Once Upon a Witch's Moon

Once Upon a Witch's Moon Part 1: Ch 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Twist slid into her seat in math class just as the morning bell rang. She gave herself a mental high five. She'd be safe from contact with depressing thought dust here until lunchtime, because this particular morning was devoted to the math assessment tests.

Sitting in the classroom desks wasn't usually a thought dust nightmare, unless the person who'd sat in the desk during the last class was having a really bad day. Otherwise, the thought dust had pretty much faded in the time it took to move from one class to another.

Yesterday's thought dust encounters had been tolerable except for gym, and even that had been less frustrating because of Sofia. Sofia had even made Twist believe it was possible that this year would be the year she would finally pass as normal.

Then reality struck in the form of Fred Simmons. "Hey, Turtle, how do you always manage to avoid detention by the hair on your chinny-chin-chin?"

Twist looked more carefully at him, shocked to realize that soft and slightly pudgy Fred Simmons had gotten as tall and lean as Brian over the summer. His blond hair was sun bleached, and the left sleeve he'd rolled up over his serious bicep revealed a small tattoo she couldn't quite read.

Fred's best friend Anton was looking at her, worry in his eyes. No doubt he thought she might chew Fred out. Not that she would. She - and Anton - both knew Fred was a bully on the outside and a confused little boy on the inside.

She met Fred's scornful blue eyes without flinching. "My name is Twist, not Turtle. And wasn't it the three little pigs who had hairs on their chinny-chin-chins? Turtles have shells. And I don't have either."

Fred shrugged. "You got me, Turtle. I don't see a shell." He looked her over with exaggerated scrutiny. "But you sure disappear like a turtle in its shell in between classes, only to show up - poof - right as the bell rings. Maybe it's a magic shell."

She suppressed a sigh. She wasn't going to meet his meanness with her own, but she didn't want him to think she was afraid of him either.

With a smile she knew would infuriate him, she joked, "No invisible shell, just an invisible cloak, like Harry Potter's."

Her dad's admonition to be true to herself popped into her mind. Should she tell him off? She glanced at Anton, who gave her an awkward smile-shrug, as if to say "Ignore him. He's harmless."

No. Telling him off would be like kicking a toddler. Fred's outsides might have improved, but she could still see the same old steel colored swatches of thought dust leaking. She was sure if she touched them, she'd get his worries about his mom and her drinking.

Still, as she stared into the angry blue eyes that operated like blame-seeking missiles, she knew she'd be more sympathetic if Fred didn't take out his problems with his mom on the rest of the world - and especially on the girl who once tried to help. It wasn't her fault social services intervened.

Fred scowled, talking low so Mrs. Hopkins, who was busy writing review problems on the board, wouldn't notice. "How do you always get here just as the bell rings? Maybe I should call you Tornado Girl instead of Turtle."

Twist went cold. Tornado girl? Had Sofia blabbed about her secret to Fred, of all people. So much for new friends.

She decided to ignore him. She shrugged as if his words hadn't struck dread into her heart. "No hidden magic. I'm just lucky, I guess."

Fred laughed meanly, "Guess I'd think I was lucky if a tornado spared me. Not that I believe you survived a tornado. I think your story is pathetic, no matter what anyone else says."