The sound of excited whispers and muttered chatter broke out.
‘I hope there’s a musical society,’ Grace beamed. ‘I’d love to be in a musical!’
‘Alright, alright,’ Mrs Sinclair said, waving her hands for quiet. ‘You may now go back to your dorm and enjoy some free time before this afternoon’s fair. Dismissed!’
Zoe, Grace and I walked in a row on our way back to the dorm.
‘Which club do you want to join, Ella?’ Grace asked.
I thought for a minute. ‘Well, I’d like to be in the orchestra. And the dance troupe. And the gymnastics team. And maybe debating. And I love drama …’
‘Woah, slow down Miss Over-Achiever,’ Zoe laughed. ‘You’re not going to have any spare time at all if you do everything!’
‘And you’ll have no time to study and you’ll be in the bottom class for everything,’ a snide voice said from behind us.
Saskia.
‘Oh, Saskia, whatever,’ Grace laughed.
‘Didn’t you hear Mrs Sinclair?’ Saskia said, pushing her way in between the three of us. ‘Testing starts in just a few weeks and that will determine which stream you are in for the rest of the year. Stuff up those tests and you’ll be stuck in the lower class forever.’
‘Mrs Sinclair said it’s nothing to stress about,’ Zoe said, annoyed.
‘They always say that,’ Saskia said. ‘But really these are the tests that set the tone for your entire life at Eden. And while it’s not my problem, I’d hate to be on a scholarship and fail the first tests here. I mean, they can always take scholarships away, you know.’
‘They do not,’ Zoe interjected.
‘Do too!’ Saskia cried. ‘It happened in my sister’s year. A girl on scholarship wasn’t performing and they took the scholarship off her. Then she had to leave.’
I gulped. Was that true?
‘See you at the clubs fair!’ Saskia sang as she skipped off ahead of us.
‘Don’t worry, Ella. She’s just trying to get in your head,’ Zoe said, linking arms with me.
Zoe was right. Saskia probably was just messing with me. But was it also true?
Later that afternoon we wandered down to the gymnasium, where the clubs fair was set up. Inside, there were tables everywhere, with signs on them. Some were printed out from the computer and others were hand decorated with gel pens and bubble writing. Year 9 girls stood behind each table, handing out pieces of paper. As soon as we walked in the door, Grace ran off to the musical society table to find out what performances were going to be held throughout the year. Zoe and I wandered from table to table, amazed at all the things on offer.
‘Ooh, look Ella!’ Zoe gasped. ‘Robotics!’
Zoe is super at science and maths. We did a bit of coding in primary school, and Zoe was really good at that, too. She gently tugged my arm but I laughed and pulled back.
‘Robotics is your thing, Zo. You go sign up. I’m going to keep looking around.’
Zoe smiled and trotted off to the robotics table, where a group of Year 9 girls started chatting excitedly to her. I kept walking from table to table.
Fencing. Equestrian. Beekeeping.
I thought back to the Eden College brochures I’d seen last year. There was so much on offer. Almost too much. I wanted to try everything, but I felt really overwhelmed by the choices.
This was also my chance to work out who I wanted to be at Eden. Nanna Kate says sometimes people need a fresh start. I didn’t think I needed a fresh start—I was pretty happy with who I was—but there was a hint of adventure about it all. Who is Ella as an Eden Girl?
As I got to the end of the row of stalls, I saw a tall, blonde girl with shining blue eyes standing behind a table. She had three other girls with her. She smiled and gently waved to me, beckoning me to come look at her stall. I wandered over.
The sign on the table looked like a page out of a newspaper. The headline read: Do you love to write?
My heartbeat quickened slightly and it felt like a balloon was expanding in my chest. A smile crept onto my face. The girl saw it and grinned.
‘Hi! What’s your name?’ she asked.
‘Ella. What’s this club?’
‘This is the school newspaper. It’s online, of course,’ she said. ‘We’re called Eden Press. Interested?’
‘I don’t know,’ I said slowly. ‘I’ve never been part of a newspaper club before. What would I be doing?’
‘We cover all the news at Eden! We report on school events, dorm news, school scandals,’ she said cheekily, raising one eyebrow. ‘We also do creative writing, advice columns and puzzles and stuff.’
My eyes widened. It sounded interesting.
‘My name is Ivy, and I’m the Editor of the paper,’ the girl said. ‘We’d love some Year 7 girls to join us this year.’
‘And,’ another girl at the stand said, ‘we are looking for our next Junior Journalist. The Junior Journalist will cover all the major news for Year 7 and be in charge of any other Year 7 writers we have in the club.’
‘How do you decide who gets to be the Junior Journalist?’ I asked.
‘We’ll get the new Year 7 girls to write some practise pieces for us. Best writer can have the job,’ Ivy said.
‘But we all know who the best writer is anyway,’ a voice said from behind me. Saskia skipped up to the table and wrote her name down on the list to join Eden Press.
I rolled my eyes. Did I really want to be in a club with Saskia?
I had turned to walk away when I heard Saskia whisper to the other girls, ‘She probably can’t write anyway.’
I felt my cheeks redden. How dare she say that? I loved to write. In fact, I’d won the creative writing prize at my school speech night last year—out of the entire school. I’d even won a creative writing competition out of the whole district. I wasn’t going to back down just because of Saskia! I flung myself around and marched back up to the table. I grabbed the pen and wrote my name on the list.
‘I’d love to join,’ I said, as I stared straight into Saskia’s eyes. ‘And I’d love to try out for the position of Junior Journalist.’
‘That’s great!’ Ivy said. ‘The more the merrier. And don’t worry, Saskia won’t have any unfair advantages,’ she laughed cheerily.
As I turned to walk away for the second time, I wondered what she meant. Why would Saskia have an unfair advantage? I hadn’t taken a step before I felt Saskia lean in close to me and whisper in my ear.
‘By the way,’ she said, her warm breath tickling. ‘Ivy is my sister.’
Then she laughed and skipped away.
Chapter 5
× −
From: Ella
Sent: Friday, 3:45 PM
To: Olivia
Subject: Clubs Fair
Hi Olivia,
I can’t believe you got Class Captain! That’s awesome.
I bet Mum and Dad were soooo happy.
Well, week one as an Eden Girl is done and dusted! And I survived. We had the clubs fair earlier this week. You wouldn’t believe how much they have going on.
There are so many clubs you would like—a robotics team, a science club and even an inventors’ club! You would love it at Eden College. I hope you can come and join me here one day.
I’ve joined the school orchestra, the gymnastics team and I’m going to have a go at being a reporter for the Eden Press. It’s an online newspaper where we report on school stuff. But Saskia is joining too—UGH!!!!! That’s the girl who got me into trouble on my first day. She’s super mean. Remind you of anyone from my primary school class??!!
Zoe and I are loving hanging out with our new roomie, Grace. She’s totes funny—you’d love her! Violet is still a bit weird though. Yesterday morning, I saw her sneaking outside before breakfast. Where would she go at 7.00 a.m. on her own? Weird, weird, WEIRD.
I’ll video call you this weekend.
Love, Ella
xx
PS. I think there might be a ghost in the dorms
! Every night I hear it clinking past my room. Soooo creepy.
‘So, who has got some ideas for Issue 1?’ Ivy asked.
There were a few murmurs amongst the girls in the room. There were about ten of us in there, ranging from Year 7 to Year 9. The Year 9 girls were sitting at the head of the table with their laptops open, taking notes. Saskia was sitting as close to them as possible, of course.
It was our first meeting of Eden Press and we all wanted Issue 1 to go off with a bang.
‘Our website data shows that our readership is declining,’ Ivy said seriously. ‘The number of girls actually going to the page and downloading the online paper has decreased over the last few terms. I’m hoping this year can be a much better year for the paper. So, what are your ideas?’
‘We need a juicy story,’ someone ventured. ‘Maybe we could do an exposé on what they really put in our food in the dining hall …’
‘I think you’ll find it’s just organic beef, Ashley,’ Ivy said. ‘Anyone else?’
‘The athletics carnival is this term,’ another girl said. ‘We can cover that—you know, interview the winners and record breakers?’
Ivy nodded.
‘And what about we run some competitions?’ someone else offered. ‘We’ll get more readers if they are, like, involved.’
‘I can work on some more puzzles and things,’ another person said.
‘This is all good, but we need something more,’ Ivy said, frustrated. ‘What about our new Year 7 members—do any of you have ideas?’
‘What about some fashion advice? I could totally get that happening,’ Saskia said cheerily.
‘Fashion advice isn’t that interesting when we all wear the same uniform,’ Ivy answered. Saskia frowned and wrinkled her nose angrily.
‘Ella, what do you think?’ Ivy asked.
Everyone in the room turned to look at me and waited. I felt my cheeks flush pink.
‘Well,’ I said slowly. ‘I think we need to find the things that matter to people. Competitions and reports on the athletics carnival are all good stuff, but what is it that people really want to read about?’
‘Go on,’ encouraged Ivy.
‘Maybe we should address the issues affecting all of us. Like homesickness. Or pressure to perform. And we could find out what is going on in the dorms that people are worried or excited about. That’s what I’d want to read anyway,’ I trailed off. I held my breath for a second, wondering if everyone was about to burst out laughing at me.
‘That’s exactly what we need,’ gushed Ivy.
I let out a sigh.
‘Right, I want everyone to keep their ears to the ground. Work out what the big issues are in the dorm and let’s report on those things. We’ll meet again in a week and discuss what has come up,’ Ivy said. ‘Good job, Ella,’ she smiled.
Everyone stood up and collected their things. I snapped shut my notebook and gathered my pens back into my pencil case. The Year 9 girls slapped their laptops closed and zipped them into their cases. I heard the warning bell sound in the distance, letting us know that lunchtime was going to end in five minutes. Following the other girls out of the meeting room, I stepped into the sunshine and began to walk up the path, smiling lightly. Eden Press was going well. I shielded my eyes from the sun as it beat down onto my head—oh, no! I’d left my panama hat in the meeting room. I was supposed to wear it outside at all times, so I had to go back and get it.
As I quietly walked into the meeting room, I heard an angry voice hissing.
‘Being the Editor doesn’t mean you have to make me look stupid in front of everyone.’
It was Saskia.
‘Saskia, I wasn’t trying to make you look stupid,’ Ivy said, shaking her head.
I stepped back behind the doorway.
‘Of course you were. You always want to be the best and you can’t handle the fact that now I’m here at Eden as well, I might just shine a bit brighter than you,’ Saskia spat.
‘Come on, Saskia, that’s not true.’
‘Just because you’re in the top classes for everything and are Editor of the paper and a prefect of the Juniors, it doesn’t mean you’re better than me! Mum and Dad will see just how great I can be when I do all those things myself—and more! You just wait till I’m in the top classes and winning all the awards …’
‘Saskia, wait,’ Ivy pleaded as Saskia turned angrily away from her.
I jumped and ducked behind the bookcase in the hallway as Saskia stormed out of the room.
I quietly walked into the meeting room where Ivy was sitting at the table with her head in her hands.
‘Err … sorry, I just need to get my hat,’ I mumbled awkwardly.
‘It’s OK, Ella,’ she said. ‘I saw you in the doorway. I’m sorry you had to witness that.’
‘I get it,’ I said. ‘I have a younger sister, too. It can be a bit … fraught.’
Ivy smiled.
‘Fraught means very likely to go wrong,’ I added.
‘I know,’ Ivy laughed.
‘Of course you know,’ I bumbled, feeling foolish. ‘You’re the Editor of the paper—I’d expect you to know what words mean! I’m sorry.’
Ivy laughed again, then sighed. ‘I don’t know why Saskia thinks everything is a competition.’
‘She probably just really admires you,’ I said as I picked up my hat. ‘That’s what my Nanna Kate says when my sister Olivia is being all competitive and annoying. She says the reason she wants to beat me more than anyone else is because she actually thinks I’m the best.’
Ivy nodded. ‘I guess. Your Nanna Kate sounds like a smart lady.’
I smiled. ‘See you round!’
As I walked back out of the meeting room, I thought about Saskia and Ivy. Maybe they weren’t all that different to me and Olivia. It’s hard for the younger sister to feel she has to live up to the older sister. And it’s hard for the big sister not to take all the limelight just because she’s older. But as Nanna Kate says, there’s nothing more precious than a sister. I hoped Saskia realised that. I sure was realising it more and more now that mine was so far away.
Chapter 6
I held the photo up close to my face and smiled. It was a selfie of me, Olivia and Max. We were at the zoo with our Nanna Kate and we had taken a photo outside the giraffe enclosure. Olivia was doing bunny ears behind my head and Max was making a silly face. I stuck the photo up next to the one of Mum and Dad on the wall above my bed. I tilted my head to the side then shifted the photo so it was on an angle. Much more artistic. I picked up the next photo from the little box I’d brought with me to Eden College. This one was of our dog, Bob. His mouth was open in a pant and it looked like he had a great, big smile on his face. I’m pretty sure the photo was from a camping holiday up the coast, as there were remnants of sand on his shiny, black nose. I stuck the photo of Bob underneath the one of me and my siblings.
I plumped up the pillow on my bed and smoothed out the bedspread. We were allowed to have any bedspread we wanted, which was a nice way to express ourselves a little. Grace’s bedspread was rainbow-coloured. Zoe’s was white with purple flowers. Violet’s was green with black stripes. Mine had my favourite colours—aqua and purple. And I had a special cushion on my bed with the silhouette of a gymnast doing a handstand with her legs in the splits. Underneath the gymnast were the words ‘Warning: Gymnast. May flip at any time.’ Max had given it to me for Christmas.
I stood back and looked at my little corner of the room. It was starting to feel a bit more like home. I hadn’t had a chance during the first week to decorate my area, but now that it was Friday afternoon, I finally had some downtime.
I looked at the photos of my family and sighed. I felt a small lump rise in my throat, but I swallowed it down.
‘It’s gone. I’ve looked everywhere and it’s gone!’ Zoe said, exasperated.
‘What’s gone?’ Grace asked, looking up from the book she was reading.
‘My necklace. My precious necklace!’
‘Check your drawers,’ I said.
‘I did. And it’s GONE!’ Zoe burst into tears. I moved over and gave her a hug.
‘Don’t cry, Zoe,’ Grace said softly.
‘We’ll find it,’ I said, patting her back soothingly.
‘That necklace was from my Nonna. She gave it to me so I would have a reminder of her at Eden. I have to find it,’ Zoe sobbed.
‘Are you OK, Zoe?’ a small voice asked from the doorway. It was Violet.
‘She’s lost her precious necklace,’ Grace said.
‘I didn’t lose it,’ Zoe snapped. ‘I think it was stolen.’
‘Oh, that’s terrible,’ Violet said. Her cheeks flushed pink. She looked around the room awkwardly. ‘I’m sure you just misplaced it.’
‘I didn’t!’ Zoe sniffed. ‘I kept it here, on my drawers, in this special little box.’
An alarm beeped on Violet’s watch. ‘Oh, I have to go,’ she said hurriedly, and she rushed out of the room.
Weird.
‘We should tell Ms Montgomery,’ I said, giving Zoe another hug.
‘I don’t want to go to her,’ Zoe sniffled. ‘She’ll say I’ve been careless and lost it.’
I thought for a minute. If the necklace was stolen, we probably should report it. I looked out of our dorm room and into the hallway. Ivy was just walking past.
‘Ivy!’ I called and beckoned her to come into our room.
‘Ivy, this is Zoe,’ I said. ‘Zoe, Ivy is a Juniors’ Prefect. She’ll know what to do.’
‘What’s up?’ Ivy asked gently, sitting down on the bay window seat.
Zoe explained about her necklace, fresh tears springing from her eyes. She told Ivy how close she is to her Nonna and how the necklace was her special piece of home. Ivy nodded sympathetically.
New Girl Page 3
