“Couple of circuits,” said Hermie, “then if you really want to, we’re out of here.”
I felt a knot in my stomach as they pulled me along between them. On the second circle of the rink, I began to feel that I could trust them and relaxed a little.
“That’s it,” called Mum. “See, baby, you can do it.”
And then my knees buckled and I lost my balance which caused Dad to wobble and then, like dominos, we all went over. One, two, three, onto our backs.
“Ooch,” I cried as my bottom hit the ice.
Hermie was up in a flash and offered me a hand up.
“Argh,” groaned Dad. “You okay, munchkin?”
To my surprise, I was. I’d fallen. I’d survived. I looked at my hands. No one had skated over my fingers.
At that moment, music blasted out from the speakers that were positioned on the ceiling. Great disco music with a good beat, the lights went up and soon after, Mr O appeared at the gateway to the rink. He was looking very dapper in a white tracksuit with a silver stripe up the side. He skated out onto the rink and like Hermie, was a natural. He skated around once then did an amazing circular jump.
“Ah yes, the half loop,” said Hermie as he watched him. “Full rotation jump with a loop entry, and – yes! – landing on the back inside edge of the opposite foot. Marvellous.” He clapped, Mr O bowed, then Hermie leant over to me. “He’s such a show off isn’t he? Thinks he’s the centre of the universe.”
I laughed. “Technically, I guess he is, being the Sun and that,” I said, but I knew what Hermie meant.
He skated over to join us and he and Hermie helped me and Dad up onto our feet and together, I had another go around the rink with Mr O on one side, Hermie on the other. This time, we didn’t fall over and for a few moments, with the music blasting, I felt as if I was flying. Totally cosmic, I thought, when for a moment I glanced to either side of me and realized who was supporting me. Skating along with the Sun and Mercury isn’t your average Saturday morning. Once round again and the sensation got stronger. And then I realized that Mr O had let go and gone off to join Mum and Dad and it was only Hermie who had one of my hands.
“No! Argh!” I cried as I panicked, lost my balance and fell backwards again. Thewhump. “Ouch.”
Mum and Dad were over again in an instant. “You okay? You had enough?”
I knelt up, rubbed my backside and decided that I was okay. And I wanted another go. This time, Mum and Hermie took me around. After a while, I started to sense that I had my balance. I could feel it, I just had to get my weight distributed right. “You can let go, Mum but keep hold of me, Hermie, please.”
Mum let go and skated off and Hermie and I whizzed off on our own. “You’re doing really well,” he said as he slowed the pace down a little. “I was told that you catch on to things fast and you’re doing fantastic. Now strike out to the left, that’s it, now the right. Keep the balance. You’re doing just fine.”
Now that I had him to myself for a few moments, I decided to take the opportunity to tell him what I’d been going through. “I haven’t felt fine lately,” I said. “In fact, I’ve never felt so mixed up, like I don’t know who I am any more.”
“Who really does?” said Hermie, as he led us for a break by the wall. We stood, caught our breath and watched the others who seemed to be having a good time in the centre. “Finding out who you are is a lifetime’s lesson. You’re changing and growing all the time. Finding out who you are is an ever-evolving process.”
I thought about that for a moment. “I guess. But what I was trying to say is that I don’t know what I was supposed to get from this month. I don’t know what I was supposed to do as zodiac girl.”
Hermie nodded. “Actually you didn’t or don’t have to do anything. It’s all taken care of, but it can be tough when your guardian isn’t around to explain things – but as Uri said to you, me being away was all part of the plan. It was no coincidence that your zodiac month fell when I was on my hols, I mean, ahem… retrograde. Nothing could have been more perfect for you at this time for what you need to experience.”
“Perfect? But it was a mad plan.”
Hermie chuckled. “Nope. It’s all unfolding exactly as it should. See, sometimes it’s not what life chucks at you that makes your life, it’s how you react to it.”
“What? Like if life throws lemons, make lemonade?” I asked quoting one of Aunt Francelle’s favourite sayings.
“Something like that. You always have a choice, be miserable or make the most of things.”
“But isn’t that what I was doing in my own way, making the best of things? Organizing my mad family, doing my lists. I knew where I was with them.”
Hermie nodded. “The upside of being a Virgo is that you can be tremendously well-organized and efficient. The downside is, you can be—”
“Controlling and obsessive,” I finished for him.
He grinned. “Yep.”
I remembered what Mum had said about Hermie being communication, so I decided to tell him my worst fears. “And there’s something else…”
“What’s that?”
“I… I was worried that the reason none of the planet people, and even you, weren’t interested in me is because I am so boring. The black sheep of the Battye family. The rest of them are so glam and interesting.”
“Thebe,” said Hermie. “You are interesting too. Don’t you know that? Your chart says that you have the potential to do great things. Haven’t you ever wondered about why you’re so good at organizing?”
“I just do what comes naturally. It’s nothing special.”
“Believe me, Thebe, it is. You have what it takes to be a very high achiever. Already, you’re an A-star pupil – but this is the worry for people like you. You can burn out. You work, work, work, that’s why if you can get what we’re trying to tell you in this month, your zodiac month, you’ll be set up for a lifetime. To be the best, you have to find balance in your life. Understand that and you will go to the top and stay there.”
“You really think so?”
“It’s all there in your chart. You’re a top girl,” he said, then he laughed. “You just have to watch out that you don’t burn out or let your batteries go flat. Now. Want to see me go retrograde?” He began to back away.
“Noooo,” I called but he was gone, skating backwards. He did a lap of the ice rink in reverse, then returned. “Now, want to see me go forward?” And off he went, skating ahead as normal. I watched and laughed. After another lap, he came back. “Ready to try on your own?”
What he’d said to me had made me feel so good that I felt that I could take on the world. I was a top girl. Possibly a high achiever. Not boring. I nodded. “But hang onto me until I’m ready,” I said.
Hand in hand, we skated out onto the ice. The music was still blasting out.
“I think I can do it,” I told him after we’d skated for a few minutes.
“Sure?”
I nodded.
“Find your balance,” he said.
I smiled back at him. “I’ll try.”
He let go, and off I skated, on my own. Balance and let go, I thought as I sailed off. Balance and let go. It felt wonderful. Flying along to the music I began to think about which foot went where and what my arms should be doing. Immediately, my knees wobbled and down I went. Once again, Mum and Dad skated over, their faces full of concern.
“I’m okay,” I said. “And I can do it! Almost.”
They helped me to my feet and together we skated to the wall.
Mr O and Hermie were skating together and once again, I marvelled at their grace.
“You have a good chat with Hermie?” asked Mum.
“I did, and I think that I understand what they’ve been trying to tell me,” I said.
“What’s that, munchkin?” asked Dad.
“I can be who I am. I can be me, Thebe, who likes to be in control, just I have to know when to let go. Hold on, let go, and it’s all about balance.
”
“Sounds like good advice.” Mum smiled back.
I felt the knot that had been in my stomach for the last few weeks begin to unravel and I felt lighter. It was going to be okay. Mercury going retrograde hadn’t been the disaster that I’d imagined and my zodiac month hadn’t been a waste of time. I’d got it. It had taken some time, but I’d got there in the end.
Hermie looked over at me from the centre of the rink and beckoned me over. I gave him the thumbs up. I could do it. It was all a question of balance. And if I lost it. So what? I could always get up and try again. Things didn’t have to be perfect all the time. And neither did I.
I pushed off from the wall and skated towards him.
A week later it was the night of Janet Johnson the celebrity ice-skater’s party. Load of press were there and Dad had invited all our family. Auntie Francelle, Aunt Nikkya, Auntie Maggie and Uncle Norrece (who were all loved up again), Yasmin, Pat, Rachel and Hermie. At first there was a freestyle skate off for everyone and I felt so relieved to be able to join in and not be the only one from our group out on the benches watching.
About an hour into the evening, Janet did a solo performance and it was breathtaking to watch her as she appeared to fly on the ice. She really was the business, almost as good as Hermie and Mr O, but not quite. The audience loved her and cheered and cheered, then she went off to have her photo taken for the papers.
After that, various guests got up and did turns while we watched, and it was soon after that that Hermie came up behind me. “Your turn,” he said. “Ready.”
I gulped then nodded. “Ready.”
“She wants to see all of you Battye family skate,” he said and I looked over to see that Mum, Dad and Pat had their skates on and were beckoning me onto the ice.
I can do this, I thought as a wave of panic flooded through me. I can do this. Hermie had given us some practice sessions over the week and shown us a simple routine that looked good but wasn’t too challenging. I stood up, put my skates back on and went to join them.
“Nervous?” asked Dad.
I nodded and he took my hand and squeezed it. “Me too, but we’ll help each other.”
Mum gave me an encouraging smile and the four of us held hands and skated out into the centre of the rink.
“And now for Benjamin Battye, celebrity astrologer and his family,” said a man at a microphone by the side of the rink.
A spotlight beamed onto us, music with a disco beat started up and we went into our routine. Shimmy, shake and skate. It was only four minutes, round the rink, a little rotation, part reverse then we bowed. The rink erupted in applause and I looked around at the guests watching us and felt a warm glow of happiness. I felt like a star. For once, I was there with Mum, Dad and Pat, me, Thebe Battye, at the centre of attention along with them, not standing in the shadows watching as one of them took centre stage. Yasmin was grinning and waving and I spotted Hermie next to her in the benches. He nodded and gave me the thumbs up. I gave him the thumbs up back and promptly fell on my bottom.
First published 2008 by Kingfisher
This electronic edition published 2010 by Macmillan Children’s Books
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ISBN 978-0-330-53179-5 PDF
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Text Copyright © Cathy Hopkins 2008
Cover illustration copyright © Monica Laita 2009
The right of Cathy Hopkins to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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Zodiac Girls: Star Child Page 11
