Cynthia knocked the book to the ground. “You’d better be careful, Ash-can. There’s no one around to save your sorry butt.”
“Awww, you’ve already gone back to the same old boring name-calling.” I exaggerated a pout. “And—pbbbt—I’ve never needed anyone to save my butt, especially from you.” Maybe I shouldn’t have made the farting noise, but she was getting on my nerves.
Retrieving the book from the ground, I opened it again. From the look on her face, Cynthia might erupt this time.
She cocked her arm back, and I got ready to duck. With any luck she’d drive herself into the planter.
Mrs. Clark passed us. “Good morning, ladies.” She wore a black skirt, with a red blazer over a crisp white blouse that almost glowed against her dark skin.
Cynthia’s arm dropped to her side.
“Morning, Mrs. Clark.” We both said the words at the same time.
Cynthia glared at me like she was the only one who had the right to talk. I wasn’t going to put up with that.
Out of the corner of my eye, I checked for Mrs. Clark. She stood in the same place and pretended to read her notebook while keeping her eye on us. “Why don’t you go pick on someone your own size?” I lowered my voice so only Cynthia would hear. “Oh, that’s right. King Kong doesn’t go to this school.”
Mallory was right. I couldn’t stop baiting her. It was too much fun.
Her face into a giant snarl. “Watch your back Ash-can. ‘Cause when no one is around, I’m gonna grind your butt into the ground like a cigarette.”
Slapping the page of the book, I let out a fake laugh. “I totally get it ... cigarette butt, Ash-can ... you’re such a wit.” I turned the page. “A dimwit.” The last words were said under my breath because I didn’t have a death wish.
Cynthia glowered at me, but turned and stomped off.
Even she wasn’t stupid enough to hit me with a teacher watching.
The quad filled with the chatter of students, so school would start soon.
I decided not to wait for Mallory because I didn’t want to give Cynthia another opportunity to attack. Gathering my things, I headed to class. On my way, I passed Mrs. Clark. She was the best. She let us listen to the radio during class and if we got our work done, we didn’t have to be quiet all the time.
She waved me over. “Angela, may I have a word?”
“Yes, Mrs. Clark.”
She took off her glasses and tucked them in the v-neck of her blouse and her brown eyes pierced mine. “The girl who kicks the hornets’ nest usually gets stung.”
My cheeks flushed. “Yes, Mrs. Clark. I’ll ... I’ll remember.”
She patted my shoulder. “Good. Now off to class with you.”
I’d messed up in front of my favorite teacher. Way to go, Angela!
I slunk into homeroom, and took my seat.
Plunking my backpack down next to my chair, I avoided Mrs. Clark’s eye, embarrassed by our earlier encounter. I pulled my English book out from the backpack. A light thud followed as the journal fell to the ground. Oops. I meant to leave it at home, but must have grabbed it with the other books on the desk.
Mrs. Clark called the class to order. I shoved the journal under my English book.
Fifteen minutes before the end of class, Mrs. Clark stopped lecturing. “I refuse to compete with the lunch bell for attention. Free reading and writing time.”
I thought about reading, but decided to journal about Cynthia and her bullying instead.
When I opened the pages and reread last night’s entry, I got a funny feeling in my stomach, as if a dozen butterflies were playing tackle football in there. In my first entry, I wrote about wanting Mom to stay home and she lost her job. Last night I wrote about her getting a better job, and this morning her dream company called with one.
Coincidence?
It had to be ... didn’t it?
I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that somehow writing in the journal caused both things to happen. But how could I prove it?
I stared out the window at the bushes and trees behind our building. Inspiration dawned.
Pen gripped so tightly my fingers turned white, my hand hovered over the page. Should I try?
I shrugged. What did I have to lose? I relaxed my grip a bit and wrote.
It would be cool if a gnome would appear in the bushes outside my English class.
I stared at the words for a moment and then stared out the window. Nothing.
Disappointment surged through me. What did I expect anyway? Like a gnome would really pop out of the bushes and wave at me. I slouched in my chair and tapped the pen against the journal. Wanting the journal to have power was nothing more than wishful thinking.
A movement outside caught my eye.
I blinked.
A little man with a full white beard, and fluffy eyebrows, wearing a blue work shirt, sat in the middle of the grass outside the window and waved at me. He didn’t have the red pointed hat I expected, but a flat cap covered his head instead. His face, lined with the wrinkles of a lifetime, wore a gleeful expression.
I shook my head and blinked again.
He remained sitting cross-legged, his big round cheeks pink, and a twinkle in his eye to beat my dad’s. Then—poof. He disappeared.
The bell signaling lunchtime rang.
Had I really seen a gnome out the window? Or was it a short old man? My backpack on the desk, I tried to put the English book in, but it slid off and hit the desk. I stared out the window. Everything looked just as it had before the gnome appeared. The book hit the desk again.
“Hey, Ashby.”
I tore my gaze from the window.
Joaquin Ortega erupted in a fit of laughter. “It might work better if you unzip it first.”
My face flushed so hot, I was surprised I didn’t have flames dancing on my cheeks. “Uh, thanks.” Now would be a good time for an earthquake fault to open beneath my feet and suck me in. Once I unzipped the pack, I finally put the books away.
I had to find Mallory. Once I told her what happened with Mom’s job and the gnome, she’d look me straight in the eye and tell me to quit dreaming. The journal was something to write thoughts in. Nothing more.
I found her at the lunch tables. Who could think about eating at a time like this?
Mallory scooted to make room for me at the table. “What’s the matter, Ange? You look like you’re in shock.”
The tables were full and kids yelled to one another across the lunch area, while others milled about searching for a place to sit. “Uh, Mal? Do you think we can go somewhere a little quieter?”
I wanted to share the coincidences of the journal with Mallory, not with half the middle school. Besides, everyone else might think I’d lost my mind.
And I wasn’t sure I hadn’t.
Mallory gathered her things. “Is it good, Angela?”
I tugged on her elbow. “I don’t think you’ll have any cause to complain.”
I dragged Mallory out to the athletic field. I didn’t know whether the gnome would show up out here. But there would be fewer kids to overhear our conversation. And we’d see anyone coming before they’d hear us.
“Remember the journal Madame Vadoma gave me?”
Mallory rolled her eyes. “Since it was two days ago, yes, I can remember back that far.”
“You didn’t tell her my name, did you?”
She shook her head.
“It’s weird because the first time I opened the journal, my name was already inside. My full name.”
Mallory’s eyebrows rose.
“Have you ... um ... used the rock she gave you?”
“I don’t know about used, but I have looked up what it is. It’s a malachite crystal and I’ve been doing a little research on what it means and what I’m supposed to do with it.” Mallory sat cross-legged on the basketball court and opened her lunch. “What does my crystal have to do with anything?”
A pair of amber eyes peered at us from the bushes
on the edge of the athletic field. The black cat must have recently moved into the neighborhood. Up until the carnival, I had never seen it, but I’d seen it four or five times around the school since. I sat next to Mallory. “Have you noticed anything strange about it?
“No.” Mallory sounded a tiny bit exasperated. “Angela, get to the point.”
I took a deep breath. “I-think-what-I-write-in-my-journal-comes-true.” The words all ran together, but at least I said them.
“What?” Mallory held up her hand. “Wait. What are you talking about, Angela?”
With a shaking hand, I pulled the journal out of my backpack. “Look.” I pointed to the first entry.
“Geez, your writing looks like chicken scratch. How am I supposed to read it?”
What? I glanced at the journal. I didn’t have the best handwriting in the world, but it was legible. “Are you going blind?” I shoved the journal in front of her nose.
“Weird. It looks fine now.” Her nose wrinkled.
“After I wrote that, my mom lost her job.”
Mallory shrugged. “Coincidence.”
“I know, but the next night I wrote this.” I pointed to the entry where I wished my mom would get a better job. “She got the call this morning and was offered a job.”
Mallory rubbed her chin. “But your mom has been applying for jobs for a little while now, hasn’t she?”
I nodded. “I thought the whole thing was coincidence too, but during English, I tested it. Read the next entry.”
Mallory’s glasses slid down her nose as she read. “You are not going to tell me a gnome showed up behind the English building.”
I didn’t say anything.
“Seriously? Okay. Prove it.”
“But how do I prove it? The gnome disappeared after a few minutes.” I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation.
Mallory stared at the ground for a moment. Then a smile lit her face. “I know. Make a unicorn run around the track.”
Chapter Ten - The Unicorn and the Fairy
My eyes bulged and I stared at Mallory as the idea seized me. The gnome could have been any old short man, but a unicorn ... if a unicorn ran across the field, it had to be the journal.
I grabbed my pen and without hesitation began to write.
Mallory and I were talking about how fantastic it would be to see a unicorn run around the track. I’d love to see one up close. Are they like a horse, but with a single horn? Or are they magical?
As soon as I finished, Mallory looked out at the track. “See? Nothing there.”
A little disappointed, I kept searching for the unicorn anyway. “It took a couple minutes for the gnome to appear, so maybe there’s a delay factor.”
Mallory snorted and opened her mouth, but never uttered a word.
Hooves pounded the ground.
I jumped to my feet and scanned the field, searching for the source of the hoof beats. I’d be so disappointed if it turned out to be someone riding a horse past the school.
But there, galloping down the track, mane and beard streaming from its neck and head, was the most beautiful white horse. Except, it wasn’t a horse. A long horn protruded from the forehead and the body had a radiant quality, as if lit from the inside. It ran with perfect fluid motion.
Mallory’s jaw dropped. “I don’t believe my eyes.”
I squealed. “I know.” I bounced on the balls of my feet. “It’s wonderful.” I looked around to make sure we were the only ones on the athletic field.
The unicorn slowed to a halt, then beckoned us with a toss of its head.
When Mallory got to her feet, her knees trembled. Mine didn’t feel all too steady, either.
She clutched my arm. “W-w-what if I d-d-d-on’t want to get up close and personal with it?”
“I don’t think we have a choice.” I glanced at the unicorn walking toward us and nearly squealed again. Its cloven hooves clip-clopped on the ground. Definitely not a horse dressed up to look like a unicorn.
Mallory squeezed my arm even tighter. “Why don’t we have a choice?”
“I said we wanted to see it up close.”
“Why did you do that?” Her voice became a high-pitched squeak.
The animal, already big from a distance, grew larger as it advanced. I caught a touch of Mallory’s nerves.
Unicorns are peaceful creatures. They had to be, right? None of the myths talked about the attack of the killer unicorn. Well ... not unless provoked. And we weren’t going to do anything to make it angry, like trying to steal its hair or horn. Unicorns went together with rainbows, for crying out loud.
I sure hoped the myths were true. It was just much bigger than I had expected.
“Come on, Mal. This is what you wanted. Let’s go meet our first-ever mythical creature.” I strode toward the beast, dragging Mallory with me.
The unicorn stopped when we approached.
I held my breath. “She’s beautiful, don’t you think?”
“How do you know it’s a she?”
Trust Mallory to dispute the gender. “I don’t. It just seemed like a she to me.” I grabbed Mallory’s arm. “Isn’t this incredible?”
The unicorn blinked. I gazed into its dark brown eye and a feeling of peace came over me.
“Mal, we’re the only ones in our school who’ve ever been this close to a unicorn. Isn’t that fantastic?”
Mesmerized by the creature, Mallory spoke, but her eyes remained wide and her jaw slack. “But we won’t be able to tell anyone. They’ll think we’re crazy.” She stretched out her hand. “Do you think I can pet her?”
The unicorn gave a brief nod.
“I think she just gave you the go ahead.”
Mallory slowly moved her hand toward the unicorn’s muzzle and gently stroked its nose.
I couldn’t help myself. I had to touch it too. For the briefest moment, I felt prickles on a bed of velvet.
At my touch, the unicorn dissolved into the air like a wisp of smoke. I turned toward Mallory, my eyes huge, and a laugh bubbling up. I grabbed her and we hugged each other, jumping up and down, shrieking with delight.
“That was awesome.” I didn’t care if we couldn’t tell anyone. My best friend experienced a unicorn with me. We’d carry the memory for the rest of our lives.
When we reached the place where we left our stuff, I picked up the journal. “So what do you think now?”
“Definitely magic. Nothing else could have put a unicorn on our track. The odds against it are astronomical.”
Since it truly had magic ... I picked up my pen and scribbled.
I will now be able to fly around the athletic field.
I dropped the journal on my backpack and waited.
Mallory’s eyes grew big. “What did you write?”
A buoyancy filled me along with a desire to spring into the air. I bent my knees and jumped.
Mallory screamed as I zoomed up, up, up. I leaned forward and flew out toward the track. Amazing. I felt so free ... it was incredible.
The rushing wind became a jet stream behind me. I put my arms out to the side to better guide my flight. I couldn’t believe it ... I was flying! A laugh bubbled up. This was by far, the coolest thing I had ever done in my life.
I glanced down at Mallory waving her arms like they were semaphore flags and jumping up and down. I should probably fly back to her and land. Besides, I had a ton more things I wanted to do with the journal.
As I approached the ground, I pulled back and slowed so when I hit the volleyball court I only had to run a few steps before I stopped.
I turned to face Mallory. “That. Was. Awesome.” In a few short strides I covered the ground back to my bag and scooped up the journal. “Do you want a turn?”
“No. What if someone had seen you? How would you explain flying around the school?”
What? Who cared?
Mallory tilted her head to the side. “Angela, think about it ... if anyone else in the school gets a whiff that you have a m
agic journal, everyone is going to want you to write something for them. And I don’t think conjuring up a mountain of candy or making kids invisible counts as using the journal wisely.”
She had a point. I’d get exhausted taking requests. And what if kids wanted stupid things and wasted the pages ... the journal wasn’t all that long.
She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Besides, we need time to examine how the journal works and possible repercussions. We need to keep it a secret.”
“Okay.” She was right. We needed more time to figure out how it worked and how much it could do. I grabbed my pen. We needed time to study the book away from school.
I grinned. “I know ... I’ll just write that school’s out for the summer and—”
“Angela, no!” Mallory lunged toward me and wrestled the pen out of my hand. “Are you crazy? What if the magic wears off? How will I get into the Ivy League if I’m missing a year of middle school on my transcripts?”
Wow. I had always known Mallory took school seriously, but I didn’t know she was already thinking about college. And Ivy League? Ambitious didn’t quite cover it.
“Okay, Mal. I promise not to cancel school.” Though for most kids, I’d be a hero for doing so. “We’d better eat before we have to go to class.” I took my pen back and sighed.
A troublesome thought hit me as Mallory sat on the ground to finish her lunch. “Mal? What if my mom’s job disappears like the gnome and the unicorn?”
Mallory chewed on her turkey sandwich and squinted at the sunshine. “I don’t think it will.”
I plopped down next to her. “Why not?”
She swallowed. “Well, for one thing, the company your mom got the job with is real, and she applied before you got your journal. But the unicorn and the gnome defy reality, so I don’t think they could stay for long.”
I hoped she was right. Another thought hit. One I couldn’t stop giggling over. I grabbed the journal and scribbled quickly. And waited.
A fairy dressed in a lilac and purple dress, with short dark hair and rainbow wings stood next to Mallory and picked through the baggies of food. Mallory didn’t notice.
And I wasn’t going to tell her. I waited.
The Journal of Angela Ashby Page 6
