To my readers:

  You are magical.

  Love,

  CLEARING YOUR MIND IS EASY, RIGHT?

  Today is my first advanced magic lesson with Mrs. Kettledrum!

  Eeee!

  I’ve been waiting for this day for what seems like forever, but truthfully, it’s only been two absurdly long weeks.

  The coolest part is that I am the only one in my grade—so far—who has private magic lessons.

  One of my best friends, Sunny Akhtar, was a little bit jealous at first, but she and I had a heartfelt talk, and everything is good now.

  Phew!

  I totally understood how she felt. I know I would’ve been jealous if it had been the other way around.

  These lessons are such a big step for me as a witch. All I’ve ever wanted is to be the best witch I can be, and now I’m on my way.

  I’m positively buzzing with excitement as I walk across campus to Mrs. Kettledrum’s classroom.

  Is it possible that everyone and everything looks extra beautiful today? The sky looks bluer! And could it be that the birds are singing only to me? Everyone I pass either waves or says hi—even some of the upperclassmen.

  I am radiating confidence and happiness!

  When I open the door to the classroom, Momo, Mrs. Kettledrum’s corgi, leaps off her puppy bed and jumps into my arms. She licks me all over, which is kind of ew, but mostly adorable.

  Ever since I did an original spell that made Momo talk, she and I have had a special relationship.

  Momo got to say all the things she’d always dreamed of saying.

  Mrs. Kettledrum was super-impressed, and that’s when she said I was ready for private magic lessons.

  So here goes nothing!

  “Are you ready, Heidi?” Mrs. Kettledrum asks. She winks because she knows how excited I am.

  “I’m SO ready!”

  Then I follow Mrs. Kettledrum into her office. Momo trots after us too.

  “Have a seat, Heidi!” Mrs. Kettledrum says, and points to one of two cozy-looking chairs. I plop onto the middle of a blue plaid cushion.

  “Are you comfortable?”

  I bounce on the cushion. “Yup, totally comfy!”

  Mrs. Kettledrum drags the other chair in front of me and sits down.

  “Then let’s begin. Lesson number one,” she starts. “To strengthen your mind-reading gift, and to truly be a great witch, you must learn how to quiet and control your thoughts in any situation. Quick, successful magic can only be performed when your thoughts are calm and focused.”

  I nod vigorously, but I’m thinking, Being calm and focused are not exactly my strong points.

  Mrs. Kettledrum rests her hands on her lap. She looks very calm and focused.

  I’m pretty sure she never gets ruffled.

  She adjusts her glasses. “The first thing I want you to do, Heidi, is to come up with a mantra to get your mind into a quiet, peaceful place.”

  I raise my hand. “What’s a mantra?”

  Mrs. Kettledrum shuts her eyes, like she’s going into a trance or something, and then opens them again.

  “A mantra is a word, phrase, or sound that calms the mind. My mantra is: Peace and tranquility are mine.

  “It’s your turn, Heidi. I want you to close your eyes and think of a mantra that will quiet your mind. Take as long as you need.”

  I close my eyes, but instead of getting quiet, my mind goes bananas.

  Eek!

  What should MY mantra be? I wonder.

  What if I can’t THINK of a mantra?

  What if I think of one and it sounds STUPID?

  What if I can’t get this right?

  In a matter of seconds I’ve gone from a confident, up-and-coming witch to a complete nervous wreck.

  Chill out! I think.

  Mrs. Kettledrum interrupts my topsy-turvy thoughts.

  “Now, don’t be surprised if your thoughts race around at first, Heidi. Simply take a deep breath.…”

  Mrs. Kettledrum inhales slowly. “Think about something that will settle your mind. Your mantra should be a signal to yourself that it’s time to be quiet. Simply let your mantra come to you. Don’t be embarrassed or shy. There’s no such thing as a wrong mantra. Just clear your brain of all distracting thoughts.”

  I shut my eyes again.

  I’m glad Mrs. Kettledrum says that racing thoughts are normal. She also understands being totally embarrassed. That helps too. I feel a tiny bit less self-conscious.

  Okay, what will my mantra be? Hmmm.

  How about “Be quiet, Heidi!” No, too basic. What about “Turn off the noise, Heidi!” Or maybe I should be like a hypnotist, and my mantra could be “You’re getting VE-E-ERY sleepy, Heidi!” No, I’m not trying to take a nap. How about, “Shut off your brain!”

  Ugh, I’m so BAD at this.

  “This is HARD,” I declare, keeping my eyes shut because I don’t want to look at Mrs. Kettledrum. It’ll just make me feel more embarrassed.

  Mrs. Kettledrum pats my knee with her hand.

  “It is hard, Heidi, but be patient with yourself. It takes a lot of practice to get still and quiet. Let’s try something else. Instead of starting with a mantra, I want you to focus on your breathing. Breath work is a handy tool to quiet yourself down.

  “Please take a deep breath in through your nose, and slowly and gently breathe out through your mouth,” she continues.

  I take a humongous breath in through my nose, and slowly let it out.

  “Not bad, Heidi. Again.”

  I take in another dramatic breath and slowly let it out through my mouth.

  I’m pretty sure I sound like an English bulldog snoring—or maybe I sound more like Darth Vader breathing.

  And, instead of getting quiet, my mind wanders off in another direction.

  This is no fun! I complain to myself.

  I thought I was going to learn some REAL magic today, like making a mountain of candy appear out of nowhere, or whipping up a new wardrobe, or zapping a trampoline into existence. Or maybe magically getting a mini fridge for my room?

  “Concentrate, Heidi,” Mrs. Kettledrum reminds me.

  I nod obediently and try to stop the rant in my head.

  Focus, I tell myself. You are a calm, no-nonsense witch. You can be 100 percent relaxed—even though you may not feel like it.

  You are as still as the water on a lake at dawn.

  You are as calm as a golden sunset.

  You are as weird as the biggest GOOFBALL ever. I open my eyes.

  “I feel silly!”

  Mrs. Kettledrum leans back in her chair.

  Is she disappointed in me? I wonder.

  Does she want to keep working with me?! She doesn’t show any signs of being mad.…

  Mrs. Kettledrum pulls off her glasses.

  “What you’re feeling is perfectly natural, Heidi. New ways of thinking can feel awkward at first. Believe it or not, one day you’ll get to the place where every cell in your body is quiet. I didn’t start out being calm in every new situation. It took years of experience and practice, but you have to start somewhere, and this is the start. Let’s go back to thinking about a mantra.”

  I clasp my hands on top of my head. “What if I can’t do it?!”

  Mrs. Kettledrum smiles. “Of course you can, Heidi. Now close your eyes and try again. Trust whatever mantra comes to you—even if it sounds silly.”

  This time I don’t let my mind spin like a Tilt-A-Whirl. And the next thing I know, something actually comes to me.

  My eyes pop open.

  “I’ve got it, Mrs. Kettledrum! My mantra is: My peace is here and now.”

  Mrs. Kettledrum claps her hands.

  “Well done, Heidi! That’s a wonderful mantra! You’ve successfully taken the first step toward becoming a better mind reader.

  “On to lesson number two: to do this step you’ll need to turn your chair toward the window.”

  I stand up and spin my chair around. Mrs. Kettledrum shifts hers around too.

  We sit down and gaze out the window. Students are walking toward the Barn for lunch. My stomach growls.

  Glurrpity-gloop! Mrs. Kettledrum acts like she didn’t hear it.

  “Okay, Heidi, I want you to silently recite your mantra. Then focus on a student outside and ask yourself, ‘What are they thinking?’ After that, listen carefully for incoming thoughts. Ready?”

  I sit back in my chair. Mrs. Kettledrum nods once. “Begin!”

  My peace is here and now, I think calmly.

  I have to pick a student and focus on what they’re thinking.

  Oh wow! There’s Nick Lee! He’s the guy who asked me to dance at the Halloween party! He is SO cute!!!

  I watch Nick walk by. His thick, dark hair is swept back and reveals a slight widow’s peak in the middle of his forehead.

  One word: adorable!

  Nick is a low-key crush right now. When I was crushing on Hunter McCann, I totally lost myself.

  Luckily, or maybe unluckily, Nick isn’t in the School of Magic. He’s not in any of my other classes, either, so I hardly ever see him. This keeps me from crushing overboard. But I really want to hang out with him soon. I want to get to know him better.

  Mrs. Kettledrum taps my leg.

  “Heidi, put your eyeballs back into your head and stop thinking about boys! We all know what happens when you put crushes and magic together. Things can get very hairy! Clear your mind.”

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Kettledrum! It’s just that Nick is sooo cute! I won’t let him distract me next time.”

  I jump back to attention.

  Mrs. Kettledrum is such an amazing witch, she can see right behind the curtain of my mind.

  When she says “things can get very hairy,” she’s totally referring to when I accidentally gave myself Rapunzel hair that would not stop growing, all to impress Hunter. It was a disaster of epic proportions.

  Mrs. Kettledrum is right because I can’t let a crush crush my dream of becoming the best witch in the world!

  Mrs. Kettledrum looks at her notebook. She has no time for puppy love.

  “Okay, Heidi, for homework I want you to practice quieting your mind. Really work on watching your thoughts so they don’t wander.” She hands me a sheet of paper with a bunch of helpful hints and goes over some of the details.

  “Thanks, Mrs. Kettledrum. These reminders will be really helpful,” I say when she is finished.

  Mrs. Kettledrum rests her elbows on the arms of her chair. “Sometimes it also helps to imagine yourself in a calm place, like the beach, or any spot that makes you feel peaceful.”

  I light up. “I LOVE the beach! I never thought to go there in my mind!”

  Mrs. Kettledrum looks at her notes again and flips the page. “There’s one other thing I’d like to discuss with you, Heidi. I believe you’re advanced enough to learn Emergency Spells.”

  I sit straight up because I want to learn every kind of spell.

  “What exactly are Emergency Spells?”

  Mrs. Kettledrum taps her notebook with her pen. “They’re spells for when something suddenly comes up or goes wrong—any kind of emergency that needs immediate attention. You won’t always have access to your Book of Spells, so these are spells you can do on the fly. Here at Broomsfield Academy the staff of the School of Magic must come up with spells on demand all the time.

  “So for our next lesson, I also want you to think of emergency situations where you might need to perform a spell on the spot.”

  I clasp my hands. “Well, that’s an easy assignment! My life is a never-ending string of emergency situations!”

  Mrs. Kettledrum laughs and shakes her head. Then she looks at her watch. “That’s enough for today, Heidi. Remember to practice quieting your thoughts. You’ll get better at it the more you practice. And I’ll see you at the assembly tomorrow.”

  I hop up from my chair and move it back to where it belongs. Then I give Momo some kisses on the top of her head. She licks my cheek.

  Slobberific!

  “Thank you, Mrs. Kettledrum! I know I have a lot of work to do, but I feel like a better witch already.”

  Look out, world! Here I come!

  TWO SCOOPS!

  I trot down the path to the Barn. The Barn is where the student center and cafeteria are located—not to mention the bowling alley, the bookstore, the Secret Loft, and the Four Square courts out front.

  One thing about becoming a next-level witch is, it makes you really hungry.

  Hungry to learn more.

  Hungry to get better.

  And hungry for yummy food—that’s because strengthening magic skills is a workout—a total mental workout, that is.

  I need some brainpower!

  I wonder if I’ll see Nick at lunch today. I already know he’s not at my table this week.

  Merg.

  And just my rotten luck, he did get assigned to Melanie’s table. Why does everything always go Melanie’s way? And lucky Annabelle is at Nick’s table too.

  Double MERG with a heaping side of MERG sauce!

  Well, at least Sunny is at my table, along with Hunter and Isabelle.

  Speaking of which, those two are definitely a thing these days. Everyone knows it.

  And thankfully, I’m weirdly over it. It’s amazing how a new crush positively fizzles away an old one.

  At the sandwich bar I order tuna salad on a soft roll, with cheesy cheddar chips, pickles, and carrot sticks on the side. Then I carry my tray to Table Five—my table of the week. Sunny slaps the empty seat beside her. She always saves me a seat because she’s a next-level friend.

  I set down my tray. Isabelle is on the other side of me, and she’s sitting next to Hunter, of course. They giggle about something.

  “What did I miss?” I ask as I sit down.

  “Not much,” Hunter says. “But did you hear about the boy in my class who answered a pop quiz with a food order?”

  Confused, we all zoom in on Hunter as he launches into a story. This should be good.

  “I’m not going to mention any names,” Hunter begins. “But right now we’re studying chemistry, and our teacher has been giving us pop quizzes once a week, and today was a pop quiz day. Anyway, our teacher starts spurting out questions and calling on random people, and he picks on this one kid in my class and asks him how the freezing point of water will change if salt is added to it.”

  “I know! It would decrease!” shouts another kid at our table.

  “That’s the right answer, but this kid wasn’t expecting to be called on and yelled out, ‘PEPPERONI PIZZA!’ The entire class started laughing, even our teacher!”

  Giggles circle around our table.

  “Someone was thinking about what they wanted for lunch and not focusing on the lesson,” Sunny says.

  Hunter snorts. “Our teacher couldn’t stop cackling, and he said he was going to have pizza for dinner tonight. It was pretty funny.”

  When we’re all about done gathering ourselves together from our laughter, I think of another funny story.

  “Hey, something similar happened to me this weekend!”

  Now all eyes are on me.

  Eek!

  “Melanie and I were finishing up our homework when all of a sudden it was lunchtime, and she told me to take a break and come to the cafeteria with her. I saw her walk out the door, and I wanted to catch up to her. I grabbed my book bag and my library card, and started walking out in my slippers!”

  “Where did you think you were going, Heidi?” Isabelle laughs.

  “Melanie asked me the same thing, and guess what I said to her?”

  The table collectively asks, “What?!”

  “I said, ‘Get your library card, Melanie, or they won’t let you into the library!’ I was so focused on my homework that I had no idea where I was going!”

  Everyone giggles. It’s normal to daydream for a few minutes, or get distracted and not concentrate on what you’re doing. It happens to everyone.

  “I guess the moral of both stories is: slow down and focus on what you’re doing,” Isabelle says as she wipes tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes.

  “Wait. So what are we talking about? Pepperoni pizza?” I joke.

  We all crack up again. These stories remind me of what I learned with Mrs. Kettledrum today. Mindfulness is important in practicing magic, too, I think. This also makes me recall the meditation techniques she gave me. I promised I’d share everything I learned in my advanced lessons with Sunny. I whip out my list and hold it in front of her.

  “I had my first advanced magic lesson today, Sunny,” I whisper, even though everybody at my table is in the School of Magic.

  Sunny grabs the paper and studies it. “Seriously, Heidi? These are some of the easiest tips I’ve ever read. These tips are for beginners!”

  This was not the reaction I was expecting.

  I thought Sunny would be gushing with excitement, but instead she says my first assignment is “for beginners,” like there’s nothing advanced about it at all. I try not to feel insulted. “Meditating is harder than it sounds, Sunny,” I tell her.

  Sunny shrugs and hands the paper back to me. “Okay, let’s test it out soon.”

  I fold the paper and put it away. At the same time, Isabelle gets up from the table. Before she leaves, she taps me on one shoulder.

  “Hey, Heidi, I really like your sweater.”

  I glance down at my dark purple cardigan. It’s nothing special, but Isabelle seems to think so. She smiles at me with genuine kindness, like we’re really good friends. Usually we’re just fringe friends. We hang out, but mostly in groups.

  But hey, I’ll take the compliment.

  “Thanks! I love anything purple,” I say.

  Isabelle is still beaming friendliness at me. Where is all this sudden warmth coming from? Does she want to get to know me better or something?

 

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