Read Family Magic for Free Online

which might accidentally involve the neighbors,
which means a quick move in the middle of the night to a whole new
state so no one gets arrested.
    Normals usually don’t want to know magic is
happening across the street, but if you shove their noses in it,
things can get ugly. Last time was Gram’s fault. A little mid-day
spell at the local hairdresser. I’m sure the blue eventually washed
out of that lady’s hair. Served her right, though, for being
nasty.
    The time before that had been my mom’s doing,
but she was defending Meira so I totally got it.
    Needless to say, due to one mistake or
another, I was forced countless times to start at a new school,
suss out the cool kids, try to make new friends and just generally
fit in.
    I’m not very good at it.
And high school is a singular kind of hell. Don’t get me wrong. I
used to try really hard, seeing each move as an opportunity, a
chance to finally belong. But trying too hard can come across as
pathetic and desperate, which I am good at. Being pegged as the new freak over and
over can take a toll on a girl. I finally reached the point where
if I couldn’t join them, I could at least blend in with the
scenery.
    And part of me now worried about fitting in.
What if I found the perfect town, the perfect friends and
suddenly—gasp!— had some level of popularity, then someone in the
coven screwed up and we had to move away from my dream life?
    Not to say I’m suicidal, but I’d have to slit
my wrists.
    I made it to the school steps without
incident and considered it a victory. I kept my head down as I
moved past the cool girls who waited for the football team to grace
them with their presence. It was only because I had my eyes
suitably glued to the concrete that I managed to catch myself from
tripping over the foot ‘accidentally’ in my path.
    “Oops,” Alison Morgan, a perfect blonde,
blue-eyed cheerleader in designer everything, smirked at her
friends when I made the mistake of eye contact. “Sorry.”
    I ducked my head again to hide the flush of
embarrassment, rushing inside to avoid any further humiliation.
Alison was notorious for starting mild and ending up with her
target of choice in helpless tears, so I didn’t want to give her
the chance to work her own particular brand of magic.
    I was in such a hurry to escape I ended up
plowing full-tilt into a dark blue football jacket. The victim
turned and I found myself staring in horror at Brad Peters, Senior,
football hero and all around perfect yummy chunk of teenage girl’s
dream.
    I tried to apologize but Brad, dreamy Brad,
smiled at me like he really meant it. I knew what it felt like to
melt. He had the most amazing green eyes, clear and light, almost
transparent. The skin around them crinkled a little. His wavy
blonde hair perfectly framed his tanned, square-jawed face. I tried
not to stare at the adorable cleft in his chin for too long, right
at my eye level, but gazing into his eyes was much too dangerous
and I had to choose my battles.
    Speaking of which, while I stammered and
stuttered and tried not to totally fall to pieces, Alison and her
cronies appeared around us. I mentally screamed at myself for being
such a stupid idiot while Alison put a possessive hand on Brad’s
arm and gave me her sweetest smile, a sure sign she decided to
attack with all barrels blazing. Why did she have to be dating him?
Why?
    I braced myself for the onslaught.
    “You need to be more careful, Syd,” Alison
said, voice absolutely dripping sugar. “We’re starting to worry
about you.”
    The other cheerleaders laughed. The
temperature in the hall rose rapidly.
    No wait, that was just me.
    “Sorry,” I said, making an attempt to escape.
Alison’s friends blocked my exit route.
    “Are you okay, Brad?” Alison stroked his
white leather sleeve, pouting so hard her lip-gloss buckled.
    “I’m fine, really. Are you okay, Syd?” Brad
seemed seriously concerned.
    At any other moment I would have given an arm
and most