Page 11 of With the Potion in the Courtyard

She chewed thoughtfully for a moment before perking up. "Wait a second. Do you remember Shipton Harbor? The magical place I took you guys shopping. There’s another town on the same island. I’d forgotten all about it. It’s called Moonbeam Cove, and it’s pretty much an all-magical town.There's this shop there, stuffed to the brim with bottles and magical whatnots."

"Really?" I leaned forward.

"Yep. Maybe we could check it out? I bet the shop owner knows everything there is to know about bottles. We could go tomorrow, after class. We have that break, remember?"

Excitement fluttered in my chest. "But how would we get back in time?"

"Our black stones, silly."

Robbie grinned. "So, it's settled then. We meet at the portal room after class."

"Deal." I couldn't keep the smile off my face. This was it, a lead, and perhaps a step toward clearing my name.

"Now," Robbie said, "Cendi and I might want to hurry up, or we’ll be late for class."

We finished our food in a rush and headed down the hall. The other students followed, giving us a bit of space, but I didn’t really mind. Being with Jessie and Robbie wasn’t all that bad.

Thirty minutes later, Enchantment Basics was in full swing, and I stood there with a flower, trying to make sense of Mr. Vanderflit's latest instructions. "Remember," he said, "exaggerate your movements at first. It's key to getting the feel for the spell."

On the board, there was a whole list of enchantments we were supposed to be doing today. I found it hard to believe we’d even be able to learn half of those in one day, but I also trusted that Mr. Vanderflit knew what he was doing.

"Like this?" Robbie gave his wand a graceful twirl and hopped. His flower bloomed.

"Exactly." Mr. Vanderflit clapped, his wool sleeves flapping. "Well done."

Though, I’d already seen him grow a flower for me, so this was probably right up his sleeve. For me? Not so much. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.

I mimicked Robbie, hopping awkwardly while drawing circles in the air with my wand. It felt ridiculous, and I could tell by the sweat on my brow and the clumsy arc of my wand that I wasn't getting it. Looking stupidandgetting something wrong, that was something only I couldmaster.

"Here, let me show you." Jessie moved beside me, her hand gently correcting my grip on the wand. "Bend your knees more. Bounce lightly."

With her guidance, I tried again. And suddenly, the flower in front of me shuddered, then bloomed rapidly, petals fluttering.

"It worked!" I gasped, panting from the effort but beaming with triumph.

"See? You've got it." Jessie's smile was infectious.

I turned to share my success with Robbie, who was already watching with a grin. "Nice job." He nodded in approval.

"Thanks to Jessie," I admitted, still catching my breath. "But hey, I didn't look too much like a fool, did I?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, my hands tingled right before vines and flowers sprouted out of my palm. Panic set in which only made the flowers grow faster. "Guys. How do I stop it?"

Robbie grabbed my shoulders and met my panicked gaze. "Calm down and focus. Breath with me."

Nodding, I breathed with him, in and out slowly. He smiled. "Good. Now focus on pulling back the magic as if pulling the flowers back into your hands.

It took a few tries, but I did and within a few seconds, the flowers and vines disappeared. I turned over my hands and studied them. Focusing on my magic, I willed the flowers to reappear. Then I pulled them back, making them disappear once more. Laughing, I lifted my gaze to Robbie's. "I did it. I controlled them. This is cool."

"I knew you could do it," Robbie said, then winked.

"Will this spell work on any plant?" I asked Mr. Vanderflit.

"Absolutely, even the killer ones," he said with a chuckle.

"Guess that's bad news for anyone Cendi's mad at," Marcus said from across the room, sending a pointed look my way.

My stomach dropped, the laughter around me turning into a distant echo. Clearing my name was no longer just a wish; it was a necessity. I couldn’t afford to have everyone around me believing that I’ma murderer.