My Secret Unicorn (4 page)

‘That's amazing!' said Lauren, impressed. ‘I've never done anything like that!'

‘It's just so brilliant having a unicorn,' Michael said. ‘I mean it would be great having an ordinary pony –' he patted
Moonshine's neck – ‘but having a unicorn is just something else. I love Moonshine so much.'

Moonshine flicked her ears and snorted happily.

Michael told Lauren about some of the other stuff he and Moonshine had been doing. ‘So, how about you?' he asked at last. ‘What's been happening here?'

Lauren told him about Mrs Fontana dying. ‘Now I'm Keeper of Secrets.' She explained what that meant.

Michael looked really impressed. ‘That's so cool!'

‘I suppose,' Lauren felt uncomfortable. She realized she didn't really want to talk
about it. Not even to Michael. It still felt so new to her and she felt very unsure about what she was doing. She changed the subject. ‘If we go down that track there's some really good banks to ride up and down.'

‘OK!' Michael shortened Moonshine's reins. ‘Shall we have a canter?'

Twilight and Moonshine didn't need any urging. They both plunged forward. As the frosty air whipped against her cheeks, Lauren felt happiness flood through her. It was great seeing Michael and Moonshine and she couldn't wait to go flying together that night!

Lauren and Michael had a brilliant time racing Twilight and Moonshine up and down the banks. Afterwards, they rode back to Granger's Farm, untacked the ponies and put them out in the field.

As they went up to Lauren's bedroom, she realized she hadn't asked Michael
about his adoptive parents. ‘So, how's everything going with Jodie and Chris?' she asked.

‘Great,' Michael smiled. ‘Jodie comes and helps me with Moonshine and Chris has bought a trailer and takes me to shows –' He broke off. ‘Hey, I remember that!' He went over to Lauren's bed and picked up a big purple book that was lying on the covers. It was very old and the writing on the front was in gold. Mrs Fontana had given it to Lauren when Lauren had first got Twilight. It was all about unicorns.

‘
The Life of a Unicorn
,' Michael read out the title. ‘You lent this to me. I read about unicorns in it and then tried the
Turning Spell on Moonshine. If it hadn't been for this book, I might never have known she was really a unicorn.' He grinned at Lauren. ‘It's no wonder Mrs Fontana chose you to be Keeper of Secrets – you were helping unicorns and their friends even way back then!'

Lauren realized he was right. ‘I guess I was.' She smiled, suddenly feeling a bit better about being Keeper of Secrets.

Michael leafed through the book. ‘I love all the pictures.' He paused at one that showed a big unicorn cantering into the sky with a smaller one at its side. He read the caption: ‘
A Unicorn Elder taking a Chosen Unicorn back to Arcadia.
' He frowned. ‘What does that mean?'

‘When unicorns have done loads of good deeds with their human friend, they go back to Arcadia,' Lauren told him.

‘What!' Michael stared.

Lauren nodded. ‘Didn't you know?'

‘No. So what happens?'

Just then, Lauren's dad called to her. ‘Lauren! Mel's on the phone!'

Lauren headed for the door. ‘I'll be back in a minute. You can read about it in the book.' She hurried out and took the phone from her dad.

‘Hi, Lauren,' Mel Cassidy, one of her best friends, said cheerfully. ‘I'm in town and I've found these great T-shirts with horses' heads on them. Do you want to
go halves on one for Jess for Christmas?'

‘OK.'

‘Which one then? There are different colours and different horses. We could have an Arab pony or a thoroughbred or a Welsh pony or…'

Mel and Lauren discussed it for a few minutes. After they had settled on getting a purple T-shirt with an Arab pony's head on for their other best friend, Jessica, Lauren said goodbye and went back into her room. Michael had stopped reading the unicorn book and was standing at her window, looking out at Moonshine and Twilight grazing in the field. There was a frown on his face and he seemed completely lost in thought.

‘Hi,' Lauren said.

‘Oh, hi,' Michael said, blinking. ‘Um. I don't feel great. I… I think I might go home.'

‘Oh,' said Lauren in surprise. ‘What's the matter?'

‘I just feel… sick.'

‘Do you still want to meet up tonight?' Lauren asked in concern.

‘We're just going to go flying, right? We're not going to help people or do lots of magic?' Michael asked.

Lauren shook her head. ‘I thought we could go out into the woods and I'll
show you the secret glade I go to with Twilight and then we can go flying together.' She gave him an anxious look. ‘But if you're not feeling well…'

‘I'll be fine,' Michael muttered.

They went outside together. As they caught and tacked up Moonshine, Michael hardly said a word. As if sensing something was wrong, Moonshine nudged him several times with her nose. He patted her but didn't smile.

‘Bye, Lauren,' he said as he mounted. ‘I'll see you tonight.'

‘Yeah. Meet me here in Twilight's field.' Lauren leaned against the gate and waved as he rode down the path.

Twilight nuzzled her shoulder.

‘Something's up with Michael,' Lauren said. ‘I'm sure it is. He said he felt ill and that's why he was going but he doesn't look ill to me. She turned to Twilight. ‘I don't know why he left so suddenly like that. It's really odd.'

Twilight looked at her with puzzled eyes.

‘I hope he's OK tonight,' Lauren said.

Twilight snorted softly and together they watched Michael ride away.

At midnight, Lauren was waiting in the shadows of the field with Twilight. Michael and Moonshine flew down to meet them. Moonshine's long mane and tail swirled around her and her coat sparkled in the starlight.

Twilight cantered into the air to meet her. ‘Let's go to the secret glade,' Lauren said.

Michael nodded. ‘OK.'

The two unicorns flew towards the trees, Twilight leading the way. It was a very cold night and Lauren wrapped her hands in Twilight's mane.

‘Do you think it might snow?' Michael asked, looking at the sky.

‘I hope so,' Lauren said. ‘It would be great if it was snowy for Christmas. You'll have gone home by then, though, won't you?'

‘Yeah,' Michael replied. ‘We're going back Christmas Eve.'

‘Do you want to come round tomorrow and we can go for another ride in the woods?' Lauren asked.

‘Yeah, it'll have to be the morning,
though. We're going out in the afternoon to pick up a sleigh from Jodie's friends' house. We're taking it back with us to the city in the horse trailer.'

‘Why?' Lauren asked curiously.

‘To put in our local hospital,' explained Michael. ‘On Christmas Eve, everyone from our church brings presents for the local hospital and in the morning the children there get to share them out. Jodie thought the children would really like it if we put the presents in a sleigh this year. She wants to decorate it with lots of mistletoe.' He frowned. ‘She's a bit worried. She thought she'd be able to buy loads of mistletoe really cheaply out here in the country. But she went out looking this afternoon and most of the shops have already sold out.'

‘That's no problem,' Lauren said. ‘There's lots of mistletoe in the woods. It's right at the tops of the trees, much
too high to climb up from the ground – but we've got unicorns to take us there. We can fly up, get some mistletoe and take it back for her. Easy!' She grinned at Michael but to her surprise he didn't grin back.

‘I guess,' he said, but he didn't sound keen.

Lauren wondered why he sounded so hesitant. ‘It would make Jodie really happy and we'd be doing a good deed with Moonshine and Twilight, just like we're supposed to. Why don't we go now?'

Michael shook his head. ‘No, let's not. I bet she finds some in a shop tomorrow.'

‘But this way she wouldn't have to pay for it and –'

‘So where's this secret glade then?' Michael interrupted. ‘Look, let's forget about the mistletoe for now, Lauren. It's my first night flying in the woods!'

Lauren looked at him in surprise. But then he was right – it
was
their first night in the woods. They could always get some mistletoe the next night. Deciding not to push it any further she patted Twilight's neck. ‘The secret glade's this way!' she said and Twilight swooped down through the trees.

*

Michael loved the secret glade. After looking around it, they flew up through the trees and played tag. It was brilliant fun. Lauren had never been out flying with someone else on a unicorn before. She and Michael dived through the frosty air, laughing and calling out. At last, Twilight and Moonshine landed back in the secret glade.

‘That was cool!' Michael said, his eyes glowing. ‘I thought racing up and down the banks this morning was fun but playing tag in the sky was even better! It's so much fun flying with someone else!'

Lauren nodded. Michael was right – it was loads of fun! ‘I'm so glad you're
here tomorrow night too,' she said happily. ‘We could meet up at midnight then as well.'

‘Can't we fly some more now?' Michael said, disappointed.

Lauren sighed. ‘I'd better not. I met this Unicorn Friend called Rosie last night. She's having some problems and I'm trying to help her. Twilight and I should really go and see how she's getting on.'

‘Can I come with you?' Michael asked.

Lauren hesitated. Part of her wanted to say yes – after all it would be fun flying there with Michael but somehow it felt wrong. She remembered Sidra's words:
Follow your heart.

‘You'd better not,' she said reluctantly. ‘I think I'm supposed to do Keeper of Secrets stuff on my own. Why don't you go and get some mistletoe for Jodie?'