The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

In the garden, Mika holds her first class with the girls. They’re comfortable and happy in each other’s company, which Mika admires as she watches them approach. Jamie will be supervising the lesson, and Mika becomes anxious. While Ian or Ken would be understanding if she messed up, Mika worries that Jamie is looking for reasons to dislike her more.

Mika invites the girls to ask questions. Rosetta asks how many witches Mika knows, Altamira asks if there are boy witches, and Terracotta asks if Mika can really teach them to control their magic by Christmas. Mika responds that they can’t possibly have full control by Christmas, but she’ll give them a good start. She can protect them if something happens during Edward’s visit. When Mika suggests that uncontrolled magic can be dangerous to Terracotta’s loved ones, Terracotta’s demeanor softens. Mika suspects that her standoffishness comes from a place of love and protectiveness of her family.

Rosetta wonders why Edward can’t learn that they’re witches. Mika explains that it’s too risky. Mika tells the girls about the Society, Primrose, and Primrose’s rules. She also talks about her string of nannies. Whenever a nannie saw something she shouldn’t see, Primrose removed her memories of the magic. Mika doesn’t tell the girls that Primrose removed the nannies’ memories of Mika completely. She doesn’t like the idea of using magic to mess with people’s brains. However, Primrose’s remarkable talent for memory manipulation becomes crucial in the novel’s final chapters to help resolve conflict. Terracotta approves of Primrose’s philosophies, believing that people must do hard things to protect their loved ones.

Mika gives each of the girls a pebble and asks them to try to make it move. Animation is a simple spell, so it’s a good starting point. Mika helps the girls concentrate and explains how to grab magic from the air. All three girls try their best but fail to move the stone. Mika is proud anyway because she felt their concentration. Jamie says that he thought he saw the pebbles move. Mika tells them that they’ll get there soon with practice.

Inside, Ian watches through the window. He decides to set up Mika and Jamie romantically, despite Ken’s protests. Setting up Jamie has never gone well before.

It’s been three days since Mika’s arrival. Jamie is frustrated at the new dog and human in the house. He tries to find reasons to hate Circe but finds himself enjoying her company in the library.

Jamie hasn’t warmed up to Mika at all. Her cheery demeanor puts him off. He wouldn’t like any newcomer because he’s protective of the house’s secrets, but something about Mika specifically bothers him. He recalls when he was an optimistic person like her. Something happened that changed him. Admittedly, Mika is good at her job, and the girls have made their pebbles move after some practice.

Mika enters the library and offers to take Circe, but Jamie replies that Circe is fine. Mika asks questions about the library, and Jamie answers them. She asks if he’s okay. He blurts that most days he’s too tired to continue keeping secrets. He tells her that they tried to talk to Edward again, to no avail. There’s no use trying to contact Lillian, either. Mika and Jamie discuss the challenges of raising witches. He realizes that she has been made to feel like a challenge by her caretakers over the years. She struggled for years trying to figure out how to behave correctly for everyone else.

Mika thanks Jamie for the talk. She reminds him that the girls will eventually leave Nowhere House and that they’ll need to learn how to fit in just like Mika did because of how cruel the world is. Jamie believes the world could be better.

Mika, Altamira, and Rosetta work at cauldrons. Terracotta doesn’t attend this lesson. She has missed a third of the lessons. Mika knows that Terracotta is still learning and practicing, but she’s skipping lessons to send a message to Mika.

Altamira asks about Mika’s family. She reminds the girls of Primrose and explains that her mother and grandmother were witches. The girls are aware of the spell that went wrong, leading all witches to be orphans. Witches are more likely to give birth to witches, but it isn’t a guarantee. Many witches choose not to have children.

Despite Terracotta’s absences and death threats, Mika’s first week at Nowhere House has gone well. The girls have gotten more confident with their magic, and Mika has taught them several valuable skills. Mika relates the most to Rosetta, whose questions about other witches and the world outside Nowhere House reveal her desire for company. Rosetta is lonely. Mika invites Rosetta to go to a bookstore in town. It’s a 45-minute drive, but Mika really wants to get her out into the world. She knows that Rosetta will love the bookstore, and Rosetta is excited about the idea. When Mika runs it by the adults, Jamie thinks it’s too risky but eventually agrees if Ian goes along. Mika invites Jamie to join them too, and he agrees.

Jamie retrieves Mika from her greenhouse to inform her that they’re ready to go. She smells his aftershave and pulls him closer to identify it, startling him. Embarrassed, Mika backs off and apologizes, admitting that she’s bad with standard social behavior. Jamie says that he can relate.

In Mika’s car, Ian and Rosetta sit in the back excitedly. Mika notices Jamie’s forearms as he climbs into the passenger seat. Forearms are her weakness. As they drive, Ian is disappointed that Mika refuses to use her magic to get them there faster, but Rosetta is happy that she won’t miss anything.

The group discusses what will happen should anything go wrong. Mika says she’s in control, but they’ll leave quickly if anything goes wrong. Ian asks if they could use a spell to disguise themselves for extra protection. Mika says it’s possible, but she hasn’t ever done anything like that. Ian seems disappointed.

Ian asks if Mika has a significant other. Mika hasn’t had a serious relationship since college. She won’t tell her partners about magic but has no desire to be in a relationship with someone to whom she can’t reveal her full self. Mika moves around a lot, so it’s easy for her to not make lasting connections anyway. Rosetta thinks Mika could eventually find someone.

Mika asks about Lillian’s family. Lillian and her sister were raised by relatives who loathed them. Lillian left as soon as she was old enough, and she took Jamie in after he left home at 16. Lillian, Lucie, Jamie, and Ken all helped raise Jamie and sent him to college. He was fresh from college when Rosetta came along, and he became a parent figure. Ian explains that Lucie left a violent domestic situation before coming to Lillian. Mika understands Lillian as a nice person because she has helped people in need, but she doesn’t stay and help do the work.

Ian confesses that his mother was a witch, which is why he can see the magic around Mika, Lillian, and the girls. He says it was time to tell Mika about that because he considers her one of them now. He’s ending her trial period early. Mika is touched. Ian keeps his mother’s witchcraft a closely guarded secret. Jamie adds that revealing this information is Ian’s way of inducting people into their group. Mika has never felt more welcomed or accepted before.

Rosetta is enamored by the selection at the children’s bookstore. Ian browses the small grown-up section while Mika keeps an eye on Rosetta. Jamie excuses himself to run an errand around the corner. Ian asks Mika where their “handsome escort” went. She says he stepped out. Ian is tickled that Mika thinks Jamie is handsome, and he teases her.

Rosetta makes friends with two boys over a comic book series they all love. Ian and Mika want Jamie to see Rosetta having fun talking about books, so Mika goes to fetch Jamie, finding him outside a solicitor’s office. Jamie says he had a question about his father’s will. His father died when he was 12. Mika understands because she never had a parent, really. Jamie asks about Primrose, but it’s not the same for Mika. He asks if Mika could recast Lillian’s warding spells if she doesn’t return. Mika says she’d need help from the other witches in the Society because Lillian’s spells are so powerful.

Ian and Rosetta wait outside the bookstore with a stack of shredded books. Rosetta had a disagreement with the boys and lost control, creating a small whirlwind, but it was gone quickly and no one noticed. Ian bought the damaged books. Mika expects Jamie to be upset, but he’s happy that Rosetta had a good time.