Greg frowned. "Why on earth would he ask you about those three Loony Tunes? You're not even in their little clique."

"No, but you know...the spilled punch incident at the dance. I guess he heard about that and wanted to know what happened afterward." She twirled her combination and turned back to Greg, managing a fake smile.

He leaned closer and made a grab for her books and tucked them under his arm. He reached out to put his hand on her shoulder, drawing her nearer. "Don't worry. Everything will come out all right. Whatever happened, we know that you had nothing to do with it."

She tried to stifle a little gurgle of nervous laughter. "Yeah, we know that."

They walked together toward her first period cla.s.s. She saw the other students turn around or cut their eyes away as she pa.s.sed by. She heard them whispering among themselves and thought she heard the word witch. The back of her neck tingled with apprehension as she wondered what this day might bring.

"I'll see you at lunch," he said, breaking into her thoughts.

She reached for her books. "Thanks, Greg." She turned and went to her desk with her eyes cast down at the floor. When she lifted her gaze, one after another of her cla.s.smates quickly glanced away. They're afraid of me. They know I'm a witch.

The bell rang and Mercy busied herself in reading the lesson she should have taken home with her the previous day.

The teacher, Miss Flynn, wrote something on the board while Mercy skimmed the chapter. When Miss Flynn turned around her eyes lit on Mercy and widened slightly. She blinked and quickly looked down at the papers on her desk. She silently checked her roll book and then took a deep breath.

Oh, my G.o.d! She's afraid of me too. Mercy recalled Darynda's words, "It's your power and you've been handing it over on a silver platter for years."

She sat up a little straighter and raised her eyes to give Miss Flynn a cool stare. Then she let her gaze travel around the room, slowly meeting the eyes of every person. One by one they looked away, unable to stare her down. Be careful. Don't p.i.s.s me off or I might banish you. The thought stunned her. Or turn you into a toad. Isn't that what witches are known for?

Miss Flynn cleared her throat and began the lesson. At the end of cla.s.s the bell rang, but no one moved from their seat. Mercy rose and gathered her books. At the door, she turned and cast her gaze around the cla.s.sroom again. It looked as though everyone was frozen in place. She twirled around and departed, feeling a little sad as though she had lost something precious.

At noon, she slid her tray on her usual table and watched as the other kids gave her sidelong glances in pa.s.sing. Only Felicity and Kelli joined her, which wasn't unusual. What was out of the ordinary was that almost the entire cafeteria full of students seemed to be talking and it was obvious they were talking about her.

"Do you know what they're saying," Kelli asked? "They're saying that you're a witch. They're saying you made Lindy disappear."

Felicity nodded furiously. "And Becca and Amy." I heard it in my French cla.s.s, and then again in Math lab."

Kelli shoved her gla.s.ses up on the bridge of her nose with a vengeance. "Well, that is just the dumbest thing I ever heard. How could anyone think Mercy is a witch?"

Mercy felt a twinge of conscious.

"Ridiculous, right?" Felicity said, peering at her anxiously. "I mean, there's no way you could suddenly be a witch."

Mercy took a deep breath. She wasn't in the habit of lying, but then again, she had to keep her secret. "Yeah, right," she snorted. "If I were a witch, I would turn this whole school into a ma.s.s of quivering Jell-o." She looked around the cafeteria. "Because that's what they're acting like."

Kelli and Felicity laughed, but Mercy was wondering just how much focused intent she could muster.

"Hey, Mercy." Greg plunked his tray down beside her. "Mind if some of the guys join us?"

Arthur came to the table and stood beside Felicity grinning down at her. Felicity blushed with pleasure and moved her purse off the chair. He slid his tray on the table beside her and sat down. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," Felicity said back.

Ah, good. Let' all pretend like I'm normal. Mercy smiled at Greg as he took his chair. He jerked his head at a couple of the other baseball players who came over to the table and joined them without any other invitation. They began a noisy conversation, completely oblivious to the fact that a witch was sitting amongst them.

CHAPTER NINE.

Later that afternoon, when she was in her homeroom cla.s.s, the door was thrown open so hard it banged against the wall and the panes of gla.s.s rattled. Startled, Mercy dropped her pen when she heard the crash. She looked up as a dark figure loomed nearby.

A large and livid female form filled the door frame. Her entire being pulsed fury like a lightning storm pulses electricity. It was Mrs. Boyd, Lindy's mother.

The teacher arose and approached her cautiously. "Can I help you?"

"Where is she? Where is that little she-devil who abducted my daughter?"

All heads swiveled to point toward Mercy. She felt herself shrinking in her seat.

"Me?" she squeaked. "I had nothing to do with it."

"That's not what I heard. You..." she pointed an incredibly long claw-like talon at Mercy. "You were picking on my baby girl at the dance. You were about to attack her when the a.s.sistant Princ.i.p.al intervened."

"Mrs. Boyd, you really need to calm down..." the teacher began, but was silenced when the long talon was pointed at her.

Mercy felt a swarm of outrage gather in her chest and just as it was ready to fly out her throat, Kelli leaped up from her seat.

"No, Ma'am. That's not the way it happened. I was there."

Mrs. Boyd turned on Kelli, sucking in air between her teeth with a hiss. "No one asked you, young lady."

Kelli rocked backward with the force of venom in Mrs. Boyd's voice. "No, Ma'am," she repeated. "But, Lindy was the one trying to start a fight. She almost kicked down the toilet stall on me and was about to tear into Mercy when Mrs. Sanders came in and saved us."

Mercy stood up and found her voice. "That's right, Mrs. Boyd." Her knees felt like they might buckle when Mrs. Boyd narrowed her eyes. Green sparks were shooting out at her.

Mrs. Boyd made a snorting sound. "A likely story. What did you do to my baby?"

"Nothing!" Mercy protested. "Nothing at all! It was Lindy who..."

Mrs. Boyd turned abruptly and swept from the room as regally as someone her size could manage. The cla.s.sroom door slammed behind her, rattling the inset panes of gla.s.s.

"Sit down, girls," the teacher's voice was calm, in spite of the storm that had just raged through the room. "Let's get back to our lesson."

Kelli glanced back at Mercy and gave a slight smile before she took her seat. Mercy noted that Kelli's hand shook as she reached for her pen.

Mercy slid into her seat, the sound of her own heart beat pulsing in her ears. Good for Kelli. Good to have a friend who would come to her defense. She wondered if anyone else would.

When cla.s.s was over, Kelli lingered behind while Mercy was gathering her books. She pulled Mercy closer and whispered in a hoa.r.s.e voice. "Man, what a mean old witch!" She glanced around at the students who were practically running from the cla.s.sroom.

Mercy felt chilled by the venom in her voice. "Yeah, that was bad." She wondered what Kelli would say if she knew the person she had been defending was the real witch.

"C'mon, let's get out of here." Kelli slung her book bag over her shoulder and led the way into the hallway, swarming with the newly dismissed students.

But when Mercy fell into step beside her, they seemed to clear a path. Watch out! It's the witch! She'll make you disappear.

Mercy got through the rest of her cla.s.ses without evaporating any of her cla.s.smates, but the temptation was enormous, especially when they kept stealing furtive glances at her and then quickly looking away. She had to force herself not to have any speck of focused intent anywhere in her brain. Don't want to accidentally shoot you over the moon.

Greg walked her to her last cla.s.s and gave her shoulder a little squeeze, just to let her know that he cared. "Don't worry about Mrs. Boyd," he said. "She's just worried about Lindy, and she took it out on you." He winked as he turned to go to his cla.s.s and she gave him a pathetic excuse for a smile in return. He would never know how much it meant to her for him to be on her side. Good to have friends. Good to have a boyfriend.

After school, when Kelli pulled up to her house, she had an anxious frown on her face. "I'm worried about you." She ground the gear into park and idled. "Don't let this Lindy c.r.a.pola get to you."

Felicity leaned forward and gave Mercy's shoulder a squeeze from the back seat. "It will be all over soon and whatever kind of game they're playing will be exposed."

Mercy nodded, knowing in her heart that she couldn't reveal to her best friends the real reason for her anxiety.

"Hey," Kelli said. "You need some stress relief. Remember when the three of us used to ride our bikes out by the lake? We should do that this afternoon. It's a perfect day."

Mercy recalled the simpler times when she and her friends spent hours riding around town and out the country lanes. They talked and laughed. They shared all their secrets...but that was before Mercy had such dark secrets. That was before she knew she was a witch.

"That sounds like fun," Felicity said. "I haven't been on my bike in like forever." She let out a giggle. "And I've been thinking that I should really try to drop a few pounds." She giggled again. "Now that I'm dating an athlete." Her face reddened when she caught Mercy's eye.

"That's a great idea." Mercy appreciated her friends trying to cheer her up. She needed them now more than ever. She hoped they would remain loyal, even if all her secrets were revealed...even if the whole town learned that she was a witch. Would they still be her friends, or would they draw back in horror? And Greg...How would he react when she was exposed as a witch? Would he dump her right off the bat? She wouldn't blame him. He was such a nice, normal specimen.

"I'll drop Felicity off so she can change and we'll be back here on our bikes in about a half hour." Kelli's infectious grin was hard to resist.

"Okay, I'll be ready." Mercy forced a smile and groped for the door handle. She dragged into the house and let her backpack slide to the floor. Later...I'll worry about homework later.

Alastair surveyed her from the windowsill where he was soaking up his share of sunshine. His glossy black fur glistened in the bright light. "Down in the dumps, M'Lady?" He jumped down and approached her. "Or has something in particular predicated this dour mood?"

"Just everything is all! Just every single aspect of my sucky, witchy life!" She slammed into her bedroom and changed to her oldest tee shirt and ragged cut-offs. She emerged with her sneakers in hand, but dropped them when she saw something on the table. Two perfect m.u.f.fins sat side by side on a plate with a freshly poured gla.s.s of cold milk. Where did these come from? But she knew the answer was Gran. She was keeping her promise to meet all of Mercy's needs.

She reached out to trace a line in the condensation on the gla.s.s. Ice cold. "Thanks, Gran." She picked up a m.u.f.fin and stuffed half of it into her mouth. Pumpkin, my favorite and still warm from the oven...or wherever Gran made them.

Sliding into her sneakers, she sat in a chair to tie them. She had finished the last m.u.f.fin and drank the milk when the two girls rolled to a stop just outside the gate. She grabbed the door key and stuffed it in the pocket of her shorts and ran out the door. "Just a second," she yelled and went to the carport. Next to the house, her bike rested under a plastic tarp. She hoped the tires had air in them and was disappointed when she felt them soft and mushy. Heaving a big sigh, she reminded herself that she was a powerful witch...Well, a witch-in-training. Surely she could fill her bike tires with air. She closed her eyes and felt the Orb gathering power. "C'mon, Orb. Gimme some juice," she whispered and was rewarded with a warming sensation in her chest. When she felt the tire again it was fat and resistant to her pressure. She exhaled the breath she had been holding. Whew! That was awesome.

She walked the bike out to the road and secured the gate behind her. Swinging a leg over, she felt her tension melt away as she fell in behind Kelli and Felicity. The sun warmed her shoulders and the breeze lifted her hair. As they sped along, the trees provided intermittent shade allowing her to cool and then warm again when they burst out into the sunlight.

Kelli led the way, with her usual enthusiasm. She glanced back now and then to make sure her friends were in tow. Yes, Kel. I'm here, just floating along in your wake. They pa.s.sed a farmer plowing his field. The smell of the freshly turned earth filled her lungs, giving her hope of newness, of growth, of things turning out right. Hope...

Kelli turned to the left onto a narrow two lane road. There were fields on both sides. A few cattle watched their pa.s.sing with minimal interest. A rambling farmhouse sat on the right ahead of them, with rows of neatly planted fruit trees. The girls zoomed by and soon, Kelli slowed to turn onto a dirt road leading to the lake. It was a weekday afternoon, so the usual boaters who showed up on weekends were absent. The water looked cool and tranquil. Barely a ripple marred the gla.s.sy surface.

Mercy dismounted and leaned her bike against a tree. She took a deep breath and expelled it. Yeah, Kel was right. This was what she needed; to get away from all the stress. She felt like she could breathe for the first time since the dance. She wrapped her arms around herself and spun in a circle. "Thanks, guys. I really needed this."

"No probs. It's just us out here." Kelli leaned her bike beside Mercy's and unhooked a small thermal bag from the handlebars. "I brought refreshments."

Felicity laughed. "Trust Kelli to make sure we get fed. All I brought was a blanket." She took an old faded quilt from her bag and spread it on the ground beneath the tree. "I need to go horizontal after that exercise." She plopped down on the blanket and Kelli knelt down beside her.

"C'mon, Mercy. Chill out." Kelli unzipped her bag and pa.s.sed out bottles of water and energy bars.

Mercy grinned, feeling lighter by the second. She turned around one more time, taking in the peaceful setting and stopped abruptly. There were some farm animals cl.u.s.tered near the fence about a hundred feet from where she stood. A fat, white goose, a little brown chicken and a most disagreeable looking donkey stood staring at her. She wondered briefly if they belonged to the farmer whose house they had pa.s.sed. The donkey brayed and the goose squawked and flapped its wings.

"Earth to Mercy..." Felicity said.

"Um..yeah." She sank down on her knees and ripped opened the wrapping on the energy bar. She wasn't really hungry after the m.u.f.fins, but she enjoyed the taste of something sweet in her mouth. As soon as she chomped off a bite of the thick, nutty bar, Felicity rolled up to a sitting position.

"How is the romance with Mr. Awesome?" She tilted her head to one side. "Has he kissed you yet?"

Mercy strangled on the mouthful of grains and nuts. She coughed and hacked. "Whuf?"

Felicity rolled her eyes. "You know. Has Greg laid a liplock on you yet?"

Mercy sipped some of the water, managing to get the glob in her mouth to go down the right pa.s.sageway. When she turned, both girls were staring at her, obviously expecting an answer. "Well...yes. We kissed...Twice."

The donkey started a loud and obnoxious hee-hawing and kicked against the fence.

Felicity let out a little squeal of delight. "I knew it! You two are just too sappy all of a sudden."

Kelli let out a loud snort. "Well, you and Arthur are just as sappy."

Felicity blushed. "I suppose that you and Chad haven't kissed...or is it Barry?"

"Could be." Kelli wrapped her arms around her knees and gazed up at the tree branches.

"Well, which one is it? Chad or Barry?" Felicity asked. "You're playing it so cool, I can't tell who you like best."

Kelli shrugged. "Neither can I."

This sent all three girls into a fit of laughter.

Mercy sat down on the edge of the blanket and sipped her drink. The lake looked so peaceful and a little breeze was picking up a light ripple to give texture to the surface. "You like Chad and Barry both the same?"

"It's not like you and Greg. I mean, you guys have been goofy about each other for eons. I'm glad he finally made his move."

The donkey again. Kicking the fence and bellowing out its demented hee-haw.

"Me too," Mercy agreed. "Having Greg for a boyfriend is what I always dreamed of, but I never thought it would happen." She screwed the cap on her empty bottle and shoved it back in the bag. "I guess I always thought he would go for a more aggressive type, like Lindy."

The donkey set up a non-stop bray and kicked the fence over and over again.

"No way!" Felicity said. "Greg has more sense than to fall for a hateful person like Lindy. He'd have to be an idiot not to see through that fake act she puts on when she's around him. Everyone knows how mean she is."

Kelli nodded. "Yeah, n.o.body likes her except for those two losers who trail around after her and do everything she says. The Lindy-Clones. Mean, meaner and meanest."

The girls all laughed, but the donkey continued its tirade and the goose joined in, squawking and flapping its wings.

"That crazy animal is going to kick the fence down," Kelli said.

"Maybe it's in pain," Mercy said. "Maybe there's something wrong with it."

Felicity shrugged. "Yeah, it's crazy."