Nina the Birthday Cake Fairy Page 2

  “Stop that!” cried Nina. “Leave them alone!”

  She grabbed his wand, trying to yank it out of his hands. Jack Frost gave a mean laugh and flicked the wand, sending Nina tumbling across the tent.

  “You’ll never get your charm back!” he shouted.

  Rachel and Kirsty caught Nina, who shook her head dizzily.

  “Look out!” cried Kirsty.

  They dodged another bolt of magic, which hit the bubble-gum balloons behind them. There was a huge bang and all the balloons burst, covering the goblins in a sticky mess.

  “My outfit!” squealed the town crier.

  The other goblins tried to pull his costume off, but they just got stuck together. Every time they touched anything, they stuck to it! While the goblins all squawked and wailed, Jack Frost grabbed the rest of the cake and dashed out of the tent.

  “Follow him!” cried Rachel. “We can’t let him out of our sight!”

  The fairies flew after Jack Frost as he ran, cackling, into the Candy Castle. He stumbled over broken cobblestones made of gobstoppers, then raced up a winding sugar staircase to the top of the tallest tower. The fairies were close behind him, but as soon as they flew out of the stairwell, Jack Frost flung a series of hailstones at them, stinging their faces and hands.

  The fairies ducked behind the railing and tried to catch their breath.

  “You’ll never stop me now.” Jack Frost gloated through a mouthful of birthday cake. “Your charm is mine forever!”

  He jingled the charm that was still dangling around his wrist, and shoved another piece of cake into his mouth.

  “What are we going to do?” asked Nina. “As long as he has his wand, we can’t get close to him!”

  “Maybe we don’t need to,” said Kirsty thoughtfully. “Remember how angry he got when the goblins licked his candy-cane throne? Maybe if we eat some of his castle, he’ll forget to be so careful with the charm.”

  They all flew down the side of the tower and hovered below the railing, close to a small window. The window frame was made of fudge. Kirsty winked at Rachel and Nina.

  “Mmm!” she said in a loud voice. “These window frames are delicious!”

  “Scrumptious!” added Rachel at the top of her voice. “Maybe we should just forget about the charm and eat the Candy Castle, instead.”

  “STOP THAT!” Jack Frost roared, leaning over the railing and shaking his fist.

  The fairies looked up and rubbed their tummies.

  “I’ve never tasted such wonderful fudge,” said Nina, licking her lips.

  “Leave that window frame alone!” Jack Frost shrieked. “It’s MINE!”

  “We’ll leave right now if you give back Nina’s charm,” said Kirsty.

  “NO DEAL!” Jack Frost snarled.

  He sent magic bolts raining down on them, but the fairies just pressed themselves against the wall and laughed.

  “You can’t stop us from eating,” called Rachel, pretending to pick off a piece of windowsill. “You can’t even reach us from up there.”

  “Oh, I CAN’T?” Jack Frost replied in a fury.

  With that, he leaned so far over the edge that he almost fell off! As he pointed his wand downward, trying to aim at the fairies, the charm slipped off his wrist — and he dropped his wand!

  “NOOO!” Jack Frost wailed as the chain and magic charm plummeted down.

  “Catch the charm!” cried Nina.

  Rachel zoomed over, but she was half a second too late. The charm was still falling! She would have dove after it, but suddenly there was a shriek from above. Jack Frost had leaned out even farther, and the wall had started to crumble.

  “The wall is weak because of the goblins’ snacking,” said Kirsty with a gasp. “It’s full of holes!”

  Before Nina could raise her wand to help, the wall collapsed. Jack Frost hurtled down, the birthday cake close behind!

  “HELP!” he wailed.

  Before the fairies could do anything, he disappeared into the moat with a gigantic splash! Frothy milkshake flew into the air and covered the banks of the moat. The fairies zoomed down and saw Jack Frost bob to the surface. He spit out a mouthful of milkshake and splashed wildly.

  “Help!” he shouted again. “Come here, you useless goblins! Get me out of here!”

  But all his goblins were still stuck together with bubble gum in the tent. Kirsty pointed to something lying on the bank.

  “There’s a branch of the chocolate tree that’s been nibbled off!” she exclaimed. “We could use it to pull him out.”

  Together, the three fairies flew over the middle of the moat and held the branch out to Jack Frost.

  “Grab the end of this, and we’ll pull you to the shore,” Rachel said.

  Jack Frost clutched at the branch, and the fairies hauled him to the bank of the moat. As he lay there, gasping and soggy, the three friends looked at one another.

  “Jack Frost is safe,” said Kirsty. “But where is Nina’s magic charm?”

  “It must have sunk in the moat,” said Nina, holding back tears. “Oh, girls, it’s gone forever!”

  The girls held Nina’s hands, feeling terrible. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Rachel saw something glimmering on the surface of the moat.

  “Maybe not!” she said, darting out above the moat again.

  The milkshake bubbles were making the little birthday candle charm dance on the surface. It almost looked like the moat was playing with it! Rachel reached the charm and scooped it up. Then she flew back to the bank and handed it to Nina. The charm immediately shrank to fairy-size, and Nina’s eyes welled up with happy tears as she slipped it onto her wrist.

  “I can’t believe it!” she said. “All seven of the Sugar and Spice Fairies’ charms are finally back where they belong!”

  “Yes — and look what’s happening to the Candy Castle,” said Kirsty.

  As they watched, Jack Frost’s new castle seemed to melt away. Jack Frost leaped to his feet and jumped up and down in a rage. On the other side of the moat, he could see the sticky goblins crawling out of the tent, gobbling up the last traces of treats.

  “Stop that!” he hollered. “Those are mine, do you hear me? MINE!”

  “Hasn’t this taught you a lesson?” Rachel asked him. “You shouldn’t be so greedy!”

  He just shook his fist at her.

  “I think it’s time for us to leave,” said Nina with a laugh.

  She waved her wand, and in a twinkling of fairy dust, the girls were standing in the Fairyland Candy Factory. The last time they had been here, it had been a very sad place. Because Jack Frost had stolen the Sugar and Spice Fairies’ charms, the candies and treats had all been ruined.

  “What a difference!” said Kirsty, looking around in relief.

  Now the trees were heavy with yummy goodies. They looked wonderful! Fat scoops of lemon sherbet, orange ice cream, and strawberry sorbet hung from the branches. The six other Sugar and Spice Fairies were already there, filling the Treat Day baskets. When they saw the girls and Nina, they sped over and gathered them in a big fairy hug, their wings fluttering together.

  “You did it!” cheered Madeline the Cookie Fairy. “When the orchard came back to life, we knew you must have been helping Nina. Thank you!”

  “Yes,” said a beautiful voice behind them. “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

  The fairies turned and saw Queen Titania and King Oberon smiling at them. Honey the Candy Fairy was at their side, and their arms were filled with baskets of chewy cookies, gooey chocolates, and beautiful cupcakes.

  “We’re here to finish the Treat Day baskets,” Queen Titania went on. “We’re so grateful for your help, Kirsty and Rachel. Treat Day would not be happening without you! Once again, you’ve shown us that you are Fairyland’s best friends.”

  “There’s a big slice of birthday cake going into each fairy’s basket in honor of your birthday, Kirsty,” added Honey.

  “Thank you for everything,” said Nina, giving th
em a final hug. “But now it’s time for you to go back to the human world. There’s a party waiting for you!”

  She winked and raised her wand. A flurry of rainbow-colored fairy dust swirled around the girls and lifted them into the air. When the sparkles faded, they were back in Kirsty’s kitchen. The music was still playing in the next room, and they heard the doorbell ringing.

  “No time has passed at all,” said Rachel in awe, looking up at the clock. “That’s one of the most wonderful things about Fairyland.”

  “Yes,” said Kirsty, smiling at her best friend, “and it means that my birthday lasts even longer!”

  Just then, Aunt Helen came hurrying into the kitchen with another box from Cupcake Corner.

  “This was just delivered,” she said, sounding excited. “Look, girls! They must have heard that something happened to the other cake. This one’s even prettier!”

  She lifted the lid of the box, and Rachel and Kirsty peered inside. They saw another rose-colored birthday cake that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIRSTY on it, just like the one that Jack Frost had stolen. But this one had seven little fairies on top made of fondant . . . seven little fairies who looked very familiar! Kirsty and Rachel shared a secret smile. The fairies on the cake looked just like the Sugar and Spice Fairies!

  Aunt Helen put the cake on a plate and lit the candles. Then she dimmed the lights, and all of Kirsty’s friends and family came into the kitchen to sing “Happy Birthday.” Kirsty closed her eyes, made a special birthday wish, and blew out the candles.

  As everyone cheered and the lights went on, Rachel squeezed Kirsty’s hand. “What did you wish for?” she asked.

  “I can’t tell you that, or it won’t happen,” said Kirsty with a laugh. “And this is a wish I really want to come true!”

  But Rachel could guess what her best friend had wished for. They both wanted more magical fun with their fairy friends. Hopefully, another adventure was just around the corner!

  Rachel and Kirsty found the Sugar and Spice Fairies’ missing magic charms. Now it’s time for them to help the Earth Fairies!

  Join their next adventure in this special sneak peek of

  “Isn’t it wonderful to be back on Rainspell Island again, Rachel?” Kirsty Tate said happily, gazing out over the shimmering blue-green sea. “It hasn’t changed a bit!”

  Rachel Walker, Kirsty’s best friend, nodded. “Rainspell is still as beautiful as ever,” she replied as the two girls followed the rocky path down to the beach. “This is one of the most special places in the whole world!”

  The Tates and the Walkers were spending school break on Rainspell Island. Even though it was fall, the sky was a clear blue and the sun was shining brightly, so it felt more like summer. Kirsty and Rachel couldn’t wait to get to the beach and dip their toes in the ocean.

  “You’re right, Rachel,” Kirsty agreed, her eyes twinkling. “After all, this is where we first became friends!”

  “And we found lots of other amazing friends here, too, didn’t we?” Rachel laughed.

  “This is gorgeous!” Kirsty said as they finally reached the beach.

  The golden sand seemed to stretch for miles into the distance. Seagulls soared in the sky, and Kirsty could smell the fresh, salty sea air. “Should we explore the rock pools?” she suggested.

  But Rachel didn’t reply. She was looking down the beach, her face clouded with dismay.

  “Haven’t you noticed the litter, Kirsty?” she asked, pointing ahead of them.

  Kirsty stared at the golden sand more closely. To her horror, down near the water’s edge, she could see some plastic bags blowing around in the breeze. There were also some soda cans and empty water bottles floating in the ocean.

  “Oh, Rachel, this is awful!” Kirsty exclaimed. “I don’t remember seeing any litter last time we were here.”

  Kirsty shaded her eyes and looked farther down the beach. She could see even more litter strewn across the sand.

  “Rachel, we have to do something about this.” Kirsty had a determined look on her face. “Rainspell Island is beautiful, and we have to keep it that way. We’ll need help, though — and I know just where we can get it!”

  Rachel’s face lit up. “Fairyland!” she burst out excitedly.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Rainbow Magic Limited c/o HIT Entertainment, 830 South Greenville Avenue, Allen, TX 75002-3320.

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-62250-9

  Copyright © 2013 by Rainbow Magic Limited.

  Previously published as Sweet Fairies #7: Nina the Birthday Cake Fairy by Orchard U.K. in 2013.

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, by arrangement with Rainbow Magic Limited.

  SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. RAINBOW MAGIC is a trademark of Rainbow Magic Limited. Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and other countries. HIT and the HIT logo are trademarks of HIT Entertainment Limited.

  First Scholastic printing, March 2014

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