Free Fairy School Drop-out by Meredith Badger Page A

what you were doing when it came to magic.
    Elly was prepared to admit that the first time she was thrown out of school was because of something silly she did. The drinking fountain in the toilets at Dandelion Grove School was broken so Elly had jammed her wand onto the button to make it work. It did the trick, but probably a little too well. Water spouted up into the air so strongly that it broke through the roof and surged through to the classroom above. Elly still thought it was unfair that she got blamed because a teacher happened to be standing exactly underneath the water as it burst through. Miss Pinkleberry had been lifted by the water up through the ceiling of the classroom. A wet fairy finds it difficult to fly so poor Miss Pinkleberry was forced to bounce up and down on the jet until someone rescued her.

    At Crystal Dell School the problem had been because Elly caught a flyrus. A flyrus is like a virus, except it affects wings and makes anyone who catches it fly backwards. Unfortunately, they are highly contagious and before long the whole school, including the teachers, were all flying backwards and bumping into each other. Elly was sent home to recover but when she was well again the Head-Fairy suggested it might be best if Elly found another school. Elly thought this was mean. She hadn’t meant to catch the flyrus after all.
    Now she was at her third school – The Mossy Blossom Academy for Young Fairies. It had taken lots of effort by her parents to convince the school to take her. Madame Silverwings, the Head-Fairy, had already been warned about Elly.
    â€˜This is your last chance,’ her mother warned Elly on her first day. ‘No other school will accept you if you’re thrown out again and then you’ll never get your Fairy Licence.’ Elly promised to try hard. And she was trying. It was just that things didn’t always go the way she planned.
    â€˜Get changed, Elly,’ said her mum as Elly trudged upstairs. ‘And don’t forget your wand!’ she called after her.
    Uh-oh ... Elly scrambled around in a pile of clothes until she found her wand. There was a great big dint in the handle. Elly gave it a shake and turned it on. The wand played its usual startup tune but it sounded a little wonky. The star at the top was dim, too. Elly shook it again and the wand made a sound like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on. Great. The last thing Elly needed was a wand breakdown on top of everything else.
    â€˜Elly! It’s time to leave!’ called out Mrs Knottleweed-Eversprightly.
    Elly quickly tried to brush the muesli out of her hair and pulled on a clean school uniform. In the first year at Mossy Blossom, you had to wear a knee-length, baby-blue tutu. There was also a wreath of flowers for your head and soft blue slippers with big blue bows for your feet. Elly hated the uniform. She hated the itchy tutu and she hated the scratchy wreath. But most of all she hated the stupid shoes with those dumb, floppy bows. Elly’s slippers were now splattered with milk. She took them off and pulled on her favourite red boots instead. Much better!
    Her mum called again, impatiently. ‘Come ON, Elly!’
    Elly grabbed her skateboard and shoved it in her bag before dashing downstairs. Her mum caught her for a quick hug and a wet kiss as she rushed out the door.
    â€˜Be good,’ she said.
    â€˜Of course!’ Elly replied, hoping her mum wouldn’t look at her feet.
    â€˜And fly with the Fairy Flock this morning, OK?’ called Mrs Knottleweed-Eversprightly as Elly dashed off. ‘It’d be nice to have one week where your Head-Fairy didn’t call me up about some rule you’ve broken!’
    â€˜See you later!’ called Elly over her shoulder. Maybe she could pretend she hadn’t heard that last bit ...

Chapter two
    N ow, maybe you’re reading this and thinking that Elly and her family don’t sound like real fairies. Perhaps you