by ERIN BEDFORD
“Right.” My grandfather shoveled another bite of roast into his mouth.
“Now, about your coming out.” My grandmother said all of sudden as if she were waiting for the moment to pounce. “I figured we could do it around your birthday. It’s July 2nd, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then we can combine the two and make it a real affair. You’ll need to make me a list of all your friends you want to invite.”
“Okay.”
“Also,” she paused and locked her eyes with mine, “you need an escort. One. Not four. I leave that decision up to you.”
Swallowing thickly, I jerked my head. “Okay. I can do that.”
“Wonderful.” My grandmother smiled smugly and continued to cut into her food. “I will take a look at my calendar, and we can set up a weekly meeting to go over things for the party. Please bring your mother if she is able.”
I forced a smile. “I look forward to it.”
Chapter 22
“Why exactly is it called the Spring Fair again? I’m melting out here,” Trina whined, wiping her brow. She lifted the sides of her yellow tank top beneath her coverall shorts, trying to fan herself off.
“It’s barely seventy degrees. Stop your griping.” I bumped her with my shoulder. We’d been out in the courtyard since early this morning putting together my booth, and the sun had just gotten high enough to start beating down on us.
“I’m just trying to understand why we didn’t make the booth inside and then bring it outside.” She pointed her hammer in my direction. “And don’t give me that crap about it being too heavy. You have four boyfriends. Four. If magic can’t help, then at least their combined muscles would get the job done.
“Yeah, I know, but I didn’t feel right asking them to help me with this. Also, I don’t want to risk something happening to it between the school and here.” I gestured toward where Sabrina had already set up her booth, something about keeping magic for the elite, and was now lounging in the sun like she didn’t have a care in the world.
With my potion’s assignment done and turned in the only thing left I had to worry about was the Spring Fair. Well, that and keeping the peace between my parents and grandparents. Once I had my booth set up and the pamphlets I’d created talking about the benefits of creating a new system for human raised witches and wizards, I’d be ready to go.
Well, ready save for my speech. I had written it out on note cards and memorized it just in case. When the judges came around, I felt that I would be amply prepared for their questions. I just hoped it was enough to get me the winning vote.
“And we’re done.” Trina jumped up and holstered her hammer into her pocket like it was a gun. We stood back to get a good look at our work and frowned.
“Something’s not right.”
“Yeah,” Trina tapped her chin with her finger. “Something is missing.” Her eyes widened, and a smile covered her face. “I know.” She closed her eyes for a moment and then clapped her hands together. The off-putting brown color of the booth melted away, and a soft blue took its place. “That’s better.”
“Much.”
Sighing, I went to my box full of stuff for the fair and flipped through it. I had several posters to hang up behind us and on the walls to draw attention to the booth. I didn’t just have to win over the judges but the people. If no one came to my booth, I would lose points. I had to be able to persuade people not just with my words but with my presentation.
Sabrina had a flashy neon sign that pointed to her booth and could be seen across the courtyard. However, I was banking on the fact that she was focusing on the elite crowd and was completely snubbing everyone else.
Besides Sabrina and me, several other students were competing in the same contest. I didn’t know most of them, and their topics ranged from saving the magical wildlife to getting more choices in the cafeteria. Sabrina really was my top competition.
“So, do you need me for much longer?” Trina asked after we finished putting up the posters. “I wanted to go find Libby. We’re supposed to ride the Broom-Go-Round after we get a shadow twist.”
Wiggling a finger in my ear, I shook my head. “What now? Shadow twist? Broom-Go-Round?”
Trina laughed. “Sorry, I forget sometimes you’re not used to all this stuff. A shadow twist is this chocolate pastry with fairy powder all over the top. It’s so good, I could eat a billion of them.” She opened her arms wide in the air, a fierce expression on her face.
“It sounds like it.” I covered my mouth and giggled. “What about a Broom-Go-Round? Can I assume it’s what it sounds like?”
“Well, kind of. They have single and tandem brooms you can ride with your date. The brooms are spelled to go around in a circle and, well ...” She sighed. “You’ll just have to see it for yourself.”
“I’ll put it on my list.”
She crossed her arms, her shoulders coming up by her ears. “You know, it’s really too bad you are stuck at your booth all night. This would be a great place for you to have a date with your guys. In any case, I’m going to go shower and find Libby. See you in a few.”
I waved and then went about setting up my pamphlets. My stomach growled, reminding me I’d only a muffin this morning as I worked through lunch. I glanced at my booth and then over at Sabrina who was texting, not even paying attention to me. It should be safe for me to go grab something to eat.
Stephanie was loitering near the section we set up the booth, texting away on her phone. She was pretty reliable, so I bet I could get her to watch my booth.
“Hey, Steph,” I called out to her.
She glanced up from her phone and headed my way. “Max, what’s up?” She glanced at my booth and gestured to it. “Cool booth.”
“Thanks.” I beamed with pride. “Do you have a minute? I wanted to go grab something to eat but don’t want to leave my booth unattended.”
“Oh, sure.” Steph nodded. “I’d be happy to watch it. Just bring me back a soda, huh?”
“Sure,” I grinned. “I’ll be back in a few.”
As Steph took a seat behind the booth, I sat my notecards underneath the counter. I waved at her and then headed toward the cafeteria.
I was surprised to find out that the Spring Fair wasn’t just for the contest. All kinds of students set up booths at the fair. The charm club made several rides for people to ride, one of those being the Broom-Go-Round that Trina was so excited to go on with Libby. There were also a lot of food stands that smelled like they were going to be absolutely delicious. Sadly, they weren’t open yet, and I was forced to eat cafeteria food.
I pushed past the students starting to gather in the courtyard and made my way inside. Even with the students waiting for the fair to start, there was still a long line in the cafeteria.
Sighing, I took my place in line, my foot tapping with impatience. I didn’t want to stay away from my booth for too long just in case someone came by wanting more information, or worse if the judges came by early. I didn’t put it past Sabrina to try and mess with me to make herself look better, but I hoped there were enough people around to keep her from getting too bold.
“Hey.” An arm slid around my waist, and my senses were filled with Ian’s dark chocolate and musk.
Sinking into his embrace, I leaned my head back to look up at him. “What are you doing here? I thought you were helping with the dark arts exhibit?”
Ian bent down and captured my lips with his, earning a bunch of swoon-worthy points from every girl around us and me. When he released my lips, my knees threatened to come out from beneath me, and the line had moved several feet ahead of us.
“We finished setting up already. I figured I’d grab something to eat before the crowds start pouring in.”
“Great minds think alike.”
A throat cleared behind us, and I released Ian long enough to see the glares being shot our way from the line behind us. Flushing, I hurried the few feet forward with Ian beside me, smirking like I was the funni
est thing he’d ever seen.
I grabbed a tray from the pile and side-eyed him. “What?”
“Nothing.” Ian sat his tray next to mine, bumping it down the line. “I just find it funny how easily you’re embarrassed.”
“I’m not embarrassed.”
“Your red cheeks would say otherwise.”
Immediately, my hands went to my cheeks, and I scowled as he chuckled. I picked a French fry off the plate I’d just placed on my tray and tossed it at him. He cocked a brow at me in return. “Yeah, I did that.”
We moved further down the line, and as I was reaching for an orange, a ghostly hand squeezed my breast. I gasped and dropped the orange. I shot Ian a look, but he was intently studying the tuna salad like it might tell his future. Not convinced but not wanting to get yelled at by the rest of the line, I turned back the orange. This time, when I grabbed the orange, the ghost hand squeezed my ass.
Jumping in place, I turned to Ian who had a slight grin on his lips. “Would you stop that?”
“Stop what?” he asked innocently, taking a bite of an apple before pushing our trays down the line.
Frowning at him but not believing he wasn’t the owner of the ghost hand, I continued to fill my tray with food. Every once in a while, the ghost hand would reappear for no reason other than to drive me crazy. A squeeze here, a slip of the hand there. By the time I got to the cashier, I was a horny ball of tension.
“Five fifty,” the cashier told me.
I dug into my pocket to pull out my money, and a ghost finger rubbed the top of my core. A small, strangled noise slipped out of my mouth, causing the cashier to give me a worried frown. “Sorry, just really hungry.” I handed her the money and hurried away with a chuckling Ian close behind me.
“That was not funny,” I growled at Ian as he took the seat next to me.
“I thought it was,” Ian quipped, lifting his sandwich up to his mouth. I let my irritation and magic billow up inside of me, and the sandwich jerked to the left, smearing tuna onto his cheek. Eyes narrowed, Ian tried again. This time, it moved up and slapped him in the nose.
When he lowered the sandwich, I stifled a laugh. Some of the tuna had ended up in his nose. I turned my head and stuffed my mouth with a French fry before Ian could see me looking.
“You’re going to pay for that.” Ian dropped his sandwich on his plate, using his napkin to clean his hands before reaching for me.
I tensed for his attack, but Monica came rushing up to our table. “Max! Come quick.”
Wiping my hands off, I stood up to meet Monica. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“It’s your booth.” She winced like she didn’t want to be the one to tell me. Monica’s leg jiggled, and her hands twisted in front of her.
“What about my booth?” I said slowly, my heart beginning to race in fear of what Monica might say.
She clenched her teeth and made a sort of whining noise before dropping her hands. “I think you better just come see. It’s not good.”
Frown deepening, I glanced toward Ian who stood from the table. We rushed from the cafeteria and out into the courtyard. A crowd had begun to gather around the area my booth was in, not making me feel any better about what could have happened.
I shoved my way through the crowd, Ian close on my heels. I could barely hear any of the voices over the sound of my own heart, and none of them were kind. When I finally got through the crowd and saw my booth, my heart stopped in my chest.
“I’m so sorry, Max. I only moved away for a minute, I swear.” Stephanie cried, her eyes full of unshed tears. She twisted her hair in her hand like she might pull it out at the root.
“It’s okay, Steph. It’s not your fault.” I tried to reassure the girl even though my insides twisted into a knot.
“What the fuck?” Ian muttered next to me, his hand taking mine in his.
The booth that Trina and I had slaved over all morning and most of the afternoon had been turned into a horror show. Large holes were busted in the side of the booth as well as the roof. The pale blue paint had been plastered over with red paint spelling ‘Mancaster Whore.’
My mouth dropped open, completely astounded by the amount of damage done in such a small amount of time and in full view of so many witnesses. Scanning the crowd, my eyes landed on Sabrina snickering by herself as she watched from her booth.
Anger burned in my veins, my magic crackling along my skin. Stomping across the courtyard, I didn’t even need to push the people aside, they just moved on their own. The voices quieted as I stopped before Sabrina who barely looked up from her phone to greet me.
“Oh, Norman. It’s you.” She dryly droned and then smirked. “Too bad about your booth. I heard you had quite the controversial topic to present. I bet you could have even won first place.”
Propping my fists on my hips, I snarled, “And you wouldn’t know anything about who did this would you?”
“Who, me?” Sabrina stood from her seat and brushed her hair over her shoulder as if I were asking her the time of day. “Not that you care, but I don’t need to break your booth to beat you. I’ll beat you with my status, flair, and ...” She eyed me up and down with a sniff. “Well let’s just face it. I’m far classier than you.”
I snorted. “Sure, you are.”
Sabrina rolled her eyes and sat back down, pulling her phone out and typing away. Of course, Sabrina would believe that. It still left the mystery of who would destroy my booth.
Turning my attention back to my booth, I groaned. How was I going to fix all this before the fair started? It took me all morning to make it, and that was with Trina’s help.
When I returned to my booth, I found the crowd had been scared away by the appearance of Aidan. He loomed over the area, his silent brooding dissuading anybody from coming to gossip or take pictures. Behind him, Ian, Paul, and Dale had their heads bowed close together as they whispered amongst themselves.
“Hey, guys.” I tucked my hands in my pockets and watched as they jumped in place and spun around like they had been caught doing something they shouldn’t have. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Dale said a bit too quickly, pushing his glasses up with his finger. The other two nodded their heads in agreement, but I wasn’t buying it. Settling them with my best cough it up glower, I watched with growing amusement as they began to shift and fidget.
“Fine. You got us.” Paul grinned, his hands up in the air. “We were discussing who could have had it out for you and the best spell to fix your booth.”
“A spell? What spell?”
“The time reversal spell.” Ian adjusted his stance, crossing his arms over his chest. “It allows the caster to reverse time to a certain point on a single object.”
My mouth dropped open slightly. “I knew you could stop time, but you can really reverse it?”
“Of course.” Dale grinned, puffing his chest up with pride. “But the amount of time you are able to go back depends on the strength of the person casting it. Since this had to have happened while you and Ian were in the cafeteria, it couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes. Child’s play.”
“That’s great.” I clasped my hands in front of me, tempted to jump up and down in excitement. “I don’t know what I would do without you guys.” I allowed myself to approach each of them, kissing them on the cheek in turn. Ian, of course, couldn’t keep his hands to himself and snuck a squeeze of my ass causing me to giggle.
“Alright, then.” I clapped my hands together. “Let’s get this done and quickly.”
“Aight, madam.” Dale mock saluted me and turned to the booth.
“Hold up,” I grabbed his shoulder stopping him. “I want to do it. It’s my booth. It only makes sense for me to fix it.”
Dale studied me for a moment and then nodded. “Alright. You’re up.”
“So, what do I do?” I asked, taking a step toward the booth.
Coming up beside me, Dale murmured into my ear. “Take a deep breath and lift
your hands.” Even though I felt a bit silly, I did as he asked and brought my hands up in front of me. “Now, focus. Think about what your booth looked like before. You need your magic to pinpoint the exact moment you last saw it, so it can use it as a guiding point for where it’s going.”
I brought the image of the booth into my mind’s eye, thinking of how I’d left my booth before. The pale blue wood Trina and I had spent all morning laboring over. At first, nothing happened. I thought maybe I was doing it wrong but then the air began to thicken, and the hair on my arms stood on end. The booth shifted and then, like I was watching a video going in reverse, the booth changed. The slanderous graffiti disappeared one letter at a time, and the holes in the wood filled back in. When I was done, I was disappointed to find that my pamphlets still laid all over the floor.
“There! Good as new. Or almost.” Dale grimaced at the mess on the ground. Before I even asked, he cast another spell making the pamphlets float off the ground and pile themselves back on the table I’d set up. “There. Now, it’s good as new.”
“Thanks, Dale.” I squeezed his arm and sighed. “I just wish I knew who had done it.”
Chapter 23
Maybe I could use my amulet to just win the competition. I had two wishes left, and technically it was within the rules of amulets powers. I wasn’t creating anything or killing anyone.
But it would be cheating.
Only if you get caught.
Really? That’s what we were going with? I’m not Sabrina. I didn’t do crap like that. I had never cheated in my life. I was not going to start now.
So I said to myself. However, despite my noble intentions, it didn’t take away from the fact that I was in big trouble. The fair had begun, and I’d had barely any people come to my booth, and when I say barely, I mean, like, two. That was not going to win me any scholarships.
