Under a Spell (10 page)

“And,”
Malik added with a dramatic flourish of his hands, “I also spoke to my friend at the Djinn Council, so hopefully you should get a new appointment delivered to you very soon.”

“Really?” Sophie was instantly distracted, and she gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. Anyway, I suppose we'd better get to the tryouts now.”

“Actually,” Kara mumbled in a small voice, her eyes fixed firmly on the ground, “please don't hate me, but at the meeting this morning I found out
The Wizard of Oz
auditions have been changed to today. I mean, I don't have to go, but I did say I would. And the thing is that—”

“I knew there was something weird going on with you!” Harvey announced. “You've been fiddling with your pencil all morning. I should've guessed it was something like this.”

“Kara, why didn't you say something earlier?” Sophie immediately felt guilty that she'd been so caught up in her own Jonathan-Tait-stared-at-me happiness that she hadn't even noticed her friend had been worried about something.

“Because I didn't want to stress you,” Kara said. “Besides, it's no big deal.”

“Of course it's a big deal. You've been working on Colin
the winged monkey statue nonstop. It's only right you should be at the auditions,” Sophie quickly assured her. Unfortunately, Malik didn't seem to be taking the news quite so well.

“What?” he yelped, his Zac-like face drained of color. “They can't do that. The pamphlet clearly says that the auditions are tomorrow. I mean, what's the point of putting down a time if they're going to change it? This is very unprofessional.”

“I know,” Kara said. “But there was some kind of double booking going on, and they had to make the switch. I'm so sorry.”

“Well, I should think so. I mean, this is a disaster. How can I go to
The Wizard of Oz
auditions
and
the cheerleading tryouts at the same time? I feel so torn.”

“I wasn't actually apologizing to you,” Kara said in surprise. “I was apologizing to Sophie.”

“Why? Sophie isn't the one who wants to do two things at once,” Malik snapped as he began to fan himself. “Do you think this is how Zac felt when they tried to make him choose between basketball and the musical?”

“Well, let's see. Zac was playing a character in a movie, and you're a djinn ghost who can't actually try out for either thing, so, yes, it's exactly the same,” Harvey said in a dry voice.

“Do you think this is funny?” Malik demanded as he shot him a withering glare. “I mean, I really wanted to see
The Wizard of Oz
auditions. I've been listening to some
of them practice, and it's like all the losers from
American Idol
rolled into one. Oh, this is a total disaster. What am I going to do?”

“You're going to the cheerleading tryouts with Sophie,” Kara informed him in a firm voice. “I mean, you're her djinn guide, and she's about to do some seriously hard conjuring.”

“Yes,” Harvey added. “It would be the
helpful
thing to do.”

Malik let out a long heartfelt sigh as his shoulders drooped. “I suppose you're right. And perhaps Zac Efron will be there? I mean, the basketball players seemed tight with the cheerleaders.”

“I'm pretty sure that he won't be,” Sophie assured him before studying Malik's face for a moment. “And perhaps it would be best if you did go to
The Wizard of Oz
auditions.”

“Really?” Malik immediately perked up.

Harvey turned to Sophie and frowned. “And are you really sure about this?”

“Yes,” Sophie assured him, secretly relieved that the troublesome djinn would be occupied for an hour. “Besides, I nailed it when I was rehearsing my transcendental conjuring in the basement, and Malik wasn't there then. I'll be fine.”

“That's the spirit.” Malik applauded her. “Just don't forget to hold your stomach in and stay focused. Oh, and remember what I said about clicking your fingers. It will
definitely give it a bit of pizzazz,” he said, before clicking his own fingers and disappearing from sight. Kara gave Sophie a tight hug and wished her luck before she headed toward the auditorium.

Once they were gone, it didn't take long for Sophie to change into her PE gear, and before she knew it, she and Harvey were racing toward the gymnasium. Okay, so she was racing and Harvey was halfheartedly tagging along. When they reached the gymnasium door, she turned to him and gave him a grateful smile.

“Thanks for coming with me. I know you think that I'm crazy, but I really don't think the Universe would've given me this idea if I wasn't meant to do it. Plus, according to Malik, the Djinn Council members are totally scary, so I figure facing down Melissa Tait will be good practice.”

“It's okay, Soph.” Harvey squeezed her hand. “I get why you want to patch this mess up, and since I once tried writing a poem to my mom and pretended it was from my dad, it would be wrong of me to call any of your ideas crazy.”

“Thanks, Harvey.” Sophie once again realized how lucky she was to have such amazing friends, especially when they had problems of their own going on. “You really are the best.”

“I know,” he said with a smile. “Now go and do your thing. But watch out if Melissa folds her arms, because in
body-language talk, that's a declaration of war,” he warned, just as his stomach made a growling noise in protest at having missed lunch. Without thinking, Sophie closed her eyes and made a wish. The next second a surprised-looking Harvey was holding a supersize Big Mac combo.

He widened his eyes in appreciation. Sophie grinned. She was in such a good mood that she couldn't help but make sure everyone else felt as happy as she did. Then she pushed open the gym door and glanced around her.

The sound of sneakers squeaking against the wood assaulted her ears, as hopeful cheerleaders were high kicking and spelling things at the same time. Over in the corner the members of the squad were standing around watching (except for Donna Anderson, who sat on a bench with her leg covered in a huge cast, looking miserable).

For a moment Sophie shuddered. Normally, she would rather poke herself in the eye with one of Kara's sketching pencils than spend time in this kind of environment, but extreme circumstances called for extreme measures.

She took a deep breath and was just about to head over when Ben Griggs suddenly appeared next to her. “Hey, Campbell, there you are. I'm totally stressing about my Spanish quiz this afternoon. If I don't pass it, I won't be able to play in the game tomorrow. I was wondering if I could touch the guitar pick again to give me some good luck. My old man will hit the roof if I get benched.”

What?
Sophie gulped. Letting Ben Griggs touch her
guitar pick had already caused far too many problems with Melissa. “The thing is—” she started, but Ben cut her off.

“Please, I really need you to help me out here. Come on, Campbell,” he wheedled.

Sophie stifled a groan as she remembered her new affirmation.
I am a kind and friendly person who gets along with everyone.
Against her better judgment she had to admit that it wasn't very kind or friendly to say no to Ben when he was freaking out. She reluctantly pulled the necklace out from under her T-shirt.

“Fine, but be quick. I've got to go join the rest of the cheerleaders.”

“Totally,” Ben agreed as he reached out and clutched the guitar pick like it was some kind of holy grail. Sophie was just wondering how long he was going to take when she glanced over to the bleachers and caught sight of Harvey making weird faces at her.

She wrinkled her nose. Was he trying to remind her that Ben Griggs was a pyromaniac who liked to beat up on sixth graders? Because, hello, she already knew that. She raised her eyebrows at him, but instead of stopping, he began a series of hand actions. She really must ask Malik about whether her djinn powers could extend to mind reading, because this was making no sense at all.

“Well, well. Isn't this nice and cozy,” Melissa Tait's voice suddenly rang out from somewhere behind Sophie's
shoulder. Too late she figured out what her friend had been trying to tell her. For a moment she looked over to where Harvey was staring helplessly at her from the bleachers, before she slowly turned around to face her nemesis. Somehow, she didn't think her new affirmation was going to help much.

O
H, HEY, BABE. I WAS JUST GETTING SOME GOOD
luck for my Spanish quiz. There's no way I'll get benched for tomorrow's game now.” Ben let go of the guitar pick.

“Of course you'll pass it,” Melissa said in a surprisingly nice voice as she beamed at Ben and smoothed down her short cheerleading skirt and matching fitted top.

“Well, I will now that Campbell has helped me out,” he assured her before galloping across the courts. Once he had gone, Sophie took a deep breath and started to speak before Melissa could open her mouth.

“Okay, so I know what you're thinking, but I promise that nothing happened. Nothing. I mean, the only reason I let him touch the guitar pick was because he's your boyfriend. I thought that it might make you like me more, and—”

“Relax,” Melissa commanded as she held up a perfectly
manicured hand. “I'm not going to bite your head off. I actually just saw that you'd signed up for the tryouts and wanted to say that, if you like, I could help you out a little.”

“Y-you can?” Sophie blinked as she realized that Melissa was actually smiling. Did that mean she was being nice two times in under a minute? Surely that had to be some kind of record. Then she narrowed her eyes. “Did Jonathan bribe you to say that?”

“Of course not. For a start, Jonathan is a complete amateur when it comes to bribing anyone,” Melissa said, like that was a bad thing. Then, when Sophie didn't look convinced, she let out a sigh. “Okay, so here's the thing. Even though Jonathan and I aren't exactly the ‘joined at the hips' kind of twins, he's still my brother, and I figure if he likes you, I should at least make an attempt to get to know you. I mean, we must have something in common.”

“That's exactly what I said, when my friends and Jonathan tried to tell me trying out was a bad idea,” Sophie exclaimed in excitement. S
ee, she knew the Universe wouldn't let her down.

“Well, just shows what they all know.” Melissa shot her a conspiratorial wink before frowning. “Of course, it doesn't guarantee you're going to make the squad. You've still got to impress Miss Carson, and there are a few other contenders for Donna's spot.”

“I've got a few tricks up my sleeve,” Sophie said as she
resisted the urge to grin.
She knew that this had been a good
plan.

“I hope so, because I'm starting to think that this might be fun. Anyway, come on. Miss Carson is waiting, and you still need to get changed.”

“Changed?” Sophie blinked as she looked down at her ill-fitting gym shorts and her oversize T-shirt. “Can't I just do the tryouts in this?”

“Rule number one if you want to be friends with me. Always dress the part.” Melissa made a clicking noise with her tongue as she nodded for Sophie to follow her. As they headed toward the locker room, Sophie glanced over to Harvey, who just held up his arms and shrugged, as if to agree that Sophie's plan hadn't been such a dumb idea after all.

“Huh, well, I didn't expect that it would fit quite so well,” Melissa said in surprise when Sophie stepped out of the changing cubicle. Then she brightened. “I suppose that means it's a sign you should be on the team, right?”

“I hope so.” Sophie returned the smile and crossed her fingers, since her well-fitting outfit was actually a result of djinn magic rather than a sign from the Universe. She glanced down at her skirt. While it wasn't quite as fitted as Melissa's was, at least it no longer trailed down below Sophie's knees. And she had managed to make the top, which had obviously been designed for someone with a large chest, a better fit for her almost nonexistent boobs. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to make
the cat-vomit yellow stop clashing with her pale hair, but at least she no longer looked like a little girl who had just raided her big sister's closet.

“Great, so let's get out there,” Melissa said as they hurried back onto the court, where Miss Carson was blowing her whistle.

“Quiet, please, ladies,” the coach called out as all the wannabe cheerleaders crowded around her. “Melissa's going to take you through a warm-up, and then we'll start the tryouts. Clear?”

Everyone nodded and formed three lines while Melissa marched to the front. Sophie managed to find a spot as far toward the back as she could and took a deep breath. So far her plan was working, but it really all hung on how good her transcendental wishing skills were. Before she could worry, Melissa clapped her hands and started the warm-ups.

Ten minutes later, despite her panting, Sophie couldn't help but conceal a grin since normally she couldn't manage more than ten lunges in a row, but thanks to her wishing skills, she had done thirty. Even Miss Carson had looked impressed. But real proof was going to be when she did her own routine.

Thankfully, she had managed to get last in line, which meant that she could watch everyone else and study their moves. Finally, it was her turn. She was just about to start when Melissa hurried over to her.

“Hey, I just want to wish you luck.” Melissa grinned.

“You do?” Sophie widened her eyes, still not quite able to take in the personality change in Jonathan's twin sister.

“Don't look so surprised,” Melissa said as she reached out and smoothed down Sophie's uniform. Then her face wrinkled in concern. “Oh, you forgot to take your watch and jewelry off.”

Sophie looked at her blankly. “Was I supposed to?”