The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
by Sangu Mandanna
Contents
Chapter Twenty-Five
Overview
Mika flees to her childhood house in York, confronting loneliness while preparing a safer potion-based plan to manage Edward. As Christmas amplifies her isolation, Jamie arrives, revealing he found her via the contract address. Mika, hurt yet resolute, allows him inside, signaling a fragile thaw before the 26th confrontation.
Summary
After leaving Nowhere House, Mika drives to York and lets herself into the townhouse of her childhood. Surrounded by memories of neglect and transience, she cleans, rearranges, and forces the space into something new, using exhaustion to halt her spiraling doubts about who truly cared for her.
Determined not to abandon the girls, Mika focuses on Edward as a solvable problem. Lacking time for an untested glamour, she pivots to a simpler adaptation: a confounding tea to loosen perceptions and make her story more believable. She researches, experiments, and keeps working, even as homesickness for Nowhere House seeps in.
As Christmas arrives, nearby homes celebrate, intensifying Mika’s isolation. She stays with Circe and her simmering cauldron, trying to ignore the day and her loneliness.
Jamie unexpectedly knocks. His presence—familiar scent and visible longing—nearly breaks her resolve, but Mika remembers the hurt. He explains he used the address from Ian’s contract and came knowing she might not answer a call. Though wary, Mika lets him into the house, keeping emotional distance as they face what comes next before the 26th.
Who Appears
- Mika MoonRetreats to her childhood home, cleans to cope, devises a confounding potion plan for Edward, and guardedly lets Jamie in on Christmas.
- Jamie KellyTracks Mika to York via her contract address; arrives on Christmas seeking her, hopeful but cautious, and is admitted despite her hurt.
- CirceMika’s dog; explores the house and joyfully greets Jamie, giving Mika space to steady herself.