“In Latin the word means ‘how many times.’ The basic idea is ‘how many.’ So, if you had one hundred frogs, and you wanted to split them up into five groups — so you could have them jump out from all sides and surprise someone, for example — you would have a tidy total of twenty frogs in each group.
“Finding a quotient comes in handy for cooking and spell making, and dividing and placing your troops in any serious battle — just to name a few uses off the top of my head,” he added modestly.
“I would love to have a hundred frogs jump out and surprise Ms. Finch when she’s picking on me. Or at Robert Hillman-Jones when he’s pulling my braids. I never knew mathematics could be so extremely useful.
“Thank you, Professor,” she added respectfully.
Professor Badinoff puffed out his chest and lightly fluttered his wings at the sudden interest he had inspired in his young pupil.
He was about to continue the lesson and get into his favorite Einstein equations when he took a second look at ElsBeth’s shining face. He saw that she had learned something important and that it was time to end off for now.
So instead of diving into the next lesson, the wise bat said, “Well … er … yes. I think that is enough for today. Well done, ElsBeth.”
And with a quick sweep of his wings he erased the board and took off out the window, looking for someone with whom he could debate some of Einstein’s less well understood theories, a favorite pastime when not teaching ElsBeth, or gobbling up some of those tasty New England mosquitoes.
Chapter 4
A Witch’s Dreams Begin Again
That night ElsBeth crawled happily into bed. She could see the silvery moon through her window. It seemed to be winking at her in a friendly fashion.
The stars were twinkling, too. Her lids grew heavy and she soon dropped off to sleep. But it was a fitful sleep and full of dreams. Oh, what dreams …
“ElsBeth, save me!” Robert Hillman-Jones, dressed in his expensive Abercrombie & Fitch clothes, was covered in muck and stumbling down a tunnel. ElsBeth called over and over for him to stop, but her classmate ran on deeper and deeper into the darkness.
Something was after him, and ElsBeth couldn’t catch up. She fell farther and farther behind. She was so tired. But she couldn’t stop. She felt a cold, creepy presence not of this earth.
Now something chased ElsBeth! She tried to run faster, but the muck sucked at her sneakers. The thing behind her closed in. Her heart raced. She couldn’t go any faster and it was almost upon her. ElsBeth collapsed, and waited for the end … but nothing happened.
“Wake up, dear. It’s time to get up.”
Instead of cold slimy mud, ElsBeth felt warm soft hands on her forehead. And heard her grandmother’s musical voice.
ElsBeth blinked. She unconsciously rubbed the bat birthmark on her heel. It was morning. The sun was already up and she was tangled wrong way to in the half-moon comforter on her little captain’s bed.
Sylvanas was perched on the headboard, looking both disinterested and concerned at the same time. In the chair by the bed her grandmother smiled gently.
Grandmother still looked distracted, but the important thing was that she was there.
ElsBeth relaxed. It was just a bad dream. But Grandmother had cautioned her before that a witch’s dreams could be important. She must write everything down in her diary before she forgot.
ElsBeth took up the small leather-bound book she kept on her bedside table. She pulled the lavender velvet ribbon, opening to the next blank page.
The silver bat that weighted the end of the ribbon flashed in the morning sun, sending its reflection so it looked like a small bat was flitting about the room. The little witch scribbled everything she could remember.
This was the first dream she’d had since Halloween. Then she had dreamt of the pirate Billy Bowlegs and his awesome treasure. And that dream had turned out to be true.
While ElsBeth wrote, Hannah stood up, then turned around, confused. She backed up and plopped down into the rocking chair by the window.
The older witch shook her head and said out loud — but seemed to be talking to herself, “This isn’t good. This is just not good.”
Hannah looked like she was in some kind of trance. She got up again, patted ElsBeth’s head, and slowly wandered out, seeming to forget that ElsBeth was even there.
ElsBeth had never felt so alone as she watched her grandmother leave, without even asking her about her dream.
What could be wrong with Grandmother, she worried again as she pulled on her purple sneakers and got ready for school.
Chapter 5
School — Again!
When ElsBeth arrived at the schoolyard she felt full of confidence. She definitely knew what a quotient was now, and she knew several practical reasons why anyone would even want to know about such a thing. Mathematics had become a very useful tool, in her opinion.
She was finally ready for Ms. Finch.
“Just go ahead and ask me for a quotient,” ElsBeth muttered to herself and frowned as she passed through the tall oak doors of Capeside Elementary School.
Hillman-Jones bumped into her, accidentally on purpose, and said quietly under his breath, so there were no witnesses, “You’ll never pass second grade, ElsBeth. Too bad you’re so dumb.”
ElsBeth lost her temper, an unfortunate failing of hers, and pushed him back — just as Ms. Finch appeared outside the classroom door. Was the teacher a mind reader?
“I saw that, Ms. Thistle! Apparently no one has taught you how to act like a young lady. Perhaps we need to make your double work assignments permanent. No, maybe …”
The teacher’s complicated mind was working overtime. ElsBeth could feel, and almost see, dark thoughts flash by in Ms. Finch’s head.
“Maybe you should stay back and study ‘proper behavior’ while everyone else goes on the field trip to Boston next week. Yes. That will teach you a lesson.”
At that point the school principal Dr. Titcomb popped his silver head out of his office and frowned at Ms. Finch.
“Elvira, could I see you in my office for a moment?” Dr. Titcomb’s words came out more like an order than a question.
Ms. Finch looked a little afraid and resentful at the same time. She glanced sharply at ElsBeth and headed down the hall.
Five minutes later Ms. Finch came back to the classroom looking flushed, and ElsBeth was relieved that nothing more was said about her not going to Boston.
Spelling and reading flew by that morning. Today math came right after lunch, and ElsBeth was actually looking forward to it for a change. She was completely prepared, thanks to Professor Badinoff’s superb instruction.
Ms. Finch put a question up on the board, squealing the chalk for as long as possible. The students covered their ears and grimaced in pain.
The question she asked today was … “100 divided by 5=?”
Wow, Professor Badinoff had even guessed Ms. Finch’s exact question.
ElsBeth shot her hand straight up. She would prove to Ms. Finch and that rotten Robert Hillman-Jones she was not dumb.
Ms. Finch, however, turned a blind eye to ElsBeth. It was as if the young witch didn’t exist. ElsBeth quickly looked down at her body to make sure she hadn’t gone invisible — a thing that she knew