The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford Page A

grape soda and tilted it toward his mouth. It was empty. “Why would he?”
    “He probably wouldn’t.” But the Witch Lady would.
    I looked at the notebook again. “What about all these secrets? Why didn’t the tree eat them?”
    “Maybe it was full.”
    “Raymond —”
    “Or maybe I took them out of the hole before the tree had a chance to swallow them.”
    “But that means those secrets won’t go away.”
    “These are my friends’ secrets,” Raymond said. “I’m just trying to help them. That’s why I made this notebook. I put in pictures of all my friends and try to match the secret to the person. When I’ve matched them all, I’ll put the secrets back in the tree.”
    “I think you should put them back now,” I said. “And stop taking pictures of everybody.”
    “But don’t you want to know who put a curse on your friend?” Raymond asked.
    He was right. Paz had already suffered a stomachache and a rash. Something worse — much worse — could be next.
    “We’ll make a list of suspects,” Raymond said. “Then spy on them to find out if they’re doing curses.”
    I knew it wasn’t right to spy. But this was a matter of life and death. Possibly. Anyway, it was extremely important.
    “Where should we start?” I wanted to start with the Witch Lady, but I was afraid to say so. I hadn’t quite figured out what Raymond’s relationship with her was, if any. After all, he had his own house. Maybe he had nothing to do with her.
    Or maybe he was related to her. And maybe he got touchy when people called her a witch.
    “How about those Mean Boys?” Raymond suggested.
    “Good idea. They’re mean to everybody. But they could have a special grudge against Paz.” I suspected Troyof having a crush on Paz. That would be a weird reason to curse someone, but Troy had a twisted mind.
    “If they do, we’ll find out. And I’ll take pictures so we’ll have proof.”
    “Then we can call the police on them and get them arrested,” I said.
    Raymond paled. “Not the police. We can handle this without them.”
    “We’ll tell my parents, then. And Paz’s parents.”
    “Yeah.”
    “We’ll start tonight,” I said. “Meet me at the edge of the woods across from my house, just after dark. And bring your camera.”
    “I will.”
    I picked up Paz’s ID. “I’m taking this back to Paz.”
    “No! She’ll think you stole it.”
    “I’ll tell her you stole it,” I said. “That happens to be the truth.”
    “No. You can’t tell her about me.”
    “Why not?”
    “You can’t tell anyone about me. And you especially can’t tell anyone about my secret house.”
    “But why?”
    “Because we’re spies now,” Raymond said.
    “But —”
    “Promise you won’t tell.”
    “But —”
    “Promise. Or I won’t help you find out who put a curse on your friend.”
    I wanted his help. And nothing was more important than saving Paz from the curse.
    “Okay,” I agreed. “But once the mystery is solved, can I tell?”
    “No,” Raymond said. “Never.”

After dark I climbed down the big tree outside my window and dashed across the front yard, darting behind bushes and cars until I reached the safety of the woods. No one saw me. I waited among the trees, watching the lightning bugs twinkle.
    While I waited, my head was full of other people’s secrets, especially the new ones.
    I’m in love with Kip Murphy.
    I just want people to like me.
    I wish I had the guts to run away.
    Did everyone around me have secrets? These were serious, the last one most of all. In order to want to run away, you’d have to be pretty sad. And it made me sad to think that someone around me was that sad. Like the person who felt like only a goldfish loved him or her. Sadness seemed to be spreading everywhere.
    “Minty Mortimer …” someone whispered.
    “Who’s there?” I whirled around. I knew I was meeting Raymond, but he’d startled me.
    He stepped out of the shadows in his camouflage outfit and a black ski