What The Spell: Part 1 Part 7

"Yeah. Small world, huh?"

"The smallest."

We sat there in silence for a few minutes as we both thought about what had just happened. In the course of an afternoon, my life had once again been flipped upside down. My head was spinning. Suddenly I had so many questions. Questions that I didn't feel comfortable asking my parents but might be able to ask Asher.

"Are we the only ones?" I blurted out. "I mean, who are witches. Are there others like us here at Clearview?"

"Well, there's my sister, of course, but other than that, not that I know of. Then again, I only just found out about you, so you never know, I suppose," he said. "There are about a dozen other kids here in town, but they're spread across the other public and private schools."

"I had no idea." There were so many other things I wanted to ask, but I knew this wasn't the time or place for it. For one, we were holed up in the school bathroom, and two, Abby was still hanging around outside guarding the door. "So, what now?" I asked, suddenly feeling shy that he knew my deepest, darkest secret.

"Now," he said, winking at me, "we get to have a little fun."

I started to laugh as he pulled me to my feet. In all the excitement, I hadn't realized how cold the bathroom was, and I s.h.i.+vered at his touch. The only noise was the constant flowing of the water.

"Mind doing the honors?" Asher asked, motioning toward the stalls. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall as if to watch. When I didn't move, he gave me an encouraging look. "Come on. Show me what you can do!"

Scared that I would make a mistake and totally embarra.s.s myself, I began to refuse, but then I realized magic was something that we could do together. Asher and I now had this one thing in common, and if I played my cards right, I could learn a lot while spending some QT with him at the same time.

It was genius.

"Um, okay. I'll try," I said, moving over to the first stall and pus.h.i.+ng it open with my foot. "But I've only done a handful of spells, so don't laugh if I mess up."

Asher held his hands up as if in surrender. "I would never!"

Turning back to face the flowing water, I took a few seconds to center myself. This was especially difficult considering I had an audience, and a cute one at that. But I forced my eyes to focus on the water, and when I was ready I pointed at the bowl.

"Retro-undular!"

The water instantly began to taper off until nothing was coming out of the bowl. I stepped forward to peer inside and was happy to see that it had settled back to normal. A peek in the other stalls all showed the same thing.

"How was that?" I asked, turning around with a grin on my face. I hadn't been sure it would work, but I was elated that it had.

"Impressive," Asher said, nodding with approval. "It's not what I would've done, but it was good. What was it?"

"Oh, it's a reversal spell. Sort of like hitting the undo b.u.t.ton on your computer," I said. "It just reverses whatever you did."

"Interesting. See, you're already teaching me something."

"Well, I'm sure there's a lot you could teach me, too," I said shyly.

"I think that could be arranged," he responded, the slightest hint of flirtatiousness in his voice. I could feel my cheeks fill with heat and I tried hard to hide the evidence of my attraction by looking down at the ground. Now that the water had been turned off, there was only silence. Silence was not something I particularly liked.

Luckily, a few seconds later, the bathroom door opened and a head popped in. The girl was gorgeous: black hair, exotic-looking, olive skin, and amazing eyes. She kind of looked like . . .

"Hey, the natives are starting to get restless out here," she said to Asher. Then she turned her head to me and said, "Hi."

"This is my sister, Abby," Asher explained.

"Hi," I said, smiling.

"So. You're a witch."

"Yep."

"Cool," she said, before turning back to Asher. "We gotta go."

"Okay," he said, leading the way toward the door. "I'll go out first. Why don't you come out in a few minutes so no one gets the wrong idea."

"Definitely wouldn't want that," I said under my breath.

Just as he put his hand on the door, he turned to look back at me.

"We should do some magic together sometime."

I took a big gulp and prayed that I didn't pa.s.s out.

"I would really like that," I answered.

And with a smile and a nod, Asher slipped out the door.

After Asher outed me in the bathroom, things between us changed drastically. He went from popping up every once in a while around school to showing up every morning at my locker. The first time I arrived to see him standing there, I was so surprised I nearly dropped my books. Eventually, it became a part of our morning routine, one that I looked forward to every day. Then we began spending some of our time outside of school together too, going for coffee or walks along the promenade.

It wasn't all as romantic as it sounds, though. Most of the time, Abby joined us. But I was so happy just to have other twitches to hang out with that it didn't even bother me that I wasn't getting more alone time with Asher.

It helped that Abby turned out to be really cool. She was younger than both of us and was practically my opposite, but we got along really well and I instantly felt connected to her. She couldn't have cared less about having a social life and always had her nose in a book, but she was completely interesting. She wasn't a big talker, either, which worked out well, because I gabbed enough for the both of us. When she did speak, she always impressed me with what she had to say. I quickly realized that Abby was quiet not because she was shy but because she was so busy paying attention to what was going on around her. She was perceptive for sure. It became clear to me that Abby knew everything that was happening around school and was an excellent judge of character. She knew who was dating whom, who was failing gym cla.s.s, and which athlete hadn't come out of the closet yet. It was like being around a walking, talking encyclopedia of our school-all I had to do was ask.

It was easy to see that Asher adored Abby. To him, she wasn't just his little sister. Abby was, in some ways, his best friend. And after hanging out with her just a few times, I could see why. The girl was wise beyond her years and 100 percent loyal.

On the rare occasions that Asher and I were alone, I at first found that I was so nervous just being around him, it was hard to concentrate. As time pa.s.sed and we began to cast together, I became more comfortable with it all. He still made my stomach do flip-flops every time I saw him, but I was starting to be able to actually hold a conversation with him without getting all tongue-tied and saying something completely stupid. I never stopped smiling when I was around him. Actually, I was pretty much happy whenever I was with either of the Astleys. I felt like I could really be myself.

When the three of us spent time together, we mostly talked about magic and spells. Asher even taught me a few incantations that he'd been using for years. Like the chameleon spell that allowed a person to completely blend into his or her surroundings, until they literally disappeared. He confessed that he'd used this one on several occasions to spy on his parents and even on Abby. I couldn't wait to use it in my own life. Abby showed me a speed-reading spell, which I realized was probably the reason she was able to blow through a dozen books a week. I wasn't exactly a book person, but I figured this could come in handy the next time I had to cram for a test.

"I've been trying to do the blowing-up spell you guys showed me last week, but my accuracy is really bad," I said as I stood at Abby's locker. I was careful to keep my voice low whenever we talked magic in public and kept watch for anyone who might sneak up on us midconversation. "I was aiming for an empty soda can the other day and ended up hitting my mom's fruit bowl. I had to lie and tell her I accidentally knocked it off the counter. She would not have been pleased to find out I'm using magic to destroy things around the house."

"Are you concentrating on the object itself? You need to picture it in your mind as well as see it with your eyes," she said, sifting through the enormous pile of books in her locker, most of which weren't school related. "Or maybe your aim is just off. Try moving your hand around to see if it helps you hit your target. You might just naturally lean more one way."

"Yeah, maybe," I said, my mind beginning to wander as I looked around the hallway. A group of football players b.u.mped into each other and trash-talked as they walked by us. One of them caught my eye and winked at me. "Hey, girl," he said, before continuing on his way.

I rolled my eyes and turned away. Stuff like that was so weird to me. I was still trying to get used to the attention I was now getting from everyone, guys in particular. Part of me was like, "Don't bother paying attention to me now if you didn't pay attention to me before." But on the other hand, I couldn't help but enjoy the fact that they were interested. Wasn't that why I'd wanted popularity in the first place? For people to know and like who I was?

"Why would you want to be popular if that's what happens all the time?" Abby asked, acknowledging the football player who'd just hit on me. I shrugged in response. One of the first conversations Abby and I had was over her confusion about why I was suddenly spending time with The Elite. Since she and Asher were both sort of lone wolves-I think I was only welcomed into their pack because magic bonded us-the popularity quest didn't make sense to her. She thought I was especially crazy to get involved with The Elite, given the rumors and the way they treated people around school, but I'd told her I had my reasons. It didn't stop her from giving me a hard time about it, though.

And she wasn't the only one. The Elite had also noticed that I was suddenly splitting my time between them and the Astleys. I don't know if it was jealousy or if they didn't like me hanging out with people they hadn't approved of, but they ignored me whenever I was around Asher and Abby. As much as I didn't want to, I was getting the hint. It didn't mean I was ready to end the friends.h.i.+p with the only other twitches I knew, though.

I scanned the hallway until my eyes rested on a guy and a girl who were whispering to each other while standing solo across from us. I knew them both, though I'd never talked to them before. The girl was Shayla and the guy she was currently b.u.mping shoulders with was Tucker. Tucker was sort of cool-he played guitar in a band with his older brother and a few of his friends. Apparently, he played gigs at a local hole-in-the-wall and had started to develop quite a following on YouTube. Shayla was a member of the school band and was actually pretty cute, in a slightly dorky way. She had red hair and never went anywhere without her flute.

"What's up with those two?" I asked Abby, nodding in their direction. There was something intriguing about them, though I didn't know why.

Abby turned around and looked. "Shayla and Tucker? They've been friends since third grade," she said, going back to locker diving. "My brother helped hook Tucker up with this guy who was selling his van earlier this year. Needed wheels to cart around his band's equipment. Asher says he's cool. He plays a great set at Water Under the Bridge."

I wanted to ask her how she'd managed to get into a bar at the age of fourteen but was so drawn to the couple that I was having trouble keeping up my end of the conversation.

"Are they dating?" I asked curiously, studying their body language. They were clearly flirting, but neither of them gave off any obvious signs that they were a couple. I felt hypnotized by the flow of their movements and couldn't snap myself out of it. "It seems like there's something there."

"Nah, they're both single. But they've been into each other for years. From what I can tell, both of them are too scared to make the first move," Abby said. "Too bad, too. They'd make a really great couple. They're exactly alike."

"They just need a little bit of a push," I said absently.

As I continued to watch them dance around each other, I barely noticed that my body had begun to hum and my hands started to rise from my sides. Before I knew what was happening, my pointer fingers were trained on each of them. I was startled to see my fingers begin to move toward each other without my consciously doing so. The fact that I didn't have control over a part of my body was frightening, but at the same time, something felt right in the motion, like there was a connection I could feel but not see. My fingers drew an imaginary line between Tucker and Shayla until my fingertips touched. When they did, I felt a surge of power connect in the middle like a little shock to my system. Startled by this, I yelped and took a step back, hitting the lockers behind me.

"You okay?" Abby asked, giving me a funny look.

But I was too busy staring at Shayla and Tucker to respond. They'd gone from joking around to standing stock-still and staring at each other. The way they were looking at each other was different from before. The laughter was gone and their eyes were locked. I furrowed my brow, trying to figure out what had just happened.

Then someone walked by Tucker, b.u.mping into him lightly with his bag. And just like that, the moment was broken. Tucker and Shayla seemed to snap out of whatever daze they were in and resumed the conversation they'd been having. I was too far away to hear what they were saying to each other, but I could see Shayla whisper something to him and then touch his arm softly. He smiled warmly and then took ahold of her hand and held it in his. Shayla looked down at their hands and then back up at him. And instantly you could read it all over their faces.

They were in love.

"No way," I said, incredulous over what I'd just witnessed.

"What?" Abby asked, turning around and following my gaze to Shayla and Tucker. "Whoa. Well, it's about time."

Abby wasn't as surprised as I was to see them holding hands, but I still couldn't believe it. It was too much of a coincidence. "That was so weird."

"Yeah, sort of crazy that we were just talking about them, huh? Maybe you're good luck for couples," she said jokingly. "Like a modern-day Cupid."

Abby laughed to herself, but I couldn't help but wonder if she was right.

"Mom, Dad, can I talk to you guys a sec?" I asked later that night.

They both looked up at me as I entered the living room. My mom was watching the BBC, her eyes glued to whatever drama was unfolding on the television in front of her. My dad had the paper open in his lap, his gla.s.ses hanging off the end of his nose. They each stopped what they were doing after hearing the tone of my voice.

"What's wrong, dear?" my mom asked, her mind clearly still on her show.

"Um, I was just wondering if I could ask you guys a few questions?"

"Sure," my dad said. "What's up, b.u.t.tercup?"

I cringed as he used the nickname he'd given me as a little girl but kept myself from reminding him that I'd since grown up. "Well, I was thinking . . . it was really cool hearing all about our family history the other day, and I wondered if you could tell me a little bit more about our powers?"

My parents glanced at each other and shared a slightly panic-filled look. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, for starters, what coven are we from?" I asked, sitting down on the love seat and folding my legs underneath me. "You mentioned the Cleri the other day, and I'm a.s.suming that we're not related to them, so what is our lineage? Where are we in the world of witchcraft?"

My dad cleared his throat. "Well, you're correct, we aren't descendants of the Cleri. Our lineage is actually with Wilha, a coven that was based out of New Hamps.h.i.+re at the time of the trials. Wilha was always a pa.s.sive group; our focus was never on big-time spells or making a name for ourselves in the witching world. We left that up to covens like the Cleri," he said. "And after seeing what happened to them during that time, you can easily see why we remained that way."

"Our priorities weren't the same as most other covens'," Mom cut in. "Most of us only wanted to raise families, leave behind the danger that spell casting often brought. While other groups were using witchcraft for everything, our coven decided to go back to the basics and try to live low-magic lifestyles.

"Then, after the incident with Evelyn, your grandmother moved out here to try to put a little distance between the coven and her. She refused to use magic except for when it was absolutely necessary.

"The truth is, our line's always laid low."

"So we never did anything big? Anything important?" I asked, unable to hide my disappointment that I didn't come from a long line of warrior princesses or something like that. It was just one more way that I was destined to be ordinary from the start. Even the thing that set me apart from the majority of the rest of the world was slightly vanilla.

"Just because we didn't do anything to land ourselves in the history books doesn't mean that what we've done hasn't been important," Mom said, sounding a bit defensive.

I wasn't sure I agreed with her, but I also wasn't going to argue, either.

"Are there any specific powers our line seems to have that I should know about? You know, like things that we specialize in or anything."

"Hmmm, not really . . ."

"Because this crazy thing happened at school and I'm just trying to figure it out," I said.

"You weren't caught doing magic, were you?" my dad asked, worried.

"It was nothing like that," I answered quickly. "No, see, this thing happened when I was watching these two people at school. My hands started to move by themselves and they sort of drew a line between this guy and girl and . . . well, I swear there was a spark. And not like it sounds. Like, an actual spark of magic . . . between them. Like, because of me."

"What happened after you did that, Brooklyn?" my mom asked.

"Well, they started holding hands," I said, shrugging. "I know it sounds crazy, but it was sort of like I . . . linked them or something. Made them fall for each other. Is that even possible?"

The room was quiet as I waited for my parents to say something. I could hear the ticking of the clock in the corner of the room and counted each second as it went by. I was already up to twenty-four when my mom spoke again.

"It is possible, Brooklyn," she finally said, fingers clenched together in her lap. "There's a bit of matchmaking talent in our family."

"What do you mean, matchmaking?" I asked. Then, borrowing a phrase from Abby, I added, "Are we like Cupid?"

"That's certainly an interesting way to put it," Dad said. "Though love's a little bit more complicated than that."

"Love? Is that what I did? Made Shayla and Tucker fall in love with each other?" I asked, stunned.

"No, not love, Brooklyn. n.o.body has that kind of power. Well, that we know of," Mom said. "But l.u.s.t, interest, a crush, if you will-now that's a different story."

"Are you serious? How could you not tell me about this?"

"It honestly slipped our minds," she said, absently fiddling with her hair. "My gosh, it's been years since I've matched anyone."

"Me too," my dad said. "I never much liked getting involved in anyone else's love life."

I shook my head. What they were saying was crazy. Wasn't it?

"So I can help people find their perfect matches?"

"Sort of. All we have is the power to create a link between two people that will give them the chance to see if there is love there to grow. The l.u.s.t eventually wears off and at that point it's up to the couple to decide if it's a relations.h.i.+p worth pursuing."

"Oh my gosh . . . is that why so many people start dating someone and then it fizzles? Do all witches have this power?" I asked, wondering if all flings were really just products of a witch's imagination or boredom.