Fairy in Danger (3 page)

‘Brilliant!' said Shadow. ‘Yes, that's it. I'm a tooth fairy.'

‘You mean – one of those fairies who collect human teeth?' squeaked Twink. ‘But I didn't think they actually existed!'

Shadow looked ready to explode with rage. She plonked the owl back on the shelf. ‘Oh, typical!
You
lot only know about woods and nature, don't you? Well, we exist, all right! And we perform a very useful service, too. What would humans do with their old teeth, if it weren't for us?'

‘I . . . don't know,' said Twink, her thoughts spinning. Having lived with a human family once, she had been surprised to find that humans
did
have magic, though of a very different sort than her own. Perhaps tooth fairies were a part of this magic, too.

‘Well, exactly,' said Shadow, seeming a bit soothed. ‘Anyway, you've had your snoop now, so you can leave.'

‘Oh,' said Twink. There were still so many questions that she wanted to ask! But Shadow had taken her by the elbow, and was walking her firmly to the door.

‘Wait a minute,' said Twink. ‘Could you tell me why –'

‘Goodbye,' interrupted Shadow, shoving her out on to the ledge. Twink blinked in surprise as the door banged shut in her face.

.

Chapter Three

‘Hey!' called Twink, leaning against the door. ‘Do you think I could come back sometime?'

‘What would you want to do
that
for?' replied Shadow's muffled voice. ‘Go away!'

Twink hesitated for a moment, and then decided that she'd better do as Shadow asked. Slowly, she made her way back down the knothole ladder, and was soon gliding through the main part of the trunk.

She shook her head in amazement as she flew past a cluster of chatting Third Years. Who would ever have imagined that tooth fairies were real – and that one of them lived at Glitterwings Academy!

It would make an amazing report for her project . . . but of course she couldn't write about it, realised Twink. It wouldn't be fair to give Shadow away when she wasn't doing any harm. Still, it was a shame. She'd have been certain to win a prize with such an original report!

As Twink flitted into the library she spotted Bimi and Sooze hovering high overhead, looking at a book on one of the shelves near the ceiling. She flew up to join them.

Bimi burst into giggles when she saw her. ‘Twink! What have you been doing? You're as dirty as an earthworm!'

Glancing down at herself, Twink saw that Bimi was right. Her bluebell dress was covered with smudges of dust from wriggling her way through the narrow passage.

Sooze reached out and plucked a cobweb from Twink's hair. ‘Very attractive,' she laughed, dangling it in front of her. ‘Where have you been, anyway?'

Taking a thistle comb from her petal bag, Twink quickly pulled it through her long pink hair. ‘Just wait until I tell you,' she said as she tucked the comb away again. ‘And listen, you two – you're never going to believe it!'

‘I don't believe it,' said Sooze flatly. ‘A
tooth
fairy? She was having you on, Twink.'

‘Sooze! She was not!' protested Twink. The three of them were sitting at one of the mushroom tables in the corner of the library, with their wings spread for privacy.

‘It does sound a bit funny, Twink, you have to admit,' said Bimi. ‘If she's really a tooth fairy, then what's she doing here at Glitterwings?'

‘I don't know,' admitted Twink. ‘She, um . . . threw me out before I could ask.'

Bimi and Sooze glanced at each other, their eyebrows raised doubtfully. Twink felt a twinge of irritation. Though it was lovely that her two favourite fairies got along now, it wasn't fair that neither of them believed her!

‘What were her carvings, then, if they weren't teeth?' she demanded.

Sooze lifted her wing. ‘How should I know? Wood, maybe?'

‘Or maybe they
were
teeth, but from some sort of animal,' offered Bimi. ‘I just can't believe she was really a tooth fairy, Twink! I mean . . . well . . . they don't exist, do they?'

Twink tapped her wings together crossly. If she hadn't seen the little fairy for herself, she knew that she probably wouldn't believe it either – but even so, this was very frustrating!

‘Look, I know it sounds mad –' she started.

‘Hang on,
I
know what to do,' broke in Sooze, her violet eyes glinting. ‘I'm going to fly up there and meet this
tooth fairy
for myself!'

Twink hesitated. On the one wing, she was sure that Shadow wanted to be left alone . . . but on the other, she hadn't actually
forbidden
Twink to come back. And it would be glimmery to show Sooze that she was right!

‘We'll both go,' she decided. ‘Why don't we sneak up there after glow-worms out tonight?'

‘You're on!' said Sooze with a grin. ‘Are you coming, Bimi?'

‘Up that narrow space?' said Bimi. She shuddered. ‘No, thank you!' Bimi had a dread of closed-in places, and had listened with a look of horror as Twink described her journey.

‘All right, it's just us, then,' said Sooze. She nudged Twink's wing with her own. ‘I can hardly wait to meet this tooth fairy
of yours, Opposite! I wonder what she
really
is.'

‘She's a tooth fairy,' said Twink firmly. ‘Just wait and see!'

The trunk was dark and silent as Twink and Sooze slipped out of their branch that night, still wearing their bluebell dresses. They flew quickly upwards, stifling their giggles.

Twink felt a rush of excitement. It had been a long time since she'd been on an adventure with Sooze! It made her feel like a giddy first-year student again, instead of a mature and sensible Fourth Year.

‘Is it above here?' asked Sooze in surprise as they passed the entrance to the star-gazing platform. ‘I thought this was practically the top of the tree!'

‘I did, too,' said Twink as she led the way up the narrowing trunk, ‘but it goes on for quite a bit. It gets really hard to fly in, though, so I suppose no one bothers coming up this high.'

Soon they were clambering up the knothole ladder together, with Twink leading the way. She hopped up on to the dusty ledge. ‘There's the door,' she said in a low voice.

Sooze's eyes were shining as she joined her. ‘Glimmery! I can't believe we've never come up here before – what a splendid hideout!'

‘We're too old for hideouts,' laughed Twink.

‘Speak for yourself!' said Sooze. ‘Why, I bet –'

‘Who's there?' demanded a sharp voice on the other side of the door.

They fell silent. ‘
Is that her?
'
mouthed Sooze.

Twink nodded, suddenly feeling a bit guilty. She knew that Shadow didn't want any company – perhaps they should just leave her alone.

‘Sooze, maybe –' she whispered.

The door swung open. ‘
You
again,' said Shadow. To Twink's surprise, her eyes were red and puffy. ‘Go away! As if I didn't have enough problems, without –' She broke off with a scowl, wiping a hand across her eyes.

Twink and Sooze glanced at each other, all laughter gone. ‘What problems?' said Twink. ‘Could we help, maybe?'

Shadow snorted. ‘Oh, right. Pull the other wing! Why would
you
want to help
me
?'

‘Because we're nice, that's why,' said Sooze sharply. ‘But if you don't want us to help you, then fine – we'll leave!'

Shadow looked taken aback. She stared at them for a moment, obviously thinking hard. ‘Maybe you
can
help,' she said suddenly. Stepping back, she opened the door wider. ‘Anyway, come in, and I'll tell you about it.'

Twink and Sooze stepped into the branch. Twink saw her friend's expression turn to wonder as she took in the small furniture and the rows of carvings – not to mention Shadow herself, with her black hair and silvery-grey wings.

‘Are you really a tooth fairy?' asked Sooze.

Shadow glared at her. ‘
Yes
.
I suppose now you're going to say that we don't exist, aren't you?'

Sooze looked guilty. ‘Er – no,' she said. ‘You seem to exist all right!'

‘Shadow, what can we help you with?' asked Twink.

The tooth fairy hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. Finally she said, ‘Well, you see, I – I've sprained my wing, and now I can't go out on a tooth-collecting mission tonight.'

Twink gazed at Shadow's wing. She was no expert, but it looked fine to her. ‘Could we try some healing magic on you?' she suggested. ‘Or we could ask if one of the teachers would –'

‘No!' cried Shadow. ‘I don't want any of your magic. My wing will heal on its own. I just need some help
–
but I suppose I should have known you didn't really mean it.'

‘Oh, I get it,' said Sooze. ‘You want one of us to go tooth-collecting for you!'

Shadow nodded eagerly, taking a step forward. ‘
Would
you? It's only one house, and it's not even that far from here – it wouldn't take any time at all.'

‘Well, Twink's the expert on humans, not me,' said Sooze. She glanced at Twink with a grin.

Twink rolled her eyes. ‘Shadow, wouldn't it be easier if we just healed your wing? I don't think it can be sprained all that badly –'

‘No, I've told you!' insisted Shadow. ‘All I need is for one of you to go and collect the tooth for me. It won't take long, I promise.'

‘Come on, Opposite, where's your sense of adventure?' Sooze's eyes danced with mischief. ‘How often do you get a chance to stand in for a tooth fairy? It'll be brilliant!'

‘So why don't
you
do it?' asked Twink, propping her hands on her hips.

‘Maybe I will,' said Sooze thoughtfully. ‘We've all been getting far too sensible lately. It's been ages since we sneaked out of school – and look what a beautiful night it is!'

Twink looked out of the open window. The moon was a bright, shining silver, and she could feel a mild breeze ruffling her hair. Excitement tickled across her wings. Sooze was right. It
would
be fun to sneak out and have an adventure.

‘All right – I
will
go!' she decided all at once. ‘Why not?'

The little tooth fairy breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Right, then,' she said, pulling Twink to one side. ‘Here's what you need to know . . .'

In no time at all, Twink had slipped through the window and was gliding through the summer night, with Glitterwings Academy growing smaller and smaller behind her. Sparkling stars blanketed the sky.

She banked to avoid a passing moth, and then did a mid-air twirl out of sheer joy. Oh, this was lovely! And she had the pleasure of knowing that she was helping Shadow out, too.

Hanging from her shoulder was a bag that the tooth fairy had given her, which had a coin in it to exchange for the human tooth. The little fairy had scowled when Twink asked her where she'd got it from.

‘Fountains,' she'd said shortly. ‘Humans throw coins into them to make wishes, you know. So we tooth fairies scoop the coins out, and then swap them for teeth. Easy!'

Privately, Twink thought that it may have been easy, but it wasn't very nice. Still, she supposed that the tooth fairies had to exchange something for the teeth they took – though why they collected them in the first place was a mystery to her!

Following the tooth fairy's directions, Twink soon left the fields and woods behind and came to a street of human houses, dimly lit by street lamps. She hovered high overhead. Shadow had said it was the house on the end, and so it must be that one with the large garden.