turn I think.’
Laura was struggling a bit with the Russian accent for Madame Fidolia, the head of the theatre school the children were attending.
‘Try watching videos of Russian people speaking on YouTube,’ Meg suggested. ‘It’s a really handy way of practising accents.’
‘That’s a great idea, thanks,’ Laura said.
‘No problem. I used to do it all the time when …’ Meg stopped. ‘When I was in a school play before. I had to play this French woman, and I just couldn’t get the accent right. I ended up watching loads of clips of French actors speaking English until I was practically talking that way inside my head!’
She started demonstrating her French accent, accompanied by lots of dramatic hand gestures. I wondered what it was she had been about to say. One thing was for sure, it wasn’t what she ended up saying.
My train of thought was interrupted by yelling fromnext door as Bobby came charging into the garden swinging his lightsaber. Zach followed close behind him, wearing a Jedi knight mask and pointing a toy gun at him.
‘You’ll never get me!’ Bobby shouted at him.
‘Yes I will!’ Zach shouted back. ‘I’ve got supersonic blaster rays!’
I groaned. ‘Sorry, guys.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Laura said. ‘We’ll shut them up if they get too noisy. Let’s go on with the next scene – I’ll practise my Russian accent later.’
Meg and I started reading out some bits of dialogue between Pauline and Petrova, but I kept finding myself distracted by the Star Wars battle going on next door, especially when Zach apparently killed Bobby and he had to die with the loudest yells and groans you can imagine. Eventually though I managed to tune them out, and we had a fun afternoon, working out which scenes we’d do, and what parts we needed Laura to play.
I didn’t even notice how much time had gone by until the doorbell started ringing. It was Ruby’s brother coming to call her home for dinner. Ruby rushed off, promising to work out Posy’s dance routine for next time.
Laura and I helped Meg to tidy up, then Laura said, ‘I’d better be going too. Hannah, do you want to walk home with me?’
‘I would but we’re not exactly going in the same direction!’I pointed out.
‘You’re not in a hurry home though, are you?’ Laura persisted.
‘That’s true.’ Having listened to the boys’ shouting coming over the hedge all afternoon, I definitely wasn’t in a hurry to be back in the middle of that.
‘Thanks for everything, Meg,’ Laura said. ‘We can go to my house next time.’
‘See you then – and I’ll definitely know my first set of lines,’ Meg said with a smile as she opened the front door for us.
Laura waited until we were a little way down the road, then glanced back to check Meg had closed the door behind us. ‘So, what do you think Meg’s story is?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘There’s something strange going on,’ Laura said. ‘She keeps starting to tell us things, and then clamming up. What’s that about?’
‘I’m not sure.’ I knew exactly what Laura meant – I’d been thinking the same thing.
‘I was asking her about her dad the other day, too, and she just changed the subject,’ Laura went on.
‘Oh, I don’t really think you should have asked her that,’ I said. ‘She would tell us if she wanted to.’
I felt a bit protective of Meg. Even though she seemed pretty confident and outgoing, there was something abit vulnerable about her, a sort of fragility that I couldn’t quite explain.
Laura shrugged. ‘I just don’t see what the big deal is. If her parents have just split up then why not just tell us – I’ve been there, I could talk to her about it. Even if they split up ages ago and he’s just not involved in her life, why not just say so – it doesn’t have to be this deep dark secret.’
‘Oh my God.’ I stopped still. ‘Laura – what if he’s dead?’
Laura stopped too and looked at me in horror.
‘What
Laura was struggling a bit with the Russian accent for Madame Fidolia, the head of the theatre school the children were attending.
‘Try watching videos of Russian people speaking on YouTube,’ Meg suggested. ‘It’s a really handy way of practising accents.’
‘That’s a great idea, thanks,’ Laura said.
‘No problem. I used to do it all the time when …’ Meg stopped. ‘When I was in a school play before. I had to play this French woman, and I just couldn’t get the accent right. I ended up watching loads of clips of French actors speaking English until I was practically talking that way inside my head!’
She started demonstrating her French accent, accompanied by lots of dramatic hand gestures. I wondered what it was she had been about to say. One thing was for sure, it wasn’t what she ended up saying.
My train of thought was interrupted by yelling fromnext door as Bobby came charging into the garden swinging his lightsaber. Zach followed close behind him, wearing a Jedi knight mask and pointing a toy gun at him.
‘You’ll never get me!’ Bobby shouted at him.
‘Yes I will!’ Zach shouted back. ‘I’ve got supersonic blaster rays!’
I groaned. ‘Sorry, guys.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Laura said. ‘We’ll shut them up if they get too noisy. Let’s go on with the next scene – I’ll practise my Russian accent later.’
Meg and I started reading out some bits of dialogue between Pauline and Petrova, but I kept finding myself distracted by the Star Wars battle going on next door, especially when Zach apparently killed Bobby and he had to die with the loudest yells and groans you can imagine. Eventually though I managed to tune them out, and we had a fun afternoon, working out which scenes we’d do, and what parts we needed Laura to play.
I didn’t even notice how much time had gone by until the doorbell started ringing. It was Ruby’s brother coming to call her home for dinner. Ruby rushed off, promising to work out Posy’s dance routine for next time.
Laura and I helped Meg to tidy up, then Laura said, ‘I’d better be going too. Hannah, do you want to walk home with me?’
‘I would but we’re not exactly going in the same direction!’I pointed out.
‘You’re not in a hurry home though, are you?’ Laura persisted.
‘That’s true.’ Having listened to the boys’ shouting coming over the hedge all afternoon, I definitely wasn’t in a hurry to be back in the middle of that.
‘Thanks for everything, Meg,’ Laura said. ‘We can go to my house next time.’
‘See you then – and I’ll definitely know my first set of lines,’ Meg said with a smile as she opened the front door for us.
Laura waited until we were a little way down the road, then glanced back to check Meg had closed the door behind us. ‘So, what do you think Meg’s story is?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘There’s something strange going on,’ Laura said. ‘She keeps starting to tell us things, and then clamming up. What’s that about?’
‘I’m not sure.’ I knew exactly what Laura meant – I’d been thinking the same thing.
‘I was asking her about her dad the other day, too, and she just changed the subject,’ Laura went on.
‘Oh, I don’t really think you should have asked her that,’ I said. ‘She would tell us if she wanted to.’
I felt a bit protective of Meg. Even though she seemed pretty confident and outgoing, there was something abit vulnerable about her, a sort of fragility that I couldn’t quite explain.
Laura shrugged. ‘I just don’t see what the big deal is. If her parents have just split up then why not just tell us – I’ve been there, I could talk to her about it. Even if they split up ages ago and he’s just not involved in her life, why not just say so – it doesn’t have to be this deep dark secret.’
‘Oh my God.’ I stopped still. ‘Laura – what if he’s dead?’
Laura stopped too and looked at me in horror.
‘What
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