Princess at Silver Spires (5 page)

I hoped she didn't want to change my actual hairstyle, because I always wear it in cornrows and I don't like anything different. “Er…you won't do anything drastic, will you?”

“No, no, no. I won't alter your hair at all. I'll probably just add…something…”

Elise was being rather mysterious, but at least I didn't have to worry about my hair.

“Right, you can take a look in the mirror if you want. I'll bring the free-standing one over here, then no one else will see you.”

When I saw myself I actually gasped. I looked so different. I turned round slowly and looked over my shoulder. I really didn't know what to think. It was all so strange.

“Pleased?”

I did the smallest of nods, and then felt that I probably ought to be a bit more complimentary. “You're really clever to have designed all this.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, that's nothing. Anyway, you can get changed now. Be very careful, though.
Very.
”

I did as I was told and when I came out from behind the screen I stared in amazement. Petra was standing on a table. Another layer, which consisted of millions of coloured patches, had been added to the skirt. Her top was completely plain white, which went well with her olive skin. The whole outfit looked amazing.

“Do you think that's the ‘Dress to Impress for Less' category?” I whispered to Elise. “Or the ‘Caj with a Dash'?”

“I've no idea,” said Elise, waving at a girl who'd just come in. “Here's Charlotte. She's another designer. Hey, Charley!”

The girl strolled over and broke into a broad grin when she saw me. “Nice one, Elise. I feel honoured to be standing on the same bit of floor!”

I didn't know what she was talking about, but it must have been a private joke, because Elise threw her head back and laughed loudly.

Then, as other girls came over to see what was so funny, I crept away. At the door I turned round to see that everyone in the room seemed to have gathered around Elise and Charlotte, except for Lara, who was still in a world of her own, frowning at the bottom of the skirt and pinning the hem. Petra looked completely bored and I caught her rolling her eyes and looking at her watch, as if to say,
How much longer have I got to stand here?

I heard a few sniggers and giggles coming from Elise's group of friends, and then my heart missed a beat as Charlotte's words came floating over loud and clear. “Look at Lara working away! Obviously fancies herself as the winner!”

Immediately there came a loud “Shh!” from Elise, as her eyes flicked over in my direction just before I left the room. I was suddenly desperate to get out into the open and see the sky and the trees and feel cold air on my skin, and I broke into the fastest possible walk down the corridor. The textiles room had stifled me. So the fashion show
was
a competition. There was no way I could have got the wrong end of the stick
this
time. Had Elise been deliberately hiding that fact from me? And if so, why?

“Naomi!”

I looked up to see Katy waving at me and running over. “Was it good?” she called as she got a bit nearer. Then, puffing up to me, “Tell me everything! I command you!”

“Well…”

“Uh-oh!”

“What?”

“I can already tell you didn't enjoy it!”

I sighed. “You're right. I hated taking my clothes off, but much worse than that – guess what – the fashion show
is
actually a competition!”

Katy looked shocked. “
Is
it? Mam'zelle Clemence never mentioned that. How do you know?”

“I heard one of the designers saying something about Lara working hard because she fancied herself as the winner.”

“Oh!” Katy's eyes widened and she gave me an anxious look. “But I'm sure that's nothing for you to worry about, Naomi. It'll only be the designers who are being judged.”

“But why did Elise lie to me, Kates?”

Katy frowned. “She shouldn't have done, should she? But maybe…she thought you'd get yourself in a state about it and it was better for you not to know.”

I didn't answer because I wasn't at all sure about that.

“I wish I'd been there with you, Naomi.” Katy linked her arm through mine. “Actually, I didn't think you'd be finished yet. I was just going down to Pets' Place to see Buddy. Do you want to come?” She switched to a gabble. “Or were you going to the secret garden, because I don't mind if you were? We can talk after.”

That's what I really like about Katy, the way she's so caring and thoughtful the whole time. “No, I'll come and see Buddy with you. We can talk on the way.”

Buddy is Katy's rabbit. He lives in Pets' Place during term time, with Mia's guinea pigs, Porgy and Bess, and various other pets. Katy really loves Buddy. I love animals too, but I've never had any pets because Mum and Dad won't allow it. They don't think animals belong in people's houses and I've always just accepted that.

“So, come on, tell me all about the fitting,” said Katy, sounding excited again.

“Well, I was allowed to get changed behind a screen, thank goodness, and the top of the dress is nice but then it sticks right out on my hips and it's really narrow at the bottom, with a slit up the back. And you should see the high heels – I felt like I was on stilts! I've no idea how I'm going to walk a single step.”

“I can't wait to see it. I bet you look fab! Were there lots of people there? Did you see any of the other designs? What did you see? Come on!” Katy's eyes were dancing. She really did want every detail.

“Lara's model, Petra, was there. She's so beautiful, and I looked at the outfit she was wearing and wished like mad that we could swap. It was a brilliant flared skirt with loads of patches, and a plain white top. You'll love it too, when you see it. It's just the kind of thing
you'd
design.”

We'd reached Pets' Place by then, and Katy took Buddy out of his run on the grass and cuddled him while we carried on talking about my fitting.

“Elise made it really obvious she wasn't particularly impressed with Lara's outfit, Kates.”

“Seems like she's the jealous type, doesn't it – one of these people who just has to be the best all the time.”

I nodded. Katy was right. After that we carried on talking as we went over to supper, but it was mostly about fashion club. Then Mia joined us and filled me in on debating club. I couldn't concentrate though, because those words that Katy had said wouldn't leave me alone. She was right. Elise does seem to have to be the best. It's obvious from the way she tries to hide her outfits so no one can pinch her designs, and also from that hard look in her eyes when she was criticizing Lara's “grungy” designs. The truth is that Elise isn't a very nice person, certainly not the kind of person to want to try and protect me from feeling anxious about the competition. So just why had she tried to keep me in the dark? Could it be that she thought she stood a better chance of winning if she'd got a princess for a model, and she guessed how much I'd hate the thought of that, so she decided to pretend there wasn't a competition?

I was still confused though. Surely she didn't think she could keep it from me for ever?

No, probably just until I was so deep into fittings that it was too late to pull out.

Elise had asked me to come for my next fitting at three o'clock on Saturday afternoon. I wasn't looking forward to it one little bit, because I couldn't stop thinking about the way she'd deceived me. Katy kept saying that Elise couldn't possibly have thought that she'd do better in the competition just because of having a princess for one of her models, but I think that was Katy's way of trying to stop me feeling anxious.

“Don't think about it any more, Naomi. You're getting yourself into a state for no reason. Remember, it's all for a good cause!”

I made myself take her advice, and tried to relax.

Katy and I were bang on time arriving at the textiles room, so it was a surprise to find no one there except Lara. She was working at one of the special sewing machines in the corner of the room, and didn't stop when we went in. She couldn't have heard us.

“Hi,” I said quietly.

She looked up with a start. “Oh, you made me jump! I wonder what planet I was on just then.” She laughed, then looked round. “I don't know where Elise is. I've been the only one here for ages.”

“I like this fabric,” said Katy, eyeing what Lara had got on her machine.

“Me too. It's lovely, isn't it?” said Lara enthusiastically. “This is for the ‘Prom' category. My other model, Sophie, is going to wear it, but I'm worried that it won't be ready in time because there are so many sequins to sew on and it's full-length.” She finished off what she was doing and snipped the thread, then gently took it out from the machine and held it up.

“It's beautiful!” I breathed. “You're so clever, Lara!”

Katy's eyes were bright. “I love the asymmetric line of the skirt. It's so much more original than a fishtail.” I thought she was talking about the kind of dress that went in at the back of the legs, then fanned out again, but I wasn't sure.

“What colour sequins are you going to use?” Katy asked.

“I was thinking blue but I'm not sure. Maybe a mixture of colours.”

“Blue would look great.” Katy had a dreamy look in her eyes, and I knew she'd be trying to imagine the finished outfit. “How much of it are you going to cover with sequins?”

“Well, at first I thought the whole lot from the waist down, but now I'm not so sure.”

“I can imagine a big swathe of them right across here,” said Katy, spreading her fingers wide and slowly sweeping her hand from top to bottom in a diagonal line just above the material.

“Hmm,” said Lara, frowning. She handed the dress to me. “Can you hold it up for me, Naomi?”

I did as I was told and Lara and Katy stood back to get a different perspective. “Do you know, I think you're right.” Lara smiled and nodded slowly. “Yes, that would look great!”

Katy's face lit up and it was such a lovely magicky moment, but then it got broken a second later as the door crashed open and Elise came rushing in. “Sorry, guys. Lost track of the time.” She stopped in her tracks when she saw me holding the dress and her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing with my model, Lara?”

Her voice was light but there was something in her tone that made me shiver. Lara didn't reply. She just quietly said, “Thanks, Naomi,” as she took the dress from me and sat back down at the machine. Then, as Katy and I dutifully followed Elise over to the other side of the room, Lara called, “And thanks for the idea, Katy!”

As I was getting changed behind the screen I heard Elise ask Katy in a low voice, “What idea was that?”

“Oh nothing much,” Katy replied. “Just something to do with sequins.”

“Sequins aren't going to make up for the lack of a fishtail,” said Elise. “They're the thing these days. Wait till you see Tansy's dress.” Then she turned to me. “Right, I've only got ten minutes before Tansy's fitting. Here. This is the jacket for the casual outfit. You can put it on over that top you're wearing.”

It was very crisp, in a dark red with black braid round the edges. The sleeves were short and the collar was also short and stuck straight up.

“There'll be one big button and you'll undo that when you get to the end of the catwalk, just before you turn.”

I was starting to hate the word “catwalk”. It felt like a punch in the stomach.

“Right, that looks fine. I want to see about the accessories for the prom dress, so take the jacket off.” She handed me a pair of long fishnet gloves. “Remember I told you you'd be wearing these?”

I looked at Katy when I'd managed to roll and wriggle the gloves up my arms, but I couldn't tell what she was thinking. Personally I felt really silly, but that was probably just me.

“Good,” said Elise, nodding. “Now this choker…” She was fixing a gold ruffly thing round my neck. “And you'll have gold earrings… You see, the whole look is about mixing gold and silver and I want it topped and tailed with silver, hence the silver shoes. Here, stick these on again for now.” She pulled the high heels out of her bag.

“So is there going to be something silver on Naomi's head?” Katy asked, a bit hesitantly.

Elise's eyes seemed to flick around a bit, but then settled into a look of pity, as though Katy's question was really pathetic. But actually it was exactly what I'd been wondering.

The answer was rapped out briskly. “Yes. A pair of silver slides.” She patted my arm. “You'll look great! Hey, Tansy!”

We all looked over to see Tansy approaching. “Hey! How's it all going?” she asked brightly.