concentrate on falling asleep.”
Missy followed me up the stairs to my bedroom. She took her place at the foot of my bed as I set the alarm clock for ten o ’clock.
I thought about reading something to try to relax, but decided against it. I loved books of all kinds, especially the Nancy Drew mystery stories. When I was little, I imagined myself solving mysteries and being a heroine.
My mind was racing as I climbed into bed. I tried to imagine what the night had in store for me. I had always had exceptional concentration, so I closed my eyes and focused on falling asleep. The midnight ceremony was going to be one of the most important moments of my life, but I had no concept of the world that was about to open up to me. My wildest fantasies were about to become a living reality.
CHAPTER 3
I woke up at ten o’clock when the alarm went off. I remembered my mother’s instructions. “Dress as plain as possible and don’t wear a drop of makeup.” I put on a pair of jeans and a plain shirt. I looked at myself in the mirror and giggled. I certainly wasn’t dressed to please the boys.
Mom and Dad were waiting for me when I entered the living room. We had been making small talk for about fifteen minutes when the doorbell rang. The first of my grandparents to arrive were James and Pauline French. My grandfather owned a large architectural firm in Charlotte and my dad was the vice-president.
“Are you excited about tonight?” asked Pauline.
“ I sure am. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“ Just don’t get your hopes too high.”
“ Maybe I’ll end up being an Ivarr.”
Pauline lifted an eyebrow. “I see your father’s been telling you stories.”
“ Do you think the Ivarr is a silly story?”
“ I didn’t say that. My research has convinced me they existed, but the last one I researched lived a thousand years ago.”
“ Maybe I’ll get lucky.”
“ That’s what I’ve always like about you,” said my grandfather. “You have a positive attitude and you don’t discourage easily.”
“ Thanks, Grandpa. You’re as sweet as you are handsome.”
Pauline laughed. “Janis, you don’t need the power of an Ivarr to wrap your grandfather around your little finger.”
The doorbell rang again, announcing the arrival of my mother ’s parents, George and Martha Greer. George Greer owned a construction company and Martha looked fifteen years younger than her age. She was the talk of the Clans because her powers had only diminished slightly with age. I didn’t see anything wrong with using your powers if you wanted to look younger. Sometimes my parents would go out dancing and they’d shave a couple of years off their age just for the fun of it. I was just the opposite because I wanted to look older. I was only in tenth grade and I felt like a dork around the juniors and seniors.
“ This is a very special night,” said George.
“ I know, Grandpa. I hardly slept last night.”
“ Everyone goes through the same thing,” said Martha. “I remember when I had my ceremony, but that was a long, long time ago.”
“ Aw, come on, Grandma. You don’t look a day over forty and you’re a beautiful woman. I bet you had so many boys chasing you when you were my age, you had to carry a big sick to beat them off.”
“ There she goes with the compliments,” said George. “She’s a real charmer.”
“ Don’t you dare tease her,” said Martha. “All women love flattery, especially when they know someone’s telling the truth.”
My grandmother managed to keep a straight face until everyone burst out laughing. I was surprised at my grandmother’s sense of humor. She was the serious type who usually didn’t joke around.
Everyone was making small talk until the clock read five minutes to midnight. My father stood up and made an announcement. “It’s approaching midnight and we should take our places at the dining room table.”
My father dimmed the lights and placed a
Missy followed me up the stairs to my bedroom. She took her place at the foot of my bed as I set the alarm clock for ten o ’clock.
I thought about reading something to try to relax, but decided against it. I loved books of all kinds, especially the Nancy Drew mystery stories. When I was little, I imagined myself solving mysteries and being a heroine.
My mind was racing as I climbed into bed. I tried to imagine what the night had in store for me. I had always had exceptional concentration, so I closed my eyes and focused on falling asleep. The midnight ceremony was going to be one of the most important moments of my life, but I had no concept of the world that was about to open up to me. My wildest fantasies were about to become a living reality.
CHAPTER 3
I woke up at ten o’clock when the alarm went off. I remembered my mother’s instructions. “Dress as plain as possible and don’t wear a drop of makeup.” I put on a pair of jeans and a plain shirt. I looked at myself in the mirror and giggled. I certainly wasn’t dressed to please the boys.
Mom and Dad were waiting for me when I entered the living room. We had been making small talk for about fifteen minutes when the doorbell rang. The first of my grandparents to arrive were James and Pauline French. My grandfather owned a large architectural firm in Charlotte and my dad was the vice-president.
“Are you excited about tonight?” asked Pauline.
“ I sure am. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“ Just don’t get your hopes too high.”
“ Maybe I’ll end up being an Ivarr.”
Pauline lifted an eyebrow. “I see your father’s been telling you stories.”
“ Do you think the Ivarr is a silly story?”
“ I didn’t say that. My research has convinced me they existed, but the last one I researched lived a thousand years ago.”
“ Maybe I’ll get lucky.”
“ That’s what I’ve always like about you,” said my grandfather. “You have a positive attitude and you don’t discourage easily.”
“ Thanks, Grandpa. You’re as sweet as you are handsome.”
Pauline laughed. “Janis, you don’t need the power of an Ivarr to wrap your grandfather around your little finger.”
The doorbell rang again, announcing the arrival of my mother ’s parents, George and Martha Greer. George Greer owned a construction company and Martha looked fifteen years younger than her age. She was the talk of the Clans because her powers had only diminished slightly with age. I didn’t see anything wrong with using your powers if you wanted to look younger. Sometimes my parents would go out dancing and they’d shave a couple of years off their age just for the fun of it. I was just the opposite because I wanted to look older. I was only in tenth grade and I felt like a dork around the juniors and seniors.
“ This is a very special night,” said George.
“ I know, Grandpa. I hardly slept last night.”
“ Everyone goes through the same thing,” said Martha. “I remember when I had my ceremony, but that was a long, long time ago.”
“ Aw, come on, Grandma. You don’t look a day over forty and you’re a beautiful woman. I bet you had so many boys chasing you when you were my age, you had to carry a big sick to beat them off.”
“ There she goes with the compliments,” said George. “She’s a real charmer.”
“ Don’t you dare tease her,” said Martha. “All women love flattery, especially when they know someone’s telling the truth.”
My grandmother managed to keep a straight face until everyone burst out laughing. I was surprised at my grandmother’s sense of humor. She was the serious type who usually didn’t joke around.
Everyone was making small talk until the clock read five minutes to midnight. My father stood up and made an announcement. “It’s approaching midnight and we should take our places at the dining room table.”
My father dimmed the lights and placed a
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