Читать книгу The Dance in the Dark - Sophie Cleverly, Sophie Cleverly - Страница 8

As new beginnings go, it was a good one.

The sun was making its first attempt at shining after the long dark winter. I had my twin by my side – Scarlet was lounging on the grass, pretending it was warmer than it really was. Tall trees towered over us, their fresh buds stretching towards the sky.

And, well, we were back at Rookwood School. That part wasn’t so good, but things were better than they were last term. Mrs Knight, the interim headmistress, welcomed us in the foyer with a big smile on her face. The school hadn’t had much luck with headmistresses and headmasters of late – Miss Fox was still on the run after being accused of embezzling money, not to mention hiding my sister in an asylum and pretending she was dead. And Mr Bartholomew had been no better. The cruel headmaster had finally been locked up for his involvement in the death of a pupil decades ago. Now the school was headless, so to speak, and Mrs Knight was left in charge.

We’d had our first day of lessons of the spring term, and there hadn’t been a caning in sight. All the teachers seemed happier. Even Violet seemed happier, and that was a feat in itself.

“Everything’s rather good, isn’t it?” I said to my twin with a happy sigh. I was a little chilly in my thin uniform, and the grass was damp, but the view down the long driveway of the school was beautiful now that everything was turning green again.

Scarlet looked up at me, unimpressed. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

I wasn’t, but I was trying my hardest to be airy and cheerful. Of course, Scarlet had to bring me right back down to earth with a bang. Ariadne. Our best friend had been expelled before Christmas, after she was blamed for the fire that Mr Bartholomew had set to cover his tracks. Even after her name was cleared, her parents didn’t want her coming back to Rookwood.

It felt like there was an Ariadne-shaped hole beside us. Several times that day I’d gone to tell her something, or expected her to pipe up with a jolly comment, only to be met with silence.

“I’m sure she’s happy at home,” I said weakly.

Scarlet sat up, grass stuck all down the back of her dress. “Oh, come on,” she said, giving me a gentle shove. “Cheer up, Ivy, things are better. Let’s make a list.” She pulled out her pen and a tatty notebook, the one she’d been using in place of her old diary. “One: no headteachers are going to try to murder us. Two: no more nasty punishments. Three: everyone’s getting on. Penny has even stopped hating Violet.”

Penny Winchester and Violet Adams were former archenemies of Scarlet, and they’d had their own massive falling-out last term. It was true that they had finally made up, although that mostly involved not speaking to each other. “I’m not sure whether that should be on the list of good things,” I said. “Do we really want them teaming up again?”

My twin chewed the end of her pen thoughtfully. “Good point. All right, scratch that one. Now we need a new number three.”

“Well,” I said, “Christmas was nice.”

We’d been allowed to spend Christmas with our Aunt Phoebe, Father’s scatterbrained sister, after she’d found the courage to stand up to our meddling stepmother. I’d lived with our aunt for years before I came to Rookwood, when Scarlet was away at the school. Although I didn’t like to admit it, she’d always seemed to prefer the company of my twin, which was rather strange given how opposite they were.

“Three: Christmas,” Scarlet said aloud as she jotted it down. As an afterthought, she added, “excellent plum pudding.”

I smiled. It had been so strange for me, seeing Scarlet in the cottage where I’d lived when I believed her to be gone forever. Strange but wonderful. I hadn’t even minded when Aunt Phoebe burned the turkey, or when she’d given me the exact same knitted scarf that she got me last year. This time, Scarlet got one too.

“Four,” she said. “The weather is getting better.”

“Ha!” I exclaimed. “Not as much as I would like. My dress is getting damp. And look at those clouds!”

Scarlet pouted at me and put the notebook away in her pocket. “Ah, but this is different. This is a new year. The promise of spring is in the air!”

She stood up, spread her arms wide and took a deep, relaxing breath.

A raindrop landed on her nose.

We both laughed as we ran through the sudden downpour, back into the school and into our new beginning.

Life went on. And for the first time, school was simple. The weather was a little warmer and brighter. Scarlet and I were woken by the bell each day, went to lessons, ate a disappointing lunch, went to more lessons, and ate tasteless stew for dinner. Straight to bed with no night-time excursions.

I was happier, and I kept telling myself that. After all, there were no secret diary trails, no ghosts to hunt, no teachers waiting round the corner to give you a caning. That was better, wasn’t it?

One March morning, Scarlet sat down next to me in assembly and practically slammed her head on my shoulder. “Ivy,” she declared. “I am utterly bored.”

I let out a sigh, glad that I hadn’t been the one to have to say it. “Me too.”

“For goodness’ sake, let something interesting be announced this assembly,” she moaned.

“Like what?”

Nadia Sayani leant over from the row behind. “Perhaps an untimely death,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“No!” I said. “No more untimely deaths!”

Nadia giggled and sat back again, and my twin grinned mischievously. Then the teachers began their usual round of shushing, so we sat up and paid attention.

“Good morning, girls,” said Mrs Knight, and waited for everyone to chorus their good mornings back. Our head of house had often taken assemblies before, but it was somehow different now that she was in charge of the school. “I have a special announcement for you today.”

Our ears collectively pricked up.

“As I expect you all know, your practice examinations will take place at the end of this term …”

We all groaned. Surely this couldn’t be the special announcement?

She waffled on for some time about the exams. Sunshine was spilling in through the hall windows – even though it wasn’t very warm outside, it was heating the room and all of us inside it, making me drowsy. I was usually a careful listener, but that day I tuned out most of her words.

“And now for the announcement,” Mrs Knight said in a more cheerful voice. “Miss Finch?”

I turned my gaze to the side of the stage, and saw our ballet teacher. She had started using a cane recently, as her old injury was playing up worse than ever. But nonetheless, she gave the hall a friendly smile as she climbed up to the lectern.

“Hello, girls,” she said. “I’m pleased to announce that we will be having a special performance this term from the ballet students.”

I grinned at my twin. That was us!

“They will be dancing the famous ballet Sleeping Beauty. The auditions will be held in a few weeks, and the roles will be chosen by a small judging panel of teachers.”

I swear Scarlet clapped her hands in excitement, a gesture which reminded me a little of someone else.

“And if that wasn’t exciting enough,” Miss Finch said playfully, “it will be taking place in the Theatre Royal in Fairbank. All students and parents will be able to purchase tickets, should they wish to.”

Scarlet’s eyes sparkled with the lights of fame. She was hooked, I could tell. This was her big chance at ballet stardom.

I was excited too, of course, and nervous, but my excitement was dampened. My twin’s enthusiastic response reminded me of the sad, Ariadne-shaped hole on the bench beside me. What was excitement if you had no best friend to share it with?

All Scarlet talked about was the ballet recital for the rest of the day. Not least in ballet class, where she spent more time going on about how brilliant it would be than actually practising.

But my sadness was increasing. By the time we went up to our dorm room to get ready for dinner, I felt like crying.

“What is it, Ivy?” said Scarlet, plonking herself down on the bed beside me. “You’ve been quite the sourpuss all day. Aren’t you happy about the ballet? It’s what we’ve always dreamt of!”

It’s what you’ve always dreamt of, I might have thought, but my mind was elsewhere. I was staring at my bedside table, where a pile of letters from my friend sat. I wasn’t sure whether to admit to my twin what I really felt, but before I could stop myself it came pouring out. “I miss Ariadne,” I said. “I just wish she was here! Things are so dull without her!”

“Oh, thank you very much,” said Scarlet. “Aren’t I good enough for you?”

“You know what I mean,” I replied.

She sighed and lay back on the bed, her head almost hitting the wall. “All right. I miss her too.”

“There’s got to be a way to get her back.” I bit my lip. “I swore that I would. But after what Mrs Knight said …”

“I know. Her father wants her to stay at home.”

I undid my school tie and twisted it round my fingers. “It’s not fair, is it? She did nothing wrong. Her father should let her come back if she wants to.”

“He won’t,” said Scarlet. There was always a hint of anger in her voice when she spoke about it. “She’s his precious daughter. He wants to wrap her in cotton wool and never let her out again.”

It was hopeless.

I blinked back tears as I walked down the hallway to the lavatories. I didn’t want to be soppy in front of Scarlet. I’d only just convinced her that I wasn’t as wet as she’d always thought I was.

But as I walked into the lavatories, I saw someone else I really didn’t want to cry in front of.

Penny stared right at me. “Well, if it isn’t the crybaby,” she sneered.

I said nothing, and tried to ignore her. She hadn’t picked on me so far this term. I had been hoping it would stay that way.

“I’m talking to you, crybaby,” she said. She shoved me, and I fell back against the cold sinks.

“Ow! What was that for?” I said.

“I’m sure you think you’ve won,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “You and your sister may have got away with everything, but I don’t forget.”

Penny had a memory like a particularly vindictive elephant. Well, two could play at that game.

“I don’t forget either,” I said, trying to be brave. “I haven’t forgotten that you tried to tell on us to the headmaster, or that you pushed Violet into the lake.”

“We made up,” snapped Penny. “It doesn’t matter any more.”

“Then why are you picking on me again?” I asked. Every time I thought Penny had changed, her old horrible self reappeared just as quickly as it had gone.

“You’re going to shut up and stay away from me,” she growled. “Before I give you something to really cry about.”