Midnight Feast Read online

  All right, a present was good . . . but she wanted to do something really special for Twink, too. Bimi frowned, staring up at the moonlit ceiling. A party? Yes, but not just any party. It had to be super-glimmery, so that Twink would forget that her family was at Gran’s without her.

  But all Bimi could think of was having a party in the Common Branch. Boring! Oh, why aren’t I clever like Pix, she thought in despair. I want to surprise Twink somehow!

  She gasped suddenly. Of course, that was it – they’d throw a surprise party for Twink! Even better, they could have a midnight feast. What a glimmery idea! Even the Common Branch would seem special and exciting at midnight.

  Miss Shimmery’s warning floated into Bimi’s mind, and she frowned worriedly. Secret midnight feasts probably weren’t what the HeadFairy had in mind when she had told them all to work hard and settle down!

  I’ll need help planning it so that we don’t get caught, thought Bimi. She’d get Pix on her own tomorrow, and see if the clever fairy had any ideas. Bimi had hardly ever broken a rule in her life . . . but this was important. A midnight feast might be the only thing that would cheer up her friend.

  Bimi smiled as she drifted off to sleep, imagining the look of delight on Twink’s face when she found out. Her best friend was going to have the most glimmery birthday party ever!

  ‘Chirp-chirp! Chirp-chirp!’

  Twink’s eyes flickered open as Bimi’s cricket clock went off. Drowsily, she sat up and watched Bimi pat the creature on the head. He fell silent.

  ‘Thanks, cricket,’ said Bimi.

  ‘He works!’ said Twink.

  Bimi grinned. ‘Well, of course he works. Isn’t he great?’ She jumped out of bed. Humming to herself, she picked up her thistle comb and brushed her dark blue hair.

  Twink’s eyes widened. Bimi was never in such a cheerful mood so early in the day, but she seemed very pleased with herself this morning.

  .

  .

  Before she could ask Bimi what she was so happy about, Mrs Hover bustled into the branch, her arms full of yellow and white daffodils. ‘Wake up, sleepyheads! Rise and shine, my loves!’

  Our new uniforms! thought Twink, bouncing out of bed herself.

  In no time at all, Mrs Hover had fitted them with their new school dresses – a pinch of pink and gold fairy dust from the pouch at her hip, and the flowers instantly became dresses in each girl’s size. Glimmery! Twink twirled in her new white flower-dress, admiring its yellow trim.

  ‘When can we make our dresses ourselves?’ called Sooze from across the branch. She adjusted her oak-leaf cap at a rakish angle.

  Tutting loudly, Mrs Hover padded across and tugged her cap firmly straight. ‘Not until fifth year. You have to have a good few years of Fairy Dust class before you can transform things properly!’

  ‘Do the upper years all make theirs?’ asked Pix. Her daffodil dress was bright yellow, to match her yellow wings.

  Mrs Hover nodded grimly. ‘Yes, and I have to watch them like a cat. They’d fair make your wings curl, the things they try to get away with with those dresses! Now, who wants a timetable?’

  Twink crowded around with the others as Mrs Hover passed out the rose-petal timetables with their names written on them. ‘Look, we do start Creature Kindness this term,’ she said, nudging Bimi with her wing. ‘I can hardly wait!’

  ‘Oh, not Double Flight first thing!’ moaned Mariella, scowling down at her petal. ‘Doesn’t Mrs Lightwing think we know how to fly yet?’ She stopped, smirking at Twink. ‘Of course, some of us who were slow starters may not have quite mastered it . . .’

  She poked her friend Lola, a thin, pale fairy with washed-out blue wings. The two of them snickered as Twink’s face reddened.

  Bimi glared at Mariella. ‘Just remind me, who won the award for best flier last term?’ she asked pointedly.

  Mariella’s face darkened as the rest of the Branch laughed. She had been furious when Twink, and not herself, had won the award. Twink gave Bimi a grateful grin.

  ‘Now now, none of that!’ said Mrs Hover briskly, shepherding them towards the ledge. ‘Come on, everyone – time for breakfast.’

  ‘Right!’ said Mrs Lightwing, hovering above the First Years. Her sky-blue hair was pulled back into a stern bun. ‘We’re going to work on barrel rolls today. I’m tired of seeing sloppy wingwork when you come out of the roll.’

  Twink listened carefully. She knew that most of the other First Years were impatient with Flight class by now, but she herself had only learned to fly at the end of last term. Finally, she’d get to have some fun in this class!

  Mrs Lightwing flitted back and forth in front of the long line of fairies. ‘Barrel rolls aren’t just done for a laugh, you know! They can be a vital manoeuvre for getting out of a tight spot.’ On the other side of the flying field, Glitterwings rose up towards the sky, its windows glinting in the sunshine.

  ‘Now, let’s do some practice.’ Mrs Lightwing tapped her wings together. ‘Twink, you and Pix fly together this term. Everyone else, please get in the same teams as last term.’

  Oh, no! Twink glanced quickly at Bimi. Her best friend looked like she had just been drenched with freezing rain.

  ‘But, Miss –’ started Bimi. She stopped abruptly, her face colouring up.

  Mrs Lightwing swept over to her, hovering a few inches above the flying field. ‘Yes?’ she barked.

  Bimi looked at Twink, who nodded encouragement at her. Go on! she thought fervently.

  ‘Please, Miss, could I be in a different group?’ burst out Bimi.

  Mrs Lightwing frowned. ‘And what’s wrong with the group you have?’ she demanded.

  Twink saw Mariella watching Bimi with narrowed eyes, and shuddered. Poor Bimi! It was bad enough that she had had to fly on Mariella’s team all last term. Surely Mrs Lightwing wouldn’t make her do it again!

  Bimi took a deep breath and straightened her wings. ‘I don’t want to fly with Mariella,’ she said.

  The Flight mistress raised a sky-blue eyebrow. ‘Oh? And why not?’

  Bimi’s face was on fire. ‘I – I don’t like her,’ she said.

  A snicker ran through the class. Even Lola gave a hysterical giggle, and Twink saw Mariella’s face turn purple with anger. ‘You just wait!’ she hissed at Bimi under her breath.

  Mrs Lightwing looked sharply at her. ‘Wait for what, Mariella?’

  Mariella’s scowl deepened. ‘Nothing, Miss,’ she said sulkily.

  ‘Hmm.’ Mrs Lightwing tapped her wings together. ‘All right, Bimi, you can fly with Twink and Pix instead. Mariella, you and Lola can fly alone – until you become more pleasant and others want to be around you!’

  As Mariella seethed, Twink and Bimi exchanged an excited look and squeezed hands. Oh, hurrah! thought Twink. They’d get to fly together – how perfectly glimmery!

  Mrs Lightwing blew her reed whistle. ‘All right, now, teams in the air. We’ll start with a series of six rolls. And remember – tight wingwork, everyone!’

  The fairies took off in a flurry, causing a group of nearby midges to dart away in alarm. As Twink, Pix and Bimi searched for an empty space of sky to practise in, Mariella darted up, with Lola hovering close behind.

  ‘How dare you show me up in front of the whole year, Bimi?’ Mariella’s voice trembled with rage. ‘You won’t get away with it! I’ll –’

  ‘Oh, buzz off!’ snapped Pix. ‘It’s not Bimi’s fault you’re so awful. Everyone in the whole year knows it!’

  Mariella clenched her fists as if she might explode. She zoomed off abruptly, glaring at Bimi over her shoulder.

  Bimi swallowed hard, looking shaken. ‘I think she really hates me now! But I couldn’t fly with her again, I just couldn’t!’

  ‘Of course not!’ Twink flew close to Bimi and rubbed
her wing against hers. ‘Don’t worry about Mariella. She’s just a wasp brain.’

  The girls started on their barrel rolls, first getting up a good head of speed and then tucking their wings in as they twisted in the air. Twink grinned, her pink hair whipping about her face. Barrel rolls were good fun, no matter what Mrs Lightwing said!

  As they came out of their last roll, she glanced over at Mariella and shook her head. She had never seen Mariella quite so angry before. Bimi would probably do well to avoid her for a while!

  Bimi had been trying all morning for a chance to talk to Pix alone, with no luck. Then, after Flight class, Twink solved the problem for her.

  ‘Oh, look, there’s Sili!’ she cried as they drew near the school. ‘I’ll be right back – I just want to ask her about her hols.’ She skimmed away in a bright blur of pink and lavender.

  ‘Pix, I need to talk to you,’ said Bimi urgently once Twink was gone.

  Pix glanced at her in surprise. ‘All right! What’s up?’

  Quickly, Bimi explained about Twink’s birthday, and her idea for a midnight feast. ‘But it needs to be really special! And of course we don’t want Mariella and Lola to come, so we’ll have to keep it a secret from them, somehow.’

  .

  .

  Pix’s eyes were shining. ‘A midnight feast, what a glimmery idea! But you’re right, those two can never know about it. They’d be sure to go straight to Mrs Lightwing to get us into trouble, and you know what Miss Shimmery said.’

  Bimi gulped. Stupidly, it hadn’t occurred to her that Mariella and Lola might tell on them, but of course Pix was right. Mariella would love to get them all into trouble if she could. Especially her, after this morning!

  She peered over her shoulder. Mariella and Lola were flying some way behind the others, whispering behind their hands to each other.

  ‘Maybe it’s too risky,’ said Bimi doubtfully. ‘Should we just have an ordinary party at break time?’

  Pix shook her head. ‘No, we should have a midnight feast for Twink – it’s perfect! We won’t get caught if we plan it right.’

  They flew through the great double doors. ‘What about Sooze?’ said Pix suddenly. ‘I know she’s not your favourite fairy, but you should ask her to help you plan, too – she’s sure to have loads of great ideas!’

  Bimi made a face, but she knew Pix was right. Sooze was wonderful at this sort of thing. With her help, Twink’s party would really be something to remember.

  ‘All right,’ she said. ‘Let’s make some sort of excuse to Twink at break, and the three of us can talk about it then.’

  ‘A midnight feast? Oh, that’s perfect!’ cried Sooze. ‘It’s just what we need to liven things up around here!’

  The three girls were sitting on mushroom seats in the Glitterwings library – a high ceilinged, narrow room with hundreds of petal-leaf books lining its walls. Overhead, fairies flitted about the shelves like bumblebees, their wings buzzing.

  Honestly, thought Bimi. It was just like Sooze to care more about livening things up than cheering up their friend!

  ‘Yes, we’re having it in the Common Branch on Friday night.’ Bimi tried not to let her irritation show. ‘So I just wondered if you had any ideas about –’ She stopped. Sooze was shaking her lavender head firmly.

  ‘Not the Common Branch!’ she said. ‘It’s too boring! You know where we should have it?’ Sooze leaned forward, her eyes sparkling.

  ‘Where?’ asked Pix.

  ‘In the Dingly Dell!’ said Sooze triumphantly. ‘It’s this little dell not far from the school – my sister Winn told me all about it. It’s supposed to be so glimmery. There’s a stream, and carpets of flowers, and slides made from reeds – it’s a real fairy fun-spot!’

  .

  .

  Bimi and Pix looked at each other. ‘Leave the school?’ said Bimi slowly. ‘Sooze, I don’t know – it seems risky enough just having a party at all.’

  Sooze flapped a wing at her. ‘Oh, don’t be such a wet leaf! It’s easy, Winn has done it loads of times. You want to have a really special party for Twink, don’t you?’

  Bimi’s mouth tightened. ‘Of course, but –’

  ‘Sooze, are you sure it would be safe?’ interrupted Pix. ‘How would we do it? Don’t they lock the doors at night?’

  Sooze laughed. ‘Who needs doors? We can fly, can’t we? We’ll just go out of one of the windows! The only thing is, they don’t open from the outside, so someone will need to stay behind to let us back in again. Or else two fairies could take turns, so they each get to go to half the party.’

  Bimi bit her lip. Her simple little party suddenly seemed to have become very complex and dangerous!

  But Pix didn’t seem to think so. She nodded thoughtfully. ‘You know, we’re actually less likely to get caught if we’re not in the school. I think that could really work, Sooze!’

  ‘Of course it will!’ Sooze flipped back her lavender hair. ‘I told you, Winn’s done it loads of times. And she says the Dingly Dell is so worth it – it’s just the most magical place ever!’

  ‘What about food?’ Pix took a leaf-pad out of her bag and started to write. ‘We’ll need lots of it!’

  Sooze grinned. ‘Well, it’s lucky that it’s the start of term – everyone’s brought goodies from home that we can share. Plus Winn says that –’

  Bimi’s wings felt stiff as the two of them excitedly carried on swapping ideas,. Already the party felt as though it didn’t belong to her any more. Sooze had taken it over.

  I’m being silly, she told herself. The important thing is that Twink has a good time. Besides, she’ll know it was my idea!

  .

  Chapter Three

  In the days that followed, Twink became certain that the fairies in her branch were up to something. They were always whispering together – and when Twink asked what they were talking about, they’d insist that it was nothing at all. Even Bimi was acting strangely! Twink’s best friend seemed to have something on her mind, and had gone very quiet lately.

  Things came to a head after dinner on Thursday night, when Twink flew into the first-year Common Branch. Madame Brightfoot had taught them some glimmery new dance moves that afternoon, and Twink was anxious to try them out with the others. And it was the perfect time – she had just seen Mariella and Lola heading for the library. The Common Branch without those two sitting sneering in the corner was something to be savoured!

  She flitted into the room and stopped short. The Daffy Branch fairies were all huddled together, and seemed to be softly arguing about something. Only Bimi, who stood off to one side with a pained expression on her face, kept silent as their whispered voices grew louder.

  Her pointed ears burning with curiosity, Twink edged forward until she could hear them.

  ‘Well, it can’t be me!’ said Sooze. ‘I’m the only one who knows the way, so I can’t stay behind.’

  ‘Oh, you just don’t want to miss any of the party!’ laughed Zena. ‘The place can’t be that hard to get to, if your wasp brain sister managed it.’

  Sooze gave her a mock scowl, but Pix interrupted before she could reply. ‘We’ll have to cast pebbles. None of us wants to miss any of the party, so it’s only fair.’

  Party? Twink stood rooted to the spot, wings frozen. ‘What are you talking about?’ she burst out.

  Suddenly the Daffy Branch fairies all looked as if they had swallowed ladybirds! ‘Oh, Twink, you weren’t meant to hear!’ wailed Sili.

  Twink put her hands on her hips. ‘But I did hear! What are you up to? What party?’

  Sooze grinned suddenly. ‘We might as well tell you in that case! Twink, we –’

  ‘No!’ cried Bimi, flapping her wings. ‘It’s meant to be a surprise!’

  Twink looked at her friend in asto
nishment. Bimi had been so quiet lately, but suddenly she almost looked like she was going to cry.

  Sooze rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, the surprise is already ruined, so why not!’ She flitted over and squeezed Twink’s hand. ‘Listen, Opposite – we’re all going to have a midnight feast for your birthday tomorrow night. Well, except for Mariella and her little mosquito friend, of course!’

  Good-natured grumbles came from the other fairies. ‘Oh, trust Sooze not to keep a secret!’ scoffed Pix. ‘Twink, we meant to surprise you!’

  ‘A midnight feast?’ gasped Twink. ‘Really?’

  .

  .

  ‘Even better than that!’ said Zena. She leaned forward and whispered, ‘Sooze has had the best idea – we’re going to have it at the Dingly Dell!’

  Pix nodded. ‘She’s thought of everything. It’s going to be the best party ever, Twink.’

  Twink’s wings tickled with excitement. The Dingly Dell! She had heard all about it from Sooze – it sounded like the most wonderful, magical spot in the world.

  ‘Oh, how glimmery!’ she breathed. ‘Sooze, thank you!’

  She saw Bimi’s face fall, and groaned to herself. Oh, no – she might have known that Bimi would be jealous of anything to do with Sooze!

  ‘Thank all of you,’ she added hastily, looking at Bimi. ‘I can hardly wait for tomorrow night.’

  ‘Well, anything to cheer you up!’ said Sooze. The others laughed, jostling Twink with their wings and making teasing comments – but Bimi just made a sour face and turned away.

  Twink stared after her, hurt. What was wrong with her? Didn’t she want Twink to have a party?

  Sooze hooked an arm through Twink’s. ‘Come on, Opposite – I’ll show you all the food for tomorrow night. Winn told me about a loose knothole, and we’ve been hiding everything there!’

  Still stung over Bimi’s reaction, Twink allowed herself to be lead away. At least you never had to worry about Sooze being in a funny mood! The lavender-haired fairy was always bright and fun.

  The next day Twink could hardly concentrate on her lessons. Madame Brightfoot sighed loudly at her fumbling of dance moves, and Miss Petal, their Flower Power teacher, stopped her demonstration on how to heal buttercups.