Charmed Forces #19 Page 8

  “I think I’ll just walk around looking cool and beautiful and haughty until he must have me,” Chelsea said.

  Chelsea had always been cool and beautiful and haughty, but as far as Gaby knew, she’d never had a boyfriend. “How is that different from what you usually do?”

  “It’s not,” Chelsea said. “But it’s got to work someday.”

  “It won’t work on Donovan,” Gaby said.

  “Why not?” Chelsea said.

  “Because it has nothing to do with love,” Gaby said.

  “Love?” Chelsea laughed. “Keep dreaming.”

  “Are you going to enter the nature fair?” Gwenda asked Alyssa. They were leaving the nature shack after a particularly fraught session in which Roseanne showed them which local plants were safe to nibble on and which were poisonous. Somehow Gwenda had brought up the subject of plants’ use in medicine. Alyssa said they were often used in potions and spells, especially to attract love or to curse an enemy. Gwenda countered that unlike medicinal cures, none of Alyssa’s superstitions had ever been proven. Alyssa said they weren’t superstitions, they were folk remedies. The two of them argued until Roseanne pointed out that both girls were basically talking about the same thing: using plants to solve problems.

  And now Gwenda was asking about the nature fair? Alyssa’s guard was up. Gwenda struck her as the competitive grade-grubbing type, desperate to win contests and score extra points. Sort of the way Brynn described Candace, except that Candace was actually nice. And Candace was open-minded enough to put some faith into “superstitions” like the amethyst.

  Instead of answering Gwenda’s question, Alyssa countered with a question of her own. “Are you entering the nature fair?”

  “Definitely,” Gwenda said. “I’ve been planning my project since before I left for camp. What are you working on?”

  Alyssa wasn’t really working on anything. In the back of her mind she considered writing up a report about the amethyst’s power and the outcome of all the predictions she’d made since she’d found it. But that would mean revealing its existence, and she wasn’t ready to do that yet. “Do we have to do a project, or is it optional?” she asked.

  Gwenda shrugged. “I think it’s optional. But you should do a project. You seem very interested in nature. You get very emotional about it.”

  “Emotional?” Alyssa said. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Just that you need to see your feelings reflected in nature,” Gwenda said. “You want to find magic there, so you twist the facts around until you make them look magical.”

  “What?” Alyssa’s face flamed red. What was it about Gwenda that set her off so much? “You’re the one who won’t see the truth. You discount any facts that don’t fit what you think of as science. You only believe in things that you can prove, but you won’t make room in your theory for mystery. The universe is full of things you can’t explain. But just because you can’t explain them doesn’t mean they don’t exist!”

  “Your highly emotional response to this subject is keeping you from thinking clearly,” Gwenda said.

  “Your highly unemotional response to everything means you’re missing out on the beauty of nature!” Alyssa said.

  “Beauty is subjective,” Gwenda said. “It’s not a fact.”

  “It is so a fact!” Alyssa hardly knew what she was saying, she was so mad. People like Gwenda missed the whole point of everything—to see the world, absorb it, enjoy it, and stop thinking about it so much. “Beauty is a fact. Look.” Alyssa pointed at the sky, which was the clear, soft blue of a fine china teacup. “Look at that sky. The color. Isn’t that beautiful?”

  “I think it’s beautiful,” Gwenda said. “But that’s only my opinion. The fact is, that color is caused by the ozone and high pressure in the atmosphere, and—”

  “But anybody on earth looking at that sky would say it is beautiful,” Alyssa said. “Doesn’t that make it true? If everyone in the whole world agrees that it’s true?”

  “Not necessarily,” Gwenda said. “I have no way of knowing what everyone in the world thinks about that color. Until you provide evidence, I cannot accept your statement as fact.”

  Alyssa sighed with frustration. “You’re missing the point! I give up. There’s no use arguing with you,” she said, and ran off to the arts and crafts room. I think I’ll make a voodoo doll, she thought. And it’s going to look a lot like Gwenda.

  That afternoon, Gaby went into the kitchen during a free period. The cook was busy chopping vegetables, but he agreed to let Gaby use the equipment she needed to make a pan of chocolate peanut butter Rice Krispies treats. Rice Krispies, marshmallows, chocolate chips, peanut butter . . . She had to admit that they weren’t exactly hard to make, though her father always said hers were the best. She had the magic touch, that’s what he said. Ever since Alyssa had found that amethyst, Gaby was beginning to believe in magic more and more. If Amy worked magic for Alyssa, maybe Rice Krispies treats would work magic for Gaby. Stranger things had happened. Especially in the past few days.

  When the bars were done, Gaby let them cool, then cut them into neat, generous squares. She wrapped them in aluminum foil and tied the package with a red ribbon. There. At the very least, Donovan’s bunkmates would be jealous.

  After dinner, everyone met for a campfire sing-along under the stars. Gaby found Donovan sitting with his friends on a log near the fire. She walked over to them, carrying her package of treats.

  “Hi, Donovan,” she said.

  “Hey there, first mate,” he said. They’d had another disastrous day of sailing that morning—tangled ropes, improperly tied knots coming loose, sails falling into the water, general chaos—but Donovan never seemed to hold it against her. She thought he might ask to be switched with another partner, but so far he just laughed at her utter incompetence, as if it amused him. But not in a good way. It seemed to amuse him the way slapstick clowns are funny, not the way girls you have a crush on are endearing. Gaby was determined to change that.

  “I brought you something.” Gaby offered him the tinfoil-wrapped package. “To make up for the mess I made this morning.”

  “Dude, thanks.” He took the package and opened it up. He stared at the squares in the darkness. It was hard to see much in the firelight. “What is it?”

  “Dessert,” Gaby said. “The stewed prunes they served after dinner tonight are not what I’d call a treat.”

  Donovan laughed. “Me neither.” He picked up one of the Rice Krispies treats and sniffed it, then immediately dropped it. “Sorry, dudette, but do these have peanuts in them?”

  Rats. She knew what was coming. “Peanut butter,” she said.

  “Totally allergic,” Donovan said, pointing to himself. “One bite could send me to the emergency room. Actually, I shouldn’t even be touching them.” He offered the bars to his friends. “Any of you guys want these?”

  “I’m allergic, too, dude,” one of Donovan’s friends said.

  “I hate the smell of peanut butter,” another one said.

  “I’ll eat them.” A third boy grabbed the package and started stuffing Rice Krispies treats into his mouth.

  “Sorry about that,” Gaby said. “I didn’t know.”

  “No worries,” Donovan said. “Nice try, Gaby. Thanks for the thought. See you on deck tomorrow—and this time, don’t wear red-soled sneakers. They leave marks on the boat.”

  “Good to know,” Gaby said, feeling dejected. “Thanks for the tip.”

  “Any time. Dudes, do you know this one?”

  Donovan and his friends started singing some emo song Gaby didn’t know, with Donovan on air guitar. She walked away. Another failure.

  What did it take to win him over? Gaby was stumped. She needed help. Huge help. Supernatural help.

  “Alyssa, please,” Gaby begged. She’d cornered Alyssa in the bunk after lunch the next day. “I’m desperate.”

  “I’m sure you are,” Alyssa said. She stroked Amy as if the amethyst wer
e a pet mouse. For some reason Gaby found the gesture annoying. “But I don’t want to misuse Amy. You heard what Sloan said. It could come back to bite us in the butt—karma-wise, I mean.”

  “Just ask it again who Donovan is taking to the dance,” Gaby said. In her mind, the dance was the big event of the summer, the night when couples would be made or broken. “Maybe the situation has changed a little. After all, he’s been seen canoodling with a lot of girls, but not with Candace.”

  “Oh, all right.” Alyssa closed her eyes and held Amy tight. “Who will Donovan ask to the dance?” she murmured like an incantation. “Donovan . . . dance . . . Donovan . . . dance . . .”

  Gaby waited nervously, biting her fingernails. “Also, if you see any hints for what I can do that he’d actually appreciate—things that don’t threaten his life like Rice Krispies treats—that would help.”

  “Okay, but don’t break my concentration,” Alyssa said.

  Gaby sat back to leave Alyssa to her psychic work. Alyssa had gotten a little full of herself since she’d become an all-seeing goddess of the supernatural, Gaby thought.

  Alyssa opened her eyes. “Sorry, Gaby,” she said. “I looked and looked, but all I see is Candace.”

  “Rats.” Gaby frowned.

  “Don’t be sad,” Alyssa said. “I’m not infallible. I could be wrong.” Gaby braced herself for the sentence she knew was coming next. “Of course, I haven’t been wrong yet. But there’s always a first time.”

  Natalie popped into the cabin. “Alyssa, come on. You’ll be late for your makeover.”

  “Coming. Sorry, I have to go,” Alyssa said to Gaby.

  “You’re getting a makeover?” Gaby said. “With Yvette?” Yvette was a counselor who was also a makeup pro. Everyone wanted a makeover from her, but she’d only give them under special circumstances.

  “She won it for shredding the obstacle course, remember?” Natalie said.

  “I’m not really into makeup,” Alyssa said with a shrug. “But it’s free, so why not, right?”

  “Yeah,” Gaby muttered. “Why not?” Everything was going Alyssa’s way lately. “You know, maybe some good things would happen to me if I had a lucky amethyst.”

  “Maybe,” Alyssa said. “But it helps if you’ve got the gift in the first place.”

  “Right,” Gaby said. “The gift.” As far as she could tell, the only gift Alyssa had was Amy. “What if I borrowed Amy for a few hours?” she said. “Maybe some of her good fortune would rub off on me. Maybe I’d even develop psychic powers of my own.”

  Alyssa put Amy in her pocket and patted her protectively. “Sorry, Gaby, I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “I just don’t want anything to happen to her,” Alyssa said.

  “I promise to take good care of her,” Gaby said. “Please, Alyssa? Just for one hour.”

  “I can’t,” Alyssa said. “The amethyst is too powerful. I can’t let her get into the wrong hands.”

  “The wrong hands?” This comment was extra super-duper annoying. What was wrong with Gaby’s hands? Why were they any more wrong than Alyssa’s? It wasn’t like she would lose the amethyst or anything.

  “I’ve got to go.” Alyssa left, taking Amy with her.

  She thinks she’s so great, Gaby thought. But she’d be nothing without that rock.

  Gaby knew Alyssa usually hid the amethyst before she left the bunk, and she wouldn’t tell anyone where—not even Natalie. But this time she took the stone with her—probably because she was afraid to hide Amy with Gaby lurking around.

  Amy is the key, Gaby thought. The key to finding a way to Donovan’s crush center, if not his actual heart. If only I could get my hands on it, just for a little while . . .

  An evil plan began to take shape in her mind. Well, not all that evil. Alyssa had found the amethyst on the ground at camp. It’s not like she bought it or anything. She didn’t own it, which meant she should be willing to share.

  Tonight, Gaby thought, when everyone leaves for dinner, I’ll hide and wait and see where Alyssa hides Amy. Then, when I get a chance, I’ll just borrow the stone for a few minutes. I’ve got to feel her power for myself.

  When I’m finished soaking up Amy’s incredible power, I’ll put her back. No harm done.

  Gaby couldn’t think of a single reason why she shouldn’t do this. After all, why should Alyssa have all the mystical power? It wasn’t fair. Gaby was just evening things out a little.

  Later that day, just before dinner, Gaby put stage one of her plan into effect. Mandy herded all the 6B girls off to the mess hall. As usual, Alyssa lingered, saying she’d catch up. Gaby left, trying to look innocent and inconspicuous.

  But she hung back as the group walked up the path toward the mess hall. Then she slipped off the path and hid behind a tree. No one noticed. At least, she didn’t think so. Mandy would reprimand her—and Alyssa—for not staying with the group, but this was worth a little scolding.

  She doubled back down the path to the cabin. When she got close, she crept though the woods, darting from tree to bush to shrub, hoping she wouldn’t be seen.

  She hid behind a large bush just outside the bunk. From there, she could see Alyssa through a cabin window. The window next to Alyssa’s bed opened slightly. Alyssa’s hand reached out, holding something that had to be Amy. The hand dropped the stone in a small niche behind the shutters, on the cabin’s outside wall.

  So, she hides Amy outside, Gaby thought. Very clever, Alyssa. Very clever.

  Gaby had the information she needed. She hurried up the path to the mess hall before anyone missed her, and before Alyssa spotted her. She’d put stage two into effect later. Now that she knew Amy’s hiding place, she had all the time in the world.

  chapter EIGHT

  “Hey, Alyssa.” Valerie burst into the bunk after dinner. Heat lightning flared in the distance, so the outdoor activity was canceled. “Did you see that poster outside the mess hall?”

  “Poster?” Alyssa said. “No, I didn’t notice.”

  “It said that somebody lost an amethyst,” Valerie said.

  Alyssa froze. Her amethyst belonged to someone else? No! This was her worst nightmare come true. There had to be a mistake.

  “Amethyst?” Alyssa said. “Are you sure? Maybe it said somebody lost an abacus.”

  Valerie raised her eyebrows. “An abacus? First of all, I know how to read. Second of all, who would bring an abacus to camp? Or anywhere?”

  “You never know,” Alyssa said. “Some of these younger kids are really geeky.”

  “The poster didn’t say abacus,” Valerie said. “I’ll quote it to you if you want. It said ‘Lost: Large Unpolished Amethyst. If found, please return to bunk 5C.’”

  “Bunk 5C!” Now Alyssa was really nervous. “Don’t you see, Valerie? This could be a conspiracy. Or a prank! Maybe someone in 5C heard about Amy and wants to test her superpowers for herself. Did any of you tell? Did anybody break our superswear to secrecy?”

  “No,” Priya said.

  “Not me,” Candace said.

  “Nobody spilled your stupid secret,” Chelsea said.

  “They might have overheard us talking, then,” Alyssa said. “I still say this is some kind of conspiracy.”

  “Or maybe,” Mandy said, “just maybe, somebody in 5C lost her amethyst and wants it back. Of all the possibilities, I’d say that’s the most likely.”

  Alyssa still didn’t buy it. But she had to admit it was possible. Mandy stood over her, hands on her hips, looking no-nonsense and practical like she always did. At that moment, Alyssa found no-nonsense and practical to be very irritating personality traits. But she knew what Mandy was waiting to hear.

  “Okay,” Alyssa said. “I’ll find out who the amethyst belongs to. And I’ll give it back tomorrow, as soon as I get a chance.”

  “Promise?” Mandy said.

  “Promise,” Alyssa said. She noticed that as she said the words, two of her fingers involuntarily crossed themselves.


  “Natalie, what’s wrong?” When Alyssa woke up the next morning, she found Natalie lying awake in bed, her eyes wide with fright.

  “I had another weird dream,” Natalie said. “It was kind of scary.”

  Alyssa reached under her pillow for Amy. “I’m ready,” she said. “Pour out the messages sent to you from your unconscious mind. Amy and I are prepared to interpret your most secret, innermost thoughts.”

  Natalie hesitated. Alyssa thought she looked slightly queasy, but maybe she was just hungry for breakfast. The other girls gathered around to hear Alyssa’s interpretation. It had become a morning ritual in bunk 6B.

  “Do my dream next,” Brynn said.

  “Natalie first,” Alyssa said.

  “Okay,” Natalie said. “Here’s my dream: I was here at camp, except it was winter. The camp was deserted. No one else was here. The lake was frozen, the trees were bare, and a plastic bag blew across the path for some reason.”

  “Very poetic,” Chelsea said.

  “Then what happened?” Priya said.

  “I walked into a bunk—a boys’ bunk,” Natalie said. “The door creaked. I brushed aside some cobwebs. The bunk was dusty, and all the mattresses were bare. Then for some reason I looked at the counselor’s cot . . . and I saw Logan lying there. His face was whitish-blue, like ice. And his eyes were open, staring.”

  Brynn clutched Tori. “This is spooky.”

  Alyssa stayed calm, rubbing the stone, keeping her eyes closed and concentrating on the images in the dream.

  “No talking, please,” she said. “I need to get the pure dream, directly from Natalie, with no distractions.”

  “Sorry,” Brynn said.

  “I shook his shoulder to wake him up, but his body was all stiff,” Natalie said. “Logan was . . . dead!”

  Brynn and Valerie shrieked. Alyssa opened her eyes.

  “Poor Natalie!” Mandy said. She sat beside Natalie and patted her back. “What a terrible dream. Are you all right?”

  Natalie nodded. “I think so. But what does it mean? It’s not a premonition of some kind, is it, Alyssa?”