Chapter 3

"AGH!" I screamed when I saw Brent.

"AGH!" he said in a deep, husky voice that was not Brent's.

"AGH!"

"AGH!"

"Agh!"

"Agh! What did you do?"

"I-I-I-"

Brent grabbed my shoulders and shook me, making my brains rattle. I screamed again right in his face. "Tell me what you did, Carly!"

I was so scared by what had become of Brent that I could not even talk.

"CARLY!"

Why could I at least not have turned him into a beast with good breath? "I turned you into a beast!" I screamed.

His hands fell away from my shoulder and he backed up, staring at his big furry paws. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. He looked over his newly acquired beastness. His large mouth hung open, revealing all his sharp teeth. I took an extra step back. He just stayed there, staring at himself.

"How?" he whispered hoarsely.

"I pointed my wand at you and called you a beast," I said, since that was the only explanation I had. "I was just really emotional so it kind of, uh, came true."

He jumped up, making me scream and jump again. "Why would you do that?"

Well, at least he had been smart enough to figure out that I was a witch or something similar. I was glad he did not question me too much about that. "You deserved it!"

"No I didn't!"

I folded my arms. "If you didn't, than why are you a furry beast right now? Accidental magic is never completely accidental."

Brent growled and clenched his big fist. "Change me back!"

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can! You've got that stick thing!"

"It's called a wand and…" I crossed my ankles as I twisted my fingers behind my back. "I'm not the best witch…"

"Great, just great! What's going to happen now?"

"Just calm down. I need to talk to my mom about this. We'll have to go back to my house so I can use the portal there."

It took Brent a few minutes to process that fully. "How far away is your house?"

"Twenty minutes by foot."

"There is no way I am walking for twenty minutes." Wow, so he was a lazy ass too. This was getting better and better. "Mr. Forde, my driver, is at the front of the school. Go get him."

If he was not in beast form I would have told him off for making me go get Mr. Forde for him. I walked all the way to the front of the school. I had just walked around the corner when I saw Mr. Forde sitting on the steps, staring at a highly expensive and highly damaged car. I ran over quickly to the distraught old gentleman. He looked up at me with sadness.

"I went to get a drink and when I came out the car was like this," he said quickly. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I have no idea who would have done that and then gone off."

He babbled an apology before putting his head back in his hands. I patted his shoulder before turning to the car. Maybe, just maybe, I could try to help Mr. Forde out. I pulled my wand out of my pocket. Mr. Forde barely glanced at it before putting his head back in his hands. "My sister in law was a witch," he mumbled after I looked down at him. I nodded knowingly, glad had yet again avoided having to explain the whole magic thing. I pointed my wand at the car. I instantly got nervous, already fretting that I would mix up the spell. I took a deep breath but my nerves just got worse. I really could have gone for some lavender tea.

"Before this poor guy sends his own soul to heck, make a car of this horrible wreck," I chanted.

Being a typical amateur I waved my wand around too much and was not careful with my choice of words. Yes, I was staring at a brand new shiny car in front of me, but next to it was the old wrecked car. And Mr. Forde was not sitting on the steps, torn up, or for lack of better words, a "wreck". I opened the driver side door and slid in. I flicked on the radio sharply. A groan went through the speakers of the Oldsmobile-like car.

"Not again," Mr. Forde's voice said while I basically hyperventilated. "My sister-in-law did this too. Why did my brother marry that woman?" There was a shake through the whole car that made it seem like the car was sighing. "Would you please change me back, young lady?"

"I would," I said shakily, "but I can't."

"Why not?"

"Well, I didn't mean to do this. I…I'm not a very good witch…" I leaned my forehead against the wheel of the car, taking five deep breaths like my older sister, Phillipa, had taught me to do when I was younger and got really scare. That was when Phillipa was nice… "I just…I have horrible aim and I never say the right words. I already turned you into a car, I don't want to do anymore damage."

"Well, that is a very wise choice, I must admit. Is there anyone you could call to get help?"

"There's a portal at my house that I can use. I'll have to send my mom a letter though, because…"

"Because why?"

I looked down at my hands sheepishly. "I was kinda banned from returning to the magic world for twelve months…"

"Well, I would be happy to give you a lift to your house. Could you please give Brent the message that he will have to call his other driver to get him?"

Brent had two freaking drivers just for himself? Jeez. "Well, you see, uh, I was kinda sorta talking to Brent earlier and, uh, we got in a bit of an argument so I, um, I...turned him into a beast."

"Hmph." The entire car shook again. "I suppose he'll fit in the backseat if he is not big enough. Please go get him. The quicker we get to your house the quicker Brent and I are changed back to normal."

I looked at the radio curiously. "You aren't mad that I turned Brent into a beast?"

"It is not like you did it on purpose, right?" I shook my head, wondering if he could even see it somehow. "Exactly." I guess he could. "Besides, I think it would be a humbling experience for the boy to go through something like that. In case you have not noticed he can be rather-"

"Conceited, obnoxious, arrogant, irritable, demanding, whiny, pouty, vain, greedy, useless, lazy, and sexist?"

"Ah, yes. I am glad at least someone sees him for who he truly is beside me and Ms. Raggs. We've tried to get the boy to change but he just is-"

"Thick-skulled?"

The car shook again and I heard a laugh. "Yes, a bit."

I smiled, feeling a little better after talking with Mr. Forde. "I'll go get Brent. Hopefully he hasn't gone off somewhere."

I left the radio on and got out of the car, closing the door. I walked quickly back to where I had last talked to Brent. He was staring in horror at his reflection in a small mirror I knew he kept in his pocket. He growled then jumped back after seeing how big his teeth were. Admittedly, I jumped a little too. He turned when he saw me in the reflection. He crossed his arms as he waited for me to talk.

"Uh, Mr. Forde is taking us to my house to get to the portal," I said.

"Then let's go," he said, and it did not sound like a gung-ho, "Let's go!" type thing, but more like a monotone growl.

Brent followed me around to the front of the school. I got in the passenger seat while he squeezed into the back. The radio remained silent until we were all settled in. "Where's Mr. Forde?" Brent asked. "And since when does he drive this car?"

"Since I decided it was more fitting to my personality," Mr. Forde's voice said through the speakers. Brent stared straight ahead at the radio, looked at me, then let his jaw hang open a little. He did not need an explanation. "Everyone buckled? Yes? Good."

Mr. Forde drove himself out of the circular driveway in front of the school. I gave him directions to my house. He only needed me to tell him once and he remembered them. When we got to my house Brent jumped out of the car quickly. I was expecting a "This is your house?" from him upon our arrival but he did not seem very impressed by the castle. I promised Mr. Forde I would be out to talk to him once I got a message back from my mother. He seemed content with that so I led Brent up to my large front door.

"Welcome home, Ms. Poof," my butler, Laurent, said with his super fancy French accent. "Who is this…gentleman?" Laurent was a half-blood warlock so he could cast some basic spells and knew what a magical catastrophe looked like.

"Brent Carall," I muttered as Brent and I walked in.

Brent glared at Laurent like it was insulting that my butler was even talking. I wondered what his expression would be if he knew Laurent's headquarters took up half of the east wing. It was like an apartment. He was the only butler in the castle and a good friend of my family so it was not all that weird. He also kind of looked after me, along with the only maid, Francesca. Just between you and me, I think something is going on between Laurent and Francesca.

"Ah, would you like me to take your coat, Mr. Carall?" Laurent asked.

"No," Brent growled.

When Brent was not looking the twenty-something year old gave him a look that made it hard for me not to laugh. "How long will you be staying?"

"As short as possible."

"What a pity."

Laurent walked away with Brent staring at him like he had just been locked in a jail cell by the murderer. I went up the stairs to the study on the second floor where the portal was, my spirits lifted by Laurent's short exchange with Brent. Brent flopped down on a couch like he owned the place while I took out a pen and paper. I scribbled a quick note to my mom explaining the situation and opened the closet door. I sent the seal envelope flying into the vortex at the back of the closet. It disappeared instantly. I turned back to Brent, who was cleaning his large teeth with his claw.

"Got any ribs?" he asked.

I slammed the closet door shut before storming out of the room, calling back, "Want ribs? Make your own! Hospitality isn't welcome in this house!"