Out of Sight (6 page)

“Okay, what just happened?” Kara croaked. “Where did you come from?”

“It's a long story.” Sophie linked arms with her two friends and told them about everything that had happened. Then she grinned. Let the fun and games commence.

A
ND YOU'RE SURE THAT THERE ARE NO SIDE EFFECTS
?”
Harvey asked for the zillionth time that afternoon as they waited at the bus stop.

“Harvey, we've been over this,” Kara said in her calmest voice as she hastily sketched a soothing picture of a tropical beach and thrust it into his hands to try to help him relax. “Malik has promised that it's completely safe.”

“Yes, but since when do we believe everything that Malik says?” Harvey pointed out.

“Well, this time I think we can trust him. Did you not see me turn invisible?” Sophie chimed in, still completely buzzing from her newly found talent. It had taken her most of homeroom and half of first period to convince her friends that she could really turn invisible, and even then it was only when she started talking to them while they couldn't see her that they finally believed her. The best part had been sneaking up behind Señor Rena and moving his Spanish dictionary around on the desk as everyone was leaving the classroom. Not to mention the fact that she had successfully avoided Melissa Tait for the rest of the day. Result.

“And don't forget the most important thing: now that Sophie has the patch, she can move on to the next stage of her flying lessons,” Kara reminded Harvey, and he grudgingly nodded his head in agreement.

“Good point. So do you think he'll let you get onto the carpet today?”

“I hope so.” Sophie crossed her fingers and resisted the urge to make herself invisible again (not because she needed to hide from anyone, but just because she could).

“By the way, I talked to my mom, and she said that we can go to the mall tomorrow afternoon. Is that okay?” Kara asked. “I mean, I understand if you need to do more flying practice.”

“Of course I'm coming,” Sophie said. “I wouldn't miss it for anything. We need to find you the perfect outfit for Saturday. Plus, I still need shoes, and I can't conjure anything up if I haven't seen the ones I want yet.”

They spent the rest of the bus trip home helping Kara decide which bracelets she should wear. Well, Sophie and Kara decided; Harvey just sat next to them rolling his eyes. But as the bus got closer to her house, all Sophie could think about was that soon she would be learning to fly.

“Okay, so what happens if it starts to rain? Do you, (a) do a weather spell, (b) conjure up a raincoat, or (c) increase your speed to try to beat the shower?” Malik quizzed as he marched along the grass, a surprisingly stern expression on his face. It got sterner as he looked down to where Sophie was sitting on her invisible carpet, with her invisible legs crossed, trying to hide her not-so-invisible boredom.

When they had first come outside, it had felt strange to roll out the carpet on the grass and sit there, knowing that, despite the fact her mom was in the kitchen and Meg and Jessica were having a rowdy game of shark next door, none of them could see her. Of course, then Malik had pounded her brain with question after question and the awkwardness had quickly given away to annoyance.

“The answer is ‘b.'” She forced herself not to scream as she gave him a pleading glance. “Now please, you've asked me every question in the
Flying Code
at least three times. At this rate we will never be ready in time to get my dad.”

“Fine.” Malik relented as he reached out and grabbed the second finger of the Twix bar that Sophie had conjured up for him. “So if you're ready, I think it's time for you to try to fly up to the roof of the house. And don't worry, because the stabilizers are attached, so you can't accidently get caught in any wind currents. But I mean it, if you even think about doing anything that I don't like, then it will be back to levitating in your bedroom. Are we clear?”

“Clear.” She nodded in agreement as he instructed her to empty her mind the way he had taught her so that she was focused. According to Malik, she needed to use her body like a steering wheel so if she wanted to go up, she had to tilt her head skyward—gently, he had added after the rug had tried to go vertical. It was the same for turning left, turning right, or lowering herself back down to the ground. Then once she mastered the basics of flying, he would teach her how to teleport so that they could get to their destination a lot faster. Apparently, this involved a lot of blinking—

“Hello, I might be a dead djinn, but I can assure you that I'm not getting any younger. Could you move it along, please?” Malik cut through her thoughts, and Sophie let out a groan as she began to concentrate. First she had to make sure she wasn't clutching the carpet too tightly, because doing so apparently affected the aerodynamic qualities or something. Then she carefully angled her head so that it was pointing toward the sky. For a moment nothing happened, and Sophie caught her breath. Before she could ask Malik what had gone wrong, though, the carpet gave a little shake and then gently started to float up into the air until she was level with the kitchen window.

“Nice,” Malik said, and Sophie realized that he was now sitting next to her on the carpet. She grinned and tilted her head to the right. The rug responded, and this time she only just resisted the urge to squeal in excitement as it floated past the living room window. “Now, you just need to use your hands to keep a gentle pressure on the rug. That will keep it going at a level speed.
Well, go on then.
”

“Really? I can fly past the house? Are you sure that I'm ready?”

“I'm sure.” He nodded his head. “You've got the stabilizers on, and if anything goes wrong, they'll switch to automatic control. Unless, of course, you decide to fly into the direct path of a kite; if you do that, you will be untangling yourself for a week.”

“Right, avoid all kites.” Sophie made a mental note as she felt the woolen fibers of the carpet push into her palms. She increased the pressure, and the carpet gained in speed; soon her house was behind her.

She lifted her head to move farther up into the air, away from the hazards of chimneys and power lines.

The wind brushed Sophie's face, and she could feel her fine hair blowing out behind her. Below, tiny cars were zooming past, looking like they were from a Matchbox set. It was breathtaking, and part of her longed to reach her arms out wide,
Titanic
-style. Then she remembered that her hands were helping her to keep the carpet going, so she sensibly kept them where they were.

“Okay.” Malik's voice was suddenly in her ear. “Let's try some close-quarters flying. To do that, you need to reduce your speed and get nearer to the ground. This is particularly handy if you're chasing an ifrit who thinks that running away from a poker debt is a good idea.”

For a moment Sophie blinked, then gently lifted her hands off the carpet. She felt it slow down beneath them. Then she leaned forward, and the carpet gently headed back toward the ground below.

“Excellent.” Malik nodded in approval. “Now increase your speed just enough so that you don't crash.” Sophie obediently did what he said, and soon they were flying just above a tree-lined street. Malik pointed to a small park at the end of the street. “Now, let's see how well you can land this thing. The trick is to make sure that you don't stall just before you come to a stop, or you'll fall off and do a face plant.”

Sophie bit down on her lip as she straightened her spine and felt the carpet respond to the command. Then she lifted her hands slowly up off the woolen pile, and the carpet slid to a smooth halt.

She had done it!

She, Sophie Campbell, had flown a carpet! She let out an exhilarating scream, and this time she did raise her hands into the air in victory. Unfortunately, the carpet hadn't quite touched the ground, and, as Malik had predicted, she went face-first into the grass. Still, even as she untangled herself and looked over to where Malik was rolling his eyes, she still couldn't stop smiling. That was possibly the best thing she had ever done in her life.

Sophie jumped to her feet, adrenaline still buzzing through her veins. She shot Malik an excited look. “Okay, so what now? Can you teach me some tricks? Oh, what about standing up? That would be great. Or maybe we could—”

“Get an ice cream,” Malik interrupted. “The first rule of all flying lessons is that you need to take an ice-cream break.” As he spoke he nodded over to a fancy-looking ice-cream store at the far end of the park.

“Did you direct us here on purpose?”

“Of course,” Malik said. “I felt like ice cream, and what's the point of your practicing your landing where there's no ice-cream store? That doesn't make any sense.”

“Yes, but—” Sophie started to say, before catching sight of a shoe store right next to the ice-cream store. Then she put her hand over her mouth so Malik wouldn't see her smiling; but seriously, it was like the Universe was commanding her to go and look in there. She could definitely get used to this.

T
EN MINUTES AND TWO CARTONS OF FULL-FAT
cookies-and-cream ice cream later, Sophie and Malik were once again up in the air and on their way home. There also might have been the most adorable pair of nude-colored, peep-toe boots sitting in her lap. Not that she'd stolen them from the store; she had simply seen them in the window and wished for her own pair. And they were perfect. She had been wanting something with a heel to make her look taller, but since she couldn't actually walk in heels, not to mention the fact that her mom would flip out, she had compromised on a small wedge, which gave her an extra inch without increasing her chances of her breaking her neck.

For a moment she felt bad that she hadn't chosen them with Kara, but then she realized it would simply give them more time to shop for Kara's own outfit and really that's what was—

“Hey, hello there. Anyone at home? Because if you don't turn now, you'll probably hit that bird, and then you'll be picking feathers out of your hair for a week. Of course, that is a valid lifestyle choice, and if it's something that you really want to do, then be my guest,” Malik said. It sounded like he was still a bit put out that she hadn't followed his advice and conjured up the hot pink clogs that he'd taken a liking to.

“Sorry.” Sophie quickly steered the carpet to the left of the bird, and a couple of minutes later she caught sight of her house not far below. She sucked in a breath of air and focused her thoughts, determined that this landing would be smoother than the last.

“That's it.” Malik nodded his approval before leaning back, obviously unable to stop pretending that he was the one flying the carpet. “Now, you want to slow down your speed as much as you can. And then I want you to think about the basement.”

“What?” Sophie turned to him in surprise, causing the carpet to wobble. She quickly refocused until it was once again still. Then she took a deep breath and resisted the urge to wipe away the sweat that was beading up on her brow. “So tell me why I am thinking about the basement? I hate the basement. More importantly, I hate the spiders in the basement.”

“I am not a fan of it, either, but since the carpet is too big to land in your room, it's the only place for you to practice teleporting. Besides, it's not like the spiders in your basement are going to eat you. I mean, their teeth aren't even big enough to pierce the skin. Of course, if it was a Tibetan blue-lipped spider that would be a different story altogether, because those bad boys have fangs like you wouldn't believe. But those little guys in your basement are completely harmless.”

“You fill me with confidence,” Sophie said in a dry voice, as she tried not to think about giant fanged spiders and focused on her flying. “So you're saying that I just need to think of the basement and that's where I'll land?”

“That's right,” Malik said. “Oh, but don't forget to visualize a large bubble around the carpet before you do that. It will stop your face from feeling like it's been pounded by gale-force winds. Then you just need to blink three times.”

Sophie looked at him to see if he was joking, but it was impossible to tell. So she took a deep breath and prayed that the Universe knew what it was doing. Then she focused on the basement and pictured a giant bubble surrounding the carpet. Once that was done, Sophie blinked three times before she felt a gentle tugging sensation in her stomach.

“Nice work,” Malik said as Sophie cautiously opened her eyes. She let out a small whoop of excitement as she realized they were in the basement. She quickly uncrossed her legs and shook her limbs to get her circulation going again as she stared around her. Then she clicked her fingers and said, “Visible,” before checking herself in the chipped mirror that was hanging up near an old workbench. Apart from the fact that her blonde hair now resembled a bird's nest, she looked the same as she always did. She turned back to Malik and grinned.

“I did it! We flew, we teleported, and we shopped. That's amazing.”

“No,” Malik said in confusion. “Amazing is the way Jell-O dissolves in your mouth when you eat it. Flying a carpet and teleporting and conjuring up items is just magic.”

“Er, right,” Sophie said as adrenaline continued to course through her veins. She tried to ignore it as she took her new shoes off the carpet and quickly rolled it up before wishing it would go into the far corner of the basement. A second later it did, and she turned back to Malik. “But that was seriously amazing. Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Malik said as he floated over to the collection of packing boxes that held all of her dad's old possessions. When they had been gathering up the ingredients for Solomon's Elixir, they had checked the boxes and been delighted to discover that some of the ingredients were neatly packed down at the bottom of one in between some old shoes. “Besides, you did exceptionally well for your first time, and if you keep this up, then you'll definitely be ready to fly to Los Angeles.”

“Really?” Happiness radiated off her, and for a moment Sophie closed her eyes and pictured what it would be like to see her father again for the first time in four years. Would he think she had grown? That she totally rocked a flying carpet? That she—

“Well, would you look at that?” Malik's voice broke her thoughts, and she opened her eyes to see that he was holding her father's favorite David Bowie T-shirt up to his chest to see if it would fit. “Tariq the Awesome and I are the same size. I wonder if he would mind if I borrowed this?”

“I mind.” Sophie immediately pulled it away from him and clutched it to her chest. “Besides, my dad will be home soon, and then he'll need all of his old clothes,” she added in a firm voice.

“Or alternatively, he might decide that it's time to say good-bye to the old part of his life and get ready for a new chapter. In which case, he wouldn't even miss one little impossible-to-buy-anymore David Bowie
Serious Moonlight
concert T-shirt...
Okay, fine, so the T-shirt stays.
”

“Thank you,” Sophie said, feeling bad that she was keeping it from him after all his help. She wasn't even sure if she could explain her reasons. “It's just, the thing is, I—”

But the rest of her words were cut off when the basement door opened and her mom walked down the stairs, looking very confused.

“Sophie, what on earth are you doing down here? I've been looking for you everywhere. Didn't you hear me calling you?”

“O-oh,” Sophie stammered, since she had completely forgotten that there was a definite drawback to practicing invisible flying when her mom was at home. “Well, here I am.”

“Yes, but I'm still not sure why you're down here. And who were you talking to?”

“See, it's like she can just feel my presence,” Malik said as he puffed his chest forward and gave a coy little half wave. Despite the fact that Sophie's mom couldn't see him, Malik was convinced that they had a connection because they were friends on Facebook. Sophie was convinced he was delusional. “Oh, and I like what she's done to her hair. It's cute.”

“Of course no one's here with me,” Sophie said in a firm voice as she shot Malik a warning look.

“Really?” Her mom looked around in confusion. “Because I was sure I heard you talking to someone.”

Again Malik grinned, but Sophie ignored him as she searched her mind for a suitable excuse. She could hardly say that she had been practicing her carpet-flying skills, and since she didn't own a cell phone she couldn't say she had been talking on it, which meant there was only one thing to do.

“I was...er...talking to a spider,” Sophie finally said, resisting the urge to shudder.

“A spider?” Her mom raised an eyebrow in surprise. “But you hate spiders.”

“Yes, yes, I do,” Sophie reluctantly agreed. “But since I'm such a positive person, who prefers to be at one with the Universe, I'm trying to make myself get to know them. I mean, maybe I've been misjudging them all these years? Anyway, I think the spider and I have come to an understanding now.”

“You know, you really are the worst liar I've ever heard. You could've just said that you were singing a Neanderthal Joe song,” Malik said in a helpful voice that only she could hear. The fact that he had a good point didn't improve her mood. “Anyway, as delightful as it is to watch you talk about spiders, I've got to go.” Without another word he snapped his fingers and disappeared from sight.

“Well, I'm happy that you and the spider have cleared the air,” her mom said before catching sight of the David Bowie T-shirt, which was still in Sophie's hand. Her mom's eyes filled with concern. “When I agreed not to throw away your father's things, I didn't think it would encourage you to spend so much time moping down here. Should I be worried?”

“Of course not,” Sophie quickly responded. When her djinn powers had first come through, Sophie hadn't quite managed to make the most stellar start to sixth grade. That was one of the reasons why her mom had wanted to sell the house so that they could move to Montana. Not something that Sophie wanted to experience for a second time.

“Really? Because I'm not convinced, so how about you tell me the real reason? And this time I don't want to hear about any spiders.”

Sophie chewed her lip for a moment and took a deep breath. “I'm, er, saying good-bye to an old part of my life and getting ready for a new chapter,” she improvised, using Malik's words. Besides, it wasn't really a lie; as soon as her dad was back it
would
be a whole new chapter. More importantly, it was obviously exactly what her mom wanted to hear, because the worry lines around her eyes instantly disappeared as Sophie put the T-shirt down.

“Oh, Sophie, I'm so pleased. And I know it's been a tough few years, but I really feel like things are starting to get better.”

“Absolutely.” Sophie nodded in agreement. “S-so...did you want to ask me something?”

“Oh, right. Yes, I did. Max Rivers just called. He's got Ryan staying with him for the week, and he wanted to know if you could babysit for him after school tomorrow for a couple of hours.”

“What?” Sophie was immediately taken aback because not only was the six-year-old Ryan a biter of legendary status, but the last time Sophie had been at Mr. Rivers's house, she had managed to get herself turned into a djinn. And while logically she knew it was unlikely that he would accidently have another djinn-infested vase lying around, Sophie wasn't exactly eager to repeat the experience. She instantly shook her head. “I promised Kara I'd go with her and her mom to the mall. Not to mention all my homework.”
Or the fact that she would rather stab herself in the leg with her scissors than have to be in the same room as Ryan the biter.

“Well, you can do your homework at Max's house, and I'm sure that Kara would understand if you missed out on tomorrow's shopping trip. The thing is, I'd really appreciate it. Max has been such a wonderful help to me lately. He's the one who convinced Monica Tait to order so much of my work.” Then her mom coughed. “Is there...a particular reason why you don't want to do it? Is there something you don't like about him?”

“What?” Sophie asked in surprise before quickly shaking her head. “No, I guess he's nice enough.” Which was kind of true, since while she didn't like the fact that he had a crazy nephew and had managed to have a djinn-bound bottle in his basement, he seemed okay. Plus, there was the added advantage that he lived next door to Jonathan Tait, which was why Sophie had agreed to babysit Ryan the first time around. “The thing is, I really did promise Kara that—”