Olivia and the Great Escape (16 page)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Eel pulled the large, cream envelope that she had snaffled from Mrs Gibbs that morning from under her mattress and held it against her chest. She knew exactly what it was: her destiny. She hugged the envelope tight. She could hardly bear to open it.

It felt as if time had stood still and at this moment she was standing on an invisible line poised exactly between success and failure. Anna Popova and the other teachers at the Imperial had made their decision and that decision was set down in black and white inside the envelope. There was nothing that she or anyone could do to change what was inside the envelope and as soon as she had opened it, all would be revealed to her. But the moment still seemed ripe with
possibility as if, at the very moment when her fingers fumbled to tear open the envelope, she existed simultaneously as the child who had got a place at the Imperial and the child who hadn’t.

She unfolded the cream paper.

Underneath was a hand-written line: “Well done, Eel!”

Eel sat back on her haunches. She was in! The Imperial had accepted her! They thought she had what it takes to be a ballerina, or at least she had the potential. So now she knew she wasn’t chasing a futile dream. If she had luck
on her side, too, maybe she would one day be a prima ballerina.

Eel felt a thrill of excitement swell like liquid gold in her stomach, but underneath it, something else: a pang of loss. If she went to the Imperial she would have to leave the Swan behind her and all she had found there: her grandmother, friendship and a love of dance. She wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with Emmy and her family, and she would have to give up tap and jazz, which she really loved, and the chance to try contemporary when she was in the senior school.

She had recently seen a show at The Place Contemporary Dance School with Alicia, and had been intrigued to discover that there were so many different kinds of dance. At the Imperial, her path would be already laid out for her, stretching ahead until the point where she made it into a serious ballet company or she didn’t, despite the long years of hard work and dedication to the cause.

She knew that she should be feeling thrilled and was surprised to discover that her feelings were more complex and confusing. She folded up the letter and was putting it thoughtfully
back in the envelope when her mobile rang. It was Esme.

“Did you get in?” came her voice.

“Yes,” said Eel. “You?”

“Yes,” said Esme, but she didn’t sound ecstatic. Eel was puzzled. Esme’s passion for ballet was obvious. She wouldn’t be having the doubts that Eel herself was now experiencing.

“You don’t sound too happy.”

“Oh, I’m made up,” said Esme. “Getting into the Imperial is the best thing in the world. But I won’t be able to go.”

“Why not?” demanded Eel.

“I didn’t get a scholarship,” said Esme. “And there’s no way we could afford it without one.” Esme’s voice cracked.

“How many scholarships are there?” asked Eel, in a small voice.

“One,” said Esme, gloomily. “At this stage, anyway. I guess I’ll have another crack at it when I’m in Year Six.”

“Oh, Esme, that’s awful. You don’t just deserve the scholarship, you really need it.”

“Well, I don’t know if I deserve it, but I certainly need it,” said Esme. “My dad rang the Imperial and spoke to the registrar. She was
really nice, and there is a bursary I could get but we’d never find the rest of the money so it’s hopeless. The sad thing is, I was so close to getting the scholarship.”

“What do you mean?” asked Eel.

“The registrar let slip that it was a really close thing but another girl just squeaked it. I hope that getting it makes as much difference to her as it would have for me. And hey! Who knows, maybe she’ll turn it down.” She paused. “But whoever heard of anyone turning down a scholarship to the Imperial?”

“Oh, Esme, I’m so, so sorry,” said Eel, tearfully.

“Don’t get upset, Eel. I’m sorry, banging on like this, I should be congratulating you properly. It’s brilliant that you’ll be going! I’ll think of you there. I just know that you’re going to love it.”

“Maybe,” said Eel in a small voice.

“What’s wrong?” asked Esme.

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Eel. “I think I need to have a good, long think about my future.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The phone in Alicia’s office rang. She picked it up.

“Anna,” she said. “How lovely to hear from you! I hope you’re well and that everything at the Imperial is good.”

“All is very good,” replied Anna. “And you, Alicia? Are you fully recovered from your throat infection?”

Alicia frowned. “I’m fit as a fiddle,” she said, slightly confused.

“I’m just ringing to offer my congratulations,” continued Anna. “You must be thrilled. It is a remarkable achievement that would not have been possible without such fine teaching. It reaffirms my admiration for the Swan.”

Alicia was baffled. What
was
Anna talking about? “We try our best,” she said, hoping that all would become clear as the conversation unfolded.

“Well,” said Anna, “your best is superlative. I wouldn’t have thought it possible that a child who has been having ballet lessons for less than eighteen months could possibly win a scholarship to the Imperial. But Eel is a rare talent indeed.”

Alicia suddenly felt as if she were in a plummeting lift. “Eel?!” she blurted out, before she could stop herself.

“Oh my goodness!” said Anna. “Maybe the letter has not arrived yet. It was posted first class yesterday, addressed to Eel’s father.”

Alicia felt dizzy. She tried to collect herself, and said breezily: “Oh, that explains it, then. Jack’s still out on the river. It must be sitting in his pile of post.”

Alicia was such a consummate actress that Anna didn’t notice anything untoward and started chattering on about the audition and how brave Eel had been to come to such a daunting occasion all on her own. Alicia was only half-listening. Her mind was racing. Could
Jack have entered Eel for the Imperial audition without telling her? It was highly unlikely. She thought about Eel’s determination to know the full extent of her talent and considered the possibility that Eel had entered herself. She didn’t know whether to be aghast or admiring of Eel’s drive and self-possession. She had made a fool out of all of them.

At the other end of the phone, Anna was still raving about Eel’s gift.

“It’s such marvellous news, Anna,” said Alicia. “Thank you so much for your thoughtful call. I’ll be in touch very, very soon.”

Then Alicia sat for a long time, trying to gather her thoughts. Eel would be leaving the Swan! Eventually, she stood up and went downstairs to talk to Mrs Gibbs. As she negotiated the stairs, she felt old, tired and entirely bereft.

“How could you?” demanded Olivia, her eyes blazing. “How could you do such a thing to Gran? She’ll be so hurt and upset. After everything she’s done for us! For you, and your dancing. Wait till Dad finds out, he’s going to be furious!”

Eel shrank away from her sister’s fury. “Maybe he doesn’t have to know. Maybe Gran doesn’t have to know either,” said Eel, very quietly.

“What do you mean? You want me to help you deceive them? I won’t do it, Eel, it’s wrong,” yelled Olivia, completely furious.

A few minutes earlier, she had barged into Eel’s bedroom without knocking and seen the large envelope addressed to Jack and the letter Eel was reading before her sister had had a chance to hide them. Eel had looked so guilty that Olivia had insisted she explain what she was doing opening Jack’s post, and the whole sorry saga had come tumbling out.

“I can’t believe that a sister of mine could be such a sneaky little snake. How did you even get them to take you seriously without a parent with you?”

Eel blushed. “I got Alex to ring up Anna Popova pretending to be Gran and explain why she couldn’t come with me.”

Olivia gasped. “You are so deceitful. You should be so ashamed of yourself.”

“Actually, Livy, I am,” said Eel. She burst into tears. “It’s all got a bit out of hand. Lying is
such horribly hard work. I’ve hardly had time to concentrate on my dancing. It’s all gone to pot, I’ve been so worried.”

“Well, you’ll have to turn the place down. You got it under false pretences.”

“Actually, I got it because of my talent for ballet,” said Eel.

“You’re not going to try to go?” asked Olivia, shocked by Eel’s brazenness. “It would break Gran’s heart.”

“I know,” said Eel, and her eyes shone with tears. “I’ve realised that. In fact, I think I knew even when I was applying.”

“Then how could you contemplate doing such a terrible thing? I don’t understand.”

Eel sighed. “Because I had to know whether I was good enough and Gran wouldn’t tell me. I have to plan my future.”

“For goodness’ sake, Eel, you’re nine!” snapped Olivia, exasperated. “You don’t have to plan your future at nine.”

“You do if you want to be a prima ballerina,” said her sister, solemnly. “It’s never too soon to start thinking about it. I’m already at a terrible disadvantage because I started ballet so late.”

“But,” said Olivia, “the Imperial must take
lots of girls every year and not all of them get to be ballerinas. Getting into the Imperial is no guarantee.”

“I realise that,” said Eel patiently. “But it is an indicator. I just wanted to know. And now I do, and I’m pleased I do. And providing you don’t snitch, Gran and Dad need never know anything about it because I’ve decided to turn down the place. What they don’t know need never upset them.”

Olivia shook her head again. “Eel, it still feels so wrong,” she said. “And aren’t you worried that if you turn the Imperial down, they won’t take you seriously if you apply again in the future?”

“I think they’ll always take talent seriously,” said Eel, without batting an eyelid. “All this has really made me think hard about what it is I want to do. I love ballet, but I love all types of dancing. I couldn’t give any of them up, and that means the Swan is the best place for me. In fact, the only place.”

“So all that deception and sneaking around was for nothing?” said Olivia.

“No,” said Eel. “It was very useful. It made me realise that my desire to be at the Swan
was stronger than my desire to be a ballerina.” She paused. “And it made me realise that a life of crime would be completely and utterly exhausting.”

The door of the bedroom slowly opened. Alicia stood on the threshold, leaning heavily on her stick. Her face was very serious.

“Eel,” she said grimly. “I think you might have something you want to tell me.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Eel was perched on Alicia’s lap and Olivia was sitting at her feet. They’d been talking for over an hour. Eel had poured out everything that happened, although she had only finally admitted the role Alex had played under Alicia’s constant questioning. Alicia had pursed her lips with displeasure and her eyes had flashed so dangerously that Eel felt as if all her insides had shrivelled away to nothing.

At one point, Alicia had actually shouted at her in disbelief and outrage, something which was unheard of for Alicia, who was always controlled, even in a crisis. Eel had shrunk away from her grandmother’s disapproval. But the worst of the storm had passed, even though Alicia was still having her say.

“You do understand that what you’ve done is very serious, Eel? It’s deception,” she said.

Eel nodded; her eyes were red from crying and she was unusually subdued. “I know, Gran. I realised that very early on. But it was like pushing a boulder down a hill; once I had set it in motion, I couldn’t stop it.”

Alicia shook her head. “Maybe I’m to blame in part. If I had only let you audition in the first place, none of this would have happened. Perhaps I should have realised that you really needed to know and that nothing would stop you trying to find out.”

“You shouldn’t blame yourself, Gran. It’s all my fault,” said Eel.

“And you are quite certain you don’t want to take up the place?” asked Alicia, quietly.

“I know what I want,” said Eel, lifting her chin in determination. “I want to stay at the Swan.”

“Then we must let Anna Popova know as soon as possible so that she can offer the place to another child.”

“I want to go and see her and explain properly,” said Eel.

Alicia smiled. “Well, you’ve got some
gumption, Eel, I’ll give you that. And I’m proud of you for wanting to do the right thing.”

When their grandmother left the room to make some hot chocolate for them all, Eel turned to her sister.

“Livy,” said Eel. “There’s something else I feel bad about.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow. What other nefarious activities had Eel been up to?

“Go on, then, spit it out,” she said. “It can’t be any worse than what you’ve already confessed.”

“It’s just that I think I might have been the source of the story that was in the
Comet
about Jack being sick and about to quit.”

“Why?” asked Olivia, curiously.

“It’s just I told Alex Parks, but when I confronted him about it, he denied everything. I still feel really guilty about it, though. I shouldn’t have blabbed like that.”

Olivia wrinkled her nose. “I’m not Alex Parks’ biggest fan, as you know, but I very much doubt that he’s a spy for the Viktor camp. Listen, Eel, don’t beat yourself up about it. All of us let things slip in conversation. It’s hard to keep a secret. Even Aeysha told her mum about the
fireworks. Have you told him anything else?”

Eel shook her head. “No, I’ve been giving him a wide berth.”

“There you are, then,” said Olivia. “Loads of stuff has been coming out and you haven’t said a word. And it can’t be Alex, either. None of us are that close to him.”