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  There was a small silence, then changing the subject, Claudia asked, “Did Jessica enjoy herself when she came and helped out last week?”

  “I think so.” Antonia shifted uncomfortably, remembering Jessica’s unhappy face earlier that morning when she’d learnt Antonia was going to Sea Watch again.

  “But I wanted you to go swimming with me,” she’d wailed.

  “You can come to Sea Watch,” Antonia offered generously.

  “No!” Furiously, Jessica scratched her head until her hair stood up like a troll’s. “I want to practise my swimming.”

  “Jessica, stop scratching. Get a brush and I’ll comb your hair,” said Mum. “And then, if you’re good, we’ll phone Naomi and see if she wants to come round.”

  Naomi was happy to come over, but Jessica still glared at Antonia when she went out, and Antonia felt guilty and uneasy. Jessica had been keen to improve her swimming for a while, but why the sudden desperation?

  Antonia and Cai stacked the dishwasher for Claudia while she filled up two drinking bottles with water and found some crisps and apples to keep them going until lunchtime.

  “Don’t go dropping rubbish,” she said, smiling, as she packed everything into a small rucksack and handed it to Cai.

  “As if!” he snorted.

  According to the map, the cove with the seahorse colony lay between Claudia’s beach and Sandy Bay. The Coastal Path, a public footpath, ran along the cliffs above it. It was another scorching hot day and by the time they got to the top of the cliffs, they were ready for a break. Cai sunk to the ground, rummaged in his rucksack, then pulled out the bottles of water. Antonia swigged hers gratefully, letting the ice-cold water trickle slowly down her throat.

  “It’s not that far now,” said Cai. “I think I recognise where we are, even though it looks different seeing it from up here instead of down there.”

  “Careful,” warned Antonia. “Don’t go any closer to the edge, in case it crumbles.”

  She stood next to him and they both stared out to sea until, hearing footsteps, Antonia spun round. A tall boy in his late teens was stomping along the path. He wore a dark green hoodie with the hood pulled up over his head.

  “He must be roasting in that,” whispered Cai.

  Shoulders rounded, hands in pockets, the boy slouched towards them. Antonia felt the hairs on her neck bristle. There was something about the boy that she found unsettling. Maybe it was his dirty crumpled clothes. Judging from the state of him, he’d been wearing them for days.

  There was a sudden pounding of feet and a second boy rounded a curve in the path at a run.

  “Oi, Dwain,” he yelled. “Wait up.”

  Green Hoodie grunted something unintelligible, but waited while his friend, dressed in jeans and a red hoodie, caught up.

  “Going fer breakfast? Yer might ‘ave waited.”

  “Waitin’ now, ain’t I?” muttered Green Hoodie.

  Antonia and Cai stifled giggles and when the two boys were out of earshot, Cai grunted, “Oi, Toni. Wanna check out where they came from?”

  “If yer want,” Antonia agreed, with a chuckle. Unconsciously, her fingers strayed to her dolphin charm. It felt soft and warm and filled her with hope.

  “Do you think they’re the ones dumping the rubbish?”

  “Let’s go and find out,” said Cai.

  A short way along, the path curved again and the ground to their right rose up in wide steps of land. A two-man tent was pitched on the lower step, its doorway facing out to sea. The flaps were down, so it was impossible to see inside. Warily, Cai and Antonia circled the tent, shocked by the rubbish piled behind it.

  “Look at all these bottles,” whispered Antonia.

  “Yuk, a half-eaten takeaway,” said Cai, holding his nose.

  “And another supermarket trolley! What’s that doing here?”

  “I bet they took it to carry those drink bottles,” said Cai in disgust.

  The tent sounded empty. With a racing heart, Antonia crept round to the front and, lifting a flap, slowly undid the zip. Stale air swirled out, making her cough. Two rumpled sleeping bags lay in a heap and two rucksacks spewed their contents on to the floor.

  “Ew! This could be where the rubbish is coming from,” she said. “Do you think those boys are on holiday?”

  “It looks like it,” said Cai. “They’re not allowed to camp here, though. Let’s go back and tell Aunty Claudia, so she can get them moved on.”

  The way home was mostly downhill. They ran and slid along the Coastal Path, anxious not to get caught by Green Hoodie and his friend returning from breakfast.

  Back at Sea Watch, Claudia phoned Jack the coastguard. She was smiling by the time she ended the call.

  “Well done,” she congratulated Antonia and Cai. “Jack’s going up to see those boys straight away. I also told him about the seahorse colony and he thinks he might be able to get the area classified as a conservation site. It won’t happen overnight, but it’s a start.”

  “Wicked!” said Cai, high-fiving Antonia. “That was easily sorted.”

  “Good,” said Antonia, thinking of Jessica and wishing all of her problems were that simple.

  Claudia went off to check on the guillemots and decided that they were ready to be released back into the wild. She asked Cai, Antonia and Emily if they would like to help her.

  “We’ll do it early tomorrow morning,” she said. “Before too many people are about.”

  Emily was thrilled to be invited along and her excitement was catching. Soon Antonia forgot about her anxieties. Her good mood lasted for the whole day and through to breakfast the following morning.

  “Jessica, is your head itching?” asked Mum, plonking a weak cup of tea in front of her.

  “Yes,” said Jessica, scratching furiously.

  “Go and get me a comb.”

  Jessica slid out of her seat and was back in minutes.

  “Come over here, away from the table.” Deftly, Mum began to part Jessica’s hair into sections. “Hmmm, no wonder you’re itchy, sweetheart. You have head lice.”

  “Head lice!” squawked Jessica.

  “Calm down. It’s nothing to worry about. I can only see a couple, anyway. I’ll pop into town as soon as the chemist opens and get you some special shampoo. We’ll wash yours in it too, Antonia.”

  “Me? But I’m fine,” Antonia protested. “My hair’s not itching.”

  “Maybe not now, but you may have eggs waiting to hatch,” said Mum. “Better to be on the safe side.”

  “You can’t wash it this morning, there isn’t time,” said Antonia anxiously. “We’re releasing the guillemots first thing.”

  “You’re not going anywhere until I’ve washed your hair,” said Mum firmly.

  “But Mum—”

  “No buts,” said Mum. “Claudia won’t want you at Sea Watch if there’s a chance you’ve got head lice. You can go later, when you’ve been treated.”

  Antonia groaned, knowing there was no point arguing with Mum once she’d made up her mind. It was so unfair. Why did Jessica have to catch head lice now!

  Chapter Ten

  I wasn’t fair to blame Jessica for the head lice, but it took Antonia a lot of effort not to be grumpy with her. Poor Jessica was so miserable and she couldn’t stop scratching her head. Antonia finished her breakfast quickly, then telephoned Sea Watch to let them know she wouldn’t be coming until later and to wish everyone luck with releasing the birds. She was glad she did. Claudia assured her there would be no great guillemot release until she arrived.

  “Just get here when you can,” she said.

  Antonia cheered up immediately. She was so pleased that she wasn’t going to miss the birds being released, that she offered to stay at home with Jessica while Mum walked into town to buy shampoo. In no time, she was back and ready to start the hairwashing. Antonia leant over the bath while her mother held the shower hose, warming the water to a comfortable temperature.

  “Better take your ne
cklace off,” said Mum.

  “But I wear it all the time,” Antonia replied, her fingers lightly brushing the dolphin charm.

  “The special shampoo might spoil it.” Mum turned the shower hose off. “Please, darling.”

  Antonia didn’t want to take her charm off, but Mum refused to wash her hair until she did. Reluctantly, she unfastened the necklace, then looked around the bathroom for somewhere safe to put it.

  “Put it in your bedroom,” said Mum impatiently.

  Jessica was hanging around outside the bathroom. “Are you done already?” she asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

  “Do I look done?” asked Antonia shortly, climbing the stairs to her attic room.

  She hung her necklace on the blue and gold dolphin that Sophie had bought her, then dashed back to the bathroom.

  The shampoo smelt disgusting. Mum washed Antonia’s hair a second time in ordinary shampoo and then combed it through with conditioner.

  “All done,” she said finally. “Not a louse or egg in sight.”

  “Told you,” grumbled Antonia. “Can I go to Sea Watch now?”

  “Not until you’ve dried your hair. Your turn, Jess,” Mum called.

  Antonia borrowed the hair dryer from her parents’ room. She tipped her head upside down and blasted her hair with it on full power.

  “I’m off now,” she called through the bathroom door, hoping Mum wouldn’t come out and notice her hair was still very damp.

  “Have a good time,” Mum shouted back.

  Relieved not to get caught out, Antonia ran downstairs and out of the house as fast as she could. She raced all the way to Sea Watch, arriving out of breath and with a stitch.

  Antonia, Cai and Emily put the guillemots into the special cardboard carriers with handles and air holes, while Claudia gave last-minute instructions to Sally, an adult volunteer who was being left in charge. The birds mewed noisily as they were loaded into Claudia’s car.

  “Hush,” soothed Antonia. “Not long now and you’ll be free to go wherever you want.”

  “That’s amazing,” said Emily as the birds quietened. “It’s like they understand you.”

  Claudia drove the birds to a cliff-top location, away from the more touristy spots. A light breeze caught Antonia’s hair as she climbed out of the car. She pushed it back off her face. Her neck felt strangely bare. Antonia’s hand flew to her throat. Her silver dolphin charm wasn’t there! In her rush to get out of the house she’d forgotten to put it back on. Antonia almost howled with dismay. How could she have been so stupid? What if Spirit called her?

  She glanced across at Cai. His face was flushed with excitement as he helped Claudia lift the bird carriers carefully from the car. Pinned to his T-shirt, his silver dolphin badge winked in the sunshine. Antonia took a deep breath. She had to stay calm. Panicking wouldn’t help. If Spirit called now, then she would know because she would hear Cai’s charm. Once the birds had been released, she would nip home and get her necklace. There would only be a short time when she wasn’t in contact with a silver dolphin charm.

  But Antonia still felt uneasy. The charm was so important that she felt like she was missing a part of herself. She shivered and tried to ignore the bad feeling wedged in her stomach.

  “Antonia, are you ready?” Claudia called.

  Forcing a smile, Antonia went and stood by Cai and Emily.

  “There’s one container each,” said Claudia. “I’ll do the first one. Quiet now, everyone.”

  She turned the largest bird carrier on its side to allow the birds to hop out, then deftly opened the lid. There were three guillemots inside. At first they stayed where they were, mistrustful. Warily, the smallest hopped forward. Everyone stood very still. The guillemot took another step and peered outside. Then, flapping his black and white feathers, he flew away. He was quickly followed by his two cellmates.

  “Hooray!” cheered Cai. “Can I let the next ones go?”

  The other containers held two birds each. Cai’s birds flew away quickly and so did Emily’s. She was so busy watching hers circling in the sky that she accidentally tripped over the empty container. She landed on her bottom, making everyone laugh.

  “Clumsy as ever,” said Emily, cheerfully shoving her glasses further up her nose.

  Then it was Antonia’s turn. She felt uncomfortable as all eyes turned her way. Would Claudia and Cai notice she wasn’t wearing her silver dolphin charm? Antonia let her long blonde hair swing over her neck as she carefully put the container on its side and opened it up. Both her birds hopped straight out and, with a thankful mew, they took off. Antonia gathered up the empty containers and took them back to the car.

  “Is everything all right?” asked Claudia, following her.

  “Yes, fine thanks,” Antonia blustered.

  Gently, Claudia turned her round so they were facing. Her sea-green eyes searched Antonia’s face.

  Something’s troubling you.

  Antonia felt slightly dizzy with the intensity of Claudia’s thoughts.

  I’m fine, honestly.

  She didn’t sound convincing, even to herself. Scared that Claudia might probe deeper and discover her guilty secret, Antonia imagined she was standing in front of an enormous brick wall. She felt a warm buzz as Claudia tried to send her another thought, but she concentrated on the wall until the buzzing stopped. Claudia’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then changed her mind. Taking Antonia’s hand, she squeezed it lightly.

  “You know I’m always here for you, Silver Dolphin.” She spoke softly and Antonia had to strain to hear. Claudia squeezed her hand again. Antonia’s stomach churned and she felt slightly sick. Part of her wanted to confess to Claudia that she wasn’t wearing her charm, but she couldn’t. She was too ashamed. She knew she’d let everyone down.

  Back at Sea Watch, the place felt sadly empty without the guillemots. There was lots of work to do, cleaning up both the inside and outside pens they’d lived in. Claudia asked Cai and Antonia to make a start on the indoor pens, as they were the dirtiest.

  “I’ve just got to go home for something,” said Antonia. “I won’t be long.”

  “Skiver,” said Cai good-naturedly. “Any excuse not to help with the smelly jobs.”

  Claudia said nothing, but Antonia could feel her curiosity as strongly as if she had asked a long list of questions.

  She left the Sea Watch building quickly. The day was getting hotter. As Antonia ran towards home, she wished she could turn into a Silver Dolphin whenever she wanted to, instead of when she was needed. Then she could have swum most of the way home. She touched her neck, shuddering at its bareness. Right now, she couldn’t turn into a Silver Dolphin at all. The thought made her run even faster. She arrived home gasping for breath and with a burning pain in her lungs.

  “Antonia,” called Mum, as she let herself indoors. “You’re back early. Is everything all right?”

  “Fine,” Antonia panted, using her last dregs of energy to hop upstairs. “I forgot something.” She pushed open her bedroom door and crossed the room, her hand outstretched to take her necklace from the blue and gold dolphin on her dressing table. Halfway there she stopped. Her eyes widened in disbelief. The statue was empty. Her silver dolphin charm had gone.

  Chapter Eleven

  A scream rose in her throat. Grimly, she forced it back. “Mum,” she called, moving to the door. “Have you moved my dolphin necklace?”

  “I can’t hear you. I’m in the kitchen if you want me,” Mum called back.

  Antonia raced downstairs. Mum was making sandwiches for lunch. Jessica sat at the table watching her and munching on a carrot stick.

  “I can’t find my dolphin necklace. It’s gone!”

  “Gone? Are you sure?” asked Mum, calmly cutting bread into triangles.

  “Yes!” Antonia’s voice rose. “I hung it on the dolphin Sophie gave me, but it’s not there now. Jess, did you take it?”

  “No.” Jessica’s tone was surly. “Why wou
ld I?”

  “Jess, this is important.” Antonia bent down so she was looking straight at her sister. “I won’t be cross with you, if you did. I just need it back.”

  “Antonia!” Mum exclaimed. “Don’t question

  Jessica like that. She already told you she hasn’t taken your necklace.”

  “Well, where is it then?” asked Antonia. “I definitely left it in my room.”

  “Then it must still be there,” said Mum evenly. “You can’t have looked properly.”

  “I have. I know exactly where I left it and it’s not there now!” Antonia was so full of fear and frustration, she thought she might explode.

  “If I had a pound for every time you girls claimed to have mislaid something, then I wouldn’t need to work,” said Mum. “Go and have another look.”

  Jessica finished her carrot stick and picked up another. She began to eat, studying it very carefully as she chewed. Antonia stared at her. Jessica wasn’t usually this quiet. Was this a guilty silence?

  “Jess…” Antonia wanted to ask her if she was telling the truth, but a warning look from Mum silenced her. Stiffly, she exited the kitchen and went to her room to search again. It was a waste of time. Even as Antonia emptied drawers and her big cupboard, she knew she wouldn’t find the necklace. Her sixth sense told her it wasn’t there.

  When Antonia finished, it looked like a tornado had passed through her room. She stared out of the window, watching Jessica eating sandwiches in the garden with Mum. Antonia itched to search her sister’s room, but knew Mum and Jessica would go mad if they caught her. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her of the packed lunch she’d left at Sea Watch. Antonia realised she must head back there; Cai would be waiting for her. And Cai was her only link to Spirit. Unless…Claudia didn’t really need her silver dolphin charm now she had retired. Would she lend it to Antonia? And was she brave enough to ask Claudia for such a big favour? Leaving her room exactly as it was, Antonia ran downstairs to tell Mum she was going back to Sea Watch.

  The volunteers were finishing lunch when she arrived.

  “Are you all right?” Cai asked quietly. “You were gone ages.”