Magical Mayhem (2 page)

‘I've got a great idea!' interrupted Teena, beckoning her friends closer. ‘If the dandelion magic works for humans, then why don't we try it? We could wish for anything we want!'

Zuzu and Summer exchanged a look. ‘Um – I don't know, Teena,' said Zuzu slowly. ‘It's
human
magic. What would happen if fairies did it?'

‘Isn't it obvious?' cried Teena, fluttering her wings. ‘
We're
magic ourselves, so that should make the wish-magic even stronger! Come on, you two, what could go wrong? It's worth a try, isn't it?'

There was a pause. Finally Summer shrugged. ‘Well, why not? It probably won't work, but we've got a bit of time before the opening session.'

‘Exactly!' cried Teena triumphantly. ‘What about you, Zu? Are you coming with us?'

Zuzu bit her lip. ‘We-ell . . . I suppose . . . it's just that in every story I've ever heard about, things always go wrong whenever someone makes a wish, and –'

‘Those are just
stories
,' laughed Teena. Linking her arms through her friends', she flitted with them to the branch door. A moment later the three fairies were spiralling down the trunk, gliding past groups of returning students.

Seeing Zuzu's worried expression, Teena gave her a friendly squeeze as they swooped out of the front doors. ‘Look, Zu, if it doesn't work, then no harm done – but if it
does
, we're going to have some fun!'

Up close, the dandelion was much larger than it had looked from the windows of Snowdrop Branch. Teena blinked to see that the white, fluffy head was half as tall as she was! It would be useless for the three of them to blow on it like a human, that was obvious.

‘Maybe if we all sort of hover around it,' Teena suggested. ‘Then I'll make the wish, and we'll all flap our wings as hard as we can to make a breeze and blow the seed pods off!'

The three fairies arranged themselves around the dandelion's head. Summer looked amused, Zuzu nervous but excited. Teena took a deep breath. ‘I wish that something exciting would happen!' she blurted out. ‘Now, FLAP!'

The girls beat their wings in a frenzy, bobbing quickly about the dandelion. One by one, the seed pods began to take off, floating away into the air.

‘It's working!' cried Teena. ‘Keep flapping, keep flapping!'

More and more seeds took flight, until there was a steady stream of them drifting across the Fledge field. Finally there was only one seed pod left, clinging stubbornly to the dandelion's head. They had almost done it!

Teena hovered right next to it, flapping as hard as she could. At first she thought it wasn't going to work – and then all at once the last seed pod came away, spinning gently off after the others.

The dandelion's head looked naked and empty. Panting, the three girls collapsed on the ground and looked at each other, eyes shining. ‘We did it!' crowed Teena, punching the air.

‘Yes, but it's not
doing
anything, is it?' pointed out Summer with a grin. ‘You asked for something exciting to happen, and –'

‘Look!' cried Zuzu, grabbing Teena's arm.

Teena's eyes widened. A single large snowflake was falling through the sky. As she watched, it landed on the grass nearby, melting instantly. But then came another, and another. In hardly any time at all, the air was thick with snow.

‘Oh, it's getting cold!' said Summer, jumping to her feet. ‘Look, the snow's starting to stick to the ground already.'

The three fairies looked at each other in alarm. ‘Um . . . you don't think this was because of my wish, do you?' said Teena uncertainly.

‘I don't know,' said Zuzu, shivering. ‘But we'd better get inside, quick!'

Her heart pounding hard, Teena flew with her two friends back to the school, dodging the heavy snowflakes as best they could. The wind whistled around them, buffeting them every which way. She felt like a leaf swirling about in a stream!

Finally they reached the school, gasping in relief. Glancing over her shoulder as they sped through the double doors, Teena saw that the Fledge field was a blur of white.

The dandelion was gone, buried in the snow.

.

Chapter Two

The storm raged about the school, showing no sign of letting up. Students hung about the trunk's windows in excited clusters, staring out at the white whirlwind.

‘I don't understand it!' said Twink. She and Bimi had been on their way to the Great Branch with the other Violet Branch fairies when the storm hit. They were now all hovering together at a window, all thoughts of the opening session forgotten. ‘It was so warm when we first got here, and that was hardly
any
time ago!'

‘Yes, our project's going to be interesting,' said Bimi thoughtfully. ‘I'm supposed to be checking to see when the mice go into hibernation, but the poor things are probably as confused as we are now!'

‘Well, I think there's something funny about it,' said Sooze. She had lavender hair and pink wings – the exact
opposite
of Twink, which was in fact their nickname for each other.

‘What do you mean?' asked Pix, a clever red-headed fairy.

Sooze shrugged, her expression troubled. ‘I've just never seen a storm come up so fast, that's all. It makes me wonder if there's something unnatural about it.'

A shiver of apprehension ran through Twink. The Violet Branch fairies looked at each other uneasily.

Suddenly the magpie's call echoed loudly through the school – three loud, insistent squawks. ‘That means we need to get to the Great Branch!' said Twink. ‘Come on everyone, we'd better hurry.'

The Great Branch was the largest branch in the school, with gleaming wooden floors and arched windows. Mossy tables were arranged in long rows, with a different flower hanging upside down over each one.

Twink's eyes widened as they swooped inside. Normally the Branch felt bright and airy, but now snow had piled up outside the windows, blocking out the light. If it wasn't for the glow-worm lanterns hanging overhead, it would be difficult to see at all!

As Twink headed for the Violet Branch table, she spotted Teena with some of her friends, looking pale and worried. Twink darted over to her. ‘Teena, are you OK?' she whispered. ‘It's just a storm – nothing to worry about!'

‘Yes, I know,' mumbled Teena, not meeting Twink's gaze. ‘I'm – I'm fine, Twink.'

Twink frowned. Oh, poor Teena! She was really scared. But before Twink could say anything else to comfort her, the HeadFairy's voice rang through the Branch.

‘Everyone to your mushrooms, please,' called Miss Shimmery, hovering at the front of the room. The school's teachers sat on a platform below her. ‘Promptly, girls – we need to get started!'

Hastily squeezing Teena's shoulder, Twink flitted to the Violet Branch table and sat on the spotted mushroom seat that Bimi had saved for her. An expectant silence fell over the Branch.

‘Thank you,' said Miss Shimmery. Her rainbow wings shone in the dim light. ‘Well – it may not have escaped your notice that it's snowing outside,' she said with a smile.

A relieved laugh rippled through the Branch. Twink felt herself relax. If Miss Shimmery wasn't worried, then everything must be all right!

The HeadFairy continued. ‘Mrs Starbright estimates that the storm might continue for several days. School will begin as usual tomorrow, but outdoor classes are cancelled until further notice. The butterfly post service is also suspended until after the storm, as of course the butterflies can't fly in this weather.'

Twink listened carefully. Outside, the wind rattled at the windows as if it was trying to get in. The storm was beginning to feel exciting!

‘Now then, on to our usual announcements.' Putting on her sparkle specs, Miss Shimmery peered down at a petal pad.

‘School uniforms are required from tomorrow; Mrs Hover will be on hand to create them for the younger years. Students are reminded that oak-leaf caps must be worn at all times. No high-speed flying in the –'

THWACK!

Twink stifled a shriek as one of the windows banged open. A fierce gust of wind swept the room, blowing snow over some of the second-year tables. At the same moment the glow-worm lanterns went out. The room plunged into shadows.

Screams echoed throughout the Branch. Twink swallowed as she felt for Bimi's hand. The two friends clutched each other tightly.

‘CALM DOWN!' commanded Miss Shimmery's voice, cutting through the panic. ‘Is
this
how Glitterwings girls react to a bit of darkness? Calm yourselves, girls, this instant!'

A spark of light came from the platform. Miss Sparkle, the Fairy Dust teacher, had conjured up a fairy globe – a light made of fairy dust. It grew larger as Twink watched, until it bobbed over the platform like a small sun.

The students were wide-eyed in the sudden light. Glancing at the Snowdrop table, Twink saw Teena's frightened face and longed to fly over to her. She must be terrified!

‘Thank you, Miss Sparkle,' said Miss Shimmery. ‘Mr Woodleaf, would you check the glow-worms?'

The Creature Kindness teacher flitted about the ceiling, peering into the lanterns. A moment later he touched down on the platform again and murmured something to Miss Shimmery. After consulting with the other teachers for a few moments, the HeadFairy addressed the school again.

‘The glow-worms have been startled by the storm, and need to be left alone to recover,' she announced. ‘They're sociable creatures, which means the school's other glow-worms will be affected as well. Since it's not practical to light the whole school with fairy dust, we've decided that the safest thing is for you all to sleep in the Great Branch tonight, where we can keep an eye on things.'

Sleep in the Great Branch? Surprised whispers filled the room.

Miss Shimmery smiled. ‘It will be fun,' she assured everyone. ‘I believe the humans call it a sleepover! After dinner Miss Sparkle will conjure up some bedding for us, and we'll get settled down.'

It was an odd dinner, with teachers and sixth-year students serving the food instead of butterflies. Twink felt a bit subdued as she and her friends ate their seed cakes and sipped fresh nectar. Outside, the storm still raged. The windows were now completely covered in white.

‘It's a bit spooky, isn't it?' said Sili, a fairy with bright silver hair. She shivered dramatically. ‘I hope no one wants to tell ghost stories tonight!'

A pointy-faced fairy called Mariella gave a superior smirk. ‘You're not
scared
, are you, Sili? It's just a bit of snow!' Just then the window nearest their table gave a loud rattle, and Mariella yelped. They all laughed nervously.

Suddenly Twink thought of Sal, out in the Creature Kindness log with the school's other animals. ‘I'll be right back,' she whispered to Bimi.

The Creature Kindness teacher was on his way out of the Branch when Twink caught up with him. ‘Mr Woodleaf, will Sal and the other animals be OK?' she asked breathlessly.

Though clearly as nervous as he always was when speaking to his students, Mr Woodleaf managed a smile. ‘Yes, ah . . . I'm just flying down there to check on them. Don't worry, Twink, they'll, ah . . . be fine.'

Twink sighed in relief as she flitted back to her table. It had been awful to think of Sal and the other creatures on their own out there, perhaps frightened by the storm.

Later, when the last crumb had been eaten and the oak-leaf platters all cleared away, Miss Sparkle magically created some cosy bedding for everyone as promised. The students settled on the floor, wrapped up in soft petal duvets. The fairy globe dimmed, filling the room with shadows.

Twink glanced over at the first-year area. Should she check on Teena before she went to sleep? But her little sister seemed fine. She was talking with Zuzu and Summer, their three heads close together as they whispered.

Good
, thought Twink with a smile. It looked like they were enjoying themselves.

She settled down between Bimi and Sooze. Bimi was already sound asleep, her midnight-blue hair spilling across her pillow.

‘Goodnight,' murmured Twink to Sooze.

‘Goodnight, Opposite,' Sooze mumbled back. Then she gave a soft laugh. ‘It's been an interesting first day back, hasn't it? I wonder what the rest of the term will be like!'

Across the Branch, Teena was wondering the same thing. ‘I can't believe that my wish caused all this!' she hissed anxiously to Zuzu and Summer. ‘Do you think I'd get in lots of trouble if Miss Shimmery found out?'

‘Don't worry, we'll never tell,' said Zuzu, rubbing her lavender wing against Teena's. ‘It'll all be over in a few days anyway. No one will know it was you!'

Summer gave Teena a shaky grin. ‘Well, I suppose you got your wish,' she said. ‘This is pretty exciting, all right.'

‘Hush, girls,' chided Mrs Lightwing, appearing beside them. ‘It's time for bed now.'

Silence fell over the little group. Teena curled up in her petal duvet, her thoughts spinning. Yes, she had definitely got her wish! But Zuzu was right – it'll all be over in a few days anyway.

Wouldn't it?

Outside, the world was a shrieking whirlwind of snow. Birds sat huddled in bushes; hedgehogs took hasty shelter under piles of leaves; and in the trees the dryads shivered, feeling their sap slowing with the cold.

In the sky, a winged creature about the size of a cat was tumbling through the air, flapping and fluttering. A robin peeking out from a bush gasped in dismay.
A dragon!
The bird ducked quickly out of sight.

The young dragon didn't notice. The stinging snow was blinding him, and the wind whipped cruelly at his wings.
Where was he?
Panicked, he called again and again for his parents . . . but the storm had blown him many miles away, so that he was now hopelessly separated from them by the raging snow.

What was he going to do? His parents had no idea where he was – and now the wind was blowing even harder, tearing at his wings and making it impossible to fly.

The young dragon landed clumsily on the ground, nearly turning a somersault in the snow. Almost immediately, the heat from his red scales melted the patch of snow around him, though the swirling flakes still stung his eyes.

The dragon peered around him miserably. He couldn't stay out here! It felt unnatural being so exposed – his usual home was a rocky cave that he shared with his parents.