power. My gift is more about finding the talent in others. Like you. Only I didnât expect quite
this
much from you.â She laughs again.
I put my hands on my hips. âThis is not funny. You got me into this mess. Now how am I going to get out?â
âI got you into this?â she asks.
âYes! You taught me that stupid spell, didnât you?â
She shrugs. âTrue. But I also told you magick isnât a game, and I warned you about how it comes back threefold.â
Sheâs right. She did tell me that. But thatâs beside the point. I still need to escapeâunseen. âYou wouldnât by any chance have a spell to make me invisible, would you?â
âSorry. Canât do that either. But I can do something.â She takes the hideous green granny hat off her head and sticks it on mine. âThere. Look at that. If you pull it low over your forehead, no one will see the zits. Poof! Theyâre invisible.â
I stare at her. She has seriously bad hat hair. Itâs flat on top and then all those frizzy curls form a right angle at her ears and totally go their own way. I might feel sorry for her if I didnât have bigger problems.
Slowly, I turn and look into the mirror. And itâs really, really weird because the hat actually looks sort of okay. Maybe even better than okay. It might even look good. âWow,â I murmur, âthis is my kind of magick.â
âIsnât it great?â Stella smiles. âItâs my babaâs. She loaned it to me.â
Her babaâs? As in the old-school witch? Iâm not going there. I canât. I just nod and say, âI guess itâs better than nothing.â
I look at her and am shocked again by her hair. âDo you have a hairbrush?â
She digs in her backpack and comes up with a ratty old red brush. She holds it out toward me and says, âHere you go.â
âUm. Thanks. But I was just noticing you have, like, total hat hair.â
âReally?â Stella glances in the mirror, then starts yanking the brush through her hair. The flattened area revives and blends with the mass. âThanks for telling me, Lizzie. I never would have noticed.â
The bell sounds and we both startle. I look in the mirror to double-check thatthe zits are covered. They are. I can still feel them, but so long as theyâre hidden, itâs okay. I tilt my head and ask, âThis hat doesnât make me look gangsta, does it?â
âOh no,â Stella says. âMy baba would never go for that. Sheâs really cute.â
Some people have no idea. Note to self: Do not trust Stellaâs opinions on cuteness. âOkay, I guess weâre good to go. Iâll go first.â
âWhat do you mean?â Stella asks.
I take hold of the door handle, âUh, we canât be seen leaving together, can we?â
Stella gets a funny look, but thatâs just her, the way she is, right?
chapter seven
Science class is not as horrible as I thought it would be. I think itâs mainly because Mandy is jealous of my hat. âThat hat is so dope, Lizzie. Where did you get it?â
I shrug. âOh, I canât remember. Must have been somewhere in the mall.â
Mr. Sparks asks if I have something for him. For one horrible second, I think he wants the hat. And then I remember the apology letter. I take it out of my purse and hand it to him with a smile.
He says, âHmph. Fine. You can report for detention today in room 101.â
âUm,â I say, âhow long do I have to do this? Until the end of the week, right?â Itâs Thursday and Iâm really hoping heâll mess up on the details.
He shakes his head. âLizzie, I hope some day youâll decide to put that brain of yours to better use. Your final day of detention will be next Wednesday.â And he walks away.
âJeez,â says Mandy, âthat was sort of rude.â
âFor
Kit Tunstall, R.E. Saxton