Read Over The Rainbow for Free Online Page A

at wand-books instead,’ said Saphie, as she checked to make sure they were totally alone. ‘The saddest part is that if these books don’t get read, they just crumble away to dust.’
    As Elly walked along, the books seemed to make a whispering, rustling sound.
    â€˜It’s like they’re asking me to read them,’ said Elly.
    â€˜They are,’ said Saphie. ‘Those are Tell Tale books – they’re a record of all the naughty things Rainbow Academy students have done over the years. They’re probably dying to tell you everything.’
    Then Elly spotted something glinting under one of the shelves. She bent down and fished it out. It was a tiny book, no bigger than her hand, with golden edges. It was very dusty and crumbly.
    Poor old book, thought Elly. If someone didn’t read it soon it would probably vanish completely. Elly slipped the book into her backpack, giving it a reassuring pat as she did. Don’t worry, she told the book silently. I’ll read you.
    â€˜Now,’ said Saphie, once they were sure no-one was hiding anywhere, ‘what did you want to talk about?’

    So Elly explained all about Jess. She even told Saphie her big secret – that Jess knew Elly was a fairy! This was strictly against Fairy Code rules. If anyone found out about it, Elly would be in huge trouble. But Elly knew she could trust Saphie with her secret.
    When Elly had finished, Saphie nodded. ‘That’s why you were so upset when Grand-ma said that Jess was being crushed,’ she said.
    â€˜Exactly,’ replied Elly. ‘And that’s why I have to sneak over to the other side of the rainbow. Jess might need my help!’
    â€˜But how are you planning to sneak out?’ asked Saphie.
    â€˜Well, I thought you might have some ideas,’ said Elly hopefully.
    But Saphie looked unsure. ‘It’s pretty much impossible to sneak out of Rainbowville,’ she said. ‘The last time any unlicensed fairies left Rainbowville was ages ago. It used to be a fairy’s job to scan the sky for fairies going in and out of Rainbowville. This particular time, the fairy on duty fell asleep, so two Rainbow Academy students sneaked out. They both got into huge trouble when they were caught. Then the automatic Sky Scanner was invented and no-one has ever gotten past it.’
    â€˜I guess it’s hopeless then,’ Elly frowned. ‘Besides, it’s not just the Sky Scanner. There’s also the problem of sneaking out of the Rainbow Academy itself! This place is covered with fairy sensors.’
    â€˜Well, actually,’ said Saphie, lowering her voice, ‘ that bit would be easy.’ She went over to one of the windows and carefully removed the books stacked on the windowsill.
    Elly held her breath. Usually when you touched one of the Academy windows they started beeping furiously, but this one remained silent. Saphie pushed on it, and with a gentle creak the window swung open.
    â€˜It’s been broken for ages,’ explained Saphie, ‘but no-one comes down here, so I’m the only one who knows about it.’
    Her eyes sparkling, Elly hugged her friend. ‘Thanks so much,’ she said gratefully. ‘You’ve just solved half of the problem.’
    Suddenly, Saphie sat up straight. ‘You know what,’ she said slowly. ‘I found a book when I first arrived here that had fallen down the back of the shelves. I got the feeling it wasn’t really meant to be there, in fact. I started reading it because it looked so neglected.’
    â€˜What was it about?’ asked Elly.
    â€˜The Sky Scanner,’ said Saphie. Then her voice dropped to a whisper. ‘It said that it’s possible to switch it into maintenance mode.’
    Elly frowned. ‘Maintenance mode?’
    Saphie nodded. She was starting to look excited. ‘Yes. If I understood correctly, it would be like shutting it down for repairs.