Chapter Text
Marvin woke on a Monday morning to find that the door leading up to the attic had changed. The torn, jagged wallpaper edges that had once outlined it were now straight and smooth, and the large hole that had been chopped through it with an ax was gone, as was the purple ‘M’ that had been painted on it. The door was completely intact. Even the doorknob had returned.
Marvin frowned in confusion, going up to the door and testing the knob, which was unlocked and turned easily. He stepped through and walked upstairs to the attic and switched on the light.
At first everything seemed the same. He glanced up the rafters and didn’t see Abey perched there, though there was nothing unusual about that. It wasn’t like Abey spent all his time inside the attic. He stepped over to the table and opened the book with its large ‘M’ embroidered on the cover. He smiled at the familiar words, McMagicspell Book of Phenomena printed on the first page, but when he continued to turn the pages, he found that all of them after the title page were blank. In a panic, he flipped through the entire book, not finding one word printed anywhere.
He slammed the book shut and looked around feverishly, and only then did he notice that the containers on the shelves were all empty. The magical ingredients he had used to brew potions and cast spells, they had all vanished.
What was happening?
Unfortunately he didn’t have time to try and figure it out. It was a school day, and he needed to start getting ready.
His hand moved up, checking to make sure that his gold ‘M’ necklace was still hanging around his neck, which it was.
He stepped away from the table towards the attic door, but then stopped and turned around and focused his eyes on the book. His powers of psychokinesis lifted the book several inches off the table. With a flick of his wrist, an energetic thrust was sent forth, toppling over the table while the book remained floating in the air. A flick in the other direction pulled the table upright again, and he released his hold on the book, causing it to drop back onto the table surface, landing with a thud.
He breathed a sigh of relief. At least he still had his powers.
After getting dressed and ready and eating breakfast, Marvin’s dad appeared ready to drive him to school.
“Kirk’s picking me up,” Marvin informed him.
Mr. Mannix smiled. “You’re getting a ride from a friend?”
Marvin returned the smile, albeit disbelievingly. A friend? As if Kirk was just some friend, and not his best friend.
“Yes,” was all he said.
“Well, that’s great, kiddo. I’m glad you’re making friends. You have a good day at school, okay?”
“I will, Dad.”
He opened his arms and Marvin moved into them. They hugged each other tight.
“I love you, son.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
Marvin went out and sat on the porch swing, waiting for Kirk to pick him up. He was trying to stay calm and not worry about the fact that the magic was gone. How could the book become completely blank overnight? And the ingredients disappeared, but the containers that once held them still remained?
It wouldn’t be the first time something strange happened in his life, and magic was obviously involved in the removal of magic, and anyway, the magic wasn’t completely gone as long as he still had his powers.
He wished he could talk to Abey. The morning air was still and he didn’t see a single pigeon anywhere. He knew he’d feel better once he talked to Kirk and the others, though. As long as they still had their necklaces and their powers, they were still the Magic Makers.
He sat thinking about these things for so long that he didn’t even realize how much time had passed. He looked at his watch, and his eyes grew wide when he saw what time it was. What was keeping Kirk?
He took out his cell phone and dialed Kirk’s number, which went straight to voicemail. Of course. Kirk was always a safe driver and never answered his phone while he was driving.
He waited a while longer, and still there was no sign of his friend. He was sure Kirk would have an explanation for being so late, and Marvin was more than ready to forgive.
When he checked his watch again, he started to get really worried.
First period had already started. He was supposed to be sitting in Mr. Donaldson’s Algebra class. Courtney and Annette would see his empty desk and wonder where he was.
Wait, no they wouldn’t, because they all rode to school with Kirk too. Not a single one of them thought to call and tell him what was going on? How could that be?
Something was terribly wrong.
He tried each of their phone numbers, and all three went to voicemail. On one level that made sense; if they were sitting in class, they’d have to have their phones turned off, or risk having them confiscated by the teacher if they happened to ring. But how could they have gone to school and not given Marvin a ride to school as well? It made no sense at all.
Marvin got up from the porch swing and went back inside the house. His dad was coming down the stairs in his police officer uniform. He frowned when he saw Marvin.
“What happened? Why aren’t you at school?”
Marvin wasn’t sure what to say at first. As a general rule he tried not to worry his parents if he could help it, so he told a little white lie.
“I guess today was the day that Kirk couldn’t take me to school because he was staying overnight at his grandma’s. I guess I forgot.”
Mr. Mannix sighed. “And now you’re late, and now I’m gonna be late because I have to take you to school.”
“What about Mom?”
“Already at work.”
“I’m sorry,” Marvin said because he didn’t know what else to say.
“It’s okay. No big deal. Just try not to let something like this happen again if you can help it.”