'Like I said, I don't think you're very well,' Margaret patted her shoulder. 'I think you should go and get some rest before you stink us all out.'
Charlotte was annoyed at herself for not noticing that Margaret had put the farting spell back on her. She wanted to scream at her and to tell Charlie exactly what Margaret was like. She wanted to cast a spell to turn Margaret into a balloon and watch her float off so that she was left to talk to Charlie without any interruptions. There were so many things that she wanted to do but instead she found herself walking away from them.
'Is she okay?' Charlie asked Margaret.
'Yeah, she will be fine, she just needs some time to herself,' she leaned in closer to him. 'She always gets terrible wind after her food binges.'
Charlotte looked back at Charlie and let out a sigh. He was so close to her yet he seemed so out of reach.
'Are you okay Charlotte?' Molly asked, and Charlotte let out a fart.
'Sorry,' she looked at the ground. 'Please can I be excused, I don't feel very well.'
'Okay,' she couldn't hide her smile. 'I'll get Sonya to fly back with you to the Academy. Wait here while I go and find her, I know I saw her around here somewhere.'
Charlotte nodded before she looked over at Charlie. Margaret may have won this time but next time Charlotte was determined not to let her ruin it.
'Exponentia remotio,' she turned her wand towards herself.
Soon Sonya walked over to her, both of their brooms in hand and she passed Charlotte's over to her.
'Sorry for taking you away from the picnic,' Charlotte said.
'It's okay, I've had enough sandwiches anyway.'
Charlotte took one last look over at Charlie before she got onto her broom and followed Sonya up into the air.
She thought about her nightmare, the cupcakes, sweat and the farting. All those things had been in her dream and they'd happened today. This didn't make any sense, it was as if she'd subconsciously known what was going to happen to her. Had her dream been some sort of premonition or a warning?
She noticed how everyone looked so tiny from up there, like dots on a map. The truth was that they were all small in comparison to the world but this didn't make them any less important. Charlotte knew that she mattered, just as all of the dots beneath her did. The next time she met Charlie she was going to prove to him that even though she was quieter than Margaret and not as cunning or as good at spells, this didn't mean that she wasn't just as important as all of the other dots that were down on the ground. Charlotte knew that she was a kinder, fairer, more caring person than Margaret and that she was the dot for Charlie.
Chapter Four
Charlotte landed next to Sonya in the yard of the Academy. A group of second years were having a fitness lesson with Miss Dread, who was twisting herself into a variety of positions and encouraging the girls to copy them. A few of the girls looked over as they landed but most of them were too busy concentrating on their positions to take much notice.
'Do you want me to walk you back to your room?' Sonya asked.
'No thanks, I'll be okay,' Charlotte forced a smile.
'If you're sure?'
'Yep, I’ll be fine,' she nodded.
'Okay then, you should go and rest in your room and then hopefully you'll feel better soon.'
'Yeah hopefully,' Charlotte sighed.
'Don't worry, you'll see that boy again soon,' she said and Charlotte blushed. 'I saw you talking to him, he's a cute one.'
'Yes and thanks.'
'Anyway, go and sleep off your bug.'
'Thanks Sonya.'
'No problem, although I hope I get back before Molly eats all of the cherry slices,' she grinned.
Charlotte waved at her and then watched as she flew up into the air until she became a tiny dot in the sky.
'Come on Clarissa, your left leg needs to come up higher,' Miss Dread said.
'I can't, get it up there,' a girl with long red hair said, as she tried lifting her leg up behind her and ended up toppling onto the ground.
Charlotte clutched onto her broom as she walked through the empty halls. She still felt sick from all the food she'd eaten and she couldn't get the taste of vomit mixed with cake out of her mouth. On the walk back to her room she found that she couldn't stop thinking about Charlie. His hair, his eyes, his smile. Everything about him had her smitten and she couldn't seem to shake him from her mind.
She walked into her room and closed the door behind her. Part of her was glad to be alone but the other part of her wanted a hug from Stef, Gerty and even Alice, even though she'd probably go on about how it was messing her hair up. On thinking about them she found herself smiling, they were her friends and she knew that they'd always be there for her.
She brushed her teeth, changed into her pale pink pyjamas and got into her bed. She buried herself beneath the covers as she thought about the warmth of Charlie's hand on hers, winning the scavenger hunt and how Margaret hadn't changed at all.
Swirling around in her mind was the nightmare, which she couldn't stop thinking about. Had she really had a premonition or had it been a fluke? Thoughts of her sweat covered skin, frosted cupcakes and a constant vortex were spinning in her head until her mind switched off and sleep claimed her.
***
'Charlotte, are you okay?' gentle hands shook her.
'W-what?' she blinked open her eyes and saw Gerty and Stef peering over her.
At first she thought that the scavenger hunt had just been part of her nightmare and she felt relief.
'Sorry for waking you, we just wanted to check that you were okay?'
'Um yeah, fine,' she placed her hand over her mouth as she yawned.
'We looked for you at the picnic but Molly said you'd left,' Gerty said.
Charlotte bolted upright, the nausea feeling in the pit of her stomach returned.
'The picnic,' she muttered. 'It really happened, it wasn't a dream?'
'Yeah it happened, your team won remember?' Stef asked.
'Oh yes,' Charlotte lay back down in bed.
'Are you sure you're okay?' Gerty asked.
'Yes thanks, I'm just tired.'
'More like someone spiked your drink with forgetful powder, it happened to my uncle once, he couldn't remember where he'd placed his best hat for a week afterwards, my aunt was the least bit pleased,' Alice said, as she searched through the draw beneath her bed.
'More like your uncle just forgot where he'd put it,' Stef snorted.
'You won't be laughing when someone uses it on you and you misplace your broom for a fortnight,' she huffed.
'How'd it go with Charlie?' Gerty asked.
'Terrible,' she mumbled out, before she sank further into her bed and closed her eyes.
'Charlotte, what happened?' Gerty asked her.
'Let's leave her alone,' Stef whispered to her, before she led her away from Charlotte's bed.
'Who's stolen my robe, the one with the lilac trim?' Alice folded her arms and glared at Stef and Gerty.
'Why would I want your itchy old robe?' Stef replied.
'I'll have you know that is a designer robe.'
'You could show some manners, Charlotte is trying to sleep.'
'Alice we haven't got your robe, I'm sure it's somewhere. I'll help you look for it,' Gerty said quietly, as she walked over to Alice and knelt down next to her before she began to look through her draw.
'Maybe someone used forgetful powder on you?' Stef sniggered.
Charlotte tried to block out the noise from the room and get back to sleep but it was no use. Soon silent tears were streaming down her face and as much as she tried to wipe them away they continued to drip down her cheeks in clear blobs.
'Is this it?' Stef took a lilac robe out of her draw and threw it over at Alice.
'I knew you'd stolen it.'
'I did no such thing, I was merely looking for my PJ’s and I found that monstrosity. I reckon you put it in with my laundry so that you didn't have to wash it yourself.'
'You're a thief,' Alice huffed.
'It doesn't matter Alice, you have it back now.'
'I suppose so,' she glared over at Stef, before she put her robe on over her cream satin PJ’s.
A knock at the door caused them all to fall silent and Gerty hurried over to it, opening it to see Margaret standing there.
'Hi Gerty, I was just here to check on how Charlotte is feeling?' she smiled.
'She's sleeping,' Stef shouted.
'She's okay but she's resting right now but I'll tell her that you came by,' Gerty said.
'Thank you Gerty, please tell her that I'm thinking of her and that I hope she feels better soon. Also make sure that she knows that I kept Charlie company in her absence so that he didn't feel lonely.'
'I bet you did,' Stef muttered under her breath.
'Thanks Margaret, I'll pass on your message.'
'Goodnight Gerty, Stef, oh and Alice, I didn't see you there but I love your robe, I'd like to borrow it some time,' she gave an exaggerated smile and a single wave in Alice's direction.
'Of course you can borrow it, any time,' Alice shouted over to her.
'Night Margaret,' Gerty smiled, as she closed the door.
'What a load of rubbish,' Stef sneered.
'I think it was nice of her to check by,' Gerty said.
'Yes, she didn't have to do that. I think she's changed,' Alice said.
'You're only saying that because she likes your stinky old robe,' Stef rolled her eyes. 'Besides, she cast a farting spell on Charlotte to embarrass her in front of Charlie, so it's clear she's the same old Margaret.'
'We don't know for sure that it was her who put that spell on Charlotte. She didn't have to stop by and check on her, I think that was a really sweet thing to do.'
'Whatever,' Stef rolled her eyes again. Gerty and Alice might have been fooled by Margaret's words but she wasn't so easily convinced.
***
The Academy's grandfather clock chimed twelve times yet no one stirred, no one that was except for Charlotte who couldn't seem to find sleep. The clock stopped chiming and silence returned, uncomfortable silence. Even Alice wasn't snoring! Charlotte couldn't decide if this was a good or bad thing, as annoying as it was…at least it broke the deathly quiet.
She wondered if Charlie still liked her and what lies Margaret had told him? She wondered how her dream had been so accurate and she wondered why she couldn't stop over-thinking these things and just go to sleep?
On realization that sleep wasn't going to come any time soon a thought flashed into her head.
'I wonder,' she said under her breath.
She carefully pulled the cover off and crept out of bed. She paused briefly before she knelt down and as quietly as she could, pulled the draw out from under her bed.
'Lux,' she held out her wand and the intricate carvings on her wand glowed orange, along with the yellow light that appeared at the end of it.
She rooted through the draw and held up the small vial of fairy dust that she'd won in Miss Scarlet's class. She had been saving it until she believed that she truly needed it and now seemed like a good time to use it.
Remembering what Miss Scarlet said about using it sparingly, Charlotte took the lid off the vial and gently knocked a small amount into her palm. She blew the glittery silver substance into the air and watched as it sparkled before her. Suddenly the sparkles disappeared and in their place appeared a male fairy, with pale skin and purple hair.
'Hello Charlotte, I'm Zonta and I'm here to help,' he said cheerfully.
'Hello,' she smiled back.
'What would you like to ask me?'
'Erm,' Charlotte said, realizing that she had no idea what to ask.
She chewed on the side of her lip as she hurriedly tried to think of something to ask, something helpful.
'What is wrong with me?'
'I can assure you that there is most certainly nothing wrong with you.'
'Really?' she smiled.
'Yes, in fact you are very special.'
'I am?' she gave a confused look.
'Yes, you possess an ability that few others have.'
'What kind of ability?' she whispered.
'Charlotte my little witch friend. You can read minds.'
'No I can't,' she said louder than she intended and then quickly placed her hand over her mouth.
'Us fairies do not lie, I suggest you try it tomorrow.'
'But how do I read minds?' she asked, but Zonta had vanished.
She carefully shone her wand around the room to check that he'd gone, before she buried the vial of fairy dust back in her draw of clothes and then she crept back into bed.
She found herself over-thinking even more than she had been before she had met Zonta. His words repeated in her head and she contemplated using more fairy dust to bring him back and ask him how she was meant to mind read? She decided against this, as she had to at least try to mind read for herself before she wasted more of the fairy dust. Also Miss Scarlet had told her to use it sparingly so she didn't want to risk overusing it.
Thoughts were swirling in her head in a confused ball until finally and unknowingly she fell asleep.
***
Charlotte woke-up first, about an hour before the bell was due to ring. She used the bathroom before a queue grew for it, got changed into her sports kit for fitness training and then stretched out on her bed and thought about what Zonta had said.
She'd read an article in the paper once about this man who took up boxing for a hobby and a week later had won a major championship. Maybe she really did have this hidden skill and she just needed to figure out how to use it.
The bell went off and the others woke-up and began to get ready for the day. Charlotte looked at Gerty and tried as hard as she could to read Gerty's thoughts; nothing.
'You're up early?' Gerty smiled over at her. 'I hope you're feeling better today?'
'I like waking up early, it means I can have the bathroom to myself without feeling rushed,' she grinned. 'I'm feeling better thanks, my head feels somewhat clearer today.'
'Good point and I'm glad.'
'Did you hear Margaret stop by last night?' Stef asked.
'Yeah, I did.'
'She's faker than the fake designer handbag my cousin Belinda takes with her everywhere.'
'Ew, why would anyway buy a fake designer bag?' Alice shuddered.
'Because not everyone is as rich as you Miss Moneybags. Although the bag Belinda has is faded and peeling off at the seams and the zip keeps getting stuck. She's actually told us all that it's the real deal, as if!'
'I think she was being sweet,' Gerty said.
'Gertrude Baggs, you are the nicest person that I've ever met but when it comes to Margaret you are deluded.'
'I'm with Gerty on this one,' Alice said.
'Don't get me started on you, it's far too early for this,' Stef sighed, before she disappeared into the bathroom.
'I was about to go in there,' Alice huffed.
'Gerty, is it true that fairies can't lie?' Charlotte asked.
'Yes, fairies never lie, ever. They are generally kind in nature but their truth telling has been known to offend some people. In fact, legend has it that they seldom come to this realm because centuries ago the ruler of the magical world asked a fairy if they thought they were a good leader? The fairy told them that they weren't and the ruler became bitter with anger and banished all of the fairies from his land.'
'So they can't tell any sort of lies whatsoever?'
'She's already told you that they can't,' Alice snorted.
'Alice, I was just making sure,' Charlotte replied.
'Nope, they can't lie at all. Not even a tiny little lie. Why are you so curious about fairies?'
'Oh, it's just that I read something about them and wondered if it was true.'
'I like fairies, they are so cute. If I was the ruler I wouldn't banish them, even if they told me that I was the worst ruler in the entire universe.'
'You'd be an amazing ruler,' Charlotte said.
'Aw, thanks Charlotte, I think you'd be a great ruler too. We could rule the land together and fill our kingdom with fairies,' she smiled.
Books for Girls - WITCH SCHOOL - Books 2-6: Book 1 is FREE! Page 13
