Dreaming of Amelia (9 page)

Agenda Item 5: Scholarship Winners Progress Report

Roberto Garcia noted that the two scholarship winners, Amelia Damaski and Riley Smith, were now in their fourth week at Ashbury.
Roberto invited the teachers present to share any observations they had on the scholarship winners' progress.

•   Constance interrupted to say that we should first discuss whether the scholarships could be withdrawn from Amelia and Riley at once.

•   It was made clear to Constance that this was not possible.

•   Constance repeated her assertion that she was ‘aghast' at our choice of winners.

•   Jacob Mazzerati pointed out, carefully, that, as Constance wasn't there when we interviewed the applicants, maybe she wasn't in a position to judge?

•   Constance said she had had no choice but to absent herself from the interviews, as her life had been at stake. (This had come to her in a dream.) Everyone was quiet and thoughtful.

•   Lucy Wexford interrupted the quiet to say that she was now inclined to think that maybe Constance was right, and that we
had
chosen the wrong scholarship winners.

•   We reminded Lucy that she had agreed with our choice. Lucy said that, upon reflection, she could not understand why she had been so impressed by the winners. She now doubted whether ‘outstanding potential' could mean
sporting
potential, although she admitted she had agreed at the time that it could. She thought she must have been ‘in some kind of a trance'.

•   Constance breathed in sharply and seemed about to speak, but:

•   Roberto Garcia suggested that we hear from the scholarship winners' teachers (including himself). He passed on a report from their Art teacher that their attendance at Art classes had been perfect.

•   Chris Botherit said that Amelia's attendance at his English class had been close to perfect.

•   Lucy Wexford said that both Amelia and Riley were in her Music class and that, to date, their attendance had been abysmal. Also, when they did attend, neither of them said a word. Either to her, or, as far as she could see, to any other student.

•   Chris Botherit here admitted that Amelia and Riley seemed to keep to themselves. ‘Perhaps,' he suggested, ‘they have not integrated into the Ashbury community just yet?'

•   ‘That,' said Lucy Wexford, ‘is an understatement.' She added that they both have the habit of watching her
extremely closely
while she talks. She finds this unnerving.

•   Chris Botherit confessed that Amelia did focus on him to a considerable degree when he speaks. He worried that she was having trouble understanding what he was saying. Or that she thought it was more important than it actually was.

•   Roberto Garcia said that Amelia is in his History class, and they are both in his Drama class. So far they have simply watched the other students with slightly bemused expressions. He does not blame them. He often feels exactly the same way when he walks into a room full of Ashbury students.

•   Jacob Mazzerati suggested that if the dramatic coproduction happens, Amelia and Riley could get involved. They might feel more relaxed with the Brookfielders around, and they are both taking Drama.

•   Constance inquired how the pair were performing academically. (During the above discussion, she had exclaimed ‘A-hah!' at various points.)

•   Chris Botherit said he has not yet seen any of Amelia's written work. Neither has Roberto — and so far, they have not performed in Drama. Lucy said she had invited Riley to perform a drum solo, and he had politely declined. She had asked Amelia where her musical interests lay, and Amelia had smiled and wandered away, humming to herself. ‘It is sadly clear,' said Lucy, ‘that there is nothing remotely musical about either of them.'

•   Roberto noted that neither Amelia nor Riley had chosen performance as their individual projects for Drama. It was legitimate, he said, for them to study the theory of both Drama and Music, without having practical talent in either field.

•   Roberto said that, according to the Scholarship Charter, the next step will be for their subject teachers to provide written reports; followed by interviews with the winners themselves to discuss their progress.

•   Constance pointed out that, once again, she would not be able to attend the interviews of Amelia and Riley, on the grounds of fearing for her life.

•   Patricia Aganovic said, ‘How did they go at the Zones? My daughter, Cassie, told me —' and Jacob Mazzerati began, ‘Yeah, Toby tells me their swimming —'

•   At this, there was an explosion of conversation, as all the teachers present exclaimed about Amelia and Riley's extraordinary success at the Zones. Much talk about the fact that they have
already
met the ‘outstanding potential' component of the scholarship, and that their swimming was even better than we'd expected.

•   ‘Well, then,' said Constance, serenely, ‘we will certainly not be spending any of Sir Kendall's money on sports equipment. That's what Amelia and Riley are, aren't they? Sports equipment.'

•   An uncomfortable silence.

Agenda Item 6: Any Other Business

•   Jacob Mazzerati wanted to know why Patricia Aganovic was ‘Parent Rep 1' while he was ‘Parent Rep 2'.

•   Much discussion about this.

•   Jacob eventually said he'd only meant the question as a joke.

•   Roberto Garcia said: ‘Let's go back to Jacob's and drink all the wine in his wine cellar.'

Meeting Closed: 9.00 pm

www.myglasshouse.com/shadowgirl

TUESDAY 4 MARCH

My Journey Home

The woman approaches
with
Her tongue pushed so
pressed so
firmly
pressed so
tightly
into
Her cheek
That
For a moment
I think it's
a distortion of
Her face

Green leaves on the footpath
Such bright
Such translucent
Pressed so
Stamped so
Firmly into
The footpath
Stamped so
Rained so
Firmly into
The footpath
So
That now
They
Are
Like
Lime
glass

The woman —
or girl maybe —
As if I
Do not see
As if she does
Not see —
As if for a moment
She is
More
Alone
Than anyone has ever
The woman
Or is she a girl,
Relaxes her
Face
Relaxes
Her hands
Her shoulders
Her chest
Her hips
Her tongue
As if
She were
More
Than
Alone.

Relaxes even her
Hair
Even her hair
Which is

Then she sees me
and she sees
that her
hair is the exact
same colour
as mine.

I remember
myself in
a graveyard,
wind blowing sideways,
smell of crushed
ants,
and here come
soldiers
on
horseback
in red,
so it's not a memory,
it's a dream,
and I get onto the bus.

A boy with
four bags
gathered at his feet says
Is this the bus to Central Station?
Well,
Why do you think
It says Railway Square on the front?

There's a mystery.

The cockatoos are eating my building,
says the man
in the seat behind.

Why do some things have so many names
Like Central Station is
Railway square
An oblong is a rectangle
A biro is a pen
A woman is a girl

A cyclone is
A hurricane is
also
A typhoon

And Riley is
All three.

Look for
The woman
Or the
Girl

With the
Hair
But she
Is
Gone.

A small boy walks past
The window
instead
His hands around his
Throat
Choking himself
He sees me see him
Hesitates
Decides to see it through.

0 comments

 

www.myglasshouse.com/emthompson

TUESDAY 4 MARCH

My Journey Home

I journeyed home from school yesterday.

Wait a minute. Did someone say the words:
déjà vu
?

Yes. They did. Because we wrote this blog a month ago.
Our teacher has given us the exact same topic.

Well, if Mr B is trapped in the past, I, for one, am not going to tell him.

I merely sigh.

And turn to my friends.

Farewell.

Much love,

Emily.

37 comments

Cass said
… Okay. I'm here. 'Tsup? Whatcha doing?

Em said
… I still can't believe nobody knew about Riley and Amelia.

Cass said
… Knew what about them?

Em said
… Ha ha. But seriously, how could we not have known they were from Brookfield? It's, like, three minutes from here. What were we thinking?

Cass said
… I wasn't thinking anything. This has been your own personal quest, Em.

Em said
… That is a harsh yet fair attack. I failed in my quest.

Em said
… But, to be fair to me, it's the people of Ashbury that failed me. I asked EVERYONE if they knew the story behind R and A, and I even turned to my contacts in power; ie, teachers. They were as dumbfounded as me. And I talked to Bindy Mackenzie, who, as school captain, really has a responsibility to know everything about everyone, doesn't she? (And normally I think she does.) Bindy promised she'd raise the issue of Riley and Amelia's identity at the School Leaders' Conference in Canberra but I don't think she ever intended to.

Cass said
… Why would she not have? It's up there with greenhouse gas emissions, global financial meltdown, and all the other issues that high school leaders are gonna figure out for us in Canberra this year.

Cass said
… Hey, is Lyd okay? Is she around? Is she really okay about seeing Seb the other day?

Em said
… She's right beside me and she's writing her blog and ignoring me even though I keep telling her to cut it out and join this conversation.

Em said
… And I know, I doubt she's okay about seeing Seb, even though she says she is, with her indifferent shrug. I would find it difficult to run into Charlie by chance, and we broke up a long time ago and in different circumstances! So. Of course she's not all right.

Em said
… Although, I would also be stunned to run
into Charlie because, guess what, I decided to get back together with him!

Cass said
… I feel like something doesn't follow there, but anyway, really? You decided to get back with Charlie?

Em said
… Yeah, I thought, well, this has gone on long enough, me not being with Charlie. Plus, if I'd had a contact at Brookfield (Charlie), he could have told me about Riley and Amelia long ago. Then I could have got on with my life.

Em said
… But would Charlie have known R and A? Most other Brookfielders didn't know them. Hmm. Why didn't they? Seb told Lyd it's because they NEVER EVER went to any classes, but how can that be? Isn't that, I don't know, illegal?

Cass said
… Em, you decided to get back with Charlie and then what?

Em said
… Oh, yeah. Turns out he's in Singapore. So, no luck getting back together. That's why I'd be stunned if I ran into him. I'd be in Singapore. Which would be stunning.

Cass said
… Why is Charlie in Singapore?

Em said
… His mother got some job offer there. I called his home to announce my decision that we were together again, and one of his older brothers told me they were in Singapore. I was so MAD. But then I was weeping like a willow for an hour.

Cass said
… You want to go into Castle Hill this arvo? To weep like a willow some more?

Em said
… But they're still not regular folk really. They're
athletes.
I thought scholarship kids like that only existed in American movies. This is the first time I've met one.

Cass said
… You still haven't technically met Amelia and Riley.

Em said
… They must be out of their depths, treading water in the sophisticated halls of Ashbury, can't afford the bus fare home etc. They'll be ‘flunking out of classes' and have to work hard or be ‘cut from the swim squad'. Don't you think?

Cass said
… I don't really know if I have anything else to say about A and R.

Em said
… But you should have, because you should have found out they were from Brookfield from your mum. So, I totally withdraw my acceptance of failure of my quest. It's your fault.

Em said
… Ha ha, just kidding. Because I guess your mum was being confidential, but what's so confidential about them being Brookfielders? It should be the opposite. We should have been warned they were in our midst. They could have violent/criminal tendencies and distribute drugs and be on steroids. Or do you think not? I guess Charlie and Seb are great, and therefore not all Brookfielders are psychopaths, but technically, any of them could be.

Cass said
… You betcha.

Em said
… I think R and A are more sweet than psychopathic. What do you think?

Cass said
…

Em said
… Okay. Sorry. We can talk about something else.

Cass said
… Is it just me or is skipping classes kind of a strange, flat thing these days? Ms W actually came out of the library while I was coming in today and she knows I'm in her English class but she just said, ‘Casso!' in her weird cowgirl way. It turns out you can do anything you want in Year 12, which is relaxing but is it also depressing?

Lyd said
… It's cos we're equals now and they trust us to be responsible for our own academic futures and Ms W knew you were going to the library to do intensive study.