Enchanted Secrets

by Kristen Middleton

  I began to wonder if he’d somehow gotten ahold of my schedule.

  “Is that your boyfriend?” asked Amy breathlessly. She’d been in the classroom, too, and had stared at Tyler for most of the hour.

  I shook my head. “No, I just met him today.”

  “He’s a little different, but… so cute,” gushed Amy with a dreamy expression on her face as she walked away.

  My next period was a health class and I had to sit at a table with three other students. I’d heard that we’d be starting a cooking series, and although I’d been really excited about it during the summer, when I saw who I was grouped with, my enthusiasm quickly died.

  “Hi, Kendra,” smiled Hailey Bates. She was also one of the most popular students in the eleventh grade as well as being one of the nastiest girls you could ever meet. Her cruelty to the other students was legendary.

  “Hi,” I said, praying she’d leave me alone.

  When the other two students turned out to be two of her friends and basically just as evil, I wanted to shrivel up and float away. The class which had sounded so promising was quickly taking a nosedive.

  “This must be your favorite class,” remarked Hailey with a sly smile. “You get to cook and eat. Looks like you did a lot of that last summer.”

  The other girls started giggling but I ignored her, and instead stared at the teacher, who was beginning to take attendance.

  During class we learned about the importance of using measuring scales for insuring a healthy, balanced diet.

  “Obviously Kendra doesn’t measure,” whispered Hailey loud enough for me to hear.

  The two other girls giggled again.

  This time she really got to me and I don’t even know why.

  “Oh, someone’s going to cry,” she whispered, a triumphant look on her face.

  My eyes burned as I tried to hold back the tears and I raised my hand to escape to the bathroom.

  “Are you okay?” asked Miss Barnes, who seemed genuinely concerned.

  I nodded without meeting her eyes but fortunately, she let me go.

  The girl’s bathroom appeared empty when I slammed through the door. I hurried into a stall and let myself go.

  “Um, are you okay?” asked a soft voice in the next stall, surprising the crap out of me.

  I cleared my throat. “Oh, I’m fine.”

  I wiped my face with a tissue and then flushed the toilet, trying to compose myself. When I opened the door and walked to the faucet to wash my hands, the girl from the next stall stepped out and our eyes met in the mirror. Her blond hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she was dressed in track pants and a hot pink T-shirt. She was also a heavier-set girl, like me.

  “Hi,” she said. “I’m Julie.”

  Embarrassed that I was caught crying, I smiled sheepishly. “I’m Kendra, sorry about the tears.”

  She snorted. “Are you kidding? It’s not a big deal at all.”

  Although I’d never actually talked to her, I’d seen her in the halls laughing with her friends. She usually hung out with the brainiacs in the school and I’d heard she had the I.Q. of a genius.

  “Still,” I mumbled.

  “Listen,” she said, fumbling in her purse. “Everyone has their moments.”

  I nodded and watched as she applied some Chaptstick to her lips. “Maybe. I seem to have a lot these days and Hailey Bates isn’t making it easier.”

  “Hailey?” she said. “Eh, don’t let her get to you. She’s going to have a rude awakening after she graduates, and someday, she’ll regret being such a bitch to everyone.”

  “That’s nine months away and I have her in my class for at least one semester,” I mumbled, looking at my reflection in the mirror. “Sometimes I wish I could just drop out of school and be done with it.”

  “Don’t,” said Julie. “I know it sucks, but you can’t let people like her win.”

  “They win no matter what,” I said. “Popular girls are thin and pretty. They have nothing to worry about.”

  She turned to me. “Well, you can always lose weight but they’ll still be ugly inside.”

  “I’ve tried and it hasn’t helped me do anything but gain more weight from being depressed after I’ve failed.”

  “Well, don’t give up. I lost twenty pounds last summer and I only have thirty more to go,” she said with a proud smile. “It’s hard work and takes a lot of willpower, but my old baggy jeans are proof that, yes, it can be done.”

  “I wish I had your willpower.”

  She sighed and wrote down something on a piece of paper. “You’re standing in your own way of losing weight with that attitude. Look, here’s my phone number. If you want a diet buddy to motivate you, give me a call.” Then she handed me her phone number.

  It was nice of her to offer, but I doubted that I’d ever call her. “Oh, well thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” she answered with a smile. Then she grabbed her purse and left.

  I stared at myself in the mirror again, and sighed. She was obviously right – I wanted to lose weight, but was putting up my own roadblocks. I just didn’t know how to knock them down.

  Chapter Four

  During lunch I nonchalantly looked around for Tyler, but didn’t see him anywhere in the cafeteria.

  “Hey, sis,” smiled Kala. She was sitting with the popular crowd when I walked by her table. “Want to sit with us?”

  The other girls froze and stared at me in horror after that invitation. My sister didn’t seem to notice, though, she just stared at me curiously.

  I shook my head. “No, thanks,” I said, hurrying away.

  “Hey, Kendra,” said Megan Fisher when I was about to walk past her table. She was sitting with three other girls, and all of them were dressed in black.

  “Hi,” I said, stopping next to them.

  All four girls had a reputation for being a little strange. In fact, there were rumors that they practiced witchcraft and so almost everyone kept their distance.

  “Saw you with that cute guy, the one with the sunglasses, today in the hall. When Mark was blowing smoke out of his pie-hole, again,” said Megan.

  I sighed. “Yes, as always he was being a total jerk.”

  “So what’s with you and the new guy? Are you two seeing each other?”

  I shook my head vehemently. “No, we were just walking to class together.”

  Megan looked at her friends and smiled. “Interesting. I might have to get to know that tall drink of water. Um, you don’t mind, do you, Kendra?”

  I shrugged. “No, why would I mind?”

  “I just don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”

  “You wouldn’t be stepping on mine, don’t worry.” Although I had to admit, I did feel a spark of jealously.

  “So, I’m having a get-together at my house after school. Would you be interested?” asked Megan in a low voice.

  The fact that she was asking me over shocked me. Megan only lived a block away and we used to play together in the neighborhood when we were really young, but that had been years ago. Plus, I’d never seen the inside of her house. She was a nice girl, though, and I could always use new friends. “Maybe. I’ll have to check with my mom when I get home. She may already have plans for me.”

  She smiled warmly. “Okay, I really hope you can make it.”

  Amy and Brenda were sitting together at a table in the back and they waved to me. I excused myself and walked over. I plunked down next to Amy and smiled. “Hey, guys.”

  “Hi. So what were the witches talking to you about?” asked Amy.

  I smiled. “Come on, they’re not witches.”

  “Maybe not, but they’re still pretty creepy,” said Brenda.

  I glanced back over to Megan’s table and none of them were talking to each other. In fact, they were all staring at me, which I had to admit, did kind of gave me the creeps.

  “Okay, so they’re a little different,” I admitted. “Um, they invited me over to Megan’s house after schoo
l.”

  Amy’s jaw dropped. “Are you going to do it?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “You can’t go over there,” whispered Brenda. “I heard that Megan’s mother is a real witch and has placed hexes on people.”

  “Oh, for Heaven’s sake,” I snorted. “There is no such thing as real witches.”

  Amy frowned. “Don’t be naïve, Kendra. This whole town has a history of women performing witchcraft.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Really?” We’d only lived in Bayport my entire life and I’d never heard anything about adults studying witchcraft in town.

  Amy nodded. “Yeah, if you look up the town’s history you’ll find several articles written about the ‘Witches of Bayport’.”

  Brenda leaned forward. “I actually did a report last year on them. Many of the witches moved from Salem in the late sixteen hundreds to Bayport, Michigan to escape the persecutions. Entire families of witches moved here.”

  “So you’re saying that many of the people living in this town are descendants of witches and warlocks?” I asked, smiling.

  “Something like that. But most of them gave up their practices over time,” said Brenda.

  “Probably because they finally realized they didn’t have any real magical powers,” said Amy.

  “Well, I have to admit, it is kind of interesting,” I said. “I guess it also explains why Megan and her friends are so into witchcraft. It’s just too bad they waste so much time on something that won’t do them any good,” I said.

  “Not to change the subject or anything,” said Amy. “But where’s that cute guy you were walking with earlier, um… Tyler?”

  My cheeks grew warm. “I don’t know, probably trying to stay as far away from me as possible, now that he’s been in the school for half the day.”

  “I saw him in the hall earlier,” said Brenda. “He was arguing with some girl.”

  Now that was surprising.

  “Really? He never mentioned anything about knowing anyone here,” I said.

  “Maybe he’s making some enemies already,” said Brenda.

  “Well, he did almost get into a fight with Mark Davis,” I said. “But Mark backed down.”

  “I heard about that,” said Amy. “Mark actually walked away from a fight. That is totally weird.”

  I nodded, still wondering about the girl Tyler was arguing with. Maybe he had a girlfriend? He’d just moved into the city but that didn’t mean he hadn’t met anyone over the summer. I wasn’t sure what to make of that, and although it was kind of a bummer, it really wasn’t any of my business. He was just a guy who’d been nice to me. So what if he had amazing green eyes and smelled like cake? He was different and it was still cool.

  I had two more classes before last period, and they dragged on. The truth was that I couldn’t wait for last period to see Tyler again. At the end of the day, I hurried to English class and watched the door, hoping he’d sit near me again. When the bell rang and he didn’t even show up for class, I seriously bummed out.

  “No homework yet,” warned the teacher, Mr. Kemp, when the bell rang at the end of the day. “But next week I’ll have plenty lined up for you, so be ready.”

  I passed by my sister on the way to the bus and she pulled me aside.

  “I’m catching a ride with Mark Davis,” she said. “We’re going to the library first and then he’s going to bring me home.”

  I stared at her in horror. “Mark Davis?”

  She smiled. “I know, right? Mark is so cute. I can’t believe he’s even interested in me.”

  My sister obviously wasn’t even aware of how pretty she was. And as far as I was concerned, Mark was a real tool; even if he’d apologized for being a jerk earlier.

  “He’s only cute if you like assholes who like to torment people,” I snapped.

  “Seriously? He was super sweet in History class today. To everyone, even Bonnie Hanson.”

  That was a surprise, considering he used to pick on her all the time because of her height. She was less than five-feet tall and he used to rip on her all the time. Another reason why I hated him with a passion.

  “Fine. Well, have fun,” I said, walking away before I missed the bus and she talked him into giving me a ride too.

  I got on the bus and was turning on my iPod, when someone sat down in front of me.

  “Hey,” said Tyler, sitting sideways so he could talk to me. As usual, he wore his shades.

  “Hi,” I said, removing my earphones. “You missed a very boring class last period.”

  Tyler smiled. “I actually like English, if you can believe it.”

  I wanted to ask him why he’d missed it then, but I didn’t want him to think I was nosy.

  “So, what are you doing after school?” he asked.

  I raised my eyebrows – I’d never been asked that question from a guy. “I um, I don’t know, why?”

  He smiled. “You should stop by my mom’s shop. She just opened it last week and there are some pretty cool things in there.”

  “Your mom owns her own store? What kind?”

  He removed his sunglasses and his hypnotic eyes caught me off guard once again. “It’s called ‘Secrets’ and it’s filled with the wonders of the universe.”

  I stared in awe at his eyes, wondering if he wore some kind of colored contacts. “Wonders of the universe?”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “No, I’m just messing with you. She sells aromatherapy, incense, oils, and a bunch of other stuff.”

  “Oh,” I answered. “Well, that kind of sounds… interesting.”

  He nodded and put his sunglasses back on. “There’s something for everyone. My mother has traveled the world to fill her store with all kinds of odds and ends. Anyway, you should stop by. It’s right on Main Street.”

  I’d remembered seeing the new sign on one of the storefront windows. It was within walking distance from my house and I didn’t think my mom would have a problem with it. If anything, she’d be happy I was getting outside to walk.

  “I’ll see if I can stop by later today,” I said, unable to wipe the smile from my face. I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous and totally excited at the same time.

  The bus stopped at his stop and he stood up. “Sounds good. I’ll be there all night. See you later, Kendra.”

  Chapter Five

  “Where’s your sister?” asked my mom the moment I walked through the door by myself.

  “Oh, she’s with this poser named Mark Davis.”

  “Stop running in the house,” ordered my mom as two little girls chased each other out of the kitchen.

  “Mom, I’m going into town. There’s this new shop I want to check out,” I said quickly.

  My mom cocked an eyebrow. “You want to check out a new shop… interesting. What is it – a new bookstore?”

  I loved reading books and that was usually the only type of store I visited without being dragged, kicking and screaming.

  “I suppose there could be books there. It’s called ‘Secrets’ and it’s on Main Street.”

  My mom nodded. “Yes, I remember seeing it when I drove home from the market the other day. I’m not sure what they sell, but when you find out, let me know.”

  I nodded. “Okay, see you later.”

  “Whoa…you’re not leaving yet, my dear,” she said. “Make your bed first.”

  “Fine,” I groaned, turning away.

  “Hey, Kendra?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You never told me how your first day of school went.”

  I shrugged. “It was okay.”

  “Okay? Well I guess that’s a whole lot better than last year’s answer of, ‘it sucked’.”

  I smiled. “Last year really did suck, mom.”

  She chuckled. “So… what time is this poser bringing your sister home?”

  “Later,” I called, leaving the kitchen.

  “Great, that tells me a lot…”

  I ran upstairs to my bedroom
and threw my bed together as quickly as possible.

  “Kendra!” called my mother as I was about to walk out the door, fifteen minutes later.

  “What?”

  She walked over to me and handed me a bagel. “Here, I saved this for you.”

  It was a little stale and I’d lost my appetite, but I smiled anyway. “Thanks.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” She reached into her pocket and handed me ten dollars. “Just in case you find something you like.”

  “Thanks, mom.”

  She kissed my forehead. “Hurry back and let me know all about the store. I’d come with you, but these parents won’t be back until suppertime.”

  My mom was a shopaholic. If she could have found someone to watch all eight kids, I’m sure she would have come with me.

  “I will,” I said, walking out the front door.

  It didn’t take me long to walk into town and find Secrets, which had actually been a tobacco shop before. As I approached the building, I noticed that it had been freshly painted from its original mustard-yellow color to a bright white with purple shutters. In front of the shop was a mixture of exotic flowers planted in a large black pot that almost looked like a witch’s cauldron, which I thought was pretty cool.

  “Calm down, idiot,” I mumbled to myself as my heart began to race. “He just invited you to check out his mom’s store. He’s much too cute to be interested in someone like you.”

  Taking a deep breath, I pushed through the entrance and into the dimly-lit store. It was cool inside and smelled strongly like vanilla incense, which made perfect sense.

  “Welcome,” said the woman behind the counter. She was tall with long, brownish-red hair and a friendly smile.

  “Thanks,” I said softly, stuffing my hands into my hoodie pockets.

  I gazed around the store and noticed there were only a couple of other people inside, one of them old Mrs. Buchaard, who was in her seventies and a little creepy. She’d never seemed to like children much and had always kept to herself. Some of the kids in my neighborhood used to claim she was an old witch. I didn’t really know one way or another and didn’t really care.

  “Is there something I can help you find?” asked the woman.