water began to vibrate, then like a mini tornado, a column of water spun from the surface, as Bubbles leapt out of the sea. He was followed more sedately by his sister, Dream, and their mother, Star.
“Bubbles,” clicked Antonia happily. She was so pleased to see him again, she wanted to turn a somersault. But that would mean letting go of the trolley, so she splashed the water with her tail-like legs instead.
“Hi Dream, hello Star; it’s good to see you too.”
“Hi,” said Dream, swimming up and gently rubbing noses with Antonia, then Cai. Turning to Star, she asked, “Can we help the Silver Dolphins, Mum?”
“Hello,” clicked Star, greeting Antonia and Cai with a friendly nose rub.
“Can we help?” asked Bubbles impatiently.
Star hesitated. “I don’t think it would be a good idea,” she clicked. “That thing is hard and scratchy. It could easily damage your soft skin. Let the Silver Dolphins deal with it. Their hands are more useful than fins on this occasion.”
“Aw, Mum!” clicked Bubbles. “Please let us help. We’ll be really careful.”
But Star wouldn’t allow it. “It’s too dangerous. You can play with the Silver Dolphins when they’ve finished their task,” she said firmly.
Bubbles cheered up immediately. “Sprat or seaweed tag?” he clicked.
“Neither,” panted Antonia. “Sorry Bubbles, but we’ve got to go to school when we’re done. We’re late as it is.”
“What’s school?” asked Bubbles.
“It’s a place where children go to learn things,” Antonia explained.
Bubbles looked puzzled. “Can’t your parents teach you what you need to know?” he asked.
“Our parents are too busy working,” said Cai. “I don’t even live with mine right now. They’re in Australia.”
Bubbles stared at Cai with his mouth open. “Humans,” he clicked, slowly shaking his head. “You make things so complicated.”
Antonia and Cai laughed loudly.
“Too right,” said Cai.
Spirit helped the Silver Dolphins swim the shopping trolley towards Claudia’s beach. Bubbles swam alongside, occasionally turning somersaults or suddenly diving underneath the trolley.
“Bubbles!” said Star in a warning tone. “I’ll take you out to sea if you don’t behave.”
Bubbles rolled his eyes when his mother wasn’t looking and Antonia stifled a giggle. Star was as strict as her own mother, but she loved them both dearly. Thinking about Mum made Antonia uneasy. How long had they been gone? It was difficult to gauge time when she was a Silver Dolphin. And, although it seemed to go more slowly, Antonia was worried that she might be so late for school she’d need a better excuse than forgetting her lunchbox.
At last, Claudia’s beach came into view. There was lots of nose-rubbing and ruffling hair with flippers as the dolphins said goodbye. Bubbles high-fived Antonia and Cai with his tail.
The Silver Dolphins dragged the trolley ashore. It was even more awkward to move on land than it had been in the sea. The sand jammed the trolley’s wheels until eventually they gave up trying to push it and carried it over to the Sea Watch boat. Antonia pulled a hair-tie out of the pocket in her dress and swept her damp hair into a ponytail. It was the only thing to show she’d been swimming in the sea. The Silver Dolphin magic had left her clothes as dry as if she’d been sunbathing.
“Hopefully no one will notice my wet hair,” she said.
“I’m sure they won’t,” agreed Cai, pulling on his shoes. “Where did you leave your shoes? We’ll ask Aunty Claudia to take us there in the car before she drops us at school.”
Antonia brightened. “Thanks,” she said. “It’ll be quicker than walking.”
Claudia drove Antonia to Gull Bay and then on to school. She left Cai at home, promising to take him in later.
“It’ll look suspicious if you both arrive late together,” she said, her sea-green eyes twinkling.
School had not long started, but Antonia had missed the register and Miss Brown sent her to the office to see Mrs Lee, who was in charge of signing in latecomers. Antonia smiled cheerfully at her mother, but Mrs Lee gave her a stern telling-off.
“Don’t ever do that again,” she ranted. “You are supposed to walk straight to school. If I can’t trust you to go where we’ve agreed, then you won’t be allowed out alone.”
“I only went home to get my lunchbox. I asked Sophie to tell you where I was going,” Antonia protested.
“That’s not the point!” said Mrs Lee. “You’ve been gone ages. What took you so long?”
“I got a stitch from running,” mumbled Antonia. She hated telling lies, but being a Silver Dolphin meant making difficult choices.
“I’m grounding you this afternoon,” said Mum, when she eventually ran out of things to say. “Meet me here after school. I’ll walk you home with Jessica.”
“Mum!” exclaimed Antonia. “You can’t ground me. I promised I’d go to Sea Watch. We’re getting the guillemots ready for their release back into the wild.”
The guillemots had been at Sea Watch for several weeks, since a minor oil spill in Sandy Bay damaged their feathers.
“Sea Watch will survive without you for one afternoon,” said Mum firmly. “Now go back to class. You’ve wasted enough lesson time already.”
Cai was disappointed that Antonia wasn’t allowed to go to Sea Watch, but Sophie was pleased.
“Can I come home with you?” she asked. “We haven’t been round to each other’s houses after school for ages.”
Antonia’s face reddened. “I’d love you to. I don’t want you to think that you can only come round when I’m not allowed to go to Sea Watch, though.”
“Don’t be silly,” said Sophie. “We’re better friends than that!”
Jessica, Antonia’s little sister, was ecstatic to have both Antonia and Sophie walking home with her.
“Can I play with you?” she asked. “I’m seven now. It was my birthday when you were away, Sophie.”
“I know,” said Sophie. “I can’t believe you’ll soon be in Year Three.”
“So can I play with you?”
“For a little bit,” said Sophie kindly.
At home, Antonia
