Missing Pages

Chapter 25: Startling Spells

I pedaled as fast as lightening down the pathway behind a popular shopping complex. With the wind rushing through my hair, I felt unstoppable.

Seeing as my home was a few streets away, I made the decision to dump the bike beside the trash cans. All I could do was hope that someone finds it sooner or later, and returns it to the rightful owner back at my school.

To feel so hyped, I felt like the lamest person in the world. Out of the millions of things I could've been doing, I decided to clean. Yup, that's what I did. Since I didn't finish my classes to get the rest of my homework, I shined, dusted, and organized every room in my house (even David's!) until 3 o'clock rolled around.

Once I was certain that my "crew" had returned from Nina and Carmen's lair, I invited none other than Kyle.

I could use his spiritual knowledge for my success and score a couple of homework answers as well. He got here sooner than expected, and I passed him a can of soda and shared a package of Fuego Takis with him.

"Thanks for the snack, Jasmine! So, I didn't see you in chemistry after lunch... is everything okay?"

"Yes. Everything's fine. I just wasn't feeling well."

"Was it a stomach bug? Is it contagious?!" he fretted.

"No, no, it was just a killer headache."

Bleh. Those nerdy kids and their germ phobias.

"I wanted to know if you had the rest of our homework from school. I need it from social studies, algebra, and chemistry," I announced.

"Sure. And don't mind the red-head, I can clearly see that you're a true friend that won't use us for our brains," he smiled. If only he knew the truth...

So that's how it went for the next hour, me making small talk as I copied notes, and him tutoring me on American history. Believe me when I say that history is my weakest subject.

After that, I asked him about magic, and spell casting. He told me a couple of interesting stories about the Salem Witch Trials and other alleged tales of witchcraft.

"Hey, do you happen to know a spell that might snap Carmen out of her funk?" I questioned at last.

"I don't know any exact remedies, but your best bet would be to look in the index of that blue book you have for something that might work."

I thanked him as he turned towards his car.

"Wait!" he hollered, "Since we're, y'know... friends, we need to have a nickname we go by."

"Like one for just the two of us? That's easy, you're 'Kyle: a pile of bile'!"

"You're a real gem, Jasmine. Goodbye!"

I waved him 'bye' and retreated to my room where I could begin Phase 3 of my plan.

I turned out all the lights, pulled the dark curtains closed, leaving the eerie flicker of yellow on the walls.

When I turned to the page entitled: Spell Reversal, I began to chanting words in a voice barely above a whisper.

The room was stationary, until the drapes flew open and the shadows on the walks stretched higher and higher. It was as if I snapped into a daze, or something unworldly took over. My chanting became one word, each and every letter running into the next.

Then it ended all at once. The flames blew out and the lights miraculously blinked on. I went cross eyed before I fell in a heap

{¿\?}

My eyes scanned the perimeter of the playing field before settling down with my gear. We were in Birdseye view of a certain home, and all I had to do was wait for that lovesick techie to pull out of the driveway.

Now here's where the fun begins. I pulled out a facsimile of the spell book that my victim withheld. Violet rose petals dusted the perimeter of the Circle of Life. I chanted along with my prey as the Circle's flames danced on my face and spread out, forming a perfect star.

Nightmarish ivy broke through the moist Earth, weaving its way into the home of the unsuspecting girl. It wrapped around her head like the end of a lasso. Once the link completed, my conscious evaded hers, incorporating an entirely different spell into the air.

Power surged through my veins as my magnetic spell did its work. Each current painstakingly draining her body of every ounce of energy she had left.

With a snap of my fingers, everything went back to normal, the ivy becoming nothing but a carcass left behind to blow out in the wind. I sent off my companion to finish my dirty work as I watched the newfound magic blend in with my blood flow.

I couldn't 'till wait until tomorrow.