3

10 A.M.

The minibus had stopped in the shadow of a building that looked like a cross between an old boarding school and somewhere that used to house the criminally insane during Victorian times.

A hundred small windows peppered the stark charcoal-grey front of the building, which looked like it had suffered several hundred years’ worth of winter storms. The yellowing net curtains inside offered little welcome or comfort, wafting in the breeze even though the windows were screwed tightly shut, as if the place were haunted by a thousand ghosts all keen to get a good look at who had just arrived.

‘This looks a bit like my house!’ Hugo cried out, sounding the happiest he’d been since he stepped off his first-class carriage an hour ago. Yes, thought the others, they could well imagine Hugo and his intimidating family living somewhere like this!

‘Well … welcome to Tudor Towers!’ said Cynthia. ‘So this will be your home for the next two days. All the various magical activities will be taking place here too, so there’ll be no need for anyone to venture off site.’

Zack looked at the others, his eyes twinkling with excitement. Sure, this place might be the North of England’s very own Alcatraz, but it certainly wasn’t going to stop them from having a little tour of the local area! Ferdinand’s Fantastic Festival of Fun, anyone?

‘Indeed,’ continued Cynthia, through slightly gritted teeth, staring at Zack and correctly interpreting his mischievous grin, ‘it is forbidden for any junior member to wander off site. Let’s not ruin what will hopefully be the start of many trips like this.’

Zack looked innocently back. After everything Cynthia had done for them, he didn’t want to upset her. But surely it must be possible to sneak in a little extracurricular something?

Alex looked up at the oppressive building, the ivy growing up its sides like some green, clawing virus. Well, he’d survived worse encounters, he thought. And with Zack, Sophie and Jonny by his side, how bad could things ever really get?

‘Oh, and before I forget,’ said Cynthia, pulling out a scruffy canvas bag which smelled of compost, ‘no phones allowed, I’m afraid.’ She jiggled the open bag up and down. ‘So I will be collecting them now, thank you.’

Deanna was the first to react, pulling off her headphones like they’d just given her an electric shock, having lip-read the whole thing.

‘Try to stay calm, please, Deanna. Calm …!’ Cynthia added quickly as Deanna began to swell like a whale sucking in its breath as the prelude to a massively deep dive.

‘But … why?’ Deanna wailed (different kind of whale, that!).

‘One, because if a young person is going to lose anything, then the chances are it will be their phone, and we’re not insured for that. Two, because you are here to learn from other magicians, not your screen. And three, so that no secrets leave the building – we can’t have everything getting out on all these smart drones or whatever they’re called.’ Another jiggle of the bag. ‘Come along now.’

‘But how will I text Mummy?’ cried one of Hugo’s clan who – it seemed – would even resort to texting Mummy just to get him something from the next room, he was that lazy … and that into texting Mummy.

‘Your mother has my number in case of any emergencies,’ Cynthia answered briskly, passing the bag round. ‘Pop it in now!’

‘I actually don’t even know where my parents are!’ said Max, oddly upbeat, dropping his phone into the bag happily.

Alex cocked his head. He often didn’t know where his parents were either, regularly coming home to a note on the microwave or freezer with instructions on how to make a lasagne-for-one using the very few ingredients kept in the brand-new cupboards. But, then again, at least they came back at night … Most of the time.

‘Well, I mean, I know they’re in Costa Rica somewhere!’ Max clarified. ‘Last I heard, they were about to go skinny-dipping off the coast,’ he added, ‘but I’m staying with my auntie who’s a great cook so it’s a win-win really.’

Now it was Jonny’s turn to cock his head to one side, wondering why no one else seemed even remotely perturbed by this. The thought of parents going skinny-dipping. The thought of parents telling their kids they were going skinny-dipping. And the thought of parents skinny-dipping in what were obviously shark-infested waters. EEWWW – poor sharks!!

‘Yes, please, Deanna,’ Cynthia tutted as the girl stared at the bag, agog. Didn’t people know that her phone was her LIFE!? ‘If you’re good, you’ll be allowed five minutes on it this evening,’ Cynthia added kindly, unaware that Deanna needed at least fifty hours of phone time per day if she were to be even remotely sated. Summoning up every ounce of energy, and with her eyes fixed on Cynthia all the time like she was already plotting her revenge, Deanna dropped her prized sparkly-cased phone into the bag.

‘And the other two as well, thank you!’

You could see the wheels turning in Deanna’s head.

Deny I’ve got another two!

How does she know I’ve got another two?

Hello – wife of the president of the Magic Circle – might just know a thing or two about concealing items!

Not going to win this one …

With an audible huff, like she’d just blown out the world’s biggest birthday cake, Deanna produced another two phones from her stretched leggings pockets, dropping them in the bag and throwing her head back against the seat like she was a two-year-old who had just been refused milk.

‘Fantastic!’ said Cynthia. ‘See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?’

Yes, it was!

Cynthia now turned to Hugo and his group of cronies who shall henceforth be referred to as Class Act. Hugo smirked sideways at the Young Magicians, and pretended to pluck his phone from nowhere out of the bag. Neat trick, Zack thought: he was already kicking himself for not having got his own phone prepared for a similar type of act. It was just sitting in his pocket.

‘Jonny …’ he murmured. ‘I want a gadget. Something that will store three or four identical mobiles up my sleeve and feed them out whenever I want them. So that when people think I’m handing over my phone, or putting it in my pocket, I can keep on producing it from somewhere else. We can work on the details.’

‘I’ll get on to it,’ Jonny promised, immediately drawing up designs in his head, alongside the improved thumb device that Zack had requested.

Hugo’s attempt at light entertainment was slightly spoiled when Salisbury unmagically pulled out a roll of bubble wrap, before encasing his thousand-pound phone as if he were handling an expensive piece of art during a house-move.

Cynthia waved the bag at the friends at the back of the minibus.

‘Do you want to pass yours forward?’

Zack, Jonny and Sophie got out their phones, making sure they were switched off.

‘Ooh, old school!’ said Sophie, spotting Jonny’s retro model.

‘I like to think so!’ said Jonny, giving it a quick peck before passing it forward. Zack turned to face Alex, who had begun to blush a little.

‘My parents … said I don’t need one. And that I should just use a public phone box if it’s an emergency,’ he said quietly.

‘Well … that’s even more old school!’ said Zack cheerfully, not wanting his friend to feel embarrassed.

‘Great. Well, now we’ve got that out of the way,’ chimed Cynthia, ‘all we need to do is work out who’s sharing with who.’

The four suddenly sat up – surely this arrangement could make or break the whole weekend. Sophie began to feel queasy as Deanna turned to face her with a bright, desperate smile, holding up her hands to show that all eight of her fingers were tightly crossed, the ends a blotchy mishmash of bright pink and yellowy white.

‘How has she even managed to do that?’ whispered Zack, mildly disturbed.

‘OK,’ continued Cynthia, ‘so Alex, Jonny and Zack, I’ve got you down in room two-oh-seven. Sophie, you’ll be next door in room two-oh-eight … with Deanna.’

‘YES!’ shouted Deanna loudly, punching the air and almost instantly starting to hyperventilate. ‘I can’t wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait!’

Sophie forced a weak smile, barely hiding her displeasure. Not that Deanna noticed.

‘Hugo,’ resumed Cynthia, ‘and Salisbury and Charlie, you’ve been given the … Presidential Suite, it would seem – I’m guessing someone’s parents must have phoned ahead to make that happen?’

‘Yes!’ Hugo agreed.

‘It’s a maximum of three per room, so Jackson and Mayhew …’ She indicated the other two members of Class Act, who were slowly looking aghast as they registered the fact they would be in an ordinary room. ‘You’ll be in with Max, here.’

‘Oh, cool,’ Max said pleasantly. He held a paper bag out to the two tragic toffs. They looked at him as if he were a toddler innocently presenting them with a bit of roadkill. ‘Would you like a jelly baby?’

Sophie twisted her body to face the others, looking a touch despairing. ‘I guess I could just not ever go to bed, right?’

‘Exactly, that’s the spirit!’ said Jonny, who was sure they’d find ways of sneaking Sophie next door with them if things got too desperate with Deanna. ‘But, you never know, it might be the start of a blossoming friendship?’ he added, trying not to laugh as he said it.

Sophie screwed up her face like she was eating a slug. Deanna may have softened a little, but an everlasting friendship – as Deanna seemed to be pushing for – still wasn’t really on the menu.

Cynthia continued to fumble through several thousand pieces of paper, trying to fish out the relevant information on mealtimes, key allocation and what to do in the event of a hotel inferno.

‘Well, I think that just about covers everything,’ she said, finally taking off her glasses. ‘Most importantly, have fun and please, please, please, if you do see anything suspicious …’ Her face suddenly blanched as she aimed the final part of her speech towards the four at the back. ‘Please do come and tell me about it first. Let’s not have any repeats of … last time.fn1 Well, what are you all waiting for? Let’s make some magic!’

Steve gave a loud, explosive cheer, which caused Cynthia to fall back on the dashboard with such force that the airbag exploded out, catapulting her towards the back of the minibus with surprising grace. The only thing stopping her from a head-on collision was the soft cushioning of Max’s snack bag that Zack had quickly and dexterously positioned between himself and the oncoming missile (aka Cynthia) just in time.

Yep, this was going to be a weekend full of surprises – Zack was sure of it!