The Warriors of Brin-Hask by Cerberus Jones

‘So I call her Arabella Moonglow,’ said Sophie T, ‘because she’s all white, see?’
    Amelia bent over the baby rabbit in Sophie T’s cupped hands. ‘She’s so soft!’ said
Amelia.
    ‘Yeah,’ said Sophie T, passing the rabbit to Amelia. ‘Here, you can hold her.’
    Amelia heard a groan behind her. Charlie was jiggling up and down, his face so warped
by impatience that Amelia had to stop herself from laughing.

    In a minute, Amelia thought. The end-of-school bell had only just rung, and there
were heaps of other kids in the playground for Charlie to hang out with for five
minutes.
    ‘Amelia,’ Charlie muttered, ‘how long –’
    ‘So,’ said Sophie T loudly, as though Charlie hadn’t spoken, ‘do you want one? Arabella
is mine, obviously, but there are four other bunnies in the litter. Sophie F is coming
over this afternoon to pick hers. You could come, too.’
    Charlie coughed.
    Amelia sighed and gave the rabbit one last pat. All right, Charlie. I haven’t forgotten
you .
    But Sophie T saw her disappointment, and snapped at him, ‘Is there a problem, Charles? ’
    Charlie instantly bristled with anger, but before he could open his mouth to speak,
Amelia bundled the rabbit back into Sophie T’s arms and babbled brightly, ‘Oh, my
goodness, thanks for reminding me, Charlie. Sorry, Sophie, I’ve just remembered I
have to get back to the hotel this afternoon as soon as I can …’
    She rattled on, trying to fill in the space so that nobody else could get a word
in. The last thing she needed right now was for Charlie and Sophie T to start on
each other.
    Sophie T slitted her eyes at Charlie, a look of pure venom, but then turned back
to Amelia and said sweetly, ‘Oh, don’t worry about it. You can come to my house some
other day. Any day, actually. I’m sure it would make a nice change for you not to
be forced to hang out with …’ She paused, flashed a split-second sneer at Charlie,
and then went on, ‘I mean, hang out at such a creepy old hotel.’
    Amelia felt a prickle of unease. She was suddenly aware that every kid left in the
playground had stopped whatever they were doing, and were now listening to their
conversation.
    ‘Forced!’ Charlie barked. ‘As if anyone would have to be forced to hang out at the
hotel!’
    ‘As if anyone asked you!’ Sophie T shot back.
    ‘I don’t need to be asked,’ Charlie was almost yelling now. ‘I practically live there!
You’re just jealous because no-one has asked you .’
    Amelia froze. How could he say that! He knew how nearly impossible it was for Amelia
to invite any of her school friends back to the hotel. She’d already been to three
afternoon teas at Sophie T’s, and spent one Saturday morning at Sophie F’s, and felt
really, really slack about not returning the favour. Soon, her mum promised. Soon,
but not quite yet …
    And Charlie was using it against Sophie T, as though Amelia didn’t want to be a real
friend to her.
    Luckily, by this stage Sophie T was so angry she didn’t pause to take up the point
with Amelia. She just lashed back at Charlie, ‘Jealous? How stupid are you, Charles? The only reason I haven’t been to the hotel is, I don’t want to! And not just because
you practically live there , either. Although it does prove my point, because any
place you think is cool must be pathetic.’
    ‘Ha!’ shouted Charlie. ‘Ha! That shows what you know! For your information, the hotel
is –’
    Amelia yelped and leapt between them, and heard herself shrieking, ‘Charlie! That’s
enough! Shut it!’
    Sophie T swelled with triumph, and turned smoothly to Amelia. ‘Anyway, as I was saying,
before I was so rudely interrupted –’
    ‘I’m sorry, Sophie,’ Amelia butted in gently. ‘But Charlie’s right. I’ve got to get
back to the hotel now.’
    She didn’t look back as she and Charlie walked past every other kid in the playground
and out through the school gates. Then again, she didn’t need to. She could