Genie In Training

by Meredith Badger

  Then Lexie turned to Poppy. ‘Poppy,’ she said. ‘You stay here with me. We’ll work on your levitation.’

  Poppy’s heart sank. She didn’t want to miss out on going to the Emerald Bazaar with the others!

  ‘Um, Lexie?’ said Jake. ‘I really think Poppy should come to the Bazaar with me. You see, I only ever wear jeans or my footy gear. If I don’t get some help, I’m going to turn up to the Ball in something shocking.’

  ‘Well, that’s a risk we’ll have to take,’ said Lexie drily. ‘Poppy has work to do.’

  Jake shrugged. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘But if I end up wearing something dumb it’s not my fault!’

  Once everyone was gone, Lexie went through levitating with Poppy again. But try as she might, Poppy just couldn’t get off the ground. Not even a centimetre.

  Lexie watched her silently. Poppy kept waiting for Lexie to tell her that she wasn’t trying hard enough. But Lexie didn’t say that. In fact when she finally spoke, she said, ‘Get out your Location Lamp and let’s go.’

  ‘Go where?’ asked Poppy, astonished.

  ‘You need something to wear to your graduation,’ declared Lexie. ‘And besides, you’d be amazed what a change of scenery can do when you’re trying to work something out.’

  Lexie took Poppy back to Madame di Silver’s shop. She greeted Lexie and Poppy warmly.

  ‘Madame,’ said Lexie. ‘Poppy needs something to wear for the Graduation Ball tomorrow night. Something from the Special Collection, I think.’

  Madame looked at Lexie in astonishment. ‘Really?’ she said. ‘The Special Collection?’

  Lexie nodded. ‘Yes,’ she said.

  Madame put her hand on the wall of the shop and a panel slid back, revealing a secret room. Lexie stepped through the opening, and Poppy followed.

  The room was filled with clothes. But these weren’t ordinary clothes. They were the most beautiful and unusual garments Poppy had ever seen. For instance, one top was decorated with birds. When Poppy touched the material, the birds stretched open their wings and began to sing. Hanging next to the top was a pair of genie pants, dotted with tightly-closed flower buds. But when Poppy came close, the flowers burst into bloom. Poppy could see why these clothes were part of a Special Collection.

  ‘What about this?’ suggested Madame, handing Poppy an outfit made out of material the colour of the ocean. It had tiny starfish and shells embroidered across it, and as Poppy watched, a school of sapphire-coloured fish flashed across the surface and then disappeared from view.

  ‘Do you like it?’ asked Madame.

  ‘It’s incredible,’ gulped Poppy.

  ‘Well, try it on then!’ urged Madame, smiling.

  Poppy didn’t need any further encouragement. And the outfit was a perfect fit!

  ‘It’s like it was made for you!’ exclaimed Madame. ‘Which is funny, because of course it was actually made for … ’

  But then a strange thing happened. Poppy saw Lexie frown and shake her head slightly at Madame, and Madame stopped midway through her sentence.

  ‘Why don’t you try levitating again, Poppy?’ said Lexie, smiling brightly as if nothing weird had just happened. ‘Let’s see if the new clothes make a difference.’

  Poppy nodded. These special new clothes did somehow make her feel light and floaty. She sat down, with her eyes closed, and tried to let the levitation just happen by itself. A second passed. Poppy could feel Lexie and Madame holding their breaths. Another second passed. Then another. And still Poppy was no closer to rising off the floor.

  Then Poppy did something that she never, ever did. She burst into tears!

  ‘It’s hopeless!’ she cried. ‘I’m never going to get this!’

  Madame quickly fetched her a cup of tea (which was the colour of roses but smelt like chocolate). Lexie came and sat down beside her while she drank it.

  ‘Have you worked out your wish routine?’ she asked quietly.

  Poppy wiped her nose and nodded.

  ‘Well then, there’s no reason to think you won’t work this out, too,’ said Lexie in a surprisingly kind voice.

  ‘But maybe I’m not cut out to be a genie,’ Poppy burst out. She hadn’t meant to say it, but the words had come out from deep within her.

  But Lexie shook her head. ‘No, that’s not the problem here,’ she said softly. ‘You’ll probably be surprised to hear this, but I believe you could be a great genie one day – maybe even one of the best. You remind me a lot of Princess Alexandria.’

  Poppy looked up and wiped her nose. ‘Do you know the Princess?’ she asked, impressed.

  ‘Well, sort of,’ replied Lexie, looking a little embarrassed. ‘What I know about her is that she had a lot of trouble when she was in tweenie training. But it wasn’t because she lacked talent. She just needed to learn how to control it. I have a feeling you’re the same.’

  It was nice to hear Lexie say these things, but Poppy didn’t really think they could be true. ‘If I’m so talented, why can’t I levitate?’ she asked.

  ‘Well, I can think of a reason,’ said Lexie, looking carefully at Poppy. ‘Sometimes genies can’t levitate if there is something weighing them down. Like a secret. Or because they feel guilty about a rule they’ve broken.’

  Poppy felt sick. She’d broken heaps of rules by granting Astrid’s three wishes. And she hadn’t told anyone about it, so it was definitely a secret. Was that stopping her from levitating?

  ‘The Graduation Ball is tomorrow night,’ said Lexie seriously. ‘You need to work out what’s weighing you down by then.’

  Poppy bit her lip. ‘And if I don’t work it out?’ she asked nervously.

  Lexie sighed. ‘Then I’m afraid you won’t pass.’

  The next day at school was hard for Poppy. She still had a few chapters of her Genie Culture and History textbook to read. This shouldn’t have taken long, but she found it hard to concentrate. Her thoughts kept whirling around about what she should do.

  If I don’t own up to breaking the Golden Rules, then I’m never going to rise off the ground, she thought. But if I DO tell someone, I might not be allowed to graduate!

  It seemed like a problem with no solution.

  When Poppy finally got home from school, she told her mum she had a terrible headache (which was true) and escaped to her room.

  Poppy quickly squeezed inside her genie bottle, which had been safely hidden inside a pillowcase, and then flopped with relief onto her bed.

  I need to relax before I do anything else, she decided, adjusting the dial above her bed so that it clicked into Rainforest Mode. Instantly, the image of a thick, cool rainforest was projected onto the walls of her bottle. The sound of birdsong filled the air and Poppy’s bed was transformed into a pile of soft green ferns and mosses. Poppy’s headache disappeared and she found herself drifting off to sleep.

  After about fifteen minutes, Poppy opened her eyes. She knew she hadn’t slept long, but her mind felt much clearer.

  When I get to the Ball, I’ll tell Lexie about granting the wishes, she decided. And then I’ll do such a good job in my exams that they HAVE to let me stay!

  Poppy jumped up and put on her Special Collection outfit. Even though what she’d decided to do was pretty scary, she felt good. She looked sternly at her reflection in the mirror.

  ‘Next time I see YOU,’ she told herself, ‘I will be a Stage Two tweenie. Just you wait and see!’

  It was the night of the Ball. Poppy expected the Royal Palace Bottle to be grand. But she hadn’t realised it would be quite so magnificent! All she could do was gaze around in utter astonishment. The palace was entirely made out of pink crystal, and the floor was inlaid with precious stones, set into gold. Flowing velvet curtains, the colour of fire, hung around all the doorways, and chandeliers were suspended from the ceilings, their lights twinkling and glittering like a galaxy of stars.

  Poppy suddenly felt shy. Maybe I should just sneak back to my bottle before anyone sees me, she thought. But she was too lat
e. A grandlooking genie-butler stepped up to her and bowed very low.

  ‘Welcome to the Royal Palace, Tweenie Poppy,’ he said. ‘Please follow me to the exam area.’ He then led her to a room filled with four very comfortable-looking cushions. Beside them were four magic carpets, with food and drink resting on top. Music played softly in the background.

  ‘It doesn’t look like any exam room I’ve ever seen,’ said Poppy in surprise.

  The butler chuckled. ‘We genies hate exams,’ he explained, ‘so we try to make them as pleasant as possible.’

  He handed Poppy a pair of slippers. They were made out of purple felt and were as soft as a baby rabbit. ‘Wear these during the exam,’ he said kindly. ‘They can tell when you’re getting tense and will give your toes a rub.’

  Poppy put on the slippers. They were certainly very comfortable. She felt less nervous already!

  Rose and Hazel bounded over, also wearing the slippers.

  ‘Wow, you look amazing!’ said Rose, staring at Poppy’s dress in awe.

  ‘So do you guys!’ said Poppy. It was true. Both girls were dressed in very elegant genie pants and sparkly tops. Rose had decorated her high ponytail with a sequinned headband, and Hazel was wearing a belt made of tiny silver bells.

  ‘What about my outfit?’ said another voice.

  Poppy turned, and burst out laughing. It was Jake, wearing bright yellow silky pants and a matching shirt. On his head was a green, spiky turban.

  ‘Jake,’ said Poppy, ‘I hate to tell you this, but you look like a pineapple.’

  Jake groaned. ‘I knew I’d muck it up!’ he said. ‘I warned you I was hopeless at picking clothes.’

  ‘Just be careful you don’t fall into the fruit salad!’ giggled Rose.

  ‘Luckily we’re not being tested on outfits,’ grinned Jake. ‘Tonight is about knowing your genie stuff backwards and forwards. Are you guys ready?’

  ‘Yep!’ replied Rose and Hazel together.

  ‘Of course,’ said Poppy, although she was actually starting to feel very nervous. She wasn’t at all sure she remembered anything from her Genie Culture and History book. And as for levitating – well, she had yet to get off the ground!

  The butler rang a bell and said, ‘Tweenies, your written exam is about to begin. Please take a seat. An exam paper will appear before you shortly.’

  Instantly, Poppy felt her stomach do a flip of nervousness. This was it! She went and sat on one of the cushions. Straight away, one of the magic carpets flew over, offering her a drink and tickling her arm with its tassels.

  ‘Hey,’ whispered Jake. ‘Isn’t that the annoying bath mat from the Emerald Bazaar?’

  Straight away, the carpet whacked him on the nose with one corner.

  ‘Ouch!’ said Jake, pulling back. ‘I was right!’

  Poppy laughed and gave the carpet a pat. ‘Just ignore Jake,’ she whispered to it.

  Just then, a sheet of paper and a pen appeared in front of each of the tweenies.

  ‘You have exactly one genie hour to complete the exam,’ said the butler. ‘When the time is up, the paper will disappear. Good luck, tweenies!’

  With a pounding heart, Poppy picked up her pen and looked at the first question:

  What is the genie wish-granting motto and what does it mean?

  For one horrible moment, Poppy’s mind went blank. Around her, the others were scribbling away furiously. But then her slippers gave her toes a reassuring squeeze. It was just what Poppy needed right then.

  You know this, she told herself sternly. Just put your head down and get on with it. And then the motto popped into her head. No swerving, if the normie is deserving.

  Poppy picked up her pen and started to write.

  ‘Time’s up!’ called the butler, just as Poppy filled in the last answer. She put down her pen and the exam paper disappeared in a flurry of stars. There was no changing anything now!

  ‘Now, please follow me into the Royal Ballroom,’ said the butler. ‘It’s time for the second part of your exam. You will be presented to the Genie Royal Family and demonstrate what you have learnt in front of Princess Alexandria.’

  The tweenies all looked at each other and followed the butler. There was a mixture of excitement and nervousness on each of their faces.

  In the middle of the ballroom was a dance floor that gleamed like an enormous diamond – glittering and smooth. High above hung a vast chandelier made from multicoloured precious stones that sent little rainbows arcross the walls and floor. The room was full of guests, all splendidly dressed. It seemed that all the dignitaries of the Genie Realm had come along that night.

  As Poppy looked around, she saw that there was one person missing. Where was Lexie?

  She must be running late, thought Poppy, puzzled. Surely she wouldn’t miss the exam?

  Jake came over. ‘I don’t know about you, but exams make me hungry,’ he whispered. ‘Let’s get something to eat and drink before part two starts.’

  He waved his hand and a carpet swiftly approached, laden with snacks. Poppy stifled a giggle as it got close. It was the same carpet from before. But Jake hadn’t recognised it yet. When he tried to take something off the top, the carpet zipped sideways, so all Jake got was a handful of air.

  ‘Not you again!’ he groaned. ‘Get away from me, you big wash-cloth!’

  ‘I don’t know why you two can’t get along,’ giggled Poppy, taking two of the purpliest, fizziest drinks she had ever seen from the top of the rug.

  Then Madame di Silver glided over. ‘You look wonderful, Poppy!’ she said.

  ‘Thanks for choosing this outfit for me,’ said Poppy gratefully. ‘I never could have done it on my own. Everything in your shop is so beautiful.’

  ‘Oh, that outfit wasn’t in my shop,’ replied Madame. ‘That’s why it’s so special. It was in Princess Alexandria’s private collection. I’ve never seen her permit a tweenie to wear her things before. You should feel very honoured.’

  Poppy frowned. ‘But it was Lexie who said I could wear this outfit,’ she said, confused.

  ‘Yes, that’s right,’ said Madame di Silver, nodding. ‘The Princess herself.’

  Poppy’s mouth dropped open, but before she could say anything a loud fanfare filled the room.

  ‘Please stand for the entrance of the Genie Royal Family,’ proclaimed the butler.

  An enormous puff of twinkling, golden smoke appeared in the middle of the dance floor, and a very elegant genie couple walked through the haze, arm in arm. They were dressed in purple, and each wore a gold crown on their heads.

  They must be the Genie King and Queen! thought Poppy.

  There was another puff of smoke – purple this time – and another genie appeared.

  ‘Princess Alexandria!’ announced the butler.

  The princess stepped forward, dressed in clothes that seemed to be made out of pure sunlight itself. On her head she wore a tiny gold crown through which her long black ponytail cascaded. But the most incredible thing of all about the princess was that she looked exactly like Lexie!

  Poppy stood still, waiting for someone to say, ‘Hey, that’s not Princess Alexandria!’ But no-one did. And when Lexie stepped out of the smoke, everyone bowed low.

  ‘Let the Graduation Ball begin!’ declared Lexie, raising her hands up high and releasing streams of tiny stars into the room.

  Then she looked at the tweenies. ‘Good luck, you lot!’ she said, and she winked at them in a most un-princess-like way.

  The first tweenie to be called up was Hazel. She was introduced to the Royal Family, and then went through her wish routine, which she did perfectly. Her levitation was a little slow to start. But when she finally got off the ground, everyone clapped.

  ‘Well done, Hazel,’ said Lexie warmly. ‘Now, let’s check your results.’

  She lifted up an ancient-looking book with marbled pages and a leather cover. ‘This is the Tweenie Genie Year Book,’ Lexie explained. ‘If you have passed both parts of your exam
, your name will appear in it.’

  Lexie held up the opened book. Faintly at first, but with growing strength, letters appeared to spell out Hazel’s name! The ballroom burst into delighted cheers.

  Rose went next, and sailed through everything easily. Then it was Jake’s turn. Poppy saw his face go white. As he walked passed, Poppy gave his arm a friendly squeeze.

  ‘Good luck, pineapple-head!’ she whispered.

  Jake grinned, suddenly looking a whole lot less nervous. Poppy held her breath when Jake wobbled during his wish routine, and clapped with relief when the smoke-puff appeared as he finished. As for his levitation – well, there was nothing to worry about there. It was perfect.

  ‘Nice one!’ Poppy breathed when his name appeared in the Year Book. So far no-one had failed!

  And then Poppy’s name was called. But Poppy found herself frozen to the spot.

  Jake nudged her. ‘Go on, Teeny Weeny!’ he muttered. ‘Get out there and wow them.’

  So, with her stomach fluttering like a bag of butterflies, Poppy walked out onto the dance floor.

  ‘So, what do you want to start with?’ asked Lexie. ‘Wish routine or levitation?’

  ‘Wish routine,’ replied Poppy quickly. She knew she’d have to face the levitation eventually. But the longer she could put it off, the better!

  Lexie nodded. ‘Fine,’ she said.

  Snake hands, double-spin, slide, touch-nose- with-tongue. Poppy had done the routine so many times now that it just felt completely natural. Everyone laughed when she did that final, silly move. But it was a friendly laugh, and they all cheered when the puff of silver smoke billowed up around her.

  But then came the moment Poppy had been dreading. The thing she couldn’t put off any longer.

  ‘Levitation,’ said Lexie firmly. ‘Are you ready?’

  Poppy nodded, and sat down cross-legged on the dance floor. The purple fizzy drink gurgled in her stomach and Poppy felt sick. Now that the time had come, she wasn’t so sure she was brave enough to tell Lexie about her big secret after all. Especially not in front of all these people!