Rising Star Page 7
Flushing with embarrassment Antonia nodded. She didn’t want Hannah to think she was showing off, but Hannah grinned, happy to accept that Antonia was a more powerful Silver Dolphin than her. They finished dressing in silence and crept into the hall, meeting up there with Cai who came out of his room carrying his shoes.
“Let’s go,” whispered Hannah, unbolting the front door.
“What about writing a note for your mum?” Antonia reminded her.
“No need,” said Hannah. “Mum’s used to me doing my own thing. And it’s Sunday. She never gets up this early!”
Hannah closed the front door of their flat and led the way along the corridor, down the stairs and across the lobby to the apartment’s communal front door. Even though only a Silver Dolphin could hear the call, the shrill whistle still made Antonia nervous. Wincing she followed Hannah outside. The grass was heavy with dew and by the time they reached the gate at the end of the garden, Antonia’s trainers were soaked. Hannah pelted down the public footpath, Antonia and Cai hot on her heels running side by side. Soon the ground began to level out, and as the trees thinned Antonia caught the smell of the sea. She inhaled deeply loving its sharp salty tang and the mewling cry of the early morning gulls. The path ended in a kissing gate. One by one the Silver Dolphins squeezed through it. Hannah didn’t wait for Antonia and Cai, but sprinted up the sand dunes rising before her. Antonia followed, the soft sand shifting under her feet. Her calf muscles protested at the unfamiliar sensation of running uphill on moving sand. Spiky green marram grass grew everywhere and it whipped against Antonia’s trousers as if it was urging her on. Panting with exertion she arrived at the top of the dunes and stood there for a moment her eyes scanning the vast expanse of sand ahead.
To be continued…
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First published in paperback by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2010
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