Chapter 1

UNICORN ACADEMY ...Where magic hanppens! Isla and Buttercup JULIE SYRES illusteated by LUCY TRUMAN

CHAPTER ONE "Oh, wow! That's amazing, Matilda!" said Isla. Matilda from Diamond dorm had covered the back wall of the stable block with paper and was drawing an enormous mural that showed the last year at Unicorn Academy. There were pictures of everyone arriving; being paired with their unicorns; galloping through the grounds and camping in the woods. The other girls from Diamond dorm– Rosa, Freya, Ariana and Violet– were painting the background, while Unibot, the robotic unicorn that Freya had built, was helping the girls by trundling around with pots of paint.

"It does look good, doesn't it?" said Rosa. Isla nodded. "I bet the parents will love it!" Every student who'd bonded with their unicorn– and discovered its magic power– was about to graduate. In just a few days' time, all the students' and unicorns' parents would come to the academy for the graduation ball. Students who weren't graduating, like Isla, would watch the ceremony, then go home for Christmas and return for a second year in January.

Matilda looked round. "Do you want to help us, Isla?" Isla shook her head. "I'd only mess it up." "Don't be silly, I'm no good at painting so I'm just doing the grass," said Violet. "Come and join me!" It looked like fun but Isla didn't want to risk ruining their beautiful mural. "It's OK," she said cheerfully, "the others from my dorm will be here soon. We're making snowflakes to hang from the ceiling." She grinned. "That's about my level when it comes to art!" "Come and sit with us anyway," said Violet, waving Isla over with a paintbrush. Isla smiled again. "Thanks." The Diamond dorm girls were always so friendly to her. She was going to miss them when they all graduated. Her own dorm, Ruby dorm, didn't get on quite as well as Diamond dorm. Molly and Anna were nice but they were best friends who did everything together. The fourth member of Ruby dorm, Valentina, had rich parents who were governors at the school and she often acted as if she was better than everyone else.

I wonder who'll be in my dorm next year, Isla thought as she settled down to work on her snowflake. She wasn't sure how she felt about returning to the academy on her own and was glad that Buttercup, her confident, energetic little unicorn, would be with her. "We've been trying to think of where Ms Willow could be hiding out," said Violet, including Isla in the conversation. "What do you think?" Pretty, friendly Ms Willow had been the school nurse, until Diamond dorm had discovered that she'd been draining magic from around the island as part of an evil plan to take it over! A month ago, Ms Willow had kidnapped Violet and her unicorn Twinkle, and had taken them to the Frozen Lagoon where she was storing all the magic in the water under the ice. Thanks to a tip- off from Isla, the Diamond dorm girls had gone to Violet and Twinkle's rescue, and they'd all escaped. Now Ms Willow had vanished without a trace. "She might have gone back to the Frozen Lagoon," said Isla. Her face reddened as

everyone turned to look at her. She hadn't meant to voice that thought aloud. Would they all think it was a stupid idea? "Of course! That's a brilliant thought!" said Violet. "You clever thing, Isla," said Matilda. Isla, who found it embarrassing when anyone complimented her, turned even redder. "I don't know. I bet everyone else has better ideas." Rosa grinned at her, "You shouldn't always put yourself down. It's obvious when you think about it. Ms Willow is bound to be hiding at the Frozen Lagoon, she's got lots of magic stored there– the magic she has stolen from around the island– and it's a secret place that no one else knows how to get to." "So, how do we catch her if she's there?" said Freya. Just then Molly, Anna and Valentina arrived carrying paper and scissors. "Ooh, I like your snowflake, Isla!" said Molly. Anna nodded. "Can you show me how you made it and I'll do another one just the same?" Isla felt a sudden tingle of happiness but it was