Abby Carnelia's One and Only Magical Power Read Online Free PDF Page B

place,
Abby thought.
He’d have hated all the luxury.

    â€œTell you what, Witches,” Claudia was saying after the girls had picked out their beds and stashed their suitcases and duffel bags. “Why don’t we go around and introduce ourselves? Tell me your name, what grade you’re going into, where you’re from, and what makes you magic.”
    Abby felt a little shiver when she heard that phrase.
    One by one, the girls gave their introductions. There was an Allison, a Debbie, a Becky, two Sarahs (actually, one Sarah and one Sara, with no “h”) and, of course, Abby. They were all going into sixth or seventh grade.
    Abby began to worry, though, when she heard their magic backgrounds.
    â€œI’ve been doing magic since I was six,” said Debbie.
    â€œI do magic shows at my street’s block party every summer,” said Becky.
    â€œI won second place in our school’s talent show. I did the Professor’s Nightmare,” said one of the Sarahs.
    â€œAnd how about you, Abby?” asked Claudia, her sidesaddle ponytail flouncing.
    Abby smiled nervously and looked around the room. What was she supposed to say?
Um, I can make an egg spin by itself, but otherwise, I’ve never done a single trick in my life? And by the way, it has to be hard-boiled, and I have to be pulling on my ears?
    â€œUm,” she began. “Actually, I’m really just—just kind of a beginner. I want to learn more about magic, and I figured this would be the place.” She managed a weak smile.
    â€œExcellent,” said Claudia, beaming. She reached over to give Abby a supportive shoulder squeeze. “This really
is
the place.”
    Abby was not so sure.

    No-H Sara was a tiny little person, skinny and short—even her blond hair was sort of fuzzy and lightweight. Abby half worried that if the wind ever picked up, No-H Sara would have to be weighted down so she wouldn’t blow away.
    But as far as Abby was concerned, there were two great things about No-H Sara. First, she was a cheery little chatterbox—and since she felt like she was about a thousand miles from home, that kind of perkiness was just what Abby needed.
    Second, without any discussion, No-H Sara had simply adopted Abby. This was Camp Cadabra’s very first summer of operation, but No-H Sara acted as though she owned the place.
    â€œDid you notice anything about the buildings?” No-H Sara was saying. She and Abby meandered toward the cafeteria building in the last half hour before dinner. The beautifully groomed path dipped in and out of the woods, which offered cooler air than the grassy hillside itself.
    Abby shook her head.
    Sara spread her hands wide. “The Dumbledore building? Hermione Cafeteria? Wormtail Game Room? Hello?”
    â€œAhhhhh,” Abby said, smiling as she picked up a pinecone to study it as they walked. “Harry Potter. Everything’s named after Harry Potter?”
    â€œExactly. I mean, we’re not exactly walking around with robes and memorizing spells and flying on brooms and stuff. Although that
would
be kinda cool.”
    Abby nodded. “It makes the buildings easy to remember, though.”
    â€œThe thing is, if you ask me, this place is really only
half
a magic camp,” No-H Sara continued. “I mean, in the morning, yeah, we have our three magic classes. But after lunch, it’s just like a regular summer camp with regular activities. Look at this stuff!”
    She held up the shiny, colorful pages of the “red book”—the camper handbook that Claudia had given them. “Tennis, archery, soccer, arts and crafts, horseback riding. Or waterfront. If you sign up for waterfront, you get to do sailing, water-skiing, or parasailing. I love parasailing.”
    Abby peered over at the photos. “What’s parasailing?”
    â€œOh,
you
know,” said Sara matter-of-factly. “Where they hook you up to a big giant kite on