brought her to the ground. “Gotcha!” she giggled. “I’ve ALWAYS wanted to do that!”
I suppose she was still overexcited from seeing the tiger. Or maybe she was a better actress than I’d realised. But just at that moment she looked, well, normal.
Frankie quickly wriggled free. “Have you really, Emma?” she said coldly. “Well, you got that one for free. The next one you’ll pay for.”
Emma’s expression changed. “Is that right?” she said ominously. She scrambled to her feet. Frankie jumped up, dusting off her trousers. Frankie and Emma began to circle each other menacingly, like flamenco dancers.
“I knew you couldn’t keep up your sugar and spice act, Emma Hughes,” Frankie spat. “Now your true colours are showing.”
Kirstin looked puzzled. “What’s Frankie talking about?”
Rosie gave a nervous giggle. “Don’t ask us.We’re Frankie’s friends and we don’t understand her half the time, do we, Flissie?”
This is terrible! I thought. They’re really going to fight!!
Any minute now they’d be scrapping like wild cats and Operation Pretend Friend would be ruined. I had to do something. Something so bizarre and shocking that Emma and Frankie would temporarily forget about their feud. And then I knew!
“OH! OH! IT’S HORRIBLE!!” I shrieked at the top of my lungs. “OMIGOSH, FRANKIE! YOU WERE RIGHT!”
Frankie froze as she was just about to grab Emma’s ponytail.
“What are you on about?” she said nervously.
“I saw it,” I invented wildly. “Up there on the turrets! It was horrible!”
“What are you talking about?” Emma gasped.
“The ghost,” I lied. “I saw the ghost of Gawdy Castle!”
Ten minutes later the whole class was in the castle grounds, happily tucking into barbecued burgers and bangers.
After a private chat with Mrs Weaver, I’d sheepishly explained that I probably hadn’t seen a ghost at all. It was just a trick of the light. The boys were already calling me Casper.
Lyndz was the only person who’d sussed what I was up to.
“That was brilliant, Flissie. Frankie almost blew the whole thing,” she whispered. “You do know everyone’s going to think you’re loopy?”
“It was worth it,” I grinned. “Operation You Know What is back on track.”
“Ssh,” hissed Lyndz. “Kirstin’s coming over.”
Kirstin’s plate was heaped with food. “These are great snags,” she mumbled through a mouthful of sausage. “How are you feeling now, Fliss?”
“Better,” I said bravely. “You must think I’m a real wally.”
“Not at all. I’d have screamed blue murder if I’d seen a ghost.”
Frankie finished off her second veggie burger. “She didn’t really see one,” she sniggered. “She saw a shadow and freaked.”
“I got confused,” I said defensively. “It could happen to anyone.”
“Not me,” declared Frankie. “I have nerves of steel!”
“This barbecue is the best,” Lyndz said tactfully. “I just lurve eating outdoors, don’t you, Emma?”
Emma flicked a beetle away from her sausages. “I suppose. It’s not very hygienic.”
“It’s not very hygienic,” Frankie mimicked.
Lyndz hastily talked over her. “What do you think of the food, Kirstin?”
“It’s good,” she grinned. “Safaris tend to make you hungry.”
“What things do you barbecue in Australia? Apart from ‘snags’?” Kenny asked her.
Kirstin pulled a face. “Australians will barbecue anything: emu, crocodiles, kangaroo.”
“Kangaroo? You’re kidding,” said Lyndz in horror.
“Have you tried any of those witchetty grubs?” Kenny asked.
“No, I generally stick to the steak,” Kirstin laughed.
Mrs Weaver was clapping her hands again.
“We’re going around the exotic farm next,” Rosie said.
“Whoopdee-do,” sighed Kenny. “Like we’ve never seen a farm.”
Kirstin gave Lyndz a sly look. “It says in the book they’ve got Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs. Lyndz should definitely take a look at those!”
Lyndz
I suppose she was still overexcited from seeing the tiger. Or maybe she was a better actress than I’d realised. But just at that moment she looked, well, normal.
Frankie quickly wriggled free. “Have you really, Emma?” she said coldly. “Well, you got that one for free. The next one you’ll pay for.”
Emma’s expression changed. “Is that right?” she said ominously. She scrambled to her feet. Frankie jumped up, dusting off her trousers. Frankie and Emma began to circle each other menacingly, like flamenco dancers.
“I knew you couldn’t keep up your sugar and spice act, Emma Hughes,” Frankie spat. “Now your true colours are showing.”
Kirstin looked puzzled. “What’s Frankie talking about?”
Rosie gave a nervous giggle. “Don’t ask us.We’re Frankie’s friends and we don’t understand her half the time, do we, Flissie?”
This is terrible! I thought. They’re really going to fight!!
Any minute now they’d be scrapping like wild cats and Operation Pretend Friend would be ruined. I had to do something. Something so bizarre and shocking that Emma and Frankie would temporarily forget about their feud. And then I knew!
“OH! OH! IT’S HORRIBLE!!” I shrieked at the top of my lungs. “OMIGOSH, FRANKIE! YOU WERE RIGHT!”
Frankie froze as she was just about to grab Emma’s ponytail.
“What are you on about?” she said nervously.
“I saw it,” I invented wildly. “Up there on the turrets! It was horrible!”
“What are you talking about?” Emma gasped.
“The ghost,” I lied. “I saw the ghost of Gawdy Castle!”
Ten minutes later the whole class was in the castle grounds, happily tucking into barbecued burgers and bangers.
After a private chat with Mrs Weaver, I’d sheepishly explained that I probably hadn’t seen a ghost at all. It was just a trick of the light. The boys were already calling me Casper.
Lyndz was the only person who’d sussed what I was up to.
“That was brilliant, Flissie. Frankie almost blew the whole thing,” she whispered. “You do know everyone’s going to think you’re loopy?”
“It was worth it,” I grinned. “Operation You Know What is back on track.”
“Ssh,” hissed Lyndz. “Kirstin’s coming over.”
Kirstin’s plate was heaped with food. “These are great snags,” she mumbled through a mouthful of sausage. “How are you feeling now, Fliss?”
“Better,” I said bravely. “You must think I’m a real wally.”
“Not at all. I’d have screamed blue murder if I’d seen a ghost.”
Frankie finished off her second veggie burger. “She didn’t really see one,” she sniggered. “She saw a shadow and freaked.”
“I got confused,” I said defensively. “It could happen to anyone.”
“Not me,” declared Frankie. “I have nerves of steel!”
“This barbecue is the best,” Lyndz said tactfully. “I just lurve eating outdoors, don’t you, Emma?”
Emma flicked a beetle away from her sausages. “I suppose. It’s not very hygienic.”
“It’s not very hygienic,” Frankie mimicked.
Lyndz hastily talked over her. “What do you think of the food, Kirstin?”
“It’s good,” she grinned. “Safaris tend to make you hungry.”
“What things do you barbecue in Australia? Apart from ‘snags’?” Kenny asked her.
Kirstin pulled a face. “Australians will barbecue anything: emu, crocodiles, kangaroo.”
“Kangaroo? You’re kidding,” said Lyndz in horror.
“Have you tried any of those witchetty grubs?” Kenny asked.
“No, I generally stick to the steak,” Kirstin laughed.
Mrs Weaver was clapping her hands again.
“We’re going around the exotic farm next,” Rosie said.
“Whoopdee-do,” sighed Kenny. “Like we’ve never seen a farm.”
Kirstin gave Lyndz a sly look. “It says in the book they’ve got Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs. Lyndz should definitely take a look at those!”
Lyndz
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