Hidden Charm Page 4

  Maia nodded and, after putting her plate in the dishwasher, went back upstairs, feeling strangely grumpy.

  At ten o’clock, Sita arrived and they headed for the clearing, talking about the strange feeling Lottie had had the night before.

  “Do you think it means more Shades are going to appear?” Sita asked anxiously.

  “I don’t know,” said Maia. “We may be in danger from some other type of dark magic.”

  She saw the worried expression on Sita’s face and squeezed her arm. “It’ll be OK. We’ve fought people using dark magic before and we’ve always won.”

  Sita nodded. “I’m so glad we’re Star Friends and get to do magic together.”

  “I know,” said Maia. “I was thinking the other day how much everything has changed since we found out about the Star World.” She shot Sita a sideways look, seeing a chance to reassure her about starting school. “Change doesn’t have to be bad, you know. New things can be good – really good! Like learning how to do magic.”

  Sita was quiet for a moment. “I hadn’t thought about it like that before,” she admitted.

  “Imagine if we’d never met the Star Animals and our lives had stayed just like they were before we met them,” Maia went on. “There’s no way you would want that, is there?”

  Sita shook her head firmly. “No! Being a Star Friend is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I couldn’t bear to be without Willow now.”

  Maia felt the same about Bracken. “So, you see, change can be good,” she said.

  Sita nodded. “I guess.” She glanced at her friend. “Are you worried about the SATs?”

  “Kind of,” Maia admitted. “Mum and Dad say they don’t mind how I do as long as I try my best, but Clio did well in hers and I don’t want to mess them up.”

  “A whole week of exams!” said Sita. “It’s going to be horrible.”

  “Let’s not think about it now,” said Maia as they turned on to the main road. “The Copper Kettle looks busy today,” she said. “There are loads of people inside.”

  She could see a queue of people at the counter. Mary and her assistant, Rebecca, were hurrying about, delivering food and quickly clearing up as people left so others could sit down.

  “I bet it’s because of the new cakes!” said Maia, feeling really pleased for Mary. “We had one last night and they’re so yummy.” She felt in her pocket. Her mum had given her some pocket money the day before. “I’ve got enough for a slice each. Shall we go in?”

  “OK,” said Sita eagerly. “I had some of the new cake yesterday. My gran brought a Victoria sponge round to our house for tea.”

  “You have to try the chocolate cake – and the lemon drizzle,” said Maia. “They’re amazing!”

  They went in and joined the queue.

  “The cakes in here are just so delicious,” Maia heard a woman at a nearby table say. “So much better than the ones at the Friendly Fish.”

  “Yes,” her companion said. “I heard people talking about them at the marina yesterday and thought I had to come and try them out.” She scraped the crumbs off her plate with her fork. “I’m going to be taking some home, that’s for sure!”

  Maia felt a warm glow. She was really pleased that people were realizing how much nicer Mary’s cakes were than those at the marina café. Maybe Ionie’s little outburst yesterday had worked! Desmond Hannigan wouldn’t be pleased…

  “Excuse me! Can we get another slice of carrot cake over here!” a man called, holding his hand in the air.

  “With you in a minute!” Mary called back, looking flustered as she rang up a customer’s bill. “Sorry about the wait,” she apologized to the long queue of people standing at the counter. “I’ll just be one moment.”

  “Coffee and walnut cake, three carrot cakes and a scone?” called Rebecca, coming through from the kitchen.

  “That’s for us!” called Margaret, one of Maia’s granny’s old friends who was sitting at a table with a group of ladies from church.

  “They really do need to get more staff in here,” the woman in front of Maia muttered.

  “We could offer to help?” Maia said to Sita.

  Sita nodded. “Yes, sure!”

  Mary was delighted with the offer. “Thank you, girls. I could really do with some help cleaning tables and carrying plates. Rebecca and I are run off our feet!”

  “We’re free all morning,” said Maia. “Just tell us what you want us to do.”

  The girls washed their hands in the kitchen and then set to work. Everyone certainly seemed to be enjoying the food.

  “It’s great you’ve got so many people in,” Maia said to Mary as she helped her bring some new cakes through from the kitchen and put them under the counter.

  Mary picked up a battered leather book from the side. “It’s all thanks to Grandma’s special recipes in here!”

  There was a crash on the other side of the counter. Maia and Mary looked round. A man sitting at a nearby table had stood up and knocked his chair into Sita as she’d been passing with a plate of cake. Maia had noticed him earlier because he’d been behaving a bit strangely. He had kept a hat on that hid his face and he’d been taking pictures of the menu on his phone. He’d also been eating ice cream, which she had thought was a bit odd for a cold and grey morning.

  “I’m sorry!” Sita gasped, looking at the mess on the floor. “I didn’t realize you were about to stand up.”

  “You clearly weren’t looking where you were going!” the man snapped. His voice sounded familiar.

  “Don’t worry, Sita,” said Mary. “Are you OK, sir? Did any cake get on you? Do you need a cloth?” But the man had left some money on the table and was already hurrying out of the café.

  When he was outside, he looked back and Maia realized who he was. Desmond Hannigan! But what was he doing in the Copper Kettle and why had he been acting so peculiarly? He hurried away and got into a shiny black car.

  Maia set about clearing the table, her mind turning over the fact that Desmond Hannigan had been there. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would just call into the Copper Kettle for an ice cream. A niggling thought wormed its way into her mind. Their other magic adventures had taught her to take notice when people behaved strangely and this certainly seemed strange! Could Desmond Hannigan possibly have something to do with the dark magic after all? The magic hadn’t shown her any pictures of him and he didn’t look like the sort of person who would do magic. But he didn’t like Mike, and the Star Friends had been tricked by people before.

  No, she thought. Surely Mystic Maureen has to be responsible.

  She picked up a newspaper from a table and put it in the wooden rack beside the door. As she did so, she spotted a multicoloured scarf hanging on the hatstand. She caught her breath. It was the same scarf Mystic Maureen had been wearing the night of the fortune-telling event! She swung round. Was Mystic Maureen here right now?

  Heart beating fast, Maia studied all the people in the café. But there was no one who looked anything like the fortune-teller.

  “Are you OK?” Mary said, pausing beside her.

  Maia realized she must look odd, staring around wildly. “Yes, I’m… I’m fine,” she said and hurried off to clean another table. But her mind was racing. Mystic Maureen must have been in the café and left her scarf there. If that was the case, then hopefully she’d come back and get it soon! Then we’ll finally get the chance to talk to her, Maia thought.

  Maia and Sita helped until it was time to meet the others. Mary had made them a sandwich for lunch and she gave them a large slice of carrot cake each to take away. To Maia’s disappointment, Mystic Maureen hadn’t come back to claim her scarf.

  They ate their cake as they walked to the clearing to meet the others. Seeing Ionie and Lottie just ahead of them on the lane, they hurried to catch up.

  “Hi!” called Lottie. “What have you two been up to?”

  “Helping at the Copper Kettle and eating cake.” Maia grinned as she saw
the surprise on Lottie and Ionie’s faces. “We’ll tell you all about it when we’ve got the animals, too. I think I might have found something that will help us track down Mystic Maureen!”

  When they were in the clearing with their animals, Maia told them about the scarf.

  “Mystic Maureen must have been in there,” she finished. “And if she left her scarf there she’s hopefully going to go back.”

  “We have to keep watch at the café for her!” Ionie said.

  Juniper flicked his bushy tail. “I wonder if she has anything to do with the feeling Lottie had last night that danger is heading our way.”

  “Indeed,” Sorrel said, rubbing her head against Ionie’s fingers. “Maia, did you dream about anything last night?”

  “Just eating cake in the Copper Kettle,” Maia said. “No Shades. Nothing magic.”

  “The Copper Kettle again.” Sorrel sat down thoughtfully and flicked her tail round her paws. “Maybe the new danger is going to appear there? After all, the scarf does suggest that the fortune-teller has visited the café recently.”

  “She could have left an object in there with a Shade inside it,” said Juniper. “Maybe even that scarf itself!”

  “Did you see anything unusual in the café this morning?” asked Bracken.

  “No,” said Sita. “Nothing. There were just lots of customers.”

  “There was one thing,” Maia remembered. “Desmond Hannigan was there.”

  “The man who owns the marina?” said Lottie. “The man who was telling off those waitresses yesterday?”

  “Yes,” answered Maia. “And the man who doesn’t like Mike. He was in the Copper Kettle this morning acting really strangely.”

  “What was he doing?” asked Willow curiously.

  “He had his face hidden as if he didn’t want to be recognized and he was taking photos of the menu,” said Maia.

  “He left really quickly,” said Sita. “He made me drop some cake! What a waste!” She sighed. “You know, I wouldn’t mind some more of Mary’s cake right now.”

  “Me too,” said Maia, her tummy rumbling at the thought.

  “You’ve both just had some!” said Ionie.

  “I know but it’s so yummy,” said Maia, thinking wistfully of the carrot cake.

  “We have far more important things to think about than cake!” Sorrel said sharply. “What you’ve told us isn’t much to go on. Maybe this man—”

  “Wait!” Lottie exclaimed. Sorrel swished her tail, looking put out at being interrupted. “What did you just say, Sita? A few minutes ago. When Sorrel asked if there was anything unusual at the café, you said no, just lots of customers. Don’t you see?” She looked round at them all. “That’s something unusual! The Copper Kettle hasn’t had many customers and then suddenly it’s really busy? Maybe Mystic Maureen has put more Heart’s Desire Shades somewhere in the café and they’re granting Mary’s wish for more customers, just like they granted Mike’s wish that Westcombe would win the Best Kept Village competition.”

  “Brilliant idea, Lottie!” burst out Juniper.

  “Yes! You could be right! Shades could be making people come in and eat Mary’s food!” Sita exclaimed.

  Sorrel spluttered. “Don’t be ridiculous, girl! Shades make people angry, jealous, unhappy and scared – they do not make people want to eat cake! If Shades were involved, I think we’d see something rather more dramatic happening.”

  Sita’s face fell. “Oh.”

  Willow nuzzled her hand. “Sorrel’s right,” she said gently. “Eating Mary’s food clearly makes her customers happy and Shades don’t like people being happy, so it’s unlikely that Shades are making them eat Mary’s food.” She frowned. “But it is odd that there are so many people all of a sudden.”

  “I think we should check if there are Shades in the café,” said Bracken.

  Sorrel nodded. “I’ll go there now and see what I can find out.”

  Some Star Animals, like Sorrel and Willow, could smell when Shades had been nearby.

  “Come back soon,” said Ionie. Sorrel touched her nose to Ionie’s and vanished.

  They waited anxiously. Maia chewed a fingernail. Had someone put Shades in the café? Was dark magic involved? Maia shivered. What if something happened to Mary and she couldn’t make cakes any more?

  After a little while, Sorrel reappeared. “There are no Shades,” she said, relief in her indigo eyes. “In fact, there was nothing of any note at the café, apart from all the people in there.” She sniffed indignantly. “One of them almost trod on my tail!”

  “So, no Shades but some dark magic could still be going on there,” said Ionie. “Someone could be using plant or crystal magic.”

  “But then we’re back to the fact that nothing bad is happening there,” said Lottie.

  “Yet,” said Sorrel darkly. “I definitely think you need to watch this café closely. Something may happen soon.”

  “We could all offer to help there this afternoon,” said Sita.

  Sorrel nodded. “Keep your eyes and ears open.”

  “And be careful,” added Willow.

  “We will,” the girls promised.

  The Copper Kettle was heaving with customers when they went back and Mary was very glad to accept the girls’ offer of help. To their disappointment, Mystic Maureen did not reappear to claim her scarf and nothing unusual happened at all. By mid-afternoon, all the cakes had run out and Mary closed early. There were some new customers getting out of a car as the girls left.

  “We’ve driven half an hour to get here,” said one of the men. “We came yesterday afternoon and you were open until five then.”

  “I’m terribly sorry, but we’ve completely sold out of food today and I really need to shut so I can do some more baking,” Mary said, looking flustered.

  “I’m going to be up all night,” she said to the girls as the people got back into their car, looking cross. “I like it being busy but not this busy. Thanks so much for all your help today.”

  When Maia opened the front door and walked in, she smelled the delicious sweet aroma of cake. “Mmm,” she said, going through to the kitchen.

  There was a freshly baked chocolate cake on the table. Clio was decorating it with icing and chocolate buttons. “Mum really wanted some cake at lunchtime so I thought I’d do some baking,” she said.

  “Yum! Can I have some?” Maia asked eagerly.

  “No. It’s for tea when everyone’s here,” said Clio.

  Maia scowled. “But I want cake now!”

  “Have a biscuit instead,” said Clio, looking taken aback.

  Maia took a biscuit and stomped upstairs. She flung herself down on her bed, feeling very grumpy. I’m just tired, she thought. It’s been a busy day.

  By five o’clock, everyone apart from Mr Greene was home and Clio let them have some cake. Maia took a huge mouthful and a wave of disappointment washed over her. It wasn’t as good as the cake from the Copper Kettle. She put the slice down and pushed her plate away.

  Mrs Greene did the same with an annoyed exclamation.

  “What’s the matter?” said Clio in surprise. “Don’t you like it?” She had taken a break from her healthy eating to have a slice.

  “No. I don’t like!” said Alfie grouchily. “Want diff’rent cake!”

  “But this is a special cake I’ve just made!” said Clio. She used a fork to pick some up from his plate. “Come on, Alfie. Yum-yum!”

  “Yuck! Yuck!” he said, knocking her hand away and sending the cake and his plastic plate flying on to the floor.

  “Alfie! That’s naughty!” Mrs Greene snapped.

  “Want diff’rent cake!” Alfie started to scream as she lifted him out of his high chair. “Want it now!” He drummed his fists and heels against her.

  “You’re going to your bedroom!” Mrs Greene said sharply and she carried him upstairs still screaming. “Oh, don’t be such a naughty boy!” she exclaimed.

  Maia blinked. Her mum was usually really patie
nt. She turned and saw Clio’s face. She looked really upset. “It’s nice cake, Clio,” Maia said, forcing her own crossness down. “It’s really delicious.” She finished her slice, but put her plate in the dishwasher before Clio could offer her another piece. She wished her mum had bought a cake from the Copper Kettle.

  Maia went up to her room. She called Bracken and he jumped on the bed beside her.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “I’m in a bad mood. I don’t know why – I just don’t feel right.”

  Bracken snuggled up to her. “You’ve had a busy day and there’s been a lot to think about.”

  She stroked him and felt her grumpiness start to lift. It was impossible to be in a bad mood when she had him beside her. “What do you think’s going on, Bracken?”

  He licked her hand. “I don’t know but whatever it is we’ll find out and stop it.”

  Maia nodded. She shut her eyes, thoughts jumping round in her head: the Shades in the dolls … Mystic Maureen … the Copper Kettle … all the people there … Lottie’s feeling that they were in danger … the angry people in her dream…

  What did it all mean? She had the frustrating feeling that she had all the pieces of the puzzle but she just couldn’t get them to fit together, and as she was trying to work it out a hidden menace was edging closer and closer.

  Maia was on the road opposite the Copper Kettle in her pyjamas. It was still night, although the sky was just starting to lighten in the east. A movement caught her eye. A very tall, thin man in dark clothes and a balaclava was creeping up to the bay window. She saw him raise one hand and realized he was holding a brick.

  SMASH! The brick shattered the window.

  Maia’s feet were rooted to the spot. The café alarm started to scream out as the thief climbed into the café. A minute later, he came out, carrying two large cake boxes. He ran away down the road…