Chapter 1
Beatrix, or B for short, slid onto a kitchen stool and watched her mother work her magic. A brick of cheddar cheese shredded itself into a pile while an invisible knife diced a juicy red tomato. Her mother stood behind the counter, muttering spells under her breath.
“Tacos tonight, Mom?” B asked.
“Taco salad,” Mrs. Cicely corrected. “Guacamole … let me think … Ah. Here we go.
Chips, sour cream, refried
frijoles,
All we need is guacamole.
Mash garlic with avocado,
Onion, and a ripe to-mah-to.”
And before B’s eyes, two avocados peeled themselves in midair. They spat out their large roundstones, plopped themselves in a bowl, and blended in with a swirl of garlic, onion, and tomato. Mrs. Cicely added a dash of salt, and B scooped up some of the finished guacamole with a tortilla chip. Delicious! Her mom definitely had a talent for cooking.
A loud drumbeat rattled through the kitchen ceiling, shaking the hanging lamps. B recognized the intro to “Swagger,” a recent single from the Black Cats. They’d been her favorite band long before meeting her friend Trina, who turned out to be the lead singer. Trina had an amazing voice — and was also a witch, like B.
B pinched another chip and pointed it at the ceiling. “What’s up?”
“It’s your sister,” Mrs. Cicely said. “She’s been in her room ever since she got home from school, practicing her act for the talent show.”
The whole city was buzzing with the news that the TV show
You’ve Got It!
was hosting auditions in B’s school auditorium. The show was even bringingout its mega-famous host, Clifton Davro, to judge the auditions.
“Of course.” B tried to snag more guacamole, but her mother whisked it away before she could reach the dish. “Everyone I know seems to be going crazy trying to find a winning act. George nearly choked on the bus trying to sing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ while eating Enchanted Chocolates.”
Mrs. Cicely made a face. “That can’t have been nice to watch.”
B laughed at the memory of her best friend George’s face smeared with chocolate, singing, “
Jo se can oo lee.
” At least that was what it had sounded like.
“Have
you
done any practicing for your performance?” her mom asked.
“Hah.” It was B’s turn to make a sour face. “My only talent is messing things up. I’m in no hurry to do that on national television. I’m pretty sure I don’t
have it.
”
“I didn’t mean the talent show,” Mrs. Cicely said.B could hear the edge of a lecture creeping into her mom’s voice. “I was thinking of Friday’s Young Witch Competition.”
B’s spirits drooped. All the excitement since the announcement from
You’ve Got It!
had almost made her forget about her opportunity for humiliation at the annual witching event. B hated being up onstage, and this competition would force her to compete in front of a huge crowd. While all the other witches would be making up original rhyming spells for the contest, B’s magic was different. She cast spells by spelling words, and sometimes they had unexpected consequences. But the worst thing about the competition was that her sister had won it when she was eleven.
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” B said, “but I haven’t gotten far.” She knew she needed something U-N-I-Q-U-E and A-W-E-S-O-M-E but hadn’t come up with anything better than a spell about the weather.
“Oh, there are so many possibilities,” Mrs. Cicelybegan. “I have an issue of
Spellbound Monthly
somewhere….”
“Mr. Bishop has offered to help me and Trina prepare. Tomorrow, after school, during our magic lessons.”
Mr. Bishop was B’s English teacher, but when B visited him after class for extra study help, the tutoring didn’t involve literature, or essays, or grammar. It involved potions, and spells, and magical travel to wonderful places. Lucky for B, she didn’t need extra help in English. It was already her best subject.
“Make sure you
Beatrix, or B for short, slid onto a kitchen stool and watched her mother work her magic. A brick of cheddar cheese shredded itself into a pile while an invisible knife diced a juicy red tomato. Her mother stood behind the counter, muttering spells under her breath.
“Tacos tonight, Mom?” B asked.
“Taco salad,” Mrs. Cicely corrected. “Guacamole … let me think … Ah. Here we go.
Chips, sour cream, refried
frijoles,
All we need is guacamole.
Mash garlic with avocado,
Onion, and a ripe to-mah-to.”
And before B’s eyes, two avocados peeled themselves in midair. They spat out their large roundstones, plopped themselves in a bowl, and blended in with a swirl of garlic, onion, and tomato. Mrs. Cicely added a dash of salt, and B scooped up some of the finished guacamole with a tortilla chip. Delicious! Her mom definitely had a talent for cooking.
A loud drumbeat rattled through the kitchen ceiling, shaking the hanging lamps. B recognized the intro to “Swagger,” a recent single from the Black Cats. They’d been her favorite band long before meeting her friend Trina, who turned out to be the lead singer. Trina had an amazing voice — and was also a witch, like B.
B pinched another chip and pointed it at the ceiling. “What’s up?”
“It’s your sister,” Mrs. Cicely said. “She’s been in her room ever since she got home from school, practicing her act for the talent show.”
The whole city was buzzing with the news that the TV show
You’ve Got It!
was hosting auditions in B’s school auditorium. The show was even bringingout its mega-famous host, Clifton Davro, to judge the auditions.
“Of course.” B tried to snag more guacamole, but her mother whisked it away before she could reach the dish. “Everyone I know seems to be going crazy trying to find a winning act. George nearly choked on the bus trying to sing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ while eating Enchanted Chocolates.”
Mrs. Cicely made a face. “That can’t have been nice to watch.”
B laughed at the memory of her best friend George’s face smeared with chocolate, singing, “
Jo se can oo lee.
” At least that was what it had sounded like.
“Have
you
done any practicing for your performance?” her mom asked.
“Hah.” It was B’s turn to make a sour face. “My only talent is messing things up. I’m in no hurry to do that on national television. I’m pretty sure I don’t
have it.
”
“I didn’t mean the talent show,” Mrs. Cicely said.B could hear the edge of a lecture creeping into her mom’s voice. “I was thinking of Friday’s Young Witch Competition.”
B’s spirits drooped. All the excitement since the announcement from
You’ve Got It!
had almost made her forget about her opportunity for humiliation at the annual witching event. B hated being up onstage, and this competition would force her to compete in front of a huge crowd. While all the other witches would be making up original rhyming spells for the contest, B’s magic was different. She cast spells by spelling words, and sometimes they had unexpected consequences. But the worst thing about the competition was that her sister had won it when she was eleven.
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” B said, “but I haven’t gotten far.” She knew she needed something U-N-I-Q-U-E and A-W-E-S-O-M-E but hadn’t come up with anything better than a spell about the weather.
“Oh, there are so many possibilities,” Mrs. Cicelybegan. “I have an issue of
Spellbound Monthly
somewhere….”
“Mr. Bishop has offered to help me and Trina prepare. Tomorrow, after school, during our magic lessons.”
Mr. Bishop was B’s English teacher, but when B visited him after class for extra study help, the tutoring didn’t involve literature, or essays, or grammar. It involved potions, and spells, and magical travel to wonderful places. Lucky for B, she didn’t need extra help in English. It was already her best subject.
“Make sure you
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