Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE "Layla dear. Is everything all right?" Ms Tulip said as she rode up. Layla rubbed her nose, unable to speak in case she burst into a storm of tears. She felt like such a failure. "You're not comfortable doing cross- country, are you?" said Ms Tulip kindly. "Don't worry, jumping and galloping are useful skills but they're not essential. Your knowledge of unicorns, their welfare and magical properties, is outstanding, Layla. If you carry on working this hard, you're going to make an excellent

guardian." "Even if I don't want to jump?" asked Layla uncertainly. Ms Tulip smiled. "Even if you don't want to jump. Now, while the rest of the class go around the course how about you go back to school and groom Dancer?" "Thanks, Ms Tulip," said Layla gratefully. She heaved a sigh as she and Dancer rode back to school. On the one hand she was so relieved to escape the cross-country course and to know she could still be a guardian without jumping, but on the other hand she felt guilty for not being brave enough to face her fears. To make things worse, Dancer was being totally lovely about it, not complaining once, even though he was missing out on the fun. As they rode past Sparkle Lake, the cheers of her friends drifted to her on the breeze. The leaves on the trees rustled and several swirled to the ground, one catching in Layla's long black hair.

"That's supposed to be lucky, catching a falling leaf," said Dancer. "But it's too early for the leaves to be falling. Summer's not over yet." A red-eyed fly with pink and turquoise wings buzzed past her nose. Layla swatted it away and was immediately set upon by two more. Layla squinted at them. The flies were unlike any she'd seen before and, even though they were pests, their glittery wings sparkled prettily in the sunlight.

Layla stopped to groom Dancer in the meadow in the shade of a tree. As she combed out his tail, she heard laughter and the clatter of hooves as her friends returned from the cross- country lesson. Layla didn't feel like company. Dropping a kiss on Dancer's nose she said, "I'm going to go now. I'm sorry. I bet you wish you had a braver rider, someone like Scarlett or Isabel." "I wouldn't swap you for anyone." Dancer's whiskers were tickly on Layla's face as he nuzzled her. "I don't mind about the jumping. I just wish you'd trust me. I'd make sure you were safe." Layla bit her lip. "I know," she mumbled. "And I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time." Layla wandered through the grounds, hardly noticing where she was going, just wanting to stay out of everyone's way, until a strange sight stopped her in her tracks. Ms Nettles was kneeling on the grass, her nose to the ground

and her bony bottom sticking in the air. It was almost enough to bring a smile to Layla's lips despite the way she was feeling. "Um, Ms Nettles?" she asked. "Are you OK?" "Stop!" Ms Nettles shrieked as Layla stepped towards her. "You nearly squashed a berry beetle!" Layla saw a small purple beetle with silver spots crawling slowly across the path, carrying a huge ripe strawberry. "It must have a nest," breathed Layla. She remembered reading about the berry beetle in a book that Ava had lent her. "They're not like other beetles, are they?

They look after their eggs until the beetles have hatched and the babies are big enough to forage for food." "That's right!" Ms Nettles exclaimed. "I didn't know that you liked beetles, Layla." "I like learning about everything on the island," said Layla. "Plants, animals, geography and history. It's fun finding out about different things and how they depend on each other."