by Marie Arnold
“No, but just keep these two things in mind: one, there is no point in trying to run away from her, because you made the deal. And no human on earth has been able to stop Lady Lydia from collecting what was owed to her.”
“So no running away. Got it. What’s the second thing?” Carmen asks.
“This is the most important thing of all: remember that while you don’t have magic, you have something just as good—your words. And words can be uplifting,” Madam Monday says as she looks deep into our eyes. “Repeat it after me—words can be uplifting.” We repeat it.
A few hours later, we head to Carmen’s place to get ready for midnight. We need to go over the plan as if our lives depend on it, because . . . mine does.
When we enter Carmen’s apartment, it’s quiet. She tells me that her family is out running last-minute errands for Gloria’s birthday. Her mom left us food, but again, we aren’t really in the mood to eat. We are waiting for midnight so we can go meet the witch.
“Do you think Rocky liked us, or was it all a lie?” I ask as we plop down on Carmen’s bed.
“I don’t know. He’s so cute! How can something so tiny be so tricky?”
“I thought we were friends . . . I thought . . .” I bury my face in my hands. Carmen puts her head on my shoulder. “That’s it. I’m never trusting anyone again.”
“Even if that someone is adorable and very sorry?” someone asks. We look toward the window and see Rocky. He presses his sad face into the glass.
“What are you doing here? Haven’t you hurt us enough already? Thanks to you, I may never see my family!” I bark at him.
“I know. I’m so sorry,” he says.
“That’s not good enough. How could you betray us?” I demand.
“I made a deal with the witch before I knew you two. I had no idea how awesome you guys would be. Anyway, I never had friends before. And I thought I could get them if I looked like a rabbit.”
“So why aren’t you a rabbit?” Carmen asks.
“I gave the vial to Lady Lydia, and she said she’ll make me a rabbit after you make your last wish,” Rocky says.
“Well, that’s not gonna happen. So you’re out of luck!” Carmen says.
“I don’t care about that anymore. When I left Madam Monday’s place, I felt terrible. You two were so nice to me, and I hurt you. I made a mistake. I don’t want to be a rabbit anymore. I want friends—friends like you. Can you ever forgive me?”
Carmen and I look at each other. She says to Rocky, “How can we trust you after everything?”
He thinks for a minute. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the meeting tonight. And the witch still thinks I’m on her side, so we can use that.”
“Are you really sorry? Can we really trust you?” I ask.
“Yes. I’ve never had friends before. I don’t want to lose you two,” he says as his head falls.
“Okay, but you have to help us get her,” I reply.
“Really? I’m back in?” Rocky asks.
“We’ve all made mistakes. You’re back in—if you promise no more secret alliances with witches,” Carmen says as she opens the window.
Rocky starts to dance and says, “Yes, I promise.”
As soon as he enters the room, he jumps up on Carmen’s bed and shouts, “The band is back together!”
* * *
We make our way down the dimly lit path that leads to the bridge, and although it’s summer now, a chill clings to the air. I can’t help but feel like we are being watched. It could be my imagination, but I swear the tree branches are following us; the birds are tracking our every move. And is it possible that even the stars above our heads are reporting to Lady Lydia?
I ask my friends, “Does anyone else feel like . . .”
“Like we’re not alone?” Carmen finishes.
“Exactly,” I reply.
We walk the rest of the way in silence, going over the plan in our heads. When we get under the bridge, we see Lady Lydia standing in front of the stream. She’s wearing a long, reddish cape made entirely of fire ants. Her blood-red nail polish and lipstick gleam in the moonlight. And Madam Monday was right: she is wearing the glass vial around her neck, with the snail in it. It’s still alive.
Lady Lydia eyes us with anticipation. She rubs her hands together and smirks. She motions for us to come closer. I can almost feel the excitement bouncing off her.
“I see you brought an audience,” Lady Lydia says.
“After I make my third wish, my essence will be trapped with you, so this is my only chance to say goodbye to my friend,” I reply.
Lady Lydia looks over at Rocky.
“I mean say goodbye to my real friends,” I shout at him.
Lady Lydia laughs and says there are no such things as friends.
“That’s not true! Carmen is my friend. And I have plenty of friends back in Haiti.”
“Yes, the friends you were so willing to forget about to embrace your new culture,” she says.
I lower my head.
“She made a mistake. She knows better now. And that’s okay. People make mistakes,” Carmen says.
“Well, I don’t,” Lady Lydia says. “I plan things to the bitter end. I worked out every single detail of this day. Now, make your third wish so I can collect the last essence I need to make Brooklyn perfect!”
“Lady Lydia, we can’t all be the same. If we’re all the same, then we lose ourselves. Don’t you see that?” I plead.
“You children are fools! I’m here to ensure perfection and harmony. That only happens when there is nothing different or unique in the world. Now I’ve waited too long for this. Make the wish, or I’ll end your family!” she says as she waves her arms and opens up a portal in the middle of the park. I see my family inside the portal. They look terrified and confused. I run over to the portal, but Lady Lydia closes it up.
“Hey, bring them back!” I demand.
“Is that your wish? Are you making a wish?” she asks eagerly.
“No—no, I’m not. Not yet.”
“Well, that’s too bad, because I’m surely going to take them now!” she says as she waves her hand and makes the portal reappear. She summons white smoke in the shape of a dragon. It flies into the portal and surrounds my family.
“Make the wish, or else . . .” she threatens.
“Okay. I’ll make my last wish,” I reply.
“Finally! Perfection will be mine!” She cackles as she makes the dragon disappear.
I look at Carmen, who nods. “I need one thing before I make my last wish,” I inform Lady Lydia.
“And what is that?” she asks.
“A dance,” I reply.
“What dance?”
“In Haiti, we have a dance to say goodbye to earth. And since, after my wish, I will be trapped in the stream, I’d like to do the dance to say goodbye to earth.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Lady Lydia says suspiciously.
“It’s true!” Carmen adds quickly. “We have that kind of dance in Mexico, too. It’s to thank the land for everything it gave us.”
Rocky leans in and whispers in the witch’s ear, “I’ve heard of that. It’s a real thing. Just let them dance, and then you can have everything you’ve always wanted.”
“How long is this dance?” Lady Lydia asks. “The moon is nearly overhead. You have to make your wish by then.”
“It will only take a few moments,” I reply. “Please, let me say goodbye to the earth that kept me alive up until now.”
“Argh, fine! But hurry up!” Lady Lydia says.
I nod at Carmen; she takes the radio out of her backpack and starts to play the slumber song. Carmen and I begin to dance. It’s nothing that’s ever been done before. We make it up as we go along. We mix and match all kinds of dances to the smooth, relaxing sound coming from the radio. The song is doing exactly what Madam Monday said it would do: it’s making Lady Lydia sleepy.
She’s watching the movements c
losely, and her eyelids are drooping as she moves her head to the music. Carmen and I get close enough to the vial, but the witch isn’t sleepy enough to let us take it. We surround her, still dancing. She watches us as she gets sleepier and sleepier.
“The song . . . Something’s wrong . . . The song . . . It’s making me . . .” She starts to walk toward us, stumbles forward, and falls flat on her face. The whole park can hear her snoring.
“Rocky, now!” I whisper. He jumps on top of Lady Lydia and yanks the vial off her neck. He tosses it to me, but it falls to the ground and starts to roll away. Carmen chases it while Rocky and I tie the witch’s feet together. Thankfully, because she’s asleep, so is her army of fire ants.
“Hurry!” Rocky says. Carmen comes back to us looking frazzled. Rocky and I exchange a quick look of panic.
“Carmen, where is the vial?” I ask.
“Egg has it,” she says.
“Who?” Rocky and I ask at the same time.
“Egg—he’s a pit bull. He was playing fetch with his owner and he saw the vial and took off after it.”
“What? He ate the vial with the snail?” I ask.
“No, but he thinks it’s a toy. He’s playing with it.”
“We have to get that vial before Lady Lydia wakes up!”
“I’m on it!” Rocky says.
“Rocky, it’s a big dog,” Carmen says. “I don’t think you can—”
“No, Carmen, I will do this. You guys were my friends, and I let you down. I want to make it up to you. I’m on it!”
Carmen shows him the direction the dog took, and Rocky takes off running.
“Is she tied up tight?” Carmen asks, looking at Lady Lydia.
“As tight as I could get it,” I reply nervously.
“How much longer do we have until she wakes up?” Carmen asks.
“Not long at all, fools!” Lady Lydia yells as she springs up and uses her magic to free herself. She hovers angrily in the air and glares at us. “I see you had help from Monday. Well, it wasn’t enough. Nothing you do can stop this from happening!”
As she is ranting and raving, Rocky appears behind her. He shouts, “Egg, attack!” And out of nowhere, a pit bull jumps into the air and pounces on the witch.
“Gabrielle, the moon! Here!” Rocky hands me the vial. We only have one chance to get the snail into the water. Lady Lydia will break free from Egg’s jaws at any moment.
“Go, Gabrielle! Go!” Carmen shouts as I run to the water’s edge. I uncap the vial just as Lady Lydia breaks free from the dog.
“No!” she says behind me. She summons the sky to open and brings down thunder and lightning, each bolt only inches from me. She orders the lightning to strike as close to the edge of the water as possible so that I can’t get anywhere near it.
“Gabrielle, the lightning—it’s gonna get you if you go any closer,” Rocky shouts.
“I have to try,” I reply as I take a deep breath and run toward the water. I finally get close enough to drop the snail into the stream. As soon as the snail hits the water, the stream parts and a slew of spirits leap from the depths of the water and up into the air.
They fly high above our heads and enter the light of the moon. Every essence that escapes leaves Lady Lydia weaker and weaker. She’s now too weak to stand. She’s on the ground moaning. The lightning has stopped. She doesn’t have enough power left to summon anything in the sky anymore.
“No, my collection! No!” the witch says.
All the essences that were trapped in the stream are now free, the stream closes back up, and the surface of the water is still.
It’s over. We won.
“It was going to be perfection! I was going to give Brooklyn perfection!” she cries.
“She’s weak now; she can’t harness enough power to keep hiding my family. So, where are they? Where’s my family?” I ask. I look around for them. They should be right here. The three of us look all over the place, but there’s no sign of them.
Suddenly, the defeated witch on the ground begins to laugh. It’s a chilling laugh, the kind that makes you feel cold inside, that makes its way down your spine.
“You may have robbed me of my dream world, but you won’t get what you want,” she says.
“Where are they? What did you do to them, witch?” I shout.
“You better tell us, or we’ll sic Egg on you again, and this time, he’ll finish you off!” Carmen says.
“Start talking, lady!” Rocky adds.
She’s weak, too weak to stand up. Yet she’s found something to laugh about, and that worries us. Could it be that she’s actually already done away with my family?
“Lady Lydia, talk!” I roar.
“You see, dear, the deal I made with you was a fair one. I told you the rules, and we made the deal in good faith. When you put that snail in the water, it did weaken me. In fact, I can’t summon a butterfly, let alone enough magic to overpower you three. But I have a feeling I will get some power back very soon.”
“And who’s going to give it to you?” I ask.
“You are. Your essence is stronger than any of the kids I was holding captive in the stream. Just one drop of your essence can power me up. So go ahead. Make your third wish. And while I won’t be able to change Brooklyn into the perfect world, I will take you as my consolation prize.”
“What are you talking about? We beat you!” I reply.
“Yes, you foiled my plans. Good for you. But that won’t bring your family back. If you want them to return, alive and well, you will need to wish it. And when you do, you will be mine. I will trap you in that stream, and since the snail is only useful once, there is no getting out for you.”
“No, Gabrielle, don’t listen to her. You can’t make that wish,” Carmen says.
“She’s right. Wishing it is the only way to bring them back,” I say.
“Yes, but then you’ll belong to her forever,” Carmen says.
“I know. But it’s my family’s freedom or mine. And I’m the reason this happened. I love them, and I owe it to them to make sure they are safe.”
“Even if it means the end for you?” Rocky says.
“Yes,” I reply softly.
“But we can’t let the witch win,” Carmen argues.
“She’s not winning. She’ll never be able to collect essences again. Her time is over.”
“But I will still get to keep you captive.” Lady Lydia laughs.
“Yeah, you will. But all that matters is my family,” I reply.
I look at my friends, and tears spring to my eyes. They aren’t tears of sadness; they are tears of joy. “I finally feel like I belong here. And it’s not because of magic. It’s because I have friends like you two. Thank you. Please look after my family.”
“Aw, so sad,” the witch says.
“Be quiet, witch!” Rocky says.
“Don’t worry—when you make the wish, you’ll have until noon today to say goodbye to all your friends.”
“Why would you give me that chance?” I ask.
“It’s not me. It’s the rule. You get to say goodbye. But at noon, I come for you,” Lady Lydia says.
“Okay, let’s do it,” I say.
“Gabrielle . . .” Carmen says.
“It’s what I have to do,” I tell her and Rocky. They nod and begin to tear up. The witch stands up and hands me the box with the last mango slice. I take the mango in my hand.
“You guys get out of here. I don’t want her coming for any of you,” I tell them. Rocky and Carmen reluctantly flee. Now, it’s just the witch and me.
“I wish for my aunt, uncle, and cousins to come back to me, safe and unharmed. Right here and right now,” I say, and put the final slice of mango into my mouth.
A portal appears and spits out my family. I run up to them and hug them as tightly as I possibly can. Rocky stands near and tells me what they are saying.
“Gabrielle, it’s too late to be out here. Let’s go home. Soccer rematch this weekend. Okay?
” Rocky translates for my uncle.
I look at him sadly and reply in English, “Okay, Uncle.”
“I’m thinking rice and beans for dinner. Maybe some fried pork or goat? What do you think?” my aunt asks.
“Sounds good.”
The twins play with my hair, and Kayla says she can’t be seen here because she isn’t wearing the proper “park” outfit. I laugh at her and hug her. She has no idea why I’m being emotional.
“Hey, there’s a strange lady behind you,” my uncle says. I turn to face Lady Lydia.
“Is she a friend of yours?” my aunt asks.
“No, she’s not,” I reply.
“Yes, but we will have more than enough time to get to know each other,” Lady Lydia says. “Because in a few hours, you’ll be mine . . . forever!”
Chapter Eighteen
American
I LOOK AT MY WATCH for the hundredth time—it’s almost noon. Our principal, Mr. Moore, is at the podium, and his speech is so boring that even the teachers are nodding off.
“It’s important that you all remember: keeping the school clean means you care. So, let’s make sure we all care . . .” He then goes on and on about lateness and the importance of filling out permission slips for class trips.
“You students must be responsible. It’s not fun for your principal to field a hundred calls from your parents because you forgot your field trip permission slips at home. Sometimes your principal is busy in his office, busy doing principal things.”
“Watching soap operas!” some kid yells out. Everyone laughs.
“That’s an outrageous lie! Now . . . sometimes on my lunch breaks I might tune into All My Children to see if Angie and Jesse have finally united. Those two have so much going for them. Why must they be torn apart? Why is love so cruel?”
Mr. Moore is tearing up as he looks off into the distance. Ms. King—the assistant principal—elbows him in the ribs.
“Ah yes, where was I? Oh—yes, responsibility. Let’s really think about this: What is responsibility?”
The kids groan and roll their eyes. Thankfully, Ms. King politely cuts him off and tells the kids to give him a big round of applause. A few kids clap, but most don’t.