I had gathered everything for the "Get What You Want" spell from my parents' belongings:
Apple peel
A drop of human blood
A strand of hair
Broccoli florets
A pinch of green tea leaves
I was certain this spell only worked with the Emerald necklace—I'm gonna do this it was do-or-die.
It was exactly 11:11 when I arranged the ingredients in a bowl. Unsure how much green tea to add, I shrugged and sprinkled in just a little. Then I inhaled deeply, ignited a spark on my fingertip, and pointed it at the ingredients. Beside the bowl lay the necklace.
"Dongshi keri ara pavia. Summoning the lights from the night sky. I, Mary Quinlan, by the authority granted through Amber's power, grant my desire! Give me what I want, what I need!" I intoned three times.
Lights from the moon shimmered above: black, red, gray, and pale white. The brightness stung my eyes, but I watched, refusing to look away.
Then—silence. The ingredients vanished.
"That's success, right? I followed the book exactly…" I whispered, heart pounding.
I opened the book. The pages glowed. As the light faded, new text appeared:
"Rules are not meant to be broken, consequences not meant to bend.But the Emerald necklace that's truly mine shall firmly stand.Keep it safe while at hand."
I looked up. The necklace was no longer beside the book—it sat inside the bowl, now glowing green like a real emerald.
When I reached for the book again, it flipped pages on its own. A riddle now accompanied the spell:
"Fade it gray, magic will go away.One or two, go—more is no."
"What on earth does this riddle mean?" I murmured, puzzled.
I strapped the necklace around my neck and studied my reflection. I didn't know why, but I felt… different. More confident.
"You did it, Mary," I told myself.
Then, my phone buzzed. A message from Micah lit up the screen:
"Girl, I saw you earlier. You look like you're out of yourself… Are you okay? Tell me if something happened "
Guilt knotted in my chest—I'd promised Micah I'd tell her everything. We were each other's "do or die." I stared at the screen, torn.
More messages came:
"Mary. I see your location—are you there again? Why are you doing things?""Answer me, Mary!""I'm coming over."
"Crap—I forgot to turn off my location," I spat.
Footsteps approached. "Mary?" Micah's voice came quickly at the door .
"I'm just nearby," I texted back, voice trembling as I opened the door. She saw the green-tinged book and the bowl.
"Are you… doing spells?" she asked sharply. "Or did you just do one?"
The dam broke—
"Mary, what spell? Tell me!" She sounded frantic.
"I can't… What if something happens to you because of me?"
"I'm willing to risk it. Just tell me—Mary, please You promised! I will forever hate you if you won't tell me now."
I showed her the spell. She stared, then whispered, "Does this mean you can do any magic?"
I nodded. She blinked in disbelief.
"I'm not trying to be greedy," I said softly. "I just needed to see if my suspicion was true."
"What suspicion?"
"This necklace… is my mother's first owned. And RJ's grandfather—the gardener—when he saw my necklace earlier... his expression changed. I had to know if this is the Emerald's Necklace, the one owned by Queen Emerald"
Silence hung between us, thick with possibilities.
Micah's eyes widened. "How… how does your mother have this? Does she know anything?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. But this—this might be the first step toward uncovering my magic's true nature."