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He’s going to do another spell!

  “First, I must un-freeze time so that I may bring you back with me.” His high-pitched, evil cackle made April’s ears burn. She covered them with both hands, letting the book fall to her lap. No, I don’t want to leave! I will miss my mom and dad. I will even miss Austin. My powers aren’t a gift, they’re a curse. Josephine, where are you? Help me! April closed her eyes as tears fell down her cheeks.

  Mr. Malus closed his eyes.

  “Tick-tock,

  Forward the clock.

  Time shall move and go,

  Forward on, forever so.”

  April looked at the clock on her wall. The second hand was moving again. She looked at David, who stood behind Mr. Malus. The whole time he just stared at his feet. Then, he quickly looked up at April. His face brightened and the corners of his mouth rose. He slid his hand into his pocket as he winked at April. Flicking his eyes toward the open closet door, he raised his eyebrows.

  What is he doing? Is he trying to tell me something?

  A wicked smile appeared on Mr. Malus’s face. His eyes opened. “Now, time for us to go. The others will be so pleased.” He couldn’t take his eyes off the spell book. He stared at it like April’s dad stared at a grilled steak. He rubbed his charm between his fingers and took a deep breath.

  “Back in time we go…”

  Just then, David pulled a handful of his herbs out of his pocket and threw them at the teacher’s face. Mr. Malus squeezed his eyes shut and swung his arm. “No! Where are you? Ouch! This stings!” He tried to wipe the herbs out of his eyes with one hand and reached out to grab David with the other.

  David ducked. “April! Help me get him into the closet!”

  April jumped to her feet and shoved Mr. Malus backward into the closet as he reached out blindly. Together they gave one last push and Mr. Malus fell on the floor of the closet.

  David slammed the door and sat in front of the closet. He put his feet on the ground, pressing his back against the door.

  David asked, “So, from one witch to another, is there anything you can find in that book to send him back to where he came from?”

  CHAPTER 18

  APRIL grabbed the book and sat with her back against the door helping David hold it shut.

  Mr. Malus yelled and banged on the door. “My eyes! I will get you. You will pay for this!”

  “Um, can you find something? He might be skinny, but I don’t think we can hold him much longer.” David said, digging his heels into April’s rug.

  April flipped one page after another. “It is a three-hundred-year-old book. It doesn’t have a table of contents,” April quipped.

  Mr. Malus continued pounding on the door, making it difficult for April to keep the book steady on her lap.

  “Found it!” April yelled. Mr. Malus stopped banging. There was only silence as she read:

  “Tick-tock, Backward the clock.

  Three hundred years, goeth back

  Land in the bygone days,

  Land there where he stays.”

  David looked at April. April looked at David. “Did it work?” David asked.

  They inched away from the door and slowly got to their feet.

  BAM! Mr. Malus kicked the door open. “You stupid, young witch, you’re not capable of doing magic on me.”

  April stopped breathing. The blood rushed out of her face. What do I do?

  “Josephine, help!”

  “That ghost-witch can’t help you! I’m taking you back.” He lunged at April. She ducked and ran to the other side of the room. “You’re a quick little thing; you will be helpful to us in many ways.” His roaring laugh filled the room.

  The faint, accented voice of Josephine whispered in April’s ear, “The book is your key. Hold it, point it at him and say it again. That’s why they want you, they need the book. It gives the owner power over other witches.”

  Mr. Malus turned around to face April. He charged forward. April darted to the side and slid onto the floor, grabbing the book. She wrapped her arm around it, laying on the ground. Rising to her knees and pointing the book at him, she said:

  “Tick-tock, Backward the clock.

  Three hundred years, goeth back

  Land in the bygone days,

  Land there where he stays.”

  Poof! April watched as a puff of smoke appeared and Mr. Malus vanished.

  She exhaled. The book thumped to the floor as she let go of it. “Thank you, Josephine.”

  “You’re welcome, my dear,” Josephine whispered.

  “Who are you talking to? Who’s Josephine?” David asked. He turned to the right then turned to the left. “Do you see someone I don’t?”

  “Never mind.” April flopped onto the rug, putting her head down on the book like it was a pillow.

  Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Her clock quietly ticked. April jolted up. “Oh, wow! Time is moving forward again, we have to get back to school.”

  April pushed the Book of Magie safely back under her bed.

  CHAPTER 19

  THEY ran down the stairs, through the dining room and out of the kitchen door, locking it behind them.

  “We have to get back to school now!” David said as he jumped onto the bike.

  They pedaled hard and fast. By the time they got to school, April was gasping for air. They glided up to the bike rack. April nearly fell off Austin’s large bike. She then re-chained it to the rack.

  “Where was this bike from?” David asked.

  April shrugged her shoulders.

  David looked puzzled. “I don’t remember.” He stared at the bikes in the rack. “I’ll just leave it on the side.” He leaned it against the bike rack.

  April walked down the side of the school to the bathroom window. She motioned for David to follow her. She stopped in front of it and pointed. “We have to go in that way.”

  David opened his eyes wide. “Why?”

  April pointed. “Because they’re going in the front door.”

  A group of men were approaching the school’s front door. Their voices grew louder. One said, “We better get in there fast. The principal called and said it was urgent.”

  “Go, go, go,” April said in a hushed whisper.

  “Okay. I’ll go feet first.” David sat on the windowsill with his legs dangling inside. He slid into the bathroom and landed on his bottom in the sink. “Oomph!”

  “You all right?” April asked.

  “I’ve been better but I’ll live.” He looked around. “So, this is what the girls’ bathroom looks like!”

  April said, “Come on, David, stop fooling around, those men are coming!”

  David reached out to help April climb in. “Come on.”

  She quickly hopped down to the floor and walked to the door, reaching for the handle.

  “Wait!” David stopped her from opening the door. “We can’t come out together. I mean, I shouldn’t even be in here at all!”

  April heard the click-tap of a woman’s high-heeled shoes echo from the hall. The click-tap went back and forth in front of the bathroom door. “You’re right. I’ll go out first and wait until it is all clear, then let you out. Okay?”

  She stepped out of the bathroom and into the hall. It was still hot and there was bird poop, feathers, backpacks, and papers all over the floor.

  “April! What are you doing out of your classroom?” April’s heart raced. She swallowed hard. OMG! OMG! I know that voice. It’s Principal Ramirez!

  CHAPTER 20

  APRIL bit her lower lip. Think fast. You can do this.

  Mrs. Ramirez focused on April. “I told everyone to wait in their classrooms until either their parent or their bus arrives.”

  “Huh, you did?” April asked.

  “Yes, I made the announcement over the loud speaker that we are dismissing school early because of the heat issue and that weird bird invasion. Even though things seem to be fine now, we have to make sure that the pipes are working properly and that there are no more birds in
the building. You have to get back to your classroom right now so—”

  “Mrs. Ramirez! Mrs. Ramirez!” A voice called from close to the front door. It was Mrs. Chen, the school secretary. She waved her thin arms up and down. “The repair people are here to look at the heat pipes!” She yelled down the hall.

  “Oh, thank goodness! April, go back to your classroom now. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.” Mrs. Ramirez turned around abruptly and walked toward Mrs. Chen.

  Mrs. Ramirez walked the plumbers to the front staircase. Mrs. Chen took quick little steps back into the main office. April looked up and down the hall. No one. She exhaled. “Come on out.” She pushed the door open.

  David rushed out of the bathroom. “Ew. I think the girls’ bathroom smells worse than the boys’!” He pinched his nose. April grabbed his arm and pulled him down the hall to their classroom.

  Over the loud speaker, Mrs. Chen said, “Children on buses one, five and six, please walk slowly down the hall. Your buses are here.”

  Their teacher was busy attending to kids who looked like they were hurt. She didn’t even notice that April and David were back in the classroom, or that they were missing at all. April picked up her book bag which was in the same place she dropped it. “I better go. They called my bus.”

  April leaned in close to David’s ear and said, “Great job today, Medicine Man.”

  David smiled. “Thanks, Glenda.”

  April walked out of the classroom right into Grace and Eve. Eve gasped, “Where have you been? And, where did David disappear to? I’m sure you know.”

  Grace narrowed her eyes. April smiled and laughed nervously as they walked down the hall toward the doors. “Well, it’s a long story.”

  “I’m sure it is.” Grace’s voice had a suspicious tone.

  April leaned closer to the girls. “I have so much to tell you.” They walked to their bus. “But, I don’t want to say anything now.” April looked sideways at the other kids.

  “Oh, right.” Eve nodded. “I called my mom and she said I can go to Grace’s house.”

  As they reached the bus, April heard someone calling her name. She looked across the street and saw a shiny black SUV with big, sparkly wheels. Her dad sat in the front seat, waving at her out of the window. “I came to pick you up,” he called.

  April turned to her friends who were boarding the bus. “Hey, come to my house when you get off of the bus. I’ll get home before you and I’ll make us a snack.”

  “Okay,” Grace and Eve said at the same time.

  “You have to tell us everything,” Eve said.

  “For sure.” April smiled and nodded. She walked to the crosswalk where the crossing guard stopped traffic for the students.

  April walked up to the big car, opened the back door and hopped in. “Wow, Dad, what is this?”

  “It’s the loaner car that the insurance company gave me.” Her dad grinned.

  April ran her hand down the soft leather seat and door panel. “How do you like it?”

  “I love it! I think I found my new dream car.” Her dad looked in the rearview mirror and gave her a wink.

  She looked out the window and took a deep breath. Thinking about everything that happened, she pondered how David had discovered that he was also a witch. It made her think about how far she had come since the day she discovered her own powers.

  Josephine, thanks for everything today. I couldn’t have done it without you.

  A faint whisper in her ear said, “Oh, honey pie, you were the one who remembered that there is no space in your heart for fear. You found the strength and you did it all yourself.”

  April sat back in the seat and watched the neighborhood roll by, smiling to herself and wondering what her next magical adventure might be.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Talia Aikens-Nuñez dreamed of being a meteorologist as a child because her head was always in the clouds. It was her imagination and her fun-loving, second-grade daughter that inspired her to write her OMG books about an accidental little witch. She and her husband live on a river in Connecticut with their daughter and son.

  Talia’s other books include:

  OMG… Am I a Witch?!

  OMG… I Did It Again?!

  Escucha Means Listen