by Sue Bentley
‘We have to find a fir cone,’ she told Arrow, as everyone spread out under the trees.
The silver-blue bunny reared up on to his back legs excitedly. ‘I know of these from my world! Pine nuts are delicious!’ he told her eagerly.
Leaping forward he began snuffling around in the leaves that lined the forest floor and then dived beneath a clump of fern. The tall fronds waggled about as Arrow rooted beneath them. After a few seconds he backed out of the ferns, dragging the most enormous fir cone Julia had ever seen. It was almost as big as his whole body.
She only just managed not to burst out laughing. Her friend’s furry little sides heaved as he dropped the fir cone at her feet.
‘Well done! Thanks, Arrow.’
‘You are welcome,’ he puffed proudly, looking pleased with himself.
Holding the fir cone, and with Arrow tucked invisibly under one arm, Julia joined the other Wolverines. Between them, they had found most things on the list.
Lex had found an oak leaf. He twirled it between his fingers as he stood looking down at Ellie who was on her knees, her fingers combing through the grass. ‘All we need now is a pink flower petal,’ he said to her.
‘There are plenty of yellow flowers and here’s a blue one,’ Ellie murmured. ‘I’ve been looking for ages, but pink ones are difficult to find.’
‘Well, look harder,’ Lex suggested.
‘I am!’ Ellie said crossly. ‘I don’t see you looking. You could help, instead of just standing there giving orders!’
Lex sighed heavily. ‘I’ve found an oak leaf, haven’t I? Come on, hurry up. We don’t want to be the last ones back.’
Julia looked meaningfully at Arrow. Lex was being so bossy, even though Ellie was trying really hard.
‘I’ll help you,’ Julia said, scanning the ground with Ellie.
It took ages to find a pink flower and it was Arrow who eventually sniffed one out. Julia whispered her thanks as she carefully picked one petal. ‘Yay! That’s it! We’ve finished,’ she called in a louder voice.
‘Thanks, Julia,’ Ellie said, smiling.
‘Yeah. And sorry for being a grouch,’ Lex murmured, giving Ellie a friendly shove. Grinning, she shoved him back.
The Wolverines returned triumphantly to camp, to find the Elks and Cougars already there. The Bears arrived shortly after and everyone spread out their treasures.
Mr Potter and Miss Granger awarded team points and then everyone crowded round the wall chart to watch as she added them up to find out the final scores.
‘A dead heat!’ Mr Potter declared, with a rare smile. ‘Well done everyone.’
‘Yay!’ It was a popular result. Bears, Wolverines, Elks and Cougars whooped and capered about, exchanging high fives.
‘We’ll have a barbeque this evening to celebrate our last night,’ Miss Granger announced. Ellie looked excitedly at Julia and Lex gave her thumbs up. Julia grinned back at them both, proud of the Wolverines’ teamwork.
It was only later, when everyone was busy in the farmyard organizing the barbeque, that Julia suddenly remembered that she wanted to go to the village.
‘Oh no! It’s my last chance to buy those roller boots before we go home,’ she said, disappointedly. ‘Maybe we could run over there now? If we hurry, we can be back in camp before anyone notices.’
Arrow’s eyes were troubled. ‘Are you sure, Julia? Will you get into trouble?’
Julia chewed her lip. She knew the rules about going off alone. But she wouldn’t be alone. She’d be with Arrow and he had his magic to protect them.
But she knew that Mr Potter and the other teachers wouldn’t see it that way.
‘I’ll leave a note on my sleeping bag, just to be on the safe side,’ she told her magic bunny. ‘That way, they’ll know where I am. Although we’ll be back long before anyone finds it.’
It took about ten minutes or so of doing old-fashioned Scouts’ pace to reach the village outskirts. ‘Twenty running paces, twenty walking,’ Julia puffed, swinging her arms. ‘Gran told me she learned this in the Girl Guides.’
She was breathing hard by the time they headed into the village. The charity shop was directly ahead of them. Julia frowned as they drew closer. There didn’t seem to be any lights on in the shop.
‘Oh no! It must have closed early!’
The roller boots were still on display behind the glass pane. They were so close, but they might as well have been on the moon.
‘I am sorry. We were too late.’ Arrow’s fluffy silver-blue ears drooped sadly.
‘It wasn’t your fault.’ Julia swallowed her disappointment. She really would have loved those roller boots. ‘Oh well,’ she sighed. ‘It’s just one of those things.’
Julia lifted Arrow out of her bag and stroked his warm soft fur that smelled of grass and sunshine.
‘Having you for my friend is better than anything though. Even new roller boots.’
All of a sudden, three familiar figures emerged from a nearby alley. As Julia spotted them, her tummy clenched. Kelly, Dean and Hitesh saw her too and began walking towards her.
‘Uh-oh,’ Julia breathed nervously.
‘It’s that dozy kid again,’ Dean cried, shoving his glasses more firmly on to his nose.
‘Watch out. Weird things happen around her,’ Hitesh warned.
‘Hey! What are you doin’ with that bunny?’ Kelly shouted at Julia.
Julia gasped. They could see Arrow!
Her tiny friend must have thought it was safe to remain visible as they were so far from the campsite. Now that the mean kids had spotted him, Arrow couldn’t use his magic without giving himself away.
‘He’s … mine,’ Julia said shakily, holding Arrow protectively.
Kelly’s pudgy face creased in a grin. ‘Yeah! Well he’s not any more. Give him to me. Or else!’
Chapter
NINE
Julia couldn’t move. Her knees seemed to have turned to jelly. The three older kids had spread out across the pavement, blocking her way.
What was she going to do?
‘Cute bunny. I think I’ll call him Fluffy.’ Kelly’s eyes gleamed. She reached out and her fingers brushed Arrow’s soft fur.
He flinched and gave a tiny whimper.
Julia was jolted into action. Whirling round, she ran as fast as she could.
‘Oi! Come back with Fluffy!’ Kelly yelled.
The bullies gave chase. Julia could hear their feet pounding behind her.
She was a fast runner, even holding Arrow. But she was already puffed out from jogging across the fields to get here and she only had a small head-start.
Worse still, she realized she was running the wrong way. The campsite was in the opposite direction!
‘They’re gaining on us!’ Julia panted, trying to ignore the stitch in her side.
‘Turn down this side street, Julia,’ Arrow instructed.
Julia did, but then her heart almost missed a beat. ‘It’s a dead end!’
Kelly and her mates were out of sight, but they’d be here any second.
Arrow’s key flashed and Julia felt a familiar tingling down her spine as a whoosh of crystal mist appeared and whirled round her feet before disappearing.
Whirr! Rumble! Slide! Well-oiled wheels shot smoothly across the pavement.
Wheels? She glanced down to see that she was wearing roller boots! White ones with red stars on the ankles and red laces.
Julia zoomed forward with an amazing fresh burst of speed. She felt happiness shining through her. It felt fantastic to be skating along the smooth road.
‘There!’ Arrow pointed one tiny paw at a narrow gap between two houses. It wasn’t a dead end after all!
Julia checked her stride. Shifting her weight, she skidded into an expert turn and skated down the narrow path. After weaving down alleys and side roads, she emerged halfway down the main road almost back at the charity shop.
She had managed to double-back on herself, and was now racing in the direction of t
he campsite.
‘Those bullies will never catch us now!’ she said, grinning. She could imagine their puzzled faces as they tried to work out where she and Arrow had gone!
Julia slowed down just long enough to gently put her magic bunny into her backpack, where he hunched next to the trainers she’d been wearing earlier. He’d thought of everything!
‘Yay! These boots are amazing!’ Julia felt the breeze whistling past her and stirring her wavy hair. She bent forward slightly, pumping her arms for balance and extra speed.
‘You are a very good skater. You could keep the boots.’ Arrow’s whiskers twitched mischievously as he poked his head out of her bag.
‘Really? Do you think I could?’ Julia said eagerly. ‘But …’
She had a brainwave. They were approaching the charity shop. She stopped just long enough to fish some money out of her jeans pocket. She thrust it through the shop’s letterbox, where the shop assistant would find it the next morning.
‘There. All done! You’re the best friend in the whole world, Arrow!’
Julia and Arrow reached the path across the fields in record time. There was still no sign of Kelly and her mates so Julia quickly changed back into her trainers, leapt over the stile and dived into the tent. She stuffed the roller boots into her bag with her other clothes.
Julia emerged from the tent with Arrow in her backpack. They started to walk up the field towards the farmyard. The smell of sizzling sausages and beef burgers wafted towards her, making Julia’s tummy rumble. She couldn’t wait to get to the barbeque.
She half expected Old Potty to storm towards her, demanding to know where she’d been, but nothing happened.
‘I think we’ve got away with it,’ Julia was saying, when there was a shout from behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted Kelly, Hitesh and Dean. They were just clambering over the stile.
‘Oh no!’ Julia quickened her steps towards the farm, but then she noticed Arrow’s key glowing more brightly than she had ever seen it.
He leapt out of her bag and ran behind the nearest tent, his white bobtail flashing. Julia knew that the moment she had been dreading was here. Without a second thought for the older kids who were chasing her, she ran after him.
As she rounded the tent, she saw that her fluffy little friend had gone. Arrow stood there in his true form. A tiny cute silver-blue 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 upright ears had glittering silver tips.
‘Arrow!’ Julia gasped, amazed all over again by his beauty. ‘Are you leaving right now?’
Arrow’s eyes softened and jewel-bright rainbows gleamed in them. ‘I must. Moonglow Meadow urgently needs more of the key’s magic.’
Julia’s chest tightened with sadness. She bit back tears because she knew she must be brave and let her friend go. Bending down, she threw her arms around the majestic white rabbit and laid her cheek against his silky fur.
‘I’ll never forget you,’ she whispered, her voice breaking.
‘Nor I you. You have been a good friend.’ Arrow allowed her to hug him for a moment longer and then gently moved back. ‘Farewell. Always follow your dreams, Julia,’ he said in a smooth velvety voice.
There was a final flash from his key and crystal dust drifted down around Julia, crackling like sparks from dying fireworks as it hit the grass. Arrow was gone.
Julia stood there; hardly able to believe how fast everything had happened. A tear rolled down her cheek. Something lay on the grass. It was a crystal rainbow drop. She picked it up and it tingled against her palm as it turned into a pure white pebble in the shape of a bunny.
Julia slipped it into her pocket. She knew she would keep it forever as a reminder of the wonderful adventure she had shared with her magic bunny.
Sadly, she walked slowly out from behind the tent – smack into Kelly and her mates.
Kelly stood in front of her. ‘Thought you could hide, did ya?’
Julia gulped. She dashed away a tear and prepared to face the bullies.
‘Hey!’ called a voice behind her. ‘Leave her alone!’
Julia turned to see Lex running down the field. Ellie was with him and two more of her team-mates weren’t far behind.
‘You pick on one of the Wolverines, you pick on all of us!’ Lex said.
‘Yeah!’ Ellie had a fierce look on her face. ‘That goes for me too! We’re a team!’
Julia turned to look at Lex and Ellie, who were both standing with their hands on their hips. It seemed that Arrow wasn’t the only friend she’d made this holiday. Her fear evaporated as she stood facing the bullies alongside her team-mates.
Kelly’s face paled. She obviously didn’t like being outnumbered. ‘Come on. They’re not worth it,’ she murmured. The three bullies slunk away towards their own camp.
‘And don’t try that again, or else!’ Lex called after them. His team-mates whooped agreement.
‘Where’ve you been? We’ve been looking for you,’ Ellie said more quietly to Julia.
‘I just wanted to be by myself for a little while,’ Julia said.
Ellie smiled sympathetically. ‘I know. I’m a bit sad about leaving too. I love our team. It’s been a fab holiday, hasn’t it?’
‘The best one ever!’
‘I … um … I know I can be a bit of a pain sometimes,’ Ellie began, blushing. ‘But I was wondering if you, me and Lucy might do some stuff together when we get home? You two always seem to have fun, but I … I didn’t like to butt in.’
Julia grinned. ‘You wouldn’t be butting in. We’d love it!’ She gave Ellie a quick hug and Ellie beamed at her as she returned it.
‘And this holiday’s not over yet!’ Julia felt a smile spreading over her face. ‘Come on, Wolverines!’ she cried, heading for the barbeque in the farmyard with her teammates.
Wherever Arrow was, she knew that he’d be smiling too. Take care. And say hi from me to all your friends in Moonglow Meadow, she whispered under her breath.
Table of Contents
Cover
About the Author
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Dedication
Classroom Capers
Prologue
Chapter ONE
Chapter TWO
Chapter THREE
Chapter FOUR
Chapter FIVE
Chapter SIX
Chapter SEVEN
Chapter EIGHT
Chapter NINE