Accidentally Evil (8 page)

Fourteen

I
stumble beside Lady Rose, her voice soft and calming. “Ssh. It's okay. Hang on. Almost there.”

She takes me into her classroom, closes the door, and sits me in her chair.

“Breathe with me. In two-three-four, out two-three-four.”

I follow her breathing, and in a few minutes I don't feel like I'm going to die. Lady Rose squats in front of me, her hands on my knees and an orangey-red haze all around her.

“What do you see when you look at me?” she asks.

“Orange. Or red. Maybe a mix of the two.”

She smiles and stands up. “That's wonderful. Perfect, actually.”

I shake my head at her. “It feels the exact opposite of perfect.”

She drags a chair over and sits in front of me. “Let me explain what's happening, Hallie.”

“Please. In case you haven't noticed, I'm losing it. I'm going crazy here.”

She pats her soft hand on my sweaty one. “You are not going crazy. You have inherited another gift.”

My mind rewinds in warp speed. “But I've been so careful. I haven't touched anything that wasn't mine.”

“Yes, you have,” she says. “You borrowed my pen today. Remember?”

In that moment everything becomes clear. The pen. The colors.

“I inherited your gift.”

“You did. Well, if you want to get technical, you inherited my mother's gift. It was her pen you were using. She gave it to me a few years before she died. I didn't think about it until after I'd put the pen in your hand. That's interesting,” she says, teacher turned scientist observing her test subject.

“How?”

“My mother was a medium. Can you hear or see spirits?” she asks.

I shake my head. “No.” I hope I never do.

“So you inherited
my
gift, not my deceased mother's. That's different than what we thought.”

I don't like the way this sounds. Like everyone is watching me to see what freakish thing happens next. Like I'm an alien that must be dissected and figured out.

“Honestly, Hallie, I think you'll find this gift helpful. And I can help you read them.”

“Read what?”

“Those colors you're seeing behind everyone? Those are their auras.”

“How is that going to help me?”

She folds her arms over her chest. “For starters you can figure out right away what people are like. No more surprises when someone spreads a rumor about you. You will know not to trust someone if their aura is deep purple.”

I don't say anything. “I didn't even know auras were real. I thought it was one of those hippy things.”

Lady Rose laughs. “No, Hallie, they're very real. Let me ask you something. What color is Ivy's aura?”

“Blue. Light blue.”

Lady Rose nods. “Yup. She's all the things that light blue represents. Peaceful, honest, intuitive.”

“So you can see all these colors too?” I ask her.

She nods. “For almost twenty years now.”

“Do they go away? Or will I always see them?”

“Once you've seen them, you'll always see them.”

“I can't live like that. It's too distracting.”

“I felt that way at first too. Trust me. You get used to it.”

I find that incredibly hard to believe.

“Yeah, I know you find it hard to believe. We really need to work on your mind control. Every single thought you have comes into my head. It gets a little annoying.”

She laughs, and I try to laugh with her, but it comes out sounding more like a psychotic sob.

“Why don't I have an aura?” I ask her.

“You do. We just can't see our own. Want to know what your color is?” she asks.

“I don't know. Do I?”

“You, my dear, are a brilliant shade of yellow.”

I look around me but don't see anything.

“We can't see our own auras. But trust me, yours is impressive.”

“What does yellow mean?” Confused? Intimidated? Overwhelmed?

“Yellow is a wonderful color. People with yellow auras
are full of inner joy, very generous, and not attached to material things. You've had that color since the first day we met over a year ago. I've never seen it change. Most girls your age change quite a bit.”

My panic slowly subsides, and I let the questions come.

“How do you know what the colors mean?”

“I'll give you a list.” She reaches into her desk and pulls out a small laminated card. Every color is listed, and beside it is its meaning.

“It's that simple?” I ask.

“Yep. It's really that simple.”

“Can our auras change?”

“Absolutely. As people change, so do their auras. Now, I'm not talking about physical changes. I'm talking about fundamental beliefs, motivations, that kind of thing. Only then will an aura change.”

I let it all sink in, and I lean back in the chair. I want to ask her about the dream. But I don't think I can handle any more tonight.

“Ready to eat something?” she asks.

“I just want to sleep.”

“Go to your room. I'll have Miss A bring you a sandwich, and I'll tell Ivy you're okay.”

“She won't believe you.”

Lady Rose laughs. “You're probably right. But I can be pretty convincing.”

I nod, grateful I don't have to face anyone right now.

I walk in silence with Lady Rose. When we get to the dining room, she stops, puts her hand on the door ­handle, and turns around. “Go get some rest, okay?”

“Thank you,” I tell her. I'm just a few steps away when she says my name again.

“Hallie? We can talk about the dream anytime you're ready.”

Ivy, with her aura, gets to the room twenty minutes after I do.

“You scared the bejesus out of me. Don't do that again, please. You're the unshakeable one, remember?”

I don't feel unshakeable. Not today.

Miss A bursts into the room. She couldn't do discreet if she had to. Especially not with the neon green aura around her. It clashes with her orange hair but somehow looks just right on her. “Well, aren't you just the most pitiful little thing I've ever laid eyes on.”

There's something about Miss A that just makes me
feel better. Safer. Like I'm not in this alone. I want to pull the list of auras from under my pillow and see what her color means. Maybe she's green because she's a hedge witch. That's what I thought I would be, since that was what my great-great-grandmother Elsa was, but no such luck. Everyone says they'd kill for my gift of inheritance. But it's hard to control, and quite frankly, it's exhausting.

Miss A puts a plate of food on my desk. “Cheese and cucumber sandwich. Your favorite.”

“Thanks, Miss A.”

“Glory be, sugar. You have to slow down a little and get some rest. I bet you didn't sleep more than a few hours last night, did you? I mean, look at those gray bags under your eyes. Maybe you should take those cucumbers off the sandwich and put them on your eyes. They say that's good for swollen eyes. I've never tried it, mind you. But some people just swear by it.”

Miss A's rambling has me giggling, and I reach over and hug her. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

“Well, now, the feeling's mutual, darling. Let's get you some rest tonight, and everything will feel better in the morning.”

I give her a little salute. “Yes, ma'am.”

Miss A looks at Ivy. “I'm counting on you to make sure she takes it easy tonight. No late-night studying or gossiping. That can wait for another day.”

We both nod, and we all know we're lying.

Miss A leaves, and Ivy turns to me. “We were talking at dinner, and we've decided you have to e-mail Cody.”

I look into Ivy's excited eyes. “Uh-uh. Not going to happen.”

“Just hear me out,” she says, holding her hand over my mouth to keep me from talking.

“You've got ten seconds,” I say through her fingers.

She pulls her hand away. “Kendall and Zena are scheming to do something at the Third Harvest celebration. And it involves Cody. Jo's been listening to their conversations all week.”

“What do you mean, it involves Cody?” I sit up in bed, take the sandwich from my table. I pull the cucumbers off and eat them first.

“Jo says they're talking about ‘getting him.' We don't know if that means, like, boyfriend-and-girlfriend stuff. Or if it means they want to take him down.”

“And how is me e-mailing Cody going to help?”

“Oh my gosh. You really are tired. You e-mail Cody,
find out if he's really some kind of royalty. If he is, you warn him that Kendall and Zena are targeting him for something. If he isn't, then we . . . Well, I guess we still have to warn him, don't we?”

I pop another cucumber into my mouth. “We do. So there's really no reason for me to e-mail him about the ridiculous rumor.”

Ivy turns whiny. “Please, Hallie. We just want to know. You know you want to know too. Stop pretending that you don't.”

“If I e-mail him, will you please drop it?”

She nods, but she knows and I know that she will never drop it. Especially if it turns out to be true. Which it won't.

I can do one of two things here. I can either stand my ground and deal with the nonstop pleading and harassment from Ivy or I can send the stupid e-mail and live in peace.

“Fine,” I say. I hand her my plate and pull the laptop from my desk.

Fifteen

I
log in and see two e-mails from Cody.

“He's been e-mailing you, Hallie!” Ivy's voice is a near-shriek. I put my hands over my ears and close my eyes.

“Please, Ivy,” I say. “My head is already pounding.”

“Sorry, sorry,” she says, back to a whisper. “What do they say?”

This is the kind of thing I really wanted to avoid. It's why I didn't want to tell anyone about us e-mailing, because I knew it'd turn into this. A three-ring circus centered on my love life. And it's not love, so I can't even call it that.

“Tell me,” Ivy says. “I'm your best friend. You're supposed to tell me things like this. It's practically a rule.”

“You wear me out sometimes,” I tell her.

I click on the first e-mail from Cody and read it out loud.

“We spent all day in the woods behind our campus, practicing some ‘outdoor' gifts. This one guy named Jason has the gift of aerokinesis. He can control the wind, and it's wicked cool. Maybe he can show you at the celebration.”

“Hey,” Ivy says. “Maybe Jason's cute. Maybe we can be a couple. Maybe we can double-date.”

“Maybe you can relax,” I reply.

“Open the next one,” she prods.

I open the e-mail and begin reading.
“You know how I told you I had the gift of invincibility—”

“Wait,” Ivy interrupts. “What the heck is that?”

“It means you can't be beat.”

Ivy's nose scrunches up. “He's always the winner?”

“Always.”

“Will he live forever?” she asks.

I give her a sharp look. “Of course not.” At least I don't think so. “It's the highest gift you can have at Riley.”

“And you have the highest possible gift at Dowling. See?” she says. “You're perfect for each other. Keep reading.”

I go back to the e-mail.
“Well, it turns out I am also a
scryer. If you don't know what that is, it means I can help find and locate missing or lost people.”

“That is cool,” I say to myself. Of course Ivy hears it.

“Ha! Admit it. You do like him.”

“I like him. I never said I didn't like him.”

“But you
like
like him.”

I ignore her and continue reading the e-mail.
“What's kind of cool about that is, I can work with cops or whatever when a kid goes missing. Hope I never have to use it on someone I know. Gotta run. See you at the celebration.”

“What's the P.S.?” Ivy asks.

“P.S. Is it a kissing booth?”

“Ooooh!” Ivy jumps up and down like she's on an invisible trampoline. “He wants to kiss you.”

I hold up a hand to stop her burgeoning overreaction.

“Calm down already. Did you ever think I might not
want
to kiss him?”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “Fine. But we both know I'm right. And we both know you want to kiss him.”

I try to shove from my brain the image of Cody kissing me, but now that it's there, I can't get rid of it.

“What exactly do you want to know from Cody?” I ask. “Let's write this e-mail and get it over with.”

I click the compose button and then type in Cody's e-mail address.

“You have to ask him if he's going to be the High Priest of the Riley coven one day.”

I shake my head, eyes closed. “I can't believe I'm doing this.”

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Re: Stupid Question (sorry)

Hi, Cody. I would love to see Jason control the wind. That sounds cool. But none of that compares to being a scryer. I think that's awesome.

I want to tell him about the auras, but I can't. Not with Ivy reading over my shoulder. I look back at the e-mail.

So, some friends of mine heard a rumor, and they are begging me to ask you about it. I finally gave in. I know this is going to sound superstupid, and I don't know why I agreed to e-mail you about it,
but here it goes. The story is that you are part of some sort of Riley royalty and one day you'll be Riley's High Priest. I know, I know, I know. Stupid. Just send back the no, and I'll get them off my back.

See you soon,

Hallie

I click send and close my laptop. “There. Happy?”

Ivy gives me a hug and a big smile. “I am. Thank you!”

“Why is this so important to you?”

“Hallie, don't you—just once—want to know more than Zena and Kendall? Seriously, how sweet does that sound? And if the rumor's true and he likes you instead of one of them,
and
he's crazy powerful? Even better.”

“I've got to admit, that sounds pretty darn good.”

“You have to start listening to me,” Ivy says. “I'm always right about these things.”

It takes me two hours to fall asleep. And when I do, my dream about Cody reveals more details. But it still doesn't make any sense.

A ding from my phone wakes me, and I think it's my
alarm. But the clock says it's only two forty-four. I lie back in bed, grab my journal, and write the new details, using my phone for light.

Destiny.

Repeated over and over and over like an endless echo.

Cody.

Kendall.

So, does this mean that Kendall and Cody are “destined” to be together? There's no way that's right. Cody doesn't like her. He told me so himself.

If I could see my aura right now, I think it'd be dark green, because jealousy boils inside me.

I put the journal back on my desk and check my phone to see what the ding was for.

I have a new e-mail.

Good. Maybe Cody has replied and I can shut my friends up once and for all.

I click the e-mail icon, and sure enough, Cody's reply is in my inbox. I click it open, and everything in my world comes to a screeching stop.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Re: Stupid Question (sorry)

We need to talk about this face-to-face, Hallie. I'll tell you everything at the celebration.

I reread the message. I freeze.

I turn off my phone and put it on the desk. Click the lamp on.

Ivy doesn't move. But I need her to wake up. I've got to tell her. It can't wait.

“Ivy,” I say, my voice just louder than a whisper. She rolls over in bed, and I say her name again.

“Ivy.”

Her eyes squint open. “What's wrong? Can't sleep again?”

“Cody e-mailed me back.”

She shoves her body into a half-sitting position. “What? What'd he say?”

“That he'd talk to me about it in person at the celebration.”

Ivy's jaw drops. “No. Way.”

I nod, panic building. “What does it mean if he's going to be?”

“I think it just means he'll be the leader of the coven. He'll probably get to choose what he wants to do when he's done with school.”

I look at the dream journal on my desk. I've got to tell her about it.

“So, my dream journal,” I say. “I've been dreaming about what's going to happen with Cody.”

“And?” she asks, leaning off the side of her bed like a lion ready to pounce.

I tell her about the dreams, everything I can remember.

“I think I know what's going on,” Ivy says. “Just think about it. You're constantly fighting Kendall for what you want, right?”

“Yeah,” I say.

Ivy sits back again, nodding her head. “This is just more of the same. You're worried Kendall will somehow magically snap Cody right out of your grasp. But that will never happen.”

“If only you were psychic,” I say. “Anyway, all of this is way too deep. We're only twelve. What do I care if some middle school boy doesn't like me?”

“Hallie . . .”

“I have too many other things to worry about than some boy. That's that.”

I don't say that I'm really afraid of what it would mean if I was dating the High Priest. Would I have to follow certain rules? Call him Your Majesty?

I flop over in bed, ending the conversation.

But the word “destiny” echoes endlessly in my head. At Dowling we believe in destiny. If Kendall and Cody are destined to be together, how in the world can I change it?

Because I
have
to change it. Cody deserves so much better than the meanest good witch at Dowling.