Tiga Has a Problem

Tiga crash-landed in a small, cave-like room. Little magical lanterns floated about the place and old jam jars littered the floor. There was no door or window. No way in and no way out. Another test. If she failed it, that was it – she and her friends would be trapped in Pearl Peak for ever. As embellishments on a scarf. Probably with Francesca Fignettle and Bertha Bram.

It didn’t bear thinking about.

She grabbed a lantern and walked around the room, stopping when she noticed something scratched into the wall:

WELCOME TO LEVEL THREE! THE JAM GOT

INTO THE JAM STORE,

SO HOW DID IT GET OUT AGAIN?

Tiga slumped in a sad little pile on the floor. ‘But how do I get out?’ she said quietly, just as a cackle came from behind her.

‘Looks like you’re the only one left,’ Idabelle Bat said as she stalked across the room to Tiga. ‘And I still have Melodie.’

Melodie blew a bubble.

‘What happened to Catriona Catcat?’ Tiga asked.

Idabelle shrugged. ‘We failed the buzzy witch song the first time around, so on our way back to that level I made Catriona Catcat come up with a brilliant song that would definitely pass the test. Then I stole it and she had no song to sing, so …’

‘She’s all made of beads and on a scarf,’ Melodie McDamp said.

‘And you came up with a good song, too, did you?’ Tiga asked Melodie.

Melodie shrugged. ‘She seemed to like my rap.’

Tiga edged towards the wall as Idabelle got closer.

‘And now it’s just us,’ she said with a sinister grin. ‘Did you really think you’d reach the top before us? And even if you did, what were you going to do – take on the Ritzy Six all by yourself?’

Tiga blinked. She hadn’t really thought that far ahead.

Idabelle cackled. ‘No! I thought not.’

‘Well, it doesn’t matter,’ Tiga said. ‘We’re all stuck in this room – and if one of us figures out how to get out, then the others will see it and we’ll all get out. We’ll reach the top at exactly the same time!’

Idabelle wandered over to the wall and began flicking jam jars out of the way.

‘What are you doing?’ Tiga asked, edging closer.

Melodie blew a bubble, but this time it flew from her mouth and began floating over the jars. It stopped and popped above a particularly dusty one.

Idabelle grabbed it and threw off the lid. ‘Of course,’ she said, holding up a key. Before Tiga knew what was happening, the key connected to the wall with a clang and Idabelle pulled at it. The wall opened like a zip! She kept going in a loop until one side of the room unzipped completely and fell away.

They stood back and stared at the hole she had uncovered. The freezing wind whipped Tiga’s hat off. She leaned down to pick it up, feeling slightly relieved that even if she couldn’t beat the Ritzy Six, she could at the very least save her friends.

Idabelle stared at the hole.

‘You know what, Tiga, you were right. We’ll all make it to the top now, at almost the exact same time. And you’ve played really well for such a young and inexperienced witch. Obviously you’ll never beat us or the Ritzy Six, but at the very least you deserve to have your friends back.’

Idabelle gave Melodie McDamp a leg up and she climbed out of the hole. ‘It’ll just be a quick climb. Come on, Tiga, let me help you.’

Tiga smiled and placed her foot in Idabelle’s hands.

‘Stick your head out of the hole,’ Idabelle said.

Tiga did, as sprinkles of Pearl Peak snow tickled her face. She closed her eyes and sighed. Her friends would be saved!

‘Thank you, Ida–’

She felt Idabelle’s hand shove her and before she could grab on to anything, her whole body lurched forward. She spun, free-falling fast through the air.

‘Don’t worry!’ Idabelle called down to her. ‘The Scarf Witch won’t let you hit the bottom – she’ll magic your little face on to her scarf before you do!’

She cackled.

‘Enjoy living in Pearl Peak for ever!’

Tiga let out a scream, but she was falling so fast the wind gobbled it up. She could feel her cheeks sticky with tears. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing for it to be over. She’d failed everyone!

She stopped.

She could feel hands on her ankles, holding her tightly, and slowly she opened her eyes. The Scarf Witch had claimed her prize.

But it wasn’t the Scarf Witch.

‘I told you not to go to the Points gathering,’ Felicity Bat whispered.