Rising Star

by Summer Waters

  Antonia didn’t bother to point out that she hadn’t exactly missed it, or that she’d had a great time herself at Sea Watch.

  It was a busy week. Antonia and Cai loaded the pictures they’d taken of the pufflings on to the school computer and used them to make posters to advertise the Bring and Buy sale. They pinned several up in and around school and gave some to Emily. Her parents owned a gift shop in town and knew lots of shop owners who were happy to stick the posters in their windows.

  Amid all the things they needed to do Antonia and Cai still made time to go and check on the pufflings, who were growing bigger by the day.

  “They look like they’ll be ready to fly away soon,” commented Cai.

  “That’s good, because the summer is nearly over. It’s much cooler than it was,” said Antonia wistfully.

  The weather was quickly getting colder. Thursday was chilly and overcast and Friday morning Antonia woke with a feeling of doom. She lay in bed with her eyes tightly shut as she realised why she was feeling so bad. It couldn’t be! Leaping out of bed Antonia pulled open her blind, hoping that she was wrong. Rain splattered on her sloping attic window.

  “No!” She stared at the rain in disbelief. This couldn’t be happening. How could they hold a Bring and Buy sale in the playground if it was raining? Antonia ran downstairs in her pyjamas and threw open the kitchen door. Her parents looked up in surprise from their steaming mugs of tea.

  “Where’s the fire?” asked Dad placidly.

  “Rain, not fire,” said Antonia shortly. “It’s going to ruin our Bring and Buy sale.”

  “The sale isn’t until this afternoon,” said Mum encouragingly. “It’ll probably have cleared by then.”

  “But what if it hasn’t?”

  “You’ll have to postpone it.”

  “We can’t,” said Antonia. “Everyone’s worked so hard. And Mr Cordier’s been really nice about us taking over the resources room. What if he wants it back and we have to move all the stuff out? There’s nowhere else to store it.”

  “Worrying about it isn’t going to help.” Mum got up and refilled the kettle. “Go and get dressed while I make you some breakfast.”

  Slowly Antonia went upstairs. Why couldn’t her parents see what a disaster the rain was? They had to have the sale today. They needed to raise the money quickly so there was a permanent fence in place before the builders moved off site taking their temporary fence with them.

  Antonia’s silver dolphin charm fluttered against her neck. She froze, wondering why she hadn’t sensed that Spirit was about to call. The charm fluttered again. Antonia clasped it lightly between her fingers. It felt silky-soft to touch, just like Bubbles and Dream.

  Have courage, Silver Dolphin.

  Antonia started as Spirit’s voice rang through her head. Her charm quivered and Antonia clasped it more tightly. Suddenly she felt reassured. She was a Silver Dolphin. She wasn’t going to let a bit of rain spoil things. Whatever the weather, she and Cai would find a way of making the Bring and Buy sale happen.

  Thank you, she answered.

  At school Lauren was crowing. “Brilliant weather, Toni,” she said, sniggering. “You’re gonna have so much fun selling all that junk in the rain. It’s a shame I’m gonna miss it, but Becky and I have got more important things to do than waste our time getting wet for a bunch of stupid birds, haven’t we, Becks?”

  “We’re going to the cinema,” said Becky maliciously. “Who wants to come with us?”

  Antonia tried not to look fazed as Becky opened her invite to the class. They could manage with a few less helpers at the sale, but it would be disastrous if everyone dropped out. Luckily Mrs Howard arrived, putting an end to the conversation.

  “Good morning, everyone,” she said briskly. “Now I know the weather doesn’t look good, but it’s still only morning so we’re not going to worry about it right now. We’ve got lots of things to organise, so let’s get started.”

  Toby put up his hand.

  “We ought to have a back-up plan,” he insisted. “Can we use the hall if it’s still raining after school?”

  It was a brilliant suggestion. Antonia shot Toby a grateful look.

  “Unfortunately the hall’s booked out to the After School Club,” said Mrs Howard. “They’re having some work done on their hut.”

  Antonia groaned. Wasn’t that just typical? The After School Club always met in an old hut on the edge of the playground. Trust them to need the hall today!

  “What about those tent things we use for sports day?” said Sophie suddenly. “We could put those up to keep the stalls dry.”

  “You mean the gazebos,” said Mrs Howard.

  Antonia’s heart soared. What brilliant friends she had! They knew how important this Bring and Buy sale was to her and Cai. The school had several gazebos they used for the children to shelter from the sun during sports day. Mrs Howard thought it a clever idea too and sent Sophie and Antonia to ask Mr Cordier if they could borrow them.

  “You can,” he agreed, “but it might be better to postpone the sale if it keeps raining. I can’t see many people wanting to come along.”

  Gloomily Antonia returned to class. Mr Cordier was right. Who would want to come to a Bring and Buy sale in the pouring rain?

  By lunchtime things weren’t looking too good. Lauren continued to tease Antonia about the weather. Antonia knew from past experience that it was best to ignore Lauren’s taunts, but it took enormous self-control not to get upset. At the beginning of afternoon lessons Mrs Howard asked the class to vote on whether or not they wanted to go through with the sale or postpone it for a drier day. Antonia held her breath as the class voted, knowing that Lauren had persuaded several people to join her and Becky at the cinema. Lots of hands went up to vote for postponing the sale.

  “Fourteen,” said Mrs Howard, counting them twice to make sure she’d not made a mistake. “Hands up those for holding the sale today.”

  The remaining fourteen hands went up and Mrs Howard pulled a face.

  “A tiebreak. That means I shall have the deciding vote.” She paused for a moment, letting her gaze wander round the class.

  Antonia silently willed her to say yes. Even if they only raised a small amount of money it would be something. They had to start fundraising before they ran out of time to help the pufflings. Mrs Howard’s gaze rested on Cai and then Antonia.

  “I’m going to say yes, we go ahead,” she said at last.

  “Thanks, Mrs Howard,” Antonia breathed out in relief. “When can we put up the gazebos?”

  Mrs Howard walked across to the window.

  “Give it half an hour,” she said. “There’s a patch of blue in the sky that looks like it might be coming our way.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mrs Howard was right. Half an hour later the rain stopped and the sky brightened. The class trooped out into the playground to erect the gazebos. Mr Cordier helped and he was so funny, joking with Mrs Howard and the rest of the class, that the event soon took on a party atmosphere. The sun grew stronger, making the puddles glisten with tiny rainbows as they dried. Antonia and Cai worked hard, carrying tables out on to the playground and organising groups of children to bring out the jumble and set up the games.

  “Float!” exclaimed Mrs Howard. “Who wants to go to the office to get the float?”

  Everyone wanted that job because Mrs Howard had told them that the float was the money shopkeepers put in their tills at the beginning of the day so they would have change.

  “It’s quite warm,” said Antonia, hopefully staring at the pale blue sky as she pushed up the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

  “It’s going to be fine,” said Cai.

  It was better than fine. The afternoon got drier and warmer and by three o’clock a large crowd of adults had gathered at the school gates. Mr Cordier let them in early and they hurried across the playground towards the bulging stalls. The cakes went first; Antonia and Sophie were manning the stall and they were amazed at th
e queue of people waiting to buy. Toys and second-hand books were the next most popular stalls, along with Bash the Rat, run by Toby and Cai. Antonia laughed when Jessica rushed up to her and excitedly squeezed round the back of the stall to say, “Look what I just bought, your old animal hospital set.”

  “I’d have given it to you if you’d asked,” said Antonia, feeling guilty.

  “I wouldn’t have taken it,” said Jessica loftily. “I wanted to buy it to help raise money for the puffins.”

  “Thanks, Jess,” said Antonia. “I hope you enjoy playing with it.”

  “I will if you’ll play with me. Can we play when you get home?”

  “I’m not coming home tonight. I’m sleeping over at Cai’s again, but I’ll play with you tomorrow.”

  “Then I’m going to ask if Naomi can come round,” said Jessica, hurrying off to the school office to find Mrs Lee.

  Antonia needn’t have worried about not selling everything. It didn’t take long for the tables to empty and by the time the last shopper had left the playground there were only a handful of things left.

  Antonia began piling the leftovers into a cardboard box.

  “How much do you think we made, only—”

  “Look,” Cai interrupted her. “That’s Mr Wilson coming across the playground with Mr Cordier, Mrs Howard and Aunty Claudia.”

  “Oh! I’d forgotten he was coming. He’s a bit late. There’s hardly anything left.”

  Mr Wilson waved as he approached.

  “Just in time,” he boomed, pulling out his wallet. “How much for that box of bits?”

  “Erm,” Antonia hesitated.

  “Will this cover it?” Mr Wilson held out a large note.

  “Definitely,” said Antonia, smiling broadly. “Here, it’s all yours.”

  “So, do you think you raised enough for a fence?”

  “Not quite,” said Antonia truthfully.

  “We’re planning more events,” added Cai.

  Mr Wilson’s eyes twinkled.

  “No need,” he said. “I called my bosses and they were very impressed by the things you do at Sea Watch. They were sure you’d raise lots of money, but thought it might not be enough for a fence. They’d like to help out by giving you the rest of the money needed.”

  “Really?” Antonia and Cai couldn’t stop smiling. “Thanks, Mr Wilson. That’s fantastic.”

  “It’s a very generous offer,” said Claudia.

  Mrs Howard looked like she’d won the lottery.

  “This has been our most successful Helping Our Community work to date,” she said joyfully. “Well done, everyone. Cai and Antonia, please take all the money to the office and count it. Mrs Lee will check it for you when you’ve finished. There’s enough helpers here to finish clearing up.”

  Feeling like she was walking on air, Antonia carried the pots of money into the school building.

  “What a brilliant end to the summer,” said Cai.

  “Totally perfect,” said Antonia, although a funny feeling told her that things weren’t quite over yet.

  Chapter Fifteen

  That evening Claudia cooked an enormous pot of spaghetti bolognaise and made a huge jug of her legendary fruit punch. They ate outside, soaking up the last remnants of sunshine until the light began to fade and bats flitted overhead.

  “We should go in,” said Claudia, not making an effort to move.

  Antonia sat up, aware of a familiar feeling washing over her. Spirit was going to call. But what could he want so late at night? She glanced at Claudia and saw her friend watching her intently. Antonia raised her eyebrows, knowing that Claudia had sensed the call too. Pushing back her chair, Antonia stood up at the exact moment her silver dolphin charm began to thrum against her neck.

  Silver Dolphin, come quickly.

  Spirit, I hear your call.

  Seconds later Cai was on his feet murmuring, “Spirit, I hear your call.”

  “Be careful going though the garden. I’ll bring a torch down so you can see where you’re going when you get back,” Claudia called after them as they sprinted for the beach.

  Spirit’s call felt urgent. Antonia hoped that the dolphins were all safe as she ran through the gate on to the beach. The tide was out, and leaving their shoes in the Sea Watch boat they ran down the gently sloping expanse of sand to the sea. The water seemed to call to them, and without stopping they waded out until it was deep enough to swim. Excitement coursed through Antonia’s body as her legs melded together. Using her special skills to help guide her in the half light she swam towards Spirit. Soon Antonia realised they were being called eastward towards Crane Point. Immediately she thought of the pufflings. Where they in danger? Sensing vibrations in the water, Antonia swam faster until at last she saw four heads bobbing in the inky-black sea. It was Spirit and his family.

  “Silver Dolphins,” clicked Spirit. “Thank you for answering my call. There’s trouble on the cliffs. A puffling has been injured on some litter. He urgently needs your help.”

  At once Antonia and Cai swam to the beach. The light was quickly fading as they ran up the cliff path. Their footsteps rang out in the dusky dark and Antonia slowed, hoping they wouldn’t frighten the puffins as they burst on to the cliff top. There was a lot of activity. The colourful puffins and their black and white chicks were milling around, mewling excitedly. Antonia vaguely wondered what all the fuss was about, but there was no time to investigate. Scanning the crowd she looked for a bird in distress.

  “Over there,” called Cai, “by the cliff edge.”

  A small puffling was teetering around, frantically trying to break free from a plastic container wedged on his webbed foot. As Antonia and Cai approached, the bird panicked and stumbled backwards.

  “Steady,” crooned Antonia softly.

  Knowing it was dangerous to stand too near the edge of a cliff, Antonia lay on the ground. Cai dropped down beside her and slowly they wiggled closer to the puffling. The bird watched them warily, but he didn’t move away. Antonia reached out and closed her hands round his soft body. At first he wriggled in an attempt to shake her off, but Antonia held him firmly.

  “Steady, boy, we’re here to help.”

  Gradually the bird relaxed, although he was still trembling.

  “See if you can free him,” Antonia whispered to Cai.

  Reaching out, Cai pulled the container. It was tightly wedged, but Cai gently twisted it until finally it came free.

  “Thanks.” Antonia examined the bird’s leg, but apart from a small scratch it seemed fine. Releasing the puffling, she slowly wriggled away. The puffling watched her for a second, then suddenly it ran towards the cliff.

  “No!” gasped Antonia, hoping she hadn’t frightened it.

  The puffling began flapping its wings quickly until suddenly it became airborne and with a satisfied squawk flew out to sea. It was like a signal. At once the whole of the cliff top seemed to move. Antonia and Cai stared in amazement at the black tide of puffins and pufflings waddling towards the cliff edge.

  “It’s time!” cried Cai excitedly. “The birds are migrating for winter.”

  Wordlessly Antonia and Cai stood up and ran for the cliff path. They hurtled down it almost faster than was safe in the twilight until at last they made it on to the beach.

  “Quick,” said Antonia, running across the sand and throwing herself into the water.

  The dolphins were waiting out at sea. Antonia and Cai swam towards them as the first wave of puffins flew overhead. The air was filled with the soft whooshing of wings. Antonia stared into the dusky night sky. In a fluttering cloud of black more pufflings and their parents launched themselves from the cliffs, flying out to sea. Antonia’s tail-like legs tingled with the exertion of keeping her afloat and her neck ached, but her eyes never left the sky as more and more puffins flew away. It was a long time before the sky cleared, leaving only the stragglers. Finally they went too, leaving behind the first stars of the evening twinkling in celebration. Antonia turned to
Cai and the dolphins, her eyes shining with excitement.

  “That was wonderful,” she sighed.

  Nature is wonderful.

  Claudia’s voice was strong and clear in her head.

  So is being a Silver Dolphin, Antonia answered back. She was bursting with happiness and aware how privileged she was to be trusted with such a special role. Turning to Spirit she whispered, “Thank you for calling us.”

  “Thank you for answering our call,” clicked Spirit.

  Antonia smiled. Answering the call of the dolphins was as natural as breathing. She had to do it! But now it was time to go. Guided by the light of the stars and their dolphin friends, Antonia and Cai swam home.

  Silver Dolphins

  OUT NOW!

  Bad storms have caused a landslide on the cliffs. Can Antonia save the seals living on the beach below or is the power of nature too strong?

  Read on for a sneak preview

  Darkness was just beginning to lift when Antonia woke. Sleepily she opened her eyes, wondering why her room felt different. Then she remembered. She was staying at Hannah’s. She sat up as a familiar sensation nudged her fully awake. The dolphins were going to call. Hurriedly she swung her legs over the bed and climbed down the ladder. As she reached the floor her dolphin charm began to vibrate and an unfamiliar voice sounded in her head.

  Silver Dolphin, we need you.

  Vision I hear you call, Antonia silently answered, guessing it must be the dolphin leader. His voice was higher than Spirit’s and he spoke more quickly.

  Antonia searched for her clothes, rummaging in the drawer that Hannah had emptied for her the night before. It was difficult to see clearly, but she didn’t switch the light on. Antonia’s silver dolphin charm fluttered against her neck. As it began to beat with a steady rhythm the charm emitted a high-pitched whistle. Hannah’s charm whistled too, waking Hannah who jumped out of bed in a flash.

  “You heard first?” she asked as she pulled on a pair of grey cargo trousers hanging from a chair.