CHAPTER ONE
Tick Tock, Tick Tock
Tick tock, tick tock, BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
“Good morning, Rani!” said Mira, as her big sister opened her eyes.
“GGAAAARRRRRGH!” Rani screamed. “Why are you in my face?!”
Mira threw down the alarm clock and started jumping up and down on her sister’s bed. “We’ve got to get to Unicorn School! It’s MY FIELD TRIP TODAY!” Mira yelled. She was waving her signed permission slip in the air. “I’m almost ready! I just need to make my packed lunch.”
“Get OFF!” Rani shoved Mira off the bed and stuck her head under the pillow.
Mira jumped onto the floor, hopping from foot to foot. “What do you think I should have in my sandwiches, tuna or cheese?”
“GO AWAY!” Rani flung a pillow at her little sister.
“Okay, bye! See you downstairs!” Mira dodged the pillow and scooped up their cat, Pickles, for a cuddle on the way.
Soon, she’d be cuddling Dave, her UBFF (Unicorn Best Friend Forever). He was the best unicorn in the world. Sure, he could be pretty grumpy. And he ALWAYS wanted to eat snacks or take a nap, and this often got them both in trouble. And he certainly wasn’t as glittery as some of the other unicorns. (He was much more farty.) BUT Dave was Mira’s UBFF and they always ended up having the most amazing adventures and TONS of fun.
Unicorn School was Mira’s favorite place in the whole world. They went on quests around the Fearsome Forest, hung out with Darcy and Raheem and their unicorns, AND earned medals. She couldn’t wait to go back!
* * *
After Mira had made her sandwiches (she’d decided on cheese) and had some breakfast, it was time to get dressed.
“I wish I could wear my kitticorn pajamas to school, Pickles,” Mira said, stroking the picture of the adorable kitticorn on her PJs. A kitticorn was a supercute baby cat that had a horn just like a unicorn. She’d found a book about them in the Unicorn School library and ever since then she’d been OBSESSED—drawing tons of pictures of them, keeping a list of her Top Ten Kitticorn Facts, and making her very own kitticorn toy out of cotton wool and a toilet paper roll (even though Rani said it looked more like a weird pig).
Mira was longing to meet a kitticorn in real life, but they were VERY rare. She was planning to ask the Unicorn School teachers if they’d ever seen one. But first she had to get to Unicorn School!
As soon as Mira and Rani were dressed, it was time to leave. Rani was still grumbling about having to get up so early, but Mira was so excited about her very first Unicorn School trip that she chatted nonstop in the car on the way to the Magic Portal, and all the way around the supermarket.
Most people brought their unicorns treats like hay or carrots. But Dave liked doughnuts best of all. Unfortunately, the store didn’t have any doughnuts, so Mira bought some vanilla cream cookies instead. She’d read that vanilla creams were a kitticorn’s favorite food, and so she was sure Dave would like them, too! They were on sale, so she got five packages.
Mira checked and double-checked her bag for her packed lunch and permission slip. She didn’t want anything to get in the way of her first field trip. She didn’t even know where they were going yet! It was all so exciting.
When they arrived at the Magic Portal, it wasn’t as busy as usual. It was only Mira’s class, Class Red, that had a field trip and had to arrive super early. There was something extra special about being at the portal before most other people had gotten there, and before the sun was even fully up. It felt like going on vacation!
“Have a wonderful school trip, Mira!” said Mom, giving her a big hug, while Rani yawned loudly in her ear.
“Thanks, Mom. Oh look, there’s Raheem!” Mira ran toward Raheem while waving back at her mom. “See you sooooooon!”
Raheem was one of Mira’s best friends at Unicorn School. Along with Darcy, the three of them always had incredible adventures. Raheem was clutching his briefcase and looking a little bleary-eyed. Mira sprinted over and knocked him off-balance with a huge hug.
“Woohoo! Are you ready for this?!” she yelled in his ear.
“Um, yes, hello!” Raheem mumbled through a yawn.
“Then LET’S GO!” Mira dragged Raheem over to the portal, which was in some bushes behind the trash cans. On the way she listed her top five favorite kitticorn colors, to wake him up a little. When they reached the bushes, Mira reached out for the sparkles and—
Twinkly lights exploded around them as they zoomed upward, as if they were being sucked up a spiral slide by a rainbow vacuum cleaner. As quickly as they whooshed upward, they were suddenly hurtling back down again. Soft pink and gold rays of the rising sun shone in their eyes as they tumbled onto the landing haystack and rolled out into the Grand Paddock.
Mira took a deep breath and looked around. Right away she spotted something new. Next to the landing haystack was a big rainbow-colored BUS!
“Do you think that’s for the field trip? I can’t wait to find out where we’re going!” Mira squealed, squeezing Raheem in excitement.
Just then, they heard a—
“TA-DAAA!” It was Darcy, spinning over to them with a wheelie. She gave Mira and Raheem high fives. “Hi, team. Missed you! Shall we find our—”
Before Darcy had a chance to finish, two unicorns came cantering over. Star and Brave were Darcy’s and Raheem’s unicorns, and today they were wearing the presents that Darcy and Raheem had made them on an earlier visit to Unicorn School. Brave was wearing Raheem’s special homemade superhero cape, while Star was in a wig that Darcy had made her so they would have matching hair.
Star and Brave gave their humans a nuzzle. But where was Dave?
Mira looked around for her Unicorn Best Friend Forever. Down the hill, the school turrets and clock tower gleamed in the rising sun. Beyond the school, Mira could see the Fearsome Forest, and beyond that the sparkly Crystal Mountains. It was all so magical, but there was still no sign of Dave.
Miss Glitterhorn, the Class Red teacher, appeared by the side of the bus, yawning and drinking from a very big mug of tea. She put the tea down and clapped her hands.
“Good morning, Class Red!” she called.
“Gooooood mooooorrrning, Miss Glitterhorrrrn,” called the children, sounding more tired than usual.
“Hi, Mom!” shouted Flo, who’d fallen asleep and woken up with a start.
“Please line up with your unicorns for the field trip,” said Miss Glitterhorn. “We are leaving shortly. Have your permission slips ready!”
Mira quickly checked—yes, she still had her permission slip. But where was her unicorn? She didn’t want him to miss the field trip!
“Dave? Da-ave!” Mira called quietly, ducking behind the bus to see if she could spot him.
Colin the Caretaker was filling up the bus with rainbow-berry juice. The pump was attached to a long line of tubes all coming from different rainbow-berry trees at the edge of the forest.
Colin suddenly looked confused. He took the pump out of the bus and shook it. It looked like the juice had dried up.
There was a sudden slurp sound behind her. Mira looked around and saw a plump unicorn butt poking out of the rainbow-berry trees. There was her unicorn!
“Dave!” she whispered.
The little unicorn turned and gave her a wave with his front hoof. He had one of the pipes in his mouth and was guzzling up the rainbow-berry juice!
“There you are!” Mira said with a giggle and ran over to give him a big hug.
By distracting Dave with a slightly sticky candy she found in her pocket, Mira managed to get the pipe off him and reconnect it to the pump. Colin started whistling happily as the juice began flowing into the bus again. Dave gave a series of cheerful burps.
“Dave, we have to line up with the others. We’re going on a trip today!” Mira tried to wipe off the rainbow-berry stains from around Dave’s mouth with the end of her sleeve, but she just ended up covered in the berry juice, too. “That’s a little better. Come on!”
Usually Mira had to drag Dave everywhere because he was either asleep or he would sit down and refuse to move. But right now Dave seemed very overexcited. Mira wondered if it was because of all the supersweet rainbow-berry juice and the candy. Instead of just trotting back to the bus, Dave zoomed backward and forward across the grass, knocking into trees and still burping loudly. Then he started doing all his best prancing moves. Eventually Mira managed to push the little prancing unicorn around to the bus just as Miss Glitterhorn was crossing the last of her classmates off the register.
“And, good! That’s everyone. Oh!” said Miss Glitterhorn. “Dave—you look … rather unusual this morning?”
Mira looked closely at her unicorn. His mane had turned rainbow-colored. It must have been the rainbow-berry juice!
“Um, Dave just wanted to … look nice for the field trip?” Mira said. She hoped her teacher wouldn’t ask any more questions.
“How lovely,” said Miss Glitterhorn vaguely.
Phew, thought Mira. Surely soon they would find out where they were going and then the field trip could begin!
Text copyright © 2020 by Egmont UK Ltd
Illustrations copyright © 2020 by David O’Connell
