The Dance Fairies Collection Read online

  The seven goblins looked confused and glanced at each other.

  “Well, we don’t care!” the biggest of the goblins snapped at last. “We’re a team anyway — Team Goblin!”

  “Yes, so go away and let us get dressed in peace!” shouted the first goblin. He tried to close the door again, but Rachel wouldn’t let go.

  “Listen, we’ll leave you alone if you give us Isabelle’s magic ribbon!” she said, but the goblins ignored her and kept dressing.

  Kirsty scanned the closet and spotted a small goblin in the corner. He was struggling to put his helmet on with one hand, because he held a sparkling blue ribbon in his other hand!

  “Look at that little goblin in the corner!” Kirsty whispered to her friends.

  “He has my ribbon!” Isabelle declared, her eyes lighting up.

  “How are we going to get it back?” Rachel asked urgently. “We need a plan!”

  Just then, the biggest goblin turned to the goblin with the ribbon. “I’ll hold that ribbon for you while you finish getting dressed,” he offered with a sly smile.

  “No, I’ll hold it for you!” said another goblin, pushing the first one out of the way.

  “Let me!” screeched a third, who was awkwardly hopping up and down in his skates. “I want to hold it!”

  “No, me, me, me!” chorused the other goblins together.

  “BE QUIET!” yelled the smallest goblin furiously. “NOBODY is going to hold the ribbon except ME!” He grinned smugly. “And now I’m off to dance on the ice!”

  He dashed forward, slid through Rachel’s legs, and ran down the hallway. Before the girls could figure out what to do, the six other goblins charged after him, knocking the girls aside.

  “After him!” Isabelle yelled, and the three friends took off running.

  The first goblin had danced his way along the hallway and was disappearing around the corner now. The others stumbled and tripped over their skates as they hurried after him.

  “Come on!” Kirsty cried. “We have to keep the goblins from getting onto the ice, or everyone will see them!”

  Kirsty, Rachel, and Isabelle rushed down the hallway after the goblins. But as they rounded the corner and the ice rink came into view, Kirsty’s heart sank. She could see the smallest goblin zooming out onto the ice, waving the ribbon joyfully in one hand.

  “This is awful!” Kirsty groaned as the other goblins followed their friend out onto the ice. “Everyone’s going to see the goblins now, and we still don’t have the ribbon!”

  “We can’t let them out of our sight,” Isabelle whispered. “We might get a chance to grab the ribbon later.” She hid in Rachel’s pocket as the girls hurried to the edge of the rink.

  The goblins were whooping with delight as they skated across the huge sheet of ice. As Rachel and Kirsty watched, they overheard a couple of women in the seats nearby, chatting to each other.

  “I didn’t know the junior ice-hockey team was part of today’s show, did you?” the first woman asked. “That boy in front is such a talented skater!”

  “Yes, but I thought the show was supposed to be about fairy tales!” the other woman replied, looking confused.

  “At least the audience hasn’t figured out that they’re goblins!” Kirsty whispered to Rachel, relieved.

  Music was still playing over the loudspeakers, and the small goblin with the ribbon began to dance in time to the beat. He glided expertly around the rink, performed a perfect spin, and then launched into a series of spectacular jumps. The audience broke into a loud round of applause.

  The other goblins, who were skating in a long line, began trying to do the same moves. Rachel noticed that the goblin closest to the one with the ribbon managed to stay on his feet and even land some of the jumps, but the goblin at the end of the line could hardly stay upright, let alone dance. Rachel guessed it was because he was the farthest away from the ribbon and its dance magic.

  Just then, the last goblin tried to jump into the air, but slipped and fell! He went skidding right across the ice and knocked over the goblin in front of him. They both ended up in a tangled heap. The audience seemed to think it was part of the show, and they laughed and cheered.

  The goblin with the ribbon was still zooming around the rink, enjoying the applause. He passed the last goblin in the line, just as the goblin was struggling to his feet. The last goblin’s eyes lit up as he spotted the ribbon flash by him, and he made a determined lunge for it. But the goblin with the ribbon easily dodged him and skated to the edge of the ice. There, he ran through the gate at the far side of the rink.

  “Let’s run around and see if we can head him off !” Kirsty suggested.

  The girls took off, racing around the rink. But by the time they reached the other gate, the last of the goblins had already scrambled off the ice. He stuck his tongue out at Rachel and Kirsty, and dashed off after the others, who were clattering down the hallway on their skates.

  “There’s another rink at the end of this hall.” Kirsty panted as the three friends raced after the goblins. “I think it’s where the ice-hockey team practices.”

  The girls sighed with frustration as they saw the goblins skate onto the ice again. This rink was smaller than the main one and had ice-hockey nets at each end. Once on the ice, the goblin with the ribbon began to dance beautifully, leaping and spinning on the thin skate blades, while the others tried in vain to keep up with him.

  “We need to get onto the ice and grab that ribbon!” Rachel said.

  “For that, you’ll need skates!” Isabelle declared, and with a flick of her wand, the girls’ shoes vanished and were replaced with snow-white ice skates.

  The goblin with the ribbon whizzed around the rink, and Rachel and Kirsty waited until he was near the gate where they stood. Then they glided out to try and snatch the ribbon away from him. Unfortunately, the goblin was too fast, so the girls had to skate quickly after him, with Isabelle flying alongside. Just behind them were the six other goblins, still trying to keep up with their friend.

  “Look out!” shouted one of the goblins behind them. “Those pesky girls are getting close!”

  The goblin with the ribbon glanced over his shoulder, alarmed to see how close Rachel and Kirsty were. He sped up and started dodging from side to side, so that the girls couldn’t catch him. Rachel and Kirsty skated faster too, pulling away from the other goblins.

  With the magic of the ribbon getting farther away, the other goblins began to stumble and bump into one another. Suddenly, the goblin at the front of the line fell backward with a loud shriek. He knocked into the goblin behind him, who bumped into the goblin behind him, and all the goblins fell over, one by one, like a row of dominoes. They lay on the ice groaning and blaming one another.

  “Stop fighting!” the goblin with the ribbon shouted, skating toward his friends. “We have to stick together to protect the ribbon from those pesky girls! Imagine how angry Jack Frost will be if we come back without any ribbons at all!”

  The goblins stopped arguing at once.

  “That’s true!” one goblin said thoughtfully. “Those girls are sneaky. They dropped a moon on my head to get my ribbon!”

  “Yes,” agreed the one with the very pointy nose. “They made me fall into a swimming pool!”

  “Well, they bowled me over with a disco ball,” another goblin added angrily.

  “And now they’re trying to take my ribbon!” the ribbon-holding goblin yelled.

  All seven goblins glared at Rachel and Kirsty.

  “I think it’s time to make some girl popsicles!” the biggest goblin called, as the goblins untangled themselves and staggered to their feet.

  “Ooh, yes!” the goblin with the ribbon said excitedly, stopping beside his friends. “I’d forgotten I could do that!”

  “Watch out, girls!” Isabelle cried. “They’re after us now!”

  Rachel and Kirsty took off across the ice as the seven goblins linked hands and zoomed after them.

  “We’re right
behind you!” the goblin with the ribbon yelled.

  “Freeze them! Freeze them!” the other goblins chanted.

  Rachel and Kirsty headed for the exit from the rink, but the goblins skated over to block their path. The girls glanced at each other in desperation. They were trapped!

  “Girls!” Isabelle called, waving her wand over Rachel and Kirsty’s heads. “Fly up to me!”

  Just then, the ribbon-holding goblin whizzed toward the girls, shouting “FREEEEEZE!” And at the same moment, Rachel and Kirsty found themselves surrounded by a cloud of blue fairy magic. Soon they were fairy-size with delicate fairy wings. The girls zipped upward to join Isabelle.

  “Come back!” the goblin yelled. “I want to freeze you!” He leaped high into the air. To the goblin’s disappointment, his outstretched fingers just missed the girls.

  “Please take your seats,” a voice announced over the loudspeaker. “The show will start in three minutes.”

  “The show is about to begin!” Kirsty gasped. “Jenny will be on the ice soon. We have to get the ribbon back!”

  Rachel glanced around desperately, and her gaze fell on one of the hockey nets. “I’ve got an idea!” she exclaimed, pointing to the hockey goal. “Isabelle, when I give you a signal, can you use your magic to make that net tip over?”

  Isabelle nodded, then whirled off to position herself above the net.

  “Follow me, Kirsty,” Rachel whispered.

  Kirsty nodded and grinned. She thought she had a pretty good idea what her friend was planning.

  Rachel and Kirsty flew down and hovered just above the goblins, being careful to stay away from the one with the ribbon.

  “You can’t catch me!” Rachel cried.

  “Or me!” Kirsty added.

  The goblins looked furious. All seven of them dashed forward, desperately trying to grab Kirsty and Rachel. The girls fluttered just out of the goblins’ reach, staying close enough that the goblins kept jumping up and trying to catch them. Little by little, the girls flew over to the hockey net where Isabelle was waiting.

  “Quick, Kirsty!” Rachel whispered. “Into the net!”

  The two girls flew right into the net, and the goblins followed without even a pause.

  “NOW, Isabelle!” Rachel cried.

  A cloud of sparkling fairy dust burst from Isabelle’s wand and made the net tip right over. It fell on top of the goblins, trapping them like a cage. Rachel and Kirsty were small enough to slip through the netting and fly up to join Isabelle.

  “Let us go!” the goblins yelled angrily, pushing and shoving at the net. But there was no way out. The net was too heavy for them to lift. Just then, Kirsty caught a glimpse of something blue sparkling in the middle of the tangle of goblin arms and legs. She flew down, slipped her hand through the netting, and pulled the magic ribbon free.

  Isabelle clapped her hands in delight as Kirsty handed the ribbon back to her.

  The fairy quickly reattached the ribbon to her wand and, as she did, it shimmered a beautiful, deep blue.

  “My ribbon is safe at last!” Isabelle sighed happily as the three of them flew over to the side of the rink. “All the Dance Fairies have their dance ribbons again, and it’s thanks to you, girls. Now you should go and watch Jenny perform. I’ll clean up here.”

  She waved her wand, and Rachel and Kirsty were instantly back to their normal size again, wearing their normal shoes. They watched as Isabelle’s magic then lifted the net upright, freeing the goblins. They got to their feet, grumbling.

  “Let’s get out of here!” one mumbled, and they began to skate off gloomily. But without the magic of the ribbon to help them, they kept slipping and sliding everywhere!

  “Stop!” Isabelle called suddenly. “You’re not going anywhere with that hockey gear on!” With another wave of her wand, the ice-hockey uniforms fell off the goblins and clattered onto the ice.

  The goblins scowled as they scrambled off the ice without any skates, complaining loudly about their cold feet.

  “Girls, I need to go and give everyone in Fairyland the good news!” Isabelle declared. “But don’t worry, you’ll see the Dance Fairies again — maybe sooner than you think!” She flicked her wand and had just enough time to wave good-bye before a shower of blue sparkles whisked her off to Fairyland.

  “We did it, Kirsty!” Rachel beamed as they ran back to the main ice rink. “We found all seven dance ribbons!”

  Kirsty was smiling, too. “Every kind of dancing should go well now — including ice dance! Let’s go and cheer Jenny on!”

  “Jenny’s just spectacular!” Kirsty whispered to Rachel, as Jenny took off for yet another amazing jump. She landed perfectly on the ice and then went into a fast spin. The audience clapped, and Kirsty and Rachel joined in enthusiastically.

  “She’s great!” Rachel gasped as the music finished and Jenny took a bow.

  Kirsty grinned. “At intermission, we should go and tell her that!” she suggested.

  After watching Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, followed by Cinderella and her Ugly Stepsisters, it was time for intermission. Rachel and Kirsty hurried off to see Jenny. They found her in the dressing room, hanging up her skates.

  “Oh, you’ll never guess what just happened!” she exclaimed when she saw Rachel and Kirsty. “I was just offered a spot in the Ice Academy’s summer school! They told me as soon as I came off the ice.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Kirsty said happily as Jenny beamed at them. “You were fantastic!”

  “And the whole show is going so well!” Rachel said, smiling.

  “Everyone seems to be skating much better today,” Jenny said. “I’ll come and watch the rest of the show with you after I’ve changed.”

  Rachel and Kirsty nodded and left the dressing room to go back to their seats.

  “I wonder what Isabelle meant when she said we’d see the Dance Fairies again sooner than we might think,” Rachel remarked thoughtfully, as Kirsty stopped at a vending machine to get a drink.

  As Kirsty pressed the button, the machine began to shudder and shake. Then gold sparkles started whizzing around it.

  “Fairy magic!” Rachel whispered, her eyes wide.

  The girls watched in amazement as a golden envelope fell into the tray at the bottom of the machine, followed by Kirsty’s can of juice. Kirsty sprang forward, put her hand through the flap, and picked up the envelope.

  “It has our names on it!” she said, amazed.

  “Open it!” Rachel urged.

  As Kirsty opened the envelope, a rainbow of bright colors burst from it. In the middle of the colors, a face began to appear.

  “It’s Queen Titania!” Rachel gasped.

  “And look!” Kirsty laughed. “There are the Dance Fairies, too!”

  The queen smiled as the Dance Fairies fluttered around her, waving happily at Rachel and Kirsty.

  “Girls, you’ve helped us once again,” she announced. “In return, we would like to invite you to Fairyland for a day of dance with the Dance Fairies.”

  “Ooh, we’d love that!” Rachel and Kirsty chorused.

  “Then we’ll come and get you very soon!” The queen laughed. “And thank you!”

  The queen and the Dance Fairies disappeared in a shimmering burst of color, and Kirsty and Rachel gazed at each other in delight.

  “I can’t wait!” Rachel said, her eyes shining. “It’s going to be so much fun to learn all the different kinds of dance!”

  Kirsty grinned. “We’ve had some great fairy adventures together, haven’t we?” she said.

  Rachel nodded. “And I have a feeling that this one won’t be our last!” she said happily.

  The Dance Fairies all have their magic ribbons back, but now another group of fairies is in trouble! Can Rachel and Kirsty help the Music Fairies, too? Don’t miss

  Check out the girls’ next adventure in this special sneak peek!

  “Ooh, I love to dance!” Rachel Walker sang along to the radio, pretending her hairbrush was a mic
rophone. “When I hear the music, my toes start tapping and my fingers start snapping!”

  Kirsty Tate, Rachel’s best friend, grinned and grabbed her own hairbrush.

  “I can’t stop dancing!” she chorused.

  The girls tried to do a complicated dance routine as they sang, but then Kirsty went left and Rachel went right. They ended up bumping into each other! Laughing, they collapsed onto Kirsty’s bedroom carpet.

  “I don’t think we’d be very good in a band, Rachel!” Kirsty said, giggling.

  “That was The Sparkle Girls with their new single, Can’t Stop Dancing,” the radio DJ announced as Kirsty and Rachel sat up. “If anyone out there thinks they could make it big as a pop star, too, why not audition for the National Talent Competition next weekend?”

  “That sounds cool!” Rachel said.

  “One lucky singer or band will win a recording contract with MegaBig Records,” the DJ went on. “So remember — come to the New Harmony Mall next weekend, and maybe one day I’ll be playing your songs on my show!”

  “The New Harmony Mall is only a few miles from Wetherbury,” Kirsty said dreamily. “I’m sure Mom or Dad would take us to watch the competition if we asked them.”

  Just then, a tiny, silvery voice sang from the radio. “Kirsty and Rachel!” it called. “Can you hear me, girls?”

  Was it a fairy?

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