Skating School: Silver Skate Surprise

by Linda Chapman

  Emily sped up and pushed off, arms tight to her chest as she spun round in the air before landing on one leg with her arms out. Skating on, she turned into a spin on one leg. She whizzed round before finally stopping and her body felt like it was glowing. She grinned.

  ‘Come on, it’s time for the feast!’ called Molly at last.

  They all skated over to the entrance. But, just as they were getting off the ice, the doors of the ice rink opened! Everyone caught their breath and froze. Then Camilla, Tess, Helena and Clare walked in. For a moment the two sets of girls just stared at each other. The Snow Foxes looked just as surprised as Emily and her friends.

  ‘What are you all doing here?’ demanded Camilla.

  ‘They’re having a feast!’ exclaimed Tess, pointing at the food.

  ‘So what if we are? Why are you here?’ said Molly.

  ‘We thought it would be fun to have a midnight skate and play some games on the last night,’ said Camilla. ‘We’ve been planning it all week.’ She stared at the food. ‘So you’ve been planning a midnight feast?’ Her usual smugness seemed to be replaced by complete surprise.

  Molly nodded. ‘We’ve been planning it all week too.’

  ‘So what do we do now?’ Tess said.

  Amanda frowned. ‘You lot can go away. We were here first.’

  Camilla raised her eyebrows. ‘So?’

  ‘I know!’ Emily burst in. ‘Why don’t we all just do something together?’ She looked round at the others. ‘There’s loads of food. They can join in and then we can play games. It’ll be fun and, after all, it is our last night here. Tomorrow we’ll be going home.’

  Camilla, Tess, Molly and Amanda all started to protest loudly.

  ‘Shh!’ said Hannah in alarm. ‘The doors are still open!’

  A frost fairy came whizzing down the corridor. She flew over the Snow Foxes’ heads, chattering at the other fairies. They all squeaked in alarm.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ demanded Molly.

  The ice dragons chirruped and Emily immediately understood.

  ‘Oh, no!’ she gasped. ‘The frost fairy said that the noise has woken Madame Letsworth up! She might come down from her bedroom.’

  ‘What are we going to do?’ gasped Alice.

  ‘We’re going to be in so much trouble!’ said Molly.

  ‘And not just us but the frost fairies and dragons too,’ added Hannah.

  Emily racked her brains. They couldn’t let that happen. But what could they do?

  ‘I know!’ gasped Camilla. ‘The Lulling Dance! You’ve all got your skates on. Do that!’

  Emily stared at her. ‘You mean dance it and try and send Madame Letsworth back to sleep?’

  ‘Yes, Madame Letsworth told us it works if you even just think about the person you’re trying to send to sleep. Provided they are nearby, they don’t have to be actually watching it,’ said Camilla.

  ‘And the more people that do it, the more powerful the magic is,’ Hannah reminded them. ‘That’s a brilliant idea, Camilla. Come on!’

  The frost fairy who had warned them raced back to Madame Letsworth’s room to check what was happening. The dragons dived inside the music box. Within seconds, the beautiful, soothing music of the Lulling Dance was flowing out across the rink.

  Emily counted herself in. At the same moment as all the others, she started to dance. She fixed the thought of Madame Letsworth in her mind. It would be awful if everyone got into trouble – not just them but the frost fairies and ice dragons too.

  She pushed into the double loop. As she landed, she heard the sound of everyone else landing too. They skated on until they came to the final combination. Emily felt herself tense. Would she fall again as she had that afternoon? She took off and spun through the air. She landed badly on the second jump and stumbled, but didn’t fall.

  Regaining her balance, Emily quickly joined in with the final glide and spin. She tried not to think about it. It didn’t matter how she did herself; she just hoped enough people were doing the dance well enough for its magic to work.

  They finished and all stared at the doorway, holding their breath. Camilla and the other Snow Foxes looked anxiously down the corridor. Had the dance worked?

  After a few minutes, the frost fairy came flying back. She was squeaking excitedly, her little head nodding. Everyone let out their breath in a rush.

  ‘We did it!’ gasped Molly. Camilla hastily shut the doors as everyone started to exclaim and talk.

  The frost fairy who had just arrived was chattering with the other fairies. The ice dragons listened in and then started chirruping.

  ‘She went back to sleep,’ Emily interpreted. ‘Phew!’

  Molly looked at Camilla. ‘It was a really good idea to do the dance. Thanks. Look, do you want to join in with the feast? Emily was right. We can all have a good time together.’

  Camilla’s face broke into a smile. ‘OK. Cool!’

  They ate every bit of food with the dragons and the fairies joining in. Afterwards the girls all skated, with the fairies zipping round them and the dragons taking it in turns to play the music and flap around.

  It was brilliant fun. No one argued and not even Camilla was mean. She suggested some really good games for them all to play and organized them into teams. Emily went to bed feeling very happy. It had been even better than she had expected.

  And it’s the competition tomorrow, she thought. For a moment, she remembered how she had stumbled in the dance that night. What if that happened in the competition? She pushed the thought away, making herself think about the Ice Princess. This time tomorrow they would know who she was going to be. Emily hugged her arms around her chest.

  Oh, please, she prayed. Please let it be me!

  Chapter Six

  The Final Competition

  By eleven o’clock the next morning the area around the ice rink was crowded with ice sylphs. They had arrived on sledges and sleighs pulled by reindeer and huskies. There was a buzz of excited chatter as they settled into their seats and as the teachers took their places behind a long table.

  Unlike the other skating competitions, where the three skating teachers had been the only judges, for this final competition all the teachers who taught at the school were involved.

  Emily and the others waited in the changing area. They were allowed to wear make-up for the competitions so Emily had put on some glittering silver eyeshadow and mascara to darken her eyelashes. Hannah had helped her fix her hair back in a bun and then Emily had put in some sparkling white clips.

  She went to the barrier. The surface of the ice was shining. No one would ever have been able to guess there had been a midnight feast the night before!

  ‘I can’t believe this is our last competition here,’ said Molly, coming over. ‘I wish we could come back.’

  Emily nodded. Her chest felt tight as if she couldn’t really breathe. This is it, she thought. This is what we’ve been waiting for, for six weeks. The Ice Princess is going to be chosen!

  She thought about everything they had done since coming to the Land of Ice and Winter, the lessons they had been to, the tricks Molly had played, the fun and excitement they’d had. There was the time they had rescued Alice from the ice monster; the scavenger hunt when they had been out in the land; there was the week Emily had looked after Molly after she’d hurt her ankle; and then the time Emily had had to stop an out-of-control sledge pulled by huskies. So many things had happened to her!

  Madame Letsworth stood up and a hush fell. ‘Welcome, everybody! As you know, today we will choose the Ice Princess. For this final competition, all the girls will skate the Lulling Dance. First to go will be Zoe Hunter!’

  ‘Good luck!’ the girls whispered to Zoe as she stepped on to the ice. Even Camilla and the other Snow Foxes joined in. After the night before, they had been much friendlier and right now they all seemed just as nervous as each other.

  Zoe skated towards the centre of the rink, took her position and the music started.
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  It was a brilliant opening dance. Zoe was a really good skater, but she didn’t have the natural elegance of Hannah or Camilla or the drama of Molly and Amanda. However, this time she threw herself into it – her jumps and spins keeping in perfect time to the music. When she finished, she was beaming.

  She skated off to loud applause and collapsed on to the bench, looking very relieved as the others crowded round to congratulate her.

  One after the other, the girls went on to the ice. Some, like Tilda, Helena and Alice, fell or stumbled. Heather fell twice with nerves. Others, like Zoe and Amanda, hardly made a single mistake. No matter how they did though, there were always girls waiting to crowd round them and hug them and tell them they had been brilliant. Everyone’s differences seemed to have been forgotten in the excitement of the day.

  Emily could hardly bear to watch when it was Molly and Hannah’s turns. But she needn’t have worried. They both did really well. Molly whizzed around the ice with her usual dash and sparkle, leaping higher than anyone else had, and Hannah skated beautifully, getting a particularly loud round of applause as she finished.

  ‘That was brilliant!’ cried Emily as Hannah came off. ‘Oh, help – it’s me next!’ Her heart was beating fast.

  ‘You can do it, Em!’ called Molly.

  ‘And now we have Emily Walker!’ Madame Letsworth announced.

  Emily stepped on to the ice and glided to her starting position. She crossed one leg behind the other. The music started and she was off! First the circle of backward crossovers and then the double loop. She landed it perfectly and skated on.

  Move followed move until she reached the double combination. She spun over the ice in her double flip, but, as she lifted off for the double lutz, Emily knew she hadn’t got enough height. She landed off balance. Her arms flailed and the next moment she was falling onto the ice, her hip banging into the cold, hard surface.

  She’d fallen!

  But even while she was thinking it, she was getting to her feet. The music was carrying on and she knew she had to as well. Trying to put the fall behind her, Emily began the glide and then turned into the final spin. She twirled round and round and then stopped on beat with the music, her hands down.

  Smile, she told herself fiercely. And she managed to, although she could feel the tears prickling at the back of her eyes. She’d fallen over. She was never going to be the Ice Princess now. But Emily wouldn’t let herself cry on the ice. She bowed to the audience and then skated off, her head held high, her smile never wavering.

  ‘Oh, Em!’ Molly said, hugging her as Emily stepped off the ice and suddenly gave way to the tears.

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ said Hannah, stroking her back as Emily sobbed.

  ‘You were brilliant. It was just one fall,’ said Amanda.

  ‘I fell twice,’ Heather put in.

  Emily fought back her tears. She knew how upset her friends were to see her crying. Scrubbing her hands over her face, she swallowed hard. But whatever they said, she knew the truth. She’d fallen and now she wouldn’t get to be the Ice Princess. Lots of people had skated perfectly.

  Camilla, the last person to go, skated on. Emily watched numbly as Camilla performed the routine with her usual confidence. As she came off, Emily forced herself to congratulate her. ‘That was a fantastic routine. Well done!’

  ‘Thanks!’ Camilla said, her eyes glowing. ‘I’m sorry you fell.’ And for once she sounded like she genuinely meant it. Emily gave a small smile and turned away.

  The judges got together to discuss who should be on the shortlist. Everyone waited nervously. Zoe bit her nails and Amanda fiddled with her hair. Camilla paced up and down while Emily gripped Molly and Hannah’s hands. She hoped they would be chosen even if she wouldn’t be now.

  Finally all the judges sat back down, leaving Madame Letsworth standing. Emily held her breath. Who was going to be on the shortlist to be the Ice Princess?

  Chapter Seven

  The Shortlist

  ‘Well done, girls,’ Madame Letsworth said. ‘You all skated extremely well.’ The audience applauded in agreement. ‘We have now reached our decision about the three girls who are on the shortlist,’ she continued. ‘We have been watching you all carefully over the last six weeks and we have drawn the shortlist up not just on today’s performance, but taking into account what we have learnt about you in your time here. As I have told you before, it is vitally important that the person who is chosen to be the Ice Princess has certain qualities. She must be brave, for it will take courage to face the dragon; she must care deeply about the land; and, most importantly, if she is to make the dance work, she must have a kind, true heart. The chosen girls are…’

  The whole world seemed to hold its breath. Emily’s heart thudded. After everything Madame Letsworth had just said, did she still have a chance?

  Oh, please, please, please, she prayed.

  The silence seemed to go on forever and then Madame Letsworth spoke: ‘Hannah Peters, Zoe Hunter and Emily Walker!’

  Emily blinked, unable to take it in. Around her she heard a mixture of excited gasps and disappointed sighs.

  ‘Oh, wow!’ Molly whispered. ‘That’s brilliant! Both of you!’

  Emily was lost for words. ‘I can’t believe it! After the competition, I never imagined… I thought there was no way…’ She broke off as it began to sink in.

  ‘I wish you were on the shortlist too, Molly!’ Hannah said.

  ‘So do I,’ sighed Molly. ‘But I’m really glad you two are,’ she added generously and hugged them both. ‘Really, really glad.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Emily. She knew she’d have found it really hard if Molly and Hannah had been chosen and not her. She gave Molly a tight hug back. ‘You’re brilliant.’

  Madame Letsworth called for quiet and announced that there would be lunch in the hall for the girls. ‘The other teachers and I are now going away to decide who the Ice Princess will be and we will tell you in an hour’s time,’ she said. ‘Until then, try and relax.’

  There was a delicious lunch of salads, fresh bread, cheese and cold meats laid out in the hall, but Emily couldn’t eat a thing. Everyone, even Camilla, had congratulated her and she walked up and down the room unable to think about anything but being the Ice Princess.

  Hannah and Zoe joined her. ‘This waiting is awful,’ said Zoe.

  ‘Just think, this afternoon, one of us will be dancing in front of a dragon!’ Hannah breathed.

  ‘And if we don’t get it right, he won’t move,’ said Emily.

  ‘If we do get it right, we can make a wish,’ Zoe reminded her.

  But Emily couldn’t think about wishes yet. She was torn between hoping desperately to be chosen as the Ice Princess and yet not wanting Hannah or Zoe to be disappointed. Oh, goodness, she thought. Which of us is it going to be?

  An hour later, Madame Letsworth came in with the other teachers. She clapped her hands. ‘Hannah, Zoe and Emily, would you come here, please?’ The three girls walked over anxiously.

  ‘Before we go to the rink and make the official announcement, we wanted to come and talk to you first. We have a problem.’ Madame Letsworth looked serious.

  ‘We have been discussing which of you should be the Ice Princess, but we simply cannot decide – the votes are evenly divided. All of you skated very well today. Yes, Emily had a fall, but Monsieur Carvallio and I have full confidence that she can perform the routine. Madame Longley says that you are all capable of speaking the dragon language needed, and over the last few weeks all three of you have shown that you are kind, helpful and brave.

  ‘It seems impossible to choose between you. We have decided we will talk about it a little more, but I wanted to let you know that, at the moment, we are considering having all three of you as Ice Princesses.’

  All three of us! Emily’s heart leapt. She saw Hannah and Zoe grin. Behind them there was a buzz of excited chatter from the others.

  Oh, wow! We’ll all be the Ice Princess, Emil
y thought in delight. We’ll all get to do the dance and talk to the dragon…

  And then she remembered something Madame Letsworth had said earlier in the week: ‘The magic is very powerful and the more people who dance it, the stronger it will be… if all of you were to dance the Lulling Dance then the dragon would fall asleep completely.’

  Emily put up her hand. ‘But you told us that the dragon might go to sleep for a hundred years if lots of people skated the dance.’

  Madame Letsworth looked grave. ‘There is that danger. The other teachers and I hope that it will not happen if there are just three of you. But if the dance did send the dragon to sleep then it would be a disaster for the land – for all of us.’

  Emily stared at her.

  ‘Now, you have five minutes, girls,’ Madame Letsworth said. ‘The teachers and I are going to discuss it one last time.’

  Emily took a step back. She couldn’t stop thinking over the headteacher’s words. Madame Letsworth had said she hoped the dragon wouldn’t fall asleep if three of them danced. But what if he does? worried Emily.

  She wanted to be on her own to think. Hurrying out of the room, she went to the back door. Slipping through it, she took a deep breath of the cold air. The snowy gardens stretched out, leading to the glittering frozen lake. Behind the lake were the woods and the High Mountains. It was all so beautiful. If the dragon continued to sleep, this would all be destroyed.

  I can’t let that happen, thought Emily unhappily. We mustn’t risk it.

  A wave of sadness welled up inside her. She wanted to be the Ice Princess so much, but the land mattered more. Suddenly she knew what she had to do and, taking another deep breath, she went back inside.

  Chapter Eight

  The Ice Princess

  Emily went into the hall and walked over to Madame Letsworth. The other girls were all clustered together, talking excitedly.

  ‘Yes, Emily?’ the headteacher said.

  ‘I… I don’t want to be one of the Ice Princesses, Madame.’ Emily’s words came out in a rush. ‘Hannah and Zoe can do it on their own. If there’s just two of them, there’s less chance the dragon will go to sleep.’