Term-Time Trouble

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  To Susan and Chuck

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  Contents

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  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Imprint

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  Chapter One

  Drip! Drip!

  Twink Flutterby groaned to herself as she flew along behind her parents. The rain had been drumming down all day, and showed no signs of stopping. What an awful start to the new term!

  ‘Hold your umbrella higher!’ called Twink’s mother. ‘Your wings are getting wet.’

  ‘Everything is getting wet,’ grumbled Twink, adjusting her rose-petal umbrella. Beads of silvery rain formed on its edge, racing off it like pearls. Twink shook it grumpily. ‘I bet Glitterwings has floated away by now.’

  Her father laughed. ‘Oh, I think you’ll find it’s still there. Your school has seen worse rain than this in its time!’

  Twink’s spirits lifted as Glitterwings Academy came into view. The massive oak tree sat calmly on its hill, its rich green leaves shiny with rain. Hundreds of tiny gold windows spiralled up its trunk, and a grand double door sat at its base, looking bright and welcoming despite the dampness.

  For a change, though, there were no clusters of young fairies buzzing about the tree – it was far too wet for them! Instead, an oak-leaf pavilion had been set up on the front lawn for the returning students. Twink and her parents swooped inside it and landed thankfully on the dry grass. Everywhere Twink looked there were soggy fairies!

  ‘Aren’t you going to tell us how beautiful Glitterwings is in the summertime?’ Twink’s father teased her mother as the rain pattered loudly overhead. Twink’s mother had gone to Glitterwings herself as a young fairy, and tended to wax nostalgic whenever she saw the school again.

  She laughed. ‘Well, it is – but I do like it better in the sunshine!’ she admitted.

  Looking around, Twink caught sight of a thin fairy with light blue wings called Lola, standing with her mother. Lola was a second-year fairy like Twink, and the two of them had been in the same branch since Twink’s first term.

  Even so, Twink hesitated when she saw Lola. Nobody really liked the washed-out little fairy very much – she was the only friend of a perfectly horrid fairy called Mariella, and nobody in their right wings could like Mariella!

  ‘Isn’t that girl in your branch?’ said Twink’s mother, noticing her too.

  Twink nodded reluctantly. ‘Yes . . . but . . .’

  ‘Poor thing, she looks so sad!’ said Twink’s mother. ‘Why don’t you go and say hello to her while we register you with Miss Sparkle?’

  Lola, sad? The thought had never occurred to Twink, but looking at Lola now, she could see what her mother meant. Lola’s blonde hair looked damp and stringy, and her mouth was turned down in an unhappy grimace.

  ‘All right,’ said Twink doubtfully.

  ‘Good girl,’ said her dad. His expression told her that he understood her dilemma, and was proud of her for doing the right thing.

  Warmed by the thought, Twink smoothed back her pink hair and flitted through the crowd towards Lola. She slowed down as she drew near, becoming uncomfortably aware that an argument was taking place between Lola and her mother.

  ‘Mum, you’re not being fair!’ Lola beat her wings fretfully. ‘I’ve told you over and over –’

  ‘You’ll do as I say,’ said Lola’s mother, a large fairy with powerful-looking wings and a firm mouth. ‘I don’t want to discuss it again, and that’s that!’

  ‘But you’re not even listening!’ Lola looked close to tears. ‘I hate it, don’t you see? I gave it a chance like you said, but –’

  .

  .

  ‘Nonsense!’ boomed Lola’s mother. ‘Of course you don’t hate it. Now, have a good term, and write every week. And I expect much better reports from your teachers this term!’

  Lola stared down at the ground. ‘Yes, Mother,’ she mumbled.

  Twink watched as Lola’s mother flapped away, wondering what the argument had been about. Poor Lola! How awful to have a mother who bouldered right over you like that.

  She edged forward. ‘Hi, Lola.’

  Lola’s head jerked up. Hastily, she drew a hand over her eyes. ‘Oh. Hi.’

  Twink swallowed, not at all sure what to say. It wasn’t as if she and Lola ever spoke to each other! ‘Did you . . . um . . . have good hols?’

  ‘Yeah, glimmery,’ said Lola sourly. ‘How about you?’

  ‘Great.’ Twink’s voice sounded weak, even to her own ears. She had had great hols, but now didn’t seem the time to go into the details. She struggled to think of something else to say.

  ‘There you are, Lola – I’ve been looking everywhere for you!’ A fairy with silvery-green hair and pale green wings landed beside them and tucked her arm through Lola’s. She narrowed her eyes at Twink. ‘Hello.’

  .

  .

  ‘Hi, Mariella,’ said Twink wearily. She and Mariella had reached a truce of sorts last term, as they both played on the school’s Fledge team. Even so, she couldn’t truthfully say that she liked the pointy-faced fairy very much.

  The feeling was clearly mutual. Lifting her nose in the air, Mariella tugged at Lola’s arm. ‘Come on, Lo, let’s go and catch up. I hardly heard from you all hols!’

  Lola hesitated. ‘Yes, but I’ve just got here. I need to go to Peony Branch, and –’

  ‘I’ve already saved our old beds for us,’ said Mariella impatiently. ‘Come on.’

  She dragged Lola away through the crowd. Watching them go, it struck Twink that Lola hadn’t seemed very pleased to see Mariella.

  How strange – they’re supposed to be best friends! she thought in surprise. Maybe they’d had a row.

  Then she forgot all about Lola as a familiar voice called her name. Whirling about, Twink saw her own best friend, Bimi Bluebell, flying towards her. The two fairies embraced with shrieks of delight.

  ‘It’s so good to see you!’ cried Twink.

  ‘I know!’ Bimi’s pretty face was flushed with excitement.

  If Bimi weren’t so nice, Twink often thought she’d be too shy to even speak to her – for Bimi was easily the prettiest fairy in the school, with her dark blue hair and shimmering gold and silver wings. But Bimi was the best friend in the world, and not stuck-up in the least.

  ‘Guess what?’ Bimi fluttered her wings madly, almost lifting off the ground. ‘Mum was talking to Miss Shimmery, and it’s official – we’re going to have a term of Sparkle Art!’

  ‘Oh, hurrah!’ cried Twink. She had hoped for ages that the school would find a Sparkle Art teacher. Fairies loved anything that sparkled, and creating works of art that sparkled sounded like excellent fun!

  Just then Twink saw her mother waving at her from across the pavilion. She tugged Bimi’s hand. ‘Come on, let’s say goodbye to my parents before they leave.’

  The two friends flitted through the crowd arm in arm, giggling as they tried to avoid bumping into other fairies. Twink sighed happily. Rain or not, she could tell already that it was going to be a perfectly glimmery term!

  After her parents had left, Twink and Bimi took their bags and darted out into the rain, squealing as they shot through the open double doors at the base of the oak tree.

  The inside of Glitterwings Ac
ademy was a high, golden tower that stretched up as far as the eye could see, with branches shooting off in all directions. Fairies darted in and out of the branches, laughing and calling to each other. Twink smiled. Oh, it was glimmery to be back! No matter how many terms she’d spent at Glitterwings, it still looked magical to her.

  ‘You’re such a slow-worm!’ laughed Bimi, nudging her with her wing. ‘Hurry, let’s get to Peony Branch – we want the same beds as last term, don’t we?’

  The two fairies leapt into the air. Spiralling quickly up the trunk, they passed dozens of sleeping branches, along with empty classrooms filled with red and white spotted mushroom seats. Finally, near the top of the tree, they came to a branch with an upside-down peony hanging over it.

  ‘Good old Peony Branch!’ said Twink, pushing open the door.

  A curving branch lined with soft mossy beds met her eyes. Over each bed hung a sweet-smelling peony, and cosy bark cabinets were tucked away here and there. Normally sunshine spilled into the branch, but today there were only grey, streaky shadows as the rain pattered down the arched windows.

  Twink’s face fell. Her old bed had already been taken! An unfamiliar fairy with spiky green hair sat on it, reading a petal mag.

  ‘Who’s that?’ whispered Bimi.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Twink murmured back. They had been with the same group of fairies since they started school – were they to have a new girl now?

  .

  .

  A clever red-haired fairy called Pix flitted over to them. ‘We tried to save your usual beds for you two,’ she said, ‘but she wouldn’t move!’ She gave the fairy with green hair a hard stare. The fairy flipped a page of her petal mag without even glancing up.

  Twink and Bimi looked at each other in disappointment. They had loved those two beds on the end last term – it was lovely and private off to the side, plus there was an extra cupboard.

  Finally Twink shrugged. ‘Well . . . she got here first, I suppose.’

  Bimi nodded with a sigh. ‘We can take those two beds in the middle.’

  ‘It’s funny that she wouldn’t move, isn’t it?’ whispered Twink as they started to unpack. She knew that if she’d been a fairy in a new school, she’d have wanted the other fairies to like her. Refusing to give up her bed to girls who had been there for ages wasn’t a good way to go about it.

  Overhearing her, a yellow-haired fairy called Zena flitted over. ‘She’s called Jax, and she’s awful,’ she hissed, flapping her orange wings. ‘I don’t know what we’ve done wrong to get saddled with her. When we already have Mariella and Lola, too!’

  ‘What’s so awful about her?’ whispered Bimi, her blue eyes wide.

  Zena made a face. ‘Just try talking to her. Everything about Glitterwings is rubbish, according to her!’

  Twink peered over her shoulder at Jax. The green-haired fairy sat scowling at her petal mag. Everything about her said Keep away – I’m not interested!

  Should Twink say something to her? She bit her lip, unsure whether to bother if she was going to be rebuffed. Before she could decide, a fairy with lavender hair and pink wings burst into the branch.

  ‘Hello, everybody!’ she called, dropping her oak-leaf bag on the floor. Sweeping her long hair back with both hands, she wrung it out dramatically. ‘Ugh! This awful rain!’

  Sooze! Twink looked up with an expectant grin as the other fairies chorused hellos. Sili, an excitable fairy with silver hair, caught Sooze up in a tight hug.

  ‘Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!’ she cried. ‘It’s been so boring without you!’

  Sooze laughed. ‘Already? The new term’s hardly started.’ She threw herself on to the last unoccupied mossy bed, bouncing up and down. ‘Hello, Opposite!’ she called across to Twink.

  Twink smiled at the nickname. She had pink hair and lavender wings – the exact opposite of Sooze. ‘Hi, Sooze!’ she called back. ‘Did you have good hols?’

  Sooze nodded. ‘Brilliant! And guess what?’ She glanced around impishly at the others. ‘I’ve already had a super-glimmery idea about how we can liven things up around here!’

  Sili squealed and clasped her hands together. ‘Ooh, have you? Tell us!’

  Sooze stopped bouncing and lowered her voice. ‘Well, you know Rona, that purple-haired fairy in Jasmine Branch?’ The others nodded. Jasmine Branch was a third-year branch, and Rona a fairy who thought she was a bit superior to everyone else.

  ‘Well, I accidentally crashed into her on my way in, and she got her wings in a twist over it – silly flea, it’s not like I did it on purpose! Then she and some of her Jasmine friends started going on. They said that Peony Branch is the worst branch in the school, and that we’re all a bunch of clumsy wasp brains!’

  The fairies exchanged indignant glances. How dare they! thought Twink. Peony Branch was perfectly glimmery. Everyone knew that!

  ‘Well, of course I told them what I thought of Jasmine Branch after that!’ Sooze grinned. ‘But I reckon we still need to get back at them properly. And I know just the way to do it!’

  .

  .

  ‘A prank, you mean?’ asked Sili eagerly as the fairies drew closer.

  ‘Of course!’ Sooze shot Twink a look, her violet eyes sparkling. ‘Will you help me, Opposite? I couldn’t do it without you!’

  A tingle of excitement swept through Twink. She knew Bimi wouldn’t approve – her best friend thought Sooze was unreliable, and deep down, Twink knew she had a point. But how could she possibly refuse? It sounded too glimmery for words!

  ‘Yes, I’ll help!’ she decided, not meeting Bimi’s eyes.

  ‘Hurrah!’ cried Sooze, shooting up into the air. ‘We’ll start planning right away – hang on, who’s Miss Cheerful over there?’ she demanded suddenly, catching sight of Jax.

  Jax threw her petal mag down. ‘I suppose you mean me,’ she snapped. ‘I’m called Jax – not that it’s any of your business!’

  Pix shook her head with a groan. ‘Yes, and she seems to always be this charming. Don’t fairies bother to be polite where you come from, Jax?’

  ‘Why should I be polite?’ demanded Jax furiously. ‘I didn’t ask to be sent to this rubbish school. It’s just like all the rest – awful! So if you don’t like the way I act, then don’t talk to me!’ She snatched up her petal mag again and buried herself in its pages.

  ‘Well, lucky us,’ said Sooze after a pause. ‘I reckon we should do as Jax suggests, and leave her alone!’

  The Great Branch was the largest branch in the school. Dozens of mossy tables were lined up and down its polished wooden floor, with a large, colourful flower hanging over each one for the different branches.

  Twink and her friends sat at the Peony Branch table, watching as the rest of the school flitted in. Sooze caught Twink’s eye as Jasmine Branch arrived. ‘Ha!’ she whispered. ‘Look at them – the smug things!’

  Twink had to agree that the Jasmine fairies looked rather smug. Rona and her friends had obviously spread the word. One of the Jasmine fairies smirked when she caught sight of Sooze, and mimed clumsy flying. The others giggled.

  ‘Watch out!’ called Rona over the noise of the Great Branch. ‘We’re only four tables away from Peony Branch – they might all crash into us on their way out. They haven’t quite got the hang of flying yet, you know.’

  Oh! Twink grimaced as the Jasmine fairies snorted with laughter. Sooze rolled her eyes. ‘They won’t be laughing long,’ she whispered to the rest of the table. ‘Just wait and see!’

  Sili’s large eyes grew even larger. ‘What are you going to do to them, Sooze?’

  Sooze shook her head. ‘Sorry, but that’s top secret – strictly between me and my Opposite.’ She gave Twink a broad wink.

  Twink tried to look as cool as Sooze, but her insides felt fizzy with excitement. Ther
e was something so thrilling about being Sooze’s friend! Bimi, sitting next to her, said nothing, and Twink felt a pinch of guilt that she was being left out. She squeezed her best friend’s hand, and Bimi gave her a small smile.

  A hush fell over the Great Branch. Miss Shimmery, the HeadFairy, lifted into the air from the raised platform at the front, her rainbow wings gleaming like prisms. The students turned and faced her expectantly.

  ‘Welcome, all of you, to a new summer term at Glitterwings,’ said Miss Shimmery in her low, strong voice. ‘Though it’s rather a damp one so far, I’m afraid!’

  The Branch laughed.

  .

  .

  Twink settled on to her mushroom as the HeadFairy put on her sparkle specs and made the usual announcements – no fast flying in the school, uniforms required from tomorrow, and a special welcome to all new girls.

  Miss Shimmery’s white hair shone like a cloud as she smiled down at the Peony Branch table. ‘Welcome to Glitterwings Academy, Jax. I know that your branchmates will do everything they can to make you feel at home.’

  Jax slumped down on her mushroom, looking crosser than ever. Twink sighed. They’d have a hard time making her feel at home – unless Jax was as awful to her family as she was to everyone else!

  ‘One final announcement.’ Looking out at the school again, Miss Shimmery adjusted her sparkle specs firmly. ‘I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that I expect my students to be well behaved at all times. Any rule-breaking this term will be looked upon very sternly indeed – so please, save your energy for your schoolwork.’

  Her gaze fell lightly on the Jasmine Branch table, and then moved to the Peony fairies for a moment before scanning the rest of the school. Twink gulped. It was as though Miss Shimmery had read their minds!

  ‘Now then, I think it’s time for a well-deserved meal.’ Miss Shimmery clapped her hands as she drifted gracefully to the ground. ‘Butterflies commence!’

  A river of brightly coloured butterflies floated into the branch, carrying oak-leaf platters piled high with seed cakes and nectar. A butterfly with yellow wings served the Peony Branch table, its antennae waving gently.