Charmed Forces #19 Read online

  Charmed Forces #19

  Morgan, Melissa J.

  PENGUIN group (2012)

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  * * *

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Title Page

  chapter ONE

  chapter TWO

  chapter THREE

  chapter FOUR

  chapter FIVE

  chapter SIX

  chapter SEVEN

  chapter EIGHT

  chapter NINE

  chapter TEN

  chapter ELEVEN

  chapter TWELVE

  chapter THIRTEEN

  chapter FOURTEEN

  chapter FIFTEEN

  chapter SIXTEEN

  chapter SEVENTEEN

  chapter EIGHTEEN

  chapter NINETEEN

  Get out your hankies...

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

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  Text copyright © 2008 by Grosset & Dunlap. All rights reserved. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. .S.A.

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  eISBN : 978-0-448-44722-3

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  chapter ONE

  Posted by: Alyssa

  Subject: Camp Preview—Sixth Division Rocks!

  Hello all sixth div. Lakeview chickadees! School’s out and it’s time for camp. Just want to let you know that I have done my research and I have a STRONG feeling this is going to be the best summer ever! All signs point to yes! (Well, almost all signs. With the exception of one giant one—the fact that Grace isn’t coming back. I still haven’t gotten used to the idea. Maybe because the news came about on such short notice. But I guess it’s for the best—the more courses she takes over the summer, the more time she’ll have for drama next year. Grace—you’re sure going to be missed!)

  In case you’re wondering how I know this summer’s going to be great, well, I had my first ever tarot card reading yesterday, and Lady Gisela told me that camp is going to kick it this year. She also told me I’m seriously psychic! So I bought a book about new age phenomena and am busy gathering tools to help "bring my gift to the surface,” as Lady Gisela says.

  Turns out a psychic needs a lot of stuff, like crystals, tarot cards, astrology books, herbs . . . I’m just getting started.

  Here’s what I know so far about the next two months:

  Horoscope: "As Jupiter moves into Cancer and squares with Mercury, this summer is all about magic! Friendship, love, and nature play strong roles.” Friendship, love, and nature? Sounds just like camp!

  Ouija board: A friend of mine from school, Tally, slept over last night and we did the Ouija board. We asked the spirits what kind of summer we’ll have. The spirits told Tally that she’ll be fighting off a cold for most of July, but they told me that this summer will be full of sun and fun. Poor Tally—but yay us!

  The I Ching:

  Li/The Clinging, Fire

  The Judgment: The Clinging.

  Perseverance brings success.

  Care of the cow brings good fortune.

  Can’t argue with that, can you? Maybe there will be a cow at camp we can take care of. Or something. Okay, I don’t really know which cow the I Ching is talking about, but whatever, trust me, it’s good.

  So buckle your seat belts—it’s going to be one for the record books! Can’t wait to see you all on Sunday! And Grace—this one’s for you!

  Love, Alyssa

  Posted by: Natalie

  Subject: camp preview—sixth division rocks!

  you’re psychic now? i guess that fits with the rest of your personality, your royal artsiness. but you forgot one great fortune-telling source—what did the magic 8-ball say? xo, nat

  Posted by: Alyssa

  Subject: Our Future

  Hate to break it to you, Nat, but everyone knows the Magic 8-Ball doesn’t really tell fortunes. It’s a toy. But since I’m thorough, I checked it anyway. I asked, "Will this be the best summer ever for the sixth division at Camp Lakeview?” Answer: "Reply hazy, try again.” I tried again. This time the answer was: "Cannot predict now.”

  Which only proves my point: The Magic 8-Ball doesn’t work.

  “Just as I predicted,” Alyssa said. “This summer is starting off right.”

  She stepped off the bus from New Jersey onto sacred soil—Camp Lakeview soil. The campgrounds looked even better than last year, with fresh paint on the bunks and the lodge and the mess hall, the dirt paths newly swept and repaired, and even a sparkling new CAMP LAKEVIEW sign at the entrance.

  Alyssa took another step and lost her footing. A small, round rock had rolled under her foot and nearly tripped her. She bent down in front of the bus door and picked it up. Chelsea, who was getting off the bus behind Alyssa, bumped into her.

  “Ohh!” Chelsea said. “Sorry, Alyssa.” She wound her long blond hair into a knot on top of her head and popped her gum.

  “Look at this.” Alyssa showed Chelsea a rock the size of a walnut, rough and mostly grayish-brown, with a few glints of deep purple shining through.

  Could it be an amethyst? Alyssa wondered. She had been looking for one. She’d read that amethysts promoted healing and psychic awareness, especially when touching the skin. They also helped people interpret dreams. They were practically magic! Every psychic should have one.

  “So?” Chelsea said. “It’s a rock. This place is crawling with them.” She moved Alyssa aside so Natalie, Gaby, and Valerie could get off the bus. They all gathered around to see what Alyssa had found.

  “It’s not very pretty,” Gaby said. “Except for that purplish part.”

  “I think it’s an amethyst, and amethysts are very lucky,” Alyssa said. “I’m going to go to the nature shack and find out.”

  “I’m going to go to the kitchen and lock myself in the walk-in freezer,” Chelsea said. “It’s so hot!”

  “Tell me about it.” Gaby wiped the sweat off her forehead. “It’s only June. I thought the mountains were supposed to be cool.”

  “Maybe it will cool off tonight.” Alyssa tossed her long black braid over her shoulder and hoisted her duffel bag. The girls started down the familiar path to their bunk, 6B
. Their division was still small, like last year, so all the sixth-division girls would share one cabin.

  The weather was unusually hot for the Poconos, but Alyssa didn’t like to complain. She was fourteen now; this would be her last summer as a camper at Camp Lakeview and she was determined to enjoy it. Her parents had hinted that next year she might have to get a summer job.

  As part of the camp’s new look, each freshly painted bunk had a different color door: red, yellow, green, blue, orange, pink, turquoise . . .

  “Look at the bunks!” Valerie said. “The doors have been painted new colors.”

  “I wonder what color door our bunk will have?” Natalie said.

  “Care to make a prediction, O Mighty Alyssa?” Gaby said.

  Before they reached bunk 6B, Alyssa guessed, “Our door will be purple. In honor of the good-luck rock I just found.”

  She and Chelsea rounded the corner in the path at the same moment. Alyssa gasped. Natalie, Valerie, and Gaby gasped, too.

  “Oh my gosh,” Natalie said. “Alyssa, you were right!”

  There, nestled among the trees, stood their brown wooden cabin. The bright purple door had a white 6B painted on it.

  Alyssa rubbed the stone between her fingers. “Huh,” she said. “I had a feeling about this thing.”

  “That was just a lucky guess,” Chelsea said.

  “Pretty lucky,” Valerie said. “I never would have guessed purple.”

  The girls stepped inside their cabin. Alyssa dumped her duffel on a top bunk near the window. Natalie took the bunk below hers. And then, as if on cue, they both noticed a tall, glamorous blond girl sitting quietly on her bunk, painting her toenails fuchsia.

  “Tori!” Alyssa said.

  Tori jumped to her feet. “You’re here!” She hugged Alyssa and all the other girls, one by one.

  “Where is everybody?” Alyssa asked.

  Tori leaned back on her bunk bed, propping her feet on the wall and wiggling her bright pink toes. “They were complaining about the heat, so Mandy took them down to the lake for a dip. They’ll be back soon.”

  “Mandy’s our new counselor?” Valerie asked.

  “Uh-huh,” Tori said. “She’s nice, but she’s not the kind of girl who understands the need for fresh pink toenail polish when you first get to camp—know what I mean? I had to do some talking to convince her to let me stay here and wait for you guys.”

  “We’re glad you did,” Gaby said as she began unpacking.

  “It’s so great to see you!” Natalie said.

  “It’s so great to see everybody!” Alyssa said. “But I have a little errand to do. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She hurried off to the nature shack, clutching the rough stone. Why did she feel so attached to it already? So excited about it? Something about those glints of purple . . .

  The nature shack was quiet and deserted. Alyssa went to the library shelf and grabbed a book called The Geologist’s Handbook. She paged through it until she came to a picture of a rock that looked a lot like the one she’d found. There were two photos, sort of like before and after shots. The first picture showed a rough, grayish-brown rock with a slight grape tinge, like the one she held in her hand.

  The other photo made her gasp.

  It showed a glorious, gleaming cut and polished purple gem. An amethyst.

  “I was right,” Alyssa said to herself. The rock she’d found was an uncut, unpolished amethyst. Just what she needed to enhance her psychic powers.

  Alyssa rubbed the amethyst happily. She was sure now that her predictions were right. This summer was going to be magical.

  Alyssa practically skipped back to bunk 6B, squeezing her way through the hordes of arriving campers lugging bags and boxes. She burst through the purple door. The cabin was crowded with girls now. Chelsea was taping up a Justin Timberlake poster and everyone else was oohing and aahing over some photos Natalie was passing around.

  “Alyssa, look!” Natalie said. “My new puppy!” She showed Alyssa a photo of an adorable little boxer. “A gift from Dad. I named him Tumtum.”

  “A boxer! Way to go, Tad,” Alyssa said. Natalie’s father, Tad Maxwell, was a movie star. Nat spent most of the year with her mother, so Tad tried to make up for his absence with presents—and they were usually awesome. “That is the cutest puppy I’ve ever seen.”

  “Alyssa, hi. You’re my last camper unaccounted for.” A freckle-faced, athletic girl in shorts and sneakers gave Alyssa’s hand a firm shake. Then she made a checkmark on her clipboard. She wore her chestnut hair in a practical ponytail. “I’m Mandy, your counselor. Welcome!”

  “Thanks,” Alyssa said. “Hi, everybody.”

  “Alyssa!” Dramatic Brynn bounded off her bunk to give Alyssa a hug. Next in line were mischievous Jenna, jock Alex, tomboy Priya, and shy Candace. Not that the girls’ complex personalities could be summed up in one word or anything.

  “It’s so great to see you all!” Alyssa cried, and she meant it. It was wonderful to see her friends all in one bunk again. They’d have the whole summer together.

  Alyssa noticed an unfamiliar face among her friends and stepped forward to introduce herself. “Are you new? I’m Alyssa.”

  “I’m Sloan,” the girl said. She had curly auburn hair, deep brown eyes, and a round, thoughtful face. Alyssa liked her right away. “I am new. But you’re all so friendly, I already feel like I belong. Kind of.”

  Alyssa smiled. “You’ll fit in fine. It won’t take long.”

  “When you share a cabin with twelve people, you get to know them pretty fast,” Jenna said.

  “Hey, Liss—what did you find out about your lucky rock?” Natalie asked.

  “I was right,” Alyssa said. “It’s a real amethyst.”

  Everyone crowded around to look at it, even Chelsea and Gaby, who’d dissed the rock earlier.

  “May I see it?” Sloan took the amethyst and held it up to the light from the window. “Yes,” she said, nodding. “This is a powerful one.”

  “Do you know a lot about rocks, Sloan?” Mandy asked.

  “Not rocks in general,” Sloan said. “But I do know about crystals and psychic phenomena, and amethysts can play an important part. My mother is a past life regression therapist.”

  Alyssa couldn’t help noticing as Chelsea and Alex exchanged a skeptical look.

  “Really? Wow,” Alyssa said. She’d always wanted to have her past lives analyzed.

  “What in the world is that?” Gaby asked.

  “It’s kind of like a psychotherapist, but with a different method,” Sloan explained. “If you’re having a problem in your life, some obstacle you can’t get past, you go to my mother and she hypnotizes you.”

  “That doesn’t sound very scientific,” Chelsea said. “How do you know it works?”

  “She’s changed people’s lives,” Sloan said. “She hypnotizes you so you can relive your past lives and find out where the problem is. If you can solve the problem in your past life, it goes away in your present life.”

  “Oh, that proves it works,” Chelsea snapped.

  “Chelsea,” Mandy said. “Let’s all be respectful.”

  “Yeah,” Valerie said. “What happened to trying to be nice, Chelsea?”

  Chelsea had once been a meanie, but was trying to improve herself. She ducked her head and said, “Right—I keep forgetting. I meant to say, sounds interesting. Tell me more.” She mustered a smile. Alyssa thought it didn’t look entirely sincere, but it was a good effort.

  “Past life regression is not that weird,” Priya said. “A lot of people believe in reincarnation.”

  “Especially where I come from,” Sloan said.

  “Where do you come from?” Valerie asked.

  “Sedona, Arizona,” Sloan said. “Psychic Headquarters of the U.S.A. We’ve got crystals, clairvoyants, gurus, and more UFO sightings per capita than anyplace else in the country, except maybe Roswell.”

  I knew I liked this girl, Alyssa thought.

  “Better fini
sh unpacking, girls,” Mandy said. “The cookout starts in an hour.”

  “Cookout.” Sloan made a face. “It’s way too hot to eat heavy, greasy meat.”

  Every summer the camp held a welcome cookout on the first evening. They served hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, the usual. It was a Lakeview tradition.

  “I usually have potato salad and watermelon,” Alyssa said. She was a vegetarian. “It’s not my favorite meal.”

  “Maybe this year they’ll serve something lighter for a change,” Natalie said. “Because of the heat wave.”

  “That would be awesome,” Alyssa said. She opened her duffel bag and pulled out a pile of T-shirts. “Something light like salad. Or even pasta. It’s too hot for hot dogs.”

  “I like the cookout,” Valerie said. “It’s fun to see everyone again.”

  “Yeah,” Gaby said. “Who cares what they’re serving? It’s a chance to check out the cute new boys.”

  Tori shrugged. “Things are great with Michael. I’m off the market.” Michael was her boyfriend in L.A.

  “David and I planned to meet up at the cookout,” Jenna said. “I haven’t seen him in ages.”

  “And I can’t wait to see Adam again,” Alex said.

  Jenna laughed. “Don’t worry, he hasn’t changed a bit—unfortunately.” Alex’s boyfriend, Adam, also happened to be Jenna’s twin brother.

  “What about you, Brynn?” Alyssa asked. “Are you and Jordan going to get back together?”

  “I don’t know yet,” Brynn said. “We left things kind of up in the air.” She twisted her hair nervously. “It’s kind of hard, not knowing. Has he said anything about it to you, Priya?”

  Priya shook her head. Brynn’s ex-boyfriend, Jordan, was Priya’s best friend. “We don’t talk about that stuff anymore. I think he’s afraid I’ll leak his secrets to you.”

  “Of course you would,” Brynn said. “That’s what bunkmates are for!”