“Jack Frost sent us to find you,” Rachel chimed in. “He was wondering what was taking you so long. He needs that basket right away!”
The first goblin got a worried look on his face. “Oh no,” he muttered.
“You’d better take that basket straight to him,” Rachel ordered sternly. “Otherwise he’ll be very unhappy.”
She gestured to the basket and pretended to notice for the first time that the rose petals were missing.
“But where are the rose petals?” she asked, faking surprise. “They’re supposed to be in there, too! Jack Frost won’t want an empty basket.”
Kirsty nodded in agreement and crossed her arms, trying her best to look stern. She glanced down at her arms. Oh no! The green color was beginning to fade. She glanced at Rachel. Her friend’s disguise was wearing off, too. Rachel’s ears were slowly shrinking back to their usual size. Her nose was smaller than it had been, too. And Rachel herself was slowly changing back to fairy-size. Kirsty raised her eyebrows at Rachel.
“We have to hurry!” Kirsty mouthed to her friend.
Luckily for the girls, the goblins were too busy yelling at each other to notice their dissolving disguises.
“See!” shouted one goblin. “I told you we needed to go back for the flowers!”
“How was I supposed to know that?” grumbled the other.
“Why don’t we help you out?” Rachel said smoothly. “We’ll take the basket straight to Jack Frost, and you two can go back for the rose petals.”
“But I want the credit for stealing the basket!” the first goblin whined. “If you take it to him, he won’t let me borrow his wand like he promised.”
Kirsty glanced at Rachel. Her disguise had faded even more, and Rachel was even smaller. What were they going to do? They had to get the basket from the goblins—and fast!
“Uh, but you’re already in trouble with Jack Frost,” Kirsty reminded them, thinking quickly. “I doubt he’ll let you borrow his wand now, anyway. So you may as well go get the rose petals while we take the basket to him right away.”
The goblins hesitated for a moment, and Rachel took advantage of their indecision. She stepped forward and reached out, grabbing the basket. A moment later, Blossom darted out from the trees. Rachel quickly passed the basket to her, and it shrunk back to fairy-size.
“Thanks!” Blossom said cheerfully as the girls’ disguises dissolved completely, leaving them looking like their fairy-sized selves again.
“Hey!” The first goblin scowled. “No fair! You’re fairies, not goblins. You tricked us.”
“Yeah,” whined the other goblin. “That was our basket. Now we’re not getting dessert for sure!”
“Sorry, goblins!” Kirsty cried. “But that’s what you get for taking something that doesn’t belong to you.”
Then she, Rachel, and Blossom hurried out of the woods, the goblins chasing after them.
“Give us back that basket!” they screeched. “You’ll be sorry, you tricky fairies!”
Blossom and the girls fluttered up into the sky and back to the cottage, leaving the goblins far behind them.
“Thank you so much!” Blossom said happily once they were back at the cottage. “Now that I have my basket back, the royal wedding should go off without a hitch.”
At the mention of the royal wedding, Rachel and Kirsty exchanged a glance. Both girls had remembered that they had an important job to do, too. They had to get back to Fabulous Flowers to order the extra flower girl basket. If they didn’t, Tippington’s biggest wedding of the year might be the one that didn’t go as planned.
“We’ve got to get back to the flower shop in Tippington right away,” Rachel told Blossom.
“Well, now that you’ve helped me, let me know if you need my help,” Blossom told them.
“We might,” Kirsty said thoughtfully. “But hopefully the sales clerk and her fiancé have cleared up their misunderstanding now that you have your basket back.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Rachel said. “We’d better head back to make sure. Bye, Blossom!”
“See you soon, girls,” the fairy replied. “And good luck!”
Rachel and Kirsty entered Fabulous Flowers for the second time that day. This time the lights were on and the door was open. A chime rang as they entered the store, and the sales clerk emerged from the back room, wiping her hands on her apron. She had a big smile on her face.
“Welcome to Fabulous Flowers,” she said cheerfully. “Can I help—oh! It’s you two again. I was wondering where you went. I thought you had vanished into thin air!”
Kirsty and Rachel giggled. It’s true that they had left for Fairyland rather abruptly, and without saying good-bye. But it would have been even stranger to try to explain where they were going. In fact, other humans couldn’t know about Fairyland or it would really cause trouble for the fairies.
“Sorry,” Rachel said simply. “We forgot we had something very important to do. But we’re back to talk to you about the flower order for tomorrow’s wedding.”
“Of course,” the girl replied. “I’m Allison, by the way. I’m sorry I was so distraught before. It was very unprofessional of me.”
“That’s okay,” Kirsty said sympathetically. “Is everything okay now?”
“It is!” Allison exclaimed happily. “After you left, my fiancé came back. He felt badly because I was so upset, and he explained everything. He bought me that baseball glove because I told him a long time ago that no one had ever taught me to play. That’s why I don’t like baseball. He remembered, and he got me the glove because he wants to teach me. Then we’ll be able to play catch together at the park.”
“How romantic!” Rachel said.
“I know,” Allison replied, her cheeks turning red. “I’m embarrassed now that I misunderstood him. It was actually a really thoughtful gift. And remember the baseball tickets I mentioned? They’re for opening day. My favorite singer, Hailey Quick, is singing the national anthem. Then there’s going to be a huge fireworks show after the game!”
“Wow,” Kirsty said. “I love Hailey Quick. She’s awesome. That really is a cool birthday gift.”
“I know,” Allison replied. “He’s a great guy. Now what can I do for you? Did you say something about the flowers for the wedding at the Botanical Garden tomorrow?”
“Yes!” Rachel replied. “My aunt is Angela from Fairytale Weddings. She’s the wedding planner. She thought she ordered six flower girl baskets, but when she double-checked the order form, she only saw five listed. Can you be sure there are six baskets of rose petals for the flower girls?”
“Of course!” Allison replied, jotting it down on a piece of paper. “I’ll add it to the order right now.”
“Thanks,” Kirsty replied. She smiled at Rachel. It looked like all of the wedding details were falling back into place now that Blossom had her basket back.
“Now I’d better get back to work,” Allison said. “I have a lot to do if I’m going to get all of the flower arrangements done by tomorrow. But don’t worry—they’re going to be perfect. You’ll see!”
The next morning, Kirsty was snuggled in her sleeping bag on the floor of Rachel’s room, sound asleep. Suddenly, her friend’s shout woke her with a start.
“Kirsty, wake up!” Rachel cried. “We overslept! We’re going to be late for the photo shoot.”
“Oh no,” Kirsty replied with a sleepy groan. “What time is it?”
Rachel looked at her fairy alarm clock. Instead of clock hands, two wings pointed at the numbers to tell the time. “It’s 9:00, and we’re supposed to be there in fifteen minutes! If we hurry, we might just be a few minutes late.”
The girls quickly got dressed, combed their hair, and brushed their teeth. Then they dashed through the kitchen.
“Hi, Mr. Walker!” Kirsty said as she grabbed two bananas from the bowl of fruit on the counter.
Rachel’s dad stood at the stove, a spatula in hand as he poured batter onto a hot griddle.
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�Whoa!” he replied. “What’s the rush? I was just making some of my world-famous chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.”
“Sorry, Dad,” Rachel said apologetically. She wished they could stay for breakfast. Her dad’s pancakes really were amazing. “We’re late to meet Aunt Angela at the Botanical Garden. We’re helping out at the wedding today, remember?”
“Of course!” he replied. “Your mom will give you girls a ride if you promise to at least take some yogurt to eat in the car with those bananas.”
“It’s a deal!” Rachel said. “Thanks, Dad.”
About ten minutes later, the girls hurried through the Botanical Garden entrance gate. A guard pointed the way to the Japanese garden, which is where the photo shoot was taking place.
Aunt Angela was waiting for them underneath a green and red pagoda.
“There you are, girls!” she said with a smile.
“I’m so sorry we’re late!” Kirsty burst out. “We overslept.”
“It’s okay,” Aunt Angela said. “The photographer seems to be running behind schedule as well. The bride and groom and the other adults are all still getting ready, but we planned to take pictures of the flower girls first, before they get their dresses dirty. I need to make a few phone calls to see what time he’ll be here. Can you girls manage the flower girls until I get back?”
Aunt Angela gestured toward a group of girls in pretty pale-yellow dresses. The smallest two were the same height and had matching headbands. In fact, they were identical twins.
“This is Talia and her twin sister Tamara,” Aunt Angela said.
“We’re three!” one twin exclaimed, proudly holding up three fingers. The other twin was sucking her thumb and looking very nervous. She took one look at Kirsty and Rachel and burst into tears.
Kirsty stooped down to the girls’ level.
“I’m Kirsty,” she said. “And this is my friend, Rachel. It’s very nice to meet you. We’re going to have a lot of fun today, I promise.”
Aunt Angela introduced the rest of the girls. There were sisters Ashlyn and Avery, who were five and nine years old, and cousins Mila and Sasha, who were both six.
“Will you and Kirsty be okay?” Aunt Angela asked Rachel, looking worried for a moment.
“Sure!” Rachel replied confidently. “We have plenty of babysitting experience. It will be fine.”
“I’ve got an idea!” Kirsty said to the girls. She wanted to show Aunt Angela that Rachel was right. They could handle the flower girls—no problem. “Let’s play I Spy. We’ll all look for things that are a certain color.”
“See?” Rachel told her aunt. “Plenty of experience.”
Aunt Angela waved good-bye and headed back toward the entrance to the gardens, her cell phone already at her ear.
“I love that game!” exclaimed Mila. “I’ll go first. I spy with my little eye something blue.”
“That flower is blue,” Ashlyn guessed.
“Nope,” Mila replied.
“Kirsty’s T-shirt?” Rachel guessed.
Mila shook her head.
“The sky!” Ashlyn shouted.
“Yes, that’s it!” Mila exclaimed, a smile on her face.
As the girls continued the game, Kirsty felt a tug on her jeans. She looked down to see Talia (or maybe it was Tamara … she wasn’t exactly sure) looking up at her with wide eyes. She was hopping from one foot to the other.
“Is everything okay?” Kirsty asked. But the little girl didn’t reply. She burst into tears. Then she hopped back and forth a little bit faster.
“Uh-oh!” her twin shouted dramatically. “Talia has to GO! You need to take her to the potty right away!”
“I’ve got this,” Kirsty said, and she and Talia hurried toward the bathroom immediately. Rachel stayed back with the other girls.
“We’re almost there!” Kirsty said encouragingly. “Do you think you can wait just a tiny bit longer?”
Talia nodded, but Kirsty noticed that the little girl walked a bit faster, so Kirsty quickened her pace, too. She crossed her fingers and really hoped they made it in time!
Meanwhile, Rachel was dealing with her own problems.
“Mom said I could wear the necklace, and you could wear the bracelet,” Avery told her sister. “I want the necklace.”
“No, she didn’t!” Ashlyn argued. “She said we could pick, and I picked the necklace. You take the bracelet.”
The girls were squabbling over a pretty set of pearls. Rachel gently touched the locket she wore around her own neck. It had been a gift from the fairies, and it was full of magic fairy dust. If only Blossom were around right now! She’d know how to get the sisters to stop fighting.
“That’s not fair,” Avery whined as she pulled on the necklace. “Mom promised me I could wear it!”
“Whoa!” Rachel said, jumping in. “Let’s not pull on it, girls. It might break, and then neither of you will be able to wear it. Why don’t you take turns? Avery can wear it during the photo shoot and ceremony, and Ashlyn can have it during the reception. Does that work?”
“I guess,” Avery said reluctantly.
“That sounds okay,” Ashlyn agreed as she gave her sister back the necklace and slipped the bracelet on her own wrist.
“Great,” Rachel said, breathing a sigh of relief. Then she caught sight of Kirsty and Talia returning from the bathroom. “You’re back!”
“Yup,” Kirsty said. “Made it just in time. How are things?”
“They’re great,” Rachel replied. She was feeling confident again now that Kirsty was back and the sisters had stopped fighting.
“Okay, but bored,” Sasha said grumpily. “Hey, look! Can we feed the fish?”
She pointed to a small koi pond nearby. A handful of large orange fish swam around, and there was a dispenser full of fish food pellets near a little wooden bridge that stretched over the pond.
“Sure, I guess so,” Rachel replied.
“Just be careful not to get your dresses wet, okay?” Kirsty added.
“Yay!” the girls agreed enthusiastically.
Rachel went over to the dispenser and gathered a handful of the fish food for Talia and Tamara. She gave them a few pellets each and watched as they tossed them gently into the pond and giggled with delight as the fish darted up to eat them.
As the older flower girls helped themselves to the fish food, Kirsty gasped. She had just noticed Blossom peeking out from behind the food dispenser. The fairy quickly put her finger to her lips as she ducked out of view. She didn’t want the flower girls to see her. It would mean big trouble for the fairies if too many humans knew about Fairyland!
As soon as the younger girls were all busy feeding the fish, Blossom darted over to Kirsty and Rachel. She perched on a low branch of a Japanese maple tree and hid among its leaves.
“How’s it going, girls?” Blossom whispered.
“We’re doing okay,” Rachel replied. “Though we’ve had one close call and a little fight between sisters.”
Blossom looked puzzled. “That’s strange,” she said. “I was just coming by to let you know that I visited the girls this morning while they were getting ready at the hotel. I sprinkled them with a little fairy magic to help the day go smoothly for everyone. I even secretly loaned Talia my ivory ribbon. It helps control harmony and order during weddings, which I thought might help you. And I figured it would be farther from Jack Frost in the human world than in the fairy world.”
Kirsty and Rachel glanced at the flower girls. All of them were wearing silky ivory ribbons around their waists. That is—all of them except Talia!
“Oh no!” Rachel gasped. “Talia lost the ribbon.”
“Or someone snatched it from her!” Blossom groaned. “And I have a pretty good idea who’s behind this: Jack Frost! He would love to cause as much chaos as possible at today’s royal wedding.”
Rachel, Kirsty, and Blossom were so distracted by the missing ribbon that they didn’t notice Sasha leaning over the koi pond to get a closer l
ook at the fish. Rachel glanced at the girls just in time to see Sasha’s foot slip as she tumbled headfirst into the pond with a giant splash!
A huge gush of water hit Mila and Ashlyn, who were standing right next to Sasha.
“Oh yuck!” Sasha moaned as she stood up in the pond. It wasn’t very deep, and the water only came up to her knees. But her dress and shoes were completely soaked.
“I’ll help you,” Avery said sweetly. “Here, grab my hand!”
“No, wait!” Rachel shouted as she and Kirsty rushed over to the pond.
It was too late. Avery had already leaned over and reached out to the younger girl, but the ground right around the pond was muddy and slick. A second later, there was a second splash as Avery landed in the pond, too.
“Ugh, icky!” Avery spluttered as she stood up in the water. “Help! The fish are going to bite me!”
Sasha began to cry. “I don’t want fish bites!” she sobbed.
Rachel and Kirsty quickly helped both girls out of the muddy water and took a look at everyone. The twins had been spared, but the other four girls were either wet, muddy, or both.
Rachel sighed.
“This would never have happened if Talia was still wearing Blossom’s ribbon!” she whispered to Kirsty.
Kirsty nodded, her face serious. “We’ve got to find it,” she agreed gravely.
“What are we going to do?” Avery wailed. “Our dresses are ruined!”
“We’ll come up with something, don’t worry,” Kirsty said. But she sounded more sure than she felt. She knew they had to think fast.
“Ouch!” Rachel squeaked, slapping at her ankle. “I think a mosquito just bit my leg.”
Sasha jumped back and shrieked. “Or a fish!” she squealed. Avery started yelling and jumping from one foot to the other.
Blossom the Flower Girl Fairy Page 2
