Phoebe and Shimmer

by Julie Sykes

  Shimmer smacked his hoof to the floor with a bang. A tiny bolt of magic shot from his hoof, criss-crossing over the grass and striking a stone. CRACK! The stone shattered, leaving a strong, sugary smell hanging in the air.

  For Hettie and Maddie, who love magic. May you always believe in fairies and unicorns.

  “You’ll never guess what I just saw!” Phoebe exclaimed, bursting into Amethyst dorm. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Well?” she said, looking round eagerly at her dorm mates – Zara, Lily and Aisha. “Come on, guess!”

  “No time. You can tell us later,” said Zara, pulling her hoodie over her dark-brown hair.

  “Yes, hurry up now, Phoebs, or we’ll be late for the cross-country ride with Ms Tulip,” said Lily. Aisha didn’t say anything, she was too busy rummaging under her bed.

  “But this is important!” Phoebe protested. She wanted her friends to feel the same excitement she did. “OK, so this is what happened,” she said, going into what Zara teasingly called her “storytelling mode”. “I was coming back from breakfast, just walking along the corridor, minding my own business when I saw Ms Rosemary and Ms Rivers whispering together outside Ms Nettles’ office. They left and I heard Ms Nettles making a weird noise so I sneaked a look around the door and guess what?” Phoebe paused dramatically as she remembered what she had seen in the headteacher’s office. “Ms Nettles was looking really upset and dabbing at her eyes!”

  Her friends continued to get ready, not taking much notice.

  “She was crying!” Phoebe exaggerated, to get their attention. “Loudly, with lots of tears. Well, what do you think about that?”

  “Found it!” Aisha’s bottom, followed by the rest of her, appeared backwards from under her bed. She was clutching a purple hoodie. “Who was sighing?”

  “Ms Nettles was crying,” said Phoebe, looking round at her friends in exasperation. “Don’t you think that was super weird? Headteachers don’t cry. Something must be going on!”

  “The thing is, was Ms Nettles really crying, Phoebe?” Zara said, giving her a doubtful look. “Or are you just exaggerating like usual?”

  “No! I’m not!” Phoebe insisted. “I promise, Ms Nettles was a hundred per cent crying. She blew her nose and it sounded as loud as an elephant trumpeting!”

  “Oh dear, I hope she’s OK,” said Lily, looking concerned.

  Zara frowned. “I’m sure she is. There’s probably a simple explanation. Her eyes could have been streaming because her hay fever was playing up.”

  Phoebe rolled her eyes. “You are so boring, Zara!”

  “Not boring, just sensible,” said Zara, with a grin. “Seriously, there’s been enough drama happening here without having to make stuff up, Phoebs. Purple tornadoes sweeping across the island, the school almost being destroyed, a strange voice in the tornado saying they’re not going to be stopped…”

  “Aha! But maybe those things have got something to do with Ms Nettles crying,” said Phoebe triumphantly. “Maybe something else has happened and she’s just found out about it – maybe there’s been another tornado or something even –” she paused dramatically – “worse!”

  “Or maybe Ms Nettles just has hay fever,” said Zara again. “It is springtime after all, and there’s a lot of pollen in the air.”

  Lily threw Phoebe’s hoodie at her. “Come on, Phoebs. We really have to go. We’ll be in trouble with Ms Tulip if we’re late.”

  Phoebe sighed as she pulled her purple hoodie on. She brushed her long honey-blonde hair before braiding it into plaits. She loved her three friends in Amethyst dorm but she sometimes felt they really didn’t get her. She liked to make everything that happened seem as exciting as possible but they seemed to just want to know the bare truth. How boring was that?

  Shimmer will want to hear about Ms Nettles, she comforted herself as she got ready. A warm glow spread through her as she thought of her handsome unicorn. Shimmer loved drama and storytelling just as much as she did. He’s the best, Phoebe thought happily as she followed the others to the stable block. I’m so glad Ms Nettles paired me with him.

  She’d never forget that first day at Unicorn Academy – arriving at the school and seeing the beautiful glass-and-marble building glittering in the sunlight, meeting the rest of her dorm and being paired with her own perfect unicorn. Students arrived at the academy in the January when they were ten, and stayed a whole year. During that year, they got to know their unicorn partner and learned all about Unicorn Island so that they could become the guardians of it when they were older.

  “Look at all the flowers,” said Lily as they made their way across the lawn. She pointed to the beds of bright spring bulbs – tulips, bluebells and a huge swathe of daffodils waving their yellow heads in the morning breeze. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

  Phoebe stooped to pick a daffodil, thinking that it would look nice in her hair. She froze as she heard an angry shout.

  “Stop right there!” It was Ms Bramble, the head gardener. She stomped over with a rake in her hand. “I hope you weren’t about to pick a daffodil.”

  “Definitely not. I would never do that, Ms Bramble.” Phoebe shook her head emphatically and tried to look as innocent as possible. “Flowers should be left in the ground for everyone to enjoy. I was just bending over to … to smell them.”

  Ms Bramble gave her a suspicious look. “Hmm. Very well. Hurry along then. You’re crushing the grass!”

  “Yes, Ms Bramble,” said Phoebe politely, wondering why the gardener was being quite so grumpy. People often picked the daffodils. There were hundreds of them.

  As she ran after her friends, she mimicked Ms Bramble’s expression: first cross then suspicious. Phoebe loved watching people so that she could imitate them later. Her old drama teacher had taught her that to make acting come alive you had to draw on real life experiences. “Hurry along now, girls! You’re crushing the grass!” she said, wagging her finger at her friends and mimicking Ms Bramble’s voice.

  They giggled and continued on to the stables.

  Shimmer whinnied when he saw Phoebe. He was a tall unicorn with a long pink-and-pale blue mane that fell over his deep-brown eyes. His thick tail flowed to the ground like a waterfall. “Are you looking forward to going around the cross-country course, Phoebe?” he said eagerly. “Is it a race this time? I bet we can win if it is. I can jump really high and I’m faster than all the other unicorns!”

  “I know you are,” said Phoebe proudly. She brushed Shimmer’s coat then carefully combed out the tangles in his mane and tail. As she worked she told him about the teachers and their strange behaviour.

  “No! Really?” he exclaimed, opening his eyes wide. “Ms Brambles bellowed at you and you saw Ms Nettles sobbing on the floor! That’s dreadful. I’ll ask the other unicorns if they know anything about it.”

  “Yes, do that!” said Phoebe, happy that at least Shimmer had a satisfying reaction to her news. “The others think I’m exaggerating but I’m absolutely sure something is going on.”

  They went out into the yard where a noisy group of students and unicorns was gathering. Amethyst dorm shared their riding lessons with the students from Opal and Topaz dorms. Ms Tulip was late arriving. She was small, pretty and energetic and her lessons were always a lot of fun, but today she seemed unusually flustered.

  “It’s bad news, I’m afraid,” she said, clapping her hands for silence. “The cross-country ride is cancelled. Ms Nettles has asked that we tidy the stables and yard instead. Everything has to look as neat and shiny as a new hoof pick. I’m sorry,” she added, raising her hands to silence the groans.

  “Can’t we just have a quick ride over a few jumps? You know we’ll work harder if we can do some jumping first,” Spike from Topaz dorm pleaded, leadin
g a chorus of, “Go on, Ms Tulip. Pleeeeeease say yes.”

  Ms Tulip shook her head. “Unicorn Academy is being inspected, but if there’s enough time you can go for a quick ride once everywhere is tidy.”

  Phoebe gasped. “Are they thinking of shutting the school down?”

  “Of course not, Phoebe,” said Ms Tulip. “It’s just an inspection but naturally Ms Nettles and all of the staff want to show the academy off to its best and highlight all the wonderful things we do here. So, let’s get started. Topaz dorm, you can tidy the yard, Opal, the storeroom, and Amethyst, the big barn next door. When you’ve finished, you can head out for a ride in your dorm groups but no jumping without me, remember.”

  Phoebe was intrigued. “I absolutely bet this inspection was the reason Ms Nettles was crying earlier!” she hissed to Zara, Lily and Aisha, as their unicorns went sadly back to their stables to wait for them, and they trooped to the barn to start tidying. “Do you think she’s in trouble because she and the teachers left us here alone when that purple tornado almost hit the school?”

  “Possibly,” said Zara, thoughtfully. “It was a really dangerous situation.”

  “The school could have been destroyed if Feather hadn’t discovered her moving magic in time and diverted the tornado out to sea where it wouldn’t harm anyone,” said Aisha. She smiled at Lily. “You and Feather were brilliant. Her magic is awesome.”

  Lily blushed. “Thanks.” None of the Amethyst dorm unicorns had discovered their magic yet except for Feather. Each young unicorn at the academy had a special power. Some, like Feather, discovered theirs quickly, while others took longer. Those unicorns who hadn’t found their magic, or bonded with their partner, by the end of the first year had to stay on at Unicorn Academy for a second year.

  Phoebe hoped that Shimmer would find his magic very soon. She wanted it to be something amazing, that would make everyone gaze in wonder – maybe light magic so he could create rainbows, or flying magic. She also couldn’t wait for them to bond. When it happened, a strand of her long hair would turn the same pink and blue as Shimmer’s mane to show everyone they were partners for life. How cool would that be?

  “I’m glad there haven’t been any more tornadoes,” said Aisha, with a shiver.

  “It is strange the culprit’s never been caught,” said Zara.

  Phoebe stopped with a gasp. “That’s it!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “I bet that’s why Ms Nettles was crying!”

  “Why?’ said Lily, looking puzzled.

  “Because people suspect she is the culprit!”

  Phoebe said dramatically. “Don’t you see? This inspection is happening because people think Ms Nettles is to blame!”

  “Phoebe!” Zara was shocked. “You can’t go around saying stuff like that without any evidence to back it up.”

  “You really can’t,” agreed Lily quickly. “Ms Nettles loves the school. She’d never hurt it.”

  “Aha, but maybe she’s just pretending to love it,” said Phoebe, excitedly. “Remember that a couple of years ago the headteacher before Ms Nettles did all sorts of things to try to harm the academy. Maybe Ms Nettles has turned evil just like her!”

  “No, no, no!” protested Aisha, looking shocked. “Ms Nettles isn’t evil!”

  Phoebe raised her eyebrows and folded her arms. “She might be.”

  “Phoebe, it really can’t be Ms Nettles,” said Zara sensibly. “We know the person responsible for the tornadoes is a man. Remember how we heard him shouting when Feather moved the tornado away from the academy. He said: ‘You think you can stop me but you can’t.’”

  “Oh, yes,” said Phoebe, her excitement subsiding.

  “I guess that Ms Nettles might be upset because she’s worried about the inspection,” said Zara. “If she really was crying this morning like you say then that may have been why.”

  “We should make sure the inspector thinks the school is perfect!” said Lily. “I don’t want Ms Nettles to get into trouble.”

  “Me neither,” said Aisha. “Let’s talk to the inspector and tell them how brilliant all the teachers are – and what a great headteacher Ms Nettles is.”

  “Definitely!” agreed Zara.

  They reached the messy barn. A few of the hay bales inside it had burst and there was hay all over the floor.

  “Oh dear, we’d better get some brooms and start sweeping,” said Aisha with a sigh.

  “This will take ages,” grumbled Phoebe.

  Lily grinned. “Not if we use magic! Wait here, I’ll go and get Feather!”

  Feather’s moving magic was very useful when it came to tidying up. Soon the barn was filled with the sweet scent of burnt sugar – the smell of unicorn magic. Pink sparkles were fading in the air, the loose hay was all in one big tidy pile and the other hay bales were piled up neatly.

  “There!” said Feather happily.

  “You’re the best!” said Lily, hugging her. The yellow, violet and blue streak in her dark hair merged with Feather’s mane.

  Phoebe felt a flicker of envy. She really hoped she and Shimmer would bond soon. She could just imagine everyone fussing around them and praising them. It would be fantastic!

  With the barn tidy, Amethyst dorm set out for a ride around the grounds, sticking to the meadow to avoid the cross-country course. They cantered through the wildflowers and then let their unicorns splash in the sparkling stream.

  As they rode back towards the stable yard they saw a man in a suit getting out of a horse-drawn carriage at the school entrance. He was tall and thin with a severe face.

  “Who’s that?” said Aisha.

  “I bet it’s the inspector!” said Zara.

  “But Ms Tulip said he wouldn’t be here until tomorrow,” said Lily.

  “I know but it’s got to be him. Look at the clues. He’s carrying a suitcase and a clipboard just like an inspector would, he’s wearing a suit which means he’s someone who’s here on formal business, and he’s arrived in a carriage which only someone official would do,” said Zara.

  “And he’s already being nosey,” said Phoebe, as the man peered at the fountain in front of the school, frowned, and noted something on his clipboard. “I wonder if Ms Tulip knows he’s here already.”

  “We should warn her!” said Zara.

  They set off at a canter. When they reached the stables and told Ms Tulip about the man, she looked worried. “Oh dear. It does sound like the inspector has arrived early. I hope he doesn’t come out here yet. We’ve not finished tidying.”

  “Don’t worry. Feather will help!” said Lily.

  Feather nodded eagerly.

  While Feather used her magic to help finish the tidying, the rest of the students quickly groomed their unicorns to make them look smart, and sorted out their stables so the straw beds were clean and fluffy and the haynets full.

  Ms Tulip gave a sigh of relief as she looked around the gleaming yard. “Well done, everyone, I think we’re finally ready. Feather, you deserve a huge bucket of sky berries. Thank you! You must be tired out after using so much magic.”

  Lily fetched Feather a bucket of the sweet juicy berries that grew behind the school. Sky berries were unicorns’ favourite food, and they were full of the vitamins they needed to stay healthy and keep their magic strong. Then, leaving the unicorns to rest, the girls went in for lunch.

  The students were tucking into delicious baked potatoes with melted cheese and salad when Ms Nettles showed the stranger into the dining room. Clapping her hands for silence, she introduced him.

  “This is Mr Longnose, everyone. He will be with us for a few days and is here to inspect the school. He will be sitting in on your lessons and he may want to ask you some questions. I hope you will all be very helpful and answer to the best of your ability.”

  Phoebe studied Mr Longnose. With his dark suit, black tie, shiny black shoes and sharp eyes, he looked like a perfect villain. “I don’t like him,” she hissed to the others as Ms Nettles and Mr Longnose sat d
own together and the students started talking again. “He looks shifty to me!”

  “Me too,” Aisha agreed.

  Phoebe gave the inspector a suspicious look. “I think he’s up to something.”

  “Yes, inspecting the school!” said Zara, rolling her eyes. “Honestly, Phoebe. Next you’ll be imagining he was responsible for the tornadoes!”

  Phoebe fell silent but watched the inspector carefully for the rest of lunch.

  Afterwards, they had a Geography class with Ms Rivers. When they arrived at their classroom with Opal and Topaz dorms, they found Mr Longnose already at the back of the room with his clipboard and an array of pens set out neatly on the desk before him.

  “Good afternoon.” His voice was clipped.

  “Good afternoon,” everyone said politely. Exchanging looks, they all sat down.

  The inspector walked over to Phoebe and Zara’s desk. “Do you like being here at the academy?” he asked Phoebe.

  “Oh yes, I love it!” Phoebe said eagerly, keen to tell him how amazing the academy was. “It’s the most exciting place!”

  The inspector frowned. “Exciting?”

  “Yes, there’s always some huge drama happening!” Phoebe felt Zara kick her sharply under the desk and glanced at her. Zara was looking panicked and giving tiny but frantic shakes of her head.

  “Drama?’ the inspector echoed, his frown deepening. “So, you don’t feel safe here?”

  Phoebe’s eyes widened. She hadn’t meant that at all. “No, no, that isn’t what—”

  Just then, Ms Rivers walked in.

  “Quiet please!” their teacher said, cutting across Phoebe’s words.

  “Students don’t feel safe,” the inspector muttered under his breath, making a note on his clipboard as he went back to his seat.

  “Phoebe, you doughnut!” Zara hissed in horror. “Why did you say that?”

  Phoebe felt awful. She hadn’t meant to give the impression that the students felt unsafe. Oh, why hadn’t she thought more carefully about what she was saying? What if Ms Nettles got into trouble because of her?