“Sure,” said Lily. “I’ll check with my mum. It’ll only take me a few minutes to get to yours.”

  Ava felt a rush of relief. “Great! See you soon!”

  She rang off and then went to find her mum. “I’ve just asked Lily round, is that OK?” Ava knew her mum would say yes. She was very relaxed about things like that.

  “Of course, sweetie,” her mum said. “It’s lovely you’ve made a friend so quickly. Help yourselves to whatever snacks you want.”

  “Thanks, Mum!”

  Ava ran to the hall to wait and a few minutes later, Lily arrived.

  “Oh my gosh,” she said, walking into the house and looking round at the high ceilings, the old paintings and the wide wooden staircase that led upstairs to the first floor. “This place is so old!”

  “And cold,” said Ava. “I’d keep your coat on if I were you!” She shut the door as Lily crouched down to say hello to Pepper who was bouncing around her legs.

  “So what do you want help with?” she asked, glancing up at Ava.

  Ava decided it was easier to show her than explain. “Come with me.”

  Leaving her trainers and hat by the door, Lily followed Ava to the Curio Room.

  “Look at all these things!” Lily breathed. She went over to the shelves and started reading the labels. “Curse Cup. Nottingham. Circa 1505. Found in cellar of Lowdham Manor. Note the unusual carvings and code… Plaque with carving of Green Man. Cambridgeshire. Early 1100s. Note the vines for hair… Guardian Stone Gargoyle. Eastwold. Circa mid-1200s. Removed from church when it was renovated in 1810. Note open mouth to inspire fear in enemies…” She looked at Ava. “How come these things are here and not in a museum?”

  “They belonged to my mum’s great-aunt Enid.” Ava explained about Great-Aunt Enid’s will and her mum inheriting the house.

  “You’re so lucky,” said Lily enviously.

  “Yes, because everyone wants to live in a house filled with curse cups and old mummies!” said Ava with a grin.

  Lily giggled. “It’s better than big spiders! We’ve got lots in our house and I really hate them. So is the reason you asked me here something to do with these weird things?”

  “Kind of.” Ava showed her the crystals. “Don’t laugh but there’s something strange about the crystals in this box. On the lid it says they’re magic crystals…”

  “Magic?” Lily squeaked.

  Ava nodded. “I don’t know if they are for sure but when I touch them, they make me feel odd.” She waited for Lily to laugh but Lily didn’t. “There’s some writing inside the box but… Well, I can’t read it. I thought you might be able to and it might help me work out what the crystals are for.” She looked at Lily hopefully.

  Lily’s eyes were glowing with excitement. “Oh, wow! This is amazing. Of course I’ll help!”

  Relief rushed through Ava. “Why don’t you touch the crystals and see what happens to you?”

  Lily slowly touched a blue crystal with one finger. Ava studied her expectantly. Lily waited a moment and then gave Ava a wary look. “Is this just a game?”

  “No!” Ava insisted. “I promise it’s not. Are you not feeling anything?”

  Lily shook her head.

  “Try that one instead!” Ava pointed to the glossy green crystal with the purple stripe that she’d held the day before – the one that had made her feel strong, calm and clear-headed.

  Lily read the label aloud: “Fluorite.”

  “Well?” Ava said impatiently as Lily picked it up.

  “I’m not feeling anything.”

  Ava felt a rush of disappointment but then…

  “Hang on … wait.” Lily shut her eyes. “Yes, I’m starting to feel … kind of peaceful. Like everything is good and there’s nothing at all to worry about.”

  Delight flooded through Ava. “That’s sort of how I felt too!”

  A smile crossed Lily’s face and she nodded, her eyes still shut. “Mmm,” she murmured happily and then she yawned.

  “Lily?” said Ava.

  Lily didn’t reply. Her head had started to sink to one side, as if she was falling asleep.

  “Lily!” exclaimed Ava, grabbing her arm and shaking it.

  Lily’s eyes blinked open. “What? Oh my gosh! I felt so chilled I started falling asleep. I don’t know why.”

  “It was the crystal!” said Ava excitedly. If the crystals made Lily feel things too then it meant there was definitely something strange about them.

  Magic, a little voice in her mind whispered. Just like the box says.

  “Try holding the dark grey crystal with red patches next,” Ava suggested.

  “Bloodstone,” Lily read out. After a few minutes of holding the red-and-grey crystal she started fidgeting, moving her hands and feet as if she couldn’t keep still. “My body feels all tingly, like I’ve got to move.”

  “It made me leap into the air,” said Ava.

  “I also feel like nothing in the world could scare me. I could even hold a spider right now – a big one with hairy legs!” said Lily. She started to jog on the spot. “And, whoa! I … I can’t keep still!”

  “Put it down!” exclaimed Ava.

  Lily hastily put the crystal down. “OK, that was very weird!”

  “We need to find out more,” said Ava. “Can you read the notes?”

  Lily studied the inside of the lid, her eyes moving rapidly over the words. “It’s a list of all the crystals. Listen to what it says about the crystal I was just holding. Bloodstone: the Energy Crystal. Bloodstone increases energy and courage. It also enhances physical powers and decision-making.” She looked up. “That must be why I felt like I couldn’t stop moving!”

  “And why you felt brave enough to suddenly want to cuddle a spider!” said Ava.

  “There are notes on all the crystals,” said Lily. “This is what it says about the first one I held. Fluorite, the Calming Crystal. Fluorite grounds the mind, heightens intuition and eases stress and tension.” Lily looked up. “Ava, it sounds like the crystals can make people feel different things.”

  It was what Ava had been suspecting but hearing it spoken aloud made it suddenly, wonderfully real. “This is so cool! What do the other crystals do?”

  Lily pointed to each crystal in turn. “Rose Quartz, the Peace Crystal. Aventurine, the Fortune Crystal. Amethyst, the Manifestation Crystal. Lapis Lazuli, the Truth Crystal; Tourmaline, the Protective Crystal; Dalmatian Jasper, the Restorative Crystal; Obsidian, the Seeing Crystal and Jade, the Dream Crystal. This is amazing! What are you going to do, Ava? Will you tell your mum?”

  Ava shook her head. Her mum was great and Ava usually told her everything but she didn’t want to risk her taking the crystals away. Not when there was still so much to discover! “Can it be our secret? At least for now.”

  “OK,” Lily agreed eagerly.

  “Let’s see what happens when we touch the other crystals,” said Ava. “How about that truth one?”

  “Lapis Lazuli,” said Lily, pointing to a beautiful deep blue crystal.

  As Ava took it out of the box, she immediately felt a strange loosening sensation inside her, as if a knot had been undone.

  “Well? How do you feel?” Lily demanded.

  “I feel… I feel…” Suddenly it was as if Ava had lost control of her mouth. Words came tumbling out. “I feel really stupid when I try to read but I can’t and when I write because my spelling is so bad. I feel sad sometimes because I don’t see my dad very often and when I do go and stay with him he’s always busy with baby Fergus and doesn’t have time for me…” She dropped the stone in shock and stared at Lily, her cheeks flushing red. She couldn’t believe she’d just blurted out her deepest secrets in front of someone she’d only just met. What would Lily think?

  There was a long moment of silence and then to Ava’s surprise, Lily suddenly picked up the stone.

  “I really wouldn’t do that,” said Ava quickly.

  Lily ignored her and shut her eyes. “The magic’s starting to happen.”

  “Are you OK?” Ava asked cautiously.

  Lily’s speech got faster. “I feel cross at times because I always have to be the responsible one. Huy and Mai have tantrums and it’s always me who has to give way and give up what I want to do. I love them but sometimes I wish I didn’t have a little brother and sister and I know that’s really horrible but just for a second I feel it.”

  Ava suddenly realized that Lily had taken hold of the Truth Crystal so that Ava wouldn’t be the only one who felt embarrassed. “Lily, you can put—”

  Lily rushed on. “I feel fed up with Sarah at times too. She’s my best friend and she’s my cousin but she never lets me be friends with anyone else. She came back from living abroad last year and I thought she’d make lots of friends but she only seems to want to be friends with me…” Her cheeks turned bright red.

  “Lily,” Ava interrupted. “Put the stone down.”

  Lily dropped it back in the box. She stared at her hands.

  “Thanks,” said Ava quietly. “That was really nice of you.”

  Lily swallowed. “I … I don’t think I like that stone very much.”

  “Me neither,” said Ava. “Though it would be fun to try it out on the teachers at school. Imagine what they’d say!”

  Lily smiled, her embarrassment fading. She looked at the crystals. “I wonder why that black-and-white stone is so much bigger.”

  “I touched it yesterday and it made me feel horrible,” said Ava with a shudder.

  Lily read the label beside the stone. “It’s called the Osiris Stone. I think I saw something about it right at the end of all the writing.”

  Just then, Lily’s mobile rang and she checked the screen. “It’s my mum.” She answered it. “OK… Yes… OK,” she said into the phone. Ending the call, she pulled a face at Ava. “I’ve got to go,” she said. “Mum wants me home before it gets dark.”

  “Do you want to come round again tomorrow so we can find out more about the crystals?” Ava asked eagerly.

  “Definitely!” said Lily

  Ava felt her tummy fizz. This was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her and it was brilliant to have a friend to share it with!

  Ava’s mum insisted they walked Lily home. When they got to Lily’s house, they all went inside and the two mums had a cup of tea while Lily showed Ava her bedroom. It had a bookcase full of books and there were more piled on the floor. Posters of cute animals covered the walls and she had fairy lights around her bed. Her little brother and sister, Huy and Mai, peeped shyly round the door at Ava.

  “Hi,” said Ava, waving at them.

  Huy, who was two, hid behind Mai, but the little girl was bolder. “Will you play schools with me?” she asked.

  Lily glanced at Ava who nodded and so they all played schools in Mai’s room. It was fun, although Ava could see why Lily sometimes felt fed up with her little brother and sister. Little kids were very hard work! Lily, however, was very patient and constantly kept the peace. When Mai and Huy got bored of playing normal schools, Ava suggested they played karate school and taught them both some karate moves, which they loved!

  “Thanks for helping me with them,” Lily said when it was time for Ava to go.

  “It’s fine. Thank you for helping me earlier.”

  They exchanged grins.

  “Lily seems nice,” said Ava’s mum as she and Ava walked home.

  Ava remembered the way that Lily had taken a turn with the Truth Crystal to make her feel better. “Yes, she really is,” she agreed.

  That night, Ava woke to hear something scrabbling outside her room again. It’s just a mouse, she reminded herself. But hearing thuds on the staircase leading up to the second floor, she sat up. “Pepper?” she said, poking the terrier with her toes. “Can you hear that?”

  Pepper opened one eye but then closed it again and went straight back to sleep.

  “Some guard dog you are!” Ava whispered. There was another thud and curiosity got the better of her. If it was a mouse then it was a monster one!

  Swinging her feet out of bed, Ava went to her door. She was just in time to see a shadowy shape with a long tail disappear up the top of the second set of stairs. It looked a lot larger than a mouse. Maybe it was a rat? Ava hastily shut her door. She didn’t mind mice but she definitely didn’t want a large rat running around in her bedroom!

  Dashing back to bed, she pulled the duvet over her head and tried to ignore the scrabbling noises now coming from the landing above her head.

  Ava didn’t sleep well for the rest of that night. Her dreams were full of huge rats and magic crystals. On her way downstairs the next morning, she looked for evidence of the rat but the only thing she saw were a few more scratches and some strange damp patches on the runner that carpeted the stairs. The damp patches continued all the way to the kitchen. Pushing open the door, she was surprised to see that Pepper’s water and food bowls were both empty. Ava always put dry dog biscuits in Pepper’s bowl in the evening in case Pepper was hungry but Pepper normally ignored them. She preferred to eat human food and would usually only eat dog biscuits if they had gravy on!

  “Did you decide to have a midnight snack last night?” Ava said to Pepper. Then a thought struck her. “Or maybe the rat ate your biscuits!”

  Pepper sniffed her empty bowl and then sat down, looking confused.

  “Rat?” her mum echoed, coming into the kitchen. “What rat?”

  “I saw a rat in the night. It went up the stairs to the top floor.”

  Ava’s mum shuddered. “Ew! Mice aren’t too bad but rats are a different matter.” She shook her head. “Honestly, old houses! They have so many problems, not to mention all the dusting!”

  “Did you dust the Curio Room yesterday?” Ava asked, remembering how some of the objects had been knocked over.

  “No, I’m staying out of there for now and concentrating on the rooms we use most,” said her mum. “Why?”

  “Oh, no reason,” said Ava, feeling puzzled. The shelf the objects had been on was too high for Pepper to reach, so if her mum hadn’t knocked over the objects then who – or what – had?

  It was really hard not talking to Lily about the crystals at school but the only times they could talk privately were at break and lunch, and then Sarah stuck to Lily’s side like glue so Ava ended up playing with other kids in her class instead.

  At the end of school, Sarah ran up to Lily. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Um.” Lily looked awkward. “Sorry, Sarah, but I can’t walk home with you tonight. I’m going to Ava’s for tea.”

  “Oh.” Sarah’s face fell.

  Ava felt torn. She hated upsetting people and although Sarah hadn’t been very friendly towards her, Lily had said it was because Sarah was shy. She almost asked Sarah if she wanted to come with them but because of the crystals she kept quiet.

  “Do you want to come round to mine for tea tomorrow?” Sarah asked Lily, not looking at Ava.

  “Yes, of course,” Lily said quickly.

  Looking happier, Sarah ran to meet her dad.

  “Should I invite her round to mine too?” Ava asked. She didn’t like the thought of Sarah feeling left out.

  Lily hesitated and then shook her head. “No, we wouldn’t be able to find out more about the crystals if Sarah was there. She’d just laugh if we told her we thought the crystals could make us feel things. She’s really into science and doesn’t believe in magic at all. Don’t worry,” she said as Ava’s eyes followed Sarah across the playground. “I’ll go to hers tomorrow. She’ll be fine!”

  It started raining as they walked back to Ava’s and when they got there, the house felt cold. They kept their coats on and fetched some biscuits to eat. Pepper was very excited to see them both, jumping up at them and trying to lick their faces.

  “Pepper, I’ve only been away for a day!” Ava laughed, crouching down to stroke her. “Have you missed me, you silly do—” She broke off as Pepper cheekily snatched the cookie from her hand. Darting away before Ava could grab her, she gobbled it up.

  “Pepper!” Ava exclaimed.

  Lily grinned. “She’s so naughty.”

  “That was very sneaky!” Ava said, trying to sound stern. Pepper just wagged her tail, taking no notice at all of the telling-off.

  Ava got herself another cookie and they went to the Curio Room. She frowned as she saw that all the figurines on one shelf had been knocked over, the jewellery was jumbled together in a heap and the crocodile mummy that had been on that shelf was nowhere to be seen - there was just a pile of dirty bandages lying on the floor nearby. Ava went over and poked them.

  “What are you doing?” Lily asked.

  “There should be a crocodile in these bandages,” said Ava, holding them up.

  “A what?”

  “The mummified baby one,” Ava said. “It was here yesterday.” A horrible thought struck her as Pepper sniffed at the bandages in her hands. “Oh no. Pepper, you didn’t eat it, did you?”

  Pepper looked at her through her fringe and wagged her tail.

  “How would Pepper have got on to the shelf?” said Lily. “It’s too high for her to reach.”

  Ava frowned. “Maybe the mummy somehow fell off.”

  “I guess so,” said Lily. “I mean, it can’t have crawled out of those bandages by itself.”

  Ava grinned. “You never know, it could be a zombie crocodile mummy.” She grabbed Lily’s arm. “Watch out!” she said, pretending to be scared. “It could be waiting to pounce on us and eat our brains!”

  “We need weapons!” said Lily, playing along and grabbing a fan made of ostrich feathers from the shelves. She held it out like a sword.

  Ava giggled. “How exactly do you think you could defeat a zombie with a fan?”

  “Um, I could tickle it to death?” said Lily.

  They both snorted with laughter.

 

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