by Elise Allen
“That’s what I was going to do!” he cried.
“Duh! I’ve been doing that to Winter since we were six!”
Just then, a rainbow whirred and warbled by Summer. Her Sparkle Sisters were calling her.
“I have to go,” she said, a little sad to leave. She was having so much fun!
“Why?” asked Thunderbolt.
“Because. My sisters are calling me.”
“So? You’ll see them later. You owe me a pole-vaulting lesson. Remember?”
Summer hesitated. She’d never ignored a call from her sisters before. But she’d also never broken a promise. “Do your brothers know you’re here?” she asked Thunderbolt. He looked away and reddened.
“Yeah,” he said. “They’re not too happy about it. They wanted to dig up ants to make an ant farm, but I told them I was going to go to your realm to practice pole-vaulting.”
“Did they make fun of you?”
“Yeah,” he said, “but I don’t care.” She could tell by the way he puffed out his chest that he did care, though. “It’s silly how angry our siblings get,” he said carefully, “just because we’re friends.” Summer smiled at the word. They were friends. That did it. She decided to ignore the rainbow. She had made a promise to her friend, and you don’t break promises to friends.
“Time to pole-vault. Race you to the boat!” she cried.
“No fair!” shouted Thunderbolt, swimming behind her.
“I can’t do it,” Thunderbolt said. He dropped his pole and slumped onto the sand. They were standing on the beach practicing pole-vaulting as Shade napped in the sun. Thunderbolt had almost landed his jump, but after an hour, he still hadn’t done it successfully. Summer wasn’t about to let him quit, though. Not yet.
“You’re doing great,” she said, deciding to try a different tactic. “Do a push-up,” she said.
He groaned. “How about you give me an ‘E’ for effort and we call it a day?”
She smiled. “Do a push-up!”
“All right, all right.” Thunderbolt grumbled, but he rolled onto his stomach and pushed up. Summer brought the pole to him.
“Now reach up with your left hand and grab the pole.” He did. “Now grab with your right hand.”
“But—”
“Do it!” she ordered. Quickly, he lifted his left hand, and before his body could fall, instinctively grabbed on with his right hand. He was balancing nearly his entire body weight on the pole. “This is the grip you need to maintain as you run, lift, and jump with your pole. Stand up while keeping the grip.”
He did so.
“Now try to jump,” she said, and folded her arms.
She thought Thunderbolt was going to argue again, but instead he frowned, a determined crease deepening between his brows. Suddenly, he sprinted to the line she’d drawn in the sand, planted his pole, and lifted off, keeping his grip tight until his feet reached directly above his head and then shot out in front of him in a perfect arc. He landed on his feet and turned to her, a triumphant grin on his face.
“You did it!” she exclaimed, and ran toward him, jumping to give him a satisfyingly loud high five.
“Only because you taught me,” he said. “You’re a great coach.” She blushed. It sounded so grownup—to be a good coach. Teaching Thunderbolt how to pole-vault felt even better than pole-vaulting herself.
“I just like to share what I love with friends,” she said.
“Me too,” he said. He was panting and sweating, but was clearly pleased with himself.
Summer smiled. She knew exactly how he felt. Suddenly, a tiny twister buzzed around Thunderbolt’s head. He slapped at it as if it were an annoying fly. It buzzed against his ear.
“Ugh, quit it!” he said, but held out his hand, as if for a piece of gum. The twister hovered above his palm and deposited a note.
“Come home,” he said, reading the terse message. He crumpled it up and threw it at the mini twister, which sucked it up and buzzed away. Summer looked at him curiously. “My brothers,” Thunderbolt explained. “I guess they’re getting impatient. They probably want to practice before the contest at the Barrens. See you soon?” he said, standing up.
“Yeah!” Summer said. “Definitely!”
Thunderbolt grinned. “Awesome! Remember—don’t wear anything you care about to the Barrens.”
“Yeah,” said Summer. “I kind of figured.”
Thunderbolt smiled and waved. “Good-bye, friend.”
“Good-bye, Weed,” Summer said with a smile as she watched Thunderbolt conjure a storm cloud and vanish into it.
Summer wondered what kind of contest the Weeds would host in the Barrens. Even though she wasn’t allowed to do magic, she might need her scepter. She used her scepter for all kinds of things aside from magic. She reached out for her scepter on the sand where she’d left it and noticed it wasn’t there. Where was it? Her mouth went dry.
She saw Thunderbolt’s pole there, and the line she drew in the sand was still there, but no scepter. Her stomach sank. Did Thunderbolt steal it?
“He didn’t, right, Shade?”
Shade growled uncertainly. Had Thunderbolt tricked her? Had he faked their whole friendship? Her mind raced. Summer buried her face in Shade’s warm fur. She wanted her sisters. Just then, she heard chiming laughter from the dock. It was as if her sisters could read her mind. She sighed with relief and ran over to where they were sitting on the dock. They stopped laughing when they saw her face.
“Summer, what’s wrong?” Autumn asked softly.
“Your face looks as red as a beet and watermelon salad!” Spring said.
“It looks blotchy,” Winter said.
Summer tried to shrug it off like it was no big deal. “Thunderbolt visited me today. I thought maybe he wanted to pole-vault with me, but I guess he came to steal my scepter, because it’s gone now.”
“Oh, no!” Spring said, looking around at her sisters. “That sounds just like something Thunderbolt would do!”
“You poor thing,” Winter said. “You just can’t trust those Weeds.”
At the word “trust,” Summer burst into tears. She tried to hold it in, but couldn’t. Shade stood protectively at her feet. “I’m sorry, Sparkles,” she said. “I don’t know why I’m getting so emotional.”
Autumn put her arm around Summer and gave her a gold-embroidered handkerchief. “It’s okay to cry,” she said soothingly. “Let it out.”
“It’s just … ,” Summer said, hiding her runny nose in the cloth, “I thought we were friends.” She started sobbing so much she couldn’t even speak.
“You’ll get it back,” Winter said. “We’ll make sure to get it back after the contests.” But Summer wasn’t upset because she’d lost her scepter. She was upset because she’d lost her friend. And that hurt more than scraping her knee on birch bark, more than getting a grass burn, more than a jellyfish sting, more than any kind of hurt she’d felt before.
Chapter 8
Summer and her sisters walked slowly over a dark asphalt path in the Barrens. Along the path, sheets of steel rose high, ending in curls of barbed wire.
Winter scrunched up her face. “It smells like old sweaty socks here.”
Autumn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “If you breathe in deeply, you’ll acclimate.”
Winter coughed. “Or you’ll faint,” she said. “Though at least then you wouldn’t smell it.”
Ahead, the path ended at a swamp the size of a football field. The Weeds stood at its edge, punching one another in the arms. In the middle of their circle, a little black Tasmanian devil snapped at his own tail with his teeth. Thunderbolt had told Summer about him—his name was Bedlam and he was a fierce little guy who growled menacingly at strangers. But once you gained his trust, he was loyal to you forever. From speakers attached to telephone poles, loud heavy-metal music blared. When Thunderbolt saw Summer, he grinned and jaunted over. Autumn gently squeezed her hand in support. Summer took a deep breath and set her face into a
neutral expression.
“Summer!” he shouted. “Look at this!” He pointed at the swamp. “It’s a giant mud pit! This is going to be so fun. Let me show you.” Before Summer could protest, he took her hand, pulling her over to a wooden deck, which they hopped up on. She glanced back to see her sisters’ horrified faces.
“See the rock-climbing wall?” Thunderbolt said. “You have to be careful which rocks you touch, because the shiny black ones squirt mud at you! Then at the top we’ve got eight all-terrain vehicles. VROOOM! Then you have to climb up that mud slope and slide down to the tire course. If your leg touches the inside of the tire, a cardboard zombie pops out in front of you! Spoooky! Then see that trampoline at the end? Whoever jumps high enough to grab the flag wins!” He grinned and paused for breath. “What do you think?”
Summer looked away. “It’s fine, Thunderbolt,” she said. “Good job.” She started to walk back toward her sisters.
“Geez,” he said. “What’s gotten into you? Why are you acting so … boring?” The word stung the back of her neck like a wasp. Summer whirled around, red-faced.
“First you steal my scepter, then you call me boring? At least I don’t pretend to be someone’s friend when I’m not!” Thunderbolt stared at her for a moment, his brow creased in what looked like confusion.
“I didn’t steal your scepter,” he said. “Why would I want your dumb scepter?”
“It’s not dumb, and stop lying. You and your brothers always steal stuff from us, and it went missing right after you left my Sparkledom. I thought you might be different from them, but I guess I was wrong. Once a Weed, always a Weed.”
Thunderbolt’s face grew red with anger. “So what if I’m a Weed? I like being a Weed. We play outside and do whatever we want while you Sparkles sit in your little houses, too worried about getting your dresses dirty to have any fun.”
Summer turned and stormed off to her sisters.
“I didn’t steal your scepter, but now I wish I had!” he called after her.
“Don’t listen to that silly Weed,” Winter said. “He’s just trying to make you mad before the race to psych you out.”
“I’m not mad. I don’t care what he says,” Summer said, loud enough for Thunderbolt to hear. “When this race is over, I’ll just ask Mother to make him give my scepter back.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Thunderbolt’s jaw tighten before he jumped from the deck and marched over to his brothers.
“Come on,” he said loudly. “Let’s get this over with and cream these silly Sparkles.” His brothers whooped in agreement.
Bedlam snarled and pointed his rodent-like snout at the sky, baring his sharp teeth.
“Aw,” Spring said. “He’s so cute!” Before Summer could stop her, Spring was squatting down next to Bedlam, sniffing his dribbling snout. To their amazement, Bedlam playfully swatted at Spring with his paw, making a noise that sounded close to laughter. Spring swatted right back.
“He says it’s time to start the obstacle course!” Spring yelped, and jumped to her feet, Bedlam now rubbing his head against her shin in adoration.
“I’ll never get used to Spring’s comfort with scary animals,” Autumn murmured. Winter and Summer nodded.
The two groups gathered in front of the swamp and Thunderbolt repeated the instructions.
Summer tried to pay attention, but she couldn’t stop seething. She looked at her sisters and saw they were relaxed, even excited. Maybe it’s a good thing I feel so mad, she thought. Maybe she could turn her anger into energy for the race.
She followed her sisters as they gathered to the right of Bedlam. At least they’d been listening. She’d just have to follow their lead until she got the hang of things.
With the checkered flag clenched in his jaw, Bedlam stood on his hind legs between the two groups—Weeds to the left, Sparkles to the right. With a squirming jump, he brought the flag up and then down to the ground. The game had begun.
Summer and her sisters jumped into the swamp and started slogging through the waist-high muck to the rock-climbing wall up ahead. The Weeds were laughingly throwing mud at one another and diving through the murk. Summer narrowed her brows and tried to run, but it was difficult to move. Suddenly, Spring dove into the mud. She came out ten feet ahead, looking like a melting Fudgsicle.
“Swim through it!” she shouted. “It’s easier!” Autumn and Winter quickly joined, rising near Spring like swamp monsters, their hair dripping goopily. Summer glared at Thunderbolt before diving in as well. She bet he designed this course purposely to humiliate her and her sisters.
Spring hit the rock-climbing wall first, followed by Twister, Thunderbolt, and Winter. Summer propelled herself forward up the wall. SPLAT. Mud ejected from the wall onto her face.
“Don’t touch the shiny black rocks,” Winter called down from on top of the wall. Too late.
At the top of the wall, Spring, Twister, Winter, and Thunderbolt were already strapping themselves into their vehicles. Twister shot off first, zooming straight down the first hill, leaving a trail of smoky dust. Summer jumped into a vehicle shortly after Autumn, putting the key in the ignition and pressing hard on the gas. VROOOM. Her vehicle shot off … in reverse! Autumn turned to see what had happened and swiftly stopped her car. Quake zoomed off ahead of them.
“Are you okay, Summer?” Autumn called. “Didn’t you hear what Thunderbolt said about turning the key to the left first …”
“Go! I’m fine!” she shouted to Autumn, not wanting her to fall behind. They both raced over the hills, and Summer was determined not to make any more silly mistakes. She watched Spring and Winter jump from their cars and scramble up a giant sloping bouncy mountain, mud gushing down at them.
Autumn smiled at Summer broadly. “More mud!” she said.
Summer realized that Autumn was actually enjoying this! The idea that she was the only one not having fun put Summer in an even worse temper. She clawed bitterly at the bouncy mountain, each muddy grasp slipping out of her hands, sending her into a deeper funk.
“Come on,” Autumn said, holding out her hand from above. “Grab on!” Summer grabbed hold and Autumn pulled her up. It was time for her to put her frustration at Thunderbolt aside and focus—if not for herself, then for her sisters’ sake. “Okay,” Summer said, forcing a smile. “Let’s slide!”
“That’s the Summer I know!” Autumn shouted. Together, they held hands and slid down the muddy slide. At the bottom was the tire course Thunderbolt had mentioned. They had to jump from tire to tire without touching the inner rubber—if they did, a cardboard zombie would pop up in front of them, slowing them down. Summer hopped from one tire to the other, Autumn following a little more cautiously. They picked up speed and passed Quake and Twister. Finally, they caught up to Spring, Winter, Sleet, and Thunderbolt jumping on two separate trampolines, a red flag dangling high above each. It was the final obstacle. Whoever jumped high enough to grab the flag would win the course for their team. Thunderbolt and Sleet were roughhousing on the trampoline, each trying to outdo the other. It looked like they weren’t even trying to get the flag. Spring jumped gracefully, Winter forcefully, her eyes glued on the flag. Summer relaxed. Winter would surely get it.
Suddenly, Sleet landed hard on the Weeds’ trampoline, right as Thunderbolt started to jump. Thunderbolt went catapulting high into the trees. He reached out easily and grabbed the flag, hurtling back down onto the trampoline in a curled-up ball. It was over. The Weeds had won the course. If Summer hadn’t been so angry and fallen behind, maybe she could have been the one to catapult Spring.
“We won!” Sleet shouted. He chest-bumped Twister while Quake jumped and hooted.
“Weeds are better than Sparkles!” Quake hollered.
“You only won by accident—you weren’t even trying!” Winter retorted.
“Still means we won,” Sleet taunted. “Right, Thunderbolt?” But Thunderbolt wasn’t listening. He had stormed off to the Barrens Castle with his hands in his pockets and a moody, glower
ing expression.
“What’s the matter with him?” Twister asked.
Sleet shrugged. “Probably needs to blow chunks after all that jumping,” he said. “We did eat a lot of chocolate worms for breakfast.”
“Gross,” said Winter with a glare, but that only made them tease the Sparkles more.
Summer felt her face getting hot and her throat starting to tighten. She didn’t want the Weeds to know how upset she was over a silly game. Autumn, Spring, and Winter huddled around her protectively, twining their arms so that Summer felt like she was in a safe little cove made of her Sparkle Sisters.
“It’s okay, Summer,” Winter said soothingly. “It’s two to one. There’s still a chance we’ll tie and then do a tiebreaker. A big chance, actually, since the race is in your kingdom. We’re bound to win that one!”
Summer tried to smile. Normally, she’d be so excited to sail in her kingdom on a sunny, calm day. She wished she could go back to this morning, when it was just her and Thunderbolt, sailing together and goofing off. But how could she wish to go back to this morning if her friendship with Thunderbolt had been nothing more than a lie? Summer bit her lip and bent her head into the crook of her arms. From a tight place in her chest, she felt the hot tears rising.
Chapter 9
After everyone had cleaned off the muck from the Barrens in the bubbly hot springs in Summer’s Sparkledom, they headed over to the dock. The beautiful sunny day did not reflect the Sparkles’ inner turmoil.
“Sure you’re okay to steer?” Winter asked, sitting down next to Summer in their new boat, Birdy. Autumn and Spring gazed at her from their side seats. Summer nodded and forced a smile. If she couldn’t make her Sparkledom reflect her mood, maybe she could make her mood reflect her Sparkledom.