Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE Matilda was so sleepy she could hardly keep her eyes open. She'd had a busy day and she was looking forward to snuggling down in her bed, but first she had to find her pyjamas. They weren't under her pillow or duvet but there was a pile of clothes on the floor. Matilda prodded it with her toe. Perhaps the pyjamas were in there somewhere? Ariana came over and Matilda got ready for a lecture. Ariana had every reason to be annoyed about the mess as it had spilled on to her side of the room but Ariana was occupied with something else. She handed a piece of

paper to Matilda. "OK, I've done a list of the things we all need to take on the camping trip. There's one here for each of you," she added, handing them round. "Thanks, Ariana," the other girls chorused. "Yeah, thanks," said Matilda, examining the paper. Where had Ariana got it from? It was perfect for drawing on, just the right thickness and with a lovely smooth surface. Matilda's fingers twitched with impatience as she sought for a pencil. She found one tucked behind her ear. Flipping the list over, Matilda began to sketch. First she drew Pearl mid-leap, then as her imagination took hold she gave the unicorn large graceful wings. Then she added a bright blue sky filled with fluffy clouds for Pearl to fly through. It would be amazing if Pearl had flying magic, she thought, smiling to herself. "Matilda!" Ariana exclaimed. Matilda's pencil skidded across the page.

Guiltily, she looked up. "What?" Why was Ariana looking so cross? "You've drawn on the list and I bet you haven't even read it!" "So?" Matilda said, shrugging. "If I forget something it's no big deal, you lot will help me out." "What if we can't help you? Say you forget

something important and no one has a spare?" The words poured from Ariana. "Why is everything just a huge joke to you? Don't you remember our last trip? What if the person who blocked the waterfall turns up and does more dark magic?" Violet put a reassuring hand on Ariana's arm. "There hasn't been any trouble since then. You shouldn't worry about it." Matilda nodded. She didn't like seeing Ariana so unhappy. "Violet's right. The teachers wouldn't be letting us go if there was any danger. You stress too much, Ariana." Ariana bit her lip and sat down on her bed. Rosa started to brush her long, dark hair. "Wouldn't it be brilliant if we could work out who it was? Ms Nettles and the other teachers would be so thrilled!" "But how can we possibly work it out when the teachers haven't?" said Freya, glancing up from her notepad. "It's not going to happen,

Rosa." "Who knows? Maybe we will find something to help us solve the mystery while we're out camping," said Rosa. "Ooh yes," said Matilda, her eyes gleaming at the thought. "No," said Violet firmly, glancing at Ariana's alarmed face. "This is just going to be a fun little camping trip. There'll be no mysteries, no adventures and absolutely no danger." Matilda caught Rosa's eye and immediately knew what she was thinking– mysteries, adventures and danger sounded like fun! The following morning, Matilda was the last to leave the dorm room. She hurried after her friends, who had set off to prepare their unicorns long before her. She'd packed her rucksack in a hurry, shoving everything in, and

now something hard was sticking into her back. I should probably repack it when I get to the stables, thought Matilda, but when she got there she had so much fun brushing and chatting to Pearl that she forgot. "So, tell me about this camping trip." Pearl nudged Matilda, then blew in her hair to make her giggle. "Well," said Matilda, trying to remember what Ms Nettles had said. "Once we get to the dell we're supposed to find somewhere good to make a camp. There's also a scavenger hunt with a prize for the winning team." "I hope Diamond dorm win the scavenger hunt!" said Pearl eagerly. "Me too," said Matilda, going to the stable door to fetch Pearl's breakfast. "I bet we have a good chance of winning." "Huh! In your dreams!" said snooty Valentina, who was coming out of her unicorn's stable. "Ruby dorm have already found half the