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"Indeed you did," Alice said, shaking her head a little Then she sht occurred tospell lasts for only four hours" I glanced at my watch "It's been alet out here How are we going to get back in tiers, two broo," I said

The s over a broom and zoomed off into the sky She came back down and hovered a few feet above hout the woods "Come on, Sophia!"

she called "Be traditional for once!"

Heaving rabbed the slender neck of the brooonna hold me?" I called up to her "We don't all shop at Baby Gap!"

This ti about She just laughed and said, "I'd hurry if I were you! Fifteencellar duty!"

So I straddled the broom I wasn't quite as ladylike as Alice, but when the broonified I looked

I grabbed the handle tighter and gave a startled yelp as the night air rushed over me And then I was in the sky

I'd assu on for dear life, but instead it sort of glided, and I caughtof sheer exhilaration The air was cold but soft around athered the courage to look down at the trees below uished the orb, so all I could really --

actually honest-to-God flying

The stars overhead felt close enough to touch, andfree in low of the bubble around Hecate, and I hoped ould never get there, that I could just go on feeling this light, this free, forever

Too soon, we touched down just in front of the porch My cheeks felt chapped andlike a lunatic

"That," I pronounced, "was theever Why don't all witches do that?"

Alice laughed as she disht of as a cliche"

"Well, screw that noise," I said "When I' to be the only way to travel"

Alice laughed again "Glad to hear it"

As atched, the bubble around Hecate began to dio in," I said "So, same time, same place tomorrow?"

Alice nodded and then reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a s was soft in

"What is this?"

"Dirt frorave Should you ever need extra power for a spell, just pour a little on your hands and that should do it"

"Okay Uic mojo, but inside, all I could think was, Grave dirt? Gross

"And, Sophia," Alice added as I turned to go

"Yeah?"

She walked up tooing to kiss , but then she whispered, "Be careful The Eye sees you, even here"

I jerked back,and ave a sad smile and faded away

CHAPTER 23

"So," I breathlessly asked Archer a week later, "have you picked out the perfect shade of pink for your tux yet?"

We were in Defense, and I was only winded because I'd just delivered a blow that had sent Archer to theto do with how good he looked in his tight T-shirt I couldn't believe I'd knocked hietting a lot better Ito be on American Gladiators, but I wasn't half bad And I'd been out all night

My necklace buainst my chest as I leaned down to offer Archer a hand Alice's charotten about two hours of sleep for the first three nights, and yet I'd woken up feeling fine The firstto pullspell someone had put on the school, but when that hadn't happened, I'd started to relax a little Now I didn't even bother to sleep I'd just lie there in the dark, feeling as antsy as a kid on Christh my s Then I'd rush outside, juot to the ceerous and h the sky or did spells so powerful I'd never drearinned as I helped hi earlier that you tere going toRose,'

in's Blush'!"

The All Hallow's Eve Ball was just a week away, and it see about Even in Byron's class our assignoing to wear I still had no idea what I earing Ms East was in charge of teaching us the transformation spell that would create our dresses and tuxes Just yesterday she'd given us each a du that looked like a pillowcase with armholes I didn't knoe couldn't just transforured it was just another one of Hecate's duet their own clothes, whichnonstop for the past few days