The Frights of Fiji by Sunayna Prasad (books to read for self improvement .txt) 📕

all.” Isabelle led Alyssa to the helicopter. “I’m going to suck your suitcase out.” She held out her hand and made her wand appear. Then she pointed it to the helicopter.

The colors crashed onto the ground and piled up on one another like the computer-generated molecules Alyssa had watched in science during school. Alyssa noticed that the colors also turned red, and only that same shade came out and covered the other colors like wrapping paper. The tones in some areas darkened into black. Those shrunk and thinned on top of the red. They became the handles, wheels, and zippers. Isabelle repeated that effect for Alyssa’s backpack and let the hues and textures stiffen.

“Whoa.” Alyssa picked up her suitcase handles and followed Isabelle. Isabelle pointed her wand out. Alyssa gaped and observed the wand’s position. What would Isabelle need to cast if nothing besides trees, rocks, and plant life stood in this forest?

The two stopped. Isabelle tilted her wand up. Colors solidified into something the size of a helicopter. The top rounded and had a window covering the front half. The bottom was whitish silver and had no wings or even a rotor. It probably had to rely on magic for power. Then maybe it didn’t need wings or a rotor. It did look like a flying jet that some cartoons had used to portray for the ideal future.

“Isabelle, what is that?” Alyssa asked.

“This is my flying tube. Let’s hop in before anything happens.”

Alyssa climbed into the back, and Isabelle sucked her bags into the overhead bin. Isabelle hopped into the pilot’s seat and pressed a blue button that turned on the engine. She held onto two handles and allowed the tube to ascend.

“Isabelle, where are we going?”

“We’re going to a more deserted part of Yanowic. We need to be safe from the dark wizards.”

“Will I be able to go home?”

“Perhaps.”

“Really?”

“I have a private pilot that might be able to do it. In wizarding culture, you can have private pilots.”

“Cool.”

“But I have to see if he’s available first.”

“Thanks, Isabelle.”

The two took off and flew over the forest. Alyssa looked out the window. I wonder where she’s taking me.

A couple minutes had passed, and the beach came closer. Isabelle pressed an orange button. The tube lowered by a few feet and steadied down its descent until it reached the ground. Isabelle turned off the engine. She and Alyssa hopped out of the tube.

Isabelle pointed her wand at the vehicle and dissolved the colors. The pigments blended into the air and faded.

“Wow!” Alyssa whispered.

“I know—it’s really cool. So let me get my cell phone.”

She pointed her wand to her other hand and created what looked like an iPhone. Alyssa grinned. “Is that an iPhone?”

“It’s actually a WiPhone, Alyssa.” Isabelle laughed. “Just like you have Apple, we wizards have Watercress. But the WiPhone is the magical equivalent to the iPhone.”

“Wow, so you have WiPods too?”

“Mm-hm. Anyway, let me call the pilot.”

But a swish occurred. Isabelle and Alyssa turned to a frowning man with tannish-brown skin and a short afro. “Isabelle, are you trying to call your pilot?”

“Yes, Mathias.” Isabelle turned to Alyssa. “Alyssa, this is my boyfriend, Mathias.”

“Hi.” Alyssa waved.

“Hello, Alyssa,” said Mathias. “I have some bad news for you.”

“What is it?”

“You’re unable to leave the country,” said Mathias.

Alyssa stretched her jaw. She’d thought she had gone so close to returning home. One phone call would have led her back to New Jersey.

“You’re kidding,” said Alyssa.

“No, I’m not,” Mathias shook his head. “Master Beau and his workers have created an invisible wall about twenty-five miles out. It’s all around the border of the country.”

“When did he do this?” asked Alyssa.

“I just came back from the dark magic center where I overheard two of his workers saying that he’d done it as soon as you and he entered this country,” said Mathias.

“What were you doing there?” asked Isabelle.

“You texted me saying that you were putting Master Beau under a spell,” said Mathias. “I went to see if he was still under it, but when I got there, he was back to normal.”

“What’ll happen if I try to leave?” Alyssa asked.

“You’ll bump into the wall,” said Mathias. “Master Beau will only take it down if he succeeds in killing you and is ready to rule France.”

“So you mean—I’m stuck here?”

“I’m afraid so,” Mathias nodded. “Until Master Beau dies or we find a way to break the wall, you won’t be able to go home.”

Alyssa sighed and walked away from Mathias and Isabelle. She sat, and tears watered her eyes. She smeared them with the back of her hand. There had to be a way to break the wall. Hailey, Kathleen, and Donald must already cry and wonder where Alyssa had gone.

Footsteps splashed onto the sand. Mathias and Isabelle ran up to Alyssa, and she deepened her breathing and wiped her eyes.

“Alyssa, you don’t need to get upset,” said Isabelle. “We’ll find a way to either break the wall or defeat Master Beau.”

“What is it going to be?” choked Alyssa.

“I don’t know,” said Isabelle. “We’ll find something.”

“Hello, folks,” said Simon.

Everyone turned around. Simon flew toward them. Alyssa noticed that he wore a T-shirt and shorts instead of a suit. Everybody greeted him, and Isabelle and Mathias introduced themselves.

“How’d you change your clothes, Simon?” asked Alyssa.

“Marble figures can change their outfits like humans,” Simon said. “They attach to our bodies after wearing them for a few minutes.” He turned to Mathias and Isabelle. “Anyway, I came here to ask you guys if you could be Alyssa’s mentors. Have you heard about Master Beau closing—”

“Yes.” Mathias nodded.

“We’ll be her mentors,” said Isabelle.

“Brilliant,” said Simon. “Isabelle, do you have something to shelter us?”

Isabelle nodded and pulled out a tiny object from her tube. It looked like a beanbag.

“Isabelle, how are you going to—”

“You’ll see, Alyssa.” Isabelle ran with the object and placed it down. Then she held out her wand and directed it at the object. “Inflet tabernaculum.”

The bag swelled, expanding like a bag of popcorn in a microwave. It doubled in size—and then it tripled. And before Alyssa knew it . . . pop! A tent appeared. Alyssa’s smile shrank. The tent stood shorter than her and had no platform at the bottom.

“Come on, Alyssa.” Isabelle waved toward herself.

“You’ve got to see the inside of Isabelle’s tent.” Mathias clapped his hand onto Alyssa’s shoulder.

“Why?” she asked.

“It’s not your average tent,” said Mathias.

“What’s inside?” Alyssa asked.

“You’ll see,” said Isabelle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9

 

Alyssa opened the flap and lowered her jaw. A staircase revealed itself, and Isabelle turned on the lights from beneath. What lay beneath the ground?

Burnt orange filled the walls. Tan carpet textured the floor of the room in which Alyssa stood, which was probably the living room. A thick copper rug with gold and dark green horizontal stripes covered the center. A caramel-colored coffee table stood on top of the rug. Two black leather couch chairs faced the widths of the rug and table. A wide couch faced Alyssa. Alyssa turned to the wall next to the kitchen and saw a plasma-screen TV attached to it.

She strolled into the kitchen. The color scheme transitioned into silver, black, and light blue. A marble island stood in the center, with black stools on one side and a silver sink in the center. Blue tiles decorated the floor. A glass booth table, surrounded by black leather chairs, took up the near left corner. A silver refrigerator lined up against the wall across from Alyssa. The stove and oven bordered it. A microwave hung above the stove. A toaster rested on the counter next to it. Cabinets covered a corner.

“I . . . I don’t believe it,” Alyssa said.

“It’s all magic,” said Isabelle. “So . . . you want to call your family and tell them you’re okay?”

“Yes.”

“Mathias, can you get Alyssa’s stuff while she calls her family?” Isabelle asked.

Mathias nodded and jogged upstairs. Isabelle held out her hand, and her phone appeared into it. She tapped the back of it with her wand.

Alyssa tilted her head. “Isabelle, why are you tapping your phone?”

“It’s how you charge it.”

Alyssa clenched her lips.

“You have to think or say the right spell for it. All magical technology is wireless. Even TVs and lamps are like that.”

“Wow, that’s cool.”

“We also don’t have to deal with power outages or dead zones when it comes to phone calls,” Isabelle added.

“Lucky.”

“But the spell only works on magical technology. Anyway, why don’t you call your family?” Isabelle gave the device to Alyssa. “Do you know how to dial on a touchscreen phone?”

“Well . . . I’ve borrowed some of my friends’ phones to call my uncle. My uncle also let me use his phone to call people occasionally. But that was, like, a while ago.”

“Do you want me to dial the number for you?”

Alyssa looked up.

“You could also say the full name and address of the person you want to call, and it’ll connect to them.”

“Okay.”

Isabelle tapped her phone with her finger a couple of times and handed it to Alyssa.

“Say it now,” she whispered.

“Call Hailey Elizabeth Flynn on Seven Orion Street, Bursnell, New Jersey.” Alyssa put the phone up to her ear, listening to the ringing until the Flynns’ voicemail came through. Right—twelve hours hadn’t passed yet, so Hailey and Uncle Bruce wouldn’t wake up.

Alyssa left a message. “Hi, Hailey and Uncle Bruce. It’s Alyssa. That evil wizard has kidnapped me to the Fiji Islands, and I won’t be able to come back until after he dies. But I am okay, and I hope you are too. I hope to see you guys soon. I love you. Bye.” Alyssa handed the phone back to Isabelle.

Mathias staggered down the stairs, carrying Alyssa’s bags.

“Need some help, Mathias?” Alyssa asked.

“You want to carry your suitcase?” asked Mathias.

“Okay.” Alyssa took her suitcase and stepped down the stairs. Isabelle led the two into the bedroom.

The carpet was beige. A chocolate-brown dresser faced everyone. Three double beds with gold-embroidered copper quilts lined up against the wall next to one another. Two sets of pillows covered the headboard. One set matched the quilt’s colors, and the others had cotton material and a cream color. Two short amber nightstands stood between the three beds. A stout lamp stood on top of one nightstand.

“Oh my god,” whispered Alyssa.

“Hello, guys,” Simon appeared into the bedroom and held a touchscreen tablet.

“Don’t tell me that’s the new WiPad you’re holding,” said Mathias.

“No, of course not,” said Simon. “That’s not supposed to come out until the iPad does.”

“When will that be?” Alyssa asked.

“April third,” answered Simon. “This is called Triton’s Tablet. It’s one of the most advanced Microchant tablets right now.” He turned to Alyssa. “Microchant is the wizarding version of Microsoft.”

“Cool,” said Alyssa.

“Where’d you buy that?” asked