a soft drink and stepped aside. Sebastian looked at the candy and junk food for sale, trying to figure out what he could buy.
W HEN HE WALKED by the Pit that afternoon, Sebastian saw Isadora, Constantino and some other students standing there, smoking and chatting.
Isadora held her cigarette with two fingers and she smiled, just a tiny smile.
He felt like waving and smiling back, but Constantino turned his head and saw him. Sebastian continued on his way, eyes fixed straight ahead.
“Y OU KNOW WHAT it’s like? It’s like reverse engineering.”
“What’s reverse engineering?” Sebastian asked.
“Umm... it’s when you lack the software specifications so you poke around the program interface trying to find the solution. That’s what we are doing with magic.”
Meche grabbed another record, looking at it critically. They had tried four different albums and none of them had produced the same magic effect as last time. Meche had been sure all they had to do was focus and be specific, but apparently that was not enough.
“I don’t understand,” Sebastian said.
“Okay, like the TU-4.”
“The what?”
“During World War II the Russians didn’t have a strategic bomber like the US and they wanted one. But they couldn’t figure out how to build it. Then a few B-29 bombers had to make emergency landings in Russia and the Russians looked at them, figured how they were made and made their own bombers. It’s like... like building a puzzle without the instructions. Figuring it backwards. Something like that.”
“You mean it’s like taking a stab in the dark,” Sebastian said.
“An educated stab.”
“How’d you learn about World War II?”
“That time they punished me and I had to spend a whole month during recess in the library. I had to read the encyclopedia and write a report on Russia during World War II.”
“Who’d know,” he said with a smirk.
“What?”
“You can read.”
Meche punched his arm and Sebastian chuckled.
“I still don’t understand what we are doing,” Daniela said, holding up a bunch of record sleeves in her hands.
“We don’t know either,” Sebastian said.
“Oh.”
Daniela blinked, then looked at her records. They had been at this for more than an hour and he sensed that soon enough Daniela would ask to go home. If they were going to figure how to cast a spell a second time around, they had to do it quick.
“Okay, let’s try Money’s Too Tight To Mention,” Sebastian said. He was out of other ideas.
They crowded around the portable record player, holding hands tight, just like last time. The little beat began and then the chorus, “We’re talking ’bout money, money!” But nothing happened. The room remained cold and still.
“Ugh,” Meche said, falling back against the floor. “What’s wrong? We’ve done obvious songs, not so obvious songs...”
“We can try Material Girl again,” Sebastian suggested.
That had been the first song they’d attempted to use. A second try might not amount to anything, but Sebastian did not know what else to pick. Meche rubbed her hands against her eyes.
“Okay,” Daniela said, sounding chipper. “Let me find it one more time.”
Sebastian sat down next to Meche, bumping his sneaker against hers.
“Hey, we have time to get it right,” he said. “We’ll wish for the money, wish for the—”
“I so wanted to get a decent dress that’s not like two sizes too big,” Meche muttered. “And maybe get rid of the pimples... somehow.”
“They’re not that bad,” he said, trying to be kind, though they were bad. Meche often had pimples all around her mouth and smack in the middle of her forehead. She tried to hide them with her bangs, but it didn’t help. “Just fucking hormones.”
“Gee, Doctor Soto, you think?”
“Don’t be annoying.”
Meche bumped his shoe back and turned to look at him, frowning. She looked very solemn, but a grin was about to break through, shattering
W HEN HE WALKED by the Pit that afternoon, Sebastian saw Isadora, Constantino and some other students standing there, smoking and chatting.
Isadora held her cigarette with two fingers and she smiled, just a tiny smile.
He felt like waving and smiling back, but Constantino turned his head and saw him. Sebastian continued on his way, eyes fixed straight ahead.
“Y OU KNOW WHAT it’s like? It’s like reverse engineering.”
“What’s reverse engineering?” Sebastian asked.
“Umm... it’s when you lack the software specifications so you poke around the program interface trying to find the solution. That’s what we are doing with magic.”
Meche grabbed another record, looking at it critically. They had tried four different albums and none of them had produced the same magic effect as last time. Meche had been sure all they had to do was focus and be specific, but apparently that was not enough.
“I don’t understand,” Sebastian said.
“Okay, like the TU-4.”
“The what?”
“During World War II the Russians didn’t have a strategic bomber like the US and they wanted one. But they couldn’t figure out how to build it. Then a few B-29 bombers had to make emergency landings in Russia and the Russians looked at them, figured how they were made and made their own bombers. It’s like... like building a puzzle without the instructions. Figuring it backwards. Something like that.”
“You mean it’s like taking a stab in the dark,” Sebastian said.
“An educated stab.”
“How’d you learn about World War II?”
“That time they punished me and I had to spend a whole month during recess in the library. I had to read the encyclopedia and write a report on Russia during World War II.”
“Who’d know,” he said with a smirk.
“What?”
“You can read.”
Meche punched his arm and Sebastian chuckled.
“I still don’t understand what we are doing,” Daniela said, holding up a bunch of record sleeves in her hands.
“We don’t know either,” Sebastian said.
“Oh.”
Daniela blinked, then looked at her records. They had been at this for more than an hour and he sensed that soon enough Daniela would ask to go home. If they were going to figure how to cast a spell a second time around, they had to do it quick.
“Okay, let’s try Money’s Too Tight To Mention,” Sebastian said. He was out of other ideas.
They crowded around the portable record player, holding hands tight, just like last time. The little beat began and then the chorus, “We’re talking ’bout money, money!” But nothing happened. The room remained cold and still.
“Ugh,” Meche said, falling back against the floor. “What’s wrong? We’ve done obvious songs, not so obvious songs...”
“We can try Material Girl again,” Sebastian suggested.
That had been the first song they’d attempted to use. A second try might not amount to anything, but Sebastian did not know what else to pick. Meche rubbed her hands against her eyes.
“Okay,” Daniela said, sounding chipper. “Let me find it one more time.”
Sebastian sat down next to Meche, bumping his sneaker against hers.
“Hey, we have time to get it right,” he said. “We’ll wish for the money, wish for the—”
“I so wanted to get a decent dress that’s not like two sizes too big,” Meche muttered. “And maybe get rid of the pimples... somehow.”
“They’re not that bad,” he said, trying to be kind, though they were bad. Meche often had pimples all around her mouth and smack in the middle of her forehead. She tried to hide them with her bangs, but it didn’t help. “Just fucking hormones.”
“Gee, Doctor Soto, you think?”
“Don’t be annoying.”
Meche bumped his shoe back and turned to look at him, frowning. She looked very solemn, but a grin was about to break through, shattering
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