giggles and
suppressed laughter. Her skin started to feel prickly
and hot.
The colour drained from Rebecca's face.
'Oh, no. She's been sick on her clothes.'
'No, that's the dress,' hissed Lucinda.
Emma said it would help with her diet as it had put
her off her food.
When Miss Strudworth resumed speaking it was
with a bark.
'You, young lady, are ...'
Charlotte imagined herself in front of a firing squad
with Miss Strudworth having just yelled 'fire'.
'Charlotte Richards,' she said.
'That may be your name but what you are is late.
Take your seat.'
Charlotte slunk in beside Rebecca, feeling the size
of a half-chewed peanut.
'As I was saying,' continued Miss Strudworth,
glaring at Charlotte, 'I place particular store in
manners. You may be the best horseperson in a saddle
but I'm afraid if you fail at matters of character you
will not make the JOES. At Thornton Downs our
motto is ...'
Those who had previously been through the
academy chanted like ancient druids, 'The family that
rides together has pride together.'
Strudworth smiled, pleased. 'Exactly. Enjoy your
dinner.'
The meal passed without event. Charlotte enjoyed
the roast. Lucinda, Rebecca and Emma talked
among themselves and, to be honest, Charlotte
didn't understand half of what they said. It seemed
to be in some foreign language. Rebecca tried to
include her, asking her what her favourite TV show
was. When Charlotte said they didn't have TV in
Snake Hills, Emma assumed she meant cable,
whatever that was. Charlotte said no, they didn't
have TV at all.
'So what? You just hang around the mall?' asked
Lucinda, as she played with a grape.
'Mall? You mean shops?' asked Charlotte, who had
never seen one but had heard girls at school talk about
them. The other girls nodded eagerly: finally she
understood!
'Yes, shops. You know, Smart Girls, Backchat,
Vixens, Rave, Argument, Trolly Dolly, Mucus.'
Charlotte didn't know any of these shops. She
explained that in Snake Hills there was just the
hardware shop, which doubled as the stock and
station agent, the newsagent that doubled as a post
office, and the general store that doubled as an
electrical shop.
The others were stunned.
'So they do have electricity?' asked Emma.
'Most of the time,' said Charlotte.
'But what about clothes shops?' Lucinda couldn't
quite believe this third world stuff she was hearing.
'People make their own clothes.'
'Oh.'
Emma couldn't think of anything more tragic.
Having nothing to add, she swung back to Lucinda
and Rebecca and reignited their conversation about
cute tops, skirts and accessories. Not wanting to just
sit there like a dork, Charlotte picked up her plates
and took them to the kitchen. Emma shook her head
disapprovingly as Charlotte disappeared.
'Now she's cleaning up!'
Rebecca sighed. 'That's sooo cheap.'
When Miss Strudworth noted the Richards girl
helping stack dishes and taking them to the kitchen,
she felt a twinge of remorse for scolding her. In all the
years she'd run the academy, Miss Strudworth could
not once recall one of the students helping the kitchen
staff like that. She herself had done it – old Tobias had
expected children to help. Miss Strudworth realised
now this was the girl from the cattle station in the
outback. Perhaps the girl had simply got lost en route
to dinner? Miss Strudworth prided herself on her
fairness. She would not put a black mark against her
name just yet.
Returning from the kitchen, Charlotte heard Miss
Strudworth slap her boots with her crop again and
silence quickly descended.
'On your table you will find a form that absolves
Thornton of any blame should you be killed, maimed
or put on weight during your time here. Sign it and
hand it to the right.'
Determined not to be last this time, Charlotte
snatched a form and began filling it out. Strudworth
continued as the forms were passed forward.
'Most of you will not make the JOES. Sadly, as those
four crazy mop-tops from Liverpool once sang: we
can't all get what we want. If
suppressed laughter. Her skin started to feel prickly
and hot.
The colour drained from Rebecca's face.
'Oh, no. She's been sick on her clothes.'
'No, that's the dress,' hissed Lucinda.
Emma said it would help with her diet as it had put
her off her food.
When Miss Strudworth resumed speaking it was
with a bark.
'You, young lady, are ...'
Charlotte imagined herself in front of a firing squad
with Miss Strudworth having just yelled 'fire'.
'Charlotte Richards,' she said.
'That may be your name but what you are is late.
Take your seat.'
Charlotte slunk in beside Rebecca, feeling the size
of a half-chewed peanut.
'As I was saying,' continued Miss Strudworth,
glaring at Charlotte, 'I place particular store in
manners. You may be the best horseperson in a saddle
but I'm afraid if you fail at matters of character you
will not make the JOES. At Thornton Downs our
motto is ...'
Those who had previously been through the
academy chanted like ancient druids, 'The family that
rides together has pride together.'
Strudworth smiled, pleased. 'Exactly. Enjoy your
dinner.'
The meal passed without event. Charlotte enjoyed
the roast. Lucinda, Rebecca and Emma talked
among themselves and, to be honest, Charlotte
didn't understand half of what they said. It seemed
to be in some foreign language. Rebecca tried to
include her, asking her what her favourite TV show
was. When Charlotte said they didn't have TV in
Snake Hills, Emma assumed she meant cable,
whatever that was. Charlotte said no, they didn't
have TV at all.
'So what? You just hang around the mall?' asked
Lucinda, as she played with a grape.
'Mall? You mean shops?' asked Charlotte, who had
never seen one but had heard girls at school talk about
them. The other girls nodded eagerly: finally she
understood!
'Yes, shops. You know, Smart Girls, Backchat,
Vixens, Rave, Argument, Trolly Dolly, Mucus.'
Charlotte didn't know any of these shops. She
explained that in Snake Hills there was just the
hardware shop, which doubled as the stock and
station agent, the newsagent that doubled as a post
office, and the general store that doubled as an
electrical shop.
The others were stunned.
'So they do have electricity?' asked Emma.
'Most of the time,' said Charlotte.
'But what about clothes shops?' Lucinda couldn't
quite believe this third world stuff she was hearing.
'People make their own clothes.'
'Oh.'
Emma couldn't think of anything more tragic.
Having nothing to add, she swung back to Lucinda
and Rebecca and reignited their conversation about
cute tops, skirts and accessories. Not wanting to just
sit there like a dork, Charlotte picked up her plates
and took them to the kitchen. Emma shook her head
disapprovingly as Charlotte disappeared.
'Now she's cleaning up!'
Rebecca sighed. 'That's sooo cheap.'
When Miss Strudworth noted the Richards girl
helping stack dishes and taking them to the kitchen,
she felt a twinge of remorse for scolding her. In all the
years she'd run the academy, Miss Strudworth could
not once recall one of the students helping the kitchen
staff like that. She herself had done it – old Tobias had
expected children to help. Miss Strudworth realised
now this was the girl from the cattle station in the
outback. Perhaps the girl had simply got lost en route
to dinner? Miss Strudworth prided herself on her
fairness. She would not put a black mark against her
name just yet.
Returning from the kitchen, Charlotte heard Miss
Strudworth slap her boots with her crop again and
silence quickly descended.
'On your table you will find a form that absolves
Thornton of any blame should you be killed, maimed
or put on weight during your time here. Sign it and
hand it to the right.'
Determined not to be last this time, Charlotte
snatched a form and began filling it out. Strudworth
continued as the forms were passed forward.
'Most of you will not make the JOES. Sadly, as those
four crazy mop-tops from Liverpool once sang: we
can't all get what we want. If
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