by Lara Chapman
My mind scrambles back to the conversations I’ve had with Ivy. What has Jo heard? Does she know I have the amulet?
“I don’t really like the idea that someone can hear what I’m saying. What if it’s secret?” a girl asks.
“Sweet girl, you’re in a school for witches. There’s nothing you can do or say or think that won’t be detected by someone in this building.”
A hot flush runs through my body. Then my hands begin to sweat.
Ivy snaps her fingers at me. “Chill,” she mouths.
I shake my head at her. Nothing about this is okay.
Jo sits back down in her seat, and Lady Rose calls another girl to her desk. I’m shocked by how calmly Lady Rose handles Jo’s gift. I wonder if I’ll ever get so used to people having special powers that it doesn’t totally freak me out.
I look at Jo, who’s talking to Dru. She doesn’t act like she knows about the amulet. Maybe she didn’t have the gift then. Please, please, please let that be true.
“Hallie,” Lady Rose calls, motioning me to her desk.
I put my journal down in front of her.
She opens it, then frowns. “Should I know what these things mean?”
I give her a nervous smile. “I wasn’t sure what to write.”
It’s kind of a lie, but I’m too scared to tell her the truth.
I look back at Jo. If she could hear me in the bathroom, she can definitely hear in the same room.
“Don’t worry about Jo,” she says softly. “I’ve blocked her from hearing our conversation.”
My eyes widen.
“Yes, I can do that,” she adds.
I let out a deep breath and feel my body relax.
“So tell me what these things mean,” she says, pointing to my journal.
“It’s kind of weird, and it might just be a coincidence, so I’m not even sure it’s really happening.”
“Why don’t you share them with me, and we’ll figure it out together.”
She listens patiently as I tell her about the headmistress repeating my thoughts, about Miss A dying her hair, and Ivy leaving her hair down and about Jo throwing away the bacon. I tell her how all these things happened after I thought about them happening. I tell her about everything.
Except the amulet.
When I finish, she looks at me intently, like she’s trying to figure me out. My stomach clenches. Am I going to be the one girl at Dowling no one can figure out?
We sit in awkward silence for a minute or two.
She finally shakes her head, like she’s waking from a dream. “I’m sorry, Hallie. I was just thinking.”
“Do you know what this means?” I ask quietly, still unconvinced Jo can’t hear me.
Lady Rose nods slowly. “If this means what I think it does,” she says, putting her hand on mine, “You’re much more special than anyone predicted.”
Fourteen
What’d she say?” Ivy whispers to me at the end of the school day.
My eyes search for Jo. I don’t want her to hear this. But she can hear anything from anywhere.
I enter the library, and Ivy follows me.
“I’m supposed to meet Kendall here to work on the research project,” I say.
Ivy drops her bag on a table. “Don’t even think about avoiding my question. What did Lady Rose say to you?”
I plop into a hard wooden chair and bang my head on the table. “I don’t want to tell you.”
Ivy sits across from me. “Come on. It can’t be that bad. Tell me what she said.”
I look up at my friend, whose hair has expanded at least six inches since the last time I looked at it. I shouldn’t have wished that Ivy would leave her hair down. I should have listened to her. Now she’s getting teased, and it’s entirely my fault.
“She gave me an assignment,” I say finally. “To test my gift.”
Ivy bounces in her seat. “That’s awesome! What’s your gift? You’re a hedge witch, right?”
I shake my head. “Lady Rose thinks I have the gift of mind manipulation.”
Ivy looks at me, face blank. “What does that even mean?”
“It means I can control what people think.”
“Get out!” Ivy says, slapping her hands on the table. “That’s so cool!”
“Not so much,” I say.
“I’d love to control what people think. I could make people like me, or treat me a certain way, or even give me something I wanted. That’s way better than Jo’s gift.”
I think about what she says. Maybe she’s right. Maybe mind manipulation isn’t as bad as I thought.
“If this is your gift, you’ll have all kinds of power.”
Do I really want this much power? Dad always said power comes with responsibility. What if I can’t handle it?
“What’s your assignment?”
I open my bag and pull out my journal. I read Lady Rose’s perfect handwriting under my notes.
“Focus on something to happen.
Say it out loud three times.”
“That’s it? That’s all you have to do?”
“According to Lady Rose.”
“Wait,” Ivy says. “I thought you were supposed to be some sort of garden witch.”
I smile at my friend, grateful I have her. “Hedge witch.”
“Yeah, that. What happened with that?”
“Lady Rose said everyone assumed I’d inherited my great-great-grandmother’s gift, but this happens sometimes.”
“So . . . ,” Ivy says, smile on her face.
“So?” I ask in return.
“So what are you going to wish for?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it.”
“You have to do something to Kendall. Or Zena! Please do something to one of them. They totally deserve it!”
I shake my head. “I’m not going to wish for anything bad to happen. Not even to Kendall and Zena.”
Ivy sits back in her chair, disappointed.
“Remember the rule? No dark magic. I have to ask for something good to happen.”
With a frustrated sigh she says, “What a waste.”
“Any clue about your gift?” I ask.
“Nope. I’ve got nothing. Maybe I’m a defective witch.”
“Doubtful.”
She shrugs, like she doesn’t really care what her gift is. But I know better. I know she’s worried because she hasn’t discovered her gift. “I wonder what Kendall’s and Zena’s powers are,” she says.
“I pray neither one of them have mind manipulation.” A shiver runs through me. “Can you imagine them with that power?”
I look at the clock behind Ivy’s head. Kendall is ten minutes late.
“Think she’s going to show?” Ivy asks.
“Doubt it. But I’m going to wait ten more minutes just to make sure.”
“Well, I’m not waiting with you. See you at dinner.”
I watch Ivy walk out of the library. Then I touch the amulet, ready to complete my assignment. I’m surprisingly relaxed.
I focus on only one thing, on the one girl I want to help. Ivy.
“Let Ivy’s power be known.
“Let Ivy’s power be known.
“Let Ivy’s power be known.”
When I enter the dining room, I look for Ivy, hoping my thoughts, or spell, or whatever I did, worked. I walk to where she sits and find an empty seat. She’s almost never late.
Zena looks up at me, irritation in her dark eyes. “When I left her in our room, she was crying her eyes out. It wasn’t pretty.”
My heart freezes in my chest.
“Crying? Why is she crying? What did you do to her?”
“Ease up, dork. I didn’t do anything.”
The headmistress is standing on the stage, prepared to begin blessing the food. I notice Miss A looking at me with concern. I point to Ivy’s empty chair, and she nods in understanding. I walk to my seat and sit between Kendall and Dru.
The headmistress begins th
e blessing, but my mind can’t focus on anything she’s saying. I’m too worried about Ivy.
When dinner is delivered to the table, I push the food around on my plate, my once hungry stomach now knotted in fear. What if my wish caused this? What if it went all wrong? It’s not like I know what I’m doing.
I race out of the dining room as soon as the plates are picked up, and go to Ivy’s room. I knock and call her name simultaneously.
“Ivy!” Knock, knock, knock.
“It’s me. Hallie.” Knock, knock, knock.
When the door opens a crack, I walk through it and follow Ivy back to her unmade bed.
I sit on the bed next to her. Her eyes are puffy from crying, and she looks miserable. Like someone-ran-over-my-dog miserable.
“What happened?” I ask her, fury heating my face. “What did Zena do?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. When I left the library, I came back to my room to study. Zena was here reading but didn’t say anything to me. Everything was normal. Then all of a sudden I felt so scared and so alone. I’ve never felt that way. Never.”
“And you began crying.”
Ivy nods.
“When did you stop?” I ask her.
“About the time dinner started. I feel better now, but my eyes are a mess. They’ll be swollen in the morning, too.”
The door opens and Miss A walks in, plate of food in one hand, a glass of tea in the other. I look at the door, watch it close by itself behind her. One day I’m going to learn how to do that.
“Thank you,” Ivy says.
Miss A places the food and drink on Ivy’s desk and sits in the chair. “Are you feeling okay?” She places a chubby hand on Ivy’s forehead. “No fever.”
“I’m better now,” Ivy says.
“Well, you didn’t miss a doggone thing at dinner. Did she, Hallie?”
I shake my head, barely able to remember dinner because I was so worried about Ivy.
“You know, getting used to life at Dowling can be hard,” Miss A says. “And you’ve got it tougher than most, rooming with this one.” She points behind her to Zena’s bed.
For a second I want to argue that I’ve got it worse because of Kendall, but I hold my tongue. This isn’t the time to engage in a war over who has the worst roommate.
“I know you don’t have it much easier,” Miss A says to me with a wink. “Trust me, girls, this will work out. It always does.”
Ivy and I nod our heads in pretend agreement. I will never see the value of us having to room with Kendall and Zena.
Miss A looks at the plate of food, then smacks her forehead. “I forgot the dessert. What was I thinking?” She looks at the plate, then turns her hand the same way she did when Ivy fainted.
“Let this plate expand and make
room for a triple-layer cake.”
In an instant a slice of triple-layer chocolate cake is sitting on the plate.
Ivy’s mouth falls open. “How did you—?”
“Easy as pie. Or should I say ‘cake’?” She giggles at herself. “You’ll be able to do that in no time.”
When Miss A leans forward to give Ivy a hug, I see a patch of hairless skin on the back of her head. I gasp at the sight of it.
“Miss A!”
“What’s wrong, sugar?” Miss A asks, pulling away from Ivy.
“There’s a spot—”
“A spot? Where?” she asks, looking at her blouse. “I always get food on myself. My sister always said I was messier than a hog in slop.”
“Not there,” I say, then point to her head. “There.”
She puts a hand to the back of her head. When she feels the two-inch-wide circle of soft scalp beneath her fingers, she yelps like a dog whose tail has been stepped on.
She races to the bathroom, then yelps again.
Miss A comes out of the bathroom, her normally cheerful face twisted in horror. “She said this might happen, but I never dreamed . . .”
“Who said what?” I asked.
“Rhonda, my hairdresser. She’s a dorm mom on the third floor and loves to do hair. She said I might have some minor hair loss.”
Ivy shakes her head. “That’s a little more than ‘minor’ hair loss, Miss A.”
“If you girls are all right, I’m going to see her now. I can’t very well have this spot showing. Even an old lady like me can be vain.”
“We’re fine,” says Ivy. “Thank you for bringing dinner.”
“And for the cake,” I add, smiling.
“Anything for my girls,” Miss A says, walking quickly to the door. As she’s walking out of the room, I hear her mutter, “I knew I shouldn’t have dyed my hair. I don’t know what possessed me to do it.”
Fifteen
Ivy sits with Lady Rose at the front of the room. All day Ivy has been a total wreck. Crying one minute, elated the next. Even now, as she’s talking to Lady Rose, her eyes are watery, and Lady Rose rubs her back in comfort.
I’ve been waiting for Ivy’s gift to appear, but nothing magical has happened yet. All day I’ve been disappointed but relieved. Mind manipulation is not what I want for my gift. But if it is my gift, I might be able to make things better for Ivy.
Lady Rose stands and pulls Ivy up with her, holding Ivy around the shoulders as if she might run away. Ivy looks calmer than she has all day and gives me a small smile.
“Seekers, I need your attention.”
The room falls silent, and everyone looks at Lady Rose and Ivy.
“We have discovered Ivy’s gift.”
I look at Ivy, and she nods her head in agreement. Ivy knows her gift?
Wait. That means my wish came true.
No, no, no, no, no.
“Ivy has the very special gift of empathy. It means she can feel what other people around her are feeling.”
Ivy’s skin is still blotchy from being mad at lunch for an unknown reason, and it all makes sense. The crying last night . . . after I made the wish that her gift be revealed. But whose feelings were making her cry last night? Zena’s? She doesn’t even seem capable of that emotion.
Lady Rose squeezes Ivy closer to her. “As Ivy learns how to control the emotions she is bombarded by, we all need to be patient and understanding. The gift of empathy can be extremely upsetting at times.”
Ivy rolls her eyes at me, and I have to giggle just a little. “Ya think?” she mouths to me.
I’m relieved to see her sense of humor shine through. She walks back to her desk and sits down, all eyes on her.
“Okay, girls,” Lady Rose says. “Back to work.”
The class settles back into something like normalcy, and I turn in my seat to face to Ivy. “You okay?”
Ivy nods. “Just glad I’m not going crazy. I really thought that was what was happening.”
I put my hand on hers and squeeze. “We’ll figure it out, okay?”
She smiles at me. “Thanks.”
“Hallie Simon,” Lady Rose calls.
“My turn,” I whisper.
I grab my journal and walk to the front of the room. Each step I take makes me a little more anxious. I don’t want Lady Rose to confirm what I already know.
“So tell me, Hallie, what did you think about last night? What did you wish for?”
I open my journal and point to the three lines I wrote after I said them out loud.
Let Ivy’s power be known.
Let Ivy’s power be known.
Let Ivy’s power be known.
Reading the words to myself, I know—and hate—what it means.
Lady Rose sits back in her chair and scrutinizes me like she’s never seen me before. “When did you say these words? Before or after Ivy began crying last night?”
“Before,” I whisper.
Lady Rose shakes her head, a stunned smile on her face. “Well, what do you know?”
I look at my teacher, trying to figure out what she means, but her face is unreadable.
“You, Seeker Hallie, have a most unique gif
t. Mind manipulation is rare. So rare that I’ve only known one other witch to have it. It’s a tricky gift, you know.”
I know, all right. Look what I did to Ivy’s and Miss A’s hair. And I didn’t exactly do Ivy any favors bringing her gift to life. She’s an emotional mess now.
“Does this mean I won’t be a hedge witch?” I ask.
Lady Rose smiles sympathetically, her face soft and kind. “No, Hallie. I’m sorry. You won’t be a hedge witch. You’ll be much more powerful than a hedge witch.”
“I don’t like this gift,” I tell her. “I wish for something good to happen, and it turns out all wrong.”
She pats my hand. “It’s okay. It’ll get easier. I’ll help you.”
I wish I could turn back time and go home. I would refuse to come to Dowling. No one should have this kind of power. Especially not me. I’m only eleven!
Lady Rose stands and motions for me to stand next to her. I don’t want her to announce my gift. Please don’t announce my gift, I think, eyes closed. Please.
Lady Rose looks at me and winks. “Nice try.”
I stare at her in shock. Did she hear what I just said?
“Seekers, Hallie has discovered her gift.”
Everyone in the room waits anxiously to hear what it is. Even Kendall and Zena are watching through hateful, but undeniably curious, eyes.
“Hallie’s gift is rare. Very rare. And very powerful. It’s a gift she will spend months learning how to control.” She stops, looks at me with a smile. “Hallie’s gift is mind manipulation.”
Zena’s face turns red, like a giant tomato. It brings me some mean sense of satisfaction that she is so upset. Kendall’s face is blank, unreadable.
“Mind manipulation is the ability to influence what others think and do,” Lady Rose says.
Every girl in the room looks at me suspiciously. Like they’re attempting to block me from their brains. Like I’m a freak.
“Everyone can relax,” Lady Rose says. “I’ll be working very closely with Hallie to help her manage her gift. And we all know Hallie. She’s kind and compassionate. She wouldn’t wish harm on any of you.”