 | by
Gabriella in Stress from the Science Fair AAAAAAAAAAAAH! |
Chapter 12
“Hi, Mom, I’m back,” I replied as I closed the front door behind me. I kicked off my flats and hung up my sweater. My mom didn’t reply.
“Mom?” I asked. I ventured into the kitchen.
My mom was sitting at the kitchen table shuffling through dandelion-colored envelopes with fancy, curly writing on them. A piece of paper and a pen sat on the table before her. The pen was scribbling madly across the paper though my mother was not holding it. I looked up at the clock on the wall. It was almost nine o’clock.
“Mom?” I repeated.
Her glasses were on the tip of her nose. She flipped her hair, and without looking up she replied, “Yes? What is it?”
“Er…I’m back from my date with Jake.”
“Oh yes…Did you have fun?”
“Yeah.” I walked behind her and peered at the envelopes. I quickly noticed a purple star ink-stamped on the upper right-hand corner of the envelope where the stamps would usually be.
Wizard’s Mail, I thought immediately.
My mom finished reading one of the letters and smiled. She held it up to me. “Look,” she said, “it’s little Evan on his first broom.” She pointed at a pictures glued onto the bottom of the dandelion colored paper.
Evan is my cousin. He’s ten years younger than I am. He’s totally adorable! Well, aren’t all babies? Evan has a lot of black hair on his head, he started walking when he was nine months old, he has those big, puppy-dog brown eyes, and his laugh and big smile make him the cutest two-year old in the world!
“He’s bigger and cuter than the last time I saw him!” I said, smiling. “Aunt Annabelle, Uncle Carter, and Jenna must be so happy.”
“Yes, well, except for Jenna,” my mom said, frowning a bit.
“What about Jenna?” I asked. Jenna is, of course, Evan’s older sister. She’s three years older than Evan. She had dark brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. She’s a bit goth for a five year old, but she’s pretty peppy. Her powers are starting to come in, but she hasn’t gotten to the scars and scratches stage, but she still uses magic whenever I’m around or on her little brother to please him. I was surprised to hear she was unhappy. She’s like a little ray of sunshine.
My mom stayed silent. All you could her was the pen still scribbling on the paper.
“What about Jenna?” I repeated.
My mom took a deep breath then said, “Jenna’s been kidnapped.”
“What?”
She nodded. “We think they’re going for Evan or you or even Jake next.”
“Who? Who wants us?” I asked frantically. I was wanted and not in a good way. I bit my lower lip.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. We’ll make sure that nothing happens to you, Evan, or Jake. I’m writing a letter to Jake’s parent’s now.” She pointed to the pen scribbling on the piece of paper. She lifted a finger and the pen fell on the table. She took the piece of paper and tapped it. She muttered, “Correo,” and the paper folded into an envelope and flew out an open window.
“Mom, who wants to take young witches and wizard like me, Evan, or Jake? What use would we be?” I asked. I mean, I can’t cast spells like my sisters or read minds like my brother or even shoot mail out the window. I have my mom or dad mail my letters. I doubt Evan or even Jake, the Amazing Hooded Wizard, did anything like that. We're just amatures.
My mom took some more deep breaths before continuing. She whispered, “The Menacing One.”
“Who’s the ‘Menacing One’?” I asked.
“Aristo Mauvais,” she replied, still in a whisper.
“Aristo Mauvais?” I asked loudly.
“Shhh!” she exclaimed, standing up to cover my mouth. “We can’t say it here in the world Ninians! The name is cursed, and if any Ninian hears it, you’ll die and be cursed to stay around the Wizarding World as a ghost! It’s a terrible, terrible thing. So never, ever say the name!”
I nodded, my mom’s hand still covering my mouth.
She took her hand away from my mouth. “Now go to bed. Tomorrow you’re going to school. Just forget about Aristo Mauvais. Love you.” She kissed me on the cheek and sat back down on the kitchen chair.
“’Night,” I said as I walked out of the kitchen, maybe for the last time, and thought about Aristo Mauvais and why he would want poor, helpless, young sorcerers like me. Then I realized it. We’re weak and young. He can either give us back to our parents for Quartz (wizarding money), or train us into strong, evil sorcerers, or both!
These thoughts swam around in my mind as I lay in bed, staring at ceiling.
What am I going to do?!
See more stories by Gabriella