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Authors: Jessica Arnold
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backpack on the tiled floor and slumped down, back against the wall.
One of the faucets was dripping and the steady patter echoed in the tiny room. This bathroom was a little less grimy than some of the others and it didn’t have the awful smell of urine that deodorizers couldn’t cover up. Alice breathed in deeply for what felt like the first time since she’d gotten home last night.
She believed her mom. Or at least she believed that her mom didn’t plan on getting a divorce. But who knew what was going through her dad’s head? She wished she knew what they’d been fighting about, but unlike their other big fights, this one hadn’t built up over time—it had spontaneously erupted. Something had happened to knock everything off balance.
Things between her parents had been solid for almost a year now, which made this outburst all the more confusing. She had always felt that things were too good to last, that surely there would be another blow-up before long, but after a while she had begun to hope that they were in the clear. Clearly, she had been setting herself up for disappointment.
She reached into her backpack and pulled out two pieces of paper she had slipped into her chemistry textbook the night before. Though she didn’t dare bring the diary itself with her to school, Alice couldn’t bring herself to leave it behind either. When she was sitting in class, trying not to doze off, there was nothing to stop her mind from wandering back to the diary, gnawing at the thought of spells—of magic—until she could hardly stand the prospect of waiting another minute to try her hand at another one.
She had been going through the book page by page, attempting some of the simpler spells. But these were often so vague that she hardly knew whether she had succeeded or not. The night before she had recited an incantation for deep sleep and had drifted off a little afterward, but it was hard to say whether that was magic or just exhaustion. And who knew if the spell for memory improvement was actually working? She needed something more tangible to test her abilities, and though she was hesitant to try the fire spell again after what had happened to her in class, she’d discovered a promising section on ice at the back of the book. Thinking it might help to solidify the words in her mind, she had copied the spell onto some scrap paper, then decided she may as well take it with her.
Now, with eight minutes before the bell and the bathroom all to herself, she skimmed over the instructions one more time. Like the spell for fire, the pages on creating ice called for nothing more complex than “single-mindedness” and “powerful will.” Taking a deep breath, she read quickly and as quietly as possible, ready to stop at a moment’s notice should anyone walk in the door.
“Blue to silver,
Silver to white.
Gold in morning,
Dead by night.”
The words echoed softly against the tiled walls, but nothing happened. She felt no tingling—no warmth and no cold.
Shaking her head, she tried again, but she knew it was no use from the beginning. She felt far from powerful this morning, with her mind wandering back again and again to the night before, her ears constantly tuned to the noises in the hallway. “Focus is key,” the spellbook repeated over and over. But she had no focus. She had no control.
Four minutes until the bell. She could hear the sounds of students in the hallway as the school came to life. Lockers slammed in the distance. Someone could come through the door at any moment. She stood up and pushed the door open half an inch—just enough to peek outside. A few students were passing by, but no one was heading toward the bathroom at the moment. A girl with a button-covered backpack was struggling with her locker; it took Alice a few seconds to recognize Eva and a few seconds more to regain the presence of mind to close the door. She thought Eva may have looked in her direction, but there was little
One of the faucets was dripping and the steady patter echoed in the tiny room. This bathroom was a little less grimy than some of the others and it didn’t have the awful smell of urine that deodorizers couldn’t cover up. Alice breathed in deeply for what felt like the first time since she’d gotten home last night.
She believed her mom. Or at least she believed that her mom didn’t plan on getting a divorce. But who knew what was going through her dad’s head? She wished she knew what they’d been fighting about, but unlike their other big fights, this one hadn’t built up over time—it had spontaneously erupted. Something had happened to knock everything off balance.
Things between her parents had been solid for almost a year now, which made this outburst all the more confusing. She had always felt that things were too good to last, that surely there would be another blow-up before long, but after a while she had begun to hope that they were in the clear. Clearly, she had been setting herself up for disappointment.
She reached into her backpack and pulled out two pieces of paper she had slipped into her chemistry textbook the night before. Though she didn’t dare bring the diary itself with her to school, Alice couldn’t bring herself to leave it behind either. When she was sitting in class, trying not to doze off, there was nothing to stop her mind from wandering back to the diary, gnawing at the thought of spells—of magic—until she could hardly stand the prospect of waiting another minute to try her hand at another one.
She had been going through the book page by page, attempting some of the simpler spells. But these were often so vague that she hardly knew whether she had succeeded or not. The night before she had recited an incantation for deep sleep and had drifted off a little afterward, but it was hard to say whether that was magic or just exhaustion. And who knew if the spell for memory improvement was actually working? She needed something more tangible to test her abilities, and though she was hesitant to try the fire spell again after what had happened to her in class, she’d discovered a promising section on ice at the back of the book. Thinking it might help to solidify the words in her mind, she had copied the spell onto some scrap paper, then decided she may as well take it with her.
Now, with eight minutes before the bell and the bathroom all to herself, she skimmed over the instructions one more time. Like the spell for fire, the pages on creating ice called for nothing more complex than “single-mindedness” and “powerful will.” Taking a deep breath, she read quickly and as quietly as possible, ready to stop at a moment’s notice should anyone walk in the door.
“Blue to silver,
Silver to white.
Gold in morning,
Dead by night.”
The words echoed softly against the tiled walls, but nothing happened. She felt no tingling—no warmth and no cold.
Shaking her head, she tried again, but she knew it was no use from the beginning. She felt far from powerful this morning, with her mind wandering back again and again to the night before, her ears constantly tuned to the noises in the hallway. “Focus is key,” the spellbook repeated over and over. But she had no focus. She had no control.
Four minutes until the bell. She could hear the sounds of students in the hallway as the school came to life. Lockers slammed in the distance. Someone could come through the door at any moment. She stood up and pushed the door open half an inch—just enough to peek outside. A few students were passing by, but no one was heading toward the bathroom at the moment. A girl with a button-covered backpack was struggling with her locker; it took Alice a few seconds to recognize Eva and a few seconds more to regain the presence of mind to close the door. She thought Eva may have looked in her direction, but there was little
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