by Bentley, Sue
Storm nodded and followed her out.
Lauren put on her pajamas and then jumped into bed. She was just settling down with Storm cuddled up in the crook of her arm when she felt a familiar warm prickling sensation down her spine.
“Storm? What are you up to?” she yawned.
Storm’s midnight-blue eyes glowed like jewels as his fluffy black fur ignited with dazzling gold sparks and his ears and tail crackled with electricity.
The bed began to shake, and a golden glow appeared around her. Lauren’s eyes shot open and she sat upright, suddenly wide awake.
Woo-oosh! Shimmering pillars of light stretched upward around her and joined together to form ornate walls and a door of golden metal and glass. Rustle! Lauren found herself wrapped in feather-soft blankets and sitting on soft cushions inside a fabulous coach. Jingle! A team of magnificent white horses was harnessed to the front.
The next instant the horses leaped upward in a multicolored spray of sparks. The golden coach zoomed straight through the ceiling and sped across the night sky, which was pricked by millions of bright stars.
Lauren was transfixed with wonder. “Where are we going?” she gasped.
“Wait and see!” Storm woofed mysteriously. He sat in her lap and she held his warm little body close as they streaked onward. It seemed like no time at all before the horses’ hooves were skimming across snow-covered treetops, and then the coach was speeding downward toward a frozen lake.
“Wow! There’s a show on!” Lauren gasped as she saw the brightly colored lights and the figure skaters’ beautiful sparkling costumes. An ice castle with turrets and towers, which was lit from within with candles, glowed like a giant, flickering jewel.
A big crowd of people was watching the skaters, while others were strolling around stalls that were set out around the lake’s edges. The golden coach landed on a deserted strip of narrow land on the far shore. No one paid any attention and Lauren realized that they must be invisible.
She had a great view from here and leaned forward from inside the warm coach to watch the skaters as they swirled and skimmed across the ice.
“This is like something from a fairy tale. Those skaters are amazing!” Lauren enthused. Her breath fogged in the frosty air, but Storm’s magic stopped her from feeling the slightest bit cold. Suddenly Lauren spotted a face she recognized. “I can’t believe it! That’s Naomi Teal!”
“I know,” Storm woofed, looking very pleased with himself.
Lauren watched the show for the next hour and a half, lost in the wonder of the whole spectacle. This was the best night of her life! As the glittering performance came to an end, the skaters took their bows and the audience’s cheers rang out across the lake.
There was a golden flash and the coach and horses rose into the air in another swirling snowstorm of sparks as the horses drew them homeward. With a final fizzle of light and a loud pop! the coach and horses dissolved, and Lauren found herself back in bed.
“That was so amazing. Thanks, Storm! I’ll never forget this night!”
Storm’s little black muzzle wrinkled in a smile. “You are welcome.”
“I wish I could skate like that,” Lauren murmured, stifling a yawn.
Storm looked up at her and placed one tiny front paw on her cheek. “You will one day, Lauren.”
“Do you really think so?” Lauren asked, looking down into his little face.
Storm nodded. “Yes, I do. But you will have to be very determined and hold on to your dreams. And you must not let setbacks get you down.”
Just like you, Lauren thought, feeling proud of her brave little friend who was determined one day to lead the Moon-claw pack, despite the danger from Shadow.
Her heart seemed to swell with new purpose.
“You’re right, Storm. From now on, I’m going to work extra hard. I’ll practice on my magical rink every moment I can, and nothing is going to make me stop!” If Storm believed in her, she could do it! She stroked the top of the tiny puppy’s soft little head. “What would I do without you?” she whispered sleepily as she snuggled under the covers.
Chapter
* NINE *
Lauren kept her promise to herself, and over the following ten days she threw herself into ice-skating practice with renewed enthusiasm. The time seemed to fly by and then it was the day before the show.
“It’s the final dress rehearsal tonight,” Jemila told Lauren nervously after school. “You wouldn’t come with me, would you?”
Me?” Lauren said, surprised. “What about Katie, Becky, and Padmini, won’t they be there?”
Jemila wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, but it’s not the same. You’re my best friend.”
Lauren smiled. “Of course I’ll come! I’d love to.”
“Great.” Jemila beamed at her. “I’ll meet you outside the rink. It’s closed, except for skaters or people working on the show, but I know Maggie won’t mind. She said we always need extra helpers.
Besides, I’ve told her all about how you would love to be a figure skater.”
“Have you?” Lauren said, amazed that Jemila had spoken to the figure-skating coach about her. “What did she say?”
“Maggie thought it was a shame that your parents wouldn’t let you join the Ice Academy when you were so excited about it. Anyway, bring your skates. You should be able to grab some free time on the ice when we have a break in rehearsals.”
“Okay. Sounds great.” Lauren smiled, feeling excited already. “See you there.”
“Well, I have to say that you do seem to be sticking with figure skating,” Lauren’s dad commented as she and Storm got out of the car in front of the rink later that evening. “Maybe the third time’s the charm.”
“It is!” Lauren exclaimed. She waved to Jemila, who was waiting for her at the ice-rink entrance. She bent down to smile in through the passenger window at her dad. “So does that mean you’ll let me join the Ice Academy?” she asked playfully.
“Hmm. We’ll see,” he said, smiling. “See you later.”
“Did you hear that?” Lauren whispered to Storm excitedly as her dad drove away. “I really think I might be allowed to join the academy soon!”
Storm was sitting with his paws looped over her gym bag. He twisted his head around to look up at her. “That is good!”
Lauren ruffled the soft fur on his little head. “Thank you for making me realize that my dream about being an ice-skater could come true if I didn’t give up. I know now that I’m never, ever going to stop!” she said.
Storm wagged his stumpy black tail.
Lauren and Storm went inside the rink with Jemila. The whole place was transformed. The rink was strung with Christmas lights, plastic icicles, and flowing white ribbons. Painted cardboard scenery made it into a magical winter forest, with snowy hills and a white castle glistening in the distance.
“Wow! Look at this!” Lauren said. It made her think of her wonderful night journey across the starry sky to the show on the frozen lake.
But Jemila seemed too nervous to reply. Lauren went into the changing rooms with her. Becky, Padmini, and Katie were already there and changing into their costumes. They were going to do a simple routine dressed as forest animals.
As Lauren was helping Jemila into her glittering white costume and matching skates, Maggie came in. The coach had her hair tied back in a ponytail.
Maggie greeted all the girls and gave Lauren a friendly smile before ushering everyone outside to begin the rehearsal.
For the next hour, Lauren helped out where she could and then kept out of the way while Maggie put the skaters through their paces. Lauren felt her feet twitching to join in as she watched the girls skating around the ice. She clapped enthusiastically as they performed routine after routine.
“One day, huh?” she whispered to Storm, who sat beside her.
Sto
rm nodded vigorously, his tail twirling.
“Take twenty, everyone!” Maggie called. She led the way off the ice and all the young skaters went to get drinks and relax for a while.
Jemila came over to Lauren. “Why don’t you find a quiet bit of the rink and skate a little? No one will mind.”
“Okay.” Lauren didn’t need to be told twice.
She quickly put on her skates and glided onto the ice. As music flooded out over the sound system, Lauren lost herself and skated for pure joy. She was so engrossed in the figure-skating routine, which she’d learned by heart, that she didn’t notice the little puff of gold sparkles that fizzed into the air above where Storm was sitting watching. A spotlight began following Lauren across the ice.
Lauren skated on in a world of her own. As she finally swept to a graceful halt she heard clapping.
“Bravo!” called a voice.
Startled, Lauren whipped around to see Maggie walking across the ice toward her. She felt herself turning bright red.
“Well done, Lauren! Jemila told me you were good, but I wanted to see for myself,” Maggie said. “And there you were, caught in the spotlight, so I couldn’t help but notice you. How lucky was that? How would you like to come to our summer skating school?”
“Really? I’d love to!” Lauren burst out delightedly. “But how can I? I don’t belong to the Ice Academy.”
Maggie smiled warmly. “We’ll see about that. You leave it to me.”
Lauren left the ice in a daze. She couldn’t wait to tell Storm her wonderful news. But as she walked toward him he jumped down and shot toward a storeroom.
Lauren headed for a large piece of scenery that was propped beside the open storeroom doorway, almost blocking off the inside. Suddenly she heard a fierce growling. Dark shapes were prowling along the corridor, coming closer. The lights gleamed on their cold pale eyes and their extra-long teeth.
Lauren’s blood ran cold. Shadow’s dogs! Storm was in terrible danger.
She dashed around the scenery and squeezed into the storeroom, just as there was a dazzling flash of bright golden light, which lit up the entire room. Storm stood there, a tiny, helpless puppy no longer, but his true majestic self: a handsome young silver-gray wolf with a sparkling neck ruff and glowing midnight-blue eyes. An older wolf with a gentle face, who Lauren guessed was his mother, stood next to him.
And then Lauren knew that Storm was leaving for good. She was going to have to be very brave. She rushed over and the huge wolf allowed her to hug him one last time.
“I’ll never forget you, Storm,” Lauren said, her voice breaking as she buried her face in his thick, soft fur.
“You have been a very good friend, Lauren. I will always remember you,” Storm said in a deep, velvety growl.
Lauren took a step back just as an ugly snarl sounded right outside, beside the scenery. “Go. Save yourself, Storm!” she urged in a choked voice.
There was a final flash of light and a silent explosion of bright gold sparks that drifted down around Lauren and fizzled out harmlessly on the storeroom floor. Storm and his mother faded and then were gone. The growl was abruptly cut off and silence fell.
Lauren stood there, her heart aching with sadness. She was going to miss Storm terribly, but at least she knew he was safe. And she would always have her secret memories of the wonderful adventure they’d shared.
“Lauren? Where are you?” called Jemila’s voice from the corridor. “Your dad’s looking for you. Maggie’s just been talking to him, and he’s got a huge smile on his face!”
“Coming!” Lauren called. She brushed away a tear as she went out with new hope in her heart. “Thanks, Storm, for helping to make my dreams come true! I really hope yours come true, too,” she whispered.
*About the Author*
Sue Bentley’s books for children often include animals, fairies, and wildlife. She lives in Northampton, England, and enjoys reading, going to the movies, relaxing by her garden pond, and watching the birds feeding their babies on the lawn. At school she was always getting told off for daydreaming or staring out of the window—but she now realizes that she was storing up ideas for when she became a writer. She has met and owned many cats and dogs, and each one has brought a special kind of magic to her life.
