Emily Feather and the Enchanted Door by Holly Webb

Author:Holly Webb
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic UK
Published: 2013-12-02T16:00:00+00:00

“Robin!” Lory hissed.

“It’s stupid. We’re going to tell her anyway; why do we have to do all this polite talking about nothing? Nobody’s saying anything important. You and Lark were talking about your favourite colour for flowers! And no one’s eating any dinner.”

“There’s a time for these things,” Ash murmured. “We were waiting…”

“Well, I’m bored waiting.”

Emily sat staring at them all, her eyes flicking back and forth between Robin, who was sitting next to her, and the others. “What were you going to tell me?” she asked huskily. Her voice didn’t seem to be working properly. Apart from Robin, who was sticking his bottom lip out in a sulk, everyone looked so serious. Something was wrong, Emily was sure. Maybe her mum and dad were splitting up? But why would they tell everyone else and not her? Why have a meal that was meant to be all about family and then break it up? It couldn’t be that.

“What is it?” she asked again.

Lark, who was sitting next to her, leaned over and put an arm round Emily’s shoulder, pressing her cool cheek against Emily’s for a second. Then she stood up, and across the table Lory stood as well.

Emily stared at her sisters, her heart thudding. The strangeness in the room seemed to shiver on her skin – everyone was tense and keyed up, waiting for something.

Lark smiled at her, and then she twisted her shoulders in some strange way, and feathers poured out of her back, soft grey-brown feathers, with darker stripes and mottles. Wings. Lark looked like an angel, Emily thought, gazing at her.

Or a fairy. Her sister’s skin was shining, with the same strange glimmer as that girl by the river. She had been a fairy. Of course she had. Emily should never have doubted it.

Emily’s fingers twitched, longing to stroke the soft feathers. She thought they were the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Usually brown was a boring sort of colour, but Lark’s feathers glowed in the candlelight. They seemed to be dusted with a shimmering layer of magic, swirling into ever-changing patterns like oil on water. They were so hypnotic, Emily almost forgot to breathe.

“You can touch them,” Lark told her, smiling, and Emily nodded. But she didn’t touch. She didn’t dare.

Lark stretched her wings out a little further, fluttering them from her shoulders and smiling at Emily. The way she smiled was as if she was teasing Emily with a bit of her chocolate. “Go on. You know you want to.”

Emily sighed, a tiny breath out, and lifted her hand. It was trembling, and she could only bring herself to stroke one finger down Lark’s wing.

The magic buzzed inside her as she touched the feathers. The whole earth was suddenly swinging sickeningly around her, even though she was standing still. It was like a rollercoaster ride. She’d always loved scary rides. It was blissful.

“Emily, look at me…” a sweet voice purred, and Emily dragged herself away from the feathers and turned to stare at Lory.

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