Chapter 2

Chapter two, A little while later, the four girls trotted their unicorns away from the stable block. The air was frosty and the grass crunched under the unicorns' hooves as they skirted round the edge of Sparkle Lake. Sparkle Lake's water had magical properties. It sprang up from the centre of the earth, cascaded through an ornate fountain in the middle of the lake and then flowed away around the island. The water helped all the people, plants and animals on the island flourish and it also strengthened the unicorns' magic. Lyra grinned as they left the lake and headed towards the lush green meadows. Here she was, with her own unicorn, out on an adventure at last! She loved exploring. When she was older, she wanted to be an archaeologist who discovered unknown places and found precious artefacts. She couldn't think of a more fun job! "So, where are we going to go?" Sienna asked her. "The woods," said Lyra instantly. "Are you sure, Lyra?" said Misty. "They sound dangerous and we shouldn't go in if they're out of bounds." "We'll stay on the edge. It'll be fun," said Lyra. "That's if we can find them, of course!" "You mean we might get lost?" asked Misty anxiously. Lyra ruffled her mane. "Yep! That's the best thing about exploring– you never know what's going to happen!"

"Oh," said Misty, gulping. "Come on, I'm bored of trotting. Let's canter," said Sienna. "Or, even better, gallop!" Sienna urged Sparkle on and they all raced across the grounds and into the meadow. A sparkling multicoloured stream wound through the long grass and the unicorns stopped beside it to have a refreshing drink. "Let's have a contest to see who can jump the widest part of the stream," said Sienna, her eyes glinting. "Yes!" agreed Sparkle, playfully splashing Flame, who was drinking next to him. "You're pretty fast, Flame, but I bet I can jump further than you." "But I was really looking forward to going to the woods," said Lyra, disappointed. "I think we should do what the others want, Lyra," said Misty quickly. "Jumping the stream sounds fun!" Lyra sighed. "OK." "Great! I'll start," called Sienna. She and Sparkle galloped towards the stream and soared over it. "Beat that, Lyra!" Sienna said, laughing over her shoulder. Lyra forgot her frustration. "You're on! Come on, Misty!" Misty set off towards an even wider part of the stream. Lyra gripped her long mane and felt her heart leap as Misty took off. The fast-flowing water sparkled beneath them for a brief second and then they landed safely on the far bank. "Our go!" called Ivy, and Flame leapt gracefully over the water. But Evie shook her head when it was her and Sunshine's turn. "We'll just watch." She clapped and cheered as the other three took it in turns to jump wider and wider stretches.

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It was a close competition. Ivy and Flame dropped out first and then, when Sienna and Sparkle had jumped a really wide part of the stream, Misty shook her head. "I can't jump that far," she told Lyra. "I'm sure of it." "OK," said Lyra, not wanting to force her. "That's fine. You win," she called to Sienna. "Well done," she added generously. "Sparkle was great." Sienna whooped in delight. "We're the champions!" she said, punching the air. She leant down and hugged Sparkle. He snorted happily and then jumped back over the stream to join the others. "We should probably go back to the stables," said Evie, looking at the sun sinking in the sky. "Yes, it'll be dark soon," said Sienna. "Come on. Last one there is a snot-flop snail!" She clapped her heels to Sparkle's sides. Laughing and shouting, the girls galloped after her. After settling the unicorns with big buckets of sky berries and bulging haynets, Lyra and the others walked back to school. The sun was setting and the academy's tall marble and glass towers glowed against the red- gold sky. Lyra's eyes sought out the tower where their dormitory was situated. Ruby dorm was on the top floor of the north tower, along with Topaz dorm. The setting sun made the five windows flame pink. Lyra frowned and stopped for a moment, letting the others walk on. Five! That wasn't right, was it? The two dorms were identical and they had two windows each, so why was there a fifth window above Ruby dorm? There must be another room– a hidden room– above our dorm, she realised. "Hey!" she called. The others looked round. "What's up?" asked Ivy. "Look at our tower and count the number of windows." They all glanced up at the tower and then turned back to Lyra with puzzled expressions. "There are five," said Sienna. "So?" Lyra quickly explained what she'd discovered. "There must be a hidden

room! I'm going to try to find it. Ruby dorm, there's a mystery we need to solve…"