Mr Giles’s jeep smells of petrol. He drives faster than Nell, taking corners like a rally driver. By the time we reach the top of the track, I feel sick. But amazingly we’ve made it home in less than twenty minutes.
‘Nearly there,’ he says. ‘Hold on tight.’
Wheels spinning, he zooms down the last bit of track. It’s the steepest part. My stomach feels like it’s up near my ears. I grip the dashboard and squeeze my eyes shut. We lurch left, then right. The whole jeep judders. As we take the last bend, Mr Giles slams on the brakes.
‘What the …?’
My eyes fly open. I brace myself. We stop just in time. Parked on the track is an old horsebox. Another few feet and we’d have gone into the back of it. Mr Giles scratches his head. Beeps his horn. Neither makes anything happen.
We’re stuck.
‘Where’s that come from?’ says Mr Giles.
‘I don’t know.’
The lane is blocked. Which means no one, not even a tree surgeon, can reach the house. And with no tree surgeon, no trees will be cut down. Darkling Wood stays.
This is the fairies’ work. It has to be.
It’s hard to think straight when my mind’s so full of Theo. Yet I get the tingly feeling that something magical is happening.
‘I’ll drop you here, is that all right?’ Mr Giles says.
‘You’re not starting on the trees today?’ I ask, just to be sure.
Mr Giles shakes his head. ‘Not when I can’t even get near the place. I’ve plenty more work to keep me busy today.’
Once I’m out of the jeep, I feel strange and light-headed. This is it. This is what we wanted. What the fairies wanted. Darkling Wood is saved – at least for today. The magic was strong enough after all.
Squeezing past the horsebox, I recognise the little curtains at the windows. It’s where Ella lives. My heart does a skip. The others from school might’ve chickened out, but not Ella. She kept her word. And she’s got her mum and dad involved too.
Perhaps the fairies played a part in that too, I don’t know. It makes me want to burst into tears again.
Then, up ahead, I see Nell. She’s talking to Ella. Behind them, just inside the gate, is Dad’s car. It hasn’t moved.
It can’t move. Not until the garage mechanic fixes it.
I miss a breath.
Oh no. This isn’t good. We need the car to get to Theo. We have to be able to get out of here. To drive to London. The protest has to move.
I run.
Ella spots me first.
‘Hey!’ she says. ‘You made it! What d’you think? Reckon any tree surgeons can get through?’
From this angle it’s even more obvious. The horsebox completely fills the track. It’s not parked, it’s wedged between the hedges. It’s not going anywhere.
Nell turns to me. ‘You’ve got some explaining to do, my girl! You knew about this, didn’t you?’
‘Not exactly.’
‘What does that mean? And why aren’t you at school?’
‘It’s Theo,’ I say. ‘Mum phoned the school. He’s worse.’
Nell’s hand goes to her mouth. She looks smaller, like the fight’s suddenly gone out of her. I turn to Ella.
‘I’m sorry,’ I say. ‘But we have to get out. Or at least get to the garage.’
Ella looks shocked too. ‘I’ll speak to my dad.’
She disappears inside the horsebox just as a man in a white van pulls up behind. ‘Get a shift on, will you?’ he shouts out of his window. ‘I’m here to fix a car.’
I look for Nell, but she’s gone. Moments later, she reappears at the side of the house with Dad. They go to the front door and she lets him inside, then she comes back to me.
‘He’s just using the phone to call the hospital,’ she says, seeing the question on my face.
I don’t really care about their stupid argument, not now.
‘The garage man’s here,’ I say.
‘And about time!’
Squaring her shoulders, she’s big again. She strides up to the horsebox and bangs on the side door with her fist.
‘It’s no use hiding in there!’ she says.
Almost straight away, the door opens and Ella comes out with both her parents. Her dad looks taller today, more serious. Borage stands like a barrier in front of Nell.
‘With or without a preservation order, it’s still murder to cut down those trees,’ says Ella’s dad, folding his arms. ‘We’re not moving until we’ve talked some sense into you.’
I glance across at Nell. Straight-backed, grey-eyed, she stares back at him.
‘Save your hippy nonsense for those who’ll listen,’ she says.
‘We knew the wood was coming down today.’ Ella’s mum jabs a finger at Nell. ‘And it’s time you listened, lady.’
‘How news travels,’ Nell mutters, and glares at me. I look away. I wish Dad would hurry up on the phone.
‘Those woods are famous round here, Mrs Campbell,’ says Ella’s mum. ‘And not just because of you. The fairies live there, and have done for centuries.’
I look back at Nell.
She does a cough. A half-laugh. ‘My dear, that’s rubbish. Utter rubbish.’
Ella’s mother smiles. ‘There’s stories about Darkling Wood that could turn your blood,’ she says. ‘If you cut down those trees, the fairies’ll be after you with their bad magic. And who’d want to bring that on themselves, eh?’
Not me, I think, a shiver going right down my backbone.
Nell holds up her hand. ‘That’s enough! Now will you move?’
Ella’s dad doesn’t shift.
Nor does Nell, though her voice gets louder. ‘That car’s needed,’ she says, pointing to Dad’s. ‘Now move!’
Arms folded, Ella’s parents lean against the horsebox. They’re going nowhere. Ella looks uncomfortable now, and further up the track the garage man presses his horn. Still no one moves. At this rate we’ll be here tomorrow.
‘Please,’ I say, over Nell’s shoulder. ‘My brother’s sick and …’
‘Don’t tell these people our business!’ Nell cries.
They’re not just ‘people’. They’re Ella’s mum and dad here to save the wood. But now things have changed and we need to get to the hospital. I just wish everyone would hurry up. Even Dad’s phone call is taking forever.
‘I’m calling the police,’ says Nell. ‘They’ll get this track cleared in no time.’
I look at her in disbelief.
‘Nell, just explain why we need to get out!’ I cry.
Ella tugs her mum’s sleeve. She knows about Theo from school – or bits of it. But Nell’s glare is now fixed on the Travellers. She’s locked into battle and she can’t back down. It’s just how she is with Dad.
‘Please,’ I say to Ella and her parents. ‘We need you to move. My brother’s very sick and we have to get to London to the hospital. It’s an emergency.’
Ella’s parents stop leaning against the horsebox and straighten up.
‘My dad’s car needs fixing first and we’re in a hurry, so, please, could you move? The tree surgeon’s already gone. He won’t be back today.’
‘All right,’ says Ella’s dad. ‘We’ll let the garage man through.’
‘Thanks,’ I say.
‘Though I’m warning you,’ he says to Nell. ‘This isn’t over. We’ll be back, and with more people next time.’
*
Within half an hour Dad’s car is fixed. But the news from the hospital is bad. Theo is very poorly, and though they’re trying different drugs, the next few hours will be critical.
We saved Darkling Wood, I tell myself, so now the fairies are happy maybe our luck will change. I don’t want to think about tomorrow, when Mr Giles will be back. It’s this moment I need to focus on. My little brother needs every single bit of good luck there is – and he needs it today, not tomorrow.
Dad gets in the car and starts it up. Going round to the other side, I open the passenger door.
‘What are you doing?’ he says, as I slide into my seat.
‘Coming with you.’
‘No you’re not.’
‘Oh yes I am.’
Dad turns the car engine off. He looks exhausted.
‘Alice, Theo’s in intensive care. It’s just me who needs to go.’
‘Mum called me at school. She must want me to come too.’
Dad sighs heavily. ‘No, Alice. She called the school because she couldn’t get hold of me or Nell. This is “parents only” stuff for now.’
‘Parents only? What does that mean? And when did you start caring?’
‘Look, I need to go,’ he says. ‘We’ll talk later, okay?’
Then I notice his hands. They’re trembling really badly. His voice sounds shaky too.
‘You’ve done so much for your brother. You should be proud,’ Dad says. ‘But it’s okay to be scared. And you and I, we’re terrified, aren’t we?’
I swallow and nod.
‘Only one of us needs to face that hospital, Alice. And it’s time I stopped being scared and started being more of a dad.’
There’s plenty I want to say to him. But I can’t argue, because he’s right.