“I won’t.” This was becoming a slight problem, Robin would not leave my side.
“I have an idea,” I said, something bubbling into my mind. “Put your special glasses on, I want to try something.”
“Okay,” he said instantly, before rummaging around for them in his bag, and putting them on. Something seemed to happen almost instantly. He shook his head as if waking up from a dream.
“Bloody hell Avis!” he said. “That jumper’s full of magic!” he stood.
“What can you see?” I said.
He blinked, shielding his eyes before glaring at me over the top of them. “Light, spinning round really fast. Where did you get it?” I didn't say anything. “No way! You went and wished for it!”
“Keep your voice down, the other’s will be back any minute!”
“I don’t care, do you realise how stupid you’ve been!?” he cried.
“Wait a minute. You’re not being nice to me…”
He blinked confused. “What? Of course I’m not, you’ve been a class A idiot!”
I stood feeling affronted, but something more important had occurred to me. “Robin, those glasses make you immune to this jumper.”
“Do they?”
“Yeah,” I said. I didn't know how to feel about that. “I might go and get a snack from downstairs…”
Robin looked at me and shrugged. “Well, don’t expect me to come with you, gotta finish this homework.”
“Okay,” I said smiling to myself for I had the normal Robin back. “Oh and Robin, keep the specs on.”
Robin complained as we went down to the Chamber that his spectacles were hurting his eyes — apparently there was “too much bloomin’ light and magic about…”
When we got to a sparse Chamber, small platters of supper laid out across a few tables. I felt several gazes look up and watch me. The first was David Starlight and his friends, who approached submissively. David tapped me on the shoulder as I was putting some bread and butter on a plate.
“Hi David—” I said.
“Avis hi! I was just wondering if you’d thought anymore about being my friend. I mean I know we haven't seen eye to eye—”
Robin stood tall and pushed him in the chest. “What’s your game exactly?” he said, equal mixture of suspicion and confusion.
“Game?” said David snorting a little with his three friends. “What game? We just want to put the past behind us and be friends with Avis.”
Robin swallowed. “You can’t, he doesn't like you.”
David’s bottom lip trembled. “Fine. Avis, we’ll come back when the dragon bodyguard isn't around!”
“Good luck with that,” said Robin watching them all the way out of the Chamber before turning to me. “You going tell me what that was about? You’re not friends with him now are you?”
“Course not!” I said placing some cookies and milk on my plate. Now a girl from the third year approached. I felt Robin recoil next to me. When I looked up I saw why, it was Felicity Merrilyn, the girl in the third year that Robin had a crush on. He’d tried to talk to her before at Tina’s party, but never managed to introduce himself.
“Hi!” she said staring at me with wide eyes, like she was meeting a celebrity or something.
I looked away. “Hello,” I put some more cookies on the plate and hoped she would start talking to Robin. But she ignored him, preferring to stare at me. She was quite plain looking, with small glasses on a merry face — in fact, she looked a bit like Ellen.
“Erm… can I help with anything?” I said as Robin shifted on the spot, bright red in the face.
“Yes, well, I just wanted to say that my friend wanted me to come over, well she didn't want me too I don't think, but she likes you and… we were wondering if you would go and talk to her at some point?” I felt Robin let out a huge silent sigh of relief.
“Erm, sure? Maybe another time, bit… busy right now.”
“Of course, I understand you’re busy,” she said sweetly.
“But…” I said. “Can I introduce you to my best friend, Robin Wilson.” I stepped out of the way as Robin went scarlet.
“H-h-hello,” said Robin stammering and holding his hand out.
“Hi, so you’re the best friend of Avis?” she said, shaking his trembling hand.
“Yep. Best friend,” said Robin.
“Really? Awww,” she cooed. Robin was taller than Felicity even though she was in the year above and they carried on talking as I quietly slipped out of the Chamber and back to the dorm.
Ten minutes later Robin came back. “She wants to meet me one lunch time!” he said, tongue poking out as he nodded at me with a big wide grin on.
“Nice one mate! You finally did it!”
“Yeah… And I know what that jumper is. I’ve worked it out…” I turned, he stood tall, his shadow cast long by the moonlight outside, a fierce glaze on his face. “You wished for it,” he said, slowly stepping towards me as the fire crackled. “You released a Djinn!”
I told Robin everything I’d done as we sat by the fireplace into the small hours of Saturday morning. “In the Chamber, I could see, that something was making people like you.”
I nodded. “Yeah, the jumper.” I smiled, but Robin didn’t share my smile.
He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “Don’t you see though Avis, you can’t manufacture popularity, you have to earn it.”
“Robin, I am a Blackthorn. I am starting a hundred points behind you!”
“Well, that’s even more reason to win people over using your personality, not a jumper! You were doing so well, I mean I know it’s hard what with your family, but you could have shown that you are different from them. But also… you shouldn’t care so much about what others think.”
I knew he was right, but I had come too far already. “I’m tired, it’s late…” I said before getting into bed. “Where is everyone else?”
“Midnight Riptide apparently,” Robin sighed, giving up trying to argue with me. “You do realise I am going to have to keep these spectacles on, so I can’t be pulled in by the jumper’s magic?”
“Yeah. Sorry,” I said quietly before falling asleep.
***
All of a sudden the first match of the Riptide season was upon us. Partington was a little late to form, but finally arrived bouncing into the room wearing a lurid blue and green scarf. “Before you ask, Magisteer Yelworca made me. So, who is excited about the first game of the season!?” he cried, certainly he was. We had twenty minutes or so until we had to go down to the match, so Partington queried us on our lessons. “How are you finding it all, anything your unsure of?”
“Yearlove is amazing!” cried Florence.
“Yes,” nodded Partington sitting across a desk nodding sagely. “Everyone loves Yearlove.”
“And AstroMagic is okay,” said Robin. “Magisteer Wasp is very…” he searched for the right word.
“Enthusiastic?” Partington offered. “It’s nice to have someone teaching you that is so interested in things, don’t you think?”
Graham lent forwards with a sly look on his face. “And we were also wondering Sir, I mean, you know we rebuilt the Riptide Stadium, well… why has no one mentioned it?”
“Yeah,” said Simon. “No thanks, no nothing!” murmurs of agreement crept round the room.
Partington grimaced. “Well, to be honest with you, I don’t know. It’s all up to Magisteer Simone.”
Joanna and Gret slammed the table. “But she’s a tyrant!”
“Ah, but a very effective Physical and Mental Training Magisteer,” said Partington with a wry smile, before standing and changing the subject quickly. “Are you all excited about your first game of the season? Who are you playing again?”
“Happerbats!” said Dennis.
Florence gazed towards me. “We should be ok Sir, we have Avis…”
“That’s very true you do,” Partington’s eyes rested on me and he blinked a couple of times. “My, what a wonderful jumper
that is!” Robin sighed quietly next to me.
***
“PLEASE WELCOME OUT” cried Underwoods voice. “THE LORKERDOS!” The Lorkerdos were a fourth year team and wore blue and green, that must have been Magisteer Yelworca’s form. I’d never seen Magisteer Yelworca, but heard she was regarded in the same vein as Magisteer Simone — a taskmaster.
“Avis?” said Graham. “Wanna put a bet on with me? I’ll give you good odds?”
“I would, but I don’t have any gold left, sorry.”
“No worries,” said Graham before turning to Simon. “Oi, git face, a bet?”
Just behind us we heard some giggling and muttering. I glanced around and saw three, mischievous looking first years boys. They stopped laughing almost as soon as they saw me.
“Oh, it’s you Avis? Avis Blackthorn…” one of them said as the others stood staring, open mouthed.
Robin turned and glowered at them. “What are you doing?”
“Apologies,” said the first in a small voice.
“We were going to play a prank on you, but we didn’t know it was you Avis. So sorry!”
“That’s quite ok,” I said grinning sideways at Robin, who grimaced and turned back. The first years scuttled off again, shoving whatever toy prank they had back into their robes.
“AND NOW… WILL YOU PLEASE WELCOME OUT… THE SNARES!” My ears pricked up instantly. I didn't know they were playing? That meant… The white hair bobbed up and down, held back by a white bandana. The Snares wore all white and marched onto the field with a steely gaze. Harold, my brother was standing at the front of the Magisteer's plinth arms folded, surveying the pitch beneath him. A huge roar of applause rippled around the stadium as the Habitat changed in a flash of white light. “THE FIRST HABITAT IS A FARKINGHAM BOG…”
It was an exhilarating match. Zara Faraday was better at Riptide than all her form mates, and consistently outlasted them. The first match was won by the Lorkerdos 5-3, they were a tough team — slow, but powerful and their spells accurate. Whereas the Snares were quick and flighty, but haphazard. A big fat lad from Lockerdo found an ornament in the mud which made his spells ten times more powerful and he finished the Snare’s off in thirty seconds flat.
Brian Gullet and Sarah-Jane Thompson from the Snares took the headlines in the second and third matches — Brian is a notoriously clever magical geek, and did spells I’ve never seen before. Robin said he was using the bridge spell Returious to create an enclosed bridge for Sarah-Jane to run across. The Lockerdos sent spell after spell at the bridge, which crumbled, but not before Sarah-Jane had run the length of the pitch and slammed the ball in to the Lockerdos bolt-hole.
In the third match, the bigger Lockerdo boys went straight for Brian Gullet, knocking him out of the game. Then for Zara and then Sarah-Jane, before winning the match with a “Libero-Manus!”
The Lockerdos had some interesting tactics that Jake and Gret were analysing. Apparently they were very clever, adapting themselves to different circumstances. For instance one of their team, the large fat one, was a Searcher, it was his job to only search for Ornaments. He had someone who guarded him while he searched. Then their were three Lockerdo’s who went straight for the best players spelling them out of the game. The rest were the flounder players, it was their job to get the flounders and keep them, they did this by staying in shapes and finding space. Passing around to each other in circles. It was very effective. The Lockerdos, of the fourth year, beat the Snares of the second year by four games to one. Zara, Sarah-Jane and Brain Gullet left the field looking bedraggled and very worn out.
***
“So, what I am saying is this…” said Jake who was all charged up after watching the first competitive game of the season. “We need someone who can be our Searcher—so we have a chance at finding an Ornament. Finding an Ornament can turn a game around.”
“He’s right,” said Joanna. “What’s the point in having twelve of us charging towards their bolt-hole if they will just take us all out… the upper years know better magic than us. We need to work in a tactically sufficient way that suits us.”
“We should play offensively against teams in the league,” said Gret stamping her fist into her hand. “And operate a swift tactical defensive unit in the cup games. We need clear tactics so everyone knows what they are doing.”
We were standing in the clearing where we played Riptide debating tactics for what seemed a millennia. Everyone was up for it after watching a master show from the Lockerdos.
“Robin will be the Searcher,” I said. “He has a great eye for things like that,” I winked at him.
Robin rolled his eyes. “No, no, I don’t think the responsibility—”
“Great idea Avis!” said Hunter enthusiastically. “Robin, you up for it?” Our whole form looked longingly at him.
“I mean,” Robin glared at me, before sighing. “Sure, why not.”
***
“We’re still gonna get beaten,” said Hunter as we finalised our tactics for the last time with the girls in our dorm room. The fire crackled as Dawn put another log on it.
“What?” said Jake. “Look, we’ve practiced, we have planned tactics. What else can we do?” It was the night before our first Riptide match and the nerves were getting to everyone.
“Why did you put that log on?” said Simon. “It’s too big, this is the boy’s fire, only boys are allowed to operate it!”
“Sorry!” said Dawn flouncing back to the armchair. “Can’t do right for wrong with these boys,” she whispered loudly to Ellen.
My mind was on other things. Earlier, at dinner I was leaving the Chamber and Tina approached me smiling. “Hey you,” she cooed.
“Oh hi,” I said rather awkwardly.
“Long time no speak,” she said seductively twirling her hair. “Good luck with the game tomorrow. I hope you win,” she fluttered her long eyelashes at me and pecked me on the cheek.
“Thanks,” I said before Jasper’s sour face frowned at me from the top of the stairs. I shook my head and pulled myself back into the dorm room.
“I am just saying we need to ‘ave a positive attitude about ‘dis,” said Jake.
We’d been talking Riptide tactics for days and days. We kept agreeing on a final plan, but then someone would come up with a new idea and we would debate it for hours. “Jake’s right,” I said. “We do need to maintain a positive attitude. What happened last year won’t happen again. We had no idea what we were doing last year, it was a nightmare… but that won’t happen again. Let’s just keep our tactics as they are, nice and simple so we don’t get confused and just see how tomorrow goes.”
Everyone nodded. I didn't mention the training we had with Partington the day before, because well… it was a disaster. Everything that could’ve gone wrong did. Hunter face planted the bolt-hole and had to go to the Healer’s room. While the pasanthedine spell worked (raising someone into the air spell), it seems we had forgotten completely how to do kadriepop (to get ourselves down again!) I hung, limp in mid air waving my arms round like a lunatic, along with most of the others until Partington let us down, and then left early, claiming he had some very important meeting to attend.
***
The crowds chants rang deafeningly above us as we waited in the tunnel. The Happerbats were already on the pitch and had received a very well rounded applause. What would we get? Laughter probably — Theres the team that doesn’t know how to play Riptide from last year, hahahaha!
I had the jumper on, underneath my Riptide shirt, along with my Seven League Shoes. I persuaded Robin to keep his spectacles on too. So now, this gave us a couple of advantages (illegal advantages). My heart began beating at the speed of knots as Magisteer Underwood came into the tunnel holding the long probe.
“Feet up and arms out,” she said. Joanna at the front was searched throughly by Underwood before being given a nod. “Anything illegal, please say now, or face the wrath of permanent exclusion.”
I froze solid, my he
art beating in my chest. Would she recognise the jumper, the shoes, or Robin’s spectacles as illegal? I could say I didn't know, that I had no idea that they were magical—surely she would buy that?
She checked Hunter, then Simon, then Graham. Robin glanced behind at me with a panicked expression before lifting his arms. Underwood scanned him, then nodded. All clear.
But, maybe it was just glasses she couldn't see, maybe they weren't magical enough? My Seven League Shoes would surely be found out! Oh, why oh why did I have to risk using the jumper and shoes, just to give us an advantage at stupid Riptide?!
This was unbearable. I held my arms out as she approached. I felt her eyes scanning me for what seemed like an eternity. “Ok the Condors, you’re all clear. Make your way out now,” she said.
My heart jumped for joy, before retuning to absolute fear as we slowly marched out onto the wide grass pitch.
“PLEASE WELCOME OUT… THE CONDORS!” A mix of gentle applause, not as loud as the Happerbats rippled around the stadium.
We marched out, jelly-legged and came face to face with the Happerbats who stood confident, in purple and green stripes. They were a lot bigger than us in size and weight. My stomach turned inside out—this could be another car crash like last year, in front of the whole school. But, then I remembered, we had three distinct advantages.
“Take your positions!” cried Underwood marching into the middle of the pitch. I walked solemnly over to furthest right side of the pitch. Jess and Florence stood just behind me, it was their job to follow me only.
Robin, who was rearranging his spectacles stood in the very middle, guarded by Dawn and Graham.
Jake, Gret and Joanna were standing dead centre in a small huddle — causing the spaced out Happerbats to look quizzically at each other, for this was not usual.
Avis Blackthorn and the Magical Multicolour Jumper (The Wizard Magic School Series, Book 2) Page 19