She began to march on the spot. ‘OK. Everyone, just march, bend your knees, keep it loose. Right, now walk forward, tap, then back.’
Everyone did as she said.
‘Now we’re going to add some arms. As you walk forward, lift your arms, push out with your elbows leading, one two three, alternate elbows out as if you’re jostling someone aside with your elbows. That’s it, good. Forward. Now when we go back, I want you to put palm to opposite shoulder as if you’re wiping it and turn your face to the shoulder as you do so. Excellent. Looking good.’
It wasn’t looking good. No one was in time. Some were wiping when they should be nudging with their elbows.
Skye wasn’t put off by the mess in front of her. She persevered. We marched forward, jumped back, arms thrown away, crossed. It looked good when she did it even with her cast on.
‘Attitude, attitude,’ Skye yelled at us. ‘Dr Cronus, you look far too uptight. Go for a cross between, you couldn’t care less and don’t mess with me. Perfect, Uri. Perfect, Mario.’
We stepped to the right, tapped, stepped to the left, again throwing arms forward in a gesture as if to say, I can’t be bothered. I almost got the giggles at one point when I glanced over at Dr Cronus. He was following the steps so earnestly, but kept missing the beat and marching when he should have been jumping and throwing his arms whenever he could.
‘OK, last half,’ said Skye, ‘then we repeat, repeat, repeat. Walk forward, always starting on the right foot, one two three. Now put your hands on your hips, like you’re tucking your thumbs into the tops of your trousers, then back you go, turning your body sideways. Right, now forward again, this time slide to the right, to the left, good. Looking good. Let’s take it from the top.’
Over and over the steps we went. Slowly, slowly, everyone caught on and for a few brief seconds here and there, I got a glimpse of how it might look if everyone kept it together.
And then Dr Cronus decided that he wanted to do a solo spot. He sprang on to his hands as if he were going to try breakdancing, cried out in pain and crumpled in a heap on the floor.
‘Oops,’ I said as Nurse Cheryl ran forward to see if he’d hurt himself.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Showtime
It was the night of the competition.
We were to be on last.
Our crew sat in the audience with the other contestants and their friends and family to watch the performers. We took our seats and the air was buzzing with anticipation and chatter.
Skye nudged me. ‘Ohmigod,’ she said. ‘He’s here.’
I turned to see that Cat Slick Moman had just arrived or, should I say, made his entrance. The door burst open and in he came with an entourage of glamorous people behind him. He was dressed in black, had a black bandana on his head and was wearing sunglasses even though it was dark outside. He stopped at the door as if giving us all time to have a good look at him. And we did. Everyone stared. Behind him were two huge bodyguards who looked like heavyweight wrestlers. They were wearing smart dark suits and also had sunglasses on, which they both took off at the same time as they stared around the audience, looking for anyone suspicious. Next came two sets of twins who walked up to Cat Slick and one of each linked his arm in a manner that suggested that we could look but not touch. One set of twins were blonde Barbie types dressed in pink tracksuits, the other set dark skinned and dressed in black. None of them had the flicker of a smile on their face. Now that’s the attitude that Skye was talking about, I thought as I took in the expressions on their faces and the way they jutted out one hip.
‘I wouldn’t like to meet them on a dark night,’ I said.
‘Yeah. They look like tough cookies,’ said Skye. ‘But I bet it’s all an act, like my cool act.’
I looked at her for a moment and her face broke into a grin. I grinned back at her and squeezed her arm with my good hand.
Cat Slick Moman and his entourage seemed to glide across the floor to the front where they took seats. Cat nodded at Michael Blake who had arrived five minutes earlier with his son, Ollie. Everyone in the hall was staring at their every move, taking in every gesture, me included. I’d never been so close to real live celebrity before.
‘This is so exciting,’ said Lois as she looked around the hall.
‘I know,’ I said. ‘And Ollie Blake . . .’
‘Swoon, swoon,’ we chorused.
‘. . . keeps looking over,’ I finished.
After Cat, a few more famous rap artists arrived, DJ Diggie and Ice Pick Pete. They sloped forward and sat at the front. Just looking at them was giving me butterflies. I couldn’t believe in about half an hour I was going to have to get up and perform in front of them!
The show got started swiftly once everyone was seated and the lights went down. The first act was a boy who looked about fifteen. He was dressed in the usual baggy clothes that were fashionable for hip hop back in the 1980s. His music started up and he began to dance. He was good, very good, and Skye and I exchanged anxious glances.
Next up was a group of three black girls and they were completely brilliant, as if they were made of jello, and they ended their act by doing the splits. I glanced over at Dr Cronus who had his arm in a sling and hoped that the girls weren’t giving him any ideas about trying the splits himself. He waved with his good hand and smiled. I was growing fond of Dr C. He might be Saturn and a headmaster but he was a trooper.
A few other groups of girls followed and they were all good, but, as the evening progressed, I didn’t feel that anyone stood out. They could all dance, but there was nothing unique about any of them.
‘I think we might be in with a chance because we’re different,’ I whispered to Skye.
‘Yeah,’ she whispered back, then giggled. ‘You can say that again. And, hey, Cheryl hasn’t shown up.’
‘Maybe she chickened out,’ I said. ‘Or didn’t want to be associated. I wouldn’t blame her.’
After an hour, there was a short break for refreshments and I noticed that one of Cat Slick’s bodyguards opened up a huge freezer box and handed out bottles of juice to the entourage. I’d read somewhere that he was anti-booze and only drank organic juices.
‘We’d better go backstage and get dressed,’ said Cissie. ‘Nessa has our outfits ready.’
I got up to go and, as I did, Skye nudged me again. I noticed that someone was coming in the door at the back. ‘Hey,’ I called when I saw who it was. It was Amy and she was with Nurse Cheryl who was pushing her wheelchair. Her mum and dad were behind her and Nurse Cheryl waved when she saw us.
‘We’re not too late, are we?’ she asked when they reached us.
‘You’ve missed the first half, but there are loads of others to go,’ I said, and indicated where Skye and I had been sitting. ‘Here. Take our places.’
Amy’s mum stepped forward at this point. She looked so like Amy with the same brown hair and fine features. ‘Actually,’ she said. ‘We were hoping that Amy could be onstage with you. I know she’s in her wheelchair, but maybe she could do the rap song with you.’
I glanced at Skye who nodded.
‘Course,’ I said. ‘Yeah. That would be brilliant.’
‘Great,’ said Cheryl. ‘So let’s get ready to boogie.’
Backstage, all our crew were changing into the outfits that Nessa had brought. They were perfect: baggy white tracksuits with a silver stripe up the side of the legs and the arms, white baseball caps – which we all wore backwards – and ginormous white sneakers.
‘Hey, Dr C,’ I said when I saw him checking himself out in the mirror. ‘You look way cool.’
He nodded and turned his baseball cap backwards. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I do, don’t I?’
‘And one last touch,’ said Nessa when we were almost ready. We all burst out laughing when she produced bandages, slings and eye patches. ‘Help yourselves, guys.’
Everyone fell upon the ‘accessories’. Mario went for an eye patch, which rather suited him. Uri went for a bandage that
he wound round his middle in a bizarre fashion, but I was starting to get that that was his personality. Nessa bandaged her head and Joe the deli man went for a leg cast and a crutch. Amy went for an arm bandage and my sisters both picked eye patches. I think they wanted to be like Mario – they kept glancing at him and giving him flirty looks. Once we were all dressed and ready, we looked like a right bunch of nutters.
‘OK, let’s go,’ I said, and we left the dressing room and gathered in the wings of the stage along with the other waiting contestants. Skye looked around at our group and got the giggles and that started me off and that started Amy off and soon all of us were holding our sides laughing.
‘Shh,’ said the MC, so I did my best to straighten my face and focus on the stage. A group of four boys was springing around on their hands, just finishing.
‘We can’t compete with that,’ said Skye.
‘Well, Mario and Uri can,’ I said. ‘No worries.’
As we stood waiting for the stage to clear, I stared out into the audience. My butterflies were all up and flying about inside me like they were trying to escape. Cat Slick and his friends looked totally unimpressed, their faces giving nothing away, although they clapped politely at the end of the performance.
‘And now for our last act,’ said the lady, who was the event’s MC. ‘A new group and I’m told that, if they win, they want to donate the proceeds to build a new recreation wing at our local hospital. So let’s give a big hand for Accident Prone.’ The name had come to me early this morning, and when I put it to the others everyone loved it.
We hobbled on to the stage like a bunch of invalids who could hardly move and the audience began to cheer as we took our positions. Amy took her place to the right of the stage and Dad gave the nod and turned to the CD player. The beat started up. We began to tap our feet, then faced the audience and went into our routine.
Walk forward one two three, back, right elbow up and out left, up and out, right up and out. So far so good. We were all in sync.
As the crew fell into step behind us, Skye and I stepped forward and Amy wheeled herself over to join us. We went into our rap, and I glanced over at Cat Slick. For a moment I almost lost my concentration because he had taken his glasses off, was sitting up straight and had a big smile on his face. Next to him, Ollie Blake was watching me and he was smiling too.
‘LEDs twinklin’,
People sleepin’,
Heavy breathin’,
Tubes a-leakin’,
Hi-tech bleepin’,
Me silently freakin’.
I want to scream out,
But I know I can’t shout.
I’m stuck here alone,
Just want to go home,’ rapped Amy.
We all joined in with,
‘You’d have to be a dummy
To find hospital funny.
Ain’t no joke. Choke back a tear.
Don’t wanna be here.’
Skye and I fell into step with the others. They were doing brilliantly. Even though we’d rehearsed every night since we’d decided to enter the competition, I’d still had my doubts and wondered if it was going to be a major disaster. But everyone seemed to be totally together. As agreed, halfway through we all stood back and let Uri and Mario come forward. They did their hand springs and head spins and the audience cheered. They loved them. We were about to fall back in when Dr Cronus stepped forward. Oh God, I hope he’s not going to ruin everything, I thought as the old man knelt on the floor and attempted to stand on his head. One attempt and he fell back, a second and he lost his balance and then . . . he was up! Spinning! The audience roared their appreciation. He sprang up like a fifteen-year-old, grinning from ear to ear, his sore wrist magically mended, then his knee gave way and he had to hobble back in line. The audience thought it was part of the act and laughed.
We fell back in step, got to the end of the rap and by the last chorus Cat was on his feet rapping the chorus with us. The audience clapped along. People at the back stood. I looked over at Amy and Skye and gave them the thumbs up.
We went into the last steps, forward one two three, bend the knees, wiggle through the body, make a half circle with the right arm, step touch to the left, step touch to the right and we were done.
The wait at the end felt like eternity, but finally the MC stepped up.
‘And third position goes to Arthur C.’
The audience clapped as the first boy got up and took his prize.
‘And, in second place, Biz Gos and the Goose Girlies.’
The three black girls who did the splits took to the stage.
‘And, in first place . . .’ She held her breath and I held mine. ‘First place goes to . . . Accident Prone!’
The place erupted and everyone got to their feet, including Cat Slick Moman.
We climbed and hobbled up on to the stage and took our bows. This is one of the best moments of my whole life, I thought as I looked out at the cheering crowd and then at my fellow dancers. It couldn’t have been more perfect, even if I’d played the Ice Queen. It was better than that because, although I was centre stage, I was there with the team and it felt so good to share the spot.
Epilogue
A month after the competition, Cat Slick Moman released a new single. It was called Hospital Rap and was written by three girls, Amy, Skye and Marsha. It went straight to number one in the charts and raised two million pounds. The girls gave the proceeds to the Osbury Royal Hospital. Building work on the recreation wing for children and teenagers in hospital started soon after.
Amy, Skye and Marsha were booked to cut the ribbon on the opening day. By that time, Marsha’s hair was back to normal.
Hospital Rap
LEDs twinklin’,
People sleepin’,
Heavy breathin’,
Tubes a-leakin’,
Hi-tech bleepin’,
Me silently freakin’.
I want to scream out,
But I know I can’t shout.
I’m stuck here alone,
Just want to go home.
You’d have to be a dummy
To find hospital funny.
Ain’t no joke. Choke back a tear.
Don’t wanna be here.
Whispers comin’ down the hall,
Shadows slidin’ on the wall,
An emergency.
Thank God it ain’t me.
Some kid’s fighting for life.
Me, I got no strife,
Just feelin’ scared,
Wish somebody cared.
We may be sick,
But when all’s said an’ done
We still need some fun.
You’d have to be a dummy
To find hospital funny.
Ain’t no joke. Choke back a tear.
Don’t wanna be here.
Gonna put on a show,
That’s the way to go,
Find some folks with cash,
Raise a real big stash
And build a palace of fun
For everyone.
So ’stead of lying around
Wearin a frown
Kids have a place of their own,
A leisure zone,
Some real home from home
To hang out and chill,
Forget they’re ill.
Cos you’d have to be a dummy
To find hospital funny.
Ain’t no joke.
The Aries Files
Characteristics, Facts and Fun
March 21 – April 20
Confident, daring and spontaneous, Arians are always looking for new challenges. They are natural-born leaders and at their happiest when they can show everyone what they’re good at!
An Aries who’s not getting her way can be impatient and stroppy, but they make brilliant friends. If you’re feeling bored, energetic Aries will always think of something exciting to do!
Element: Fire
Colour: Red
Birthstone: Diamond
Animal: Ram
Lucky day: Tuesday
Planet: Ruled by Mars
An Arian’s best friends are likely to be:
Sagittarius
Leo
An Arian’s enemies are likely to be:
Cancer
Libra
An Arian’s idea of heaven would be:
Being the centre of attention, like the lead in the school play!
An Arian would go mad if:
They were being bossed about by someone – teachers beware!
Marsha’s Top Audition Tips
1.Know yourself! Choose a character or part that you can identify with, and acting will be easy!
2.Practice makes perfect! You HAVE to know your piece off by heart. Don’t look at the words unless you go completely blank.
3.Stand out! If you wear a bright colour or pattern to the audition you will be remembered, but make sure it’s something comfortable. Try not to look too crazy though . . .
4.Be confident! But not full of yourself. Nobody likes a diva!
5.Smile! It will make people think that you are fun to work with, and it’s harder to be nervous when you smile.
6.Keep going! Don’t make a big deal of it if you make a mistake, and no one will notice.
Are you a typical Aries?
You’re at school and you notice a younger kid being picked on. What do you do?
A) It’s none of your business, so you keep out of it.
B) Go over to them later and teach them how to stand up for themselves.
C) March over there and stand up for them. You can’t stand bullies.
You’ve gone to see a movie you’ve wanted to see for ages. Someone is talking in the cinema behind you. What do you do?
A) Move seats.
B) Complain to the manager.
C) Turn around and give them a piece of your mind! Shu-ut UP!!!
You’re having a party and no one’s dancing! What do you do?
A) Try to persuade your best mates to get on the dance floor.
B) Decide that your party is a failure and have a tantrum.
C) Jump on the dance floor and show everyone your latest moves. You love to show off!
Dancing Queen (Zodiac Girls) Page 13
