OM-BELIEVABLE!

Today we have an all-school assembly.

Magical students and non-magical students all in one place.

And I’m late.

I’ve been running late all day.

I was so late for lunch that my friends were already outside playing Four Square. That’s when I decided to play Four Square rather than eat.

Nick was playing. How could I resist?

And Nick’s really good at Four Square—just as good as Hunter and Isabelle.

After the game, I had to run all the way back to my dorm to get a jacket, and now I’m late for the assembly.

As I hurry down the sidewalk, I notice that nobody is around.

Everyone’s already in the auditorium.

Eek!

What’s this assembly about anyway? I wonder.

It includes upperclassmen, so it must be something BIG.

Maybe we’re going to have a field day!

Or could it be another dance? That would be FUN!

I push on the door to the auditorium building. Sunny and Annabelle are waiting for me in the lobby.

I have such awesome friends!

“Hurry up, Heidi!” Sunny says. “It’s about to begin!”

I pull off my jacket, because now I’m too hot. Oh well. “Do you know what the assembly is about?!”

Annabelle pulls off her backpack. “I heard it’s a competition!”

My eyes grow wide. “Like a MAGICAL competition?”

Annabelle shakes her head. “I doubt it, since it’s an all-school assembly.”

Good point, I think as I follow my friends into the auditorium. We grab seats together and wonder about other possible school-wide competitions.

A poetry reading?

A doughnut-eating contest?

Campus cleanup day?

Throw a pie at a teacher contest?

Mrs. Kettledrum walks onto the stage, and Momo follows close behind. A hush falls over the auditorium when Mrs. Kettledrum stands at the podium.

That’s when my stomach growls. It sounds like a motorcycle engine turning over. Everyone looks at me and laughs.

I’m mortified!

Sunny and Annabelle nudge me at the same time.

“Are you okay, Heidi?” Annabelle asks.

“Yeah!” I say, a little embarrassed. “I missed lunch!”

“Heidi, you shouldn’t have skipped lunch! We’ll grab some yummy snacks after the assembly!” Sunny says with a smile.

Did I already say I have awesome friends?!

Mrs. Kettledrum taps the microphone to see if it’s on. The microphone squeaks. “Gooooood afternoon, Broomsfield students!”

“Good afternoon!” we echo back.

Mrs. Kettledrum goes over some routine announcements first.

She mentions the two soccer victories this week—both girls and boys.

Hunter and Isabelle must be so psyched!

After the announcements Mrs. Kettledrum tells us the Broomsfield Academy Word of the Month, which is “loyalty.”

She talks about what it means to be a good and loyal friend. “Loyalty is what makes friendships last a long time,” Mrs. Kettledrum says.

Momo barks because she likes this idea. Everyone knows dogs are always loyal. They’re humans’ best friends!

Speaking of best friends, Lucy—my best, best friend forever and ever—is more loyal than anyone else in the world.

She will always be my best friend.

I hope I’m always a loyal friend to her, too.

I have missed her so much since moving away from Brewster and starting at Broomsfield Academy. We send each other letters every week and talk on the phone every weekend, but it’s not the same. I can’t wait to see her in person again soon.

Finally Mrs. Kettledrum puts her sheet of announcements to one side and takes off her reading glasses. “Now, I know you’re all wondering why we called this special assembly today.”

Whispers and murmurs echo throughout the auditorium. YES! We ARE wondering, I think. And it feels like it’s taking an eon to find out!

“Well,” Mrs. Kettledrum says, clapping her hands together, “I have exciting news!”

Sunny pinches my leg, and I pinch hers back.

“As you know, our school logo is over a hundred years old, and while we’ve loved it all these many years, it’s begun to look a little tired and outdated. So the faculty has voted to create a new logo, and the entire student body is invited to participate in a school-wide logo competition!”

Everyone in the auditorium erupts into cheers and whistles. Sunny, Annabelle, and I look at one another and squeal.

Then Mrs. Kettledrum goes over the contest rules.

“These rules only apply to those of you who wish to participate in the competition. Please listen carefully. Come up with a simple, creative, and original logo to identify our school. Your design must include our iconic Broomsfield Academy symbols: a bear and a broom. Your design must also include the words ‘Broomsfield Academy.’ All design entries must be uploaded to our school logo contest page.

“The link is included on the handout you’ll receive when you leave the auditorium. Each contestant is limited to one entry only. Judging will be based on originality, design quality, and visual impact.

“The winning design will become our new school logo! Good luck, everyone!”

We clap and cheer all over again, and everyone begins to talk at once as we get up to go. A logo contest is such a cool idea!

I’m sure fashion-mogul Melanie will enter. If anyone would want to leave a branding mark on this school, it’s her!

I’ll bet Isabelle will enter too. She loves fashion trends, and has the gift to make everything beautiful—which gives her an added edge.

Melanie or Isabelle could easily win this contest.

Annabelle taps me on the shoulder and snaps me out of my thoughts. “Isn’t this logo contest amazing, Heidi? What an honor it would be to have your design become the new school logo! I’m definitely going to enter.”

Sunny squishes in between Annabelle and me.

“This is a once-in-a-school-lifetime opportunity!” Sunny says, handing us each a sheet of paper with the contest rules on it. “I’m totally entering too! Can you picture a sunrise in the background of my logo?!”

I laugh because that is so Sunny! She’s not called Sunny for nothing!

“What about you, Heidi? Are you going to enter?” she asks.

I shake my head. Sunny and Annabelle each stick out their lower lip like, Why would anyone pass up such an amazing opportunity?! But honestly, I’m not into it. “I’m not much of an artist—so what’s the point? Besides, I really want to concentrate on my advanced magic lessons. The homework is going to take a lot of my spare time.”

Sunny’s and Annabelle’s faces light back up. I can tell they want to know more.

“I have a fun idea,” Sunny says. “Let’s go back to the dorms and talk about everything, including Heidi’s new meditation techniques! Annabelle, is that okay with you if Heidi comes over to our room?”

“Of course,” answers Annabelle. “Heidi is always welcome. She can move in if she likes!”

I’m happy my friends are so eager to learn more about what I’m doing in my advanced lessons. It’s perfect because I have to find time to practice so I can really perfect my mind reading.

“Sounds like fun,” I say.

When we get to Sunny and Annabelle’s room, I notice they’ve got some new stuff—three plush seats to be exact.

Actually, they’re more like footstools, and they’re shaped like mushrooms! They’re short, super-fuzzy, and perfect to perch on.

One word: supercute!

The mushroom stools belong to Annabelle. She’s been slowly decorating her side of the room, since she wasn’t able to carry much over from England.

“I love, love, LOVE your mushroom stools, Annabelle!” I tell her. “Where did you get them?”

Annabelle sits on a light gray mushroom. “Aren’t they the cutest! I got them at Georgette’s Folly, a super-funky boutique in Broomsfield Village.”

“I love that store!” I tell her. “I may have to copy you! These mushrooms are not only cute, but they’d also be perfect for meditating on!”

Sunny bounces onto a cream-colored mushroom. I hop onto the one that has a red cap with white spots and a white stem.

It’s squishy and sooo comfy.

“And you know what else?” Annabelle says. “They have secret storage spaces underneath the mushroom caps!”

I hop off my mushroom, pull off the cap, and find a stash of snacks hidden inside my stool.

“Oh, YUM! Look at all these snacks!” My stomach growls again. My friends giggle.

“Heidi, I have some crackers and peanut butter or an apple, if you want that to hold you over for now?” Annabelle says.

I quickly pop the lid back on, beaming at Annabelle’s offer. “Yes, some crackers and peanut butter, please!” I say.

After I eat my snack, Sunny gets down to business. “So, Heidi, tell us more about what you learned in your advanced magic lesson yesterday! Will you teach us something?”

I grab my backpack and pull out my meditation techniques. “Would you like to meditate together? Mrs. Kettledrum says meditation is the best foundational work for performing better and more advanced spells.”

Sunny and Annabelle both nod eagerly.

“Okay, first we have to get into a comfortable position,” I say as I pull my legs crisscrossed on top of my mushroom.

“Also, if you want, I read that you can hold your fingers in an O position, and then rest the backs of your hands on the sides of your knees.” I show them how it’s done.

Sunny and Annabelle follow my instructions.

“Wow, I kind of feel like I’m a yoga teacher,” I say. “But maybe that’s a bit of a stretch. Get it? Yoga? Stretch?”

My friends groan at my silly joke.

I look at my list to see what to do next. “Okay, now relax your shoulders and shut your eyes.” My friends do exactly what I say.

I have such good students!

“Now breathe in through your nose slowly and then gently exhale through your mouth.” We practice this together.

“You have to let your thoughts grow quiet,” I continue. “It’s not as easy as it sounds, so be patient with yourself. If your thoughts begin to wander, that’s okay. Say hello to whatever song or words are in your head, and then silence it.”

We practice breathing steadily with our eyes closed, except for me, because I have to peek at my paper again.

I skip the part about choosing a mantra for now. I take the more straightforward approach instead.

“Wow, this is hard, Heidi!” Sunny says. And I nod and look back at her like, I know!

“So Mrs. Kettledrum suggests chanting the word ‘om’ to help clear your mind. This chant is meant to help you feel more connected to the earth and the stillness of nature. Repeat after me! Ommmm.”

My friends mimic me.

“Ommmm,” Sunny chants.

“Ommmm,” says Annabelle.

“Ommmm,” Sunny repeats.

I jump in for a turn.

“Ommmm…”

“I don’t think we are saying it right. We sound like confused ghosts,” Sunny says.

We all giggle.

“Ommmm,” I repeat, trying to be a responsible instructor.

Sunny and Annabelle follow my lead for another round of oms.

“It sounds like we have bellyaches,” Annabelle says.

More giggles.

“You see how easy it is to get distracted?” I say. “I told you, it’s a lot harder to quiet your thoughts than you think. Again.”

“Ommmm…”

“Ommmm…”

“Ummmm,” Sunny says.

I sigh. Why is Sunny switching it up?

“It’s not ‘um,’ Sunny, it’s ‘om,’ ” I tell her. “Mrs. Kettledrum told me that this chant is very sacred, and that I should show it and meditation a lot of respect. So let’s be serious! Keep your eyes shut, and everyone be silent for a moment.”

My friends get quiet, and I’m just about to say Begin again, when my stomach growls really loudly this time. And it’s way too funny.

We all fall off our mushrooms, laughing.

“I think I might need something more than just crackers with peanut butter!” I say, clutching my stomach.

Sunny hops back onto her mushroom and tries to get us going again.

“Yummmm…,” she chants.

Annabelle and I bust out laughing and roll around on the floor.

“Okay, forget it,” I say. “I can’t concentrate anymore because I’m starving. Anyone up for some real food?”

Sunny jumps up and grabs a package from her desk.

“I got a care package from my mom today!” She lifts a cookie tin from the box, pulls off the round top, and passes around the cookies. “Not exactly ‘real food,’ but these are her famous sugar cookies with rainbow sprinkles!”

I devour my cookie so fast, crumbs fly everywhere.

I brush the crumbs from my clothes.

Eek!

I make Cookie Monster look well-mannered.

Then Annabelle passes around bottles of water, and we catch up.

“So did you get the scoop on Isabelle yesterday?” Sunny asks.

I squirm a little uncomfortably, but I also know that Sunny and Annabelle want to get some info on the so-called mysterious and standoffish Isabelle.

“Well,” I say, wondering where to start, “she lives in Dreamwood, and she has one of those tower rooms all to herself!”

“Ooooooh!” Sunny and Annabelle say at the same time.

“Whoa, how did she get a room like that as a first-year student?!” Sunny asks.

I grab the sides of my mushroom cap and lean forward. “Well, she had to write a convincing essay about why she wanted a single. Plus, one of her ancestors, back in the 1800s, donated Dreamwood to the school.”

Annabelle twists the cap on her water. “That’s cool! So what else did you find out?”

I rock back and forth on my mushroom as I think about my visit with Isabelle.

“Well, I found out that not only is Isabelle a star soccer player, but she’s also an amazing artist. She has an art gallery in her room! And all the sketches and paintings were done by her.

“She told me she picked a rainbow-colored feather at the Feather-Picking Ceremony. Her gift as a witch is making the world more beautiful, and if you saw her room, you’d see why that’s her special gift.”

Sunny and Annabelle stare at me like I’m a gossip machine. I can tell they want more—something juicier.

I decide to tell them about the strange part of my visit. “Isabelle and I were having a really great time. She even told me to call her Izzy because that’s what her friends at home call her. So if we’re going to be friends, I thought I would ask her some basic get-to-know-you questions, like, where’s she from? How many siblings does she have? That sort of thing.

“It went fine at first. She told me she had two older brothers who went to Broomsfield and that they were the ones who got her into soccer. But she didn’t tell me where her family was from. She just said they lived far away.

“Then, BOOM! All of a sudden she cut the conversation short and practically shoved me out the door. Isn’t that weird? I can’t figure out what I said to offend her. I’ve gone over and over it in my mind, but honestly, I can’t think of anything. Do you think she may be hiding something?”

Annabelle leans over and grabs another cookie as she thinks about what I’ve said. “Who knows? Some people are just private about their families.”

Sunny nods. “Annabelle’s right. You never know what’s going on in someone’s home life. Did you try to get a read on her thoughts?”

I nod. “I tried, but I didn’t get anything. I think I was too flustered.” I shrug. “Oh well—so that’s the scoop on Isabelle.”

Then I look at Sunny with a wink. “Did you get the scoop on Nick?”

Sunny and Annabelle give each other another one of their looks. Translation? Heidi and her ridiculous crushes!

But Sunny keeps her end of the bargain. “Okay, my info on Nick is limited, but I did find out that his favorite subject is history.”

I light up, because hey, that’s SOMETHING! “I love history too—well, at least I love the history of magic, but I can have an open mind to other types of history.”

Annabelle flickers her eyes in that do-I-have-to-spell-it-out-for-you way. “Be realistic, Heidi! You’re a witch! And you’ll never be able to share that side of yourself with him, and that’s a BIG part of who you are!”

“What are you saying, Annabelle?” I ask her. “That I should only make friends with witches and wizards? I can’t have non-magical friends?”

Annabelle sighs. “I’m not saying that, Heidi. Not at all. But I am saying you’re making things harder on yourself than necessary, like getting a crush on a non-magical boy. Which means you have to start out any relationship by keeping secrets from him.”

I hang my head because I hate hearing this—even though Annabelle has a point. But being a witch has never gotten in the way of my non-magical friendships before, like with Lucy.

What I really should do is forget about boys altogether for now and keep focused on my goals as a witch. And that means learning how to control my thoughts and quiet my mind.

This restores my focus.

I clap my hands. “Okay, witches! Cookie break and gossip time are over! Ready to meditate some more?”

Sunny and Annabelle nod. We assume our meditation positions.

We relax—sort of—and shut our eyes.

“Ommmm…,” I begin.

Annabelle giggles.

My eyes pop open.

“I’m sorry!” Annabelle says. “For some reason when I try to quiet my mind, all I can do is laugh!”

“Come on! This is SERIOUS! I want you both to think about nothing. I know that feels unnatural, but try. Now let’s GO! Ommmm…”

This time Annabelle and Sunny both laugh.

“You know what? You two are om-believable!” I tell them.

Then we all burst out laughing.

Oh well, I think. Meditating with friends is fun, but it’s totally useless. From now on I’ll have to find time in my day to meditate all by myself.

I can do this! I can rise above all the noise in my head. I, Heidi Helena Heckelbeck, will leave a lasting magical mark on this world!

Of course, leaving a magical mark on the world is easier said than done.…