Free Perfect Revenge by K. L. Denman

Copyright © 2009 K.L. Denman
    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.
    Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
    Denman, K.L., 1957-Perfect revenge / written by K.L. Denman.
    (Orca currents)
    ISBN 978-1-55469-103-6 (bound).--ISBN 978-1-55469-102-9 (pbk.)
    I. Title. II. Series.
    PS8607.E64P47 2009         jC813’.6       C2008-907664-8
    Summary: Stripped of her popularity, Lizzie is willing to do anything to exact her revenge. She’s even willing to turn to magic.
    First published in the United States, 2009
    Library of Congress Control Number: 2008942005
    Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.
    Cover design by Teresa Bubela
    Cover photography by Getty Images
    Orca Book Publishers                               Orca Book Publishers
PO Box 5626 Station B                                        PO Box 468  
Victoria, BC Canada                                      Custer, WA USA
V8R 6S4                                            98240-0468
    www.orcabook.com
    Printed and bound in Canada.
    Printed on 100% PCW recycled paper.
    12  11  10  09  •  4  3  2  1

For Mom, who exemplifies the beauty of empathy and the joy found in laughter.
    I invoke the power of three,
    But stand aside to relate,
    There’s a duo found in trinity,
    Kindred spirits who create.
    She of the high meadows,
    And the goddess of the moon,
    They peer among the shadows
    For word-spells out of tune.
    I thank this special pair
    Without naming, not this time,
    For while they’re not so holy,
    They would spare you this rhyme.

The universe is full of magical things, patiently
waiting for our wits to grow sharper
.
    â€”Eden Phillpotts

chapter one
    Everything is going my way. It’s no accident that this is how it is. I’ve earned it. Like this morning, I put on my new skirt and my new lip gloss, and the mirror says it’s all perfect. Combine that with my amazing shiny hair, and I’m good to go.
    It’s too bad I’m only going to school, but that’s okay. If nothing else, school is great for hanging with my group of friends. Not just any group,
the
group in my grade. They’re gathered in the usual place, thecovered area by the side door. When I get there, everyone’s all, “Hey, Lizzie! How’s it going, Lizzie? Oooh! That skirt is hot! Where’d you get it? You always find the best stuff!”
    And then, a whisper, “There he is! Omigod, Liz, it’s him.”
    It
is
him. Kyle, my crush.
    â€œLizzie, don’t look now, but he’s walking this way!”
    I don’t look. I say something to Haley about her hair. I pretend that Kyle doesn’t exist right until the last minute when I can
feel
him passing. And then I look. It’s no more than a quick glance in his direction, totally casual. Our eyes connect. I smile.
    He smiles back!
    And that’s it. He goes by and