Read an Excerpt
Chapter 1: What Just Happened? WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
I know two things that can make a classroom full of magical middle schoolers go completely bonkers.
The first day of spring and a teacher being late for class.
It’s like a recipe for total madness.
My aunt Trudy calls it “double whammy.”
<figure>
That’s what’s happening right now in my potions class. Everyone has legit lost it—even me!
“Let’s get some AIR in here!” I shout, thrusting open the windows and letting spring swirl into our classroom.
Ahhhhh.
The fresh breeze blows away months of dusty, closed-in winter air.
It also triggers some of the kids to shoot rubber bands and fly paper airplanes.
Snap! Swoosh! Doink!
Others hide behind chairs, laughing, dodging, and squealing.
Wow, it feels good to cut loose.
My friend Hunter McCann only adds to the wackiness. He brought a prank sound machine to class. He got it in a care package from his aunt.
He’s pressing all the buttons, making one kooky sound after another. A blasting air horn, hideous laughter, squealing tires, shattering glass, and LOTS of really gross—but funny—bathroom noises.
We shriek with laughter.
Sophie Rodriguez laughs so hard, she falls off her chair.
Kabonk!
On the other side of the room, there are two kids hanging from the doorframe trying to see who can do more pull-ups.
As for my friends Isabelle and Melanie, they’re crumpling up notebook paper and shooting them into our teacher Mrs. Kettledrum’s wastebasket.
This is when Mrs. Kettledrum walks into the classroom.
Nobody even notices her, except for the boys doing pull-ups on the doorframe because they’re blocking her way. Poor Mrs. Kettledrum does her best to get our attention.
“Class!
“Class!
“CLA-A-A-SS!”
Nobody hears her over the hubbub, though I’m vaguely aware of Mrs. K’s dog, Momo, barking somewhere in a galaxy light-years away. Soon our teacher has to resort to stronger means to get our attention.
<figure>
OMGosh! What is that deafening sound? It’s like we’re inside a big bell.
We clap our hands over our ears. Then the room falls silent except for the tickity-tick of a pencil falling onto the floor.
“Well, that’s MUCH better!” Mrs. Kettledrum exclaims, shaking her head. “My goodness! I’ve never seen such a dreadful case of spring fever!”
Momo hops onto Mrs. K’s chair and barks sharply to echo our teacher’s dismay.
We quickly take our seats without a word. By now the whole class has already moved on to something else. Something much more interesting than spring fever.
Mrs. Kettledrum has not only arrived late...
She’s not alone.
<figure>
There, standing beside our teacher, is a new girl.
I size her up in a millisecond.
She has straight chocolate-brown hair that falls halfway down her back and a thick curtain of bangs. Freckles smatter her perfectly upturned nose and cheeks.
Adorable.
Her eyes are a sparkling emerald green, outlined with dark feathery lashes. She’s wearing a medium-wash denim skirt and a navy-and-oat-striped crocheted top.
My kind of outfit.
She’s super-pretty and trendy—someone Melanie would definitely glom on to, which leads to my next question.
Who IS this girl?
What’s she doing here?
Could she be Mrs. Kettledrum’s niece? I doubt it. She’s probably a visiting student.
Or maybe she’s a new student starting today?
Why would Broomsfield Academy bring in a new student so close to the end of the year?
I look around the room to see what my classmates are thinking. They look like they’re wondering the same thing as me.
“Okay, now that everyone has settled down,” Mrs. Kettledrum begins, “I want to first remind you that Friday is our field trip to the American Natural History Museum.”
We cheer our approval, though we hardly need reminding. We’ve been looking forward to this field trip for weeks.
<figure>
What we really want to know is, who is this mystery girl?
But Mrs. K tells us more about the class trip.
“This field trip has such special meaning for me,” she says, pressing one hand to her heart.
“Each year I take my first-year magical students to this museum. It’s so important to get out into the world and learn about a different kind of magic—the magic of science and the natural world. I know you’re all going to love it! We’ll depart for the museum after lunch on Friday.”
Then our favorite teacher clasps her hands together and finally addresses the stranger standing beside her.
“Our field trip is also perfect timing for our new student!”
My heart skips a beat when she says “new student.” Wow, this girl IS starting now....
Mrs. Kettledrum rests one hand gently on the new girl’s shoulder.
“Attention, everyone!” our teacher says. “I’m happy to introduce your new classmate, Jodi Thompson.”
Jodi smiles and seems exceptionally comfortable with all of us staring at her. It’s like we’re her adoring fans.
One word: confident.
Mrs. Kettledrum tells us a little bit about the new girl.
“Jodi has moved here all the way from Canada,” our teacher tells us. “I’m proud to share that Jodi is also a very gifted witch, who was at the top of her magic classes at her former school. Please let’s all give Jodi a warm welcome to Broomsfield Academy....”
We clap courteously to make Jodi feel welcome.
I know this may sound weird, but the new girl already makes me feel a smidge uncomfortable. I’m pretty sure it’s because Mrs. Kettledrum called her a very gifted witch.
It triggered a feeling of jealousy inside me.
How ridiculous is that?
I push those thoughts away.
The funny thing is, as soon as I think this, Jodi looks directly at me and smiles.
But it’s not just any smile; it’s a knowing smile.
I squirm in my chair.
Whoa, it’s almost as if Jodi just read my mind!
Now, that really IS ridiculous. There’s no way Jodi can read my thoughts.
Right when I think that, Jodi smiles at me again and raises her eyebrow.
Wait, did she actually hear what I was thinking?
<figure>
I’m so caught off guard, I gasp loudly. The sound draws attention, so I cough to cover it up. But I must have coughed too loudly because Mrs. Kettledrum calls on me.
Eek!
“Is everything all right, Heidi?”
I quickly cover my mouth and pretend to clear my throat.
“Um, yes! I’m fine, Mrs. Kettledrum!” I say awkwardly. “Just had a little something caught in my throat.” I grab my neck and clear my throat again to make my cover-up seem more believable.
Mrs. Kettledrum seems to buy it, but not Jodi. She just openly smirked at me!
I turn around to see if Jodi could possibly be looking at somebody else, but there’s no mistaking it. She’s definitely smirking at me.
Okay, what is going on right now?!
Suddenly everything seems strangely out of control.
I tap Melanie, who’s sitting next to me, on the arm. She looks at me like, What?
I give her a forceful look and nod slightly toward Jodi as if to say, Do you notice anything weird about the new girl?
Melanie shakes her head, totally clueless. She doesn’t get what I’m trying to say, or what’s going on, at all.
I huff.
Well, whatever IS going on, it’s not good.
Something’s definitely off. I can feel it.
Why would I be getting totally creepy vibes from this new girl? I don’t even know her!
All I know is, she’s a very gifted witch from Canada, who seems to be singling me out. What’s the deal?
This is freaking me out.
Did she really just read my thoughts? Or was it my imagination?
One word: chilling.
<figure>
