The rest of the day was uneventful, thankfully Summer wasn't in Kennedy's afternoon class. One student who had gone to the nurse's office said he saw Summer waiting for her parents to bring a change of clothes because she refused to wear 'donated rags' from the nurse.

"Watch out for more muddy puddles." warned Mrs Barry before dismissing everyone to their next class. "Sounds to me like one of the underground water pipes burst again."

With no more drama to distract her, Kennedy could focus on her favorite subject: science. Her math and science teacher Mr. Miguel seemed to be as enthusiastic about science as she was. He was a short and stocky man, giving him the appearance of a bulldog. Nevertheless he was a pleasant person who had a tendency of rambling on and on when he got too excited about a topic. Kennedy didn't mind though.

Class was even more fun with Avi by her side. He struggled with both subjects and appreciated Kennedy's help with the assignments. She was enjoying herself so much she hardly noticed as the end of the day drew near. When the final bell rang for everyone to pack up she almost protested, 'just a few more minutes.'

She and Avi met up with Reggie. Walking out with them and discussing their school day made Kennedy feel like a normal girl. The feeling was short lived once she approached Aggie waiting in the car, well she was actually on top of the car.

Her aunt sat motionless with her feet crossed on Winston's hood, both hands resting on her knees with her palms facing up. As Kennedy got closer she realized Aggie's eyes were closed.

"Um....aunt Aggie?" Said Kennedy when she reached the car.

Aggie snapped out of her trance. "Querida!" She shouted as she jumped off the hood. Aggie ran up to Kennedy and lifted her up off the ground with ease.

"Did you enjoy your first day? What did you learn about? Did you eat enough lunch? Tell me everything!"

Kennedy hopped in the car and happily told Aggie all about her day on the ride home. She got to the part about the mud puddle and toads and Aggie nearly burst from laughing so hard.

"Sounds like she got what she deserves." Stated Aggie with a nod. "Still, that was a close call. The mud can be explained away but you turning into an elf in front of all those humans would cause problems. Looks like I will have to start your training sooner than later."

"Training?"

"Si, I'd hoped to give you a few weeks to settle in but I did not expect your magic to be so unpredictable. We will start today."

At home, Aggie walked through the door and immediately ran down to the basement to grab what she needed for Kennedy's lesson. Kennedy went upstairs to put up her backpack, but was half-tempted to take a peek into the open door. 'No, I promised Aggie I wouldn't', she thought as she forced herself to keep walking. When she came back down, the basement door was closed again.

"Back here querida!"

Kennedy looked down the hall towards the kitchen. The back door was open and she could see her aunt waving at her from outside.

"Why out here?" She asked.

"There is more room to practice." explained Aggie. "And more room to make mistakes."

Aggie stood next to their garden full of fruits, vegetables and herbs. In front of her was a wooden table with a stack of books, a large gold spoon, a clay pot and a stone herb grinder. Behind her was what looked like a set up for a fire pit, with a hook attached to a bar hanging over the logs.

"What's all this for?" asked Kennedy. "I thought you were going to teach me a lesson on magic, not cooking."

"Ah, but for elves cooking and magic can be one and the same." Aggie stepped inside the garden and plucked a few plants. When she walked back she laid out bunches of each plant on the table in front of Kennedy. "Do you recognize any of these?"

Kennedy analyzed each plant. "The first one is chamomile and that one's lavender. Mama Tina used those in her tea. I don't recognize the other two."

"Si, I remember she really liked to make tea. When you were ill or anxious, would she make you some?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with magic? A lot of people drink tea when they aren't well."

"They do, but us elves have a deeper connection with the Earth than humans. All we need is the right combination of plants, metals, stones or crystals. We can use what the earth gives us to make elixirs, potions, charms and magical tools. Even things as simple as sunshine can be used for our magical purposes."

"Is that what you were doing earlier? When you were sitting on top of the car?"

"Si! I got a little tired so I soaked up energy from the sun. It takes practice but if you concentrate and relax your body you can use the sun and even the moon to recharge like a battery. But that is a lesson for another time."

Aggie took a book from the top of the stack. The title across the top said Beginners Book of Simple Elixirs: Edition 351. She flipped through the book, scanning the pages and reading under her breath.

"Ah-ha!" She exclaimed when she found what she was looking for. "Here we are, Lion Tamer: Elixir to Control Amature Magic. You will need to spray some on like perfume each day, luckily this is one of the better smelling elixirs."

Aggie pointed to the lavender and chamomile. "These two plants combined together as a tea make a weaker version of this elixir. Mama Tina preferred to keep her magic simple." She said with a shrug.

Aggie walked towards the pit to start the fire and asked Kennedy to read the ingredients out loud. The first half was pretty straight forward, chamomile for tranquility, lavender for focus, fairy wand stems for protection so you don't cause harm to yourself or others, and Aloe to prevent accidents. However the rest of the ingredients had Kennedy scratching her head. An heirloom old and dear, metal forged with pure intent and a memory drifting in the wind.

"What do those last three mean? How can a memory be part of the ingredients?"

"Oh querida, I forget how little you have been taught." She grabbed the clay pot and set it in front of Kennedy. "This pot belonged to my mother and her mother, and her mother and her mother. This will be our heirloom old and dear."

She took the big golden spoon into her hand, gazing at it fondly. "My father made me this. He was an excellent blacksmith and a better alchemist. He made this for me on my 9th birthday, charmed with a jar containing my first laugh as a baby and bathed in the light of a full moon. Metal forged with pure intent."

"Okay, but what about the memory drifting in the wind?"

"That is not as tricky as it sounds. All you have to do is think of a memory and say it out loud."

"That's it? Why not say that in the first place?"

"Oh it's just the way of the elves querida. We prize sharp minds and can't help but turn everything into a poem or puzzle." Aggie placed the herbs inside the herb grinder and slowly began crushing them. "Take the clay pot into the kitchen, Kennedy. Fill it halfway with water."

Kennedy did as she was told. The pot was not that heavy, so she had no trouble carrying it into the house. However once full she had a harder time, the water sloshed in the pot as she carefully shuffled back to the table outside. Aggie had just finished grinding the last of the herbs. She helped Kennedy wrap a chain around the pot and hang it on the hook over the fire.

"Fantástico! Let's begin." Aggie threw a handful of each herb into the pot. She then handed the gold spoon to Kennedy. "Stir it well, querida. As you stir you must say a pleasant memory out loud. Make sure to give lots of detail and speak directly into the pot."

Kennedy took the spoon and dipped it into the elixir. She racked her brain, trying to think of a really good memory.

"This summer I went to the lake with my friends, Reggie and Avi. Their parents were there too, we rented a boat and drove up and down the lake until we found the perfect picnic spot. Reggie taught me how to do a backflip off the dock and Avi found a bird's nest with baby chicks. We cooked out and stuffed our faces, Avi's mom brought watermelon and we had a contest to see who could spit seeds the farthest, Avi won. We took pictures and watched the sun set. Later we all fell asleep on the boat ride home. It was a great day."

As soon as Kennedy finished recalling her memory, the elixir began to glow bright yellow. She gasped as it bubbled up to the brim. Soon the glow dimmed and the boiling liquid settled down to a simmer. Aggie took a rag and cautiously lifted the pot off the hook. She set it down on the table, took the spoon from Kennedy and stirred the elixir a few more times.

"Well done, remarkable girl!" She said with a smile. "The consistency is nice and runny and the yellow color is as bright as the sun."

Aggie pulled a box out from under the table and dug out an old glass bottle. She poured some of the elixir in the bottle, screwed the top on and handed it to Kennedy.

"Here you go. Put this in your bathroom, every morning when you get ready sprinkle yourself from head to toe. I will store the rest of the elixir in the basement. When you run out, tell me and I will refill your bottle."

Kennedy nodded as she took the bottle from Aggie. It was warm in her hands. If she didn't know better she would think this was a regular bottle of perfume. She beamed, her first elixir. Later as Kennedy helped Aggie clean up, she couldn't help but smile and feel grateful to have such wonderful teachers both at school and at home.