Chapter 1
Inthe middle of an ordinary town, just past the shops and over the railway bridge, stood a very ordinary school. Behind the school, there was an ordinary, concrete playground, surrounded by sycamore trees. But the school grounds extended even further than the playground, all the way past the basketball hoop and behind the sports equipment shed.
Tucked away in this quiet corner, there was a crumbling stone wall, with a circle of large, ancient stones scattered on the ground. With a bit of imagination, these ruins looked like they could have been something extraordinary, once upon a time. Part of a castle, perhaps.
And a bit of imagination is exactly what Frankie had. Frankie and her best friends, Mia, Eni and Bee had started meeting at the stones at the beginning of their final year. Frankie had immediately decided they should call themselves the Castle Club. They often spent their breaktimes and lunchtimes here, away from the noise and chaos of the main playground. Now it was early summer, and they only had a few weeks left of term. In the autumn, they would all be moving on to Parkside High School.
This lunchtime, Frankie was first to arrive. She tore across the playground as quick as she could, impatient to grab the spot for her friends. The hem of her untucked polo shirt flapped in the breeze.
Frankie sat down, panting. Some strands of thick dark hair had escaped from her ponytail, and she tucked them behind her ears. Then she grabbed a crumpled notebook from her pocket and began to scribble down a story idea that had just come to her.
Frankie loved reading and writing stories. She was almost never without a book or a notebook.
“Hi, Frankie! One day I’ll get here before you. You’re too quick!”
Mia sat on a large stone near to her friend. She was 11, like Frankie and the other girls, but often seemed older than the others. She was used to looking out for everyone else, as she often had to care for her younger brothers at home.
Mia pushed her glasses up her freckled nose and unzipped her lunch bag. “Cheese sandwiches again. Why do I always make myself cheese?” she laughed. “At least I remembered my chocolate biscuit today.”
Eni was third to arrive, flopping down next to her friends with a dramatic sigh. “Why, oh why, does Mrs Martin always want to speak to me before lunch? I’m sure she could hear my stomach rumbling!”
She set her sketchpad down carefully next to her and unwrapped her sandwiches. While Frankie was never without a book or notebook, Eni often had a small sketchpad and pencils. She was a very talented artist.
Frankie laughed. “Well, we’re glad you’re here. It’s not the Castle Club without you, Eni.”
Bee was the last to arrive. As usual, she’d waited until everyone else left the classroom before grabbing her lunchbox and navigating around the edges of the playground to find her friends. She quietly slipped into the stone circle and sat next to Frankie. Bee mainly liked to listen to the other girls’ chatter but always chimed in when she had something important to say.
The girls were halfway through their sandwiches and deep in conversation when a curly-haired
head popped around the side of the shed.
“Hey, Frankie!”
Bee let out a little squeak.
“George, watch out! You startled us!” Frankie said, putting a protective arm around Bee.
George hung back next to the shed. “Sorry,” he said. “I was just wondering if I can sit with you today? I don’t feel like playing football.”
George was also in the girls’ class, but as Frankie’s next door neighbour, she was the one who knew him best. They often walked to school together.
Frankie looked at the other girls, who all nodded.
“Sure, have a seat. We were just talking about how long we’ve got left before we leave. I can’t believe it’s nearly time to go to secondary school already. Before you know it, we’ll all be grown-ups and working!”
Eni wrinkled her nose and swallowed the final bite of her sandwich. “Working! That sounds
