Magical Mayhem (6 page)

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Chapter Six

Twink and her friends had been in the third-year Common Branch when they first heard the humans' voices – and had stared down in horrified fascination as the couple prowled about the tree.

‘
Humans
– oh, what could be worse!' moaned Sili.

Twink bit her lip. By mistake, she had stayed in a human house for over a week the previous winter, and had learned that humans really weren't that bad. Some of them, like the little girl Twink had befriended, were lovely – though it was true that the adults could be a bit dense sometimes!

A shudder ran through Twink as she remembered how Lindsay's parents had thought she was a moth at first, and tried to swat her. What would happen if
these
humans realised that they'd found a whole school full of ‘moths'?

Sooze had opened a window and was half-hanging out of it, listening to the conversation down below. ‘They're leaving!' she cried. ‘But they're talking about coming back with something called
the press
. What's that, Opposite? Do you know?'

Twink shook her head as everyone crowded anxiously around her. ‘No, I've never heard of –'

The magpie's call rang through the school, interrupting her. ‘That's the signal for us to go to the Great Branch!' cried Pix. ‘Come on, everyone, hurry!'

‘I am afraid that the situation is now grave,' announced Miss Shimmery once the entire school was assembled. Almost two hundred frightened fairies stared back at her, not moving so much as a wing tip between them.

‘Sadly, the other teachers and I were unable to mend the tree's protective spell, and now humans have found us,' said Miss Shimmery. Twink gulped as she saw the HeadFairy's expression. She had never seen her look so sorrowful, or so serious.

‘This leaves us with only one choice,' continued Miss Shimmery. ‘We must evacuate the school immediately.'

Alarmed murmurs broke out. Miss Shimmery went on, raising her voice. ‘Stay with your year groups, and go immediately with your year heads to the wood. From there, we will send word to your parents to come and collect you.'

Bimi raised her hand. ‘But Miss Shimmery, what will happen to Glitterwings?' she cried.

‘Yes, the humans were talking about something called the press,' burst out Sooze. ‘What
is
the press? What are they going to do?'

This was what the whole school had been wondering. Unconsciously, every fairy in the Branch leaned forward, their faces tense.

Miss Shimmery took a deep breath. ‘The press is the humans' communication system,' she told them. ‘The two humans who found our school are planning to tell the rest of their kind about us.'

A horrified gasp ran through the Branch.
Every human
, knowing about Glitterwings? Perhaps even coming to see it for themselves, poking and prying about? Twink's heart turned to ice as she imagined it.

‘As to what will happen to our beloved school . . .' Miss Shimmery's voice wavered, and then she straightened her rainbow wings firmly. ‘We cannot say yet – and we have no time to discuss it. Quickly, girls, we must leave! Go with your year heads. And do NOT return to your branches for any belongings first – time is of the essence!'

Bimi's face looked pinched and anxious as everyone scrambled up from their mushroom seats. ‘Twink! I've got to go and get Chirpy,' she whispered. ‘He's not a belonging, he's a
creature
– I can't just leave him!'

Twink nodded. ‘Come on,' she said, grabbing Bimi's hand. ‘We'll go and tell Miss Twilight; she'll understand.'

The third-year head was a tall, imposing fairy with silver hair and purply-grey wings. Despite the urgency of the situation, she listened carefully as Twink explained about Chirpy.

‘Yes, go on – but be quick!' she said. She was standing on one of the mushroom seats, counting the third-year class. ‘Go together, the pair of you, and then come to the wood immediately.'

As Twink and Bimi flew out of the Great Branch, a voice called, ‘Twink! Twink, wait!'

Twink whirled about as her little sister came speeding up. ‘Teena, what are you doing?' she demanded. ‘You heard Miss Shimmery – go to the wood with the rest of your year!'

Teena looked close to tears. ‘I know, but – oh, Twink, you don't understand! I tried to tell Mrs Lightwing, but –'

‘Teena Flutterby!' Mrs Lightwing herself appeared, bobbing beside them with a face like thunder. ‘You must come along this instant – we're leaving!' Behind her, the first-year students were already exiting the Great Branch, flying out in a double-line formation.

‘Yes, but –' Teena got no further. Mrs Lightwing took her by the shoulders and firmly propelled her out of the Branch.

‘You girls hurry, too!' she ordered over her shoulder. ‘Flitter-flutter, get a move on!' She and Teena went through the doorway, disappearing from view.

Twink and Bimi looked at each other. ‘What do you suppose Teena wanted to tell me?' asked Twink worriedly.

Bimi shook her dark blue head. ‘I don't know. Come on, let's go and get Chirpy! We'll see Teena in the wood; she can tell us there.'

The two friends sped out of the Great Branch and up the trunk. The upper part of the tree felt empty and abandoned. Below them, long lines of fairies raced downwards, leaving the school as fast as they could.

Barely even pausing to land on the Violet Branch ledge, Twink pushed open the door and they rushed into the room, half-flying and half-running to their beds. Bimi's cricket-clock sat on her bedside table as usual, looking anxious.

‘Chirpy! Oh, you poor darling – were you terrified?' cooed Bimi, sweeping him up in her arms. He chirped in relief to see her, snuggling into her embrace.

Twink grabbed Chirpy's cage. ‘Come on, hurry!' she said.

Bimi carefully put Chirpy into his cage and fastened the latch. Though she knew she shouldn't, Twink took her favourite drawing of her family from her bedside mushroom.

‘Let's go,' she said, tucking it into her petal bag. ‘The others are probably long gone already!'

The two fairies sped down the length of the trunk. It felt even quieter than before, and Twink realised that apart from herself and Bimi, the tree was deserted.

‘Oh, Twink, I'm scared!' breathed Bimi, clutching Chirpy's cage to her chest.

Twink swallowed. ‘I know – me, too,' she said. ‘But we'll be with the others in a few minutes, and –
oh
!' She broke off as a sudden horrible thought came to her. ‘Bimi!' she gasped. ‘What about Sal? He'll be so frightened – I've got to go and get him, too!'

Bimi's eyes widened. ‘But Miss Twilight told us to go straight to the wood –'

‘Yes, but I
can't
leave Sal,' insisted Twink. ‘And what about the other animals in the Creature Kindness log? I have to check that they're all right!'

They flew through the double doors and out into the cold winter day. Bimi nodded. ‘OK, but I'm coming with you – Miss Twilight said to stick together!'

The two friends jetted down the slope to the Creature Kindness log, the icy wind whistling past their wings. Twink landed with a hop, and pushed open the door.

‘Mr Woodleaf!' she exclaimed. The green-haired teacher looked up distractedly as he fastened a lead on to a mouse's harness. Several sixth-year girls were bustling about the log as well, obviously getting the animals ready to leave.

Twink felt herself relax. She should have known that the Creature Kindness teacher would never abandon his beloved animals!

‘Twink! Bimi! What are you two doing here?' Mr Woodleaf flitted over to them. As always, he sounded much more confident when he was with his animals. ‘You need to get to the wood with the rest of the school!'

Twink nodded. ‘I know, sir – I was just worried about Sal.' The salamander was watching Twink longingly from his pen. Noticing this, Mr Woodleaf opened the pen door and Sal scampered out, frisking delightedly around her.

‘Here,' said Mr Woodleaf, attaching Sal's lead and handing it to her. ‘He'll be happier with you, and I know you'll keep him safe. Now
hurry
, both of you – the humans might come back at any time!'

The wood was only a short distance away, but their flight was agonisingly slow. Once out of the log, Sal seemed excited by something over the next hill, and kept tugging sideways on his lead.

‘Sal,
stop
it!' gasped Twink, yanking him back again. ‘What's wrong with you?'

The salamander whined, his short legs pedalling the ground.

‘Bimi, you go on ahead!' said Twink desperately. ‘There's no need for
both
of us to be out here.'

‘Don't be silly. Of course I'm not going to leave you!' Tucking Chirpy's cage under one arm, Bimi grabbed Sal's lead as well, pulling on it hard. ‘
Move
, Sal – we're in danger, don't you understand?'

Suddenly Twink saw something: a thin, wavering mist rising up against the blue sky. It was the same mist she had seen once before, from the Creature Kindness log. ‘Bimi, look! What
is
that?' she said.

Bimi gave it a hurried glance. ‘I don't know – is it smoke? Hurry, Twink; you're as bad as Sal!'

Twink gazed down at the lizard-like creature. He was staring back at her, imploring her to understand. ‘Sal . . . is there something important about that smoke?' she asked. He jerked against his lead in answer, trying to drag her closer to it.

‘Who
cares
?' burst out Bimi. ‘Twink, we have to go! The humans are probably on their way right this second!'

Twink shook herself as she realised her best friend was right. She was certain that something strange was going on – but now wasn't the time to work it out.

She tugged at the salamander's lead. ‘Come on, Sal. We'll check it out later, I promise!' A sudden lump formed in her throat. Would there even
be
a later, once the humans' ‘press' got involved?