lunchtime and done it then. If only we’d known, we could have set Miss Grace on them.” She sighed.
Poppy set down her glass and gaped at her. “You really aren’t bothered at all!” she said, almost shouting. “Why aren’t you?”
Izzy stared back at her. “Poppy, it’s only Ali doing her normal horrible stuff. It’s just – a bit dressed up, that’s all.” She shuffled closer and put an arm round her friend’s shoulders. “Sorry, Poppy, I didn’t see how much it was getting to you. OK. We really have to get her to stop.” Izzy glared at her determinedly. “I know you hate the spells idea but I think it’s the only thing that’s going to work.”
“I know I’m a wuss,” Poppy admitted. “But it’s scary. When you said you’d look up spells… please don’t, Izzy. I don’t want to use real spells – ones that people who actually want to be witches use.”
Izzy shrugged. “No problem. We’ll make up ourown. Oh, come on, Poppy, it’ll be easy. We’ve only got to make them good enough to convince Ali, after all.”
SIX
“A day off school? Everyone’s going to want to go!” Emily pointed out as they read the letters Mr Finlay was passing round at the end of school the next day.
“There’s only thirty places. But I want to,” Maya agreed. “It sounds really good. I’ve never been to Amberlake.”
“Ohhh, it’s nice! It’s a massive stately home,” Emily said enthusiastically. “The house is quite cool. I mean, you can look at the kitchens, and dress up in old-fashioned clothes, that sort of thing. But the gardens are brilliant. They go down to the lake, and there’s a stream, and huge trees. And even though it’s all really beautiful, none of it says don’t walk on the grass or anything like that. They do great Easter-egg hunts.”
“Do you think we’ll get to see everything?” Maya asked, sounding hopeful. “The announcement aboutthe winning school’s at two o’clock – and we’re going in the morning, it says. Take a packed lunch… Oh, that’s loads of time.” She beamed at Poppy. “Let’s support our brilliant entry by Poppy Martin, it says. You’re Mrs Angel’s favourite person now, definitely. If you win, you’ll probably get a free pass off SATs or something.”
Poppy went pink. “It’s exciting,” she admitted. “I wish I knew how many schools had entered. This is only the announcement for schools close to us. I suppose it means someone from round here must have won…” She made a face at the letter. “This is going to start Ali off again, isn’t it?”
Izzy eyed her. “Probably. So we need to get on with our spells too.”
Poppy nodded reluctantly. “I know. It just isn’t me – that’s all. I don’t think I’ll be able to make them believe it. I can’t see me chanting anything…”
“I bet you could make a better doll than Ali did,” Emily suggested.
“Ugh. No.” Poppy shook her head. “I’m definitely not doing that.”
Emily rolled her eyes, and sighed. “You’re not making this easy, you know.”
“I know… Oh!” Poppy suddenly brightened up.“What about a ghost? I almost believe in ghosts. Sometimes when it’s dark, anyway.”
“A ghost…” Maya said thoughtfully. “A ghost that’s out to get Ali? I like it!”
Izzy frowned. “But there isn’t a ghost at school. There’d be loads of stories about it if there was. Ali isn’t going to believe us if we just invent a new ghost, is she?”
“She might,” Emily said stubbornly. “We could say that one of the mirrors in the girls’ toilets is haunted. We could write messages on it in lipstick.”
“A haunted toilet?” Poppy sniggered a little, and then started to laugh properly. It felt as though she’d had something tied tight round her middle, and it was loosening at last.
Emily glared for a second and then started laughing as well. “OK. Maybe not then.”
“But I still like the ghost idea,” Poppy said thoughtfully. “There must be some
Poppy set down her glass and gaped at her. “You really aren’t bothered at all!” she said, almost shouting. “Why aren’t you?”
Izzy stared back at her. “Poppy, it’s only Ali doing her normal horrible stuff. It’s just – a bit dressed up, that’s all.” She shuffled closer and put an arm round her friend’s shoulders. “Sorry, Poppy, I didn’t see how much it was getting to you. OK. We really have to get her to stop.” Izzy glared at her determinedly. “I know you hate the spells idea but I think it’s the only thing that’s going to work.”
“I know I’m a wuss,” Poppy admitted. “But it’s scary. When you said you’d look up spells… please don’t, Izzy. I don’t want to use real spells – ones that people who actually want to be witches use.”
Izzy shrugged. “No problem. We’ll make up ourown. Oh, come on, Poppy, it’ll be easy. We’ve only got to make them good enough to convince Ali, after all.”
SIX
“A day off school? Everyone’s going to want to go!” Emily pointed out as they read the letters Mr Finlay was passing round at the end of school the next day.
“There’s only thirty places. But I want to,” Maya agreed. “It sounds really good. I’ve never been to Amberlake.”
“Ohhh, it’s nice! It’s a massive stately home,” Emily said enthusiastically. “The house is quite cool. I mean, you can look at the kitchens, and dress up in old-fashioned clothes, that sort of thing. But the gardens are brilliant. They go down to the lake, and there’s a stream, and huge trees. And even though it’s all really beautiful, none of it says don’t walk on the grass or anything like that. They do great Easter-egg hunts.”
“Do you think we’ll get to see everything?” Maya asked, sounding hopeful. “The announcement aboutthe winning school’s at two o’clock – and we’re going in the morning, it says. Take a packed lunch… Oh, that’s loads of time.” She beamed at Poppy. “Let’s support our brilliant entry by Poppy Martin, it says. You’re Mrs Angel’s favourite person now, definitely. If you win, you’ll probably get a free pass off SATs or something.”
Poppy went pink. “It’s exciting,” she admitted. “I wish I knew how many schools had entered. This is only the announcement for schools close to us. I suppose it means someone from round here must have won…” She made a face at the letter. “This is going to start Ali off again, isn’t it?”
Izzy eyed her. “Probably. So we need to get on with our spells too.”
Poppy nodded reluctantly. “I know. It just isn’t me – that’s all. I don’t think I’ll be able to make them believe it. I can’t see me chanting anything…”
“I bet you could make a better doll than Ali did,” Emily suggested.
“Ugh. No.” Poppy shook her head. “I’m definitely not doing that.”
Emily rolled her eyes, and sighed. “You’re not making this easy, you know.”
“I know… Oh!” Poppy suddenly brightened up.“What about a ghost? I almost believe in ghosts. Sometimes when it’s dark, anyway.”
“A ghost…” Maya said thoughtfully. “A ghost that’s out to get Ali? I like it!”
Izzy frowned. “But there isn’t a ghost at school. There’d be loads of stories about it if there was. Ali isn’t going to believe us if we just invent a new ghost, is she?”
“She might,” Emily said stubbornly. “We could say that one of the mirrors in the girls’ toilets is haunted. We could write messages on it in lipstick.”
“A haunted toilet?” Poppy sniggered a little, and then started to laugh properly. It felt as though she’d had something tied tight round her middle, and it was loosening at last.
Emily glared for a second and then started laughing as well. “OK. Maybe not then.”
“But I still like the ghost idea,” Poppy said thoughtfully. “There must be some
Similar Books
