Diary of Anna the Girl Witch 1: Foundling Witch Read online

  “Yes, I don’t know why Luca and Jean-Sébastien get invited to every birthday party. No one likes them, especially not me.”

  “I expect that Sister Daphne doesn’t want anyone to feel left out,” she said. “Wouldn’t you feel sad if you weren’t allowed to go to a birthday party when everyone else was going?”

  “Not if it was Jean-Sébastien’s party,” I grumbled, but I knew Lauraleigh was right. We orphans had grown up together. We were a family in a way. Excluding Luca and Jean-Sébastien from my party would be like excluding my brothers – my exasperating and annoying brothers.

  “I just hope he left the frogs at home today,” I said. “Do you remember what he did at Gaëlle’s party last year?”

  “Oh, yes.” Lauraleigh laughed. “No one is ever going to forget that one.”

  Poor Gaëlle. Jean-Sébastien had ruined her party with one of his stupid practical jokes. He’d helped Sister Daphne bring out the cake. We should have suspected something right then; Jean-Sébastien never offered to help with anything. When Gaëlle cut into her cake, a dozen frogs hopped out! What a mess. Gaëlle screamed and knocked over the table, trying to get away from the slimy critters. The cake went flying and landed on the head of another girl. The birthday party was ruined.

  That’s what Jean-Sébastien does. He ruins things.

  I was determined not to let him ruin my special day. I was going to keep my eye on him.

  Someone cried behind me, and I whirled around just in time to see Jean-Sébastien and Luca run through a sandcastle, kicking the fragile towers to dust. Beatrice wailed, but the boys – or hoodlums, as Lauraleigh liked to call them – were already off on some other mischief.

  “Don’t worry, Beatrice,” I said, wiping her eyes with a napkin. “I’ll help you build a new sandcastle after lunch. And one day, when we figure out what our superpowers are, we’ll make those boys regret every mean trick they ever played on us.”

  Beatrice grinned. “I want my superpower to be super-strength, so I can punch mean old Jean-Sébastien right in the nose!” She wrinkled her tiny button nose to show me.

  “I want my superpower to be flying,” I said. Wishing for superpowers was a game that Beatrice and I had played for years. “I want to fly like a bird and see all the people below as small as ants.”

  “I want my superpower to be super-eating!” she said. “I could eat the whole picnic, I’m so hungry.”

  I tickled her tummy. She squealed but didn’t try to get away.

  “Well, I have a special mission for a superhero like you. You’re on guard duty. Make sure those boys don’t sneak frogs into my cake.”

  Beatrice saluted me and ran off to guard the cake.

  After lunch, I realized there was something wonderful about being thirteen. I was old enough to get treated like an adult sometimes, but still young enough to play silly games with my friends.

  Sister Daphne organized the games, of course. Sister Constance’s idea of fun was rolling skeins of yarn into balls in preparation for knitting. She was always knitting, even at the beach. She had brought along her enormous carpetbag of wool, and she spent the afternoon sitting under an umbrella, knitting a purple sweater, and yelling at the hoodlums. The strange thing was that I never saw her or anyone else wear the sweaters she knitted. I wondered what she did with them.

  We played a game in which we had to fill an enormous sponge with water from a bucket, run across the sand to squeeze it into another bucket at the far end, and pass the sponge to a teammate who would run back for more water. The team who filled their bucket first would win. That would have been my team, but Jean-Sébastien and Luca stole the sponges on the last run and squashed them on the tops of two girls, Sarah and Emily, soaking them in an instant. Sarah screeched and chased the boys up the beach.

  Oh, well. If that was the worst thing the hoodlums did today, I’d consider myself lucky.

  By four o’clock, I was starting to worry about Gaëlle. She should have arrived already. I kept looking up the path that led through the grassy sand dunes toward the road, but it was still empty.

  “It’s time to cut the cake,” said Sister Daphne in her usual singsong voice.

  “More food?” grouched Sister Constance from her shaded chair. “Haven’t you spoiled these children enough for one day?”

  “Dear Constance, that’s what birthday parties are all about!” Sister Daphne laughed. “Lauraleigh, why don’t you go get the cake out of the cooler?”

  “Yes, Sister,” Lauraleigh said.

  “Don’t worry,” Beatrice whispered. “I’ve been guarding that cooler all day, just like you asked. I’m sure that Jean-Sébastien hasn’t been anywhere near it.”

  I tried to relax as Lauraleigh walked over, carrying one of Sister Daphne’s incredible creations. But I was worried about Gaëlle. Why was she so late? And I’d been worrying about Uncle Misha for weeks, too. Why were his letters always returned unopened? And I was especially worried about Jean-Sébastien ruining my birthday cake. Where was he, anyway?

  Just then, I spotted him, sneaking up behind Lauraleigh with something long and wiggly in his hands.

  A garden snake! Oh, no! From his evil grin, I could tell that he was going to toss it around Lauraleigh’s neck. She would scream and drop my beautiful cake.

  No! I wouldn’t allow it. I clenched my fists tight and yelled, “Stop!”

  And that’s just what everyone did: They froze. Not like in a game of Red Light, Green Light, in which people try to stand still but wobble and fall. No, I mean everything froze: the people, the small waves on the lake, the birds flying overhead. Even the air. Everything was perfectly still except for the garden snake that wriggled until, with a poof, it changed into a billowy green scarf.

  Time started up again. I was the one frozen now – with shock. No one else seemed to have noticed what had just happened. Jean-Sébastien hadn’t. He still thought he held a snake. He tossed it over Lauraleigh’s neck, but the scarf fell harmlessly onto her shoulders. She turned to him and smiled.

  “Well, thank you, Jean-Sébastien,” she said. “Is this a present for the birthday girl?”

  His eyes goggled. “Uh, no. I mean, yes,” he stammered, and ran off.

  I would have let out a triumphant laugh except the whole thing had nearly scared the pants off me. Had time actually stopped? Why didn’t anyone else notice? And the scariest question of all: Did I do that?

  No time to think about it now. My friends were singing Happy Birthday, and then Sister Daphne pressed the handle of a knife into my hand.

  “You must cut your own cake, dear. It’s for good luck.”

  So I cut the cake for everyone, giving the biggest piece to Beatrice and saving one for me and one for Gaëlle, who still hadn’t shown up. All the while, I kept thinking about the world suddenly stopping around me. I expected to freak out about that, but I didn’t. The episode was odd, but it left me strangely calm.

  As we all sat on the sand, enjoying Sister Daphne’s cinnamon-apple goodness, Lauraleigh wrapped the new green scarf around my neck. I found its touch soft and comfortable.

  “I think Jean-Sébastien has a crush on you,” she whispered.

  Ugh. If only she knew the truth!

  “Did you notice anything unusual right around the time that he gave you the scarf?” I asked. Unusual; that was putting it mildly.

  “Yeah. You screamed like something bit you,” Lauraleigh said. “What was all that about? I almost dropped the cake.”

  “That? Oh, I thought I saw a bee, but it was just a fly,” I lied. I wanted to tell her the truth, but I was starting to wonder if I hadn’t imagined the whole thing. Maybe Jean-Sébastien had been holding a scarf all along? Yes, that had to be it.

  I didn’t have more time to worry about it because my birthday surprise arrived. I had been looking toward the road all afternoon, expecting Gaëlle, but instead, she arrived from the air in a hot air balloon.

  André and Marie were rich. Like mega rich. They lived in a castle
over the hills and drove fancy cars. Marie was always dressed as if ready for a gala, usually with more jewelry than I thought necessary.

  Today was no exception. As the beautiful rainbow-striped balloon descended, I could see André and Marie in the basket along with Gaëlle and their natural-born daughter, Candace. The Montmorencys claimed that they had always wanted a large family and plenty of sisters for little Candace, so they had adopted seven girls from the orphanage over the years. Gaëlle was the most recent. They were like heroes in Luyons. Sister Daphne adored them. Even though it was sad for her to see her children leave, she was always grateful when they found loving homes.

  I wasn’t so enamored with the Montmorencys. Last year, before adopting Gaëlle, they had asked me to join their family – and I had refused. Everyone at the orphanage was stunned. No orphan had ever turned down a new family.

  “Are you crazy?” Gaëlle had asked. “I would give anything to live in a castle and wear fancy dresses like Candace!”

  “I don’t need fancy dresses,” I had replied. “And I don’t need their money. I have enough of my own to get into the Collège next year.” And that’s exactly what I did. They adopted Gaëlle instead. And I guessed that was a good thing because she didn’t have a trust fund and she wouldn’t have been able to go to the private school with me otherwise. She would have had to stay back at Luyons.

  But still… there was something off about the Montmorencys. Something about them gave me the creeps, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

  “Hellooooo!” André boomed. Oh, yeah, there was that: André was really loud. He jumped out of the basket and squeezed me in a big bear hug. And that: He liked to hug, and he always smelled of cigars. Yuck!

  “There’s the birthday girl!” he bellowed. “We’ve come to whisk you away for a grand adventure.”

  “In that?” I asked, pointing to the balloon.

  “Of course!” Marie said. Somehow she had hopped over the edge of the balloon basket without even ruffling her long gown. “Candace, come out of there and let Anna Sophia and little Beatrice have a ride. They simply must see Irvigne Manor from the air.”

  “But, Mother, my new shoes will get ruined on the beach,” Candace whined. Like Marie, she was dressed in a fine gown.

  “It’s no problem, Marie,” Gaëlle said. “They can have my spot.”

  “Nonsense,” said Marie. “You should be the one to show your friends how fabulous your new home is. Come, Candace. The sun is still hot enough to burn. You don’t want age spots before your time.” Her daughter grumbled some more but followed her to the shade of an umbrella.

  “Get me something to drink,” Candace snapped, and one of the orphans jumped to get her a soda from the cooler. Candace was bossy. I couldn’t understand why everyone jumped to do her bidding.

  Sister Daphne approached us with a broad grin.

  “Monsieur Montmorency, how kind of you to think of the children like this. I’m sure they would love a balloon ride.”

  “Not proper for young ladies to ride around in such contraptions,” Sister Constance said. She pursed her lips as she considered the balloon.

  “Nonsense!” Sister Daphne said. “It’s marvelous.”

  “I promise they’ll be perfectly safe,” said André. He held out his hand. I couldn’t think of a way to refuse without sounding ungrateful. Beatrice was hopping from foot to foot with excitement beside me.

  “Will we be able to touch the stars?” she asked as André hoisted her into the basket.

  “Don’t be silly, Beatrice,” Gaëlle said a little sharply. “The stars are much too high for that.”

  As I climbed into the basket, I glanced at Gaëlle. She was usually a kindhearted spirit, especially with the younger kids. I noticed that her eyes were lined with dark circles and her nose was red as if she had been blowing it too much.

  “Are you feeling well?” I asked.

  She gave me a small smile. “Just tired. I haven’t been sleeping.”

  André climbed into the basket and lit the propane burner beneath the balloon. It made a whooshing sound like a great fire-breathing dragon. The balloon rose into the evening sky.

  Beatrice’s eyes grew big. She shifted closer to me and squeezed my hand.

  “You don’t need to be afraid,” I said.

  She nodded. “You got your superpower dream, Anna,” she said. “You’re flying!”

  I let the high, cool air wash over me. The sickle moon looked able to catch our balloon on its hook as we floated by.

  “Look at those boats below!” André bellowed. “Don’t they look just like toys?”

  Beatrice and I leaned over to see the boats better. My stomach lurched when I saw how high we were already. Beatrice’s face had taken on a green tinge.

  The balloon drifted along the lakeshore and into the foothills of the surrounding hills. Below us, the trees were bright green jewels.

  “Irvigne Manor will be just over those hills,” André said. “Whoever spots it first will get a prize!” He beamed, pleased with his game. André always had a pocket full of “surprises.” Usually, they were hard candies that were so sweet, they made my teeth hurt. But I supposed he meant well.

  “There it is!” said Beatrice. She leaned out and pointed at a tower in the distance. I held onto her shirt as she leaned out of the basket. She probably couldn’t fall out since the rim of the basket came up to her chin, but I wanted to be sure.

  “Wouldn’t you love to live in a castle like a princess?” asked André as he gave her a candy prize. Beatrice beamed at him, her blond curls bouncing in her excitement.

  “I would be the best princess ever!” she said.

  Irvigne Manor was impressive. As we soared closer, I saw a second tower. They were like bookends holding together the massive stone structure – more of a castle than a manor house. It looked like it had once been blocky white stone but was now dark gray with edges worn by time, making it appear to be melting.

  “It’s… big.” I didn’t know what else to say. It certainly wasn’t beautiful, except in a stark, chilling way.

  “Legend says it was once the seat of the Knights Templar in this area,” André said smoothly. “I bet there are gold and jewels buried on the land somewhere, but I’ve never been able to find them.”

  “We should have a treasure hunt,” Beatrice exclaimed. She seemed to be over her early bout of motion sickness. My stomach was still flipping with butterflies, but it had more to do with the castle than the balloon ride, I figured.

  My dream stone grew hot against my chest. Maybe that was just my overactive imagination? I grabbed the leather thong and held the stone before my eye. Through the hole, the castle looked different. A dark shadow stretched around it like the arms of a great black beast. I blinked and dropped the dream stone, wondering just what sort of present Uncle Misha had given me.

  The shadow was gone, but not my feeling of unease. No one else had noticed my astonishment.

  “A treasure hunt is a great idea!” André said, ruffling Beatrice’s hair. “I bet you are full of great ideas, Beatrice. You seem like just the kind of girl to liven up that old castle.” He winked at her. André and Marie made no secret of the fact that they were looking to adopt more children.

  Beatrice grinned. Her big brown eyes and dimples made her adorable. Even I wanted to adopt her. I was happy that she might be the next one to find a home, but part of me wished it weren’t with André and Marie. Maybe I was being selfish.

  “Don’t you think that Beatrice would make a great addition to our big family, Gaëlle?” asked André.

  Gaëlle nodded and gave a small smile. That, right there: That made me nervous. Though Gaëlle never said a bad word about her new parents or sisters, I could tell she wasn’t happy. I wished she would talk to me about it in private, but we were never alone together.

  “We’ll be heading down now,” André said. “I’m going to try and land it in the garden.”

  The balloon floated toward the castl
e, low enough that I thought we might bump into one of the towers. Beyond the house was a garden filled with statues and bushes, then a large hedge maze, and finally a big grassy field, where I hoped André would land.

  “Look!” he said. “Marie has followed us to take you children back to Luyons.”

  The red convertible was parked in the circular driveway in front of the castle. (I still couldn’t call it a house.) As the balloon drifted by, I could see Marie in the car along with Candace and Lauraleigh.

  We were waving at them when a gust of wind came out of nowhere and tossed the balloon and basket sideways.

  “Oooh!” Beatrice cried. The candy fell out of her mouth. Her eyes were huge as she watched it spiral down to the ground still far below. “Ooh, I don’t feel so good.”

  She didn’t look so good. The wind jostled us some more.

  “Hang on to me,” I said to Beatrice. I took her left hand, and Gaëlle took her right. André fussed with ropes and weights, trying to even us out, but an unexpected afternoon storm had come up, tossing us off course. I couldn’t get the image of that black shadow out of my mind. The sudden storm felt like the shadow’s arms batting us around. We were flying fast – too fast! The garden sped by in a blur; then the hedge maze and the green field that had been our original target zoomed by beneath us. Ahead loomed the edge of the forest. We couldn’t land there among the trees!

  “We have to land now!” I screamed.

  Beatrice crouched in the basket. Gaëlle and I squeezed in beside her, trying to stay out of André’s way.

  “Hold on!” he yelled.

  I closed my eyes. My stomach lurched as we were jerked sideways. Beatrice wailed. The basket landed with a bone-jarring thump. Gaëlle, Beatrice and I were tossed around like salad in a bowl. My head whacked against something hard; from the way Gaëlle was rubbing her head when we finally stepped out of the basket, I guessed we had clashed.

  The balloon was slowly deflating over the trees. We had landed only meters away from the tree line. Beatrice still sat in the basket, her face all scrunched up with tears.