Chapter 2

After leaving the attic tidy, or at least as tidy as they had found it, the girls stuffed their costumes in their bags and descended to the patio, where Jo's mom was still talking with mr Tonks and Molly.

They walked out the door, where Abbey was the first to see them.

"...Ted, you are telling me that because the NDE attack caused the structural damage to your building the insurance company refuses to pay up? That's shameful! You ought to.." her eyes fell on her daughter. "Josephine Dursley! You are blacker then a chimney sweep! Go clean yourself up right now! You too Xenia, Im not letting you girls in the car like that"

Jo, who, like Xenia, in the excitement of discovering the perfect costume had totally failed to notice that they must be in an awful state, looked at herself and both were amazed that they hadn't noticed the dirt that covered their clothes, hands and hair. They looked like someone had sprinked grey flour on their hair, the occasional cobweb trailing from their dust-covered t-shirts.

Molly turned around and gasped. She immediately got up and walked towards the door "Oh dear, girls to the bathroom, right away!" She went thorugh the kitchen and pointed them towards the other end of the room. "it's the door next to the kitchen sink. Follow the corridor straight into the last room. Shake off the dust from your clothes and hair in there, I'll clean it up later." She said, wincing at the trail of dark dust that marked the girls' way through the kitchen from the stairs..

The girls went inside quickly and they washed up, taking turns to clear off the gray dust that was covering their clothes. Whiile Jo was beating at her no-longer white t-shirt in vain hope of returning it to a presentable condition, Xenia's cell went off.

"Hey little cannon. I got a message from mrs Allington. Are you still at Grandma's house?"

"Hey Daddy! We're still here! You should see our costumes, they are gonna be great!"

"That's great baby, but unfortunately, there is a problem."

Xenia's face fell, knowing at once what the problem was. "You can't take us out on Halloween?"

"Sorry baby, my boss just called. I will be working night again all weekend."

Xenia, who had been half-afraid this would happen, as it had before "But how are we going to go trick-or-treating then?"

"I'll ask your mother, she might take you."her father's voice said, sounding a bit guilty.

Xenia felt disappointed. While she loved her mom, she wasn't at all as much fun as her dad. She knew however that his job was hard on her dad, so she forced a cheery voice and said "Okay daddy. I'll see you tomorrow morning"

She turned off the phone. Jo, who had been washing the dirt off her hair hadn't heard the conversation on the phone, so she had no idea why Xenia's face looked so miserable.

"What's up? Who was on the phone?"

"My dad. He can't make it on Halloween."

"Oh no! Your dad is always great on Halloween" shouted Jo in disappointment, "now who's gonna take us?"

"Dunno, Dad said he'll ask Mom", said Xenia, "but Mom is never fun at Halloween. Maybe we can ask your mom?"

"Mom might do it, if she isn't working" said Jo."Lets ask her."

The girls, having finished washing up, went back outside. Abbey was waiting by the car, so the girls said goodbye to Mr Tonks and they both hugged Molly, who said "You girls come back here whenever you like" then they ran to the car.

As the cloud of dust from the access road settled, and the car picked up speed Jo leaned over to Xenia "You know, we should keep the costumes a secret, it will be a blast when we come out to the party with them" Xenia smiled. "I wonder what Becky will wear, remember last year she came as a tree, with branches everywhere?"

The rest of the trip was spent talking about what the other kids will wear, and about the costumes worn the year before. The sky was getting darker as the sun disappeared behind the office buidling. Just as they reached the turn before Xenia's house, Jo remembered to ask about Halloween.

"Mom, Zee's dad can't take us trick-or-treating on Friday. Do you think you can take us?"

Abbey thought about it for a bit. "I think I can. What wrong with your dad Xenia?"

"He had to work Mrs Allington. He's been on the night shift all week."

"Poor man" she said as she turned into the street Xenia's house was. "Give him and your mother my hellos, will you?"

"Sure thing, Mrs Allington, and thanks! Bye Jo, seeya tomorrow!" Xenia walked out of the car, her wizard's costume in her pack, and ran towards her front door and unlocked the door. Abbey, content that Xenia was in the house, turned and left.

The next day Xenia told her dad that Mrs Allington had agreed to take them trick-or-treating so mom wouldn't have to. Mr Wescott, was a bit suspicious about the girls' rapidity of finding a replacement to his wife, but as he hadn't mentioned it yet to her, didn't press the subject. Mr Wescott works as a security guard at a private office building. The job paid good money, but the timetable was usually out of his control. He felt bad for not being there for his daughter, but work was work. He sighed and went to back in the bedroom to sleep.
Xenia walked downstairs to the kitchen where her breakfast was waiting, next to the bowl of cereal a note read "Have an early meeting. Don't miss the bus. Love, mom" Xenia's mom worked at a newspaper, in charge of the archives, but is involved in half a dozen human rights organizations, ecology movements or political pressure groups. As such she is many times not home till late in the afternoon. She has even seen a few articles in print. She is always busy, although, she makes an effort to keep these activities away from her family, but that's hard to do, as a thrown styrofoam cup on the street will inevitably be the start of a lecture on the environement and pollution that would end with mr Wescott telling her to "Give it a rest, dear...", and while Xenia loved her very much, she didn't associate her much with 'fun' occasions.

The rest of the week went by very quickly. The girls met at Jo's house on Thursday after school and washed the costumes, that were filthy from years in storage. After they were dry and ironed they tried them out again.

"These outfits rock!" said Jo, smiling while admiring the scarlet red of the robe, that, now clean and seen under bright light looked a bit used and worn at the edges. "You know, I think these robes have been through more then one owner" she mused. "All the better" said Xenia, "this way they will look authentic, won't they?"

As Friday afternoon arrived the girls were going to get ready at Jo's house so that they can go to the party together. They had worn all black under their robes so they really looked similar, except of couse that Xenia had her pointy hat, while Jo had her wand in her pocket. Walking out of the house they decided to walk to the hall the party was, as it was only half an hour's walk away. They walked slowly commenting about halloween the decorations on the houses. Xenia had been right about the space motif. There were more space-age decorations then there were pumpkins on the houses. Makeshift stuffed space suits were hanging from trees and giant models of the spaceship Pheadra II decorated rooftops. Other houses that had wizards and witches but they were using images from a wildly popular film from a few years back that showed wizards as bald tall guys with orange-green tights. The girls, neither of whom liked that movie, weren't impressed. There were a few houses that took a more traditional route, however, and the girls liked a small cottage that the owner had covered by giant fake cobwebs, leaving a small opening for the door, while a recording let out a cackle of laughter every few seconds that made the girls jump the first time they heard it, only to burst out laughing afterwards.

As they arrived at the hall, they were greeted by a few other kids just arriving as well. The hall had been almost half full by people when they walked in, and Xenia pointed at several people

"Look see? Emily, Joanne, Kathleen and Jack are all here as space travellers. And they all used hospital bio-suits to make them too. Aren't you glad I talked you out of that idea?" said Xenia with a grin.

Jo stifled a laugh. "They do look identical, don' t they?" She spotted a black-costumed kid behind a space suit. "Look though, there's another witch.""They went with the classical black look though, didn't they?" commented Xenia. "Who is under that anyway?" They went over to the black-suited witch, who turned out to be a boy from their class. His mother was a makeup artist and had given him, along with a few very convincing warts. The girls walked around the party and were commenting on the various costumes. Becky Carmichael, who had dressed as a tree the previous year, was wearing a giant styrofoam 8-ball. The two wizards received quite a few compliments as some other girls proclaimed that they liked their double costumes a lot. "But how come you didn't get a hat Jo? Didn't wan't to mess up your hair?" said one of the girls. Jo grinned and sticking her hand in her pocket said "Well wizards only need a hat if it rains. But what is a wizard ..." she pulled out the long "..without a bonafide magic wand?"

The girls cooed with appreciation. Jo, pointed the wand at each of them, casting imaginary spells when a voice shouted.

"Doing magic there, Dursley?"

A very fat kid was standing there in what was supposed to be a pirate's costume. It hadn't taken much effort to make. The kid had taken a pair of oversized pants and tied them at his waist to look baggy, and had a white t- shirt on top of a sweater. On the top of his head he had a plastic kid's pirate hat, that was several sizes to small for him. He had an eye patch, but it was apparently bothering him, so he had twisted it so that it effectively covered the top of his ear. Two other shorter but just as fat were standing behind him, wearing pig masks, which, admittedly made their costume a lot more lifelike then the pirate's did.

"What are you doing here Arno?" said Jo, in disgust, looking at the boy. "Ran out of kitties to hurt?" She and Xenia had discovered him and his buddies kicking a litter of kittens apparently abandoned by their mother that summer. They told on him, which got him into trouble, and he has been bothering them ever since.

"You aren't very good at this magic thing, are you Dursley?" and before Jo or anyone could react grabbed the wand from her limp hand. "Maybe I can do better. By the rain, may you goons feel pain!"he started, slashing the wand sharply at his buddies' wrists, essentially whacking them hard. "Well my magic apparently works as these boys are feeling pain" he laughed at his own joke. His buddies who had immediately winced, but started laughing as soon as he did.

Jo made a grab for the wand. "Give it back here you ox!" she said as Arno raised his hand, pointing the wand straight up to get it out of her reach. Xenia grabbed at him, dragging his arm down with one hand, and reaching up towards the wand.

They weren't sure who grabbed the wand first, but as they were trying to drag the wand down, the tip of the wand erupted, and a flurry of red light filled the giant hall. Red and yellow light gushed out of the wand up two feet,three feet straight up, illuminating Arno, his cronies, Jo and Xenia, and the girls they were talking to, who let out a squeal of amazement at the light show.

Arno, caught completely unawares, fell back on to his friends, causing them all to tumble down on the floor, followed by an uproar of laughter from the kids all around them, who turned as soon as the red light had appeared. As soon as Arno let go of the wand, Jo who had the best grip on it, grabbed the wand and stuck it in her pocket. She turned to Xenia, to see her standing next to her her mouth open, then turned to the fat boy. "You will never touch my stuff again, do you hear me, you big ox?" she shouted at him

"If you bug us again, you will find yourself back on your butt staring, do you get it?" shouted Xenia, regaining her voice after the unexpected light show..

"Lets go Zee, I need some air" said Jo, looking flushed.

"I'm coming" Xenia answered, wanting to get outside as well.

The two girls walked out the front door, amid cries of "cool effects Jo" and "Nice light show Dursley", kept walking and stopped a good 50 feet from the building, so that the music was almost totally muffled. The girls were looking at each other, the bullying Arno forgotten, they were both thinking about the wand. "All this week I hadn't noticed the wand was electric" said Jo, pulling it out from her pocket, meaning to look for the hidden switch. She gasped.

The wand, which she expected to find busted at the tip, with charred edges at the end, was as perfect as it was when she took it from the case.

Xenia who was thinking along the same lines looked at Jo, straight in the eyes.

"What the heck is that thing Jo?' she said. Jo, just looked at it, amazed. Both girls stayed silent, trying to recall the image of what happened.

"I was grasping at the wand, while you were dragging that idiot's hand down." said Jo.

"I had touched the wand at that last lunge I did, I was about to grab it when that red light shone."

"One of us must have activated it." said Jo, still flushed.

"Why us? Couldn't it have been that idiot?" said Xenia "He was holding it, wasn't he?"

"I don't think so. He wouldn't have toppled like that. He was terrified"

"Right. We didn't fall like he did" said Xenia thoughtfully."But what does that mean? What is this thing?"

Jo's eye widened. She grabbed Xenia's hands and squeezed them, "Zee, you know what we found? We found a real magic wand!"