Under a Spell by Amanda Ashby Page B

she wished for some easy-to-understandhistory books, and a moment later a neat stack of books appeared. Harvey reluctantly picked up one, but Malik just looked at them in disgust and floated to the top of one of the stacks.
    â€œSo how’s it going with your Melissa Tait plan? Do you have any ideas?” Kara asked as they settled themselves down. Sophie shook her head and didn’t bother to open the history book she was holding.
    â€œWhat’s this?” Malik immediately floated back down from the stacks, his sulky expression leaving his face, since the only thing he seemed to like more than Cheetos was gossip.
    â€œI had a little run-in with Melissa Tait after you left the cafeteria, and it turns out that the reason she hates me is because she thinks that I’m trying to steal her boyfriend.”
    â€˜â€œBen Griggs?” Malik raised an eyebrow. “I would’ve thought he was way out of your league. I mean, I guess you’re cute in the short-blonde-girl-next-door sort of way, but you’re not really on Melissa’s and Ben’s level.”
    â€œNot to mention the fact he’s a pyro, and according to Harvey, he likes to beat up sixth graders. Not exactly my type. Unfortunately, Melissa doesn’t believe me. Oh, and she heard me talking to you before—well, I thought I was talking to you, but you weren’t there—so now she thinks I’m crazy, too.”
    â€œOuch.” Malik winced. “If there was one person in thiswhole entire nightmare of a school whom I wouldn’t want as my enemy, Melissa Tait would be that girl. You should really try to fix that.”
    â€œThat’s what I’m trying to do,” Sophie assured him. “But considering we don’t have anything in common apart from Jonathan, it’s not easy.”
    â€œI’ll say,” Kara agreed. “I mean, she’s a cheerleader and you’re not. She’s in seventh grade and you’re not. She’s a normal nondjinn and you’re not…. Oh. I’ve got it!”
    â€œYou do?” Sophie asked eagerly since she didn’t like where Kara’s speech had been going. “What is it?”
    â€œBurnt sienna.” Kara grinned before seeming to realize that Sophie was staring blankly at her. “It’s a really gorgeous warm brown color. Anyway, you have a really cute T-shirt in that color, and the other day Melissa had the exact same color on the scarf she had tied around her purse. Anyway, you could talk about that. It might break the ice.”
    â€œOh.” Sophie blinked, not quite able to share her friend’s enthusiasm. Then she brightened. “Or I could use my magic to conjure her up something in that color. That might work.”
    â€œWould that be ethical?” Kara pondered.
    â€œI’ll tell you what’s not ethical,” Harvey suddenly interrupted as he waved one of the books Sophie had conjured up for him. “It’s making innocent kids have to read this stuff, because seriously, none of it makes sense. I mean, why did World War I start in France and Germany if it was the Archduke of Austria who was killed?”
    â€œArchduke of Austria? Let me see that.” As he spoke, Malik floated closer so that he was leaning over Harvey’s shoulder. Then he made a clicking noise. “Well, of all the cover-ups in all the world. How can they say that it was because of simmering tensions? Please, the real reason that war started was because of Moroccan almonds. Seriously, Wilhelm II loved Moroccan almonds, and the French controlled the trade in Morocco and refused to let him buy any. We all tried to warn Poincaré that no good could come from standing in between Wilhelm and his almonds, but would he listen?”
    Sophie, Kara, and Harvey all blinked simultaneously.
    â€œWhy are you looking at me like that?” Malik demanded. “It’s true, and if you’ve ever tasted Moroccan