Flying High Read Online Free

going to France full stop,” I said truthfully.
    She looked shocked. “You’ve never been to France? But it’s so close to England.”
    “I know, but Mum never had any money, did she?”
    At that moment our portal lit up like a royal firework display and we were blasted into history.
    Time-travel, Agency style, is incredibly smooth and speedy. Just a few minutes after take-off, or several centuries earlier, depending on which time system you’re using, I stepped out on to my favourite planet.
    We were in a river valley somewhere in the south of France, totally surrounded by rolling hills, making it feel like we were at the bottom of a massive misty blue bowl.
    To judge from the position of the sun, it was around midday. The heat was phenomenal and the air was filled with the busy ticking and scraping sounds of zillions of little insects.
    It probably sounds sad, but I was totally overexcited at being in a foreign country! And even though this was Earth, not Heaven, the air smelled fabulous as the noonday heat brought out the scent of the wild lavender and herbs growing everywhere.
    Lola frowned. “That river looks way too low.”
    “Seems like they’re having a major drought,” Amber agreed. “See all the cracks in the dirt?”
    I’m a city girl so I don’t pretend to know about stuff like dirt or average rainfalls or whatever. But I had noticed that the valley had a bleached, stone-washed look, as if all its bones were getting a bit too near the surface.
    I’d become aware of faint surges of noise drifting down the hillside. Soon, I could make out individual sounds; the dumty-dumty rhythm of drums, the toot of flutes and wave upon wave of sweet young voices singing some kind of medieval hymn.
    My mates and I exchanged awed glances. They’re coming! I thought.
    Tiny figures appeared over the rise - first a trickle, then a stream and finally a flood of marching children.
    We stood totally stunned as the child crusaders straggled over the hill and down into the valley. Tattered blue and gold banners fluttered over their heads, their bright colours wavering in the intense heat.
    “There are so many ,” Lola breathed. “I had no idea.”
    Some of them were just little tots and had to be carried by the older ones. None of the kids appeared to own a decent pair of shoes. Their feet were bruised and bleeding. Yet they limped along, singing with heart-rending beauty.
    The first kids into the valley instantly spotted the glint of water. Everyone broke ranks and went rushing down to the river to drink, bathe their feet, or simply cool off.
    I found the scene deeply disturbing, to be honest. It reminded me too much of refugee camps I’d seen on the news in my own times. Michael’s right, I thought. This crusade is way out of control.
    Reuben nudged me. “Lollie’s run into some local personnel.”
    I saw her chatting away with an Earth angel in medieval dress.
    Eek , I thought. I don’t think wimples will ever make a comeback!
    I think the Earth angel was equally startled by Lola’s outfit, because I heard Lola say, “ Oh pardon, madame ,” And she started explaining how we’d had to leave Heaven in a hurry.
    I couldn’t help smirking to myself. They were speaking in medieval French, yet I understood every word! It’s one of the perks of being an angel, and it always gives me a major buzz. If Miss Rowntree could only see me now, I thought. Then my heart almost stopped beating.
    A dreamy-eyed boy was making his way towards us through the crowd. His t-shirt and jeans were so faded by the sun that I could only just make out the familiar angel logo. It had been far too long since he’d had a haircut and he looked completely shattered. But I’d have recognised him anywhere.
    It was Orlando.
     

Chapter Four
    N ow I’m not, repeat not , one of those tragic girls who go yearning after boys who don’t even know they exist. But you can’t tell a heart what to feel, and my heart was secretly hoping for a tiny