“Let’s make sure I’ve got my facts straight. First, you have some girls here at school who don’t like you very much, am I right?”
“Yes, they locked me in this room and told my mother I was spending the night at a friend’s house so she wouldn’t come looking for me.”
“Tsk, tsk. It sounds to me they are very mean girls indeed,” he says, and I smirk. “What if I told you the wish you just made could come true?”
I look at him curiously. “How do you know about my wish?”
“I know everything, Malia. You need to remember that.” He stands proud.
“How would it come true? I’m just me.” I bow my head in despair.
“But what if I could make you a more magnificent you?” he asks encouragingly.
I shake my head. “How would you do that? You’re just an old man.”
He laughs. “I may be just an old man, but you would be amazed at the things I can do.”
I cross my arms over my chest and lean back in the chair. “Oh, really? And you think you can help me?”
“I don’t think; I know.” He’s quite sure of himself, and I have to say I’m intrigued by his promises.
I lean forward. “And what is it exactly that you will do for me?”
“I can make you a queen.”
I can’t help the laugh that escapes me. “A what?”
“You heard me, Malia. I will make you the most magnificent queen who ever lived. You will have powers beyond your comprehension—powers, I might add, that will help you get back at those mean girls at school.”
“I don’t believe you. You’re just a crazy old man.” I sit back in my chair. “You know what? If you are so powerful, then get me out of here and safe at home with my mother.”
“I can do that too, but why would you only want to go home when I can give you so much more?”
I shake my head. He’s talking nonsense. Before I can respond, he says, “I can make everything I promised come true, but you have to believe. Search your heart, Malia. Realize there are worlds beyond the one in which you live and let me work my magic.”
I thought about his words. Could he really make me a queen? And if he did, what would I be queen of? Would I really be able to get back at Carter and her friends? Revenge clouded my brain and so I entertained his proposition. “Okay, so if I agree to this, what’s the catch?”
“Aah, the catch. There really isn’t a catch, but you must remember everything comes with a price.”
I give him a sideways glance. “And the price is?”
“Once my work is complete, you will be removed from this world and cast into a world in which you will rule. You will be loved and feared because you will have powers that can’t be matched.”
“And what about The Mean Girls?”
“You tell me what you want, and I will make it happen.”
“Just like that?” He’s making this sound all too easy.
“Just like that.”
“And my mom?” There is no way I could leave without my mom. We are all we have, and I love her.
“You can bring her with you if you wish.”
“And the only price is that I will no longer live here or go to this school.”
“Well, not exactly. There will come a day when I will come to collect.”
