CHAPTER ONE

It’s Friday, and I’m in the final class of a long day at Red Tower School of Magic. Tiffany, my group mate, is working with me to finish our project—a poster on the biology of unicorns.

“Mara...” Tiffany groans. “The poster looks fine! Can we please just be done?”

“I don’t want a poster that looks ‘fine.’ I want one that looks amazing!” I insist as I carefully place stickers along the edges. “We’re almost out of time, Tiffany. Add some more glitter to the letters!”

With a huff, Tiffany grabs the tub of glitter and sprinkles it on.

Our teacher, Professor Elrod, claps her hands to get everyone’s attention.

“OK, class!” she says cheerfully. “Turn in your group posters to me, then return to your desks. I have a special announcement to end our class!”

I shake the glitter out of my dark curls and wipe the sweat off my forehead before I bring the poster to the professor’s desk. Her eyes sparkle when she sees it. “Well done! Your group did an excellent job!”

I give Professor Elrod a humble bow and sit back down at my desk, full of pride. It feels amazing to hear that my work was great, especially from someone as talented as Professor Elrod. My biggest dream is to impress her—not just with a beautiful poster, but with my powerful magic.

How can I do that? I wonder. What can I do to blow her mind?

“Great job, class!” Professor Elrod says with a smile. “Now, as I promised, I have a special announcement. The school is putting on a talent show!”

The whole class cheers. I gasp. This is my chance!

“I will be judging the contest along with three other professors. You can sign up for the talent show on the poster in the hallway. Have a good weekend, everyone!”

I quickly grab my markers, stuff them in my bag, and run out of the classroom to sign up. There’s already a group in front of the poster, all shouting over each other.

“Save room for me!”

“Can I borrow a pen to write my name?”

“Hey, no pushing!”

With my favorite sparkly purple pen, I write my name: MARA LITTLEHORN. I escape from the crowd of students and am making my way toward my locker when I hear a familiar voice.

“So... you’ve signed up for the talent show,” a witch in a tall, pointed hat says. “There’s no way you’ll win. You should quit now before you embarrass yourself.”

I roll my eyes, recognizing the voice. “Please, Brigid. What makes you think you’ll beat me?” I say with a cocky smile.

“I’m so glad you asked,” Brigid replies.

She holds her hand out in front of her, and a small red dragon appears in a burst of flame.

“This is Grimbold, my magical companion. I summoned her with ancient magic that only a few witches can cast. Together, the two of us are going to perform a fire show that will blow everyone away!”

Grimbold spreads her wings and roars, “My claws are like daggers! My wings are beautifully red! My scales are shiny! My fiery breath brings dread!”

I yawn.

“Wow, Brigid. A cat-sized dragon who can rhyme. Sooooo impressive!” I say sarcastically. “And you said the spell to summon her is difficult? Well, if YOU managed to do it, how hard could it actually be?”

Grimbold hisses at me. Brigid’s face turns bright red.

“Oh yeah?” Brigid snarls. “Well, if it’s so easy, why don’t you do it yourself, hotshot?!”

A lightbulb goes off in my head. “Great idea, Brigid! I’ll summon a magical companion of my own and bring it to the talent show!” I tease.

“There’s no way you’ll be able to do that. I look forward to seeing you fail, Mara,” Brigid growls as she stomps away.

“Don’t get your hopes up!” I say, laughing.

CHAPTER TWO

I spend all weekend reading up on ancient magic from a giant, dusty book. While researching, I learn that magical companions come from elements like fire, water, wind, and earth.

I know that earth is Professor Elrod’s favorite element, so I decide to summon an earth companion. That will impress her for sure!

After working day and night, I am finally ready to cast the spell. My eyes are heavy, and my mind is slow, but I fight off sleep.

“Nothing matters more than winning!” I chant to keep myself awake.

I gather all of the spell ingredients on my desk: a large acorn, a four-leaf clover, a tall sunflower, and a jar of honey.

With a wave of my wand, the ingredients float into the air. They transform into glowing trees, flowers, and vines that swirl around me.

“Oh, great powers of nature, hear me! I am Mara Littlehorn, the greatest witch in the land! Give me a magical companion!”

The glowing elements combine into a golden, shining ball. Slowly, the ball floats to the floor and transforms into... a squash?

Right before my eyes, the squash sprouts thin arms and legs made of vines. It spins around, revealing two big, carved-out eyes and an even bigger smile. They glow like a jack-o’-lantern, lit up by a magical and warm light. It extends a tiny hand toward me. My jaw drops.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Miss Mara Littlehorn!” the squash says. “I’m your brand new magical companion! Since you summoned me, you get to give me a name. What will it be?”

“No, there must be some kind of mistake,” I mumble. “You’re my magical companion?”

The squash looks at me with confusion. “Uh... Yes, I am. Can I have a name, please?”

I put my hands on my head in disbelief. “No, no, no! I did all of that work just to end up with a silly-looking squash? What did I do wrong?!” I shout angrily.

“Well, you asked for an earth spirit!” the squash replies. “What did you expect?”

“Something cool! A rabbit with horns, a beautiful fairy, a giant snake, maybe! Even an ugly toad would be better than you!” I rant. I pace around my room, pulling at my curls in frustration.

“How am I supposed to win the competition now? Brigid will humiliate me in front of the whole school! In front of Professor Elrod!” I sit down on my bed and cry.

“This has all gone so wrong!”

The tiny squash hops up onto my bed and sits next to me. “Oh gosh, you seem really upset,” he says calmly, patting my back. “Don’t worry, miss. It’ll be OK! I’ll do my best to help as soon as you pick a name for me.”

I growl and move away from the squash. “I don’t want your help!” I scream. “I don’t want you to be my stupid magical companion! Just go away!”

The squash backs up, looking hurt by my words. “Miss, I promise I can do everything a magical companion should and more! As soon as you name me, I can—”

“Your name is Squashy. There! Are you happy now?!” I snap. I turn off the lights in my room and tuck myself into bed. “Ugh, I can’t do this anymore—I need to go to sleep.”

Squashy giggles to himself. “Wow, what a great name! Thanks so much, Miss Mara,” he says. “Get some good sleep. You’ll feel better about everything tomorrow.”

“I doubt it,” I grumble. “Unless this is all a nightmare, and you’re not real, I’ll be just as upset tomorrow as I am right now.”

“Things will be OK, I promise! Sweet dreams, miss,” Squashy whispers.

CHAPTER THREE

I wake up sore and exhausted from staying up so late last night. As I stretch and rub my eyes, the first thing I see is Squashy sitting at the foot of my bed.

“Good morning, miss!” he says in his usual cheery tone. “How did you sleep?”

I put my head in my hands. “You’re kidding me…” I grumble. “So it wasn’t a nightmare. I’m doomed.”

Squashy frowns and walks up to me. “I’m sorry you’re still feeling upset, miss,” he says. “Can you help me understand what you’re worried about? Why do you feel like you’re doomed?”

With a big huff, I get out of bed and put on my school uniform.

“My plan was to summon a magical companion to bring to my school’s talent show. I was going to show the whole school how powerful I am, defeat my rival Brigid, and make my favorite professor proud of me. But none of that will happen because I’m a failure of a witch who can’t do anything right!”

“But Mara—you DO have a magical companion! You succeeded!” Squashy says. He hops off the bed and stands at my feet, smiling proudly at me.

I frown at him and angrily throw my books into my bookbag.

“No, I didn’t! Instead of a powerful and awesome companion, I ended up with a silly-looking, annoying little squash!” I growl. “Everyone will laugh at me when they see you! I’m dropping out of the talent show today to save myself from being humiliated.”

“Hold on, Mara! You can’t give up yet!” Squashy pleads, following me around my room. “I can show you just how powerful I am. Maybe that will change your mind!”

“Just stop! Go AWAY!” I scream, my eyes full of tears. I rush out of my room and leave Squashy behind.

At school, I don’t talk to anyone. I hide my face with my hat to avoid being noticed.

After Professor Elrod’s class, I walk up to the talent show’s sign-up poster to scratch out my name—only to see Brigid standing right in front of it. She smiles at me and pets her companion Grimbold, who’s perched on her hand.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you all day!” Brigid says with false kindness. “I wanted to see if you were able to summon a companion over the weekend, but... hmmm. I don’t see one. Was it too hard for you?”

“Go away, Brigid,” I hiss at her. I take out my favorite pen and, full of pain and regret, cross out my name on the sign-up poster. When I turn to run away, Grimbold flies in front of me and blocks my path.

“Hehehee! The witch tries to flee! I told you, master, she’s no match for you and me!” Grimbold screeches, flashing her pointy teeth.

“What’s this?! You’re quitting?!” Brigid laughs. “This is hilarious, but I’m disappointed. I wanted to beat you in front of everyone. Now I won’t get to do that. Don’t you think that’s unfair, Mara?”

My chest tightens, and my face turns bright red.

Brigid smiles darkly. “I know how you can make it up to me! I want to hear you admit that I’m better than you,” she says.

I shove my face into Brigid’s and growl, “Never.”

“If you don’t, I’ll go around and tell the entire school that you wimped out. Which will it be?” she says smugly.

I screw my eyes shut and grit my teeth. “You’re better than me,” I spit.

“Ahhh, music to my ears!” Brigid sighs dreamily. “Now get out of here, coward.”

CHAPTER FOUR

When I finally get home, I head straight to my room to hide. As I open my door, I find my room transformed into a lush forest.

Sweet-smelling flowers of every color of the rainbow cover my floor like a carpet. Mossy tree trunks grow along the walls, and small birds sit on their branches. Endless layers of leaves completely cover the ceiling. Squashy sits at the center of the room, petting a sleeping bunny.

“Welcome home, Miss Mara!” he says, full of pride. “I know the past few days have been hard for you, so I thought I’d make your room more relaxing!”

I gape at my surroundings in amazement. “You did all of this?” I say, shocked. “How?”

Squashy shrugs, trying to act cool. “With my powers as a magical companion, of course! Here, come pet this bunny. It’ll make you feel better,” he says, patting the ground next to him.

I take a seat next to Squashy and gently pet the bunny’s silky-soft fur. The bunny curls up closer to me, and I feel my stress start to melt away.

“So... Mara,” Squashy says. “How did today go?”

“Horribly,” I groan loudly. “Brigid saw me drop out of the contest and bullied me for it. I feel awful.”

Squashy frowns deeply. “I’m so sorry, Mara. You didn’t deserve that. And I’m sorry you had to drop out of the contest, too. I know how much it meant to you.”

I nod in response. As I pet the bunny, I admire all of Squashy’s hard work.

“My room is beautiful, Squashy. You did a great job,” I say quietly. “I’m sorry I’ve been so mean to you. You didn’t deserve it. You were just trying to help me.”

“Thank you, Mara. I forgive you. I know you want to be left alone now, so I’ll go.”

Squashy skips and hops across my room until he lands on my open window. He looks back at me and gives me a small wave. Suddenly, my heart hurts. I don’t want Squashy to leave!

“Wait! Don’t go!” I yell, scrambling after him. “I changed my mind. I want you to be my companion, Squashy. And I want to enter the talent show together.”

Squashy gives me a big smile and squeals. “Do you really mean it? Really, really?”

“We’ll have to come up with something totally amazing and practice really hard... But I think we can do it if we work together! What do you say? Are you in?” I ask, reaching my hand out.

Squashy jumps for joy and gives me a firm handshake. “Let’s do this, Mara!”

With only three days left until the talent show, Squashy and I work hard to prepare.

We create an amazing plan: Squashy is going to create a magical forest right on stage, and I’m going to use my powers to twist and shape the forest into a living art piece. Then, Squashy’s animal friends are going to come on stage and pose.

We practice over and over again, getting better each time. I feel more confident than ever—we’re going to win!

Two days later, after Professor Elrod’s class, I walk up to the talent show’s sign-up poster again and write our names in the very last slot: MARA LITTLEHORN AND SQUASHY.

Waiting for me in the shadows, as usual, are Brigid and Grimbold. As they approach, I give them a smile.

“Guess what, Brigid? I’m signing back up for the talent show!” I say with excitement. Brigid stares at me, utterly shocked.

“What?! But how?! The show is tomorrow!” Brigid yells, arms crossed. She squints at my name on the sign-up poster. “And... who is ‘Squashy’?”

I shrug casually and walk away. “I can’t tell you. It’ll ruin the surprise of my performance!” I call to Brigid over my shoulder. “I wish you luck, Brigid. You’ll need it!”

CHAPTER FIVE

The day of the talent show finally arrives. The school’s theater is packed with hundreds of excited students and teachers. Backstage, I straighten my hat and try to calm my nerves. Squashy and the animals are hidden in my bag, trying not to make any noise.

Suddenly, the theater darkens. A bright light shines on the stage, and Professor Elrod walks out.

“Welcome to the Red Tower School of Magic Talent Show! Are you ready to see what our amazing students have in store?” she shouts. The crowd cheers and claps loudly.

“Let the show begin!” Professor Elrod says and steps offstage.

I watch carefully from backstage as students perform one by one.

One sings with a band of frogs, one covers the stage in giant bubbles, and another makes books float in the air.

Though their acts are good, I feel confident that no one will be able to beat me and Squashy. That is, until Brigid steps onstage.

She begins her show by stomping her foot loudly and shooting fire from her palms. Grimbold appears from the flames and sits on Brigid’s hand.

“Allow me to introduce my magical companion—Grimbold!” Brigid shouts. “Prepare yourselves for a dangerous show!”

Suddenly, Grimbold flies from Brigid’s hand and screeches loudly. Without warning, she turns around and shoots a fireball straight at Brigid! The crowd screams in panic!

Just as Brigid is about to burst into flames, she stops the fireball with a wave of her wand. She smiles at the crowd—this was planned!

The two begin a crazy battle, shooting fireballs and spells at each other. The stage lights up like a fireworks show.

Grimbold dives at Brigid with fiery fangs, ready to bite! Before Grimbold can reach her, Brigid traps her in an icy cage.

The fight is over—and Brigid is the winner! The crowd roars and cheers in amazement.

“Oh no. That was incredible!” I whisper. “There’s no way we can win now…”

Squashy pokes his head out of the bag. “Of course we can! We have something amazing prepared, Mara!” he says.

It’s our turn to perform next. As Brigid walks offstage with a big smile, my heart sinks.

“Squashy,” I whisper into my bag. “Our performance won’t be enough. We need to do more.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to add something new right now. We’re about to go on!” Squashy says, concerned.

I ignore Squashy and desperately search my brain for any ideas. I think back to what it was that made the crowd cheer the loudest—fire! If I use fire, I can one-up Brigid, too!

“I’ve got an idea. Just follow my lead!” I say. Determined, I walk to the center of the stage and put my bag down.

“I am the amazing Mara Littlehorn, the greatest witch in the land!” I announce loudly. “Today, I will create a masterpiece before your very eyes with the help of my magical companion—the amazing Squashy!”

Right on cue, Squashy leaps from my bookbag and lands on the stage. The crowd is full of laughs and confused looks.

Ignoring the crowd, Squashy begins to dance around. Trees and flowers grow everywhere that his feet touch, until the whole stage becomes a forest.

I twirl my wand around rapidly, and the forest begins to change.

Tree trunks twist into braids as easily as hair, the grass rolls like ocean waves, and tiny flowers grow gigantic.

The whole forest takes the shape of a giant, smiling face.

The animals jump out of my bookbag and strike poses. Everything is going perfectly, just as planned.

Now, for my idea!

“Back up!” I warn everyone on stage. Before anyone can react, I wave my wand, and the giant face snarls and breathes fire. The crowd cheers loudly, but the stage quickly falls into chaos.

“Run for your life!” Squashy screams. He dashes offstage with the bunny in his arms. The birds fly away in a panic, bumping into each other midair.

The crowd stares at me, worried and confused. I give a quick bow and chase after Squashy. “W-wait! Come back!”

CHAPTER SIX

“Squashy! Animals! Where are you?!” I shout as I search backstage. Just as I’m about to give up, I finally find Squashy and the animals trembling in a corner.

“Squashy, what happened? Why did you all run away?!” I ask, dropping to my knees. With his head bowed low, Squashy shuffles toward me.

“I-I’m terrified of fire, Mara. We all are!” he cries. “I tried to tell you that adding something new was a bad idea!”

“But we were doing so well! Now everything is ruined!” I say firmly. My mind is a storm of anger.

Squashy stands his ground. “I’m sorry we ran off, but you didn’t tell us what you were planning. We all got really scared. I could have been roasted!”

I look at the animals and see just how frightened they are. Even Squashy looks afraid. A horrible knot forms in my stomach. I feel bad for yelling at them.

“I didn’t mean to scare you all, but I had to try something! Brigid’s performance was too good. W-we were going to lose!” I stutter.

“Sure, our performance wasn’t flashy or fiery like Brigid’s. So what?” Squashy says. “It showed off OUR talent—using the beauty of earth! Brigid is skilled, yes, but she never could have done what we did. Why would you try to be more like her instead of being yourself?”

It hits me. This is all my fault. My heart shatters into a million pieces.

“Everyone, I’m so sorry! Especially to you, Squashy,” I sob. “I should have listened to you. I’ve treated you horribly, even though you just wanted to help me. And I put you all in danger with that fire! I know I’m asking you to forgive me again, Squashy, but can you find it in your heart to do it?”

Squashy and the animals jump into my arms and pull me into a hug.

“I can, Mara. All of us can,” he says.

“Thank you, Squashy,” I cry.

Suddenly, a voice booms, “We will now announce the winner of this year’s talent show!”

I gasp. Squashy, the animals, and I run to get a good view of the stage. All of the performers watch anxiously as Professor Elrod smiles at the crowd.

“The judges have voted. The winner is…”

I bite my nails. Squashy covers his eyes.

“Brigid Langley!”

The entire theater explodes with applause! Brigid and Grimbold run on stage and take a bow. Though tears stream down my face, I clap for Brigid with everyone else.

The students and teachers slowly walk out of the theater and head home. Our animal friends say goodbye and head back to the forest.

Squashy and I sit under a tree outside the school, watching the crowd walk by.

Suddenly, someone waves at me. It’s Professor Elrod!

“There you are, Mara!” she says, walking toward me. “I’m glad you’re still here. I wanted to tell you that I voted for you to win the contest. You really blew me away!”

“Really? Th-thank you, Professor! You are my greatest inspiration!” I stutter.

Professor Elrod shakes her head. “No, Mara. You inspire me! You have a very bright future ahead of you, young lady.”

Squashy looks at me with pride. I can’t believe it. I impressed Professor Elrod! I’m so excited that I forget all about the talent show... until Brigid and Grimbold walk up to us.

“What? Mara copied my act by using fire and then lost. That’s not very inspiring. It’s embarrassing, actually!” Brigid snaps. Grimbold points and laughs at us mockingly.

“Excuse you, young lady!” Professor Elrod says, shocked. “Just because you won does not mean you can bully others. That is poor sportsmanship!”

“But it’s the truth! You should be celebrating ME, not—”

“That’s enough! Unless you want me to tell the other judges about your behavior, you will apologize to Miss Littlehorn right now,” the professor says fiercely.

Brigid’s eyes meet mine. She scowls deeply. I smile back.

“I. Am. Sorry,” she spits out through gritted teeth. She and Grimbold scurry off in shame.

After waving goodbye, Professor Elrod follows behind her to head home.

“Mara, I know a lot of stuff went wrong,” Squashy says. “But I want you to know that I’m proud of you. You worked so hard, went up on stage, and put yourself out there. And you did great!”

“You really think so? Even though I treated you badly?” I ask.

Squashy nods and smiles at me. “Yep! It’s over and done with, Mara. I’m not angry.”

“Well, I’m proud of you, too! Your dance moves on stage were amazing!” I giggle.

“I know, right? I killed it out there!”

Squashy and I walk home from school together, laughing and smiling the whole way.