this. I think I like it.
âWhat in heavenâs name are you two girls doing here?â she asks.
Then she looks at me, and slaps a hand over her gaping mouth. âCome in,â she says, pulling us inside and lookingdown the hallway before closing the door gingerly.
She stands with her back to the door and smiles. âHallie, you are a surprise a second, I tell you.â
I show her the glasses in my hand. âNo glasses. And no contacts. And I can still see everything.â
Miss A plops down in her oversize well-worn recliner. âHowâd you make that happen? Did you cast a spell on yourself?â She laughs, her eyes remembering something from years past. âOh my, my, my, we have seen that happen plenty of times.â
I shake my head. âNo. I didnât do anything. Just went to bed like normal, then woke up like this.â
âHmm,â Miss A says. âReckon it could be the dynamic duo across the hall?â
Ivy nods, her head bobbing in quick, almost involuntary motion. âYes, yes. Thatâs what I think.â
âWell, letâs think about that,â Miss A says. âWhy would Kendall cast a spell like that on you again? Last time she did it, it backfired.â
Ivy crosses her arms. âThose two think they know more than anyone else in the building. Zena probably convinced Kendall she should push the white magic aside and cast dark spells.â
I hadnât thought that far along, but I bet Ivyâs right. Miss A agrees too, nodding.
âSo now what?â I ask. âDo we report the spell?â
âThatâs entirely your decision, Hallie. Dowling has a strict rule about casting spells before theyâve been taught to you. My guess is the complaint would âget lost.ââ She makes air quotes.
And I definitely donât want to be a rat.
âIf I were you,â Ivy says, âIâd make sure they saw your eyes first thing this morning. Let them stew on the fact that they canât cast spells to save their pitiful, materialist lives.â
âAnd that?â I tell Ivy. âThatâs why youâre my best friend.â
At breakfast, Dru and Jo and Ivy are still fascinated with my eyes. I am too, I guess. I donât get to see them like they do.
âItâs like they . . . I donât know. Glow or something.â Dru tilts her head to one side, then to the other.
âThatâs it!â Jo slaps her hand on the table. âI know what you look like.â
I brace myself for something awful.
âSnow White!â
Ivy pulls back so she can get a good look at me. âYou know what? Youâre right. Dark hair, pale skin, blue eyes.â
âOnly things missing are the dwarves,â Dru says, then breaks into hysterics.
âFunny,â I say, unable to hide my smile. âYouâre a regular comedian.â
Ivy grasps my wrist. âThere they are.â
I donât have to turn around to know she means Kendall and Zena. We watch them go through the buffet line, get their drinks, then sit down.
âDang it,â Dru says. âThey didnât even look over here.â
âItâs okay,â I say. I take a long swig of my orange juice, then stand. âIâll be right back.â
Every step I take closer to Kendall and Zena, my heart rate jumps even higher. I look back at my table and see my friends staring at me in shock. Like Iâm walking through the room naked. And I wonât lie. . . . It kind of feels like that. Because the closer I get to their table, the more people are watching me. The feud between Kendall and me is epic and definitely not a secret.
My hands go cold and clammy, and I can feel the redspots spreading across my chest. Thankfully, no one will see them because Iâm wearing my sweater.
Canât turn back now.
I get closer, closer, closer.
Two more steps and Iâm standing directly in front of Kendall. She looks up,