‘Wilf,’ she said, ‘what do you think Aggie and Kiki said to Marjory?’
Wilf shook his head. ‘No idea.’ He scratched his head. ‘Could they have shown her the note you wrote me?’
‘I don’t think so,’ Lottie said thoughtfully. ‘That would have spoiled the surprise, but at the same time it would have made it clear we were planning something special for her. And surely that would make her happy – not sad.’
‘True,’ Wilf agreed. ‘Oh, well. She did seem happier by the end of the day. Are we going to go to Heather Valley now?’
‘Come home for tea first,’ Lottie said, and the two of them ran off together.
CHAPTER SEVEN
When they reached Dracon Castle, Wilf didn’t seem as nervous as he had been the day before. He said hello to the portraits in the corridor as if they were old friends, and managed to smile at Queen Mila. There was no sign of Boris; the queen said rather vaguely that she thought he was out at Holly Hollow with a friend.
But everything changed when King Lupo came stomping in for a cup of tea and a piece of cake. Wilf bowed very low indeed, and was too shy to answer any of the king’s questions; Lottie had to answer for him.
‘So, my lad, is Lottie treated like a proper princess at school?’ King Lupo asked.
Wilf went scarlet, and mumbled something that the king couldn’t hear.
‘Eh? What was that? Speak up, lad!’
Lottie giggled. ‘He said I’m treated like royalty, Pa.’
‘Good, good. Glad to hear it. Now, where’s my tea?’ And King Lupo sat down and cut himself an enormous slice of fruit cake.
Lottie got up from the table, and beckoned to Wilf. ‘We’re going out now, Pa … We’re going to try and find the Wailers. I’ll be back very soon.’
‘The Wailers? That dreadful band you told me about? Why do you need them?’ King Lupo said.
‘It’s nothing, darling,’ Queen Mila said soothingly, and she turned to Lottie. ‘So you didn’t find them last night, dear?’
‘No.’ Lottie shook her head. ‘Hopefully they’ll be at Heather Valley … unless Boris was trying to trick us.’
‘Really, dear! I’m sure he wouldn’t do that,’ the queen said – but Lottie wasn’t so certain.
It wasn’t far to Heather Valley. Lottie kept to a gentle jog so Wilf was able to keep up with her, and they chatted as they ran together along the long, winding path. Once they reached the hill above the valley, Lottie had to slow down even more; the hill was steep, and Wilf was puffing hard before they were even halfway up.
As they came closer, Lottie listened for sounds of music … but there was nothing. Her suspicions about Boris grew stronger and stronger as they climbed to the top, and when they stood looking down she wasn’t surprised to see there was nothing there except for a rusty old truck.
‘I knew it!’ she said. ‘Boris was playing games with us – OH!’ She stopped mid-sentence. ‘Wait a minute! There’s someone down there …’
Lottie was right. A figure was climbing out of the truck and, even though they were a long way away, Lottie, with her extra-keen eyesight, could see who it was. ‘WOW!’ she breathed. ‘Wilf! LOOK!’
But Wilf had normal eyes, and all he could see was someone moving around.
Lottie was jumping up and down with excitement. ‘Boris was right! It’s Harper – the drummer from the Wailers! And he does juggling too! Oh, come on, Wilf … we have to talk to him!’ And she set off at a run.
Wilf took a deep breath, and ran after her. He knew he’d never catch her, but he was determined not to be too far behind. He hurled himself down the slope and arrived, panting, just in time to hear Lottie say, ‘So would you play at our friend’s birthday party? Please? It would mean so much … She doesn’t ever have a proper party.’
Harper was tall, with thick tortoiseshell glasses. He wasn’t smiling, and Wilf began to feel anxious. Lottie had been so certain that they could persuade the Wailers to play for Marjory that he’d been carried along with her enthusiasm; now he began to have doubts.
‘Play at a kid’s party?’ Harper was scornful. ‘Why on earth would we want to do that?’
Lottie stood up straight. ‘It would be very kind, and a good deed. And, if ever I can do anything for you, I certainly will.’
‘You? But you’re only a cub!’ Harper began to laugh in a sneering kind of way. ‘Are you joking? Now run along, and stop bothering me.’
Wilf took Lottie’s arm. ‘We’d better go, Lottie …’
But Lottie didn’t move. She was gazing at another tall teenage werewolf who was walking round from the back of the truck. ‘Froom!’ she gasped. ‘You’re Froom, aren’t you? The lead singer?’
Wilf was staring too. Froom was his hero, and he was so awestruck that he couldn’t say a word.
‘Hi, kids! You looking for autographs?’ Froom grinned at the two of them. ‘Not the best moment, I’m afraid. Our truck’s stuck in the mud … Loop has gone to get help.’
Harper made an unpleasant face at Lottie. ‘See? We need proper help. Not silly kids hanging round, getting in the way.’
Lottie went closer to the truck. Froom was right; one of the back wheels had sunk into a deep muddy puddle, and Lottie looked at it thoughtfully. She was sure that with her special strength she could help … but would they believe her? Harper seemed like the kind of boy who thought girls were useless.
Lottie decided to pretend it would be her and Wilf together. ‘We can help you push it out,’ she said. ‘Me and Wilf … we’re very strong.’ She gave Froom a sideways look. ‘If we get your truck out, will you play at our friend’s birthday party?’
Harper and Froom stared at her for a moment, and then Froom burst out laughing. ‘It’s a deal! I promise!’ And he shook first Lottie’s hand, then Wilf’s, before slapping Harper on the back. ‘Come on, Harper … let them have a go. Of course it won’t work, but it’ll give them something to talk about at school – “The Wailers let us try and push them out of the mud!” Good publicity!’
Harper shrugged. ‘If you say so.’ And he walked away from the truck and went to sit in the long grass. Froom sat down beside him, and the two of them began to discuss the next concert.
Lottie grabbed Wilf’s arm, her eyes shining. ‘Did you hear? They’ve promised they’ll play at Marjory’s party!’
Wilf was looking doubtful. ‘But we haven’t helped them yet,’ he said. ‘And it’s ever such a big truck …’
‘I can do it.’ Lottie went to the back of the truck, and Wilf crossed his fingers in his pocket and followed her.
‘Okay.’ Lottie called on every ounce of the special powers that made her so unusually strong. ‘One … two … three … PUSH!’
The truck lurched – and lurched again. ‘Nearly,’ Lottie panted, and she gave one final push – and it was free.
‘WOWSERS!’ Froom’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. ‘What kind of kids ARE you?’
Wilf shook his head. ‘It was Lottie, not me,’ he said, but Froom and Harper hardly heard him. They were on their feet, staring at the truck.
‘You kids are AMAZING! We’ll be on time for our next gig now … and it’s all thanks to you!’
Lottie went to stand in front of them. ‘So you’ll play at our friend’s birthday party? It’s the day after your concert … and the party’s going to be in Silver Grove!’
‘What?’ Harper looked horrified. ‘Us? Play at a kid’s party?’
Lottie nodded. ‘You promised!’ She turned to Froom. ‘You did, didn’t you?’
There was a pause, and then Froom said, ‘Yes. I did. We’ll play at your friend’s party.’ He shook his head. ‘I never, ever thought I’d hear myself say that … but a promise is a promise.’
‘But—’ Harper was obviously going to argue, and Froom held up his hand. ‘It’s okay, Harper. I gave my word.’ He suddenly smiled. ‘Might be fun! It’s ages since I went to a birthday party! Tell you what, kid – we’ll play the birthday girl a special song.
Might even magic up a little surprise for her! What’s her name?’
Lottie’s eyes were sparkling. ‘Marjory! And that’s Wilf, and I’m Lottie Luna! Thank you so, so, SO much!’
‘No problem, kid.’ Froom patted her shoulder. ‘Come on, Harper! Let’s hit the road!’
And the two tall Wailers swung into their truck and roared away, leaving Lottie and Wilf looking after them with the hugest smiles.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lottie danced along the path to Shadow Academy the following morning, while Jaws flew in circles over her head. ‘Everything’s going brilliantly well, Jaws! All Wilf and I have to do now is to ask Marjory if she’d like to come to tea on her birthday … and then we can give her the best surprise ever!’ Lottie spun round in excitement. ‘And we’ll invite the rest of the class too. We’ll have a Twilight Party in Silver Grove … but we won’t tell anyone about the Wailers. It’ll be amazing! And I’ll ask Ma to make a super-extra-special birthday cake, and little sausage rolls, and pizza, and sandwiches … Oh, it’s going to be just perfect!’
She twirled again, and as she did so she noticed her little moonstone necklace was looking dull. She stopped dancing, and stood still.
‘Why isn’t it glowing? Nothing’s wrong … At least, I don’t think it is.’ She gave the moonstone a little rub with her finger, but it made no difference. That’s so weird, she thought. I wonder what it can be? Everything’s going so well!
Lottie and Wilf had made a plan to ask Marjory out for her birthday tea before the start of lessons, but she had arrived at the last moment, so there hadn’t been time yet. Still, Lottie had smiled at her as she came in, and Marjory had smiled back … although it wasn’t her usual cheerful grin.
Kiki saw her smile at Lottie, and made a nasty snorting noise. ‘So you still want to be friends with Lottie, Marjory? I’d hate to be friends with someone who didn’t want me … but then the people I know don’t write nasty notes to their friends.’
Lottie swung round and stared at Kiki. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked.
Kiki stuck her nose in the air. ‘I wasn’t talking to you, Lottie Luna!’
‘Shh, Kiki!’ Aggie said. ‘Here comes Mrs Wilkolak.’
Aggie was right. The teacher came bustling into the classroom, carrying a pile of paper.
‘Good morning, everyone! We’ve got a special treat today! We’re going to create portraits of all the werewolf kings and queens we read about in our lesson yesterday, and we’ll make a mural outside in the corridor.’
Wilf giggled. ‘Hey! That’ll end up looking just like the corridor in Dracon Castle—’ He stopped, and put a hand to his mouth as he realised what he had said. Only Lottie and Marjory had heard him, but they were both staring at him – and Marjory’s eyes were full of tears.
Lottie was horrified. It was all too obvious that Marjory had realised that Wilf had been to Lottie’s home without her, even though it wasn’t like that at all … and the next minute Marjory gave a little sob and went flying out of the classroom.
‘Oh, no! Marjory thinks that I’ve invited you to tea, and I didn’t ask her too!’ Lottie was pale with remorse. ‘That’s so awful! I’m going to have to think of an explanation … but I can’t tell her the real reason you came, or it’ll spoil the surprise.’
‘Wilf! Lottie! Are you talking?’ Mrs Wilkolak was peering over her spectacles. She had been so engrossed in writing on the whiteboard, with her back turned to the class, that she hadn’t noticed Marjory slip out.
‘Sorry,’ Wilf said. ‘I … I was just saying what a great idea that was.’
Mrs Wilkolak gave him a stern look. ‘I’m glad you think so – but please don’t talk in class.’
‘Please, Mrs Wilkolak, Marjory’s run—’ Kiki began, but she didn’t finish her sentence. Mrs Wilkolak was frowning at her. ‘I said no talking!’ And she looked so fierce that even Kiki was quiet.
The rest of the morning dragged. At breaktime Lottie couldn’t find Marjory, and neither could Wilf, and she had disappeared at lunchtime too. When the afternoon lessons began, she came in late, and her eyes were very red, as if she’d been crying. Lottie wanted to run and hug her, but she didn’t dare. Mrs Wilkolak was in one of her fiercest moods.
I’m going to talk to her after school, Lottie told herself. Even if she tries to run home as soon as the bell goes, I’ll catch her … She has to tell me what’s going on! Kiki and Aggie definitely did something that upset her yesterday … and it looks like now me and Wilf have too. But she and me and Wilf are best friends, and friends tell each other when things go wrong!
But this plan didn’t work either. When it was time for the Evening Howl, Marjory was nowhere to be seen. Somewhere between the classroom and the Great Hall she had vanished; Lottie and Wilf looked everywhere, but there was no sign of her.
As soon as the Howl was over, Lottie and Wilf rushed to ask Mrs Wilkolak if she knew what had happened to their friend.
‘She’s missing!’ Lottie said. ‘And we’re really worried about her.’
Mrs Wilkolak peered over the top of her spectacles. ‘You don’t need to worry,’ she said. ‘Marjory’s gone home early. She said she wasn’t feeling at all well, so we called her mother to come and collect her.’
Lottie and Wilf looked at each other as Mrs Wilkolak picked up her bag and walked towards the staffroom. ‘That’s it,’ Lottie said, and she banged her fist on the table. ‘I’m going to ask Kiki and Aggie what they showed her! It must have been something really, REALLY horrible.’
Wilf nodded. ‘I’ll come with you,’ he said, but when they got back to the classroom Aggie and Kiki were gone.
Lottie sank down on a chair with a groan. ‘Oh, Wilf!’ she said. ‘I was so happy this morning, and now everything’s gone wrong! We absolutely have to talk to Aggie and Kiki tomorrow.’
‘Or we could call round at Marjory’s house,’ Wilf suggested, and Lottie sat up and looked hopeful.
‘That’s a brilliant idea,’ she said. ‘Why didn’t I think of that? Can we go now?’
Wilf nodded. ‘I’ll get my coat.’
Lottie and Wilf were quiet as they hurried towards Marjory’s home. It didn’t take them very long; she lived much nearer to Shadow Academy than Lottie, up a quiet, tree-lined road.
‘Have you been here before?’ Lottie asked, and Wilf nodded.
‘Just a couple of times. Marjory’s mum’s nice, but she’s so busy with the little ones that she doesn’t really like having extra kids around.’ He grinned. ‘You’ll have to come and have tea with my gran one day. She absolutely loves company!’
‘I’d like that,’ Lottie said. Then, ‘Is that Marjory’s house?’
‘That’s it,’ Wilf said.
Marjory lived in a small cottage, and the garden outside was criss-crossed with washing lines hung with clothes of every size. As they got closer, they saw a couple of little werewolf cubs playing in the garden, and Wilf gave them a wave. ‘That’s Gigg and Fizz,’ he told Lottie. ‘They’re twins.’
Lottie grinned at the little cubs, but they just stared at her with big round eyes.
‘Hi there! Can you tell Marjory we’ve come to see her?’ Wilf asked.
‘She don’t want to see nobody.’ One of the twins frowned.
‘They was nasty to her at school,’ the other one said. ‘It made her cry!’ And then they ran inside, slamming the door behind them.
‘Oh, dear.’ Wilf stared at the closed front door. ‘Who do you think they mean? And what do we do now?’
Lottie was thinking. ‘We write her a proper invitation to come out to tea on her birthday … and we tell her how much we miss her. I’ll write an invitation tonight … a really special one.’ A fierce expression settled on her face. ‘I know this is all Kiki’s fault, and tomorrow I’m going to tell her what I think of her!’ She clenched her fists. ‘The three of us were all so happy before she came to Shadow Academy … Why did she have to come?’
Wilf shrugged. ‘Who knows? She’s making A
ggie worse too. I mean, Aggie’s not one of my favourite people, but she was okay sometimes.’
Lottie sighed. ‘I know. I was really getting used to her.’ She paused for a moment. ‘Wilf … suppose we get Aggie on her own, and ask her what was in the paper she and Kiki showed Marjory? She might tell us.’
‘Maybe.’ Wilf sounded doubtful. ‘We could try.’
‘I can’t think of anything else to do,’ Lottie said gloomily. She was trying as hard as she could not to listen to the voices inside the cottage. She was almost certain that she had heard Marjory say that she never wanted to go to school again, and it was making her feel terrible.
CHAPTER NINE
Lottie tried to write Marjory an invitation that evening. She found a piece of card, and all her favourite coloured pencils, but she couldn’t think of the best way to say all the things she wanted to say. Should she mention Kiki and Aggie? Should she ask Marjory what had upset her so much?
Her moonstone necklace was still grey and dull, and that made her feel dull as well. In the end she wrote:
AN INVITATION TO OUR
VERY BEST FRIEND, MARJORY!
PLEASE COME TO A TWILIGHT PARTY
IN SILVER GROVE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY
WITH LOTS OF LOVE FROM
LOTTIE AND WILF
I hope that’s all right, Lottie thought. I’ll show Wilf in the morning … and if Marjory’s at school we can give it to her.
She looked at the invitation, and drew a couple more hearts on it, and some extra flowers. And we’ll have to think of the best way to ask the rest of the class to come to the party without Marjory knowing.
She put her pencil down, and stared into space while she thought about it. There’s no point in inviting them yet, just in case Marjory says she doesn’t want to come. Oh, dear … I do so wish I knew what’s gone wrong!
Lottie Luna and the Twilight Party Page 3
