Unicorn School (2 page)

One of his friends – a girl – smiled at Willow. ‘Isn't she cute?'

‘I'm not cute!' Willow said, tossing her head. She didn't like being
called teeny-tiny or cute. She was nine after all!

The leader of the group walked up to her. ‘Are you missing your mummy and daddy?' he whinnied teasingly.

‘No,' Willow replied. She was, but there was no way she was going to admit it to the older unicorn.

He looked at her for a moment. He reminded her of her brother Cassius. He had the same teasing gleam in his eyes.

‘Didn't you know,' he said to her, ‘Year Ones always go into school first?' He glanced at the shut gates. The elves were standing in front of them talking. ‘You just go up to the
gates and bang on them three times with your horn and then the elves will let you in.' He stared at her with wide innocent eyes.

But Willow wasn't fooled. ‘Really? I think you missed out the bit about me having to turn a somersault first.' She laughed and swished her tail. ‘As if I'm really going to do that. I'm not stupid!'

The unicorn's friends giggled and he looked slightly taken aback. But then he gave an easy shrug. ‘OK, maybe you're not!' he said, grinning back at her.

‘Come on, Oriel,' the girl unicorn said. ‘Let's go and find the others!'

The older unicorns cantered off.

 

They swerved round a crowd of very grown-up-looking unicorns who looked like Year Sixes.

‘Slow down there!' one of the elves called out. ‘No cantering in front of the gates!'

Oriel and his friends ignored him. Oriel put his head down and gave a cheeky buck. The elf's face turned
red with rage. ‘Why… you… you…'

Just then, one of the other elves stepped forward and blew a long note on a bronze horn. He was wearing a green velvet hat with three corners and looked like he was the elf in charge. As the horn's note floated out, the unicorns all stopped talking. When everyone was silent the elf cleared his throat.

‘Right, everyone, it is time to go into school. Can you all line up in your houses please?' The other four elves stood in a line beside him. ‘Star House, Sun House, Moon House and Rainbow House,' the chief elf said, pointing to each of
the elves in turn. ‘Year Ones, you will find out your houses when you go in, so I would like you to line up in front of me!' He took a list of names out of his pocket and unrolled it.

The unicorns moved into five separate lines. Willow trotted forward and found herself near the front of the group of first years. Oriel and his friends were jostling each other in the line for Rainbow House. The elf in charge looked like he was getting very cross with them. Willow turned round and saw Storm joining the line of Year Ones.

‘Oh, for goodness sake!' The elf in charge of Rainbow House bustled
over. ‘What are you doing?' he said very crossly, pointing at Storm. ‘You're not a Year One. You're far too big. Now get out of that line right now!'

Willow saw Storm look embarrassed. ‘But… but I
am
in Year One,' he said, his voice little more than a whisper.

The elf glared at him. ‘Don't be ridiculous! Of course you're not! Now which house do you belong to?'

Storm looked very anxious. People were staring at him curiously. ‘I… I don't know. This is my first term,' he stammered.

‘Right, that's it!' the elf exclaimed.
‘I've had enough of this! Out of this line! You're going straight to the Headmaster!'

Oriel and his friends sniggered. Storm looked as if he wanted to sink into the ground. Willow couldn't bear it. ‘He
is
in Year One!' she exclaimed, stepping out of line. She was aware of everyone turning to look but she didn't care. ‘I heard him saying goodbye to his dad,' she
told the elf. ‘It
is
his first term here!'

The elf frowned and for a horrible moment Willow thought he was about to tell her off too. Then suddenly another unicorn walked out of the line to stand at her side.

‘It's true,' a voice said timidly. ‘I heard him saying goodbye to his father too.' Willow glanced round. The unicorn who had spoken was very pretty, with a silver mane that swept almost to the floor and large dark eyes fringed by thick eyelashes.

Storm looked at them both gratefully.

Just then, the chief elf walked up to him with a list. ‘What's your name?'

 

‘Storm,' the tall unicorn replied.

The chief elf checked his list and nodded. ‘I have a Storm listed here as being a new Year One. It appears you
are
in the correct line.'

‘I'm sorry,' the elf in charge of Rainbow House said to Storm. ‘You are so tall I thought you must be a
Year Three playing tricks.' Everyone continued to stare at Storm until the chief elf blew a long note on the horn. Two of the elves opened the golden gates.

‘Year One unicorns follow me!' the chief elf announced.

He marched through the gates.

Storm fell into line beside Willow and the other unicorn who had spoken up for him. ‘Thank you,' he said to them as the elf led them through the gates and across a grassy courtyard. ‘People always think I'm older than I am. I'm Storm. What are your names?'

‘Willow,' Willow replied.

 

‘And I'm Sapphire,' the pretty unicorn said shyly.

They all smiled at each other.

‘It's weird actually being here, isn't it?' Storm said. ‘At school, I mean.'

Willow knew what he meant. She'd thought about coming to school so much, it was very strange
to finally be there – and to know she wouldn't see her mum and dad again for ages.

‘I wish my brothers and sisters were here,' Sapphire whickered nervously. ‘I'm not used to doing stuff without them.'

‘How many brothers and sisters have you got?' Willow asked her.

‘Six,' Sapphire replied. ‘Two of them are older than me and four of them are younger.'

‘Wow, I've just got two brothers and that's enough!' Willow said.

‘And I haven't got any brothers or sisters at all,' Storm put in. ‘I can't imagine having six of them! It must be very noisy!'

‘It is.' Sapphire looked wistful. ‘I'm really going to miss them.'

‘Do you think we'll all be in the same house?' Willow asked eagerly. She might have only just met Storm and Sapphire but already she felt that she would really like to be friends with them.

‘Looks like we're about to find out!' Storm replied as they followed the elf through an archway in the courtyard into a large walled field. At one end there was a table with a stone top. An old, very noble-looking unicorn was standing behind it. His body was snow-white without even a speck of darker grey. Willow stared. Most
unicorns had horns that were gold, bronze or silver, but this unicorn's horn was striped in all three colours.

‘That must be the Tricorn,' Willow whispered. She looked at him in awe. Her brothers had told her the Tricorn was the school's Headmaster and knew more about magic than any unicorn in Arcadia.

‘Quiet, please!' the chief elf commanded. He organized the Year Ones into a line in front of the Tricorn. The rest of the school trooped into the field and lined up behind them.

When all the unicorns were still the Tricorn stepped forward.
‘Welcome!' he said, his strong voice ringing out round the field.

Hardly a unicorn moved. The Tricorn's gaze swept over the Year Ones. ‘You will gain much from being at school, but you must be prepared to listen and learn.' His eyes seemed to linger on each one. They all stood very still. ‘First, you must start by learning your houses.' He stepped forward and touched his horn to the stone table. Willow saw it glow and a list of names appear on it in four columns of swirly writing.

‘Please step out as I call your name,' the Tricorn said. ‘In Rainbow House: Starlight, Topaz, Willow…'

Willow's heart leapt and she stepped forward.
Oh, please let Storm and Sapphire be in Rainbow House too
, she thought.

‘Sapphire…'

Willow exchanged delighted looks with Sapphire.

‘Flint, Ash, Troy…'

Willow glanced round. Storm was looking worried.

‘Storm,' the Tricorn finished.

Willow felt a rush of relief as Storm joined her and Sapphire. She gave him a friendly nudge with her head and Sapphire nuzzled him. He looked really pleased.

The unicorn called Troy, who was also in Rainbow House, edged closer to them. ‘Hi,' he said. He was short and muscular and held his head proudly.

‘Hi,' they all whispered back and smiled.

The Tricorn read out the names of the Year One unicorns in the other three houses. ‘And now it is time to go and find your stables,' he announced. He lifted his head so his stripy horn glinted. ‘School dismissed!'

Four older unicorns trotted up to the Year Ones.

‘I'm Juniper,' said one, a handsome dappled-grey unicorn with strands of black running through his mane and tail. ‘We're Year Sixes, and we're going to show you the stable where you'll sleep and then give you a tour of the school. Will the Year Ones in Rainbow House please follow me?'

Willow and the other Year Ones in Rainbow House walked towards him.

Juniper smiled round at them. ‘Come on! I'll take you all up to your stable!'

The eight Year Ones in Rainbow House followed Juniper out of the walled field into one of the towers. A corridor wound its way upward. ‘The stable where you'll be sleeping is at the top of the tower,' Juniper told them. ‘It takes a while to reach it
walking up this way, but when you've learnt to fly it'll be much quicker.'

‘Will we all be together?' Sapphire asked Juniper.

He nodded. ‘There are eight stalls in each stable, one for each of you.' He trotted along until they reached a round room with large windows and a door in the wall opposite.

‘We're in the clouds!' Sapphire exclaimed, looking out of the large windows.