T*Witches 3: Seeing Is Deceiving by Randi Reisfeld, H.B. Gilmour Page B

She’d heard this creature before.
    It was …?! That warlock! The one who could shape-shift into a giant lizard. The one Ileana had called Fredo. Cam remembered because at the time it had sounded to her like “a-fraid-o.” He’d tried before to capture the twins. That time, their fierce protector Ileana had been there.
    Now Cam was on her own.
    He lunged at her, but she was too fast and too clever. Pulling a move perfected on the soccer field, Cam faked to the left, then ducked under his right arm and dashed out the door — she headed straight into the middle of the packed dance floor, which was hazy now, gradually filling with smoke.
    Racing, Cam blew by shocked kids, who stopped, startled, in mid-dance.
    “Get Mrs. Hammond!!” she yelled, blasting toward their principal, who was one of the chaperones.
    The acrid smoke was heating up the gym. Thesmoke alarms sounded. Followed by a wave of widespread panic.
    Then, several sudden blasts nearly drowned out the hysterical crowd. Cam whirled around and saw him — Fredo! — over by the buffet! Methodically hurling meatballs up at the ceiling — with such force, he burst every lightbulb, pitching the gym into darkness!
    Her own searchlight eyes could see what no one else could: The frustrated, fuming warlock turned to the stage and furiously pitched meatballs at the band. Instantly, their amplifiers sizzled and burst! What was he doing? Blowing up the gym? Cam expected to see flames shooting out from the stage.
    Instead, she felt water… slimy, dirty, gunk-filled, rushing up to her ankles. What? Fredo was now standing against the back wall, gripping the main waterpipe with Godzilla-like strength — so hard, it burst. The smell of rotten, sewagelike slime engulfed the room. It was as if some polluted river had overflowed. The faux snow that had covered the floor now mixed with rust from the pipes.
    Panic morphed to pandemonium. Marble Bay High’s once enchanted evening was turning into a black and slimy nightmare; the winter wonderland now resembled a giant mosh pit, packed with frightened teenagers screaming, shoving, stampeding through the swampy floor for the doors.
    The chaperones mobilized into action. Principal Hammond bounded onto the stage and grabbed the microphone from the bewildered band —
    “Stay calm, everyone! Stop right now! The gym is not on fire! The flood will not hurt you. You are safe. Your teachers and chaperones will open the doors and you will file out in a calm manner.”
    Principal Hammond’s valiant effort was no match for the rising water and the choking stench in the room. Sobbing, shrieking kids slipped and fell in swampy muck, trying to get out. Cam started to feel herself swallowed up by the crowd, caught in a tangle of swinging arms and legs. Above the din, she thought she heard her friends calling for one another. She had to do something — but what? What good was stunning people, dazzling them into confessing, and setting things afire now? The only thing she could do was see in the dark, and maybe create a beam of light that would lead people to the doorways.
    But as she trained her gaze on the largest set of double doors, someone grabbed her. Shane had her by the arm. Adrenaline kicked in and with superstrength, she untangled herself and got away. That’s when she saw Beth, arms flailing wildly, dress soaked, bending down — when she straightened up, Beth had pulled the much shorter Bree up off the floor, saving her from being trampled. Cam bolted over in their direction. She saw Sukari’ssash, floating in the now knee-high water and felt sick, until she heard Suke’s calm yet commanding voice. “Kristen! Amanda! Stay with me! Hang on!”
    He grabbed her from behind. Cam felt an arm wrapped tightly around her waist. “I’ve got you now!”
    “Never! You’ll never get me!” she shrieked. Without thinking, she bent forward and sunk her teeth into his arm. It was only when he yelped, “Oww! What are you doing?” that Cam