by Kiki Thorpe
Two dairy mice that were sniffing around nearby lifted their heads to look at Lainey.
“Not bad,” said Fawn, nodding. “Now let’s hear you call that chickadee.” She pointed to a plump little bird sitting on a branch.
“But I don’t know Chickadee!” Lainey protested.
“It’s easy,” said Fawn. “Just go like this.” Pursing her lips, Fawn let out a whistle that sounded like tseedle dee tseedle dee deet. “You try.”
Lainey did her best to copy Fawn. She pursed her lips and whistled. But all that came out was a sad feewp!
To her surprise, the chickadee flew over and landed on her finger.
“How did I do that?” Lainey asked. Then she noticed Fawn laughing. “Wait a second. You called him over, didn’t you?”
“So what if I did?” Fawn said with an impish grin. “He wouldn’t have come if he didn’t want to. Animals like you, Lainey. I’d say you’re becoming a real animal-talent Clumsy.”
Lainey blushed.
Fawn pulled a sunflower seed from her pocket. She held it out to the chickadee, who took it in his beak and flew away.
“Well, I’m hungry,” Fawn said. “Want to see what the baking-talent fairies have whipped up today?”
Lainey shook her head. “I’m going to go find the other girls. See you later?”
“Sure,” said Fawn. “I think there’s a nest of robin’s eggs that need a hand with hatching. Maybe you can help me.” With a wave, she flew off.
Lainey started across the meadow, her spirits high. Fawn’s compliment still rang in her ears. A real animal-talent Clumsy. Lainey couldn’t help smiling every time she thought about it.
Maybe it’s true, Lainey thought. Maybe I really do have animal talent.
Before coming to Pixie Hollow, Lainey had never felt particularly special. She wasn’t beautiful like her friend Mia, or brave like her friend Kate. She wasn’t good at sports, and she didn’t get the best grades in school. In fact, Lainey hadn’t been sure she was good at anything at all.
But that had changed when she’d started spending time with the animal-talent fairies. Lainey was learning how to listen to animals and how to watch them. And she had a knack for it!
A real animal-talent Clumsy.
A rustling noise above her made Lainey look up. She paused to watch a flock of flamingos pass. She loved seeing the pale pink birds against the brilliant blue of the sky. The flamingos had been one of the very first creatures she’d seen in Never Land, and she never tired of watching them.
Lainey continued across the meadow and made her way to Havendish Stream. There she found Kate, Mia, and Gabby, her friends who had come to Never Land with her. They were sailing boats with the water-talent fairies. Tiny fairies in red, gold, and green leaf-boats drifted around on the current while the girls blew wind into their sails.
The freckled, curly-haired fairy named Prilla was there, too. Prilla was the reason the girls had come to Never Land. She had a talent unlike any other in Pixie Hollow. She could travel to the world of humans and back again just by blinking. One day, she’d traveled to Mia and Gabby’s backyard and accidentally brought the four girls back to Pixie Hollow with her.
Prilla had discovered that she couldn’t blink the girls back home, so the fairies of Pixie Hollow had taken them in. That had been days ago—or was it weeks? Lainey wasn’t sure. Time passed strangely in Never Land, where every day was sunny and no one ever grew up or grew old.
“Hi, Lainey,” Mia said. “Where have you been?”
“I was riding in the woods with Fawn,” Lainey said.
Kate stood, brushing off the knees of her jeans. “We’re thinking about going to Skull Rock, just to see what it’s like,” she told Lainey. Kate had made it her mission to explore every corner of Never Land.
“Prilla says we might see a mermaid there!” Gabby chimed in excitedly. Gabby was only five, but she was every bit as adventurous as the other girls.
“We’re not going for long,” Mia added. “There’s a fairy dance tonight, and I want to make sure we’re back in time. The weaving-talent fairies are going to braid jasmine into my hair!”
“Want to come?” Kate asked Lainey.
Lainey hesitated. She wanted to go with her friends, but she also wanted to watch chicks hatching with Fawn. There were so many fun things happening in Never Land. Sometimes it was hard to decide what to do first.
Just then, they spotted a fairy flying toward them. As she came closer, the girls saw it was Skye. The fairy’s rose-petal cap was crooked on her head, and she seemed to be out of breath.
“I’ve been looking all over for you girls!” she said with a gasp. “It’s time!”
“Time for what?” asked Kate.
“Never Land is on the move again,” Skye replied.
The girls looked at each other in dismay. They knew what that meant. It was time for them to go home.
KIKI THORPE spent much of her childhood reading, daydreaming, and searching for fairies in the forests of Idaho—pastimes that were good training for writing children’s books. She is the author of several books for young readers, including the New York Times bestseller In a Blink, the first book in the Never Girls series. She lives with her husband, Greg, and their two children in San Francisco.
