Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 Lily's first few days at the academy flew by. There was so much to do— teachers to meet, stable routines to work out, names to learn, and lessons to start. Lily concentrated really hard in all her classes, not wanting to give the teachers any excuse to be unhappy with her. She didn't like putting her hand up in class because she hated it when everyone looked at her, but she tried to make up for being quiet by putting lots of effort into her work. She was so tired at the end of each day that she fell asleep the minute she got into bed. "Can you believe we've been at the academy for three days?" she said to Feather on the fourth morning as she got her ready for their first lesson of the day— Care of Unicorns with Ms. Rosemary. Lily already thought of Feather as her best friend. She could talk to her about anything without feeling awkward or worrying about what Feather would think of her.

"It's gone really fast," Feather agreed. "But…" "But what?' Lily prompted, lifting a strand of mane to comb it out. "I really like it here, but I still don't really know the other unicorns very well. They all act like they've known each other forever." "I feel like that too," Lily admitted. "Zara, Aisha, and Phoebe talk all the time, but I never know what to say so I usually don't say anything at all. I really like them, but I bet they all think I'm boring." "No one could think that!" said Feather. Lily smiled. "Thanks. I wish I could just speak out more…" She broke off as Phoebe, Zara, and Aisha arrived in the stables with a group of other students. Phoebe pointed dramatically at Lily. "It's Lily! She's safe!" Lily blinked. "What?" Phoebe waved a crumpled piece of paper with Lily's name in the corner. "I found this in the dorm when we got up. You seemed to have disappeared. We were sure that you'd been kidnapped and you were trying to write us a note before you were taken away."

"Actually, it was Phoebe who was sure you'd been kidnapped," Zara put in with a sigh. "I was pretty sure you'd be here. You always get up early, before the rest of us. Your boots and coat had gone, and I noticed that you'd taken the roll of braiding ribbon that had been on your bedside table." "So is this yours?" Phoebe held out the piece of paper to Lily. "Yes, I meant to throw it away, but I must have missed," said Lily, stuffing the paper in a pocket. She loved folding paper into shapes, and she'd been trying to make a unicorn, but it hadn't gone very well. "It was just a bit of scrap paper, like Zara said. You're such a drama queen, Phoebe," said Aisha, shaking her head. "I might have been right," said Phoebe. "Lily might have been kidnapped." "Lily? Kidnapped?" Skye scoffed to Amber as they walked past. "Who'd want to kidnap quiet little Lily Mouse! She'd bore her kidnappers to death!" "Yeah," Amber agreed. "I bet the teachers wouldn't even notice she was gone, she's so quiet."

They giggled together as they went to get their grooming kits. Lily tipped her head forward so a wing of hair hid her embarrassment. The last thing she wanted was for Skye and Amber to look back and start squeaking at her. It was bad enough when they called her Lily Mouse. "Ignore them," said Aisha, glaring after Skye and Amber. Lily nodded. She knew that was the best thing to do, but it was easier said than done.

Ms. Rosemary arrived carrying a big box of colored ribbons. "Morning, everyone. As I told you yesterday, we're going to be practicing braiding today. I'm going to demonstrate on my unicorn, Blossom. Please make your way outside now with your unicorns and bring your grooming kits." Lily and Feather stayed behind as everyone rushed to go outside, tagging along at the back as the students and unicorns formed a large circle around Blossom. "Before you can start braiding, you need to comb your unicorn's mane out with either of these," said Ms. Rosemary, holding up a metal comb and a soft brush. "You start by sectioning the mane into small pieces, like this." As Ms. Rosemary began separating out Blossom's golden mane, Ms. Nettles appeared and beckoned her over. The two teachers broke off to talk in whispers, glancing toward Lily and Feather. "Lily, they seem to be looking at us," said Feather uneasily. "I know." Lily felt anxious as she watched Ms. Rosemary and Ms. Nettles glance at them again. Had Ms. Nettles realized she'd made a mistake in inviting her to train as a guardian? Had she heard how

quiet she was in class? Was she going to send her home? Her heart sped up as Ms. Nettles walked over. Ms. Nettles smiled kindly. "Lily dear, I'd like to talk to you. It won't take long." Lily could feel everyone's eyes on her as she followed Ms. Nettles over to a drinking trough in a quiet corner of the yard. Her heart was now banging like a drum. Ms. Nettles turned to face her. "Please don't send me home!" The words burst out of Lily before Ms. Nettles could speak. "Please, Ms. Nettles! I really want to be a guardian. I don't want to leave! I'll try really hard to speak more." Ms. Nettles blinked in surprise. "Leave? Whatever are you talking about, Lily?" "I…I…," Lily stuttered. "I thought you were about to say that you'd made a mistake by inviting me to be a student here." Ms. Nettles's gaze softened. "I most certainly was not about to say that. Your teachers have all told me how pleased they are with you. They say you are one of our hardest-working students. Why ever would I want to send you home?" Lily looked at the floor. Ms. Nettles regarded her for a moment. "You