by Sue Bentley
“Um…okay. Fine by…um…me,” Charlotte agreed distractedly as she watched Arrow hopping toward the open door. Mel was sure to spot him any minute now. She had to get him upstairs as quickly as she could.
“Thanks.” Mel seemed relieved. “So don’t you want to know what Jamelia and Kay called for? We’re going to—”
“Can you tell me later?” Charlotte interrupted, edging toward the door. “I’m…um…just going to unpack my stuff.”
Mel looked a bit disappointed at Charlotte’s eagerness to leave. She turned around to face the cage. “Okay. Daisy and Clover need a brushing, anyway. I’ll come and find you afterward,” she said, picking up one of the big gray rabbits.
As soon as Mel’s back was turned, Charlotte quickly scooped Arrow up, hid him in a fold of her T-shirt and hurried outside. “I don’t understand why Mel didn’t see you. You were right under her nose!” she said as they headed across the yard.
“I used my magic so that only you can see and hear me,” Arrow explained.
“You can make yourself invisible?” Charlotte exclaimed. “Fantastic! That makes it much easier to keep you a secret!”
In the bedroom, she pulled the quilt into a cozy nest and Arrow immediately dived into it. With a contented sigh, he curled up and put his nose between his fluffy brown and white front paws.
Charlotte smiled at him as she unpacked her suitcase and stuffed her clothes into the chest of drawers. “I just had a thought. Maybe you’d prefer to live with Clover and Daisy in their nice clean cage?”
Arrow shook his head. He yawned, showing his little pink tongue. “Daisy and Clover are great rabbits. But I would much rather live with you.”
“Good! I hoped you’d say that.” Charlotte stroked his velvety ears. She’d only known Arrow for a short time, but she already loved him!
A little later, Charlotte heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Mel stuck her head into the room.
“Have you finished unpacking? Mom’s going to treat us to lunch in the village cafe. We can stay there on our own while she does some shopping.”
“Sounds great!” Charlotte jumped up eagerly. Lunch with Mel on her own was just what she needed. They could have a girlie chat, just like old times.
“Meet you outside in a minute!”
Charlotte stroked her little bunny friend. “You can stay here for a nap if you want while I go out with Mel.”
Arrow jumped up and gave himself a little shake. “I am not sleepy anymore. I will come with you!”
Charlotte smiled. “I’ll take my shoulder bag. It’s probably best if you get in there so you’ll be safe.”
She opened it and Arrow jumped inside. They went downstairs to meet Mel’s mom, who was already waiting outside the house. There was no sign of a car.
“Are we walking?” Charlotte asked, surprised. Where she lived, everyone used cars, even for short journeys.
“Yes. That’s what legs are for,” Mrs. George joked. She had an old-fashioned wicker basket looped over one arm. “Everything’s so close here in the village. We love it. By the way, how’s your mom? I’ve been meaning to call her to see how she’s doing. It’s been ages since we had a good talk.”
“Oh, Mom’s fine,” Charlotte said, forcing down a stab of worry. At least, I hope she soon will be. Mel’s family didn’t know that her mom had been sick since they left, and Charlotte didn’t find it easy to talk about.
Mel joined them and they all set off. It was only two minutes to the end of the road, then they turned down another road that came out onto the main street. She glimpsed the sea and beach in the distance, between rows of charming beach huts, painted in ice-cream colors.
“The stores are here,” Mel said.
They walked along a street, lined on both sides with stone houses and pink-walled cottages. Arrow was leaning up out of Charlotte’s shoulder bag, his nose twitching at all the exciting smells. His ears swiveled at the seagulls’ cries.
Charlotte was glad her bunny friend was enjoying himself. But she couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. When Mel had talked about moving to the seashore, she had imagined cute stores selling postcards, ice cream, and candy. But all she could see was an old-fashioned-looking butcher shop, a drugstore, and another store with boxes of fruit, vegetables, and flowers in buckets on the sidewalk outside.
“What sort of place is this? I wonder what Mel does when she’s not at school. There’s not even a shopping center like at home,” she whispered to Arrow.
But she must have spoken more loudly than she meant to. “Well, I love it here. It’s much better than living in a boring old town,” Mel said, going a bit red.
“The village seemed rather quiet to us, too, when we first moved here,” Mel’s mom said, smiling at Charlotte. “But Mel soon discovered there was a lot to do.”
Charlotte bit her lip and fell silent. She hadn’t meant to upset anyone.
“Here we are!” Mel’s mom exclaimed a few moments later. The cafe window was full of delicious-looking cakes. A green-and-white sign read THE PANTRY.
They found empty seats at a large table. Charlotte felt Arrow jump into her lap.
“Okay, girls. What would you like?” Mrs. George asked, handing them each a menu.
Charlotte was still trying to make up her mind about all the delicious food when Mel gave a loud shriek and leaped to her feet. “Here are Kay and Jamelia!”
Arrow almost jumped out of his fur and Charlotte had to hold him tight so he didn’t escape in a panic. His little heart ticked against her hand. “It’s okay. Nothing to be scared of,” she whispered. When she looked up again, two girls had come into the cafe.
“Charlotte, this is Jamelia and Kay!” Mel introduced her friends. “I know I didn’t tell you we were meeting them, but I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Oh, okay. Um…hi!” Charlotte said, her heart sinking as she tried not to feel too disappointed that she wouldn’t be spending the time alone with Mel. Beneath the table, she was still stroking Arrow gently until he gradually calmed down.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Jamelia said. She had olive skin and shiny black hair, which she wore in a long braid.
“Me too—Mel’s told us so much about you!” Kay had a wide smile and a friendly heart-shaped face. She peered at Charlotte through wispy blond bangs.
“So, what’s everyone having?” Mel’s mom stood up. Once they’d decided what they wanted, she went to the counter to order their food.
“How was drama class this morning?” Mel asked her new friends.
“It was hilarious!” Jamelia rolled her eyes dramatically. “We had to pretend to be trees. We waved our arms like branches and tried to talk to each other without making sounds. You should have seen Emma. She’s got really long arms, anyway…”
Jamelia demonstrated by making a face and then spreading her fingers and holding up bent arms. Mel and Kay started laughing. Charlotte smiled politely, although she couldn’t see the point of acting like a tree! She didn’t remember Mel liking drama when they’d been at school together. They’d always preferred playing in the tree house in Mel’s large backyard, sometimes even camping out there when it was warm.
“I wish I’d been there!” Mel said. “But I had to stay at home to meet Charlotte.”
“Sorry I made you miss it,” Charlotte murmured.
But no one seemed to hear her. Mel, Jamelia, and Kay giggled as they talked about all the things they usually did together at drama class and sports practice. Mel had apparently started taking horseback-riding lessons, too.
Charlotte smiled and tried to seem interested, but felt a little left out of the conversation. Mel seemed to have such an exciting new life, completely different from the one she had back home. No wonder she didn’t miss the things she and Charlotte used to do together.
Charlotte stroked her magic bunny’s little soft ears, glad she had Arrow to keep her company. She cheered up a bit when her chocolate milkshake and hamburger arrived. They were delicious. She’d
asked for extra lettuce and tomato on the side and no one noticed when she slipped pieces into her lap. Arrow soon polished off the tomato and two enormous lettuce leaves. Charlotte bit back a grin as she felt his soft little mouth nudging her fingers.
“So are you looking forward to playing tennis later?” Mel asked Charlotte. “The grass courts in the park are great. We play all the time. I tried to mention it to you earlier, just before you went upstairs to unpack.”
“Tennis?” Surely Mel remembered how much she hated sports? She’d never realized Mel liked tennis, either. “But I didn’t bring any gym stuff with me,” Charlotte said hastily. “I’ll just watch.”
“No problem. I have a spare racket you can use,” Kay said.
“Oh, okay. Thanks,” Charlotte said without enthusiasm. Great. Now I can’t even get out of it.
Mel’s mom went off to do her shopping, leaving Charlotte and Arrow in the cafe with Mel, Kay, and Jamelia.
“Let’s get more milkshakes. My treat,” Jamelia said, jumping up. “You have to try the strawberry, Charlotte. It’s so yummy!”
“Okay. Thanks,” Charlotte said, smiling.
Mel’s new friends were really nice and she liked them both. But she still wished that she could have her old best friend to herself, at least on her first day here. She couldn’t help feeling a little bit envious that Mel had found such great friends, especially since she herself had been too worried about her mom to think about forming other friendships at home.
Her magic bunny was a warm, comforting weight in her lap. Charlotte stroked Arrow’s velvety caramel ears, glad that he was her own special friend and she would never have to share him with anybody.
“Phew! Now I remember why I hate tennis so much!” Charlotte said to Arrow that evening.
They had left Kay and Jamelia at the park and walked back to the cottage after their game. Charlotte was hot and sweaty and had gone straight up to her bedroom to change.
Arrow was stretched out on the quilt, with his front paws crossed. He watched as Charlotte picked irritably at a strand of damp red hair that was sticking to her hot face.
“Look at me. I look like a tomato! And I was so terrible,” she groaned. “I’ve got the worst serve in the universe, especially compared to Kay and Jamelia.”
“They are very nice girls. I like them,” Arrow said.
“Me too. Bad luck,” Charlotte grumbled. She had to admit that Jamelia and Kay had been encouraging and patient, despite the fact that she’d barely managed to get the ball over the net. “But I couldn’t keep up a single volley for more than ten seconds. I bet they’re laughing about how horrible I was.”
The magic bunny twitched his whiskers sympathetically. “No one can be good at everything.”
“I guess not.” Charlotte smiled at her loyal little friend as she pulled off her sweaty T-shirt. After a quick splash of water, she put on a clean top and sat on the bed. “I guess I’m just a bit sad that Mel’s doing all this new stuff without me. I never knew that she wanted to go to drama classes and horseback ride. She must think I’m really boring now.”
“Perhaps you could talk to her,” Arrow suggested.
Charlotte shook her head sadly. “I don’t want her to feel bad. She has been nice about sharing her new friends with me. I guess I should try to get used to things being different between Mel and me now. But it’s really hard since we used to be so close,” she sighed.
“I will help you in any way I can. I am your friend!” Arrow raised himself up on his back legs and rested his fluffy front paws on her bare arm.
“Same goes for me,” she said fondly. Turning toward him, she touched his little white paw with a fingertip. “Will we be friends forever?”
“Yes!” Arrow’s big brown eyes gleamed with tiny rainbows. “Even when I have to leave.”
“Leave?” Charlotte echoed. “I…I was hoping you’d come back home and live with me. We have a nice house with a big backyard. There are tons of dandelion leaves and other things for you to eat.”
“I am afraid that is not possible, Charlotte,” Arrow said gently. “When the magic key glows, it will mean that Moonglow Meadow is in need of more magic. I may have to leave suddenly, without saying good-bye.”
Charlotte swallowed her sadness and forced herself to look on the bright side. “Maybe the last bit of magic will keep working for a long time.” She couldn’t bear to think of losing Arrow. His friendship meant so much to her, especially whenever she thought about Mel and her new friends.
“Perhaps. I will stay with you for as long as I can,” Arrow promised.
Reassured, Charlotte decided not to think about it anymore and to try to enjoy every single moment with her magical friend.
Charlotte came downstairs the following morning with Arrow tucked invisibly beneath one arm. Mel was sitting at the breakfast table. Her dad was there as well, reading the paper. A delicious smell of eggs and breakfast sausage filled the kitchen.
“Hi!” Mel looked up and smiled as Charlotte sat down and settled the magic bunny on her lap.
Mr. George looked at her over the top of his paper. “So, did you girls have a nice time yesterday?” he asked.
Mel answered before Charlotte could reply. “It was great!” She told him about the cafe lunch and meeting Jamelia and Kay. “It was Jamelia’s idea to play tennis in the afternoon. I told her I was worried that Charlotte would get bored hanging around the village.”
“It is very quiet,” Mel’s dad agreed. “It took Mel a while to get used to it and find new friends, didn’t it?”
Mel nodded. “But there’re lots of things to do here, once you know where to go. Maybe we could go to the carnival at the beach tomorrow?”
Charlotte smiled, feeling happier knowing Mel still wanted to spend time with her. It sounded like the three girls had teamed up just to make sure she had a good time.
She turned to Mel. “Thanks for yesterday. I did have fun. Sorry if I was a bit grumpy before. And thanks again for treating us to lunch, Mrs. George.”
“You’re welcome,” Mel’s mom said from across the kitchen. “You did seem to have something on your mind. Is everything all right, honey?”
“Yeah, fine,” Charlotte said, feeling much better. The nagging worry about her mom was still there, though. She decided she would call her later.
Mel’s mom put a plate of hot buttery toast on the table. “Breakfast sausages, toast, and eggs okay for everyone?”
“Yes, please,” Mel and Charlotte chorused.
“I thought we could go to the beach later,” Mel said to Charlotte, munching her toast. “Kay and Jamelia are coming over in an hour.”
“Good idea,” her dad agreed. “It’s not warm enough to sit around. But you can all go on a nice walk.”
Charlotte couldn’t help a slight sinking feeling at having to share Mel again with her new friends. But it might be more fun this time if she made an effort to join in.
The phone rang in the hall and Mel’s mom hurried to answer it.
“That’ll be Grandma,” Mel said. “She always calls on Saturday mornings.”
Mel’s dad started telling them a funny story about something that happened at work. He was a nurse and had transferred to the emergency room at the local hospital. Charlotte had always loved hearing about the medical dramas. She and Mel were listening so closely that no one noticed the burning smell coming from the stove until the smoke detector made a loud beeping noise.
“Oh no! The sausages!” Mel’s dad jumped to his feet and dashed over to the stove. He grabbed the smoking pan and rushed outside into the backyard. A few moments later, he came back in empty-handed. “Sorry, girls,” he groaned. “I’m afraid they’re too burned to eat.”
“Oh my goodness. What on earth’s going on?” Mel’s mom came back into the kitchen.
“The sausages caught on fire,” Mel said, giggling uncontrollably. “Dad threw them into the yard!”
“Mel’s being dramatic. I didn’t throw them anywhere!” he
r dad said, starting to laugh. “I took the pan outside to help get rid of the smoke.” He started fanning a dishcloth beneath the smoke alarm.
Charlotte was spluttering with laughter, too. “What a shame! I was really looking forward to those sausages,” she whispered to Arrow when she could finally speak.
Arrow twitched his whiskers mischievously. He jumped onto the floor and raised himself up onto his back legs. Charlotte noticed the gold key around his neck flashing.
She felt a warm tingling sensation down her spine and a cloud of sparkling crystal dust appeared and floated out of the open kitchen door. It was just visible through the window, whirling in the air above something, before apparently floating down and disappearing with a loud sizzling sound.
“Arrow? What did you just do?” Charlotte whispered suspiciously.
The magic bunny held his fluffy front paws up to his face and looked over them innocently. Charlotte’s lips twitched as she only just managed not to burst out laughing again. Arrow looked so naughty and cute.
Mel’s mom had gone into the yard. She came back in carrying the pan. “I don’t know what all the fuss was about. These sausages are perfectly cooked.”
Mel’s dad scratched his head in puzzlement. “So they are. I could have sworn they were burned to a crisp! I must have been imagining things. That smoke alarm needs checking.”
His wife gave him a look. “Maybe it’s your eyesight that needs checking!”
Everyone burst out laughing.
Charlotte smiled at her fluffy, wide-eyed little friend. “That was really sneaky, Arrow!”
Charlotte ran upstairs to change her shoes and grab her bag and jacket before Kay and Jamelia arrived to go to the beach.
There was just enough time to call her mom, so she asked if she could use the phone. It rang for a long time and Charlotte was about to hang up when her mom answered.
“Hi, Mom! It’s me!”
“Hello, honey. Sorry I took a while to answer. I was just listening to one of my relaxation CDs.”
“Are you feeling better?” Charlotte asked quietly. She didn’t want Mel or her mom and dad to hear and start asking awkward questions.