Clearheart Read Online Free Page B

marching past Mr Frollick back towards the main building. She grabbed a branch of pussy willow as she went, tweaked her ear and passed it over her body to dry herself off.
    As Ella followed her, a disgruntled-looking whistle flew past her ear muttering to itself. ‘Just waste my time why don’t you… who needs a whistle after all… yes, don’t mind me…’

    In her office, Ms Wheelbarrow motioned for Ella to sit on a deep, much used, brown corduroy sofa. Ella sat and found herself looking out the window at a vista of wildflowers that would take even the most unwilling naturalist’s breath away. Ms Wheelbarrow sat herself down beside Ella and took the girl’shands firmly in hers. Ella sort of wanted to pull them away, for she still wasn’t used to being touched that much, apart from Dixon dangling all over her. But Dixon was different. He was her best friend. She felt the pixie squirm down the back of her swimsuit and wished she had had time to put some clothes on before she’d come to the office. She trusted him to stay hidden. He seemed to know that their friendship would draw unwanted attention. After all, it had been forbidden for pure Magicals and Flitterwigs to communicate with each other until very recently. The teachers would be most suspicious if they found out that Ella’s best friend was actually a pure Magical.
    It was warm in the room and it smelt of the gardenias that grew in abandon out of a hole in the floor, up the wall and across the ceiling.
    â€˜Welcome,’ said Ms Wheelbarrow. ‘Welcome,’ she said again, somewhat unnecessarily.
    Ella smiled politely.
    â€˜How are you finding your first term, child?’ asked Ms Wheelbarrow, peering down at Ella over her beaky nose.
    â€˜Weird,’ Ella answered honestly.
    â€˜Yes, I suppose you would,’ said Ms Wheelbarrow matter-of-factly, though her eyes were warm. ‘Well, we are very pleased to have you with us,’ she added, tapping Ella on the hand.
    Ella shuffled uncomfortably in her spot.
    â€˜I’m sorry we haven’t met more formally until now,’ Ms Wheelbarrow continued. ‘I wanted you to settle in and feel as normal as you possibly could here at Hedgeberry.’ Ella looked up at Ms Wheelbarrow to see if she was joking. There wasn’t anything normal about Hedgeberry. The headmistress looked completely serious. ‘And I have had rather a lot to do, meeting with the Magicals and whatnot. Now that we are allowed to fraternise after all these years. Thanks in large part to you,’ she added. A faint flush coloured Ms Wheelbarrow’s cheeks with the thrill of being able to enounce such words.
    Ella looked down at her bare feet, embarrassed. For it was true. Ella, with Dixon and Charlie’s help, had saved the Sacred Dewdrops of the Magical Kingdom of Magus from the dastardly designs of the Grand Duke only a few months ago. By performing such a Clearhearted act, Ella had restored the Queen’s faith in Flitterwigs, and as a result the Queen had lifted the Ban forbidding contact between Flitterwigs and pure Magicals. Ella hadn’t realised that Ms Wheelbarrow was one of the few Flitterwigs who knew her history.
    â€˜But now we have had something out of the ordinary happen,’ said Ms Wheelbarrow. Ella looked up at the headmistress again. Everything was out of the ordinary here! But Ms Wheelbarrowwas deadly serious still. ‘It is important that we get a few things clear,’ she said, patting Ella’s hands resolutely to reassure her. ‘So that you don’t feel too perplexed.’
    Ella wanted to laugh now. She’d been perplexed since the day she arrived. Wasn’t that the norm here? Ella may not have been to school before Hedgeberry, but even she knew this place wasn’t normal!
    â€˜Firstly,’ said Ms Wheelbarrow, ‘you should know that you are doing very well. It takes some of us years to find the magic