Chapter 7
Rinnnng! Rinnnng!
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I shut off the alarm clock.
“Krystal, honey, breakfast is ready,” yelled a voice from outside my door.
Frazzled, I pulled off my covers and headed for the kitchen. It was Monday. Can I tell you how much I dislike Mondays? What an annoying way to end a perfectly wonderful weekend.
The truth is that I really like school. It’s not so bad. I just prefer that there would be less of it during the week.
I padded down the hall, my curls bouncing on top of my head.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I cried, and when I entered the kitchen, I announced, “I’m here!”
“Good morning, sunshine,” Mom said. “Your cereal is on the table.”
“Mom, do you want to hear about my dream?” I asked, shoveling a spoonful into my mouth.
“Not now, dear,” she said. “We’re running late. You can tell me on the way.”
After breakfast, I went to my bedroom to get dressed.
“Hmm, my dream has inspired me to go with an ocean-themed outfit, Stanley,” I said.
Pulling a shimmery green pair of pants out of the dresser, I hopped on the bed to put them on.
“Don’t these look just like the glittering scales of a mermaid’s tail?” I asked my silent friend.
I slipped both feet into the pants at the same time, kicking as if I were swimming under water. I paired the pants with a light blue top. It had a sequined goldfish on the front. I just love goldfish. They’re so cute!
Then I topped it all off with a bright orange scarf and a coral necklace.
“Time to go, honey,” Mom yelled from the door.
“Ahoy, matey,” I responded.
She chuckled. “What are you talking about?”
“I had a dream that I was on a pirate ship,” I said. I told her all about it as we walked to school. “When I was with Grandma, the tarot cards showed water. Then I saw it in my dream. It must be a sign of something in the future.”
“Well, I know what’s happening this Sunday,” Mom said.
“It’s my birthday!” I squealed and jumped up and down. “Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me,” I sang. “You know, Mom, I’m going to be a double digit. How grown-up is that?”
“It sure is,” replied my mother. “Remember, we’re getting the decorations after school today. One of your first grown-up responsibilities is to help me set up.”
“I can’t wait. The apartment will look so… fabulous!” I exclaimed.
As we arrived at the schoolyard, Mom kissed me on the forehead and said goodbye.
I ran up the steps into the building. Waiting there was my other best friend, Claire.
Claire Voyance had moved to Queens at the beginning of the school year. She was the new girl in class, but we hit it off immediately.
Claire has curly hair like me, but it somehow looks way better on her. She also wears really cute clothes, which, of course, I like.
After a few months, I shared my biggest secret with her. I tried to explain my gifts and abilities as best I could. It was nice to have a friend that I could share this stuff with. Billy’s okay, but sometimes he can be so immature.
Anyway, Claire didn’t breathe a word. She thought it was pretty neat to have a best friend with special powers. She acts like I’m a superhero.
“Hi, Claire!” I shouted.
“Hi, Krystal!” Claire shouted back. She ran over and grabbed me by the wrist.
Suddenly, I felt the tingles and energy wash over my body. It was warm and fuzzy, like a happy feeling. I shut my eyes and caught a glimpse of something red and pink.
“It’s about time you got here,” Claire cried, distracting me. “We have soooo much to talk about.”
We ran down the hall to Miss Callisto’s fourth grade classroom.
“Good morning, girls,” Miss Callisto said as we entered the room.
“Good morning, Miss Callisto,” we replied at the same time.
As the teacher prepared our lesson, Claire and I took our assigned seats. Luckily, our desks are right next to each other.
“I got your birthday invitation in the mail,” Claire whispered.
Like I mentioned earlier, I created the invitations to my birthday all by myself. I used construction paper, markers, a gel pen, and lots and lots of glitter. Okay, so my mom helped me mail them out, but still, it’s all very impressive to do on your own.
Claire unloaded her backpack onto the desk. Her books flapped open and clattered against the hard surface. The pink card I sent her fluttered out last.
I looked down and gasped.
Then I whispered into Claire’s ear, “You like Billy Katsikis?”
She bolted upright in her seat and turned as red as her hair.
“What? How do you know?” Claire asked. Then she lowered her voice. “Did you read my mind?”
I laughed. “No, I can’t do that,” I said.
I pointed to the notebook that dropped out of Claire’s bag. It had fallen open to a blank page. There, on the bottom with a big red heart doodled around it was Billy’s name.
“It’s kind of obvious,” I said.
“Ohmygosh!” Claire cried.
In a flash, she ripped the page out of her notebook and crumpled it up. Then she shoved it into her bag and sat on it so no one else could see.
“Is everything all right, Claire?” Miss Callisto asked her.
“Just peachy!” she replied.
Then she turned to me and said, “I guess we both have our secrets, huh?”
“Don’t worry, bestie,” I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Your secret is safe with me.”