What the Spell Part 1 by Brittany Geragotelis Read Free Book Online Page A

you come downstairs for a minute?”
    My mom’s voice drifted into my room as I clicked away on my computer. Given my new look, I decided it was time to update all my photos online so people would be able to find me if they were trying. I sat back and admired the self-portrait I’d taken with my phone.
    It was perfect.
    I’d pretty much avoided taking pictures of myself before, but now I got excited every time I took a snapshot. Each one seemed to be better than the last, and I wasn’t even sitting there overanalyzing all the things I’d need to edit out later. Instead I’d spent the last hour trying to narrow down which shot I liked the best, and then how to crop it.
    I was putting the finishing touches on my number one choice when my mom called out to me.
    “Right now?” I asked.
    “Yes, please,” my dad answered.
    I sighed and made a few hasty adjustments before hitting the publish button. Closing my laptop, I climbed off my bed and went downstairs. When I walked into the living room, my parents were sitting side by side on the couch, looking unusually serious. My stomach sank as I dreaded the conversation I knew was coming.
    “What’s wrong?” I asked.
    “Why don’t you sit down, honey,” my mom said, motioning to the love seat across from them.
    “Is everything okay? You’re kind of freaking me out.”
    “Brooklyn, we couldn’t help but notice that you seem to have made some, er, changes to your appearance,” my dad began.
    “You’re blond,” my mom chimed in.
    “And, well, we know that you just came into your powers, and while it’s natural to want to experiment with things, we think you need to know that there are consequences to every spell that you do,” Dad said.
    My fear dissolved into relief, and then the relief turned into annoyance.
    “This is because I changed my hair?” I asked incredulously.
    “It’s not just your hair,” my mom said. “It’s your eyes, your skin, your lips . . . I’m pretty sure you even made yourself taller. I barely recognize you anymore.” As she finished, her eyes began to well up with tears.
    I instantly felt guilty. I had no idea my parents were going to take the makeover so hard.
    “Guys, I just wanted a little change. I’m sixteen now. This is what kids my age do! They change their appearance. They wear makeup. They dye their hair—usually crazier colors than this, I might add. I’m just trying something new. Trying to figure out who I am.”
    I didn’t add that it was also so I could catch the attention of The Elite. I knew my parents wouldn’t go for the changes if they were for anyone else but me. Even though I liked the new me, too, doing things to please other people was unacceptable in our household.
    “Hey, at least I’m not getting tattoos or my tongue pierced,” I added, cracking a joke to try and lighten the mood.
    “It’s not so much the changes you’re making that we’re worried about. We’ve read all the parenting books—we knew this would happen one day. It’s how you’re doing it that worries us.”
    I blinked at them. “What are you talking about?”
    “We think you’re using too much magic,” my mom blurted out.
    I glanced from my mom to my dad and then shook my head. “I’ve only done a few spells,” I said, staring straight at them. “Look, you said that when I turned sixteen you would unbind my powers. I just thought that meant I could actually use them.”
    “And you can,” my dad answered. “We just want you to practice responsibly.”
    “You think I’m irresponsible?” I asked slowly. “Because I did a few beauty spells?”
    This was unbelievable.
    “We just don’t want you to use magic for everything . There’s so much you can do without using spells and we don’t want you to get used to taking shortcuts,” he said. “Your magical abilities give you an advantage over nonpracticing people, and capitalizing on those abilities isn’t exactly fair to them. It also turns a lot of unneeded