Rosa in Sparkle City (6 page)

“Please could you pass me the petal pancakes, Buttercup?” asked Violet, eyeing the tall stack of fluffy pink cakes hungrily. “They look delicious.”

“They are,” said Bluebell, pouring rose-coloured syrup on to her second helping. “I think they might be the nicest I've ever tasted.”

Buttercup passed the silver plate of pancakes to her friend. It was a sunny Saturday morning and the fashion fairy princesses – Violet, Rosa, Buttercup and Bluebell – were having breakfast on the jewelled patio of Glimmershine Palace. All around them the glittering pink and purple flowers of the palace's gardens fluttered in the gentle breeze.

“It's such a beautiful day,” said Buttercup, taking a sip of nectar from the flower-shaped glass in front of her. “I can't wait to get down to the palace stables.”

“Oh look,” said Violet, “here's Ferdinand with the fairy-mail. I wonder if he has anything exciting for me.”

Ferdinand was a beautiful metallic blue firefly and a fairy-flyer. The fairy-flyers picked up and delivered the fashion fairy princesses' fairy-mail from all over Sparkle City.

Violet looked a little disappointed as Ferdinand buzzed quickly past her chair. He also passed Rosa and Bluebell but landed gently next to a surprised Buttercup.

“I wasn't expecting anything,” said Buttercup excitedly as she thanked Ferdinand and reached into his saddlebag. When she pulled out her hand, she was holding a large gold glittering shell.

“What a beautiful shell,” said Bluebell.

“It looks like it came from Glitter Ocean,” said Rosa, peering closer. “Do you know someone from Glitter Ocean, Buttercup?”

“Only my Great-aunt Melinda. She's a mermaid and lives near Coral Castle with the other merpeople,” answered Buttercup, examining the shell carefully, “but I haven't heard from her since last year's Annual Fairy Festival.”

“Aren't you going to open it?” said Violet, desperate to know what was inside. “Perhaps it's a present.”

Buttercup looked at the large, flat shell in her hand and tried to open it with her delicate fingers, but nothing happened.

“Let me have a go,” said Violet, reaching for the shell.

“Violet, it's Buttercup's invitation. Let her open it,” said Rosa gently. “Buttercup, why don't you try using a little fairy-dust? Perhaps it was closed with fairy magic.”

“Good idea, Rosa,” said Violet. “Sorry, Buttercup, I was only trying to help.”

Buttercup took out a small pouch of fairy-dust from the skirt of her dress and sprinkled a little over the shell. With a puff of golden glitter, the shell opened to reveal a shining yellow invitation. . .

 

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First published in the UK by Scholastic Ltd, 2014
This electronic edition published by Scholastic Ltd 2014

 

Text copyright © Scholastic Ltd, 2014
Cover copyright © Pixie Potts, Beehive Illustration Agency, 2014
Inside illustration copyright © David Shephard, The Bright Agency, 2014

 

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eISBN 978 1407 14700 0

 

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

 

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