Free Magian High by Lia London

though we were scared.  Mom used her cell phone to call the fire department while the Nomers went for the hose.  I watched Jack and the Punkers in the trees.  Moving quickly, I took Kelsey in my arms and backed away from them, but Jack swooped down so he stood in the air above our heads.
    “Hey, Curry!  Thanks for the invite!  This party’s hot! ”  He showered us with sparks, and everyone shouted back at him while cowering away from the danger.  Suddenly the ground dropped about three feet.  The Punkers had opened a giant Dirt Hole under all of us.
    Curry’s mouth fell open, his expression unreadable.  The other kids turned on him, accusing, questioning.  Rikki started to cry.
    Jack flew down with his body parallel to the ground and his face close to Curry’s.  “Your baby doll is crying, Curry.  Better pick her up and take her home to bed.”
    Curry picked Rikki up as easily as if she were a doll and started to fly away.  Jack’s crew sped after them, cursing and sparking.
    Everyone scrambled up out of the Dirt Hole.  In my arms, Kelsey yelped and kicked free before I could stop her.  I saw her peek over the edge of the hole, take a huge breath, and Blow.  An intense sound drowned out the yelling.  In the air, the sparks on the Punkers’ hands ignited into flames from the Wind.  The Punkers actually fell out of the sky and tumbled onto the asphalt.  I could tell they’d been hurt because it took them a while to get up, and when they did, two of them discovered they were on fire.  They dropped to the ground again, and the four guys fumbled and slapped and cursed until the flames were out.  They got up, stumbling a few feet before taking to the air again.  Whether they were chasing Curry and Rikki, or running away from Kelsey’s Wind, I don’t know, but they were gone.
    Just in time for the fire trucks to arrive.  The firefighters leapt to the ground to see a porch on fire and a crowd of angry, scared teenagers.
     
    ***
     
    With the ground steaming and the crowd gone, Mom sat next to me on the charred remains of our porch.  She cradled a dozing Kelsey in her lap, and continued answering the police officer’s questions.  Finally, the man snapped his notebook shut, folded his arms across his rather round frame, and stared at me.
    “Young man, this is not going to go well for you if those boys decide to press charges.”
    “Officer, he did nothing but invite a few friends to a party.  How can anyone blame him for what happened?”
    “According to the witnesses, the Wind came from his direction, and some of the kids say he has had a long-standing feud with that crowd, so—”
    “I don’t believe this,” said Mom, rubbing her eyes.   “Those brats set fire to our porch, opened a huge Dirt Hole in our yard, and you’re accusing my son of—?”
    I put my arm around her.  “It’ll be okay, Mom,” I said.
    The officer sighed artificially and stuffed his notepad into his back pocket with difficulty.  “We’ll be in touch, Ma’am.  And…I’d make sure you get those boards fixed before someone breaks through the porch steps and sues.”
    He spun on his heel and waddled down the walk, missing the dirty look my mother shot him.
    “Mommy, am I in trouble?” mumbled Kelsey sleepily.
    “No, honey,” said Mom, kissing her head.
    “Is Kincaid in trouble?”
    “Hush, sweetie.  Go to sleep now.   You can snuggle with me tonight, okay?”  Mom stood up carefully and carried Kelsey inside, cooing soothingly to her all the way.

Chapter Ten : I’m a Celebrity
     
    I sat on the edge of the Dirt Hole, trying to collect my thoughts.  Now would be when Kelsey would normally be watching Saturday morning cartoons, but she was still curled up fast asleep in Mom’s room.  The whole thing with the police officer had me really upset.  He acted like all the damage was my fault, and that the injuries to the Punkers were worse—even though they could be healed in five minutes.  With a