The crowd cheered wildly, waving their banners and clapping their wings. Twink shook her head in a daze. Glitterwings had somehow won their first game of the year . . . but it certainly hadn’t been through playing well!
After the game, the Glitterwings team hosted a small party for the Sparklelight players in the Glitterwings guest branch. Though Twink put a smile on her face as the two teams mingled and chatted, her heart wasn’t in it. What was she going to do? She had to get her team into shape before their next game, but she had no idea how!
Tasha came up, sipping fizzy nectar from an acorn cup. ‘Good game, Twink,’ she said cheerfully. ‘But you’ll have to watch out for us next time, once we’re more used to our Flea!’
Twink grimaced. ‘Yes, I know. In fact, I’m not really sure how we won this game.’
‘Well, you certainly had a bit of luck,’ admitted Tasha with a smile. ‘What’s up, Twink? Glitterwings usually has such a great team.’
Somehow, Twink found herself telling Tasha about the troubles she’d been having – how superior Vera seemed whenever she tried to talk to her, and how the fairies had been playing up during practices.
‘I knew we needed more than two practices a week,’ finished Twink. ‘But everyone really hated the idea, so . . .’ She trailed off.
Tasha had been listening sympathetically. ‘I suppose it can’t be easy for you, being younger than half your players,’ she said. ‘But Twink, you’ve really got to take control. You’re not there to be their friend, you’re there to be their leader! Who cares if they moan a bit? They’ll soon get used to it.’
The chatter in the branch seemed to fade as Twink stared at her. ‘You – you’re right,’ she said slowly. ‘I’ve been so scared that the team won’t like me that I haven’t dared to put my wing down.’
Tasha gave her a friendly nudge. ‘Well, don’t be scared any more,’ she said. ‘You’re a great player, Twink, and I bet you could be a good Games Fairy.’ She grinned. ‘Mind you, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. It just means you’ll probably beat us at our next game, too!’
Tasha flitted off to talk to one of her players, and Twink munched thoughtfully on a piece of honey cake, turning the words over in her mind. Suddenly she realised that Tasha’s advice had been exactly the same as Romi’s . . . though Tasha was so nice that it had sounded very different!
Twink felt an unexpected pang as she glanced around her at the party. Romi should be here with us, she thought. Maybe the purple-haired fairy was prickly sometimes, but she was an excellent player – one of the best Guards they’d ever had.
Then Twink remembered Romi’s scornful tone, and her wings stiffened. Well, good Guard or not, she certainly wouldn’t be asking Romi back on to the team. It was difficult enough being Games Fairy without having Romi there, sneering at her every move.
Things were about to change, though. Twink glanced over at Vera and Zayna, laughing together by the window, and her jaw tightened firmly. Tasha was right. She was going to get her team under control . . . whether they liked it or not!
.
Chapter Six
The next morning Twink hung another oak-leaf notice outside the Great Branch, pounding the thistle-nail grimly into the wall.
FLEDGE TEAM MEETING
TODAY AFTER LESSONS
IMPORTANT – BE ON TIME!
Twink Flutterby, Games Fairy
A group of sixth-year fairies were heading towards the Great Branch for breakfast. Vera was with them, and she flew across to Twink. ‘What’s up?’ she asked in surprise. ‘I’m busy this afternoon; I’ve got to revise my Advanced Spellwork.’
Twink whirled around, scowling. ‘Just be there!’
Vera’s eyes widened. ‘But –’
‘I mean it, Vera,’ snapped Twink. ‘I expect to see you there, and that’s that.’
She sped away before Vera could reply. Though Twink’s heart was pounding, it had been a lot easier than she’d thought to be firm with Vera . . . in fact, after weeks of biting her tongue, it had been a relief!
Bimi had saved Twink a seat at the Bluebell Branch table. Her pretty face looked troubled when Twink told her what had happened.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Twink. ‘Don’t you think I was right to stand up to her?’
‘Of course!’ said Bimi quickly, fluttering her gold and silver wings. ‘It’s just . . . well, I don’t know. Be careful, Twink. Maybe you’ve been too easy on them, but you don’t want to go too far in the other direction either.’
Twink made a face. That was easy for Bimi to say, she thought as she poured herself a cup of morning dew. She wasn’t the Games Fairy, and didn’t realise how difficult it had been. Well, Twink had had enough of feeling bossed around by her own team. She was going to take charge!
When the time for the meeting came that afternoon, Twink stood at the front of the Fledge log, tapping her lavender wings together. The team arrived in twos and threes, laughing and chatting . . . but as each group came through the door, they caught sight of her glowering expression and fell abruptly silent.
Soon everyone was there except for Vera and Zayna. Without a word, Twink flew to the door and locked it. The team stared at her in amazement.
‘I’ve got a few things to say,’ announced Twink, flitting to the front of the log. ‘The first one is that –’
A rattling sound interrupted her as the doorknob moved back and forth. Vera and Zayna had arrived.
Twink sped back to the door and swung it open. ‘You’re late,’ she informed them coldly.
Vera gaped at her. ‘But I told you, I had things to do. I got here as quickly as –’
‘That’s enough!’ yelled Twink. Vera gulped. Behind her, Twink heard absolute silence from the others. ‘Being late isn’t good enough any more,’ she went on in a low voice. ‘If you’re late again, you’re off the team. Is that clear?’
Vera had turned pale. ‘But you can’t –’
‘Can’t what?’ Twink put her hands on her hips. ‘Or did you think I wouldn’t throw you off the team, just because you nominated me for Games Fairy? Well, think again, Vera!’
‘But Twink, we were only a few minutes late,’ protested Zayna. ‘It’s nothing to get your wings in a twist about –’
Twink swung towards her. ‘And I’ve had about all I can take from you, too! The two of you are going to fly straight from now on, or you’re both off the team – is that clear?’
The log was so quiet that you could have heard an ant sneeze. Vera and Zayna stared at Twink in a daze. Slowly, they nodded their heads.
A rush of triumph swept through Twink. ‘Good!’ she barked. ‘Then take a seat and listen to what I’ve got to say.’
She flew back to the front of the room and faced the others. ‘Now then,’ she said. ‘The way we played yesterday was awful, do you hear me? I will not put up with that sort of performance again.’
The fairies bit their lips, not looking at each other.
‘But we won the game!’ objected Zayna.
‘Only because the Sparklelight team was even more rubbish than we were,’ snapped Twink. ‘And they had an excuse. What’s your excuse, Zayna? Do you think you were playing your best when you crashed into the Flea without even seeing him?’
Zayna’s cheeks reddened. She stared down at her pixie boots without replying.
‘Does anyone else have a comment?’ demanded Twink, scanning the room. She felt a slight pang as she caught sight of Summer’s stricken expression, but hardened herself and continued.
‘Right. Well, we’ve tried two practices a week, but it’s not working. So until I say otherwise, we’re going to have four.’
‘Four?’ gasped Vera. ‘But –’ She broke off as Twink glared at her.
‘Four,’ repeated Twink grimly. ‘And ther
e will be no whispering, no laughing, and no larking about. Has everybody got that?’
No one moved.
‘Has everybody got that?’ shouted Twink, her words echoing through the log.
The team started in alarm. There were a few mumbled yesses and nods of heads. One or two of the fairies looked close to tears.
‘Good!’ said Twink. ‘I’ll post the new practice schedule tonight. And I’ll expect you all back here tomorrow afternoon, on time and ready to work for a change. Meeting adjourned!’
The next two weeks of practice were very different than the beginning of term. The team arrived at the Fledge field promptly, and did whatever Twink told them without complaint . . . at least to her face. Twink suspected that they had quite a bit to say about her behind her back, but told herself that she didn’t care. Tasha was right – she wasn’t there to be their friend. The important thing was getting her team into shape!
As the weeks passed, the Glitterwings team improved by leaps and bounds. Vera and Zayna were both good players when they worked, and soon they were flying seamlessly with the others, performing tricky moves and set plays. And, now that they were no longer disrupting things, the rest of the team was playing well, too.
Seeing how much better everyone did when she was firm, Twink was determined not to let up for a moment. ‘Do you call that flying?’ she yelled as Cassi and Jacki whizzed past after the Flea. ‘Come on, you two – faster!’
They didn’t respond, but Twink saw Cassi’s jaw tighten as she put on another burst of speed.
Good, Twink started to say – and then held back. If Cassi was working hard, it was no more than she should have been doing all along. The same was true for all of them, except for Summer. The orange-haired fairy had taken practices seriously from the start.
Though Twink took satisfaction in how much better her team was performing, it was a lonely sort of feeling. Practices had become somewhat grim times, with none of the laughter of before. Her team hardly spoke to her. In fact, Twink realised with a jolt, half of them seemed afraid of her.
It was true that she shouted a lot these days, but what else could she do? They’d fly all over her if she didn’t keep on top of them! Still, the realisation bothered Twink. It made her feel uncomfortable, in a hot, prickly sort of way . . . and that just made her shout even more.
As the second Sparklelight game approached, Twink felt the tension mounting within her. Somehow, it seemed very important that she could show Tasha how much the Glitterwings team had improved. But her players didn’t seem to be concentrating now as much as they had been, and made silly mistakes that caused Twink to grit her teeth.
‘Summer, what are you thinking?’ yelled Twink at the final practice before the game. The orange-haired fairy halted mid-flight and swallowed hard. The other players hovered too, watching Twink with sullen expressions.
Twink flew up to Summer, still fuming. ‘You let the Flea go right past you!’
Summer’s cheeks reddened, clashing with her sunset-coloured hair. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t see him.’
‘You weren’t looking, you mean!’ Twink heard the angry tone in her voice, and stopped. Summer was one of her best players, and she knew the error hadn’t been deliberate. But she couldn’t just let it go, or the others would think she was going soft.
‘Five laps around the field,’ she ordered. ‘Don’t let it happen again.’
Summer took off without a word, circling the field.
‘Oh, I like that,’ muttered a voice behind Twink. ‘First she works us until we’re ready to drop, and then we get punished when we’re so tired that we make mistakes!’
Twink spun round. The team regarded her warily as she stared at them, trying to work out who had spoken. It could have been anyone, she realised. None of them liked her any more.
I don’t care, thought Twink stiffly. Still, maybe she had been working them too hard. She motioned towards the changing log. ‘Practice over, everyone. Be ready to leave for Sparklelight after breakfast tomorrow.’
The team jetted off without a word. Summer, finishing her laps, headed for the log as well, not looking at Twink as she flew past.
Twink hesitated. Part of her wanted to follow Summer and apologise, but she held back. I’m not here to be their friend, she reminded herself. No one had said that being the Games Fairy would be easy, had they?
Feeling troubled, Twink turned away and flew back to Glitterwings.
‘Go Sparklelight!’ screamed the crowd, beating their wings together as one of their players whistled through the air after the Flea.
Sparklelight Academy was located behind a glistening waterfall in a leafy wood. Nearby, a circular pond served as the school’s Fledge field, with the posts rising up out of the clear water.
Hovering above a lily pad on the sidelines, Twink watched with satisfaction as Vera, playing Guard, swooped in and tagged the Sparklelight player. Yes! Twink punched the air, fluttering upwards. A groan ran through the mushroom grandstand.
Glitterwings was playing well, there was no doubt about it – but so was Sparklelight. In the end, the home school took two of the three matches, winning the game, though each match had been so close that Twink couldn’t feel bad about it.
‘Well done!’ said Tasha at the party afterwards. She tapped her acorn cup of fizzy dew against Twink’s. ‘Your team played brilliantly. I suppose things are going better for you, then?’
‘Yes, lots,’ said Twink. Her cheeks grew warm, and she quickly took a sip of dew. Things were going better . . . but only if you didn’t count how her team felt about her!
The Sparklelight visitors’ chamber was a cosy cave behind the waterfall. Sunlight flashed through the moving water, making dancing patterns of light on the walls. Twink had always loved this room, but now, caught up in her own thoughts, she hardly noticed it.
‘What’s up, Twink?’ asked Tasha with friendly concern.
Twink managed a smile. ‘Oh, nothing.’
Suddenly she wondered whether Tasha, too, found it difficult and lonely to be in charge. She opened her mouth to ask, but just then two of the Sparklelight players appeared, linking their arms through Tasha’s with merry smiles.
‘Come on, Games Fairy, we haven’t had a chance to celebrate with you yet,’ teased the Sparklelight Guard with short blue hair.
‘Yes, we need our leader!’ giggled the other fairy. With a resigned grin, Tasha said goodbye to Twink and allowed herself to be dragged over to her team. A moment later, they were all laughing together.
Twink couldn’t help staring. She knew how firm Tasha was with her players on the field, yet it was obvious that they loved her anyway. How on earth did she manage it?
Glancing over to where her own team stood talking together, Twink bit her lip. Slowly, she flew across the room. ‘Good game, everyone,’ she said as she landed beside them. ‘I’m – I’m really proud of you.’
The Glitterwings players had stopped talking the moment Twink touched down. There were a few strained smiles, but no one responded. Summer was staring down at her pixie boots with a frown.
Twink fluttered her wings, trying to pretend that nothing was wrong. ‘So now we only have one more Sparklelight game,’ she said brightly. ‘And if we win that one, we’ll be in the Fairy Finals!’
‘Yes, glimmery,’ said Vera, not looking at her. The team murmured agreement, but no one’s heart seemed in it.
Silence fell, until the only sounds were the rushing of the waterfall and the Sparklelight team laughing and talking. Twink swallowed. ‘Well – well, I’m going to go and get some more cake. More cake, anyone?’
‘No, thanks,’ muttered a few voices. Twink’s wings felt hot as she flitted over to the refreshments table. From behind her, she could hear a sudden burst of whispered conversation.
They hated her. T
wink blinked back tears. It was so unfair! Yes, she had been harsh with them, but only because she wanted them to play well. Didn’t they realise that?
Picking listlessly at a bit of honey cake, Twink gazed at Tasha again. Despite her advice, the Sparklelight Games Fairy seemed to have found a way to be both her team’s friend and their leader.
Twink’s mouth tightened. Well, maybe that worked for Tasha, but it hadn’t worked for her. When she had tried being nice, things had been a mess! If being stern was what she had to do to make her team perform well, then she’d do it.
But the thought wasn’t a pleasant one, somehow . . . whether they got into the Fairy Finals or not.
Chapter Seven
‘Twink, can I see you for a minute?’ called a tentative voice.
Twink glanced up from her Mood Magic homework in surprise. Summer was hovering in the doorway of the Fourth Year Common Branch, looking ill at ease. Younger students didn’t normally go to the common branches of older ones, and Twink saw several raised eyebrows on the fairies around her.
‘Impudent thing!’ grinned Sooze from the next mushroom desk as Twink got up. ‘You wouldn’t have caught me doing that at her age.’
‘No, you were even younger!’ laughed Sili from a few mushrooms away.
Fluttering to the doorway, Twink lowered her voice. ‘Summer, what are you doing here?’
The orange-haired fairy shrugged, looking down. ‘I need to talk to you, that’s all.’
‘Well – can’t it wait until practice tomorrow?’ asked Twink in bewilderment.
Summer shook her bright head. ‘No. You see, I – I won’t be at practice.’
‘Won’t be at practice!’ Twink raised her voice without meaning to. Glancing over her shoulder, she drew Summer further out on to the ledge and shut the door behind them. ‘Why not?’
Summer took a deep breath. ‘Because – I’m quitting the team.’
It felt as if the ledge had fallen away from beneath Twink’s feet. ‘Quitting the team? But – but Summer, why? You’re one of our best players!’
Power Play Page 4
