Summer shifted uncomfortably. ‘I just . . . don’t want to play any more, that’s all.’
‘Is it because I shouted at you the other day?’ pressed Twink. ‘Look, I’m really sorry about that, but you can’t leave the team because of it –’
‘No, it’s not because you shouted at me,’ broke in Summer. ‘It’s . . . it’s because all you ever do is shout now. It’s just not fun any more, Twink. I’m sorry.’
A prickly anger swept over Twink. ‘Well, it’s not only about having fun, Summer,’ she said heatedly. ‘Playing well is a lot of hard work – that’s what Fledge is all about!’
Summer’s violet eyes looked sad. ‘Is it, Twink?’ she said softly.
She waited for a response, but Twink found herself staring at her, too dumbfounded to speak. After a moment, Summer turned and flew away down the trunk, growing smaller and smaller, until finally Twink lost sight of her altogether.
Back in the Fourth Year Common Branch, Twink stared glumly at her Mood Magic homework, hardly seeing the words on the page.
‘Are you OK?’ whispered Bimi, leaning over from the next mushroom. On Twink’s other side, Sooze and Sili were busy studying together.
Forcing a smile, Twink nodded. She couldn’t tell Bimi, not just yet. It was too humiliating!
Though Bimi looked doubtful, she turned back to her own work. Twink gazed downwards, playing with her snail-trail pen.
Though she tried to tell herself it didn’t matter that Summer had quit, she knew it did matter. What sort of team was she running, when such a talented player as Summer didn’t want to play on it?
Well, she couldn’t do anything about it now. Twink sighed, forcing herself to concentrate on her Mood Magic homework. Then her pen slowed as she remembered their lesson earlier that day.
‘Moods have a power of their own,’ Miss Moonbeam had said, tapping her pale wings together. ‘And managing your own mood is the start of performing mood magic. Let me show you.’
Drawing herself up to her full height, Miss Moonbeam had fallen silent as she regarded her class. She let the pause grow longer and longer, until the fairies shifted uneasily, wondering what she was doing.
Twink had winced as an unpleasant chill shuddered through her. Suddenly she realised it was coming from Miss Moonbeam. Their teacher’s eyes had narrowed, and she was regarding them with an icy expression.
‘I want you to get into pairs so we can practise,’ she said. The class gulped. Though Miss Moonbeam’s words were ordinary enough, the mood that was coming from her made it sound like a threat! They all scrambled to obey.
Then Miss Moonbeam smiled, and the tension drained away from the branch like snow in the sunshine. ‘You see?’ she said. ‘Doesn’t that feel very different than if I say now, “I want you to get into pairs?”’
Her students had stared at her in wonder. Pix’s hand shot in the air. ‘But Miss Moonbeam, how did you put on such an awful mood when it’s not what you really felt?’
‘Practice,’ laughed their teacher. ‘But you see how you must always be careful to notice what mood you’re giving off. Your moods affect everything you do, so if you want something to be positive, then that’s what your mood must be!’
As Twink recalled the scene now in the Common Branch, she suddenly felt as if icy water had been flung over her. What had her mood been like, these last few weeks?
I’ve been angry, she thought, rubbing her wings together. And scared.
But that wasn’t all. Forcing herself to be honest, Twink realised there had been times when she’d actually enjoyed shouting at everyone and seeing them scurry to obey. It had been an angry sort of pleasure – the kind that twisted in your stomach like a snake – but pleasure nonetheless.
Suddenly Twink could hardly see her desk for the tears that had sprung to her eyes. How had this happened? All she had wanted was to be a good leader! No wonder everything with her team had gone so wrong. Maybe they were playing better, but nobody was having fun any more . . . and it was all because of her.
Romi was right, thought Twink dully. She didn’t have what it took to be a good Games Fairy. How could she, when she had to be so horrid to get her team to listen to her?
She thought back to when she had caught Romi teaching her Power Play to Cassi and Kym. She had been coaching them well, firmly and fairly, and they had been listening to her. Just like Tasha’s team listened to her. And just like the Glitterwings team had always listened to Madge.
Why, Romi was a lot like Madge, thought Twink suddenly. She didn’t get on with everyone, because she had very definite ideas – but then, a good leader had to! You couldn’t go around asking everyone’s opinion, as Twink had tried to do at first.
I’m not enjoying this, realised Twink. Lost in thought, she doodled a Fledge field on her homework paper. I don’t like what being the Games Fairy has done to me, or the team. I’ve turned into a bully, and – and I’m unhappy.
Twink let out a shaky breath. Suddenly the way forward seemed very clear to her . . . and it was a huge relief!
‘Romi, could I talk to you?’ called Twink.
It was the next morning before breakfast, and Twink was hovering to one side of the Great Branch as a rainbow stream of fairies flew past. Romi left her friends and flew over with a frown. ‘What is it?’
‘Would you come to a team meeting after lessons today?’ blurted out Twink.
The purple-haired fairy folded her arms over her chest. ‘What for? I’m not on the team any more, remember?’
‘Please, just be there,’ urged Twink. ‘It’s important.’ She held her breath, waiting.
Romi hesitated. ‘All right,’ she said finally. ‘But, Twink –’
‘Thanks, Romi!’ broke in Twink with a grin. She flew quickly into the Great Branch before Romi could say anything else, feeling as if a weight had fallen from her wings.
Even so, when it came time for the meeting, Twink found it difficult to get the words out. Her team sat gazing at her in confusion, clearly wondering what was up. Romi perched to one side, not saying a word.
Twink cleared her throat. ‘I’ve, um . . . asked you all to be here because I wanted to say a few things. The first is . . . I’m sorry.’
A surprised ripple passed through the team. Twink’s cheeks reddened as she continued. ‘You’ve probably heard that Summer’s quit, and . . . well, I know it’s all my fault. I’ve been horrid, always shouting and never saying anything nice to any of you. And – and that was really wrong of me, because you’ve been playing brilliantly these last few weeks!’
Her team stared at her in stunned silence. Twink swallowed hard. ‘You see, I – I haven’t found it very easy being the Games Fairy. I didn’t know the best way to lead, and . . . I think I’ve made sort of a mess of it.’
Oh, she hadn’t wanted to cry! But she could feel tears filling her eyes, and she swiped them away angrily.
‘So that’s why I’ve asked Romi to be here today,’ she said. ‘Because I think that she –’
Romi stood up. ‘Twink’s asked me to join the team again, and I’ve accepted,’ she interrupted. ‘And I’d like to say something, too. Twink, I shouldn’t have been teaching the Power Play when you’d told me not to. It won’t happen again.’
Twink’s mouth dropped open. Romi stared back at her. Go along with it! her gaze said.
‘Um . . . good,’ faltered Twink, her thoughts spinning. ‘Well – welcome back to the team, Romi. There’s not going to be a practice today, everyone,’ she added quickly. ‘You’ve all been working really hard, and – and I think three practices a week is probably plenty from now on. See you tomorrow.’
As her team flitted out, Vera and Zayna hung back, looking uncomfortable. ‘Twink, we’re sorry too,’ burst out Vera. ‘Zayna and I made things pretty tough for you at first, didn’t we?’
‘That’s OK,’ murmured Twink in amazement. She stared after the two fairies as they left, and then slowly turned to Romi. ‘Why did you do that?’ she demanded.
Romi lifted a wing. ‘You were going to quit, weren’t you? And ask the others if they’d have me as Games Fairy instead.’
‘Yes, and it would have been the right thing to do!’ burst out Twink. ‘I’ve been thinking, and I can see now that you were right. I – I just don’t have what it takes.’ Her throat felt sandy suddenly, and she looked away.
Taking her arm, Romi sat them both down on one of the bark benches. ‘It wouldn’t have been the right thing,’ she insisted. ‘I’ve been doing some thinking too, Twink. The team elected you, not me.’
Twink made a face. ‘Yes, but only because Vera didn’t want to have to work hard – you heard her just now!’
‘Maybe,’ said Romi, tapping her wings together. ‘But they still elected you, and I think you could be brilliant, if you tried.’
‘If I tried!’ echoed Twink. She laughed in disbelief. ‘All I’ve been doing is trying – nothing seems to work!’
Romi rolled her eyes. ‘You’ve tried being some tough fairy, barking orders, and you’ve tried being so nice that everyone flies right over you. How about just being yourself for a change?’
Twink sat very still as Romi went on. ‘You’ve got good instincts, Twink. You were right about Summer, for instance – she’s a wonderful player! I wouldn’t have put her on the team, but you did.’
‘Yes, and now she’s quit,’ said Twink gloomily. Propping her elbows on her knees, she slumped her chin on her hands.
Romi shook her arm. ‘She’ll come back if you ask her to, I know she will! And Twink . . . since everyone else is apologising, I suppose I should as well.’
Twink looked up in surprise as Romi’s ears turned pink. ‘I was a real moss brain to you, wasn’t I? Acting like you couldn’t do anything right, and always trying to take over. Well, I’m sorry. I told myself that it was for the good of the team, but – but I was just jealous that I wasn’t the Games Fairy, that’s all.’
Twink stared at her, feeling almost cross. ‘So why won’t you be the Games Fairy now, when I want you to be?’
Romi laughed as she pulled Twink to her feet. ‘Because you’re the Games Fairy, and I think you could be a great one. Just be yourself, Twink! What have you got to lose?’
.
Chapter Eight
To Twink’s surprise, her apology went a long way towards clearing the air with her players. During practices in the weeks after, the Glitterwings team listened attentively to her instructions, and performed even better than before.
It wasn’t all smooth flying, of course. More than once, Twink had to mutter just be myself under her breath, as a reminder not to be too hard or too soft with them. But for the most part, the tension that had hung over the team like a dark cloud for weeks now had vanished – and little by little, Twink began to feel more confident as a leader.
Her team seemed a lot happier, too. Although practice times were still mostly about working hard, there were also plenty of laughs. The difference was that her team respected her now, and would stop the jokes when she said so.
‘Good one, Summer!’ shouted Twink, clapping her hands as she hovered on the sidelines. Summer held up the Flea with a triumphant grin.
Thankfully, Summer hadn’t taken much persuading to return to the team. And although Twink was delighted to have her back, she wasn’t sorry that the orange-haired fairy had left in the first place. If she hadn’t, Twink might never have realised what a moss brain she was being! She shuddered at the thought.
‘Right, everyone, let’s put the Flea away and get into pairs – I want to practise our high-speed pole manoeuvres,’ called Twink. As they all got into position, Twink spotted Romi pairing up with Jacki.
Neither Romi nor Twink had said anything else about the Power Play. Half a dozen times now, Twink had started to ask Romi to explain it to her . . . and half a dozen times she had firmly shut her mouth. Even though she was doing much better at being in charge these days, it felt important that she did it on her own. The Power Play was Romi’s move, not Twink’s. Using it would be like admitting that she still needed help.
The fairies zoomed about the field in pairs, their wings flashing as they shot through the poles. Twink noticed with satisfaction how much they had improved over the last few weeks. Sparklelight wouldn’t know what had hit them!
‘That’s all,’ called Twink when everyone was panting from the high-speed exercise. ‘Good practice, you lot. Now, the final Sparklelight game is tomorrow, so I want you all to get a good night’s rest. Remember, we almost beat them last time. We can do it!’
‘Hi, Twink,’ said Tasha as they met out on the Fledge field the next afternoon. ‘Nice day, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, lovely,’ laughed Twink. It was grey and misty, with a damp chill in the air. ‘Ready?’ she said, taking out the casting stones. Her heart beat faster as she held them in her hand.
‘White,’ said Tasha.
Twink threw the three stones, holding her breath for them to land black side up . . . but they landed showing two white faces. A good-natured groan ran through the grandstand. The Glitterwings students were out in full force again, crowding the mushroom seats.
‘Stealers,’ said Tasha with a grin.
Twink nodded, trying not to show her disappointment. ‘Two minutes.’
Once the match started, Twink could tell that Sparklelight had become used to their new Flea, and were often able to guess his next moves. The Glitterwings Guards did their best, but Sparklelight won the first match with a glimmery double-play, capturing the Flea before the Guards could tag their last two players.
The second match, with Glitterwings now playing on the Stealer side, went on for ages as the crowd watched breathlessly. The two teams were almost equal in skill, but Glitterwings were on their home field and had the Stealer advantage. Finally they took the second match with a flourish, as Summer jetted through a pole and snatched the Flea from under a Guard’s nose.
‘HURRAH!’ screamed the crowd, fluttering up from their seats in a massive rush of wings. ‘Go Glitterwings!’ The fairy-dust banners waved brightly against the gloomy sky.
Even so, Twink frowned worriedly as the two teams changed sides for the final match. The fog was getting worse, and the Sparklelight flea was so difficult to guard! Twink didn’t think they had a chance.
Romi’s Power Play popped into her mind. Part of her wanted badly to ask the purple-haired fairy for help, but the words just wouldn’t come. She had worked so hard to be a good Games Fairy . . . and now, whether her team won or not, Twink knew that the leadership had to come from her.
‘Right, everyone,’ she said, gathering them around her. ‘I want Romi, Vera and Cassi playing Guard – and keep an eye on that Flea! One of you needs to stay right with him at all times.’
Her players nodded grimly. ‘Good luck!’ said Twink, and they flew back on to the field.
A light rain started. Twink saw that the crowd were now using their banners to shield themselves from the wet. On the field, it had become harder to see than ever. The grey flea was almost invisible in the misty rain.
Twink hovered on the sidelines, watching tensely as the match progressed. It was just as she had feared. Though Glitterwings was playing well, Sparklelight was only two players down by the time they had stolen the Flea twice.
Twink grimaced as Romi dived at a Stealer and missed. Meanwhile, the Flea was leaping from pole to pole, with Cassi and Vera chasing after him in the drizzle. They were doing their best, but there were too many Stealers still left for them to kee
p an eye out in every direction.
We’re going to lose, thought Twink in dismay. To her side, Summer and the others were watching the field as anxiously as she was. ‘Come on, come on,’ she heard Summer mutter.
Twink’s jaw grew tight. Her team was looking to her for leadership, and she couldn’t do anything!
On the field, Tasha started to fly towards the Flea. ‘Watch it, Tash!’ cried one of her players.
Glancing over her shoulder, Tasha neatly changed direction as Cassi swooped after her, missing her by a wing’s breadth. ‘Thanks!’ she called to her teammate.
Twink stood very still as the realisation roared through her: Tasha was a brilliant Game Fairy – but she didn’t do it all on her own. She took help when it was needed. Suddenly Twink found herself flying up into the air, waving her arms frantically.
‘Time out!’ she yelled. ‘Time out!’
Each team was allowed two time outs during a game, and at Twink’s shout the match stopped. Tasha’s team hung about the field, chatting, as Twink’s players gathered round her.
‘What’s up, Twink?’ asked Romi, pushing back her damp hair.
‘Romi, I want you to take over for the rest of the game,’ said Twink.
The older fairy gaped at her. ‘Take over?’
‘Yes!’ insisted Twink. ‘You’ve got to teach us your Power Play – you’re the only one who knows it.’
Romi looked taken aback. ‘But –’
‘But nothing,’ interrupted Twink. ‘Don’t you remember what you said to me? A good Games Fairy knows when she needs help. Well, I need help – and I’m asking for it!’
The other players stared at Romi with hopeful expressions. Slowly, she smiled. ‘All right, Games Fairy – I’ll do it!’
She turned to address the team. ‘Well, this move really needs a bit of practice, but I agree with Twink that it’s our best chance. Twink, I want you, Summer and Zayna to take over as the Guards.’
Power Play Page 5