The Runaway Spell by Lexi Connor Page A

meet a new student in our school, just joining us today. Her name is Katrina Lang.”
    Next to Miss Willow’s cluttered desk stood a shy-looking girl in a dark skirt and a cream-colored sweater, very trim and proper except for her dark hair pulled back into a messy bun.
    “What a
nerd!”
Jason whispered to Jenny Springbranch, who tittered softly.
    “Beatrix, will you show Katrina where the paints are kept? Katrina, we’re painting animal portraits today.”
    “Her name may be
Kat
-rina,” Jason whispered loudly to Jenny, “but she looks more like a mouse to me. Hey,
Kat
-rina!” His freckle-plastered face brokeinto a nasty grin. “Why doncha paint a mouse self-portrait?”
    Katrina’s jaw set in a hard line. B steered her toward the back counter where the paints were kept. “Don’t pay any attention to him,” B told Katrina. “Most people here are nice.”
    Katrina studied B’s face for a minute, her dark green eyes wary and doubtful.
    “Here, let’s fill your paint tray,” B said. “What animal are you going to paint?”
    “A panther,” Katrina said without hesitation.
    “Excellent!” B said. “Here’s the bottle of black.”
    “Thanks, Beatrix,” Katrina said, this time with a warm smile.
    “Not a problem. Call me ‘B.’ Most everyone does.”
    “Okay.” Katrina grinned. “Call me ‘Trina.’”
    “Sounds good.”
    They returned to their workstations. Jason Jameson grabbed bottles of green and orange paint, squirted way too much of it into the tray on his easel, and bumped into B’s easel accidentally-on-purpose after returning the bottles to the back counter.
    Jason snickered and dipped his brush in the orange paint. “Stinkbug!” he said.
    B fumed. She stared at Jason’s paints. “S-P-I-L-L,” she whispered under her breath.
    Jason’s easel pitched toward him. His paint tray flipped upside-down, landing on the legs of his pants before clattering to the floor.

Special thanks to Julie Berry

Other Books in the B Magical Series
    B Magical #1: The Missing Magic
    B Magical #2: The Trouble with Secrets
    B Magical #3: The Runaway Spell
    B Magical #4: The Cat-Astrophe

Copyright
    No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Working Partners Limited, Stanley House, St. Chad’s Place, London WC1X 9HH, United Kingdom.
    Copyright © 2010 by Working Partners Ltd.
Cover art by Tuesday Mourning
Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll
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    This edition first printing, April 2011
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    e-ISBN 978-0-545-32230-0