Zatanna: The Mistress of Magic

Chapter 4: Arbadacarba

After a few months, Zatanna is getting more and more happy for herself, she is getting good grades, she and Dinah became a duo and her and Adam became high school sweethearts. After school she practice her magic, she mastered her telekinesis and transmutation, in her today's lesson is glamour, known for creating illusions and John think the best way to start by being invisable.

"Ruomalg, Edih Em!", she cast and her body slowly became transparent, in her glamour, she  look in the mirror and her reflection is nowhere to be seen, her father is so proud and Zatanna cast a reversal.

"Ruomalg Hsinav!" and her body reappears, with excitment, she asked her father to teach her another trick, but John said it is enough for the day, Zatanna didn't want to stop and asked her father to do one more. She flip through the book and sees a page for manifestation, John said that they'll do it tomorrow, then she turned a page and sees and section of Projection Spells, to make something or someone disappear and reappear. She asked her father to teach her this trick,

"That is too advance for you." he objects, "They are dangerous and you'll learn them when you're ready. So you have to wait till you're 18." With disappointment, Zatanna heed her father's advice, so she went upstairs to get washed up for dinner, when she finished, she notice that her father is still in the study looking at some paper, and she see that these are overdue bills, which her father sigh of stress and rubbing his forehead. Zatanna have a feeling that her father is having trouble with paying the bills, she quitely backs away and head to the kitchen to set the table.

During dinner, they both eating in silence, Zatanna is still think about her father's struggles and she thought of an idea,

"Dad?" she broke the silence, "I was thinking of getting a part time job." John smiled at his blue eyed daughter, thinking that is a great opportunity for her to learn about reasponablity of having a jobs. Zatanna didn't tell him why she doing this, she planned to keep it a secret and as soon she made enough money, she'll able to help her father with the money problems.

A few weeks later, Zatanna has a job as a babysitter, the other parents think she did a great job, she playing with the kids, making sure they eat their meal, put them in time out for misbehaving and putting them to bed, her payment is 5 dollar an hour, which she thought she would make enough to help her father. 

One Thursday afternoon, she was babysitting a young girl name Jenna Parker, a sweet girl who love watching magical movies and have a obsession of fairies, which Zatanna thinks that they'll get along. They have a great time together, they're in the kitchen making cookies, when the cookies are baking in the oven, then they went to the living room making a castle with pillows, quilts and chair. 

"Something smells" Jenna said, Zatanna also smelled something and she realised what it was, she quickly ran to then the kitchen, opens the oven door and smoke flew out with a stench. Zatanna pulls out the tray of badly burned cookies, Jenna saw the black cookies and she starts to cry. Zatanna opens the windows to let the smoke out, then she tries calms Jenna, but the young child kept crying and then Zatanna thought of an idea, which means that she have to break the one rule.

"Hey, you want to see some magic?" she said, then Jenna stops sobbing and nods in sad silence, "Great, but I need your help." then Zatanna grabs a cloth, cover the burnt cookies, then she asked Jenna to close her eyes say 'Abracadabra' , 3 times, so Jenna closed and said the magic word and as her eyes closed, Zatanna secretly whispered a spell as she waved her hand over the cloth and there was a blue glow shines through the cloth.

"Ta-da!" cried Zatanna as she pulls the clothe to reveal the golden brown cookies, Rosie open her eyes and grew a big smile, with amazment Jenna asked her how did she do it and replied with a well know magician's line, 'A magician never reveal their secrets'. The rest of the day, Jenna begs for more magic tricks, Zatanna knew that she couldn't do her magic, so she thought that she can do some non-magic tricks, a simple card tricks, pull coin out of the ear and a disappearing handkerchief, every trick makde Jenna smile.

After a long day of working, Jenna was in bed, her mom came home, paid Zatanna and heads home. Zatanna was exhausted, John asked her how was working, Zatanna was so tired she can bearly stand, she went to the kitchen and grab a drink and snack. John walks in and told his daughter that he has a few gigs in the city for his magic performance the next day, so meaning that he'll be gone for the weekend and she'll be home alone. 

The next day, Zatanna came home from school, the manor was quite she has no idea what to do, she thought of calling Dinah and Adam to come over to do their homework, then thought of a sneaky idea, she could learn to do some Projection Spells, she went in the study, toke the book out of the shelf and study the spell. 

She sees that some of the spells are easy, but why her father say it's too advance, then the phone rings, which startles her, she thought  her father calling her to tell her not to read the spells and she wondered that he some how magically bugged the house to keep an eye on her. She walks over to the phone, she answered it and the caller identified itself.

"This is Mrs Parker. Jenna's mom." Zatanna gives her a pleasent hello and asked what it the pleasure of her call. Mrs Parker started by thanking for babysitting Jenna and mentions that Jenna haven't talking about Zatanna's magic trick,

"You never told me you're a magician?" she ask, Zatanna tries to figure out how to bend the truth and she replied, "Well, my dad is a magician, he taught me a few tricks". Then Mrs Parker told her that Jenna's birthday is tomorrow and she is having a party with her family and friends, she was wondering if Zatanna can do a magic performance. Zatanna was silent for a moment, she promise to her father not to do any magic in front of people and as she about to make a excuse, 

"Please, I would mean a lot to Jenna." Mrs Parker plead, "I'll pay you extra.", Zatanna thought about it, extra money could really help her dad and finally she gives in and she accepts the offer.