Nowhere Boys by Elise Mccredie Page A

pages of spells, just as he’d remembered. Spells for anything you could think of: How to fly ; How to speak in tongues ; How to stop your rabbit running away . Felix flipped through them anxiously. He stopped suddenly. There it was: the spiral diagram. He quickly pulled out his Book of Shadows and looked at his drawing. A perfect match. His eyes lit up. He turned the page and began to read. These symbols represent the marks of –
    ‘Find what you’re looking for?’
    Felix slammed the book shut and turned. Phoebe was standing behind him with her arms crossed.
    ‘Ah, no. Still looking.’
    Phoebe put her hand out. ‘I’ll have my book back, thank you.’
    Felix hesitated. ‘It was on the shelf.’
    ‘Don’t lie to me.’
    Felix tried another tack. ‘I just … Please. I really need to check something out.’
    Phoebe shook her head. ‘No.’
    ‘Please!’
    ‘No.’
    Felix reluctantly handed the book over, and Phoebe took it back to the counter.
    Felix followed her. He couldn’t give up. He had to find out what those spirals were.
    Phoebe pushed the Book of Shadows under the counter, out of sight. She looked up at Felix. ‘I think we’re done here.’
    Felix took a deep breath. He had to take a chance. ‘We … I mean … I’m being chased by something evil and I need –’
    ‘Don’t use the word “evil”. It’s so judgemental.’
    Felix sighed. She wasn’t making this easy. But he wasn’t going to give up. He knew she was connected to all of this, somehow. ‘Okay, not evil but bad. Very bad. I think it’s some sort of spirit.’ He eyed her carefully.
    Phoebe rolled her eyes. ‘A bad spirit? How terrifying for you.’ She gestured to the box on the counter full of crystals in bags. ‘Why don’t you buy a bag of protective amulets?’
    Felix looked at the unpromising crystals. ‘How much are they?’
    ‘How much have you got?’
    Felix shrugged. ‘Nothing.’
    ‘Thought as much.’
    Felix wondered if he should take some. It would be better than having no protection. ‘I could work it off, if you like. Do some shifts here for free.’
    Phoebe looked horrified at the thought. ‘God, no. Just take a bag. They’re past their use-by date anyway.’
    Felix picked a bag out of the box. ‘Since when did protective amulets have use-by dates?’
    ‘Since they came from Korea.’
    Felix looked at the tiny plastic-looking crystals. ‘Will they work?’
    ‘Depends if you have the gift, Felix.’
    Felix looked up sharply. Phoebe was staring at him intently. ‘How do you know my name?’
    Phoebe held his gaze and then smiled. ‘It’s on your book.’
    Felix looked down to see his name on his Book of Shadows, which was poking out of his open bag. He grabbed another couple of bags of crystals just to be sure. ‘Thank you, Phoebe .’
    Felix headed for the door.
    ‘Wait. How did you know my name?’
    Felix smiled and let the door bang behind him. That’d make her wonder.
    Felix made his way back down the steps and onto the street. He had a strange feeling. There was a noise coming from above him, a bit like he’d heard in the powerlines a few days ago. He looked up, and realised it wasn’t coming from powerlines, but from the trees. It was a humming noise, and it was getting louder. He fingered the crystals in his pocket. Man, he hoped plastic crystals from Korea could protect them.
    Ahead of him, standing on the corner, Felix caught sight of Ellen. She was standing by a pole, taping a flyer to it. His heart leapt. ‘Hey, Ellen, er – isn’t it?’
    She looked up. Her eyes were red as if she’d been crying.
    ‘How are you?’ asked Felix, not sure what else to say.
    ‘Great,’ she answered sarcastically. ‘First I nearly get run over by a bus on the way to school, and now Wiki’s gone missing.’
    Felix read the flyer.
    MISSING
    ONE JACK RUSSELL
    ANSWERS TO THE NAME OF WIKILEAKS
    ‘What happened to him?’ asked Felix
    ‘I don’t know. He didn’t come home last night.’
    ‘Maybe if