Chapter 1

UNICORN ACADEMY NATURE MAGIC Lily and Feather JULIE SYRES illusteated by LUCY TRUMAN

CHAPTER 1 "Here we are, Lils," Lily's mom said. "Unicorn Academy— your home for the next year!" "Oh, wow!" Lily's breath rushed out as she stared up at the enormous glass-and-marble building. On the top of the tallest tower, a pink flag with a white unicorn on it was rippling in the breeze. "It's beautiful," she said. She looked at the gardens full of winter plants and flowers, and the lake shimmering in the distance. Her mother smiled. "It is, isn't it? It hasn't changed one bit since I was here. You're going to have such a fantastic time. I just know it!" Lily couldn't speak. Her stomach felt like it was tying itself in knots. She'd wanted to come to Unicorn Academy for ages— she couldn't wait to be paired with a unicorn and start training to become a guardian of beautiful Unicorn Island. However, now that she was here and the academy looked so big, she was beginning to wonder

whether her invitation to become a student had been a mistake. The other new students all looked so confident as they chatted with each other and waved goodbye to their parents. What if I'm not good enough to be a guardian? Lily thought with a rush of panic. What if I mess things up and get asked to leave? Mom will be so disappointed. A teacher walked up. She wore her brown hair in a neat bun held in place with silver clips. Three girls were following her. "Hello, I'm Ms. Rosemary. I teach Care of Unicorns. And what's your name?" the teacher said to Lily. Lily was feeling so overwhelmed, the words seemed to stick in her throat. "I'm…um…um…," she stammered. "Lily Jamieson," her mom offered. Ms. Rosemary looked at her clipboard. "That's lucky! Lily, you're going to be in Amethyst dorm with these three. This is Aisha." She pointed to a girl who was carrying a flute case and had curly black hair in a high ponytail. The girl grinned at Lily, who smiled shyly back. "And this is Zara," Ms. Rosemary continued. Zara had dark brown hair that stopped just past her

shoulders and green eyes. She studied Lily for a moment and then gave her a smile. "And Phoebe," Ms. Rosemary finished. Phoebe was tall and slim, with honey-blond hair in two waist-length braids. She grinned. "Hi, Lily! Isn't this super awesome!" She swept

her arms out. "I mean, look around. It's gorgeous, isn't it? We're just so lucky to have been invited to be students here!" Lily thought it sounded like everything Phoebe said had an exclamation mark after it. "Say goodbye to your mom, Lily," said Ms. Rosemary. "Then we need to get to the hall. It's almost time for the ceremony where you will be paired with your unicorns." Lily felt a flutter of delight. She was going to have a unicorn of her own! Mom stepped forward. "Goodbye, Lils. Have a wonderful time. Make sure you write and tell me all your news." She hugged her and then gently pushed her toward Ms. Rosemary. "Go on, off you go!" Torn between excitement at meeting her unicorn and sadness at saying goodbye to her mom, and still feeling like she'd been invited to the academy by mistake, Lily followed Ms. Rosemary and the other girls up the marble steps and through the front door into the academy. The entrance hall was large, with statues of unicorns in the corners and huge oil paintings on the walls. "No more talking, please," Ms. Rosemary said

with a warning look at Phoebe, who was saying something to Zara. As Ms. Rosemary led them all into the main hall, Lily swallowed a gasp. Light shone through the colored swirls of the domed glass roof, filling the hall with rainbows and shining on a huge map that was in the center of the room. Lily stood on her tiptoes for a better look. The magical force field that kept the map safe hummed softly as she passed by. Lily's mom had told her it was an exact model of Unicorn Island and it could transport anyone anywhere on the island. Students and unicorns were not allowed to use it without Ms. Nettles's permission. Lily hoped she'd get to use it at some point. That's if I'm good enough to stay here, she reminded herself. "Oh, wow! Look at the unicorns!" Aisha whispered, pointing. A fresh wave of excitement swept away Lily's anxiety as she followed Aisha's gaze and saw a group of young unicorns standing at the side of the stage. They were beautiful. Their sparkling white coats were covered with different-colored patterns, and their long silky manes and tails were full of