Read Online Kelly McClymer-Salem Witch 02 Competition's A Witch by Kelly McClymer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kelly McClymer
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Just like she didn’t yell at me for bringing a mortal into the house without warning. Not in front of the mortals. I was very glad she hadn’t seen Tobias doing his popping thing while Angelo was in the room.
We headed back out, past the Dorklock playing his dorky video games. It was the one mortal thing he hadn’t given up in favor of magic.
Angelo looked puzzled. “I thought you only had peanut butter cookies.”
“What?” And then I noticed the big plate of chocolate chip cookies sitting next to my clueless little brother. Great. “Mom must have made some without telling me,” I improvised. “Would you like a few?”
He stared at me with a “something isn’t quite right here” frown for a second, then said, “No thanks. The peanut butter ones you made were perfect.”
“Thanks.”
As he started down the steps back to work, he stopped and turned to say, “I hope you find a reason to like Salem, Pru.”
Oh, yeah. I’d found a reason. Too bad he was mortal and on the new-and-improved “Do Not Date” list along with losers, gang members, Crips, Bloods, and skinheads.
As soon as the door closed, I found myself back in the kitchen—Mom’s magic, not mine. Tobias was there too. Mom looked at us both with that “How did I ever think Icould leave you alone?” look. “We need to talk about letting mortals in the house.”
“I didn’t do anything.” Tobias squirmed. I guess he was trying to pop out and Mom was blocking it. Which would have been kewl to watch if I hadn’t known my turn to burn was coming next.
“How about popping in and out of the room while Angelo was here?” I wasn’t going down alone on this one. After all, I’d been careful of the rules and hadn’t done any visible magic.
“I’m not the one who invited him in!” the Dorklock protested.
“Hush.” Mom stood up and circled the kitchen like a nervous lioness. “We should have a signal. Something to tell us all that there’s a mortal in the house.”
“I know,” Tobias offered. “We could have one of those air horn blasts. He waved his hand and demonstrated. Mom and I covered our ears.
Mom shook her head. “Hardly. I don’t want you going deaf.”
Just then, Dad came in. He gave Mom a kiss and dropped his briefcase on the kitchen counter. He was smiling, but as soon as he realized he’d stepped into a problem, his smile faded away. “What’s the matter?”
Dorklock, the ever-sensitive, blurted, “We’re trying to decide what the warning sign should be for when there’s a mortal in the house.”
Dad’s smile came back—the fake, advertising-hotshot smile. “Why do you need a warning sign?”
Mom sighed and stopped pacing. “Pru invited Angelo in for cookies to thank him for raking the yard.”
“Oh.” He shrugged. “Simple enough.” He turned to me. “Pru, don’t invite Angelo into the house again.”
“Daaad! How rude do I have to be?” It was one thing to put Angelo off-limits as boyfriend material. But I didn’t want him to think I was stuck-up. What if I got the hang of this witch thing and I could go out with a mortal boy “ in the future? Waaay in the future?
Mom shook her head. “I wish it were that simple. But Pru is right, we can’t appear to be unfriendly. We learned that lesson in Beverly Hills. The neighbors watch unfriendly people even more closely than friendly ones. And Angelo’s mother is not one to be frozen out—even politely.”
“Then why don’t you whip up a mortal warning charm?” Dad said.
“That’s what we were just talking about,” Tobias said. “Make one that sounds like an air horn.”
“Wind chimes,” I said.
“Okay.” Mom didn’t look any less worried.
“Great.” Dad kissed her again. “Problem solved.” He grabbed his briefcase and headed for his office.
Tobias popped away, probably back to his video game. Which left me with Mom. Who still looked very problem-not-solved.I asked, “Do you want me to look for a mortal warning charm
We headed back out, past the Dorklock playing his dorky video games. It was the one mortal thing he hadn’t given up in favor of magic.
Angelo looked puzzled. “I thought you only had peanut butter cookies.”
“What?” And then I noticed the big plate of chocolate chip cookies sitting next to my clueless little brother. Great. “Mom must have made some without telling me,” I improvised. “Would you like a few?”
He stared at me with a “something isn’t quite right here” frown for a second, then said, “No thanks. The peanut butter ones you made were perfect.”
“Thanks.”
As he started down the steps back to work, he stopped and turned to say, “I hope you find a reason to like Salem, Pru.”
Oh, yeah. I’d found a reason. Too bad he was mortal and on the new-and-improved “Do Not Date” list along with losers, gang members, Crips, Bloods, and skinheads.
As soon as the door closed, I found myself back in the kitchen—Mom’s magic, not mine. Tobias was there too. Mom looked at us both with that “How did I ever think Icould leave you alone?” look. “We need to talk about letting mortals in the house.”
“I didn’t do anything.” Tobias squirmed. I guess he was trying to pop out and Mom was blocking it. Which would have been kewl to watch if I hadn’t known my turn to burn was coming next.
“How about popping in and out of the room while Angelo was here?” I wasn’t going down alone on this one. After all, I’d been careful of the rules and hadn’t done any visible magic.
“I’m not the one who invited him in!” the Dorklock protested.
“Hush.” Mom stood up and circled the kitchen like a nervous lioness. “We should have a signal. Something to tell us all that there’s a mortal in the house.”
“I know,” Tobias offered. “We could have one of those air horn blasts. He waved his hand and demonstrated. Mom and I covered our ears.
Mom shook her head. “Hardly. I don’t want you going deaf.”
Just then, Dad came in. He gave Mom a kiss and dropped his briefcase on the kitchen counter. He was smiling, but as soon as he realized he’d stepped into a problem, his smile faded away. “What’s the matter?”
Dorklock, the ever-sensitive, blurted, “We’re trying to decide what the warning sign should be for when there’s a mortal in the house.”
Dad’s smile came back—the fake, advertising-hotshot smile. “Why do you need a warning sign?”
Mom sighed and stopped pacing. “Pru invited Angelo in for cookies to thank him for raking the yard.”
“Oh.” He shrugged. “Simple enough.” He turned to me. “Pru, don’t invite Angelo into the house again.”
“Daaad! How rude do I have to be?” It was one thing to put Angelo off-limits as boyfriend material. But I didn’t want him to think I was stuck-up. What if I got the hang of this witch thing and I could go out with a mortal boy “ in the future? Waaay in the future?
Mom shook her head. “I wish it were that simple. But Pru is right, we can’t appear to be unfriendly. We learned that lesson in Beverly Hills. The neighbors watch unfriendly people even more closely than friendly ones. And Angelo’s mother is not one to be frozen out—even politely.”
“Then why don’t you whip up a mortal warning charm?” Dad said.
“That’s what we were just talking about,” Tobias said. “Make one that sounds like an air horn.”
“Wind chimes,” I said.
“Okay.” Mom didn’t look any less worried.
“Great.” Dad kissed her again. “Problem solved.” He grabbed his briefcase and headed for his office.
Tobias popped away, probably back to his video game. Which left me with Mom. Who still looked very problem-not-solved.I asked, “Do you want me to look for a mortal warning charm
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