FORGET-ME-NOTS

After breakfast Sunny, Annabelle, and I sign up for an optional Saturday spells and potions class. Mrs. Kettledrum is the teacher, and my private lesson is right after the class.

Eek to that!

As soon as I sit down, Mrs. Kettledrum gives me one of her knowing looks. It’s the look she gives me when she wants to tell me something by way of her thoughts. It’s pretty easy for me to hear Mrs. Kettledrum’s thoughts because she knows how to get my attention.

I can hear her as clearly as if she were speaking to me out loud.

I tune in.

Heidi, when class is over, we’ll work out this mess with Melanie. Don’t worry, everything will be all right. I had no idea you’d need an Emergency Spell so soon!

I nod—just a little—so no one will notice, except for Mrs. Kettledrum. Wow, I can’t believe Mrs. Kettledrum already knows what’s going on, when I didn’t tell her anything yet! I dream of being able to do that one day.

And the best part?

I finally feel some relief, like maybe this whole thing will work out.

And if I go back to being the only one at Broomsfield who knows Isabelle’s secret, I know I’ll be able to keep it this time.

There’s no way I ever want to feel this anxious again.

Plus, the urge to tell Isabelle’s secret has faded too—just like Lucy said it would.

Thank goodness!

Mrs. Kettledrum gets up from her desk, and Momo leaps onto her seat. “Okay, Saturday students, are you ready for my special spells and potions class?”

“YES!” we all shout.

Mrs. Kettledrum claps her hands. “Good! Because today we’re going to make a potion for glow-in-the-dark bubble gum!”

The class hoots and claps, because how cool is THAT?!

Mrs. Kettledrum waits for us to quiet down. “Now let’s step into the cauldron room since this potion requires counter space and mini cauldrons.”

We file into the cauldron room. Sunny, Annabelle, and I sit at a station together. Mrs. Kettledrum passes out bowls filled with little pellets of unflavored gum base.

We pour the pellets into our mini cauldrons to soften them.

After that, we get to pick flavors!

I choose rainbow fruit. Annabelle picks birthday cake. And Sunny chooses lemon meringue pie. Next we sweeten our gum with corn syrup.

And then we add the magical ingredient—the thing that will make our gum glow in the dark!

It’s called Mega Magical Fluorescent Food Coloring. It glows even in the light of day!

We squeeze drops of the food coloring into our gum mixture. Then we smoosh it in with our hands.

Squish! Squoosh! Squash!

“This stuff looks radioactive!” Annabelle exclaims.

We giggle even though we know Mrs. Kettledrum would never let us eat anything toxic.

Once we each have a glowing ball of gum dough, it’s time to slice it into cubes. First we sprinkle the counter with confectioners’ sugar, so the dough won’t stick. Then we roll our gum into logs.

I shape mine into a square log because I want perfect gum cubes, like the ones you can buy at the store. Then we slice our gum into individual pieces. This is so cool!

“Is everyone ready to try their gum?” Mrs. Kettledrum asks.

“YES!” we yell.

Mrs. Kettledrum snaps her fingers and turns out the lights. She snaps her fingers again, and the lights come back on as black lights.

“On your mark! Get set! Chew!” she cries.