Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

I frowned at the shard of glass on the breakfast table, turning it over in my hands. The edges were sharp, but the mystery it held was even sharper. Jessie and Robbie came over, their plates full of the morning's offering.

"Morning."

"Morning," I greeted, turning the piece of glass over in my palm.

"What are you doing?" Jessie peered over my shoulder.

"Trying to figure out what spell is on it or what potion was in it," I said. "But since I have no experience with this kind of stuff, all I’m really doing is glaring and wishing I had some answers."

"It’s not a lot to go on." Robbie frowned as he took a bite of his eggs. "Owning a chain of hardware stores hardly prepared me for magical mysteries."

"Having a background as a dental receptionist is equally helpful," I told him dryly. Then, I turned to Jessie. "How many potions do you know that could blow something up?"

"Quite a few," she said. "But I think the key here is that Jaylyn disappeared. She didn’t explode herself, or we’d find… well, evidence of that."

I wince. "Yeah, there was definitely no evidence of that." Body parts would be hard to miss.

"The spell has to slice cleanly through the statues but just make her vanish, which is a lot more complicated. I don’t know a spell that could do that."

We all sat in silence for a few minutes, devouring eggs, French toast, and bacon. The whole meal would be enough to lift my spirits in any other situation. But right now, they just felt out-of-place given the problems surrounding us .

Outside the cafeteria doors, I spot the two hunters walking down the hall. My stomach tightens, and my appetite flees. What will happen if I get blamed for this too? What will the hunters do to me?

I don’t want to find out, so that means we need to figure this out. We need to turn this shard of glass into something more. A true clue.

"Wish we had someone who knew their way around bottles or magical trinkets," I say. "Because there’s surely got to be evidence on this glass, if we just had someone knowledgeable enough to look at it."

Jessie plopped her fork into her eggs. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Of course, I wish we magically had someone like that," I answered with a huff. "But Ms. Ingow is the only person specializing in any of this, and she’s not about to help us."

She chewed thoughtfully for a moment before perking up. "Wait a second. Do you remember Shipton Harbor? The magical place I took you guys shopping. There’s another town on the same island. I’d forgotten all about it. It’s called Moonbeam Cove, and it’s pretty much an all-magical town. There's this shop there, stuffed to the brim with bottles and magical whatnots."

"Really?" I leaned forward.

"Yep. Maybe we could check it out? I bet the shop owner knows everything there is to know about bottles. We could go tomorrow, after class. We have that break, remember?"

Excitement fluttered in my chest. "But how would we get back in time?"

"Our black stones, silly."

Robbie grinned. "So, it's settled then. We meet at the portal room after class."

"Deal." I couldn't keep the smile off my face. This was it, a lead, and perhaps a step toward clearing my name.

"Now," Robbie said, "Cendi and I might want to hurry up, or we’ll be late for class."

We finished our food in a rush and headed down the hall. The other students followed, giving us a bit of space, but I didn’t really mind. Being with Jessie and Robbie wasn’t all that bad .

Thirty minutes later, Enchantment Basics was in full swing, and I stood there with a flower, trying to make sense of Mr. Vanderflit's latest instructions. "Remember," he said, "exaggerate your movements at first. It's key to getting the feel for the spell."

On the board, there was a whole list of enchantments we were supposed to be doing today. I found it hard to believe we’d even be able to learn half of those in one day, but I also trusted that Mr. Vanderflit knew what he was doing.

"Like this?" Robbie gave his wand a graceful twirl and hopped. His flower bloomed.

"Exactly." Mr. Vanderflit clapped, his wool sleeves flapping. "Well done."

Though, I’d already seen him grow a flower for me, so this was probably right up his sleeve. For me? Not so much. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.

I mimicked Robbie, hopping awkwardly while drawing circles in the air with my wand. It felt ridiculous, and I could tell by the sweat on my brow and the clumsy arc of my wand that I wasn't getting it. Looking stupid and getting something wrong, that was something only I could master.

"Here, let me show you." Jessie moved beside me, her hand gently correcting my grip on the wand. "Bend your knees more. Bounce lightly."

With her guidance, I tried again. And suddenly, the flower in front of me shuddered, then bloomed rapidly, petals fluttering.

"It worked!" I gasped, panting from the effort but beaming with triumph.

"See? You've got it." Jessie's smile was infectious.

I turned to share my success with Robbie, who was already watching with a grin. "Nice job." He nodded in approval.

"Thanks to Jessie," I admitted, still catching my breath. "But hey, I didn't look too much like a fool, did I?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, my hands tingled right before vines and flowers sprouted out of my palm. Panic set in which only made the flowers grow faster. "Guys. How do I stop it?"

Robbie grabbed my shoulders and met my panicked gaze. "Calm down and focus. Breath with me. "

Nodding, I breathed with him, in and out slowly. He smiled. "Good. Now focus on pulling back the magic as if pulling the flowers back into your hands.

It took a few tries, but I did and within a few seconds, the flowers and vines disappeared. I turned over my hands and studied them. Focusing on my magic, I willed the flowers to reappear. Then I pulled them back, making them disappear once more. Laughing, I lifted my gaze to Robbie's. "I did it. I controlled them. This is cool."

"I knew you could do it," Robbie said, then winked.

"Will this spell work on any plant?" I asked Mr. Vanderflit.

"Absolutely, even the killer ones," he said with a chuckle.

"Guess that's bad news for anyone Cendi's mad at," Marcus said from across the room, sending a pointed look my way.

My stomach dropped, the laughter around me turning into a distant echo. Clearing my name was no longer just a wish; it was a necessity. I couldn’t afford to have everyone around me believing that I’m a murderer.

"All right, folks." Mr. Vanderflit clapped his hands. "Enough of that spell. Let’s learn how to protect ourselves next."

We all watched closely as he demonstrated the barrier spell. When it was our turn, I focused hard, visualizing a shield around me as I made the proper movements. To my surprise, a shimmering bubble enveloped not just me but Jessie and Robbie too.

"Remarkable, Cendi," Mr. Vanderflit said, coming up to the bubble and staring in shock. "Very few can extend their barriers on the first try."

"Thanks, Mr. Vanderflit." A warmth that had nothing to do with the spells we were casting spread through me.

After a bit, he started us on a new spell. "Next up, let's warm things up with a bubble charm," he announced.

Jessie and I worked together, and before long, I was encased in a cozy, warm bubble. Robbie, meanwhile, was having a blast, literally, as he sent objects whizzing through the air with a blasting charm.

"Okay, now you try the unlocking spell," Jessie said once she saw I had mastered the warmth bubble .

"Here goes nothing," I said and pointed my wand at the practice lock. It popped with ease, surprising me. "Well, that worked," I said.

Seriously. These enchantments weren’t nearly as hard as I thought they’d be. Some part of me expected every enchantment to be as difficult as the first one we learned, but they were actually getting easier with time.

"Nice job!"

"Thanks." I studied the lock. It was like unlocking more than just the practice mechanism; it was a step toward something bigger. Spells that could really help me out in the world.

Most of the students were continuing to practice, but Jessie, Robbie, and I sat together for a minute, catching our breath. Spells really could take it out of you. The thing was, we still needed energy. We had an investigation to continue.

"Think you're ready for Moonbeam Cove?" Robbie asked.

The next step in figuring out Jaylyn’s disappearance? "Definitely. I'm not just going to sit around waiting for answers to come to me."

"Good attitude." Jessie nodded. "We'll figure this out."

"Let's pack up for today." Mr. Vanderflit clapped his hands together, sending a puff of chalk dust into the air. "Remember to practice those barriers before our next lesson."

"Will do, Mr. Vanderflit," I promised, already thinking about how the protective spell felt natural to me, as if I was meant to shield others.

Jessie lingered for a moment, her eyes soft. "You're doing great, you know."

"Feels like I've been thrown into the deep end, but I'm swimming," I said with a laugh. And I meant it.