Flying High by Titania Woods

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    Chapter One
    â€˜Hurry, Brownie!’ whispered Twink in the mouse’s ear. ‘We’re almost there!’ Obediently, the mouse broke into a run, his whiskers shaking with every step. Twink clung to the reins. Her heart thumped as she scanned the long grass in front of them. Why couldn’t she see her new school yet? They must be almost there by now.
    And then all at once, there it was! A massive oak tree, rising up from a field of flowers. Fluttering her wings excitedly, Twink tugged at Brownie’s reins.
    â€˜Look!’ she shouted to her parents. ‘There it is! Glitterwings Academy!’
    Twink’s father swooped over her head, his purple wings beating so fast that they were a blur. ‘I wondered when you’d see it!’ he teased. Hovering beside her, Twink’s mother squeezed her hand.
    â€˜You’re going to love it here,’ she said. Her bright pink hair, so much like Twink’s, blew gently in the wind.
    â€˜Come on, let’s hurry!’ cried Twink. She nudged Brownie into a scamper and sped towards the oak tree, her parents flying close behind.
    A faint buzzing noise came from the air above them. A crowd of young fairies flew into view, brightly coloured as butterflies. They dipped and swirled in the air, calling to each other.
    â€˜Good old Glitterwings!’ said one. ‘Isn’t it great to be back?’
    Twink smiled as she watched them skim off. Soon she’d be flitting about through the air with friends, too. Oh, she could hardly wait to learn to fly!
    As Twink and her parents drew nearer, Glitterwings grew taller and taller, stretching up to the sky. ‘It’s huge!’ breathed Twink. She could see hundreds of tiny windows spiralling up the tree’s trunk, and a set of double doors sitting at its base.
    More and more young fairies appeared, flickering about the tree like Christmas lights. They hovered together in cheerful clusters, laughing and talking. Some of them looked almost grown-up in their sparkly shorts and tank tops.
    No one paid the least attention to Twink. She looked down at Brownie’s round ears. Suddenly she felt very childish, riding a mouse and wearing a boring dress made of rose petals, without a sparkle in sight. Then Twink saw a lavender-haired fairy her own age on a mouse, wearing a dress made of daisies. Another First Year! She let out a relieved breath.
    Hovering just above her, Twink’s mother pointed out a branch. ‘Look, there’s Peony Branch! It’s where I was when I was your age. We had so much fun there!’
    â€˜I wonder where I’ll be staying?’ said Twink.
    The air rustled as a fairy with white wings and sky-blue hair landed in front of them. ‘I’m Mrs Lightwing, head of the First Years,’ she announced, folding her wings neatly behind her back. ‘And you are?’ She squinted at Twink.

    Twink’s parents landed too, one on either side of her. They gave her encouraging smiles.
    Hastily, Twink slid off Brownie and stood on her tiptoes, dipping her head politely. ‘I’m Twink Flutterby,’ she said.
    Mrs Lightwing nodded, ticking off a name on her clover-leaf clipboard. ‘Yes, you’re in Daffodil Branch. Oh, and I see you went to Watercress Primary. Well, we’ll expect impressive things from you in that case.’ She looked sternly at Twink.
    Twink gulped. ‘Yes, Mrs Lightwing.’ Suddenly Brownie’s warm, furry nose tickled at her pocket for seeds, almost knocking her over. ‘Not now, Brownie!’ she hissed.
    Her father laughed. ‘Twink can hardly wait to learn how to fly. No more mice for her!’
    Mrs Lightwing gave Twink a grudging smile. ‘Just like all the other First Years. Well, I’m the Flight mistress, so I’ll be the one teaching you.’
    â€˜Oh! I mean – that’s great.’ Twink’s heart sank. Oh, wasps, she thought. Flying was supposed to be fun. Mrs