Chapter 3

“There!” Selina declared. “You should be able to start the car now,” she continued as she stood straight up and dusted her hands triumphantly.

Tom pushed hard on the brake pedal and turned the ignition. The engine sputtered, and with a whine, it turned over.

“Yes!” Tom exclaimed. “You did it!”

Selina gave a smug look, and walked over towards the driver’s door. She put her hands on her hip and struck a victory pose.

“What should I do now?” Tom asked. “Should I turn the engine off?”

“No, no,” Selina said quickly. “Not yet. You need to let the battery charge for a while, or the car won’t start again.”

“How long will that take?” Tom asked, as he stepped out of the car.

“A couple of minutes should do,” Selina said. “Don’t you know anything about cars?”

Tom answered, “Well, cars are a means of getting me from place to place.”

Selina gasped and said, “They are so much more than that! They are incredible marvels of engineering, they are amazing works of art.” Selina caught herself, and put a hand over her mouth. She blushed and continued, “I guess some of Dad did rub off on me.”

“It sounds like you and your Dad are close,” Tom observed.

Selina nodded. “We are, he was really sad when I left for college, but now he’s used to it. I still call him every week though. He will be really interested to hear about how I helped you today.”

“What does he think about magic?” Tom asked.

“Ooh,” Selina said. “Are you a believer now?”

Tom hastily replied, “No, I was just curious.”

“Dad’s a skeptic, like you. But shouldn’t today have convinced you?” Selina asked.

“How do you figure?”

“Well, your car broke down, and then it rained when you got to school, and you would have gotten wet on the way home too, if not for me,” Selina proclaimed.

“That’s just confirmation bias,” Tom replied. “Which you would have known if you wrote your essay the right way.”

“But-” Selina started.

A loud tune began to play from Tom’s pocket and interrupted their conversation. Tom reached into his pocket and answered the call. Tom was mostly silent during the call, except for a few acknowledgments. However, Selina could see Tom’s mood darken and his face droop significantly. Tom ended the call and sullenly put his phone back into his pocket.

“Is everything okay?” Selina asked.

Tom shook his head. “It’s my Mum,” Tom said sadly. “Her cancer is back.”

Selina gasped. “Oh no, I’m so sorry.”

Selina dropped down to her knees, and put her head in her hands, sobbing.

Tom knelt down beside her, and said, “Hey, hey, it’s alright. It’s my Mum, why are you so upset about it?”

Selina continued crying for a few more seconds. She composed herself a little and said, “I didn’t mean to cause such harm to you. The spell was just supposed to bring you a little bad luck, not this.”

Tom sighed. “Mum has been battling cancer for years. The doctors said it was a matter of time before it came back after her last round of chemo. As a matter of fact, she took the test a week ago, and we only just received the results.”

Selina looked up into Tom’s eyes and noted his sincerity. “So, I didn’t give her cancer?”

Tom chuckled, despite the situation. “No, I don’t think you can just give someone cancer like that.”

“Still, I think my spell must have affected it somehow,” Selina said.

“Look, I don’t believe in your magic, but even if I did, the most you did was make me receive the news today instead of in a few days maybe,” Tom comforted her.

“I’m sorry,” Selina said again. “I should be the one consoling you, not the other way around.”

Tom chuckled. “One thing Mum taught me, is to always see the levity in life.”

Tom held her hands and gently pulled her back up.

“Let’s go get a drink and forget about all this,” Tom declared.

“A drink?” Selina asked. “I’m underage.”

Tom looked her over. “Oh, I thought you were a senior by taking my class.”

“I’m a junior. I don’t turn twenty-one till January.”