Over The Rainbow

by Meredith Badger

Tuck your chin in tightly.

  Or was it stick your chin out? There was no time to decide. Elly could feel herself starting to roll over. I’ll try sticking out my chin and see what happens, she thought desperately.

  So Elly did, and for a moment her flying seemed under control. She found a gentle upward current and started drifting out of the storm.

  Then from nowhere, a cold downward current flipped her upside-down like a pancake. Down on the ground she could hear her classmates giggling, especially Gabi and Nadia.

  ‘I’m stuck, Miss Blippy,’ Elly called helplessly, zooming around upside-down.

  ‘Turn your turbo boosters off then and come back down,’ said Miss Blippy.

  Elly reached down and fumbled with the boosters. But instead of turning off, the boosters suddenly roared even louder than before. And Elly found herself being dragged across the room by her ankles.

  ‘You’ve switched them into Overdrive!’ Miss Blippy yelled. ‘Switch off the boosters immediately before you crash!’

  But there was no way Elly could reach the boosters now. She was feeling very dizzy. She was also starting to worry.

  I’m going to be flying around up here forever! she thought anxiously.

  As she spun around, she caught a glimpse of her classmates’ faces. No-one was laughing anymore. Not even Gabi and Nadia.

  Chapter Six

  ‘Hang in there, Elly!’ called Miss Blippy, pushing a button on her wand.

  The Flight Simulation storm flickered and spluttered, then finally vanished. Instantly, the wind died down. Then Miss Blippy pointed the wand at Elly’s feet as she zoomed around the room, still dangling upside-down.

  ‘I’m taking over the controls of the turbo boosters, Elly,’ she said. ‘I’ll have you down in a moment.’

  Elly felt herself moving wherever Miss Blippy’s wand went. Gently, the teacher guided her back down until she landed with a gentle thud on the ground.

  Now that everyone could see she was OK, the class started giggling again. Only Saphie and Evie Glitterwings didn’t laugh.

  ‘Typical!’ Elly heard Gabi snigger. ‘Once a fairy school drop-out, always a fairy school drop-out.’

  ‘What kind of fairy doesn’t even know how to fly properly?’ added Nadia nastily.

  ‘Oh, and I suppose you two were perfect with the turbo boosters straight away?’ retorted Elly.

  Saphie helped Elly up. ‘Actually,’ she said, ‘the first time Gabi and Nadia used the boosters they crashed right into each other.’

  Some of the other fairies started to laugh. ‘That’s right!’ chuckled Evie. ‘You should’ve heard the way they carried on about it, too. They weren’t nearly as brave as you, Elly.’

  ‘The next class is Human Studies,’ said Saphie encouragingly, as the bell rang. ‘You’ll be great at that. And Miss Riverella, the teacher, is really nice.’

  Gabi snorted. ‘Elly will be just as bad in Human Studies as she is in everything else,’ she said. ‘I bet it won’t be long before she’s thrown out of the Rainbow Academy.’

  ‘Yeah,’ sneered Nadia. ‘In fact, we’re going to make sure of it!’

  ‘I will do just fine in Human Studies,’ said Elly, sounding more confident than she felt. ‘I’ve been to a human school, after all.’

  All the same, she couldn’t help feeling nervous as she and Saphie headed to the next class. What exactly did Nadia have planned?

  When they arrived at the Human Studies classroom, Miss Riverella wasn’t there.

  Instead, Madame Fernyfrond was standing up the front of the class. ‘I’ve decided to teach this class myself,’ she announced, ‘so I can keep an eye on my grand-daughter and her little friend.’

  ‘But Grandma,’ said Saphie doubtfully, ‘you haven’t met a human in years.’

  ‘That doesn’t matter,’ Madame Fernyfrond said dismissively. ‘I know what they’re like.’

  Elly glanced around the classroom. It looked exactly like her classroom at South Street School! Elly half-expected Jess and her other human friends to walk in.

  Madame Fernyfrond saw Elly looking around. ‘I know what you’re thinking, Elly,’ she said. ‘This room looks nothing like a real human classroom.’ She pressed a button on her wand, and all the tables and chairs turned by themselves to face the back of the room.

  ‘Now, everyone, stand on your heads on the seats,’ she instructed. ‘Human students sit like this in class to help the circulation of blood through their brains.’

  Elly stared at the Head Fairy in surprise. Is this a joke?

  ‘Of course, in some human schools, the students sit in bathtubs,’ Madame Fernyfrond added. ‘They believe this helps them absorb what they are taught.’

  ‘Excuse me, Madame Fernyfrond,’ said Elly, putting her wand in the air. ‘Humans don’t really have lessons in bathtubs. And they don’t do headstands in their seats!’

  Madame frowned. ‘Of course they do!’

  Elly was about to say that she had been to a human school, and was positive that no-one sat in bathtubs, when Saphie caught her eye and shook her head. Then, using the mini-Cloud Writer function on her wand, she scribbled a quick message in the air for Elly.

  Just agree with her!

  ‘Another interesting fact about human schools is that the pupils keep their eyes shut throughout the entire day,’ said Madame Fernyfrond. ‘Isn’t that right, Elly?’

  Elly tried very hard not to laugh. ‘Yes, Madame,’ she said. Then, winking at Saphie, she added, ‘and they hop backwards home from school every afternoon.’

  ‘Really?’ said Madame Fernyfrond. ‘How very interesting!’

  Elly leant over to Saphie. ‘I don’t think Madame Fernyfrond has ever been to a human school,’ she whispered.

  ‘She has crazy ideas about humans, doesn’t she? Just like humans do about fairies,’ grinned Saphie.

  Madame Fernyfrond clapped her hands. ‘Who can tell me about the Human Database?’

  Nadia Cruddleperry put up her wand. ‘It’s the information that fairies have collected about humans,’ she said. ‘It’s the only way to tell if a human needs a wish granted.’

  There’s another way of knowing, thought Elly. You can talk to them! She had granted a wish for Jess before, and she hadn’t needed to use the Human Database at all.

  I wonder how Jess is going? Elly thought suddenly. It was weird to think that a week had already passed by for Jess, since Elly had left – even though Elly had only been in Rainbowville for a day. Lots of things could have happened in a week, and I don’t know anything about them!

  Madame Fernyfrond pointed her wand at a blank wall. Instantly, a beam of light shot out and a glowing projection screen appeared.

  ‘I will demonstrate how the Human Database works,’ she announced. ‘Now, can anyone suggest a human name that I might search for on the Database? Just make one up. Remember, human names are sometimes quite ridiculous.’

  Elly sat up straight. This is my way of finding out how Jess is, she thought excitedly. ‘Jess,’ said Elly quickly. ‘Jess Chester.’

  ‘That’s a particularly silly name!’ laughed Madame Fernyfrond. ‘I doubt even a human would be called something so strange. But let’s try it anyway.’

  Then, on the tiny keyboard on her wand, she began typing. Instantly, the screen filled with writing. Elly leant forward, eagerly. But then she sat back again, disappointed. The writing wasn’t like anything she’d seen before. It was all squiggly and swirly.

  ‘The Database has recently been converted into a special coded language,’ explained Madame. ‘This is to stop humans from accidentally discovering it on their internut.’

  Elly put her wand in the air. ‘Madame Fernyfrond,’ she said, ‘can you read the code? Can you tell us what it’s saying about Jess?’

  ‘Of course I can!’ replied Madame Fernyfrond, a little haughtily. Then she peered at the projection for a very long time. ‘Jess Chester is not quite herself at the moment, according to the Database,’ said Madame Fernyfrond e
ventually.

  Elly bit her lip. That didn’t sound good! ‘Does it say anything else?’ she asked.

  Madame Fernyfrond squinted at the projection again. ‘Oh, no wonder she’s not feeling very well!’ she said, after a moment. ‘It says quite clearly that Jess is currently being crushed.’

  ‘Crushed!’ repeated Elly, shocked.

  Madame nodded. ‘Yes. And according to this, she’s finding it most uncomfortable.’

  Elly stared at Madame in horror.

  ‘Look at Elly’s stupid expression,’ Gabi sneered to Nadia. ‘A proper fairy would never pull a face like that.’

  But Elly barely heard her. Her mind was racing. What was crushing poor Jess? Perhaps Madame had read the code incorrectly. Her lesson about human classrooms hadn’t been exactly accurate, after all. But then, maybe she was right! Elly couldn’t stand the thought of sitting around doing nothing if Jess was in trouble.

  I’ve got to get out of Rainbowville as quickly as possible, thought Elly, and find out what’s going on with Jess!

  Chapter Seven

  The next class was Wish Fulfilment. Elly knew she should concentrate, especially as Madame Fernyfrond was in charge again. But her mind kept on wandering back to Jess.

  I have to see her, thought Elly. But how?

  ‘Elly!’ called Madame suddenly. ‘Can you give us an example of a wish, please?’

  ‘I wish I could get out of Rainbowville,’ replied Elly, without thinking.

  Madame laughed. ‘Completely impossible!’

  ‘Rule number 331,’ piped up Elly’s Ruler. ‘Unlicensed fairies are not allowed out of Rainbowville.’

  ‘Exactly,’ agreed Madame. ‘If you tried to sneak out unchaperoned, the Cloud Writer would write your name in red in the sky and you’d be caught immediately.’

  ‘You’d never even make it out of the school,’ added Gabi. ‘All the gates, doors and windows have Fairy Trackers on them. If you so much as touch them, the alarm goes off.’

  ‘The only way you’re leaving here,’ hissed Nadia, ‘is when you get expelled!’

  Elly pulled a face at the Cruddleperrys, but inside her hopes were fading. Are they right? she wondered. Is it actually impossible to leave this place?

  ‘Elly’s wish was impossible,’ said Madame Fernyfrond. ‘Gabi, can you give an example?’

  Gabi shot a mischievous look at Elly. ‘Well,’ she said, ‘someone might wish for a new hairstyle.’

  ‘Excellent suggestion,’ said Madame Fernyfrond approvingly. ‘And what would you do to grant that?’

  ‘I would do a hair re-alignment with my wand,’ replied Gabi sweetly.

  ‘Correct,’ said Madame Fernyfrond, turning to write something on the board.

  The moment Madame Fernyfrond’s back was turned, Gabi pointed her wand at Elly’s head. Instantly, Elly had the odd sensation that her hair was moving by itself, wriggling and squirming like it had come to life.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Elly whispered to Saphie nervously.

  Saphie stared at her hair, looking shocked.

  ‘What? What?’ asked Elly.

  Saphie pointed to Elly’s reflection in the classroom window. Elly could hardly believe what she saw.

  Her hair was busily plaiting itself into hundreds of tiny little braids! Then the finished braids were standing up like stalks all over her head.

  Madame turned and stared at Elly in astonishment. ‘Elly! What have you done to your hair?’

  ‘It wasn’t me, Madame,’ protested Elly.

  ‘No excuses, Elinora,’ Madame snapped. ‘Your grandmother warned me about your odd behaviour, and I can see she wasn’t exaggerating.’

  Madame looked around the room. ‘What about you, Nadia? Can you suggest a wish?’

  ‘You might wish for a brand new outfit,’ said Nadia innocently. She had her wand pointed at Elly under the desk.

  ‘Don’t!’ Elly yelped, but it was too late. She suddenly felt very cold. She peered down.

  ‘Oh, no!’ she groaned, her face blushing bright red as everyone started laughing. She was now wearing bathers! There was even a pair of flippers on her feet.

  Madame Fernyfrond glared. ‘Elinora!’ she said crossly. ‘Are you familiar with rule number 40?’

  ‘Rule number 40,’ recited the Ruler.‘No unsupervised spells by unlicensed fairies!’

  ‘Can’t you get expelled for that kind of thing, Madame?’ asked Nadia.

  ‘It’s possible,’ said Madame darkly.

  Then Gabi put up her wand. ‘I just thought of another wish, Madame Fernyfrond,’ she said brightly. ‘You might wish you were somewhere else.’

  ‘No!’ cried Elly, and quickly tried to perform a blocking spell with her wand. But it didn’t work. A second later Elly found herself squashed into a small, dark room.

  Where am I? she wondered, groping around for a door. Suddenly, something jabbed her very sharply in the back. Elly was flung forward through a doorway and then landed with a splat on the floor.

  Elly lifted her head up. She was back in her classroom, and everyone was staring at her in amazement, except for the Cruddleperrys, who looked like they were about to explode from trying not to laugh.

  ‘It’s no good hiding in the broom closet, Elinora,’ frowned Madame. ‘The brooms will always sweep you out again, quick smart.’

  Elly looked behind her. Sure enough, the small cupboard she’d just fallen out of was filled with brooms. One of them was still pushing at her feet, as if trying to sweep her as far away as possible.

  There was a mirror stuck inside the cupboard, and Elly was relieved to see that at least her hair and clothes had now gone back to normal.

  ‘Elinora, go back to your seat straight away,’ barked Madame.

  Elly hurried back, glaring at the smirking Cruddleperrys as she passed them. She longed to turn their hair green, but she knew Madame would be furious if anything else happened. And besides, the chances of her spell actually working were very slim.

  Saphie gave Elly a cheeky smile as she sat down. ‘Don’t worry about the Cruddleperrys doing any more spells on you,’ she whispered. ‘If they even try, they’re in for a very big surprise!’

  Even though everything was back to normal, Elly still felt cross and fidgety.

  I was crazy to think I could help Jess, she thought. I can’t even stop the Cruddleperrys from putting me in the broom closet!

  ‘Please find the Wish Fulfilment section in the Fairy Code, everyone,’ said Madame Fernyfrond briskly.

  Uh-oh! thought Elly.

  Her copy of the Fairy Code was back at home. Was she about to get in trouble again? Then she noticed that everyone had simply flipped out their wand-screens.

  ‘The Fairy Code is loaded onto your wand,’ explained Saphie, showing her the right button to press.

  ‘Saphie,’ said Madame Fernyfrond, ‘please read the page entitled The Three Golden Rules of Wish Fulfilment to the class.’

  Saphie stood up and read the rules.

  ‘Thank you, Saphie,’ said Madame. ‘I want everyone to memorise those rules. Granting wishes to humans is the main task of fairies. Humans are annoying sometimes, but it is always our duty to help them out!’

  Suddenly, all of Elly’s doubts vanished, and she felt determined again.

  I HAVE to help Jess! she told herself. It’s my duty as a fairy. And I’ll find a way out of Rainbowville. I know I will!

  But how exactly was she going to do it?

  Saphie will help me, thought Elly. But sneaking out of Rainbowville would be very risky. There was no way Elly wanted to get Saphie into trouble. If she can just help me sneak out, I can do the rest, Elly decided.

  Elly put her wand into Cloud Writer mode. Then, when Madame’s back was turned, she scribbled a message to Saphie, under the desk and well away from Cruddleperry eyes.

  Can we talk at recess? Somewhere private.

  Saphie smiled and nodded. Of course! she cloud-wrote back. Let’s go to the library.

  Chapter
Eight

  The moment the recess bell went, Elly and Saphie raced for the door.

  ‘Going to play with all your friends in the library again, are you?’ sneered Gabi.

  Saphie shrugged. ‘Books are way more fun to hang out with than you Cruddleperrys,’ she said. ‘And they smell better, too.’

  ‘You know, Gabi,’ said Nadia, pulling out her wand. ‘I’ve heard that humans often wish they could turn into animals.’

  ‘Really?’ replied Gabi, grinning nastily. ‘Well, you should probably practise that spell, Nadia.’

  ‘I think that’s a bad idea,’ said Saphie calmly. ‘It’s against Academy rules.’

  ‘Oh, really?’ laughed Nadia. ‘Well, we think it’s a great idea.’

  Then she and Gabi pointed their wands at Elly and Saphie. There was a flash of light and a shower of purple stars!

  Elly squeezed her eyes tightly shut. What have they turned us into? she wondered. Probably something slimy. Then Elly heard a scream. It sounded a bit like Gabi, but something wasn’t quite right about it.

  Elly opened her eyes, and gasped. Standing where the Cruddleperrys had been were two scaly green lizards!

  ‘What have you done to us?’ shrieked one of the lizards, who looked a bit like Nadia.

  ‘You did it to yourselves,’ retorted Saphie. ‘I did warn you.’

  ‘But we can’t stay like this,’ cried the other lizard, who looked a bit like Gabi. ‘You have to change us back!’

  ‘I can’t,’ replied Saphie. ‘It’s very hard to reverse a spell you’ve done on yourself. You’ll have to go to the school nurse.’

  ‘But we’ll get in huge trouble if we do that!’ wailed Gabi.

  ‘Rule number 40,’ called the Ruler from inside Elly’s backpack. ‘No unsupervised spells by unlicensed fairies!'

  ‘You have to help us!’ insisted the lizards, waving their tails about.

  ‘Rule number 41,’ said the Ruler instantly. ‘No helping fairies who have broken rule number 40.’ Then the Ruler gave a funny little cough, like it was trying not to laugh.