“That’s what I keep asking!” Madison says.
I groan. “Because he hasn’t told me how it works. Sam, we had instructions for the voodoo doll, and that was a big, fat mess.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she says, “but…”
I cross my arms over my chest. “I’m not even going to let you try to convince me. I haven’t used the love potion yet, and I won’t. Not until I know how it works.”
Samantha looks at Madison and lets out a whistle. “Okay, then.” She rolls her eyes a little like I’m being silly, but I can’t let her change my mind. I nod my head once, firmly, and Samantha looks down to open the book.
I can’t believe my tough act worked! Yay!
Sam opens the book to a random yellowed page and reads for a moment. Now she looks interested, and she seems to understand what she’s seeing. “Ooh,” she says, looking at one potion. I lean over to see what it is, but she turns the page.
“Ahhh,” she says, looking at the next one. Other sounds follow: hmmm, ohhhh, a chuckle, huhhh, and a snort.
I can’t stand it anymore! “Stop making noises and tell us which one we should do!”
“Okay, I have a couple of ideas…,” Samantha begins. But that’s when an intercom buzzes and Yvonne’s voice fills Madison’s room.
“Maddy, your cookies are ready. But I need to prepare for our homework session tonight, so you’ll have to come get them yourself.”
Madison looks at us and sighs a little. Then she shrugs, stands up, and says, “I’ll be right back.”
As soon as she’s gone, Samantha leans in to me. “I think normally the cookies come to her!”
“Yeah,” I say. “Their chef sometimes brings us snacks up here.”
“Their chef?” Sam seems in shock. “This,” she says, gesturing around the room, “is not our lives.”
I agree.
“But, I mean, it will never be our lives,” Sam says.
“It’s nice to visit, though!” I say, smiling.
“Yeah, I guess.” Sam looks like she has deeper thoughts on her mind. “Listen, you’re new here. You don’t know LA. I know Madison seems nice and all right now, but girls like her never stick with girls like us. We’re fun to have around for a while because we’re interesting and different, but when you live a life like this, Cleo, you’re living in another world. We do not fit in.”
“I don’t know why not,” I tell her. “I was picturing spending the whole summer out at the pool with cookies and fresh lemonade and—”
“Well, that’s not going to happen.” Samantha’s voice doesn’t sound mean—just…truthful. “Everyone knows Madison goes to Hawaii all summer, and her best friends Lisa Lee and Kylie Mae go too.”
“Yeah, but she doesn’t like them so much right now—” I start to say.
“I don’t know. They all looked pretty happy onstage the other day.”
Samantha’s right. At the Bling Bling assembly, Madison, Lisa Lee, and Kylie Mae looked…perfect together. Ryder Landry says there’s Only One special person to love. I wonder if there’s only a certain number of important friends too. Am I one of Madison’s?
Samantha’s still talking. “We might as well have as much fun as possible until the Bling Bling Summer Fling, because after that, it’s summer. And when it’s summer, Madison’s going to say ‘Adios, Cleo.’ You know what that means?”
I glare at her. “Yes, I know what adios means.”
Madison walks into the room, and I’m happy to have a reason to shut up. I don’t want these days of fresh-baked cookies and freezing-cold milk on silver trays to end. Not only because Madison’s got an au pair and an awesome house and a fantastic pool, but because I like Madison. I like having more than one friend! I don’t want to lose another one. Like Jane Anne. Like Samantha.
Sam jumps to her feet, grabs a cookie, and chomps into it. “Oh my gosh, they’re still warm!” With her mouth full, she adds, “Deee-licious!”
All talk stops as we sit on the floor with the tray in the middle. For a few minutes, the only sounds are slurps, gulps, and the occasional yum, num, or mmmm. But when the cookies are gone, it’s time to get down to business.
“So, did you pick a potion?” Madison asks, shoving the tray to the side and bringing POCIÓNES FANTÁSTICOS back between us.
“I found one I like,” Sam tells us. “But it’s not really a potion. It’s more like a charm.”
“That might be better,” I say. “Getting the right people to drink a potion is pretty tough.” And taking a bath in one isn’t a blast either, though I don’t say that out loud.
Samantha opens the book to a page titled LLAMADA DE LA SIRENA.
“Isn’t llamada like a phone call?” asks Madison.
“Sí, señorita,” says Samantha. Then she reads us the charm.
“THE CALL OF THE SIREN.
In mythology, sailors who heard the song of the beautiful female sirens were mesmerized by their voices and would crash into the rocky coast. This siren’s call will send your mesmerizing voice to the universe, and your bidding will be done. If there is someone you love, you may call that person to you. If there is someone you do not love, you may send that person away. Would you like to bring two perfect loves together? Just ask the universe with your unique and exquisite siren call.”
“Exquisite?” Madison asks.
“Exquisito,” says Samantha. “That must be what it means.”
“Let’s not worry too much about the adjectives,” I say, excited to hear the rest. “What do we have to do?”
“Well, lucky you, that’s what’s next,” Sam says, and keeps reading.
“First, you will take a seashell to a body of water, such as a river, lake, or ocean. The choice of water may be yours. As you scoop up some water with the shell, sing a verse of your favorite love song. The universe must hear your call, so your voice must be loud and strong with no dudas.”
Madison laughs. “Doo-doos?”
That’s so dumb that I have to giggle too. “I’ll definitely try not to have doo-doos while I’m singing.”
Sam looks up, realizing she didn’t translate the word. “Oh, right! Ummm, dudas are…doubts. No doubts. No, um, hesitations.”
“Cool, no problem,” I say. I poke my finger back at the book. “What else, what else?”
Sam finds her place on the page and continues.
“Place the shell on a string and make a necklace. It may circle your neck, or the neck of the person for whom you make your wish. Wear it with pride, positivity, and happiness. When it falls off, your wish for yourself or another will come true.”
“Okay, that doesn’t sound too bad,” says Madison.
“Hold your horses,” Sam tells her. “That’s not the end.” She keeps reading.
“In exchange for the cleansing water you have taken from the earthly world, leave behind an offering. This offering should be an extension of the person for whom you are calling the universe. Be fearless, sweet sirens, and make your calls. The universe will listen. It has ear canals large.”
We laugh, and Sam realizes her translation mistake. “The universe has large ear canals,” she says, then finishes reading.
“However, a warning! Do not share your wishes with others. Your calls are for the ear canals of the universe only.”
Samantha looks up at us. “How does that sound?”
It sounds okay to me, I guess. Madison already knows what I want to do for Dad and Terri and Larry and Sam, but the universe can’t be mad at me for sharing that stuff before I knew I shouldn’t…right?
The good news is that we can ask the universe for pretty much anything, as long as we sing the right song, leave the right offering, and don’t discuss it with other people. Still, this is going to be complicated for me. I wish this could be a project for Focus! class, because I’ve got a lot to accomplish in a short time, and I’m going to need to do a lot of the things Roberta teaches us: assess my situation, list my needs, budget my time, and follow through to reach my goals.
The thing is: I need to ask the universe for a lot of stuff.
First of all, Dad and Terri. It might be hard to explain to Dad why I want him to wear some ratty piece of string with a shell on it, but if I say it’s important to me, he’ll do it. Parents have to do those kinds of dumb things when they love their children.
Next up, Larry. He needs to like Samantha instead of me. So that means I need to get an “offering” from him, then get him to wear a necklace too. How do I do all that without him thinking that I like him? That one’s going to take longer to figure out.
Finally, I decide that I’ll wear a necklace too. I don’t know if the LLAMADA DE LA SIRENA can guarantee that two friends stay together, but if Samantha’s right, Madison might not be my friend much longer.
Uncle Arnie once taught me that friendship is the meeting of love and magic. So if friendship equals magic plus love, then a magic (spell) plus a love (potion book) could equal friendship. Right? It’s simple math!
It’s a lot to do, and I’ve got one day to do it. Because we decide that Saturday, the day after tomorrow, is the day we’ll call the universe from the lake across from my house. And I need to be ready.
—
As soon as Yvonne drops me off at home, I get to work. First on my list is to find an “offering” for Dad, but I have no idea where to start. What is an “extension” of him? Toby, probably, but I can’t throw him in the lake!
While Dad’s cooking dinner, I nose around his bedroom. There are clothes on the floor, in his hamper, and hanging in his closet. But everyone has clothes, and Dad’s never treated anything like it’s special. He’s also got tons of books. They’re in his bed, on his dresser, and piled on the floor. He reads a lot, but I wouldn’t know which exact book is an extension of him—though I do wish he’d read Quantum Physics, Biocentrism, and the Universe as We Know It and do a report on it for me!
I go into Dad’s dining room office. He’s always sitting at his computers, but they’re expensive and important to his work, so I’m definitely not touching those.
“Are you looking for something?” Dad asks from the kitchen.
At that moment, way on the back of his desk, behind a stack of file folders and an old trophy from a softball league in Ohio, I see a pair of his glasses. He used to wear them all the time. The lenses are thick and they have roundish black frames. “Kind of,” I say, fishing out the glasses from the mess. One of the arms is missing. “I wanted to draw one of my characters wearing glasses, so I was going to borrow yours.” And now that I think of it, Pandaroo would look good in glasses!
Dad comes over to take a closer look. “Oh, you can have those,” he says. “They’re broken.”
“Why didn’t you throw them out?” I ask, placing them over my eyes. They immediately go lopsided because of the missing arm.
“What do I ever throw out?” he asks, and we both laugh because we have that in common. “I don’t know why they’re still here,” he says, heading back to the kitchen. “Maybe because Terri liked them. She called me the Owl when I wore those.”
“Does Terri like your new glasses?” I ask.
“I don’t know; I haven’t asked her.”
“Oh.” I don’t know what else to say. But I know these glasses should be my offering to the universe for Dad. They’re missing an arm, and Dad is missing Terri. These glasses remind him of her, and she liked him wearing them.
“It was nice to see Terri the other night,” I say to Dad. I know I’ll be asking the universe to do the work, but it doesn’t hurt to get him thinking more about Terri too. “Why did she come over for her pot?”
Back in the kitchen, stirring noodles in one of our old, rusty pots, Dad says he doesn’t know.
“Was she making dinner for someone?” I ask. “Like a new boyfriend?”
Dad laughs. “I’m not sure, Cleo. Not that I know of.”
“So she wouldn’t know if you had a new girlfriend?”
Dad laughs again. “No. But that’s something I probably wouldn’t mention to her either.”
Darn! That would have been the perfect opportunity for him to tell me about his new girlfriend—if Paige is his new girlfriend—but he’s still keeping it secret. I’m sure if Samantha were having this conversation, she would have a sneaky way to get the information, but I’m not so devious. I’m just going to ask him what I really want to know.
“Dad,” I ask seriously, “do you ever miss Terri?”
Dad doesn’t even pause to think. “Sure,” he says.
“Do you think there’s one true love for everybody?”
He turns off the stove and moves the pot of noodles to the sink. “That’s a pretty tough question,” Dad says. “Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “Sometimes I wonder if Mom was your one true love. Or if you think there’s another one out there.” Of course what I’m really thinking is, Paige had better not be your next true love. Terri is!
“Why are you asking these questions?” Dad asks. “You don’t like a boy, do you?”
“No!” I say. “No, no, no, no, no!” Then I think about it. “Except Ryder Landry, I guess.”
Dad rolls his eyes. “Oh, that kid?” I can tell he wants to make fun of Ryder, but he controls himself. “The…singer?”
“Yeah. He’s so cute and smart and cool, and he can sing and he can write. Dad, you really should listen to his songs; he knows a lot about life and love and—”
“Yeah, that’s okay,” Dad says. He’s finished with the noodles and it’s time for dinner. “I don’t need to take love advice from a teenager.”
“He’s not…” I stop myself. “Never mind.” Dad’s right; he doesn’t have to take love advice from a teenager. He’s going to do what his eleven-year-old—and the universe—decides is right for him.
Another morning at Friendship Community School, another disappointment.
When Dad pulls the car into the parking lot, Paige is there, with two coffees, on her bench. Their bench.
“Doesn’t she have a job?” I ask as Dad and I get out of the car. Dad’s look tells me how rude he thinks that was. “I’m only asking because she has a lot of time for coffee.” That’s a good explanation, right?
“Her job’s a little like mine; she works with different clients on her own time.”
I’m sorry I mentioned it. Of all the things I don’t care about in the world, Paige’s job is close to the top of the list. So I just say, “Oh,” and then “See ya, Dad,” and I head toward school. I take one more look as Dad sits next to Paige on the bench and she hands him something that looks like a scrapbook or photo album. He opens it and looks inside, and they start to talk. Oh yippee, they’re sharing precious memories now.
Only one more day until the Siren Call. Thank goodness.
—
When it’s time for chemistry, I don’t feel the usual excitement of Ryder Landry singing you, you, you plus me, me, me. Today in class, I’ve got a goal that will mean the difference between success and failure with my Siren Call. And it’s going to be a lot harder than getting a pair of old glasses from Dad.
Though I’ve done my best to avoid Larry the last few days, when we push our desks together and he puts out Mono the monkey, I’m as friendly and smiley as his old pal Cleo used to be. Meanwhile, at the front of the room, Kevin tells us that today’s experiment is going to show us how some things can be a liquid and a solid at the same time.
“Like diarrhea!” cracks Lonnie Cheseboro. His brother laughs, but Lisa Lee and Kylie Mae are not amused. For once, I’m in agreement with them.
Kevin sighs. “No. Not like that,” he says. “Sometimes a liquid, when moved a certain way, becomes a solid, and vice versa.” He has the chemistry teams come to the front of the room to pick up bowls full of cornstarch, which he explains is used for thickening up liquids in cooking and stuff. Then we need to go to the sink and mix it with water to see what happens next.
“You want to mix first?” Larry asks.
He plunges his hands in with no problem at all. “Do you see how it’s becoming more and more solid as you knead it?” Kevin asks as he walks around the room. “The molecules are being forced into the middle of each grain of powder because of the pressure you’re putting on it.”
Sure enough, the cornstarch looks like it’s turning into a blob of clay right before my eyes. Now I have no problem checking it out. Kevin tells us we can even punch the mixture. When I do, it feels hard. I punch it again and it even cracks a little!
“Hey, take it easy!” Larry jokes. “What’d this cornstarch ball ever do to you?”
I laugh and hand it back to him. When our hands touch, I pull back quickly. Laughing together might be okay, but touching is definitely not good, especially with Samantha just across the classroom! Which reminds me of my other, more important goal for today’s chemistry class—getting Larry’s monkey. And I’m going to have to do it soon.
Kevin tells us to put the blob back into the bowl, and that’s when a magical—or chemical—thing happens. It goes back to being a liquid! When Larry puts his hand in and lifts it up, the mixture falls through his fingers. “That’s cool,” I say.
“You gotta try it.”
“Ewww, no, I can’t.”
“Yes you can! Deep down you have a sense of adventure, and this is adventurous. It’s like playing in quicksand!”
Larry’s right. And he doesn’t know half the adventures I’ve had. If I can take a bath in bay leaves and not know what’s going to happen, why can’t I do this?
I grit my teeth and plunge a hand in. It’s actually not as gross and clammy as Madison’s papier-mâché. Larry lifts up his monkey to take a look. “All right!” he says. “Mono is proud of you!”
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