Alice Parker's Metamorphosis (Book 1 of the new adventure series for children) by Nicola Palmer Page B

crumble went down a treat with everyone, though she would have liked seconds and ideally, thirds. She would have licked the empty dish if Jack hadn’t got there first.
    That afternoon she took Jack for a walk to clear her head. Although her domestic efforts had been a distraction, the task of befriending Lucinda and ultimately rescuing a respected Finwip from the castle was still filling her with dread. She told Thomas she was going and sneaked out while her parents were having their Sunday afternoon nap. Trudging down the road with the snow squeaking beneath her boots, Alice felt better for being out of the house. She just couldn’t relax at home knowing that she was keeping such a secret from her parents and always having to guard against letting anything slip out. Thomas had been doing it for years. Perhaps leading a double life would get easier as time went on. He didn’t even know what his Finwip ability was yet. Perhaps the future held an even bigger challenge for him.
    ‘ Oh, Jack, why can’t life be simple?’ she muttered. Jack looked up at her and smiled. Or was he just panting? Alice could see his hot breath in the air. ‘As if you can understand me,’ said Alice, giving herself a ticking off for trying to start a philosophical conversation with a dog. Jack barked.
    ‘ Well, can you?’ He barked again, wagging his tail.
    ‘ I’m not convinced,’ laughed Alice, unsure whether she was talking to Jack or herself. He began to pull on the lead as they approached the old oak tree at the end of the road. Next to the oak and its mysterious letterbox, which still looked real enough to Alice, was an alleyway between two houses which joined a path to the woods. Jack evidently wanted to go that way but Alice didn’t fancy it on her own. It would be dark in about half an hour.
    As she pulled him away and turned to go back the way they came, he spotted two birds very close to them. He sat down on the spot and watched them. Alice was convinced they were the same blackbird and robin who had followed her to school recently. Only this time, it wasn’t their friendly behaviour that intrigued her – it was the fact they were perched on the Finwip letterbox again. She now knew that meant it was real to them as well. Jack stood up on his hind legs to get a closer look at these cheeky birds. To Alice’s amazement, he leant his front paws on the letterbox. Finwip ‘magic’ must be seen by all animals, she deduced. The birds appeared to have no fear of her or Jack as they stared back into the huge face of her curious dog.
    ‘ Come on, let’s go,’ insisted Alice, patting his back. He jumped down and did as he was told. Remarkable. Perhaps he could understand her after all! As they walked leisurely back up Albany Road, the two birds followed in their usual manner, flitting from hedge to gatepost, chirping as they went. A squirrel racing up the trunk of a birch tree stopped to stare at them as they passed by. Alice began to wonder if she had stumbled onto the set of a children’s film. ‘Don’t be silly,’ she told herself sternly, shaking her head. When she arrived at her own gate, the birds gave a final chirp and flew away. Jack barked goodbye.
    ‘ Never a dull moment,’ said Alice under her breath as she let herself in. She couldn’t even walk the dog without a strange occurrence.
    *
    At school on Monday, Alice started to put the plan into place. Since Saturday she had felt different, more confident, and was determined to play her part in helping the Finwip community. She began by giving Christmas cards to the coven. Katy raised an eyebrow and tossed hers aside after opening it. Sarah gave them a card each as well, to Alice’s amusement.
    ‘ It can only help,’ she said. Lucinda felt rather disconcerted.
    ‘ Er, Sarah,’ she began, turning round in her seat. ‘I’m sorry about the cake incident. And you, Alice.’ She was flushed with embarrassment, aware that Katy and Olivia were listening in horror to