âIsnât that right, Stripe?â The wasp buzzed loudly, bobbing in the air.
The boys came over then, and Twink saw that Chauncey-Oberonâs wing had been bandaged by one of the Queenâs doctors. âHere,â he muttered, shoving a glass of sweet dew towards Twink. âUm . . . can I talk to you?â
âAll right,â said Twink in surprise, accepting the dew.
âI just wanted to say sorry,â blurted out Chauncey-Oberon when they were in a quiet corner of the courtyard together. âI â Iâve been a real moss brain towards you, Twink. Iâve said some awful things over the last two weeks.â
âWell, what I said was pretty awful, too,â pointed out Twink, remembering the terrible words she had flung at him in the wasp Queenâs chamber.
âYes, but at least you had a reason,â retorted Chauncey-Oberon. âI didnât have one at all â I was just jealous. The Queen knew you instead of me, and â and you seem to make friends so easily, when I donât have any . . . â He trailed off, his pointed ears reddening. âAnyway, I really am sorry,â he muttered.
âBut you do have a friend,â burst out Twink. âI mean â Iâll be your friend, Chauncey-Oberon, if you let me.â
His eyes widened, and then suddenly he smiled â a real smile, not a sarcastic one. It changed his whole face, and Twink found herself smiling back.
âReally?â he asked.
âYes, of course!â said Twink. âBesides,â she added, âI donât see how we couldnât be friends, after all thatâs happened today.â
âNo, I suppose not,â said Chauncey-Oberon. His smile grew even wider. âYou canât really go into a waspsâ nest together and not become friends, can you?â
âAbsolutely not!â laughed Twink.
âWill you write to me at White Cloud?â asked Chauncey-Oberon as they headed back to the party.
Twink nodded vehemently, her pink hair tumbling about her face. âAnd you have to write to me at Glitterwings.â
âI will!â he grinned. âIâve never had anyone to write to before â itâll be glimmery.â Suddenly Chauncey-Oberon ducked his crimson head. âUm â can I just ask you one favour, though, Twink?â
âWhat is it?â she asked in surprise.
He smiled shyly as the party whirled around them. âWould you call me Chaunce?â
.
Bloomsbury Publishing, London, Berlin, New York and Sydney
First published in Great Britain in 2009 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
36 Soho Square, London, W1D 3QY
Text copyright © Lee Weatherly 2009
Illustrations copyright © Smiljana Coh 2009
The moral right of the author has been asserted
This electronic edition published in September 2010 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
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ISBN 978 1 4088 1353 9
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