by Alesha Dixon
To the greatest light of all – my mum, Beverley
Contents
Cover
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Back Ads
Copyright
1
I’ve always wanted to go to Buckingham Palace.
It’s kind of weird that I haven’t been to see it before, especially when I live close to London. But my school has never taken us there on a trip, and whenever we’ve come into the city as a family, we’ve been visiting my dad at his office in the Natural History Museum or going to the theatre or attending a secret Superhero Conference underneath the Houses of Parliament or whatever. You know, totally normal stuff like that.
So, when I stepped out of the car and gazed up at the palace for the first time, I gasped in amazement and felt a shiver of excitement run down my spine. I know I’ve seen it on television loads of times, but Buckingham Palace is so much more breathtaking when you see it in person. It’s just so grand and beautiful, with hundreds and hundreds of shining windows and all these tall, imposing columns.
And to think the Queen is in there! Right there, in that building! Maybe peeking out at us from behind one of those windows.
I was hit by a huge wave of nerves. Butterflies fluttered uncontrollably in my stomach and I felt a little bit sick. Because, unlike the tourists taking selfies in front of the palace gates, I wasn’t just here to see Buckingham Palace and take some photos in front of it.
I was here to see the Queen. And receive a medal from her.
Me. Aurora Beam. The girl who last night hit herself in the face with her phone when she sneezed.
Here to meet the Queen.
THE QUEEN. THE ACTUAL QUEEN.
Yeah, I know. I’m not joking.
“OK, everyone,” Dad gulped, frantically straightening his purple polka-dot bow tie. “Just act normal. Act completely normal. No need to panic. No need to feel nervous. No need to worry in the slightest” – his voice climbed an octave, hitting the highest pitch it has ever reached – “just be cool, everyone; be calm and collected. This is really not a big deal. We’re just at a palace meeting the monarch of our great nation. There is absolutely noooo need to panic. None at all. We’ll go in and meet the Queen and that’s that. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.”
“Henry,” my mum said gently, shooting me a knowing smile, “I think we might all find it easier to relax if you weren’t talking as though you’d just inhaled from a helium balloon. Just take a deep breath and calm down.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” he squeaked. “I am PERFECTLY CALM.”
My friend Suzie rolled her eyes as she fiddled with the sleeve of her pretty dress. “Also, no offence, Professor Beam, I know you’re like a big nerd scientist and everything, but not even true nerds like you can pull off the phrase ‘easy peasy, lemon squeezy’. You need some serious guidance on your use of vocabulary.”
“Thank you, Suzie,” my grandmother, Nanny Beam, chuckled, checking her bright pink hair in a compact mirror. “I’m glad someone pointed that out. I was just about to say the same thing.”
As everyone stifled giggles, a man wearing a smart black tailcoat and a red waistcoat with gold buttons emerged from a door in one of the archways and stepped across the gravel towards us.
“The Beams!”
He grinned, stopping in front of us and bowing his head slightly. His eyes flickered down to my dog, Kimmy, who sat at my feet. I’d taken her to the groomers the day before especially for the occasion and Mum had tied a shiny red bow around her neck, so she looked her absolute best for the Queen.
“And Kimmy, of course,” the butler continued, smiling warmly at her. She barked happily in acknowledgement. “Welcome to Buckingham Palace. My name is Joe and I’ll be showing you the way to the ceremony, so please do follow me and let’s get out of this freezing cold and into the warmth.”
Thanks to the adrenaline pumping at a hundred miles per hour through my veins, I hadn’t even noticed the cold, but now he’d mentioned it, I realized I could barely feel my hands. It was a grey, bitterly cold day. Christmas was only a couple of weeks away and snowfall was expected in England any day now, according to the news.
Joe led the way and we all followed in a line, like a row of ducklings, and as he held open the door for us, he announced, “I know this isn’t very professional, but I am SO excited to have been chosen to take you to the Palace Ballroom.” He paused and looked directly at me. “Aurora Beam – or would you rather go by your hero name, Lightning Girl? – I can’t believe I’m meeting a real superhero.”
“Not just one,” I pointed out.
“Ah, yes.” He nodded enthusiastically at Mum, misunderstanding what I meant. “I’m a huge fan of yours too, Mrs Beam.”
“Thank you,” Mum said, catching my eye. “But I’m not the one receiving a medal today. These superheroes right here are.” She gestured to my group of friends, standing beside me. “The Bright Sparks.”
A warm smile spread across Joe’s face. “Of course. What an honour to meet the famous Bright Sparks!” He began leading the way down the corridor, turning to Georgie who fell into step with him. “Any chance on the way you can tell me about your latest adventure?”
As Georgie launched into her telling of the story, I gazed up in awe at the magnificent gold-framed paintings lining our way and thought about how on EARTH we had ended up here.
When I first found out I had superpowers, I’d never have imagined that my friends and I would form a superhero club called the Bright Sparks, come face-to-face with a real-life bad guy several times, land ourselves in serious danger and then end up at Buckingham Palace to receive a medal from the Queen. I can’t believe it has almost been a year since I accidentally destroyed the garden because light beams blasted uncontrollably from my hands, and Mum and Dad sat me down to tell me that all the women in my family have superpowers and have done for centuries. My mum wasn’t a businesswoman with a boring office job like I’d thought. She was a superhero and now I had developed the powers to become one, too. It had been a lot to take in.
And a whole lot more has happened since then.
Kizzy has always been my best friend but, back then, I barely spoke to Georgie, Suzie and Fred. That was because we are all so different. Fred is the class joker; Georgie, the most fashionable and stylish girl in school; Suzie is super sporty, the best at gymnastics and likes to be the centre of attention; Kizzy is quiet and intelligent and would love to read all day; and I … well, I’m not the best at anything and just wanted to stay out of everyone’s way.
But when they witnessed my superpowers, they decided to band together to form the Bright Sparks so that I wouldn’t have to face any adventures alone. They would bring all their special qualities, just like I brought mine. It’s worked, too.
Without the Bright Sparks sticking together, we would never have stopped the notorious Blackout Burglar, who had been posing as Mr Mercury, a science teacher at our school. He had been plotting to steal the most precious stone in existence, the Light of the World, (which happens to be the source of all the Beam family powers) from the Natural History Museum.
But even though we s
aved it from being stolen that time in the museum, we weren’t able to stop it being stolen from the global gathering of superheroes beneath the Houses of Parliament last summer. Mr Mercury had been under my nose all that time, in another disguise. He fooled all of us.
And he wasn’t the only one who had us fooled.
“Hello? Earth to Aurora!”
I jolted at Kizzy’s voice.
“Are you OK?” she said, raising her eyebrow at me. “You’ve fallen quite far behind.”
I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t even noticed that the others were ahead, disappearing around a corner. If Kizzy hadn’t waited, Kimmy and I might have got lost in the maze of Buckingham Palace.
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” I smiled, picking up the pace with Kimmy trotting elegantly next to me on her lead. She had obviously completely understood when I’d asked her to be on her best behaviour and, no matter what, to PLEASE not go to the toilet inside the palace.
“What were you thinking about?” Kizzy asked, looking very pretty in her blue-lace, high-neck dress. It was nice seeing everyone all dressed up and Georgie had even designed and ordered special gold lightning-bolt pins for us all to wear.
I gestured to the red carpet we were currently walking along. “I was thinking about all this. How we got here. It feels like a long time ago when you worked out that Mr Mercury was going to try and rob the Natural History Museum and steal the Light of the World for his boss.”
She nodded thoughtfully as we turned the corner and began to catch up with the others.
“Weird, isn’t it? Being here, I mean. Do you think the Queen will talk to us? Ask us questions?” she said, glancing at me nervously.
I shrugged. “You know more about this sort of thing than me. Didn’t you read a book on it or something?”
“I read five. One on the history of Buckingham Palace, one on its artwork collection, a biography of the Queen, a book on royal etiquette and behaviour and, well” – she paused, the corner of her mouth twitching into a smile – “one on the palace dogs.”
“Very helpful in this situation, I’m sure.” I laughed.
“I read it on Kimmy’s behalf! You never know, it might come in useful. What happens if Kimmy needs to be introduced to one of the pets here. At least I’ll know who’s who.”
“That’s it,” I giggled, shaking my head. “You’ve officially lost your mind.”
“It’s not my fault.” Kizzy sighed. “I’ve just been SO nervous. The Queen, Aurora! Meeting me! I feel like I don’t deserve to be here.”
“Trust me,” I whispered as we came to a halt in front of some grand, gold-leafed doors. “You definitely deserve to be here.”
Kizzy squeezed my hand. The butler gently reminded Suzie that unfortunately, as he mentioned before, she really wasn’t allowed to practise cartwheels down the long corridors despite how perfect they would be for such a display, and then opened the doors and stepped aside to let us through.
The Buckingham Palace ballroom was the most magnificent room I’ve ever seen. It was so elegant. It had a pristine red-and-gold carpet, beautiful watercolour paintings on the walls in heavy gold frames and glittering chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Another butler welcomed us to the room and showed us to our row as everyone waited for the Queen to arrive. The rest of the Bright Sparks spotted their parents, who were already in their seats, and waved to them, pretending not to notice that the room had erupted into an excited ripple of whispers when we walked in.
“My hands are very sweaty,” Fred said, as I patted my lightning-bolt pin to check it was safely attached to my dress.
“Ew, Fred. Thanks for that information.” Suzie wrinkled her nose. “You’re so gross.”
“All right, you two.” Nanny Beam chuckled. “No bickering. The Queen will be here any minute.”
“I hope they take lots of photos,” Mum said, watching the official photographers getting their cameras ready. “I’m going to frame every single one of the Bright Sparks receiving their medals. Henry, we’ll have to move all your science books off the shelves to make room for all the new frames we’ll be getting. It’s about time you had a clear-out.”
Dad looked horrified and opened his mouth to say something but there was a sudden trumpet fanfare, the doors at the end of the room opened and in walked the Queen.
The Queen.
My breath caught in my throat and I closed my eyes and pinched my wrist just in case I was actually dreaming. But when I opened my eyes I was still there, in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace, and the Queen was right in front of me, smiling at us, her eyes twinkling.
This. Was. Surreal.
Mum reached over and took my hand as a lump formed in my throat.
“Enjoy every moment,” she whispered. “I’m so proud of you, Aurora.”
The next half an hour became a wonderful, hazy blur as our achievements were all read out individually before we were asked to each step up and receive our medals from the Queen. I was so overwhelmed by excitement and nerves, I can barely remember standing in front of her as she gave me my medal with a warm smile, congratulating me and saying she looked forward to having a chat after the ceremony. I can’t even remember walking back to my seat, but I somehow must have done.
“She asked me whether I’d considered designing accessories for the royal family as a future career!” Georgie exclaimed afterwards, as we enjoyed a cup of tea. “Then she said she liked the lightning-bolt sunglasses I’d designed for you, Aurora, and asked where she could get a pair! The Queen wants a pair of sunglasses designed by me! Can you believe it?”
“I can,” Kizzy said as she nodded. “Your designs are amazing!”
“It comes as no surprise to any of us that she’d want you on her accessory team, Georgie!” Dad smiled, putting an arm around Mum. “We’re so proud of all of you. You looked great up there.”
“What did she say when you collected yours, Suzie?” Mum asked as Suzie gazed adoringly at her medal.
“That she looked forward to seeing me win my first gold medal one day as part of the Olympic Team GB,” Suzie gushed, her cheeks flushing with glee. “I told her it wouldn’t be long.”
“Nothing can beat what she said to me, I reckon,” Fred said smugly.
“Oh, yeah?” Suzie raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah,” he said firmly. “She gave me a little tip.”
“A tip about what?”
He grinned. “About the best prank she’s ever played on someone.”
Suzie’s eyes widened in disbelief. “The Queen told you about a prank she’s played?”
“That’s right,” he said, taking a large bite from his slice of cake. “And it was hilarious. She’s a real genius.”
As Suzie began trying to get him to spill the beans on this prank, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to find a butler standing behind me.
“Miss Beam, the Queen would like a private audience with you in a separate room of the palace. Please follow me.”
“Me?” I asked. “The Queen wants to see me? Are you sure?”
He smiled. “Quite sure. When you’re ready, I will take you to her.”
I did as I was told, tripping over my feet as I followed him out of the room, down a corridor and towards another set of doors. I felt dizzy with nerves and wished that I had asked Mum or Dad to come with me.
My brain was fuzzy with questions. What was happening? Why on earth would she want to talk to me in private? And did I have to curtsy again? Was it the left foot or the right foot that tucks behind when you curtsy? Or do I bow? What do I do with my hands? And what do I call her? Your Majesty? Ma’am? Do I sit? Do I stand?
WHY DIDN’T I READ FIVE BOOKS ABOUT THIS LIKE KIZZY?
By the time we reached the doors, where several security men and women were standing, my palms were clammy enough to give Fred a run for his money and I couldn’t remember one word of the English language.
“Ah, Miss Beam. Do come in,” the Queen said, as the doors opened to revea
l her, in a small, cosy room with a large fireplace, sitting on a red velvet chair and sipping a cup of tea. There were more members of security in the room, standing out of the way by the windows and in the corners. If I wasn’t so nervous and if the Queen hadn’t been in the room, I would have asked for selfies with them because they all looked like they’d just stepped off the set of a James Bond movie.
I tripped over my feet again – WHY did I decide to wear these shoes?! – and then attempted a clumsy curtsy when I got closer to her.
“No need for all that,” she smiled, with a wave of her hand. “Please, do sit down. I imagine you’re wondering why you’re here?”
I nodded, too nervous to speak.
“I look forward to joining the recipients of all the medals in just a moment, but before I do, I wanted to have a quick word with you, Aurora.” She put her china cup and saucer down and rested her hands in her lap. Her eyes were so kind and her aura so relaxed, I began to feel a little more at ease, despite the fact I could see a security man in the corner of my eye touching his earpiece every now and then. “I’m very grateful to you for all that you have done for us. It’s not every day a twelve-year-old achieves such feats of bravery. You should be very proud of yourself. I certainly am.”
“Th-thank you,” I managed to croak.
“I would like to tell you something very important,” she said in a more serious tone, her eyes holding mine. “You see, there is something that you need to know. I think… yes, I think it is time you knew the truth.”
She paused and picked up her teacup again. I stared at her, with absolutely no idea what was going on.
What important truth could the Queen possibly want to tell … me?
“But before I tell you, I would like to hear your story.”
“My … my story?”
“Yes. I would like you to tell me all the events of the past few weeks that led up to you being here today.”
I hesitated, wondering if this was another prank, like the one she’d told Fred about. But she was looking at me perfectly seriously.
And when the Queen asks you to tell her your story, you tell her your story.
