Flying High Read online

  Twink nodded enthusiastically. ‘It’s beautiful.’

  Mrs Hover dug into a small pouch at her hip and shook a pinch of pink and gold fairy dust on to the flower. Instantly, it formed itself into a dress Twink’s size.

  ‘Oh!’ gasped Twink, and Mrs Hover laughed.

  ‘No time to make them by hand here, with so many fairies to clothe. So we use a bit of fairy dust magic to help us along. And why not, I say? Here you go, love, put it on.’

  Mrs Hover produced a woven sash of soft green grass and a jaunty cap made from an oak leaf, and a moment later Twink felt like she had been a Glitterwings girl all her life.

  Sooze, similarly clothed, spun in front of her, lavender hair flying. ‘Look at us!’ she cried. ‘Aren’t we something!’

  Mariella made a face as she peered into the small mirror that hung on the wall. ‘Oak-leaf caps!’ she groaned. ‘Don’t they have any taste at all here? At home I only wore caps made of –’

  ‘Hey, I’ve got a glimmery idea!’ interrupted Sooze. ‘Why don’t you go back home, and stay there!’

  ‘You shouldn’t talk to Mariella like that,’ squeaked a thin little fairy called Lola. She had limp blonde hair and pale blue wings. Already she and Mariella seemed to have banded together, sneering at the school and all its occupants.

  ‘Why not?’ said Sooze, taking a step forward. ‘She asks for it!’

  Lola paled slightly, backing up.

  ‘Come on,’ said Mariella. ‘No use wasting our time on her.’ She and Lola linked arms and turned away with a sniff, fluttering their wings grandly.

  ‘Now, now, enough of that,’ said Mrs Hover, bustling over to them. ‘Don’t you girls want to see your timetables? Here you go – soon you’ll be kept so busy that you won’t have time to squabble!’

  Twink eagerly took the rose-petal timetable Mrs Hover handed her. TWINK FLUTTERBY, it said in official silver letters, with the times of all her classes laid out below. Flight – Skills and Techniques. Flower Power for Beginners. Introduction to Creature Kindness. Dance for Beginners. Theory of Fairy Dust. Twink’s eyes shone. It all sounded so exciting!

  She nudged Sooze with her wing. ‘We’ve got Flower Power tomorrow! I can hardly wait – we get to heal injured flowers, and all sorts!’

  ‘Dance, that’s what I’m looking forward to,’ said Sooze. ‘All those magical moves!’ She peered over Twink’s shoulder and gave a little bounce. ‘Look, we’ve got all our classes together! Glimmery!’

  ‘All of Daffodil Branch is together,’ put in Pix. ‘But look, for some classes, like Flight, it’s all of the first year.’

  Twink’s excitement faded a bit as she glanced over at Mariella and Lola. It was bad enough living with those two, without having to take every single class with them!

  Never mind, at least she was with Sooze. She rolled her timetable up carefully, and put it in her rose-petal schoolbag.

  Meanwhile, Mrs Hover had gone back to the dresses. She fussed over Bimi, holding up flower after flower in front of her, cooing happily. ‘The yellow one? Ooh, that looks so striking with your lovely hair and wings . . . but then the white one with yellow trim would suit you so well, too . . .’

  Bimi stood stiffly, her jaw set. Twink thought she looked even crosser than she had the night before. ‘I don’t care,’ she said shortly. ‘Any of them will do.’

  Finally Mrs Hover chose a dress that satisfied her, and the girls gathered in the doorway to ride the birds down to breakfast. Twink bit her lip nervously as she watched the tits circle. Just one more time, she told herself. Then I’ll be able to fly on my own!

  To take her mind off the birds, Twink decided to try again with Bimi. ‘You look really nice,’ she whispered. Mrs Hover had decided on the yellow and white dress, and it did look stunning on the blue-haired girl.

  Bimi shrugged and turned away, scowling. Twink sighed. That was what she got for trying to be friendly.

  Sooze let out a whoop as she climbed on her bird. ‘No more birds for us after this morning!’ she cried.

  ‘Hurrah!’ said a few of the other girls.

  Twink climbed gingerly into a red saddle, trying to smile like the others. Yes, and I can hardly wait! she thought.

  After breakfast, the First Years gathered for their Flight lesson on the front lawn of Glitterwings, with the great tree rising up behind them.

  ‘Now then,’ said Mrs Lightwing, zipping to and fro in front of the long line of fairies. ‘The thing to remember about flying is that it’s all about instinct. Instinct!’

  Twink looked quickly around her, frowning. No one else seemed confused. But her father had always told her not to be embarrassed about asking questions, so she raised her hand.

  ‘Yes?’ said Mrs Lightwing, hovering in front of her.

  ‘What does instinct mean?’ asked Twink.

  Mrs Lightwing opened her mouth, but before she could answer a voice hissed, ‘Fancy not knowing that!’

  Mariella! Twink felt her cheeks colour. Beside her, Sooze made a face and rolled her eyes.

  Mrs Lightwing glared at Mariella and flew quickly over to her. ‘What does it mean, then?’ she barked. ‘Speak loudly, so we can all hear!’

  Mariella smirked, brushing silvery-green hair out of her eyes. ‘It means talent. Flying’s all about having talent, and I know I’m going to have lots of it, because –’

  ‘Incorrect!’ boomed Mrs Lightwing, her wings fluttering so hard that she shot up several centimetres in the air. ‘It’s not about talent at all, you silly girl!’

  Mariella coloured up, scowling, as the other fairies snickered.

  ‘Instinct is doing something without thinking about it,’ Mrs Lightwing went on. ‘Fairies are meant to fly, and you’ll all fly beautifully if you just relax and let your wings do the thinking for you!’

  ‘Why do we need flying lessons, then?’ asked Sooze.

  Mrs Lightwing almost smiled. ‘Because you need to learn certain skills to get the most out of your wingwork. Watch!’

  With that, she shot straight up in the air. As the girls watched, open-mouthed, she did a series of loop-the-loops over their heads, turning and twisting in a sparkling blur. A few barrel rolls and back flips later, and she dived straight down at the line of girls, pulling out at the last moment to land neatly in front of them.

  The First Years burst into applause. Mrs Lightwing smoothed her sky-blue hair, trying to hide her smile.

  ‘You get the idea,’ she said sternly. ‘Now then – let’s get the fairy dust out and get you girls flying!’

  ‘About time!’ whispered Sooze. She and Twink smiled at each other and clutched hands.

  Mrs Lightwing and an assistant – a serious-looking girl from one of the upper years – made their way down the long line of girls. As each fairy closed her eyes, there was a sudden sparkling of gold and pink in the air, and then squeals of delight.

  ‘Stay on the ground, please!’ ordered Mrs Lightwing. ‘No flying just yet!’

  Finally it was Twink’s turn. She held her breath as Mrs Lightwing’s assistant carefully measured out the fairy dust in a ladybird shell. The dust twinkled and shimmered.

  ‘Eyes closed,’ said Mrs Lightwing, taking the shell.

  Twink screwed her eyes shut, holding her breath. There was a singing sound, like tiny silvery chimes – and then the most wonderful, laughing sensation burst through her wings!

  ‘Oh!’ she cried, her eyes flying open. ‘I can feel it!’

  ‘Stay on the ground,’ Mrs Lightwing repeated firmly.

  Once all the girls had been dusted, Mrs Lightwing flew in front of them, gazing up and down the long line of excited fairies.

  ‘Right!’ she said. ‘We’re going to learn the basics this morning, so we can get you girls flying to your classes and branches. When I give the sign
al, I want you to all slowly rise up in the air until I say stop. Ready?’

  Yes! thought Twink. Her wings trembled in anticipation.

  ‘Rise!’ cried Mrs Lightwing.

  Twink’s wings beat wildly and, before she knew it, she had shot up several feet in the air. ‘Eek!’ she screamed as the ground grew smaller beneath her. The world swung crazily, and she screamed again. This was worse than being on a bird!

  ‘Slowly!’ said Mrs Lightwing, appearing beside her. ‘Deep, controlled wing strokes!’

  ‘I can’t!’ yelled Twink. Her wings had a life of their own, flapping and fluttering. She looked down again and saw the class, back on the lawn, gaping up at her. Their faces were as tiny as poppy seeds. A coldness swept over Twink. Oh, wasps! She was up in the air, with nothing but her wings to support her!

  All at once her wings froze. The world went black, and Twink plummeted towards the ground.

  When she came to, she was lying on the grass with Mrs Lightwing leaning over her, frowning and gently slapping her hands.

  ‘Great Mab, girl,’ she said when she saw Twink’s eyes open. ‘I’ve never seen a fairy do that in all my years of teaching! I had to do some fancy flying to catch you before you hit the ground, I can tell you that!’

  She helped Twink stand up. Embarrassment blazed through her when she saw that the entire first-year class stood staring at her.

  ‘What did I say about talent?’ Twink heard Mariella whisper to Lola. The two of them tittered. Twink’s ears burned.

  ‘Come on, then, have another go,’ said Mrs Lightwing.

  Twink’s stomach turned. ‘Now?’ she gasped.

  ‘Of course now!’ snapped the teacher. ‘Can’t let you get wing fright, can we? Straight up in the air again, that’s the thing! Get back in line; we’ll all have another go.’

  Shakily, Twink rejoined the other girls. Sooze leaned towards her and whispered, ‘You went higher than anyone! What did you get so scared for? It looked great!’

  Twink remembered the icy feeling that had gripped her wings, and swallowed hard. Mrs Lightwing wasn’t really going to make her do this again, was she?

  But she was. ‘Rise!’ she shouted, hovering with her hands on her hips.

  Slowly, thought Twink fervently. SLOWLY! Clenching her fists, she concentrated on moving her wings just a little bit at a time. A few seconds later, she realised that she was the only fairy still on the ground.

  Mrs Lightwing sighed. ‘Stop and hover, everyone,’ she called.

  The rest of the First Years fluttered in the air, peering down at her. Twink stood by herself, slowly opening and closing her wings. Her cheeks were on fire.

  Mrs Lightwing landed in front of Twink, regarding her carefully. ‘You’re thinking too much, my girl,’ she said. ‘Relax! Let your wings do the work for you!’

  Twink gulped. She had never felt less relaxed in her life.

  ‘Come on, now, try again,’ said Mrs Lightwing. ‘When I say rise, you –’

  WHOOSH! Twink’s wings took off of their own accord, zooming her straight up in the air. A few of the hovering fairies screamed and darted out of her way.

  ‘Aagh!’ shrieked Twink, swooping wildly about. ‘Help, I can’t stop!’ She shot towards Glitterwings. The great tree seemed to spin in front of her, branches flailing.

  ‘Slow down!’ bawled Mrs Lightwing behind her. ‘STEER!’

  Twink clapped her hands over her eyes, expecting at any moment to crash into the school. Icy terror swept over her. All at once her wings froze again. A moment later, she was falling towards the ground.

  This time when she came to, Mrs Lightwing looked shaken. Her sky-blue hair hung in messy strands about her face.

  ‘I barely caught you that time!’ she gasped. ‘I think you’ve had enough flying for today.’

  Twink struggled to sit up. ‘But I need to learn how to fly like the others!’ she cried. She fought to hold back tears.

  ‘Not today,’ said Mrs Lightwing firmly, tucking her hair back into place. ‘You just sit there and rest while I go on with the lesson. We’ll get you flying tomorrow.’ Twink saw a worried look flicker across her teacher’s face. ‘Or . . . well, as soon as we can, anyway.’

  As the other fairies got back into line, Sooze skimmed quickly over to Twink. ‘Don’t worry, Opposite, you’ll get it soon!’ she said. ‘I bet you’ll be better than any of us!’

  She flew off again, her pink wings glinting in the sunlight. She already looked like a natural, thought Twink sadly. Everyone did, except for her.

  ‘Ready, and . . . rise!’ called Mrs Lightwing.

  Her heart heavy, Twink sat in the grass and watched the rest of the First Years learn to bank, turn and land. Mrs Lightwing encouraged them to fly a little higher with each exercise, so that by the end of the lesson, the girls were dipping and twirling high over Twink’s head.

  She could hear Sooze laughing, chatting with some of the other fairies as they buzzed about. Mariella flew with her nose stuck in the air, executing very grand banks and turns. With one of them, she and Lola dived straight past Twink, who had to duck to avoid being hit.

  ‘Oh, sorry!’ said Mariella loudly. ‘We didn’t see you sitting there.’

  ‘Yeah, sorry,’ echoed Lola with a smirk. The two fairies snickered as they flew away.

  Twink flushed, glaring after them. Never mind, she thought, leaning against a dandelion stalk and hugging her knees. I’ll learn how to fly tomorrow. Her lavender wings opened and shut in the sunlight, as though promising to behave.

  But at the thought of flying again, something inside Twink shivered. What if . . . what if she never learned how? She’d be the only fairy in the school still riding a bird!

  Twink swallowed hard. No, she thought fiercely. I’ll get it tomorrow. I will!

  .

  Chapter Three

  But Twink didn’t learn to fly the next day, or even the day after that. A week went by, and Twink was the only fairy at Glitterwings Academy who remained land-locked. A dozen times a day, the great hollow trunk was filled with a rainbow of flying fairies, darting and swooping their way to class – and one red-cheeked fairy clinging to a bird.

  The other fairies tried to pretend they didn’t notice Twink, but they whispered about her once she passed. ‘There must be something wrong with her,’ Twink heard a green-haired Fourth Year hiss to a friend. ‘Do you think they’ll even let her stay at school?’

  Twink’s pointed ears burned as she blinked back tears.

  ‘Don’t mind her,’ said Sooze, flying by her side. ‘If they’ll let an idiot like her stay, I’m sure they’ll let you!’

  This wasn’t exactly comforting, and Twink felt very glum as she flew with the rest of Daffodil Branch to a Dance lesson. Dance classes were held outside, in a fairy ring of mushrooms that grew near the wood.

  ‘Quickly, quickly!’ called Madame Brightfoot, clapping her hands and hovering above the ground. ‘We have much to do today!’

  Twink slid off her bird’s back and patted his wing. The bird squad had all been sent home, except for this one bright-eyed tit called Sunny. And even though Twink’s heart still leapt in her throat whenever she left the ground, she and Sunny had become great friends. It wasn’t his fault that everyone was whispering about her.

  ‘My favourite class!’ grinned Sooze as she landed lightly beside Twink. She leaned close, her violet eyes sparkling. ‘And I’ve got a surprise for Madame, wait and see!’

  Twink’s spirits lifted. Sooze had a voracious appetite for tricks and pranks. Just the day before, she had swapped Mrs Hover’s bag of fairy dust for one of ordinary dust, and then innocently pointed out that her daffodil dress needed mending.

  ‘Well, I never!’ a red-faced Mrs Hover had exclaimed as she sprinkled more and more dust on the stubborn tear. ‘Wha
tever’s wrong with the stuff?’ Twink and the others had had to bite their lips to keep from exploding with laughter.

  Now Twink formed a circle with the rest of Daffodil Branch, with Madame Brightfoot in the centre. Madame had dramatic red wings, and wore shimmering cobweb dresses with tiny sparkling stones on them.

  ‘Join hands and spread your wings!’ she cried. Her bright purple hair was piled atop her head, with wispy bits falling down here and there.

  The fairies joined hands, wings touching. From above, they looked like a many-petalled flower.

  ‘Now,’ said Madame, patting her hair. ‘All fairies love to dance, but not all dances are just for fun. Some dances are magical, and this dance I’m about to teach you is a very important one. If you do it correctly, you shall be able to hear what the wood is thinking!’

  Excitement rippled through the group. The fairies looked at each other, eyes shining.

  Mariella tossed her head. ‘I’m sure I’ve done this before,’ she said. ‘My old school was very advanced. We used to hear what the wood was thinking all the time.’

  I bet it was wishing that you’d go away, thought Twink.

  ‘Three steps to the right!’ called Madame, throwing her arms wide and fluttering in the air. ‘Dip and turn, close your wings and open them!’

  The fairies began to dance, carefully following Madame’s instructions. Twink murmured the steps to herself as Madame called them out. ‘Two steps left . . . twirl in place . . .’

  It was such a lovely dance! And suddenly Twink saw that magic was beginning to gather around them, like sparkling flakes of sunshine. She caught her breath in delight.

  ‘Now you all fly up together, one-two-three wing beats, and join hands in the air!’ cried Madame.

  Oh, no! Twink’s heart fell into her pixie boots. The rest of the circle took to the air like butterflies, leaving her red-faced on the ground. The flakes of sunshine vanished with little popping sounds as the spell broke.