Star of Silver Spires (8 page)

My heart started banging away again, which made me get cross with myself. There was no point in hoping for a miracle. I must just relax and be happy that I'd done my best and survived a terrible ordeal, and that I can go back to concentrating on my work for Mrs. Roach and writing songs for fun.

“The first act to go through is…” I could have counted up to about ten in the pause. “…Demonstrate!”

The audience roared and the girls from the band, who were sitting across the aisle from me, all jumped up and started waving their arms in the air.

“Next to go through…” The pause was just as long as the last one. “Twins Plus One!” Another massive cheer.

“Third up, we have…another band…The Craze!”

From out of the audience like a rocket came a long drawn-out “Yesssss!”

“Fourth of our seven finalists is…” I was used to the long pauses by now, and in my mind I was saying the name Bella, so I got the shock of my life when Miss York said, “Mia Roberts!” My heart turned over with happiness, and Georgie and the others all stood up and cheered as though they were the stars of the whole night, but I didn't care. I don't think I've ever felt such a surge of joy in my life as I felt at that moment.

“And fifth tonight…Bella!” This time the roof really was raised, and I just knew Bella must have got the most votes. I turned round to see the two friends on either side of her patting her on the back and hugging and kissing her, while she sat quietly in the middle. In my head I added another point to the list of
Amazing Things About Bella
. She's also modest.

“Number six of our acts to go through…is…Contemporary Counterpoint!”

“And lastly…” This pause must have gone on for twenty seconds and I felt so sorry for the remaining contestants because only one of them was going to feel fantastic, while the other four were probably going to feel rubbish. “…Eve Proctor!”

The audience, that had been holding its breath for so long, let it out in a massive sigh that seemed to me to be scattered with broken dreams, while the little knot of people around Eve exploded out of their seats with cheers and air punches. Then everyone was getting up and rushing around congratulating people. I stood in the aisle surrounded by Georgie and the others, who were all telling me how brilliant I was.

It was a truly magic moment, full of lovely thoughts about breaking the wonderful news to Mum and Dad, and of writing more songs and working and working to get better so I'd get through the next round as well, and… Then I realized with a shock what I'd just been thinking. I was actually looking forward to being onstage and performing in front of an audience. It was as though there was a bright light shining inside me, full of a kind of determination and ambition that I'd never felt before. And in that moment I knew for sure that I'd finally overcome my terrible block about performing. I could even call myself a real musician at last. And the relief of knowing that, was better than a thousand Christmases and birthdays all rolled into one.

“Hi, Mum, it's me!”

“Hi, you! You certainly sound excited! And no wonder! Dad and I were so excited when we got your text last night. It's brilliant that you got through, Mia! Come on, tell me more about the contest. I want every detail!”

“I'm so happy!” I squeaked. Then I tried to calm down a bit so Mum could actually hear what I was saying. “Well, there were seven of us out of eleven who got through. And I've got to write another song in only a week, but I've already written quite a lot of it, and it's a bit more upbeat than the last one, and I know I'll be nervous all over again, but not half so much as last time because I think I've finally got over my big block about performing in public.”

“Oh, Mia, that's wonderful, love. You must have had to be so brave, but well done for managing it. We're so proud of you.”

I smiled and smiled on my end of the phone.

“And if you get through the second round will you have to write another song?”

“No, because the final round takes place on the same evening, only it's in the second half, and you can sing either one of your two songs. But there's no way I'll get through to the final,” I quickly added.

Then Mum wanted to know what the various bands and soloists had sung and I told her in big detail about the other acts in the contest, and how the winner will go through to the auditions for the big concert in London, which Miss York has told us is called
Stars in the Wings
. “It's so exciting, Mum, because you can only audition for
Stars in the Wings
through your school and Miss York says that the schools will only put forward their very best talent.”

Mum said she thought that sounded wonderful, then she came back to what I'd said about having to write another song in such a short time. “I know you said you'd done lots already, but…is there much still left to do? I'm just a bit anxious that it's taking time away from your proper practice.”

There was that irritating word again –
proper –
the word Mrs. Roach had used in my piano lesson
.
I couldn't help snapping this time. “It
is
proper practice when I'm composing and trying out my own songs.”

There was a pause and I knew exactly what was coming next. “Yes, but you won't let the work you have to do for Mrs. Roach suffer, Mia, will you?”

I snapped again. I couldn't help it. “Well it might suffer a bit, but it's only for one more week.”

“And if you won the contest, would you have to write something else for the London show?”

I hadn't been expecting Mum to consider that question in a million years, and I stopped being annoyed with her immediately because I felt so pleased that she even thought I stood a chance of winning the contest.

“Oh, Mum, I'd absolutely love to win, but there's no way I could ever do that. I mean, I probably only just scraped a place in the second round. The bands were fantastic, and it's a really high standard all round, but the very best act is a solo singer from Year Eight. She's called Bella and it's obvious she's going to win the whole thing. Everyone's saying it.”

Mum tried to soften her voice a bit. “You will make sure you explain to Mrs. Roach that you'll practise properly as soon as the competition is over, won't you? It's great that you've managed to perform but I'm sure I don't need to tell you, darling, the school made it very clear that your scholarship really does depend on you excelling in your piano lessons.”

I didn't say anything, but I could feel my hackles rising, and I wasn't exactly sure why.

“You see, the thing is,” she went on, “you can't show your talent in any other way, as you don't play an orchestral instrument…”

And then I got it. That's what was making me mad. Not only was writing songs not “proper” music, but apparently it didn't show any talent. All the effort I put into creating words and music and arranging them together into something that people enjoyed enough to vote for didn't count for anything in Mum's and Mrs. Roach's eyes.

“I know,” I mumbled, thinking how often I'd had that fact drilled into me.

“And you know that without the help with the fees that we get from the scholarship, we wouldn't be able to afford to…to keep you at Silver Spires?”

I swallowed and nodded, then realized Mum couldn't hear me nod. “Yes, I know that too,” I said a bit snappily.

I hated sounding all stressy like this but I couldn't help it. I probably should have just told Mum why I was cross, but I didn't have the energy, so we talked for a few more minutes about my friends, and how my schoolwork was, and how my little brother had come first in a fancy-dress competition, and how Mum was going on a jewellery-making course the next weekend. And then we rang off and I folded my arms and sighed noisily.

“What's up?” came Georgie's bright voice. She was walking towards me from Hazeldean. It was Sunday afternoon and we were just chilling. She knew where to find me because whenever I phone home, I always walk up and down the main Silver Spires drive as I'm talking, unless it's raining.

“Mum's been reminding me about my music scholarship,” I told Georgie glumly.

“What about it?”

“You know…how important it is that I've got to keep making progress on piano so I don't lose my scholarship.”

“But you
are
making progress. Playing all sorts of different pop stuff and jazzy stuff and musicals and things. You never used to take any interest in those kinds of things before. You should tell her, Mia, that you're – what's the expression? – broadening your horizons. That's what you're doing!” She beamed at me. “I'm quite proud of that actually!”

“You're proud of me broadening my horizons?” I felt really touched. “Hey, thanks, Georgie.”

“No – well, yes, I
am
proud of you doing that, but I mean I'm proud of myself for thinking of the expression.”

I couldn't help laughing. But I was also grateful to Georgie. She'd come up with such a good phrase and I would make sure I used it next time I spoke to Mum. I might even dare to say it to Mrs. Roach.

“I just talked to my mum and dad too,” Georgie carried on brightly. “They said it was a horrible day and they were sitting around indoors doing nothing much. Isn't it amazing how the weather can be so different a hundred kilometres away? I mean it's hot and gorgeous here. I'm going to change into a short skirt. See you round the back, yeah?”

She rushed off and I was left there full of thoughts. Something Georgie had said had shot me straight back to thinking about Bella's beautiful song. What was it?

I walked back down the drive towards the gate, and found myself humming a bit of it. It was amazing that I'd remembered it so well. And immediately I thought about Mum and Dad and me and my little brother sitting round the fire. Yes, that's why I'd been reminded of Bella's song in the first place. Georgie was talking about her mum and dad sitting around doing nothing much because of the weather being bad, and I'd imagined them in their living room with some music on in the background, because that's what
my
family used to do at home on gloomy days. And even when Bella had been singing in the theatre the evening before, I'd been taken right back to those cosy times around the fire at home.

But why? Why had Bella's song made me think of that? It was weird. I hummed the tune again, but this time I managed to carry on to the next part too. And then I stopped walking and stared at the ground. Some words were coming into my head.
You paint a golden circle round your dreams to keep them safe inside…
But those weren't the words that Bella had sung, were they? No, I was sure she hadn't sung anything about golden circles and dreams. And yet, in my head, those were the words that went with that tune.

I started walking again and something clicked so sharply that I froze. The reason I was singing those different words to Bella's music was because I'd heard them before. I'd heard Bella's melody but with those words on one of Dad's CDs that we used to sometimes have on in the background when we were sitting round together on rainy days. So…was it just a coincidence? Or…or did Bella write new words to an old song?

The hairs on my arms stood on end. If she did, then…she cheated, because the one and only rule of the contest, the rule that stopped so many people from entering who might have entered otherwise, was that you had to write whatever you sang yourself. Could Bella have cheated? No, it was a ridiculous thought. She wouldn't have dared. The rule was so strict and clear that
no one
would have dared. I must have made a mistake. I must have. I wasn't going to think about that stupid song on Dad's CD any more. It was obviously nothing more than a big coincidence that her song had sounded a bit the same in places. I mean there are only so many notes to play around with, and only so many different rhythms, so it's not surprising that sometimes music comes out sounding similar to other music.

All the same, I felt like someone sleepwalking as I set off to meet Georgie on the lawn at the back of the main building, and as I got nearer, instead of going round the side of the main building I found myself going off in the other direction, towards the music block. I wanted to be on my own a bit longer, and, more than that, I wanted to sit at a piano and just play. It might calm me down.

I couldn't get my worry out of my head and I was searching my brain to try and remember more about the song from Dad's CD. His collection of CDs is so enormous and full of different music and artists that nobody's ever heard of. Mum always laughs when the subject of Dad's CDs comes up. “Your dad's taste is totally and utterly individual,” she says. “I think there must be a category in the music shops called
WEIRD
where he goes to buy his music!”