by L. C. Miller
The sound of a loud pop had them looking up and quickly covering their heads. Books fell from bubbles and landed all around them. “What are these?” asked Carly as she flipped through one about mermaids.
Picking up a book, Abby handed it to Ethan. “Here, Ethan, you’ll like this one,” she said. “Joshua Johnson’s Jubilant Book of Jinxes.”
Ethan looked like a kid in a candy store. His eyes went wide as he flipped through the book. “We are so going to use some of these,” he said and sat down on a rock.
Abby got comfortable, leaning against the tree. She saw Aaron flipping through one of the books and asked what he had.
“It’s a history book. It mentions William Reed and his horrible … ah.” Aaron closed his eyes and his mouth in mid-sentence. “I’m sorry, Abby,” he said, refusing to look at her. Shutting the book, he grabbed another one.
“It’s okay,” Abby replied, her gaze locked on the ground. Hearing a greeting, Abby waved at Piney as he spoke to her.
“Who are you waving at?” asked Aaron, glancing behind him. Seeing nothing but trees and not hearing Piney, he turned back to her. Rainy came through the woods before Abby could answer.
“Did I miss anything?” she asked as she put her bags down. Abby didn’t say anything, but looked back up at Piney.
“Can I talk to them?” Abby nodded up at him.
This time it wasn’t just Aaron who looked behind him; Rainy, Carly, and Ethan did, too. Rainy waved at the tree. “Hello.” Piney waved his branches at her.
“They can hear you?” asked Ethan, seeming surprised.
“Of course they can. Abby talks to them all the time,” said Rainy, settling down on the ground.
“But they’re just trees. They can’t talk to people,” Carly spoke up.
“Says who? Ouch!” cried a voice above her.
“Be quiet!” They all looked up in time to see a branch swing back.
Abby peered up at Orn. “It’s okay, Orn. I trust these people.”
“See!” exclaimed Piney, shaking his branches at him. Orn sighed and they felt the earth around him shake. Thick roots came up from the ground, curling themselves around the five students. Abby thanked Orn and leaned back.
While Carly stared up at the tree in stunned silence, Abby picked up Rainy’s bag and took out a small black-and-gold scroll case.
“This is what Rainy and I use to block our hideouts. This conceals us. No one can detect the spells we work or even sense them. After Brannon told me it was he who discovered the cave back at Ms. Rable’s house, we made sure to put some extra anti-detection potions on it.”
“Potions? How do you use potions on a scroll?” asked Carly.
“That part’s easy,” claimed Rainy. She took out a small vial from the bag she laid on a rock.
“This is the anti-detection potion.” Abby laid the scroll out flat, while Rainy took out a small paintbrush.
Dipping it into the vial, Rainy gently swept it across the scroll, creating symbols. Once she was done, she blew on it and everything written on it disappeared. “How did you—” began a stunned Ethan, but before he could even finish the question, the writing was back.
Rainy explained, “It’s also called a hidden potion. It makes whatever you put it on invisible to everyone but yourself and anyone watching. Only Abby and I, and now you three, can read it. This vial is made for scrolls. I found the recipe for it in Marcella’s knitting box. She’s my stepmom, for all intents and purposes.”
“I don’t get it,” broke in Aaron. “Where did you guys get this stuff if your tribe is just dancers?” Abby rolled the scroll back up as Rainy explained.
“Not all of us actually belong to the tribe. At the age of seventeen we are sent to a tribal meeting. There we are to decide where we want to go. Usually by then, you know what fits you. It’s why the younger dancers can dance spells of different elements. Whether it’s of Air, Fire, Earth, or Water. I want to go to the Thieves Terry myself. There isn’t much locked that I can’t get into.”
“I take it Marcella’s knitting box was locked?” asked Aaron, grinning.
“Yeah, she had four locks on that one. Took me three days to pick them all.”
Abby got up and grabbed her bag. “Speaking of picking, I found this in one of the stores while we were out. Would these do?” she asked, handing Rainy a pair of lock picks.
“Yes!” Rainy cried, hugging them. “These are the advanced ones. They are supposed to be able to get through a lot of spells.”
“What’s Thieves Terry?” asked Ethan, taking a look at the lock picks.
“It’s one of the Earth tribes. The only one, actually.”
“Earth tribes? What are the Dancers then?” asked Carly.
Abby answered this. “The Dancers are an Air tribe because when they dance, it spins the Air, among other talents. There used to be only four tribes: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Those four turned into eight, but one tribe disappeared, so we’re down to only seven. Let’s see ...” Abby thought for a second. “There are the Dancers, Thieves Terry, Eerie Lakes, Rain Callers, Embers, Tornado Callers, and—”
Rainy spoke up, “The last one is Flame Callers.”
Carly, Ethan, and Aaron looked amazed. “And no one knows about them?” Carly inquired.
“How is that possible?” asked Ethan.
“Magic,” Rainy said simply. “There are all kinds. Mystics use a different form of magic than Wielders. Mystics’ kind of magic is more in tune with nature and its surroundings.”
“Do you dance?” Carly asked Rainy.
“Not where they can see me. That’s more Abby’s territory than mine. I prefer to be a Scribbler until I turn seventeen.”
“Didn’t Wonks give you detention the night of the dance?” Aaron asked suddenly.
Abby and Rainy laughed. “I technically was supposed to, but Mrs. Queenly stepped in and told Wonks I had to do something for her that evening, so they pushed it back until the next day.”
“So, Mrs. Queenly knows you’re a Mystic?” asked Carly.
Abby shook her head. “Not technically, no. Both Mrs. Queenly and Principal Bauble know I’m associated with them enough to dance in their tribe, but that I’m a half Mystic/Wielder. Mrs. Queenly stepped in because she knew I’d be dancing and can’t have detention.”
“Won’t you be recognized?” Aaron asked.
“Nope, the dancers will all have masks, and I’ll drink a potion that will make my hair change. I’ll be in the second row.”
“I think it’s funny,” said Ethan suddenly.
Abby looked at him. “What’s funny?”
Ethan grinned. “That you’re a part of an Air tribe, but you’re in Earth Dragons.”
“I should have gone to an Earth tribe, but I couldn’t. I have no skills in picking locks as Rainy does, but my ability with plants would have been perfect for an Earth Caller.”
“What happened to the tribe?” asked Carly.
“That’s the mystery,” said Rainy. “No one knows.”
Aaron sat up suddenly. “Um ... Your bag is jumping.”
Rainy groaned. “I bet its Marcella.” She grabbed her bag that was hopping toward the creek and took out a small clear globe, which held it up.
“That’s a looking-glass orb,” stated Carly as the five of them looked in it.
“Yup, it’s her,” said Abby.
A very angry-looking woman appeared in the glass. You could see she was yelling, but couldn’t hear what she was saying. “She’s earching for me. She only makes that face when she’s yelling for me,” said Rainy. She put the orb back in her bag and got up.
“See you guys soon.” She hugged Abby and waved to Carly, Ethan, and Aaron.
“She is too cool,” said Ethan. He opened the book of jinxes again. “Now let’s get to work.”
“Time to get home,” a voice chimed sometime later. Ethan, Aaron, and Carly looked around, searching for the sound. “Time to get home,” it chimed again. This time it came from the s
econd bag Rainy had brought. Abby took the clock out of the bag.
“Where did you get that?” asked Carly as they gathered their bookbags.
“From a yard sale in Maine. It took me forever to change the chimes. It used to say stuff like ‘bathe Snuffles,’ ‘take out the trash,’ ‘you’re burning dinner,’ and ‘feed Johnny.’”
Carly giggled. “I wonder what Snuffles is.”
“Her cat,” said Abby. “And Johnny was her husband. I found a note about them behind the clock.”
“Hey, Abby, have you finished the Hopper’s Hex report yet?” asked Aaron as they made their way back through the woods.
“Not yet. I am almost finished with it, though.” Abby turned to wave to Piney, Orn, and Barky. They waved their branches back at her.
He appeared relieved. “Can you help me with it?”
Abby turned back toward him. “Sure, I can. Tomorrow morning before school?” Aaron agreed to meet there sooner than normal and off they flew toward home. The house was empty except for Brannon, who was sitting at the table eating spaghetti.
“Mom and Dad said they would be home late again,” he said upon greeting. He had his head buried in his sixth-year transfiguration book.
“So, I hear your dating prospects have gotten better. You and Misty Cartel, huh?” Ethan said to Brannon. “She’s the chick in Mr. Frump’s greenery class,” he explained to Abby before she could ask. “Always helping him out and stuff.”
“Oh, I remember. Paul has a crush on her.” Abby grinned.
“Who doesn’t? She’s hot.” Ethan shot a sly look at Brannon, who threw a roll at him. “Thanks,” said Ethan, taking a bite out of it.
“When do you think we can use the hideout?” asked Ethan as they made their way upstairs.
“There is one more potion we need to make, and it takes about two weeks to prepare.”
Ethan grinned. “That is going to be so much fun.”
Abby laughed and opened her door. Bombers was curled on her pillow, snoozing. “Can I ask you something?” asked Ethan as he stood in his doorway.
“Sure.”
“Do you think something is up with Mom and Dad and Aaron’s mom and Carly’s dad? They’ve been acting weird almost since we came back from Eleanor’s house. Do you think it would have anything to do with the Mystics being here?”
Abby thought for a minute. She remembered how the Madam wouldn’t look at her the few times Abby had gone to the camp. Many of the Mystics wouldn’t meet her eyes anymore. “I think it’s more than them who’ve been acting strange. I can’t think of what would cause them to, though,” offered Abby.
“I dunno. I just keep getting the feeling that something is going to happen soon, but whether or not it’s bad, I can’t tell.”
Mr. and Mrs. Herrin came home not too much later, and they had Aaron in tow.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Abby was outside with Bombers when she heard her name being called. Looking up, she saw Ethan and Aaron hanging out a window, gesturing for her to come up.
Going back inside, she saw Mrs. Herrin gently touching the sagging petals of the rose before leaving the kitchen. Abby touched the flower before going upstairs. Thank you, it whispered, blooming bright again.
“What’s up?” Abby said as she entered the room.
“Okay, something really strange is going on. As soon as I got home, Carly’s dad was there and he didn’t look so good. Like something bad had happened. As soon as he saw me, he left. And then Mom said she had to leave for a few days to do a little research.”
Ethan was sitting on his bed. “Maybe someone escaped from the prison. Didn’t Mr. Peterson do something for the council a long time ago? Maybe he helped put someone away and they got away,” Abby offered
“I thought that was just a rumor,” said Aaron. He was sitting on the top of Ethan’s new bunk bed that Mrs. Herrin turned his old bed into.
“What about Carly?” asked Abby. “Wouldn’t she know if something was wrong with her dad?”
Aaron shrugged.
“Didn’t you say the Mystics were acting strange, too?” asked Ethan, looking up at her.
“Yeah, they are.”
“Maybe it’s that Cecilia person. Didn’t the Mystics help catch her?” asked Aaron.
“I don’t know the whole story, but I think so. Maybe Carly can tell us something tomorrow at school.”
Aaron had overslept and missed meeting with Abby entirely, but she was able to finish her own report entirely before Carly, Ethan, and Aaron arrived at school.
Carly was gloomy as she told them she wasn’t able to get anything out of her dad, even after she had bribed him with his favorite jalapeño-flavored ice cream, which grossed out Aaron and Ethan.
During lunch, Mrs. Queenly led Abby down to her classroom. “This is where you will come Saturday. And after you’ve changed clothes, you will meet with the others in the spare room down the hall. Do you have all of that?”
Abby nodded and the duo started back toward the mess hall. “Why is everyone acting strange? What’s going on?” Abby asked her.
Mrs. Queenly jerked to a stop, and turned to Abby with a sad but determined expression. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
“But I am worried,” Abby interjected. “It concerns me, doesn’t it?” she demanded. “The Madam doesn’t even look at me when I’m at camp. And you don’t either.”
Mrs. Queenly refused to say more as they walked toward lunch. She deposited Abby at her table and hurried off. “Did you learn anything?” Carly asked.
Abby shook her head. “No, she wouldn’t say anything. Whatever it is, I don’t think it’s good.”
~*~
Two days later, the principal had the students sit at their own tables during lunch. Abby was happy to see Brannon sitting with the greenery teaching assistant, Misty. He had his arm around her and both were laughing. Abby took her seat in between Paul and Martin.
“Just look at them. All cozy and crap,” said Paul. Viviane looked at Abby, annoyed.
“Words of advice: You might not want to sit next to him today,” she said, gesturing toward her brother as he glared at Brannon and Misty. “He’s been grouchy all day since he heard they were going out.”
“He’s not good enough,” Paul snapped.
Abby elbowed him. “Hey! You’re talking about my sort-of brother, you know.”
Paul glanced down, sheepish. “Sorry, Abby,” he mumbled.
“Apology accepted.” Abby nodded as Viviane and Martin laughed.
“Settle down, students. Settle down,” Ms. Bauble started. Some of the students giggled at her outfit. She wore at least thirteen rings on her hands and her robe was bright purple with clear gems sparkling all over it.
Her hair, though, is what made Abby laugh. It matched her robe, and the students couldn’t tell where the hair ended and the robe started. “As many of you know, the Halloween dance is Saturday evening.” She stopped talking as cheers rang out.
“The Mystics have decided to grace us with not just one dance, but with two.” More cheers rang out, and Abby could see that Ethan, Aaron, and Carly were clapping loudly. She was surprised to see that Brannon was clapping, too. He looked at her and grinned.
“Oh dear,” she heard Martin mumble under his breath.
She looked at him, exasperated. “Oh, for the price of Normals in the underground, Martin. Mystics are not as bad as you think.”
He seemed surprised by Abby’s comments. Then Martin laughed.
“Familiar with that, are you?” asked Paul. Abby, embarrassed, realized Paul and Viviane had also heard the comment that had popped out of her mouth. She shrugged.
Ms. Bauble informed them they were to arrive at exactly five in the evening in their chosen costumes. Prizes would be given out for the most creative ones. Many people looked at a tall, dark-haired guy in yellow robes, and some at Paul and Viviane.
“We were the yin-and-yang symbol last year,” said Paul.
Viviane peek
ed around him. “The costume was great, but it made for terrible dancing.” Abby grinned as Ms. Bauble took her seat.
“But Walter,” Paul said, pointing at the guy in the yellow robe, “won last year. He came as gum under the table.” Abby and Martin laughed at this. “We’ll beat him this time,” promised Paul as the bell rang, signaling lunch was over.
DETs proved to be the strangest of the classes. Abby thought Mr. Peterson looked a little like he was going to be sick.
Abby was partnered with a fellow green robe when a smell drifted toward her, making her gag. Other students around them were gagging as well. Abby looked up to see that Ethan was partnered with Perry.
Perry looked around, his tiny eyes not understanding why people were fanning their hands at him. Even Mr. Peterson held a hand over his nose and his eyes started to water. Ethan winked at Abby.
Staring at Perry, Mr. Peterson raised his wand. “Gardenia.” The rancid smell continued.
Perry appeared fearful. “What is it? Why are you all looking at me?”
Mr. Peterson glared at Ethan. “What spell did you use?”
“I used limber limbs,” he replied, shrugging.
“Well, his arms and legs aren’t turned in weird angles. Did anyone jinx the wrong partner?” Mr. Peterson asked as he glanced around. Several students shook their heads.
“Snocking? Could you please take Mr. Perry to the bath halls? And have Lady Crèche bring him some new clothes ... and burn those.” A tall, blond student got up and walked with Perry, a good distance behind him, out of the classroom.
Mr. Peterson had the rest of the students go back to their desks. He made fans and air fresheners appear all over the room, trying to hide the lingering scent. “You didn’t tell me repellia was that bad,” whispered Ethan as he took his seat. He quickly hid his Joshua Johnson’s Jubilant Book of Jinxes at the bottom of his bag.
“Did you not read all the warnings? It said it was horrible.” Since her eyes were still tearing up, Abby grabbed two of the fans and handed one to Ethan.
Finally the only class left was stargazing. They were hoping the class would be cancelled due to the fact that it was cloudy outside. Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed when they received letters from Elrane to bring their books to class. Aaron came to get Abby when it was time to leave. She rode on her broomstick. Aaron stuck close to her as she wobbled in the air.