Operation “snag a shifter” is now in full swing as I spy Jennifer standing by the lockers down at the end of the hallway. During my first period class, Derrick confirmed he put out some feelers at the Order for a shifter teacher. He also said he could meet Jennifer later this afternoon. I got a text from Jerome too that he would be down for working on the Jennifer problem when he returned to LA. I, of course, really knew what he was down for. Just thinking about him made my blood pressure rise. But with him safely out of town, my raging hormones from last night will have a chance to finally quiet down. Who knew werewolves had the testosterone of ten men? I shake off the lingering scent of Jerome and concentrate on Jennifer. My mission is at hand. All I have to do is earn her trust layer by layer.
I march straight toward her with a determination I haven’t felt since I first earned my spot in the coven. The first thing I’m determined to do is give her a cooler name. “Hey, Jen, glad I caught you.” I cast my face toward the sun streaming in through the windows on the far wall. “Isn’t it an amazing day. Why don’t we hit the beach?”
Jennifer waves me over. “No one has ever called me Jen before.” She beams. “I like it.”
Score one point for me. “My mom calls me Brook. Guess I’m used to shorting names.”
She laughs. “Somehow, Brooklyn suits you.”
I actually agree with her. My mom is the only person I let call me Brook. After all, I’m not some water source. I’m a girl named after a famous bridge who is soon going to be a powerful badass witch. “So, what do you say about my beach idea?”
Jen looks down at her skinny jeans and plaid shirt. “I’m not really dressed for the beach. Besides, what about World History?”
“It’s so boring. Let’s ditch class.”
Jen nervously plays with the hem of her shirt. “I’ll give you that history can be a snooze-fest sometimes, but I really can’t afford to get another C. Not if I want to get into USC.”
I can’t tell her yet that I can solve that problem with a simple spell. But I can tell she needs a bit of a magical push. I straighten my shoulders and send my most persuasive witch energy toward her. “Oh, come on. One class won’t hurt.”
Jen sucks in a breath trying to build up her courage. “I have a confession to make, I’ve never ditched before.”
When she mentioned her concern about her grade point average, I had a feeling she was a bit of a goody goody. “Really, never?”
She nods. “Yeah. I have the worst luck. I’m sure I’d get caught.”
I desperately need to take her under my wing, or she will never meet her potential. Looping my arm through hers, I say, “Don’t worry, you’re with a pro.”
She shifts back and forth on her feet. I’m going to have to be more patient with her.
“Sorry, I think I’m going to have to pass.”
I let go of her arm. “Okay, no pressure. Just thought you might want to have some fun.” I’m so not going to accept defeat. Racking my mind, I try to come up with the perfect spell, but come up empty.
Jen’s face suddenly lights up like she’s discovered a secret. “I’ll ditch class if you can explain what this is.”
She shoves her hand in my face. I look closely at her fingertip knowing the protective ankh mark is long gone. “I don’t see anything.”
Her brow furrows. “Oh, come on. You know what you did.”
It’s too soon to reveal my powers to her. I shrug my shoulders. “No, I don’t.” I take a hold of her finger. “All I can see is that you need a manicure.”
Jen sucks in a breath. “How did you do that? Are you a magician or something?”
If she only knew I’m a witch and my Zoomer driver is a wizard. “I wish.” Obviously, she needs a little push. I scroll through the spells once again in my mind, and this time I come up with a winner. Under my breath I whisper the incantation.
Jen’s face suddenly changes into a huge smile. “Okay, I surrender. I’ll go to the beach with you.”
My spell worked! I jump up and down like I’ve transformed into the Energizer Bunny. “Awesome! We’re going to have so much fun. I’ve got to hit the ladies first. Grab your backpack and meet me by the bleachers in five.”
I smile and wave when I see Jen walking toward the bleachers. Part of me wonders if my little spell will have any staying power. I still haven’t totally mastered the art of doing spells on the fly.
Jen stands next to me, apprehension showing by the sweat on her brow. Guess that’s my answer. The spell is fading already. “Don’t worry. I promise you won’t regret this.”
She gives me a weak smile. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
I point toward the back of the football field. “There’s a hole in the fence next to the scoreboard. Just follow my lead.”
She nods and sticks close to me as I work my way down the side of the bleachers and dart for the fence. Making sure Jen is still right behind me, I concentrate on the hole in the fence. I stop in front of the opening and pull the cut links back. The links dig into my skin as I yell out, “Jen, hurry!”
She races next to me and then points to the right side of the field. “There’s a guy over there. He’s heading our way.”
I take a quick glance over at the guy. “Crap. He might be a truant officer. We better run.”
Holding the sides of the fence open even further, I wait for Jen to get through. One of the links scrapes her leg, but she keeps running. I follow right behind her as the guy is gaining speed on us. If he’s a truant officer, he’s undercover. He’s dressed in the usual male student uniform of worn faded jeans and a logo T-shirt.
By the time we hit the large hedge at the far end of campus Jen collapses on the grass exhausted. I’m going to need to get her in better physical shape.
She sucks in a breath. “Brooklyn, can we take a break? Maybe that guy isn’t really a truant officer.”
I glance over my shoulder to see if the guy is still following us. Thankfully, he’s disappeared. “Let’s keep going. Just in case.”
“Brooklyn, I appreciate you being cautious, but I can barely catch my breath.”
I reach into my black tote bag and hand her a water bottle. “Guess you’re not much for working out at the gym.”
She laughs and takes a big swig of the water. “Nope.”
A gym membership is another thing I need to add to my to-do list of Jennifer improvements. I take the bottle from her hand and tuck it back in my bag. Maybe if I get some good food into her, she can handle the long hike to the beach. “I know a great little place where we can have lunch. It’s a two-mile walk to the beach. Think you’re going to need some food.”
With a bit of effort, Jen pushes herself up off the ground and gives me a weak smile. “You know me well already.”
I push through the thick hedge with ease. Many students have used the route to ditch school—including me. As much as I promised my mother that I’d be good and tough it out at Jefferson High, I find the beach much more alluring. Besides, a simple spell will take care of my grade point average. I lead Jen past the hedge and down a labyrinth of residential streets until we hit the main drag south of campus. I point out my favorite boutique, a great bookstore, and the best coffee spot as we make our way to our lunch destination. I know every nook and cranny of the neighborhood around school. It’s something I learned while living in New York, Brooklyn in particular. Home doesn’t feel like home unless I know the local storeowners by name.
I stop in front of a tiny hole-in-the-wall burger joint called Veggie Bliss. The stucco storefront is painted a cheery yellow. “It may not look like much, but they have the best vegan burgers in town.”
Jen’s eyes grow wide. “I’ve been down this street dozens of times and didn’t even notice it.”
A typical LA girl. They drive everywhere and favor malls over cute little shops. Thy LA people never walk anywhere. Another reason why she is so out of shape. “Ah, but if you stopped and got out of your car, you wouldn’t have been able to resist—would you?”
She breathes in the aroma of garlic and onions pouring out of the restaurant’s vents.
“Nope.” She pulls open the bright red door to the burger place. “I’m starving. I want the whole menu.”
The place is so small it only has bar seating. Looks like they have switched up the décor since my last visit. Funky tie-dyed sarongs from Tahiti are tacked up on the walls. I like it. They remind me of when Dad took us to Hawaii as a Christmas present when I was ten. Back in those days, when he was the perfect father—not the jerk he is now.
I grab an empty middle seat and Jen sits down next to me. She eyes the waitress behind the bar wearing the bohemian uniform of a printed peasant top paired with floral patterned leggings. The waitress tosses us a pair of menus.
I stuff back a laugh as I watch Jen cruise the food selections. With only five things on the menu she really could eat the whole thing. I point to number three. “This one is my fav. The gorgonzola works perfectly with the strong flavor of the mushroom. The garlic fries are a nice accent to the burger.”
Jen gives me a thumbs up. “Sure, order us both number threes!”
I hold up my hand to get the waitress’s attention as she checks the supply of fresh oranges and wheat grass next to the blender. “Sunshine, you heard my friend. Two number threes.”
Sunshine nods, causing her frizzy blonde hair to dance around her face like a halo. Jen stares at Sunshine fascinated. It’s like she discovered a new form of human. Boy, she must live in the burbs. Of course, I should talk. I don’t live in Brooklyn Heights anymore. My beloved Brooklyn Bridge is just a fading memory.
I smile when I see Jen is still following Sunshine’s every move. “She’s pretty groovy, right?”
Jen laughs. “Wow, I knew they were bringing back the late sixties in fashion, but not the slang too.”
I shrug my shoulders and act innocent. I’m really testing Jen to see what her boundaries are. “Guess I’ve been hanging out here too much.”
Sunshine returns with our portabella burgers. The surprised look on Jen’s face tells me she can’t believe how quick the food came out. “Talk about vegan fast food.”
I grab one of her garlic fries. “The best in town.”
We both dig in and it’s my turn to stare. Jen can really put it away. A look of sheer pleasure crosses her face as she takes another bite of the burger. Juice drizzles down her chin, but she doesn’t reach for a napkin. Instead she takes her finger and licks it right off. She’s a foodie after my own heart. The door creaks open, but I don’t bother to look to see who it is. All my stomach cares about is digging into my garlic fries.
A familiar clanking sound makes my witch senses stand alert. I instinctively reach for the wand inside my tote bag. The reason becomes obvious when I spy a familiar man dressed in a police uniform. He waltzes past us and sits at the end of the bar.
I nudge Jen with my elbow and whisper, “We need to go.”
The officer orders a coffee and then he turns and glares at me. His ridiculous mustache forms a U shape around his mouth. “Isn’t it past lunch period? Shouldn’t you two be in school?”
Just my luck the truant officer would come when I bring Jen here. I thought my spell to keep him away would have lasted longer. I really need to ask my mother and the coven for some tips.
The officer sneers at us. “Brooklyn, I gave you a warning last time. I won’t be so understanding now.” He reaches for his handcuffs locked over his belt.
Just like in an action movie, Sunshine leaps over the counter and blocks his path with her body just long enough for us to bolt off our seats and race for the front door.
I grab Jen’s arm as I run toward the back alley. “Over here. We need to hide!”
I run down the alley making sure Jen is sticking close to me. I duck behind a dumpster and point to a hatch door at the base of the brick building. Hopefully she realizes that’s where I want us to hide out. Tucked temporarily behind a brown dumpster, I wait for her to join me. Strange, I don’t hear any footsteps. What is she doing? This is no time for her to chicken out. I tentatively stick my head out from behind the dumpster to find Jen standing in the alley frozen like a statue not knowing what to do. This is the perfect time for her to transform. Why isn’t she shifting into the building or even one of the dumpsters?
The officer is only fifty feet from Jen when he yells out, “Stop! I’ve already called for backup!”
A garbled mechanical voice of a walkie-talkie fills the air. Terrific. I’m going to have to text Derrick to come and get us ASAP. Every bone in my body tells me to do something to help Jen, but I’m too far away to cast a spell. Jen continues her imitation of a marble statue as the officer stops and answers his walkie-talkie. While the officer is distracted, Jen finally springs into action. She races over to the blue dumpster next to mine. She stares intently at the dumpster and I throw my hand over my mouth as I watch the dumpster metal begin to undulate like waves in the ocean. The metal surface has turned liquid, as if a blow torch melted the metal sheeting. Jen’s human body quivers like Jell-O and then shoots toward the dumpster like a fire hose. I stifle a gasp as in seconds the whole shifting process is complete, and the dumpster returns to its metallic form. Yet, I know it isn’t metal at all—it’s Jen. My heart thunders in my chest—a delayed reaction to what I just witnessed. Her power is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. The sheer beauty of the transformation will stick with me forever.
I watch as the officer turns to face where Jen used to be standing and yells out, “I know where you’re hiding!” He races over to the blue dumpster. The officer climbs over the side and disappears.
It’s like watching a movie as he trudges around in the dumpster throwing trash everywhere. He’s looking for the illusive girl he was trying to apprehend not knowing he is actually standing on her. The coven isn’t going to believe me when I tell them the story. We are all used to witnessing werewolves and vamps transform into wolves and bats. But this type of shifting is far more profound. To turn from one living thing into another is miraculous, but to watch someone turn from a living thing into an inanimate object, like a dumpster, is truly mind blowing.
After only a couple of minutes, the officer pops up from inside the dumpster and shakes off the fast food wrappers stuck to his hands. He circles the dumpster for one more look. Then he kicks at the front wheel just as two officers race up to join him. “So where is the girl?”
The officer takes his hat off and tosses it on the ground. “I don’t know how she did it—but she’s gone.”