"Stay very still," Olivia whispered to Snowflake as they hid behind the marble statue of a flying unicorn.
"Should we go now?" asked Snowflake eagerly. The December air was icy, and Snowflake's breath froze in little clouds as she spoke.
"Not yet," said Olivia, her green eyes on Isabel, who was patrolling in front of the apple tree that the girls were using as base in their game of tag. "We need to wait until Isabel and Cloud get distracted." Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no! I think I'm going to . . . Aaaatishooo!"
"There they are!" yelled Isabel.
"Go, Snowflake!" shrieked Olivia. Snowflake leaped out from behind the statue, the sunlight making the silver and blue stars on her white coat shine. She charged toward the apple tree, swerving nimbly around Cloud. Olivia's red hair flew out behind her as Snowflake tried her hardest to get to base, but Scarlett and Blaze, who were also catchers in the game, came galloping up from the right-hand side. Scarlett's arm was outstretched. Snowflake tried to get past Blaze, but Blaze was one of the fastest unicorns at Unicorn Academy, and Scarlett's hand lightly tagged Olivia's arm.
"Got you!"
Isabel whooped. "Way to go, Scarlett!"
"Sorry, Snowflake," Olivia apologized as they came to a stop.
"It doesn't matter," whinnied Snowflake, shaking her long mane. "It's fun whether we're the catchers or the people hiding!"
Isabel looked around. "Come out! Come out! Wherever you are!" she sang to their three friends, who were still hidden.
Olivia caught a glimpse of a multicolored mane behind a rosebush. "Sophia and Rainbow are over there!" she cried. "Catch them!"
The game continued until all the girls from Sapphire dorm had been caught.
"I need a rest!" said Olivia, fanning her face.
"Me too," said Layla, trotting up on Dancer.
"Play for a little longer, pleeease?" begged Scarlett. "It's our last weekend before the graduation ball. There won't be time to play next week, and then after that we'll all be going home."
The six girls from Sapphire dorm sighed. They had started at Unicorn Academy almost a year ago. In that time, they had all been given their own unicorn to love and bond with, and they'd had loads of exciting adventures together.
"It's going to be so strange not being here any longer," said Ava, looking around wistfully.
"I'll still be here," Olivia pointed out. "Snowflake hasn't discovered her magic yet, and we haven't bonded, so I won't be allowed to graduate."
Bonding was the highest form of friendship. When a person and their unicorn bonded, a strand of the person's hair turned the same color as the unicorn's mane, showing they were friends for life. From that moment on, it was their duty to help protect Unicorn Island--the beautiful land where they lived. Olivia's friends all had a colorful streak in their hair--Sophia's was multicolored like Rainbow's mane, Ava's was purple, Isabel's was silver and blue, Scarlett's was red and gold, and Layla, who had bonded with Dancer most recently, had an indigo, yellow, and pink streak.
Olivia touched her own red hair, wishing she could have a blue-and-silver streak to match Snowflake's mane. As if sensing her sadness, Snowflake turned and nuzzled her leg. "We'll bond soon," she told Olivia. "There's time before graduation."
"Yes, there's still ten days!" said Sophia. "We'll help you find Snowflake's magic so we can all graduate together."
"We're not leaving you here with horrible Valentina, Delia, and Jacinta," said Scarlett. "They haven't bonded with their unicorns yet either."
Olivia felt a warm tingly feeling rush through her. Her friends were the best, and if anyone could help her, they could! "Thanks. But look, it won't be so bad if I don't graduate with all of you. My little sister, Matilda, is starting in January, so at least I'll know someone."
"You are going to graduate," declared Isabel. "And we are all going to meet up regularly. I know we live far away from each other, but we can sleep over at each other's houses. My room is tiny, but it's so warm in my part of the island that we can sleep outside in hammocks."
"My room's small too, but Dad lets me sleep in one of the empty greenhouses when I have a sleepover," said Ava, whose parents ran a plant nursery.
Olivia's stomach squirmed as everyone described their houses and what fun they'd have all squeezing in for sleepovers. She had a secret she still hadn't told her friends, despite knowing them for almost a year.

---

Excerpted from Unicorn Academy #6: Olivia and Snowflake by Julie Sykes
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.