“Wh-what are you saying?” Tink asked anxiously.
“I’m sorry, girls. But I’m afraid this isn’t going to work out like you hoped. We have to take Tinker Bell home.”
Tinker Bell and Periwinkle looked at Dewey, stunned.
“It’s…it’s for your own good,” Dewey said, his voice cracking.
The sisters tried to protest. But it was no use. They had to follow him to the border.
Fiona led the way, with Tink and Periwinkle riding on her back. The sisters held hands as the lynx brought them to the border. When they reached the edge, the two fairies remained quiet for a moment. They watched the soft snow curtain falling between autumn and winter.
Tink looked sadly at her sister. She gently pulled her hand away and began to walk back over the border.
“Oh, Tink,” Periwinkle cried with tears in her eyes. She rushed to embrace her sister before she could cross.
“I can’t watch, Fiona!” Dewey sniffled and turned to face the other way. “Such a shame. They’re so cute together. It’s for the best, though. At least they had today. I’m sure they’ll both find happiness. Somehow.”
Tinker Bell peeked over Periwinkle’s shoulder to make sure Dewey wasn’t paying attention. Then she whispered in her sister’s ear. “Okay, meet me here tomorrow,” she said.
“Wh-what?” Periwinkle whispered back, surprised. “But we—”
Tinker Bell interrupted her. “I just met my long-lost sister for the first time, now you think I’m going to say good-bye forever?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so!”
Periwinkle sighed in relief. “You really had me going there.”
Tink smiled. “So, tomorrow,” she said, “there’s something I need you to bring.…”
Periwinkle nodded as Tink whispered her plan. Whatever her sister needed, she would get it. She wasn’t going to let her down!
Back on the warm side of Pixie Hollow, Tinker Bell knocked on Clank and Bobble’s door. There were sounds of scuffling inside, followed by the door slowly opening. Tinker Bell peered around the edge.
“Guys?” she asked.
Foomp!
A net suddenly shot out and wrapped around her.
“Aagh!” Tinker Bell cried.
Clank stepped out with his spring-loaded troll-stopping gun in hand. A look of surprise crossed his face when he saw Tinker Bell trapped in the net.
“Tink! You’re back!” Bobble gasped behind him.
“Yes,” Tinker Bell said, slightly annoyed by the unexpected greeting. She wriggled against the net.
“Sorry.” Clank helped her get untangled. “We thought you were a troll.”
“I knew we shouldn’t have used the troll stopper.” Bobble shook his head.
“But what if it was a troll?” Clank asked.
“Guys,” Tinker Bell interrupted. “I need your help. But it’s kind of a secret. I don’t want everybody to know.”
Tinker Bell’s friends exchanged a glance. Then they looked at her with interest. When Tinker Bell had a secret plan in mind, they knew something exciting was about to start.
Tink quickly explained to Clank and Bobble about everything that had happened. Then she told them about her plan to bring Periwinkle to the warm side of Pixie Hollow. Soon, all three tinker fairies were busy at work. Tinker Bell and Bobble hammered away at a mysterious-looking contraption, while Clank went to collect extra Lost Things for them to use.
“Now, where is that Clanky?” Bobble asked after some time had passed.
“I’m right here,” Clank replied, wheeling in a cart of extra supplies. Tinker Bell looked up to see what he had brought…and instead saw Fawn, Rosetta, Silvermist, Iridessa, and Vidia standing next to him.
“Oh,” she sighed, feeling as if she had been caught.
“I didn’t tell everybody,” Clank assured her. “Just Fawn, Ro, Sil, Dess, and Vidia.”
Vidia flew right in Tinker Bell’s face and looked her up and down. She crossed her arms. “So, there’s another you?” she asked matter-of-factly.
“Vidia!” Rosetta scolded.
Tinker Bell nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got a sister.”
“I told you,” Clank said proudly.
Tinker Bell told her fairy friends all about the Winter Woods, and how she and Periwinkle had been born of the same laugh. She explained how Periwinkle’s wings were identical to hers, and how both sisters’ wings sparkled when they were near one another.
“I’m making this machine so she can come here and meet you all,” Tinker Bell said. “And after that, we’ll go straight to Queen Clarion.”
Tink’s friends exchanged worried glances.
“Um, have you thought this through?” Vidia asked.
“When Queen Clarion hears how we found each other, and that we’re sisters, she’ll change Lord Milori’s rule,” Tinker Bell said determinedly.
“Of course she will,” Rosetta said.
“It’s like you found the perfect Lost Thing,” Silvermist said with a smile.
“And I’m never going to lose her,” Tinker Bell replied.
“Well, then let’s get to work!” Iridessa exclaimed.
Tinker Bell clapped her hands and grinned from ear to ear. She was so happy that her friends were going to help her with her plan. With everyone working together, she just knew everything would turn out perfectly. She had the best friends in Pixie Hollow!
And soon her friends would see that she had the best sister in Pixie Hollow, too.
All was silent at the border between autumn and winter. Not a single fairy was in sight. Quietly, a rust-colored leaf from autumn and a large snowflake from winter drifted closer to the dividing line. Then the leaf and the snowflake began to glow. It was Tinker Bell and Periwinkle!
“Anyone see you?” Tinker Bell asked, peeking out from under her leaf.
“No, you?” Periwinkle whispered back.
“Nope,” said Tinker Bell.
The two girls sighed in relief and tossed aside their disguises.
“Did you bring it?” Tinker Bell asked.
“Yes,” Periwinkle answered. She turned back to the Winter Woods and whistled. A moment later, Periwinkle’s friends Gliss, Sled, Spike, and Slush came out of hiding. They were holding ropes that were tied securely around a huge block of ice.
“For the record,” Spike said, tugging at the rope, “we shouldn’t be doing this. Whatever it is we’re doing.”
But the other fairies seemed more cheerful. They set the heavy block of ice down on the log bridge that connected the two seasons.
“As ordered. One big block of ice!” Sled announced.
Tinker Bell smiled. Then she turned and whistled. A moment later, Clank and Bobble rolled out a large contraption on wheels. It was covered with tubes, pulleys, ropes, and spinning fans.
“Ooooh,” Gliss said, her eyes wide. “It’s…uh…it’s one of those…”
Spike leaned over to Periwinkle. “…things we shouldn’t be doing,” she whispered.
Clank and Bobble popped out from behind the giant invention. “It’s a snowmaker!” Bobble exclaimed.
“It makes snooooooow!” Clank cried, waving his hands in the air for emphasis.
“This is your ticket to the warm side of Pixie Hollow,” Tinker Bell said to Periwinkle with a satisfied grin.
Periwinkle couldn’t believe it. She was actually going to be able to travel to the warm seasons! She took a step forward but then felt Spike pull her back.
“Wait a second,” Spike said. “This is crazy. You don’t even know if this thing works!”
“Oh, it works, all right,” Clank chimed in.
Bobble pushed his goggles up. “Aye, we made it ourselves!” he said proudly.
Periwinkle moved closer to the machine, but was careful not to cross the border just yet. “How does it work?” she asked curiously.
Tinker Bell gave the signal and Clank moved a lever on the cart. In a flash, a large claw on the back of the snowmaker lifted the cube of ice. C
lank reeled the ice in, and a sharp grater on the machine began shaving off thin chips from the block. Soon, snowflakes began pouring out of a tube at the top.
“Wow!” Sled whispered, amazed.
Periwinkle beamed with pride. “You did it,” she said to her sister. “You actually did it!”
Cautiously, Periwinkle flew over the border and into the column of snow. She looked unsteady for a moment. But then the cold flakes from the snowmaker swirled around her, making her feel right at home.
“Wow,” she gasped. It was as cold as winter, even though she was on the other side of the border.
Clank adjusted a few levers on the snowmaker. “All righty,” he said excitedly. “Your tour begins with the Autumn Forest. Then it’s a quick stop in Springtime Square. And finally, the Pixie Dust Tree! Which, as you know, makes all fairy life possible.”
“Aye, that’s where you’ll be meeting Her Majestyness, the queen,” Bobble added.
“The queen?” Periwinkle asked in surprise.
Gliss’s eyes widened. She nudged her friends. “They’re going to see the queen!”
Tinker Bell hadn’t told Periwinkle about this part of the plan. The frost fairy glanced nervously at Tink.
“She’s very wise,” Tink assured her. “And if we tell her we’re sisters, she’ll change Lord Milori’s rule.”
“That is so exciting!” Gliss blurted out. “Say hi for me, or do a curtsy, or whatever it is you do!”
“Sure!” Periwinkle laughed.
“And bring me back an acorn!” Gliss called. She held out her arms wide. “A big one!”
Tinker Bell made a grand, sweeping gesture with her hand. “After you,” she said.
“Bye!” Periwinkle called to her friends. And she headed off with Tink, Clank, and Bobble into the Autumn Forest.
As the friends left, no one noticed the large, snowy owl watching them from high above on a tree branch. The owl waited until the fairies had disappeared. Then with a soft hoot, it quickly took flight to warn Lord Milori of what it had witnessed.
Periwinkle was amazed by the warm side of Pixie Hollow. Everything was so different than in the Winter Woods. So lively! Plants grew tall, and trees were covered with thick green leaves. Animals of all shapes, sizes, and colors scampered about. But the best part was seeing the fish. They really did swim in melted ice!
Clank and Bobble kept the snowmaker cranking a steady stream of snowflakes over Periwinkle everywhere she went—even while she floated down the river on a lily pad. As they drifted down the stream, Tinker Bell glanced up at the tree branches overhead. Silvermist, Rosetta, Fawn, Iridessa, and Vidia were hiding there. She winked, giving them the signal. It was time to show her sister what the warm-weather fairies could really do.
Silvermist went first. She dipped her hand in the stream and created a water arc above the sisters’ heads. When Periwinkle looked up, she was delighted to see fish swimming in a bubble of water right over her.
Rosetta was up next. She flew ahead of Tinker Bell and Periwinkle and made an entire field of flowers burst into bloom. Periwinkle gasped when she saw all the colors. Then Tinker Bell motioned to Fawn. At a signal from the animal fairy, hundreds of butterflies filled the air.
“Butterflies!” Periwinkle exclaimed.
“Surprise!” Tink’s friends cried, all flying down at once.
“Your friends did all this?” Periwinkle asked.
“They wanted to surprise you,” Tinker Bell explained proudly. “Everyone, this is Periwinkle, my sister.”
“This is so exciting,” Silvermist said, clapping her hands together.
Then Rosetta stepped forward. “Hello,” she said in a loud, slow voice, as though Periwinkle wouldn’t understand her language. “It—is—nice—to—meet—you. I—am—Rosetta. This—is…”
Vidia rolled her eyes. “Ro, she’s a winter fairy. She’s not from the moon.”
“Oh, right,” Rosetta said, embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed. “I’m just so excited.”
Periwinkle smiled. “It’s great to meet all of you.”
Silvermist flew in closer. “This is so remarkable!” She looked back and forth between Tinker Bell and Periwinkle. “You two are sisters!”
Vidia put her arm around Periwinkle. “A little fairy-to-fairy advice,” she whispered. “Tink can be a bit tricky to get along with at times.”
“Yeah,” Tinker Bell said sarcastically. “Look who’s talking.”
“We can’t believe you’re over here,” Fawn chimed in, changing the subject.
“So are you cold enough?” Iridessa asked.
Periwinkle did a little spin inside her cone of snow. “It’s perfect,” she said.
“Oh, I nearly forgot!” Rosetta exclaimed. “This is for you. It’s called a periwinkle also.” She handed the winter fairy a delicate blue flower.
“Thank you. I’ll keep it forever.” Periwinkle said. She waved her hand across the flower, and instantly it was encased in a thin layer of frost.
The warm-weather fairies were amazed.
“It’s frost,” Tinker Bell explained. “She and her friends practice in the Frost Forest. You should see it.”
The fairies continued chattering excitedly. They couldn’t believe Tinker Bell actually had a sister! But as they talked, they didn’t notice Periwinkle’s wings slowly beginning to droop.
Suddenly, the frost fairy sank to the ground. “I don’t feel so…” she said weakly.
“Periwinkle!” Tinker Bell cried. She rushed to her sister’s side.
“My wings,” Periwinkle whispered, frightened. The frost fairy’s wings were beginning to wilt! “I can’t feel them. I think they’re too warm.”
Bobble looked up at the snowmaker. He was pedaling quickly to keep the snow coming. But he realized that the snowflakes were starting to dwindle.
“It’s running out of ice!” Clank exclaimed.
“We have to get her back to the border,” Fawn declared.
Periwinkle gazed up at Tinker Bell. “What about the queen?” she said in a small voice.
“There’s no time,” Tinker Bell exclaimed. She turned to Clank and Bobble. “Clank, grab some ice. We’ll wrap her wings.”
Everyone sprang into action, scraping up fallen snow to surround Peri’s drooping wings. Together, they all pushed the snowmaker toward the border.
“Come on,” Iridessa cried. “We can do this!”
Bobble pedaled as fast as his legs could go.
“We’re almost there,” Tinker Bell called out. She turned to Periwinkle. “Not much farther,” she said. But her heart sank when she saw the strained look on Periwinkle’s face. They were running out of time.
Just as the machine used up the last bit of ice and the snowflakes stopped coming, Tinker Bell and Vidia tumbled with Periwinkle back across the border. The winter fairy fell to the ground the minute they crossed the bridge. She was too weak to even stand.
Tinker Bell helped unwrap her sister’s wings. When the snow fell away, Tink’s hand flew to her mouth. Instead of being iridescent and sparkling, Periwinkle’s wings were brown and wilted.
Just then, the fairies caught sight of Lord Milori. He swooped down on his snowy owl and hurried toward the injured frost fairy.
“Please,” Tinker Bell begged, “can you help her?”
“Tink,” Vidia said urgently. It was getting too cold for them. Vidia quickly pulled Tinker Bell back across the border to safety.
On the winter side, Lord Milori knelt down beside Periwinkle and placed his hands on her shoulders. His face was filled with concern. “Gently,” he said in a soft voice. “Lift your wings. Let the cold surround them.”
Slowly, Periwinkle raised her wings. Little by little, as the cold air swirled around her, Peri’s wings began to regain their shimmer and color. She tried to flutter them, and sighed with relief when they worked.
“You’re okay.” Tinker Bell exhaled, leaning back against Vidia. “Your wings are okay.”
“This is why we d
o not cross the border,” Lord Milori said quietly.
“No, it could have worked!” Periwinkle protested. “We just needed a bigger piece of ice.”
Lord Milori shook his head sadly. “And when that was gone?” he asked.
Periwinkle started to reply, but then realized she didn’t know what to say.
“Your wings could have broken,” the Lord of Winter continued.
“But they didn’t,” Periwinkle replied. “I’m fine.” She pointed to Tinker Bell and her friends on the other side of the bridge. “Thanks to them.”
Lord Milori looked at Tinker Bell and the other warm-weather fairies. His expression grew harder. “The rule is there to protect you,” he said to Tink and Peri. “I’m sorry. You two may never see each other again.” He stood to leave.
“Please don’t do this,” Periwinkle begged. “We belong together.”
“We’re sisters!” Tinker Bell shouted. “We were born of the same laugh.”
At this, Lord Milori paused. Then he looked back. “All the more reason you should want to keep each other safe,” he said.
A tear escaped from Periwinkle’s eye. How could the best day of her life be ending so horribly?
“Come on, Tink,” Vidia urged. “Let’s go home.”
But Tinker Bell felt angry and hurt. She glared at Lord Milori. “No! Lord Milori, your rule will not keep us apart!” she shouted forcefully.
“Tinker Bell, this is not Lord Milori’s rule,” a voice suddenly said behind them. Tink turned to see Queen Clarion standing a short distance away. “It’s mine.”
“Queen Clarion?” Tinker Bell asked. She couldn’t believe that her own queen was keeping her from her sister.
“I’m sorry,” the queen replied.
Tinker Bell and Periwinkle looked at one another across the border. Their plan to be together was falling apart.
“You should get deeper into the cold,” Lord Milori instructed Periwinkle.
But Periwinkle couldn’t bear it. She rushed to the edge of the border and threw her arms around her sister. They had been so happy together during the day, and now they weren’t sure if they’d ever see each other again. Periwinkle squeezed her sister tight, and they hugged for a long while. Then Periwinkle flew away. Tinker Bell watched her go. With slumped shoulders, she followed her friends back into the Autumn Forest.
Tinker Bell: Secret of the Wings Junior Novel Page 4
