Wishful Thinking (3 page)

“What?”

“You heard me. I want you to wear this ring.”

“Are you insane?” Sophie folded her arms and narrowed her brown eyes at him. “I'm not wearing that thing.”

“But you just said you would do anything to help your mom,” the djinn reminded her. “And I'm not saying you need to wear it forever. Just for twenty-four hours.”

“Don't be ridiculous,” Kara cut in. “Of course Sophie isn't going to wear your ring. That's so creepy.”

“Not to mention ugly.” Sophie shuddered as she looked at the revolting thing again. “There's no way in the world I'm putting that thing on. I'm starting sixth grade tomorrow. I don't want to be known as the weirdo girl with the strange ring. People would laugh at me.”

“Anyway,
why
do you want her to wear it?” Kara wanted to know.

For the moment the djinn paused before letting out a reluctant sigh. “Okay, the deal is that it's actually the ring that binds me to the bottle. So while this one was kind enough to liberate me from my prison, for the spell to be completely broken, this ring needs to be taken off my finger. By someone who isn't me,” he added, obviously concerned that they were both stupid.

“Oh.” Sophie nodded. “Well, I'm sorry. If we could help you, we would, but I meant what I said before: I really can't put on some ugly ring just because you want me to.”

“So if it wasn't ugly, then you would wear it?” The djinn cocked an eyebrow, but Sophie shook her head.

“Of course not. I mean, how dumb do you think I look? As if I would wear some strange ring for twenty-four hours just because an orange guy tells me to. It's a matter of principle.”

“Yeah.” Kara nodded in agreement. “What she said.”

“And you're sure about this?” the djinn double-checked. “Because it's just, I thought you were keen to get this whole mess cleaned up and to make sure that your mom doesn't get the blame for your mistake. But if I've misread the situation, then—”

“Look, it's not that,” Sophie was forced to concede. “I really do need to get this all sorted out, it's just, there's no way I can do what you're asking because. . . 
oh, pretty
,” Sophie suddenly said as the ugly ring disappeared in a puff of smoke and was converted into the most gorgeous silver ring she had ever seen.

It had a wide band and on top was an adorable apple that was completely studded with rhinestones so that it glimmered and glittered like a disco ball.

“What? Oh, this little thing? Did I forget to mention that I could change the shape of it?” The djinn shot her a beatific smile that made his white teeth clash against his orange face. “But of course, if you're not interested, then I—”

“T-tell me again what I would need to do,” Sophie said in an enthralled voice as she continued to stare lovingly at the ring. It was even more gorgeous than her jeans. In fact, she was fairly certain that by wearing her jeans
and
the ring together, she would
own
sixth grade.

“If you take this ring off my finger and wear it for twenty-four hours, then I can promise you that not only will I clean up this mess, but you'll never hear from me again.”

“Twenty-four hours?” Sophie double-checked.

“That's correct. Oh, and of course the ring is yours to keep once that time is up. So do we have a deal?”

Sophie was about to open her mouth to say “give me the pretty ring already,” when Kara glared at her.

“Sophie, no. What happened to your principles?”

“Huh?” Sophie blinked for a moment as she dragged her gaze away from the ring. “Oh, yeah, well, obviously all of that stuff still stands, but the djinn's right. I really have to help my mom. She needs this job. Besides, it's a shiny silver apple ring. How could it possibly be bad?”

“That's probably what Gollum said, and look how he turned out, all wrinkled and crazy.” Kara shuddered as she once again demonstrated her stubborn streak. “Besides, what if it's some kind of trick?”

“Yes, but how can it be a trick when he's going to do what I want him to do?” Sophie demanded before turning to him and narrowing her eyes. “Is this some kind of trick?”

“Absolutely not. It will be like this whole thing never happened.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he agreed. “In fact, you have my word that once you take the ring off me I will disappear forever.”

“But not before you clean up the mess,” Sophie clarified, just so he knew that she wasn't some stupid eleven-year-old girl who could be duped by an orange djinn.

“That's correct.” The djinn gave a regal bow.

“See, Kara, it's a total win/win.” She grinned before turning back to the djinn. “I'm in.”

“Great.” He immediately snapped his orange fingers, and Sophie watched in stunned amazement as thousands of tiny pieces of broken glass, wood, and metal all started to swirl up off the floor into some sort of mini tornado. Next thing she knew the curios were all back together and were once again sitting in the cabinet looking like they'd always been there.

She hurried over and picked up one of the glass bottles that was on the top shelf and started to grin as she realized it was no trick. Next to her Kara was examining a green bowl, and she reluctantly nodded as if she was confirming it was okay. Yes! Sophie barely resisted the urge to punch the air in victory as she turned back to Orange Soda Pop Guy.

“Okay, so why don't you let me have that ring, and then we can pretend that this whole thing never happened.”

“It would be my pleasure,” the djinn said, and for the first time since Sophie had laid eyes on him, he looked like he was happy.

S
OPHIE LIKED TO THINK SHE WAS A POSITIVE THINKER. After all, when Ryan the biter had stolen her jeans yesterday, did she panic? No. Well, maybe a little, but the point was that she had kept a positive attitude and everything had worked out fine.

And when she'd made the big mess in the basement? Again, no panicking. Instead, she had trusted that the Universe would look after her, and it had.
In a totally weird way, of course, but that was neither here nor there; the main thing was it proved her point. She was Miss Positive.

However, as she crept down the stairs the following morning she had to admit she felt less on the Miss Positive side and more on the Miss Insanely Nervous side, since while she'd managed to avoid her mom yesterday when Ryan's nanny had dropped her home, there was no way she could avoid her this morning. And it wasn't that she didn't want to see her, it was just her mom somehow seemed to have the uncanny ability to read Sophie's mind.

Which, as anyone could imagine, was a little annoying. The worst thing was that Sophie didn't have a clue how she did it, though her favorite theory was that there was a big neon sign above her head that only her mom could read, and it said things like,
TODAY I ACCIDENTALLY DROPPED SOME RED PAINT ON YOUR FAVORITE RUG AND I'VE CLEVERLY COVERED IT UP WITH A POTTED PLANT, BUT IF YOU GO LIFT IT, YOU WILL CLEARLY SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE.

And while Sophie was quite happy to accept yesterday's weird run-in with an orange-faced djinn for what it was—good timing—she had a feeling that Mom might not be quite so happy about the whole situation. Especially in regard to breaking all of Mr. Rivers's antiques and then making a deal to have then magically restored.

And so Sophie had decided that apart from not thinking about it, her other best plan of action was simply to avoid her mom as much as possible. Not forever, of course, just until later this afternoon, when the whole thing would be over and the ring would just become a gorgeous rhinestone-encrusted apple that would make anyone who saw it weep with envy.
Because that's what positive thinking was all about.

In the meantime she had been tempted to take the ring off until it was all over, but the djinn had insisted that she keep it on for at least twenty-four hours, and that if she didn't, he would go back to Mr. Rivers's house and not only break everything again but write her name over the walls as well. Which, if you asked her, was just plain mean. Still, at least he had kept his word, and the minute she had put the ring on, he had disappeared from sight (not even leaving a puff of smoke behind).

She came to a halt at the kitchen door and cautiously peered in. Her mom was hovering over the frying pan while her six-year-old sister Meg was sitting at the table.

“Ah, Sophie, there you are,” her mom said without even looking up. See, uncanny. “You're just in time for breakfast, and because you're both starting new schools today, I thought I'd make you something special. Pancakes.”

“Great,” Sophie said, grateful that her mom hadn't seemed to notice anything weird about her.

“Can't I just have Coco Pops?” Meg asked in a hopeful voice.

“Of course you can't have Coco Pops. You're starting first grade; you need a proper breakfast.”

“Well, what if I stayed home? Then I could have Coco Pops,” Meg reasoned, but their mom just shook her head, much like she'd done all summer as Meg had waged her campaign to avoid starting first grade. Sophie could've told her little sister right from the start that it wouldn't work, since their mom wasn't only a single parent but she also worked, which meant days off school were few and far between.

“Honey, you're just nervous, but you'll get used to it soon. And anyway, Coco Pops are bad for you—they're full of sugar,” their mom said as she carried a plateful of burned pancakes over to the table, and suddenly Sophie understood why her sister had been gunning for Coco Pops. Even the family cat, Mr. Jaws (named by Meg, who, despite having a head of blonde ringlets and navy kewpie-doll eyes, was obsessed by all things that involved killer sharks. Don't ask), was sitting in the sunny part of the kitchen looking uninterested. And he was a cat who had been known to eat his tail.

Sophie halfheartedly put a pancake onto her plate and tried to muster up a smile. When her dad was still around, he used to do all the cooking, and, in fact, it was a running joke that while their mom might have an uncanny ability to read minds, when it came to cooking, her only uncanny ability was to burn water just by looking at it.

Unfortunately, the joke was now on them, since now she and Meg had to eat their mom's cooking every single day, like a constant reminder he wasn't there. The only positive thing that Sophie could get from it was that her mom refused to get any better at cooking because she also knew that he would be coming home soon. That thought had helped Sophie swallow many a burned meal over the last four years.

Then she noticed her mom was staring at her.

“I-is something wrong?” she cautiously asked as she put her hands on her head in case the neon sign really was there and was clearly saying,
YESTERDAY I TRASHED YOUR BOSS'S BASEMENT AND THEN MET A MAGIC DJINN WHO COULD FLOAT IN THE AIR AND TURN INTO DIFFERENT SHAPES. OH, AND BY THE WAY, YOU STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHERE I SPILLED THE RED PAINT ON YOUR FAVORITE RUG. . . 

“No, you just look different.” Her mom frowned for a moment, as if trying to figure it out. “Ah, it must be your new jeans. By the way, Max called this morning, and he wanted to say how pleased he was with the job you did. Apparently, you left the place spotless and even Ryan said that, for a babysitter, you were okay.”

“Really?” Sophie, who was just in the process of pretending to eat one of the pancakes, looked up in surprise.

“Yes, really,” her mom said before narrowing her eyes. “Why? Were you expecting him to say something else?”

“No. Of course not.” Sophie quickly shook her head since she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth (though, to be honest, at her height she would be lucky to look a gift horse in the kneecaps). Anyway, gift horses aside, if Mr. Rivers hadn't said anything and if her mom hadn't done any freaky mind reading, then it meant she was totally in the clear.

And her mom was right about the jeans as well. Sophie did look different in them, and despite yesterday's adventure, there wasn't a speck of dirt on them and they seemed to fit even better than ever. Perhaps she should let her new jeans get kidnapped more often?

“Okay then.” Her mom simply nodded as she headed back over to the kitchen counter where she ran some water into the sink. Once upon a time they'd had a dishwasher, but it had broken last year, and they hadn't been able to afford a new one. “And actually, Sophie, while I've got you here, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about. You see—”

However, before she could finish, Sophie caught sight of Kara's head peering through the back door, and so she quickly jumped to her feet.

“Hey, Mrs. Campbell. Meggy.” Kara stepped inside and gave them both a broad smile.

“Kara!” Meg brightened immediately; if there was one thing Sophie's baby sister loved more than shark documentaries (why couldn't she just be normal and watch Hannah Montana like everyone else?), it was Kara. Whenever she visited, Meg tended to become Kara's shadow.

“Hi there, Kara.” Sophie's mom smiled back. “I've just made some breakfast for the girls, and there's still plenty left if you're feeling hungry.”

“Oh, thank you.” Kara politely started to head for the table (she didn't like Sophie's mom's cooking any more than the rest of them, but she had better manners). However, before she could sit down, Sophie stepped in front of her and started to drag her back to the door. She loved her friend dearly, but as well as being sweet and kind, Kara was a blabbermouth of epic proportions, and even though Sophie had sworn her to secrecy, she didn't want to put it to the test.

“Actually, Mom, we've got to go.”

“Oh.” Her mom looked up from the frying pan (where she appeared to be chiseling away the burned remains of the pancakes). “Perhaps you could wait a minute because I really did need to speak to you. And you haven't had your breakfast yet.”

“I'll eat it on the way,” Sophie lied as she grabbed one, at the same time giving a little prayer of thanks to the Universe that she'd remembered to put some spare granola bars in her bag yesterday. “Besides, we're meeting Harvey down at the corner, and we don't want to be late for our first day.”

“I do,” Meg chimed up before pouting. However, everyone ignored her.

“Okay, I guess we can talk later. Remember to enjoy yourself,” her mom said as she turned her attention back to the frying pan.

“We will,” Sophie said as she practically pushed Kara through the door. The minute they stepped outside, Sophie wiped her brow in relief, while at the same time congratulating herself for changing her fitted long-sleeved blouse for a short-sleeved pale green T-shirt. Despite the fact yesterday had been a dull fall day, today the temperatures were soaring. In fact, it was freakishly hot. However, before she could say anything to Kara, her friend turned to her, her eyes wide and full of concern.

“So, did she read your mind and find out about the djinn thing?”

“Shhhhh.” Sophie instantly forgot about the weather as she held her finger up to her mouth, since not only was her mom a mind reader, but she had supersonic hearing as well, and you could never be too careful. Finally, they were far enough away. “But no, there was absolutely no mind reading at all. Perhaps she's losing her powers? And even better, Mr. Rivers rang up and said everything was spotless, which means it worked.”

“Yes, but I'm still not sure about this, Soph.” Kara wrinkled her nose. “I've been thinking about the djinn—”

“Shhhhh,” she said again as she caught sight of Harvey loping toward them. His face seemed a bit browner from his trip to Florida but apart from that he looked pretty much the same. His nut-brown hair was still flopping into his eyes, while his long skinny frame seemed to get longer and skinnier by the second. In fact if Sophie had any idea of just how tall he would grow when she'd first met him five years ago, she probably would never have become friends with him since now he only made her look even shorter.

“So,” he said the minute he reached them both. “Soph, did your mom read your mind and find out about the djinn thing?”

Sophie immediately turned to Kara and raised her eyebrow. “What happened to not telling anyone?”

“Harvey isn't just anyone,” Kara protested. “And anyway he was worried about you as soon as he heard you were babysitting at Mr. Rivers's house. He said he's got weird body language.”

“What's wrong with his body language?” Sophie demanded while rolling her eyes. The other thing about Harvey was that he was a bit of a geeky genius who liked to understand how things worked. And since his folks were on the brink of divorce, he'd started reading a book called
Be Your Own Body Language Expert
so he could figure out what had gone wrong. It was fair to say that both Sophie and Kara were heartily sick of that book.

“Well, I'm not exactly sure,” Harvey admitted as they all started to walk toward the bus stop. “But when we were visiting your mom in the store the other week Mr. Rivers was doing some very odd stuff with his hands. According to the book it either means he has an eating disorder or is a serial killer. You should probably tell your mom to get another job and definitely don't do any more babysitting for him. Better safe than hacked up into a million pieces.”

“Harvey.” Sophie groaned. “That's crazy. And it's also the exact reason why I didn't want Kara to tell you what happened because I knew you would only worry.”

“And rightly so, since while I might not have been quite right about the serial killer thing, there is obviously something strange about him if he has an orange djinn living in his basement. Basements are bad.”

“But he wouldn't have even known the djinn was in there. You tell him, Kara.”

“It's true, Harvey.” Kara gave an earnest nod of her head. “The djinn said that once the owner dies, the bottles are just passed on to people who don't have a clue what's in them. He probably just thought the bottle looked pretty and that he could sell it in his store for lots of money.”

“I still don't like it.” Harvey shook his head so that his hair again went flying into his eyes.

“Well, there's nothing to like or unlike about it,” Sophie reminded them both as the yellow school bus pulled to a halt in front of them and everyone started to pile on. “It's all over and done with now and the important thing is that I got my jeans back and my mom never lost her job. Besides, we start sixth grade today and so we really need to lose all the negative emotions and concentrate on making it awesome. I want you to both say after me: ‘Today is going to be the best day of our lives.'”