Free Wish by Janet MacLeod Page B

there.”
          Keith nodded. There was an unverified but often
repeated rumor that Mr. James kept a flask of whiskey locked in his desk at
school. Kids in his class didn’t even have to write papers to get a grade. He
gave everyone a mark whether they wrote or not.  It was suspected he didn’t
even look at anything handed in, except for the papers of the really smart kids
who would notice.
    “You’re sure you don’t mind missing art?” It was his passion
and we both knew it.
          The doorbell interrupted us. We both snapped to
attention and stared towards the front door. It rang three times in a row.
Quickly. Then a pause and it rang three more times.
          “Stevie,” we said at the same time.
          “Don’t say anything to her about this stuff,” I said as
I walked towards it. “Not yet.” I glanced back over my shoulder.
          Keith nodded his expression gloomy. We’d never kept
secrets from Stevie. Not before today. But this wasn’t like anything else.
          The front door flew open before I reached it. “Hey, Sydney,”
Stevie shouted as she walked inside. “It’s not even locked, you dork.”
    She spotted Keith behind me. “Oh,” she said in a normal
voice. “You’re here, too.” She frowned. “What the heck are you wearing, Keith?
What is wrong with you two?”
          Keith and I glanced at each other and then at Stevie.
He frowned and I covered a smile with my hand.
    “What’s the big deal? It’s a shirt.”
          Stevie stuck out her tongue and made a face to show
very clearly what she thought of his shirt. “Not a cool shirt.” Then she turned
to me. “I thought you were alone. That maybe you still had cramps. Cody said
you stayed home because you weren’t feeling well. By the color on his face I
thought you told him you had your period.”
          She giggled and pointed at my face. “Yeah. That’s the
same color.”
    I ignored her and gestured at Keith to come as I slipped on
shoes. I really wanted to tell Stevie I had magic powers and I’d just wished my
period away. Gone. Just like that. Ha ha ha. 
          “You two are going back to school?” Stevie asked as
Keith bent to tie his Converse shoe laces. 
          “We were going to head to the mall.” I wanted to tell
her to leave. So I could be alone with Keith. Talk about what was happening.
Try to figure out what the heck to do with my witchiness.
    “Can I come?”
    Keith and I exchanged a quick glance and he arched his
eyebrow up. I lifted my shoulder slightly.
    “I guess. Yeah. Or course. Sure.”  I opened the door and Stevie
went outside and I waited for Keith to pass me so I could lock up. “Hey How’d
you get here anyhow?”
          “Cody dropped me off,” Stevie said. 
          I pulled the door shut and locked it.
          “Cody?” I asked and turned to her.
          She shrugged and this time it was her cheeks that
turned a pinker shade. “He offered to drop me off, so I said yes.”
          Keith gave her a playful shove with his shoulder. “Stevie’s
got a boyfriend?” he teased.
          I laughed with him as Stevie scowled and held out the
house key to her. “Can you put this in your pocket, Stevie? I don’t have any.”
          She held out her hand. When my hand brushed hers my
head exploded with an image. Stevie lay on grass, her eyes closed. Cody knelt
beside her. He held her hand and his mouth moved but I couldn’t hear what he
was saying.
    Stevie grabbed the key and pulled away from me and the image
burst like a bubble disintegrating in the air. I regained my composure as we
all headed for the driveway and piled into Keith’s car. I got in the back seat
without even arguing or shouting for dibs for the front. Visions along with
everything else seemed too much for a brand new witch with a low tolerance for change.
    I could use the solitude.
    **
    Stevie had pulled me into a change room and had squeezed