twelve

“Yep. You may be a witch. So you can do spells like this one,” Eve said.

“OH NO! OH NO!!! I will NEVER do anything like this again. I’ve learned my lesson,” April said, staring at Austin. “I like experiments. BUT, I kind of . . . uh . . . miss my brother. I won’t say those words EVER again. AND, I’m scared about what Mom and Dad might do to me if they find out.”

“Well, let’s meet here tomorrow morning. Eve, can you bring your spell book?” Grace asked.

“Yes ma’am,” Eve said with her polite Southern accent.

Grace looked at April. “Actually, let’s meet at April’s house, since my brother will be here.”

“Good idea, Genius Galapagos,” April chimed in.

“OK,” said Eve, “I’ll be over in the morning with the spell book.”

“Arf,” Austin quietly barked.

“Perfect. I guess Austin agrees, too,” April said, sitting back down on the bed. She tucked Austin under her arm.

The girls laughed.

“Oh NO!” She jumped off the bed again.

“April, what’s wrong?” Grace asked.

She pointed to the clock “Look! It’s already five o’clock.”

“Uh oh,” Grace said. “Oh my gosh! Austin is supposed to get out of practice soon . . . in less than an hour.”

“We don’t have much time,” April said as the blood rushed to her face.

“How are you going to get through tonight . . . with Austin . . . as a dog?”

“Oh! I have an idea,” Eve said.

“Please share. We need all the help we can get,” Grace said, looking at the clock.

“Your brothers are best friends, too, right?”

“Yes,” they replied together.

“Grace, ask your mother if April can sleepover. Then get your mother’s cell phone and text April’s mom, asking if both April and Austin can sleepover. That will get you time until tomorrow. You just have to hide Austin tonight.”

April and Grace exhaled. Grace’s smile grew bigger and bigger. “I know just how we can do it.”

“Eve, you are SUPER smart!” April said, grinning. “Tomorrow, we will turn Austin from white and fluffy to brown haired and scruffy. I hope.” She tried to keep the smile on her face. “Eve, we will see you tomorrow morning. Be here early, ok?”

“Yes ma’am,” Eve said. “See ya’ll in the morning.”

They hung up.

Grace quickly moved her eyes to meet April’s. “OK . . . here’s the plan . . . I’ll go downstairs and ask my mom if you can sleepover. You come downstairs and go into the dining room. She leaves her purse on the table, and she keeps her cell phone in the side pocket. Grab it. Then, we’ll come upstairs. Sound good?”

“But, what do we do with Austin?” April asked, looking at the little white dog.

He looks so sad and depressed, she thought. I don’t think he has lain still like this since . . . well . . . ever! I am such a horrible sister. What kind of sister turns their brother into a dog? I can’t believe I got myself into this mess.

“Let’s put him back in the closet,” Grace said.

April gently placed him on the closet floor, giving him a farewell pat on the head. “I’ll be right back.” She stood up. “Oh geez!” she said as she grabbed Grace’s trashcan. She started digging through it, taking out all the used paper and napkins.

Grace’s eyes bulged. “WHAT are you doing?”

April shooed the shoes out of the front corner of the closet. She feverishly flattened the papers on top of each other and placed them in the corner. “Just in case he has to go potty: a little wee-wee pad.”

As April closed the closet door, leaned her back against it, and stared off into the distance.

OMG! This REALLY could backfire on me. What if my parents find out? I would never—and I mean NEVER—see the light of day again. Forget sleepovers. Forget dances. Forget ever learning to drive. Forget life . . .

April blinked hard. She took the phone from Grace and started texting her mother.