The Wizard Returns: Book Three of the Wizard Born Series by Geof Johnson Page B

tomorrow.”
    * * *
    The afternoon sun was tilting toward the tall pine trees at the back of Jamie’s yard when he checked the rented high-speed video camera one more time, making sure it was set up correctly and firmly attached to the tripod. He had placed it at the edge of his long grassy lawn next to the camellia bushes; his house was on his right and the clubhouse on his left. Bryce and Rollie stood nearby, idly tossing a football back and forth.
    “You gonna be ready soon?” Rollie said. “I wanna get a shower. I smell like a wet dog.”
    Bryce caught the ball from Rollie and held it for a moment. “That’s what happens when you work at a vet. I smell like...I dunno. What does a gift shop smell like?”
    “Potpourri?”
    “Ugh. Yeah. And scented candles. I hate those things.”
    “All right,” Jamie said, finally satisfied with the camera. “I’m ready. Here’s what I want you to do. You guys are gonna stand by the deck. Bryce, I want you to throw the football toward the other end of the yard, and Rollie’s gonna run down there and catch it while I film it.”
    “What’s that going to prove?”
    “Maybe nothing, if Rollie doesn’t run fast enough.”
    Bryce held the ball out to Jamie. “Why am I doin’ the throwin’?”
    Rollie answered for him, “Because Jamie can’t throw worth a hoot. Fred throws better than he does.” Rollie turned to Bryce. “Can you throw a spiral?”
    “Of course. Can you catch?”
    Rollie didn’t bother to answer. He and Bryce walked toward Jamie’s house and stopped by the steps of the deck. They stood side by side and looked at Jamie, and he said, “Ready?” Jamie pressed the record button on the camera. “Go!”
    Bryce threw the ball down the yard in the direction of the clubhouse and Rollie ran after it, catching up to it near the end of the lawn and hauling it in smoothly with two hands. He turned and jogged back toward Bryce.
    Jamie frowned and pressed the stop button on the camera. “Not fast enough.”
    “You didn’t even bother to look at the replay,” Bryce said.
    “Don’t need to. I didn’t feel any tingle at all. Can’t you throw that thing any harder?”
    Bryce stared back at Jamie and narrowed his eyes. “Yeah.”
    “Let’s do it over.” Jamie gestured at his friends, and they set up again, Bryce with both hands on the football like a quarterback and Rollie standing next to him in a wide receiver stance. Jamie pressed record again and said, “Go!”
    Bryce hurled the ball harder this time, and it zipped in a tight spiral across the yard as Rollie streaked to it, catching it just in front of the clubhouse before turning and stopping. “How was that?” Rollie said.
    Jamie shook his head. “You can run faster than that.” He pressed his lower teeth hard against his upper lip while he decided their next course of action. “Let’s switch. Bryce, you run the camera and I’ll throw.”
    Rollie gave Jamie a skeptical look. “Are you kidding? You throw like a girl. Except for Fred, maybe. She throws pretty good.”
    “Melanie can throw a football, too,” Bryce said.
    “I’ll cheat,” Jamie said. “I’ll use a little magic. I can propel it as fast as anything...faster than the speed of sound.”
    “I can’t run that fast,” Rollie said.
    “I think you can.”
    “You serious?” Rollie looked at him and blinked hard several times, mouth partly open. “Okay, sure, whatever.”
    Bryce joined Jamie at the camera, and Jamie showed him the controls, then took the ball from Rollie and walked with him to the steps. “You sure about this?” Rollie said.
    “Run as fast as you can, Rollie.” They stopped and waited for Bryce.
    Bryce signaled that he was ready. He pressed a button on the camera and Rollie set up in his stance again while Jamie held the ball firmly with two hands. Bryce said, “Go!”
    Jamie pulled the ball back and threw it, and as it left his hand, he gave it a big push with his will, correcting its motion at the same