A New Beginning Read online

  Her dad raised his eyebrows as Lily did a jumping jack. “Well, I guess that’s a good idea. Maybe I’ll come with you. I could use some exercise, too.”

  “No!” Lily said hastily. “Someone … um … from school might see me. I’ll look like a real baby if I’m trailing around after you.”

  “Excuse me for trying to cramp your style,” her dad joked. “What’s brought this new fitness fad on?”

  “I want to be ready for when I get my own pony! It’s going to be hard work looking after it,” Lily replied.

  Her dad rolled his eyes. “I should have known what was at the bottom of this! Do you ever think of anything else beside ponies?”

  “Nope! Well, actually, yes! But you wouldn’t believe me if I told you!” Lily said, glancing at Storm who was waiting by the front door. She jogged toward him before her dad could ask anymore awkward questions. “See you later!”

  Chapter FOUR

  As Lily put her school books into her bag on Monday morning, Storm sat watching her.

  She smiled at him. “I love having you living here with me, but I have to go out for a few hours. Try not to get bored and chew my rug or anything, or Mom will freak!”

  “I will not do anything like that,” Storm yapped indignantly.

  “Sorry. Sometimes I forget you’re not an ordinary puppy,” Lily said, bending down to pet his silky ears. “It’s a shame there was only time for a quick walk around the field before breakfast. I’ll take you out for a really long walk when I get back from school. Promise.”

  Storm looked up at her curiously. “What is school?”

  “It’s a place where kids go to learn. Teachers tell us stuff and give us homework to do and we do projects and all kinds of things,” Lily explained.

  “School sounds interesting. I will come with you,” Storm decided.

  Lily grinned. “I wish you could, but pets aren’t allowed …” She paused as she had a second thought. “Hey! Maybe you can come if you stay invisible! But you’d have to be really quiet and stay close to me. Mr. Poke, our class teacher, is very strict.”

  Storm’s face brightened and his little sandy tail started wagging with excitement. “I will make sure that no one will know I’m there—except you, Lily!”

  “Cool! Let’s go!” Lily put her backpack on the floor and opened it up. “It might be best if you got inside. I have to cross some busy roads.”

  Storm jumped into her bag and settled next to her books and gym clothes. Lily put on her bag, said good-bye to her parents, and headed out of the front door.

  “We’ll probably meet Freema and Katy, my friends from class, on the way. I can’t wait to see their faces when I tell them about you!” she said to Storm.

  There was a scuffling noise from her bag. Storm popped his head out, his big dewy eyes looking into Lily’s. “You cannot tell anyone my secret. Promise me, Lily,” he woofed seriously.

  Lily was disappointed. She had always wanted a pet to tell her friends about, especially a pony, but she had been really excited at the thought that she might be able to share her amazing magic puppy friend. She’d do anything if it would help keep Storm safe, though. “Okay, I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die,” she said.

  Storm nodded, satisfied.

  As Lily and Storm reached the school gate, they saw Freema and Katy. There was another girl with them whom Lily hadn’t seen before.

  “Hi, Katy. Hi, Freema,” Lily greeted her friends.

  “Hi, Lily. This is my cousin, Adjoa,” Freema explained. “She just moved here and is going to be in our class.”

  Adjoa was tall with shiny black hair, an oval face, and big brown eyes, just like Freema.

  Lily smiled at her. “Welcome to our school, Adjoa.”

  “Thanks,” Adjoa said shyly.

  “Did you help out at Greengates this weekend?” Katy asked Lily as they walked into the school grounds.

  Lily nodded. “It was great. I had an extra-long ride on Bandit. Janie let me take her up to the woods by myself.”

  “Cool!” Katy said.

  “Do you like riding?” Adjoa asked Lily.

  “It’s my favorite thing in the whole world!” Lily replied. “How about you?”

  “Adjoa loves ponies, too!” Freema said. She nudged her cousin. “Tell Lily about your pony.”

  Lily’s eyes widened. “You’ve got your own pony? You’re so lucky! What’s its name?”

  “Pixie. She’s gorgeous and I love her to pieces,” Adjoa said. “You can come over one night after school and meet her if you like.”

  “Thanks. I’d love to,” Lily said, beaming.

  In the classroom, Lily took her usual seat next to Katy. She put her bag on the floor, so that Storm could jump out.

  Storm gave himself a shake and then trotted off to sniff around the room.

  Mr. Poke took attendance. “And just before we begin,” he said, looking up, “I’d like to welcome Adjoa Hardiker to the class.”

  Adjoa smiled shyly as everyone clapped, including Lily.

  A few minutes later, Lily was leaning over to watch Storm. She smiled to herself as the tiny puppy weaved in and out of the desks, his sandy tail wagging.

  A voice called out, but Lily was engrossed by Storm’s cute antics.

  “Lily Benson, can you stop daydreaming and take out your history book, please?” the teacher’s sarcastic voice said. Mr. Poke had a bald head with a fuzzy rim of hair around his ears. He had a way of looking down his nose when he was annoyed.

  Lily’s head snapped up. “Sorry, sir.”

  “Looks like old Poker Face got out of bed on the wrong side—again,” Katy commented. Adjoa and Freema, who sat nearby, giggled.

  Lily turned around and grinned at them.

  “Okay, class. I’d like you to begin work on your projects, please. Quietly, if possible!” Mr. Poke ordered.

  They were doing the Tudors. Lily was making a collage of Queen Elizabeth I. “I think I’ll do her lace ruffle today. I need to get some pieces of paper and stuff from the art cabinet,” she said to Katy, who was bent over writing in her notebook.

  “Can we have a little more work and a little less talking, Lily Benson?” Mr. Poke drawled.

  “Yes, sir.” Lily felt herself turning pink as she got up and went to the cabinet. I wasn’t even doing anything, she thought.

  Storm padded over to her. “Are you all right, Lily? You look hot,” he woofed.

  “I’m fine. Not like some people,” Lily murmured, glancing back at the grumpy teacher.

  She pulled the cabinet’s handle, but it seemed to have gotten stuck. Grasping it more firmly, she pulled again, but the door still wouldn’t budge.

  “I will help,” Storm yapped eagerly.

  Lily saw Mr. Poke coming over with a frown on his face. “Uh-oh, you’d better be quick, Storm. Looks like Poker Face is on the war path,” she whispered.

  Lily felt an odd, warm tingling down her spine as gold sparks ignited in Storm’s sandy coat, and the tips of his ears and tail fizzed with power. Something strange was going to happen.

  Raising one big sandy front paw, Storm sent a shower of bright golden sparks whooshing toward the cabinet. With a faint crackle they sank into the wood. For a moment nothing happened and Lily thought Storm’s magic hadn’t worked.

  “Out of the way, Lily. Let me do it,” Mr. Poke said irritably, reaching the cabinet—just as the doors sprang open.

  An explosion of papers, brushes, pens, and paints shot out. Mr. Poke flew backward as if he’d been blown by a wind machine and landed on the floor on his backside.

  Rustle! Papers floated down around him. Splat! A plastic jar of glue hit Mr. Poke on the chest, bursting and spreading all over his gray sweater. Thwack! Brushes, pens, and pencils fell on him, sticking firmly to the glue.

  The teacher sat there blinking in shock.

  The whole class erupted in laughter. Katy, Adjoa, and Freema were helpless.

  Lily tried hard to bite back the laughter bubbling up in
side her.

  “Who packed the cabinet like that?” Mr. Poke roared, his face bright red as he scrambled to his feet. “I have to go and get cleaned up. Keep working, class. I’ll be right back.” He stomped off toward the bathroom, pens and pencils falling with a clatter as he walked away.

  “I am sorry, Lily. I think I used too much magic,” Storm woofed in dismay.

  Making sure that no one was looking, Lily quickly patted him. “You did just fine. It serves Mr. Poke right!”

  She began putting everything back into the cabinet. Katy, Freema, and Adjoa helped her. By the time Mr. Poke reappeared wearing a hideous orange, yellow, and brown striped T-shirt, the mess was all cleared up.

  The rest of the morning passed quickly, and at lunchtime Lily shared her cheese sandwiches and chips with Storm. When they finished, she took him for a run across the fields. The excited puppy ran around, chasing leaves in the wind and tiring himself out. He spent the rest of the afternoon napping under Lily’s chair.

  After school, with Storm back in her bag, Lily walked home with her friends.

  She paused at the end of her street. “Did you mean it about me coming over to see Pixie?” she asked Adjoa.

  Adjoa nodded. “Why don’t you come over after school on Friday? We can both ride Pixie.”

  “That would be awesome!” Lily said. She jotted Adjoa’s address and phone number in her notebook before heading home. “Bye. See you all tomorrow!” she called.

  Katy, Freema, and Adjoa waved as they walked away.

  Just inside her front garden, Lily put her bag down so that Storm could jump out. “Adjoa’s nice, isn’t she?” she said to him. “I can’t wait to meet Pixie.”

  “Me too!” Storm nodded, his pink tongue hanging in a doggy grin.

  Lily felt a surge of affection for him. She picked Storm up and pet his soft sandy fur. “Having you at school today was awesome! You really taught old Poker Face a lesson. I hope that horrible Shadow never finds you and then you can live with me forever and come to school every day,” she said.

  “That is not possible, Lily,” Storm told her, his small sandy face suddenly serious. “One day I must return to my own world to help heal my mother and fight Shadow.”

  Lily knew this was true, but she didn’t want to believe it. She pushed all thoughts of Storm having to leave out of her mind and thought instead of the fun they would have on Friday with Adjoa and Pixie.

  Chapter FIVE

  “Here you are, girl.” Lily held a piece of carrot on the palm of her hand, so that Pixie could take it with her soft lips. Pixie was a chestnut pony with a white line down her nose and a friendly expression.

  Lily turned to Adjoa as the pony crunched the treat. “Pixie is gorgeous!”

  Adjoa smiled. “I know. I’m lucky to have her.”

  Pixie whinnied softly and swiveled her ears.

  “I think she agrees with you,” Lily said. They both laughed.

  Adjoa opened the field gate and Lily helped her saddle the pony and then both girls spent a couple of hours taking turns riding her. Lily thought with a sigh how wonderful it would be to have her own pony and ride her every day.

  Storm bounded alongside the pony at first as Lily trotted around the field on her, but his short legs soon got tired. Lily couldn’t lift him onto her lap with Adjoa watching. “Are you okay? You’re not getting bored?” she leaned down to whisper to him.

  “I am fine. I will go and explore,” Storm barked softly.

  Lily watched him go frolicking off toward the open-sided, wooden shelter at the bottom of the field. She could see him sniffing all the interesting smells in patches of long grass on the way.

  With Storm happily occupied, Lily went back to enjoying her ride. Afterward she helped Adjoa untack Pixie and then rub her down before letting her run free. The pony immediately threw herself onto her back and rolled around. Storm ran straight up to her barking happily.

  “Oh no!” Lily gasped, only just stopping herself from calling out to warn Storm to be careful. If Pixie kicked, the tiny puppy could get badly hurt by her hooves.

  “What’s wrong?” Adjoa asked, frowning.

  “Er … nothing,” Lily murmured, watching tensely as Pixie got to her feet again and shook herself. Her ears flattened as she looked down at the playful puppy, then she leaned down and gently nudged Storm’s sandy fur. Storm yapped delightedly, wagging his tail.

  Lily gave a big sigh of relief, which she quickly turned into a cough. She turned to Adjoa. “Sorry. I … um … thought I saw a rat in the straw in Pixie’s shelter!”

  Adjoa shrugged. “That’s no big deal. The farmer’s cats will catch it. Let’s go in the house and get a drink.” She opened the field gate that led straight into her back garden.

  “Okay. I’ll follow you in a sec. I think I’ve got a stone in my boot.” Bending down so that she had her back to Adjoa, Lily motioned to Storm.

  Storm scampered straight over and squeezed under the fence into the back garden. He trotted at Lily’s heel, panting happily as they all walked toward the house.

  In the kitchen, Adjoa’s mom was getting cold drinks from the fridge. “I saw you coming,” she said, smiling. “You must be Lily. It’s nice to meet you. I’m glad Adjoa’s already made a new friend.” Her rows of tiny black braids were pinned up into a bun. She wore gold hoop earrings, jeans, and a pretty green top.

  “Thanks for the drink, Mrs. Hardiker,” Lily said politely.

  After their drinks, Lily and Storm went up to Adjoa’s room. “It’s just like mine!” Lily said delightedly, looking at all the pony posters and books. Red and blue ribbons that Adjoa had won for her riding were pinned around her mirror.

  “That was so much fun! Thanks,” Lily said to Adjoa before she left for home.

  “That’s okay. You can come here anytime,” Adjoa said, smiling. “See you at school on Monday!”

  As she walked away with Storm, Lily was thoughtful. “Adjoa’s mom and dad don’t seem to have a problem with their daughter taking care of a pony and doing homework. But I don’t think I’ll ever persuade mine to let me have one,” she said to him with a sigh.

  Storm barked in sympathy, wagging his tail. His thick sandy fur gleamed with tiny golden sparks. “Maybe I can help you,” he woofed softly.

  The following afternoon, Mrs. Benson dropped Lily and Storm off early at Greengates before she went to her yoga workshop. Lily had been silently thinking about what Storm had said; now she was bursting to ask him about it.

  “Did you mean it, about helping me to get my own pony?” she asked as they walked across the stable yard.

  Storm looked at her with alert midnight-blue eyes. “I did, Lily. I always keep my promises.”

  Lily waited, but Storm didn’t say anything more. Her imagination went into overdrive. “I bet you’re going to use your magic to make a pony appear out of thin air, aren’t you? Are you going to put Mom and Dad into a trance or something, so they let me keep it?” she asked excitedly.

  Storm’s furry brow dipped in a frown. “No. That would not be the right thing to do, Lily. I am afraid that you will have to be patient,” he woofed mysteriously. He leaped forward and went off to explore the yard, shedding a few tiny gold sparks, which glinted in the bright sunlight before dissolving.

  Lily stared after Storm. She knew she was going to have to do as he said, but it was hard to be patient when you wanted something so much.

  It was time that she went to see what jobs needed doing, but first Lily went to visit Bandit. She had an apple in her pocket for the pony.

  But the palomino wasn’t in her stable, so Lily went to check the grazing field. Bandit wasn’t there either. As she was walking back across the yard feeling puzzled, Don came out of the tack room holding a saddle.

  “Is Bandit out on an early ride?” Lily asked the stable boy.

  “No. Bandit’s already gone. Didn’t Janie tell you?” Don said.

  “Gone? Gone where?” Lily asked.

  “To her new home,�
�� Don explained. “Bandit’s quite old now and Janie’s been thinking about retiring her for some time. Someone came by during the week and offered Bandit a new home on the spot. Janie jumped at it. Bandit went to live in a field with two goats and a donkey for company.”

  “Oh, she’ll really love that,” Lily said, trying hard not to feel sad. But she knew she was really going to miss the gentle old pony.

  Don’s freckled face crinkled in a smile. “It’s amazing that somewhere so perfect came right out of the blue, when Janie hadn’t really started looking yet. Just like magic, really. Anyway, see you later.” He went off to tack up a pony.

  Storm came rushing across the yard, with a dusty nose from where he’d been searching around in some straw. He gave her a wide doggy grin and flopped down at her feet.

  Lily looked down at him thoughtfully. “Did you have anything to do with finding Bandit a perfect new home, by any chance?”

  Storm gave her a sideways look. He twitched his nose. “I smell rabbits!” he yelped happily and shot off again toward the grazing field.

  Lily stared after him. He was up to something, she was sure of it.

  Chapter SIX

  It had been another busy afternoon at Greengates. Lily was hanging up a pile of newly cleaned bridles in the tack room.

  Janie popped her head in the door. “Why don’t you leave that and go have a ride? Tinka’s still saddled up.”

  “Thanks, Janie!” Glancing over to where Storm was napping on top of the brush box, Lily called to him. “Come on, Storm.”

  Storm’s head shot up immediately. He jumped down and padded after Lily to where Tinka was tied to the fence.

  Lily buckled on her riding hat before mounting the handsome bay pony. She walked Tinka out of the yard and onto the bridle path. This time she took the fork leading to a field that the riding school had permission to use. Storm ran along beside her, his ears flapping as Lily rode down a tractor path.