were thousands of liters of water – maybe millions – in that river, all flowing downstream from the mountains. I couldn’t freeze it all with one word – and nothing happened to it.
I turned my attention to the leaves on the trees. They were young spring shoots, and they shook in the light wind.
“Freeze!” I said again, this time putting as much authority as I could into the word.
Nothing.
Now I was feeling frustrated and just a bit silly. If I was a witch, I wasn’t a very good one. It was time to go home.
“How do I… uh… turn you off?” I asked Squire. “I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s not a good idea for anyone to see you like this.”
Squire nodded and grabbed the pen again. “ Just say: ‘Sleep, Squire ,’” he wrote.
I nodded and almost said the words.
“Wait! One more thing: Is there any other way to wake you besides fire?”
Squire shook as if saying “no” and wrote, “ Only flames .”
“All right. Sleep, Squire.” The hand dropped out of the air like a stone. I caught him before he hit the ground.
That night, while I lay in bed, trying to go over my notes for my grammar exam, I kept turning back to the page with Squire’s writing. The paper was dirty from being blown about the forest floor, and some of the writing was smudged. Hence, I didn’t notice one glaring detail until I had read it three times.
Squire had written, “ Your grandmother is a wi—”
He had probably meant to write that my grandmother was a witch too. But he hadn’t written “was.” He had written “is.”
My grandmother was still alive.
Chapter 6
D ear Diary ,
I continue trying to access my witch powers when no one is looking. On Tuesday, I finished my grammar exam early (I’m sure I got an A!) and spent the rest of the hour trying to make my pencil move with nothing but my mind.
I decided that pencils are cosmically heavy. Oh, well, I will keep trying.
Jean-Sébastien is going to be a problem. When I came back from the forest on Monday, he was waiting for me at the garden gate.
“I’m pretty sure that leaving school grounds is a big no-no,” he said with a grin. “I’ll bet Sister Constance would be curious to know what you were doing in town all this time.”
I’d tensed up when he first spoke, but then I relaxed. “In town”: He hadn’t followed me into the woods. That was a relief. Now I just had to keep him from squealing on me for leaving campus.
“What do you want, Jean-Sébastien?” My heart fluttered as I thought he might ask for Squire. There was no way I could hand him over (pardon the pun). Jean-Sébastien narrowed his eyes in that way he has when he’s trying to solve a problem. He really shouldn’t do that. It’s not a good look for him.
“I don’t know what I want just yet,” he said. “But having the great Anna Sophia owe me a favor is worth keeping your secret, for now.”
Perfect. Now I owe Jean-Sébastien a favor. That could lead to all kinds of trouble. And what did he mean by “the great Anna Sophia” anyway. He made it sound like I’m stuck up or something. The boy is infuriating.
----
I put my pen down with a sigh. The exam week was finally over, and my hand ached from all the intense writing. I wanted to record all the ways I’d tried to manifest my magic powers this week. But it was nearly six o’clock, and Marie would be here soon to pick me up for my sleepover with Gaëlle.
I dumped my books out of my backpack and filled it with pajamas, a toothbrush, and a spare set of clothes for tomorrow. I almost brought my mother’s letter but felt it was too precious to risk losing. I was excited to tell Gaëlle all about it though I still hadn’t decided how much to let on about my new magic powers. She might not believe me. As an afterthought, I added Squire to the bag in case I needed proof that I wasn’t completely crazy.
Downstairs in the lobby, Lauraleigh waited through one of Sister Constance’s lectures.
“You drive at the
I turned my attention to the leaves on the trees. They were young spring shoots, and they shook in the light wind.
“Freeze!” I said again, this time putting as much authority as I could into the word.
Nothing.
Now I was feeling frustrated and just a bit silly. If I was a witch, I wasn’t a very good one. It was time to go home.
“How do I… uh… turn you off?” I asked Squire. “I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s not a good idea for anyone to see you like this.”
Squire nodded and grabbed the pen again. “ Just say: ‘Sleep, Squire ,’” he wrote.
I nodded and almost said the words.
“Wait! One more thing: Is there any other way to wake you besides fire?”
Squire shook as if saying “no” and wrote, “ Only flames .”
“All right. Sleep, Squire.” The hand dropped out of the air like a stone. I caught him before he hit the ground.
That night, while I lay in bed, trying to go over my notes for my grammar exam, I kept turning back to the page with Squire’s writing. The paper was dirty from being blown about the forest floor, and some of the writing was smudged. Hence, I didn’t notice one glaring detail until I had read it three times.
Squire had written, “ Your grandmother is a wi—”
He had probably meant to write that my grandmother was a witch too. But he hadn’t written “was.” He had written “is.”
My grandmother was still alive.
Chapter 6
D ear Diary ,
I continue trying to access my witch powers when no one is looking. On Tuesday, I finished my grammar exam early (I’m sure I got an A!) and spent the rest of the hour trying to make my pencil move with nothing but my mind.
I decided that pencils are cosmically heavy. Oh, well, I will keep trying.
Jean-Sébastien is going to be a problem. When I came back from the forest on Monday, he was waiting for me at the garden gate.
“I’m pretty sure that leaving school grounds is a big no-no,” he said with a grin. “I’ll bet Sister Constance would be curious to know what you were doing in town all this time.”
I’d tensed up when he first spoke, but then I relaxed. “In town”: He hadn’t followed me into the woods. That was a relief. Now I just had to keep him from squealing on me for leaving campus.
“What do you want, Jean-Sébastien?” My heart fluttered as I thought he might ask for Squire. There was no way I could hand him over (pardon the pun). Jean-Sébastien narrowed his eyes in that way he has when he’s trying to solve a problem. He really shouldn’t do that. It’s not a good look for him.
“I don’t know what I want just yet,” he said. “But having the great Anna Sophia owe me a favor is worth keeping your secret, for now.”
Perfect. Now I owe Jean-Sébastien a favor. That could lead to all kinds of trouble. And what did he mean by “the great Anna Sophia” anyway. He made it sound like I’m stuck up or something. The boy is infuriating.
----
I put my pen down with a sigh. The exam week was finally over, and my hand ached from all the intense writing. I wanted to record all the ways I’d tried to manifest my magic powers this week. But it was nearly six o’clock, and Marie would be here soon to pick me up for my sleepover with Gaëlle.
I dumped my books out of my backpack and filled it with pajamas, a toothbrush, and a spare set of clothes for tomorrow. I almost brought my mother’s letter but felt it was too precious to risk losing. I was excited to tell Gaëlle all about it though I still hadn’t decided how much to let on about my new magic powers. She might not believe me. As an afterthought, I added Squire to the bag in case I needed proof that I wasn’t completely crazy.
Downstairs in the lobby, Lauraleigh waited through one of Sister Constance’s lectures.
“You drive at the
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