Flipping the sWitch

Chapter 1

Maddie Van Pelt was so engrossed in checking out her reflection in the mirror that hung inside her school locker that she hadn't even heard anyone coming up behind her. Not that this was at all unusual. Maddie often found herself getting lost in admiration of—well, herself.

Could she help it if she'd been gifted with good looks?

Then, a better question seemed to come to her mind: why would she want to help it?

Maddie swept a powder brush softly across the expanse of her face, enjoying the way it tickled her nose. She didn't really need the makeup. Her porcelain skin was always blemish-free and even her cheeks managed to stay rosy without the aide of blush. Exchanging the powder for a hairbrush, she ran the soft bristles through her equally soft golden hair, smiling as the ends curled up and framed her face just the way she liked it. Then, she carefully clipped a jewel-studded barrette into her hair to keep her locks out of her face.

Perfect.

"I thought you said we were wearing flats today," a voice said from behind Maddie, forcing her to turn away from her own image, and focus on that of her interrupter.

Not that she needed to look to see who'd spoken. Maddie would know that voice anywhere.

It was, after all, coming from her best friend, and second-in-command, Katie Rice. The two girls couldn't have looked any different. With dark hair that flowed down her back in tight curls, and flawless skin, Katie was a stark contrast to Maddie. But when it came to friendship, they were practically twins.

Maddie's eyes roamed over to her other bestie, Sophie Johnson, who seemed permanently attached to Katie's hip. Sophie was less of a physical standout from the other two, with basic brown hair and a much smaller stature—until you saw her eyes. Iridium High had never seen eyes so wide. True, they were often blank, but Maddie thought it was her best feature.

The three girls were rarely ever apart, and together, they made up the infamous Panthers.

Rawr.

"I did say we were wearing flats, yes," Maddie said, carefully. "But then I changed my mind when I saw these."

Maddie lifted one of her ankles to show her friends the totally to-die-for pink and gold heels she was wearing. They were new...well, new-ish. She'd been playing around with a spell the night before, and poof—suddenly she was the proud owner of the runway-ready sparklers.

It would've been a crime not to wear them right away.

The three girls squealed with glee as Maddie showed them off from every angle possible.

"Kitten heels are all the rage right now," Maddie said knowingly. "Everyone's wearing them in Paris."

Sophie's smile faded and she began to sniffle, tears welling in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Maddie asked, suddenly worried by her friends' abrupt change in mood.

"It's so not fair what they do to those poor little cats!" Sophie said, shaking her head sadly. "And all for a pair of shoes!"

"Kitten heels aren't actually made out of kittens, Soph," Katie said slowly.

"Oh," Sophie said, her tears instantly drying up. "Well, what are they made of then?"

Neither of the other girls answered.

Sophie was always doing things like that. Goofing up words, mistaking them for others. And most of the time Maddie found it charming. That is, when she actually noticed the mix-up. Maddie was easily distracted. By shiny things, magic and...