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out. That’s why I’ve been expecting you to come here.”
    “But why did I change… I mean, Awaken?” said Laney.
    “Your faerie self was always inside you, waiting. Maybe it was simply the right time for it to come alive,” said Gwen. “Awakening must happen to each faerie, otherwise their power stays locked insidethem. The power of your tribe has now been set free.”
    Laney’s mind whirled with questions. “What’s a tribe? Claudia said something about that too.”
    “Your tribe describes the root of your power, and in time they will become like your family,” said Gwen. “I am from the Thorn tribe. We draw our strength from plants and trees, and in turn we use our powers to help them.”
    “Am I a Thorn faerie?” said Laney.
    Gwen looked at her steadily and Laney suddenly wondered how much she could see with those penetrating eyes. “No, I don’t think you are,” Gwen told her. “But the Thornbeam family are Thorns and so are the Willowbys.”
    Laney thought of Fletcher and his little sister Sara, both Thorn faeries. But what was she? “What are the other tribes called?” she asked.
    “There are five tribes altogether. The Greytails have power over any creature on the land. Then the Kestrels have power over the air. The Blaze tribe can control fire and the Mist tribe have power over water.” Gwen smiled. “There are no Kestrel or Blaze faeries living in Skellmore, although we sometimes see them passing through.”
    “Thorn, Kestrels, Blaze and Greytails?” said Laney.
    “And Mist,” said Gwen.
    “And Mist,” Laney repeated, pushing back the tendrils of hair that fell over her forehead. She felt as though the world was tilting sideways again, just like it had when Claudia had told her she was a faerie.
    She had to know what tribe she belonged to. What power did she have? She sprang up from the bench and stared at her reflection in the window. The answer was staring her in the face. No wonder she’d made the water fountain explode.
    “I have power over water.” She turned to Gwen. “I’m a Mist faerie, aren’t I?”
    “Yes, I think you are,” said Gwen with a smile.
    The front door banged and Claudia ran down the passageway. “Did you know there’s an orange tree in the middle of your sitting room?”
    “Help yourself if you’d like any fruit,” said Gwen. “You did the right thing by sending Laney to me.”
    Claudia grinned. “I don’t think I was explaining things very well.”
    “I get it now,” said Laney. “I’m a Mist faerie.” It felt strange to say it.
    “Well, duh!” Claudia grinned. “Don’t get me wet, OK? I don’t like water.”
    “But why is this happening in Skellmore?” said Laney. “I thought this was the most boring place on the planet.”
    “It
is
quite boring here,” agreed Claudia. “Mymum and dad won’t even let me fly on my own half the time! I had to sneak out of the window last night.”
    Laney blinked. She had a picture in her head of Claudia flying out of the window, her pale wings shimmering in the dark. “I’d like to learn to fly.”
    “You have to be careful that none of the humans see you.” Claudia climbed on to a garden table and leaned back languidly. “Although people could work out what’s going on if they tried a bit harder. They could totally spot the different tribes, for a start. I mean, have you ever wondered why some people can make anything grow? That’s typical Thorn tribe. And people who dash about like a whirlwind – well, that’s your Kestrel tribe. As for us Greytails, well, we’re the best, of course…”
    “Claudia, Laney needs time to take all of this in.” Gwen’s high voice grew stern.
    Claudia carried on. “But it amazes me that humans never notice. And – oh! We haven’t told you how many famous faeries there are. Queen Elizabeth the First was a Greytail, but only because her mother, Anne Boleyn, was and—”
    “Claudia!” said Gwen.
    Laney struggled for a moment with her whirling