Magic Bunny: Dancing Days (2 page)

‘Accidents happen sometimes, I’m afraid.’ Sara’s mum got into the driver’s side. She glanced into the rear-view mirror and gave her daughter a sympathetic smile. ‘Cheer up, love. There’ll be lots of other opportunities.’

Not like this
, Sara thought glumly.

She really wanted to develop her dancing skills and become a more confident performer. Being part of a regular troupe would have been perfect for her.

Sara stared fixedly out of the side window at the familiar streets as her mum drove them home, but in her mind she was back at the studio with all her dance friends. Just a couple of hours ago she was enjoying the wonderful feeling of her body moving in time to the music as she learned some new steps.

Then it had happened. She’d landed awkwardly, slipped on to the side of her foot and felt a sharp pain zing through her ankle. The doctor had told her she’d sprained it, and even though it didn’t hurt that much now that it was all bandaged up, she’d been told that if she wanted it to heal properly she had to rest it completely.

So no dancing for three whole weeks!

Despite Sara’s efforts to put on a brave face, her eyes pricked with tears.

‘I wonder what Beth’s going to do now?’ her dad remarked. ‘You two practically live at that studio.’

‘I know. I feel really bad for her,’ Sara said miserably.

She and Beth were best friends as well as dance partners. They’d been practising a brilliant new routine, ready for Jane’s auditions. Now Beth would have to perform it on her own.

Sara remembered something. ‘I’ve left some of my stuff in the lockers at the studio. Could we go and get it, please?’

‘Are you sure you want to? I can get it for you any time,’ her mum offered.

Sara shook her head. ‘Dance classes will have finished for the day, so I can just go in quickly without everyone making a fuss. Anyway, I might as well start getting used to these things.’ She waved one of the crutches.

Her mum nodded. ‘OK.’

A few minutes later they parked outside the community college. It was an impressive dome-shaped building, always flooded with light from the glass panels that formed its walls. Its wide staircase and high ceiling could be seen through the entrance windows.

Sara’s dad helped her out of the car. He walked with her through the automatic front doors and then up to the first floor in the lift. Adults and kids wearing sports kit passed them in the corridor. The smell of freshly brewed coffee met them as they approached the large open-plan cafe.

‘I’ll be fine now, Dad. The studio’s just over there. Why don’t you wait here for me?’

‘If you’re sure,’ he said, taking a seat in the cafe. ‘Take care on those crutches then.’

‘I will.’ Sara negotiated the door into the changing rooms next to the studio. She managed to get across the room, but it was difficult to fish her locker key out of her jeans pocket while balancing on crutches.

She carefully propped one of them against the lockers, so she had a hand free. Opening her locker, she reached for a book, a CD and some practice clothes and began stuffing them into a spare holdall that she found crumpled at the back. It was a bit awkward with one hand, but she finally managed it.

As she closed the locker, she didn’t notice that she’d brushed against the crutch that was propped next to her. It slid sideways and crashed to the ground. The loud noise made Sara almost jump out of her skin and she dropped the holdall in surprise.

‘Oh great! Now what do I do?’ she groaned.

There was no point in calling for her dad as he wouldn’t hear her through two doors. She’d have to try to bend down to pick up the crutch herself.

‘Right. How hard can this be?’

Sara gritted her teeth. Keeping her injured ankle in the air, she balanced on one crutch and tried to crouch down. But then she lost her balance and felt herself falling.

‘Oh!’ she gasped as she braced herself for a painful landing.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash and a cloud of crystal dust appeared and swirled around Sara. She felt a strange warm tingling sensation down her spine, but the hard bump she expected never came.

To her complete amazement, Sara found herself hovering in mid-air a few centimetres above the floor. She caught her breath as she felt herself turning and then floating gently downwards until she ended up sitting on the floor with her long legs outstretched.

‘What just happened?’ She felt like pinching herself to see if she was dreaming.

‘I hope you are not hurt?’ asked a little voice from across the changing room.

Chapter
TWO

Sara looked around and saw a tiny fluffy black-and-white bunny crouching on top of the nearest bench. It had big chocolate-brown eyes and they seemed to be twinkling with tiny rainbows. Sara’s eyes widened as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. She must be more shaken up by her fall than she thought. She was imagining the oddest things!

Sara watched as the cute bunny hopped closer towards her – it was definitely real. But there was no way it could have spoken to her!

‘How did you get in here?’ she thought aloud. ‘I wonder if you belong to someone from the dance class?’

‘I do not belong to anyone,’ the bunny told her. ‘I had just arrived here when I saw you fall, so I used my magic to stop you hurting yourself. I am sorry if I startled you.’

Sara did a double take. ‘You … you really can talk!’ she blurted out.

The bunny blinked at her. Despite its tiny size it didn’t seem to be afraid of her.

Sara noticed that it wore a tiny gold key on a chain round its neck.

‘All the rabbits in my warren can talk. I am Arrow, guardian of Moonglow Meadow and keeper of the key that keeps our meadow lush and green,’ the bunny said, lifting his fluffy little head proudly. ‘May I know your name?’

‘S-Sara. Sara Penfold. I just … um … called in here to … erm … pick up some of my stuff,’ she stammered. Her mind was still whirling. She couldn’t believe this was happening, but she didn’t want to scare this amazing bunny away. ‘Thanks for saving me from hurting myself. I could have made my bad ankle even worse.’

‘You are welcome!’ Arrow bowed his head. ‘I am honoured to meet you, Sara.’

‘Um … me too.’ She dipped her head, feeling a bit strange at being so formal while still sitting on the floor with only one trainer on and a heavily bandaged ankle.

Arrow twitched his long floppy ears and his face took on a serious look. ‘I need somewhere to hide, and quickly.’

‘Why do you need to do that?’ Sara asked. ‘Is someone after you?’

The black-and-white bunny’s brown eyes flashed with sadness and anger.

‘Yes. I am in hiding from our neighbours, who are fierce dark rabbits. Their land is dry and stony, but they refuse to share our meadow with us. They want to steal the key and use it to make their own land green again. If they do this, Moonglow Meadow will become a desert.’

‘Oh no! That would be terrible!’ Sara exclaimed.

‘Yes, it would. That is why Strike, our leader, sent me here to keep the magic key safe.’

Sara frowned, puzzled. ‘Is Moonglow Meadow near here then – behind the community college?’

The tiny bunny shook his head. ‘It is far away. In another world.’

Sara felt her curiosity taking over from her shock. Arrow’s homeland sounded so strange and wonderful! ‘No offence, but you’re very tiny for such an important mission,’ she said gently.

Rainbows gleamed more brightly in Arrow’s dewy brown eyes. ‘Please stay there,’ he ordered, rising up on to his back legs.

Sara felt another warm prickling sensation down her spine as the key round his neck began flashing and a cloud of shimmering crystal dust appeared. It swirled round Arrow like a miniature whirlwind, and when it cleared, Sara saw that the cute black-and-white bunny had disappeared. In his place stood the most beautiful and impressive rabbit she had ever seen. It was the size of a large cat and had silky pure-white fur, flecked with silver. The tips of its large ears looked as if they’d been dipped in silver glitter and its glowing chocolate-brown eyes flashed with jewel-bright rainbows.

‘Arrow?’ Sara gasped in wonderment.

‘Yes, it is still me, Sara,’ Arrow said in a smooth velvety voice.

Before she had time to get over the shock of seeing Arrow in his true form, there was a final flash of bright light from the key round his neck and he reappeared as a tiny fluffy black-and-white bunny.

‘Wow! That’s a really cool disguise.’

Arrow shook his head. ‘The dark rabbits will see through it if any of them find me. I must hide now. Can you help me, please?’

‘Yes! You can live with me!’ Sara decided without a second thought. ‘We’ve got a big garden with lots of grass and stuff to eat. Just wait until I tell Mum and Dad about you. And Beth, she’s my best friend. No one’s going to believe it!’

‘No, I am sorry, Sara. You cannot tell anyone about me,’ Arrow said seriously. ‘You must promise me.’

Sara felt disappointed, especially about not telling her best friend. She and Beth always told each other everything. But if it would help to keep the magic bunny safe, then she was prepared to make an exception.

‘OK then. Cross my heart. I’ll have to smuggle you into our house somehow. I know, you can get into my holdall …’

‘Sara?’ a voice called out. ‘Are you all right? You’ve been a long time in there.’

Sara froze and then quickly turned her head to see her dad coming into the changing room. A horrified look crossed his face as he saw her sitting on the floor.

‘Oh, my goodness! Have you hurt yourself? I knew I should have come in with you!’

‘I’m fine. Really,’ Sara reassured him. ‘I landed on my bottom, not my bad ankle. But then I couldn’t reach the crutches to get up again.’

From the corner of her eye she saw Arrow leap off the bench, hop towards the open holdall lying on the floor and crawl inside it. But for some reason her dad didn’t seem to notice.

‘Have you got everything you wanted from your locker? Then let’s get you back on your feet!’ Her dad helped her get up and balance on her crutches and then he picked up the holdall with Arrow inside it.

‘Thanks, Dad. Let’s go. Mum must be wondering where we’ve got to,’ Sara said as she limped towards the door. All she wanted to do was get Arrow safely back home and then settle in with her secret bunny friend.