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About the Publisher
Did someone just call my name? I could have sworn that I heard someone shout âLyndzâ!
Oh hi! I didnât see you there. Iâm glad youâre here. Do you think you could give me a hand with this scenery? The Sleepover Club are putting on a play in my garden. Itâs just for our parents but it should be pretty cool. We wrote it ourselves, so we could play exactly the parts we wanted.
Fliss is going to be a princess who ends up marrying a handsome prince â surprise, surprise! You know how she loves a good wedding! And of course dressing up is like her favourite thing in the whole world. Come to think of it, most of Flissâs clothes are all frilly like a princessâs. And she acts like royalty too â most of the time she thinks that our Sleepover Club stuff is way too childish for her.
Kenny is going to play a footballing genius who scores the winning goal in the FA Cup. Donât ask how that fits in with the princess, it just does. She said that she wouldnât be in the play at all unless she could be a footballer. Kennyâs greatest love in life is Leicester City and she really thinks sheâs going to play for them one day â as well as being a doctor like her dad. When sheâs not being a footballer in the play, sheâs lots of different monsters and villains as well, but we tell her that she canât really call that acting! You know Kenny â sheâs a bit wild at the best of times, so a lot of people think sheâs a monster anyway. But itâs her sister whoâs the real monster â Molly the Monster, as we call her.
Rosie plays sort of a Cinderella character who triumphs against the odds, and thatâs kind of like Rosie too. When she came to Cuddington at first she was all sort of lost and didnât really fit in. Her dad had just left and she was finding it quite hard to cope. Now sheâs one of our best friends and is really sensible and gets things organised.
She doesnât get things as organised as Frankie though â now she can be really bossy. Thatâs why she fancies herself as the director of our play. Sheâs also its narrator, which is a really important role. She fills in as different characters too and sort of holds the whole thing together. I sometimes think itâs Frankie who holds the Sleepover Club together, because the rest of us would fall out too much if she wasnât there.
What character am I playing? Well, I dash around on a horse a lot helping people out. I said I didnât mind what role I played as long as it was something to do with horses. I live for horses! We havenât got a real horse in the play of course. Sometimes Kenny pretends to be my horse and I ride on her back, but we usually end up collapsing in a heap on the floor.
Frankie said that I should be a kind of magical character who always does good things, because she says that Iâm always nice to people in real life. I donât know about that. She hasnât seen some of the awful things Iâve done to my four horrible brothers!
Youâre looking a bit confused. I know all this play stuff sounds a bit strange, but you see, weâve caught the acting bug. Big time! Itâs all Flissâs fault really. I know, I know â poor Fliss seems to get the blame for everything. But this time, I mean it in a good way.
You know how sheâs always going on about wanting to be a supermodel? For all those nice clothes, that fame and stuff? Well then, it shouldnât surprise you that one day she announced that she wanted to become an actress instead. Actress, supermodel â it was all the same to Fliss.
âIâll still be famous and earn loads of money,â she explained, âbut thereâs not the same pressure on you to be beautiful all the time, is there?â
The rest of us rolled our eyes. I mean, what is she like?
âI donât think you can just decide to be a famous actress and wham â youâve got the starring role in the next High School Musical,â said Frankie. âYouâve got to go to drama school first.â
âAnd Iâve heard that most actresses are usually out of work,â continued Rosie. âThereâs only a few who make it to the top.â
âWell, Iâm going to be one of those!â said Fliss firmly. And when Fliss is in one of those moods, thereâs no arguing with her.
So for the next week or so we had to put up with her prancing about with her actress head on. Whenever Mrs Weaver asked her something in class, Fliss would take a deep breath, smile and speak v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y and very clearly. The first time she did it, Mrs Weaver said:
âAre you feeling quite all right, Felicity?â
The rest of us nearly wet ourselves laughing. But Fliss didnât care. She just seemed to be acting all the time, as though her life was being filmed for one long soap opera.
Kenny thought it would be a laugh if we all started acting too â or maybe that should be overacting⦠So Frankie would say something like, âI say old beans, can I interest anyone in a game of rounders?â and Rosie would reply, âOh super! A game of rounders would be simply spiffing on such a wonderful warm afternoon!â And we would all clap our hands and do really false laughs. It was like some really bad over-the-top crackly old movie. It was great fun though. Fliss got really cross with us at first.
âActingâs not like that!â she snapped. âYouâre supposed to be natural!â
âOh like you, you mean!â snorted Kenny. She put on a really posh voice and started to speak really slowly. âOf course I know what five times six is, Mrs Weaver. Itâs forty-six of course!â
The rest of us cracked up.
âI never said that!â said Fliss crossly. âI know that five times six is thirty!â
We laughed even harder.
âOh Fliss, whereâs your sense of humour?â giggled Frankie. âWeâre just saying that you seem to be taking this actress thing a bit far. If youâre so keen, why donât you go to a drama class? Thereâs got to be one somewhere near here.â
That sounded like a great idea. At least that way we wouldnât have to suffer Fliss trying to be the next Lindsay Lohan. Or so we thoughtâ¦
It was just our luck that when we went to Brownies a couple of days later, someone had put up a brand new poster on the notice board. It was luminous yellow so it sort of hit you right in the eyes. It said:
âLook at that!â said Fliss, hopping around from foot to foot as she read it. âDonât you see? Itâs a sign! I wanted to go to a drama class and suddenly thereâs one right here on our doorstep! Weâve got to go to it! Itâs going to make me a star!â
âHang on a minute!â insisted Kenny. âWhatâs all this we business? Itâs you who wants to be the actress. Youâre on your own!â
Fliss pouted and made her eyes all big and wide. Sheâs always doing stuff like that to make people feel sorry for her, but it doesnât usually work with us.
âActually, it might be a laugh,â admitted Frankie. âMy granâs always calling me a âlittle actressâ. It might be kind of fun to go to a proper drama class.â
âWell Iâve always fancied being a TV presenter, and I guess a few drama lessons might help,â said Rosie. âThen I might get a big break myself and end up presenting Blue Peter. That would be so cool!â
âThe point is that going to drama class would be good for all of us,â said Fliss seriously. âCome on, letâs all go, itâll be great! Please? Pretty, pretty per-lease?â
Before we had time to decide, Brown Owl came in and we had to get into our packs. The poster definitely gave us a lot to think about, though. Fliss, Frankie and Rosie all seemed really keen on the idea of going to drama classes, and I was certain that Kenny would go too â sheâll do anything for a laugh. I wasnât sure that it was exactly my kind of thing, but was I going to miss out? No way!
After the Brownie meeting Fliss was still excited about the drama class.
âYou will all be able to go, wonât you?â she kept asking.
âOh Fliss, give it a rest!â groaned Frankie. âWeâll ask when we get home. OK?â
I knew that Mum and Dad wouldnât mind me going, as long as it didnât affect my school work. As it was kind of near the end of term anyway, I couldnât see that happening. Unfortunately my stupid brothers found out about the drama class too, and wouldnât stop taking the mickey out of me.
âYou might get a part in one of those vet programmes,â suggested Stuart my eldest brother, who helps out on the local farm whenever he can.
âYeah, as one of the animals!â laughed Tom. Heâs fourteen, so youâd think he might be a bit more mature than that. Listening to Ben and Spike laugh, youâd think heâd cracked the funniest joke ever. But I suppose when youâre four like Ben, anythingâs funny â and Spike is only a baby, so he doesnât know any better.
Still, their endless teasing about me trying to act really got on my nerves, and I thought about not going to the drama class after all. Of course I didnât, because when I saw the others the next day they were still all really up for it and we always tend to do stuff together.
So the next week, on Wednesday 26th May, we found ourselves at St. Markâs Church Hall in Cuddington, not really knowing what to expect. But you know what? It was the start of one of our craziest adventures yet!
To be honest with you, I didnât really know what to expect from the drama class. I kind of hoped it would be like Fame Academy with loads of cool kids strutting about, but that kind of thing is never really going to happen in Cuddington!
âSo what do you think weâll be doing in this class?â asked Rosie, looking about her nervously. We were waiting outside the hall with a few other people. The doors were locked, which wasnât a good sign.
âNever mind what weâre going to be doing, are you sure there is a class here?â said Kenny, looking a bit fidgety. âIâm going to give this another five minutes, then Iâm off!â
âItâs only six oâclock now,â said Fliss. âThereâs no need to be so impatient.â
âI hate waiting around,â Kenny replied through gritted teeth, and went to climb the tree behind the hall.
âWell thatâs not going to impress the drama teacher very much, is it?â sniffed Fliss. âI donât know why Kenny always has to be such a fidget.â
Itâs true that Kenny is kind of impatient and wants everything done yesterday, but I guess we were all getting a bit twitchy. Itâs the âfear of the unknownâ, as Dad sometimes says.
I looked around at the other people waiting. Most of them were about our age and most of them were girls. I recognised quite a few of them from Brownies. There was a small group of older children who all seemed to know each other too. One of them looked very like one of Tomâs mates, Daniel. I kind of wanted to go up to him to say âHiâ, but I felt too nervous and wimped out.
Suddenly there was this enormous bang and a sort of spluttering sound. A really battered old car had come to a halt just outside the hall.
âHey, look at that!â whispered Rosie.
âIt looks as though itâs going to fall to pieces at any minute!â breathed Frankie.
We were all busy staring at the car when this bright red shape stepped out of it and stood in the road, beaming at us. It was a woman with loads of purply-coloured hair piled on top of her head.
âThat, my darlings, is known as making an entrance!â she laughed. She had this incredibly deep voice and the most fabulous earrings, which looked just like birds hovering above her shoulders. The group of older children burst out laughing and clapped really loudly. Fliss looked both embarrassed and annoyed with them at the same time.
âAh thank you, my loyal fans!â The woman shrieked with laughter. âYou know how I love an audience! Now Daniel, can you help me with my things? You too, Sophie. And the rest of us had better get inside.â
She marched up to the door and tried to push it open. It wouldnât budge because it was locked. We all knew that, but she just didnât seem to believe it. As she heaved her body against it, everybody had a good look at her. She was wearing all these floaty layers of clothes. Her skirt came to her ankles, and so did the long waistcoat she was wearing over the top of it. They were both bright red, but her top underneath was orange. Iâd never seen anyone wear colours like that together before. When she turned round to smile at us we could see that her lipstick was a deep red, and she had painted black lines above her eyelashes. She looked kind of exotic.
âDo I have the key?â she asked, as if that was something we should know. I guess we all looked a bit blank, because she started to rummage in her enormous handbag.
âI suppose I must have, let me see now!â
All sorts of things started spilling on to the ground: a fat notebook with all its pages hanging out, a Mickey Mouse purse, three lipsticks (one without a top), a chequebook covered in gooey red stuff (lipstick probably) and finally a fat bunch of keys.
âAh, here we are!â she said triumphantly, holding them up for us all to see. âNow which do you suppose opens the door?â
âWeâll be here all night!â muttered Kenny, who had reappeared at the sound of all the commotion.
Frankie and Rosie looked as though they could hardly believe their eyes. But they werenât giggling or anything, which is what we normally do. They looked totally engrossed. Fliss was looking a bit apprehensive, but then when you have a mum whoâs as organised and colour-coordinated as Flissâs, I expect seeing someone so outrageous is a bit of a shock to the system.
By this time Daniel had stepped forward, found the right key and opened the door.
âIn we go, in we go, in we go!â sang the woman.
When we were all finally in the hall she introduced herself.
âMy nameâs Angel, and itâs fab to see so many of you here. Some of you I knowâ¦â (she turned to smile at Daniel and his friends) âbut lots of you I donât. So letâs all introduce ourselves to each other.â
First of all we had to go round and say hello to everyone and tell them what we were called and how old we were. Then we had to sit in a circle and take it in turns to introduce ourselves to the whole group. Rosie got a bit panicked about that and her words wouldnât come out at all. She sounded as though sheâd swallowed a dishcloth. Angel was really brilliant though, she didnât get angry or anything. She was really reassuring and told her that it was OK to be nervous. Besides, a few of the other kids clammed up too.
Kenny wasnât nervous at all. When she introduced herself, she said that the most important thing in the world to her was football. You could tell by the way she said it that she thought drama classes were just a bit of a laugh.
âYou know, thatâs really interesting, Kenny,â said Angel when sheâd finished, âbecause I always think that actingâs a lot like playing football.â
Kennyâs ears pricked up as soon as she said that!
âFootballers train all week for one match, donât they? Well, actors rehearse for a play and then theyâre on, in front of a crowd. Itâs the same adrenalin buzz. Actors have to react quickly to situations, just as footballers have to know which shot to make when two defenders are haring towards them.â
Kenny was definitely interested now. As long as somethingâs similar to football, itâs all right with her!
After that, Angel split us up into smaller groups. We all made sure that we were together, and Juliet, one of the older girls, came to join us.
âHow do you know Angel?â Frankie asked her.
âShe did a drama workshop at school,â Juliet told us, âand it was so great that I started doing the courses she runs at weekends and in the holidays.â
âDo you go to Cuddington Comprehensive?â asked Rosie.
âSure do!â
âDo you know Tom Collins then?â I asked.
âOh donât tell me that you like him too! Isnât he gorgeous? I think heâd make a really good actor. He looks a bit like Brad Pitt, donât you think? I keep trying to persuade him to come along to the workshops, but he wonât!â declared Juliet with a giggle.
Kenny and Frankie were both sniggering. I couldnât believe that my stupid brother could have such an effect on girls. I mean, Juliet looked normal enough, but there must be something seriously wrong with her if she fancied Tom.
But before I could say anything, Fliss shrieked, âLyndz doesnât like Tom â heâs her brother!â
You ought to have seen poor Julietâs face. Talk about beetroot! She just didnât know where to put herself. For the rest of the class she was sort of distracted and didnât take much part in the role-playing we were doing.
When we left she came up to me and said, âDonât tell Tom what I told you, will you? But try to persuade him to come along to the class next week.â
Yeah, right! Some hope! The last place he would want to be is somewhere with his kid sister. And I wouldnât want him to come anyway. I was definitely going to go back though, because weâd had a totally cool time. Angel was great and everybody was really friendly. The others thought so too.
âThat was so fab!â squealed Rosie, who had got over her dishcloth mouth.
âWhat did I tell you!â said Fliss smugly. âI knew it would be brilliant!â
âAnd Angel seems to know a lot about football too,â said Kenny admiringly. She started to speak like Angel, in a really deep voice. âIf we go on like this weâll be starring in the next blockbuster movie â no problem, darlings!â
For the next week we pretended to be Angel all the time. We even tried to perfect her laugh, which was sort of all thick like treacle.
The drama classes were our highlight of the week. We were doing something we were all interested in, and we were doing it all together. For once we were all happy and we didnât fall out at all.
Well, surprise, surprise â that didnât last for long!
For the first couple of weeks, everything we did at Angelâs drama class was completely new to us. Iâd thought we might have to learn loads of lines for a play, and Iâm no good at that. In school plays I always end up as a tree or something because Iâm hopeless at remembering lots of words. Well, Angelâs class wasnât like that at all. We did loads of improvisation exercises which were really great. Sometimes we split into twos, and one of us was a hairdresser and the other was the client whoâd just been given a disastrous perm. Or we were in a big group and we had to act out an emotion, like being happy or sad, and everyone had to guess what it was and then copy what weâd done.
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