whenever she went outside.
But before she could fetch them, Cai and his parents came out, carrying trays of food and drink. While Mrs Pacific arranged the food on the table, Mr Pacific erected a sun umbrella. Thankfully it gave plenty of shade so Antonia stopped worrying about suncream and sat down to eat. It was one of the best meals she had ever tasted. There was a fresh tropical-fruit salad, club sandwiches bursting with bacon, prawn salad sandwiches and ice-cold mango and orange smoothies.
“We’re planning a few trips out,” said Mrs Pacific, helping herself to a large bowl of fruit salad. “And there’s plenty to do here in the hotel complex. Why don’t you spend today exploring? The pools all have lifeguards so you can swim whenever you like.”
“Great,” said Cai. “I’d love a swim. What about you, Antonia?”
“Yes,” said Antonia decisively. It was so hot she could happily spend all day in the pool.
“Sounds fun,” said Mr Pacific. “I might swim too. You two go for a wander while we clear up. I’ll come and find you later by one of the pools.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind helping with the washing up,” said Antonia, pushing back her chair. Was it her imagination or did the tail of her dolphin charm twitch just then?
“Thanks, but there’s a dishwasher,” said Mrs Pacific, chuckling. “That was one of my holiday requests! Tonight we’re eating in the hotel restaurant. There’s an outdoor one overlooking the beach. It’s wonderful and has great food.”
Antonia couldn’t wait to explore. Quickly she went to her room to put on suncream and get her hat. As she rubbed the cream into her arms, the dolphin picture caught her eye. It was a stunning photo. The leaping dolphins reminded her of Bubbles when he did the twister: a full circle standing on the sea on his tail.
Suddenly Antonia had a very strong feeling that the dolphins needed her. She raised a hand to touch her charm, but stopped when she remembered her fingers were covered with sticky suncream. The dolphin charm began to vibrate, softly at first, then more rapidly.
Antonia was so surprised she stood rooted to the spot. Spirit knew she wasn’t in Sandy Bay, so who was calling to her? An ear-splitting whistle rang round the room.
Silver Dolphin, we need you.
I hear your call. Antonia automatically answered the unfamiliar voice in her head.
She wiped her hands clean and ran to the door. At the same time Cai shot out of his room. His brown eyes were wide with shock.
“Is that Spirit?” he asked.
“No,” said Antonia, who was a more powerful Silver Dolphin than Cai and could communicate with Spirit telepathically. “But we still have to answer the call.”
“I know,” said Cai.
Shouting a hasty goodbye to his parents, Cai opened the apartment door and ran outside. At the end of the road, past the last bungalow apartment, was a flight of steps with an arrow pointing to the beach.
Antonia and Cai sprinted over to the stone steps, which were steep and twisty. Clutching the metal handrail for support, they scrambled down them until they reached the hotel’s private beach. It was packed with holiday-makers enjoying a day in the sun.
Antonia and Cai were used to making themselves invisible in crowded places. They left their shoes under a low, prickly bush at the furthest end of the beach and ran across the golden sand. As they splashed into the water, Antonia caught her breath in surprise. The sea was lovely and warm! She waded out until it was deep enough to swim before diving into the clear blue water. Immediately her legs melded together, kicking the water like a dolphin’s tail.
Hurry, Silver Dolphin.
The charm thrummed urgently against her neck.
I’m coming.
Using her hands like flippers, Antonia sliced through the water. Her arching body leapt in and out of the sea like a real dolphin. She swam for ages, conscious only of the call of the dolphin and Cai racing along beside her. When the hotel beach was a small speck in the distance, Antonia felt vibrations in the water. They grew stronger until at last she saw a magnificent bottlenose dolphin swimming towards her.
The dolphin stopped a tail’s length away, mouth open slightly, showing a neat row of small white teeth. For a split second Antonia thought the dolphin was laughing, but realised that there was no laughter in those dark eyes. She hesitated, wondering if she should greet the dolphin by rubbing noses like she did with Spirit.
Then the dolphin clicked, “Thank you for answering my call, Silver Dolphins. We urgently need your help. Please follow me.”
“My name is Diamond. I’m the leader of a pod of bottlenose dolphins that live here in Blue Reef Bay,” explained the dolphin as she sped along. “We heard there were Silver Dolphins in the area. You’ve come at a good time. There’s a lot for you to do.”
Antonia was thrilled, but astonished. Did news spread as fast in the dolphin world as it did in hers? Had Spirit arranged for them to work with Diamond or had the bottle-nosed leader sensed their presence? That was the wonderful thing about magic, Antonia decided. It was full of surprises.
“How can we help?” she clicked.
“There’s a turtle caught in a fishing net. We’re nearly there.”
A turtle! In spite of the warm water, Antonia shivered. Discarded fishing nets were a common problem and often proved deadly. She swam faster, anxious to help the endangered creature.
Diamond began to swim towards the shore. The hotel beach lay to the left then the coastline dipped inwards forming a small secluded bay. The beach was beautiful with golden sand and a fringe of palm trees at the furthest end. Soon Diamond slowed.
“It’s too shallow for me to go any closer,” she clicked. “I’ll wait here. Hurry, Silver Dolphins.”
Side by side, Antonia and Cai swam towards the beach. Antonia saw the turtle first and she cried out in horror. “Oh, the poor thing!”
The green turtle was almost a metre long and completely trussed up in a bright blue fishing net. He lay in the shallows, like a huge bundle of rubbish, the sea gently rocking him back and forth. The tip of his front flippers protruded from the netting, but he was too tangled up to move them.
Antonia looked around for something sharp to cut the net with. There was nothing in the water, but the beach was peppered with small stones. She and Cai ran up the beach to look for a largish stone with a sharp edge.
When they got back in the water, Antonia realised the stone she had chosen was next to useless, having little effect on the thick blue netting. Cai was having similar problems with his too. They stood on either side of the turtle, desperately sawing at the rope.
“This is going to take ages,” grunted Cai.
“We need something sharper,” Antonia
