Star of Silver Spires (7 page)

“So, let's get the show on the road, as they say, with the first of our eleven acts this evening. Ladies and gentleman, please welcome to the stage, Chloe Canning!”

Chloe came smiling onto the stage, holding her guitar by the neck as though she was strolling along to her next lesson. Then she put her free hand up, pretending to shield her eyes from the spotlight, which made a few people laugh. She looked completely relaxed as she sat on the high stool in front of the mike and started to play, but after only a few seconds she suddenly stopped and said, “Whoops! Forgot the title!” which caused another wave of laughter. “Okay…my song is called ‘The Clouds Block the Sun'.”

Chloe's song was a folky type of pop song, with verses and choruses and strummed guitar chords. She sang in a clear, strong voice and didn't forget a single word, even though it was a very long song. I really liked the lyrics. Each verse told of a different sad situation, then the chorus came back to the idea that the clouds were blocking the sun.

When she finished, the audience clapped and whooped loudly, then Miss York returned to the stage and my heart thudded with nervousness. Chloe bowed, then came up into the auditorium to find her friends. You could hear them all congratulating her as Miss York started to speak.

“Thank you, Chloe! It's tough being first to perform and you made a great job of it. So now let's have our second act…” Miss York peered into the auditorium. “I can't see a thing, but can I have Danni Maloney and Sarah Shore next, please!”

They were already approaching the stage and I knew them both, because they're Year Sevens, though not from Hazeldean. Danni went to the piano and Sarah to the mike at the front of the stage. Mr. Ray zipped onto the stage from the front row, where he was sitting with Mam'zelle Clemence, and moved the stool out of the way because Sarah wanted to stand.

“Our song was written by Danni,” she said, “and it's called ‘Stick Together'.”

Sarah's voice was beautiful and she swayed as she sang, looking as though she was really getting into the music. I didn't know how she could do that with so many people watching her.

After Danni and Sarah, it was Eve's turn. She walked quite briskly to the piano and adjusted the stool as she sat down. My heart started to thump as I craned my neck to see whether she was lowering it or raising it. I knew it was a silly thing to be worrying about, but the stool had been exactly the right height for me in the afternoon, and I didn't want to have to adjust it before I played. It would just make me more nervous than ever with everyone watching. What if I turned the handles the wrong way and had to do it again, and everyone was fed up with waiting for me? Mr. Ray would probably jump up and start helping, and those Year Nine girls from the band might start sniggering.

I'd got myself into such a state that my palms were sweating, so then I worried that my fingers might slide around on the keys and I'd play all the wrong notes and get booed off the stage. But next thing I knew everyone was clapping loudly, because Eve's song had finished. I'd been in such a panic, I'd hardly heard any of it. The audience seemed to love it though. Loads of girls were whistling and whooping while Eve stood there bowing.

Georgie squeezed my hand as the first band of the evening went down to the stage. “You're better than Eve!” she said, grinning. Then she asked Naomi if she'd got a tissue, and a few seconds later I got one passed along to me from Katy. “There you go, Mamma Mia. To wipe away those nerves!”

It was lovely that Georgie was looking after me so well and I wiped my hands hard.

The band Demonstrate consisted of five girls – one on keyboards, one on drums, two guitarists and a singer. All of them had got crazy, frizzed-up hair and wore body glitter and funky bright, tight clothes. They looked amazing, and their song was so clever, with its different instruments blasting out loudly. Normally I would have loved it, but all I could do was shrink down into my seat and feel my throat getting tighter and tighter. There was no way I could sing after this. I'd sound ridiculous, like a little girl being allowed to recite a poem at a grown-ups' party, especially as these were the girls who Mr. Ray sent out of the theatre when I was about to sing at the rehearsal.

“You're just as good as Demonstrate, too,” said Georgie.

I shivered. Now I knew for sure that she was only saying things to make me feel better, because there was no way I was anywhere near as good as the band. The main singer seemed to get more and more confident, throwing her voice out and really moving with the beat, just like a professional singer. Sometimes all five girls suddenly sang together, which was a brilliant effect, and as they got near the end of the song, it grew even louder and stronger and finally people started clapping in time with the music, until the crescendo hit one final note and the girl on drums whacked the cymbal with all her might.

As the applause rang round the auditorium my stomach turned over and over and all I wanted to do was run away, or hide under my seat.

“Wow, that certainly woke us up!” said Miss York, as the band left the stage. “We've tried to create a nice varied programme for you, though, so next we have Mia Roberts. Please welcome her to the stage!”

Georgie thrust a water bottle in front of me and said, “Drink!” I did as I was told, then all my friends whispered, “Good luck, Mia. Good luck!” and I stumbled on shaky legs down to the stage, wondering how I was ever going to get through the next three minutes.

“Just relax,” came Mr. Ray's quiet voice from the front row as I passed him. I didn't think anyone else would have heard.

I sat on the piano stool and thought it was the right height, which was a relief so then I leaned forwards and spoke into the mike. “My song is called ‘Time to Say Goodbye'.”

There was a single whoop from the audience which I recognized as Georgie's, but it made everyone laugh and I felt pleased that there was a bit of noise to make a background for me to start playing while no one was quite ready. It seemed like only a microsecond later, though, that the theatre was completely silent apart from the piano and my voice. My hands weren't shaking, thank goodness, but I could hear a tremor in my voice, and all the time I was singing, my head was spinning with anxious thoughts. Was I loud enough? Was I playing too slowly? Would I remember the words? Was my song boring? Would Mrs. Roach have liked this song if she'd been here? Which teachers
were
here? What would happen when I finished? Would anyone clap? What if no one clapped?

Pictures of that long-ago audience laughing when I got the name of the composer wrong at the age of six, and of my eight-year-old self rushing from the stage to be sick, came flashing through my mind, but a moment later I felt as though the music of my song was carrying me away and all my other thoughts vanished.

As I sang the last note of all I held it for a little longer than usual, because I was dreading there being a silence after it. Eventually I had to let it go, though, and my hands dropped to my lap. For a second there was not a sound apart from my heart thudding, but then it felt as though someone had switched on a waterfall where the audience was sitting – that's the only way I can describe it. The noise of clapping just whooshed and roared and splattered, and the relief was one of the best feelings I've ever had.

Nothing mattered any more. I'd managed to play my song. I hadn't enjoyed it, but I'd done it and now I could go back to Georgie and relax for the rest of the evening. My legs were shaking so much I don't know how I made it to my seat but somehow I did and then Georgie was hugging me.

“You were amazing!” she said. “I'm so proud of you!” And the others all leaned over and tried to pat me.

“Well done!”

“Brilliant!”

“Right, let's turn up the volume again,” Miss York was saying, “but not a lot, with a song from…Bella!”

There was something different about the way Miss York had announced Bella and I couldn't think what it was at first, but then I realized that she hadn't said her second name, which she had for the other soloists. I wondered if that had been Bella's idea. She walked thoughtfully and slowly down to the stage, holding her guitar by the neck, and halfway down the stairs she looked back at her friends, who all cheered her loudly. She swung back round to carry on walking and her hair swung too, like in an advert. When she got onto the stage, she strolled to the stool and sat down carefully. She was wearing the most amazing short, tight, black dress, and round her neck she'd wrapped very thin strands of glittering silver beads.

“She looks great!” I heard Katy whisper to Naomi. And I agreed, Bella looked really beautiful.

When she announced her song title, I noticed that she'd got shiny gloss on her lips. “My song is called ‘Is Anyone There?'”

Whoops sprang like fireworks from all over the audience, and then Bella began. It was easily the best song of the evening. It was somehow stronger than my song and a little faster, and Bella sang the words with such passion that the audience's silence seemed to grow even deeper. I couldn't take my eyes off her and I never wanted the song to end. It was reminding me of home, sitting round on Sundays with a proper fire blazing, and Dad saying, “I
do
like a fire!” and grinning at me and Mum and Robby. And outside the wind would be restlessly scooping and billowing, but in our living room we were so cosy. By the time Bella finished, I had tears in my eyes. Her music really had made me think I was at home, and I suddenly longed to talk to Mum and Dad. As soon as the show finished, I'd go off on my own for a little while and call them.

The clapping continued long after Bella had bowed and left the stage, and it was obvious she was the most popular act so far. No wonder. She was beautiful
and
talented. Even though I knew I wouldn't get through to the next round, I made a promise to myself to compose more songs, because Bella had truly inspired me.

There were five more acts that followed, but none of their songs had the same magic as Bella's. Of the five, I probably liked the two bands best, especially the one called Twins Plus One, who really did consist of twins plus one. Their composition was very simple and straightforward, but it was also lively and bright and that seemed to be what the audience wanted. I knew for sure now that there was definitely no way I'd be voted through with my quiet little song.

The other band, who were from Year Eight, was called The Craze, and I didn't think they were as good as Twins Plus One. Then there were two girls who sang solo and accompanied themselves on guitar. And the last act of the evening was a duet. Two girls from Year Nine sang a cappella, which means without any accompaniment at all. They called themselves Contemporary Counterpoint and they kept the audience absolutely spellbound, which I thought showed what talent they'd got, because you'd think the audience might have got a bit bored after ten other acts.

“I liked them,” said Naomi simply, when they'd finished.

Georgie wrinkled her nose. “Not as good as that…what's her name?”

“Bella?” I offered.

“No… Oh, what's her name…? Oh yeah, Mia Roberts.”

“No, nowhere near as good as her!” said Naomi and Katy together.

I laughed, but I knew it wasn't true.

At the end of the last act, Miss York asked the audience to get ready to cast their votes on the yellow cards. All of us performers had to go up on the stage while Miss York reminded everyone of our song titles. We each had to take a step forward when she said our name, and I noticed some of the contestants waved or did big over-the-top bows. I just smiled a bit shakily. The audience clapped and stamped and whooped and whistled. Then, as pens for the votes were passed along the rows, we were allowed offstage to go back to our places. Georgie handed me back my card and I wrote
Bella
on it when a pen came round to me. “I don't mind if you vote for Bella,” I said quietly to Georgie.

She looked at me as though I'd just said I didn't mind if she voted for the man in the moon. “Don't be ridiculous, Mia!”

Then all my friends held up their cards to show me that they'd written my name down and I wondered whether I might only get their five votes out of the whole audience. Thank goodness we wouldn't ever know how many votes each act got.

Five or six teachers, including the four organizing the evening, collected up the cards, and then some pop music came pounding and surging round the auditorium while the teachers went off to count the votes. About twenty minutes later the music faded, along with the loud chatter and laughter, and Miss York was back in the centre of the stage. I once read the phrase
a breathless hush
, and for some reason or other those words popped into my mind at this moment. There was not even a murmur as Miss York began to speak.

“Well, what a tremendous evening this has turned out to be. I'd like to start by thanking Mam'zelle Clemence, Mrs. Harrison and Mr. Ray, for dreaming up the idea in the first place and for organizing it so wonderfully. Thank you.” There was loud clapping, but it didn't last very long and it was obvious everyone wanted to get on to hearing the votes. My heart was hammering again as I wondered if all the contestants would have to stand at the front, tensely waiting to see whether they were going to be voted off. What if Miss York decided to do that?

Georgie gripped my hand again, and I saw that she was gripping Katy's on the other side. In fact all my friends were holding hands tightly, as though that might somehow magically stop me being voted out. But it wouldn't, of course, and even though I'd already told them a million times there was no way I'd get enough votes to go through to the next round, they still seemed to be hanging onto the hope that I might.

“Now, I'm
not
going to ask our performers to come onto the stage, because I think that's a bit cruel to be honest. I'm simply going to announce in a random order the seven acts with the greatest number of votes, who'll be going through to the next round.” Miss York paused and smiled round, as I swallowed. “So, here we go!”