And Bailey was the one who broke you out of that cage where Miss Johnson had you in suspended animation? Don't you think she deserves to have you return the favor?"

"I guess so," Olivia admitted.

"That's better," said Saige. "Zack, Miles, how about you? Are you in?"

Zack shrugged. "I mean, we've had experience with witches before," he said.

"It sounds like you'll need all the help you can get," said Miles. "How much room have you got in your car?"

"Well, my car's a sedan, so it's got room for five people," said Saige. "So if you two come with me and Olivia, then we'll still have room for Bailey for the drive back."

"Oh," said Miles. "I was thinking about inviting Skylar or Avery to come with us."

"No, I think four of us is enough," said Zack. But really, he just didn't want to drag his girlfriend into a potentially dangerous situation.

"Alright," said Saige. "Then we'll leave pronto. First stop: Miles' orphanage to get that cell phone tracker. Next stop...wherever Josie is taking Bailey."

To be continued...assuming anyone even cares. I've noticed that the first four chapters barely got any reads compared to the earlier chapters of Lanie's Journey and The Witch Hunt, and there aren't any comments either. Seems like a pretty lackluster reception thus far...