Twink sank on to a bark bench and did her best not to cry. After all the times she had cheered Sooze’s team on and listened to her talk about flying! She had tried so hard to be a good friend, but Sooze didn’t even seem to have noticed.
‘Hi,’ said a voice.
Twink looked up. Bimi stood in front of her, holding two acorn-cap cups of fizzy nectar. ‘Um . . . you left your nectar over there.’ She held out one of the cups.
Twink wasn’t in the mood for fizzy nectar any more, but she took it anyway. ‘Thanks.’
Bimi sat down beside Twink. ‘I overheard what just happened,’ she said softly.
Twink fought back stinging tears. ‘How could she say that?’ she cried. ‘I know I got everyone into trouble, but –’
‘Twink, that wasn’t your fault!’ said Bimi. ‘We all agreed to do it.’
Twink wiped her hand across her eyes. ‘I thought she was my best friend, that’s all. Bimi, do – do I really moan all the time?’ She held her breath, waiting for the answer.
‘Of course not!’ said Bimi. ‘I think you’ve been really brave about it. Wasps, if it were me, I’d be crying all the time! But Sooze is . . .’ She trailed off, glancing across to where the lavender-haired fairy stood laughing and chatting with the others.
‘What?’ said Twink.
Bimi looked down at her nectar. ‘Never mind.’
‘I know what you were going to say,’ said Twink slowly. ‘Sooze is lots of fun, isn’t she? But having fun is all she cares about. If something isn’t fun, then – she doesn’t want to know.’ Twink managed a lopsided smile. ‘Even if it’s happening to her Opposite.’
‘Oh, Twink, it’s really too bad!’ burst out Bimi.
Twink put her nectar down and hugged her knees. ‘Bimi, I can’t do a dance on the ground while the rest of you perform, I just can’t! My parents don’t even know I can’t fly! I’d rather break my leg and spend the exhibition in the infirmary.’
Bimi nodded. ‘I don’t blame you. But that wouldn’t solve anything, would it?’
‘At least I wouldn’t be humiliated in front of my parents.’ Twink rested her chin on her knees. ‘They were so proud of me for getting into Glitterwings – and now this!’
‘Have we really tried everything to get you flying?’ asked Bimi. ‘Maybe there’s something we’ve overlooked. Tell me everything you can think of!’
So Twink told Bimi how Mrs Lightwing kept telling her to relax. ‘She says that I need to get up in the air without thinking about it. But I don’t know how to do that! And now we’ve tried everything, and there’s nothing left to try!’
‘Maybe not,’ said Bimi, frowning softly.
Twink sat bolt upright. ‘Have you thought of something?’
Bimi glanced quickly at her. ‘No. We just – shouldn’t give up hope, that’s all.’
Twink made a face and slumped back against the wall. After a moment she smiled. ‘You know, Bimi, when I first met you, I thought you were stuck-up. But you’re not, you’re really nice.’
‘Stuck-up? Me?’ Bimi’s voice turned stiff.
Twink laughed. ‘Yes, because you always sounded just like that! Like you didn’t really want to be talking to anyone.’
Bimi looked like she had swallowed a chilli seed. ‘I – I just – hate people staring at me, that’s all,’ she stammered. ‘And people always do when I first meet them.’
‘It’s because you’re so pretty,’ said Twink. ‘I thought you were the most beautiful fairy I had ever seen when I first met you! Your blue hair, and your gold and silver wings –’
‘I hate them,’ said Bimi glumly, drawing a pattern in the moss carpet with her pixie boot. ‘I wish I were just normal, like everyone else. Do you remember what a fuss Mrs Hover made over me, that first day with our uniforms? I wanted to die!’
‘But you know, I don’t think about how pretty you are any more,’ said Twink thoughtfully. ‘You’re just Bimi.’
‘Really?’ Bimi’s blue eyes shone.
‘Really!’ Twink assured her. The two fairies smiled warmly at each other.
Twink glanced at Sooze again, and realised that she didn’t mind so much now about what had happened. Maybe Sooze wasn’t quite the wonderful friend she had thought . . . but she had a very good feeling about Bimi!
The two fairies sat talking until Twink began to yawn and stretch her wings. ‘I’m going to bed,’ she decided. ‘I know it’s still a few minutes until glow-worms out, but I’m so tired!’
After Twink left, Bimi sat alone for a few minutes, thinking hard. Finally she got up and joined the others. ‘Pix, can I talk to you?’ she asked, drawing the red-haired fairy away from the crowd.
Pix’s normally serious face was flushed. ‘Oh, Bimi, isn’t it glimmery? The exhibition is really almost here!’
‘Yes, but I don’t think Twink’s too happy about it,’ said Bimi in an undertone. ‘Especially with her parents coming!’
Pix’s face fell. ‘Oh, poor Twink! I suppose we all forgot about her tonight. Wasps, how awful of us!’
‘I think I might have an idea, though,’ said Bimi. She quickly told Pix what she was thinking of. ‘Only I’m not sure of the best way to do it,’ she finished. ‘Everyone in Daffy Branch would have to help for it to work.’
‘Bimi, that’s a fantastic idea!’ said Pix excitedly. ‘I think it could really work!’
‘Me too,’ said a voice behind them.
Bimi turned, and her eyes widened in surprise. Sooze was standing there.
‘But I thought –’ Bimi stopped, biting back the words.
Sooze reddened and fluttered her wings. ‘I – I suppose I shouldn’t have got so cross with Twink,’ she said awkwardly. ‘I was just feeling bored of it all, but I really do want to help. All right?’
Bimi smiled at the sheepish fairy. ‘Sooze, that’s glimmery! Of course you can help!’ Privately, though, Bimi wondered how long it would be before Sooze got bored again!
‘Everyone else will want to help, too, I’m sure of it,’ said Pix. ‘And I don’t see how we can get in trouble this time, either. We’re just doing what Mrs Lightwing said!’
Suddenly a dreadful thought came to Bimi. ‘Oh, no!’ she groaned. ‘It’s not going to work after all. We’ve forgotten about Mariella! We’ll never get her to help.’
Sooze grinned, and flicked back a strand of bright lavender hair. ‘Well, she doesn’t have to know that’s what she’s doing, does she? You leave Mariella to me!’
M
‘Twink, wake up! You’ve overslept!’
Bimi was shaking her by the shoulder. Blearily, Twink opened one eye – and then sat up with a start. Daffodil Branch was empty! Its moss beds were all neatly made up, without a fairy in sight.
‘Where is everyone?’ gasped Twink.
‘They’ve already left for breakfast,’ said Bimi. ‘Hurry, you’ll be late!’
‘But where’s Mrs Hover?’ Twink threw back her daffodil-petal blanket and leapt out of bed, quickly smoothing her wings.
Bimi shook her head. ‘I don’t know. Oh, Twink, hurry!’
Her thoughts spinning, Twink flung on her uniform. Why hadn’t anyone woken her up? But there was no time to ask. Bimi was already racing for the door, half-flying in her hurry.
‘Come on!’ she called over her shoulder.
Wasps, they must really be late! Twink grabbed her oak-leaf cap and ran after her.
She reached the ledge outside the door and stopped short. Sunny was gone. Twink blinked. Sunny was always there, waiting patiently for her! What was going on?
Bimi had already taken off, skimming away towards the Great Branch in a blur of silver and gold.
‘Wait!’ Twink called after her. ‘Sunny’s gone! I can’t – ’
‘Oh!’ screamed Bi
mi suddenly. Stopping in midair, she clutched her left wing.
Twink rushed to the edge of the ledge. ‘Bimi! What is it?’
‘My wing! I’ve got a cramp!’ Twink’s heart iced over as Bimi began to fall. ‘Help!’ she shouted. She grew smaller and smaller as she plummeted towards the ground.
Without thinking, Twink launched herself off the ledge. Flapping her wings feverishly, she sped past classrooms and dorm branches, piercing through the air like an arrow. Bit by bit, the tumbling figure of Bimi grew closer as Twink gained on her.
They were nearing the ground now – oh, wasps, she wasn’t going to make it! Twink put on an extra burst of speed, flying faster than she had ever thought possible.
‘Hurry, Twink!’ cried Bimi.
Her fingers brushed Bimi’s . . . there! Twink grabbed Bimi’s arm, her wings fluttering furiously to slow her down before they hit the ground. The two fairies landed in a heap on the soft moss carpet.
Phew! Twink sat up in a daze, breathing hard. ‘Are you all right?’ she asked.
‘It worked!’ shouted Bimi. Jumping up, she threw her arms around Twink. ‘Twink, you flew! You really flew!’
Twink’s mouth fell open as she realised. ‘I – I did, didn’t I?’ she gasped.
Bimi’s face was alight. She grabbed Twink’s arms, jumping up and down. ‘I knew you could do it! Twink, you can fly!’
Suddenly all of Daffodil Branch was there, whooping and shouting, pounding her on the back. ‘Twink, you did it! You really did it!’
Twink gasped as her friends caught her up in a jubilant hug.
‘I can fly,’ she whispered. She fluttered her wings and lifted up in the air, holding her breath. But nothing bad happened. Her wings didn’t go berserk with fear. She was flying, just like any other fairy!
Twink did a sudden dip, dancing about over the others’ heads. ‘I can fly! I CAN FLY!’
And she was off, soaring up the great trunk of Glitterwings. Shrieking and laughing, Twink glided and dived, looping the loop and twirling in the air. She couldn’t stop smiling. Her heart felt like it was shimmering with fairy dust.
Suddenly Sunny was there, flying around her with excited chirps. Twink flung her arms around his neck.
‘Oh, Sunny!’ she cried. ‘I can fly!’
‘We had it all planned,’ laughed Pix at breakfast. ‘It was Bimi’s idea to pretend to have wing cramp, but you had to be all on your own, so that you’d have to fly! So we all got up really, really early this morning and snuck out of the Branch, taking Sunny with us –’
‘He didn’t argue at all!’ broke in Sili, bouncing on her mushroom. ‘I think he knew what we were up to.’
Twink’s wings still tingled with the joy of flying. She could hardly wait to be up in the air again. ‘How did you know I’d fly to save you?’ she asked Bimi.
The blue-haired fairy smiled shyly. ‘I remembered how you jumped to help Lola when she fell that time in Flight class. And I thought that maybe if someone else needed help, you wouldn’t think about being scared – you’d just fly.’
Twink took another seed cake from the oak-leaf platter. ‘Oh, Bimi, I’m so glad you were right!’
‘Me too,’ said Bimi with a sudden smile. ‘I almost hit the ground for real!’ Everyone laughed.
At the end of the table, Mariella’s face was a thundercloud. Sooze nudged Twink and grinned. ‘I told her we were playing a trick to get back at you for all those lines we had to do, so that you’d be late for breakfast and get into trouble. She could hardly wait to help us then!’
Mariella flushed and put down her acorn cup. ‘Well, I don’t know why everyone is making such a stupid fuss! It took you so long to fly that you’ll probably never catch up with the rest of us anyway.’
‘Especially Mariella,’ squeaked Lola. ‘She’s a wonderful flyer.’
Twink rolled her eyes. Trust those two to try to dampen her spirits! But nothing could dampen them today. She smiled and rubbed her wings together, reliving the magic.
‘But I still say I should have been the one to get to fall.’ Sooze pretended to sulk, and then giggled and brushed her wing against Twink’s. ‘Opposite, isn’t it glimmery? We can fly together to all our classes now!’
Twink hesitated, and glanced across at Bimi. ‘Thanks, Sooze . . . but I’ll be flying with Bimi,’ she said softly.
‘Oh!’ Sooze looked taken aback, and was silent for a moment. ‘Well . . . I suppose I’ll carry on flying with Sili and Zena, then. But we’re still Opposites, right?’
‘Right!’ said Twink. And it was true. Sooze was a wonderful friend when things were going well – but Twink knew now that she’d rather have a best friend who was wonderful all the time. She and Bimi smiled at each other.
A flutter of wings stirred the air as Mrs Lightwing landed beside their table. ‘What’s this I hear about a high-speed rescue this morning?’ she said sternly, crossing her arms.
Twink jumped up, almost knocking over her cup of fresh morning dew. ‘Mrs Lightwing! I can fly now, I can really fly!’
‘So I’ve heard. It was hard to miss, the way you were shouting up and down the school! Is your wing better now, Bimi?’ The Flight mistress gave Bimi a hard stare.
Bimi’s pretty face reddened. ‘I – I didn’t really have wing cramp, Mrs Lightwing. We were just doing what you said – getting Twink in the air without her thinking about it.’
‘And it worked!’ cried Twink. ‘Mrs Lightwing, it worked!’
‘Yes, I see.’ Mrs Lightwing tapped her wings together. ‘But I’m not sure I approve of fairies pretending to fall all the way down the school!’
Daffodil Branch held its breath as Mrs Lightwing scanned the table. Then a small smile tugged at the corner of the Flight mistress’s mouth, and suddenly Mrs Lightwing was beaming at them.
‘Well done, Twink,’ she said quietly, gripping Twink’s shoulder. ‘I knew you had it in you! I’m proud of you – of all of you,’ she added, glancing at the others. ‘It was a bit unorthodox, but you got her in the air!’
Twink glowed. ‘Can I fly in the exhibition now?’
‘The exhibition?’ Mrs Lightwing looked startled. ‘I’m afraid not. The other girls have been practising their routines for weeks now. You’ve only just started. You won’t have the proper wing control.’
Twink felt herself colour up as Mariella smirked. ‘But – but my parents will be here soon,’ she stammered. ‘I thought –’
Mrs Lightwing shook her head. ‘Twink, I’m sorry. It really is too bad, but I just don’t see how we could get you into good flying order by this afternoon. The answer is no.’
.
Chapter Seven
That morning the students polished every leaf of Glitterwings, and hung long streams of flowers from its branches. Pink and gold fairy dust shimmered in the air, spelling out the words Welcome Friends and Families!
The guests started arriving shortly before lunch. Twink waited on the front lawn with the other fairies from Daffodil Branch, scanning the sky for her parents.
‘What am I going to tell them?’ she asked Bimi. ‘They’ll expect me to be flying in the exhibition, not doing a dance!’
‘Just tell them the truth,’ said Bimi sensibly. ‘They’ll be glad you can fly now, that’s all.’
Twink sighed. She knew Bimi was right, but she still wished she could perform for her parents like everyone else.
Mariella and Lola landed on the grass nearby. ‘Have you heard?’ said Mariella loudly. ‘They’re going to give out prizes for the best fliers! What a shame there’s not one for the best dancer.’
Twink’s heart sank. She shrugged, trying to pretend she didn’t mind.
‘And you’re sure to win the biggest prize of all, Mariella!’ Lola fluttered her pale wings. ‘You’re the best there is!�
��
Mariella simpered, flipping back her silvery-green hair. ‘Well, I didn’t like to say so myself, but I do have a lot of natural talent.’ She narrowed her eyes at Bimi. ‘I just hope my entire team will fly their best too, so they don’t let me down!’
‘Don’t worry,’ snapped Bimi. ‘But you know, Mariella, I think one of the Sixth Years is a lot likelier to win than you! They’ve got that amazing obstacle course they’re flying through – it’s a lot more impressive than a few barrel rolls from a First Year.’
Mariella scowled, but had no answer to this. She and Lola flitted off over the grass.
‘Charming as ever!’ said Twink.
Bimi shook her head. ‘Oh, I don’t mind Mariella so much. You know where you are with her – she’s just nasty. But that little two-faced Lola! She’s obviously forgotten all about how you saved her that time.’
Twink grinned. ‘Well, I’m still glad that I didn’t let her hit the ground, I suppose!’
Suddenly she recognised two familiar figures flying towards her, leading a mouse below them. She gave a squeal and shot up into the air. ‘Look, my parents are here! And they’ve brought my little sister!’
All thoughts of wishing that her parents wouldn’t come vanished as they landed, smiling broadly at her. Her father, tall and solid, with his familiar grin and shock of dark purple hair. Her mother, calm and pretty, with her sudden laugh and bright pink locks. And Teena, trotting up on Brownie and practically jumping up and down in the stirrups, she was so excited!
Twink rushed into their arms. ‘I’m so glad to see you!’ she cried.
Her mother kissed her, and her father ruffled her hair. ‘You’re looking well!’ he teased.
Teena gazed up at the giant oak in awe. ‘Oh, it’s wonderful!’ she gasped.
Twink felt her chest swell with pride for her school. ‘It is, isn’t it?’ she said. Then, remembering her manners, she quickly introduced Bimi to her parents, and knew from her mother’s smile that she approved of her friend.
After that it seemed that all the other families arrived at once. Twink saw Sooze and her sister Winn talking happily with their parents. Mariella’s mother had a pointed nose that stuck up in the air exactly like her daughter’s. ‘This isn’t at all how it was done in my day!’ Twink heard her say.
Flying High Page 5
