Chapter 11

The Grade Fives were getting ready in their rooms for the dance, all excited. A few of the girls had asked boys from the village out, but none of Grade Five boys had dates. "Ugh!" said Josy, "I can't manage to get this dress on this stupid horse body!"

Tisah thought for a while and then suggested – "Why don't you cut a hole in the back and then you can have the dress around your main body and front hooves?" "Good idea!" said Josy, grabbing a pair of scissors off the dressing table, and as she attempted to cut the dress, she noticed a zip at the back. She and Tisah giggled. They found the other Grade Fives and Queen Crystalia waiting on the first floor by a tinted glass door that they had so far never gone through. "Where is Tyla?" they asked at the same time. "She is going to be a bit late," answered the queen, "she had trouble finding a dress to wear." Just as she said this, a young pixie with curly hair and silver blue eyes, fluttered past them. "Oh hi!" she said, stopping suddenly and looking at the Grade Fives. "You must be those school kids that came a month ago, my name is Sophie, Sophie Thorburn. It's a pleasure to meet you!" She skipped through the doors and the Grade Fives caught a glimpse of the beautifully decorated ballroom.

"It's time," muttered Queen Crystalia, and they all followed Sophie. The huge room, decorated with gold and purple streamers and a large fountain with a flamy on top, sat in the middle. To the one side sat tables with cakes and jellies covering every surface and through high windows shone the beautiful sunset colours. Cupboard-dryads flew around the room, dressed in gold overalls and bowties, offering drinks and macaroons to the hundreds of people in the room. The queen grabbed a glass and fork from one of the dryads, climbed on a platform on the other side of the ballroom and chinked them together. Everyone in the ballroom stared at her.

"Good evening, mermaids and minotaur, elves and fairies, I welcome you dearly to the Dance of the Sparklimmarians!" Everyone clapped, so the Grade Fives followed. "Tonight, we gather to celebrate the execution of the first flamy, Queen Salvo! However, I have some grave news for all of you. I have been afraid this would happen ever since Salvo's fate. The flamies have returned," everyone except the Grade Fives gasped, "and they have a new, better, stronger queen! Monarch Flamory, with new powers and magic!" The hall burst into wads of whispering.

Just as the queen opened her mouth to continue, the doors flew wide open. There stood two silhouettes, and when they walked into vision, you could tell that it was Tyla, in a green skirt and a tiara made of emerald, arm in arm with Zey, who was wearing a tuxedo made of gum leaves.

No one in the ballroom had ever seen Tyla Weatherbury look like this, as she was always dirty and ruffled. Her hair had grown and was blowing in a non-existent breeze. It was obvious that Zey had tried to comb his hair (there was a small brush stuck in it,) but it was never to be neat. As not many people in the hall had ever seen a werewolf, they gaped at all his scars and his fury ears.

The two walked towards the queen and Zey said; "Queen Crystalia, your majesty, I can't stay long as tonight is a full moon, but I can manage to make it to eight o'clock if I drink the Anti-Wolf Potion." Queen Crystalia smiled at Zey, then pulled the same bottle that Tyla had used to turn Zey back into human, out of her tied-up hair. Zey drank it and the ears on his head shrank slightly.

"Sorry for the short interruption." said the queen, "But let the Dance of the Sparklimmarians begin!" she waved her wand and suddenly music started playing. The Grade Five girls and Sophie were gibbering by the snack table and after dancing with Zey for a few minutes, Tyla joined them.

"So," asked Michaela, "how was it?"

"Eh," answered Tyla, "Not too bad, I've never danced with someone at a ball like that, usually just as friends." They all giggled. Meanwhile, over at the snack table, Jemuel had cheeks stuffed with cakes and sweets. "Jemuel, you look like a unichip!" smiled Zey, as he filled up two cups of with a gold, sparkling liquid. "Uhhh, it is rotten!" splattered Jemuel. "A unichip," Zey walked towards Tyla with the golden drinks, leaving Jemuel confused. Just as he was about to give up thinking about a unichip, there came a loud, ear-piercing scream. Everyone looked in the direction – it came from Sarah, lying on the floor, clutching her hair tightly.

"What's happening?" asked Tisah, as Queen Crystalia came running towards them. "Don't worry," she announced, "Sarah has just gone into a trance. Banshees do this when something is wrong." She waved her wand and a large bulb flew out of Sarah's ear into the queen's ear. "I see… The flamies. They are planning something… I can't hear…" and then the bulb flew out of her ear again.

Sarah stopped screaming and, looking as confused as ever, sat up, "What happened?