Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 "Out!" snapped Ms. Nettles, pointing at the door. "How dare you barge in here without knocking!" A red flush spread up her neck. Ava and Sophia stumbled backward until they were in the doorway. Sophia knocked hesitantly on the open door. "Um…Ms. Nettles?" "That's better." Regaining her composure, Ms. Nettles drew herself up to her full height. "Now, what is the meaning of you charging in here?" Ava glanced at Sophia. "We…I…We thought…" She stopped and took a few calm breaths while she organized what she wanted to say. "There have to be sky berries somewhere in the mountains, so we asked Rainbow to use his magic to find them. And he did." As Ava grew in confidence the words came faster. "There are plenty of healthy sky-berry bushes growing on the mountains' slopes." Ms. Nettles frowned. "Really?"

Just then there was a noise behind them, and Ms. Primrose came bustling along the corridor. "Goodness gracious me, what are you all doing in my office?" "Um…" Ava shot a look at Sophia. "We were looking for you, Ms. Primrose." "Well, come inside," said Ms. Primrose as Ava and Sophia parted to allow her into her room. "How can I help you, girls?" Ava explained, finishing with, "Please can we search for the sky berries with our unicorns, Ms. Primrose? If we find any, we'll come straight back and tell the teachers." A strange look flickered for a second in Ms. Primrose's eyes. But it passed so quickly that Ava decided she must have imagined it because Ms. Primrose was now smiling her usual kindly smile again. "Oh, Ava, dear, that's very brave, but I simply can't allow it. The mountains are dangerous and too big for you to cover alone, even to look for sky berries."

"What if the whole school helped?" Sophia asked. "Then we could search a much larger area." "I'm sorry, girls. It's completely out of the question." Ms. Primrose shook her head. Ava couldn't help noticing the twig caught in Ms. Primrose's hair and the smear of dirt on her cheek. As serious as the situation was, it made her want to giggle. Whatever had their head teacher been doing to get so messy? But of course, she realized, she must have been out hunting for sky berries! "Please let us go," she begged.

"Please, Ms. Primrose!" Sophia added. "We have to do something. The unicorns will grow weaker without sky berries, and who will guard Sparkle Lake then?" Ms. Nettles cleared her throat, making Ava jump. She had almost forgotten the Geography and Culture teacher was there. "Girls, while I admire your spirit, Ms. Primrose is right. It's far too dangerous to let you search the mountains, especially with your unicorns already in a weakened state. The mountains are treacherous, with many hidden dangers, including wild animals." Ava frowned. She didn't mind facing danger, not if it meant saving Star, Rainbow, and all the other unicorns. "But—" "Wait!" Ms. Primrose interrupted. She smiled kindly. "On second thought, I believe you are right. A whole-school search party is a good idea. Ms. Nettles can organize one. I have a few things to do this morning, but when I'm finished I'll join you on Sage." Ava was so thrilled she almost hugged Ms. Primrose. She managed to contain herself, sending Sophia a triumphant smile instead.

Ms. Primrose checked her watch. "It's breakfast time now. Make sure you have a good one. You have a very long day ahead. Now, Ms. Nettles, let's talk about the details…." Shooing Ava and Sophia into the hall, she closed the door behind them. The girls high-fived before racing off to the dining hall. Ava was too impatient to get started to eat much for breakfast. Luckily, once she explained the plan, almost everyone else felt the same way, and it wasn't long before the whole school was gathered at the stables. As the students led their unicorns into the yard, Ms. Nettles, helped by Billy and Jack, gave out panniers to collect berries in. "Get into pairs," cried Jack bossily. "You have to tell old nettle patch where you're going before you start." Ava was pleased to see that Olivia had paired with Layla, as she linked arms with Sophia. "We should search in the east," she said. "That's where Star's magic showed the healthy berry bushes."

Ms. Nettles, however, disagreed. "Ridiculous," she snorted when Ava and Sophia told her of their plans. "Sky-berry bushes like sunshine and are far more likely to grow in the west and south. Anyway, Ms. Primrose looked in the east yesterday just to make sure, and she didn't find any bushes there. Rainbow must have been mistaken. You really shouldn't have asked him to use his magic, girls. It was very irresponsible of you. I imagine he is suffering from a lack of berries in his diet and he'll be tired now. Stick to the areas I suggest, or