Alice-Miranda was awake long before Mrs. Howard’s clanging bell roused the rest of the house. She was sitting up in bed reading when Millie yawned and rolled over.

“Good morning,” Alice-Miranda greeted her friend.

Millie sat up and rubbed her eyes. “I wish it was still vacation,” she grumbled.

“Oh, I don’t,” Alice-Miranda replied. “I mean, I love being at home, but there are so many things going on here, and I can hardly wait to hear about Miss Grimm’s plans for the term.”

Millie shook her head. “One day, Alice-Miranda, when you’re as old as me, you’ll be completely over school.”

Alice-Miranda giggled. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be as ancient as ten. But I don’t think I’ll ever be over school. I simply love it—and I know you’re only teasing me because secretly you love it too.”

“Well, just don’t tell anyone,” Millie said with a smile, “or you’ll ruin my reputation.”

At the opposite end of the corridor, Mrs. Howard’s shrill morning call began. “Rise and shine, girls, rise and shine. Time to get up, time to sparkle. Chop, chop, choppy chop.” Her chorus continued along the hallway, punctuated with loud bursts of bell ringing. She stopped outside the girls’ door and knocked firmly before entering.

“Good morning, ladies. I trust you slept well after your late night.” Mrs. Howard placed her bell on Alice-Miranda’s desk and set forth retrieving uniforms from the wardrobe.

“Good morning,” they replied in unison before Millie yawned loudly.

“Run along now to your showers. You don’t want to be late for breakfast,” Mrs. Howard instructed.

“No, that’s for sure.” Alice-Miranda threw back the covers, leapt out of bed and gathered up her toothbrush and towel. “Mrs. Smith’s making creamy scrambled eggs with crispy bacon this morning as a welcome-back treat. And I’ll ask her for something extra special for your tea this afternoon, Mrs. Howard, to make up for last night.”

Mrs. Howard shook her head, picked up her bell and followed the pair into the hall. “Off you go now.” She smiled.

The dining room was abuzz with chatter as the students caught up on all the happenings of the holidays. Clattering cutlery was momentarily stilled when Miss Grimm arrived to take up her seat at the head table alongside Miss Reedy and Mr. Plumpton. Although things had changed remarkably in the past term, the girls were still only getting used to seeing their headmistress on a daily basis. This morning, dressed in a stylish pale pink suit and with her hair pulled back into a low ponytail, Miss Grimm looked much younger than her thirty-seven years. On the way through the dining room, she greeted the students and grinned broadly.

“So what do you think Miss Grimm has in store for us this term?” Jacinta asked as she loaded her fork with another mouthful of scrambled eggs.

“I hope it’s something fun, like a trip away, or maybe a school fair or a carnival,” Millie replied. “We’ve never had anything like that since I’ve been here.”

“Maybe it’s a horse show. Miss Grimm seemed keen for girls to bring their ponies back to school this term,” said Alice-Miranda.

Jacinta pulled a face. “Oh, I hope not. You know I can’t stand horses. That wouldn’t be any fun at all.”

“Well, we’ve got assembly this morning, so maybe she’s going to tell us then,” said Millie.

Alice-Miranda changed the subject. “Has Sloane arrived yet?”

Jacinta stared blankly. “Who?”

“Your new roommate. Sloane Sykes?”

“Oh, no. There was no sign of her before I left the house.” Jacinta frowned. “She’d better be nice.”

“I’m sure she will be,” Alice-Miranda assured her friend.

“But what if I don’t like her?” Jacinta pushed a stringy piece of bacon around her plate.

“Of course you’ll like her,” Alice-Miranda said.

“I’m not like you, Alice-Miranda. I just can’t like everyone. It’s not in my nature. And maybe I’m not always the easiest person to get on with either,” Jacinta admitted.

“Come on, Jacinta—I haven’t seen you throw a tantrum in, what, at least a month now?” Millie suppressed a giggle.

“Millie,” Alice-Miranda chided.

“I have been trying hard to be better.” Jacinta looked serious. “I thought I was pretty well behaved over vacation, wasn’t I?”

“Of course you were. Stop worrying, Jacinta,” Alice-Miranda soothed. “I’m sure Sloane’s lovely, and I’m positive you’ll be great friends in no time.”

But Jacinta was not yet convinced. “You’d better be right.”

The girls finished breakfast, cleared their plates and charged outside into the crisp morning air. Charles Weatherly, the school’s head gardener, was tending to the newly planted roses in the quadrangle.

“Hello, Mr. Charles.” Alice-Miranda ran and gave him an unexpected hug.

“Well, hello to you too, my girl.” Charlie’s cornflower-blue eyes twinkled. “It’s been rather quiet around here these past two weeks.”

“I can see you’ve been busy. The garden looks lovely,” Alice-Miranda replied. “Mr. Greening sends his regards.”

Charlie nodded. “He’s a good fellow. I’d best be off, lass. Mrs. Derby’s after some roses for Miss Grimm’s study. These are just about perfect.”

“Yes, they’re lovely.” Alice-Miranda nodded at the bunch of iceberg blooms in Charlie’s hand. Just at that moment she remembered that she had promised to organize that special treat for Mrs. Howard’s afternoon tea. Alice-Miranda ran back to Millie and Jacinta and informed them that she was going to see Mrs. Smith before the bell.

“Oh, drat.” Millie scowled. “I’ve left my pencil case back at the house. I’ve got English first up after assembly, so I’d better go and get it.”

“I’ll come with you,” said Jacinta. “Anyway, I want to see if my roommate has arrived.”

“See you later, then.” Alice-Miranda waved goodbye to her friends and strode across the quadrangle to the kitchen door.

“Hello, Mrs. Smith!” Alice-Miranda called as she entered the room. In the cavernous space with its rows of stainless steel counters, Mrs. Smith was checking through the lunch menu. She promptly put the paper down and turned with outstretched arms to give her tiny visitor a warm hug.

“Hello there, young lady. How are you this fine morning?”

“Very well.” Alice-Miranda nodded. “Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious.”

“My pleasure, dear,” Mrs. Smith replied. “Now, to what do I owe this early visit?”

“I’m on a special mission.” Alice-Miranda climbed up onto the kitchen stool to sit opposite the cook.

“Oh dear—should I be worried?” Mrs. Smith frowned. “It doesn’t involve any spontaneous trips, does it, this plan of yours?”

“No, not at all. It’s just that last night the girls on our corridor had a midnight meeting.…”

“Midnight! My dear girl, you’ll be asleep in your arithmetic.” Mrs. Smith scowled.

“Well, except that it wasn’t midnight at all. It was only nine o’clock and it’s a first night tradition, but then Madeline decided that she would tell us a story about a witch in the woods and the girls got a bit scared, and then a branch scraped against the window and everyone squealed, and Mrs. Howard came running and she was a bit cross, especially with Jacinta, but I asked her not to be because it was all our faults, and then I said that I would ask if you could fix something special for her afternoon tea,” Alice-Miranda babbled.

“Slow down, young lady.” Mrs. Smith shook her head. “So you’ve come to see if I might make her an apple-cinnamon bun?”

“However did you know?” Alice-Miranda asked.

“My dear, everyone knows that’s Howie’s favorite. And it just so happens …” Mrs. Smith stood up and walked to the other side of the kitchen, returning with a tea-towel-covered tray. “Ta-da!” She pulled the cloth away to reveal the most magnificent apple-cinnamon bun Alice-Miranda had ever seen.

“Perfect.” Alice-Miranda grinned and clapped her hands together.

“Now, what was that you were saying about a witch in the woods?” Mrs. Smith asked.

“Just a silly story, that’s all,” Alice-Miranda replied. “There’s no such thing as witches.”

“No, of course not.” Mrs. Smith shook her head. She knew Alice-Miranda was right, but Doreen Smith had heard the same story—about a witch in the woods—before. And although she knew better, she wasn’t entirely convinced that there wasn’t a grain of truth in there somewhere.

“All right, young lady. House mistress pacification seems to be taken care of, so you’d better be off to class,” Mrs. Smith instructed.

“Thanks, Mrs. Smith—you’re the best!” Alice-Miranda hopped down off her stool and scampered out into the sunshine.