Chapter One

Maybe it was the humid air. Or BJ’s hot breath. But how the heck did I start a fire!

It all began in Potions class. Mr. Rye read off the attendance, and dreamily ended with “Wang, Meilin.” 

Rye turned to the board slowly. “Today you’ll will complete the Spark potion. Instructions are on your Podesk. Good luck.” 

The instructions called for exactly three drops of essence of salamander, but BJ, my clumsy lab partner, bumped my elbow right as I tipped the vial. Instead of a controlled simmer, a tiny purple spark leaped from my cauldron and landed squarely on a stack of dry parchment. Within seconds, the paper flared into a brilliant orange blaze, licking the underside of the wooden shelves above us.

Mr. Rye dropped his chalk, his dreamy demeanor instantly vanishing as he dove for the fire extinguisher. The classroom erupted into chaos with students shrieking and scrambling backward from the heat. BJ just stood there with his mouth wide open, coughing on the black smoke that was rapidly filling our corner of the dungeon.

At this point, my throat was sore from coughing and my black hair was sticking up. Mr. Rye wiped his glasses, dug into his drawer and handed us a detention slip.

So now I’m sitting on the bench staring at Ms. Minotaur click-clacking on her computer, and BJ shot me daggers.