Sister Secrets (7 page)

.

Chapter Eight

At first the star-gazing platform had been fun.

Once Zuzu saw that Teena was determined to fly up there, she'd taken a deep breath and insisted on joining her – because what if it really
was
dangerous? Her twin shouldn't be going alone if that were the case.

So, pushing aside her fears, Zuzu had squirmed out of the Snowdrop Branch window after Teena. Spreading her wings, she bobbed in the air, feeling exhilarated by the warm spring night despite herself.

‘Isn't this glimmery?' Teena whispered over her shoulder as they fluttered upwards. There was a full moon, looking like a huge, silvery eye peering through the tree's branches.

Zuzu had to agree. Her heart sang as they reached the top of the tree. She'd never flown so high before! It was dizzying and exciting and wonderful, all at the same time.

‘There it is!' hissed Teena.

Following her best friend's pointing finger, Zuzu's pulse skipped a beat. The star-gazing platform lay just below them, like a circular raft floating atop a sea of branches.

Teena touched down on the centre of the platform, looking happily around her. ‘Oh, isn't it
wonderful
!
I can hardly wait to get everyone up here for a midnight feast.'

Landing beside her, Zuzu peered at the nine crystals that glowed around them. Their light seemed weird and unearthly, and Zuzu bit her lip. ‘Teena, we won't stay long, will we?'

‘No, of course not! I just wanted to see it.' Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Teena smiled up at the stars.

Sitting beside her, Zuzu felt herself relax. It
was
wonderful to be up here with her best friend, with the crystals gleaming so brightly. Her thoughts began to drift as she gazed at them. Why had they made her nervous? They were so pretty, like lanterns . . . like white fire . . . like shining gems . . .

All at once Zuzu blinked, starting awake. How long had they been up here? It seemed like just a heartbeat, but the moon had moved – hadn't it? She shook her head dazedly, feeling rather frightened.

Suddenly Teena started to giggle.

‘What is it?' asked Zuzu. A smile grew across her own face, though she wasn't sure why.

Teena laughed harder, clutching her ankles and rocking back and forth. ‘Oh!' she spluttered. ‘It's so funny! I'm – I'm a flower!'

‘A
flower
?'
Zuzu stared at her as the bright light from the crystals shone around them. But somehow the notion didn't seem so strange. She and Teena
could
be flowers, she realised. Why, their legs were just like stems! And their wings just like petals!

Zuzu began to laugh. ‘What – what kind of flower?'

‘I'm a daisy!' shrieked Teena. ‘And you – you're an
apple blossom
!'

This seemed the most marvellous thing Zuzu had ever heard. She jumped to her feet. ‘Look at me!' she said, spreading her arms. ‘I'm an apple blossom, dancing in the wind!'

Teena joined her, and in no time at all the two fairies were capering about the platform, fluttering their wings and giggling.

‘Ooh!' cried Teena, stopping short. ‘Do you know what flowers can do?'

‘What?' asked Zuzu eagerly.

‘We can float on the breeze!' announced Teena. She sprang on to the platform railing, swaying a bit. ‘Come on, Twin! Let's float down to the ground! Flowers don't even need wings!'

‘Float?' The idea was delightful. Zuzu jumped up next to Teena, peering downwards. Then she frowned. What looked like a whole forest of branches lay between them and the ground.

‘But . . . won't we hit a branch?' she asked doubtfully. She had a vague feeling that there was something wrong with their plan, though she couldn't imagine what. Something . . . something they hadn't thought of . . .

‘Of course not!' Teena's eyes sparkled in the crystal light. ‘Flowers
drift.
We'll drift right around them.'

‘Oh!' said Zuzu, greatly relieved.
That
explained it. She grinned. ‘Well, what are we waiting for?'

Teena grasped her hand tightly. ‘Come on, then – on the count of three!'

The two friends stood side by side, holding hands as they teetered on the slender railing. ‘One,' they chanted. ‘Two . . .'

.

Squeezing quickly through a window, Twink and Sooze sped upwards, dodging leaves and branches as they flew.

Fear pounded through Twink like a raging waterfall. Oh, what if something had happened to Teena? She'd never forgive herself for not looking after her sister better.

‘Come on, Sooze, faster!' she called as they neared the top of the tree.

‘Oh, wasps – look!' shouted Sooze, pointing.

Twink held back a shriek. There were Teena and Zuzu, standing on the railing of the star-gazing platform – with their wings folded behind their backs!

‘What are you doing?' yelled Sooze frantically. ‘Get down, the pair of you!'

Zuzu blinked, wavering. Suddenly she cried out and flung her arms around Teena. Teena struggled with her, arms flailing. The two fairies stumbled, and Twink gasped. Zuzu was clearly star-struck – and was trying to push Teena over the edge of the platform!

Her pulse roared through her brain. ‘
Get away from my sister!
' she screamed.

Jetting to the platform, she snatched Teena off the railing and into the air. Dimly, she was aware of Zuzu falling backwards as Teena squawked in surprise, kicking and squirming in Twink's arms. ‘Let me go! Let me –'

‘Stop it!' yelled Twink. She swerved narrowly past a branch, trying to land them both safely. ‘Teena, we'll –'

Crash!
The two fairies were thrown apart as they slammed into a branch. Twink slumped against the rough bark. Oh, her head!

Beside her, Teena was huddled against a fork in the branch, crying softly. Ignoring her throbbing skull, Twink crawled over and touched her shoulder. ‘Teena?' she whispered.

‘What happened?' sobbed Teena. ‘I don't understand . . . Twink, I'm so confused!' She flung herself into Twink's arms, and the two sisters hugged tightly. Twink's heart was hammering. Oh, if anything had happened to Teena!

She smoothed her sister's long hair. ‘Hush, it's all right,' she soothed. ‘I've got you.'

Gulping and sniffling, Teena sat up. ‘What – what happened?' she asked.

.

.

‘Zuzu tried to push you over the edge of the platform,' said Twink, glaring upwards. She could hear Zuzu crying, and Sooze talking softly to her. Good! She was glad that Sooze's cousin was so upset.

Teena's mouth dropped open. ‘No, she didn't.'

‘She
did
,' said Twink. ‘Teena, I saw the whole thing – you were both on the edge, and –'

‘No, I remember now!' cried Teena. ‘It was like we were under a spell! I thought we were flowers, and that we could drift to the ground – and then Zuzu broke out of it, and she was trying to
stop
me.'

Twink's jaw tightened. She thought if she heard Zuzu's name once more, she'd scream! ‘Teena,
when
are you going to stop defending her? You wouldn't even have been up
here if it weren't for her!'

‘I think it's the other way around,
actually
,' announced a voice. Sooze fluttered down to Twink's branch, her arm firmly around the sobbing Zuzu. ‘Twink, what's been going on this term? Zu says you hate her!'

Twink flapped her wings angrily. ‘I don't
hate
her – but it's obvious what sort of fairy she is, isn't it? Teena never got into a wing's breadth of trouble before, and now –'

‘Now
what
?'
Sooze stared at her. ‘You can't be suggesting that this was
Zuzu's
fault – she'd never do something like this on her own!'

Zuzu sobbed harder, covering her face with her hands. ‘I only wanted to help – I –'

‘Ha!' shouted Twink. The leaves trembled around them. ‘For your information, I saw her up here
weeks
ago, sneaking around, and –' Suddenly Twink remembered the prank that had been played on her, and she stopped in confusion.
Had
it been Zuzu she'd seen that day? Or –

‘You're not listening! You never listen!' screeched Teena, stamping her foot. ‘
I'm
the one who wanted to come up here, not Zuzu. It was me you saw! That's why we played the prank on you – to show you how wrong you've been about everything!'

‘You?' echoed Twink weakly, her thoughts spinning. ‘But – but Teena, that's not like you at all. I mean –'

‘How would
you
know?' demanded her little sister, looking close to tears. ‘You've been here at Glitterwings for the last two years! You were always treating me like a baby in acorn school whenever you came home – well, I'm
not
.'

Twink opened her mouth and closed it again. She couldn't speak. She looked at Zuzu, and it felt as if a chasm had opened beneath her feet. Oh, how had she got everything so utterly wrong?

‘Zuzu . . . were you really trying to
save
Teena?' she whispered.

The sobbing fairy nodded, and Twink winced, aching inside. ‘Oh, Zuzu, I'm so sorry . . .' She reached out to touch the younger fairy's shoulder, but Sooze jerked her cousin away.

‘I think you've said enough for now, Twink,' she snapped.

Twink swallowed hard. In a sudden flurry of wings, Miss Twilight and Bimi arrived, and she realised dazedly that not much time had passed since they left Violet Branch. It felt like a lifetime ago.

Miss Twilight took one look at them, and held her hands out to the younger fairies. ‘Come along, everyone,' she said. ‘I think we all need some hot, sweet nectar.'

To Twink's surprise, not much was said as they sat in Miss Twilight's office. Sooze sat scowling down at her acorn-shell cup. Bimi perched quietly beside Twink, sipping her hot nectar. She rubbed her wing warmly against Twink's, and Twink gave her a grateful smile.

The two younger fairies sat huddled together. The colour slowly returned to their cheeks as they drained their drinks. ‘Would – would we really have fallen if Twink and Sooze hadn't arrived?' asked Teena fearfully.

Miss Twilight nodded. ‘Though you wouldn't have fallen very far – there's a protection spell around the railing. Still, it would have been a nasty shock for you, and you might have hurt yourself on one of the branches.'

Twink saw her little sister take a deep breath. ‘It was my fault,' she blurted out. ‘Zu only came along because she couldn't talk me out of it. Please don't punish her. I'm the one who should be punished!'