...Marty clentched his teeth for a moment, frustrsated, then sighed. Doc's not gonna go for this, he realized. Maybe I should talk to Amanda....

"Fine," he said after a moment, dropping the subject then.

Amanda came up for a visit several hours later, with an update on the search for the escapees. "They've found Goody Smith and Goody Phillips," she reported. "But there has been no sign of Rilla or the three of you."

Kezia sighed. "Oh, those poor women. They are no more witches than you or I."

"Aye," Amanda agreed. She looked at Marty, lying back on the floor and staring at the ceiling. "Are you feeling better today?"

Marty pulled his eyes away from the shadowy beams and looked at Amanda. "I'm fine," he said, then sat up. He glanced at Doc for a moment, a few feet away. The scientist looked engrossed in a book that Kezia had brought him from the downstairs. Marty got to his feet and grabbed Amanda's arm, pulling her towards him. "Hey, can I talk to you about something?" he murmured in her ear.

"I suppose so," Amanda whispered back.

Marty led Amanda to the far end of the attic, behind a pile of chests and some banged up old furniture. "How would you like to help me get Melinda?" he finally asked her in a low voice.

Amanda stared at him, her brow furrowed. " 'Get Melinda?' " she repeated, a puzzled tone to her voice. "I'm afraid I do not understand what you be saying."

Marty sighed softly, taking a moment to phrase it in a better way. "I mean, how would you like to help me do something to Melinda? Kind of to pay her back for what she's done to everyone here."

Amanda stared at him for a long moment without saying anything. Marty wondered if she was still confused on what he was saying and was about to open his mouth and try again when the girl nodded. "Aye," she whispered. "I would help you with that. Though I fear Kezia will think me as evil as much as Melinda be."

"No one said we had to get caught," Marty told her, smiling. Amanda smiled back, cautiously. "You probably know Melinda better than I do -- what would really get her?"

Amanda looked briefly confused at Marty's yet-to-be-invented expression again, but seemed to get the gist of it. "Do you mean to accuse her of witchcraft?"

Actually, that's what Marty had been considering for a few hours, but finally decided against. For one thing, he didn't want the death of someone hanging on his conscious. For another, it would probably seriously alter history in some way -- especially if Melinda had never died in the trials. And then, finally, even if Marty wanted to accuse her, he couldn't -- he would be arrested in two seconds flat and never believed anyway!

"No," Marty said. "Why should we stoop to her level? What we need to do is to scare her -- know anything that would?"

Amanda's face grew thoughtful. She tapped a finger against her chin. "What would scare Melinda Schaefer?" she murmured to herself. "Well, I do recall that she detests snakes. And she has a great fear of fire and ghosts."

"Hmmmm," Marty muttered. "Anything else?"

Amanda pursed her lips together, her forehead creasing even more. Finally, she shook her head. "No, that is all I know. She may fear more, but I know not."

"Well, it's a start," Marty said. "Listen, Doc wants us to leave town tonight."

"I know," Amanda said, nodding.

"So I guess we should come up with something fast, then," Marty added. "And pull it off tonight."

"Tonight?" Amanda gasped. "But that be so soon."

Marty shrugged. "There isn't much time," he said. "I'll be gone soon, and Doc would kill me if he knew I was going to do this! We've gotta do it when I'm still in Salem."

"I see," Amanda said slowly. "Well, I will do my best to think of something. I believe that Melinda will be home tonight, studying the Bible with her family."

"Does she trust you?" Marty asked. "Like, if you asked her to come with you somewhere, would she?"

"I do not believe why she would not," Amanda said. "She believes me incapable of doing any harm to her. She knows that if I cross her, she just need speak my name as a witch."

"Great, so we have that going for us, at least."

Marty heard footsteps approach them and turned to see Doc heading their way. "Marty!" the scientist hissed, gesturing sharply in the semi-darkness. "Get back over here!"

Marty nodded, then turned back to Amanda. "Come see me later. Think about this."

Amanda nodded again. "Aye."

Marty returned to Kezia's and Doc's side. "What were you doing?" Doc asked as Amanda left the attic. "I looked up and you were gone!"

"We were just talking," Marty said, settling back down on his blanket. "Relax, Doc."

Doc narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You and Amanda aren't....involved in any way...are you?"

Marty rolled his eyes. "Doc, get real! I love Jennifer -- you know that! Anyway, she's not really my type. We were just talking, that was all."

Doc Brown stared at him for a long moment, the sighed and looked down at the book in his hand. "We'll be leaving here around midnight," he said. "Be ready."

It was a little bit after six when Amanda returned to the attic, with food for everyone. Marty waited until Doc was distracted again, then snuck off with Amanda to the other end of the attic again to discuss the plans.

"Did you come up with anything?" he asked her softly.

"Perhaps," Amanda said. "I have heard through gossip that Melinda is alone tonight. Her family is in the next town over, visitin' a friend....