Wand Maker

Chapter 7

I opened the door. We had all showered and gotten dressed, and everyone looked very relaxed. It was an illusion, of course. We were waiting for my parents to come home. Eventually, they needed to know I was a witch. Addy and Izzi had used their phones to call their parents over. Better to explain all at once, we decided, then to have our parents surprise each other over text. That would be a lot of grounding.

Joseph had stayed to help explain the situation. After all, he grew up with this information. He could explain it better than us. We think. We don't know. It's the hope, at least.

I brushed my hair frantically and looked at the clock. The adults were supposed to come at 10 after 11, and it was 11:05. If you have curly hair, you know how long it takes to get the tangles out. If you don't, well, it takes about 10 minutes on average. I know, right? It's ridiculous.

"Guys, a little help here!" I said. Izzi and Addy rushed to my aid. They each grabbed a hairbrush and started running it through my hair.

Joseph watched this with amused eyes. "Surely you don't need 2 other people to brush your hair?" He addressed me.

"You'd be surprised," I replied, my eyes on a stubborn tangle at my ends. "With only me, it would take 15 minutes to sort out this mess I call my hair."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. We exchanged looks of pure anxiety, then Joseph rushed off to open the door. "Quick!" I whispered. "Braid my hair!"

See, every girl knows that you could've been out in a thunderstorm with 60 mph winds fighting zombies, but no one would ever know that if you just braided your hair. Then you could deal with it later. It's my emergency-help-I'm-late-to-school hairstyle. But now, it's my emergency-help-the-adults-are-here-and-I'm-not-ready hairstyle. It's a multi-purpose 'do.

Addy and Izzi finished braiding in less than 5 seconds, and not a moment to soon. We sat down just as the adults entered the room. Addy's parents were here, and they gave her a quizzical look, but they sat down anyways. I took a deep breath and stood up.

"So, there is something that we need to tell-" I started

"Well then, out with it, sweetheart, no need to keep us waiting!" Mrs. Erickson blurted. But I was used to this. So I plowed on.

"-all of our parents once they get here," I finished. Mrs. Erickson deflated a bit. She was an impatient, sassy woman, but she could be very sweet if you did the right thing. She was also a bit of a gossip, but I chose to think that she wouldn't tell anyone about this particular tidbit.

"In the meantime, would you like something to drink?" Izzi took over the pleasantries while I snuck off to the kitchen. Not a minute later, Izzi popped in saying "2 waters, one with ice, the other with lemon."

I started to prepare the waters, and myself, for the task ahead. All too soon, the waters were ready, which meant I had to be ready as well. I took a deep breath, and pushed out of the kitchen, back to the door, waiter- style. I put on my best French accent and said "'ere you go, Monsieur and Madame Erickso'. I 'ope you enjoy,".

They smiled at me, and received their drinks graciously. I smiled back. It was a game that we all liked to enjoy; I play a French waitress, Izzi plays a Vietnamese chef, and Addy plays rude British hostess. It was all fun and games.

The doorbell rang. I rushed off to grab it. When I opened the door, I saw my parents smiling back at me. "You're home!" I hugged them. "Is Aliexa still at her sleepover?"

"No, she's just taking a long time getting her stuff," Dad replied. Right on schedule, Aliexa bounded in front of me.

My sister looks like me. Literally, she looks so much like me that people have mistaken us for twins. We have the same coffee skin, the same curly hair, same full lips and tiny ears. But there is a few differences. First, her nose is a little button, whereas mine is proportionate to my body, at least. Second, her eyes aren't my magical green, but a dark brown very close to black. Don't get me wrong! She's got magic, all right. But I taught her how to let it go at different times. As a result, our house often has magic thick in the air.