Chapter 8
During recess, kids ran hollering onto the playground. Billy, Claire, and I were the last ones out. Once we were alone, Claire pulled us behind a tall tree at the corner of the schoolyard.
She put her hands on her hips. “Okay, Ball, spill it!” Claire said. Then she pointed her finger at me. “I knew there was something special about you the first time we met. I guess you could say I have a sixth sense about these things, too.”
Billy and I traded looks. He shifted uncomfortably. I sighed and took a deep breath.
“Look, Claire, this is serious stuff,” I said. “If I tell you the truth, you have to promise not to say anything. Ever.”
Claire got excited. She hopped up and down and said, “Krystal, that’s what best friends do. They trust each other, and they help each other.”
Hearing this made me feel better. I wanted another friend to understand me the same way Billy does. And so, I decided to share my secret with Claire.
“Here goes…” I said.
I told my new best friend everything about my gift: my extra abilities, the dreams, the visions, and the feelings and sensations. I even told Claire about my grandma.
“My grandma has the same gift as me,” I said. “And sometimes, when I need guidance, I ask her what to do. She’s so wise and knows so much about everything!”
Claire stood there staring at Billy and me. Her eyes were bugging out, and her mouth was wide open. It seemed like forever.
“Claire, say something,” I begged. “You’re starting to freak me out.”
“Yeah,” Billy added. “You look like my goldfish, Leonidas.”
Claire inhaled and exhaled slowly.
“Whoa…” she finally said. “Ohmygosh!” She reached out and hugged me. “You’re the coolest person I ever met! Your secret is safe, bestie!”
“So now you know,” Billy said. “Welcome to the club.”
He took a step toward Claire and said in his best gangster voice, “If you tell a soul, you’ll be sleeping with my fishes.”
“Billy, stop that!” I told him. Then to Claire, “Do you pinkie-promise you won’t say anything?”
“Of course I do,” she said.
We linked pinkies, forming the sacred bond of the pinkie promise.
Meanwhile, over on the playground, another momentous event was about to take place.
Emily had climbed up to the top of the jungle gym. She was still wearing her Dorothy costume.
“I am Dorothy, the Queen of Oz,” she shouted at the top of her lungs. Her perfect pigtails and blue gingham dress fluttered in the breeze. “And you are all my loyal subjects.”
Emily stood up on the highest metal rung. The other kids stopped and watched.
“Bow down to your queen,” Emily hollered.
“I don’t remember this part in the book,” I said to Billy and Claire. We ran over to the jungle gym.
Looking up, I noticed that Emily’s silver shoes had smooth, shiny soles. They were not the best things to wear when standing on a metal bar.
“Emily, I don’t think that’s safe,” I shouted.
“If it isn’t the Wicked Witch herself. Look, everybody,” Emily said with a laugh. “She’s trying to steal my wonderful shoes!”
Everyone turned to look at me. They started laughing too. I felt my cheeks burning hot. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, like Grandma taught me. I focused my mind toward the wind rustling through the trees.
The wind blew harder. It whistled through the branches…just like the tornado in my dream. My skin tingled, and my eyes snapped open.
“Look at me. I’m a star!” Emily shouted. She waved her arms up and down.
Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind blew through the playground. Emily lost her balance and screamed. Her silver shoes slipped on the rung and sent her plummeting off the jungle gym.
Crraaack!
When Emily hit the ground, it sounded like a pencil snapping.
The kids gasped and made way as the playground monitor ran over. “Are you all right, dear?” she asked.
“My ankle!” Emily shrieked. “Is it broken?”
The monitor carried Emily inside. We could hear her sobs echo down the hallway.
Billy turned to us and said, “Yup. She’s a star all right. A falling star!” He laughed at his joke.
Claire and I exchanged worried looks. “You were right,” Claire said. “You saw the future. Do you know what’s going to happen next?”
I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate.
It was no use.
I turned toward Claire and said, “Reply hazy. Ask again later…”