Just Put Three and Magic Together

The Book in the Attic

"Grandma?"

I glazed my eyes around the house to find my Grandma. Finally, I spotted her in the kitchen, shoving a baking dish into the oven.

"Kayla? Help me clean up, don't just stand there waiting for an invitation!" She bloated with a sheepish grin.

If you are wondering who I am, I'm Kayla. Kayla Scott. I am the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Rowan Scott. I've lived in Hollow Hills all my life I love it here.

And my Grandma?
She is the sweetest, most loving person after my Mom and Dad.

"Grandma, can I please check the attic later? I need some things for making a puppet show for the kids at the Orphanage at Keller Street."

"That's so sweet of you, Kayla, but," She hesitated as her face fell from mine.
All the light from her face drained out as she forced herself to look at me.

"Pleeeeease, Grandma?" I pouted.
"I promise not to touch your stuff," I added as Grandma heaved a heavy sigh, hesitated and then she spoke.

"Okay. But you promise not to touch my stuff, right?"
"Cross my heart, hope to die." I said, drawing an imaginary X over my chest.
That day, Mom and Dad with my little brother, Kevin went for an appointment to the dentist after Kevin chewed on a pebble that looked like a Jawbreaker.

"Oh, Grandma," I called before I could speed out the kitchen.

"Yeah, Kayla?" She answered dryly.
"Can I invite Pattie and Cole to come? They're helping me with the puppet show."
Grandma's face turned stark white as she realised I was still standing there.

"S-S-Sure," She stammered, "Bring them over." She finished with a wry an fake-looking smile.
"Thanks, Grandma. You're the best." I said, giving her a peck on the face.

As I dashed out of the kitchen, I could hear Grandma say something but I was too excited to listen.

***

"Hey, Kayla." Pattie said as she clutched onto a container full of used up stationary.
My eyes widened at the container and back to Pattie.

"I didn't know what to bring." She confessed as Cole came in behind her.
"Kayla! 'Sup?" He hollered as he came in with a bottle of glue in his left hand.

"You only brought glue?" Asked Pattie.
"Yeah, because I knew you'd over-bring. Again." Said Cole.

Pattie just gave him an old fashioned eye roll while biting her bottom lip hardly.
"Uh, Let's start, then." I cut in before Pattie would pounce on Cole and try to strangle him to death.

"Let's go in to the attic, shall we?"
Pattie and Cole still glared at each other and both spoke.

"Yes, we shall!" They snapped angrily.

***

I opened the trap door to the attic and climbed into it with Pattie and Cole following behind me. I coughed loudly as dust whiffed into my nose and found its way to my throat and made me wheeze.
Pattie and Cole did the same thing but theirs was much louder than mine.

"When was the last time you guys dusted this place?" Cole asked with another wheezing cough.

"We don't come here often, Cole. The attic hasn't been cleaned in a few months." I replied, launching a box into the air as it banged on the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

"A few?" Pattie asked after a cough.
Suddenly, a faint yellow light shone under a huge pile of boxes. It shone bright and then, the light fell back into the pile.
"Guys, come 'ere!" I yelled.
Pattie and Cole rushed to sit beside me.
I shoved the boxes out of the way and dug my way through the pile to find it.

I grabbed something leathery and pulled it out of the box pile with a sharp grunt.
It was a book with a brown leather cover.
But it wasn't coated in dust like all the other stuff in the attic.

"Why isn't it covered in dust like all the other stuff in here?" Asked Pattie.
"I don't know." I replied.
It had a large circle in the middle of the cover and margins printed in gold.
I squinted and strained my ears to see what was written in gold below the circle.

'Magic can be a blessing or a great curse.
It could please a heart but can also tear good friends apart.' I read aloud.
Pattie, Cole and I stared blankly at each other and frowned.

"Magic?" Pattie blared.
"Magic can't be real," Cole scoffed before frowning and staring at Pattie and I.
"Right?" He asked.

I shrugged and decided to prove that this was just a catchy storybook without a title.
Well, I wanted it to be.
I flipped open to the first page and read aloud again.

'To save all the magic left in the town, the names of the saviours have been written down,' I read as my eyes raced to the dotted line. Then, I gasped.

Pattie gasped and Cole mumbled an "Oh, my God."

"That's my...handwriting! And my name!" I screamed as I was startled by my name scribbled in pencil.

"Mine too!" Pattie yelled.
"And mine too!" Yelped Cole.
We all looked at each other with grimaces.

And then, we screamed.