Charmed Forces #19

by Melissa J Morgan

  “Tom, skipper,” Hank said. “Alaric, first mate.”

  Hank read off a few more names. Gaby got more and more nervous, waiting for her name to be called. Please please please . . .

  “Donovan, skipper, with Gaby, first mate,” Hank read.

  Yes! Gaby tried to hide her excitement. She looked at Donovan and nodded soberly. He grinned at her.

  Ooh, that grin . . . For once luck was going Gaby’s way. Sailing was going to be awesome.

  When the meeting was over, Gaby got up to go talk to Donovan—she figured they had a lot of sailing partner issues to discuss, perhaps over ice cream sundaes that evening? But before she had a chance to stop him, the blond girl pulled him away. Oh well. There was always the next day. If there was one thing Gaby was happily sure about now, it was that from now on she’d have access to Donovan no matter what.

  “I think every night should be Make Your Own Sundae night,” Brynn said.

  “Totally,” Gaby said. The girls of bunk 6B were wolfing down their chicken cutlets so they could hit the ice cream buffet. Gaby had been watching Donovan all through dinner. He sat with his bunk, but now he’d bussed his tray and was waylaid on his way back to his table by a group of giggling girls. After a few minutes, he managed to extract himself from them and continue on his way across the mess hall.

  Brynn elbowed Gaby. “Look who’s coming this way.”

  Donovan was headed right for them. At last, Gaby thought. “Did I tell you he’s going to be my sailing partner?” she said to Brynn. “I’m his first mate.”

  “You already told us,” Brynn said. “About a thousand times.”

  Donovan had almost reached their table when Priya intercepted him. Gaby watched as Priya pointed to the ice cream station and led Donovan over there.

  “Priya cut him off!” Gaby cried. She was indignant. How dare Priya do that? “Look—they’re making sundaes together!”

  Gaby gritted her teeth while Priya and Donovan scooped ice cream into their bowls and poured hot fudge on top.

  “Now they’re headed outside,” Brynn said. “They’ll probably eat their sundaes at one of the picnic tables.”

  “How romantic,” Gaby grumbled. “I called dibs.”

  “You can’t call dibs on a boy,” Brynn said. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that, Gaby?”

  “Yes,” Gaby said. “Valerie did. At the cookout, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Brynn said. “I thought those words sounded familiar.”

  “I don’t know who made up that rule,” Gaby said. “I can call dibs on a boy if I want.”

  “But it won’t get you much,” Brynn said.

  “I’m just saying we girls should stick together,” Gaby said. “Priya and I are bunkmates. Everybody knows I like Donovan. I’m his first mate, even, so all others should back off.”

  “All the girls are after him,” Brynn said. “Why should Priya back off? He could like any one of them. You may be his first mate, but you’re not his girlfriend.”

  “Yet,” Gaby said.

  Brynn rolled her eyes.

  “I saw that,” Gaby said.

  “Let’s get some ice cream,” Brynn said.

  Gaby followed her to the ice cream station. She took two scoops of chocolate and smothered them in chocolate sauce. “Donovan may be flitting around, but he can only ask one girl to the Midsummer Dance.”

  Brynn sprinkled walnuts into her bowl and squirted whipped cream on top. “You’re right, Gaby. He can only take one girl to the dance. And Priya just put herself in the running.”

  “That’s just not fair,” Gaby said. “I’m his first mate. He’s mine.”

  “Tell it to the judge,” Brynn said. “Whoops. There is no judge. Sorry.”

  That night, Alyssa took Amy out of her hiding place before the rest of the bunk came back from dinner. She rubbed the rough patches on the stone and stared in wonder at the smooth, shiny purple spots. Already she’d rubbed the amethyst so much that it felt warm. Alyssa thought she could feel Amy transmitting psychic power to her through the skin of her palm.

  Her bunkmates trooped in one by one to get ready for bed. Everyone changed into their pajamas and settled down for the night. Someone’s missing, Alyssa thought. She checked all the beds and realized it was Priya.

  “You know what’s lame about Make Your Own Sundae night?” Candace said. “They never have my favorite flavor, pistachio.”

  “Pistachio is your favorite flavor?” Alex said.

  “Yeah. So?” Candace said.

  “No one’s favorite ice cream is pistachio,” Jenna said.

  “No one’s favorite is pistachio? That’s obviously not true,” Candace said. “Because mine is.”

  “I like pistachio, too, Candace,” Tori said.

  “But it’s not your favorite, right?” Alex said.

  “No, it’s not my favorite . . .” Tori said. “Spumoni is my favorite.”

  “Spumoni! Ew!” Jenna said. “That’s worse than pistachio!”

  Everyone was already getting into pajamas when Priya finally arrived.

  “So? How was it?” Gaby snapped at Priya.

  “How was what?” Valerie asked.

  “Priya and Donovan shared hot fudge sundaes,” Brynn explained.

  “They did?” Valerie said.

  “Didn’t you see them?” Brynn said. “They were outside at one of the picnic tables laughing their heads off.”

  “Really?” Valerie looked a little hurt. “Huh.”

  “What?” Gaby said. “What does ‘huh’ mean?”

  “Nothing,” Valerie said. “It’s just that I asked Donovan to go on a nature walk after lunch tomorrow—”

  “You did?” Gaby interrupted. “Everybody is after him! How will I ever get a chance to ask him to do anything if you all keep booking him up?”

  “How was the sundae, Priya?” Valerie asked.

  “Great,” Priya said. “I did a fruit and nut combo: strawberry ice cream only, with strawberry sauce, walnuts, and a couple of cherries—”

  “We don’t care about your stupid sundae,” Chelsea said. Then she quickly changed her tone. “I mean, that’s nice, but we want to hear the part about Donovan.”

  “Oh. He’s really nice. He asked me a lot of questions about camp and about myself . . . We talked about what songs we have on our iPods.”

  “What songs does he have?” Gaby asked.

  “Um . . . I can’t remember,” Priya said.

  “You’re no help,” Gaby said.

  “I’m not trying to be,” Priya said.

  “Doesn’t that guy ever say no?” Gaby said. “Alyssa, this is driving me crazy.”

  “It’s driving us all crazy,” Valerie said. “Donovan is leading everybody on. If only we knew who he really liked, we could try to stop thinking about him.”

  “Maybe he really likes everyone,” Brynn said. “Or he doesn’t really like anyone.”

  “Why don’t you ask Amy?” Natalie said.

  “Yeah,” Gaby said. “What does the amethyst say? Predict the future for us, O Great Swamalyssa! Who will Donovan ask to the dance?”

  “All right, I will.” Alyssa closed her eyes and rubbed Amy between her fingers. She pictured Donovan in her mind, surrounded by girls, laughing and having fun with all of them. He turned from one to the next, but none of them stood out. As far as Alyssa could see, he liked them all. Then the picture grew hazy, as if a fog had drifted through the scene.

  “What do you see?” Valerie asked.

  “It’s a little cloudy,” Alyssa said, keeping her eyes closed. “But the message I’m getting is that Donovan wants to get to know everyone. He’s new. He wants to be sure he makes the right choice.”

  “Ugh,” Chelsea said. “I knew that stupid rock wouldn’t work.”

  “Wait,” Sloan said. “Give it time.”

  “Think, Alyssa,” Gaby said.

  Alyssa concentrated harder. She tried to picture Donovan at the Midsummer Dance. She saw him standing on the la
wn outside the main lodge, which was decorated with flowers and balloons and flashing lights. Who was he with? Again she saw him circled by girls. One by one the girls disappeared, until Donovan stood alone. Then he reached out his hand, and offered it to . . . Candace.

  Alyssa opened her eyes. Everyone gathered around her.

  “What? What did you see?” they asked.

  Alyssa cleared her throat. She had a prediction to make, but she was afraid it wouldn’t go over well. No matter what she said, somebody would get mad. But she had a duty to tell the future as she saw it.

  “Tell us!” Gaby said.

  “I’ll tell you,” Alyssa said. “But I want to make it clear that I have no personal preference. I’m just reporting the visions I see as Amy sends them to me. Okay?”

  “Just tell us, for Pete’s sake!” Chelsea snapped.

  “Okay,” Alyssa said. “Here’s my prediction: The girl Donovan will ask to the dance is . . . Candace.”

  Everyone gasped.

  “What?” Gaby cried.

  “Candace?” Chelsea said.

  “Me?” Candace said. “But I haven’t done anything to make him like me. I’ve barely even talked to the guy.”

  Alyssa shrugged. “What can I say? Amy has spoken.”

  “But—I can’t go to the dance with him,” Candace said. “I’m boy-free this summer, remember?”

  “And you should stay that way.” Gaby patted Candace on the shoulder. “Good for you, Candace.”

  “Are you sure, Alyssa?” Valerie asked.

  Alyssa nodded. “Don’t blame me. I’m just channeling Amy.”

  “I don’t believe it,” Gaby said.

  “This is ridiculous,” Chelsea said. “That amethyst can’t tell us what Donovan will or will not do. We shouldn’t listen to it. I say it’s wrong.”

  “I don’t know,” Natalie said. “Alyssa’s been right about an awful lot of stuff lately. Weirdly right.”

  “She has the gift,” Sloan said. “Anyone can see that.”

  Mandy came out of the bathroom and sat down on her bed in the little counselor’s nook. Alyssa realized she’d been quietly listening all along. “I’m with Chelsea,” Mandy said. “The amethyst is fun, but we shouldn’t put too much stock in it. We certainly shouldn’t let it run our lives. So, Alyssa—did Amy say anything about it being lights out?”

  Everyone crawled into bed with her own thoughts. Alyssa climbed into her top bunk and put Amy under her pillow.

  “Good night, girls,” Mandy said.

  She turned out the light, but Alyssa lay awake with her eyes open. The amethyst’s power was real. She could feel it. Amy wasn’t ridiculous. And if she could predict the future, how could that not affect their lives?

  chapter FIVE

  “So I’m standing in the hall at school, screaming at the top of my lungs, and no one can hear me,” Brynn said. She was telling Alyssa about the dream she’d just had. As soon as Alyssa opened her eyes that morning, her bunkmates started demanding dream interpretations. Alyssa brushed her teeth, holding Amy in one hand and listening to Brynn in the bathroom.

  “And I’m walking around school, and everybody looks right through me,” Brynn said. “It’s like I’m invisible. No one can see me or hear me. I’m singing and shouting and dancing around like a nut, but no one notices. It was so frustrating! What does it mean?”

  Alyssa spit out her toothpaste, rinsed her mouth, and went back into the bunk room, trailed by Brynn. She rubbed Amy, but she didn’t need to close her eyes for this dream interpretation.

  “Here’s what your dream means,” she said to Brynn. “You crave attention.”

  Chelsea laughed. “Big stretch. Brynn is the empress of the drama queens. She craves attention? I could have told her that.”

  “Still, Alyssa’s right,” Brynn said. “I do like attention. That’s one reason I want to be an actress.”

  “Alyssa, do my dream,” Tori said. “I line up all my nail polish colors in a row, by color, from dark to light, with sparkly polishes last. But just as I’m setting the last bottle down, a giant hand reaches down from the sky and knocks them all over like bowling pins! I set them all up again, but the hand keeps knocking them down. By the end of the dream I’m crying.”

  “Hmm.” Alyssa pulled on her shorts, and then sat down for a consultation with Amy. “Your dream means that the world is too messy for you. You wish everything could be neat and orderly.”

  “Wow.” Tori shook her head, impressed. “That’s genius. Pure genius.”

  “Okay, girls, that’s enough dream interpretation for now,” Mandy said. “We’ve got some other important things to talk about this morning—like the swim relay against bunk 5C this afternoon. How are we going to beat them?”

  Amy seemed to warm up in Alyssa’s hand, and something made her look out the window. The sun was shining, but clouds loomed in the distance.

  “No point talking about swim meets,” she said. “The relay race will be canceled because of rain.”

  “Oh, no,” Jenna said. “No race?”

  “You want to hear my prediction?” Mandy said. “I predict that if we’re not dressed in five minutes, we’re going to miss breakfast.” She clapped her hands, and everyone scurried to get dressed. No one wanted to miss breakfast. Even Alyssa had to admit that if they didn’t hurry, Mandy’s prediction would probably come true.

  “Here I am, Skipper, reporting for duty.” The sailors gathered on the dock after breakfast. Gaby gave Donovan a neat salute. She had prepared for their first day as a sailing team by putting on a striped sailor top over her best navy shorts. Tori had helped her French braid her hair, and she’d loaded up on blush, aqua blue eye shadow (to help her eyes reflect the color of the water), rose petal lip gloss, and a ton of mascara.

  Donovan glanced at her. “Uh, okay. At ease, dude. I mean, mate.”

  Gaby slouched in an attempt to look comfortable. She wasn’t sure what Donovan meant by “at ease,” but figured it must have something to do with looking relaxed.

  “All right, sailors,” Hank said. “Everybody aboard your boats, and let’s practice going about.”

  “Going about what?” Gaby asked.

  “Just ‘going about,’” Donovan said. “It’s a sailing term.”

  “It refers to your boat changing direction,” Candace said.

  “Right,” Donovan said.

  “Oh.” Gaby watched Candace and Valerie climb into their Sunfish. Candace showed Valerie how to untie the knot that held the boat to the dock. Next to them, Logan helped the little bowl-haired kid, Alaric, into their boat before they scooted out over the lake.

  Donovan held their boat steady for Gaby as she climbed in.

  “Here.” Donovan tossed her a lumpy, ugly orange life jacket. “Better put that on.”

  She sighed, but she put it on, even though it completely ruined her look. Donovan buckled his on, too. “Okay,” he said. “Pull up the jib.”

  Gaby looked around. What was the jib again? She was afraid to ask him, because then he’d know how totally clueless she was on a boat. So she tugged on the first line she found.

  “Dude, not the bowsprit,” Donovan said. “The jib.”

  She gave him a blank look. She couldn’t help it. Bowsprit? Jib? It was like he was speaking a foreign language.

  He laughed. “Here.” He handed her a rope. “The jib is the small sail up front. Pull this and the jib will slide up the mast.”

  “Oh. I knew that,” Gaby said. She pulled on the rope and, just as he’d said, the small sail rose up the mast.

  “Now cleat it here.” Donovan showed her a funny little clamp. She put the rope between the two serrated edges and the clamp held it still. “Good. Do you know how to tie a slipknot?”

  “Um . . . no.”

  “Here, I’ll show you.” He showed her how to tie a simple knot. Maybe being clueless would work to her advantage. He had to pay a lot more attention to her if she didn’t know what she was doing.

  He pull
ed up the mainsail and they started out onto the lake. There was a light breeze.

  “Okay, first mate,” he said. “When I say, ‘Ready about!’ you get ready. Then I’ll say, ‘Hard a-lee!’ I’ll push the tiller all the way out like this—” He pushed the bar that steered the boat far out to the right. “And you duck. Because the boom will swing around and you don’t want it to hit you in the head. Got it?”

  “Got it.” She had no idea what he was talking about. A bit farther out, Candace and Valerie tacked smoothly from side to side.

  “See Candace out there?” Donovan said. “She’s doing it right.”

  Gaby squinted into the sun, trying to figure out exactly what Candace was doing.

  “Let’s pick up a little speed . . .” Donovan steered the boat so the breeze filled the sails. Soon they were zipping across the lake.

  “Hey, this is fun,” Gaby said.

  Donovan grinned. “It is, right? Okay, ready to go about?”

  “Ready.”

  “Ready about—hard a-lee!”

  Gaby ducked. The Sunfish stalled, and the boom swung over her head as the boat turned around. Soon they were sailing fast again, but Gaby was afraid to come up.

  “Is it safe yet?” she asked.

  “Yes, it’s safe,” Donovan said. “Come up, quick. I need you to tighten the jib.”

  At least she knew what the jib was now. She picked up the rope she’d cleated and gave it a tug.

  “Good. You’re getting the hang of it, mate,” Donovan said.

  Candace and Valerie swooped past them, then neatly turned around.

  “That chick knows her way around a boat, doesn’t she?” Donovan nodded at Candace’s boat.

  “I guess,” Gaby said.

  “Ahoy there!” He called to Candace, waving his arm. “Want to race?”

  “Sure!” Candace shouted back. “Once around the buoy?” She pointed to an orange ball, a marker, floating in the lake.

  “And back to the first marker.” Donovan nodded at a red flag waving a few feet off the dock. “Ready to beat these girls?” he asked Gaby.

  “Totally ready,” Gaby said.

  Candace slowed her Sunfish slightly until the two boats were about even. Then Valerie shouted, “On your mark, get set, go!” and they were off.