Annabel's Starring Role

by Holly Webb

  Back in the wings, Katie, Megan and Saima were gazing in confusion at Becky and David, who looked remarkably unlike people who’d just had a massive row.

  “Hi!” Becky whispered. “We’ve got nothing to do for a bit, so we’d thought we’d come and see how you’re doing! Don’t worry, Fran’s over there if anything needs doing.”

  Katie stared at her. “Have you two made up?”

  “What?” All five of them were now looking equally confused.

  “Amy said you’d had a row… Oh no!” Katie’s mouth dropped open. “Becky, you were right! She’s set Annabel up – quick, you’ve got to go and find her, Amy’s trying to make her miss her entrance! Try the dressing rooms! Go!”

  Annabel rattled frantically at the door handle. What was going on? Had the door slammed shut behind her somehow? No! Of course – Amy. All at once, everything was clear. Oh, how could she have been so stupid? Amy would never do anything to help the triplets out – if she’d seen Becky crying she was more likely to go into fits of laughter than do anything to help. On the monitor, everyone was going off from the crowd scene, and the curtains were coming across for the scene change – she was supposed to be on!

  Outside in the corridor, Becky and David had just run headlong into a familiar figure. “Have you seen Annabel?” David demanded. “She’s meant to be on!”

  Josh sniggered. “Lost her, have you? You’re in trouble, mate.” Then he seemed to have a change of heart. He looked thoughtful. “Come on! Let’s go and look for her.”

  Josh strode off down the corridor. Becky and David shrugged and followed him. “Where have you looked? Did you check the dressing rooms? Hey! Look, someone’s locked this one! Annabel?”

  “Let me out! Please, I’m going to miss my scene!” Annabel sounded desperate. She’d tried shouting and banging, but no one had come. All she could do was stare in horror at the monitor – and the empty stage.

  Josh unlocked the door. “Did someone lock you in? I can’t believe it, that’s so bad.” His voice had changed, Becky noticed. The hard, jeering tone had gone, and now he was all honeyed sympathy. “Come on, let’s get you onstage!” He grabbed her hand and they raced down the corridor, leaving David and Becky staring after them.

  “She’s never going to believe he’s horrible after that,” Becky pointed out.

  “I know – too bad for Annabel. We’d better go back too. I’ve got a feeling they won’t have made it in time.”

  David was right. As Annabel and Josh were running down the passage, Katie had been staring at an empty stage. The curtains had been closed for ages, and the boys on the lights were asking her what was going on over the cans (Mr Hatton had told them that that was the proper name for the headsets).

  Saima was peering round the door to the corridor. “I can’t see them! Oh, Katie, what are we going to do?”

  Megan took the prompt script off Katie. “Look, we’ve got to do something. You know Annabel’s words, Katie, I’ve heard you testing her loads of times, you know them better than she does. You’ll just have to go on for her until she turns up – you’re wearing the costume, and everything.”

  Katie took the headset off slowly. She knew Megan was right, but she so didn’t want to do this! She’d been worried enough about just standing on the stage, now she had to talk as well! Megan grabbed the headset and spoke into it. “We’re ready – go with the curtains!” She grabbed a sweeping brush and thrust it into Katie’s hands. “Go!”

  Katie gave her a horrified look, and stepped out on to the stage – by the time the curtains were open she had to be onstage and sweeping the floor.

  The curtains rattled open, and there was a sea of faces in front of her. Katie hurriedly looked down again, and decided that Cinderella had better concentrate very hard on the floor. She took a deep breath, and spoke Annabel’s first line.

  “I’m so tired – I’ll never get all this done today, and then I’ll be in such trouble.” She sniffed miserably, as she’d watched Annabel do. This was OK, just about. She might not be any good, but at least someone was on the stage! She carried on, and she was three lines into the next speech when she realized something awful – it was at the end of this speech that Annabel had to sing her solo! Katie stopped dead, then gulped, and carried on very slowly. This speech had to last, as there was no way she could do the song. Where on earth was her stupid brainless dim idiot of a sister?

  “Katie!” A quiet but panicky hiss was coming from stage left. Megan and – thank goodness! – Annabel were waving at her. “Sweep this way!”

  Katie started sweeping furiously – she was within a sentence of the song by now! She whisked the broom over to the side of the stage, and used the duster sticking out of the pocket of her costume to dust the curtains. Then she ducked quickly offstage, and Annabel grabbed the broom. “You’re such a star, thank you!”

  “And I’m going to kill you – get out there!”

  Watching from the front, Mrs Ryan looked confused. She’d thought during Annabel’s first speech that she must have a bit of stage fright – she didn’t look quite right, and her stage presence seemed to have gone. But now she had the audience positively eating out of her hand with the song. The triplets’ mum could have sworn that that had been Katie at first… Just what was going on? At the interval, she tackled her sister.

  “So, what do you think?”

  “She’s excellent – do you think she was nervous at the beginning though? I mean, she did fine, but for the first five minutes, she just didn’t have the same sparkle,” said Auntie Janet.

  Mrs Ryan nodded furiously – she was glad she wasn’t imagining things.

  “Excuse me – it’s Sue Ryan, isn’t it?”

  Mrs Ryan turned round in surprise. A tall good-looking man was standing there, with a sulky-faced boy beside him. “Jeff Cooper. We spoke on the phone a while ago? This is Max.”

  Mrs Ryan smiled. “Oh hello. How did you know who I was?”

  “Your daughter’s name is in the programme – you look so like her. She’s really good, isn’t she? You must be very proud of her.”

  Max snarled something, and his father glared at him.

  Auntie Jan looked on, intrigued, and put in the odd comment, while the triplets’ mum and Max’s dad chatted, and Max scowled at the floor. By the time the bell went for the end of the interval she was desperate to find out just who this nice man was, but Mrs Ryan just shushed her. “They’re starting again, Jan, stop chatting!”

  Annabel’s performance got even better in the second half. By the time she was in her ballgown – Mrs Ryan and Auntie Jan nudged each other proudly, it looked so fab! – she looked like she really was wearing an enchanted dress and dancing with the love of her life. Of course, it did help that she was dancing with Josh, who’d not only rescued her earlier on, but had just confided to her at the interval that he and Julianne had split up. Somehow, Annabel had had difficulty looking properly sympathetic. If only their stage kiss was for real! She was on a high. She really felt like a star, and everyone was treating her like one. Even Mr Hatton had congratulated her in the interval!

  Amy’s plan had totally backfired – no one seemed to have minded the switch they’d had to do (luckily Ms Loftus hadn’t noticed), and the play was going brilliantly. Practically the whole cast had seen what had happened, and the triplets had lost no time explaining the trick Amy had tried to pull. Everyone was disgusted with her, and Amy was stalking around with her nose in the air pretending she didn’t care what they were saying.

  The second half seemed to fly by. Katie managed not to make Cinderella look as though she was about to be executed in the transformation scene this time, thank goodness. Annabel wished it would slow down, somehow – it almost didn’t feel like she’d had time to enjoy it properly! It seemed no time at all before she was holding Josh’s hand as they waited for the curtain call – they had to bow together, but h
e didn’t actually need to be holding her hand yet, so that had to be a good sign, didn’t it? Annabel listened smugly to the thunderous applause, and glanced over her shoulder at Katie and Becky. To be perfectly honest, they both looked relieved that the evening was nearly over. Annabel grinned back at her sisters as she ran out on to the stage for the last time. She was a star!

  “Just never, ever make me do anything like that again!” Katie shoved half a slice of chocolate cake into her mouth in a very expressive fashion and glared at Annabel.

  “It wasn’t me! I didn’t want you doing my favourite scene!” Annabel sounded indignant.

  “That’s not your favourite, your favourite’s when you kiss Josh,” giggled Saima.

  The triplets were sitting in their kitchen with Fran, Saima, Megan and David, tucking into a gorgeous chocolate cake that Mum had whipped out when they got home. A couple of days before, Annabel had begged to have everyone back after the play – she knew how flat she would feel when it was all over, and a party would definitely help!

  Katie leant over the table and whispered to Annabel – Mum and Auntie Janet were in the next room, and Mum still didn’t know about Annabel’s detention – “That’s the second time I’ve had to be you recently, and I don’t like it!”

  Annabel grinned. “You should be grateful – it isn’t often you get to be someone as lovely as me.” Then she ducked, as Katie threatened to throw the rest of her cake at her.

  “Hey, if you don’t want that…” David made a grab for it.

  “Uh-uh.” Katie dodged, and quickly bolted the other half.

  Annabel pushed the rest of the cake towards him. “You can have some more though. And it’s time to swap presents. You’re going to love yours!” She grinned at David, remembering the poster Becky had got him, and then looked round the table at all their friends. Maybe the play was finished, but it had been brilliant, and now there was Christmas to look forward to. She got up and grabbed the pile of presents that was sitting temptingly on the kitchen counter. “Come on, let’s open them! Happy Christmas, you lot!”

  HOLLY has always loved animals. As a child, she had two dogs, a cat, and at one point, nine gerbils (an accident). Holly’s other love is books. Holly now lives in Reading with her husband, three sons and a very spoilt cat.

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  First published in the UK by Scholastic Ltd, 2004

  This electronic edition published by Scholastic Ltd, 2014

  Text copyright © Holly Webb, 2004

  Cover illustration copyright © Michelle Breen, 2014

  The right of Holly Webb to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her.

  eISBN 978 1407 14744 4

  A CIP catalogue record for this work is available from the British Library.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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