Magic in the Mix by Annie Barrows Read Free Book Online Page A

her.”
    â€œNever?” Miri slipped her hand around Molly’s. “Were you little when she—um—” She didn’t want to say it. Saying it made it real.
    â€œShe died when I was born,” said Molly.
    â€œOhh.” Miri grimaced. That was bad.
    â€œYeah. My fault.” Molly blew out a long breath.
    Miri couldn’t allow that. “No! Don’t think that! You didn’t do it!”
    Molly looked haunted. “Yes, I did. There’s no getting around it. She died when she had me.”
    Miri couldn’t think of anything comforting to say. That nice girl was going to die. It hurt to think about it.
    â€œShe wanted to know her fortune,” Molly whispered. “It’s a pretty bad fortune.”
    Miri nodded. It was a pretty bad fortune.
    â€œShe seemed nice, didn’t she?” Molly asked.
    â€œReally nice. And funny, too. You look like her.”
    Molly shook her head. “No. She’s beautiful.”
    â€œWell, you look like her, and you’re pretty pretty now. So you’ll probably be beautiful when you’re seventeen.”
    â€œSeventeen,” repeated Molly. “She’s only got six years to live. A little more than six years.”
    â€œShe dies when she’s twenty-three?” Miri asked unhappily. “Only twenty-three?” That was young. Young to have a baby. Very young to die.
    Molly looked across the hayloft, blinking rapidly.
    â€œListen,” urged Miri. “Listen, let’s”—she searched for something, anything to make it better“—let’s go ask your grandma!” The words fell out of her mouth before she knew she was going to say them, but instantly, she knew she was right. Grandma May knew magic inside and out. She’d have an idea, maybe even a solution. “Maybe there’s something we can do!” She gave Molly’s shoulder a squeeze. “I mean, think about it—what do we know for sure? We know that magic is a way of setting things right. Right?” she prodded, and Molly nodded. “So maybe we’re here to do something for your—your mother.” She tripped over the word. It sounded wrong when it didn’t mean
their
mother. “It’s possible, anyway.”
    Molly whirled around. “Why, sure!” she cried, her tear-damp face brightening. “Of course! You’re totally right! That’s what we’re here for!” She shook her head, wondering at herself. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. I mean, it’s obvious, right? Grandma knows
everything
! She’s magic herself!She’s bound to have a solution. My gosh, I can’t believe I wasted all this time!” Filled with new purpose, Molly jumped to her feet. “Come on. Grab Cookie. Let’s go.”

    The distance between the barn and the house was at least fifty miles. That’s what it looked like to Miri, anyway. She paused beside the barn, eyeing the wide lawn and trying not to think about Flo and her shotgun.
    The two girls had edged out the barn door and gone toward the corner nearest the house. Their appearance caused pandemonium among the chickens, but then, everything caused pandemonium among chickens. They sidled past the pigs, who watched them with utter boredom, and a dignified goose, who decided that they weren’t worth biting. Now, though, they had arrived at the point of no return: To get to Molly’s grandmother, inside the house, they had to cross the open lawn.
    Molly was undaunted. In fact, she was fizzing with determination. “Just aim for those rhododendrons there under the window,” she whispered,pointing to a large window on the side of the house, which Miri recognized as belonging to the living room. “The bushes will cover us all the way from that side around to the front stairs.”
    â€œOkay.” Cookie squirmed, and Miri clutched her firmly. “Let’s go on the