Eve’s mother poked her head into the room. “Eve honey, I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Call me on my cell if you need me, ok?”
Eve could not speak. Grace lightly nudged her. Eve nodded her head up and down.
“Was Austin up yet when you girls left?” Mrs. Appleton asked, looking at April.
April held her breath. “Uh . . .”
“They were still sleeping. I think they stayed up later then we did playing, um, that new video game,” Grace said, not blinking, with a big smile on her face.
“Oh, boys!” Mrs. Appleton said, looking at Mrs. LaRue. “Ok. If you girls need anything, I’ll be downstairs.” She closed the door. She and Eve’s mother kept talking as they walked down the stairs.
April collapsed to the floor. “OMG, how come we didn’t hear them coming?”
“We were all staring at the book.” Grace turned the pages, making a rustling sound.
April sat back up. “Oh, yeah.”
Grace wiggled her nose. “The pages smell like the reference section at the library. You know—the old library smell.”
“They are almost as thin as tissue paper. They kind of feel like the old newspaper Mom used to wrap the dishes Nana gave her that are in the basement.”
April looked closer at the old pages. She rubbed the slightly torn edges of the first few pages between her fingers. “They look like they were once white but—”
“Arrr . . .” Austin started to cry.
“What is that?” Eve asked. The girls peered under the bed.
Austin flopped onto his side with his legs stretched out. “Umph,” he sighed with his mouth open. His tongue lay limp on the rug.
“Awww. He is so cute. You sure you don’t want to keep him like this?” Eve asked, reaching her hand out to pet him.
Austin’s eyes narrowed as he let out a
growl.
“Sorry, sorry.” Eve pulled her hand away from him. “You’re just a cute little doggie . . . that looks, uh, hungry or, uh, thirsty—”
“Oh, crud! I’ll get him some water,” April jumped up. She went into the bathroom, which was next to her room. She grabbed the cup she used to rinse out her mouth after she brushed her teeth.
Perfect. Eww, I don’t want a dog drinking out of my cup. Maybe I should use his cup. It’s his, uh, mouth.
She put her cup back onto the sink counter and picked up his. She filled it with water, then hurried back to her bedroom.
Door, please open.
It opened. She walked through.
Door, please close quietly. It gently closed. Eve and Grace stared with their mouths open. This really is getting fun.
“Close your mouths. My nana says, ‘You may choke on a fly that way.’” April chuckled as she set the water down in front of Austin who was still under the bed.
“OMG . . . you really may be a witch.” Grace shook her head, and returned to looking at the book. “So . . .” She raised her eyebrows. “How did you get this big, old book out without your parents seeing you?”
Eve smirked again. “My mom was watching one of her DVR’d shows. And, Dad was still at work,” she explained. “My mom doesn’t hear anything when she’s into one of her shows.”
They all laughed.
“Ok. Give me a minute. I have to find that spell again,” Eve said.
The girls were silent. They looked over Eve’s shoulders at the fancy French lettering. Each turn of a page crackled and let out the scent of old-book-plus-basement.
“What does it say?” April asked. “What do those symbols mean?”
Eve did not reply. She continued to mumble quietly to herself.
“Eve? Eve?” Grace asked, staring at Eve’s face.
“Give . . . me . . . another . . . second . . . AH HA!” Eve exclaimed. “I’ve got it! Your brother will be back to normal in just a few easy . . .” Eve’s eyes stayed focused on the page. “Well . . .” her voice raised an octave. “Well, maybe not easy for . . . um, you.” Eve bit her lower lip as she looked at April.
“Huh?” April looked over the top of her glasses. “What do you mean not easy for me?”
twenty-one
“
Well, um, let’s just start with the first step, ok?” said Eve. “Sorry, about the zoning out. My French is ok, but I have to focus. I don’t read it very fast. April, what is your brother’s favorite drink?”
“Oh, that’s a no-brainer! Chocolate milk.”
“OK! Can you go get some chocolate milk?”
“Ok, ok, ok,” April said, trying to convince herself this would be easy. “But, what if Mom asks me something about you-know-who?” She angled her head in Austin’s direction. He was still busily licking up the water.
“Don’t forget, we said earlier that they were up late playing that new video game. Just say that he’s still sleeping. We both know he AND Michael sleep really late.” Grace looked at the clock. “It’s not even ten yet.” Grace pointed at the clock, which read 9:42am.
“Yeah, I can do that. I want to fix this,” April dropped her shoulders, pushed out her chest, and took a deep breath. “I AM going to fix this.”
Austin finally stopped drinking. He grumbled.
“I know, I know. I said that before. This will work . . . this time. I’m sure.” April bent her body forward, looking under the bed. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
She zoomed downstairs and zipped past the front door. She saw her father in the living room watching TV. She held her breath and whizzed through the dining room to the kitchen. She saw her mother and exhaled.
Ok. I can do this. Remember: video games late and they usually sleep late.
“Hey, kiddo,” her mother said.
“Mom, can I have some chocolate milk?”
“Sure honey. Usually that is your brother’s favorite. I wonder when Austin is . . .” ACHOO!!!
April’s heart beat faster. “Bless you, Mom,” she said, handing her a tissue from the counter.
I just need the chocolate milk. I gotta get outta here. April looked into her mother’s eyes, which were watering and red. Geez! I am making her sick, I dehydrated poor Austin, not to mention turned him into a dog over these stupid glasses . . . Geez.
“Thank you, honey.” Mrs. Appleton smiled at April. “What was I saying again?”
“This is, uh, for . . . Eve.”
Breathe. Just breathe. The faster I get this done, the faster Mom will feel better, and Austin will be back to normal.
Her mom sneezed again. She rubbed her eyes.
“Bless you, Mom. Are you ok?”
Her mother washed her hands. Then, she took a cup out of the cabinet.
“Yes. But my allergies are bothering me. Honey, have you been around any animals?”
April slowly took a step away from her mom. She shook her head.
Oh no! I am horrible. She never lied to her mother, and now she had lied to her twice in one weekend. She had to get upstairs ASAP.
Her mother poured the chocolate syrup into the cup. She added the milk, stirred, and handed the glass to April.
“Thank you, Mom.”
OK. Act normal. But get upstairs fast.
“Uh . . . ok . . . bye.” She began to leave.
“Honey?”
She held her breath and turned around to face her mother.
“Do you and Grace want some chocolate milk, too?”
April dropped her shoulders and exhaled. “Oh, ok, I’ll take up two more cups and we’ll all share.” She smiled and took the two cups her mom handed her. “Bye, Mom.”
Don’t spill it. Don’t spill it.
As she returned to her room, she heard Grace say, “April’s NOT going to like that.”
“What?” April asked, closing her door. “What am I not going to like?” Her stomach began to churn.
twenty-two
“Oh . . . uh . . .” Grace said. “Great. You got the chocolate milk.”
“Great!” Eve said.
“YEP!” April said with
a smile. She placed the chocolate milk and cups on the dresser. “So . . . what am I not going to like?”
Grace leaned forward. “April?”
“Yes, Grace . . .” April raised one eyebrow as she looked at Grace.
“OK . . . you are not going to like the next step. But . . . uh . . . think about . . . getting Austin back to normal . . . ok?” Grace said, grinning.
“Now . . . go get a used piece of Austin’s clothing,” Eve instructed.
April raised one eyebrow. She looked at the book, then back at Eve. “Why? His room is disgusting. And his clothes are even grosser!”
“Well, the next step is a little gross.” Eve said, the pitch of her voice rising again. “It has to be a used article of clothing because it has his scent on it. Then, you have to cut three small squares off the used piece of clothing—”
April wrinkled up her nose. “You want me to actually touch his dirty clothes?”
“That’s not the gross part,” Eve said, trying to smile.
“Not the gross part? What?”
“You have to mix the clothes into the drink—”
“Huh?” April tilted her head to the side.
“Well . . . you have to stir the used clothing into the chocolate milk,” Eve explained, “and then . . . you have to drink it.”
April’s heart sank. Blood rushed to her cheeks. She looked at Austin under the bed.
His eyes look so sad. Ok, ok. I made this mess. I have to fix it. Just get it done!
“I’m doing this for you.” She took a deep breath then calmly stood up. “OK. I have to go to his room. I’ll be right back . . .”
She tiptoed down the hall to Austin’s room. She opened his door. OMG, it smells like dirty feet in here. I can’t believe I have to do this.
She looked at the piles of clothes on the floor.
What is the least gross thing in here? Eww. Not that.
She moved one of his socks with her foot.
I have to find something.
She saw a pair of pants.
Eww. Not those. I think those are grass stains from practice. The clock is ticking. Find something, find something.
She looked to the left and to the right. She scanned the entire room then—BINGO!
Is this his winter hat? I think this is the only kinda clean thing in here.
She picked up the blue cotton hat and pushed it into her pocket. She quickly and quietly ran back down the hall and into her room, closing the door behind her.
“OK . . .” she said, breathing heavily. “I got it.”
“What did you get?” Grace asked.
April leaned over and put her hands on her knees. With her heart thumping, she pulled the hat out of her pocket.
“Catch your breath, April,” Eve said.
April closed her eyes. She inhaled then exhaled. “OK . . . I’m ready,” she said firmly.
“Ok. Mix the three hat squares with the chocolate milk,” Eve directed. “Stir it around before you drink.”
April looked at her bookshelf. On top of it was a cup with pens, pencils, markers, and a pair of scissors. As she cut three squares from the hat, Austin growled. “Oh, stop it! I’m sure there’s another hat in that pigsty. Seriously, Austin, I am trying to fix this. Don’t you want to be normal again?”
Grace looked at Austin, then back at April. “You know he can’t answer you, right?”
April glared at Grace above the rim of her glasses. “He answers me . . . in his own way.”
She put the hat squares into the cup of chocolate milk. She slowly stirred it using her finger. The navy blue hat turned an icky grey. The mixture became soapy with little bubbles that grew bigger and bigger, increasing in size until they reached the very top of the cup.
“Wow. I think you just made a potion,” Grace said.
April’s eyes stayed fixed on the cup. She grabbed her stomach. “This is the grossest thing in the whole world.”
“Sorry . . . but you have to . . . uh . . . drink ALL of it.” Eve gulped.
The blood rushed from April’s face.
“I’m sorry, April. This is the hard part,” Eve said.
This is super gross. He plays sports. He sweats . . . a lot. Who knows how long this was on his floor? But, I have to do this. This is the only way to bring him back and to make sure my parents don’t kill me. She glanced at the clock. OMG, it is 10:15. Mom and Dad will start to worry, or even worse—call Grace’s parents.
April pinched her nose. She put the cup to her lips. She swallowed.
Don’t puke, don’t puke.
She swallowed again.
twenty-three
Oh no, I think I am going to puke.
April finished it, slammed the cup down on her desk, and burped loudly. “Oops . . . excuse me!” She covered her mouth. Eve and Grace laughed.
“What next? Do I have to go eat his dirty underwear now?”
“Don’t be silly,” Eve giggled. “THAT was the grossest part. Now to step two . . .”
“I am scared to ask,” said April. “What is step two?”
Grace grinned. “This part may be fun!”
“I need you to pluck three hairs from Austin,” Eve replied.
April let out a huge breath. She reached under the bed and gently pulled him out. Putting him on the bed, she sat next to him. “OK, Austin.”
“Grrr . . .” Austin growled.
“Do you want to stay a dog?” He stopped. “I’ll do it fast, k?”
Austin growled again.
“Austin, I’m sorry. I know you hate me. I’d hate me, too.” She looked down at him. She brushed her hand over his head and down his back. Then, she petted him again.
She held Austin down on the bed with one hand, and quickly pulled a strand of fur from his head.
“Arrrr!” He jumped straight up.
“Lie down, Austin,” April begged. “I have to get two more hairs from you for the spell.”
Austin scurried to the end of the bed. He jumped off. He ran in a circle. Looking dizzy, he slammed into the door.
BAM! He flopped to the floor.
April and Eve laughed.
“Shhhh,” Grace giggled. “I don’t know which looked more painful, the hair pulling or the head-on collision with the door.”
“What is going on? Are you okay?” April’s mother yelled up the stairs.
Oh no. What should I do? I have to tell Mom something so she stays downstairs.
April picked up one of the empty cups and zoomed over to Austin. She scooped him up, placed him on the bed, and dropped the hair.
Crud! I lost it. Oh well. The bed should be a little more comfortable to lie on while he wakes back up. Please let him be okay. I hope that didn’t cause permanent damage.
She paused. She relaxed her shoulders and took a deep breath.
Be calm. Act normal.
April went out the door to the stairs. “Hey Mom,” she said, smiling down at her mother at the bottom of the stairs. “Sorry about that. I . . . uh . . . dropped the empty cup.” She held it up to show her mom and flashed a wide smile. “That was great chocolate milk. Thank you!”
“I just wanted to make sure you are OK,” Mrs. Appleton said. “Call me if you girls need anything.”
April ran back into her room and shut the door. She leaned her back against it and looked at the clock.
It’s already 10:30! Oh no, oh no.
“You’re right!” Eve was saying to Grace. “We could do super cool spells and stuff.”
“I know. Between April and your book we could—”
They stopped talking when they saw April.
Austin opened his eyes. He was trying to hold up his wobbly head but gave up, letting it flop back onto the bed. April sat down next to him.
“One . . . two . . . three.” She plucked three strands of fur from his body.
“Arr! Arr! Arr!” Austin yelped.
“He’s just a little mixed up right now,” Eve said. “He ran into the door super fast.”
“I got them!” April said.
twenty-four
“Eve, what do I do with these?” April asked.
“We’re at the last step. Put him in the closet. Make sure the light is off in there.”
Austin lifted his head. His eyes bulged and wobbled from side to side.
“He looks a bit better,” laughed Grace. “We want him to come back in one piece.”
April picked him up and opened the closet.
“Make sure there’s nothing on the ground,” said Eve, as she tried to crane her neck to look into the closet from her seated position.
April bent over. With her empty hand, she threw everything out of the closet that was on the floor. All of her shoes, a few purses, and a belt flew through the air.
Out of breath, she stood up straight. “Ok, what now? I’m tired.”
“I know. I’m getting tired just watching you,” Grace said. She and Eve laughed.
“Ha, ha. A joke from the girls who are just sitting there,” April said, pointing to them on the carpet.
“Sorry. We’re almost done,” Eve said calmly.
April’s glasses slid down her nose, which was damp with sweat. She pushed them back up.
She took three big breaths. “OK. I feel a little better.”
“Uh . . . April?” Eve asked quietly.
“Yes?”
“Can you wipe off the closet floor?” Eve asked.
“What! Why?” April said, sighing.
“Well, the spell says the floor should be clean. I don’t want it to not work because of that small thing.”
“Fine.” April put Austin back on the bed. She placed the three hairs on her desk.
She ran back into the bathroom she and Austin shared. She grabbed the sponge her mom and dad used to clean the tub. She turned on the water and rinsed it out. Adding a little soap, she ran back to her room and closed the door.
She fell to her knees and quickly wiped off the closet floor. She looked at the bottom of the sponge.
“Ewww. It’s black.” She wrinkled her nose and threw the sponge behind her. It landed on top of one of the shoes she had just thrown out of the closet.
“It’s clean now.” April collapsed onto her bed next to Austin.
OMG... Am I a Witch?! Page 5