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Authors: Titania Woods

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BOOK: Fledge Star
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.

Chapter Three

Dinner that night seemed to last for ever. Twink nibbled at her seed cake, hardly tasting it. Oh,
where
was Madge? For the hundredth time, she twisted on her mushroom seat, peering at the upper-year tables.

Bimi touched her arm. ‘You'll make the team, don't worry,' she whispered. ‘That last move that you did was completely glimmery!'

Twink gave her best friend a grateful smile. Bimi had watched the try-outs without Twink knowing, and had been there to hug her excitedly as she flew off the field.

‘Do you really think so?' she whispered back. ‘Mariella played well too, Bimi, you know she did.'

Bimi shook her blue head. ‘Not as well as you. Honestly, Twink – you don't have anything to worry about!'

Twink glanced down the table. Mariella was loudly telling a wide-eyed Lola all about the game, making the most of her every wing stroke.

‘It was really the best move in the game, even if I do say so myself. Why, one of the older girls said to me that she's never
seen
a barrel roll done that way before! I'm sure Madge must have noticed it, too.' Mariella sat back smugly on her mushroom.

‘Ooh, a barrel roll!' Sooze's violet eyes were wide and innocent. ‘That's much better than winning the game – you'd better look out, Twink!'

Mariella scowled at her as the table burst into laughter.

‘Twink,
look
!
She's putting the team lists up!' squealed Sili.

Twink whipped about on her seat. Yes, there was Madge down at the end of the Great Branch, tacking a rose petal to the wall!

‘Come on, Bimi!' she cried. Leaving their seats, she and Bimi flew hurriedly down the length of the Branch. Mariella and Lola followed close behind.

A small crowd of fairies was already clustered about the notice. ‘Well done, Pip!' said an older fairy to her friend. ‘I knew you'd make it.'

Twink lifted up in the air, straining to see. There was the list! She scanned it quickly, holding her breath. Where was her name? Surely it had to be there!

.

.

But it wasn't.

Twink's cheeks blazed with embarrassment as she sank back down to the ground. ‘I – I suppose I wasn't good enough after all,' she muttered to Bimi. And she had been so certain! At least Mariella wasn't on the list, either. That really would have been too much to bear.

But Bimi was still looking at the list. ‘Wait – there you are, down at the bottom!' she said, clutching Twink's arm. Twink shot up in the air again, her pulse pounding. And there it was:

.

Team reserves: Twink Flutterby, Second Year

Team reserves: Mariella Gossamer, Second Year

Team reserve? With
Mariella
? Twink stared at their names, battling mixed feelings. On the one wing, it was great to be on the team at all . . . but on the other wing, being a reserve with Mariella wasn't exactly what she had hoped for!

‘
Reserve?'
shrieked a voice. Hovering a few fairies away, Mariella looked like she had just swallowed a gnat.

‘But that's not fair!' squeaked Lola. ‘You're a much better player than that.'

An older girl in a bluebell dress frowned. ‘You're lucky to be on the team at all,' she pointed out. ‘There's plenty who'd be happy to be a reserve if
you
aren't!'

Mariella seemed to choke on her reply. ‘No, I'm happy to be a reserve,' she muttered, glaring across at Twink as if it were her fault. ‘I was just . . . surprised, that's all.'

Madge appeared, her large green wings stirring the air. ‘Glad to hear it!' she boomed. ‘You're both good players, but you're still very young. I need you to prove to me that you've got what it takes, and if you do, I'll make you both full Fledge players next year.'

Next year! Twink tried to smile. ‘Yes, OK,' she said.

‘Glimmery!' said Mariella, looking as if she really meant it. But the moment Madge flew off, her smile faded. The two fairies looked at each other as the crowd around the notice drifted away.

‘Um . . . well, congratulations,' said Twink awkwardly. ‘To us both, I mean. I suppose we did well to get on the team at all.'

‘Speak for yourself!' snapped Mariella. She skimmed off without another word, with Lola flapping along after her.

.

.

Bimi grimaced. ‘Poor you, having to play with her! But Twink, at least you're on the team. That's the main thing.'

Twink nodded. ‘I know. I'll just have to keep telling myself that!'

But in the weeks that followed, Madge kept them so busy practising that Mariella didn't have time to be unpleasant. The team flew almost every day, working out glimmery new moves and zooming through the wooden posts like comets. Twink loved every moment of it – even the way her muscles ached at the end of a hard game.

‘All right, listen up!' called Madge at the start of practice one day. ‘Our first match is this Saturday. We're playing against Sparklelight Academy, and you know what
that
means!'

Twink glanced at the fairies hovering around her. They were all nodding seriously, even Mariella. Twink raised her hand.

‘Yes?' barked Madge.

‘Er – what does it mean?' asked Twink shyly.

Madge's mouth dropped open. ‘What does it
mean
? Why, Sparklelight is practically the best team in the whole league! We have to beat them at least twice this season, or we won't get into the finals.'

Twink swallowed. ‘Oh.'

‘And we've only got three matches with them altogether – so this one is very important,' said Madge sternly. ‘Now out on the field, everyone! Let's make this our best practice yet.'

The practice game started, with Twink on the Guards team. The Flea was in a mischievous mood, bounding gleefully from post to post. In no time at all, it was a wild, frenzied game, with the Guards racing about after the Flea and the Stealers darting in from all directions, trying to grab him.

‘Oh, stay
still
,'
panted Twink. The Flea landed nimbly on one of the posts, jumped up and down a few times, and then bounded off again. Argh! Twink dived through the air after him, with a pair of Stealers twisting quickly out of her way.

Crack!
The sound echoed across the field. Whirling about midair, Twink saw that a fourth-year fairy called Vera had crashed into a post. She fell to the ground in what seemed like slow motion.

Her heart pounding, Twink swooped down after her. The team landed about Vera in a cluster. ‘Are you all right?' asked Mia, gripping her shoulder.

Vera's face was flushed and damp. ‘Oh, it's my stupid wing! I wasn't looking where I was going, and now I think I've broken it!'

Madge appeared and crouched down beside the injured fairy, feeling her wing. ‘You've broken it, all right,' she said grimly. ‘Come on, let's get you to the infirmary. Mia, give me a hand.' Lifting Vera up between them, they slowly flew her off the field.

.

.

Twink hugged herself as she watched them head towards the tree. Fledge was such an exhilarating game, but it was awful when something like this happened!

The team broke into smaller groups, murmuring worriedly about Vera. Mariella flitted over beside Twink. ‘Well, you know what
this
means,' she said.

Twink shook her head. ‘No, what?'

The pointy-faced fairy let out an impatient breath. ‘Honestly, Twink! Vera's not going to be playing in the
Sparklelight match, is she? So one of us will be.'

A thrill darted across Twink's wings as she realised Mariella was right. She would never have wanted Vera to get injured, but – but oh, it
would
be wonderful to actually play in the match, instead of just hanging about on the sidelines!

‘But I wouldn't get your hopes up, if I were you,' smirked Mariella. ‘Madge is sure to choose the
best
player.' She jetted off across the field.

Twink grimaced after her. She knew she had a chance, no matter what Mariella said!

Finally Madge and Mia reappeared, flying down the hill to the field.

‘Is Vera all right?' asked a fifth-year student anxiously.

The Games Fairy sighed. ‘Fine, but she won't be playing for a few weeks – her wing's got a nasty break.' She narrowed her eyes at Twink and Mariella, and then gave a decisive nod. ‘Twink, I want you to play in the Sparklelight match in her place.'

Twink caught her breath as the rest of the team grinned at her. ‘Oh, thank you!' she burst out, excitement pounding through her wings. ‘I'll play really well, Madge, I promise.'

‘I know,' said Madge with a sudden chuckle. ‘Because you'll have
me
to answer to otherwise.'

Twink smiled happily – though somehow she didn't think Madge was really joking!

Madge swooped to the ground and picked up a pile of bright yellow petal pads. She handed them out, slapping one into each girl's hand. ‘These are your strategy books! I've worked out some glimmery set pieces for the Sparklelight match, and I want you all to memorise them. Sparklelight won't even know what's hit them!'

‘What about me?' asked Mariella, just managing to keep the sour note out of her voice.

‘You too, Mariella – just in case!' Madge handed Mariella a yellow petal pad as well.

Flipping through her strategy book, Twink's excitement started to feel more like apprehension. The set pieces all had titles like:
Guarding the Flea – a Double Bluff,
and
Super Triple Fake-Out Using the Centre Post.
Pages and pages of instructions for each of them! How would she ever remember all of this by Saturday?

Twink saw Mariella watching her with narrowed eyes. She quickly closed the petal pad, trying to look unconcerned.
I'll just have to study extra hard, that's all,
she decided.
I've
got
to do well in the match – I've just got to!

BOOK: Fledge Star
7.65Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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