“Madison! You’ve got to do something!” Jackson was standing at the door of the Travelling Tower.
She was right. Di was only a stone’s throw away. I grabbed Wallis’s collar and heaved him into the garden and then through the gate and out onto the pavement. He came happily, but when I tried to leave him there he wouldn’t stay. I had to stand holding him while Di and her brothers came sprinting towards me. And then, just as I thought I could safely let go, Wallis twisted round and jumped up at me. I staggered, arms flailing, and I managed to stay on my feet – but my necklace fell off at exactly the moment when Di and her brothers came rushing up.
“Cutie!” It was Di. “Where did you spring from? You’ve caught him! Well done! You’re a star!”
“He’s a very bad dog,” one of her little brothers said. “He never does what we tell him! We have to keep the back door locked so he doesn’t escape.”
“He’s a nice dog,” I said feebly. I was so shocked by what had happened that I couldn’t even think. Was I still with Team Starlight? Or could I have fallen back into my real life?
I glanced down at the pavement and there was no sign of my necklace. It had vanished.
I felt sick. Would I ever get back to the Academy? But before I could worry any more, someone grabbed me and hugged me and dusted me down and kissed me – and Izzy was shouting at the top of her voice.
“What have you done to my little sister? Were you bullying her too? If you were, I’ll … I’ll KILL you!”
Di gasped. Her arms flailed wildly in the air, and I thought she was trying to hit Izzy … but she wasn’t. She was trying to run away … but she couldn’t. She swayed from side to side, but her feet were stuck to the ground.
She couldn’t move.
From high up above I thought I heard a tiny cheer … or had I imagined it?
Chapter Sixteen
There was a huge silence before one of Di’s brothers said in a very small voice, “Our Di isn’t a bully. She’s nice.”
“She’s not!” I’d never heard Izzy sound so fierce before. “Ever since I started at St Dunbow’s, she’s been HORRIBLE! She makes me do her homework and she copies from me during lessons! And I have to do what she says, or—” Izzy stopped, and went pink— “she’ll tell everyone I’m called Arizona and they’ll all laugh at me. It’s so unfair! When we first met, I really liked her, and we swapped secrets. I told her how I hated being called Arizona, and she told me about her mum…”
Izzy’s voice died away. She looked down at the little boys. “Is Di your SISTER?”
Wide-eyed, they nodded.
“So do you look after your mum too?”
The boys stared. “Mum looks after us,” said one.
“And she looks after Di,” said the other.
“And Dad,” the first one added.
“WHAT?” Izzy swung round and glared at Di.
Even in the yellow glow of the street lights, I could see that Di was deathly pale. She hung her head. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“But why?” Izzy took hold of Di’s jacket and shook her. “Why did you say that about your mum?”
“I hate St Dunbow’s. Nobody ever talked to me,” Di mumbled. “You were nice, and I wanted you to be my friend.”
“Funny way to go about it,” Izzy said, but she let go of Di’s jacket.
Di nodded. She looked completely miserable. “I was really mean. I won’t do it again. Promise.”
“And what about my homework notebook?” Izzy demanded. “I’ll be in trouble if I don’t have that tomorrow.”
“I know.” Di was so embarrassed she was whispering. “That’s why I took it.” She was staring at the ground and twisting her hands round and round. “I didn’t want to be horrible to you – really and truly I didn’t – but once I’d started, I couldn’t stop. And you never said anything. You went on being nice, and that made me worse than ever…”
She stopped, and I could see that she was trying her very hardest not to cry.
Now this is where things get weird.
Seriously weird.
Do you know what?
I felt sorry for Di. I really did. It’s horrid being in a new place with no friends. I enjoy being part of Team Starlight so much that it makes me want to be friends with everyone else.
Is that mad?
Probably.
So, even though I wasn’t wearing my necklace and I wasn’t at the Academy, I decided to try something. I shut my eyes and I imagined Izzy’s notebook lying on that table in Di’s hall. I thought of Floating – of clouds and hot-air balloons, seagulls and kites – and I imagined the notebook coming nearer and nearer and nearer … and then I Solidified it.
SPLAT!
I heard it hit the pavement and I opened my eyes.
“Oh, look,” I said quickly as I picked it up. “Here you are, Iz! Were you bringing it back to her, Di?”
Di was staring at me as if I was the world’s greatest magician. Well, I suppose I was, just at that moment. In a way.
“How…” Di began. But she didn’t go on. She handed the notebook to Izzy. “I really am sorry,” she said, and she sounded as if she meant it from the bottom of her heart. “I won’t bother you any more. I’ll do my own homework. And I’ll sit by myself. I won’t bother you again … promise.”
She turned, and took hold of Wallis’s collar. “Come on, twins. Let’s go home.” Her voice broke, and I saw tears on her cheeks.
And then my soppy big sister gave her the most ENORMOUS hug, and said she’d be looking out for her in the morning.
Chapter Seventeen
Izzy and I stood and watched Di and her brothers walking away down the road for a moment before we went back to our house.
“Do you think she means it?” I asked.
Izzy smiled. “Oh, yes,” she said. “I’m sure she does.” And she picked me up and whirled me round. “Thanks, Maddy!”
“What for?” I couldn’t think of anything I’d done – apart from the notebook, of course, but she didn’t even know about that.
“Everything! If it hadn’t been for you, I’d never have stood up to her – never! But when I looked out of my window and saw you and her and that enormous dog, I thought she’d come back and was being horrid to you. Hey! When I’ve finished my homework, come and cuddle up on the sofa, and we’ll plan the best shopping trip ever and we’ll go next weekend!”
“YES!” I said, and Iz blew me a kiss and went running up the stairs. A moment later, she was back.
“I just wanted to say,” she said, “you can call me Arizona any time.”
“Oh.” I suddenly felt uncomfortable. “I’m … I’m really sorry I did that.”
Izzy laughed. “Don’t be. It was the best thing ever! Guess what? I’m going to write it all over my homework notebook and anyone who teases me had better watch out!” And she zoomed off again.
I waited a moment to make sure she was gone, and then I ran outside.
“Please let them still be there!” I whispered. “Please please PLEASE!”
There were still no lights in the windows next door. I hurried into the garden.
“Lily!” I whispered. “Emma? Ava? Can anyone hear me?”
There was no answer.
I ran to and fro across the grass, trying to find some trace of the Travelling Tower – but it was gone.
My stomach felt full of ice, and I shivered.
I’d blown it. I was a failure. I’d got it all completely and utterly wrong … and I’d never see my friends at the Academy again. It was only our second mission, and I’d managed to be a failure.
Chapter Eighteen
I wiped my nose on my sleeve, and made my way up to my room. I couldn’t even be bothered to turn on the light; I wanted to crawl under my duvet and feel sorry for myself and, if I’m being truthful, cry my eyes out.
There was something shining on my bed. Two tiny sparkles of light, so bright I blinked. I hurried to look, and there – neatly laid on my pillow – was my nec
klace. But it was different! The last time I’d worn it, only one of the stars had been twinkling, but now there were two. TWO STARS!
“YES!” I yelled, and I didn’t care who heard me.
“Madison?” Someone had answered.
I ran to the window, and flung it open. The bridge was gone, but the Travelling Tower was shimmering right outside.
“You took your time,” Sophie said. “We’ve been waiting for ages! We thought we were going to have to go without saying goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” I asked.
Olivia nodded. “Fairy Mary said we could have an extra five minutes to say goodbye to you, but then we’ve got to go home.”
“We saw everything that happened.” Ava was leaning precariously out of one of the windows. “Did you like our Solidifying Spell?”
I looked blank. “What spell?”
Ava giggled. “It was Melody’s idea. When your necklace fell off, we thought we’d better take the Tower away in case someone found us, and also we could see better from higher up. We saw Di trying to run away from your sister and Melody said we should make her stand still and take what was coming to her.”
“But you can’t Solidify people,” I said. “Miss Scritch said so.”
Jackson looked superior. “It takes brains to work magic properly, Madison. You can’t Solidify people, you see, but you CAN Solidify shoes.”
“It took all of us together to get it right,” Emma said. “But we did it!”
“THANK YOU,” I said, and I really, really meant it.
The Travelling Tower gave a twist and a lurch, and I could see Olivia doing her best not to scream. Instead she said, “We’ve got to go – but we’ll see you very soon!”
“And Fairy Mary says to say WELL DONE!” Lily added.
And then, blowing kisses as they went, the Tower took them up and up and up in the air until I couldn’t see anything but the stars twinkling in the night sky …
… but I went on waving, just in case.
A message from Sophie
Hi! This is me, Sophie – and I’m hoping SO MUCH that you’re going to want to read my story!
I don’t have a big sister like Madison, but I DO have a little brother, Pete. He’s OK – just as long as he has somewhere to rush around and play aeroplanes. When he hasn’t, he’s trouble. BIG trouble. It took a lot of magic, and a surprise for Jackson, to sort it out!
Love, Sophie xx
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. All statements, activities, stunts, descriptions, information and material of any other kind contained herein are included for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied on for accuracy or replicated as they may result in injury.
First published 2013 by Walker Books Ltd
87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ
Text © 2013 Vivian French
Illustrations © 2013 Jo Anne Davies
The right of Vivian French and Jo Anne Davies to be identified as author and illustrator respectively of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:
a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 9-781-4063-5366-2 (ePub)
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Madison's Starry Spell Page 4