“They don’t exactly want you and the rest of the girls with them when they’re out adventuring. They plan to leave early so they won’t have to take you.”
ElsBeth steamed and came to a boil. Her hair was a bit of a mess to start, but it now stuck out like a wheat-colored dandelion puff.
Grandmother’s green eyes twinkled. “Getting angry rarely helps, you know, my dear. Why not just finish up so you can get there in time and beat them at their own game? Much more fun, don’t you think?”
That did sound like fun. ElsBeth took two more big bites, kissed her grandmother on a flour-dusted cheek, stuck a cinnamon scone in her mouth, mumbled good-bye, and grabbed the bag packed for her lunch.
She narrowly avoided stepping on a sleeping Sylvanas, who opened one big cat eye and promptly fell back into slumberland. He smiled a toothy smile and resumed a satisfied snore.
ElsBeth figured he was probably dreaming about platefuls of homemade, cream-and-raspberry-filled doughnuts, favorites of his.
She winked at Grandfather Clock by the door on her way out. He winked back, and with suitable ceremony clanged the quarter-hour.
She dashed into the cool morning and picked up her old red bike. She called for West Wind, her reliable friend, to give her a little push, which he happily provided, whispering back he had nothing particular to do at the moment — early morning was his slow period.
And she was off.
***
ElsBeth arrived at the dock a few minutes later, just as the boys made ready to cast off.
Even before she came to a full stop she shouted up to Robert, “Not so fast. You promised to take us.”
“Too bad. You weren’t here on time. We can’t wait for a bunch of slowpoke girls.”
“That’s not true, Robert Hillman-Jones. You said five and it isn’t five yet.” Too late she remembered Grandmother’s advice about not getting mad, but that wasn’t much use now. She glared up at him.
Veronica sped in right beside her on her perfectly clean new bike, perfectly dressed in crisp navy and white, perfectly prepared for a day at sea. In other words, perfectly Veronica.
“I thought they might try something like this so I came early.” She dismounted gracefully and put her kickstand in place. “Relax, ElsBeth.”
Veronica called up to Robert in a quiet but somehow menacing voice. “You boys can’t leave without us. We’ll yell our heads off, and the people at the marina will stop you. And if they don’t, I’m calling the Coast Guard.” Veronica could threaten with the cold calculation of a Las Vegas poker player.
Thank goodness for cable TV. There was so much you could learn. ElsBeth sometimes watched championship poker at Veronica’s house. They particularly liked to practice bluffing and Veronica was really good.
Usually quick with a nasty comeback, Robert was silent, and a staring contest began.
Amy then straggled in, looking sleepy and a little confused. Lisa Lee followed, looking at her watch. ElsBeth had a perfect sense of time and knew it was exactly five.
Frankie Sylvester skidded in next, dramatically spraying sand all over the girls as he pulled in beside Veronica.
“Sorry, guys,” he said to the boys on the yacht, ignoring Veronica’s howls at the flying dirt. “Mom wouldn’t let me leave until I finished my breakfast — sourdough pancakes with maple syrup and whipped cream. I ate as fast as I could. Honest.” Bits of white creamy froth flecked the corners of his mouth, clear evidence of his speed-eating.
ElsBeth’s eyes were on Frankie but she was pulled inside Robert’s thoughts again. She really wished this wasn’t happening.
“If I let Frankie on, I’ll have to let the girls on, too. But what if ... It’s a hasty plan but ... I’m going with it.”
“Come aboard, shipmates,” he said sweetly ... which ElsBeth realized later should have been warning enough.
She started up the plank.
“No! Frankie, you first.”
Frankie shouldered his oversized backpack, no doubt filled with his mother’s delicious Italian and New England edibles. He easily pushed his big-boned frame past ElsBeth, who followed a step behind.
Just as Frankie got his weight on deck ... Robert kicked aside the gangplank.
ElsBeth hung suspended a long moment. A really long moment.
Another ability ElsBeth had recently discovered — and unlike hearing thoughts in her head, this was something she liked about being a witch — she could slow down time.
She couldn’t control this well, it mostly just happened. But when it did, she could see and do a lot more in the same time than others could. Though this, of course, was also something she didn’t talk about.
So, in a long, slow moment, ElsBeth looked back and saw that Lisa Lee had trailed behind to examine some barnacles, and had just one foot on the plank.
But with Lisa Lee’s lightning reactions, no doubt from her training as a black belt in karate, she twisted mid-air and pulled herself back onto the dock.
The rest of the girls, though, were right behind ElsBeth. So when the plank flew out, after a brief moment of suspension — with horrified and kind of funny looks on their faces — they all landed in the drink.
“Robert Hillman-Jones, you are in so much trouble.” Veronica gurgled and tread water fast, trying to keep her perfect hair from getting further messed up — all the while chewing Robert out with a mouth full of seawater.
ElsBeth sputtered, too.
But Amy had worn a long, pink summer dress and was wrapped up in her skirts, sinking fast.
“Amy’s going under,” Nelson yelled.
Like a skinny superhero, he jumped in. But weighted by sneakers, jacket and all, Nelson promptly began to sink, too.
He bobbed up, and ElsBeth saw he’d lost his glasses. Without them everyone knew he couldn’t see a thing. He disappeared again below the waves.
ElsBeth decided Nelson was in worse trouble than Amy and dived after him.
As she groped around for Nelson, she sensed motion above on the yacht. Looking up through the water she saw Johnny Twofeathers calmly kick off his boat shoes, toss his windbreaker aside, and leap off the ship’s rail in a smooth swan dive, knifing in right next to Amy — like a young Aztec god or an Acapulco cliff diver.
A moment later Johnny surfaced with her and her volumes of dress securely under his arm.
Lisa Lee took up a lobster pot pole and fished Veronica out.
All the others were safe when ElsBeth finally caught hold of Nelson. He fought her blindly but she dragged him all the way to the surface.
“Amy! I can’t find Amy!” Nelson couldn’t see that Amy was already
