Princess at Silver Spires (6 page)

“I was just telling Naomi about the silver slides she's going to be wearing,” said Elise.

Tansy grinned. “Sounds lovely!” Then she pouted, pretending to be upset. “Do I get to wear anything on my head, Elise?”

“No, but you might be wearing a gag over your mouth!” Elise laughed, bashing her friend gently on the arm.

Tansy roared with laughter, then started to peel her clothes off. “Right, let's get on with it!”

I quickly disappeared behind the screen and took off the gloves and choker, and put my sweatshirt back on. When I came out, Katy had gone back over to Lara, while Elise was pretending to tell Tansy off. “Stand still! You're such a fidget. You should take a leaf out of Naomi's book, Tanz!”

“Yes, but I've never been trained!” said Tansy in a bit of a whine. “I'm not used to standing about regally while people look at me.”

I felt my hackles rising as I handed the accessories to Elise and walked off.

“Bye, Naomi!” she called after me. “See you here again tomorrow, about eleven, yeah?”

“Actually, I'm going on the ice-dance outing tomorrow, so I won't be able to make it.” I knew I sounded a bit more stressy than I'd meant to, but it felt good to be turning her down. I just hated the things Tansy was saying. It was as though the two of them were in a little private club and they actually wanted me to feel awkward because of what I am. It's all right for Dad to say that I just have to accept it and let people take me as they find me, but I can't do that. I just can't.

“I heard what Tansy said, by the way,” said Katy, as we walked back to Hazeldean. “Don't take any notice, Naomi.”

I stopped walking and blurted out what I felt. “But I hate it. It's as though I'm one big joke to them.”

“Poor Naomi… But it can only get better from now on. I've watched tons of behind-the-scenes programmes about the fashion industry, and everyone's always frantically panicking that they won't get their designs finished in time for the big show. It'll be like a hive of industry in that textile room, and no one will have time for talking about anything except their designs, I swear.”

As usual, Katy had made me feel a bit better, and when she suggested we went down to the athletics field for a run, it seemed like a perfect idea. “No need to get changed is there?”

I agreed, because we were both in trainers and tracky bums. There weren't many people there, but we spotted Grace running round the track long before she spotted us, and Jess was at the other end of the field with her precious camera. She was staring up at the tall poplar trees with their shimmering silver leaves.

“Let's run over and see what photos she's taken,” I suggested.

So that's what we did, and Grace came sprinting in the same direction as soon as she spotted us. We all got to Jess at the same time, even though Grace had much further to come.

“Is it my imagination or are you getting faster, Grace?” asked Katy, laughing and panting.

“I'm trying to speed up my warm-up,” she replied, frowning at her stopwatch.

“You mean that was only the warm-up?” I spluttered.

A group of Year Sevens nearby laughed and came over to join us. “It's quite depressing on the athletics field when Grace is about,” joked a girl called Sabrina. Then she turned to me. “Hey, how's the modelling going? What do you have to wear, Naomi?”

I didn't really feel like talking about it, but these were nice girls and, after all, they were only showing an interest.

“Well the evening dress I tried on is so scary, I'm not sure I'll actually make it down the catwalk without falling over!” I said, which made everyone burst out laughing.

“You're so lucky, you know!” said a girl called Robyn, looking envious. “I'd love to have been chosen, but obviously they don't normally choose Year Sevens, do they? It's just with you being a princess and everything.”

“No, it's not because of that,” I quickly pointed out, feeling myself getting worked up again. “It's because…” But I trailed off. I didn't want to start thinking these kinds of thoughts again just when I was trying to relax about the whole thing.

“…because she's got the right shape and stance,” said Katy firmly. Then she turned to Grace. “What were you saying about your warm-up? Do you want me to time you?”

I knew Katy was deliberately getting everyone off the subject of the fashion show for my sake and I felt grateful. But even though we'd stopped talking about it, I couldn't stop it filling up my mind till I thought my head would burst.

As the show drew nearer, I grew more nervous than ever, but the good thing was that Katy turned out to be right. Nothing more was said that made me feel awkward about being a princess, because the designers only talked about their clothes. From what Katy had described, I'd imagined them working their fingers to the bone, but the only one who seemed to be doing any hard work was Lara. The others just did a lot of walking round and looking at everyone else's designs.

I heard quite a few of the models complaining that it wasn't fair they were only allowed to model for one designer. Tansy said it was stupid that she had to go to all the rehearsals for the sake of three little turns on the catwalk. But Lara explained to Katy and me that the teachers were anxious that people would be spending too much time at fittings if they were modelling more than three outfits.

Katy usually came with me to fittings and she really enjoyed going round and chatting to all the designers and asking them what they were doing. I loved having her there, too.

“Lara is easily the nicest,” she said to me one time. “She talks to me as though I'm her equal, whereas the others treat me like I don't understand anything about fashion design, and that really makes me mad.”

“It would get to me as well,” I admitted, feeling sorry for her.

“Elise is the worst of the lot,” she added. “If you weren't modelling for her, I wouldn't go anywhere near her. I hate the way she's secretive about her collection, yet goes round being really critical of other people's stuff.”

I knew what Katy meant. Elise definitely wasn't my favourite person and, if I was honest, I felt awkward in all the clothes I'd tried on so far. For the “Caj with a Dash” category I had to wear something which was so smart I felt like I was going for an interview. Underneath the red jacket there was a fitted shirt with no collar, and then on the bottom half I had to wear a pair of tight, cut-off trousers and some little ankle boots. Katy said I looked great, and I had to admit it was really clever of Elise to be able to design and make clothes like these, but I couldn't help it, I just didn't feel comfortable wearing them.

“Never mind, perhaps you'll get to wear something you like more in the ‘Dress to Impress for Less' category,” Katy said, trying to cheer me up.

But when I asked Elise about it, she told me to chill a bit. “I haven't finished that outfit yet. You can't hurry these things, Naomi. Creativity is a slow process. I don't know what Lara's trying to prove, working away like a mad thing.”

I hated it when Elise said things like that, because I really liked Lara, and I also admired the way she worked so hard. She'd customized some of her clothes by adding buttons and patches and beads to make something stunning out of something ordinary, and Katy and I both loved that way of working.

Quite a few of Elise's friends turned up to look at her outfits and they all said how lucky I was to be what they called “the chosen one”.

“Fancy! Only Year Seven! Makes me feel positively ancient. Clearly we're all past it, girls, as far as modelling is concerned!” said one girl, pouting theatrically, which made everyone laugh.

I didn't laugh though. I just stood there in my ridiculous clothes, gazing longingly at Lara's collection, and feeling nervous because I had to face a new terror soon. The dreaded full rehearsal.

The night before the rehearsal, I told Katy and the others my fears. “I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb!” I wailed. “Elise showed me how to walk, kind of mincing along, all wiggly hips and funny high steps. I'll never be able to do it!”

“Yes you will!” said Georgie. “Come on, let's have a little mini Amethyst rehearsal.”

But I knew I'd be far too embarrassed. “There's no room in here.”

“We can go in the corridor just outside. No one ever comes up to this floor apart from Miss Jennings.”

“Leave the poor girl alone,” said Katy, putting her arm round me. But Georgie was already heading purposefully out of the dorm with Mia and the others behind, so Katy and I just found ourselves following like sheep.

“Do you know what music you're having?” asked Mia.

“No, I don't know anything!” I said, feeling panicky.

“Well, it'll be something loud,” said Katy, “and it'll be the perfect speed for walking so you can keep in time with it as you walk.”

The more we talked about it, the more scared I felt. “Oh no, I'll never manage that!”

“I can give you a little tip if you like,” said Mia quietly. “The music will pretty likely fall into sections of eight beats, so if you get used to counting to yourself in eights, you'll have much more of a feel for when you've got to start and when you've got to turn and everything.”

“Oh thanks, Mia,” I told her warmly. “I need all the advice I can get.”

“Right then, watch me!” said Georgie. “You've got to swing your hips.”

“Okay, Georgie,” said Katy, “if you're the demonstrator, try to place each foot in front of the other one, as though you're stepping on a straight line.”

Georgie set off down the corridor, while the rest of us all joined in clicking our fingers at the speed that Mia set up. I was quite impressed. Georgie looked totally model-like.

“Oh I so wish it was you and not me!” I told her when she'd gone up and down a few times, grinning at all of us, and turning round with a really cool swing.

“It's true, Georgie is great,” said Katy, looking thoughtful.

“Hey, cheers!” said Georgie, winking at Katy.

“No, seriously,” went on Katy, “the reason you look cool is because you're confident. You're good at showing off, and that's what all models do.”

“So you're calling me a show-off!” said Georgie, pretending to be offended.

“Okay, do you want a try, Naomi?” asked Katy.

I sighed and slumped. “I'm going to be useless, aren't I, because I daren't even try it in front of my friends.”

“Well if it helps at all, I wouldn't dare either,” said Grace.

“Me neither,” Mia agreed, shuddering.

“And I'd just be rubbish,” said Jess.

In the end the others said they'd go back into the dorm so there'd only be Katy with me, and finally I plucked up the courage to walk once along the corridor.

“Wow! That was brilliant!” said Katy. “You're a natural, Naomi, honestly!”

But I was sure she was just trying to raise my spirits. “I don't feel like a natural. I feel like an idiot.”

“Do it again and walk in time with my click, and just lift your head a bit.”

I did as I was told because it was easier the second time.

“I tell you, Naomi, you look amazing, and that's just in tracky bums and a top!”

The third time I tried it I actually felt quite comfortable with myself, because Katy's words had given me confidence. She insisted I showed the others, so they all came tumbling out of the dorm and stood there waiting for me to do my thing, which felt much more daunting than when I'd done it for just Katy.

I took a deep breath and started immediately before I could change my mind. I just took a few steps in one direction then paused, before turning as confidently as I could, and after another pause I went back the other way. When I stopped I felt a hot wave of embarrassment creeping up my back, but then I got a nice surprise because they all started clapping, and Georgie whooped so loudly that Matron appeared.

“I recognize that loud voice!” she said, giving Georgie a strict look.

“Sorry, Miss Jennings,” said Georgie. “But I think you might have been a touch whoopy too, if you'd seen the way Naomi struts her stuff!”

I saw Matron hide a smile. She's very strict, but Georgie always wins her over. I was just dreading the thought that she might ask me to demonstrate, but she was obviously busy because she disappeared in a hurry, thank goodness. I had a couple more goes, to get used to the audience, and then we all went to get ready for bed.

Maybe it won't be as bad as I think,
I told myself as I cleaned my teeth. But I was shivering in my jamas. It was one thing doing it for my close friends, but quite another doing it in front of loads of Year Tens and Elevens and teachers at the full rehearsal. I closed my eyes and thought about Abina. Tomorrow morning I would get up at seven o'clock. Abina would get up at five, and spend the next six hours collecting dirty water in order for herself and her family to survive. And the saddest thought of all – they might not.