When she was younger, Ali had tried hopelessly to change into something or someone else. It was embarrassing to be a Sloane without powers, even if Digger and Gigi said it was no big deal. It was a big deal to Ali, because the fact that there were Copycats meant magic existed, which meant that dragons, fairies, and wizards could be real, too. Even better, if she was magical, she’d find a way to make money so the power wasn’t disconnected and the refrigerator was full.
But standing outside Ms. Ryder’s classroom, Ali was truly relieved for the first time not to be a Copycat, because if Andrew Sloane was against the family’s powers, it meant Alfie probably wasn’t one, either. They could be boring Sloanes together. The thought made her smile.
Ms. Ryder was at her desk when Ali arrived for debate team Monday after school. She smiled when she saw her. “What a nice surprise!” She handed her two pieces of paper and motioned for her to take a seat in the front row. “Take these forms home. One of them is an information sheet about the basics of debating, and the other is a permission slip for your parents to sign.”
Ali took the papers and sat down. Her stomach roiled like a ship on a storm-tossed sea. She was about to meet her cousin and talk in front of a group of strangers. What had she gotten herself into?
The next person through the door was interstellar boy. Tall, kind of cute, and funny. He seemed self-confident and mature, like if the school caught fire, he’d be the one to lead everyone to safety. “Hey, Ms. R.,” he said as he slid into the empty seat next to Ali.
Ms. Ryder grinned. “Hello, Murray. I’m expecting big things from you this year now that you’ve got a year of debate under your belt.”
Interstellar girl was next. She grabbed the seat on the other side of Murray.
“I wondered how long until Murray talked you into coming, Cassie,” said Ms. Ryder.
Two other kids arrived: Ashok, who paused to size up the front row before taking a seat behind Ali, and Carolyn, a blond-haired, blue-eyed girl whose pierced nose both thrilled and repulsed Ali. She was too chicken to even have her ears pierced.
“My grade eights,” Ms. Ryder said. She eyed the clock above the Smart Board. “It’s three thirty-seven. I think anybody who planned to come would be here by now. Let’s get started.”
Both Ali’s and Murray’s shoulders drooped. Since Alfie was the sole reason she’d come to debate team, Ali wondered how silly she’d look if she bailed now. Ms. Ryder went to the door and had it three-quarters of the way closed when a sneaker appeared in the opening.
“Sorry I’m late! Still trying to find my way around this school.”
In stepped Alfie Sloane.
Three things hit Ali. The first: of course it was Alfie Sloane; he could be her brother, they looked so much alike. The second: he was the same boy she’d seen on the way to and from school. How had she missed the resemblance? The third: she was not ready to meet him. As he scanned the room for an empty seat, she dropped her head, relieved when he sat beside Cassie.
“Six team members!” Ms. Ryder crowed. “That’s two more than last year!”
“Um, thanks to me,” Murray reminded her. Ms. Ryder saluted Murray, who saluted back.
“Before we learn the basics of debate, let’s introduce ourselves. Don’t tell me your life story, just why you’re here. I’ll start. You know I’m Ms. Ryder, but you don’t know that when I was a high school senior, I represented New Brunswick at the senior national debate championships. We came fifth. It was exciting; if we’d won, we’d have gone to the Worlds.”
“Nice,” said Murray.
Ms. Ryder smiled. “I know, right? Now at this age, the most you can hope for is to participate in the middle school debate competition later this fall, but that will give you a small taste of what debate competitions are like.” She pointed to Carolyn. “You first.”
It was almost impossible to pay attention as Carolyn explained that she wanted to be a teacher someday and Ashok said he just loved to debate. Ali had a bit more interest in Cassie and Murray—Cassie said she’d read that debates were like mental gymnastics, and Murray talked about how he needed to learn to debate because he wanted to run the country when he grew up—but they were like the coming attractions when all you wanted to see was the movie.
“You’re next, Alfie,” said Ms. Ryder.
Ali couldn’t see Alfie’s face unless she leaned forward, and no way was she doing that. She kept her eyes fixed on the Smart Board, where a diagram explained the parts of a sentence.
“Alfie Sloane. I’ve lived in England my whole life. My mom brought me to Saint John so I could get to know the place where my dad grew up. The preparatory school I attended in London had a debate team, and I quite liked it. Murray talked me into joining.”
The English accent and his use of the word “quite” made Alfie sound extra smart to Ali. But what surprised her the most was how confident he was. If he was nervous speaking in front of everybody, he didn’t show it. They might look alike, but they were not alike at all.
Ms. Ryder smiled. “Thanks, Alfie. I can’t wait to hear more about what debate is like in Great Britain. Last but not least, Ali.”
Something hard lodged itself in Ali’s stomach. She’d been so anxious to hear Alfie speak she’d forgotten she’d have to as well. If Alfie was smooth, Ali was scratchy. “A-Ali Sloane,” she stuttered. “I’ve never debated before. I want to be a lawyer someday, so it might help.”
It all come out in one fell swoop. Where had the lawyer comment come from? The idea had never occurred to her before. But everyone else’s introductions were so impressive; she’d realized she needed to say something interesting too.
The teacher smiled. “I’m not surprised. Your great-grandmother was a real pioneer here in Saint John.” As if she realized that the other students might not understand, Ms. Ryder added, “Ali’s great-grandmother was one of the first female lawyers in the city.”
Cassie’s hand rocketed upward. When Ms. Ryder nodded for her to speak, she turned to Ali first and then pivoted to Alfie. “So, are you guys related or what?”
“Cousins,” said Ali, forcing herself to look in Cassie’s and Alfie’s direction.
“Really?”
She waited for Alfie to respond. Several terrible seconds passed, and then he said, “Yes.” Ali’s face burned. Why had she thought this would be the best way to meet him?
Ms. Ryder glanced from Ali to Alfie, as if she expected them to say something more. When they didn’t, she said, “I think that’s enough introductions for now,” and pushed a button so that the grammar lesson was replaced by the same debate information she’d passed out earlier. “Many of you are old pros at debate, but some of you are new, so we’ll take a couple of minutes to review the basics.”
Ali reached into her knapsack and grabbed a notebook and pen.
“You don’t need to write this down, Ali,” Ms. Ryder said.
Ali flushed. “I like to write things down. It helps me remember.”
Murray pointed at his own pen and paper. “Me too. Plus, it’s been scientifically proven that when a person writes something down, they remember it better.”
Ali glanced over at the fancy penmanship in Murray’s notebook, all loops and curls, and did her best to imitate it.
Ms. Ryder chuckled. “I stand corrected.”
For the next ten minutes, they discussed debate styles, and how one team put forth a proposition while the opposing team tried to tear it apart. Ali took notes, but none of it sank in. All she could think about was Alfie sitting three chairs away. Was he surprised that she was at Princess Elizabeth School? Did he want to be friends too?
ALI’S RULES FOR WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOU WANT TO MEET SOMEBODY
Cassie’s jiggly right leg and frantic arm-waving brought Ali back to the meeting. “Are we going to talk about rebuttals and refutations?”
“Someone’s been reading ahead,” said Murray, which made everyone laugh.
Ms. Ryder smiled. “We’ll get to that next time, when we practice debating. If any of you are as enthusiastic as Cassie, you can read about them on the sheet I gave you.” She pushed another button, and a video filled the screen. For the next ten minutes, they watched eight kids from Boston debate the pros and cons of exams. Ali watched the teams go back and forth and knew she would never have the courage to debate anyone.
Her fear must have been visible, because Murray leaned over and whispered, “Scary, huh? But I bet you’ll be great.” Murray was nice, but he was wrong. She would not be great.
When the meeting ended, Ali dawdled until Alfie left the classroom. Heart thumping, she followed him out the door, ignoring Cassie’s attempt to chat with her. It was time to really meet her cousin.