The Runaway Spell Read Online Free PDF Page B

what I’ve done … I’ll get in enormous trouble!” She swallowed hard, thinking of the Dismantle Squad.
    They boarded the bus, and George had to sit awkwardly to avoid squashing his tail. “It’ll be okay,” he said. “I figured it was better to let the tail show and say it’s for Costume Day, than to keep trying to hide it.” He grinned. “Besides, I’m starting not to mind it so much. The ears are gone but I can still hear as though they’re there, and it comes in handy sometimes. And the speed? I’m faster than I’ve ever been. I’ve got more kicking power, more endurance … it’s like I’m really turning into La Zebra!”
    “Shh!” B hissed, looking around to see if anyone heard.
    George laughed. It came out like a braying bark. His eyes grew wide, then he laughed some more.
    “You’re not turning into
La Zebra Italiana”
B whispered. “You’re turning into a zebra, as in, a stripy horsey thing that lives on the plains of Africa.”
    “It won’t last forever, though,” George said. “You said so yourself.”
    “Right,” B said, shrinking down in the bus seat. She couldn’t bring herself to tell George what she’d learned about irreversible spells. Did going from zebra ears to a zebra tail count as “intensifying” like Mr. Bishop had said? B hoped not.
    The bus arrived at the school, and George sauntered off down the aisle, leaving B musing. There was still the Magical Rhyming Society to deal with if anyone ever found out what she’d done. B started to think that she might be in over her head, but then she remembered the book in the library. All she had to do was get that book, and everything would be okay. But she wouldn’t be able to go back until at least after school. Would George’s tail be able to make it through a whole day at school, without giving everything away?
    She scurried off the bus and ran to catch up with George. She found him at his locker, chewing noisily on a lettuce leaf.
    B stopped in her tracks. “George,
what
are you eating?” she demanded. “Where’s your stash of Enchanted Chocolates?”
    George shrugged and stuffed another lettuce leaf in his mouth. “Don’t feel much like chocolate these days,” he said. “Candy’s bad for athletes.”
    B put her hand on George’s forehead. “Now I know you’re seriously sick.”
    “Nah, I’m not. But my mom had this great romaine in the crisper. Want some?”
    B shook her head. “No thanks. I like my lettuce with ranch dressing and croutons. Not for a morning snack.”
    “Suit yourself,” George said. “More for me.”
    The bell rang. “You’d better hurry,” B said. “Why don’t you save some lettuce for Mozart?”
    George shrugged. “Okay. See you in English.”
    B thought about George’s dilemma at every spare moment in homeroom. And all through Englishclass she waited for Mr. Bishop to comment on George’s zebra tail, but he showed no sign of suspecting it was anything other than a part of George’s costume. When the bell rang and everyone had left the room, B held George back.
    She had to end this chaos once and for all, and she had an idea of how she might do it, even without the book. Mr. Bishop had said that the simplest spells are the most effective. A bag-cauldron concoction got her into this mess — wouldn’t another bag-cauldron concoction be the simplest way out?
    While B thought, George pulled a large zippered baggie out of his backpack and began to munch. A scrabbling noise came from the back of the classroom. Mozart had seen the lettuce and was clawing at the glass wall of his cage.
    “Okay, little fella,” George said. “I’ll share.” George took Mozart out and held him while feeding him small pieces of romaine.
    “I’ve had an idea for a way to turn you back into a one hundred percent human,” B said. “It won’t take more than a minute.”
    “Hope it doesn’t work,” George said, watching Mozart closely. “Coach said yesterday was my best practice in