*   *   *

 

 It was three in the morning when the busses arrived at Secret Shores. Tired, yet excited, the students clambered sleepily off the busses. Miss Hardbroom narrowed her eyes as she looked at Dr. Starfinder, who, in turn, flinched and looked away.
 "Can I have everyone's attention!" Professor Thunderblast shouted. "You will be divided into ten groups while you're here. Once again, I wouldn't want to split up any friends, so arrange yourselves into groups of about ten students each!" She paused for a minute, and then turned towards Milly, Cas, Louise, Tim, Azmat, Ethel, Hobbes and Deirdre. "You lot look like a decent group, why don't you go with Miss Hardbroom?"
They all exchanged looks. Ethel and Hobbes weren't thrilled about the group they were in, but they didn't say anything. Milly looked at her old form mistress in despair, but she didn't want to make things worse by complaining. Tim and Azmat were dreading the thought of facing up to Miss Hardbroom after what she'd heard them say about her niece. Cas didn't really want to be stuck with Ethel and Hobbes, but she decided to try and make the best of it. Louise didn't look at all bothered by the arrangements, and she couldn't help but laugh to herself as she looked at the rest of the group. Deirdre, as per usual, was beaming at them all.
 "Well, isn't this fantastic! Especially seeing as we're all in the same group!" She paused, looking at the rest of them. "Oh, come on! You're supposed to be excited about this!"
 "Come on then," sighed Miss Hardbroom as she headed off towards the hotel.  The eight students followed on behind.
 "It won't be that bad!" Deirdre was determined to get everyone's spirits up somehow.
 "I knew that smile had to a permanent fixture!" muttered Tim. Everyone
laughed, and Deirdre turned round.
 "What did you say?" she asked Tim, still smiling.
 "Nothing," he answered.
 "He was just talking to himself, as usual!" Azmat couldn't resist putting a comment in. Deirdre seemed satisfied, and didn't pursue the subject any further.
 The group of students were practically running to keep up with Miss Hardbroom as she marched towards the hotel. She didn't look at any of them or say anything, she just kept walking.
 "Well, isn't this exciting!" Deirdre looked round the group of students.
 "You're not half kidding!" Louise was looking up, in amazement, at the hotel they were headed for. The sight was astounding. The hotel was massive, and there was a strong feeling of magic about it. It looked like a huge castle, which had been done up; new windows, doors, balconies, etc. The lights, which lit up the building, seemed to add to the sense of magic. There was a large sign above the doors, which read 'The Unicorn,' and there was an impressive picture of a unicorn rearing up behind the writing.
 "Wow!" Azmat was clearly impressed. The rest of the group were speechless, completely taken aback by the sheer size of the hotel. Miss Hardbroom led the way up the steps, into the hotel, and up to the desk. She informed the girl working there that they were with the Weirdsister College party. After a quick head count, they were each handed a key and given directions on where to go.
 "Enjoy your stay at The Unicorn!" The girl at the desk smiled at them as they headed off. The students followed Miss Hardbroom through the hotel until they turned off into a corridor, which came to a dead end, apart from two rooms right at the end of it.
The boys had each been given a key for the smaller room, and they couldn't believe their eyes when they walked in. The room, despite being the smaller of the two, was a lot larger than your average hotel room. Everything looked extremely expensive, and the decoration around the door and windowsill was incredible. Winged horses and unicorns had been carved into the woodwork; unicorns rearing up through the waves of the sea, others kicking up the sand as they galloped across the beach, winged horses soaring through the sky.
The large window looked out onto one of the hotel gardens, which could only be described in one way: breathtaking. There was a stream running through the garden, and an impressive water fountain right in the centre. There were trees, which grew higher than the hotel itself, their branches and leaves growing thickly. The walls of the garden were mostly obscured by climbing plants, different sized trees, magnificent hanging baskets, and other impressive plants, some brightly coloured, others more subtle, but still breathtakingly beautiful. The whole garden was illuminated by lanterns; some positioned along the edge of the stream, others in between plants so they would be difficult to see in the daytime; hidden from view by the natural plant growth.
Back inside the room, the beds were extremely comfortable and well spaced out. The bathroom was huge, with a separate bath and shower in it, and there was a large heated towel rail with fluffy white towels hanging on it. The wardrobes were absolutely massive.
 "Hey, you could probably fit all three of us in here, along with all our clothes, and still have room to spare!" commented Tim as he looked inside one of the wardrobes.
 "Do you want to try?" Azmat asked him. Hobbes shook his head to himself as he listened to them.
 "What do you reckon Hobbes? You up for a bit of a laugh?"
Hobbes looked at Tim as though he had gone crazy.
 "I think I'll pass."
 "You're no fun."
Hobbes carried on unpacking, and didn't look up as he responded to Tim's comment.
 "Fun, Tim Wraithewight, is a pastime for fools. If you want to get somewhere in life, you have to focus your sights on more serious issues." Tim and Azmat looked at each other, wondering what was eating Hobbes this time. They decided just to leave him, and set about unpacking their own things.

 

*   *   *

 

 If the boys' room was impressive, there were no words to describe the girls' room. It was twice the size of the boys' room, and the decoration and furniture were equally impressive. They had a separate bathroom and shower room, both of which were about the size you would expect a normal hotel bedroom to be. There was a large glass door, leading to a balcony, which allowed direct access to the beach, via a spiralling flight of stairs. The six beds were arranged in three pairs. Each pair had a wardrobe on either side, and a highly decorated cabinet between the two beds. The wardrobes were joined by an overhead cabinet, which had lights set into it to allow bedtime reading. The view from the windows and balcony was astounding. The beach seemed to stretch into eternity, and the sea sparkled in the moonlight. Even though it was dark, the sound of seagulls could still be heard, carried on the sea breeze.
Louise opened the balcony door and stepped out into the warm summer night. She had finished unpacking, and was wearing a black, silk nightdress, with her hair down. She found it hard to believe that it was the start of the college year, and not the middle of the summer holidays. She shut her eyes as she leaned over the railing and took in the sound of the seagulls and the waves, and the smell of the sea air. The sea breeze caught her hair and lightly played with the strands about her face.
She opened her eyes and looked down at the waves breaking on the shore, catching the moonlight as they did so. She froze for a moment. She hardly dared to breath, in case the sight should vanish. She couldn't take in what she was seeing; she thought she must be imagining it. She was scared to let herself believe it, just in case it wasn't true. She stood completely still, frozen in time, as her eyes fell upon the unicorn; a magnificent, majestic creature, ghostly white body, silken mane and tail glinting in the moonlight, as it stood, letting the waves break against it's legs. It lifted its head slightly, looking out to sea. After a few moments, it turned, slowly, the seawater dragging on its legs. Louise held her breath as its gaze met hers. It just looked at her, calmly, quietly. She watched as it turned towards the shore and stepped out of the water, sending small showers of spray onto the sand.
Miss Hardbroom watched Milly, Cas, Ethel and Deirdre unpack. Ethel didn't look too happy, and Milly and Cas had fallen silent as they worked. Deirdre had given up trying to get them to speak; she had tried everything and didn't know what else she could do. Miss Hardbroom gave a small sigh, before turning to look at her niece. She could see Louise, but she couldn't see the unicorn. She smiled to herself as she watched her.
"At least one of us seems to be having a good time," she muttered to herself. She walked over to the balcony and stood beside Louise. Louise didn't show any sign of acknowledging her aunt's presence. Her eyes were fixed on the unicorn, as it slowly wandered along the sand.
Miss Hardbroom followed Louise's gaze and froze up when she saw what her niece was looking at. It took a few minutes for the sight to register in her mind. She had known that there were wild unicorns around these areas, and that she would be likely to see them from time to time, but she was still caught in amazement and wonder by the sight. Once she had realized it was real, she spoke in a whisper. The unicorn was already aware of Louise's presence, and it didn't seem at all bothered. Even if it had been, it was too far away to hear them talk, but the atmosphere was such that whispering seemed the only thing to do. Both felt too afraid to speak, as though it was forbidden by some unwritten law.
"It's beautiful!" Even though she spoke in a very quiet whisper, Louise had no trouble in hearing what her aunt said.
"It's incredible," she agreed. Both of them fell into silence as they watched the unicorn. "Still wishing you'd stayed behind?" whispered Louise with a smile. Miss Hardbroom knew her niece was teasing her, and she knew she had to admit defeat.
"Alright, fine!" She couldn't help smiling herself as she whispered back, although there did still seem to be something forced, and unnatural about it. "I'll admit it, you were right and I was wrong! I'm really glad you talked me into coming." She sounded quite awkward as she said this last sentence. Louise smiled, a satisfied, almost triumphant look on her face. Something caught her eye, over in the shadows by the rocks. She realised what it was as it stepped out into the moonlight.
"Look, there's another one!"
Miss Hardbroom looked to where her niece was pointing, and she saw it too. It trotted over to the other unicorn, and they greeted each other, briefly touching noses. They stood still for a moment; ears pricked forward, skin twitching, looking past the hotel to something in the distance. They could obviously hear something that Louise and Miss Hardbroom couldn't. They stood stalk-still, tensed up, ready for flight.
"Hey, what's up?" said Cas by way of greeting. She had finished unpacking and had decided to see what Louise and Miss Hardbroom were up to. She got no answer, and followed their gaze to the unicorns on the beach. All of a sudden, the two unicorns spun round on their hind legs and galloped off into the shadows, kicking up the sand as they went.
"Wow!" Cas sounded breathless.
"That, was amazing!" stated Louise. The three of them stood for a minute, looking to the rocks and shadows where the unicorns had just fled. Louise felt herself shiver, even though it was a very warm night.
"Come on then, let's get to bed." Miss Hardbroom spoke quietly, and, after a brief pause, Louise and Cas followed her back inside.

 

*   *   *

 

 It was midday before anyone from Weirdsister College woke up. The hotel had prepared a special brunch for them, seeing as they had only arrived in the early hours of the morning. The pleasant sound of chatter rose above that of plates and cutlery, as everyone talked about what would be happening that afternoon.
Miss Hardbroom wasn't looking particularly hopeful about the impending day, but she didn't say anything. She felt out of place, not being able to tell the students how to behave or to calm it down, and she didn't feel able to join in with the excitement either. She wanted to be able to take part in the discussions, but she disregarded the idea without much consideration. After all, it was ridiculous to think that any of the students would actually want to talk to her. It was just impossible; she was a lecturer, they were students.
She sighed as she watched the others as they ate and talked, and her gaze wandered from her own table, around the rest of the dining room. Everyone looked happy, and excited. She spotted Dr. Starfinder at the other end of the room, talking to the group of students he had been landed with. He looked just as happy and carefree as the students did. This, of course, didn't do much to lift her spirits. It forced her to realize that the reason she couldn't talk to the students wasn't simply because she was a lecturer; it was, in fact, her own personality that was preventing her from getting on with them.
 "Are you alright?" Louise asked her aunt as she moved round beside her.
 "Yes, I'm fine." Miss Hardbroom managed a half-hearted smile as she answered her niece. Louise, however, knew her aunt well enough to work out what was bothering her.
 "Just try and relax. Enjoy yourself. Forget you're a lecturer while you're here and you'll have a great time!"
 "But I am a lecturer." Miss Hardbroom stated the obvious.
 "Not while you're here, you're not. You'll be doing the exact same things as the rest of us. We're all old enough to go on holiday by ourselves, and we don't need supervision. Why can't you just forget about being a lecturer and just be yourself for a change?"
Miss Hardbroom suddenly felt even more out of place. At least as a lecturer she had a purpose, and knew what she was supposed to do. She wanted to defend herself, but wasn't really sure what to say.
 "Uh...Well, I..."
Louise saw how awkward her aunt looked, and she felt sorry for her. She decided that she would make sure her aunt wound up joining in the fun, if it was the last thing she did, and when Louise made up her mind like that, she always got what she wanted. Even though she was always up for a laugh and she really knew how to have fun, she could, just like her aunt, be very strong willed and determined. She never gave up easily, if at all. Miss Hardbroom still looked really awkward, unable to think of anything to say. Louise gave her a sympathetic smile.
 "Look, just be yourself. That's all there is to it!" Miss Hardbroom, however, didn't look convinced. She gave her niece a doubtful look. "As far as I'm concerned, you're my aunt, not my lecturer. Just imagine you're on holiday with me and my parents, you never had any trouble relaxing there!"
 "Yes, but that was different!"
 "How?"
 "Because... It just was! I wasn't surrounded by a group of my students!"
 "I am one of your students," Louise reminded her. There was a pause before Miss Hardbroom continued.
 "Yes, but you're also my niece!" She almost whispered these last words, just in case anyone should be listening in.
 "So? What difference does that make?"
Once again, Miss Hardbroom didn't quite know what to say.
"Just give them a chance."
Miss Hardbroom looked over to Milly, Cas, Deirdre and Ethel, who were sitting at the other end of the table, discussing ideas for what they could do that afternoon. She sighed as she watched them, wishing she really was on holiday with her family. Still, Louise was there, so maybe it wouldn't be that bad...
 Once they had finished, they headed back up to their room, bumping into Tim, Azmat and Hobbes on the way. The three of still looked half asleep, as they headed down for something to eat. Each of them grunted a "Good morning" as they passed. The girls laughed at them, but they weren't awake enough to retaliate.
A few minutes later, they arrived at their room. Deirdre opened the balcony door seeing as it was absolutely roasting, and the sound of waves and seagulls' cries filled the room. There were a few people on the beach; two of them witches, perfecting their broomstick flying skills, and a wizard, on board a unicorn. Milly walked over to Deirdre and looked down at the people on the beach. Both of them thought the unicorn was beautiful, but Deirdre seemed particularly excited by it.
 "Well, I don't know about you, but I can't wait to go unicorn riding!"
Milly kept looking at the unicorn, but she didn't seem quite as keen on the idea of riding as Deirdre.
 "I'd like to go riding, but I've never been before. What if I make a mess of it?"
 "Oh, don't be silly! Of course you won't make a mess of it! All you have to do to start with is just sit there, and someone will lead you round to let you get used to it. It's really very easy, once you get the hang of it!" Milly, however, still looked doubtful.
 "Trust me, I think I really could make a mess of it. I crashed my broomstick into the school dustbins on my first day at Cackles..."
"Well we all make mistakes, and besides, that was your first day at school. You're at college now. Just enjoy the experience! Once you've had your first lesson, you'll look back, and wonder what you were so worried about. The whole point of this is to have fun!" Milly seemed slightly reassured, and smiled.
 "Milly, Dee," shouted Cas from the other end of the room. "We're trying to decide what to do today. Any ideas?"
 "I still say we should head round to the stables!" Louise wasn't shy about voicing her opinions, whether anyone agreed with her or not. Deirdre's eyes lit up.
 "Well I think that's a fantastic idea! What do you all say?"
 "Why not?" replied Cas, after a pause.
 "Excellent!" Deirdre looked really excited, as though she was charged up and full of energy. "We'll wait till the boys get here, and ask them if they want to join us." That was the afternoon's activities sorted. They all started getting ready, chatting away as they did so. Cas' smile faded from her face as she turned and saw Miss Hardbroom. She was standing on the balcony facing out to sea, looking as though she had the whole world on her shoulders.
 "What's up with her?"
Milly turned to see who Cas was talking about.
 "I don't think she's finding it very easy, having to get on with us like this." Milly couldn't help feeling sorry for her former potions teacher.
 "Well if she wants to sulk, then that's her problem." As per usual, Ethel didn't seem to care what anyone else was feeling, just as long as they didn't bother her. Milly ignored her, and continued talking to Cas.
 "She was the strictest, most terrifying teacher at Cackles academy. Everyone was terrified of her. She wasn't very popular with the pupils. I think she's just so used to being in charge, and giving out orders to a group of pupils that don't really like her, but have to do what she says just because she's their teacher, that she doesn't know how to relax and have fun. She probably thinks we're all just going to make a fool of her, or that we don't really want her around." Deirdre had been listening in, and she looked at Miss Hardbroom thoughtfully.
 "Well, we'll just have to show her that she's wrong, then, won't we?" This was more of a statement than a question. "Louise, you're closest to her, what with her being you're aunt and all." Louise had also been listening in, and she looked at Deirdre with keen interest, wondering what she had planned. "See if you can't get her talking. Try to, soften her up a bit, so she won't feel as awkward around the rest of us. Is she like this with you as well?"
 "No, she's not. I think I'm the only one she feels she can talk to..." Louise trailed off as her aunt came back into the room. She looked at the group of gathered students, suspicions automatically forming in her mind.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Cas opened it, and Tim, Azmat and Hobbes walked in, looking slightly more awake than they had done earlier. In fact, they were virtually bouncing up and down with excitement, or at least, Tim and Azmat were. Hobbes regarded them as though they were mad, and stood silently by the door.
 "So, what's the plan for today then?" asked Tim.
 "Unicorn riding," replied Louise. Tim and Azmat were so excited, they couldn't stand still.
 "When do we go?" Azmat wanted to know.
 "As soon as you're ready!" Cas told them.
 "We are ready," Tim informed her.
 "Well, let's go then!" Deirdre led the way out of the room and down the hall. She was dressed in jodhpurs and knee-high leather riding boots, giving her the appearance of an experienced rider. 
 "Are you ready?" Louise asked her aunt. Miss Hardbroom sighed. She had been hoping to stay behind, but it didn't look like there was much chance of that happening with Louise there. She hesitated, and then followed her niece out of the room.

*   *   *

 

*   *   *

 

All eight students, and Miss Hardbroom, were exhausted when they returned to the hotel that night. Every single one was smiling. Everyone, that is, except Miss Hardbroom, and Ethel. Miss Hardbroom didn't look quite as stressed as she had done earlier, though. She was extremely pleased with the way in which Louise had dealt with Tempest. She had been worried that her niece would be out of practice, having spent the whole of last year as a cat, but Louise seemed to be a better rider than she had ever remembered.
She managed to catch Louise on her own, while everyone else was getting ready for dinner, and she told her what she had been thinking. Louise knew that compliments like that from her Aunt Constance were as rare as white cats in witch schools, and, for once, she didn't know what to say to her aunt. She smiled and blushed, and Miss Hardbroom smiled back at her. They both sat there, on one of the beds, and there was a pause before Louise spoke.
"I think that's the first time I've seen you smile since we got here," she commented. Miss Hardbroom looked at her niece.
"That's not true..."
"Yes it is! If you're referring to those half hearted, forced smiles earlier, then I'm sorry, but they don't count!" Miss Hardbroom gave a small laugh, before sighing as she realised just how happy she was to be there. She had never completely given up hope of finding Louise when she disappeared, but she had still been terrified that she would never see her again, and yet here she was; talking to Louise, watching her enjoy herself at Secret Shores. There was one thing bothering her, however, and the smile faded from her face as she thought about it.
"Louise?"
"Yes?" There was a pause as Miss Hardbroom looked at her niece, then looked down at the ground.
"Do you blame me for not realising who you were when you were a cat, and not turning you back?" Miss Hardbroom looked up at her niece when she had finished speaking. She looked worried, and frightened, as though she was entirely to blame and expected Louise to turn against her. Louise, however, looked sympathetically at her aunt.
"Of course I don't," she told her. "Is that what's been bothering you?" Miss Hardbroom avoided Louise's gaze as she spoke again.
"Well, partly ..." She hesitated, looking really awkward. "I wouldn't blame you for hating me, I should have realised who you were," she told her niece. Louise was beginning to wonder if she would ever be able to get through to her aunt.
"Look at me."
Miss Hardbroom slowly looked into Louise's eyes, as though she was afraid of what she was about to say.
"What do I have to do to get through to you?! I feel like I'm trying to get through to a brick wall! In fact, I'd probably get more response from a wall... Anyway, you had no way of knowing who I was"
"Yes I did! I should have realised when you started acting so strangely. I've been blaming Dr. Starfinder for turning you into a cat, but really it was my fault you stayed that way!" Miss Hardbroom sounded close to tears, and she quickly looked away.
"For goodness sake, would you just listen to me! I DO NOT blame you for this, at all!" Louise was beginning to sound exasperated, and was quickly cut off by her aunt.
"Well you should, because it was my fault you weren't turned back, and for all you knew I could have been carrying on as normal, not caring where you were..." Miss Hardbroom still avoided Louise's gaze and she was sounding more upset by the second.
"But I did know you cared! I was there, with you, as a cat, remember? I saw how upset you were, and the one thing that drove me round the twist was not being able to tell you I was there and that I was alright! I watched you use advanced magic to try and find me, and I was on your broomstick with you when you went out looking for me. Every single night for four months! Then, after that, every single weekend, until my parents managed to convince you to give up and concentrated on using magic to find me! I knew you cared! I just wished I could have told you that I was absolutely fine, not to worry, and how much I appreciated what you were doing! The worst thing about it all was seeing how upset you were and not being able to do anything about it; it really tore me apart!"
Louise stopped for a breath, and looked at her aunt. She was looking down, and wasn't saying anything. "Aunt Constance?" She thought for a minute, and then worked out what was wrong. She put her arm round her aunt's shoulders, and tried to look at her face. Miss Hardbroom drew a sharp intake of breath when she felt her niece's arm round her shoulders. After a pause, she looked up and Louise's suspicions were confirmed; her aunt's face was streaked with tears. "Please stop blaming yourself. I hate seeing you as upset as this," Louise said gently. "None of it was your fault. I just wish you could see that!"
Miss Hardbroom managed to smile through the tears and quickly dried her eyes as she heard the others returning. Deirdre, being the first one ready, had been sitting outside on the balcony, Milly had been in the bathroom, and Ethel in the shower room. They all came back into the room at the same time, and Milly couldn't help noticing that Miss Hardbroom had been crying. She didn't say anything, though, for fear of making things worse.
"Are we all ready to head down to dinner?" asked Deirdre. Miss Hardbroom knew they could see she had been crying, and was extremely grateful to them for not making a fuss about it. 
"Yeah, let's go," replied Louise. She looked at her aunt, who quickly used magic to clear her face from all signs that she had been crying, and they all headed down to the dining room.

 

*   *   *

 

Later that night, Hobbes and Ethel went for a wander around the hotel gardens. They managed to find a secluded spot, away from prying eyes and ears.
"I was beginning to think we'd never get away from them," commented Hobbes.
"I take it you're thinking about that wizard?" Ethel had guessed correctly.
"What are the rest of you girl friends doing just now?" asked Hobbes.
"They're sitting out on the balcony, why?"
"I want to get to the beach, but I don't want them seeing us in case they decide they want to join us."
"If we change what we're wearing and don't look up at the hotel, they shouldn't recognise us, but I still think you're wasting your time."
Hobbes didn't reply, and went to get changed.
Fifteen minutes later, they were both on the beach, heading for the caves. They stopped at the entrance to the first cave. There was nobody else around, and Hobbes stepped through the opening, into the shadows. He quickly disappeared from view, and Ethel gave one last nervous glance towards the hotel, before running in after him.

 

*   *   *

 

It was dark when Ethel and Hobbes finally returned to the hotel.
"There must be something that I missed!" Hobbes was in a foul mood. The cave had turned out just to be an ordinary cave, nothing special about it at all. While Hobbes couldn't hide his frustration and disappointment, Ethel couldn't help but feel slightly relieved. The cave had scared her, and she had hated standing there in the dark, damp, gloomy space while Hobbes walked around, examining little bits of rock with his staff, looking into every little crevice he could find. "Maybe if we try another cave, there might be something more obvious." Hobbes seemed to be speaking more to himself than to Ethel.
"I'm going to bed," Ethel told him. She walked away and let herself into her room, leaving him standing there, lost in thought.

 

*   *   *

 

Next morning, the girls were all up bright and early for breakfast, thanks to Miss Hardbroom. She had cheered up somewhat since her last chat with Louise, and was back to her usual self. She had woken at half past six, and everyone else had woken when they heard the shower running. When she emerged, she responded to their groans in a rather unsympathetic manner.
"Come on, up you get."
Louise couldn't help but wonder whether her last talk with her aunt had been a good idea. She rolled over, covering her head with the sheets.
"Come on, Louise." No response. Miss Hardbroom gave a quick flick of her finger, and Louise's sheets disappeared. Louise sat up, and gave her aunt a rather unamused look. She flopped back down again, her face buried in the pillow. Then the pillow disappeared.
"Why me? Go and annoy someone else!" she groaned. Milly, Cas, Ethel and Deirdre couldn't help but laugh.
"Because you're my niece, and I expect a higher standard from you than anyone else. Besides, I know I can get away with 'annoying' you." A satisfied, almost teasing smile crossed Miss Hardbroom's face. Milly and Ethel looked at each other in surprise, unable to understand the change that had come over their lecturer.
Louise sighed, and gave in. She got up, and the sheets and pillow reappeared, neatly arranged on the bed. She smiled to herself as she realised she didn't have to bother making her bed; that was something, at least.
After breakfast, they decided to go for a wander round the shops and piers that lined the seafront. Hobbes saw his chance, and said he would rather stay in the hotel and read. Ethel said she was still really tired, and would rather sunbathe on the balcony. Miss Hardbroom shot a suspicious look at the two of them, making Hobbes feel nervous. He was worried she would find up what they were up to; he didn't realise that she was just suspicious about a boy and girl wanting to be alone like that.
She didn't have time to say anything, however, before Louise asked if she was going with them. After some persuasion from Milly, Cas and Deirdre, and a lot of persuasion from Louise, she finally relented. Tim and Azmat looked somewhat uncomfortable, but they decided just to hope for the best. After all, Miss Hardbroom hadn't said anything so far about the incident in Weirdsister, so maybe she wasn't going to, they hoped.
Ethel and Hobbes waited till the rest of them had left, and headed for the caves. There were quite a few people on the beach, but as luck would have it, there was nobody around the caves.
"Wait till no one's looking, and we'll slip into that cave," instructed Hobbes, motioning towards an opening just past the one they'd been in the night before.
"Anyone would think it's illegal to explore the caves," commented Ethel.
"You do realise just how serious this is, don't you?" Hobbes asked her. Ethel sighed and shook her head to herself as she looked around.
"I think we're clear," she told him, and they disappeared into the dark cave.

 

*   *   *

 

Milly, Cas, Tim, Azmat, Deirdre, Louise and Miss Hardbroom were having a great time wandering around the shops and piers. Miss Hardbroom still felt quite awkward, but she had decided to take her niece's advice and make an effort to get along with the rest of them. At first, she had felt nervous, and frightened that they wouldn't accept her. However, she soon discovered, much to her surprise, that they were all willing to treat her as 'one of the group', and she began to relax a bit.
It seemed that in every shop they entered, there was either a witch or wizard in traditional dress at the counter, and things weren't much different on Summerhall Pier. They stopped at a sandwich bar on the pier, and sat at a table overlooking the sea to eat their lunch. Milly noticed that about half of the people there were dressed like them, and half were in traditional dress. The girl that had served them wore denim shorts and a lilac, sleeveless top, whereas the girl working at the other end of the counter wore a black cape over a black dress.
"She must be roasting!" stated Milly. Tim followed her gaze.
"Yeah, no kidding!" he said. "I'll bet they're all roasting too." He nodded towards the group of people sitting at the table to the left of them. There were two witches and three wizards, all in traditional dress.
"A lot of people feel very strongly about tradition," said Miss Hardbroom, "and seeing as this is an entirely magical community, there's no reason why they can't wear hats and capes."
"You'd imagine they'd at least come up with a cooler alternative for weather like this," said Louise. "You'd never catch me wearing anything like that in this heat!"
"Fair enough," her aunt replied. "Having said that, you have got your silk cape."
"I know, but that's different. What they're wearing isn't silk! They must be frying in it!" Miss Hardbroom didn't say anything, but laughed as she shook her head to herself. Silence fell between them as they ate their lunch.
"I don't think I've ever seen you all this quiet," Miss Hardbroom commented.
"That's because we're hungry!" Azmat informed her. She gave a small laugh, and glanced round at the rest of them.
"Tim, why on Earth are you staring at my niece like that?" Tim snapped out of the trance he had been in, and turned bright red as he desperately tried to think of a way to defend himself.
"Uh...I...I..."
Milly, Cas and Deirdre all laughed, and Louise turned as red as Tim.
"Well?" demanded Miss Hardbroom. Tim didn't know what to say, and looked down at the table.
"Sorry," he muttered. Louise was also looking down at the table, and she laughed as she felt her cheeks burn scarlet.

*   *   *

 

Ethel shivered as she stood with her arms folded, and a very worried look on her face. Hobbes was standing, staff in hand, head bowed, at the very back of the cave. He was muttering some sort of incantation, which was unfamiliar to Ethel.
"Hobbes?" No response. "Hobbes?" she repeated in a louder, more urgent tone. Hobbes responded by increasing the volume of the chant. Ethel was beginning to look really worried. She glanced towards the cave mouth, before turning her attention back to Hobbes. "Hobbes, you're really beginning to frighten me now," she told him, but he just ignored her. It was as though he was stuck in some sort of trance. The look of concern was growing on Ethel's face.
A strange glowing light slowly started to grow from the end of Hobbes' staff. As it grew, it lit up the back wall of the cave. A small crack appeared in the wall, which started to spread, splitting the cave wall in two. Hobbes' chanting was growing louder and more intense, and the green light coming from his staff had reached blinding point. The cave wall then started to crumble away, causing the gap in the centre to grow bigger. The ground beneath them shook violently, as though an earthquake was beginning directly underneath them.

 

*   *   *

 

Milly, Cas, Tim, Azmat, Deirdre, Louise and Miss Hardbroom had just stood up and were about to leave the sandwich bar, when they felt the tremors originating from the cave. Miss Hardbroom automatically pulled her niece closer to her, and the rest of the students just managed to keep their balance until the ground stopped moving.
"It's a wonder the pier didn't collapse!" stated Louise.
"What do you think that was?" asked Tim.
"I'm not sure," Miss Hardbroom told them, instantly forgetting that Tim had just been starting at her niece as though she were a caged animal n a zoo. "But I think the best thing we can do, is get back on to solid ground, in case it happens again."
It wasn't long before they were all off the pier, and they surveyed the scene around them. Everyone was asking everyone else if anyone knew what had happened, but nobody seemed to have a clue.
"Well, that was a bit hair raising, to say the least," commented Deirdre.
"Do you think anyone's been injured?" asked Azmat.
"I hope not," replied Miss Hardbroom. "It's probably best if we head back to the hotel, just to make sure Ethel and 'Hobbes' are alright." She paused for a minute. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't 'Hobbes' his surname?"
"Yeah, it is," Azmat informed her.
"Well, why don't you call him by his first name?"
"That's just Hobbes for you," Milly answered. Nothing more was said as they made their way back to the hotel.

 

*   *   *

 

Ethel picked herself up from the ground and looked around for Hobbes. He was standing, motionless, looking through the large opening at the back of the cave.
"This is it," he said, although he didn't seem to be addressing Ethel; he seemed to be talking to himself. In fact, he didn't even seem to notice that Ethel was there. "The pathway to power." He suddenly moved forward, and walked quickly through the opening. Ethel hesitated, before running after him.
Once they had travelled a fair distance into the cave, the ground started to shake again. This time, the ground started to part beneath them, revealing a deep lake. An eerie green light seemed to glow from the water's depths, lighting up the dark cave walls. Ethel just managed to avoid falling in, and landed on her back at the side of the lake. The tremors were causing loose rocks to fall from the cave walls and roof, and Ethel looked up, just in time to see a rather large piece of rock break off. She tried to get out of the way, but she wasn't quick enough. She was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground.

 

*   *   *