by Mikey Brooks
She needed to think this through. If Miss LeBeau is a witch, then why is she so nice? Why were any of the witches so nice? It didn’t seem to fit with the grim portrait Lacy had painted of witches. Emmy also remembered Miss LeBeau telling her that history also painted witches in a bad light. That was true. Witches were supposed to be old and ugly, yet every one Emmy had seen had been beautiful and stylish—everything she wanted to be.
“Emmy?” Miss LeBeau asked from the doorway. Emmy looked up and her heart began to pound. What if she is a witch? What if she turns me into a frog, or some robot like Robbie? “Emmy, you seem a little upset.”
Emmy pulled herself out from her desk. She flattened down the tutu where it had flipped up. She looked around the room for another way to escape. The windows would be too hard to climb out of, and Miss LeBeau was blocking the door. “I-I’m fine.”
“Your brother said you broke a nail. Do you want me to take a look?”
“I didn’t break a nail.”
“Oh, then is there something else wrong?” Miss LeBeau stepped into the classroom toward Emmy. Emmy took a step back.
“Wait, stop.” Emmy put up her hands and Miss LeBeau’s eyes widened.
“Emmy, you’re starting to scare me. Whatever could be wrong?”
“You’re a witch, aren’t you? You and the lunch ladies?”
Miss LeBeau stopped and her shoulders seemed to sag. She gave a slow shake of her head. “It’s not what you think, Emmy.”
“So, it’s true then, huh? That’s your secret, isn’t it?”
“I have been truthful to you in everything but that. You must understand that I wanted to tell you a long time ago, but I wanted you to trust me first.”
“Why? So you could turn me into something? Cast a spell on me? I know what witches do.”
Miss LeBeau crossed over to her desk and leaned against it. Emmy noticed she left the path to the door wide open. Miss LeBeau folded her hands and put them in her lap. “Emmy, I told you that witches were misunderstood, and that was the truth. You must believe me that I am not at this school to hurt people. I am actually here to try to save people.”
“Save people? Who?”
“Your parents, for a start.”
“My parents? What do you know about them?”
“I know that their names are David and Mary Orion, and that they belong to the secret organization of witch hunters. I know that they went to Brevard, North Carolina, two weeks ago to look into the disappearances of several other witch hunters. I know that they were captured by the Olc coven.”
Emmy’s mind was spinning with the information. “What do you mean my parents were captured?”
“Emmy, you are correct in saying that there are bad witches. The Olc coven is the largest and most powerful of all covens. They are truly bad witches.”
“But you said—”
“I said that witches are mostly misunderstood. But there are some, Emmy, who seek to destroy everyone who does not conform to their way of thinking. The Olc coven is what brought me to you. I need you, Emmy, to help me defeat them. I need you to help rescue all the hunters that have been captured by them, including your parents.”
“What do you mean? I can’t do anything. I’m just a kid. I barely found out about witches last week, and I’m not even one hundred percent sure I believe in it.”
Miss LeBeau smiled. “Emmy, you are talented in many ways, not just dancing. You are strong willed, brave, and kind. You have all the makings of a witch queen.”
“A what?” Emmy didn’t know what to think. All the information was making her dizzy. She sat down in the chair next to Miss LeBeau’s desk. Her teacher pulled a water bottle from a drawer and handed it to her.
“When was the last time you ate? Would you like a muffin? Or a piece of bread? I can’t have you passing out, chérie.” Miss LeBeau held out the bran muffin. Emmy eyed if as if it were poisoned.
“Oh, no, I’m not having any of your food. I know what the lunch ladies have been doing to it.”
Miss LeBeau smiled. “Another talent. Emmy, you’re very smart. But not to worry. The food I offer you has not been tampered with. Only the lunch menu.”
“Why? What’s in the potion—what does it do?”
Miss LeBeau hesitated, then nodded. “You deserve the whole truth. We put a potion in the lunch food to extract magic from the kids. It’s really harmless to them. They might get a little tired after we do it, but we have our reasons. It takes a great deal of magic to empower a wand, especially for a new witch.”
Emmy shook her head. “A new witch?”
Miss LeBeau leaned forward and took Emmy’s hands. Surprising herself, Emmy did not pull back. “I need you to help me fight the Olc coven, Emmy, but I need you to have powers to do so. The only reason we have come to this school is to see that you get your powers. Griselda and the others have been working nonstop to empower your wand.”
“What do you mean my wand?”
“I wanted to give this to you later, before you performed the ceremonial dance.” Miss LeBeau reached behind her head and pulled one of the decorative hairsticks from her hair. She handed it to Emmy. It was cold to the touch and felt a lot heavier than it looked. It resembled the hairstick Miss LeBeau had shown her before. Long and pointed at one end. But this one had a red stone set into the handle and the shaft was made of copper instead of wood. “This is your wand, Emmy. It has been filled to capacity and will answer only to you once you have danced the dance.”
Emmy wondered what it would be like to wield magic. To cast spells, or fly a broom. The idea of becoming a witch both excited and frightened her. Her parents hunted witches for a living. They captured them and handed them off to be put in prisons. If she accepted Miss LeBeau’s offer, she would be betraying her whole family.
Emmy held out the wand. “I can’t take it.”
Miss LeBeau’s smile faded. “Emmy, remember how I told you that my parents didn’t really accept me? And how I had to go out on my own and make a name for myself?” Emmy nodded. “It was because they didn’t understand me, or my magic. They feared magic because it was different. Magic isn’t something to be afraid of. It’s a special gift—a gift I want to give to you. I know you are thinking about your parents and their roles at the W.H.O. Yes, accepting to become a witch might conflict with their beliefs, but I must caution you that only with the aid of magic will you be able to get your parents out of the clutches of the Olc coven.”
Miss LeBeau moved in closer, her eyes twinkling in the dim light. “You need to become a witch, Emmy, if only to help them. You see, the magic you will receive tonight will be special—different. Not many witches ever born could wield dancing magic. With it you will become very powerful. Powerful enough to save your parents.”
Emmy knew she had to save her parents. She and Ethan would be lost if they couldn’t get them back. The W.H.O. had been no help. If Miss LeBeau was right, it was the only way to help her parents. She squeezed her fingers around the wand and looked up into Miss LeBeau’s emerald green eyes.
“What do you need me to do?”
Miss LeBeau smiled. “I need you to dance the dance.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ethan and Jax looked everywhere, but couldn’t find Emmy. They couldn’t find Miss LeBeau either. Something told Ethan that Miss LeBeau had found Emmy first. Nick, Tyler, and the Cleopatras seemed anxious about the prank. Without Emmy to stronghold it, they seemed to be reconsidering. Maybe it was the lack of Emmy, or the fact that Mrs. Burton had caught several groups trying to do something “fishy.” She had made an announcement, warning everyone at the party she was in no mood for pranks this year.
“I’ve looked everywhere,” Hannah said. “Those two girls over there saw Emmy in the bathroom a while ago. I checked, but she’s not in there.”
“Have you guys tried the desserts?” Tyler said, shoving a mini pumpkin pie in his mouth. “They’re dewi
shes.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Stop eating! We need to focus. Change of plans. We do the prank without Emmy.”
“What?” Jax and the others said.
Ethan glared at Jax. “Dude, your dad is on his way here. It’s either now or never. Besides, I haven’t seen Miss LeBeau either, so now is our best time.”
“So what are we doing?” Nick asked. “I’m hungry.”
“We’ll eat later,” Ethan snapped. “Girls, I need you three to keep the witc—lunch ladies dancing under the chandelier. Nick and Tyler, you two need to bring it down. Jax and I will be waiting close by.”
“That sounds a lot easier than flooding the gym,” Hannah said. “Maybe it’s better Emmy’s not here. Mrs. Burton would suspend us forever.”
“Okay, let’s do this,” Ethan said. The Cleopatras took off to the stage, where they requested the band play a certain song. Nick and Tyler nonchalantly went to stand next to the rope anchoring the chandelier to the wall. Ethan glanced at Jax. “You ready?”
“Not really. But I guess it’s now or never, eh?”
“Exactly. The minute we get those witches down, we pull out their wands and run for the door. Hopefully, they won’t see which way we go. We’ll find your mom and then break the wands.”
Jax nodded. “Sounds good.”
The band struck up the requested song, Thriller. The crowd of kids cheered and several people, mostly parents and teachers, took to the dance floor. Ethan and Jax danced over behind the four lunch ladies, who were being fenced in by the Cleopatras. Ethan looked over to Nick, who gave him a thumbs up.
The candy chandelier came down.
Griselda, Belladonna, Hazel, and Luna all crumpled under the mass of candy. Several people screamed, and those who didn’t see what had happened took it as a signal to get down with the music. Ethan and Jax leaped forward and pulled the wands from the witches’ hair. Hazel reached out for Ethan, but missed. He pushed past the Cleopatras, who continued to dance as if nothing had happened, and ran through the crowd of monsters.
“Jax, this way!” They found the exit and headed out into the hallway. Mama J was by the back doors of the school, on her cell phone. She caught sight of them and shoved her phone in her purse.
“What’s going on?”
“We got their wands!” Ethan shouted. He held up the two in his hands and saw Jax holding up the others. “We need to break them before they come out.”
“Quick, outside.” Mama J pushed open the doors and they headed out to the playground. “You two should have waited, Jefferson and the other hunters will be here any minute.”
“We don’t have time,” Ethan said. “I think Miss LeBeau has Emmy, and she’s the fifth witch in the coven.”
Mama J’s face looked like she’d seen a ghost. “LeBeau as in Matilda LeBeau?”
“I don’t know her first name,” Ethan said. “She showed up at the same time as the others.”
“We need to find Emmy now!” Mama J shouted.
“We need to break the wands!” Jax pointed toward the windows of the double doors leading to the school. The four lunch ladies were sprinting down the hallway toward them.
Ethan turned to Mama J. “We just snap them in half, right?”
She shook her head. “You have to do it in front of them, otherwise they won’t be paralyzed. But you must do it fast, otherwise, they can still use their powers.”
“What are you going to do?” Jax asked.
Mama J didn’t answer. She dug in her purse and pulled out two golden whips. With one in each hand they uncoiled, sparks fizzing as they touched the ground. She stood tall, a warrior in a pink poodle skirt, ready to fight. “Get ready because here they come.”
The double doors burst open. Griselda and Hazel stepped out first, their eyes flashing. Ethan’s heart pounded in his chest. Nervously, he stepped back a few steps onto the blacktop. Jax stood next to him, the wands in his hands outstretched. Ethan did the same.
“Give us back our wands or else,” Griselda warned. Luna and Belladonna came up behind them, and Mama J cracked her whips. Sparks flew from the tips and the witches stepped back.
“You have no right to be at this school,” Mama J shouted.
“Well, if it isn’t my old warden,” Belladonna hissed. “Time has not been very kind to you. Gained more than wrinkles, I see.”
“Bring it on, witch. I may have put on a few pounds but I can still kick your butt.” Mama J cracked her whips again and Ethan saw Luna and Hazel flinch.
“I will not be broken without a fight. You and these children are no match for me.” Belladonna smiled wickedly, lifting her hands above her head. Ethan felt one of the wands in his hands vibrate just as a flash of light filled the sky, a bolt of lightning striking the blacktop with a thunderous boom.
***
Emmy was scared when she first entered the woods and saw all the women in black robes and pointed hats. She had no idea how many witches there were—twenty, thirty? Most were young and glamorous like Miss LeBeau and the lunch ladies; others look old and wrinkly, although still mysteriously beautiful under the light of the full moon. Miss LeBeau gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as she led her to the center of the circle of witches.
“Don’t be afraid, Emmy,” Miss LeBeau whispered. “They are here to support you. We need you now to dance the dance.”
“Dance the dance,” the witches repeated in hushed tones.
Emmy swallowed nervously. It all seemed so haunting, so familiar. Miss LeBeau handed Emmy the wand and warmth seemed to shoot up her arm as she took it. All the fear, the nervous ache in her stomach, washed away as Emmy lifted the wand over her head and took the first position.
“Dance the dance,” the witches chanted over and over in a hushed whisper. A drum beat sounded, followed by the singing of several witches standing next to Miss LeBeau. The music was just what Emmy needed. She moved to the drumbeat. She had memorized each step from the book and she performed them perfectly. She lifted her right leg into the passé, bringing her right foot to just to the side her left knee. Targeting Miss LeBeau as her marker, she began her pirouette, spinning faster and faster, always turning her head to keep herself spotted on Miss LeBeau.
The moonlight fell onto her shoulders, twinkling off the stones affixed to her tutu. Emmy swung her leg out and reached up to her hair, pulling the wand from the bun. She spun again, this time holding the wand up toward the glowing moon. Light burst from the wand and fell like fairy dust around her. Emmy felt as if her body had just been submerged into a tub of hot water. She felt the heat start from her wand hand and flood down to her toes. She could hear the chanting of the women in black robes. They cheered as the light filled her. Emmy could see Miss LeBeau, a look of splendor on her face. Emmy felt as if she were six feet in the air and when she looked down, she saw that she was.
So this is what it’s like to fly.
Emmy slowly lowered and felt her black slippers touch the ground. Miss LeBeau ran to her and threw her arms around her. “Emmy, that was beautiful. You are truly a gifted dancer.”
Emmy smiled, feeling the heat rush into her cheeks.
“Welcome to the family,” Miss LeBeau said, squeezing her again. “You are now one of us—a witch.” Emmy beamed as Miss LeBeau lifted Emmy’s wand hand and showed her how to tuck it into her hair. “This is how most witches hold their wands. It looks becoming on you.”
Several beautiful women in black robes approached Emmy and bowed low. Miss LeBeau clasped Emmy’s hand. “This is only the beginning, Emmy. With you, we’ll finally be able to fight back against the Olc Coven and save your parents.”
Emmy had no reservations. The power coursing through her made her feel strong and unbreakable. She could stand up to anyone. If the Olc coven was holding her parents, she would get them back. The power seemed to radiate within her and not just from the wand tucked in her hair.
A flash of light filled the forest as a boom of thunder drowne
d in Emmy’s ears. She looked passed the worried expressions on the witches’ faces back toward the schoolyard. She was too far to see what was going on. She turned back to Miss LeBeau. “What was that?”
“Something wicked this way comes,” one of the witches said.
Miss LeBeau shook her head. “The hunters must have arrived. Don’t worry. Belladonna is one of the most powerful witches we have in our coven. She won’t be easily broken.”
Sudden dread sank in the pit of Emmy’s stomach.
Ethan was in trouble.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Wrath of a Witch
Ethan blinked away the light just in time to see Hazel reaching out for him. He fell back and rolled across the blacktop. Mama J swung out a whip and sparks danced in front of Hazel, gaining Ethan some distance from the witch. He got to his feet and pressed the two wands across his knee. Nothing happened. He tried to snap them, but he couldn’t do it; it was like trying to bend two iron bars at once.
Belladonna lifted her hands to call down another lightning bolt but Mama J’s whip caught her right wrist. Golden sparks flew out from the whip and Belladonna screeched like a wounded cat. Mama J yanked on the whip and pulled the witch down to the blacktop. She cracked the other whip and Griselda and the other two witches backed up a step. She turned to Ethan, sweat beading across her forehead as she strained against the pull of Belladonna. “Break her wand now! I can’t hold her for long.”
Ethan couldn’t break the wands at the same time. He needed to focus on just one. He shoved a wand in his belt next to his plastic sword and held the other out in his hands. He could feel the wand bend, almost asking him to snap it in half. He was an Orion; he was born to break witches.
“No, don’t!” Hazel begged. “Please, we haven’t been doing anything wrong—we were trying to help.”
“Ha!” Mama J growled. “Help from a witch. I’d rather get help from a cobra. Ethan. Jax. Break them!”