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

in with him, sorcery would hopefully leave her alone. However, unlike science, anything could occur with magic, which meant that it could follow her wherever she went.

The sound produced by the bathroom’s running water ended, which let Alyssa know that Hailey had finished. Now she could have a turn.

After about five minutes showering, Alyssa stepped out and headed back to her room. She put on leggings and a long shirt. But she gasped at something appearing out of nowhere on her bed. Now that had to have come from . . . magic.

Approaching it, she saw that it was a folded piece of paper. She opened it and read it.

Hello Alyssa McCarthy,

You must be wondering about the writing on your window, the exploding mud, and the note that appeared here. Who was responsible for them? You’ll find out at some point.

Anonymous

 

Anonymous? How dare someone create incidents and not say his or her name! Alyssa needed to know his or her identity in order to report him or her. She didn’t want strange, magical occurrences to keep happening.

Regardless of that, now she had proof to Mrs. Hutchinson that the writing and exploding mud had occurred. Mrs. Hutchinson had seen her write before, and this looked nothing like hers. She handwrote in a half-print and half-script style. This, however, was pure print.

Alyssa jogged down the stairs and carried the note. “Mrs. Hutchinson, I have something to show you.”

“Not right now, Alyssa.” Mrs. Hutchinson left the kitchen. “You and Hailey have to go wash my car.”

“But it’s quick.”

“You can show me after you’re done with my car.” Mrs. Hutchinson turned to Hailey, who emptied the dishwasher and put dishes away. “Are you almost done?”

“I think so,” said Hailey.

“How many dishes do you have left?” asked Mrs. Hutchinson.

“Uh . . .” Hailey looked at the top rack. “Four.”

“Okay, hurry up.” Mrs. Hutchinson turned to Alyssa. “Why don’t you go put that piece of paper away?”

“But this is what I need to show you.”

“Do I have to repeat what I said before?”

“But—”

“Alyssa, do as you’re told.” Mrs. Hutchinson pointed to the staircase.

Alyssa sighed. This note contained so much crucial information. Only that paper itself had evidence to show that those incidents had occurred.

After putting the note back in her room, Alyssa headed down the stairs and walked with Hailey toward the garage. The two grabbed sponges, buckets, and soap for washing cars. They filled the buckets with water and scrubbed Mrs. Hutchinson’s car.

“I wish we had another babysitter,” muttered Alyssa.

“What was on the piece of paper?” asked Hailey.

Alyssa told her.

“Who wrote it?”

“There was no name on it. Just ‘anonymous.’”

A girl whistling turned Alyssa’s attention away from the car. She leaned her head toward the sidewalk and saw her friend from grade school, Madison Jennings, riding her scooter.

“Hi, Alyssa,” said Madison. The wind blew her long dark-brown waves across her face. She stopped at Alyssa’s driveway, and her hair went limp. Hailey and Alyssa ran up to greet her and ask how she’d been.

“I just moved onto Draco Drive a few days ago,” Madison referred to a road off Orion Street.

“So how do you like the middle school?” asked Alyssa.

“Oh, I go to Catholic school now,” said Madison. “What about you?”

“Hailey and I are homeschooled now,” said Alyssa. “I never got to tell you.”

“That’s okay,” said Madison. “So you guys want to come over to my house on Saturday?”

“What time?” asked Alyssa.

“I’ll ask my mom and let you know,” said Madison. “Okay, bye, guys. Nice seeing you again.” She rode back in the direction she’d come from as Hailey and Alyssa waved goodbye to her.

After washing the car for another ten minutes, Alyssa and Hailey cleaned up and walked back inside. A snore suggested to Alyssa that Mrs. Hutchinson slept. Huh? She never napped while babysitting.

Alyssa strode toward the living room and saw Mrs. Hutchinson asleep on one of the couches. Hailey followed her. “Why is Mrs. Hutchinson sleeping?”

“I don’t know,” said Alyssa.

“Can you show me the note?”

Alyssa nodded and led her up the stairs. She opened her door but gasped at what she saw. The note that she’d left on her bed was gone.

“Where’s the note?” asked Hailey.

“It was right there,” Alyssa pointed to the bed.

But another piece of paper appeared onto the mattress. Alyssa picked it up and read it.

 

Hello again, Alyssa,

 

I have put your babysitter to sleep to reveal magic to you. You’ll find out why she is sleeping later.

Anonymous

 

“Not again,” mumbled Alyssa. “Why won’t they say their name?” She showed the note to Hailey.

“Let’s go call my dad before anything happens,” said Hailey.

How much worse could this get? Alyssa thought as she followed Hailey down the stairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

Entering the first floor, the girls continued toward the phone. But they stopped and turned to Mrs. Hutchinson. Parts of her hair turned green now. Black rings circled her eyes. Not only that—a piece of paper also appeared onto the wall outside the living room. Alyssa and Hailey approached it and gasped at the messages, which looked like they’d been typed.

 

I sprayed my babysitter’s hair with spray paint — Alyssa McCarthy

I drew dark circles around my babysitter’s eyes with a black magic marker — Hailey Flynn

“We better take this off.” Hailey pulled on a corner and grunted. It stayed stuck as if attached with permanent glue.

“It’s not coming off!” she squeaked.

“We’re going to have to call your dad.”

“Do you still have the note?”

“Yeah.” Alyssa reached into her pants pocket. But she felt nothing. “What the heck? It, like, disappeared!”

“What? Are you kidding me?”

“Let’s call your dad.” Alyssa turned to the phone. But a door slamming shut suggested to her that Uncle Bruce had come home. She and Hailey turned around as he carried his bags.

“What are you two doing near the phone?” he asked since every phone call had to be earned except during emergencies.

“We need to tell you something!” shrieked Hailey.

“Why are you screaming, Hailey?” asked Uncle Bruce.

“Because—”

“Oh my god, girls, what did you do?” screeched Mrs. Hutchinson.

Everyone turned to her.

“We didn’t do it!” yelled Hailey.

“Then why does this piece of paper say you did?” Mrs. Hutchinson pointed at it.

Uncle Bruce power-walked toward it and heaved a gasp. “Oh my goodness!” He glared at the girls. “Alyssa Caitlin McCarthy and Hailey Elizabeth Flynn, what were you thinking?”

“Hailey’s right!” cried Alyssa. “We didn’t do it!”

“Don’t you dare lie to me!” snarled Uncle Bruce. “No one was here besides you!” He pulled a corner and struggled to remove it. “What did you do?”

“We didn’t do anything!” screamed Hailey.

“Stop lying!” boomed Uncle Bruce. “What’s the matter with you two? Why would you make marks on Mrs. Hutchinson? Are you three years old? No! You both are way too old to do what you’ve just done!” He turned to Mrs. Hutchinson. “Lorraine, you cannot sleep while babysitting!”

“I . . . I—”

“You’re fired!” Uncle Bruce said. “Get your stuff and go!”

Mrs. Hutchinson inhaled and exhaled and walked toward the closet.

Uncle Bruce leaned down and grasped Alyssa’s narrow shoulders. She clenched her teeth since Uncle Bruce’s grip hurt. His brittle salt-and-pepper hair even touched and scratched her forehead. She squinted her eyes.

“You are going to be thirteen next month!” Uncle Bruce bellowed. “Yet you and Hailey did something so childish and then lied to me!”

“We really didn’t do it!” cried Alyssa. “I’m not lying!”

“Then how else would those marks have gotten there?” asked Uncle Bruce.

“M-magic,” answered Alyssa.

Uncle Bruce slapped her cheek.

“Ow!” Alyssa rubbed that section.

“That is the dumbest answer I’ve heard!” Uncle Bruce turned to Hailey, squeezing her narrow shoulders like he had done to Alyssa. “Hailey, don’t you lie to me, either!”

“Dad, please listen to us!”

“Absolutely not!” He let go. “I am now going to lock the study door so that neither of you can get inside without my permission!”

“Uncle Bruce, I swear we—”

“Shut up, Alyssa!” he rumbled. “You and Hailey are now grounded for two months!”

“No!” squeaked Alyssa.

“I’m sorry that you won’t be enjoying your birthday, Alyssa, but you should’ve thought of that before spray-painting Mrs. Hutchinson’s hair and lying to me.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that we didn’t do it?” Hailey stomped.

“I don’t want to hear it anymore!” thundered Uncle Bruce. “I’m also giving you more work for homeschooling tomorrow!”

“Dad—”

“Go to your rooms and stay there until dinner!” Uncle Bruce pointed to the stairs.

 

Alyssa and Hailey dragged their feet up the steps. They burst into tears, reaching the top. Alyssa’s worry had come true. All she wanted to do was prove Uncle Bruce wrong. Would the evidence of magic ever appear?

Alyssa entered her room and threw herself onto her bed. She sobbed and curled up into a ball. Tears even streamed down to her quilt. That mysterious person deserved the blame. He or she should lose privileges forever. Alyssa wished to escape this house. She wanted her godfather to let her live with him as soon as possible.

Even though her godfather could’ve been her legal guardian, Alyssa had moved here because Emily, her babysitter at the time her parents had died, had babysat Hailey too. Emily had convinced the police to let her take Alyssa to her aunt and uncle’s house to stay for the night. Emily had also obtained Aunt Laura and Uncle Bruce’s consent over her cell phone. After Alyssa had settled here with them, they had become her legal guardians.

Because her godfather hadn’t been able to attend her baptism when she was a baby, her church had baptized her again when she was five. From then on, she and her godfather had shared a strong bond.