Friends Forever

by Titania Woods

  Stripe’s mouth was set in determination. His wings buzzed louder and louder, faster and faster, until they became a white blur. Any moment now, he’d take off! Twink watched him, hardly daring to breathe.

  Stripe lifted off the floor. Immediately, panic crossed his face. His legs scrambled frantically for a foothold as his wings faltered and stopped. Twink just managed to jump forward and catch him before he fell again.

  .

  .

  ‘Oh, Stripe,’ she said sadly. She carried him back to the bed. He crawled away to the battered old pillow and hid his head.

  He looked so miserable that Twink felt her own eyes fill with tears. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘It was all my fault!’

  Stripe peeped out with a quizzical frown.

  Twink nodded earnestly. ‘If anyone should know what it’s like to be scared of flying, it’s me! It was stupid of me to push you so soon. I acted like a real –’ She stopped, the word wasp brain catching in her throat. ‘I – I acted really stupidly,’ she finished lamely.

  Stripe stared at her in surprise. He crawled on to her lap and peered into her face, his eyes asking a question.

  ‘It’s true,’ said Twink. She told the wasp how she had been too scared to fly during her first term at Glitterwings, and how awful it had been for her.

  .

  .

  ‘But I got over it, and so will you, Stripe.’ She patted his head. ‘You really will, I promise. Just keep trying!’

  That evening Twink sat in the cosy warmth of the Common Branch, doodling on her petal pad as she did her homework. How could she help Stripe? Somehow, she had to show him that he could fly – even if he thought he was too scared!

  Lost in thought, Twink hardly noticed when Mariella and Lola flitted into the room.

  The other first-year fairies – most of them hard at work on their projects – raised their eyebrows at each other. Those two hardly ever came into the Common Branch. Mariella could never resist sneering at everything around her, and the jibes that this brought on from Sooze and the others usually had everyone rolling about in fits of laughter – making Mariella look extremely silly! As a result, she and Lola normally kept out of the Common Branch altogether.

  ‘Are you going to behave yourself tonight, Mariella?’ asked Sooze with a glint in her violet eyes. ‘Or are we going to have to give you the usual treatment?’

  Mariella sniffed and tossed her silvery-green hair. ‘I don’t know what you mean! Lola and I have just come in to do our homework. Is that allowed?’

  Pix grinned. ‘It’s allowed. Just make sure that’s all you do!’

  Mariella and Lola went to a pair of spotted mushroom desks and sat side by side, whispering behind their wings as they did their homework. Everyone went back to their own projects, and gradually the buzz of conversation returned to its usual level.

  Then, during a brief lull, Mariella yawned and stretched, fluttering her wings. ‘I’m thirsty,’ she announced loudly. ‘Twink, go and fetch me some fresh morning dew, will you?’

  Twink’s head jerked up from her petal pad. Her cheeks caught fire as she realised everyone was staring. I’m already doing your homework for you! she thought. Isn’t that enough?

  Obviously it wasn’t. Mariella sat watching her, her eyes wide and innocent.

  ‘Listen to you!’ scoffed Sooze, flapping her pink wings. ‘Do you think Twink’s your servant or something?’

  Mariella looked hurt. ‘I’m just asking her to get me some fresh dew, that’s all. I’m sure she doesn’t mind. Do you, Twink?’

  Of course I mind! Get your own dew! Twink wanted to shout. Then she thought of Stripe, and forced a laugh. ‘No, I don’t mind. Does – does anybody else want some?’

  Sooze propped her hands on her hips. ‘Twink, you’re not actually going to get it for her!’

  ‘I was just about to go and stretch my wings anyway.’ Twink stood up, trying to sound casual. She could see Mariella smirking from the corner of her eye. Oh, she was loving this!

  ‘Yes, but . . .’ Pix trailed off, looking completely baffled. She stared from Twink to Mariella and back again.

  Twink gulped. The whole branch was gaping at her like she had lost her mind. Her friends would realise something was up if she didn’t think fast! She glanced at Bimi. Her best friend was sitting on the floor working on her tapestry, watching Twink with a strange expression on her face.

  The tapestry! Twink felt a rush of relief as an idea came to her. ‘Don’t you get it, everyone? This is my project!’ she said brightly.

  Sooze’s eyes narrowed. ‘What? Fetching dew for Mosquito Nose?’

  Twink’s pink hair tumbled about her face as she shook her head. ‘No – making new friends! Trying to get on with people that I haven’t got on with before. It’s for the betterment of the school, just like Miss Shimmery said!’

  There was a pause.

  ‘I’m – I’m going to write a report on it, and maybe even a song about friendship – it’s going to be completely glimmery!’ said Twink in a rush. ‘I bet I’ll even get a sparkle mark!’

  She held her breath as the other fairies looked at each other.

  ‘Oh,’ said Pix finally. She blinked. ‘Well, that’s . . . original.’

  Mariella stifled a yawn behind her hand. ‘Twink, where’s that dew?’ she called. ‘I really am getting terribly thirsty.’

  Lola sniggered. Heat rushed to Twink’s cheeks as she flitted to the doorway.

  Sooze shook her head in disgust. ‘You’re mad, Twink,’ she said flatly. ‘All this for a sparkle mark! Why not just throttle Mariella? That would really be for the betterment of the school!’

  .

  Chapter Six

  Twink had worried that Mariella would show her up again that evening, but once the fairies were all back in Daffodil Branch, Sooze and Sili started a flying pillow fight that soon had everyone screaming with laughter. Nobody would have noticed Mariella if she’d stood on a bed and shouted out her orders!

  ‘Take that, Opposite!’ shrieked Sooze, zooming up towards the ceiling as she threw a cotton-bud pillow at Twink. She missed, hitting Zena instead.

  ‘Oh!’ Zena scooped up the pillow and hurled it back at Sooze, who darted nimbly out of the way. The pillow smacked one of the daffodil canopies, and Sili did a midair somersault and grabbed it, walloping it back at Zena.

  ‘We’re going to get into trouble!’ shouted Pix, skimming from one end of the branch to the other. ‘Everyone, stop! We’re going to – oof!’ A pillow hit her in the mouth. ‘All right, you asked for it!’ she laughed, grabbing it off the floor and entering the fray.

  Twink laughed and shouted with the others, flinging pillows until Mrs Hover appeared in the doorway.

  ‘I never!’ she huffed, flapping her wings. ‘Are you first-year students at Glitterwings Academy, or babies in an acorn nursery? I want to see hair brushed and wings polished this instant, and all of you in bed in five minutes flat!’

  The girls flitted to their bedside mushrooms, still giggling. Twink sat on her moss bed and worked her thistle comb through her dishevelled hair.

  ‘Twink, can I talk to you?’ whispered Bimi. The blue-haired fairy hadn’t really joined in with the others, and now her expression looked earnest and worried.

  Twink nodded quickly, putting down her comb. ‘Of course!’

  Bimi hesitated. ‘I – I’m sorry about the way I’ve been acting,’ she said. ‘I was hurt that you’re not doing the tapestry with me, but –’ She stopped, looking at Twink closely.

  ‘What?’ whispered Twink, her heart pounding.

  ‘But something’s wrong, isn’t it?’ said Bimi. She sat down beside Twink, her eyes grave. ‘Twink, I know your project isn’t really making friends with Mariella! What’s going on?’

 
Twink glanced over her shoulder. Mariella and Lola sat apart from the others as usual. Lola was busy plaiting her pale, wispy hair, and Mariella had her nose in the air, polishing her wings with the expensive lotion her mother had sent her.

  Twink swallowed. ‘I – I can’t tell you.’

  Bimi’s expression fell. ‘Oh, Twink! Is it because I acted like such a wasp brain over the tapestry? I’m really sorry about that. You can trust me, I promise!’

  On Twink’s bedside mushroom, the drawings of her family smiled out at her – her parents, and Teena, her little sister. Twink sighed. What would they think about this mess?

  ‘No, it’s not that.’ She cleared her throat. ‘It’s – it’s something that I can’t tell anyone.’

  Bimi rubbed her silver and gold wing against Twink’s lavender one. ‘You’re not in some kind of trouble, are you?’

  Twink stared down at her comb. Part of her longed to tell Bimi everything – but how could she? She knew how Bimi felt about wasps.

  ‘Bedtime, girls!’ announced Mrs Hover, bustling heavily about the branch. ‘Under the covers now, flitter-flutter!’

  Bimi reluctantly returned to her own bed, slipping under her yellow-petal duvet. ‘Twink, whatever it is, you can tell me,’ she whispered. ‘I want to help.’

  Twink hesitated. ‘I can’t. I can’t tell anyone.’

  A hurt look crossed Bimi’s face. ‘But I’m your best friend.’

  ‘I know, but – but it’s something I just can’t talk about,’ mumbled Twink. She climbed under the covers of her own bed, not looking at Bimi.

  ‘But –’

  ‘I just can’t, all right?’ whispered Twink. ‘Leave me alone!’ She flopped over on to her side, clutching her petal duvet around her miserably.

  ‘Glow-worms out!’ called Mrs Hover. The branch plunged into darkness, lit only by the moonlight streaking in from the window. Twink lay awake for a long time, listening for a sound from the bed next to her.

  But Bimi didn’t ask again.

  As the night slowly turned to dawn, Twink flew into Miss Petal’s classroom. She was quite used now to the shadowy, empty branch, and she flew quickly to the broken window. Tucking the pot of honey under one arm, she eased the latch open and started to clamber through.

  ‘Where are you going?’ demanded a voice.

  .

  .

  Stifling a shriek, Twink swung round in the air. Bimi hovered in the classroom doorway, wearing her nightclothes.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ cried Twink.

  Bimi flitted into the room, stopping a wing’s breadth from Twink. ‘I couldn’t sleep. I was worried about you. Then I heard you get up and sneak out – so I followed you.’

  Her eyes fell on the honey under Twink’s arm. ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Nothing!’ Red-faced, Twink whisked it behind her back. ‘Bimi, go back to bed! I’ll tell you what’s going on later, but – but I can’t now.’

  Bimi folded her arms across her chest. ‘Are you mad? I’m not going anywhere! And if you try to go somewhere without me, I’ll fly straight to Mrs Lightwing!’

  Twink stared at her in dismay. ‘But I thought you were my friend,’ she whispered.

  ‘I am your friend!’ cried Bimi. ‘And friends don’t turn their backs when a friend’s in trouble. Now, are we both going to go to wherever-it-is – or are we just going to fly back to bed?’

  Twink swallowed. How could she let Bimi see Stripe? But he was waiting for her, expecting his breakfast. She had to go to him.

  ‘OK, we’ll go,’ she muttered finally. Her heart felt like a stone. ‘But, Bimi –’ She stopped. Please still be my friend. Please don’t hate me for helping a wasp!

  Bimi touched her arm. ‘What?’

  ‘Never mind.’ Looking away, Twink tucked in her wings and squeezed through the window. ‘Come on, then, if you’re coming.’

  .

  The night wind whispered through their wings as they flew around the back of the school. They came to the little dell, and Bimi’s eyes widened.

  ‘Isn’t this where we found that old stump cottage?’

  ‘That’s right,’ said Twink glumly. She swooped down and hovered in front of the long blades of grass that covered its door. ‘And – and that’s where we’re going.’

  Bimi flew down beside her. ‘Is something in there?’ she breathed, peering into the gloom.

  Before Twink could answer, a buzzing noise came from inside the stump. Bimi stiffened. ‘Oh, Twink! It’s not a –’

  Twink bit her lip and darted inside. ‘Glow-worm on,’ she said to the lantern that hung near the ceiling. Immediately, a cheerful light filled the worn little room.

  Twink gasped. Stripe was sitting on the table! How on earth had he got there?

  When Stripe saw her, he gave a little hop, fluttering his wings. Suddenly he lifted into the air. His wings wobbled a bit . . . but he was flying! Forgetting Bimi, Twink ran to the wasp and scooped him up in a hug.

  ‘Oh, Stripe!’ she cried. ‘I knew you could do it!’ He hummed happily, nestling into her arms.

  ‘A – a wasp,’ whispered Bimi. Twink turned. Her friend had followed her inside, and now her face was as pale as snow. Bimi backed away towards the door.

  Twink flitted over to her. ‘Bimi, Stripe was hurt, and he called to me. I couldn’t just ignore him! And – and look how sweet he is.’ She held the wasp out to her friend.

  Bimi stared at the wasp without moving. ‘What do you mean, he called to you? Wasps can’t do magic!’

  Twink shook her head. ‘I don’t know. He hasn’t done it since. But he really did call to me. And then when I found him, his wing was horribly broken. I couldn’t just leave him in the wood!’

  Bimi didn’t say anything.

  Twink rushed on, ‘So – so I brought him here. And I managed to heal his wing, but he’s been too scared to fly – until now, you clever thing!’ she added to Stripe, nuzzling his fur with her nose.

  .

  .

  ‘And Mariella found out, didn’t she?’ guessed Bimi. Flitting over to one of the spotted mushroom stools, she sank down with a sigh. ‘Oh, Twink! Why did you have to get involved with a wasp?’

  Stripe grew very still, staring at Bimi. Twink knew his feelings were hurt, and her wings stiffened. ‘I told you, he was injured!’ she snapped. ‘And don’t say wasp in that sneery way – maybe he’s a wasp, but he’s nicer than some fairies I know.’

  For a moment she and Bimi glared at each other. Then Stripe pulled himself out of Twink’s arms and flew shakily across to Bimi, landing with a plop on the mushroom table in front of her.

  Bimi gave a shriek. ‘Oh! Get it away from me!’ She shrank back in her chair, too frightened to move.

  Stripe crept across the table until he was next to her. Slowly, he touched Bimi’s arm with one of his thin black legs. Twink held her breath as the two of them gazed at each other, still as statues.

  Finally Bimi swallowed. ‘He – he has very big eyes, doesn’t he?’ she said weakly.

  Twink came over to them. ‘His fuzz is really soft, too,’ she offered.

  Bimi moved her hand towards Stripe’s back, and then jerked it back again. ‘He won’t sting me, will he?’

  ‘Of course not!’ Twink assured her. ‘He’s as friendly as you are.’

  Bimi took a deep breath and tried again. When her hand rested on Stripe’s back, she gasped in surprise. ‘Oh – it’s like a caterpillar’s fur!’ She stroked the wasp gently as he hummed.

  Twink sat down on the other mushroom, propping her elbows on the table. ‘Do you see, Bimi? I couldn’t have just left him there.’

  Bimi’s cheeks reddened. ‘No, I suppose you couldn’t have. That was stupid of me. I’m sorry, Stripe,’ she added to the wasp.
He pushed against her hand with his head, and Bimi smiled.

  Her expression grew serious again as she looked back at Twink. ‘But what are we going to do about Mariella? If she tells – oh, Twink, it would be awful! You might even get expelled!’

  ‘I know,’ said Twink softly. The same thought had kept her awake countless times since she had met Stripe. Then she brightened. ‘But Stripe’s started flying again. I’m sure he’ll be able to go home to his family soon. Then Mariella can say what she likes – if there’s no wasp here, she can’t prove it!’

  ‘Maybe he could fly home now, if we helped him,’ said Bimi eagerly. She leaned towards the wasp. ‘Stripe, would you like to fly home to your family this morning?’

  Stripe’s eyes widened. He gulped, and beat his wings without taking off. He looked petrified and excited, both at the same time.

  ‘Let’s give him some practice!’ Twink flew across to the bed. Landing lightly on top of it, she clapped her hands. ‘Come on, Stripe, fly to me.’

  The wasp took a deep breath. Launching himself in the air, he wobbled across the room in fits and spurts. At the last moment he crashed into Twink, and they fell on to the bed in a tangled heap.

  Twink sat up and laughed. ‘Well – almost!’

  Bimi jumped on to her mushroom. ‘Now back to me, Stripe!’ she called.

  Over and over, the wasp flew back and forth between the two fairies. Shaky at first, his flying gradually improved until he hardly wobbled at all.

  ‘Stripe, that’s brilliant!’ said Twink. She stooped down to look into his eyes. ‘Would – would you like to fly home now?’ A painful lump grew in her throat at the thought. She tried to ignore it. She’d miss Stripe, but she knew he needed to be with his parents.

  Stripe looked uncertain. He stared out of the door at the lightening sky and buzzed anxiously to himself.

  ‘Maybe he needs a bit more practice,’ said Bimi. ‘Why don’t we come back at break this afternoon and see him off then?’

  ‘What do you think, Stripe?’ asked Twink, stroking his back. ‘Do you want to spend this morning practising? You could even try flying outside for a bit! Then when we come back we can say a proper goodbye to you.’