The Aurora Witch - Chapter 2

Looking for honest/constructive feedback on my this middle grade fantasy chapter

Chapter 2: Mass Mayhem

End of school year Mass was always a bit chaotic, but Millie wondered if this year would be considered the worst yet. The organist, Sister Mary Clarence, who was very old and half deaf, kept playing the wrong hymns. The choir, unsure what to do, simply sang louder, as though the sheer volume might overpower the sound of the organ.

It didn't.

They'd made it through nearly the entire service before an 8th grade girl fainted. The upheaval was, in Millie's opinion, a bit over the top. A student fainting during Mass was a regular occurrence.

That was when she realized Oliver wasn't in the pew. She searched the chapel frantically, her heart racing faster and faster in her chest. Then she saw him in the midst of the students and faculty, handing Sister Angelica a washcloth that he must've gotten from the bathroom.

Had he done something?

No, she was being paranoid. After all, the church was packed with teachers and students. Surely not even Oliver was that reckless.

The church began to settle. The girl who'd fainted was walked to the back of the church by the school nurse while Father Patrick stood to meet the students processing down the aisle. An altar server approached with the golden incense burner hanging from thin golden chains and handed it to Father Patrick.

He took it, the smoke from the incense spiraling from the censer. Then murmuring a blessing, he swung the thurible gently back and forth.

That was when it happened.

Pop. Pop.

At first, Millie thought it was something in the organ. The choir was singing, the notes were even mostly in the right key. Then she heard a faint pinging sound, like drops of rain falling on a bell.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

Students began to whisper. Heads turned. Even Father Patrick who usually remained as calm as a statue during the most chaotic of times looked confused, perhaps even concerned.

Then came the smell.

At first, it was subtle, just a whiff mixed in with the smell of the incense. Buttery. Burned. The smoke billowing from the thurible grew darker, turning ashen, then acrid. The popping sounds increased until--

BANG!

The lid of the censer burst open and steaming popcorn erupted onto the polished stone floor.

The church erupted in a chorus of shrieks and gasps. Then laughter.

Father Patrick's face was red with an expression Millie couldn't tell was the preamble of an explosion or if he was holding in his laughter.

Another student fainted, this time a fifth grade girl, sending the pandemonium into one of cataclysmic proportions. An 8th grade boy began clapping, laughing so hard Millie was sure there were tears in his eyes.

With careful restraint, Father Patrick schooled his expression into one of calm amusement. He gestured for one of the altar servers to take the thurible, and it popped the entire journey back into the sacristy. Teachers rushed to clean up the popcorn, while others tried to maintain a semblance of control over their students.

Millie sat frozen in the pew while heat slowly rose up her face. For a flicker of a moment, she saw Father Patrick eyes shift to exactly where Oliver was sitting, and she knew, without a doubt, that he knew exactly who had done this.

Father Patrick cleared his throat loudly, then said, "Please stand."

When Mass ended, Sister Mary Gabriel, principal of Overbrook school, ascended the podium. She gave a soft, but stern speech about the popcorn fiasco and reiterate the most certain fact that the student responsible would absolutely be facing severe consequences.

And though Millie knew Oliver deserved to be punished, maybe even be expelled, she still felt a pit of dread swell in her stomach.

Afterwards they returned to their homeroom for the end of the year gathering. Everyone was talking about the genius behind the popcorn prank began. Sophie and Rory were respectfully solemn, understanding from Millie's expression that Oliver had been the craftsman responsible for what was already being named, "Popcorn Pentecost".

It wasn't long before Sister Mary Catherine came back into the room with another teacher behind her, who took Sister's place at the front of the class.

"Millie," she said, gesturing Millie to follow. The class fell silent, and Millie wished she could hide behind her blazer.

Out in the hallway, Sister Mary Catherine stood in front of Millie with her hands clasped in front of her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Millie kept her eyes fixated on her shoes and shrugged.

"Well, I wanted to check in with you," Sister continued, "They want to keep the identity of the prankster a secret, so it'll only be a few hours before the whole school knows."

"He admitted to it?" Millie asked, finally meeting Sister's light blue eyes.

Sister Mary Catherine gave a halfhearted laugh.

"No, of course not. I'm surprised he didn't ask to speak with his lawyer," she said hiding her hands inside the deep folds of her ivory and there was almost a flicker of amusement on her face. "He could've given me a run for my money, back in the day."

Millie's eyebrows furrowed at this. She couldn't imagine kind, smart, beautiful Sister Mary Catherine as ever being anything but lovely. As though reading her expression, Sister Mary Catherine coughed out a laugh.

"Oh yes, I was a menace. I got into more trouble than I'd like you to know. Then again, I had help," she said smirking, "Me and Edith got into all kinds of trouble."

At once, Millie stared up at her in shock, eyes wide. Sister, recognizing her expression, merely laughed.

"Millie, I grew up right down the street from the Grantham's. Your Aunt Edith was one of my best friends," she said, chuckling to herself.

"So you knew then? About this summer?" Millie asked, trying to hide the accusation in her voice.

"I actually spoke with your aunt about it," she answered. And it was as though Millie whole world had been turned upside down. How was it that her godmother, someone she saw almost every day, knew her Aunt Edith better than they did?

"Do you know why we never see her?" she asked finally.

Sister Mary Catherine seemed to give this careful thought as she took in a long lingering breath.

"Your Dad and Edith have a complicated history, and it's not for me to say much about what exactly happened."

Millie felt her heart sink. This was always the way grown-ups talked to her, like she was too young to hear the full truth of something or like she couldn't handle it.

"But," Sister continued, as though reading her expression, "what I can say is that Edith is one of the best people I know." She grinned, as if lost to some memory, "Ah, what I wouldn't give to be a kid again and get to spend an entire summer in Whisper Hollow."

"I'm not a kid," Millie said sharply, not meaning for the way the words came out. Still, her back straightened. Sister gave her a soft smile and her eyes flickered with something she couldn't quite read.

"Maybe not," she said gently, "but you're not quite grown-up yet either. Just try to keep an open mind, okay?"

Sighing, Millie met her crystal blue gaze and nodded.

*****

Chapter 3: Friends and Pho

The end of the year school assembly went by without a hitch and, thankfully, without any popcorn either. Millie, Sophie and Rory all received awards for their 7th grade year: Millie earning the Scholastic Award for Academic Excellence.

She couldn't help but notice with satisfaction Jamie's look of pure jealousy when she had stepped up to receive her ribbon for her Honor Roll Achievement. Jamie, of course, found her revenge by making sure everyone knew Oliver was behind the popcorn incident and that he was likely going to be expelled.

It was true that Oliver hadn't been there for the end of school assembly and, with a gnawing pit in her stomach, Millie left Henry with Sophie and her younger siblings in hopes to find him.

It didn't take long. When she strode past the glass walls outside of Father Patrick's office, she saw Oliver sitting alone on a bench. She approached tentatively before taking the seat next to him.

"Come to yell at me?" he asked accusingly, his voice thick with held back tears.

"No," Millie said softly, making a point to look down at her shoes so that he could think she hadn't seen him crying.

They sat in silence, a swell of emotions building between them. It seemed that all of her anger and frustration had left her upon seeing him like this.

"I don't know why I did it," he said finally, "Well," he sniffed with a half laugh, "I know I thought it would be hilarious. But I don't know what makes me do things like this."

Millie waited for him to continue and, when he didn't, she finally dared a glance at him.

"Did Father Patrick yell at you?" she asked.

"No," he said, "And that was worse."

Millie thought back to her conversation with Sister Mary Catherine outside homeroom and wondered if it was a Callahan family trait.

"He doesn't want to expel me," he said.

"Do you want to be expelled?" she asked him and it was a genuine question.

She'd often wondered if that was secretly what he wanted. Or maybe he just thought if things got so bad, it would force their father to stay home for a change.

Oliver simply shrugged his shoulders. She realized then that he didn't know what he wanted at all. She'd thought he'd pulled these pranks because he was angry. And he was angry, most of the time. But maybe underneath all of that, he was just sad.

"Is that Dad in there?" she asked, gesturing to Father Patrick's office door. Oliver snorted derisively.

"Yeah, Dad left his big important job," he said sarcastically.

Millie was just about to ask who it was when the door opened and out walked Father Patrick, Sister Mary Gabriel, and a very pregnant Mrs. Pham.

Nguy?n Hoa Minh, known to them as Mrs. Pham, was a very petite woman, barely over five feet tall. It was then all the more impressive that she managed to have such an imposing presence. Much like her daughter, she was very pretty with a warm full face and apple round cheeks that brightened whenever she smiled.

There was no smile on her face today.

Hands resting on her swollen belly, her long hooded eyes were simmering in a fury Millie had only ever seen reserved for the twin Pham boys, Joseph and Adam. As the full force of her gaze fixated on Oliver, Millie felt him shrink beside her.

"Good news, Oliver," she said acidly, "Father Patrick does not think you need an exorcism today."

"Oliver," Father Patrick began, clearing his throat, "we've agreed to not expel you."

Millie and Oliver let out a shaky breath in unison.

"Though you should be," Mrs. Pham added sharply.

"You will, however," Father Patrick continued, his expression stern, though Millie was certain she saw the faintest glint in his eye, "be required service hours for the entire summer."

Oliver's mouth open then quickly close again.

"And the rest of the next school year."

This seemed to be too much for Oliver, who shot to his feet.

"What kind of service hours?" He asked, a defiant expression on his face.

"C?n th?n c m?m c?a b?n" Mrs. Pham hissed and Oliver immediately sat back down.

"Your Aunt Edith will oversee your community hours for the summer," Father Patrick answered. "And during the school year, you will assist Minh after school."

He gestured towards Mrs. Pham and Oliver visibly gulped.

"Your father couldn't be here today," Mrs. Pham began, not bothering to hide her disapproval. "Too busy with work to discipline his son." Father Patrick let out a slow, practiced breath and glanced heavenward. "So today, I am your parental representative. Do you know what that means?"

Oliver shook his head.

"It means," she said, eyes narrowing, "that you are one of my boys until your father gets off work."

And with that, she launched into a rapid, blistering tirade of Vietnamese.

It was remarkable, because Millie had no idea what she was saying, but the impact of her wrath made her quickly move out of the seat beside him. Father Patrick ushered Millie and Sister Mary Gabriel out of the room and slid the glass door closed behind them.

Sister Mary Gabriel gave Millie a breathy, "have a good summer" before practically running down the hallway. Father Patrick and Millie stood against the opposite wall watching in a sort of awed silence.

"I think God was testing me when your parents made me his godfather," Father Patrick sighed, but Millie saw the mirth hidden in a bright blue eyes that were identical to his sister's. He was fair skinned with a large prominent nose covered in freckles. His hair was coppery red with streaks of a faded blond color around his temples.

"Are you angry?" she asked quietly.

"Wouldn't do much good," he answered in a tired voice. "It doesn't help that he's so brilliant. Do you know he made a 112 on his final math exam? Perfect scores all around for the entire year. I don't even think he studies."

Millie knew for a fact that Oliver had never studied a day in his life. But unlike Millie who dreamed of Oxford, he'd never had any interest in school.

Mrs. Pham seemed to be coming down from her rant, her energy shifting to something softer. Millie wondered if she was still speaking in Vietnamese. Sophie said her mom often didn't realize when she'd stopped speaking English and this was such a strange thought to Millie.

"Your Aunt Edith," He began tentatively, "I know she and your Dad have had their differences, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by all that she has to offer. She cares about you three very much."

This struck Millie as a very odd thing to say. How could she care for them when she didn't even know them? Maybe she had once before, but that had been years ago. Millie couldn't even remember what she looked like.

Before she could respond, the glass door swung open and Mrs. Pham walked out of the room with a very sheepish looking Oliver.

"I'm taking you home with me today," she began, "your father has to work late."

There was still a crisp edge to her voice, but she seemed to have gotten whatever lingering rage off her chest. Oliver gave Millie a quick wide-eyed glance that conveyed every bit of terror at being on the receiving end of Mrs. Pham's wrath.

They met the other Pham children out in the courtyard where the rest of the students were saying their summer goodbyes, signing yearbooks, and showing parents their report cards. Rory was looking extremely awkward between his two parents who were sharing heated words across from him.

"There are too many people here," Mrs. Pham muttered under her breath. "Granthams, you're coming with us. The rest of you to the Pham Wagon."

Millie snorted as both Sophie and Ben both rolled their eyes. The large white van that tiny Mrs. Pham drove was one of the few vehicles that could fit all of her children.

"Can I go with them?" Rory pleaded, interrupting the argument between his parents.

"Only if it's okay with Mrs. Pham," Rory's mother said before shooting daggers at Mr. Fletcher.

"It's fine, Leslie," Mrs. Pham said absently as she counted the children.

The drive to the Pham's large house was not far from the school, but it was not without its own level of chaos. The twins, Joseph and Adam, kept locking Lily and Henry's seatbelts from the row behind them, which was returned with yells and swinging fists in response. At least once Mrs. Pham yelled for her children to quiet down or she'd put them "back on the boat".

When they pulled into the long driveway of the Pham's white brick house, the children stormed out of the vehicle carrying with them all the excitement of summer finally being here.

Millie loved the Pham's house. It was large and open and filled with things that made it unmistakably a home. There was a tiled entryway where everyone left their shoes and bags. But then there were wood and silk dividers with intricately woven designs. A small shrine for the Lady of La Vang sat surrounded by candles, incense and photos of family members.

Both of Sophie's grandmothers were in the kitchen wearing matching floral aprons and making rice paper rolls. They chuckled quietly as Mrs. Pham slammed the sliding glass doors open, immediately scolding Sophie's grandfather who had just lit a cigarette on the backyard deck.

Millie and Rory followed Sophie to her room where they talked until dinner. They plotted various ways to ruin Jamie Sullivan's life which quickly sent them into a fit of laughter. Rory and Sophie continued to reassure Millie that her summer wouldn't be ruined.

Then they joined the rest of the family and ate a glorious spread of pho, noodles, leaf wraps, steamy rolls, and a mountain of side dishes Millie couldn't even name. They ate until their stomachs ached and her cheeks were flushed. Mrs. Pham had Oliver help with the dishes which he did, shockingly, without complaint.

Mr. Pham arrived late into the meal in his pale green hospital scrubs followed by Father Patrick who brought celebratory ice cream. Millie did her best not to eavesdrop on the whispered conversation between Oliver and his godfather while they sat on the porch steps. Mrs. Pham's kept her sharp eyes on them the entire time.

As Henry chased Lily through the grass with a lizard clutched in his hand, Millie felt both unbelievably warm and sad at the same time.

"You know, it's really weird," Sophie said quietly, pulling Millie from her reverie, "I can't really explain it, but I have this feeling. A feeling that everything is about to change. But in a good way, you know?"

"And if it's not," Rory said, "we'll come rescue you."

"Yeah, all I have to do is tell my mom that Oliver pulled another prank during Mass and she'll fly the whole family out just to yell at him."

Millie snorted and took each of her friend's hands wishing she could hang onto this moment a little longer.