How To Hang A Witch

Mr. Wardell asks the class for the causes of the Salem Witch Trials. Lizzie says Cotton Mather was the cause, and no one disagrees. Sam runs into the Descendants and the dark-haired boy in the hallway. She tries to grab the dark-haired boy’s arm but slips and almost knocks herself out. People see Lizzie standing over her and whisper that Lizzie put a spell on her. The principal helps her to the nurse’s office.

Sam is in bed, her head still aching. The dark-haired boy suddenly appears at her bedside and puts his hand over her mouth so she can't yell. He says he's not going to hurt her. He expresses concern about her injury, and Sam asks what he wants. He says he wants the private letters, which were his sister’s, and explains that he used to live in the house. He says that his sister died in 1692. Sam refuses his help, and when she says she’ll call the police, he leaves by walking through the closed door.

During a field trip to Gallows Hill Park, Jaxon says the Descendants will eventually lose interest in picking on Sam. Their teacher explains that horses would pull carts of people up the hill, where they were executed. Sam doesn't think that a cart could make it up such a steep hill. She worries when she sees the dark-haired ghost watching her. The teacher says they used tree branches, letting the carts roll away underneath the victims, extending their executions. Sam tells Jaxon that she has trouble trusting people, and he confesses that he likes her. Their kiss is interrupted by the dark-haired ghost. When Sam tells him to get away, Jaxon thinks she's talking to him. Sam tries to explain that she's cursed, and Jaxon says he doesn't believe in curses. Sam warns him to stay away.

Sam doesn't want to go home and face Jaxon or the ghost. A barista recognizes her last name, leading Sam to make a scene. She takes her coffee and walks through town; the kids look at her and whisper. She notices a line of large gray stones with carvings. She reads one out loud and is surprised to find Susannah behind her. Susannah says they're quotes from victims of the trials. She says that every stone has a victim’s name, and her ancestor is just a few feet away. Sam follows her through the graveyard. Susannah asks why Sam fell into the lockers. Looking at her ancestor Nathaniel Mather’s gravestone, Sam admits to seeing someone in the hallway. Susannah tells Sam to be careful: Salem isn't like other places.

Sam is angry that Vivian hired her history teacher to fix the window in her bedroom. Sam goes to her room and calls for the ghost. She says she wants to make a deal to figure out how to break the supposed curse. In return, she will leave the house. The ghost declines, but Sam threatens to damage his family heirlooms. Sam asks him what he knows about her family, and he says their latest great-granddaughter, Samantha Mather, is “common and uncouth” (100). They go to the study, which the ghost, Elijah Roe, says he designed and built. She shows him her grandmother’s notes, tracking the deaths of the descendants every few years. He says there are missing years that he will research.

Sam remembers her dad getting her a gigantic cream puff in Paris. She is excited to finally visit him. Mrs. Meriwether invites her over for breakfast before Jaxon is up. Sam agrees and asks her about her grandmother's mind toward the end of her life. Mrs. Meriwether says she had all her capacities. Jaxon appears, having woken earlier than usual, and Sam is embarrassed. Jaxon, however, says that he's not afraid of a curse, or whatever she thinks is wrong with herself. He asks her if they're still going on a date to look for the house, and Sam smiles and agrees.

Jaxon suspects the house they're looking for is one of local legend: An old woman lived there for hundreds of years, ate birds, and hated people who were in love. They find a rundown black house in the woods, which puzzles Jaxon, as he says no one has ever found it, but it easily appeared with Sam. They find the inside very clean, with no garbage or graffiti. They go upstairs to look for the window that's supposed to overlook the true execution site. Sam is nervous. They find a room with a window and a rope bed. The names Charles and Samantha are written on the wall. Jaxon thinks it's a random coincidence, but Sam is frightened. They look out the window and see a Walgreens Pharmacy, but there's a hill behind it that must be the hanging location. Samantha hears a woman crying and runs out of the house.