Genie In Training Read online

  ‘How will we know when we’ve worked it out?’ asked Hazel.

  ‘If your routine is correct, you’ll see a puff of smoke rise up from the ground around your feet,’ replied Lexie.

  Lexie double-clapped her hands and some very fast, very fun music began playing. ‘Most tweenies find it easier to learn these wish movements to music,’ she said.

  Poppy could understand why. You couldn’t help but dance to the genie music. Even Jake was tapping his foot!

  Lexie started by showing them some simple moves. There was one where their hands twisted around like snakes. And there was another tricky one where they pointed one foot at their knee and spun around with their hands held above their heads. Once they mastered a move, Lexie quickly went onto another one. Poppy had to really concentrate to keep up.

  When they knew about twenty moves, Lexie said, ‘OK, it’s over to you guys now. Play around with the steps and see if you can come up with anything. Usually, these basic moves will be enough. But sometimes you have to add a special movement all of your own to get your routine right. That’s when things can get tricky.’

  The tweenies all found their own space, and started practising the moves. It seemed like they’d only been practising for five minutes when Jake gave an excited shout.

  ‘I’ve worked mine out!’ he said.

  Poppy frowned. There’s no way he could’ve come up with one so quickly, she thought. He doesn’t even like dancing!

  Everyone crowded around Jake. He folded his arms and tapped his foot in and out. Then he did a funny hip-wiggle. Everyone laughed. Poppy knew they were all thinking the same thing. There was no way that Jake’s routine could be right. It was way too simple!

  Jake finished the routine by jumping down onto one knee and bowing his head. Then, to Poppy’s astonishment, a puff of yellow smoke shot up from the ground beneath him.

  ‘Nice work, Jake,’ smiled Lexie, giving him a pat on the back.

  Even though she and Jake were friends now, Poppy felt a tiny bit jealous. She would’ve loved to be the first one to work out their routine. Then Lexie would be patting her on the back and smiling.

  I’ll be the next to finish, Poppy told herself determinedly. Her routine felt like it was fairly close to completion. It started with a snake hands move, followed by a double spin and a slide. All she needed was a way to wrap it up.

  But Poppy wasn’t the next to finish. Hazel was next, then Rose. Then finally Lexie ended the class.

  ‘Nice work tweenies,’ she said. ‘I’ve never had a group that got their routines down so quickly. And don’t worry, Poppy, you’ll get yours, too. Just work on it in your spare time.’

  Poppy wanted to say, ‘What spare time?’ But instead she asked, ‘What happens if I can’t work it out?’

  Lexie hesitated, and then said, ‘You won’t graduate. But that’s not even the worse thing that could happen. What would be far worse is if a normie found your bottle and tried to make a wish. That’s why we made sure your bottle was hidden somewhere safe before we left the normie world.’

  Lexie turned back to the rest of the class. ‘That’s it for today,’ she said. ‘You can all head back to your normie families now.’

  The other tweenies started packing up their things. But Poppy stood still, fixed to the spot. She knew perfectly well that her closet wasn’t a safe hiding spot at all! Just the thought of it made her feel queasy. She had to get back there before Astrid walked in.

  ‘Hey, you look really strange,’ said Jake, watching her curiously. ‘Stranger than you usually do, I mean!’

  Poppy shook her head. She felt strange. Too strange even to come up with a smart comeback to Jake. Her fingers and toes had pins and needles. She saw Jake mouthing something, but she couldn’t hear him. And then she felt like she had turned into an icy cold milkshake and someone was sucking her up through a straw. It was most unpleasant. Poppy shut her eyes and hoped the feeling would pass quickly …

  WHOOSH! Poppy suddenly felt like she’d fallen out of bed onto the floor. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in her bedroom. And standing in front of her was Astrid.

  ‘Oh my gosh!’ said Astrid, her eyes wide. ‘You’re a genie! And I am so telling Mum and Dad!’

  Monday 18th October, 8am.

  ‘What are you doing in my cupboard, Astrid?’ asked Poppy, trying to act like there was nothing strange about suddenly popping out of a bottle.

  ‘Mum told me to come and get you for breakfast,’ said Astrid, ‘and also I need to borrow your new hiking boots.’

  ‘You came to snoop around, more likely,’ said Poppy crossly.

  ‘Who cares,’ said Astrid dismissively. ‘We’ve got way more interesting things to talk about! Like, how long have you been a genie? Am I one, too? When do I get a wand? Mum and Dad are going to be so mad that you didn’t tell them first! And we’ve finally found your special talent, little sis!’

  Poppy felt herself growing more and more upset as Astrid talked. Being a genie was her own special secret! For a moment, Poppy thought about snatching the bottle out of her sister’s hand and running away. But if the bottle smashed, she might not be able to get back to the Genie Realm!

  So instead, Poppy tried to stay calm and said, ‘You can’t tell anyone about this, Astrid, especially not Mum and Dad. It’d be a big disaster if you did. So just hand me back my bottle, and we can forget all about this.’

  But Astrid held it up high, out of Poppy’s reach. ‘I don’t think so, little sis!’ she said, waggling her finger in a very annoying way. ‘I want my three wishes. You’re obviously a genie, and I found your bottle. So you owe me.’

  Suddenly, Poppy understood completely what Lexie meant about wish-granting not always being fun. Granting Astrid’s wishes wouldn’t be even slightly enjoyable. Plus there was a huge problem. I haven’t got my wish routine worked out yet, thought Poppy.

  Then she remembered the wish twisting rules. Can I try and talk Astrid out of making a wish? she wondered. It was worth a go.

  ‘Listen, Astrid,’ said Poppy, as sweetly as she could. ‘I’m very new at this whole genie thing. I’m not even allowed to grant wishes yet. How about I write you a special genie I-O-U and maybe in a couple of years –’

  ‘No way!’ Astrid interrupted, shaking her head. ‘You’re always trying to get out of stuff because you’re the youngest, but I’m not letting that happen this time. I want my wishes or I’m telling Mum on you!’

  ‘But I’m not sure that I even know how to grant one,’ said Poppy crossly.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ said Astrid. ‘I’ll start with an easy one.’

  ‘Oh yes, and what’s that?’ asked Poppy suspiciously.

  ‘Easy,’ grinned Astrid. ‘I want to be super famous – the most famous person ever!’

  ‘But you’ve already won heaps of medals and trophies,’ pointed out Poppy angrily. ‘Aren’t you famous enough?’

  But Astrid shook her head. ‘No way, sis,’ she smirked.

  Poppy knew she was in a tough spot. She had about as much chance of granting her sister’s wish as she did of suddenly sprouting wings and flying around the room. But there was no way Astrid would give Poppy back the bottle unless she granted her wishes!

  Suddenly, Poppy had an idea. I’ll just pretend that I’ve granted Astrid’s wish, she decided. I’ll tell her it won’t work straight away. Then, when she’s not looking I’ll get the bottle back from her and find a MUCH better hiding place. It was a risky plan, but Poppy didn’t know what else she could do.

  ‘OK, OK,’ Poppy said to Astrid, pretending to give in. ‘I’ll grant your stupid wish if you promise not to tell anyone.’

  ‘Finally!’ said Astrid smugly.

  Poppy stood on her bed. She did the snake hands move, followed by a double spin. Then she did a slide and this time, ended the routine with a low bow. There was no puff of smoke so she knew the routine still wasn’t right, but that didn’t matter. She just had to convince Astrid that she knew what she wa
s doing.

  ‘I grant Astrid’s wish,’ Poppy said, in a loud, serious-sounding voice. ‘She will be the most famous person in the world!’

  Then she and Astrid stood there, staring at each other.

  ‘How do I tell if it’s worked?’ asked Astrid suspiciously.

  ‘Of course it’s worked,’ said Poppy quickly. ‘It takes a while to kick in, that’s all.’ Then she reached out her hand towards Astrid. ‘And now that I’ve granted your wish, please give me back my bottle.’

  ‘Nice try!’ laughed Astrid, pulling the bottle away. ‘But I bet that if you get your hands on this thing you’ll disappear. Sorry Poppy, you’re not going anywhere just yet.’

  Poppy could have screamed with frustration! I’m stuck here until I find a way of getting my bottle back, she realised grimly. And that could take forever …

  ‘Poppy! Astrid! Breakfast!’ called their mum from the kitchen.

  Astrid shoved the genie bottle into her school bag and flounced off down the hall.

  Still feeling quite upset, Poppy quickly changed out of her genie uniform and into her school clothes. She was about to redo her hair into its normal style when she stopped.

  No, I’ll keep the high ponytail in, she decided. It’ll remind me of who I really am.

  She kept her silver genie bangle on too, and slipped her school books into her red tweenie backpack. Then she went down to breakfast.

  It was weird seeing her parents that morning. Even though it had been just over twelve hours since she last saw them, it felt like much longer. For them, nothing had changed. They were drinking tea and reading the paper, just like they did every morning. But for Poppy, everything had changed.

  ‘So, Poppy,’ smiled her dad as she came in. ‘How was your first night as a tweenager?’

  Poppy shrugged. ‘Not too bad,’ she said.

  Her mum looked at her curiously. ‘You look different somehow, sweetie.’

  ‘It’s probably just my new hairdo,’ Poppy replied quickly.

  ‘No, that’s not quite it,’ said her mum thoughtfully. ‘You just seem older.’

  ‘Well, she is older,’ said Poppy’s dad, putting down his newspaper. ‘And that reminds me. Now that you’re twelve, Poppy, we expect you to start doing a few more chores. You have to start earning that pocket money.’

  ‘Does that mean I’ll get a bit more?’ asked Poppy hopefully.

  ‘No,’ said her dad. ‘You get quite enough for someone your age.’

  ‘You need to take your school work a little more seriously from now on, too,’ added Poppy’s mum. ‘You’re not a baby anymore.’

  ‘Well, if I’m not a baby, can I walk to school by myself, instead of walking with Astrid?’ asked Poppy. ‘And can I go into town alone on the train?’

  ‘Definitely not!’ said her mother quickly. ‘You’re far too young for that.’

  Poppy sighed and ate her breakfast, ignoring Astrid’s smirks. This conversation had summed up exactly what was bad about being a tweenager. Everyone told you that you were still too young to do fun stuff. But at the same time they expected you to do a whole lot of extra chores because you were no longer a little kid! It was totally unfair.

  But, Poppy thought, giving her long ponytail a little pat, if I wasn’t a tweenager then I wouldn’t be a tweenie genie either!

  Imagine if her parents knew that she’d spent the previous night learning about granting wishes and zooming around on a magic carpet! Just thinking about it gave Poppy a shiver of excitement. And it made her more determined than ever to get her bottle back from Astrid.

  After breakfast, Astrid and Poppy headed off to school together. Usually Astrid walked a few metres ahead, as though it were embarrassing to walk with her little sister. She always tried to make Poppy carry her bag for her, too. ‘You should see it as an honour,’ she would say. Poppy always refused, of course.

  But this morning, everything was the opposite. Astrid wouldn’t leave Poppy’s side. And there was no way she was letting Poppy hold her bag while the genie bottle was inside!

  When they were around the block, Astrid turned crossly to Poppy.

  ‘What’s going on?’ she demanded. ‘Mum told me to stack the dishwasher after breakfast and believe me, famous people do not stack dishwashers. Plus we’ve passed heaps of people already, but no-one has asked for my autograph. I’m starting to think your wish didn’t work. So, here’s a warning: if it hasn’t worked by the time we reach school, guess what I’ll be talking about in Show and Tell this morning?’ Astrid patted her school bag and gave Poppy a menacing look.

  ‘Astrid, we’re in high school,’ Poppy pointed out, trying to look calm. ‘We don’t do Show and Tell anymore.’

  ‘Maybe not usually,’ said Astrid darkly, ‘but I suspect they would make an exception when they see what I’ve got.’

  Poppy didn’t say anything, but she knew Astrid was right. Everyone would be very interested to hear they had a genie at school. It was only a matter of time before Astrid realised that the wish hadn’t worked, and Poppy was no closer to getting her bottle back.

  All too soon, they arrived at their school and nothing had happened.

  ‘Right,’ said Astrid loudly, as they stepped onto the school grounds. ‘I’m officially sick of waiting for this wish to kick in. Unless something happens right now I’m going to … ’

  And then something did happen. Something totally unexpected and really quite remarkable. It started off as nothing more than a faint humming noise. And then steadily, the noise began to get louder and louder.

  Poppy and Astrid stood perfectly still, listening. What was going on?

  Finally, the noise grew so loud and came so close that Poppy realised what it was. It was hundreds of school kids, all chanting one word.

  ‘Astrid! Astrid! ASTRID!’

  Astrid’s face lit up. ‘The wish is working!’ she exclaimed.

  ‘Is it?’ said Poppy, surprised. She hadn’t thought for a moment that the wish would really work. How could it, after all, if her wish routine wasn’t right?

  There must be some other explanation, she told herself. But what that was, exactly, she wasn’t sure.

  A moment later, Astrid was completely surrounded by hundreds of excited kids calling her name, with expressions of crazed devotion on their faces. They pushed and jostled each other, trying to get closer to Astrid.

  ‘Astrid!’ they called. ‘Can I have your autograph? Can I sit next to you at lunchtime? Can I have my photo taken with you?’

  Astrid didn’t seem at all alarmed by the crowd. Far from it! She jumped up onto a bench and waved, grinning broadly. She even blew kisses. In fact, she acted like she’d been famous her entire life. The crowd grew by the second and Poppy found herself being pushed further and further away from Astrid and from the bag in which her bottle was stashed.

  ‘Who is the most fabulous, fantastic and FAMOUS person in the entire world?’ Astrid shouted over the noise.

  ‘YOU ARE!’ the crowd thundered back.

  Astrid looked triumphant.

  If only I were up the front right now, while she’s showing off in front of the crowd, thought Poppy longingly. But there was no way she could push through the throng to get anywhere near Astrid now.

  A moment later, the crowd picked Astrid up and she was carried away. Cameras flashed as she went and cheers filled the air every time Astrid so much as opened her mouth.

  Poppy followed behind, feeling very puzzled. What was going on? Was it possible that Astrid actually had become famous?

  It was then that Poppy noticed something very unusual. The kids who were still arriving at school for the day didn’t seem at all excited to see Astrid. In fact, they looked totally confused by all the fuss. But the moment they stepped onto the school grounds, a look of devotion swept over their faces and they rushed to join the mob of Astrid-lovers.

  Astrid IS super-famous, but only at school, realised Poppy, chuckling. My wish routine is only half-worked out, so it only half-grant
ed Astrid’s wish. She felt a little surge of pride at having granted her first wish, even if it wasn’t totally perfect.

  Just then, one of Astrid’s fans pushed past, knocking Poppy’s backpack off her shoulder. The genie jotter fell out and opened to the page on which the Golden Laws were written. The writing seemed to have grown even bigger!

  All the pride Poppy had felt in granting Astrid’s wish quickly vanished.

  I’ve been a tweenie genie for less than one day and I’ve already broken both of those laws, she thought, biting her lip. She knew Lexie wouldn’t be impressed if she found out.

  ‘Isn’t this just crazy?’ said a familiar voice behind her. It was Claudette. Behind her stood the Clothes Club girls.

  ‘Look at the way all these people are acting,’ sniffed Claudette. ‘It’s embarrassing.’

  Poppy found herself smiling. It was such a relief to find someone, anyone, who wasn’t besotted by Astrid.

  ‘It is insane, isn’t it?’ she agreed.

  ‘A style-icon like Astrid should be treated with more respect,’ said Claudette disapprovingly.

  Poppy stared at Claudette in dismay. ‘Excuse me?’ she said, hoping she’d heard incorrectly. But then she noticed Claudette’s T-shirt. On the front was a picture of Astrid. On the back was written ‘I ♥ Astrid!’

  ‘Astrid is the kind of person we need on the front cover of School Style magazine,’ Claudette declared, pulling out her camera. ‘The entire next edition of School Style will be devoted to her. And the one after that, too.’

  ‘Well, that will make a pleasant change,’ muttered Poppy to herself. Every other edition of School Style had featured only one person – Claudette!

  ‘Can you believe that Astrid is your sister?’ added Claudette, sighing enviously. ‘You are so, so lucky.’

  Poppy walked off. She couldn’t stand much more of this! She even wanted the bell to ring, so that class could start and things could get back to normal. But at nine o’clock, when the bell was supposed to ring, a message came on over the school loudspeaker from Principal Smith.