Rufus and the Witch's Drudge: Rufus and Magic

By Marilyn Levinson

Fifth-grader Rufus Breckenridge is spending the month of July in the South of France with his best friend Billy Cameron and Billy's parents. They are staying at a villa owned by the Beaufonts, friends of the Camerons. Rufus has a crush on Danielle Beaufont and

• Language: English
• Publisher: Level Elevate
• Release date: May 7, 2024
• ISBN: 9781685126247

Marilyn Levinson

A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook she writes the Haunted Library series. Death Overdue, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Out of Circulation, the eighth book in the series, will be published in August, 2024. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series and the Twin Lakes series.  Her juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children's Book Council Children's Choice and has recently come out in a new edition. And Don't Bring Jeremy was a nominee for six state awards. Her YA horror, The Devil's Pawn, will be out in a new edition in 2024. Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids and playing with her kittens, Romeo and Juliet.

Book preview

Chapter One

Hey, Rufus! Billy called to me from the other end of the pool. Guess what big doings are coming our way.

I groaned. Billy Cameron was my best friend, but his guessing games were driving me nuts. Lay it on me already. You know you want to.

That’s no fun. You have to guess. Trust me, it’s something you’ll like. And no fair reading my mind.

Billy! I warned. You promised.

Relax. The words ‘magic’ and ‘witch’ will never pass my lips when anyone’s around. My parents can’t hear us. Billy pointed to the steep slope descending to the beach. They’re halfway down the hill with Jacques, trying to get him to reveal the secret of his green thumb.

I don’t care about any big doings. I’m fine with the way things are right now. I gazed up at the white villa that was our home for the summer. It even had a name: Villa Bella Vista, and it stood high above the Mediterranean Sea. The place was humongous, with twelve rooms and extensive gardens that required the constant attention of a full-time gardener. Not to mention the two elderly servants who looked after Billy, his parents, and me. I didn’t even have to make my own bed. It was like living in a palace.

I’ll give you a hint, Billy said, persistent as ever. "We’re having company this weekend. Actually, we are the company."

He let loose his hyena laugh that made me want to reach for his throat. Then his words hit home and I nearly tumbled off my float. The Beaufonts are coming?

Got it in one, Rufus. I’m proud of you!

Jean-Paul and Angela Beaufont owned the Villa Bella Vista. Billy’s dad knew Jean-Paul from business, and they’d become great friends. Which was why they’d invited the Camerons to spend the summer at their villa.

Is Danielle coming, too? I turned away so Billy wouldn’t see how simply saying her name revved up my magical energy, which I was learning to control. It took all my concentration to keep from zipping our floats around the pool.

Of course. Do you think her parents would leave her alone in their Paris apartment while they spent a week on the Cote d’Azur?

A week? Billy’s news made me happy and nervous at the same time. Danielle Beaufont was the most awesome girl I’d ever met, and not just because she was as pretty as Taylor Swift. She was smart and funny. I usually didn’t pay much attention to girls, and they never paid attention to me. But Danielle liked to talk to me. Of course, that would come to an end if she found out I was a witch.

That’s nice, I said, hating the way my voice came out squeaky.

Billy grinned. I thought you’d like that piece of news. Saturday, we’re going out on the Beaufonts’ yacht. We’re sailing all the way to Italy.

The butterflies started up in my stomach. Really? Isn’t Italy kind of far from here?

That’s the best part! We’ll be sleeping on board, all seven of us. I’ve never slept on a boat before.

Me, neither. And I’m not sure I want to.

Sure you do, Rufus. It’ll be fun.

I wasn’t sure about that. The only kind of boat I’d been in was a rowboat, out at my cousin’s lake cottage. Going on a yacht sounded cool, but I didn’t like the idea of spending the night out on the sea. The Mediterranean wasn’t the ocean, but still. My stomach started churning like a malted machine as I considered various possibilities of what might happen out on the water.

We could get caught in a storm and end up lost in the ocean.

I could get seasick, which would make Danielle think I was a wimp, and she’d never talk to me again.

I could fall overboard and drown.

The water swirled around me like a tidal pool. I felt nauseous. Dizzy. I wondered why new experiences scared me witless. I mean, I was a witch, and my powers were growing stronger every day.

Billy paddled over to me. Hey, are you okay?

I nodded because I couldn’t speak, but kept on swallowing air. He jumped off his float. In that case, I’ll race you two lengths of the pool. Winner gets to pick what we do tomorrow afternoon.

I let Billy win the race and put up with his bragging of how great a swimmer he was. Mrs. C told us to dry off and get dressed because we were having lunch in St. Luc.

Seafood, Mom? Billy asked.

Absolutely, she answered.

Yay! we both shouted and ran into the house to change.

Twenty minutes later, Mr. C was parking the car on the main street of the tiny village a few miles from our villa. St. Luc was only a few blocks long and nowhere as famous as nearby Cap Ferrat or Villefranche. We loved it and were glad most tourists passed it by. An old fishing village, it sat on a snug harbor and had a small seafood restaurant facing the water. The four of us sat down at an outside table. Billy and I shared a huge platter of seafood that was placed on a high metal rack and drank two sodas each.

When we were finished eating, Mr. C asked, Do you guys mind walking around the village while we do some shopping?

Sure, Dad, Billy said. Take your time.

Mr. C looked at me. Rufus, we’ll be back in plenty of time for you to do your exercises.

I nodded, feeling my face grow warm. I had no idea what Mom had told the Camerons so they’d let me practice my meditation and lessons every day. Though I was certain she didn’t let on I was an Enlightened One as she liked to call us. Definitely not a witch, as Billy would say.

Thanks, Mr. C.

Billy and I walked along the narrow street of shops that ran uphill from the harbor. Since this wasn’t a tourist town, the stores mostly carried everyday supplies like pharmacy items, food, and yarn, but two sold electronic games and magazines. Billy was halfway into the first store when I grabbed his shirt.

What? he asked.

I pulled him outside. This is important. When Danielle comes, I don’t want her to find out about my –er powers.

He shook himself free. Yeah, I know. I promised, didn’t I?

That means no hints, no comments about witches, nothing. Got it?

Got it. Though I can’t understand why you wouldn’t brag about being a witch.

Did you forget how you reacted when you first found out? You couldn’t get away from me fast enough.

Billy grinned. So what? I got over it. And now I think it’s cool. At least, it would be if you used your powers to do something exciting. Like flying through the air.

Danielle’s a girl. She’ll think I’m weird because I’m different. I’m glad I have magic, but it’s hard being different from everyone else.

Billy pounded my shoulder. You can count on me. Powers or no powers, you’ll always be my best friend.

Relieved, I followed him into the store. I checked out a few comic books, but my French wasn’t good enough for me to understand them. Ten minutes later, we headed downhill for a bench that faced the boats in the harbor.

I looked out