by Sue Bentley
‘I wish we could go faster. We’re going to be late,’ she whispered to Arrow.
‘This traffic is bad,’ Mrs Penfold said. ‘I’m going to try another way.’
They made for the outskirts where the roads were a bit clearer. Sara breathed a sigh of relief. They might still make it if they were lucky. But her mum had just crossed a roundabout when there was a loud clunk! The engine cut out.
‘Hold on, girls!’ Mrs Penfold cried, pressing a button to switch on the hazard lights. ‘I’m going to coast towards that lay-by.’ Moments later, they drew to a halt.
‘Oh no! Now we’ll definitely miss Beth and Olya’s dance!’ Sara said unhappily.
‘At least we’re all OK. Your mum was great. She didn’t panic or anything,’ Tamara said. ‘Mine would have had kittens!’
‘Yeah, Mum’s good at staying calm.’ Sara grinned, liking Tamara more and more as she spent more time with her.
Mrs Penfold had spotted a picnic area, set back from the road. ‘We’ll all go and sit over there and I’ll phone for help.’
They got out of the car. Sara began limping over to the wooden tables and benches on her crutches, with Arrow hopping beside her. Tamara was just ahead of them.
Sara felt a familiar warm tingling down her spine and noticed that Arrow’s key was flashing and a small cloud of sparkly mist was drifting back towards the car. She turned to watch as it swirled round the bonnet before sinking into it and disappearing.
‘You’ve fixed it for us! Thanks, Arrow. You’re a star!’ Sara whispered.
‘You are welcome,’ Arrow said warmly.
‘Come on!’ Sara called to Tamara, already hobbling back towards her mum, who stood beside the car.
‘Where are we going?’ Tamara asked.
Sara didn’t answer. She reached her mum just as she had got out her phone to call for help. ‘Mum! Wait! Try to start the car again first!’
Mrs Penfold blinked at her daughter in disbelief. ‘What are you talking about, love? You saw what happened.’
‘I know. But I’ve got this really weird feeling. I know it will start. Just try it once more. Please!’ Sara insisted.
Her mum shook her head slowly. ‘All right. But I don’t know what good it will do,’ she said reluctantly.
She got back in and turned the key in the ignition. Brrr-rrrrm! It started like a rocket. ‘Would you believe it? It’s just like magic!’ Mrs Penfold exclaimed in amazement.
Sara smiled, but stayed silent. She, Arrow and Tamara piled back into the car and they were soon on their way. This time there were no hold-ups. They reached the dance studio just as the doors opened and people began filing out.
‘The auditions must have finished!’ Sara realized with dismay. ‘I hope Beth and Olya haven’t left yet. Let’s go and see!’
Arrow looked out from her shoulder bag as she went inside with Tamara at her side. She saw Beth and Olya sitting at one side of the studio, opposite the wall of full-length mirrors. Both of them looked downcast.
‘What happened?’ Sara asked Beth, although she thought she knew.
Beth sighed. ‘We didn’t get picked,’ she said quietly. ‘Jane said it was a difficult choice because the standard was really high, but in the end she picked four other girls.’
Olya shrugged. ‘There’s always next time. It’s not the end of the world.’
‘Isn’t it?’ Beth said glumly.
Sara felt a pang of disappointment for Beth. Mixed feelings swept through her. She felt sad for her competitive best friend, whose hopes had been dashed. But also relieved that Beth wasn’t going to be spending lots of time training in a new troupe without her.
‘I’m sorry, Beth. You and Olya couldn’t have worked any harder,’ Sara said with feeling. She suddenly realized that Tamara was standing beside her. She was looking at the floor and fiddling with her hands. Maybe it wasn’t the best time to introduce her, but they were here now. ‘This is Tamara. She’s just moved into my street. She’s a brilliant dancer and she’s thinking about coming to dance classes with us.’
‘Hi, Tamara,’ Beth said, looking curious despite herself.
‘Hi,’ Olya said.
‘Sara told me about the auditions. I’m sorry you didn’t get into the troupe,’ Tamara said shyly.
‘Thanks,’ Beth and Olya said together.
Suddenly, Beth stood up and linked arms with Sara. ‘Sorry to be such a grump. I’m sure there’ll be other chances. How’s your ankle feeling anyway? I’ve really missed dancing with you.’
‘Me too,’ Sara said happily, smiling at her best friend. Her eyes sparkled. ‘But I’ll soon be back in my dancing shoes. Then watch out!’
Beth laughed and Olya and Tamara joined in.
Tamara’s whole face had brightened. ‘I’ve decided – I’m definitely going to come to classes with all of you. It’s going to be great to have some new dance fr–’
But Sara didn’t hear the rest of what Tamara was saying because Arrow’s key suddenly began to glow more brightly than she’d ever seen it. He leapt out of her bag in a whoosh of crystal dust that was twinkling with rainbow sparkles, and tore off down the corridor.
Sara’s heart missed a beat. The moment she had been dreading was here!
Without a second thought, she hobbled after him and just caught a glimpse of him darting into a storeroom. She went in to find Arrow sitting there in his true form – a tiny fluffy black-and-white bunny no longer, but a magnificent rabbit the size of a large cat. His silky pure-white fur was flecked with silver and his large ears had glittering silver tips.
‘Arrow!’ Sara gasped. She’d forgotten that her friend was so majestic. ‘You’re leaving right now, aren’t you?’
Arrow’s chocolate-brown eyes softened with sadness. ‘Yes. Moonglow Meadow urgently needs more of the key’s magic.’
Sara nodded silently, her eyes brimming with tears. She knew she had to be brave and let him go. Arrow hopped over and reared up on to his back legs, so she could reach down to stroke him. Her fingers brushed against his warm silken fur.
‘I’ll never forget you,’ she said, her voice breaking.
‘Nor I you. You have been a good friend, Sara.’ Arrow let her stroke him for one final time and then moved away. ‘Farewell. Always follow your dreams,’ he said in a soft velvety voice.
There was a final flash of light, and crystal dust trickled down around Sara and made a sound like the ringing of fairy bells as it hit the ground. Arrow faded and was gone.
Sara stood there, still not quite believing that she’d never see Arrow again. She swallowed her tears with an effort. Something lay on top of a nearby cardboard box. It was a single crystal rainbow drop. She reached out to pick it up. The drop tingled against her fingers as it turned into a tiny pure-white pebble in the shape of a bunny.
Sara slipped it into her pocket. She knew she would keep it forever as a reminder of the magic bunny and their time together. As she went out of the storeroom, Beth ran up to her.
‘There you are! Tamara’s great, isn’t she? In fact, we were just talking and I’ve had the best idea!’
Sara frowned. How come Beth looked so happy all of a sudden? ‘What idea?’
‘To form our own dance troupe,’ Beth enthused. ‘The four of us – you, me, Olya and Tamara. It’s going to be brilliant!’
Sara felt a smile spreading across her face. She knew that Arrow would be really pleased for her.
Say ‘Hi’ to the other magic bunnies for me. And look after Moonglow Meadow, she whispered under her breath.
Olya and Tamara came towards them with linked arms. Tamara was beaming with happiness.
‘So, what are we going to call our troupe?’ asked Olya.
‘How about “The Arrows”?’ Sara said happily.
Table of Contents
Cover
About the Author
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Dedication
Dancing Days
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Prologue
Chapter ONE
Chapter TWO
Chapter THREE
Chapter FOUR
Chapter FIVE
Chapter SIX
Chapter SEVEN
Chapter EIGHT
Chapter NINE