Skating School: White Skate Wishes Read online

  What had Camilla meant by that?

  Just then, Amanda came hurrying up the stairs. Emily thought about the trick Camilla was playing on her. ‘Amanda, wait a moment!’ Emily said.

  Amanda stopped and turned to look at her. ‘What is it?’

  ‘You know Camilla’s been helping you with your routine?’ Emily said hurriedly.

  Amanda nodded.

  ‘Well…’ Emily took a deep breath. ‘She’s not really helping you. She’s trying to make you look stupid.’

  ‘Don’t be silly. She’s my friend,’ said Amanda. ‘I’m going to see her now.’

  ‘She isn’t your friend,’ said Emily. ‘She’s telling you to do stuff that makes your routine look worse.’

  ‘You don’t know anything about it, Emily,’ Amanda said dismissively. ‘You don’t even have ice-skating lessons at home!’ She walked away and pushed open the door of the Snow Foxes dorm. The next minute there was a splash, a clatter and a piercing shriek!

  Emily gasped and ran forward. Amanda was standing just inside the doorway and she was soaked through! A bucket lay at her feet. It had obviously been balanced on top of the door and had fallen down, spilling water all over her as she walked in. Camilla, Tess, Helena and Clare were staring at Amanda in shock.

  ‘We thought Emily was about to come in, not you!’ Tess gasped.

  Camilla and the others burst out laughing. Emily stared. It was horrible knowing the others had been planning to play the trick on her and she couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for Amanda.

  ‘Stop laughing!’ Amanda shouted furiously, looking at Camilla.

  ‘But you look so… so… so funny!’ Camilla couldn’t contain her giggles.

  ‘I’m all wet!’ Amanda cried. She got crosser and crosser, which made the others laugh even more. ‘Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!’ she screamed.

  ‘Whatever is going on here?’ a sharp voice snapped.

  The laughter died instantly.

  Madame Letsworth appeared in the doorway and looked at Amanda and then at the water all over the floor. She glared at the girls in the dorm. ‘Would anyone care to explain?’ she said icily.

  There wasn’t a trace of laughter on any of the girls’ faces now.

  Camilla swallowed and stood up. ‘It… it was just a joke.’

  ‘I do not think it is very funny!’ Madame Letsworth snapped. ‘There is now water all over the floor and all over Emily’s bed. Amanda, be quiet!’

  Amanda’s wails faded to snivels.

  ‘Go and get changed and dry your hair.’

  Amanda glared at Camilla and the others and hurried away.

  Madame Letsworth looked round at Emily. ‘Did you have anything to do with this, Emily?’

  Emily quickly shook her head.

  ‘Well, your bed is far too wet for you to sleep in tonight. Get your things and go to the Frost Fairies dorm and sleep in the spare bed there tonight.’

  Emily caught her breath in delight.

  ‘I am not pleased with the rest of you, not pleased at all. I expect more than this from my students. I want you to fetch mops from the cleaning cupboard and I am going to stand here while you clear up this mess, and then you will be going to bed straight away with no talking at all.’

  Madame Letsworth waited while Emily gathered up her pyjamas and clothes for the next day and the others fetched the mops. Leaving them clearing up the mess with very fed-up expressions on their faces, Emily ran up the stairs to the Frost Fairies dorm.

  ‘I can sleep here tonight!’ she gasped, bursting in.

  ‘What? How?’ exclaimed Molly.

  Five minutes and an excited explanation later, Emily was unpacking her things. It was lovely to be out of the Snow Foxes dorm. She brushed her hair and teeth with the others and then got into the spare bed.

  ‘I wish I could sleep here every night!’

  ‘I wish you could too,’ said Molly.

  ‘Me three,’ said Hannah.

  ‘Me four,’ said Alice.

  ‘Me five!’ said Tilda. They all giggled and then said goodnight. Alice turned off the light. Hannah was in the bed next to Emily’s.

  ‘Are you nervous about tomorrow?’ she whispered through the dark.

  ‘Yes,’ Emily whispered back. ‘But I’m excited as well.’

  ‘You’ll be brilliant, Emily,’ Molly said from the bed next to Hannah’s. ‘We all will!’

  Emily smiled happily and went to sleep.

  Chapter Ten

  The Competition!

  The next day there was an excited buzz in the air as the girls prepared for the competition. They all had a final practice with their music and then got ready. They were allowed to put make-up on as well. Emily wore blue eyeshadow and mascara and dusted silver powder over her cheeks.

  The girls had been told they would be skating in three groups. The Frost Fairies dorm would go first, then the Ice Owls and finally the Snow Foxes. The competition was being judged by the three ice-skating teachers. The teachers all sat at a table and at the end of each round they agreed a mark and told the frost fairies who were sitting beside them. The frost fairies then fluttered up and formed the score in the air.

  It was a very exciting competition to watch. Hannah did a brilliant routine. She skated effortlessly, gliding on the ice to beautiful music and landing all her jumps, looking graceful and elegant. She went into the lead. Molly tried to do some really difficult combinations of double jumps. She fell over twice, but didn’t mind, and the rest of her routine was full of energy and fire. Amanda, who wasn’t speaking to Camilla any more, toned down her routine and didn’t overact. She was good and went into third place with the second place going to Heather, another girl from Ice Owls, who was a beginner like Emily but who did a very simple but expressive routine. After every routine the dragons in the music box popped up to clap their paws.

  As Emily watched everyone go before her, she got more and more excited. At last, it was time for the Snow Foxes to go to the changing area where they would wait to be called on to the rink. Emily tucked in some loose strands of hair, checked that the laces on her boots were tied tightly and then waited, heart pounding, for her turn.

  Please let me just get through it OK, she thought. Please let me not fall over too many times.

  Her hands were sweating and her stomach felt full of fluttering butterflies. Tess was the first of the Snow Foxes to go on to the ice. She fell on one of her jumps, a single axel.

  ‘See,’ Camilla said, coming up behind Emily. ‘If Tess fell, you’re bound to.’

  Tess got up from the ice, but the fall had shaken her and she limited the difficulty on the rest of her routine.

  Camilla was on next. She skated to the centre of the rink, her chin up, a broad smile on her face. Her whole body language said ‘Look at me’. And she was good. When she started, Emily couldn’t take her eyes off her. Camilla skated really well. She had chosen cat-like music and she jumped and spun and arched her back like a cat. She came skating off the ice, smiling smugly.

  ‘Well done,’ Emily said generously.

  Camilla gave her a triumphant look. ‘Beat that if you can!’

  Emily stared after her as Camilla put on her skate guards and flounced away. Anger surged through her. OK, Emily thought determinedly, gritting her teeth, I will!

  The score went up and everyone clapped again. Camilla had gone into the lead. But Emily didn’t have time to think about Camilla any longer. It was her turn!

  Taking her skate guards off, she stepped on to the glistening white ice. She skated to the centre of the rink and stood in her beginning pose, head down, arms slightly behind her like a bird’s wings, left foot crossed behind the right. She felt excited, but also calm and very determined. Emily knew her routine was nothing like as technical as Camilla’s, but if the judges wanted expression and dancing from the heart then that was what she was going to give them!

  As the first few bars of the music flooded out, Emily blocked everything else from her mind, took
a deep breath and began to skate.

  At first, her feet felt heavy, but then the music seemed to flow through her, taking her over, just as it did when she was dancing off the ice. Emily could feel it building, getting louder, carrying her on. This was it. Her first jump. Increasing her speed, she remembered everything she had learnt that week. Head up, arms out, tap the ice with her left foot. I can do this, I can do this, she thought.

  Emily leapt upwards, crossing her arms over her chest and spinning round, for a moment feeling completely weightless and free. She landed on her right foot and the music carried her on into a spiral, her leg held high, her balance perfect, and then into a sit spin. She remembered her routine perfectly, hardly having to think about what to do next, skating in perfect time to the music. Emily finished with a final spin, coming to a graceful stop, arms fully extended up above her head. There was a moment’s pause and then everyone started clapping.

  She beamed in relief. She’d done it! While she had been skating, she had been lost in her own world, but now she could see everyone. Hannah and Molly were on their feet cheering. The others were all clapping hard. The judges were smiling.

  Happiness flooded through her. She hadn’t fallen. She hadn’t looked silly. She’d tried her hardest and it felt brilliant! She headed off the ice, smiling in delight.

  The other Snow Foxes turned away from her, but Hannah and Molly came running over. ‘That was amazing!’ cried Hannah. ‘You were so expressive.’

  ‘Just fantastic!’ exclaimed Molly.

  ‘The marks are going up!’ said Hannah as the frost fairies fluttered up from the table.

  Emily looked at the marks and gasped. She had beaten Camilla!

  ‘You’re in the lead!’ shrieked Molly.

  Emily could hardly believe it. She watched in a daze as the final two skaters performed and, at the end of it, she still had the most points. She had won the competition!

  Madame Letsworth, Madame Li and Monsieur Carvallio skated on to the ice and called Emily on.

  Everyone clapped. Emily noticed the Snow Foxes were all applauding very grudgingly, but all her friends in the Frost Fairies dorm made up for that by cheering loudly. ‘Well done, Emily,’ Madame Letsworth said.

  ‘Your routine was excellent,’ said Monsieur Carvallio. ‘It showed real feeling and expression. You have also shown great improvement this week. No one has worked harder or tried more, and you showed great courage in attempting the routine you did, so I am delighted you have won.’

  ‘You should be very proud of yourself. Well done, Emily,’ agreed Madame Li, handing her a pair of perfect white skates.

  Emily stroked the soft leather in delight. They were the most beautiful skates she had ever seen, with silver laces and golden fastenings.

  ‘As the winner of the first competition, you can ask for one thing,’ said Madame Letsworth. ‘And, if we can grant it, you will have it. So, what is it to be? A sleigh ride maybe? A midnight feast? A new ice-skating dress?’

  Emily shook her head. She knew exactly what she wanted. ‘Can I move into the Frost Fairies dorm, please?’ she asked.

  Madame Letsworth looked surprised. ‘Switch dorms?’

  ‘Yes, please.’ Emily held her breath.

  ‘I have already told you, Emily, changing dorms is not possible…’ The headteacher’s face softened into a smile. ‘In most cases. But if that is what you want then you shall have it as winner of the competition.’

  Emily’s heart leapt. Oh, wow! she thought.

  Molly and Hannah were waiting for her as she skated off the ice.

  ‘I can’t believe you’re going to be in our dorm!’ said Molly, hugging her. ‘It’ll be so cool!’

  ‘Just brilliant!’ exclaimed Hannah.

  ‘No more people not talking to me.’ Emily looked round. Camilla had already marched off and the Snow Foxes had followed her. ‘No more tricks being played.’

  Amanda came over. ‘Well done, Emily. And…’ She hesitated. ‘Thank you for telling me about Camilla,’ she said stiffly. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t listen.’

  Emily smiled at her. ‘That’s OK. You looked really good today.’

  Amanda tossed her head. ‘I know. I mean, obviously they were trying to encourage the beginners so that’s why you won. But that’s OK,’ she said as if she thought she was being generous. ‘Congratulations.’ She walked off.

  Molly spluttered. ‘I can’t believe she just said that!’

  ‘Oh, forget it,’ said Hannah. ‘It’s just Amanda. It doesn’t matter.’

  Emily nodded. She didn’t want to waste the moment thinking about Amanda. ‘This has been a brilliant week!’

  ‘I wonder what the competition will be next week,’ said Molly eagerly.

  ‘And if we’ll find out anything more about being the Ice Princess,’ Hannah added.

  Emily sighed happily and looked at the ice rink. It was empty of people now, but in her mind she could still feel what it had been like to be out there, skating to music, gliding and jumping. She’d only been at the Magic Ice-skating Academy for a week and already she had learnt so much and done so many things. What will happen next week? What will we be doing? she thought.

  The first adventure was over, but another one was about to begin!

  With Thanks To…

  There are so many people who deserve thanks for this series: Lindsey Heaven who first came up with the idea and who has cared passionately about the series from the start; Philippa Milnes-Smith for her constant support, encouragement and advice; Jessica and Michele Holland for talking about skating to me and for reading through the books, checking the skating details (any mistakes are all mine and I freely admit there is some artistic licence in there!); Suzanne Duxbury for going above and beyond the call of best friendship in looking after six children for far too much of the time during a rainy week in Devon while I finished White Skate Wishes, and who is always there for me the rest of the time too; Emma Purcell for listening, for the e-mails, for making me laugh and for keeping me sane; Steve Cole who helped with this series from the very earliest stages and who gave so much with useful advice, brilliant ideas and encouragement, despite his own mad schedule; Lee Weatherly who has been my ‘girl’ reader, whose instincts are so close to my own – thank you so much for all your involvement and support; Dave Gatward for the daily optimism, endless enthusiasm, for producing articles on skiing at the drop of a hat and for the icicle snakes and snowball mice – brilliant! And the biggest thanks of all to Peter who puts up with so much – looking after me, the dogs and the children when I am busy writing – thank you for that and for all the brainstorming, map-drawing and reading, but most of all for always believing and never letting me give up. You are truly wonderful!