All That Glitters (Avalon: Web of Magic #2) (10 page)

“Boohoop . . .”

“Aaahhhooooh . . .”

The dragonflies were crying all over Kara and Lyra.

“Do not cry for me.”
Lyra gazed into Kara’s eyes. “
There is enough sadness in my world.”

Kara sniffled. “Do you think they’re all right, your sisters?”

“I don’t know. I was chased by the manticore and hardly remember falling through the portal into this world. Adriane found me, and Emily helped me to heal. When I discovered the other animals had been burned by the Black Fire, too, I realized I could not fight the sorceress and her dark creatures myself.”

“Like the manticore and these banshees?”

“Oooo!”

“Skweek!”

Kara stroked the agitated dragonflies.

“
The banshees have also suffered at the hands of this sorceress. She would destroy our whole world to get what she wants.”

“What does she want?”

“Magic.”

“I thought I wanted magic.” Kara buried her head in the cat’s still-growing fur. “I’m just stupid! Look what I did!”

“Things are not always what they seem.”

“They’re not?”

“You must look beyond what your eyes see, and what your fingers touch. Magic always starts from the heart, Kara.”

“Do you think I’ll ever learn how to make good magic?” Kara asked shyly.

“Yes, I do. A true heart makes true magic.”

Kara looked into Lyra’s warm green eyes and smiled.

There was a knock on the glass door. “Kara, are you in there? It’s Emily.”

“Yes! We’re in here!” Kara jumped up, sending the dragonflies flapping away. Deep piles of hair tangled around her ankles as she ran to open the door.

Emily and Adriane walked into the sunroom, mouths agape.

“FoooF!” Ozzie foofed, disappearing into the golden froth.

“What happened in here?” Adriane asked, surveying the hair-filled disaster zone.

“We told you not to use that jewel!” Emily sounded really mad.

Kara burst into tears. “I
had
to,” she sobbed, and she told them all about Lyra, the dragonflies, the barbecue, the water thingies, the banshee attack, and—worst of all—her hair.

“Talk about a bad hair day,” Adriane said, looking with interest at the blue dragonfly that had landed on her shoulder.

“You have to help me!” Kara wailed. “My parents will be home soon!”

Waves of blond hair lapped halfway up the glass walls.

Three dragonflies hovered and chattered at one another, examining a moving lump of hair.

“Go away, you pests!” Ozzie called, his voice muffled.

“They helped me,” Kara explained. “That’s Barney, Goldie, Blaze, and Fred.”

“You
named
them?” Adriane said, half smiling as she scratched blue Fred’s head.

“Well, yeah . . . So?”

“Keekee!” A red one hovered in front of Kara and spit out a burst of color.

“Oh, and that’s Fiona.”

“OooO!” Fiona dashed off.

“Look at
you
!” Emily picked her way over to the shaggy cat. Lyra rubbed against Emily’s side. “Incredible! I tried to make her fur grow back and couldn’t do it . . .” For a moment she faltered, but then she smiled. “This is wonderful, Kara!” Emily gave Lyra a hug.

“Kara, what did you do?” Adriane asked. “You just ordered it to grow?”

“Yes,” she replied, shame-faced.

“Well, let’s just cut it,” Adriane proposed.

Emily shook her head. “First we need to reverse this grow-spell, like right now.” She fished around in the hair for Ozzie and hoisted him up. “Suggestions?”

“
Ptui!
I think Adriane’s jewel would be the most effective, since she and Storm have been practicing together.” He turned to Adriane. “Can you call Storm?”

Adriane closed her eyes. Instantly, a ribbon of mist snaked through the door and Stormbringer materialized at her side.

“Looks like a hairy situation.”
The wolf’s golden eyes sparkled.

Sproing!
Two scrunchies snapped at once and blond hair spilled out, billowing around the room. Kara looked down in horror.

“Okay, Rapunzel, let’s do it,” Adriane said. “Picture your hair the way you want it.

The three girls stood together with Lyra, Storm, and Ozzie. The dragonflies swooped and danced all around them. Kara clutched her jewel and imagined her hair beautiful again, the most beautiful hair ever!

“Hair today, gone tomorrow,” Adriane chuckled. Her golden stone brightened as she held up her wrist.

Kara’s jewel blazed to life with bright light. “It’s working!”

Suddenly more dragonflies popped into the room, filling it with color and motion. They swooped, picking up strands of hair, weaving it around the girls and their magic.

Kara concentrated super hard, feeling the power rush from her toes to her fingertips. The dragonflies themselves glimmered, their bright colors blending with the glow from the gems until the light was so intense that all three girls had to shut their eyes.

There was a burst of brilliance. Then the glow faded.

They all opened their eyes.

Kara just gaped. Festoons of hair were strung from the window and from the light fixtures, hooked over the skylight, and tangled on the trees.

And the hair wasn’t blond—wasn’t
just
blond—anymore. It was streaked with every color of the rainbow. Green, red, blue, purple, aqua, and pink glistened along the strands.

“Well, it seems to have stopped growing,” Adriane announced.

“What do we do now?” Kara sputtered. “You can’t leave me like this!”

“You’re right,” Adriane agreed. She opened a drawer and held up a pair of scissors. “Ready?”

Kara was speechless. She turned away and closed her eyes. “Not too short, okay?”

As Emily grabbed a big handful of brightly colored hair, Adriane started cutting. The dragonflies snatched up wads of loose hair, weaving and braiding in graceful motions, then flying out through the skylight, trailing glittering rainbow strands behind them.

“What do you think?” Emily finally asked, trimming the last bits of hair out of Kara’s eyes.

Kara cautiously faced the mirror. Her hair fell just past her shoulders, like before, but it was still streaked with every color imaginable—blue, red, green, yellow, purple . . . “Oh, man . . .” she breathed.

“It’s unique,” Adriane said, appraising Kara’s new do. “Definitely you.”

“I have rainbow hair!” Kara exclaimed, horrified.

“You’re welcome,” Adriane said.

“What am I going to tell everyone?” Kara wailed. “You have to fix it!”

“Kara, we can’t keep messing around with magic until we know what we’re doing,” Emily said. “I think we’re lucky we did what we did.”

The dragonflies were dragging the last unattached scraps of multicolored hair up through the skylight.

“Just tell everyone you got some new highlights,” Adriane suggested.

“From where!” Kara screamed. “The circus?”

“You’ll think of something,” Emily said. “But no more magic! Okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Kara said glumly. Keeping a magic jewel secret was one thing; rainbow hair was something else.

She watched as Adriane, Ozzie, Emily, and Storm left the sunroom. She turned to see Lyra gazing at her. Her fur was perfectly restored, thick and gorgeous and just the right length.

“Well, at least one of us got it right,” Kara said.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For helping me.”

“I didn’t do anything except make a total mess.”

The cat licked her shoulder and walked out the door, lustrous fur shining in the moonlight.

Kara sighed. She had wanted magic and she sure had gotten it. At least it wasn’t a complete disaster. She had helped Lyra. Kara had to smile. Somehow that seemed to make everything better.

K
ARA CAREFULLY CHECKED
herself in her locker mirror. Her hair was tucked neatly under a pink beret. Cute, she thought. Too bad I’ll have to wear it till like . . .
forever!

“Kara, come
on
, we’re late!”

Kara turned to see Molly charging toward her. “Assembly, remember? Everyone’s there already.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot. Let’s go, Mol.” Kara adjusted her blue blazer, linked arms with Molly, and headed down the hall. She could get lost in the crowd for a while. Perfect.

The auditorium was filled to capacity. Kids were yelling, tossing balls of paper, hip-hopping in their seats, and creating general assembly mayhem.

“Kara, Molly, over here!” Tiffany waved from where she and Heather had saved two seats. “Hey, cute hat,” she said, reaching out to touch the beret as Kara slid in next to her.

Kara jerked away.

“What’s up with you?” Tiffany laughed.

“Oh, it’s . . . new,” Kara said quickly.

“This sure beats homeroom, huh?” Heather commented, leaning across Tiffany.

“Look at Marsha Luff’s dress, do you believe it?” Tiffany murmured.

“What about Lori Eller’s hair!” Heather squealed.

At least it’s only two colors. Kara sat back, eyes darting back and forth.

Feedback squawked from the stage.

“Okay then,” Principal Edwards said, poking the microphone. “Settle down, everyone.”

The general mayhem settled to a quieter general mayhem, a few giggles and laughs cutting through.

“On behalf of the school board, I’d like to welcome you all to a new year at Stonehill Middle School. We have our first pep rally tomorrow afternoon, the Harvest Ball dance next month, and the best football team ever, right, Coach?”

Coach Berman raised his arms in triumph as a bunch of boys cheered from the back of the auditorium.

“Stonehill rocks!” someone yelled.

Kara started to relax as Mr. Edwards continued his welcome-to-school speech. Okay, this is working. No one will notice me—

A
“pop”
sounded under her seat.

Heather and Tiffany looked at her.

“S’cuse me,” Kara said, patting her tummy.

“Pook?”

“Go away!” Kara whispered, dropping her books on the floor.

“Splaaa . . .” Fiona disappeared in a burst of red.

“Along with sports, we also pride ourselves on academics and community service,” Mr. Edwards was saying.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Oh, no, those little—where were they?

“We have some terrific school projects planned for this year,” the principal continued, “and some of our students are getting involved in community projects, building leadership and responsibility, working to help our town, demonstrating qualities we can all be proud of.”

“Hii.” Blaze hung down from the front of Kara’s beret. She shoved him inside and adjusted the hat, smiling as Tiffany gave her a quick look.

“The mayor has commissioned a group of students to work on something we can all share in, the Ravenswood Wildlife Preservation Society.” Principal Edwards beamed.

What?

“Keekee, play!” Barney pulled at Kara’s finger. He was sitting in her lap.

She squashed the purple pest into the pocket of her jacket.

The principal was looking around the auditorium for someone.

Oh, no! Kara shrank down in her seat. Do
not
go there!

“And the town council has appointed Kara Davies president of the Ravenswood project.”

Kara slid farther down into her seat as whistles and laughter went up from the crowd.

“Kara, come up.” The principal beckoned. “I know this is unscheduled, but we’re so proud of the example you’re setting for the entire student body. Come on up and tell us about the great work you’ll be doing.

“No, thank you,” Kara squeaked.

“Kara!” Tiffany laughed. “Get up there!”

“I, like,
so
do not want to go up there!”

But her friends were already pushing her from her seat. This has got to be a bad dream, no, a horrible nightmare, she thought, walking onto the stage.

“Thank you, Mr. Edwards.”

“Weekoook.”

Kara pulled down hard on her hat.

“So tell us, Kara, are you excited to be president of the new organization?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, it’s good to help animals.” What a lame-o, she thought, mortified.