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High Tide
Summer Waters
Dive into another exciting magical adventure for girls – will you answer the call of Silver Dolphins?Everyone is busy at Sea Watch with preparations to return young seal Tilly to the sea. Meanwhile, a film crew for popular TV series ‘Stage Struck’ arrives in Sandy Bay! They’re filming on the beaches, making it hard for Silver Dolphins to answer the call without being noticed…Antonia and Cai make a daring rescue of an unusual creature and become celebrities in their own right, but when a rising tide threatens the safety of the film crew is the Silver Dolphins secret about to be exposed for good?
Silver Dolphins
9
High Tide
by
Summer Waters
For Lucy Broom
Table of Contents
Cover Page (#u4af154a5-17b4-5e41-8167-7dc2aab2635e)
Title Page (#ueeaa4942-e77e-5f36-9091-b38827a89eaa)
Prologue (#u0779562a-2e5d-5f2d-ab8b-48a677fe773e)
Chapter One (#ucf94611a-e0c9-5f2c-a191-811045f7808b)
Chapter Two (#u74e99c25-1d76-56e4-a1a9-2658a638a5d2)
Chapter Three (#u44436726-a8bc-513d-89a7-82c70761e68d)
Chapter Four (#u68f970e3-de56-53d6-ac41-840871dad362)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue (#ulink_344b7160-15ef-5c11-a262-1c966c2b01e0)
Hidden behind some rocks, Spirit, a magnificent dolphin with striking yellow markings, lazily watched the younger dolphins searching the seabed for a strand of seaweed. His wife, Star, was watching them too.
“I’ve found some,” clicked Bubbles, digging in the sand with his nose and uncovering a long, green, crinkly piece.
“Good,” clicked Swift, an athletic dolphin with a sleek, muscular body. “Now we can play seaweed tag. Who wants to be ‘it’?”
“Me,” squeaked Velvet, shyly swimming forward.
As she reached out to take the seaweed from Bubbles, Swift swam in front of her, blocking the way.
“Who said you could play?” he clicked bossily.
“N-n-no one,” said Velvet uncertainly. “But I can, can’t I?”
“No,” Swift clicked. “Boys only. Go away.”
Star went to intervene, but Spirit stopped her.
“Wait a moment,” he said softly. “Let’s see if they can sort this out for themselves.”
Just then Bubbles swam forward and tossed the seaweed down in the sand. “If Velvet can’t play then I don’t want to either,” he said.
“Boys only,” said Swift firmly. “And you will play or else.”
As he spoke, Swift seemed to grow larger. The other young dolphins huddled together, nervously watching what would happen next.
“Or else what?” asked Bubbles calmly. “You don’t scare me. Come on, Velvet. Let’s go play somewhere else.”
Swift stared in surprise as Bubbles and Velvet left with the other dolphins chasing after them calling, “Wait for us. Can we play too?”
When they’d gone, Star smiled at Spirit.
“Bubbles did well,” she said. “It takes courage to stand up to someone who looks stronger than you.”
“He did,” clicked Spirit proudly.
“The Silver Dolphins do well too,” Star mused. “They stand up for us and our oceans.”
“The Silver Dolphins are very brave,” Spirit agreed. “We are lucky to have them.”
Chapter One (#ulink_bd2291a8-9eb3-5282-9304-9c0de6d224d3)
Antonia Lee and Sophie Hastings were on their way to school.
“Antonia, were you listening to anything I’ve been saying?” asked Sophie, gently tapping her best friend.
Smiling apologetically, Antonia took Sophie’s arm and linked it with hers.
“Sorry, Soph. I was, but then I got distracted by that seagull cawing. It reminded me how much there is to do at Sea Watch right now.”
Sophie sighed and rolled her eyes, but she was only joking.
“Forget Sea Watch for just one minute,” she said. “This is exciting news. You know that TV programme Stage Struck? The one about the teenagers who go to a drama school? Well, it’s coming here, to Sandy Bay, to film for the new series!”
“You don’t watch Stage Struck,” said Antonia, waving at Cai and Toby who were waiting at the school gates.
“Not very often,” Sophie agreed, “but it’s still exciting. There are lots of opportunities for artists on a film set: scenery, make-up, costumes, that sort of thing. I’m definitely going to go and watch the filming. I might learn something new.”
Sophie was mad about art and rarely went anywhere without her sketch book and a pencil.
“The film cast and crew are arriving today. Dad says everyone’s staying at the Sandy Bay Hotel. They’ve taken over two whole floors and the penthouse suite.”
“Not you as well!” exclaimed Toby. “Everyone’s talking about Stage Stuck.”
“Stage Struck,” Sophie corrected him.
Toby gave her a cheeky grin and, realising he was teasing her, Sophie groaned.
The whole school was buzzing with the news and soon Antonia was fed up of hearing about Stage Struck.
“Not long now,” whispered Cai, as they filed into afternoon assembly.
Antonia glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes until the end of the school day, then she and Cai would be free to go to Sea Watch, the marine conservation charity run by Cai’s great-aunt Claudia. She could hardly wait! She didn’t hear a word that the headmaster, Mr Cordier, said. Antonia rested her hand lightly on her school polo shirt, knowing that her silver dolphin charm necklace was hidden underneath it. Jewellery was forbidden at Sandy Bay Primary School, but Antonia never went anywhere without her special necklace.
Antonia and Cai shared a wonderful secret. They were Silver Dolphins, guardians of the sea. When the dolphins called to them through their special jewellery, Silver Dolphin magic allowed Antonia and Cai to swim with real dolphins so they could look after the ocean and the creatures living there. Silver Dolphins were rare. Claudia was a Silver Dolphin too, although she rarely answered the call these days.
“Antonia Lee, I said Year Six could lead out,” said Mr Cordier. “It’s home time.”
Antonia’s face flamed red as the rest of the school giggled.
“She wasn’t listening because she’s thinking about Stage Struck!” hissed Lauren nastily.
“She’s not such a big fan as you are!” Becky whispered loyally.
“I know,” Lauren’s voice became louder as they moved out of the hall and filed along the corridor back to class. “I’ve got all the old series on DVD. I’ve got posters round my room and the fact-file diary. And soon I’m going to have autographs of the whole cast. Mum bought me an autograph book to collect them in. What do you think of that, Toni?”
“That’s nice,” said Antonia.
Lauren eyed her suspiciously. “I suppose you’ll get an autograph book now!”
Antonia ignored her and concentrated on getting her things ready to go home. When the school bell rang she stood smartly at her desk with her bag packed and her fleece on.
“Antonia, Alicia, Sophie, Charlie, Cai and Toby can all go,” said Mrs Howard.
“Hmmph!” grumbled Lauren as Antonia walked past her. “I bet I get their autographs before you do.”
“What was all that about?” asked Cai, as they set out to Sea Watch together.
Antonia shrugged. “Lauren seems to think I’m dying to meet the cast of Stage Struck.”
Cai laughed. “Like you’ve got time for that!”
When they arrived at Sea Watch, Claudia was pleased to see them.
“Someone’s just brought in a razorbill with oil on his feathers. I’m about to start cleaning him up, so if you could feed the herring gulls and clean out their cage and see to Tilly that would be very helpful.”
Antonia’s heart skipped a beat.
“Has there been another oil spill?” she asked.
“No, this bird’s just been unlucky enough to find a patch of oily sea. Boats often leak small amounts of oil.”
Sighing softly, Claudia went to fetch an apron and some thick gloves.
Antonia and Cai took a quick look at the razorbill before starting their jobs. “He looks very fed up,” commented Antonia.
“I’m not surprised,” said Cai. “Look at the state of him.”
Razorbills in the wild were proud-looking birds, black with snowy-white chests and a distinctive white line on their beaks. This bird’s feathers were clogged with oil and his white parts were a grimy grey.
“Steady,” soothed Antonia, as the bird let out a frightened growl.
The bird stared at her and after a bit gradually relaxed.
“It’s amazing how you do that,” said Cai.
Before Antonia could think of a modest reply, Claudia returned with a solution to cleanse the bird’s stomach of poisonous oil and a special washing-up liquid for his feathers.
“Let’s get started,” she said, putting the solutions next to the sink.
Antonia and Cai put on gloves and aprons and went outside.
“Who shall we do first?” asked Cai.
“The gulls,” answered Antonia, wanting to save her favourite animal until last. Tilly the seal had been at Sea Watch for many months now, much longer than expected, but after several setbacks she was finally fit enough to return to the sea. Antonia was pleased that Tilly was going home, but she was really going to miss her.
There were four gulls in the outside aviary; two with broken wings, one with a broken leg and the other with injuries to her chest. Like most of the herring gulls around Sandy Bay, they were an inquisitive bunch who stared unnervingly at Antonia and Cai while they worked.
“They’re so greedy,” said Cai. “They’re only watching us to see if we’ve got something to eat.”
“I know,” said Antonia. “The other day that big one nearly pecked off my finger thinking my cleaning cloth was food.”
