The day of the Ball finally arrived and the dorm under the stairs had been transformed into a hair salon, nail boutique and makeshift catwalk. The girls had spent the entire morning trying on Jade’s dresses and modelling them for each other. They had all eventually found their personal favourites with matching shoes and accessories. Calipso was busy giving Charlotte and Annie a French manicure. Jade was straightening Roxanne’s hair with her new GHD hair straightener that her dad had bought for her on one of his overseas business trips. She really did have everything!
“Where is Chelsea?” asked Annie.
“She’s talking to my mom on the phone downstairs,” replied Roxanne.
“Do you think Annie’s dream about Chelsea getting upset at the Ball is really going to happen?” asked a worried Charlotte.
“I think it might,” said Roxanne. “After all, all of our dreams have come true so far.”
“We will have to keep a close eye on Chels and Kyle tonight, to see if we can stop whatever it is that is going to upset her,” said Jade.
***
It was just after seven o'clock when Mary came bursting through the curtain.
“I hope you’re all ready,” she said as she looked each girl up and down. “The boys are here to fetch you!” she squealed.
They all rushed around frantically, applying a last smear of lipstick, a last brush of mascara, buckling up their shoes and they all added one final spray of perfume. Then, just before they were about to leave the dorm, Jade insisted that they all pose so that Mary could take a quick photograph of them all dressed up. They looked absolutely beautiful.
“Before we go, there's something we need to discuss,” said Jade.
“What Jade? Is this really the time? The boys are waiting for us!” scoffed Roxanne.
“Well, I've been thinking. We can't really call ourselves the Fab Five anymore because there are no longer just five of us, are there?” She asked rhetorically and studied each one of the expectant faces in front of her.
“What do you think about calling ourselves the Super Six?”
“That's perfect!” said Charlotte.
The others all cheered in agreement and Jade gave Calipso a big hug. Calipso was so touched and smiled at all her wonderful new friends. She couldn't remember when last she had felt so happy, even after all the unnerving incidents that had happened in the last few days.
The newly named Super Six then made their way up the stairs, walking very carefully in their beautiful dresses and high-heeled shoes. They were relieved that the boys had arrived together rather than one by one so that they could all walk out to meet them together. All the girls in Oak House who weren’t attending the Ball had gathered on the verandah to watch as the older girls greeted their partners and linked arms with the handsome boys dressed in their smart blazers and bowties.
Kyle’s eyes widened when he saw Chelsea walk through the door in a gorgeous pink dress. Her eyes looked so big and beautiful when she wore make-up and her long golden-blonde hair hung loosely on her shoulders. It looked so soft and silky.
“Wow, you look beautiful,” he said, handing her a perfect red rose.
“Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself,” she said, taking the rose and looking for Mary over her shoulder. As she did so, she saw Ben handing a rose to Annie too. Annie's cheeks had turned the same colour as the rose petals! Mary took the roses from Annie and Chelsea and put them next to their beds so that they didn't have to worry about carrying them or losing them at the Ball. The couples then set off down the path to the Ball that they had all been so looking forward to.
The Super Six were amazed at how different the Braxton House school hall looked. The theme for the dance was Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and the boys on the dance committee had done an impressive job of decorating the venue. It looked like an enchanted forest with strings of ivy hanging from the walls and fairy lights everywhere – it looked truly magical. Eventually everyone made their way to their tables and sat chatting and laughing while eating their dinner and waiting for the music to start. Charlotte and Roxanne were sitting at a different table to the others as they were with the matric boys up on the stage. Once everyone had finished eating, people started to get up and move around the hall. Calipso and Annie were standing in a corner discussing every single detail about their partners when suddenly Calipso froze.
“It's Suzy!” she cried.
Annie turned towards the entrance and watched as Stuart and Suzy, arm in arm, walked through the door arm in arm. Suzy was wearing a beautiful red sequined dress and Stuart was wearing a matching red bowtie and a huge grin.
“You're right! What is she doing here?” she wondered aloud.
They both skipped across the hall and Suzy beamed when she saw them.
“What are you doing here?” asked Calipso, hugging her friend.
“Well, it's thanks to you that I'm here actually. After you went to Mrs Sheraton on Monday morning, she made a few phonecalls. It turns out that the security system at 'Glitz and Glamour' was faulty. Because the alarm had been going off erratically since the weekend, the store decided to double check their records and their stock. They soon realised that nothing had actually been stolen from the shop,” Suzy explained.
“I hope they feel awful about falsely accusing you, I know I do,” said Annie, feeling ashamed after hearing what had really happened.
“It's not your fault, Annie, I can imagine how it must have looked – the alarm went off and at that moment I was running away from the shop. The truth is that I had taken so long to choose a dress and my mom was waiting for me in the carpark, so I was running to meet her. It's my fault for having lost the receipt. I must have dropped it so I couldn’t prove that I had actually paid for the dress. But it was their fault for just assuming that something had been taken without actually checking right there and then.”
“I hope they've apologised to you and your parents Suzy. I hope they realise what a mess they caused!” said Calipso, feeling very upset for Suzy.
“Oh yes, they’ve made up for it quite nicely actually. They gave me a very generous voucher for the store and they wrote me a sincere letter of apology. If it hadn’t been for you Calipso, I would have had to carry out my punishment for something I didn't do and everyone would always have thought of me as a shoplifter.”
Suzy gave Calipso another hug and thanked her again before Annie and Calipso rushed off to find the others and tell them the good news. Calipso had been right about the dreams – they really did come true. Suzy was obviously meant to be at the Ball and it was thanks to Calipso’s efforts that she was. This time Calipso hadn't done something to stop what was going to happen, she had made it happen without even realising it. It really was a mystery but she found these strange and unexplained powers quite exhilarating.
All of a sudden the Black Eyed Peas blared from the sound system and everybody cheered. The couples rushed to the dance floor to dance and they all sang along loudly to “I’ve Gotta Feeling”, the first song of the evening. Even Mr Walnut and Miss Jiggleweed were shaking an ankle amongst the students, they really were doing some very interesting dance moves. Chelsea and Kyle went to join Roxanne and her partner James when suddenly the music changed to a slow song.
“I love this song!” said Chelsea.
“Me too,” replied Kyle. He looked around nervously and then back at Chelsea.
“Would you like to dance with me?” he asked, holding out his hand.
“Of course,” she said, her heartbeat quickening as their hands met.
And so they danced, one of only a few couples on the dance floor now. It seemed that the other boys were still feeling a little shy so early on in the evening and not many of them had plucked up the courage to slow dance in front of their friends yet.
“You see,” said Charlotte who was standing on the side of the hall with her friends. “I told you they would dance, it's happening exactly as I dreamt it. I can't imagine what could possibly upset her after this.”
When the song ended, Kyle led Chelsea off the dance floor and they walked hand in hand towards the punch bowl at the back of the hall. While Kyle was pouring the punch, a Grade Eleven boy bumped him and he spilt the drink all over Chelsea's dress.
“I'm so sorry,” he said to Chelsea, diving across the table for a napkin. He looked mortified. Chelsea laughed at his reaction.
“It's really okay, it wasn't your fault. I'll just go and clean it up in the bathroom,” she said, patting his arm and thinking what strong muscles he had.
Jade and Charlotte saw what had happened and followed Chelsea into the bathroom. They both thought that this was the moment when Chelsea gets upset. But over spilt punch? They weren't convinced. Chelsea was dabbing the wet patch with a damp paper towel when they walked into the bathroom and she didn't seem upset at all. Quite the opposite actually.
“Did you see how terrible Kyle felt about spilling the punch on me? And it wasn't even his fault. He really is a gentleman, and he asked me to dance during the first slow song!”
Chelsea was bubbling with excitement and the other two felt relieved. The punch was now a faded smudge that could barely be seen so they decided to go back inside and dance. But when they walked into the hall, there was another slow song playing. Chelsea scanned the crowd looking for Kyle and then she finally spotted him. He was on the dance floor, dancing to the slow song with someone else. It was Holly. She was in Willow House and had a reputation for stealing other people's boyfriends. She was in Grade Eleven and she didn't have many friends. Holly looked up and saw Chelsea staring at her. She held Chelsea's gaze and then wrapped her arms tightly around Kyle's neck. And then Holly gave Kyle a kiss on the cheek! Jade and Charlotte had spotted Ben and Annie on the dance floor. They were busy commenting on how different Ben looked without his glasses on when Chelsea ran past them and disappeared into the crowd. Just then the song ended and Kyle turned around just in time to see his date rushing out of the door, tears streaming down her pretty face.
Chapter Twelve: Calipso's Sketch (Marion, Kayla, Yusrah, Miss N)
It was Thursday afternoon, a busy day for all the girls and just two days away from the Valentine’s Ball. Chelsea had ballet, Jade was horse riding, Roxanne was at a hockey meeting and Charlotte and Annie were at an extra Chemistry lesson with Miss Jiggleweed. Calipso wasn’t much of a sportswoman like Roxanne and she wasn’t too keen on ballet either. She had more of a creative streak and had joined the Art Club with Mr Montgomery. Mr Montgomery could immediately see that she was a very talented artist so he was very happy to have her in the class.
Ever since the long weekend, Calipso had been very subdued. Her friends had questioned her about her absence from class on Monday and asked if she had been alright. She had been very vague and told the girls that Mrs Sheraton had wanted to ask her a few questions about her friendship with Suzy. She needed some time to think and for that reason she was looking forward to Art Club. In fact, Calipso always looked forward to Art Club on a Thursday. It was a chance for her to relax and forget about the pressures of schoolwork and the loneliness that she sometimes felt when she thought of her family far away in Peru. It was a quiet place where she could think about other things and lately she’d been thinking a lot about the strange dreams that she’d started to have since arriving at Fernwood. Her new friends had told her all the rumours and stories about their dormitory, that there was some sort of mystery around it, but Calipso couldn’t believe how everything that she dreamt about actually happened. But that was the strange part. Until now, everything that they had dreamt about had happened unless they had done something to stop it and had literally changed the future. So why would she have dreamt about Suzy in a red dress, arriving at the Ball with Stuart, if Suzy had been suspended from school? Suzy would be nowhere near the Ball on Valentine’s Day. Calipso was convinced that everyone had made a terrible mistake and that Suzy had not stolen anything. She had decided to go to Mrs Sheraton first thing on Monday morning and tell her exactly that. That’s why she hadn’t been in class. The principal had also expressed her surprise about Suzy’s behaviour and it seemed that she was just as determined to get to the bottom of the story and uncover the truth.
***
In the week leading up to the Valentine's Ball, the girls talked about it non-stop. The event would allow the boys and girls a rare opportunity to dress up, socialise and even dance with each other. What was even more exciting was the fact that Chelsea was not the only one from the dorm who was going to be attending the Ball. By Wednesday evening, all the girls in the dorm had received an invitation. Charlotte and Roxanne had been invited by two matric boys who they both knew from Sailing Club. But rather than delivering the invitations themselves, the matric boys had sent two small Grade Eight boys to do it for them. It was like having their own personal messenger service and it was a privilege that the matrics loved to take advantage of. Annie, Jade, and even Calipso, had been visited by three Grade Ten boys. The fact that they were in Grade Ten meant that they had to personally invite the girls to the dance. It might have been daunting for the boys but the girls found it far more romantic. Calipso was going with Adam. Adam still seemed very concerned about her after the drowning incident and, in a way, felt some responsibility for what had happened. Annie had been invited by Ben Simpson. He was known by most as “Benny the Brain” but Annie didn’t have the heart to turn him down. She also didn’t want to be the only one out of their whole group who wasn’t going to the dance, so she had said yes. This seemed to make Ben very happy. His green eyes sparkled through his thick glasses when she agreed to go with him and he had an obvious bounce in his step as he made his way back down the path back to Braxton House.
***
Friday arrived at last and there was a buzz of anticipation amongst the girls with the Ball only one day away. They all sat in Chelsea’s cubicle chattering about the evening ahead and Chelsea’s first official date with Kyle. The girls bombarded Chelsea with questions:
“Are you nervous?”… “What are you going to talk about?”… “Do you think he might kiss you?”
The last question made the girls erupt into fits of giggles.
“What if he asks you out, will you say yes?” asked Annie eagerly.
“Of course she’ll say yes, Annie!” Charlotte assured her. “Wait, you will say yes, won’t you?”
Chelsea giggled. “Of course I’ll say yes! You all know how much I like him, I’ll be the happiest girl in the world!”
Jade grinned and then suddenly became more serious. “Moving on to more important matters, what are we all going to wear? At least you have the perfect outfit Chelsea, Kyle is going to be blown away when he sees you in that stunning pink dress!”
Chelsea sighed, “Oh Jade, always so dramatic.”
“That’s not really the most important thing though,” said Roxanne, “It’s how she acts on the night. You just have to be yourself and he’ll fall totally in love with you. And Jade, what are you really worrying about? You have enough dresses in your closet for the whole school to wear to the Ball. It’s like we have our very own ‘Dress Parade’ right here in our dorm.”
Jade shrugged, well aware of the fact that she had a very well-stocked wardrobe of very fashionable clothes, but she couldn’t resist an opportunity to shop.
“Hey, where’s Calipso?” asked Charlotte.
“She was downstairs in the common room a moment ago, I think she is booking the couch for us for the Friday night movie,” said Roxanne.
“I’m going to go and find her,” said Annie decisively.
“We’ll come with you,” said the others and all of them, except Chelsea, followed Annie down the stairs.
Apart from Calipso sitting on the couch, the common room was empty. Calipso had blankets and pillows spread out next to her and she looked so peaceful as she sat sketching in her Art pad.
“Hi Calipso, thanks for saving us a seat for the movie. What are you drawing? Can I see?” asked Annie.
“Well, it’s not that good, but you can look if you want to,” she replied.
Annie gasped when she saw the drawing. “This is like one of those déjà vu moments!” she cried. The picture in front of her was so vivid.
“Why did you draw this particular picture?” she asked Calipso.
“I had a dream about it,” she replied.
“I saw this in my dream too. It’s the hall where the Valentine’s Ball is going to be held,” Annie explained.
“I also dreamt about the Ball. I dreamt that Chelsea was dancing with some guy but I didn’t think I needed to say anything because we all know that Kyle and Chelsea will dance at some stage during the evening,” added Charlotte, smiling at the thought.
“I dreamt about Kyle holding a glass and looking astonished,” Roxanne chipped in.
“Why do you seem so nervous, Annie?” asked Calipso.
“Well, the thing is, I didn’t only dream about the ballroom,” she replied. “I dreamt about Chelsea running out of the ballroom, and she was crying.”
Ever since the long weekend, Calipso had been very subdued. Her friends had questioned her about her absence from class on Monday and asked if she had been alright. She had been very vague and told the girls that Mrs Sheraton had wanted to ask her a few questions about her friendship with Suzy. She needed some time to think and for that reason she was looking forward to Art Club. In fact, Calipso always looked forward to Art Club on a Thursday. It was a chance for her to relax and forget about the pressures of schoolwork and the loneliness that she sometimes felt when she thought of her family far away in Peru. It was a quiet place where she could think about other things and lately she’d been thinking a lot about the strange dreams that she’d started to have since arriving at Fernwood. Her new friends had told her all the rumours and stories about their dormitory, that there was some sort of mystery around it, but Calipso couldn’t believe how everything that she dreamt about actually happened. But that was the strange part. Until now, everything that they had dreamt about had happened unless they had done something to stop it and had literally changed the future. So why would she have dreamt about Suzy in a red dress, arriving at the Ball with Stuart, if Suzy had been suspended from school? Suzy would be nowhere near the Ball on Valentine’s Day. Calipso was convinced that everyone had made a terrible mistake and that Suzy had not stolen anything. She had decided to go to Mrs Sheraton first thing on Monday morning and tell her exactly that. That’s why she hadn’t been in class. The principal had also expressed her surprise about Suzy’s behaviour and it seemed that she was just as determined to get to the bottom of the story and uncover the truth.
***
In the week leading up to the Valentine's Ball, the girls talked about it non-stop. The event would allow the boys and girls a rare opportunity to dress up, socialise and even dance with each other. What was even more exciting was the fact that Chelsea was not the only one from the dorm who was going to be attending the Ball. By Wednesday evening, all the girls in the dorm had received an invitation. Charlotte and Roxanne had been invited by two matric boys who they both knew from Sailing Club. But rather than delivering the invitations themselves, the matric boys had sent two small Grade Eight boys to do it for them. It was like having their own personal messenger service and it was a privilege that the matrics loved to take advantage of. Annie, Jade, and even Calipso, had been visited by three Grade Ten boys. The fact that they were in Grade Ten meant that they had to personally invite the girls to the dance. It might have been daunting for the boys but the girls found it far more romantic. Calipso was going with Adam. Adam still seemed very concerned about her after the drowning incident and, in a way, felt some responsibility for what had happened. Annie had been invited by Ben Simpson. He was known by most as “Benny the Brain” but Annie didn’t have the heart to turn him down. She also didn’t want to be the only one out of their whole group who wasn’t going to the dance, so she had said yes. This seemed to make Ben very happy. His green eyes sparkled through his thick glasses when she agreed to go with him and he had an obvious bounce in his step as he made his way back down the path back to Braxton House.
***
Friday arrived at last and there was a buzz of anticipation amongst the girls with the Ball only one day away. They all sat in Chelsea’s cubicle chattering about the evening ahead and Chelsea’s first official date with Kyle. The girls bombarded Chelsea with questions:
“Are you nervous?”… “What are you going to talk about?”… “Do you think he might kiss you?”
The last question made the girls erupt into fits of giggles.
“What if he asks you out, will you say yes?” asked Annie eagerly.
“Of course she’ll say yes, Annie!” Charlotte assured her. “Wait, you will say yes, won’t you?”
Chelsea giggled. “Of course I’ll say yes! You all know how much I like him, I’ll be the happiest girl in the world!”
Jade grinned and then suddenly became more serious. “Moving on to more important matters, what are we all going to wear? At least you have the perfect outfit Chelsea, Kyle is going to be blown away when he sees you in that stunning pink dress!”
Chelsea sighed, “Oh Jade, always so dramatic.”
“That’s not really the most important thing though,” said Roxanne, “It’s how she acts on the night. You just have to be yourself and he’ll fall totally in love with you. And Jade, what are you really worrying about? You have enough dresses in your closet for the whole school to wear to the Ball. It’s like we have our very own ‘Dress Parade’ right here in our dorm.”
Jade shrugged, well aware of the fact that she had a very well-stocked wardrobe of very fashionable clothes, but she couldn’t resist an opportunity to shop.
“Hey, where’s Calipso?” asked Charlotte.
“She was downstairs in the common room a moment ago, I think she is booking the couch for us for the Friday night movie,” said Roxanne.
“I’m going to go and find her,” said Annie decisively.
“We’ll come with you,” said the others and all of them, except Chelsea, followed Annie down the stairs.
Apart from Calipso sitting on the couch, the common room was empty. Calipso had blankets and pillows spread out next to her and she looked so peaceful as she sat sketching in her Art pad.
“Hi Calipso, thanks for saving us a seat for the movie. What are you drawing? Can I see?” asked Annie.
“Well, it’s not that good, but you can look if you want to,” she replied.
Annie gasped when she saw the drawing. “This is like one of those déjà vu moments!” she cried. The picture in front of her was so vivid.
“Why did you draw this particular picture?” she asked Calipso.
“I had a dream about it,” she replied.
“I saw this in my dream too. It’s the hall where the Valentine’s Ball is going to be held,” Annie explained.
“I also dreamt about the Ball. I dreamt that Chelsea was dancing with some guy but I didn’t think I needed to say anything because we all know that Kyle and Chelsea will dance at some stage during the evening,” added Charlotte, smiling at the thought.
“I dreamt about Kyle holding a glass and looking astonished,” Roxanne chipped in.
“Why do you seem so nervous, Annie?” asked Calipso.
“Well, the thing is, I didn’t only dream about the ballroom,” she replied. “I dreamt about Chelsea running out of the ballroom, and she was crying.”
Chapter Eleven: Absent (Gabby)
“Wow, that was so unexpected!” remarked Jade as Suzy drove off into the distance.
“I know, normally Suzy is so kind and friendly, I would never have thought that she would shoplift,” replied Annie sadly.
Charlotte looked at her watch. “Well, if we don’t hurry, we’ll be late for class girls. Monday morning and we have Geography first period,” she announced.
“I wonder why we haven’t seen Calipso this morning,” Chelsea whispered to her sister as they walked towards the classroom block.
“Maybe she’s just running late,” said Roxanne.
“Or maybe she’s still in shock after the drowning incident this weekend,” thought Chelsea aloud.
“I don’t know, she seemed fine when we arrived back at school.”
“No, she was still so pale and then she was really upset about Suzy and the shoplifting.”
“Yeah, well, I heard that Suzy and Calipso are always partners in Science,” said Chelsea.
“Yes, I think they’ve become good friends and maybe this whole nightmare has made her have some kind of a breakdown,” interrupted Jade.
“Like yours?” they all replied, laughing.
***
There was still no sign of Calipso after Geography and double Maths.
“I didn’t pay any attention in Maths today,” Annie sighed, “I could only think about Calipso and where she could possibly be.”
“Me too...wait, did you just say you didn’t pay any attention in Maths class?” asked Roxanne looking surprised.
“Yes Roxy, she did!” answered Jade, angry and frustrated that she was running low on gossip.
“I wonder, maybe she is trying to find out if Suzy really did shoplift,” she said.
“But it must have been Suzy, we saw her running away from the shop with the red dress tucked under her jacket,” Chelsea reminded Jade.
“But we did accuse her without any actual proof. We don’t know if the beeper was set off by the tag in the 'stolen' dress or if it just went off randomly. That has actually happened to me before,” Roxanne pointed out.
“Oh my gosh Roxy, I forgot about that,” said Chelsea.
“Oh no...” gasped Charlotte. “What if Suzy got scared or panicked, just like we did, and then ran away making it look like she was guilty and trying to escape?”
“So Calipso might be trying to prove that Suzy didn’t steal the dress!” Annie squeaked.
They walked the rest of the way to class in silence hoping that something or someone would cheer them up.
Right on cue, Mary came bounding around the corner.
“Hi Mary!” Roxy smiled. “So glad to see that you’re back to your old self after the muffin disaster. I bet you’ve been avoiding the Monday morning muffins ever since then!”
“Yeah, but it’s too bad, that muffin actually tasted really good,” said Mary with a big grin on her face. She didn’t get much of a response from the five Grade Tens. “You guys really need to cheer up, I mean, it’s almost lunch and I heard they have added brownies to the menu for today!”
“Are there nuts in the brownies?” asked Chelsea in a cheeky voice.
“No, apparently not, but that’s just what I heard. I don’t know how true it is,” Mary answered.
The bell rang for the next lesson and suddenly the groups of girls that had formed in the courtyard dispersed and scurried into the classrooms.
“You guys better get to class,” Mary warned them, “or The Nut will have a fit. That’s definitely something I would try to avoid!”
They all laughed at her as they rushed towards their classroom for a double lesson of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
***
During lunch the Fab Five were still very concerned about the whereabouts of Calipso.
“Maybe she’s been in the dorm all along,” said Jade.
“No, she’s not. I went back there earlier to fetch my Science book and she wasn’t there,” Roxy assured her friends as she bit into her sandwich. Sandwiches were all that were on the menu, sadly the brownie rumour hadn’t been true.
“What are you girls whispering about?” asked Josephine, peering suspiciously at the Grade Tens.
“Um, nothing,” they stammered nervously. The girls were petrified of Josephine at the best of times and now she had become very nosy since the shoplifting incident. She was treating everyone as a possible suspect. It was going to be difficult to hide anything from her from now on.
“I know, normally Suzy is so kind and friendly, I would never have thought that she would shoplift,” replied Annie sadly.
Charlotte looked at her watch. “Well, if we don’t hurry, we’ll be late for class girls. Monday morning and we have Geography first period,” she announced.
“I wonder why we haven’t seen Calipso this morning,” Chelsea whispered to her sister as they walked towards the classroom block.
“Maybe she’s just running late,” said Roxanne.
“Or maybe she’s still in shock after the drowning incident this weekend,” thought Chelsea aloud.
“I don’t know, she seemed fine when we arrived back at school.”
“No, she was still so pale and then she was really upset about Suzy and the shoplifting.”
“Yeah, well, I heard that Suzy and Calipso are always partners in Science,” said Chelsea.
“Yes, I think they’ve become good friends and maybe this whole nightmare has made her have some kind of a breakdown,” interrupted Jade.
“Like yours?” they all replied, laughing.
***
There was still no sign of Calipso after Geography and double Maths.
“I didn’t pay any attention in Maths today,” Annie sighed, “I could only think about Calipso and where she could possibly be.”
“Me too...wait, did you just say you didn’t pay any attention in Maths class?” asked Roxanne looking surprised.
“Yes Roxy, she did!” answered Jade, angry and frustrated that she was running low on gossip.
“I wonder, maybe she is trying to find out if Suzy really did shoplift,” she said.
“But it must have been Suzy, we saw her running away from the shop with the red dress tucked under her jacket,” Chelsea reminded Jade.
“But we did accuse her without any actual proof. We don’t know if the beeper was set off by the tag in the 'stolen' dress or if it just went off randomly. That has actually happened to me before,” Roxanne pointed out.
“Oh my gosh Roxy, I forgot about that,” said Chelsea.
“Oh no...” gasped Charlotte. “What if Suzy got scared or panicked, just like we did, and then ran away making it look like she was guilty and trying to escape?”
“So Calipso might be trying to prove that Suzy didn’t steal the dress!” Annie squeaked.
They walked the rest of the way to class in silence hoping that something or someone would cheer them up.
Right on cue, Mary came bounding around the corner.
“Hi Mary!” Roxy smiled. “So glad to see that you’re back to your old self after the muffin disaster. I bet you’ve been avoiding the Monday morning muffins ever since then!”
“Yeah, but it’s too bad, that muffin actually tasted really good,” said Mary with a big grin on her face. She didn’t get much of a response from the five Grade Tens. “You guys really need to cheer up, I mean, it’s almost lunch and I heard they have added brownies to the menu for today!”
“Are there nuts in the brownies?” asked Chelsea in a cheeky voice.
“No, apparently not, but that’s just what I heard. I don’t know how true it is,” Mary answered.
The bell rang for the next lesson and suddenly the groups of girls that had formed in the courtyard dispersed and scurried into the classrooms.
“You guys better get to class,” Mary warned them, “or The Nut will have a fit. That’s definitely something I would try to avoid!”
They all laughed at her as they rushed towards their classroom for a double lesson of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
***
During lunch the Fab Five were still very concerned about the whereabouts of Calipso.
“Maybe she’s been in the dorm all along,” said Jade.
“No, she’s not. I went back there earlier to fetch my Science book and she wasn’t there,” Roxy assured her friends as she bit into her sandwich. Sandwiches were all that were on the menu, sadly the brownie rumour hadn’t been true.
“What are you girls whispering about?” asked Josephine, peering suspiciously at the Grade Tens.
“Um, nothing,” they stammered nervously. The girls were petrified of Josephine at the best of times and now she had become very nosy since the shoplifting incident. She was treating everyone as a possible suspect. It was going to be difficult to hide anything from her from now on.
Chapter Ten: Unusual Suspect (Jane and Mary-Kate)
Chelsea could not believe that their exciting shopping expedition had turned into this nightmare. They all stood, frozen on the spot, their eyes still fixed on the escalator.
“It can’t be her,” remarked Charlotte, “she is always so sweet and kind and she’s very shy.”
“Well, let’s clear up this mess and check your items ladies,” said the security guard, pushing the girls back into the shop through the metal detectors. This time nothing happened, no beeping alarm.
“All clear,” said the head security guard sheepishly. “Our sincerest apologies ladies, it is clear that we have indeed made a mistake. Now, do you have any information for us regarding the suspect we have just seen fleeing the scene of the crime?”
There was suddenly silence. The girls looked at each other and then back at the marble-tiled floor.
“Girls, we have a serious situation here, and we need your help,” said the smallest of the guards in an urgent tone.
Jade looked like she was about to faint or have one of her nervous breakdowns. Charlotte recognised the signs and rushed towards her and helped her to a chair nearby.
“We didn’t do anything, we’re innocent. You can’t lock us up,” blubbered Jade, hugging her knees.
Roxanne cleared her throat and looked up at the guard. Calmly, she said, “Her name is Suzy Anne Clapham. She attends Fernwood High School and her address for the weekend is 23 or 24 Juniper Close. She seems a very unlikely suspect though, maybe it wasn’t her at all.”
The guard thanked Roxanne for the information and told them all that they were free to go.
Mr Thompson was waiting in the parking lot and was surprised to see the girls walking very somberly towards the car. The trip back to the Thompson’s house was very quiet and just as they were nearing the cottage, they saw a police car parked outside 23 Juniper Close. A police officer was talking to Mrs Clapham who was visibly upset and was shouting hysterically. Nobody in the car said a word.
Later that afternoon, after a lazy day in the cottage, the girls started packing their things and getting ready to go back to school. The weather had been lousy so they had stayed inside to watch DVD’s and play board games. The boys had joined them since it was too miserable for surfing or jet-skiing. Calipso had even felt well enough to join in. They had lots of fun and there was plenty of laughter, but the girls could not shake the feeling of dread when they thought of poor Suzy. What would happen if she really did turn out to be the shoplifter?
The boys helped carry the girls’ bags to the car and they all squashed into the Land Rover together this time. Braxton House for Boys was only five minutes from Fernwood High, so they were all travelling back together. Kyle and Chelsea were the last to climb in and, somehow, the only two seats left were the two at the back. Jade and Roxanne giggled quietly in the front as they caught a glimpse of the two of them in the rearview mirror, sitting shoulder to shoulder.
***
That night, back in their own beds in the dorm under the stairs, the six girls had a fitful night’s rest. Once again their peaceful sleep was interrupted by mysterious dreams. Dreams that offered a clue of things yet to happen. Annie dreamt of Suzy, a frightened little girl. Jade also dreamt of Suzy who was sobbing desperately. Chelsea’s dream was of Suzy’s suspension, a punisHmment frowned upon at such a prestigious school. Charlotte dreamt once again of Mrs Sheraton, but this time she was addressing the school about criminal behaviour. In Roxanne’s dream, Suzy was sitting in the back of a car and was being driven out of the school gates. And Calipso? She dreamt about Suzy too. In her dream, Suzy was dressed in a beautiful red satin dress and she was walking arm in arm with Stuart. The couple walked through the doors of the Braxton House school hall just as Mr Drummond, the principal of Braxton, was welcoming the room full of people to the Valentine’s Ball.
The next morning, the girls struggled to wake up when they heard the rising bell. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as they showered, dressed and then walked up to breakfast. As was becoming the norm, the girls discussed what they had dreamt about the night before once seated at the breakfast table. There was no need for them to try and figure out what it all meant, it was quite clear what was going to happen to Suzy. Just then, Mrs Sheraton marched into the room and without much of an introduction or a warm welcome back to school, she made an announcement. It was the announcement that the group of girls sitting in the corner of the dining hall had been expecting.
“Unfortunately I have some bad news to report after the long weekend. Suzy Clapham from Willow House was involved in a shoplifting incident over the weekend and she has been suspended from school for one month. It was a moment of silliness and thoughtlessness, and I truly hope you girls will realise the severity of this situation and that you will learn from her mistake.”
She continued to lecture the school about criminal behaviour and how it would not be tolerated at Fernwood High School. When Mrs Sheraton finally dismissed the school, the girls walked slowly back to the hostel. As they reached the end of the pathway, they looked up and saw Suzy climbing into the back of her parents’ car. They watched as the car drove away through the school gate with their sweet and timid classmate hunched over in the back seat, tears streaming down her face.
“It can’t be her,” remarked Charlotte, “she is always so sweet and kind and she’s very shy.”
“Well, let’s clear up this mess and check your items ladies,” said the security guard, pushing the girls back into the shop through the metal detectors. This time nothing happened, no beeping alarm.
“All clear,” said the head security guard sheepishly. “Our sincerest apologies ladies, it is clear that we have indeed made a mistake. Now, do you have any information for us regarding the suspect we have just seen fleeing the scene of the crime?”
There was suddenly silence. The girls looked at each other and then back at the marble-tiled floor.
“Girls, we have a serious situation here, and we need your help,” said the smallest of the guards in an urgent tone.
Jade looked like she was about to faint or have one of her nervous breakdowns. Charlotte recognised the signs and rushed towards her and helped her to a chair nearby.
“We didn’t do anything, we’re innocent. You can’t lock us up,” blubbered Jade, hugging her knees.
Roxanne cleared her throat and looked up at the guard. Calmly, she said, “Her name is Suzy Anne Clapham. She attends Fernwood High School and her address for the weekend is 23 or 24 Juniper Close. She seems a very unlikely suspect though, maybe it wasn’t her at all.”
The guard thanked Roxanne for the information and told them all that they were free to go.
Mr Thompson was waiting in the parking lot and was surprised to see the girls walking very somberly towards the car. The trip back to the Thompson’s house was very quiet and just as they were nearing the cottage, they saw a police car parked outside 23 Juniper Close. A police officer was talking to Mrs Clapham who was visibly upset and was shouting hysterically. Nobody in the car said a word.
Later that afternoon, after a lazy day in the cottage, the girls started packing their things and getting ready to go back to school. The weather had been lousy so they had stayed inside to watch DVD’s and play board games. The boys had joined them since it was too miserable for surfing or jet-skiing. Calipso had even felt well enough to join in. They had lots of fun and there was plenty of laughter, but the girls could not shake the feeling of dread when they thought of poor Suzy. What would happen if she really did turn out to be the shoplifter?
The boys helped carry the girls’ bags to the car and they all squashed into the Land Rover together this time. Braxton House for Boys was only five minutes from Fernwood High, so they were all travelling back together. Kyle and Chelsea were the last to climb in and, somehow, the only two seats left were the two at the back. Jade and Roxanne giggled quietly in the front as they caught a glimpse of the two of them in the rearview mirror, sitting shoulder to shoulder.
***
That night, back in their own beds in the dorm under the stairs, the six girls had a fitful night’s rest. Once again their peaceful sleep was interrupted by mysterious dreams. Dreams that offered a clue of things yet to happen. Annie dreamt of Suzy, a frightened little girl. Jade also dreamt of Suzy who was sobbing desperately. Chelsea’s dream was of Suzy’s suspension, a punisHmment frowned upon at such a prestigious school. Charlotte dreamt once again of Mrs Sheraton, but this time she was addressing the school about criminal behaviour. In Roxanne’s dream, Suzy was sitting in the back of a car and was being driven out of the school gates. And Calipso? She dreamt about Suzy too. In her dream, Suzy was dressed in a beautiful red satin dress and she was walking arm in arm with Stuart. The couple walked through the doors of the Braxton House school hall just as Mr Drummond, the principal of Braxton, was welcoming the room full of people to the Valentine’s Ball.
The next morning, the girls struggled to wake up when they heard the rising bell. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as they showered, dressed and then walked up to breakfast. As was becoming the norm, the girls discussed what they had dreamt about the night before once seated at the breakfast table. There was no need for them to try and figure out what it all meant, it was quite clear what was going to happen to Suzy. Just then, Mrs Sheraton marched into the room and without much of an introduction or a warm welcome back to school, she made an announcement. It was the announcement that the group of girls sitting in the corner of the dining hall had been expecting.
“Unfortunately I have some bad news to report after the long weekend. Suzy Clapham from Willow House was involved in a shoplifting incident over the weekend and she has been suspended from school for one month. It was a moment of silliness and thoughtlessness, and I truly hope you girls will realise the severity of this situation and that you will learn from her mistake.”
She continued to lecture the school about criminal behaviour and how it would not be tolerated at Fernwood High School. When Mrs Sheraton finally dismissed the school, the girls walked slowly back to the hostel. As they reached the end of the pathway, they looked up and saw Suzy climbing into the back of her parents’ car. They watched as the car drove away through the school gate with their sweet and timid classmate hunched over in the back seat, tears streaming down her face.
Chapter Nine: An Unexpected Turn of Events (Grace)
“Right, shoes next,” said Jade, ticking off a list of things to do in her mind. “Let’s go to ‘Glitz and Glamour’!”
As the girls walked through the entrance to the shop, Jade headed straight to the shoe department.
“Wow!” said Annie, amazed at the endless choice of pumps, sandals, high heels, boots and wedges.
“Aren’t they beautiful,” said Jade, gently touching the different buckles, laces and straps as she wandered down the aisle.
“You should get these,” said Roxanne, holding up a pair of flat, sporty pumps.
All four girls looked at her with their mouths in perfect ‘o’ shapes.
“That’s Roxanne for you,” scoffed Jade, “thinking about sport and comfort, even on an occasion like this.”
Then Chelsea froze. “Oh! My! Word! Look at these!” she said. She walked towards the shelf and picked up a pair of baby pink peep-toe wedges. The others gathered around to look at the shoes when the sales assistant walked up to them. She was tall and looked as though she was in a very bad mood.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Ah, yes please. How much is this pair of shoes?” asked Jade.
“This pair?” she asked smugly with a you-certainly-can’t-afford-them look on her face.
“They’re two hundred and fifty rand,” she answered matter-of-factly.
“Oh, then we’ll take them,” said Chelsea, breathing a sigh of relief. She was expecting them to cost a lot more than that.
They chose a matching necklace and a pair of earrings from the accessories department and then went to pay for the items at the front desk. They left the shop through the metal detectors and were so busy chatting and laughing that they didn’t hear the alarm beeping loudly as they exited the store.
“Stop!” cried the security guard, racing after the group of girls.
The Fabulous Five turned around in confusion and weren’t quite sure what to do. Suddenly Roxanne panicked and told them to run. They followed her lead until Annie felt a hand on her shoulder and the guard sent her flying off her feet. She hit the hard marble floor with a thump.
“You are under arrest for shoplifting,” he spat at her while pinning her tiny hands behind her back.
“And the rest of you are too, for aiding and abetting,” he added.
“What?” They looked at each other, completely flabbergasted.
The girls were carried away by the three guards that had arrived on the scene, back to ‘Glitz and Glamour’.
“But...but...b,” sobbed Charlotte, who couldn’t get a word out.
“We did NOT steal anything,” said Jade angrily. “You can check our bags. We have the receipt for all the items in the bag.”
“So if it wasn’t you, then who was it?” asked the burly guard still gripping Annie’s arm tightly.
“Um...maybe she did,” whimpered Annie, pointing to a girl in a thick black jacket running towards the escalator. As she was about to disappear from view, they all caught a glimpse of the girl, with a bundle of red clasped tightly in her hands.
“But that’s...Suzy,” gulped Roxanne. Suzy was also in Grade Ten at Fernwood High but she was in Willow House, the second of the two boarding houses. The girls knew that Suzy’s parents had a holiday house a few blocks away from Jade’s, but they didn’t realise she would also be there for the half-term break. Roxanne always thought that Suzy was the quietest girl she knew, she was the last person she would expect to steal something.
“No!” gasped Charlotte, “It can’t be Suzy.”
As the girls walked through the entrance to the shop, Jade headed straight to the shoe department.
“Wow!” said Annie, amazed at the endless choice of pumps, sandals, high heels, boots and wedges.
“Aren’t they beautiful,” said Jade, gently touching the different buckles, laces and straps as she wandered down the aisle.
“You should get these,” said Roxanne, holding up a pair of flat, sporty pumps.
All four girls looked at her with their mouths in perfect ‘o’ shapes.
“That’s Roxanne for you,” scoffed Jade, “thinking about sport and comfort, even on an occasion like this.”
Then Chelsea froze. “Oh! My! Word! Look at these!” she said. She walked towards the shelf and picked up a pair of baby pink peep-toe wedges. The others gathered around to look at the shoes when the sales assistant walked up to them. She was tall and looked as though she was in a very bad mood.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Ah, yes please. How much is this pair of shoes?” asked Jade.
“This pair?” she asked smugly with a you-certainly-can’t-afford-them look on her face.
“They’re two hundred and fifty rand,” she answered matter-of-factly.
“Oh, then we’ll take them,” said Chelsea, breathing a sigh of relief. She was expecting them to cost a lot more than that.
They chose a matching necklace and a pair of earrings from the accessories department and then went to pay for the items at the front desk. They left the shop through the metal detectors and were so busy chatting and laughing that they didn’t hear the alarm beeping loudly as they exited the store.
“Stop!” cried the security guard, racing after the group of girls.
The Fabulous Five turned around in confusion and weren’t quite sure what to do. Suddenly Roxanne panicked and told them to run. They followed her lead until Annie felt a hand on her shoulder and the guard sent her flying off her feet. She hit the hard marble floor with a thump.
“You are under arrest for shoplifting,” he spat at her while pinning her tiny hands behind her back.
“And the rest of you are too, for aiding and abetting,” he added.
“What?” They looked at each other, completely flabbergasted.
The girls were carried away by the three guards that had arrived on the scene, back to ‘Glitz and Glamour’.
“But...but...b,” sobbed Charlotte, who couldn’t get a word out.
“We did NOT steal anything,” said Jade angrily. “You can check our bags. We have the receipt for all the items in the bag.”
“So if it wasn’t you, then who was it?” asked the burly guard still gripping Annie’s arm tightly.
“Um...maybe she did,” whimpered Annie, pointing to a girl in a thick black jacket running towards the escalator. As she was about to disappear from view, they all caught a glimpse of the girl, with a bundle of red clasped tightly in her hands.
“But that’s...Suzy,” gulped Roxanne. Suzy was also in Grade Ten at Fernwood High but she was in Willow House, the second of the two boarding houses. The girls knew that Suzy’s parents had a holiday house a few blocks away from Jade’s, but they didn’t realise she would also be there for the half-term break. Roxanne always thought that Suzy was the quietest girl she knew, she was the last person she would expect to steal something.
“No!” gasped Charlotte, “It can’t be Suzy.”
Chapter Eight: The Princess Dress (Marion, Tamarah, Shelley)
Chelsea was speechless. Her mind was full off different thoughts and her heart was racing. But she did manage to force herself to say something.
“Um...sure.”
“Awesome, it’s a...” Kyle hesitated. “It’s a date then,” he said, pausing on the word ‘date’.
Chelsea blushed and started to feel all awkward and shy again.
“Well, I’d better go,” Kyle said as he got up, struggling to think of something else to say. He turned and waved clumsily as he left the room.
Chelsea was amazed. She’d wanted Kyle to ask her out ever since she’d met him a year ago and she had practiced hundreds of responses just in case he did. But despite all the practice, she had acted like a complete fool. She didn’t have that much time to analyse the entire scene that had just taken place because Jade burst through the door.
“Hey Chelsea, here you are! What were you and Kyle talking about?” she asked with a smirk on her face.
“He...he...he just asked me to go to the Valentine’s Ball with him next weekend. Kyle asked me out on a date!” she exclaimed.
“Oh my gosh!” Jade cried excitedly and pulled Chelsea off the bed. They jumped up and down holding hands when suddenly Chelsea stopped.
“What am I going to do Jade? It’s only a week away and I have absolutely nothing to wear!”
Jade looked panic-stricken. “You’re quite right, you have nothing to wear. We have to go shopping!”
“Well, we can worry about that tomorrow. Right now we need to go and join everyone else for dinner, they’ll be wondering where we are,” said Chelsea as she tried to catch her breath.
***
Early the next morning Jade woke everyone up in a very loud and high-pitched voice.
“Wake up sleepyheads, it’s time to go SHOPPING!”
“Ahh Jade, a little bit longer please, I’m so happy in this lovely soft bed,” pleaded Charlotte.
“Me too, these beds are like soft puffy clouds compared to our dorm beds,” agreed Annie.
The only response from Roxanne was a single grunt as she turned over and pulled her feather duvet right over her head.
Once they had eventually woken up, and eaten one too many of Mrs Thompson’s delicious blueberry pancakes, they went into Calipso’s room to see how she was. The girls had left Calipso in the spare room to rest after returning from the beach the day before and she had fallen into a deep sleep straight away. She must have been in a lot of shock and her body must have been exhausted because she had slept right through dinner too and was still sleeping by the time everyone else went to bed. They tip-toed into the room but could soon see that she was awake.
“Morning Calipso, how are you feeling? Are you feeling up to a trip to the shopping mall?”
“Morning,” she replied groggily, rubbing her eyes. “I’m so sorry but I’m still not feeling that well. I think I’m going to stay where I am if you guys don’t mind. I’m so sorry to be such a nuisance.”
Charlotte sat down on the bed next to her and held her hand. “You’re not a nuisance at all, but we are worried about you. Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want us to stay here with you rather?”
“No, please don’t let me spoil the day, you guys go ahead and I’ll see you when you get back,” she replied.
They all said goodbye to Calipso and then Annie hugged her gently. “Okay then, you stay here and rest and we’ll see you later.”
The Fab Five piled into the Land Rover once again, and Mr Thompson reversed out of the driveway. Jade turned the radio on and they all started singing along to one of the Jonas Brothers’ latest hits. Chelsea pretended to sing along but she was secretly wondering what the boys had planned for the day. She was a little disappointed that the boys had been fast asleep when they had left, she was hoping to see Kyle again at the breakfast table.
“Are we there yet?” the girls asked every five minutes, teasing Mr Thompson and impatient to start shopping.
“We’re nearly there,” sighed Mr Thompson for the umpteenth time, amused at their teenage antics.
Within the next few minutes, they turned a corner and the shopping mall was right there in front of them. They jumped out the moment the car stopped and shouted, “Thank you, Mr Thompson! Thanks dad,” their voices fading away as they ran towards the entrance.
“Where should we go first?” asked Jade.
They all looked at each other with only one place in mind, “Dress Parade!” they cried in unison.
The dress shop was full of beautiful dresses of every colour and style. They walked passed the rails, ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ at the silky fabrics and sparkling sequins.
“Chelsea, I have found the perfect dress! What do you think about this pink one?” asked Jade.
“Ooh yes, it is very pretty,” agreed Charlotte.
“I love the little pink pearls around the neckline,” added Annie, “so elegant!”
“What about this blue one,” suggested Roxanne, holding up a short royal blue dress. “It will look much better on with your blue eyes.”
“Nah, it’s a Valentine’s Ball and girls don’t usually wear blue, do they?” asked Jade. “And besides, this pink is just too gorgeous,” she said, confident in her choice of colour and style.
“Pink,” agreed the other three.
So Chelsea asked the shop attendant for the pink dress in her size and went to try it on. She stepped out of the fitting room to show her panel of judges and they all agreed that it looked like it had been made to fit her. It was perfect. Chelsea squealed with delight and quickly took the dress off before she split the seams from all the excitement. She went to the counter to pay and was quite shocked when she was told the price of the dress. But Chelsea had saved most of her pocket money during the term and decided that the pretty pink dress was worth every penny. She was going to the dance with Kyle and she had to look like a princess!
“Um...sure.”
“Awesome, it’s a...” Kyle hesitated. “It’s a date then,” he said, pausing on the word ‘date’.
Chelsea blushed and started to feel all awkward and shy again.
“Well, I’d better go,” Kyle said as he got up, struggling to think of something else to say. He turned and waved clumsily as he left the room.
Chelsea was amazed. She’d wanted Kyle to ask her out ever since she’d met him a year ago and she had practiced hundreds of responses just in case he did. But despite all the practice, she had acted like a complete fool. She didn’t have that much time to analyse the entire scene that had just taken place because Jade burst through the door.
“Hey Chelsea, here you are! What were you and Kyle talking about?” she asked with a smirk on her face.
“He...he...he just asked me to go to the Valentine’s Ball with him next weekend. Kyle asked me out on a date!” she exclaimed.
“Oh my gosh!” Jade cried excitedly and pulled Chelsea off the bed. They jumped up and down holding hands when suddenly Chelsea stopped.
“What am I going to do Jade? It’s only a week away and I have absolutely nothing to wear!”
Jade looked panic-stricken. “You’re quite right, you have nothing to wear. We have to go shopping!”
“Well, we can worry about that tomorrow. Right now we need to go and join everyone else for dinner, they’ll be wondering where we are,” said Chelsea as she tried to catch her breath.
***
Early the next morning Jade woke everyone up in a very loud and high-pitched voice.
“Wake up sleepyheads, it’s time to go SHOPPING!”
“Ahh Jade, a little bit longer please, I’m so happy in this lovely soft bed,” pleaded Charlotte.
“Me too, these beds are like soft puffy clouds compared to our dorm beds,” agreed Annie.
The only response from Roxanne was a single grunt as she turned over and pulled her feather duvet right over her head.
Once they had eventually woken up, and eaten one too many of Mrs Thompson’s delicious blueberry pancakes, they went into Calipso’s room to see how she was. The girls had left Calipso in the spare room to rest after returning from the beach the day before and she had fallen into a deep sleep straight away. She must have been in a lot of shock and her body must have been exhausted because she had slept right through dinner too and was still sleeping by the time everyone else went to bed. They tip-toed into the room but could soon see that she was awake.
“Morning Calipso, how are you feeling? Are you feeling up to a trip to the shopping mall?”
“Morning,” she replied groggily, rubbing her eyes. “I’m so sorry but I’m still not feeling that well. I think I’m going to stay where I am if you guys don’t mind. I’m so sorry to be such a nuisance.”
Charlotte sat down on the bed next to her and held her hand. “You’re not a nuisance at all, but we are worried about you. Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want us to stay here with you rather?”
“No, please don’t let me spoil the day, you guys go ahead and I’ll see you when you get back,” she replied.
They all said goodbye to Calipso and then Annie hugged her gently. “Okay then, you stay here and rest and we’ll see you later.”
The Fab Five piled into the Land Rover once again, and Mr Thompson reversed out of the driveway. Jade turned the radio on and they all started singing along to one of the Jonas Brothers’ latest hits. Chelsea pretended to sing along but she was secretly wondering what the boys had planned for the day. She was a little disappointed that the boys had been fast asleep when they had left, she was hoping to see Kyle again at the breakfast table.
“Are we there yet?” the girls asked every five minutes, teasing Mr Thompson and impatient to start shopping.
“We’re nearly there,” sighed Mr Thompson for the umpteenth time, amused at their teenage antics.
Within the next few minutes, they turned a corner and the shopping mall was right there in front of them. They jumped out the moment the car stopped and shouted, “Thank you, Mr Thompson! Thanks dad,” their voices fading away as they ran towards the entrance.
“Where should we go first?” asked Jade.
They all looked at each other with only one place in mind, “Dress Parade!” they cried in unison.
The dress shop was full of beautiful dresses of every colour and style. They walked passed the rails, ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ at the silky fabrics and sparkling sequins.
“Chelsea, I have found the perfect dress! What do you think about this pink one?” asked Jade.
“Ooh yes, it is very pretty,” agreed Charlotte.
“I love the little pink pearls around the neckline,” added Annie, “so elegant!”
“What about this blue one,” suggested Roxanne, holding up a short royal blue dress. “It will look much better on with your blue eyes.”
“Nah, it’s a Valentine’s Ball and girls don’t usually wear blue, do they?” asked Jade. “And besides, this pink is just too gorgeous,” she said, confident in her choice of colour and style.
“Pink,” agreed the other three.
So Chelsea asked the shop attendant for the pink dress in her size and went to try it on. She stepped out of the fitting room to show her panel of judges and they all agreed that it looked like it had been made to fit her. It was perfect. Chelsea squealed with delight and quickly took the dress off before she split the seams from all the excitement. She went to the counter to pay and was quite shocked when she was told the price of the dress. But Chelsea had saved most of her pocket money during the term and decided that the pretty pink dress was worth every penny. She was going to the dance with Kyle and she had to look like a princess!
Chapter Seven: Wild Ride (Rachael and Jameela)
“Help, help!”
Annie and the rest of the dorm woke up abruptly to the sound of Calipso screaming desperately. Within seconds the girls had jumped out of bed and were standing next to Calipso.
“What’s wrong Calipso? Are you okay?” asked a concerned Charlotte as she shook Calipso awake.
Calipso was completely out of breath and took a moment to work out exactly where she was.
“I just dreamt I was...drowning!”
The girls all exchanged worried looks with each other and knew that this meant trouble. The anxious moment was then interrupted by Josephine and the clanging of the bell for breakfast.
“Well, let’s quickly get dressed and hurry to breakfast, we’ll talk about it over a bowl of porridge,” suggested Roxanne.
The girls dressed quickly and made their beds before rushing up to the dining hall to join the breakfast queue. Once they had helped themselves to porridge and toast, they settled down to discuss their dreams.
“I dreamt that we were at Jade’s holiday house and we went jet-skiing, which isn’t such a coincidence since you did invite us all yesterday to stay with you for the long weekend. No big deal right?” said Annie, looking at the others for reassurance.
Jade frowned. “I dreamt that we were swimming in the sea. Suddenly a huge wave was about to break right on top of us.”
Next, it was Charlotte’s turn. “In my dream one of us went under a wave, I think it was Calipso but I couldn’t see clearly, and then...”
“It must have been me,” interrupted Calipso, “because I dreamt that I was drowning and fighting for air, so maybe the big wave from Jade’s dream forces me underwater.”
“Well, I don’t know who it was but I dreamt about a guy, and he was carrying someone along the seashore...how romantic!” said Chelsea dreamily, imagining that she was that someone and Kyle was that guy.
Roxanne cleared her throat and scratched her head. “I don’t really remember much of my dream, but I do remember a few people leaning over someone lying on a sandy shore doing what looked like CPR.”
“Huh,” they all sighed, thinking to themselves about what they’d just discussed.
All of a sudden the speakers screeched to life in the corner of the dining hall as Josephine turned the microphone on. A moment later Mrs Sheraton, now completely recovered from her nasty fall, walked through the doors. She was wearing a grey skirt and a white blouse and her grey-blond hair was in a neat little bun. She made her way to the podium and tapped the microphone.
“May I have your attention please girls,” she said in a raspy voice. The clattering of knives and forks and the hum of conversation died down and silence descended on the room.
“I would just like to say a few words before you all disappear,” continued Mrs. Sheraton. “I know you have all been looking forward to the half-term break after a busy start to our school year. I would like to wish you well; I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable trip to wherever it is that you will be spending the long weekend. Please remember that you are Fernwood High girls, so make us proud, no matter where you are.”
Once they had been dismissed, the girls raced back to the dorm to pack their bags. They were full of excitement and the talk of big waves, drowning and CPR was far from their minds. As they clambered down the stairs, Jade spotted her dad’s Land Rover driving through the top gate. Mr and Mrs Thompson had arrived to collect the Fab Five as they had done many times in the past. This time, however, there was a new addition to their daughter’s little group of friends. They were finally going to meet Calipso, the new girl who they had heard so much about. They weren’t quite sure what to expect as Jade had had plenty to say about her when Calipso had first arrived. But it hadn’t taken Jade long to let down her guard, and Jade’s mom had decided that her daughter and Calipso must share a common interest. That often seemed to be a good reason for two people to become friends. Little did she know what that interest was.
“Well, hello girls,” Mrs Thompson said as she gave them all a huge hug. “The boys are already at home and are looking forward to seeing you all again. Although I’m sure that with this hot weather, they’ve probably gone straight to the beach for a swim,” she said while fanning herself. The girls all giggled when she mentioned the boys and Chelsea let out a squeal of delight at the thought of Kyle in his board shorts. She hadn’t realised that the boys were also going to be spending the weekend with the Thompsons.
***
The drive to the Thompson’s little holiday cottage in Shelly Bay took just under an hour and they were all relieved to finally escape from the boiling hot car.
“Hey Pipsqueak!”
Jade turned around in horror at the sound of the nickname her brother had given her years ago. She was about to aim a fist at his shoulder when he picked her up in a big bear hug.
“Hi Adam,” she laughed, her anger quickly melting away.
Kyle and Stuart came around the corner and greeted everyone with hugs. Kyle hugged Chelsea after he had greeted everyone else and Chelsea blushed immediately.
“Hi Kyle, how are you?” she asked, a twinkle in her eye.
“I’m so much better now that we’ve had a swim in the sea. How are you?” he replied.
“Fine.” That was all she could manage as she seemed to have forgotten how to speak properly.
They walked into the house together, Kyle carrying Chelsea’s bags and pillow.
“Umm, I wanted to ask you something...” stuttered Kyle as they walked alone through the entrance hall.
“Hey dude!” shouted Stuart, “Are you coming jet-skiing or what?”
“Sure, I’ll be there now,” he said, a little disappointed that he didn’t have more time to talk to Chelsea. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later.”
“Sure,” mumbled Chelsea, wondering what it was that he wanted to ask her.
The girls dumped their bags in Jade’s room and changed into their bathing costumes, also eager to swim in the sea. They walked along the cobbled path down to the beach. The sand was hot so they ran straight into the water while watching the boys bounce off the waves on their jet-skis.
“Oh my word, check this huge wave coming!” yelled Stuart. Everyone looked towards the horizon and saw a huge wall of water heading straight for the shore. The boys flew over the top of it before it broke and the girls ran out of the water and up the beach. But Calipso just froze. All the talk of their dreams suddenly came flooding back and she couldn’t seem to lift her legs. She knew what was about to happen but she was helpless to stop it.
“Calipso, move!” shouted Kyle.
It was too late. The wave crashed down on top of Calipso and forced her under the water. It knocked the wind out of her and she couldn’t tell which way was up or down. The others watched anxiously, waiting for any sign that she was alright. Suddenly Kyle jumped off his jet-ski and swam through the water towards Calipso. If there was anyone who could save Calipso, it was Kyle. He was a first team swimmer, a waterpolo player and a life guard. He dived under the water where Calipso had been standing and everyone watched in awe. After what seemed like a terribly long time, his head burst through the surface of the water. He had Calipso in his arms pressed tightly against his chest. Chelsea watched the scene unfold before her and realised that the guy in her dream was Kyle, but the girl wasn’t her and it wasn’t quite the romantic picture she had imagined. She was a little disappointed about that but at the same time she was relieved that Calipso was safely in his arms. He was her hero.
Everyone gathered around Calipso after Kyle had laid her on the sand. After some basic CPR from Adam, Calipso spluttered and coughed up a whole lot of sea water and then managed to sit up. After a little more time she was able to stand. They all decided that they’d had enough excitement for one day and walked slowly back to the cottage. Calipso was carried into the spare room to lie down. Annie sat with her until she fell into a deep sleep while the others started a game of Monopoly to lighten the mood. Kyle made up an excuse and opted out of the game. He then went in search for Chelsea who had disappeared when they returned from the beach. He knocked lightly on her door and walked into the room.
“Calipso seems fine, doesn’t she? Luckily we managed to pull her out of the water so quickly,” he said while sitting down next to her on the bed.
“You, not we,” she said, remembering his heroic act on the beach.
“So, I never had a chance to ask you earlier...” he stopped mid-sentence and looked nervously into her beautiful blue eyes.
“Will you be my date for the Valentine’s Ball? It’s next weekend.”
Annie and the rest of the dorm woke up abruptly to the sound of Calipso screaming desperately. Within seconds the girls had jumped out of bed and were standing next to Calipso.
“What’s wrong Calipso? Are you okay?” asked a concerned Charlotte as she shook Calipso awake.
Calipso was completely out of breath and took a moment to work out exactly where she was.
“I just dreamt I was...drowning!”
The girls all exchanged worried looks with each other and knew that this meant trouble. The anxious moment was then interrupted by Josephine and the clanging of the bell for breakfast.
“Well, let’s quickly get dressed and hurry to breakfast, we’ll talk about it over a bowl of porridge,” suggested Roxanne.
The girls dressed quickly and made their beds before rushing up to the dining hall to join the breakfast queue. Once they had helped themselves to porridge and toast, they settled down to discuss their dreams.
“I dreamt that we were at Jade’s holiday house and we went jet-skiing, which isn’t such a coincidence since you did invite us all yesterday to stay with you for the long weekend. No big deal right?” said Annie, looking at the others for reassurance.
Jade frowned. “I dreamt that we were swimming in the sea. Suddenly a huge wave was about to break right on top of us.”
Next, it was Charlotte’s turn. “In my dream one of us went under a wave, I think it was Calipso but I couldn’t see clearly, and then...”
“It must have been me,” interrupted Calipso, “because I dreamt that I was drowning and fighting for air, so maybe the big wave from Jade’s dream forces me underwater.”
“Well, I don’t know who it was but I dreamt about a guy, and he was carrying someone along the seashore...how romantic!” said Chelsea dreamily, imagining that she was that someone and Kyle was that guy.
Roxanne cleared her throat and scratched her head. “I don’t really remember much of my dream, but I do remember a few people leaning over someone lying on a sandy shore doing what looked like CPR.”
“Huh,” they all sighed, thinking to themselves about what they’d just discussed.
All of a sudden the speakers screeched to life in the corner of the dining hall as Josephine turned the microphone on. A moment later Mrs Sheraton, now completely recovered from her nasty fall, walked through the doors. She was wearing a grey skirt and a white blouse and her grey-blond hair was in a neat little bun. She made her way to the podium and tapped the microphone.
“May I have your attention please girls,” she said in a raspy voice. The clattering of knives and forks and the hum of conversation died down and silence descended on the room.
“I would just like to say a few words before you all disappear,” continued Mrs. Sheraton. “I know you have all been looking forward to the half-term break after a busy start to our school year. I would like to wish you well; I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable trip to wherever it is that you will be spending the long weekend. Please remember that you are Fernwood High girls, so make us proud, no matter where you are.”
Once they had been dismissed, the girls raced back to the dorm to pack their bags. They were full of excitement and the talk of big waves, drowning and CPR was far from their minds. As they clambered down the stairs, Jade spotted her dad’s Land Rover driving through the top gate. Mr and Mrs Thompson had arrived to collect the Fab Five as they had done many times in the past. This time, however, there was a new addition to their daughter’s little group of friends. They were finally going to meet Calipso, the new girl who they had heard so much about. They weren’t quite sure what to expect as Jade had had plenty to say about her when Calipso had first arrived. But it hadn’t taken Jade long to let down her guard, and Jade’s mom had decided that her daughter and Calipso must share a common interest. That often seemed to be a good reason for two people to become friends. Little did she know what that interest was.
“Well, hello girls,” Mrs Thompson said as she gave them all a huge hug. “The boys are already at home and are looking forward to seeing you all again. Although I’m sure that with this hot weather, they’ve probably gone straight to the beach for a swim,” she said while fanning herself. The girls all giggled when she mentioned the boys and Chelsea let out a squeal of delight at the thought of Kyle in his board shorts. She hadn’t realised that the boys were also going to be spending the weekend with the Thompsons.
***
The drive to the Thompson’s little holiday cottage in Shelly Bay took just under an hour and they were all relieved to finally escape from the boiling hot car.
“Hey Pipsqueak!”
Jade turned around in horror at the sound of the nickname her brother had given her years ago. She was about to aim a fist at his shoulder when he picked her up in a big bear hug.
“Hi Adam,” she laughed, her anger quickly melting away.
Kyle and Stuart came around the corner and greeted everyone with hugs. Kyle hugged Chelsea after he had greeted everyone else and Chelsea blushed immediately.
“Hi Kyle, how are you?” she asked, a twinkle in her eye.
“I’m so much better now that we’ve had a swim in the sea. How are you?” he replied.
“Fine.” That was all she could manage as she seemed to have forgotten how to speak properly.
They walked into the house together, Kyle carrying Chelsea’s bags and pillow.
“Umm, I wanted to ask you something...” stuttered Kyle as they walked alone through the entrance hall.
“Hey dude!” shouted Stuart, “Are you coming jet-skiing or what?”
“Sure, I’ll be there now,” he said, a little disappointed that he didn’t have more time to talk to Chelsea. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later.”
“Sure,” mumbled Chelsea, wondering what it was that he wanted to ask her.
The girls dumped their bags in Jade’s room and changed into their bathing costumes, also eager to swim in the sea. They walked along the cobbled path down to the beach. The sand was hot so they ran straight into the water while watching the boys bounce off the waves on their jet-skis.
“Oh my word, check this huge wave coming!” yelled Stuart. Everyone looked towards the horizon and saw a huge wall of water heading straight for the shore. The boys flew over the top of it before it broke and the girls ran out of the water and up the beach. But Calipso just froze. All the talk of their dreams suddenly came flooding back and she couldn’t seem to lift her legs. She knew what was about to happen but she was helpless to stop it.
“Calipso, move!” shouted Kyle.
It was too late. The wave crashed down on top of Calipso and forced her under the water. It knocked the wind out of her and she couldn’t tell which way was up or down. The others watched anxiously, waiting for any sign that she was alright. Suddenly Kyle jumped off his jet-ski and swam through the water towards Calipso. If there was anyone who could save Calipso, it was Kyle. He was a first team swimmer, a waterpolo player and a life guard. He dived under the water where Calipso had been standing and everyone watched in awe. After what seemed like a terribly long time, his head burst through the surface of the water. He had Calipso in his arms pressed tightly against his chest. Chelsea watched the scene unfold before her and realised that the guy in her dream was Kyle, but the girl wasn’t her and it wasn’t quite the romantic picture she had imagined. She was a little disappointed about that but at the same time she was relieved that Calipso was safely in his arms. He was her hero.
Everyone gathered around Calipso after Kyle had laid her on the sand. After some basic CPR from Adam, Calipso spluttered and coughed up a whole lot of sea water and then managed to sit up. After a little more time she was able to stand. They all decided that they’d had enough excitement for one day and walked slowly back to the cottage. Calipso was carried into the spare room to lie down. Annie sat with her until she fell into a deep sleep while the others started a game of Monopoly to lighten the mood. Kyle made up an excuse and opted out of the game. He then went in search for Chelsea who had disappeared when they returned from the beach. He knocked lightly on her door and walked into the room.
“Calipso seems fine, doesn’t she? Luckily we managed to pull her out of the water so quickly,” he said while sitting down next to her on the bed.
“You, not we,” she said, remembering his heroic act on the beach.
“So, I never had a chance to ask you earlier...” he stopped mid-sentence and looked nervously into her beautiful blue eyes.
“Will you be my date for the Valentine’s Ball? It’s next weekend.”
Chapter Six: A Slippery Situation (Lauren)
After assembly, the twins and their three friends went to the front of the hall to talk to Calipso. The school had been dismissed and there were just a few stragglers left in the hall. Annie touched Calipso’s shoulder.
“Why were you sitting right in the front Calipso, and why are you still waiting here?” she asked.
“Well, last night I ….” she started to explain, but was interrupted by a stern voice behind her.
“What are you girls still hanging around for?” asked Mrs Sheraton as she walked down the stairs from the stage. “You’re going to be late for your first lessoooon...”
The principal went sailing through the air and landed at the bottom of the stairs, on her back, and seemed to be out cold.
In the meantime, Mary had been searching the school high and low for the Fab Five.
“Hey, there you guys are! Mrs. Glover is doing a spot uniform check and she’s on her way to your dorm. You’d better hurry!” panted Mary. She’d gotten over the nut debacle and was back to being enthusiastic Mary. Mrs Glover was their old, grumpy house matron and she was very strict. She loved to find any reason to have a spot check and she always managed to catch someone out.
“Whoa!” Mary suddenly froze when she saw Mrs Sheraton sprawled out on the floor. “What happened to her?”
“Quick, Mary, Calipso, go back to Oak House and tell Mrs Glover to ring Sister McKenzie. Tell her to come to the hall straight away, it’s an emergency!” ordered Roxanne as she bent down and tried to rouse some sort of response out of Mrs Sheraton.
Calipso ran around Mrs Sheraton, glad to have been asked to assist in the emergency, but without the bright yellow warning sign to remind her that the floor was still wet, she also slipped and fell down in a heap.
Mary raced back to Oak House and it wasn’t long before Sister McKenzie and Josephine arrived on the scene and everyone crowded around them. The nurse instructed the five Grade Tens to help their principal and their friend down to the Sanatorium.
“Make way, make way, wounded people coming through,” shouted Josephine above the noise. “Now, who is responsible for this?” she demanded. “Could this not have been avoided?”
No one said a word, but the girls were all feeling guilty and were wondering the same thing. Could they have prevented the accident by taking last night’s dreams more seriously? Did Calipso have the final piece to the puzzle?
***
Later that afternoon, the Fab Five weren’t feeling so fab. They had just been to visit Calipso in the Sanatorium and the news about Mrs Sheraton wasn’t good. Jade had been reluctant to go with them as she still hadn’t warmed to the new girl. Annie had gone ballistic when Jade had made a comment that Calipso just took up valuable Fab Five space. Seeing her kind and concerned friend so mad had convinced Jade to go with them in the end so as not to upset Annie any more than she already was. Calipso tried to convince her new friends that she was feeling fine but she certainly didn’t look fine. Sister McKenzie ordered her to rest and recommended that she not participate in any physical activities, gym classes, outings or nature walks with Miss Jiggleweed for the time being. Calipso had hurt both her legs when she fell and Sister MacKenzie assured her that she didn’t need to put any extra strain on them. Calipso was very worried about missing all her classes, but Annie offered to take notes for her and she promised to drop off her homework.
“Jade, why do you have such a problem with Calipso?” asked Charlotte once they had left the San, “she’s really very sweet.”
Jade’s friends were unable to understand her attitude towards the new girl.
“I don’t know, she’s just different, and I liked things the way they were,” answered Jade, feeling a little embarrassed about her silly reasoning.
Roxanne had been lost in her own thoughts but decided that it was time for her to let the other’s know what she had been thinking.
“I think Calipso’s lovely and I also think that she might be having mysterious dreams, just like the rest of us. Why else would she have been standing near the stairs in the hall when we dreamt that Mrs Sheraton was going to fall down them? She must have dreamt the missing piece to the puzzle.”
“I don’t know,” argued Chelsea, “she might just not have known where to go, it was her first assembly.”
“Well, if the stories about our dorm are true, then anyone who sleeps in the dorm will fall under its strange spell. Which means that what’s happening to us is probably happening to her too,” deduced Charlotte logically.
***
A couple of days later, Calipso was back in the dorm under the stairs and feeling like her cheerful self again. The very next night, after she was back, the girls’ sleep was interrupted by more puzzling dreams. Calipso woke early and disappeared through the curtain and down the passage. When the others woke up, they were relieved that it was the weekend and they all sat up to discuss their night visions.
“Okay, so who dreamt what?” asked Annie, finding strange dreams that were linked in some way rather exciting.
“I dreamt about some sort of commotion in the Grade Nine dormitory and someone was screaming,” began Roxanne.
“My dream was about Calipso and a Grade Nine. They had been sent to the principal’s office,” continued Charlotte.
“I dreamt that Calipso was called onto the stage during assembly for saving someone’s life by using the Heimlich maneuver,” added Chelsea.
Jade looked confused. “In my dream, Calipso was helping Sister McKenzie in the Sanatorium after proving herself as an accomplished ‘First Aider’. They were giving safety lessons to the matrics.”
Annie nodded while listening to her friends. “Well, I dreamt about Jemima in Grade Nine. She was lying in bed with the flu. She seemed to have a very high temperature and was sucking a Strepsil for her throat.”
All of a sudden the girls’ conversation was interrupted by a piercing scream and it was coming from down the passage. They all jumped out of bed and ran to see what had happened. They heard a commotion coming from the Grade Nine dorm and walked in to see Calipso standing behind Jemima with her arms wrapped tightly around her. Jemima was taking deep breaths and there was a cherry-flavoured Strepsil lying on the floor.
“Thank you for getting that lozenge out of my throat Calipso, that was a neat trick!” wheezed Jemima.
“How did you know what to do?” asked Jade, completely bewildered.
“Well, I wouldn’t normally have a clue, but I watched myself do that in my dream last night. It was like déjà vu!” replied Calipso.
So, it was true. Calipso was also under the spell of the dorm under the stairs. Her dreams were part of the puzzle of events that were going to happen and the girls needed that final piece if they were going to understand any more of their peculiar dreams. It was time to let her in on the secret.
“Why were you sitting right in the front Calipso, and why are you still waiting here?” she asked.
“Well, last night I ….” she started to explain, but was interrupted by a stern voice behind her.
“What are you girls still hanging around for?” asked Mrs Sheraton as she walked down the stairs from the stage. “You’re going to be late for your first lessoooon...”
The principal went sailing through the air and landed at the bottom of the stairs, on her back, and seemed to be out cold.
In the meantime, Mary had been searching the school high and low for the Fab Five.
“Hey, there you guys are! Mrs. Glover is doing a spot uniform check and she’s on her way to your dorm. You’d better hurry!” panted Mary. She’d gotten over the nut debacle and was back to being enthusiastic Mary. Mrs Glover was their old, grumpy house matron and she was very strict. She loved to find any reason to have a spot check and she always managed to catch someone out.
“Whoa!” Mary suddenly froze when she saw Mrs Sheraton sprawled out on the floor. “What happened to her?”
“Quick, Mary, Calipso, go back to Oak House and tell Mrs Glover to ring Sister McKenzie. Tell her to come to the hall straight away, it’s an emergency!” ordered Roxanne as she bent down and tried to rouse some sort of response out of Mrs Sheraton.
Calipso ran around Mrs Sheraton, glad to have been asked to assist in the emergency, but without the bright yellow warning sign to remind her that the floor was still wet, she also slipped and fell down in a heap.
Mary raced back to Oak House and it wasn’t long before Sister McKenzie and Josephine arrived on the scene and everyone crowded around them. The nurse instructed the five Grade Tens to help their principal and their friend down to the Sanatorium.
“Make way, make way, wounded people coming through,” shouted Josephine above the noise. “Now, who is responsible for this?” she demanded. “Could this not have been avoided?”
No one said a word, but the girls were all feeling guilty and were wondering the same thing. Could they have prevented the accident by taking last night’s dreams more seriously? Did Calipso have the final piece to the puzzle?
***
Later that afternoon, the Fab Five weren’t feeling so fab. They had just been to visit Calipso in the Sanatorium and the news about Mrs Sheraton wasn’t good. Jade had been reluctant to go with them as she still hadn’t warmed to the new girl. Annie had gone ballistic when Jade had made a comment that Calipso just took up valuable Fab Five space. Seeing her kind and concerned friend so mad had convinced Jade to go with them in the end so as not to upset Annie any more than she already was. Calipso tried to convince her new friends that she was feeling fine but she certainly didn’t look fine. Sister McKenzie ordered her to rest and recommended that she not participate in any physical activities, gym classes, outings or nature walks with Miss Jiggleweed for the time being. Calipso had hurt both her legs when she fell and Sister MacKenzie assured her that she didn’t need to put any extra strain on them. Calipso was very worried about missing all her classes, but Annie offered to take notes for her and she promised to drop off her homework.
“Jade, why do you have such a problem with Calipso?” asked Charlotte once they had left the San, “she’s really very sweet.”
Jade’s friends were unable to understand her attitude towards the new girl.
“I don’t know, she’s just different, and I liked things the way they were,” answered Jade, feeling a little embarrassed about her silly reasoning.
Roxanne had been lost in her own thoughts but decided that it was time for her to let the other’s know what she had been thinking.
“I think Calipso’s lovely and I also think that she might be having mysterious dreams, just like the rest of us. Why else would she have been standing near the stairs in the hall when we dreamt that Mrs Sheraton was going to fall down them? She must have dreamt the missing piece to the puzzle.”
“I don’t know,” argued Chelsea, “she might just not have known where to go, it was her first assembly.”
“Well, if the stories about our dorm are true, then anyone who sleeps in the dorm will fall under its strange spell. Which means that what’s happening to us is probably happening to her too,” deduced Charlotte logically.
***
A couple of days later, Calipso was back in the dorm under the stairs and feeling like her cheerful self again. The very next night, after she was back, the girls’ sleep was interrupted by more puzzling dreams. Calipso woke early and disappeared through the curtain and down the passage. When the others woke up, they were relieved that it was the weekend and they all sat up to discuss their night visions.
“Okay, so who dreamt what?” asked Annie, finding strange dreams that were linked in some way rather exciting.
“I dreamt about some sort of commotion in the Grade Nine dormitory and someone was screaming,” began Roxanne.
“My dream was about Calipso and a Grade Nine. They had been sent to the principal’s office,” continued Charlotte.
“I dreamt that Calipso was called onto the stage during assembly for saving someone’s life by using the Heimlich maneuver,” added Chelsea.
Jade looked confused. “In my dream, Calipso was helping Sister McKenzie in the Sanatorium after proving herself as an accomplished ‘First Aider’. They were giving safety lessons to the matrics.”
Annie nodded while listening to her friends. “Well, I dreamt about Jemima in Grade Nine. She was lying in bed with the flu. She seemed to have a very high temperature and was sucking a Strepsil for her throat.”
All of a sudden the girls’ conversation was interrupted by a piercing scream and it was coming from down the passage. They all jumped out of bed and ran to see what had happened. They heard a commotion coming from the Grade Nine dorm and walked in to see Calipso standing behind Jemima with her arms wrapped tightly around her. Jemima was taking deep breaths and there was a cherry-flavoured Strepsil lying on the floor.
“Thank you for getting that lozenge out of my throat Calipso, that was a neat trick!” wheezed Jemima.
“How did you know what to do?” asked Jade, completely bewildered.
“Well, I wouldn’t normally have a clue, but I watched myself do that in my dream last night. It was like déjà vu!” replied Calipso.
So, it was true. Calipso was also under the spell of the dorm under the stairs. Her dreams were part of the puzzle of events that were going to happen and the girls needed that final piece if they were going to understand any more of their peculiar dreams. It was time to let her in on the secret.
Chapter Five: The Missing Link (Tori and Nicola)
Calipso had just finished unpacking her things into her cubicle when they heard the nine o’clock gong echoing down the passage.
“Lights out!” yelled Josephine as she stomped down the passage, flicking every switch along the way.
The nice thing about being in the dorm under the stairs was that, because it was slightly hidden from view, the prefects often forgot to check on the girls. As long as the lights were off and they weren’t too noisy, no one would bother them.
“Quick, turn off the lights!” whispered Jade, “and then we can play cards by torch light.”
“I don’t want to get into trouble, let’s just go bed. And I’m really tired anyway,” yawned Annie, always reluctant to break any house rules, no matter how small or petty.
So, with the light from Jade’s high-powered torch, they all brushed their teeth at the basin in the corner of the dorm then and climbed into their beds. Once their weary little heads hit their pillows, it didn’t take long before they were all fast asleep.
***
Seconds before hearing the rising bell, Roxanne woke up with a fright, thinking she had overslept.
“Chelsea, Charlotte, Jade, wake up,” she whispered. “I have to tell you what I dreamt about.”
“We’re awake,” replied Charlotte, rubbing her eyes.
A moment later, Calipso jumped out of bed, grabbed her toiletries and hurried to the bathroom. She had been warned about the shower rush hour in the mornings and didn’t want to have to wait long. Annie stretched and yawned loudly, and then went to sit on Roxanne’s bed.
“So, anymore strange dreams last night?” she asked curiously, hoping the others might be able to shed some light and give some meaning to her strange dream.
“Yes!” they all gasped.
Roxanne sat up and spoke first. “All I can remember dreaming about was the caretaker, Benjamin, and he was mopping the floor.”
Annie’s eyes widened. “I also dreamt about Benjamin. He was mopping the hall floor but he had forgotten to take the ‘Caution: Wet Floor’ sign with him. So he returned to the cleaning shed to fetch the bright yellow sign.”
“There was no Benjamin in my dream. I just remember seeing Mrs Sheraton climbing the stairs in the hall,” added Charlotte skeptically.
“I dreamt that Mrs Sheraton fell down a flight of stairs!” gasped Chelsea.
“What about you Jade? Jade, are you asleep? Get up!” yelled Roxanne as she stretched across and pulled Jade’s pink polka dot duvet off her lazy friend.
“Nooo, I’m so tired, just a few more minutes,” she whined.
“No, get up!” said Charlotte in a bossy tone. “We have a not-so-dreamy situation here that we need to discuss.”
“Fine, if it really helps. I did have a dream, it was about people crowding around something, or someone,” grumbled Jade.
“That someone must be Mrs Sheraton…on the floor…after slipping down the stairs…in the hall…because Benjamin didn’t put up the warning sign,” said Roxanne, putting the pieces together.
“But when is it going to happen? Today, tomorrow, next week? Considering what happened with Mary, and the surprise English test, it’s bound to happen soon. But when?” wondered Charlotte.
“Shush guys, someone’s coming. No one must know anything about what’s going on here,” said Jade in a firm voice.
“Good morning everyone!” Calipso had just walked back into the dorm, looking clean and fresh and smelling like cinnamon and spices. Annie stood up and opened the shutters. “Come on girls, time to get dressed and ready. It’s a beautiful day.”
They all rushed up to breakfast and ate a hearty meal of scrambled eggs and baked beans. They then made their way to the hall for assembly which they knew would be long and boring. Mrs Sheraton would surely be introducing the new teachers and all the new girls and formally welcoming them to Fernwood High School. They were headed for the back of the hall when Annie stopped.
“Where’s Calipso?” she asked.
The others shrugged their shoulders and presumed she must have gone back to the hostel for some reason or other.
The hall was soon filled with the whole school and the prefects were patrolling up and down trying to settle everyone. The Fab Five were sitting in the back row. When they looked up they were surprised to see Calipso sitting right in the front, next to the stairs, all by herself. She was scratching her head and looking around nervously. What was she doing there?
“Lights out!” yelled Josephine as she stomped down the passage, flicking every switch along the way.
The nice thing about being in the dorm under the stairs was that, because it was slightly hidden from view, the prefects often forgot to check on the girls. As long as the lights were off and they weren’t too noisy, no one would bother them.
“Quick, turn off the lights!” whispered Jade, “and then we can play cards by torch light.”
“I don’t want to get into trouble, let’s just go bed. And I’m really tired anyway,” yawned Annie, always reluctant to break any house rules, no matter how small or petty.
So, with the light from Jade’s high-powered torch, they all brushed their teeth at the basin in the corner of the dorm then and climbed into their beds. Once their weary little heads hit their pillows, it didn’t take long before they were all fast asleep.
***
Seconds before hearing the rising bell, Roxanne woke up with a fright, thinking she had overslept.
“Chelsea, Charlotte, Jade, wake up,” she whispered. “I have to tell you what I dreamt about.”
“We’re awake,” replied Charlotte, rubbing her eyes.
A moment later, Calipso jumped out of bed, grabbed her toiletries and hurried to the bathroom. She had been warned about the shower rush hour in the mornings and didn’t want to have to wait long. Annie stretched and yawned loudly, and then went to sit on Roxanne’s bed.
“So, anymore strange dreams last night?” she asked curiously, hoping the others might be able to shed some light and give some meaning to her strange dream.
“Yes!” they all gasped.
Roxanne sat up and spoke first. “All I can remember dreaming about was the caretaker, Benjamin, and he was mopping the floor.”
Annie’s eyes widened. “I also dreamt about Benjamin. He was mopping the hall floor but he had forgotten to take the ‘Caution: Wet Floor’ sign with him. So he returned to the cleaning shed to fetch the bright yellow sign.”
“There was no Benjamin in my dream. I just remember seeing Mrs Sheraton climbing the stairs in the hall,” added Charlotte skeptically.
“I dreamt that Mrs Sheraton fell down a flight of stairs!” gasped Chelsea.
“What about you Jade? Jade, are you asleep? Get up!” yelled Roxanne as she stretched across and pulled Jade’s pink polka dot duvet off her lazy friend.
“Nooo, I’m so tired, just a few more minutes,” she whined.
“No, get up!” said Charlotte in a bossy tone. “We have a not-so-dreamy situation here that we need to discuss.”
“Fine, if it really helps. I did have a dream, it was about people crowding around something, or someone,” grumbled Jade.
“That someone must be Mrs Sheraton…on the floor…after slipping down the stairs…in the hall…because Benjamin didn’t put up the warning sign,” said Roxanne, putting the pieces together.
“But when is it going to happen? Today, tomorrow, next week? Considering what happened with Mary, and the surprise English test, it’s bound to happen soon. But when?” wondered Charlotte.
“Shush guys, someone’s coming. No one must know anything about what’s going on here,” said Jade in a firm voice.
“Good morning everyone!” Calipso had just walked back into the dorm, looking clean and fresh and smelling like cinnamon and spices. Annie stood up and opened the shutters. “Come on girls, time to get dressed and ready. It’s a beautiful day.”
They all rushed up to breakfast and ate a hearty meal of scrambled eggs and baked beans. They then made their way to the hall for assembly which they knew would be long and boring. Mrs Sheraton would surely be introducing the new teachers and all the new girls and formally welcoming them to Fernwood High School. They were headed for the back of the hall when Annie stopped.
“Where’s Calipso?” she asked.
The others shrugged their shoulders and presumed she must have gone back to the hostel for some reason or other.
The hall was soon filled with the whole school and the prefects were patrolling up and down trying to settle everyone. The Fab Five were sitting in the back row. When they looked up they were surprised to see Calipso sitting right in the front, next to the stairs, all by herself. She was scratching her head and looking around nervously. What was she doing there?
Chapter Four: The New Arrival (Jane and Mary-Kate)
The Fab Five continued to stare at Calipso. Jade, in particular, didn’t quite know what to make of the new girl’s wild, curly hair that framed her pixie-like face. There was also her hideous pink and red suitcase, nevermind the too familiar use of the word ‘dormie’!
“Um, I think you’re mistaken, there aren’t any empty beds in our dorm,” Jade smirked and flicked her ponytail as she attempted to push past Charlotte.
“Yes, there is one Jade,” whispered Charlotte, putting her arm out to stop her. “There’s the one next to yours.”
Jade nudged Charlotte with her elbow. “Charlotte, please!” she replied in a muffled voice.
“You can swap with me Jade, I’ll sleep next to the new girl,” mumbled Annie, glaring at Jade.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll just sleep on the floor. I spent a whole month sleeping on the floor when I went camping with my family once, so I’m used to it,” said Calipso nonchalantly, having overheard all the whispering.
“Oh, before I forget, I need to collect a copy of my timetable from the office, I’ll see you all in a little while.”
Calipso left her suitcase just inside the door and trotted off down the path with a bounce in her step.
“That was weird,” said Jade and everyone agreed. Annie was, however, quick to point out that they had only just met Calipso and that she seemed very sweet.
The girls hurried down to their dorm to collect their books for the next lesson. Jade still wasn’t sure about the curly-haired addition to their happy little dorm. She continued to moan about how things would change and what a pain it was to swap cubicles now that Annie had offered up her bed. She had far too many clothes stuffed into her ridiculously small cupboard, and now she was going to have to unpack and repack them all over again!
Just then they heard footsteps outside the dorm and Calipso skipped through the curtain. She beamed when she saw the colourful and cosy room.
“Home sweet home,” she sighed, looking around the dorm, “and now I know where I’m going,” she added, holding up her newly acquired timetable.
“Here,” waved Annie, “your bed is here, next to mine,” she said kindly.
“Thanks Annie,” grinned Calipso.
“So Calipso,” said Charlotte, “Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from?”
“Oh, I’m from Lima.”
The girls all looked at each other drawing a blank at the word.
Calipso laughed. “It’s the capital of Peru. My full name is Calipso Rosa Díaz. I’m named after both my mother and my grandmother.”
“Oh, what a lovely name,” said Annie. “Don’t you agree Jade?”
Jade rolled her eyes. “Yeah right, it’s like…you know…nice.”
“My father, Renzo, wanted to send me to this school because he has heard very good things about it, and he wants me to improve my English. We also have family that used to live in your beautiful country so he looked no further!”
“Ding-a-ling-a-ling, ding-a-ling-a-ling”
“Ah, Maths!” sighed Chelsea, Roxy and Charlotte in unison.
Annie jumped off her bed, grabbed her books from her desk and shrieked, “I love Maths! Let’s go girls.”
“Me too,” said Calipso.
“Well come on then, let’s go so that we can sit in the front of the classroom. Mr Thornton is the best teacher ever, and so incredibly funny! He’ll make you love Maths even more Calipso, you’ll see,” promised Annie as they skipped out of the dorm arm in arm.
The other four followed them slowly, barely picking up their feet. They also loved having Mr Thornton as a teacher but he always gave them so much homework!
***
After another long and busy day at school, the girls ate their supper and then lay exhausted on their beds.
“Oh, I’m so full, I should never have had seconds!” complained Charlotte.
“Mrs Dothesplitz made us train so hard in that pool today. All that swimming this afternoon made me so hungry, I could have had thirds!” said Roxanne, patting her rumbling tummy.
“Supper was so delicious. The catering company seems to have given the menu a make-over,” commented a pleasantly surprised Jade.
Calipso listened to the chatter of her new ‘dormies’ and felt much happier at the end of her first day than she thought she would. She hoped she would become good friends with all of them, although she found Annie the friendliest and most welcoming. She was almost finished unpacking her things and was looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Jade had turned her nose up at some of the outfits she had seen coming out of Calipso’s pink and red suitcase, but it was the object hanging from the window above her bed that she found most intriguing.
“What is that, Calipso?” Jade asked as she moved over to take a closer look.
“Oh, that’s a dream catcher. My great-grandfather made this one. My ancestors were part of a South American Indian tribe who believed in the almost magical power of dreams and dream catchers. They believed that a dream catcher would catch all your bad dreams in the web in the middle and that they would then fade away with the first rays of the morning sun. The good dreams, on the other hand, were believed to be caught in the feather at the bottom which would slip down into the sleeper’s dreams. I never seem to remember any of my dreams, good or bad, but I do like the story.”
The twins had sat up to listen to the story of the dream catcher and then looked across at each other.
“Hmmm, a dream catcher. Seems like another strange coincidence!” whispered Chelsea.
“Um, I think you’re mistaken, there aren’t any empty beds in our dorm,” Jade smirked and flicked her ponytail as she attempted to push past Charlotte.
“Yes, there is one Jade,” whispered Charlotte, putting her arm out to stop her. “There’s the one next to yours.”
Jade nudged Charlotte with her elbow. “Charlotte, please!” she replied in a muffled voice.
“You can swap with me Jade, I’ll sleep next to the new girl,” mumbled Annie, glaring at Jade.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll just sleep on the floor. I spent a whole month sleeping on the floor when I went camping with my family once, so I’m used to it,” said Calipso nonchalantly, having overheard all the whispering.
“Oh, before I forget, I need to collect a copy of my timetable from the office, I’ll see you all in a little while.”
Calipso left her suitcase just inside the door and trotted off down the path with a bounce in her step.
“That was weird,” said Jade and everyone agreed. Annie was, however, quick to point out that they had only just met Calipso and that she seemed very sweet.
The girls hurried down to their dorm to collect their books for the next lesson. Jade still wasn’t sure about the curly-haired addition to their happy little dorm. She continued to moan about how things would change and what a pain it was to swap cubicles now that Annie had offered up her bed. She had far too many clothes stuffed into her ridiculously small cupboard, and now she was going to have to unpack and repack them all over again!
Just then they heard footsteps outside the dorm and Calipso skipped through the curtain. She beamed when she saw the colourful and cosy room.
“Home sweet home,” she sighed, looking around the dorm, “and now I know where I’m going,” she added, holding up her newly acquired timetable.
“Here,” waved Annie, “your bed is here, next to mine,” she said kindly.
“Thanks Annie,” grinned Calipso.
“So Calipso,” said Charlotte, “Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from?”
“Oh, I’m from Lima.”
The girls all looked at each other drawing a blank at the word.
Calipso laughed. “It’s the capital of Peru. My full name is Calipso Rosa Díaz. I’m named after both my mother and my grandmother.”
“Oh, what a lovely name,” said Annie. “Don’t you agree Jade?”
Jade rolled her eyes. “Yeah right, it’s like…you know…nice.”
“My father, Renzo, wanted to send me to this school because he has heard very good things about it, and he wants me to improve my English. We also have family that used to live in your beautiful country so he looked no further!”
“Ding-a-ling-a-ling, ding-a-ling-a-ling”
“Ah, Maths!” sighed Chelsea, Roxy and Charlotte in unison.
Annie jumped off her bed, grabbed her books from her desk and shrieked, “I love Maths! Let’s go girls.”
“Me too,” said Calipso.
“Well come on then, let’s go so that we can sit in the front of the classroom. Mr Thornton is the best teacher ever, and so incredibly funny! He’ll make you love Maths even more Calipso, you’ll see,” promised Annie as they skipped out of the dorm arm in arm.
The other four followed them slowly, barely picking up their feet. They also loved having Mr Thornton as a teacher but he always gave them so much homework!
***
After another long and busy day at school, the girls ate their supper and then lay exhausted on their beds.
“Oh, I’m so full, I should never have had seconds!” complained Charlotte.
“Mrs Dothesplitz made us train so hard in that pool today. All that swimming this afternoon made me so hungry, I could have had thirds!” said Roxanne, patting her rumbling tummy.
“Supper was so delicious. The catering company seems to have given the menu a make-over,” commented a pleasantly surprised Jade.
Calipso listened to the chatter of her new ‘dormies’ and felt much happier at the end of her first day than she thought she would. She hoped she would become good friends with all of them, although she found Annie the friendliest and most welcoming. She was almost finished unpacking her things and was looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Jade had turned her nose up at some of the outfits she had seen coming out of Calipso’s pink and red suitcase, but it was the object hanging from the window above her bed that she found most intriguing.
“What is that, Calipso?” Jade asked as she moved over to take a closer look.
“Oh, that’s a dream catcher. My great-grandfather made this one. My ancestors were part of a South American Indian tribe who believed in the almost magical power of dreams and dream catchers. They believed that a dream catcher would catch all your bad dreams in the web in the middle and that they would then fade away with the first rays of the morning sun. The good dreams, on the other hand, were believed to be caught in the feather at the bottom which would slip down into the sleeper’s dreams. I never seem to remember any of my dreams, good or bad, but I do like the story.”
The twins had sat up to listen to the story of the dream catcher and then looked across at each other.
“Hmmm, a dream catcher. Seems like another strange coincidence!” whispered Chelsea.
Chapter Three: Surprise or No Surprise? (Hannah and Ammaarah)
“Ding-a-ling-ling, ding-a-ling-a-ling”
The bell rang for the first lesson while Charlotte stood talking to Annie.
“I can’t believe what happened to Mary this morning. It was so scary!”
“Maybe the rumours about the dorm under the stairs are true after all,” added Jade.
“Let’s rather not think about it. I don’t want to be late for Science, you know it’s my second favourite subject. I wonder what we’re starting with?” said Annie enthusiastically.
“Oh come on Annie, why are you always so excited about school?” muttered Roxanne as she dragged her heels to the Science block for a double lesson with Miss Jiggleweed.
***
“Roxanne, are you awake?” whispered Chelsea.
“What do you want?” asked Roxanne as she leaned over to look at her alarm clock. “It’s only five o’clock in the morning. I’ve hardly slept and I was exhausted last night after trying to use my brain again!” moaned Roxanne while yawning. “I do remember another strange dream though,” she added.
“Me too!” exclaimed Chelsea. “Charlotte, Annie, Jade, are you guys awake?” she whispered.
The three of them had been listening to Chelsea and Roxanne and they had all sat up at once. “I also had another weird dream,” they said in unison.
“I dreamt about a teacher. He was tall and skinny with grey hair and a neat little grey beard. He was wearing a bright pink tie and for some reason we were calling him ‘The Nut’!” giggled Jade.
“A teacher was handing out a surprise test in my dream but I couldn’t see his face,” squeaked Annie, the thought of a surprise test enough to make her faint.
“Well, all I dreamt about were boring nouns, adjectives, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, similes and metaphors!” added Chelsea.
Roxanne sat up and frowned. “I dreamt about an English test paper full of difficult questions. The dream was so vivid that I actually wrote down the questions and answers when I woke up. Here they are.”
“Well, I also dreamt of test papers, but they had our names at the top and a big red 0% scribbled at the top of each one!” moaned Charlotte.
“Jade, your ‘Mr. Nut’ must be our new English teacher, Mr. Walnut. I saw that name on the staff list in the newsletter. He must be planning to give us a surprise test today. That’s why you were dreaming about all those parts of speech Chelsea,” Roxanne thought aloud.
“And we all fail the test because we don’t know about it!” gasped Charlotte.
“Well, imagine if what we dreamt about is actually going to happen! We need to do something to change it so let’s get studying! Roxy, where are those questions you wrote down?” demanded Annie, determined not to fail the test. Annie had never failed a test before and she was going to do everything she could to keep it that way!
***
“That test was so easy, I am so glad that we all got full marks. These dreams must really be true, a kind of sneak peek into the future!” said Charlotte excitedly as they rounded the corner back to Oak House. There, standing on the verandah in the front of the boarding house, was a stranger with a suitcase in her hand.
“Hello. Are you the Grade Tens?” the stranger asked in an even stranger accent. The Fab Five looked at each other and then at the foreigner and nodded.
“My name is Calipso. I have just been assigned to Dorm Six, with all of you I presume. I am your new ‘dormie’!” she said with a smile from ear to ear!
The bell rang for the first lesson while Charlotte stood talking to Annie.
“I can’t believe what happened to Mary this morning. It was so scary!”
“Maybe the rumours about the dorm under the stairs are true after all,” added Jade.
“Let’s rather not think about it. I don’t want to be late for Science, you know it’s my second favourite subject. I wonder what we’re starting with?” said Annie enthusiastically.
“Oh come on Annie, why are you always so excited about school?” muttered Roxanne as she dragged her heels to the Science block for a double lesson with Miss Jiggleweed.
***
“Roxanne, are you awake?” whispered Chelsea.
“What do you want?” asked Roxanne as she leaned over to look at her alarm clock. “It’s only five o’clock in the morning. I’ve hardly slept and I was exhausted last night after trying to use my brain again!” moaned Roxanne while yawning. “I do remember another strange dream though,” she added.
“Me too!” exclaimed Chelsea. “Charlotte, Annie, Jade, are you guys awake?” she whispered.
The three of them had been listening to Chelsea and Roxanne and they had all sat up at once. “I also had another weird dream,” they said in unison.
“I dreamt about a teacher. He was tall and skinny with grey hair and a neat little grey beard. He was wearing a bright pink tie and for some reason we were calling him ‘The Nut’!” giggled Jade.
“A teacher was handing out a surprise test in my dream but I couldn’t see his face,” squeaked Annie, the thought of a surprise test enough to make her faint.
“Well, all I dreamt about were boring nouns, adjectives, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, similes and metaphors!” added Chelsea.
Roxanne sat up and frowned. “I dreamt about an English test paper full of difficult questions. The dream was so vivid that I actually wrote down the questions and answers when I woke up. Here they are.”
“Well, I also dreamt of test papers, but they had our names at the top and a big red 0% scribbled at the top of each one!” moaned Charlotte.
“Jade, your ‘Mr. Nut’ must be our new English teacher, Mr. Walnut. I saw that name on the staff list in the newsletter. He must be planning to give us a surprise test today. That’s why you were dreaming about all those parts of speech Chelsea,” Roxanne thought aloud.
“And we all fail the test because we don’t know about it!” gasped Charlotte.
“Well, imagine if what we dreamt about is actually going to happen! We need to do something to change it so let’s get studying! Roxy, where are those questions you wrote down?” demanded Annie, determined not to fail the test. Annie had never failed a test before and she was going to do everything she could to keep it that way!
***
“That test was so easy, I am so glad that we all got full marks. These dreams must really be true, a kind of sneak peek into the future!” said Charlotte excitedly as they rounded the corner back to Oak House. There, standing on the verandah in the front of the boarding house, was a stranger with a suitcase in her hand.
“Hello. Are you the Grade Tens?” the stranger asked in an even stranger accent. The Fab Five looked at each other and then at the foreigner and nodded.
“My name is Calipso. I have just been assigned to Dorm Six, with all of you I presume. I am your new ‘dormie’!” she said with a smile from ear to ear!
Chapter Two: Night Visions (Miss N)
“Ahhh!” moaned Jade, as a combination of the rising bell and Josephine’s high-pitched voice echoed through the passages to wake the sleepy girls for their first day back at school. The girls had all felt more than a little disappointed about not moving into the lovely sunny dormitory on the top floor, but it hadn’t take them long to forget about the stories and rumours about their dark and gloomy dorm. Before long, they managed to make the room look very cosy and cheerful with their posters, photos, colourful duvets and pillows and even a pot plant or two.
After packing their clothes into the old wooden cupboards in the dorm under the stairs, the girls had all climbed into Charlotte’s bed where they spent most of the night chatting and giggling together. Chelsea couldn’t wait to talk about Kyle and she tried to bring the topic up casually when they were asking Jade about her holiday news. They all laughed when she did because they knew she was bursting to know all the details! Jade had plenty to tell them about her brother and his friends, and by the time they all collapsed into their own beds, Chelsea was convinced that Kyle was the most perfect guy on earth!
“I hate the sound of that bell. The best part of the holidays is not waking up to that sound every morning!” groaned Annie, stretching and yawning. She looked over at Charlotte and saw a mound of purple duvet.
“Come on Charlotte, it doesn’t help trying to hide under the covers. Let’s hurry to the bathroom before all the showers are taken.”
After a bit of a struggle, she managed to yank Charlotte out of her warm and comfortable cocoon. They both stumbled through the curtain at the entrance to their dorm and down the passage, rubbing sleep from their eyes. There was always a queue for the showers in the mornings and neither of them felt like waiting in it this morning.
Meanwhile, back in the dorm, Roxanne was slowly waking.
“Ah, and so it begins,” she yawned. “I could do with a few more hours of sleep, I slept so badly and I had a very strange dream!”
“So did I,” said Chelsea, “it was about Mary in Grade Eight. I suppose she did spend most of yesterday afternoon with us after saying goodbye to her parents, and school is on our minds again, but it didn’t make any sense.”
“That’s so weird,” said Roxanne, “I also dreamt about Mary and my dream didn’t make any sense either. The whole school was in the dining hall for breakfast and Mary was standing in the queue. She helped herself to a muffin and sat down. And that’s all I can remember.”
“Well, there’s more,” said Chelsea. “I also dreamt that we were in the dining hall for breakfast, but Mary couldn’t breathe. Sister Mackenzie was holding her hand and rushed her out of the hall. And that’s all that I can remember.”
Roxy and Chelsea both rolled over in their beds to look at each other.
“Maybe it’s a twin thing,” said Roxy.
“Or maybe it’s just because we always get muffins on a Monday and because we spent so much time chatting to Mary yesterday,” replied Chelsea.
Jade had been listening to the twins and butted in.
“Will you two stop overanalysing your dreams and get up? I dreamt about nuts. Now we could spend all day trying to find some sort of hidden meaning to these dreams but we really don’t have the time for that, we’re going to be late for dorm inspection!” she said in a bossy voice.
The girls passed their dorm inspection and immediately rushed up to breakfast. They knew what would be on the menu, it was Monday which meant oats porridge and muffins. They sat at their usual table discussing their new timetables and the day which lay ahead when they were suddenly interrupted by a loud wailing sound coming from the Grade Eight table. They looked over to see what the fuss was all about. There were three Grade Eights huddled around Mary Bennet who was sitting at the head of the table. Mary’s face was bright red and her hands were around her throat. It looked like she couldn’t breathe.
Charlotte just stared, in a state of shock.
“B-b-but I dreamt about Mary last night. We were all at breakfast and she couldn’t breathe!”
Annie nearly choked on her porridge before blurting out that she had also dreamt about Mary.
“I dreamt that she was allergic to nuts and for some reason Josephine was announcing it to the whole school.”
All of a sudden Sister Mackenzie, dressed in her white nurse’s outfit, came rushing into the Dining hall. Josephine was trying to get Mary to calm down and to take small breaths. Sister Mackenzie lifted Mary up by the arm and rushed her towards the doors, when Josephine stood on a chair and shouted after her:
“Sister, sister, we had Bran-nut muffins for breakfast and Mary’s allergic to nuts!”
Jade nearly spat out her tea. Allergic to nuts? The girls slowly turned around and stared at each other in shock. Could all of this be a strange coincidence? Or not? Was there something else going on?
After packing their clothes into the old wooden cupboards in the dorm under the stairs, the girls had all climbed into Charlotte’s bed where they spent most of the night chatting and giggling together. Chelsea couldn’t wait to talk about Kyle and she tried to bring the topic up casually when they were asking Jade about her holiday news. They all laughed when she did because they knew she was bursting to know all the details! Jade had plenty to tell them about her brother and his friends, and by the time they all collapsed into their own beds, Chelsea was convinced that Kyle was the most perfect guy on earth!
“I hate the sound of that bell. The best part of the holidays is not waking up to that sound every morning!” groaned Annie, stretching and yawning. She looked over at Charlotte and saw a mound of purple duvet.
“Come on Charlotte, it doesn’t help trying to hide under the covers. Let’s hurry to the bathroom before all the showers are taken.”
After a bit of a struggle, she managed to yank Charlotte out of her warm and comfortable cocoon. They both stumbled through the curtain at the entrance to their dorm and down the passage, rubbing sleep from their eyes. There was always a queue for the showers in the mornings and neither of them felt like waiting in it this morning.
Meanwhile, back in the dorm, Roxanne was slowly waking.
“Ah, and so it begins,” she yawned. “I could do with a few more hours of sleep, I slept so badly and I had a very strange dream!”
“So did I,” said Chelsea, “it was about Mary in Grade Eight. I suppose she did spend most of yesterday afternoon with us after saying goodbye to her parents, and school is on our minds again, but it didn’t make any sense.”
“That’s so weird,” said Roxanne, “I also dreamt about Mary and my dream didn’t make any sense either. The whole school was in the dining hall for breakfast and Mary was standing in the queue. She helped herself to a muffin and sat down. And that’s all I can remember.”
“Well, there’s more,” said Chelsea. “I also dreamt that we were in the dining hall for breakfast, but Mary couldn’t breathe. Sister Mackenzie was holding her hand and rushed her out of the hall. And that’s all that I can remember.”
Roxy and Chelsea both rolled over in their beds to look at each other.
“Maybe it’s a twin thing,” said Roxy.
“Or maybe it’s just because we always get muffins on a Monday and because we spent so much time chatting to Mary yesterday,” replied Chelsea.
Jade had been listening to the twins and butted in.
“Will you two stop overanalysing your dreams and get up? I dreamt about nuts. Now we could spend all day trying to find some sort of hidden meaning to these dreams but we really don’t have the time for that, we’re going to be late for dorm inspection!” she said in a bossy voice.
The girls passed their dorm inspection and immediately rushed up to breakfast. They knew what would be on the menu, it was Monday which meant oats porridge and muffins. They sat at their usual table discussing their new timetables and the day which lay ahead when they were suddenly interrupted by a loud wailing sound coming from the Grade Eight table. They looked over to see what the fuss was all about. There were three Grade Eights huddled around Mary Bennet who was sitting at the head of the table. Mary’s face was bright red and her hands were around her throat. It looked like she couldn’t breathe.
Charlotte just stared, in a state of shock.
“B-b-but I dreamt about Mary last night. We were all at breakfast and she couldn’t breathe!”
Annie nearly choked on her porridge before blurting out that she had also dreamt about Mary.
“I dreamt that she was allergic to nuts and for some reason Josephine was announcing it to the whole school.”
All of a sudden Sister Mackenzie, dressed in her white nurse’s outfit, came rushing into the Dining hall. Josephine was trying to get Mary to calm down and to take small breaths. Sister Mackenzie lifted Mary up by the arm and rushed her towards the doors, when Josephine stood on a chair and shouted after her:
“Sister, sister, we had Bran-nut muffins for breakfast and Mary’s allergic to nuts!”
Jade nearly spat out her tea. Allergic to nuts? The girls slowly turned around and stared at each other in shock. Could all of this be a strange coincidence? Or not? Was there something else going on?
Chapter One: A New Term (Miss N)
“Well girls, here we are,” sighed Mrs Frank as they drove through the entrance to Fernwood High School. Mrs Frank looked at her twin daughters, huddled up next to each other in the back seat. Both born on the same day, brought up in the same home and in exactly the same way, and yet so completely different. On this day, however, Chelsea and Roxanne were both feeling a little sad about being back at boarding school and having to say good-bye to mom and dad after a fun-filled and action-packed holiday at home. On the other hand, it was always nice to arrive back at their ‘second home’ and see their friends and favourite teachers again. They were particularly looking forward to seeing Jade. Her older brother Adam had his two best friends, Kyle and Stuart, to stay during the Christmas holidays and Chelsea had a serious crush on Kyle! Chelsea wondered how Kyle was looking and, more importantly, if he was still single. The twins couldn’t wait to hear all Jade’s news and gossip, she always had plenty to share and she wasn’t one to spare any of the details.
Mr Frank parked the car and unloaded the heavy suitcases out of the boot.
“Why do you girls always seem to have so many bags?” he grumbled. They both rolled their eyes and helped their dad lug their bags down to the boarding house. Mrs Frank followed behind them with her arms full of Roxanne’s sporting gear, from tennis and squash racquets to hockey sticks and kicking boards. Roxy was a sports fanatic! She played every sport that the school offered and she was good at everything. Chelsea, on the contrary, was a real lady and she would much rather spend her time practicing pirouettes in the ballet studio than sweating on the squash court while hitting that silly little ball against the wall. In truth, Chelsea was much more graceful and elegant than her ‘tomboy’ sister.
After dumping their bags in the common room, it was time to say goodbye. The girls couldn’t believe that it would be another three months before they saw their parents again but they knew that it would be a busy term and that the time would fly. They watched with tears in their eyes as dad drove out the gate and mom waved furiously out her window. The two sisters hugged each other and walked back to the hostel to find their new dormitory and to start unpacking.
As they walked back inside, Annie and Charlotte came bounding down the stairs.
“The twins are here!” squeaked Annie in her tiny little voice and gave them both a big hug. Chelsea and Roxanne were much taller than Annie. Charlotte giggled at the sight of the three of them in a lopsided bear hug but she quickly jumped in to join the huddle. The four of them and Jade had been best friends since the day they all arrived at Fernwood High School two years ago and were all placed in Oak House. They had taken no time at all to get to know each other and soon they were inseparable. Everything was always an adventure for the ‘Fabulous Five, or the ‘Fab Five’ as they called themselves!
“So what dorm are we in this year?” asked Chelsea.
“Have you guys already chosen the best beds?” asked Roxanne, raising an eyebrow in accusation.
“Well, um, we haven’t unpacked a thing yet,” said Charlotte, looking nervously at Annie.
“Why not?” asked the twins.
By now Annie’s face had turned pale and she could barely bring herself to tell the twins the shocking news.
“Well, Josephine has just told us that we’re in…the dorm…under the stairs,” said Annie.
“What?” shouted Roxanne, “The dorm under the stairs? You’ve heard the stories about that dorm, there’s no way I’m moving in there! We’re in Grade Ten now, I thought we were supposed to be on the third floor in Dorm Three, the sunny one!”
“That’s what we thought too, but I’m not going to question Josephine!” said Charlotte while Annie nodded in full agreement.
Josephine was the new head of Oak House. She was also the Head Girl and she was very scary. There was no arguing or negotiating with Josephine, that was for sure. The girls knew that they would end up being grounded for two weeks, or under ‘house arrest’ as Jade called it, if they even looked like they had a problem with their new dorm.
“We’ve left our bags outside the dorm and decided to wait for you before settling in,” said Annie. “We thought it would be more fun, and safer, to unpack together. Besides, I’m sure all the rumours about the dorm are nonsense. I think it looks quite cute and cosy, I’m sure we’ll have loads of fun! I don’t remember any terrible incidents that were reported last year, so it can’t be that bad.”
“There was no one in that dorm last year Annie, it was being ‘renovated’, remember?” said Roxanne, sounding very nervous.
“Well,” interrupted Charlotte matter-of-factly, “there are quite a few new girls this year and they need the space, so we don’t really have a choice.”
“Okay then, let’s do it,” agreed Chelsea, trying to sound cheerful. “It will be an adventure, and somehow we’ll make this our best year yet!”
“Where’s Jade, is she not here yet?” asked Roxanne.
“She is actually, but she had a nervous breakdown when we told her about our new dorm. You know Jade, always the drama queen! Her mom took her outside for some fresh air to calm her down.”
The four girls giggled as they thought about Jade and her nervous breakdowns. Annie and Charlotte helped the twins with their bags and the giggling soon became nervous rather than cheerful as they made their way down the first flight of stairs. They followed the dark and gloomy passage towards the back of Oak House, to Dorm Six, under the stairs.
Mr Frank parked the car and unloaded the heavy suitcases out of the boot.
“Why do you girls always seem to have so many bags?” he grumbled. They both rolled their eyes and helped their dad lug their bags down to the boarding house. Mrs Frank followed behind them with her arms full of Roxanne’s sporting gear, from tennis and squash racquets to hockey sticks and kicking boards. Roxy was a sports fanatic! She played every sport that the school offered and she was good at everything. Chelsea, on the contrary, was a real lady and she would much rather spend her time practicing pirouettes in the ballet studio than sweating on the squash court while hitting that silly little ball against the wall. In truth, Chelsea was much more graceful and elegant than her ‘tomboy’ sister.
After dumping their bags in the common room, it was time to say goodbye. The girls couldn’t believe that it would be another three months before they saw their parents again but they knew that it would be a busy term and that the time would fly. They watched with tears in their eyes as dad drove out the gate and mom waved furiously out her window. The two sisters hugged each other and walked back to the hostel to find their new dormitory and to start unpacking.
As they walked back inside, Annie and Charlotte came bounding down the stairs.
“The twins are here!” squeaked Annie in her tiny little voice and gave them both a big hug. Chelsea and Roxanne were much taller than Annie. Charlotte giggled at the sight of the three of them in a lopsided bear hug but she quickly jumped in to join the huddle. The four of them and Jade had been best friends since the day they all arrived at Fernwood High School two years ago and were all placed in Oak House. They had taken no time at all to get to know each other and soon they were inseparable. Everything was always an adventure for the ‘Fabulous Five, or the ‘Fab Five’ as they called themselves!
“So what dorm are we in this year?” asked Chelsea.
“Have you guys already chosen the best beds?” asked Roxanne, raising an eyebrow in accusation.
“Well, um, we haven’t unpacked a thing yet,” said Charlotte, looking nervously at Annie.
“Why not?” asked the twins.
By now Annie’s face had turned pale and she could barely bring herself to tell the twins the shocking news.
“Well, Josephine has just told us that we’re in…the dorm…under the stairs,” said Annie.
“What?” shouted Roxanne, “The dorm under the stairs? You’ve heard the stories about that dorm, there’s no way I’m moving in there! We’re in Grade Ten now, I thought we were supposed to be on the third floor in Dorm Three, the sunny one!”
“That’s what we thought too, but I’m not going to question Josephine!” said Charlotte while Annie nodded in full agreement.
Josephine was the new head of Oak House. She was also the Head Girl and she was very scary. There was no arguing or negotiating with Josephine, that was for sure. The girls knew that they would end up being grounded for two weeks, or under ‘house arrest’ as Jade called it, if they even looked like they had a problem with their new dorm.
“We’ve left our bags outside the dorm and decided to wait for you before settling in,” said Annie. “We thought it would be more fun, and safer, to unpack together. Besides, I’m sure all the rumours about the dorm are nonsense. I think it looks quite cute and cosy, I’m sure we’ll have loads of fun! I don’t remember any terrible incidents that were reported last year, so it can’t be that bad.”
“There was no one in that dorm last year Annie, it was being ‘renovated’, remember?” said Roxanne, sounding very nervous.
“Well,” interrupted Charlotte matter-of-factly, “there are quite a few new girls this year and they need the space, so we don’t really have a choice.”
“Okay then, let’s do it,” agreed Chelsea, trying to sound cheerful. “It will be an adventure, and somehow we’ll make this our best year yet!”
“Where’s Jade, is she not here yet?” asked Roxanne.
“She is actually, but she had a nervous breakdown when we told her about our new dorm. You know Jade, always the drama queen! Her mom took her outside for some fresh air to calm her down.”
The four girls giggled as they thought about Jade and her nervous breakdowns. Annie and Charlotte helped the twins with their bags and the giggling soon became nervous rather than cheerful as they made their way down the first flight of stairs. They followed the dark and gloomy passage towards the back of Oak House, to Dorm Six, under the stairs.
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