wouldn’t let me in,” she said. “The guards brought me back here. I’ve been so worried. How are you? What happened?”
I tried to laugh off her barrage of questions. “Hey, I’m fine,” I said, looking everywhere except at her. “Couldn’t be better.” I tried a quick smile, but it probably looked more like the kind of expression they’d use on a poster for a horror movie.
“Anyway, I’d better get to work,” I said briskly. “Lots to catch up on. Talk to you later.”
And then I flipped a few folders over and shuffled some papers around and stared hard at the blank screen on my computer.
“Daisy, what is it?” Philippa asked gently. “What happened? Why are you being weird?”
“I’m not being weird,” I said. Why wouldn’t she go away? I needed to think. “Not weird at all. Just working. Lots to do.” I stared harder at my computer, frowning at it as though it contained the most important and interesting piece of information I’d ever seen. I hit a few keys on my keyboard, so she could see how hard I was working.
“Daisy,” Philippa said.
I tried to ignore her.
“Daisy!” she said more firmly.
I tore my eyes away from the screen and turned to face her. “What? You’ll have to be quick, because I really have lots of work.”
Philippa nudged a finger toward my computer screen. “It’s not even on,” she said.
I looked again at the screen. Then I looked at Philippa. Then I looked down at my desk.
“Daisy, what is it? What’s your punishment? I’m really sorry.” Philippa’s voice was so gentle I thought it was going to break me in two. “It’s all my fault,” she went on. “I’d do anything to help. I’d face the punishment myself if I could!”
She looked at me with such big, honest eyes, and with the kind of friendship I’ve never had with anyone else, and in that moment I realized what I had to do.
I smiled at Philippa. “Thank you!” I said, jumping out of my chair.
“What for?” Philippa asked. “I’m only saying the truth. That’s what friendship’s about, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Yes it is!” I said, for the first time in days feeling happy and excited. “I’d almost forgotten!”
I tidied my desk and headed down the corridor. “I’ll see you in a bit,” I said, desperately hoping I would. Who knew what I was going to face for doing this?
“Where are you going?” Philippa called as I hurried out of ALD.
“Just got to talk to someone,” I called back. Well, to two people. Two stars, to be precise.
I was going to tell them they could get someone else to do their dirty work. They could punish me as much as they wanted. I wasn’t going to betray Philippa. Nothing they could do to me would ever make me do that.
“So that’s it — that’s all there is to it,” FG32561 said defiantly. “You can do whatever you want with me, but I am declining your assignment, thank you.”
She stood in front of the two High Command officials, her knees shaking so much it was a wonder her legs were managing to hold her up straight. But still, she spoke with conviction.
The two stars — two of the highest ranking officials in the whole of ATC — turned to each other and nodded.
At this tiny gesture, the young fairy closed her eyes and swallowed hard.
Then one of the fairies spoke.
“Wait outside,” she said.
FG32561 did not need to be asked twice. She shot out of the room as quickly as her terrified body could manage.
Once the door was closed behind her, the stars turned to each other again. This time, their smiles were so bright, the room was ablaze with twinkling light. The older one spoke first. “We’ve found them,” she said. “They are exactly what we need.”
“And just in time!” the other replied. “Let’s get them back in here, and get the real assignment started.”
And with that, word was instantly issued to their staff. “Bring FG32561 back in the room. And that new fairy at ALD — the one that located FG32561 — bring
I tried to laugh off her barrage of questions. “Hey, I’m fine,” I said, looking everywhere except at her. “Couldn’t be better.” I tried a quick smile, but it probably looked more like the kind of expression they’d use on a poster for a horror movie.
“Anyway, I’d better get to work,” I said briskly. “Lots to catch up on. Talk to you later.”
And then I flipped a few folders over and shuffled some papers around and stared hard at the blank screen on my computer.
“Daisy, what is it?” Philippa asked gently. “What happened? Why are you being weird?”
“I’m not being weird,” I said. Why wouldn’t she go away? I needed to think. “Not weird at all. Just working. Lots to do.” I stared harder at my computer, frowning at it as though it contained the most important and interesting piece of information I’d ever seen. I hit a few keys on my keyboard, so she could see how hard I was working.
“Daisy,” Philippa said.
I tried to ignore her.
“Daisy!” she said more firmly.
I tore my eyes away from the screen and turned to face her. “What? You’ll have to be quick, because I really have lots of work.”
Philippa nudged a finger toward my computer screen. “It’s not even on,” she said.
I looked again at the screen. Then I looked at Philippa. Then I looked down at my desk.
“Daisy, what is it? What’s your punishment? I’m really sorry.” Philippa’s voice was so gentle I thought it was going to break me in two. “It’s all my fault,” she went on. “I’d do anything to help. I’d face the punishment myself if I could!”
She looked at me with such big, honest eyes, and with the kind of friendship I’ve never had with anyone else, and in that moment I realized what I had to do.
I smiled at Philippa. “Thank you!” I said, jumping out of my chair.
“What for?” Philippa asked. “I’m only saying the truth. That’s what friendship’s about, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Yes it is!” I said, for the first time in days feeling happy and excited. “I’d almost forgotten!”
I tidied my desk and headed down the corridor. “I’ll see you in a bit,” I said, desperately hoping I would. Who knew what I was going to face for doing this?
“Where are you going?” Philippa called as I hurried out of ALD.
“Just got to talk to someone,” I called back. Well, to two people. Two stars, to be precise.
I was going to tell them they could get someone else to do their dirty work. They could punish me as much as they wanted. I wasn’t going to betray Philippa. Nothing they could do to me would ever make me do that.
“So that’s it — that’s all there is to it,” FG32561 said defiantly. “You can do whatever you want with me, but I am declining your assignment, thank you.”
She stood in front of the two High Command officials, her knees shaking so much it was a wonder her legs were managing to hold her up straight. But still, she spoke with conviction.
The two stars — two of the highest ranking officials in the whole of ATC — turned to each other and nodded.
At this tiny gesture, the young fairy closed her eyes and swallowed hard.
Then one of the fairies spoke.
“Wait outside,” she said.
FG32561 did not need to be asked twice. She shot out of the room as quickly as her terrified body could manage.
Once the door was closed behind her, the stars turned to each other again. This time, their smiles were so bright, the room was ablaze with twinkling light. The older one spoke first. “We’ve found them,” she said. “They are exactly what we need.”
“And just in time!” the other replied. “Let’s get them back in here, and get the real assignment started.”
And with that, word was instantly issued to their staff. “Bring FG32561 back in the room. And that new fairy at ALD — the one that located FG32561 — bring
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