Midnight Feast (4 page)

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Oh, not again!
thought Twink in exasperation. Wasn't Sooze allowed to do
anything
nice for her?

With dinner finished, the fairies began drifting out of the Great Branch, chattering and laughing. Mariella and Lola were the first to leave the Daffodil Branch table – Mariella with many suspicious frowns.

‘Good, they're gone!' said Pix. She glanced at the teachers' platform and lowered her voice. ‘We need to finalise our plans for tonight, everyone. We
still
haven't decided who's going to stay behind and open the window.'

Bimi cleared her throat. ‘I'll do it.'

Pix grinned. ‘Thanks, Bimi, that's really glimmery of you. Now, who else will volunteer, so that Bimi only misses half the party?'

‘No, that's not what I meant,' said Bimi in a tight voice. ‘I mean I'll just stay behind. Nobody has to miss any of it.'

Twink gaped at her. ‘But – but don't you want to go at all?'

Bimi looked away. ‘No, I don't feel very well. I'm sort of tired.'

There was a surprised silence. Sooze lifted an eyebrow, looking sceptical. Finally Zena said, ‘Well – well, if you're
sure,
Bimi.'

‘I'm sure,' said Bimi coolly. ‘It's OK, I don't mind.'

‘But –' Twink started to protest again and then fell silent, her lips tightening. Oh,
why
did Bimi have to be like this? She was supposed to be Twink's best friend! She wasn't tired at all – she was just jealous of Twink doing anything with Sooze. She probably wished that Twink wasn't even
having
a party, because Sooze had thought of it and she hadn't!

Twink's wings felt hot. Fine, she decided. If that was the way Bimi wanted to be, it was all right with her!

The plan that night went off perfectly. Just before midnight, Sooze crept about Daffodil Branch, waking up everyone who had fallen asleep.

Twink's eyes flew open when she felt Sooze touch her shoulder. At last, it was time! She climbed quickly out of bed, her wings tingling with excitement. Soft sounds filled the air as everyone got dressed in the moonlight, keeping as silent as they could.

Someone stumbled, bumping against the door. ‘Hush!' whispered Sooze. ‘Don't wake up Mariella and Lola!'

At that, a loud snore erupted from Mariella's bed. The fairies clutched their mouths to stifle their giggles. ‘We'd need an earthquake to wake
her
up!' hissed Sili.

‘Come on,' said Pix softly. ‘Let's go!'

Twink's heart pounded as they tiptoed across the room. One by one, they flew out into the shadowy, moonlit tree trunk. Twink shivered. Glitterwings at night was very different from the daytime. It seemed larger, somehow, and much more mysterious.

Quickly, they flitted to the secret knothole and passed out food and drink for everyone to carry. ‘Here, Twink, you get to carry the cake, because you're the birthday fairy!' grinned Sooze.

Laden down with their goodies, they flew to the window nearest to Daffy Branch. It was just large enough to squeeze through, if they kept their wings tucked in. Twink hung back as Sili, Zena and Pix wormed their way through it, laughing at the tight squeeze.

‘Right, now it's our turn!' Sooze's eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

‘What time will you be back?' asked Bimi, hovering beside them in her nightdress.

‘Three o'clock!' said Sooze. ‘We want lots of time to have fun.'

‘No, two o'clock,' said Twink. ‘That's plenty of time, Sooze – we don't want to get caught.'

Sooze flapped her wings and groaned, but agreed. Bimi crossed her arms over her cobweb dressing gown. ‘All right, well – I'll set my cricket clock, and let you back in at two.'

Twink thought her voice sounded forlorn. Suddenly she felt sorry for the angry thoughts she had had earlier, and she squeezed her friend's arm.

‘Thanks, Bimi,' she whispered.

‘That's all right,' Bimi whispered back. She sounded like she meant it, and Twink's spirits lifted. Oh, it would be so glimmery if things could be all right between them again!

‘Come
on
,' said Sooze, fluttering in front of the window. ‘This stuff is heavy!'

With a quick goodbye to Bimi, Twink ducked through the window, holding in her wings. A pinch and a pull, and she was out in the moonlight! The others were waiting for her, hovering under the stars.

‘At last!' said Pix with a grin. ‘All right, everyone, let's get going. To the Dingly Dell!'

Hidden by the shadows, Mariella pressed against the open door of Daffodil Branch. She frowned, straining to hear the whispered conversation taking place across the trunk.

‘All right,' she heard Bimi say. ‘I'll set my cricket clock, and let you back in at two.'

Mariella smiled smugly. That was all she needed to know!

Silently, she flitted back to her bed and pulled her petal duvet up around her ears. Her silvery-green hair spilled across the pillow as she closed her eyes, pretending to be deeply asleep.

A moment later, she heard Bimi return to the branch and slip back into her own bed. A slight chirrup sounded as she set her clock.

Mariella lay quietly until soft snores came from Bimi's side of the room. Now! She pushed back her covers and crept to Bimi's bedside. The cricket blinked at her in the moonlight, crouching on Bimi's bedside table.
Two o'clock, and keep very quiet!
was written on a scrap of petal in front of him.

Oh, it was almost too easy! Mariella took the petal and crumpled it up, slipping it into the pocket of her nightdress. Taking another petal from Bimi's bedside drawer, Mariella imitated her looping handwriting.
Seven o'clock,
she wrote.

‘She's changed her mind,' she whispered to the cricket, tucking the note under its foot. ‘She doesn't want to be woken up until morning.'

The creature looked relieved. Yawning, it tucked its head under its leg.

Mariella returned to bed, smirking broadly. Ha! That would teach Bimi to show her up in front of the whole Flight class! The others would be furious with her now. They'd think she had left them stuck outside on purpose, and would probably never speak to her again.

And better yet, they'd get into trouble, too. Mrs Lightwing would be livid when she found out about their midnight feast at the Dell. Mariella grinned to herself. It had been a good night's work, all right. She could hardly wait to tell Lola what she had done!

Still smiling, Mariella drifted off to sleep.

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Chapter Four

The fairies' wings gleamed in the moonlight as they skimmed lightly over grass and flowers. A warm summer breeze rustled Twink's hair. Up above, the stars glittered like diamonds.

‘Oh, this is just glimmery!' breathed Twink, cradling the cake to her chest.

‘You haven't seen anything yet!' said Sooze. She led the others down a hill, around a stream, and finally – there it was! The Dingly Dell.

‘Oh!' cried all the fairies. It was the most magical little dell imaginable, with a gently tinkling stream, a silvery waterfall and carpets of summer flowers. The moon shone brightly, casting wavering shadows.

‘Watch this!' said Sooze with a grin.

Setting her food down on the grass, she flitted towards the stream. A wayward leaf was floating in the water, and Sooze touched down on it lightly. Instantly, it took off into the current. Sooze shrieked with laughter as she rode the leaf through the swiftly moving water, keeping her balance with her wings.

‘I want to try that!' cried Twink. She left her food beside Sooze's and grabbed a leaf of her own. It was harder than it looked! She shouted as her leaf spun out into the water, twisting and bucking through the current.

Soon all the fairies were laughing and shrieking, surfing across the water on their leaves. Zena squealed as she tumbled into the stream, and emerged dripping, her yellow hair plastered to her back.

‘Oh! It's cold!' she spluttered, laughing.

‘Look, there's slides, too!' pointed out Pix. She ran for the reeds, flitting lightly on top of one. Bouncing to a sitting position, she shot down the reed like a raindrop, tumbling away with a somersault just as she reached the water.

When they grew tired of playing, the fairies stretched out on the grass, bathing their wings in the moonlight. ‘Time for food!' said Sili, rubbing her hands together. ‘I'm starving.'

Everyone was. Twink parcelled out the goodies, and soon they were all munching happily. ‘Twink, your gran makes the best honey cake in the world!' said Sooze, taking another slice. ‘This is just glimmery.'

Twink chewed a sweet seed slowly, savouring every bite. It tasted different in the moonlight – sweeter, and even more delicious. Oh, this had to be the best birthday that any fairy had ever had!

But it got even better. When they finished eating, the others gave her their presents. Twink exclaimed with delight as she unwrapped a new bottle of sparkly wing polish from Sili, a woven-grass hair-clip from Pix, and a beautiful rose-petal notebook from Zena. The notebook was especially fine, with golden flecks of pollen dust glistening across its pages.

‘I asked my mother to send it from home,' explained Zena earnestly. ‘She makes them herself, and I knew you'd like it.'

‘Thank you!' Bouncing to her feet, Twink hugged her friends tightly. ‘This has been the best birthday ever. I'll always, always remember it!'

‘We'd better get going,' said Pix. She glanced at the moon. ‘It's almost two o'clock!'

Sili nodded, fluttering her wings as she stifled a yawn. ‘But let's do this again soon! I've had the best time ever.'

The fairies flew back to Glitterwings, tired but happy. The way home seemed much longer, somehow, and Twink gave a contented sigh when she saw the black silhouette of the oak tree rising up against the sky. Soon she'd be snuggled up in her moss bed!

They flew up to the window opposite Daffodil Branch. Twink cupped her hands around the glass and peered in. The dark school showed no signs of life.

‘She's not here yet,' Twink whispered to the others.

The fairies hung in the air, their wings fluttering as they watched the window. The minutes crept by, and still Bimi didn't come. After a while they flew to a nearby branch, resting their tired wings.

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.

‘Where
is
she?' wondered Pix, staring worriedly at the window. ‘She said she'd be here at two! That's not like Bimi at all.'

Sooze shrugged. ‘Maybe she changed her mind.'

‘She wouldn't do that!' said Twink fiercely.

Sooze made a face. ‘I bet she would! She's been sulking for days about the party.' She dived off the branch. ‘Anyway, I'm going to fly around to the Daffy Branch window and look in.'

‘Good idea!' said Pix. ‘I'll come with you.'

Twink watched as the two of them sped off around the tree. Bimi
wouldn't
just change her mind, not when it was so important. Something must have happened. Maybe Mrs Hover had looked into their branch, and seen them all missing. Twink's wings chilled at the thought. Wasps, they'd
all
be in trouble then.

Soon Sooze and Pix were back, looking grim. Twink bit her lip, already dreading whatever they were going to say.

‘Well?' demanded Sili, standing up.

‘She's asleep!' announced Sooze. ‘Snoring away like anything. We tried knocking on the window, and she just rolled over and ignored us.'

Twink's heart felt like it had fallen to the ground. ‘But – but that doesn't make any sense!' she cried. ‘Bimi wouldn't just forget about us. She must have set her clock wrong, or something.'

‘Ha!' Sooze's face was a thundercloud. ‘I bet she never even set it at all. She really doesn't like me, you know. And she hasn't been too happy with
you
lately,
either, for being my friend. What a great way to get back at us – just leaving us out here in the dark!'

Twink swallowed. Could Sooze possibly be right? From the expressions on the faces around her, she knew the others thought she could be.

‘Well – well, I don't believe it,' she said, clenching her fists. ‘She'll be here soon. She has to be! She just set her clock wrong, that's all.'

Sooze smiled, but it wasn't a very pleasant smile. ‘Shall we take bets?'

‘Come on, there's no point arguing about it.' Pix's face looked worried and pale in the moonlight. ‘We've got to find a way in! How about one of the windows in the Great Branch? Maybe one of them is open.'

The fairies flew down the side of the tree, circling about the dark trunk until they reached the Great Branch. Its windows all looked dark . . . and very firmly closed.

‘Come on,' whispered Pix. ‘I'll start with these windows; the rest of you spread out and start checking some of the others. Even if they look shut, try them anyway! Maybe one of them isn't locked and we can get it open.'

Her heart pounding, Twink flew down the length of the Branch. The huge oak leaves rustled around her as she tried the window nearest her, tugging hard at the wooden frame. Wasps! It didn't budge.

Dodging leaves as she flew, Twink worked her way down the Branch, trying window after window. They were all locked tight! Twink fought back stinging tears. Bimi couldn't really have done this to them, could she? They'd be stuck out here all night!

‘Over here!' hissed Sooze's voice from the other side of the Branch. ‘I've found one open!'

Twink gasped. Zooming over the top of the Branch, she found Sooze hovering beside an open window. The others arrived from all directions, their faces awash with relief.

‘Oh, hurrah!' cried Sili softly. ‘We're saved!'

Pix started to say something, but stopped. She usually thought Sili was far too dramatic, but this time Sili wasn't exaggerating!

The fairies squeezed through the window one by one, dropping lightly on to the floor of the Great Branch. Twink shivered as she looked around her. The Branch, so grand and impressive when lit, now looked shadowy and frightening. Oh, wasps, she could hardly wait to get back to Daffy Branch!

Finally they were all in. Pix fluttered up and locked the window. ‘Right, let's go!' she whispered. ‘And don't make any more noise than you can –
ack!
'

A glow-worm lantern had suddenly come on, flooding light into their faces. And holding it, standing not three inches away from them, was Mrs Lightwing!

The first-year head wore a dandelion-fluff dressing gown, her sky-blue hair tumbling loose across her shoulders. Her white wings tapped together as she stared hard at the girls. They shrank beneath her gaze.

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‘Would one of you care to explain why I was woken up by the sound of whispers outside the Great Branch, discussing various ways to break into it?' asked Mrs Lightwing.

Twink's wings felt like ice. ‘I – we – we got stuck outside,' she blurted.

‘I see,' Mrs Lightwing nodded. ‘That would be outside, after glow-worms out, when you should have all been asleep in bed – correct? Would you be so good as to tell me where you went?'

Twink squirmed at the sarcasm in Mrs Lightwing's voice. They were all in for it now! She glanced at the others, and they looked back at her, wide-eyed. Nobody spoke.

‘The – the Dingly Dell,' whispered Twink.

‘The Dingly Dell,' repeated Mrs Lightwing. ‘Yes, of course. How silly of me. For a midnight feast, I assume?'

Twink hung her head. Oh,
why
had they been so daft as to leave the school! It had seemed like such a wonderful idea at the time.

‘But, Mrs Lightwing, it's Twink's birthday!' Sooze stepped forward, her expression pleading. ‘She was feeling sad about being away from her family, and we just wanted to make it special for her.'

There was a long pause. Twink held her breath.

‘Get to bed, all of you,' snapped Mrs Lightwing finally. ‘I'll deal with you in the morning!'

‘Look!' hissed Sooze when they got back to Daffy Branch. ‘It's just like I said – there she is, snoring away!'

Twink's heart sank. Sooze was right. Bimi was clearly asleep, her dark form gently rising and falling with every breath.

Sooze flitted across the room. ‘And look at this,' she said, her voice shaking. She grabbed the petal from Bimi's cricket clock and held it up, clearly visible in the moonlight.
Seven o'clock
was written on it in Bimi's handwriting.

Twink stared at it in dismay.

‘Wasps,' whispered Pix. ‘It looks like she really
did
leave us out there on purpose!'

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