It was Jimmy Thaw. The goblins turned to look at him. Two of them lost their balance, and they all fell over.
“You are all tired and hungry,” he said. “Why waste your energy trying to catch these poor little fairies? Let’s all go to the kitchen and have a feast!”
The goblins cheered, but Jack Frost stamped his foot.
“If you let those fairies go, I’ll punish you all for a YEAR!” he shouted.
“Forget about the fairies, and ignore my grumpy twin,” Jimmy Thaw told the goblins. “This is my home, too, and I say it’s feast time. Come on, goblins—let the fairies go!”
With whoops and cheers, the goblins darted around the room, flinging open the windows.
“Go!” cried Jimmy Thaw to the fairies. “Good luck!”
“Thank you!” called the fairies.
One by one, they swooped out through a window. In a few seconds, Rachel, Kirsty, Lila, and Myla were hovering high above the Ice Castle. The angry yells of Jack Frost and the excited squeals of the goblins were ringing in their ears.
“We did it!” cheered Lila, spinning around in delight. “Now we have both halves of the pendant. Hooray!”
“That means everything should be back to normal at your friend’s party,” said Myla to the girls. “We’ll send you back so that you can enjoy the fun.”
“But what about the Gemini ring?” asked Rachel. “Jack Frost still has that.”
“We’ll come and find you soon to help us look for it,” Lila promised. “But now it’s party time for you!”
She waved her wand, and there was a dazzling flash of sparkling light. When the sparkles cleared, Rachel and Kirsty were back in Jessy and Amy’s yard. They could hear happy shouts and laughter coming from the house.
“Of course, no time has passed since we left,” said Kirsty. “That’s one of the best things about visiting Fairyland!”
“Come on,” said Rachel. “Let’s go and see if finding the pendants has made a difference.”
They ran up to the house and hurried back through the kitchen into the living room. Everyone was getting ready to play Pass the Present, and Jessy smiled at them.
“Come and join the game,” she said. “Mom and Dad found the missing prizes—someone had moved them by mistake.”
“And there are still going to be two parties,” added her mom with a smile. “I don’t know what made us even think about canceling one!”
Rachel and Kirsty shared a secret glance as they sat down. They knew exactly what had gone wrong!
“I hope we can find the Gemini ring soon,” Kirsty whispered. “Without it, there could still be trouble at Amy’s party.”
The music began and the present started to make its way around the circle. Rachel squeezed Kirsty’s hand.
“I’m sure we’ll be able to help,” she said. “But right now we’ve got a party game to play!”
“Higher!” shouted Kirsty, in between giggles.
Rachel pushed her tree swing again and Kirsty flew into the air.
“Your feet touched the branches!” said Rachel, laughing.
“Higher!” Kirsty urged.
Rachel pushed as hard as she could, and Kirsty flew into the air again. This time, she seemed to stay up for a long time. When she came down, there was a flurry of golden sparkles, and Myla and Lila were hovering above her!
“We’ve got some news!” said Myla in an excited voice.
She flew away from Kirsty and perched on Rachel’s shoulder.
“There’s a big twins research conference starting today,” said Lila. “They’re holding a garden party, and there will be lots of twins there.”
“Oh, dear,” said Kirsty. “Without the Gemini ring, that could be a disaster.”
“Exactly,” said Myla. “But this afternoon, Jimmy Thaw came to the Fairyland Palace.”
“What did he want?” asked Rachel.
“He came to tell us that Jack Frost is going to the conference to try to find out how to make the two of them more alike,” said Lila. “But Jimmy Thaw doesn’t want to be like him, so he has promised to meet us there and help us get the ring back!”
“That’s wonderful!” Kirsty exclaimed, jumping down from the swing. “Let’s go!”
“We hoped you’d say that,” said Myla, fluttering into the air. “Ready, Lila?”
In perfect unison, the Twins Fairies raised their wands and waved them in figure eights. There was a burst of glimmering fairy dust, and then Rachel and Kirsty heard a whooshing sound. They blinked, and found themselves standing at the entrance gate of a large garden, next to a big sign.
TWINS CONFERENCE GARDEN PARTY
Research scientists and twins only!
“Oh, no,” said Myla. “How can Kirsty and Rachel get inside?”
“You could turn us into fairies,” Kirsty suggested.
“I’ve got a better idea,” said Lila. “How about you and Rachel become twins?”
Rachel and Kirsty exchanged a thrilled glance.
“Yes, please!” they said together.
Lila laughed.
“You’re already starting to sound like twins!” she said, raising her wand. “Come on, Myla.”
Together, the fairies spoke the words of a very special spell:
Peas in pods and mirrors bright,
match these girls in looks and height.
Copy every lock of hair,
and make them seem a perfect pair.
The girls were transformed in the twinkling of an eye. They stared at each other in amazement.
“We’ve both got your ponytail,” said Kirsty with a giggle.
“But our hair is dark like yours,” said Rachel, smiling.
Rachel was wearing a striped top and Kirsty had a matching striped skirt. Their shoes were exactly the same, and over their shoulders hung matching bags. They squeezed each other’s hands and shared a smile. Just then, one of the conference organizers hurried past them.
“Come with me, twins!” he said. “You’ll be late for the party!”
Lila hid inside Rachel’s bag and Myla slipped into Kirsty’s. Then the girls hurried into the private garden. There were rows of neatly clipped hedges and several beautifully arranged flower beds.
“I hear voices,” said Kirsty.
There was a loud buzz of chatter coming from the center of the garden. Rachel and Kirsty hurried toward the sound. In the middle of the garden was a pretty little square surrounded by trees. A small crowd of people chatted and sipped drinks. Waiters and waitresses walked around with trays of snacks.
“Look at all the twins!” said Rachel with a gasp.
Each pair of twins was dressed in the same clothes. It was amazing to see a double of everyone!
“Those must be the scientists,” said Kirsty, looking at a few people dressed in suits. “None of them seems to have a twin.”
“Let’s join the party,” said Rachel.
They walked up to a group of twins who were chatting with a scientist.
“So, you don’t like being twins?” said the scientist, looking surprised.
“Everyone compares us to each other,” moaned one boy.
“People don’t treat us as individuals,” complained a girl.
“We always have to share everything,” grumbled her twin. “It’s really annoying.”
Lila popped her head out of Rachel’s shoulder bag. “These twins should be excited to take part in the conference,” she whispered. “They are feeling unhappy because our Gemini ring is still missing. We have to find it or the conference will be ruined!”
The girls walked on and heard a different scientist talking to a couple of adult twins.
“The truth is that you are smarter than your twin,” he said to one of them.
Myla peeked out of Kirsty’s bag and gasped in shock.
“No one should ever say that to twins!” she exclaimed. “A scientist should know better. It must be because of the missing ring. Oh, dear. What are we going to do?”
“Without the ring, twins will be compared with each other all the time,” said Lila. “That will make them miserable.”
Rachel and Kirsty could tell how anxious Lila and Myla were feeling.
“Please don’t worry,” said Kirsty. “Remember, Jimmy Thaw promised to help us. We will get the ring back and stop Jack Frost’s scheme.”
Just then, Rachel let out a squeak of excitement.
“I can see Jack Frost!” she said. “He’s over there by the statue, talking to one of the scientists.”
Next to a marble statue of a dolphin, Jack Frost stood very close to a scientist. She had her back against a hedge, but she couldn’t get any farther away from him. It was obvious that she wanted to escape. Jimmy Thaw waited a few steps away, looking very embarrassed.
“Let’s get closer,” said Kirsty. “We might be able to hear what he’s saying.”
They edged closer, trying to stay out of Jack Frost’s view. But he only had eyes for the scientist.
“Listen to me,” he was saying in a loud voice, “I’m sick of my twin being different from me. I want us to be exactly the same, and you are going to tell me how.”
“But—but—but …” the scientist stammered.
Kirsty caught Jimmy Thaw’s eye and he gave her a small smile. Then he pointed to his little finger and to Jack Frost.
“What does he mean?” Rachel whispered to Lila.
“I know!” said the fairy in an excited voice. “He means that Jack Frost has the Gemini ring on his little finger. It’s here!”
Lila looked thrilled, but Myla still seemed worried. Now that they knew where the ring was, they needed to figure out how to get it back!
“I really have to go and speak to someone about … um … something …” said the scientist.
She ducked under Jack Frost’s arm and hurried off into the crowd. Jack Frost turned, and the girls darted behind a hedge. They saw him turn on Jimmy Thaw and poke him in the chest with one long finger.
“I’m going to find a scientist who can turn you into me, even if it takes all day!” he shouted. “There’s something wrong with you and the way you keep talking about being nice to fairies!”
Jimmy Thaw hung his head and looked miserable.
“Why does Jack Frost have to be so mean?” asked Myla.
Her eyes brimmed with tears of pity for Jimmy Thaw, and Lila suddenly shot up into the air.
“I won’t let him upset anyone anymore,” she said in a fierce voice. “Wait here—I’m going to get our ring back!”
Before anyone could stop her, Lila was zooming toward Jack Frost. She hovered behind the statue so that no one else at the party could see her. Then she folded her arms and glared at him.
“Give back our ring,” she demanded. “It doesn’t belong to you.”
Jack Frost narrowed his eyes into slits.
“I don’t take orders from fairies!” he snarled. He raised his wand and hurled an ice bolt at Lila. She dodged it, but he blasted another one and it hit her with a blue flash. Her wand flew into the air and Jack Frost caught it.
“No!” cried Myla.
Lila was trapped inside a tiny cage of ice, no bigger than an egg. She shook the freezing bars, but they were too strong for her little hands.
“Let me go!” she exclaimed.
The ice cage dropped into Jack Frost’s hand, and he slipped it and Lila’s wand into his pocket.
“That’ll teach those pesky fairies a lesson!” he told Jimmy Thaw.
Rachel and Kirsty could hardly believe what they had just seen. Myla was very upset. She started to shiver.
“We have to rescue Lila,” she cried. “She’s cold in that ice cage—I can feel it, too.”
“How can we get her back without Jack Frost seeing us?” asked Rachel.
“We can’t,” said Kirsty. “We have to be smart about it. I have an idea. Myla, can you make me look like one of the scientists?”
Myla seemed surprised, but she nodded and waved her wand. Kirsty’s striped outfit was replaced by a dark blue suit, and her hair was pulled back into a bun. Thick-framed glasses disguised her face.
“What’s your plan?” asked Rachel.
“No time to explain,” said Kirsty. “I have to try to set Lila free.”
She hurried over to Jack Frost and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and scowled at her.
“I couldn’t help overhearing you earlier,” she said, trying not to sound too nervous. “I think I can help.”
Jack Frost grabbed her shoulder in a tight grip.
“You can make my twin exactly the same as me?”
“I can make everything as it should be,” said Kirsty. “I just need to use my special scanner.”
She put her hand into her pocket and glanced over to Myla’s hiding place. Kirsty needed something that looked like a scanner—quickly! She hoped Myla would understand what she needed. Jack Frost was starting to look suspicious.
Fortunately, Myla understood. She waved her wand, and a small, square piece of metal appeared in Kirsty’s hand. It bleeped and flashed with green lights. It looked very important. Kirsty held it out in front of her and ran it up and down Jack Frost’s body. Then she did the same to Jimmy Thaw.
“Aha! I see,” she said.
“What is it?” demanded Jack Frost. “Tell me!”
“My scanner tells me that something is stopping you from connecting as twins should,” she said. “There is something very powerful about the ring you are wearing on your finger.”
Jack Frost narrowed his eyes and put his hand behind his back to hide the magic Gemini ring.
“You can’t have it,” he snapped.
“Goodness, of course not!” said Kirsty, sounding as shocked as she could. “It doesn’t belong to me, so that would be stealing. No, all you need to do is put the ring on your twin’s finger. Then he will share its power.”
Jack Frost’s eyes lit up with excitement, and he started to tug at the ring.
“There’s just one other thing,” said Kirsty in a casual voice. “When you hand over the ring, make sure that you are not carrying anything very cold, like an ice cube. That could stop the ring from working the right way.”
Jack Frost thrust his hand into his pocket, pulled out the ice cage, and shoved it into Kirsty’s hand, along with the tiny wand.
“Hold that,” he said.
Kirsty held it, not daring to release Lila until the ring was safe. Jack Frost pulled the ring off his finger and gave it to Jimmy Thaw.
“Put it on!” he ordered.
Jimmy Thaw looked around and Kirsty drew in her breath. Of course, he didn’t recognize her! The last time he saw her she had been a fairy, and now she was in disguise. Jimmy Thaw started to put the ring on his finger and Kirsty bit her lip. As soon as Jack Frost realized that it wasn’t working, he would want the ring back. Her plan was going to fail!
“Wait!” cried a tiny voice.
Myla darted out of her hiding place and zoomed above Jimmy Thaw’s head. He looked up with a smile, and Jack Frost flapped his hands at her.
“Shoo, fairy pest!” he said. “You’re too late!”
“Oh, no she isn’t,” said his twin.
He held the ring high above his head, and Myla swooped down and took it. Immediately, it shrank to fairy size, and Myla slipped it onto her finger.
“NO!” shrieked Jack Frost.
Just then, Lila fluttered into the air, taking out her wand and shaking drops of water from her wings. The warmth of Kirsty’s hand had melted her prison. Jack Frost’s eyes looked as if they might pop out of his head. He jumped up and down on the spot, his fists clenched. Rachel came out of her hiding place, and Jack Frost’s eyes widened.
“What’s going on?” he asked in a choked voice.
With a wave of Myla’s wand, Kirsty and Rachel were transformed back into their normal selves.
“YOU!” sputtered Jack Frost.
“Yes, it’s us,” said Rachel. “You should know by now that whenever you cau
se trouble for the fairies, we won’t be far away.”
“You told me that my twin would share the ring’s power if I gave it to him,” Jack Frost said to Kirsty angrily. “You lied!”
“No, I told the truth,” said Kirsty in a firm voice. “Jimmy Thaw did share the ring’s power—with its rightful owners!”
Jack Frost frowned. “It’s not fair!” he cried, stomping his foot. He turned away from the girls and folded his arms.
Myla and Lila hugged each other, and Rachel and Kirsty jumped up and down in celebration. Now that the fairies had their magic objects back, everything would go back to normal for twins around the world.
“There’s just one thing left to do,” said Lila, looking sadly at Jimmy Thaw. “We have to send you back to where you came from.”
“What does that mean?” asked Rachel. “Where do you come from?”
“Why,” said Jimmy Thaw, “I come from Jack Frost.”
“But that means you won’t exist anymore,” said Kirsty. “Can’t you stay?”
Jimmy Thaw shook his head kindly.
“I don’t belong here,” he said. “But it’s all right. I am a part of Jack Frost—do you understand what that means?”
The girls shook their heads.
“It means that Jack Frost isn’t all bad,” said Myla with a smile. “Jimmy Thaw is always somewhere inside his heart!”
Together, Myla and Lila waved their wands. Jimmy Thaw became a turquoise, twinkling blur of light, which coiled through the air and disappeared into Jack Frost’s chest.
“I liked having a twin!” wailed Jack Frost.
Lila and Myla the Twins Fairies Page 3