Free Just Add Magic by Cindy Callaghan

the pie filling, adding the clean berries.
    â€œDid you notice her new cleats?” Hannah asked, as if we could have missed the shine of the hot pink laces.
    We mixed and stirred and blended. “Ya-hoo for the new cleats.” Darbie twirled her finger in the air.
    Hannah asked, “Have you seen her outside practicing?” Hannah was the best player on our soccer team, the Alfred Noble School ANtS, but Charlotte was second-best.
    â€œNo—and don’t look now, but there she goes. Probably breaking in her new cleats.” I nodded toward the window that looked out to the front of the house. We saw Charlotte run down the street, her bouncy ponytail jumping up and down on top of her head. Her pink laces sparkled.
    â€œThat can take a while,” Hannah added. “I know a girl who brought new cleats to soccer camp and got terrible blisters. You need to do it gradually and wear extra socks for a few weeks.”
    â€œIt would be a shame if those fancy-schmancy cleats hurt Charlotte’s feet,” Darbie said.
    I chuckled. “Yeah right.”
    â€œOr worse, it looks like the groovy new cleats might get caught in the rain. Uh-oh, they might not be shiny anymore,” Darbie said, looking at the dark clouds rolling in.
    The pie filling became smooth. I picked up the amber bottle. The cork made a
pop
when I pulled it out. “How much rue seed does it say to add?” I asked Hannah.
    â€œIt says a dash,” she answered. “That’s not very precise,”
    I pinched some seeds between my thumb and middle finger. Then over the bowl of filling I rolled my fingers together, letting go of a few seeds at a time. They looked like teeny pebbles plopping into blackberry-colored quicksand. When Hannah stirred, they sunk in and disappeared.
    â€œIt’s ready,” I said.
    Hannah looked out the front window and saw the pink laces sprinting up the street as if on cue. “Here she comes.” Charlotte got to her front stoop. “Home safe and sound.”
    Rain drops splashed against the kitchen windows.
    While the oven preheated, we loaded the dirty dishes into the washer.
    Suddenly, a bright light filled the room and a bolt of lightning struck so close we all gasped.
    From outside we heard a
creak
, a
crack
, and a
CRASH!
and we saw my family’s big old oak tree fall down, crashing right into the Barneys’ backyard. At that same moment, the lights went out.
    â€œWell,” I said into the dim kitchen. “It doesn’t look like wecan bake this puppy—our oven is electric.”
    After the girls left, I washed up and tucked myself into bed. I wrote in my journal using only the light of the moon and a flashlight. Rosey was under the covers between my feet. My head rested on BunnyBun, my favorite stuffed toy. It felt like a rag was twisting in my gut. I knew why, but I couldn’t believe it. It might be that I felt just a tiny bit badly about Bud’s voice.
    I closed my journal, took my flashlight and BunnyBun, and carefully found my way to Bud’s room. I slid the beam of light onto his bed. He was sleeping. I set BunnyBun under the sheets next to him.

11
Blisters
    Gather:
    1 hex
    1 fitness-crazed soccer coach
    1 pair of brand-new cleats
    11 sit-ups
    1 black eye
    Directions:
Shove into a squeezy water bottle and shake together
until it explodes into Death By Humiliation.
    D
arn alarm clock!
    Thanks to the electricity going out, I rushed around like a girl packing for a trip to Crazytown. I really didn’t want to miss the bus on the third day of school.
    â€œKelly, wait,” Mom said.
    I sniffed. “What’s that smell?”
    â€œI hope you don’t mind, but I baked the pie you girls madelast night. I was thinking you could run it over to the Barneys’ because I feel bad about the tree falling into their yard last night.”
    Hmm. Actually, that’s perfect because I have to get the pie to Charlotte anyway.
    â€œSure.