Pitch Madness B-6: MG: NIKA OF THE EAST

Genre: MG Fantasy

Word Count: 45,000

Pitch:

Tired of dastardly doings, a young Witched Witch tries to convince her teachers to let her be Good, but they accuse her of stealing. She must quickly prove her innocence, or risk banishment from Oz.

Excerpt:

Nika of the East was late. The office she needed was at the end of a corridor longer than the Field of Poppies, and Nika winced, knowing she would never make it in time. Her wings fluttered as she ran, lifting her off the floor and into the air just a bit. With effort Nika snapped her wings flat against her back and descended back to the floor, running for the door as fast as she could. If she could just get there before Miss Lundersnall, she could sneak in. Her wings wanted to break free and help her zoom the last few feet, but she kept them still. Lundersnall didn’t like fliers, and she didn’t want to give the teacher further ammunition against her.

Nika’s black heels clicked on the floor as she ran. Not for the first time, she wished she could wear delicate slippers like the witches of the North, but her mother would never let her get away with that. Witches of the East wore clunky black heels. They never, ever wore anything resembling a slipper.

Hoping she wasn’t about to break an ankle, Nika threw herself into the doorway and crashed directly with Lundersnall. The small teacher scowled.

“Nika. You’re late.”

Nika’s shoulders hunched. “Sorry.”

Lundersnall pointed to a lumpy red chair and Nika scrambled into it. Settling into the desk opposite Nika, Lundersnall picked up a sheet of paper. After scanning it quickly, she lifted an eyebrow.

“You wish to become a Good Witch?”

Mr. Boddy is found lying on the landing at the top of the stairs bleeding from a gash in the back of his head. Flakes of gold-leaf dot his hair around the wound. There’s a pen in his hand with the Happy Times Retirement Home logo on it.