Now to clean up. I needed to be sure to neutralize the rat potion. I didn’t want to attract any rodents. My mother would freak. I double checked the steps in Finnegan’s Treatise on Environmental Emergency Aversion and carefully followed the instructions. I needed to bury the mixture in the backyard. Fortunately, many of my potions had to be handled this way. I went out the back door and grabbed the spade from the bucket on the patio. Careful to stay a foot away from any other mixture, I bent and started digging.
Jasmine ignored my calls. I was running out of time. The bus would be here at any moment, and I couldn’t find the cat. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a packet of tuna from the fridge. I opened it and scooped some out onto the counter.
Seconds later, Jasmine jumped up beside the treat.
I sprinkled some of the potion on her back and watched it sink in. Then I put the cap on the bottle, stashed it with my other potions, and ran from window to window checking that they were all firmly closed.
“Good luck, Jasmine,” I said as she gobbled down the last few bites. “Don’t let any strangers in the house.”
I grabbed my backpack and bolted out the front door as the bus came around the corner. I wasn’t cut out for this secret experiment stuff.
When I got off the bus eight hours later, the sound of meowing signaled that the potion had worked. I walked around to the back door where I expected to see a handful of male cats. The sight before my eyes brought me to a stop. My potion had worked all right. I couldn’t count them all but I knew I was looking at about a hundred cats. They perched on the window boxes and the patio furniture, and they covered the back lawn. As I watched, several of those against the door and windows clawed frantically, leaving deep claw marks in the wood door and siding.
Oh no. I had used a potion that was far too strong. My second thought was that there was no way to hide this from my mother. I had to get rid of them.
I turned back toward Mrs. MacGregor’s house, hoping that they hadn’t destroyed her lawn too. It looked okay. Mrs. MacGregor opened her side door and stepped slowly onto the stoop.
Oh no! Was Snowball okay?
“Zoe, dear,” she called, as Snowball appeared unharmed at her feet. “The hose.”
“What?” I asked, moving closer to her. At least Snowball wasn’t hurt.
“Turn the hose on them,” she said.
I frowned. It seemed so harsh.
“It’s the only way, dear. I don’t know what’s gotten into them, but they’re damaging your house.”
She was right. “Okay,” I said. “Thank you. I’ll try it.”
She stepped back inside and closed her door, but I knew she’d watch to see what happened next.
I went to the faucet by the back door, shooing cats out of my way, and grabbed the hose. At first too many cats were standing on it for much water to gurgle out, but that quickly changed as water started to hit the cats nearest to me. Apparently, cats hated water. The racket was deafening as they screeched and shrieked in protest. I swept across them in an arc, hitting cats at the edges of the yard. Pandemonium. I had total pandemonium. They jumped over bushes and fences, landing at times on other cats and then fighting each other. Once they had all fled, I turned to look at the back of my house. The scratches were horrible. The screens were shredded, and the patio chairs had been utterly destroyed.
I turned off the faucet. Then I went back to the front door, retrieving my backpack on the way. For the first time in weeks, I didn’t see a single frog in my yard.
I unlocked the front door and went inside. “Jasmine,” I called. “Are you okay?”
Instead of hiding, Jasmine ran at me from across the room and launched herself into my arms. I ignored the scratches as I sat on the couch and snuggled her close. “That’s a good kitty. Everything’s okay now.”
As my cat quivered in my lap, I considered the various ways I could dilute the potion to an acceptable strength. I didn’t want my mother traumatized.
“I made a mistake,” I said as soon as Mom came in the house. “I didn’t dispose of something right. When I got home, there were cats all over the backyard.”
Mom walked out back to see what they’d done. “Unbelievable,” she said.
“I’m so sorry, Mom.”
“What potion did you dispose of? I’ve never heard of anything like this happening!”
“I know. I think it’s because I was trying to combine three potions.”
“I can’t believe you’ve already managed toad slime and unicorn horn and yet your first attempt at eye of newt brings this much damage,” she said, gesturing to the house.
“How bad is it? Will it cost a lot?”
Mom shook her head. “It isn’t going to be cheap.”
“I think I know what I did wrong though, so I doubt it will happen again.”
“You think? Maybe we should call Martin.”
“Mom, he’s been stuck here for months. I don’t think we should bother him on his first vacation. I have it under control.” I glanced at the back of the house and gulped. “I have it under control now.”
On Wednesday morning, I gave Jasmine a dose that was five percent of the strength of the first one. I gave her twice as much tuna, and then I went to catch the bus.
I couldn’t concentrate. I had finished my exams, but I had a paper to finish. I had counted on using part of the school day to finish my citations. I couldn’t begin to focus on the format of the sources. Normally I struggled to get them right, but with the distraction and to be honest, flat out fear, about Jasmine and the potion, I couldn’t begin to get the commas and periods in the right places.
I was the first one on the bus, jiggling my leg as I willed the other students to move faster. It felt like hours had passed by the time the bus rolled out of the school parking lot. The driver scolded me for standing up before the bus rolled to a stop at my house. I apologized as I sprinted around the side of the house.
I slowed as I turned the corner of the house. There in the backyard, five cats sat calmly at the back door as if waiting for admission. Five calm cats. I took a deep breath. I think I had my perfect dose. I knew how much to use on Mom.
And I still had until Saturday to get the potion brewed.
Finally calm, I went inside to get those citations finished.
My mother had dressed in a dress that showed off more of her skin than usual. I could see she was uncomfortable with the neckline, so I made sure to gush about how great she looked.
“Maybe I should dress more conservatively. Maybe a sweater? I do want to discourage Mack Junior.”
“Sweaters aren’t dressy enough for an evening holiday party, are they?”
Mom sighed. “Probably not.”
“And you have to impress your big sponsors.”
“Yes. I certainly can’t show up underdressed for the occasion.”
“Which necklace?” I asked.
Mom gestured to the diamond on a simple gold chain.
I picked it up, and while my mother held her hair off her neck and continued to fret about her dress, I slipped the necklace on, fastened it, and squeezed the potion onto her skin in one quick motion. The tiny amount of moisture didn’t alert my mother to my purpose. The hair from Milo had arrived on Friday, and I’d been careful to brew the potion with precision.
“You look great, Mom. I know you’re dreading the party, but I think you might have a good time.”
Mom rolled her eyes. “We’ll see. What time is your father picking you up?”
“Right after you leave.” I didn’t want Jake to leave town, but considering my plans for my mother, having him leave was convenient. I was spending the evening over at Jake’s even though I’d be nervous about the potion.
“You seem nervous.”
Uh oh. “I do?”
“He’s going to love his gift, Zoe. You don’t need to worry.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” I wanted to tell her why I was nervous. I wanted to come clean, but I didn’t.
The Ch
ristmas gift exchange at Sheree’s should have been fun. She’d made a delicious dinner, and Jake held my hand whenever the parents weren’t paying attention. Between worrying about what I’d done to my mother and what my punishment might be, and the fear that my father would propose to Sheree, I didn’t manage to enjoy one second of it.
Well, maybe a second.
When Jake opened his present, and I saw that glint of pure glee in his eyes. He pulled out the first edition of Eragon with the “autographed” sticker on the cover.
“Is this—”
“Oh, Jake!” his mother said as he opened the book. “How wonderful!”
He turned the book to show us Christopher Paolini’s signature. “I can’t believe you did this, Zoe.”
Maybe it was because I’d just watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas! for the gazillionth time, but I could swear my heart grew three sizes watching Jake with his present.
I suddenly regretted giving my mother the potion tonight. I didn’t want this night to end. Soon, Dad and Sheree would leave me and Jake alone, and I would be able to bask in the perfection that was my first Christmas with Jake. Except I wouldn’t. I had gambled with that potion, and I could easily be jerked out of here and marched off to face my punishment.
“This is the best present ever,” Jake said. Then he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek right in front of Dad and Sheree.
Dad cleared his throat.
“It’s her cheek, John,” Sheree chided.
“Now open mine,” Jake said, handing me a small package wrapped beautifully in silver and blue paper.
My phone beeped in my pocket, signaling a text, but I ignored it.
“It’s not as perfect as what you got me, but I think you’ll like it.”
I knew I’d like it. It didn’t matter what it was. I would love it because it was from Jake. I carefully unwrapped it, hoping to save the wrapping paper from my first present from him. Once the paper was free, I set it on the floor next to me. Then I lifted the lid from the rectangular box. A silver chain with a silver charm of a doctor’s bag with my name engraved on it, a caduceus charm, the symbol for medicine based on the staff Hermes carried, and a round charm bearing the image of a man.
“It’s Saint Luke,” Jake said. “I know you aren’t Catholic, but he’s—”
“The patron saint of physicians.”
“Right. I figured if you were going to find the cure for cancer, you could use all the help you could get.”
“They’re beautiful,” I said as I ran my finger over the caduceus. “Perfect.”
I lifted the chain from the box and undid the clasp. “Put it on me,” I said to Jake.
He moved around behind me, and I lifted my hair for him to place the necklace and reclasp it. The weight of the three charms felt right on my chest. My phone beeped again.
“It’s lovely, Jake,” Sheree said.
I turned to show him, and I threw my arms around him. I hugged him tight. I hugged him because I loved the gift, and I hugged him because any minute I could be torn from here to deal with my misbehavior.
We watched as Dad and Sheree exchanged gifts. Sheree was going to go nuts, so I braced myself.
When she pulled the football from the box, she squealed with excitement. “OhmyGod,” she said in a rush. “It’s autographed by Peyton Manning!”
My father basked in the excitement. “I thought you might like it.”
“My gift goes with it,” I said. “My gift is the display case for it.
Sheree epitomized the kid on Christmas morning as she grabbed for my present and tore it open. She set it on the coffee table, and then she picked up the football and clutched it to her chest.
When Dad started opening his present, I slipped my phone from my pocket and checked the texts. One from Milo, but the other was from my mother.
And there it was, I realized. The first sign of impending doom. Zoe, did you… did you do something?
Five minutes later as we helped clean up the wrapping paper, a second text came through. Zoe Miller! U R N so much trouble.
Why was she so angry? It had to be going well. I mean, I had adjusted the dose. I had learned from my mistake with Jasmine.
Two minutes after that, my dad received a text. He read it and gave me that disappointed parent look. “I’m afraid we’ll have to cut this short,” he said, standing up. “Annie needs Zoe home right away.”
He and Sheree shared a look, and she immediately got the message that I was in trouble for something.
Jake jumped to his feet. “Already? I thought you were staying late.” He leaned in close and said, “We were supposed to have some special Zoe and Jake time.”
“Sorry,” I said to him. “I really am. You have no idea how sorry.” I grabbed my purse.
“Don’t forget your presents,” Sheree said, rising and rushing to load my gifts from her, Dad, and Jake into a large gift bag.
“Call me later,” Jake said, after hugging me tight.
“We’ll be back in town before you know it,” Sheree said, handing me the gift bag. “Have a wonderful Christmas.”
“Let’s go, Zoe,” Dad said.
Sheree planted a big kiss on Dad’s lips. “I’ll be waiting up,” she said.
The glare Dad sent me would have terrified me had I not already been doomed.
I followed him to the car.
While I waited for Dad to get in, I read the latest text. From Finn. Zoe, I’m on my way back. I’ve talked to the Council. I’m very disappointed in you.
And one from Mom. U R Grounded 4ever.
As soon as Dad climbed in, he said, “Zoe, what did you do this time?”
“I gave Mom a pheromone potion so that some of the guys at the party would ask her out.”
“Zoe! She could have been hurt!”
“I think she’s okay. She has been texting.”
When we walked in the front door, we saw Mom sitting on the couch with Dave down on one knee on the floor beside her. He held a cotton ball in one hand and a bottle of first aid cream in the other.
Her makeup was smeared, and the skirt of her dress was torn and dirty. Her hair was too mussed for there not to have been some sort of scuffle.
Dave dabbed at her leg with the cotton ball as we rushed over to them.
“Annie!” Dad said. “Annie, what happened?”
Mom glanced at Dave. “Thank you so much for everything, Dave, but I’m okay now. You should get back to the party.”
Dave stood and offered my father his hand. “Good to see you again, John.”
Next to Dave, my dad looked kind of old.
I was dying to hear what happened, but none of us could talk freely with Dave around.
“Thank you, Dave,” Dad said. “We can take it from here.”
Dave glanced down at Mom as if he weren’t quite sure about leaving her just yet. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said, turning back to Dad. “They just… attacked her. Like she was covered in meat.”
Oh holy crud. My mother was attacked? “Mom! I’m so sorry.”
My mother speared me with a chilling glare. She didn’t say anything though. She couldn’t speak yet.
Dad clapped Dave on the back in one of those buddy-buddy moves and guided him toward the front door.
“Mom,” I said, my voice barely audible in the face of her simmering rage.
Dad shut the door behind Dave, and my mother popped up from the sofa like a jack-in-the-box. Then, she started yelling. “Zoe Miller! How could you! And you lied to me. The cat damage to the house wasn’t from any eye of newt potion. You did this to the cat! And then you did this to me!”
“Annie,” Dad said. “Annie, what happened?”
“Mom, I’m so sorry, but did it work?” I couldn’t tell by her appearance. I hadn’t expected her to be physically attacked.
“Oh, yes, Zoe. Every dog for miles found me.”
Just the dogs? “Weren’t any of them cute?”
Mom laughed. “I don’t kn
ow, Zoe. I guess that little Pomeranian would have been cuddly if it hadn’t been abusing my leg.”
My jaw dropped. She made it sound like—. “Mom! You mean they were literally dogs. Bark-bark sniff-sniff dogs?”
“Yes! They were furry four-legged animals. And they were after me like I was raw hamburger.”
Uh oh. She meant dogs. “Did they bite you?” I asked in horror.
“No. The black lab did tackle me, but he mostly licked my face while I screamed for help.”
My father began to laugh.
“John!” Mom shrieked, smacking my father on the arm. “It isn’t funny.”
“I know, Annie. I can’t help it. I got tickled by the image of you fighting off an amorous lab.”
“Mom! I would never send dogs after you. I was trying to brew a potion to attract men. I wanted you to meet people.” What had happened with my potion? There was only one possibility. Milo had given me the hair from Darlene’s father. Had he messed up and given me dog hair? I whipped out my phone and texted, Does Darlene have a dog?
“Yes. Martin suspected as much. He figured it out right away. As soon as I called him from the bathroom at the party. As I tried to clean the doggie spit off my face, two more dogs appeared outside the bathroom window. I started to panic, but Martin told me how to tone it down temporarily. I had Dave track down some vanilla extract and bring me the orange juice.”
“It really worked?”
“Yes. Thank goodness. I was pretty shaken up, so Dave drove me home.”
“I’m so sorry, Mom. I messed up.”
“Just be glad your mother wasn’t hurt.” Dad put his arm around Mom.
“I’m fine, John,” Mom said as she shrugged out of his embrace. “Martin should be here soon. You are in big trouble, Zoe. With me. With Martin, and with the Council. I cannot believe you lied to me.”
“The cats weren’t that aggressive with the weaker dose. I’m not sure why the dogs were worse.”
My phone beeped. Milo’s text read, Yes, why?
Crud. Apparently a question I should have asked days ago.
“I can’t believe you experimented on your mother and your pet, Zoe,” Dad said. “How many dogs showed up, Annie?”
Trouble's Brewing (Stirring Up Trouble) Page 19
