Sister Secrets

by Titania Woods

  ‘I suppose they want you to be your own fairy more, instead of just being a twin,’ said Pix wisely.

  Ivy pulled a glum face. ‘Yes, but I am a twin. It’s awful being on my own. Jade’s my best friend.’

  All the talk of twins and best friends reminded Twink of Teena. Twisting on her mushroom seat, she saw Teena and Zuzu sitting side by side at the Snowdrop Branch table, their pink heads bent together. Summer sat at the end, chatting to a fairy with yellow wings. As Twink watched another fairy leaned in, laughing at something Summer said.

  Twink frowned. Summer looked as if she was getting on really well with the other girls in her branch. If Teena didn’t make friends with her quickly, the bright-haired fairy would soon be best friends with someone else.

  ‘Your attention, please,’ called Miss Shimmery.

  Twink turned with the rest of the school to face their HeadFairy. Miss Shimmery’s rainbow wings glistened as she hovered at the front of the Branch.

  ‘To all our returning students, welcome back!’ she said in her low voice. ‘And a very warm welcome to our new students, too.’

  Twink listened attentively as Miss Shimmery made her usual opening statements: school uniforms were required from the next day, the First Years would have Flight lessons first thing in the morning – delighted whispers swept through the First Years at this – and no high-speed flying was allowed in the school.

  Peeking across at the Snowdrop table again, Twink smiled at the gleam in Teena’s eyes. She knew that her little sister could hardly wait to fly.

  Miss Shimmery pulled off her sparkle specs. ‘Finally, I am pleased to announce that Glitterwings now has a star-gazing platform. Miss Twilight, our third-year head, will be teaching Star Magic to the Third Years and above.’

  Star Magic! An excited murmur rippled through the Branch. Not many schools taught the subject, and it had a fascinating air of mystery to it.

  So that’s what Miss Twilight had been so secretive about! Twink’s wings tingled as she glanced at her teacher, looking more exotic than ever in a shining purple cape. Oh, she was so glad she was a Third Year – she’d explode with curiosity otherwise!

  Miss Shimmery scanned the school with a serious gaze. ‘I must stress that although Star Magic is perfectly safe when you know what you’re doing, it can be dangerous in inexperienced hands. Therefore, the star-gazing platform is strictly off-limits to our First and Second Years. Older students may only enter it during lessons; the door leading to the platform from the trunk will be locked at all other times. Is that clear?’

  .

  .

  The school fell silent, staring solemnly back at her. A shiver ran down Twink’s spine as she and Bimi exchanged a look. No subject she’d ever taken had been dangerous before.

  After a moment, the HeadFairy nodded. ‘Good. In that case, I think it’s time to eat. Butterflies commence!’

  She raised her arm as she drifted back down to the platform. The doors to the Great Branch swung open, and a long stream of butterflies floated in, each carrying a platter of seed cakes or an acorn-shell pitcher of nectar.

  ‘I wonder why First and Second Years can’t take Star Magic?’ said Kiki as a bright yellow butterfly served the Violet Branch table.

  Mariella sniffed, helping herself to a seed cake. ‘They’re too young and silly, of course. It’s very powerful magic. They’d get it all wrong, and who knows what might happen then?’

  Sooze’s eyes flashed wickedly. ‘Unlike you, Mosquito Nose – you’re so old and mature now, aren’t you?’

  Mariella stuck her tongue out at her as the others giggled.

  ‘I bet she’s right, though,’ said Pix. ‘Plus it’s a night class. But wasps, remember when we were First Years? We didn’t know anything!’

  Twink slowly poured honey over her seed cake as the rest of the table carried on chatting. It was true, she realised. She had learned so much in the last two years! A lot of it was to do with her schoolwork, of course . . . but the most important things of all had to do with friendship.

  She had been such a baby when she first started school at Glitterwings, thinking that the flashiest, most exciting friend was the best one. Tapping her wings together thoughtfully, Twink looked across at Teena and Zuzu again.

  What sort of big sister would she be if she didn’t try to help out, when she could see that Teena might be making a mistake? Why, how glimmery it would have been if she’d had a big sister to give her advice! Teena would probably be grateful to her for caring.

  I’ll have a word with her about Zuzu tomorrow, resolved Twink. It can’t do any harm – and it might do her lots of good!

  .

  After dinner, the Snowdrop fairies waited outside the Great Branch for the birds that would fly them back to their own branch. Teena stared upwards, wondering where the star-gazing platform was.

  ‘It sounds like just the place for a midnight feast, doesn’t it?’ she whispered to Zuzu.

  Zuzu laughed. ‘You heard what Miss Shimmery said – it’s off-limits.’

  ‘But that doesn’t mean it really is,’ said Teena with a grin. ‘There must be a way to get in there.’ She’d been listening to Twink’s stories of midnight feasts and moonlit jaunts for the past two years. Now that she was finally at Glitterwings Academy, she meant to have some fun!

  Zuzu adjusted the clasp that held back her long pink hair. ‘I don’t know, Teena,’ she said doubtfully. ‘There must be some reason why we’re not supposed to go there.’

  Just then the birds arrived, circling close to the ledge, and the subject was dropped for the time being. But as Teena climbed on to her bird, she looked upwards again.

  A star-gazing platform. It sounded absolutely glimmery . . . and she had no intention of waiting for two years to see it!

  .

  Chapter Three

  Mrs Hover arrived at Violet Branch bright and early the next morning, bustling about as she made their new dresses with flashes of fairy dust. ‘There you are, my lovely!’ she exclaimed as she finished Twink’s dress. ‘And won’t you look a treat in it.’

  Putting on the dress, Twink had to agree. This was the prettiest uniform she’d had yet! The bright, rich purple of the violet petal dress suited her pink hair and lavender wings perfectly, while the yellow third-year sash was like a ribbon of sunshine around her middle.

  ‘Glimmery!’ said Kiki, adjusting her oak-leaf cap. ‘But I thought we could make our own dresses this year.’

  ‘Next year,’ said Mrs Hover firmly as she put away her fairy dust. ‘And that’s still too soon, if you ask me! The things those fourth-year fairies try to get away with . . .’ She shuddered. ‘Now then, who wants timetables?’

  Twink crowded around with the others as the rose-petal timetables were handed out. Twink Flutterby, Third Year said hers in silvery writing. She looked over it eagerly.

  Introduction to Star Magic, Advanced Creature Kindness I (small mammals), Advanced Flower Power I (saplings and root systems), Weather Magic II, Advanced Fairy Dust I (practical applications), Dance III.

  Nervous excitement fluttered through Twink. All of her classes sounded so grown-up! It was hard to believe that she was really in her third year, taking such difficult subjects.

  ‘Advanced Creature Kindness,’ murmured Bimi in wonder, gazing down at her own timetable. ‘Who would have ever thought it!’

  Twink rubbed her wing against Bimi’s. ‘Me, that’s who!’ she grinned. The term before, her best friend had studied extremely hard to get into the advanced classes, and Twink was very proud of her – though not a bit surprised.

  She was surprised, though, to find that Sooze was taking Advanced Fairy Dust. ‘But you failed your Fairy Dust exam,’ she said in confusion. ‘How did you manage to get into the advanced class?’

  Violet Branch stare
d as Sooze’s cheeks turned pink – Sooze, who was never embarrassed in the least!

  ‘I – er – took extra classes over the holiday, along with Mariella,’ Sooze confessed. She smiled sheepishly. ‘I suppose I didn’t realise how much I liked working with fairy dust until I wasn’t able to use it last term.’

  ‘You had an easier time over the holidays than I did, though,’ pointed out Mariella with a rueful smile. ‘I had to practically redo the whole term, because I hardly studied at all last winter.’

  .

  .

  Twink regarded them both with amazement. Fancy Sooze taking one of her classes seriously enough to pursue extra lessons in it – and Mariella actually keeping this fact a secret!

  ‘All right, all right!’ laughed Sooze, catching her look. Flitting across to Twink, she tugged her oak-leaf cap down her forehead. ‘So I’ve grown up a bit – don’t make a big wing-flap about it.’

  As Violet Branch compared their timetables, Twink looked at the sun through the window. With a start, she realised it was getting late. ‘I’m just going to dash over to Snowdrop Branch,’ she said to Bimi. ‘See you at breakfast!’

  The tree trunk was quiet as Twink skimmed out of Violet Branch. Diving off the ledge, she glided gently down the tree.

  Landing with a hop on the Snowdrop Branch ledge, Twink saw that a small flock of birds was already circling outside it, waiting to take the Snowdrop fairies to breakfast. Wasps, she’d better hurry!

  ‘Teena!’ she called, poking her head around the doorway. The first-year fairies inside looked up in surprise.

  Twink spotted her little sister standing beside a bed near the end of the row, tying her green first-year sash around her waist. Zuzu had the bed next to her, and was busy adjusting her oak-leaf cap to a jaunty angle.

  ‘Teena!’ Twink called again, more loudly. ‘I need to talk to you.’

  This time Teena heard. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she hurried over to the door. ‘Twink, what is it?’ she said.

  Drawing Teena out on to the ledge, Twink lowered her voice. ‘I just wanted to have a word with you about Zuzu,’ she said.

  Teena blinked. ‘What about her?’

  Twink took a breath. ‘Well – I know how fun and exciting she probably seems, but that’s not the most important thing, Teena.’

  She quickly told her little sister about her own experiences with Sooze, and how she had learned that Bimi, though quieter and more thoughtful, was the much better friend.

  Teena shrugged as she finished. ‘OK. But what’s that got to do with me?’

  Behind them, the other fairies were starting to come out on to the ledge. The bird squad circled closer and landed in turn, so that each fairy could climb on to a saddled back and ride down to the Great Branch.

  ‘Teena! Don’t you see?’ hissed Twink. ‘Zuzu seems like a lot of fun, but she may not be the best friend for you.’ She noticed Summer, smiling and chatting to the yellow-winged fairy. ‘What about Summer?’ she whispered. ‘I met her yesterday, and she seems really nice.’

  ‘She is nice,’ said Teena in exasperation. ‘That’s not the point.’

  ‘Of course it’s the point!’ exclaimed Twink. ‘A best friend should be someone who –’

  Teena’s eyes flashed angrily. ‘I know what a best friend is!’ she said. ‘And I’ll choose my own, Twink. You don’t even know Zuzu!’

  ‘Teena, listen –’ Twink started.

  But Teena had already turned away and joined Zuzu in the queue. Zuzu leaned close, and looked as if she were asking a question. Teena’s cheeks flared. She quickly shook her head.

  A moment later, the two girls had climbed on to the last two birds and flown away. Twink felt a pang of hurt as she hovered in place, watching Teena grow smaller and smaller.

  Her little sister didn’t look back.

  Thankfully, the morning passed in a whirl of lessons, so that Twink didn’t have a chance to dwell on her row with Teena. For the first time, her branch wasn’t taking every class together. It felt very strange and grown-up to be splitting up into smaller groups and going their own ways. And the lessons were all so advanced! Twink’s head was spinning already, and it was only the first day.

  Ivy was in several of Twink’s classes, yet didn’t appear at all worried by the difficulty of the lessons. Twink thought that the green-haired fairy almost seemed to live in a world of her own, always drawing in her sketch pad or gazing dreamily out of the window.

  By lunchtime, Ivy had already been told off by two different teachers for not paying attention, and their Creature Kindness class had howled with laughter when she’d answered a question about lice instead of mice. Ivy herself had just smiled and shrugged, not bothered in the least.

  ‘I like her,’ Bimi said as she and Twink flew towards the Great Branch for lunch. ‘She’s as scatty as they come, but you couldn’t meet a nicer fairy. And have you seen her drawings? They’re brilliant.’

  Overhearing them, Kiki swooped in close. ‘Yes, I reckon we’re lucky that we’ve got her and not her twin,’ she said. ‘Jade seems awfully quiet and serious!’

  Twink started to respond, and then broke off as she spotted some first-year students flying up the trunk. ‘Look, the First Years are flying!’ she cried. ‘I’ve got to go and find Teena.’

  She jetted off, weaving her way through the streams of brightly coloured fairies. Her heart leapt as she spotted the white dresses of Snowdrop Branch. ‘Teena, look at you!’ she exclaimed, darting over to scoop her little sister into a hug. ‘You’re really flying!’

  Teena’s face shone. ‘I know, isn’t it great?’ she squealed. She did a quick somersault, her lavender wings flashing. ‘I love it!’

  Twink smiled, relieved that Teena was too excited about flying to be very cross about their earlier row. ‘Um, Teena, listen – about this morning –’

  She broke off abruptly as Zuzu came skimming up. ‘Look, we’re even twins when we fly!’ bragged Zuzu, linking her arm through Teena’s. ‘Aren’t we glimmery?’ She bounced wildly in the air, making Teena bounce as well. The two girls giggled.

  Twink rolled her eyes before she could stop herself. Zuzu must have noticed that Twink was talking to her sister, but of course she’d just barged right in anyway!

  Noticing Teena looking at her, Twink quickly tried to smooth her expression, but it was too late: Teena had seen her irritation at Zuzu. Her little sister’s face pinched into an accusing frown.

  .

  .

  ‘Well, my best friend and I are going to go to lunch now,’ said Teena pointedly. ‘Goodbye, Twink.’ And the two fairies flew off arm in arm, looking more like twins than ever.

  Thinking that she’d try just once more, Twink attempted to talk to Teena again at dinner. Though she chose her words as carefully as she could, her little sister grew even angrier with her.

  ‘Twink, give it a rest!’ she exclaimed finally. ‘I’ll choose my own friends – now just leave me alone!’ She flapped off in a huff.

  Twink let out a breath. Fine, she thought. I’ve done my best – if Teena doesn’t want to listen, that’s her problem!

  Later that evening, in the third-year Common Branch, Twink tried to concentrate on her Flower Power schoolwork: drawing an elaborate map of the Glitterwings root system. But the memory of Teena’s furious gaze kept popping into her head, and finally she put down her snail-trail pen and slumped her chin in her hands.

  All she’d wanted to do was help her little sister! How had it gone so wrong?

  ‘What’s up?’ said Bimi softly from the next mushroom desk.

  Twink’s wings grew warm. Remembering what Bimi had said about giving Zuzu a chance, she had an uncomfortable feeling that her best friend would think she was in the wrong. ‘Nothing,’ she muttered. ‘I’m just tired, that’s all.’

>   Bimi looked doubtful. ‘Are you sure?’

  She nodded, and Bimi shrugged and turned back to her own homework. Twink sighed. Bimi didn’t have a sister, so she couldn’t be expected to understand the worry that Twink felt over Teena.

  She gazed at Ivy and Jade, who sat side by side at a pair of mushroom desks. As she watched, Ivy murmured a question to Jade, who whispered something back, leaning over to correct Ivy’s page. The twins smiled at each other.

  That was how sisters should be, thought Twink wistfully: friends who helped each other out. And that’s all she’d been trying to do for Teena. She knew she was right about Summer being a better friend – but how could she make Teena see that when her little sister was so angry with her?

  Suddenly she remembered something her father had said once about his work as a Fairy Medic. ‘Just because you’re right doesn’t mean that anyone wants to hear it! Sometimes you have to choose tact instead if you want to help someone.’

  Twink had asked him what he meant, and he’d explained that ‘tact’ was saying things in a way that other fairies wouldn’t take offence at. ‘It’s no good being right if everyone wants to thump you for it, is it?’ he’d added with a grin.

  Maybe I wasn’t very tactful, thought Twink now with a frown, tapping her wings together. I’ll try again later, once Teena’s calmed down a bit – only next time I’ll find a way to help her that won’t get her wings in a twist!

  .

  Chapter Four

  ‘Welcome to Star Magic,’ said Miss Twilight with a smile, spreading her purply-grey wings. Sitting with the rest of the class in the warm spring evening, Twink gazed around her with shining eyes.

  The star-gazing platform was an open, circular floor up at the very top of the tree. With no leaves to block the view, they seemed to be almost touching the millions of stars that glittered around them.

  Miss Twilight hovered just above the wooden platform. ‘As you all know, fairies draw energy from the sun, and we use this energy to perform all sorts of magic. However, there are other types of magic that we use starlight for, and –’