her to us as well. Immediately.”
I bit my nails, twirled my hair, hummed quietly to myself, and looked at my watch again.
Only a minute had passed since I’d last looked. Where was she? What was going on? Why hadn’t she told me what she was going to do? I couldn’t stand the thought of Daisy getting into any more trouble — and I couldn’t bear not knowing what had happened to her.
I was on the verge of going off to look for her when the door at the end of the office materialized — and the two male fairies about my age walked in.
They looked slowly around the whole office. Then they spotted me and instantly headed my way.
I gulped hard and tried to focus. I’d said I’d rather take the punishment than have Daisy face it herself — maybe that was exactly what was going to happen. I’d obviously put the thought into Daisy’s head, and she’d put it into action!
No! She wouldn’t do that — would she?
The fairy godbrothers had arrived at my desk and indicated for me to follow them out of the office.
“We’ve been sent to get you,” one of them said. And without another word, they escorted me from my desk, along the corridor, and out of the office.
“Good luck!” Tabby whispered as I passed her. I tried to smile at her, but as with everything else I’d attempted since I’d been here, I failed.
“We’ll get straight to the point,” the fairy said. She told us she was called Alya. I was only half listening at this point. The other half of me was trying to communicate with Daisy. She was here, too! We’d been summoned together. At least that told me one thing. Whatever was happening, we were in it together. She hadn’t pushed me forward for punishment instead of herself. I knew she wouldn’t have, really. I felt disloyal for even having let the thought cross my mind.
The other fairy spoke. She was called Chara. “But first, sit down,” she said.
Er, on what? There weren’t any chairs! But when I looked again, a pair of comfy chairs had appeared behind us. And then a table appeared in front of us, with two steaming cups of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies.
“Help yourselves,” Chara added.
Was it a trick? We’d broken some of their most important rules, and they were offering us cocoa and cookies?
“We’ll wait,” Daisy said firmly. “Let’s hear what you have to say to us first.”
“I agree,” I said — even though the hot chocolate did smell really nice.
“Very well,” Alya said. “We’ve brought you here because of the way you have both acted.”
“Philippa’s done nothing wrong!” Daisy said.
“Neither has Daisy,” I added quickly. “Everything she’s done is because of how good and how loyal she is, nothing else.”
Alya held up a hand. “Wait, wait,” she said calmly.
“We know all this,” Chara said. “You have both acted exactly how we wanted you to act.”
“ Wanted us to act?” I said. “What do you mean?”
The fairy looked at me. “You refused to use the code to get you back to Earth, so you could stand by your friend’s side if she was in trouble.”
“How do you —”
Chara ignored me. “And you”— she turned to Daisy —“refused to turn your friend in. We know about all of it.”
“But how?” Daisy asked. “How do you know? And if you know about it, what are we doing sitting here being offered drinks and sweets?”
“We know,” replied Alya, “because we set it up.”
I have to say, I was quite glad I hadn’t helped myself to the hot chocolate, because at that point I think I might have spurted it out all over the fairies.
“You set it up?” Daisy asked, her face a picture of baffled disbelief. “But why? How? If you knew that Philippa was the human, why did you send me off to find her? Why did you —”
The fairy interrupted her with another silencing hand. “Wait,” she said. “We’ll tell you everything.”
Daisy glanced at me. I gave a quick nod. “OK,” Daisy said, folding her arms.
I bit my nails, twirled my hair, hummed quietly to myself, and looked at my watch again.
Only a minute had passed since I’d last looked. Where was she? What was going on? Why hadn’t she told me what she was going to do? I couldn’t stand the thought of Daisy getting into any more trouble — and I couldn’t bear not knowing what had happened to her.
I was on the verge of going off to look for her when the door at the end of the office materialized — and the two male fairies about my age walked in.
They looked slowly around the whole office. Then they spotted me and instantly headed my way.
I gulped hard and tried to focus. I’d said I’d rather take the punishment than have Daisy face it herself — maybe that was exactly what was going to happen. I’d obviously put the thought into Daisy’s head, and she’d put it into action!
No! She wouldn’t do that — would she?
The fairy godbrothers had arrived at my desk and indicated for me to follow them out of the office.
“We’ve been sent to get you,” one of them said. And without another word, they escorted me from my desk, along the corridor, and out of the office.
“Good luck!” Tabby whispered as I passed her. I tried to smile at her, but as with everything else I’d attempted since I’d been here, I failed.
“We’ll get straight to the point,” the fairy said. She told us she was called Alya. I was only half listening at this point. The other half of me was trying to communicate with Daisy. She was here, too! We’d been summoned together. At least that told me one thing. Whatever was happening, we were in it together. She hadn’t pushed me forward for punishment instead of herself. I knew she wouldn’t have, really. I felt disloyal for even having let the thought cross my mind.
The other fairy spoke. She was called Chara. “But first, sit down,” she said.
Er, on what? There weren’t any chairs! But when I looked again, a pair of comfy chairs had appeared behind us. And then a table appeared in front of us, with two steaming cups of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies.
“Help yourselves,” Chara added.
Was it a trick? We’d broken some of their most important rules, and they were offering us cocoa and cookies?
“We’ll wait,” Daisy said firmly. “Let’s hear what you have to say to us first.”
“I agree,” I said — even though the hot chocolate did smell really nice.
“Very well,” Alya said. “We’ve brought you here because of the way you have both acted.”
“Philippa’s done nothing wrong!” Daisy said.
“Neither has Daisy,” I added quickly. “Everything she’s done is because of how good and how loyal she is, nothing else.”
Alya held up a hand. “Wait, wait,” she said calmly.
“We know all this,” Chara said. “You have both acted exactly how we wanted you to act.”
“ Wanted us to act?” I said. “What do you mean?”
The fairy looked at me. “You refused to use the code to get you back to Earth, so you could stand by your friend’s side if she was in trouble.”
“How do you —”
Chara ignored me. “And you”— she turned to Daisy —“refused to turn your friend in. We know about all of it.”
“But how?” Daisy asked. “How do you know? And if you know about it, what are we doing sitting here being offered drinks and sweets?”
“We know,” replied Alya, “because we set it up.”
I have to say, I was quite glad I hadn’t helped myself to the hot chocolate, because at that point I think I might have spurted it out all over the fairies.
“You set it up?” Daisy asked, her face a picture of baffled disbelief. “But why? How? If you knew that Philippa was the human, why did you send me off to find her? Why did you —”
The fairy interrupted her with another silencing hand. “Wait,” she said. “We’ll tell you everything.”
Daisy glanced at me. I gave a quick nod. “OK,” Daisy said, folding her arms.
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