Issy
Issy Roberts came bounding out of school, her blonde hair escaping from her ponytail, her bag thrown over her shoulder. Seeing her mum waiting in the playground, Issy waved, but before she could run over she was joined by Rosie, the girl who had been chosen to show her round that day.
‘I’m really glad you’ve come to school here, Issy.’ The words came out of Rosie in a rush. ‘Do you want to come to mine at the weekend? I could ask my mum.’ Rosie blushed shyly as she waited for Issy’s answer.
‘Thanks.’ Issy smiled at her. ‘I’d like that. Bye, Rosie.’
‘Hi, sweetheart,’ Mrs Roberts said as Issy reached her. ‘How was your first day?’
‘Fine.’ Issy flicked her thick hair off her face; her sideways fringe was always falling over her eyes. ‘Everyone seems really fun.’ Issy was used to starting at new schools. Her dad worked for a large company and they moved around a lot. Issy didn’t really mind; she usually found making friends easy.
‘That girl you were just talking to looked nice,’ her mum commented.
‘Rosie? Yeah, she’s asked me over at the weekend.’ At break time Rosie had told Issy that her old best friend had moved away a few months ago. Issy had the feeling that Rosie would really like her to be her new best friend.
But did she want to be? Something inside Issy seemed to shrink away from the idea. She’d had best friends before and it was always really difficult when she had to leave them. It was easier just to be friends with everyone.
‘Everything’s all sorted out for your first skating lesson tomorrow morning,’ Mrs Roberts said as they started walking home.
‘Cool!’ Skating was the thing Issy loved most in the world. She’d done a lot of gymnastics when she was little and had been very good at it, but then two years ago she had gone ice-skating and ever since had thought about almost nothing else. Issy loved whizzing around on the ice. She wasn’t quite as good as some girls her age who had been skating since they were three or four, but she’d been told she had lots of talent and that she would soon catch up if she kept practising.
‘We’ll have to think about getting you a new competition dress,’ her mum went on. ‘Your old green one is getting quite small.’
‘I’d like a red dress this time,’ Issy said, imagining herself jumping a triple loop in a sparkling red dress. ‘Or maybe a dark-blue one with silver thread.’
They turned into the woods. There was a short cut there that led to the road where they lived. Issy loved the woods. They felt so magical and she liked the carpet of spring flowers that covered the banks.
‘Can I go and climb the oak tree?’ It was on the other side of one of the banks that led down to the path.
‘OK. I’ll meet you at the end of the path.’
Issy ran up the bank, her school bag on her back. There was a steep slope running down the other side. As she ran down it, she imagined she was skating. Putting her arms out to the sides, she leapt into the air, turning round as she went. If only I was on the ice, she thought, I’d be spinning twice, feeling like I was flying…
And suddenly she was!
Issy gasped as she whirled round not twice but over and over again. The woods blurred around her, but before she had time to call out, or shout, she felt herself dropping down. Her feet touched the ground again with a bump.
In an instant, she knew that everything had changed. Freezing air stung her cheeks, her legs felt cold and her feet seemed heavy as if they had skates on. She looked down. ‘Oh… oh, wow!’ Issy gasped, almost falling over in shock. She was standing on a frozen river and she did have skates on!
Issy could hardly believe it. Her school uniform had disappeared and in its place she was wearing a dark-red jersey skating dress, matching wrap-around cardigan and white ice skates.
‘Hello!’
Issy looked behind her and saw a large stone mansion with turrets and a grand staircase leading to the front door. A woman wearing a blue woollen dress was standing at the top of the stone steps.
‘You must be Isabelle Roberts?’
‘Y-yes,’ Issy stammered. She stared at the slim, dark-haired woman in astonishment. ‘Who are you?’