Root Magic by Eden Royce

Author:Eden Royce
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Published: 2020-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

12

Though I’d been falling asleep to pounding thunderstorms for three nights straight, when I woke up on the fourth day, the sky was clear. The land was flooded, leaving the scent of rainwater in the air. When I lifted the window, the whole world around me smelled clean and fresh as clothes from the washing line.

Still, it was terrible walking to school when it was wet. The mud got on my shoes and splashed up my legs, making my skin itchy and uncomfortable. Then I had to sit in class all day, unable to do anything about it.

There were a few whispers and smothered laughter when I walked down the hall. Some kids started cackling like witches, waggling their fingers to be scary. I pretended to grab at them and they ran off, screaming, which satisfied me. At lunch, I sat by myself and ate my rice, because Susie had been called into the principal’s office. I didn’t know why, but she said she’d tell me when she got back.

After I ate, I took out my root notebook to study what I had written. I was so deep in what I was reading that I didn’t hear Lettie sneak up. I didn’t even know she was there when she dumped an entire thermos full of water on my head.

I gasped at the sting of the icy-cold water. It soaked me from head to chest, then rolled down my arms to puddle on the floor. I sat there, dripping, wiping water out of my face, while she and the others laughed. Shame and anger burned at me, making my skin feel fever hot under the cold water.

“Why didn’t you melt?” she asked. “Isn’t that happens to witches?”

At that moment, it wasn’t even Lettie’s bullying that was bothering me, not on its own. After what had happened a few days ago, I couldn’t stop thinking about Deputy Collins. He might be watching the house at night. Setting traps to hurt or kill us. Why was everyone out to get me and my family? We hadn’t done anything to anyone. We were trying to survive and to live the best way we knew how. Fiery tears burned the back of my eyes, and I was glad water fell from my face so those girls couldn’t see my hurt and anger.

“You’re the witch, Lettie Anderson!” I yelled, jumping to my feet. Some of the water dribbling off my face got into my mouth and I coughed. “You’re mean and cruel for no good reason at all!”

“Enough!” One of the teachers on cafeteria duty broke into the crowd of kids that suddenly surrounded us once the commotion started. She stood between us for a few seconds, sizing us both up. “Jezebel, go see if Miss Corrie has a towel. Lettie, you mop this spill up right now.”

I sneezed, then grabbed my book and the rest of my things and ran out of the lunchroom.

Maybe I didn’t melt on the outside, but inside I felt like I was melting.

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