Enchantment by Charlotte Abel Read Free Book Online

left her room. It had nothing to do with sleeping on the floor or worrying about Abby's sad situation, or even the disorientation of a new name … and everything to do with kissing that tall, skinny boy in the park.  
    Her heart raced just thinking about that damn kiss. She tried to convince herself that it was because she was worried about him telling the other kids at school. It was a legitimate concern. The past ten years at Wisdom Academy of Magic and Modern Living had taught her just how fast a juicy rumor could spread. The Academy was a private school for mages but there was nothing private about it. She doubted the gossip mill at a public school would be any less efficient.
    So, Channie began her first day at Monarch High School with her heart in her throat and her stomach tied in knots. She did not want to start school with a bad reputation on top of everything else. Maybe he didn’t even go to this school. It would simplify her life if she never saw him again, but she couldn’t deny the disappointment she felt when she considered that possibility.
    The bike rack near the back door of the school was nearly empty. Two obviously expensive bicycles were stripped of front wheels and seats and locked up tight with metal bars that secured the frames to the rack. The only other bicycle looked like it was made out of scavenged parts from Pappy’s junk yard. Nothing matched and it was so small it looked like it belonged to a fourth-grader. It was also locked. Not that it mattered. No one was going to steal that piece of crap.  
    Channie didn’t have a lock for her bicycle. She considered pushing it into the bushes and casting a hands-off spell on the living plants to guard it, but Momma and Daddy had told her not to use magic at school. The chances of discovery were so low it was ridiculous. They had moved here specifically because there were no other mages in the area. Even if there were, they would have to discover Channie’s spell, trace it back to her, figure out Daddy was a wanted mage, and even then, they’d have to be an extraordinarily despicable character to rat him out.  
    A more likely scenario was for some stupid Empty to get zapped and think her bike was touching an exposed electrical wire or something and call the fire department. Not only would Momma and Daddy sell her bike, they’d curse her and take a belt to her backside for such blatant disobedience.  
    The crime rate in Louisville was extremely low. Channie was more likely to lose her bike to Momma and Daddy trying to protect it with magic than lose it to a thief.
    She removed the seat and put it in her backpack then went inside.
    There were quite a few cute boys in the halls, but most of them already had girls hanging all over them. Daddy was right about one thing. If it weren’t for loose morals, Empties wouldn’t have any morals at all. One couple even walked by with their hands in each others pockets.  
    The first bell rang just as the woman behind the counter in the administration office handed Channie an admissions packet along with a map of the school and a yellow strip of paper with “Locker number A-27 Combination 35-17-32” typed at a slight angle along the top edge.
    Channie peeked inside her packet and bit back a groan. She was dismayed, but not surprised, to see her name listed as Chastity Belks. The powerful spell Momma and Daddy used to change her name, magically changed it on every one of their new documents as well.
    The woman said, “Hang on a sec. I’ll write you a pass,” then pulled a small pad of blue paper out of a drawer, signed the top sheet and handed it to Channie. It was an excuse for tardiness. The only good thing about her family’s move was that it had happened before the fall semester started. Channie didn’t want to be late on the first day and wind up sitting on the front row for the whole year. She wanted to sit in the back where she could keep an eye on everyone else.  
    So — she used an itty-bitty