Magic at Silver Spires (12 page)

“They're great!” I said. “You've gone to so much trouble.”

“And the others did the streamers!” added Emily.

“And the candles,” added Izzy.

“It's all wonderful!” I said. “Really, I love it.”

“Miss Stevenson and I will collect the rest of the food,” said Mrs. Pridham. “Ah, is that the music?”

I handed her a CD.

“Right. Why don't you go and get your masks, all of you, and come down when you hear the music.”

“It's going to be nice and loud then!” said Emily.

“Certainly is!” said Miss Stevenson.

When the music started playing it was like a fairy tale. Everyone tumbled out of their dorms, and the Forest Ash corridors and stairs were suddenly filled with laughter and chattering. We were all in our party clothes, but, better than that, we were all in our masks, so we didn't know who we were talking to as we mingled together and commented on each other's masks and drifted into the common room – well,
I
didn't really drift, I just hobbled in, as usual.

As soon as the track finished, Mrs. Pridham stood on a chair and asked everyone to be quiet for just one moment. “First I want to introduce you to our wonderful chef for the evening, who has produced all this scrumptious authentic Italian food that you see before you, and much more to come out later! May I present…Antonia's father, Signor Rossi!” she said, her voice getting louder in grand announcer's style.

We all clapped and cheered and Papà bowed like a famous film star. Then one of the Year Elevens said that she'd seen him on telly, and asked if she could have his autograph, so then everyone wanted his autograph.

“Hold on, hold on!” said Mrs. Pridham. “All in good time. Now, this is Antonia's mother, Signora Rossi!”

“Annalisa, plees!” called out Mamma, which made everyone smile and cheer even louder than they had for Papà.

“Now,” went on Mrs. Pridham, “we're going to be tucking in shortly, but first I have a short film to show you. Can we have the blinds down, please? This is called
Flavours of Italy
and I think you're going to enjoy it.”

Most people perched their masks on their heads as they sat down in the various chairs and beanbags and sofas, or just on the floor. The film started with fast, exciting accordion music, the kind we hear at every party we ever go to in Italy, which made me feel like I was back home. On the screen came scene after scene of gondolas in Venice, then shots of everyone dressed up for the spring carnival and close-ups of magnificent masks. After that the film moved to the old bridge in Florence, the vineyards of Tuscany, the fountains in Rome, and the beautiful theatre called La Scala in Milan. And then finally there were loads of wonderful fashion shots. The models strutted up and down the catwalks wearing all kinds of outfit, and I could tell that this was everyone's favourite part of the film, because when the credits rolled at the end there were sighs of disappointment.

I felt a bit nervous then, because it would be our play next and it might seem rather boring and schooly after the film we'd just seen. Someone had pulled the blinds back up and I sensed lots of eyes on me, and wondered if people were feeling sorry for me. Mrs. Pridham had told me that she'd explained to the other students at Forest Ash that I was going back to live in Italy.

“Now I'm going to hand over to Antonia for the next item,” she said, smiling at me and stretching out her hands to start off the clapping.

“Ooh, that's me then!” said Matron, moving forwards.

Nicole helped me to hop into my place in the upright chair at the small table, and when the clapping stopped I started miming typing, my heart beating like mad because I just wanted this play to be over with now.

As soon as Nicole started speaking Italian, big cheers went up and she had to wait till they'd died down before she could say her next bit. Then the same thing happened with Matron. But when I started to speak I noticed everyone listened intently, only not in the same way that they listened to the other two. I heard a Year Ten girl whisper to her friend that she'd love to be able to speak completely fluently in another language.

The play was all about a girl who worked in a hotel and was really good at her job, but couldn't help getting cross with a customer who was rude to her, and for that she got the sack from the boss. It was only five minutes long, because it would have been impossible for Nicole and Matron to learn any more, plus no one really understood what was going on in Italian and we didn't want people to be bored. But it was a lovely surprise when we'd finished to hear lots of applause, and one of the Year Nines told us exactly what she thought had been happening in the play, and it was all perfectly right. We each took a special bow and when it was my turn, Matron held me up on one side with Nicole on the other, which raised a laugh.

“Well,” said Mrs. Pridham as the clapping died down. “I knew that there was going to be an Italian play this evening, but I must say I had no idea that our very own Forest Ash Matron and one of our Year Seven students would be able to speak Italian to such a high standard after only two terms of spending time with Antonia.”

“Antonia gives us confidence, that's why we can do it,” said Matron.

There was a little wave of clapping then and someone called out, “Go, Antonia!” It was a Year Ten girl, but I didn't know who she was because she'd still got her mask on. She was standing near Mamma and Papà, though, and when I glanced in their direction, they both gave me proud looks.

After that it was time for the food. Papà had really worked hard to make six different pizza toppings, all cooked with fresh ingredients. He'd made various other delicious dishes too and there was a buzz in the common room that I don't think there'd ever been before. I noticed Emily spent ages talking to my dad and I knew she'd be talking about the food, because she's really into nutrition from living such a green life with her parents on their farm in Ireland. My dad looked genuinely interested in whatever she was saying. I felt a bit sorry for Mamma, because apart from the film, the only part of the evening that she'd really understood so far was our play.

Mrs. Pridham was standing on the chair again, clapping her hands for attention. “Now, before we all get too full up with this gorgeous Italian meal, I think we should have the special song and dance that Antonia has taught us all.”

“
Si, ‘Cincirinella'!
” called out Mamma, which made everyone laugh.

“Clear a space! Clear a space!” said Matron. And there was instant activity, with people pushing the sofas and beanbags and things to the sides of the room. Then two Year Ten girls gave me a big surprise by producing a keyboard that was hidden behind a sofa, and one of them started playing the tune to the song.

“I managed to work it out on the piano,” she said, smiling at me, “because I thought it might go with more of a swing if we had an accompaniment!”

“
Brava!
” said Mamma as the girl started to play, but Papà didn't look as jolly as Mamma. Maybe he was thinking about how he and I used to sing it together on bike rides, and that made him remember my terrible accident.

I felt a sudden pang of disappointment that I wouldn't be able to dance properly because of my leg. But Nicole dramatically put her hands up to stop the music. “Wait a minute, everyone!” she said. “Izzy and I have to get something from the corridor.”

Everyone stood like statues, wondering what ever was going on, then burst into applause as Nicole and Izzy came back in carrying something incredible, which looked like a regular wooden armchair with two long poles attached by rope to the sides, sticking out of the front and back to make four handles. “This is the queen seat we've been making for you, Antonia,” said Nicole.

They made their way towards me and I felt like bursting into tears when I saw all the trouble they'd gone to for me. The chair had been painted all over in green, red and white, like the Italian flag, and on each of the slats of the back of the chair was a silver spire made with hundreds and hundreds of sparkling sequins.

“Isn't this just the best?” said Emily, grinning like mad. “Aren't we geniuses?”

“Mr. Cary helped us,” Nicole pointed out.

“But we did all the decorating on our own,” said Sasha.

“You did the spires! They're amazing!” I breathed.

“And the painting,” added Bryony.

“Trouble is, it's a bit awkward to go on the train, I expect,” said Emily.

My eyes filled with tears then, but I blinked them away quickly, because Nicole was helping me to sit down on my special throne as the other four held the poles. Then the Year Ten girl started to play again and the “Cincirinella” song and dance began. From my special queen seat I managed to do all the arm actions, which turned out to be brilliant fun after all. At one point I waved across at Papà – a neat little wave as though I was Queen Elizabeth in her state carriage. Papà was standing completely still on his own by a table. He had a small smile on his face, but it was strange because even though he seemed to be looking straight at me, he didn't wave, and it was just as though he was in a bit of a daydream, deep in his own thoughts while the music pounded around him. A few seconds later I noticed that he left the room and realized that, of course, he was thinking about his desserts and was probably going to start bringing them through.

“Just before we move on to puds, we have another little surprise for Antonia,” announced Mrs. Pridham when the song had ended. “I think we're all exhausted after so much singing and dancing, so perhaps this would be a good time to sit back and enjoy another film. I'll hand over to Nicole.”

That gave me a bit of a shock. Nicole hadn't said a single thing about any other surprises and I couldn't think what the film might be. She squeezed my hand and then went and stood on the chair to make her announcement as Papà slipped back into the room. I thought how anxious she looked.

“Well it's not actually a film, it's a kind of slide show,” she said hesitantly. “And it should be Bryony standing here really, because she's the one who's taken most of the pictures, as she's the official Emerald photographer…” There was a ripple of laughter at that. “But anyway, Bryony doesn't like making announcements, so it's me.” Nicole looked straight at me then. “It's just a few…memories of our time since we've been at Silver Spires. And we thought you might like to keep the CD as a…souvenir…for when…” Her voice faded out and the room suddenly seemed very still and silent, apart from my heart, which was thumping away for some reason. “Anyway, here it is.” She jumped down from the chair as though it would break if she stood there even a second longer, then she sat down at the front and I felt very far away from her. But in a flash Sasha was standing close to me and the slide show began.

I don't know how I managed the next few minutes without crying. It was just a selection of random moments and I know it sounds funny but it almost hurt to watch, and I thought it would have been even worse if Nicole had been right beside me. I guessed she'd thought that too and that was why she'd sat at the front.

I looked at Papà watching the film, still with that half smile on his face, and I really hated him at that moment for what he was doing to break me away from my friends.

There were shots of Emerald dorm and the dining hall, me standing on one leg and waving one of my crutches in the air, Emily staring at the soil in her precious garden, when she'd proudly told us all that her potatoes were growing away under the soil, and then the shot that Bryony had taken straight afterwards of the rest of us all laughing our heads off at the sight of Emily. Then there was Izzy standing in a ballet position holding onto the banister, and Nicole weighed down with both of our bags on her shoulder, and next the whole screen filled with our bright, gleaming masks. Then it was the picture Miss Stevenson took of us all practising “Cincirinella” in the lay-by on our bike ride. Emily looked so funny with her helmet on and it was a relief when someone giggled and Emily piped up, “What?” which made lots more people laugh.

Nicole had been so right when she'd said that it would be a souvenir for me, but as the rest of the shots appeared on the screen I began to wonder whether I'd ever have the courage to watch it back home in Italy, or whether it would just make me feel too far away to bear.

And how could I take the lovely chair back with me, even if it did fit on the train? Those silver spires would always make me homesick for this school that I love so much. I could feel my throat hurting, and when Mrs. Pridham started talking brightly about how we should all get tucking into the delicious puddings now, I knew I wouldn't be able to eat another thing. I was just too sad. I never could have imagined, as Nicole and I had schemed and planned to get these last few days together, that they would finish like this. Mamma had said it would be a lovely end to my time here, but it wasn't.

It was the saddest end there could be.