Lake Magic Izzie pulled her oars out of the water and stowed them in the boat, then twitched her fishing pole. Nothing. Nothing was working out this summer. When Mom told Izzie and Jayden about her new assignment—six weeks in Afghanistan to write a magazine story—Izzie was excited for her. But then Mom left and exiled them to northern Vermont, where Gramps had his cabin on Lake Champlain. They'd hardly heard from her since then, because communication was so unreliable where she was. Izzie stirred the water with her oar. Then a far-off shape caught her eye. Could that be Champ, the Lake Champlain Monster? The shape drifted closer: a floating log. Izzie shivered, remembering that surge of excitement when Gramps reported a new Champ sighting the day before. "Yep. Three people saw it in Halloween Harbor." "Champ is really out there, isn't he?" Izzie had asked. "What if I could touch him? Maybe I could lure him in close enough with the perfect bait. Maybe . . . chicken bones? Bananas? Corn cobs?" "You know what they say, Izzie girl," Gramps said. "Touch that monster, and your fondest wish comes true." "Maybe fourteen-year-old girls are good monster bait," Jayden quipped. "But seriously, though—Champ isn't real. How can you still believe in that stuff?" In her rowboat, Izzie blinked back tears. She missed the days when Jayden was her best friend and protector, when he believed in lake magic too. Back then, she and Mom and Jayden were a squad. But Mom was often away now, and Jayden was either silent or mean. If only she could find Champ. She knew exactly what she would wish for. Izzie started rowing back. The old-fashioned telephone was ringing when Izzie entered the cabin. She ran to answer it. "Hello?" The static on the line told her it was Mom. The connection was terrible, but Mom reported that she was safe and her work was going well. She'd call again in a day or two. "Where's Jayden?" Izzie asked Gramps, anxious to share the news. "Working in the barn on some top-secret something or other," Gramps called from the kitchen, where he was fixing dinner. Izzie started toward the barn, then stopped. Jayden wouldn't want her around. She went back to the kitchen to help Gramps. After dinner, they had watermelon for dessert. Izzie challenged Jayden to a seed-spitting contest, just like always. Jayden rolled his eyes and headed back to the barn. "Wait!" Izzie said. But Jayden kept going. She stared after him. Whatever he was doing in the barn, he obviously cared more about it than he did about her. The next morning when Izzie got up, Jayden was already back in the barn. A storm was brewing, making it too dangerous to row. Izzie brooded inside the cabin, listening to the wind and rain, waiting for Mom's call. The phone sat silent. When the sky finally cleared, Izzie hurried to the boat. She knew that fish came to the water's surface after a storm. Maybe lake monsters did, too. "Come in before dark," Gramps warned as Izzie rowed away. Soon the sun glowed orange over the western mountains. Still no Champ. Then gray clouds began rolling in again, and raindrops started pelting the lake's surface. Izzie hauled toward home. As she approached Gramps's dock in the fading light, Izzie gasped. A long, humped form appeared above the waterline! Izzie surged forward, reaching out to touch it before it disappeared beneath the waves. With practiced speed, she made her wish. Her hand reached the dark shape, and its skin caved like thin plastic . . . Izzie grabbed the thing: a black garbage bag, covering what looked like a wooden frame built to resemble a monster. Izzie seethed. Then her eye caught the flickering of a flashlight. Someone onshore was tramping through the dark brush. Jayden! This was his secret project—to trick her! She rowed in as the rain intensified. Docking, she shook off the helping hand that Jayden offered. "Go away," she said. A crash of thunder seemed to echo her rage. Now the rain fell in torrents, and Izzie and Jayden raced for the cabin. Sliding into the front hall, Jayden slipped on the floor and landed with a crash. Izzie burst out laughing at the sight of his stunned expression. Gasping for breath, she said, "Serves you right, faker!" "What?" Jayden cried. "You wanted to find Champ!" "That didn't help, Jayden," she huffed. "I need the real Champ, not a dumb fake." Another lightning burst lit Jayden's face. Izzie glimpsed his honest confusion and concern. Although her clothes were dripping wet from the cold rain, Izzie suddenly felt warm and safe. Gramps appeared with dry towels. "I've made popcorn and a warm fire. And your mom called. She's fine." Gramps paused, then added, "Everybody's fine."