Wizardmatch Page 3

  Michael jumped out of his room, swinging his suitcase around with ease. “Hi, sis!” he whistled. “Whatchya doing?”

  “Resting,” Lennie said through gritted teeth.

  Michael blinked a few times. “Why? Is your suitcase mysteriously heavy for some unknown reason?”

  She studied him—his eyes were tiny unreadable slivers. He bit his lip, but the corners of his mouth were upturned in an unmistakable smirk.

  “What did you do?” she said, flipping her suitcase and opening it up.

  Michael sniggered and snorted and chuckled and chortled as she removed three bricks and a bowling ball from her suitcase.

  “Not funny,” Lennie said, lunging forward and grabbing him in a headlock. She mussed up his hair with her fist.

  “Get off!” Michael laughed.

  “Say UNCLE!”

  “UNCLE!”

  “Say UNCLE HUMPHREY.”

  “UNCLE HUMPHREY! UNCLE HUMPHREY!”

  She let go of him and admired her handiwork—he looked like a porcupine.

  “One day I’m going to be bigger than you,” Michael said. “And you’ll never be able to get me again!”

  “Dream on, pip-squeak!” Lennie snickered.

  She dragged her suitcase out into the yard, which was essentially a forest. They lived in the middle of the woods, with redwood trees for miles. They had to live somewhere private because of their powers.

  But Netherly was a safe space for wizards. According to her mom, there were so many different wizarding families that lived in Netherly that the Pomporromp Castle was just one estate out of hundreds.

  “Lennie?” her mom called from across the yard. “Are you ready?”

  Her mom had twisted her caramel-colored hair into a fancy updo, and her brown eyes shone as she looked at Fluffles. “Are we ready?” her mom asked again as Lennie approached. “Can we go now? What are we waiting for?” She was practically leaping with excitement—and no wonder! Her mom grew up in Pomporromp Castle, and hadn’t been back since Lennie was a baby.

  Lennie’s dad bent down and put a hand on each of his kid’s shoulders. “Now remember you two—you’re on the same team. The Mercado team. So work together and support each other as much as you can. No matter what happens, I’m proud of you both.”

  First, he hugged Michael and whispered something to him before kissing him on the cheek. “Blech!” Michael said, walking away with Mom and Fluffles.

  When it was Lennie’s turn, her dad said in her ear, “I’m always rooting for you, neneng!” and kissed her on top of her head.

  Lennie looked up at her dad. “I wish you could come! I’m so nervous.”

  Her dad laughed. “You? Nervous?! I don’t believe it!” he said with a wink. “You don’t practice every day for nothing! I don’t know much about magic, but I know you. And you are extraordinary.”

  Lennie hugged him tightly.

  Fluffles twitched his whiskers impatiently. “Are you just about finished over there?” he said. “I don’t have all day, you know!”

  Lennie skipped over to Fluffles, her mom, and her brother, and her dad helped carry her suitcase the rest of the way.

  “I ingested the transport to the Pomporromp estate yesterday,” proclaimed Fluffles. “Let’s see if I can dig it back up.” Fluffles arched his back and began to cough. Wock! Wock! Wock! Wock! HNGUH! Vomit ejected from his mouth with an enormous SPLAT onto a redwood tree.

  The spot glowed orange for a second—then began to grow in size, bigger and bigger and BIGGER until the whole tree trunk was glowing and translucent.

  “COOL!” Michael said. “BARF DOOR!”

  Lennie cringed. This was disgusting. She was hoping for something a bit more . . . majestic. Maybe a ball of light. Or a special orb.

  Lennie looked at the cat. “This is going to take us to Netherly?”

  “Is there a problem with the door I created?” Fluffles said, his voice a warning.

  “Er . . . no, it’s fine. Great. Beautiful, even,” Lennie stammered. She never thought she would describe throw-up as beautiful.

  “Good. Then you first, Stacey.”

  “GO, MOM, GO!” Michael shouted.

  Mom smiled and touched her hand to the tree. For a moment, the vomit stain glowed beneath her hand. There was a sound like a bell chime, soft at first, getting louder and louder each second—so loud that Lennie and Michael both covered their ears. But it wasn’t just the sound that vibrated—the air wobbled, too. At last, with a sound like a slurp, their mom disappeared right before their eyes.

  “Mom!” Lennie said, running forward and grabbing at air. “She’s gone!”

  “Don’t worry, she’s fine,” Fluffles said.

  Lennie’s stomach churned. That didn’t look fine. It looked painful! Was Fluffles 100 percent sure it was safe? What if the door was broken? What if it transported her to the middle of the ocean? Or outer space, where she’d tumble through nothingness forever and ever and—

  “Ladies first,” Fluffles said with a little bow. “You’re next, Lennie.”

  She tentatively stepped forward. Then she turned around and looked to her dad, who nodded in encouragement, while Michael said, “Chicken! Bawk bawk!”

  She instantly swallowed her fear.

  The moment she touched the tree, she felt cold. The portal was like icy slime beneath her fingers, and her whole body erupted in chills. Lennie tried to call for her dad or Michael, but the ringing was much louder now—not just around her, but as if it were coming from inside her.

  Her navel lurched; an invisible fishhook was yanking her upward by her stomach. The world went black. And then, the feeling like she was on the biggest drop of the tallest roller coaster. Falling. She held her breath in fright.

  At once, the feeling of dropping ceased, and Lennie stood there, in darkness, as a cool wind prickled her skin. Then, the more Lennie blinked, the more Netherly came into focus.

  And she was standing on the edge of a cliff.

  “Lennie!” her mom shouted. “BE CAREFUL!”

  Lennie immediately dropped to the ground, her heart pounding as her chin rested over the edge. She dared to peek straight down: She was staring out over a dark and murky sea, as black as oil. The rough waves crashed against the wall of the cliff, the water splashing back with violent spittle. The salty air tickled her nose.

  “Get away from the edge!” her mom said. Lennie was still lying down, but her mom took it upon herself to drag her by the feet.

  Lennie got to her knees and looked left to see a swimming pool, right up against the edge of the cliff. But it was filled to the brim with smooth brown goop. She eyed it warily.

  “Don’t worry,” her mom said, sensing her hesitation. “It’s only pudding.”

  “Pudding?”

  “You know how your grandfather likes his food.” Her mom dipped her hand into the pool and licked the pudding off her fingers. “Mmmmmm!”

  “Wait, we’re here?” Lennie said, perking up. “This is the Pomporromp estate?” She squinted into the ocean, looking for some dramatic palace in the middle of the inky water. “Where is the castle?”

  Her mom laughed. “Len, you’re looking the wrong way!” Then she turned Lennie around by the shoulders.

  Lennie’s heart fluttered as she stared. Pomporromp Castle looked to be fifty stories tall—at least! It was shaped a bit like a tornado—thin on the bottom, then funneling out. As Lennie looked up at the castle, up up up toward the sun, she swore it looked like it was teetering and tottering like a spinning top.

  The castle was smack-dab in the middle of the estate grounds, which seemed to stretch from the ocean-side cliff to a wall of trees all the way across the property. Near the trees seemed to be a muddy patch of land, but the rest was just grass as far as the eye could see. A color of grass so fresh, so green, so bright, so vibran
t that it made Lennie’s eyes water.

  She’d been dreaming of this her whole life, but it was even better than what she’d imagined.

  “Where’s your brother?” her mom said. “He should have been here by—”

  POP! Michael flickered into view. PLOP! Michael dropped right into the pudding pool.

  “I’M COVERED IN POOP!” he cried, thrashing around. “Delicious poop, but POOP!”

  “Michael, get out of there!” Mom barked.

  “Here, take my hand,” Lennie said, reaching out to help him.

  But instead, he yanked her in.

  “YOU JERK!” she cried, splashing him with pudding.

  Fluffles appeared on the side of the cliff. When he saw Lennie and Michael in the pudding pool his ears went back. “This is hardly time for a swim!” he sniffed. “You are about to see Estella—and possibly the Prime Wizard! I demand you groom yourselves! Allow me to demonstrate,” Fluffles said, sitting on the ground and licking himself all over.

  Fluffles paused. He looked up and glared at them until they both began licking themselves. Michael slurped pudding off his kneecap; Lennie sucked pudding out of her hair. Michael consumed the pudding around his mouth; Lennie ate pudding out of her toes.

  They did pretty well, except for their elbows. Lennie knew it was scientifically impossible to lick her own elbow. But it didn’t stop her and Michael from trying.

  “Much better,” Fluffles said at last, staring up at them through his monocle. “Why, you two are practically glowing!”

  “That’s saliva,” Lennie said.

  “It’s a good look on you,” Fluffles said. “Now, there will be a family reunion feast at seven in the fancy dining room. Don’t be late. Stacey, I have to get more families. Can you handle taking the kids into the castle from here?”

  “Of course!” Mom said, swinging her duffel bag. “This way, Team Mercado!”

  Lennie followed, dragging her suitcase across the grass. The weather was perfect—a strong, warm sun and a fresh sea breeze. With the faint smell of chocolate wafting from her elbows.

  As Lennie got closer to the castle, she realized that it was so much more complicated than she first thought.

  The entire castle was a mix of different buildings cobbled together. There were parts of stone cottages, clock towers, igloos, huts, Tudor houses, castle turrets, brick chimneys, gothic rooftops, and fancy columns. Some parts were right side up, and some were sideways. The longer she looked at the castle, the more details she seemed to find. She wondered how many pieces of architecture her poppop must have transported here to stitch together this masterpiece.

  “Pretty interesting, right?” her mom said. “It’s actually an old family tradition—whenever a new Prime Wizard is selected, he gets to add a new piece to the castle.”

  “He?” Lennie said, folding her arms.

  “Or she,” her mom corrected herself.

  “She?” Michael said, folding his arms.

  Their mom sighed.

  “When I’m Prime Wizard,” Michael said, “I’m going to turn the whole building into a hot dog.”

  “Mom, what’s that?” Lennie asked, pointing just ahead. There were gravestones all over, with writing too small to read from this distance. And now that she was getting close, she could see that the ground looked like chunky sauce.

  “Ah, yes,” her mom said. “The Garden of Goulash.”

  “What’s goulash?” Michael asked.

  “It’s like a stew with meat and tomato sauce. This ground is made of it, but, well, don’t eat it. We’re not exactly sure where the meat comes from. The fact that it’s next to the graveyard isn’t too promising.”

  Lennie gagged.

  “Disgusting!” Michael said with glee.

  “And more important than not eating the mystery meat,” her mom said, “is do not go into the borderlands.” She pointed to a line of trees beyond the Garden of Goulash that made a fence at the edge of the property. “That is the area between the Pomporromp’s estate and our neighbors’ estate: the Oglethorpes. Another powerful wizarding family.”

  Lennie and Michael stood on their tiptoes, trying to see their next-door neighbors’ house—but the line of trees may as well have been a brick wall.

  “It’s dangerous in there,” their mom said, pulling them both into a hug. “Poppop and Madame Oglethorpe both fire a lot of spells into the borderlands, so it’s become a booby-trapped area. No going in there without an adult, okay?”

  Michael grinned at Lennie, and she knew what he was thinking: that booby traps sounded like a lot of fun.

  “I can’t wait to show you the inside!” Mom called, holding the front door open for them, and they all squeezed inside the narrow doorway.

  And then Lennie was in the lobby of Pomporromp Castle. Looking inside, she knew that she was instantly home.

  The whole interior of the castle was perfectly circular and was made of shiny cherrywood that glowed almost golden. There were no stairs, just a spiral ramp that wrapped around the castle like a giant Slinky. The banisters were thick— perfect for sliding down. Lennie tilted her head back to see the ceiling far above. A round glass roof—like an open eye—gave her a clear view of the cloudless sky.

  Just then, a whirring noise grew louder and LOUDER. Someone wearing a full-face helmet was skateboarding down the ramp. The rider stopped directly in front of them, popped off the board with a wheelie, and took off the helmet.

  It was Estella, her poppop’s assistant. She sometimes came with Poppop on his visits to Lennie’s home. She always snuck them magical candy that made them sneeze sparkles.

  She shook her springy hair out and kicked the skateboard across the open atrium. Then she pulled a scroll from out of her pocket and began to read in a monotone voice.

  “Welcome,” she said, “to the glamorous, grandiose, gargantuan, beautifultacular, wonderfulicious, megamazing Pomporromp estate. I am your greeter, Estella Jane Wixson—”

  “We know who you are, Estella!” Lennie said.

  “Duh!” Michael added.

  She looked around warily. “I have to read this, or Mortimer will have a croc.”

  “You mean, have a cow?” said Mom.

  “If only!” Estella said. “A cow would be much easier to handle! Fewer teeth.” She looked around warily. “But,” she whispered, tucking the scroll into her pocket, “I won’t tell if you won’t! Now . . . hold out your hands,” she said to Lennie and Michael. And then she began piling things on. “Here’s your map, magnifying glass, compass, sundial, telescope, quadrant, astrolabe, and—oh yes—your protractor.”

  “Protractor?” Lennie groaned.

  “Of course! To help you navigate the castle.”

  “TOO MUCH STUFF!” Michael said, wobbling under the weight of all the tools.

  “Here,” Estella said, handing them each a fanny pack. “Everything’s designed to fit inside this.”

  Lennie gingerly put her items on the floor, while Michael flat-out dropped his load. They both clipped on the fanny packs.

  “These look dorky,” Lennie said.

  “No, you look . . . trendy,” their mom said halfheartedly.

  “You can walk up the ramp to get to where you’re going,” Estella said. “But I don’t recommend it. Mortimer has this horrible habit of poking people who are walking. A slow poke for the slowpokes. So, I recommend using the skateboards.” Estella smiled. “Your poppop is very excited about them. He wanted to make the castle more hip.”

  Lennie didn’t know anyone her own age who skateboarded. She wondered if Poppop had missed the mark on this one.

  “When I’m Prime Wizard, we’ll all roll on giant meatballs,” Michael said.

  “To summon a skateboard, all you have to do is whistle, and one will come zooming your way. Stacey, you’ll be staying in your old room, of course. Lennie
, Michael, you two are staying in the Cheeseburger Chamber. Now if you excuse me, I have a few errands to do before the next family arrives!” Then she put her helmet back on and zoomed up the ramp on her skateboard.

  Once Estella was gone, their mom put an arm around each of them and led them to the bottom of the ramp. She whistled three times, and three skateboards came rolling down to them.

  “Let’s hope I don’t break my neck on one of these things,” said Mom, tentatively stepping onto the skateboard. But the moment her foot touched the board, she zoomed off.

  Lennie jumped after her. She found she didn’t even have to pedal herself up the ramp—the skateboard defied gravity, moving upward with magic. And it was fast. So fast that Lennie lost her breath somewhere around the second floor and didn’t find it again until the fifteenth floor.

  “WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Michael shouted from behind her. “NO HANDS! NO FEET, EITHER!” He jumped up off his skateboard and back onto it again without losing a beat.

  As they rolled up and up and UP, each floor looked identical. There was always a landing—and then an archway—that led into whatever was on each floor. I’ll have to study my map later, Lennie thought. There was no way she’d be able to navigate without it. Luckily her mom was leading the way.

  “THERE IT IS!” Lennie suddenly shouted as she rocketed past the twenty-second floor. “THE JELLY FLOOR! LOOK, MICHAEL! LOOK!”

  The floor, the myth, the legend. It was the only level in the cherrywood castle that looked different—because it was sopping with thick, purple jelly. The landing, the archway, and the hall beyond—all of it was glopping and glistening. She could tell, even without touching it, that it was just as sticky as her mom always said.

  Michael shrugged. “Whatever. It’s okay I guess.”

  “You’re crazy,” she said. “It’s the best thing in the world.” She bent her knees and her skateboard began to roll faster—away from Michael and closer to her mom.

  “I love this castle!” Lennie breathed. “It’s like no place I’ve ever seen before.”

  Her mom smiled warmly. “You know that the Prime Wizard becomes the head of the Pomporromp estate, which includes the castle, the grounds, the Garden of Goulash, the pudding pool . . .”