Power Play by Titania Woods Page B

you’ve tried being so nice that everyone flies right over you. How about just being yourself for a change?’
    Twink sat very still as Romi went on. ‘You’ve got good instincts, Twink. You were right about Summer, for instance – she’s a wonderful player! I wouldn’t have put her on the team, but you did.’

    â€˜Yes, and now she’s quit,’ said Twink gloomily. Propping her elbows on her knees, she slumped her chin on her hands.
    Romi shook her arm. ‘She’ll come back if you ask her to, I know she will! And Twink . . . since everyone else is apologising, I suppose I should as well.’
    Twink looked up in surprise as Romi’s ears turned pink. ‘I was a real moss brain to you, wasn’t I? Acting like you couldn’t do anything right, and always trying to take over. Well, I’m sorry. I told myself that it was for the good of the team, but – but I was just jealous that I wasn’t the Games Fairy, that’s all.’
    Twink stared at her, feeling almost cross. ‘So why won’t you be the Games Fairy now, when I want you to be?’
    Romi laughed as she pulled Twink to her feet. ‘Because you’re the Games Fairy, and I think you could be a great one. Just be yourself, Twink! What have you got to lose?’

.
    Chapter Eight
    To Twink’s surprise, her apology went a long way towards clearing the air with her players. During practices in the weeks after, the Glitterwings team listened attentively to her instructions, and performed even better than before.
    It wasn’t all smooth flying, of course. More than once, Twink had to mutter just be myself under her breath, as a reminder not to be too hard or too soft with them. But for the most part, the tension that had hung over the team like a dark cloud for weeks now had vanished – and little by little, Twink began to feel more confident as a leader.
    Her team seemed a lot happier, too. Although practice times were still mostly about working hard, there were also plenty of laughs. The difference was that her team respected her now, and would stop the jokes when she said so.
    â€˜Good one, Summer!’ shouted Twink, clapping her hands as she hovered on the sidelines. Summer held up the Flea with a triumphant grin.
    Thankfully, Summer hadn’t taken much persuading to return to the team. And although Twink was delighted to have her back, she wasn’t sorry that the orange-haired fairy had left in the first place. If she hadn’t, Twink might never have realised what a moss brain she was being! She shuddered at the thought.
    â€˜Right, everyone, let’s put the Flea away and get into pairs – I want to practise our high-speed pole manoeuvres,’ called Twink. As they all got into position, Twink spotted Romi pairing up with Jacki.
    Neither Romi nor Twink had said anything else about the Power Play. Half a dozen times now, Twink had started to ask Romi to explain it to her . . . and half a dozen times she had firmly shut her mouth. Even though she was doing much better at being in charge these days, it felt important that she did it on her own. The Power Play was Romi’s move, not Twink’s. Using it would be like admitting that she still needed help.
    The fairies zoomed about the field in pairs, their wings flashing as they shot through the poles. Twink noticed with satisfaction how much they had improved over the last few weeks. Sparklelight wouldn’t know what had hit them!
    â€˜That’s all,’ called Twink when everyone was panting from the high-speed exercise. ‘Good practice, you lot. Now, the final Sparklelight game is tomorrow, so I want you all to get a good night’s rest. Remember, we almost beat them last time. We can do it!’
    â€˜Hi, Twink,’ said Tasha as they met out on the Fledge field the next afternoon. ‘Nice day, isn’t it?’
    â€˜Yes, lovely,’ laughed Twink. It was grey and