The Jewel Fairies Collection Page 5

  Emily nodded and lifted her wand. Kirsty aimed the boomerang at the toy cat in the goblin’s hand, and threw it. The boomerang whistled through the air, but as it got closer to the goblin, it started to drift off course.

  Rachel bit her lip. It looked like the goblin was going to get away with the emerald after all, no matter how hard they tried to stop him!

  But Emily waved her wand, and a cloud of sparkling fairy dust shot after the boomerang. As soon as the fairy magic touched the toy, the boomerang swerved back on course. It flew straight toward the goblin like an arrow.

  The friends watched as the boomerang spun through the air and knocked the toy cat right out of the goblin’s hand!

  The cat fell to the floor, but the skateboard kept going. The goblin let out a howl. He had lost the magic emerald!

  “Pesky fairy magic!” the goblin shouted. But there was nothing he could do. The skateboard was zooming along too fast for him to jump off. He glanced over his shoulder just as Kirsty and Rachel ran forward and picked up the toy cat.

  “Give that back!” yelled the goblin as the skateboard headed toward the elevator. “You must be joking!” Rachel laughed. “Shouldn’t you watch where you’re going?” called Kirsty.

  The skateboard whizzed through the open doors of the elevator and crashed into the back wall. The goblin fell on the floor in a heap. He staggered to his feet, unhurt, but he looked very angry. He made a rush for the elevator doors, but they slammed shut. He was trapped inside. Ting! The elevator began to move upward.

  “Good-bye, goblin!” Emily called.

  Kirsty and Rachel laughed, and they could hear a muffled roar of rage from inside the elevator.

  “Girls, you’ve done it again,” Emily cried, fluttering down to sit on Kirsty’s shoulder. “How can I ever thank you?”

  “We’re just glad we got your emerald back,” replied Kirsty, holding up the stuffed black cat. The beautiful magic emerald winked and sparkled at them.

  “Sorry, kitty,” Emily said, smiling at the toy cat, “but I need my emerald more than you do!” She raised her wand and a shower of green sparkles floated down over the black cat. The magic emerald fell gently into Kirsty’s hand, and a new green eye appeared in its place.

  “And now it’s back to Fairyland for you,” Emily added, touching her wand to the jewel. “Queen Titania and King Oberon will be very happy to see you!”

  A fountain of sparkling green fairy dust shot up from the jewel. The emerald vanished from Kirsty’s hand.

  “Rachel, we’d better go down and meet your dad,” Kirsty said, looking at her watch.

  “I think we’ll use the stairs!” Rachel agreed, laughing.

  “Thank you for your help, girls,” Emily said in her pretty voice. “Every jewel you find brings us one step closer to returning the jewels’ magic to Fairyland.” She waved her wand. “Good-bye, and good luck!” Then she disappeared in a flash of fairy dust.

  Rachel and Kirsty grinned at each other and hurried downstairs.

  Rachel’s dad was waiting by the store’s main entrance, carrying lots of shopping bags. “Ah, there you are, girls,” he said with a grin. “Will you give me a hand with these?” He handed each of them a bag.

  “Lucky Mark!” said Rachel, taking a peek inside. “He’s going to get lots of presents for his birthday.”

  Her dad looked embarrassed. “Well, some of these things are for me, actually,” he said. “I’m thinking of putting a toy train track in the attic.”

  Rachel laughed. “That sounds like a great idea, Dad.”

  “That was quite an adventure!” Kirsty whispered to Rachel as they followed Mr. Walker out of the store.

  Rachel nodded. Then she grinned and gestured toward her dad, who was marching happily down the street with his bags, eagerly explaining his plans for the train track in the attic. “From the sound of it, our next adventure is going to involve trains, not fairies!” she said, laughing. Somehow, both girls knew that wasn’t true. They’d surely see their fairy friends again soon!

  Goblins in Disguise

  Looking Out for Magic

  Costumes Galore!

  Lots of Changes

  Stop That Goblin!

  Fluffy Bunnies

  “There’s a cool costume store!” Kirsty Tate said, pointing at one of the shops on Cherrywell’s busy main street.

  “Fun!” Rachel Walker replied happily. “Let’s go pick out costumes for Isabel’s Halloween party before the bus comes.”

  “OK,” Kirsty agreed. She was staying at Rachel’s house for the week, and the girls had just gone bowling with some of Rachel’s friends from school. One of them, Isabel, had invited everyone to a Halloween party over the weekend.

  “What do you want to dress up as?” Kirsty asked Rachel.

  “Something magical, of course!” Rachel replied with a grin.

  Kirsty smiled back. She and Rachel loved magic. It was because they shared an amazing secret: They were friends with the fairies!

  Their magical adventures had all started one summer. The girls had helped the fairies stop mean Jack Frost from taking the color out of Fairyland. Since then, the Fairy King and Queen had asked for their help again and again. In fact, Rachel and Kirsty were right in the middle of another fairy adventure. Jack Frost was still causing trouble!

  This time, he’d stolen seven sparkling jewels from Queen Titania’s crown. The jewels were very special because they controlled important fairy powers, like the ability to fly, or to give children in the human world sweet dreams. Every year, in a special celebration, the fairies recharged their wands with the jewels’ magic. This year’s ceremony was just around the corner. If the jewels weren’t found by then, the fairies would run out of their special magic completely!

  Jack Frost had hoped to keep the magic jewels for himself. But when their magic had started to melt his ice castle, he had gotten very angry. He cast a spell to throw the gems far into the human world. Then he sent his mean goblins to guard them, so the fairies couldn’t get them back.

  Rachel and Kirsty had already helped three of the Jewel Fairies track down their magic gems. But there were still four jewels left to find!

  “Do you think we’ll find another jewel today?” Rachel whispered as she and Kirsty ran up to the store.

  “I hope so,” Kirsty replied.

  A small boy and his mom were looking at the display in the store window. There were colorful lanterns and two mannequins wearing Halloween costumes. One was dressed as a witch, and the other as a goblin.

  Suddenly, the boy gasped. “Mom! Did you see that?” he cried. “That goblin costume just moved!”

  Rachel and Kirsty stopped and glanced at each other.

  “Don’t be silly, Tom.” The boy’s mom laughed, leading him away. “It’s time to go!”

  “A goblin mannequin that moves?” Kirsty hissed to Rachel. “We’d better take a look.”

  The girls peered closely at the window display. The mannequin the boy had pointed out was wearing a green goblin costume and a little red hat. Rachel’s eyes widened as she took in the goblin’s beady eyes, long nose, and great big feet.

  “That’s not a goblin costume!” she exclaimed. “It’s a real goblin!”

  “And look at the witch,” Kirsty added. The witch mannequin wore a long black skirt and a pointed hat, and held a broomstick. Its lumpy green nose and warty chin looked awfully goblinlike, though.

  “The witch is a goblin, too!” Rachel gasped.

  Kirsty grabbed Rachel’s arm. “Oh, Rachel, if there are goblins in the window, maybe one of the fairies’ magic jewels is inside the store!”

  “Let’s go take a look!” Rachel cried. The girls pushed the door open and hurried down three stone steps into the store. A salesperson came rushing over to meet them. She had curly brown hair and a cheerful smile. “Hello,” she said, stepping around a large pile of pumpkin buckets near the door. “May I help you?”

  Rachel could feel her heart pounding. “Um …” she bega
n uncertainly. It was hard to concentrate, knowing that two goblins were standing just a few feet away.

  “Could we look at some costumes, please?” Kirsty asked quickly. “We’re going to a Halloween party over the weekend, and we don’t have anything to wear.”

  The salesperson smiled. “Well, you’ve come to the right place! My name’s Maggie. I’m sure I can find something for the two of you. What did you have in mind?”

  Kirsty looked around and spotted a display of cat costumes. “I think I’d like to try a cat costume, please,” she said.

  “Well, we have lots of choices,” Maggie replied. She turned to Rachel. “How about you, my dear?”

  Rachel thought fast. They needed to search the store for the magic jewel. If Kirsty could keep Maggie busy, then maybe Rachel could look around. “I haven’t quite decided yet,” she replied truthfully. “Would it be OK if I look around a little bit?”

  “Of course,” Maggie answered. She smiled at Kirsty. “Now, why don’t you come with me to the dressing room, and I’ll find a cat costume in your size?”

  As Kirsty headed off with Maggie, Rachel glanced around the store. There were racks of costumes, and shelves piled high with wigs, makeup, and masks. Rachel noticed a container full of plastic swords and a stand packed with fairy wings and wands. If there is a magic jewel in this store, she thought, it could be anywhere!

  Her eyes fell on a pirate display near the back of the store. There were two mannequins dressed in pirate costumes.

  They stood on a fake desert island, and each pirate had an eye patch. Between them was a palm tree and a huge treasure chest with gold chains and strings of pearls spilling from it. That would be the perfect place to hide a jewel, Rachel thought.

  As she drew closer to the treasure chest, her heart seemed to skip a beat. The chest was glowing with a deep golden light. Magic! Rachel thought, looking at the way the gold chains glittered and gleamed. It has to be! Holding her breath, she lifted the heavy lid of the chest.

  Suddenly, a fountain of orange-and-gold sparkles shot into the air. Rachel gasped and nearly dropped the lid. Twirling in the middle of the sparkles was a tiny fairy!

  “Hello!” called the fairy brightly. She was wearing a frilly yellow skirt, an orange wraparound top, and sparkling orange shoes. Her wavy black hair was held back by a red headband.

  “Hi!” Rachel replied in delight. She thought she recognized the fairy. “Aren’t you Chloe the Topaz Fairy?”

  Chloe nodded. “Yes, I am.”

  Rachel glanced back over her shoulder. Luckily, Maggie was busy handing clothes to Kirsty. She hadn’t noticed the fairy. Rachel led Chloe behind a costume rack. “Is your topaz in this store?” she asked. “Kirsty and I thought it seemed like a magic jewel was nearby.”

  “The magic topaz is definitely in here. I can feel it,” Chloe responded, perching on Rachel’s hand. “But I haven’t been able to find it. I was searching through the treasure chest when the lid shut. I was trapped inside! Thanks for rescuing me.”

  “No problem,” Rachel said with a smile. She peeked around the side of the costume rack. “Have you seen the goblins?”

  Chloe looked alarmed. “Goblins! What goblins?”

  “There are two goblins in the window display. They’re pretending to be mannequins,” Rachel explained.

  Chloe shivered. “They must be here to guard the topaz. We’ll have to try to send it back to Fairyland without the goblins noticing.”

  “Yes,” Rachel agreed. “But we need to find it first. Where should we look?” Just then, she heard the dressing room door open. She peeked around the clothing rack to see how Kirsty was doing. “The cat costume fits you just fine,” Maggie was saying to Kirsty.

  “But you need some cat ears! Wait there, and I’ll get you some from the stockroom.”

  When Maggie walked away, Rachel hurried over to her friend. “Kirsty!” she hissed.

  “What is it?” Kirsty asked eagerly. “Did you find something? Oh!” She gasped when she saw Chloe fluttering beside Rachel.

  The little fairy grinned. “Hi, I’m Chloe,” she said.

  “Chloe’s topaz is somewhere in this store,” Rachel told Kirsty quietly. “We have to find it!”

  “What does it look like?” Kirsty asked.

  “It’s a deep golden color,” Chloe replied. “And it controls changing magic, so keep your eyes open for any strange changes.”

  “It might be hidden with those fairy wands,” Rachel suggested, pointing to a display near by. “Let’s check there.”

  “You do that, and I’ll check the queen costume,” Kirsty said, pointing to an outfit near the window. It was a beautiful jeweled dress and cape with a crown of glittering gems. “The topaz could easily hide there.”

  Just then, Rachel’s sharp ears caught the sound of footsteps. “Maggie’s coming back!” she warned. She and Chloe slipped behind the costume rack again.

  “Let’s check the fairy wand display,” Rachel whispered to Chloe. “If you hide in the pocket of my coat, Maggie won’t be able to see you.”

  Chloe dived into Rachel’s pocket, and they headed over to look at the wands.

  Meanwhile, Maggie handed Kirsty a pair of cat ears.

  “Um,” Kirsty began. “I’m really sorry, but I just noticed that queen costume. It’s so beautiful! Would you mind if I tried that one on, instead?”

  “Of course not!” Maggie replied cheerfully. “I’ll go get it for you.” She bustled over to the store window and took the costume off the mannequin. “Here we are!” she said, heading back to Kirsty with the costume in her arms.

  As Maggie carried the costume past the window, Kirsty heard a faint pop. The air behind Maggie shimmered with a golden glow. Then, to Kirsty’s amazement, the witch costume on the goblin in the window changed into a suit of armor! Kirsty gasped and looked around quickly for her friends. She was sure that the costume change was the work of Chloe’s magic topaz!

  Maggie walked closer to Kirsty. Behind her, the goblins in the window looked around in confusion. The metal visor on the suit of armor fell down with a dull clunk, and the goblin inside let out a muffled shriek of surprise.

  Hearing the noise, Maggie turned around. She stared at the suit of armor.

  “Where did that come from?” she murmured. “I thought there was a witch costume in the window.” She turned back to Kirsty. “Did you see a witch costume?”

  Kirsty didn’t know what to say. “Um, I can’t really remember,” she replied.

  “Maybe someone changed the costumes yesterday. That was my day off,” Maggie explained. “But I’m surprised I didn’t notice earlier!”

  Behind Maggie, Kirsty could see the goblin in the red hat smirking at his friend, who was struggling to yank open the heavy visor of his helmet.

  Meanwhile, Maggie was shaking out the queen costume so that Kirsty could try it on. As she did, there was another faint pop. Kirsty looked around nervously. This time, she saw the air shimmer with a red glow. Then the bow and arrows on a nearby Robin Hood costume turned into a set of bagpipes!

  Kirsty’s hand flew to her mouth. She hoped Maggie wouldn’t notice the change. She had no idea how to explain why Robin Hood was now holding bagpipes!

  She bit her lip as the earrings on a display to Maggie’s left suddenly turned into pink-and-white striped candy. The topaz must be inside something that Maggie is holding! Kirsty thought.

  Suddenly, she saw the goblin in armor step cautiously out of the window display. He had his visor open now, and his beady eyes were fixed on the costume in Maggie’s arms. Oh, no! Kirsty thought. The goblin must have seen the magic working, too.

  She watched anxiously as the goblin inched slowly toward Maggie. But, as he did, one of his big feet bumped into a container of plastic swords. The rattle made Maggie turn around.

  Grabbing a sword, the goblin froze as if he was just another store display!

  “Thanks for the costume,” Kirsty said quickly, trying to distract Maggie. “Can I try it
on now?”

  Maggie looked at the suit of armor, puzzled, and turned back to Kirsty. “Of course,” she replied. She helped Kirsty into the dress and draped the cape over her shoulders.

  As Kirsty took the crown, she noticed a huge golden stone in the middle of it. The stone seemed to shimmer and shine. Could it be the magic topaz? Kirsty put on the crown. Immediately, her head started to tingle with fairy magic. “Oh, wow!” she breathed.

  “Do you like it?” Maggie smiled. “I think I have a scepter in the stockroom that would look great with that costume. I’ll see if I can find it for you.”

  As soon as Maggie had left, Kirsty looked for Rachel and Chloe behind the fairy display. “I have the topaz!” she called softly.

  “Hooray!” Rachel exclaimed.

  “Where is it?” asked Chloe, zooming out of Rachel’s pocket in a whoosh of sparks.

  “In the crown on my head!” replied Kirsty.

  Rachel looked at Kirsty’s head in surprise. “Crown?” she asked. “Do you mean the turban?”

  Kirsty turned to look in the dressing room mirror. Immediately, she saw that the crown had changed into a turban! The golden topaz still glittered at its center. “It changed!” she breathed.

  At that moment, Rachel let out a cry of alarm. “Kirsty!”

  “Watch out!” Chloe exclaimed at the same time.