“Hey, Ruby?” I said tentatively.
“Yeah, what?” She replied, looking puzzled at my behavior.
“Um, I can’t find my pencil. Can I borrow yours?” I winced, knowing the response.
“Cora. Are you doing homework on the first day of Christmas break?” She hissed. “Seriously?!”
“It’s not homework. Please, just give me a pencil.” I said.
Ruby frowned. “No. All I notice from you now is how much you’ve been pleading with us. You say please to every sentence you speak.”
“Us? US? Do you mean Sam? Is the bully part of our friend group now?” I said furiously.
“No- Sam’s not your friend, he’s mine, and he’s basically the only thing close to a friend to you! Why do you make it seem like he’s so evil!?” Ruby said fiercely.
“You’re defending him now. You’ve never defended me from anyone. And instead, you go off with him having so much fun by trying to drive the principal insane!” I was standing up now with my fists clenched.
She looked at me strangely. “Of course I have fun with him. All you want is to do homework all day.”
The words hit me like stones. “I have more friends than you think I do, Ruby.” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.
“Oh, really? Are you talking about Felix? I know he’s just being nice- too nice. He doesn’t really want to be friends with you.”
“And who did you get that info from? A reliable source named Sam?” I snarled.
“Can you stop biting his head off?”
“Can you stop justifying his actions?”
“Oh, dear,” a familiar voice cackled. We spun around to see Mr. Finch- a short, evil, black suited man with a hastily shaved beard.
“Let me make this quick. A detention to each of you for screaming, and another to the redhead for not smiling at me. Ta ta!” Finch sang.
He walked to the open door, gave a wicked smile at us, and slammed it shut.

* * *

Time for the spell. I peeked through the curtains to make sure Ruby and Sam were asleep. I rolled my sleeves up nervously, and then steadily held my wand at the atlas.
It was almost dawn, and I had been unable to avoid sleep. My eyes had drooped the moment I sat down on the bed, not intending to sleep.
I glanced at the book I had gotten from the library, looking at the exact way to hold the wand. This was, by far, the hardest spell I had ever done. You must say the incantation three times in a clear voice, the book read.
I cleared my throat and whispered, “Transportania Totelum.” The tip of my wand emitted a small orb of light, and then disappeared.
“Tranportania Totelum,” I said, a bit louder this time. A bright glow came out of my wand, and didn’t fade.
One more time. “Transportania Totelum!” I shouted, abandoning the thought of Sam and Ruby waking up from my voice.
Bright light spilled out of my wand and surrounded the atlas, gathering it up into the air, and vibrating it. The light started to rotate faster and faster around the book, and with a soft noise that sounded like fwoosh, all the light seemed to leap eagerly into the book.
Then everything was quiet.
“Ugh, what are you doing? It’s so lou- oh.” Ruby’s voice abruptly stopped after she realized I was making all the noise. She probably hadn’t gotten over the fight.
I opened the atlas, and I was stupefied.
It was beautiful.
The plain, inky colors had turned so realistic it was a shock that the texture was smooth when I touched the paper (even the paper had turned thick and strong, in no danger of tearing). The sun’s rays on the snowy spots of Tokyo seemed so real- and then I realized they were real, and that the sun was shining out of the window. It was dawn.
More importantly, it was Christmas.