Read Online The Spell Book Of Listen Taylor by Jaclyn Moriarty - Free Book Online Page A

burned my skin too often as a teenager.”
    â€œWouldn’t be that, would it? It’s eczema. Or what? Psoriasis?”
    â€œNo,” said Fancy coldly. “It is not.” But Radcliffe was picking up her arm, turning it this way and that to catch the light, and whistling through his teeth.
    â€œHere, Cassie, don’t forget to take this note to your teacher, okay? Where are you going to put it so you don’t forget?”
    â€œIn my pocket.”
    Cassie stood on the footpath, next to the open car door, and showed her mother her open pocket.
    â€œGood girl. Will you remember it there?”
    â€œYes, because I’ll sneeze, and then I’ll have to get out my hanky, and then I’ll find it there and I’ll go: I HAVE TO REMEMBER TO GIVE THIS TO MS. MURPHY.”
    â€œThat’s my girl,” said Fancy.
    â€œSee over there.” Cassie pointed to a bench just inside the school gate. “That’s Lucinda.”
    â€œSo it is! We’ll have to invite her over again one day soon. What do you think?”
    â€œOkay,” agreed Cassie, nodding. She walked through the school gate and, without turning back, raised one hand in farewell to her mother.
    â€œEczema, eczema, eczema.”
    Cassie had a new word. It was a disease that made your skin fall off and then your blood went everywhere, like a laundry flood. Then you turned into a fish. Then you died.
    â€œEczema, eczema, eczema.” Cassie sang her word, eating her sandwich before school had even started.
    â€œEczema?” Lucinda put her elbow in Cassie’s side. “I’ve got eczema.”
    â€œNo, you haven’t.” Cassie rolled her eyes at an imaginary person on the bench alongside Lucinda. She looked back from her imaginary person to Lucinda and saw that Lucinda was also eating her lunch before school. Lucinda’s lunch was brown bread with soggy tomato. It was disgusting.
    To change the subject, Cassie pointed to the ground and said, “See that? That’s a stick insect.”
    â€œNo,” said Lucinda. “It’s just a stick.”
    It was a stick insect though.
    Lucinda pointed to her wrist: “See that? That’s eczema.”
    â€œThere is no point in our having this discussion,” Cassie announced.
    â€œYes, there is.”
    â€œEczema’s when you turn into a fish, actually, Lucinda. ”
    â€œDo I look like a fish? No. I don’t think so.” Lucinda swung her legs and ate her tomato sandwich.
    The word, Cassie realized, was spoiled now.
    â€œEczema, eczema, eczema,” she said listlessly. She had her eye on the stick insect, but so far it was just asleep.
    When she got back from taking Cassie to school, Fancy knew that she ought to be working on her wilderness romance. She had promised thirty thousand words to her editor by tomorrow, and she had only written eleven. Specifically:
    His rhinoceros smelled like a pappadam: sweaty, salty, strange, and strong.
    Her editor would cut that line.
    She reached for the phone and selected the button for MARBIE AT HOME .
    â€œHello,” said Marbie’s voice.
    â€œYou’re at home! Why aren’t you at work? I was just going to leave a message. Well, if you’re home, let’s go out for a coffee!”
    Marbie agreed, explaining that she and Listen were taking a day off because they had ticklish throats, which could be the start of colds.
    â€œOr hay fever,” suggested Fancy. “I’ll call Radcliffe and let him know, in case he was thinking of coming home for lunch. And then I’ll see you in Castle Hill.”
    Marbie looked fine when Fancy saw her, although Listen appeared to be weary. Also, she was behaving strangely: wearing sunglasses inside the shopping center; walking backward wherever she went.
    Marbie was excited about buying a tennis racquet, and wanted to talk about something that the tennis racquet had that was called the sweet spot.
    After the