Olivia's First Term (4 page)

Chapter Eight

Katie had always known that one day she would be famous. It wasn't a question of
if
, just
when
. For somebody with her talent and looks, it was guaranteed. She felt certain of that. Today was the start of the journey that would eventually take her to starring roles and the front covers of all the glossy magazines. She'd shine in the West End and on Broadway and she'd make movies and win a Best Actress Oscar while still in her teens. Her acceptance speech would be so humble and moving that it would reduce all who saw it to helpless tears and become iconic on YouTube. She thought it must be lovely to have people waiting outside your house day and night, wanting to take photos of you.

Her stomach was fizzing like a firework but
as soon as she stepped on stage into the light, all her nerves evaporated. This was what she was born to do. She was a natural. Others might need long hours of practice in the rehearsal room, but not her, not Katie Wilkes-Cox. She opened her mouth and the clear notes rose into the air like balloons. She began to enjoy herself. She couldn't see the audience, but she could feel them. She thought of the audience as being like a big cat, and by singing the song really well she was tickling the cat's tummy and making it purr. She could feel the cat eating out of her hand, coming back greedily for more.

The song was a huge success and the audience roared their approval. Katie beamed and bowed and felt as if she might burst with excitement. She saw Georgia sitting in the front row, very pale, with her ankle bandaged. For a split second Katie felt a twinge of guilt, but then she remembered what her dad had said. Georgia wasn't a friend, she was a rival. Her dad was always right. After all, he had made millions through his property-developing business. He was a success, and Katie wanted to be successful just like him.

She sneaked a glance towards Miss
Swan. She was looking at Katie with a look of amusement on her face. Katie took that for approval. She had shown the old Swan that she was a real star and that she should have picked her in the first place. Katie allowed her mind to drift for a moment as she acknowledged the applause. The audience loved her. She imagined Miss Swan tapping her on the shoulder afterwards and leading her into her snug office, settling her down in one of the comfy armchairs with the paisley throws, offering her apple juice and chocolate biscuits, before leaning forward and saying, “Katie, my dear, you are a very, very special girl, undoubtedly the most supremely talented child that we have ever had at the Swan, and I intend to devote myself to turning you into a massive star. From now on you will have my full attention.”

Katie was so enjoying her fantasy that she almost missed the opening bars of the music for her dance. She had to concentrate. She took the first few steps. She was very conscious of her body and of the fact that she had to coax it into doing what she wanted. She knew that, unlike Georgia, she didn't have great technique. But Katie was sure that she had something much
more important: natural flair. Practice was for the also-rans like Georgia, not for real stars like her. She relaxed a little as the music seeped into her brain; she felt the audience beginning to relax too. She took several more steps, then she prepared to make an impressive leap. She left the ground, momentum carried her through the air and then she bumped into something and gave an outraged shriek. What was going on? She was supposed to have the stage all to herself, but there was somebody else there, a small child with crazy chestnut ringlets who was doing a mad dance to the music, occasionally throwing in a cartwheel or an astonishing back flip. The orchestra played on.

Rushing back into the auditorium, Olivia and Jack stood transfixed with horror as they watched Eel fling herself energetically around the stage as if she'd been performing all her life. They stared at each other, aghast. Olivia looked around the audience, which seemed confused by the appearance of this newcomer, but also deeply impressed. Several people were looking at their programmes trying to work out who she was. Eel did a back flip and the audience cheered wildly, then she started to do a pretend
tap dance and was so funny that the audience laughed loudly, and one little boy even fell off his seat.

Jack smiled, but Olivia was in agonies. Eel was being
so
embarrassing. She wanted to leap on to the stage and pull her sister off, take her by the hand and run out of the building and keep running all the way back to Italy. But Jack, who in a split second had decided that intervention would be even more disruptive, put a calming hand on her shoulder. Eel did an explosive series of cartwheels and the audience erupted, some even rose to their feet.

Katie looked wildly around. This was her one big chance and she was being well and truly upstaged! What's more, it was by that nasty, rude little girl who had stuck her tongue out at her. She was furious and felt deeply humiliated. When the audience laughed at Eel's cheeky
tap-dancing
, she felt they were laughing at her. This couldn't be happening! Not to her, not to Katie Wilkes-Cox, the coolest girl at the Swan. She longed for a winged monster to sweep down from the ceiling and carry Eel away in its talons. She stopped dancing, marched over to the child, seized her by her chestnut ringlets and started
trying to drag her off the stage.

“No!” cried Olivia, running down the steps towards the stage with Jack just behind her. The audience gasped and murmured, creating a
low-level
buzz, because one child pulling another by the hair couldn't possibly be part of the show. The school orchestra, which had been taught to play on whatever the circumstances, faltered and stopped. The entire auditorium fell eerily silent.

Katie pulled Eel over and Eel screamed. “Get off the stage, you little horror! Get off!” shouted Katie. “You've ruined my big moment. I'll teach you to upstage me. You'll wish that you'd never been born by the time I've finished with you. Nobody upstages me. Particularly not some talentless little kid like you who can't even dance properly!”

A ripple of astonishment passed through the audience. Olivia felt some satisfaction as a few people booed. Some in the audience were clearly rather enjoying the spectacle; others could hardly bear to look at the stage. In seconds, Olivia and Jack had reached the bottom of the stairs. As they did so, Katie's dad rose from his front-row seat, his face screwed up in rage, and
started to clamber awkwardly on to the stage, a murderous glint in his eye.

“No!” shouted Olivia again. She had to save her little sister!

Chapter Nine

“Katie Wilkes-Cox, let go of that child at once!” Alicia Swan's voice cut across the auditorium like a knife. Olivia skidded to a halt on the steps. Katie let go of Eel's hair. She still felt as if she might explode with anger, but she could hear the icy disapproval in Miss Swan's voice. It was as if somebody had thrown a bucket of cold water over her. The fire inside her burned away to ashes and she stood frozen to the spot. Eel wriggled beside her, not in the least embarrassed but feeling slightly surprised to find herself there at all. She couldn't remember running on to the stage; it was as if she had been bewitched by the music.

Alicia Swan made her way on to the stage. Her impressive presence immediately quietened
the audience. She calmly addressed Katie's dad. “Mr Wilkes-Cox, do please go back to your seat.” For a moment he looked as if he might be about to argue, but there was such authority in Alicia's tone that he suddenly deflated and shuffled back to his seat like an oversized toddler who has just been scolded by his mum.

“I apologise for this unforeseen spectacle,” said Alicia graciously, adding with a wry smile, “but sometimes the impromptu can be the most revealing, and it is when something unexpected happens that you make the most important discoveries.” The audience suddenly relaxed. Alicia had such a commanding presence that all potential for embarrassment passed and they leaned forward in their seats, completely absorbed in what was unfolding. It felt as if something momentous was about to happen.

Alicia turned to Eel and studied her face intently. “What's your name, my dear?” she asked kindly.

“Eel.”

Alicia raised an eyebrow. “And are you one of the new children?” she enquired, although she knew that she would remember this child if she had seen her before at the auditions. Eel
shook her head.

“Perhaps you are the little sister of a boy or girl who is starting at the school this term?”

Eel shook her head again. She liked this lady; she seemed very kind, not at all as Jack Marvell had described. “My dad says that you are a bit fierce, but he's the wrongest he's ever been because you don't seem such a dragon.” The audience laughed. There was something charming about this wild child. Even Miss Swan smiled.

“Well, I do try not to breathe fire,” she agreed. “Eel, you dance very well. You have a gift for it. Would you like to come to my school and we'll teach you how to do it properly?” Eel nodded vigorously, her ringlets bouncing up and down.

“But that's not fair!” shouted Katie, unable to contain herself. “She's being rewarded for ruining my big chance—”

She was silenced by a look from Miss Swan, who turned back to Eel. “Now, point out your parents and I'll talk to them after the show.”

“I don't have a mum. She died,” said Eel, “but my dad and sister are there.” She pointed towards the auditorium where Olivia and Jack
stood in the semi-darkness. “We wanted to see you anyway because Dad says my sister is going to come here as well. So we'll all be together.”

Alicia looked very confused. “Does he indeed?” she said.

“He does. All the time,” said Eel firmly. She held out her hand towards a rather flummoxed Alicia to formally introduce herself. “I'm Alicia Ophelia Rosalind Marvell, but everyone calls me Eel, and you are my grandmother. That,” said Eel, pointing to the stairs, “that's my big sister, Livy. Olivia Viola Juliet Marvell.” Worried that Alicia wasn't quite keeping up, Eel added, “She's your granddaughter too.”

The audience gasped; the events unfolding on stage could hardly be more dramatic. It was like a final scene by Shakespeare when the characters are all unexpectedly reunited and people discover their long-lost relatives. Alicia's eye followed Eel's finger to where Jack and Olivia were standing at the bottom of the gangway. The follow-spot operator suddenly picked them out so they were bathed in light. Olivia froze as if she had been caught in a searchlight and was about to be shot. Alicia's
gaze lit upon Olivia's serious, anxious face and for a moment her grandmother thought she'd seen a ghost. She felt dizzy and her eyes filled with tears.

Her eyes met Jack's.

“Hello, Alicia,” he said quietly, raising a hand in greeting. Alicia stared at him for a moment, then looked at Eel, who had slipped off the stage and was now hugging Olivia and Jack tightly, and smiled. She took a deep breath and said, “Later, my dears. We'll sort this tangled web out after the performance. I promise.”

She clapped her hands and turned to the audience. “You have been waiting patiently and we mustn't disappoint you. You came to see a show and you'll get one, the best the Swan has ever delivered!” She nodded to the band, and then turned to Katie with a kind smile. “From the top of the dance, my dear,” she said gently. “You were doing very well before you spoiled it.”

“Before
I
spoiled it!” spluttered Katie. She hadn't invaded the stage uninvited, it was that crazy child.

Miss Swan put a finger to her lips, speaking quietly so nobody else could hear. “One thing
any truly great performer has to learn, Katie my dear, is how to share the spotlight, not hog it. It's not just about talent, it's about generosity too.” Then she clapped her hands again. “The show must – and will – go on!”

Chapter Ten

As soon as the concert was over, everyone crowded into the school hall for refreshments. There were glasses of wine for the parents and juice for the children, and the senior boys and girls carried around trays of food: miniature sausage rolls and quiches; tiny éclairs and fruit tartlets. Georgia and Aeysha had found a corner where they could watch people coming in. Parents were quietly congratulating their children on a good show. It would certainly go down in Swan history as one of the most memorable.

Katie swanned in as if she had just made her triumphant debut on Broadway, not behaved badly at a school concert. A few of the parents looked askance at her, but Katie didn't appear
to notice and soon she was swept up in the booming congratulations of her parents, who gave her a large bouquet of flowers and took photos of her. Some of the other parents moved away a little.

“Smile, kitten. I want a picture of my star!” said Katie's dad, elbowing Abbie out of the way. Abbie was carrying a tray of full glasses and only just regained her balance in the nick of time. Encouraged by her mum, Katie pouted for the camera.

“That's my girl!” said Katie's dad. “You were brilliant, kitten, despite that awful kid trying to ruin everything.”

Georgia and Aeysha watched the scene from a distance.

“You have to give it to her,” said Aeysha. “That girl's got some nerve. If I'd behaved like that I'd want the earth to swallow me whole.”

“If it was my mum, she wouldn't be taking pictures, she'd be telling me how ashamed she was of my behaviour,” said Georgia, remembering how, a few months after she arrived at the Swan, she'd got so overexcited and nervous at an audition for a TV advert for washing powder that she'd started showing
off and had been cheeky to the casting director. She'd thought it was a grown-up thing to do. Her mum had made their excuses, taken her away and told her how disappointed she was in her daughter. The memory still made Georgia feel hot and pink.

“If the Swan is going to turn you into a show-off, then it's not the school for you,” Mrs Jones had said. But her qualms were eased by Alicia, who had given Georgia a gentle but firm talking to and agreed with her mum that there should be no more auditions until Georgia had settled down at school.

“She has real talent, Mrs Jones,” said Alicia, “and talent is a delicate thing. I couldn't live with myself if it was spoiled by anything we did here at the Swan. But it's the home that really counts. I've seen too many children whose potential has been destroyed by pushy parents thinking their child is a shooting star. The trouble with shooting stars is that they burn out quickly and all you're left with is ash. But you seem remarkably sensible, Mrs Jones, and I'm sure we can work together to realise Georgia's considerable talent and increase her confidence without ruining her. I suspect it was nerves that
made her behave the way she did and I also suspect she will have taken the lesson to heart.”

Georgia had never been cheeky again and now knew the importance of behaving professionally at all times. Well, almost all; the exception was peeping through curtains before a show!

“How's the ankle?” asked Aeysha sympathetically.

“Not too bad, but there's no way I could've danced on it.”

“It's a shame,” said Aeysha. “You'd have been ace, much better than Katie.” Georgia felt a warm glow of pleasure seep through her tummy. Aeysha wasn't the kind of girl to say things she didn't mean.

“Nah,” she protested. “Katie's the one who'll go far. Everyone says it.”

“Mostly Katie herself,” said Aeysha with a wry smile. “Look! There's that girl Olivia. She looks a bit lost. Do you think she's going to come to school here with her sister? It would feel weird going to a school run by your gran.”

Olivia was standing alone in the throng, feeling out of place. Jack and Eel had gone upstairs to Alicia's flat so that Eel could brush
her hair and change her clothes. Olivia looked around at the chattering, laughing adults and children and felt invisible. She caught a glimpse of Katie posing for another picture and saw her gran heading towards Katie's dad, laying a hand firmly on his arm and shaking her head. At that moment, Abbie noticed Olivia and took her over to Georgia and Aeysha.

“This is Olivia,” she said, “and this is Aeysha and Georgia.”

Olivia smiled shyly at Georgia. “We've already met. Twice.”

Georgia blushed. “Thanks for helping me,” she said.

“If Olivia comes to school here, you three would be in the same class, so maybe you should get to know each other,” said Abbie as she hurried away.

“What's it like here?” asked Olivia.

“Wicked,” said Georgia and Aeysha so completely in unison that they both burst out laughing. Georgia continued: “It really is, though. I used to go to an ordinary school and now I don't know how I stood it. All those same dreary lessons day after day!”

“Of course, we have to do all the
ordinary lessons,” explained Aeysha. “Maths, English, history, French. But we do them in the morning. Then in the afternoon we do the fun stuff: voice, acting, verse-speaking, ballet, tap, contemporary, modern, jazz, street dance, singing, improvisation. From next year we can even take classes in directing, and devising or writing plays. Or songwriting. I can't wait to do that. It would be awesome to write your own songs.”

Olivia sighed. “Don't think it's my sort of thing.”

“So what
is
Olivia Marvell's thing?” came a voice. It was Tom McCavity, who had wandered over with a plateful of chocolate éclairs. He was followed by William Todd. “We nicked the tray off Abbie when she put it down to talk to someone,” said Tom as he shared them out, grinning cheekily.

Olivia shrugged. “I don't know,” she said, afraid to mention high-wire walking. If Granny Alicia loathed the circus as much as Jack said she did, maybe everyone at the Swan hated it too. She didn't want them to think she was a total freak. She thought hard.

“Maybe gymnastics,” she said shyly,
thinking her acrobatic skill might make her shine there.

“We don't do that here. We don't do any sport. There isn't time,” said Georgia sympathetically.

“It's a pain,” said Tom. “No football.” He made an exaggerated gesture with his hand against his forehead. “I've had to give up the chance to play for Man U for the sake of my art.” He pretended to swoon and everyone laughed, even Olivia.

“Playing the idiot as usual, Tom?” said Katie, who had come over to the little group. “When will you ever grow up?” she added witheringly.

“When he's had a few more birthdays,” said William. Katie glared.

There was an awkward pause. It was as if Katie was waiting for them all to congratulate her. “It must have been awful for you out there on the stage,” blurted out Georgia, to fill the silence. Katie narrowed her eyes and glared at her. Georgia wished she'd kept her mouth shut.

Then Tom went and made things worse. “Everyone's really sorry for you, Georgie girl,” he said. “It should have been your big day and
I can't think of anyone who deserved it more. What happened?”

Georgia looked really flustered. She could feel Katie's gimlet gaze. “I really don't know,” she stuttered. “I must've slipped.”

“It didn't look like you slipped to me. You had far too much momentum,” said Olivia, eager to join in the conversation. “From the auditorium side, it definitely looked as if someone pushed you through the curtains.”

Georgia's stomach felt as if she'd just been dropped through a trapdoor.

Katie gave a tight little laugh. “Don't be dumb, she slipped. We all know how clumsy Georgia is. It was just bad luck. There's no mystery, just a silly accident. It's her own fault; she shouldn't have been looking through the curtains in the first place.” While she said this, Katie held Georgia's gaze very firmly.

Just then, Olivia heard her name being called by Eel. She said goodbye shyly and left.

“She seems nice,” said Aeysha.

“I wouldn't count on it,” said Katie. “Seems like a bit of a drama queen to me, trying to turn Georgia's stupid accident into some kind of whodunit. And of course,” she added casually,
“we'll never be able to trust her if she comes to the Swan.”

“Why not?” asked Tom.

“Think about it, dummy,” said Katie. “She's the Swan's granddaughter. Everything we say or do will go straight back to her old gran. She was probably spying on us just then.”

The others shook their heads but a few minutes later Abbie suddenly swooped down on them. “Tom McCavity. I've been looking for you. My spies tell me that it was you and William who stole all the éclairs.”

The children stared at each other in surprise.

“There! What did I tell you,” said Katie, with her triumphant cat's-got-the-cream smile. “You shouldn't believe a word that Olivia Marvell says. You'll see.”