Wizardmatch Page 4

  “I could live here?”

  “You would live here, Lennie.”

  Lennie grinned. Her mom had so many magnificent memories in this enchanted castle. And now, she’d get to make her own memories.

  If she was lucky, maybe she’d make a lifetime full of them.

  Family Reunion

  Lennie and Michael spent the afternoon unpacking. Well, Lennie spent the afternoon unpacking. Michael shoved everything in drawers like he was stuffing a turkey, all of his clothes rolled up into little wrinkled balls.

  Then he sat on the bottom of a bunk bed that looked like a cheeseburger. The whole room was bizarre. The wardrobes were shaped like ketchup bottles, the mattress resembled beef, the sheets were ruffled and green like lettuce, the comforter was round and tan like a bun, and the windows were red and in the shape of a sliced tomato. The wallpaper even had a bunch of dancing cheeseburgers with smiley faces on them.

  Michael watched as Lennie meticulously folded her shirts, shorts, dresses, socks, and even her underwear, and placed them neatly into the dresser’s drawers.

  “Don’t waste your time,” Michael said. “Everything wrinkles when you wear it anyway.”

  Lennie crawled over to the wardrobe on her side of the room—she began to line her shoes up across the bottom, and she even fixed Michael’s shoes, which were dumped in a heaping mess on the floor. “If I organize now, I’ll save time later.”

  “Time for what?”

  “Time to train, obviously. Invisibility flexes, stretches, squats . . .”

  Michael hopped up on his knees and scooted his way to the edge of the bed. “Can I train with you?”

  “Oh, now you want to train with me?” she said, hands on her hips. “I’ve been asking you to practice with me every day!”

  “You’re kind of a boring teacher. Whenever we practice magic together, you want me to do work.”

  Lennie rolled her eyes. “Imagine that! Well, I’m planning to train a lot. I want to be in tip-top shape to beat our cousins.”

  She sat down on the foot of Michael’s bed. Even though Michael was technically her competitor, she knew it wouldn’t hurt to train with him, or to have a friend in the competition. Besides, he was no match for her. He couldn’t hold his invisibility nearly as long.

  “Look,” Lennie said. “As much as I love our cousins, I love you more.”

  “Ew,” Michael said.

  “Michael, if you’re struggling during Wizardmatch, I’ll help you. And you’ll help me. And we can both get to the final round . . . and have better shots at actually being named the Prime Wizard.”

  “So . . . we’re in an alliance? A SECRET ALLIANCE!”

  “Sure, secret alliance. But it doesn’t really have to be secret—”

  “OF COURSE it has to be secret!” Michael said. “Secrets are sneaky. Just like being invisible!”

  It was good to have an alliance, she thought. Lennie trusted her cousins Ellington and Raina, who she basically grew up with. But she knew her other cousins Jonathan, Anya, and Mollie would betray her the first chance they got. She loved them, but their whole family was ruthlessly competitive. Visits with them usually ended up with tossed board games and temper tantrums over “friendly” sports. Lennie didn’t want to imagine what they’d be like when the stakes were so high.

  And Lennie definitely couldn’t trust her cousins that lived in Netherly. She’d never actually met them!

  “We should seal our secret alliance,” Michael said, “with an invisible high five.”

  “Yeah!” Lennie said, firing up her power. She and Michael both went invisible and high-fived—but as her hand swiped through empty air, her nose suddenly hurt.

  “Owwww! Michael!” Lennie cried, visibling again. “You hit my glasses!”

  “Oooops!” He giggled, clearly not sorry at all.

  “There seems to be a lot of fun coming from this room,” Sir Fluffington the Fourth said, peeking his face in. He sauntered inside and sat down on the carpet, resting his black-and-white face on his paws. “We felines don’t have much fun—not unless there’s a laser pointer around. Or a piece of string.”

  “I have a piece of string!” Michael said, pulling a shoelace off his shoe and dangling it in front of the cat.

  Fluffles’s whiskers twitched, trying to resist. But his pupils grew wide, and he swiped at the string with glee.

  “So, have you finished transporting all our cousins?” Lennie asked.

  “Indeed. It was an awful job, fetching everyone like a dog, but I had to do it,” Fluffles continued, grooming himself. “I’m such a warm presence. I make everyone feel comforted with my charming personality.”

  Lennie and Michael blinked at him.

  “Don’t you think I’m friendly?” Fluffles snapped.

  “Oh, yes,” Lennie lied.

  Michael smiled stiffly. “So. Very. Friendly.”

  The cat seemed satisfied with their answers, sticking his butt proudly in the air and prancing around the room.

  “We’re your favorites, though,” Michael said. “That’s why you’re here!”

  “My favorite is whoever’s petting me,” said Fluffles, nuzzling up against Lennie’s leg. He arched his back and waggled his tail a bit. “Cough cough hint hint wink wink.”

  “There’s no time for petting,” Lennie said. “The family reunion dinner starts in fifteen minutes.” She dug into her fanny pack for the map of the castle—and a magnifying glass to peer at some of the small lettering up close. “Here we are,” she said, pointing to Cheeseburger Chamber on the map. “And we have to get . . .”

  “Here!” Michael said, pointing to the nineteenth floor on their map, which was labeled Fancy Dining Room. According to the map, there was a Fancy Dining Room, a Casual Dining Room, and an In-Betweeny Dining Room. There were also three casual kitchens, one fancy kitchen, and a Dessert Turret—which was labeled on the map in red. Warning: Exposure to This Tower May Cause Cavities. Proceed at your own risk!

  In the hall, as they edged to the ramp and the open atrium, all three of them whistled for a skateboard, though Sir Fluffington’s whistle was much more like a howl. When three skateboards magically stopped in front of their feet, they hopped on and began to roll down the ramp.

  Going down was a lot more terrifying than going up. The skateboard was fast and felt totally out of her control. Lennie was certain she was one wrong knee-bend away from being bucked off and dropping thirty stories through the open atrium right onto the floor.

  “WHEEEEEEEEEEE!” Michael cried.

  “AHHHHHHHHH!” Lennie responded. She closed her eyes, which possibly only made things worse. Her shrieks rang throughout the atrium as she whipped around the castle—round and round, like a teacup ride.

  When they began to slow, Lennie opened her eyes. They sailed past the Jelly Floor and came to a wobbly stop on the nineteenth story. Lennie hugged the banister—she nearly kissed the floor!

  Once she calmed, she took a few steps forward and looked around. There was a wooden archway ahead, leading into one enormous octagonal room. It seemed to hang off the side of the castle—since, when Lennie looked down, she could see a field of grass straight through the clear floor. The walls were vines, tangled up in one another. And the ceiling was sparkling and bright. Lennie tried to look at it, but it made her eyes burn.

  “Avert your eyes!” Fluffles said. “It’s made of pure sunlight.”

  She looked away, but Michael stubbornly stared at the ceiling. Lennie shook her head. Telling Michael not to do something pretty much guaranteed that he did it.

  Across the room, in the far back, stood a table with serving plates on it. Next to the table was a throne engraved with jewels that spelled out: POMP FOR THE RUMP OF MORTIMER DE POMPORROMP. Obviously where Poppop sits, Lennie thought. For everyone else, there were two long tables. Even without a sign or label, L
ennie knew that one had to be for the adults, and the other was for the kids.

  There were already lots of people in the dining hall, chatting. Some Lennie knew well, like Ellington’s mom (Aunt Tracy) and Anya’s dad (Uncle Philip #2), who were both tucked away in the far corner of the room. Some Lennie recognized from pictures, like her oldest cousins Emma and Ethan, who had red hair, and Perrie, her young cousin with a purple pixie haircut, who was supposedly a genius. And some relatives she didn’t recognize at all. Everyone was white, just like her mom, which shouldn’t have surprised her—it didn’t surprise her. She’d seen pictures. But still. Now that she was actually standing here in person, she was uncomfortably aware of how much she and Michael stood out. She wished her dad were here.

  “Len, Michael, come here!” their mom called out, waving them over.

  She was standing next to a woman who looked familiar, but Lennie couldn’t remember which aunt she was. She and her mom both had the same long nose and round face, but her aunt’s hair was so long it brushed the floor, and her eyes were blue instead of brown.

  Mom put her arms around Lennie and Michael. “We have a big family, and it might take you some time to learn who’s who, and that’s okay. Don’t worry if you can’t remember everyone at first.”

  “Who’s this?” Lennie asked, pointing to the woman next to her mom.

  “I am your Aunt Lacey! And here are my children,” she said, gesturing to four kids standing beside her. They looked very much like siblings, with sharp, icy blue eyes and hair so white it looked almost silver.

  “Hullo!” said a boy who was clearly the oldest. “I’m Bo.”

  “Jolly-ho!” said the next oldest. “I’m Danielle.”

  “Good morrow!” said the third child. “I’m Alice.”

  “Salutations!” squeaked the youngest. “I’m Jordan.”

  “Er . . . hi,” Lennie said. “I’m Lennie.”

  “We already know,” said Danielle. “Our mom told us.”

  “Yes,” Lennie said. “Our mom told me and Michael about you, too.”

  “No,” Bo said. “Our mom can see the future. So it’s different.”

  “She can see the future?” Michael said in awe.

  “Well, she can see what’s currently happening,” said Bo in a voice that was light and airy.

  “My, my, look what the cat dragged in!” said a man, suddenly butting into their circle. He put his hands on their mom’s shoulders and said, “And Fluffles really must have dragged you! Just look at the bags under your eyes—”

  “Philip #3! Helloooooo,” her mom replied in a chipper voice that was so fake Lennie almost laughed.

  Lennie wasn’t sure how she’d keep all three Uncle Philips straight, since they all had the same name. This particular Philip was a short man with a tricornered hat and a smug-looking face.

  “Welcome back,” he said, popping his hat off, and giving them an ironic bow. “It’s been so long I didn’t think you’d ever return! Do you even remember your way around the castle?”

  “Good to see you, too,” her mom said, smiling through gritted teeth.

  “And this must be your progeny,” he said, tipping his hat at Lennie and Michael.

  “No, we’re her kids,” Michael said, folding his arms.

  “Come, meet my son, Julien—the next Prime Wizard of Netherly.”

  Lennie could already feel herself scowling as Julien walked over. He seemed to be Lennie’s age, with freckled cheeks and messy, mousy hair. He smirked.

  “Hey, I’m Lennie,” she said, trying to be nice. “This is my brother, Michael. Nice to meet you!”

  “Pleasure,” Julien said, in a way that sounded like it was most certainly not a pleasure.

  Clang! Clang! Estella banged on a pot to get everyone’s attention. “EVERYONE, TAKE YOUR SEATS!” Estella shouted.

  Uncle Philip #3 turned to his son. “Julien, go show your cousins over to the kids’ table.”

  Julien rolled his eyes as they trudged over.

  “It’s okay,” Lennie said, trying to let him off the hook. “You don’t have to lead us. We’ll just sit there.” She pointed to the end of the table, where she’d be close to the food, and her stomach let out a roar of approval. She started walking toward a seat, but Julien stepped in front of her.

  “No,” he said, pointing to the chairs closest to the exit. “That’s where you sit.”

  “Oh, are there assigned seats?” Lennie asked.

  “No. I’m sitting here. And I don’t sit next to bummers,” Julien sneered.

  “Excuse me?” Lennie said, stepping protectively in front of her brother. She didn’t know what bummers meant, but from Julien’s tone it was something nasty. “What did you just call us?”

  “Bummers. You’re wearing the bum-bag,” he said, pointing at her fanny pack. “You’re not from Netherly. And you’ve never been to Pomporromp Castle. I practically grew up here. This is my house. And I’m going to be the next Prime Wizard of the family.”

  Lennie scrunched her fists.

  Julien took a menacing step closer. “No offense,” he said.

  “No offense, but you are very offensive,” Michael said, poking his finger in Julien’s chest.

  “No offense, but we’re going to wipe the floor with you,” Lennie added.

  Julien smirked. “I’d like to see you even try. Bye-bye, bummers!”

  He walked away and was graciously welcomed into a circle of cousins that included Bo and his siblings, and the older redheads, Emma and Ethan.

  Lennie huffed as Julien sat down.

  “What a booger!” Michael said, grabbing a chair near the exit.

  Lennie sat next to her brother and glared down the length of the table at Julien. “I hate him, I hate him, I hate him,” Lennie growled.

  “Hate who?” said her cousin Ellington, plopping down on Lennie’s other side.

  “ELLINGTON!” Lennie yelled, wrapping her arms around her favorite cousin. Ellington’s four-year-old sister, Raina, sat on Michael’s other side; she hugged him around the neck as tightly as she could and pressed her cheek against his with incredible force, while he squirmed. “CAN’T! BREATHE!”

  Then Raina and Ellington switched. Lennie picked up her little cousin and spun her around as Raina giggled.

  Lennie hadn’t seen her cousins since the holidays, and Ellington’s wavy auburn hair was longer than ever, practically brushing her butt. Raina’s was long, too—she always tried to copy whatever Ellington was doing. And although Lennie was only a year older than Ellington, she towered over her. Ellington was even tinier than Michael.

  “Seriously, what was that about?” Ellington said, gesturing toward the Netherly cousins.

  “We just met Julien,” Lennie said.

  “And he’s the worst,” Michael added.

  Ellington winced. “Don’t tell me! I don’t want to know. I don’t want to start a fight.”

  “Don’t get involved!” added a voice she recognized. Lennie looked up to see her cousin Anya hovering above her, her curly hair framing a halo around her face. “Don’t let anything distract you from the competition, or you’ll lose. And we can’t lose.”

  Anya and her teenage brother, Jonathan, both sat down across from Lennie, and Anya’s younger sister, Mollie, sat with Raina, since they were almost the same age—and best of friends.

  “Our dad’s been really tough,” Jonathan explained. “Ever since Fluffles told us about Wizardmatch, it’s been nonstop Winners win, kids. Winners don’t lose. And what are we? We’re WINNERS!” he imitated in a deep voice.

  That did sound like Uncle Philip #2. Their whole family was only happy when they were winning. And when they weren’t winning, it was like hanging out with a hurricane.

  Lennie didn’t mind losing, occasionally, when the game was soccer or Monopoly or kickball. But when the g
ame was Wizardmatch, Lennie’d be bringing nothing but her best. It was different, now that magic was on the line. This time, Anya and Mollie and Jonathan were just going to have to get used to losing.

  “Long time, no see!” Anya said, nodding at Lennie and Michael. “Hey, where’s Aunt Stacey?” she asked, looking around for Lennie’s mom.

  “Somewhere around here,” Lennie said. “All the adults are catching up, I guess.”

  Lennie looked over at the adult table, and it seemed like the adults were all mixed together, no matter where they lived. But at the kids’ table, there were two whole empty chairs between Lennie’s group and the Netherly cousins. It was non-Netherly versus Netherly. The bummers versus the butts.

  Lennie was going to comment, but suddenly the sparkly, sunlit ceiling dimmed. It was the moment everyone had been waiting for: her poppop, Mortimer de Pomporromp, the Prime Wizard, was making his grand entrance.

  Sparkles of light erupted in the entranceway, and at first Lennie could only see Poppop’s outline as he stood dramatically in the shadows. But then he pirouetted into the room and posed grandly, his staff held triumphantly in the air. Lennie stared at the long piece of wood with the rubber duck sitting on top. It was amazing to think that one day she might get to hold the staff, and that it would amplify the strength of her powers, just like it did for Poppop.

  Her poppop looked exactly the same as he did last summer. Strands of his thinning gray hair were matted to his forehead, which was wrinkled and marked with liver spots. His long beard was slung over his shoulder like a scarf. And his woolen robes were an impressive shade of lavender.

  “I say!” Poppop said. “I’ve been standing here frozen for thirty seconds, and no one is clapping! Clap, I SAY! CLAP!”

  Lennie applauded for her poppop, as the whole family chimed in, too.

  “Much better!” he said, walking in the aisle between the tables. When he reached the precise middle of the room, he waved his staff, which emitted a purple mist.