Free Pinehurst: A Magical Olympian Adventure-Young Adult Romantic Adventure/Fantasy Novel by Nicole Grane

the satisfaction of making me uncomfortable. Stupid boys! Stupid, stupid boys! Where do they get off—?
    “Now, Miss Hollyander, have you heard of the Pagoma spell before?”
    There was a snicker from the other corner. Great! My day just went from bad to worse. Stacy was here too. Although, where else would I expect a witch to be but in Spells. How did I miss her yesterday? Oh yeah, she wasn’t in class because she’d been the victim of a faulty sprinkler system. I bit my lip, holding back a snicker.
    “Yes, I’ve heard of it,” I finally answered.
    “Wonderful!” Ms. Spicer was beaming.
    “Now, let’s keep this simple. Mr. Vandenberg !” her tone became sharp. “Since you seem intent on talking during my lecture, I can only assume that you’ve already mastered this spell. Will you please join us at the front of the class?”
    Roland’s cheeks turned pink. He strode up to the front of the room and stood next to me, his eyes meeting mine briefly. A mixture of emotion hung in them. Worry. Fear. Attraction. Whatever. I didn’t have time for Roland’s head games.
    “Now then. Mr. Vandenberg, would you please perform the Pagoma spell on Miss Hollyander here.”
    “What?” I looked from Miss Spicer to Roland. A sudden wave of panic ran through me. I didn’t like the idea of students performing spells on me. Hell, I didn’t like the idea of anyone performing spells on me, even if it was under the supervision of an adult. It made me uneasy. I could end up with a pig's nose, or a goat’s tale! Iris told me once that a boy put a goat’s beard on a girl by mistake. It took a whole day to figure out how to reverse it.
    “What shall I do?” Roland asked.
    I gave him a sideways glance. That didn’t sound good. He’d better know what he was doing. If I ended up with a goat’s beard, Roland wasn’t going to look any better once I got through with him—and I wouldn't be using magic to do it!
    “Miss Hollyander, would you be so kind as to walk across the room toward the door. Mr. Vandenberg, I want you to stop Evie before she reaches it. The Pagoma spell,” Ms. Spicer was addressing the entire class now, “when done correctly, should prevent your enemy from advancing; or retreating as the case may be.”
    The instructions were simple, and honestly, I’d have thought anyone could have done it. I had felt a small hesitation in my movements when a shadow passing across the wall caught my eye. I spun around, putting my hand up to block whatever was propelling toward my head.
    I held my breath, keenly aware of the whole class witnessing the book that now hovered in the air. Crap. I released it, letting the book fall to the floor with a loud thump. I glanced around, the entire class looked awestruck.
    Even Stacy sat there with a dumbfounded look on her stupid face. I wanted to grab the book and hurtle it back at her—my cover had been blown.
    “Miss Hollander,” Ms. Spicer gasped. “You didn’t say that you already knew how to perform this spell!”
    I glanced around once more. Yep, all eyes were still on me. Including Roland’s. He smiled.
    “You only asked if I’d heard of it,” I said. True, but really, I knew what she’d meant. My intention was to muddle along, having just as much trouble as the next guy. This was considered “strong magic.” Something that kids my age certainly couldn’t do yet. Especially at the skill level I’d just demonstrated. I was smart enough to know that. If you couldn’t do a Floga charm, you certainly couldn’t do a Pagoma spell.
    “Have you been instructed on this?” Her tone was implying. I could hear the disapproval in her voice.
    “Instructed . . .?”
    Ms. Spicer frowned at me before turning her attention elsewhere. She walked across the room, picked up the book and opened the cover. There was a more pressing matter to deal with. “Miss Wilcox! Would you please explain why your book nearly hit Miss Hollyander?”
    “Reverse Pagoma?” She suggested