Read Online Olivia's Winter Wonderland by Lyn Gardner - Free Book Online Page A

begin,” said Jon.
    The music struck up. Katie ran on the stage and started to sing “If I Were a Bell” from
Guys and Dolls.
She had got to the end of the verse and was singing “If I were a bell, I’d go ding dong, ding dong ding!” when Mrs Gibbs appeared at the door of the theatre, raised her hand to get Poppy Churchill, the accompanist and the Swan’s head girl, to stop and said, “So very sorry, everyone, for interrupting, but I’ve got New York on the phone for you, Mr James. They say that they’ve been trying your mobile but it’s off and it’s really urgent. I told them you were auditioning but they said they had to speak with you without delay. They wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
    Katie had faltered to a halt and stood looking uncomfortable. Mrs Gibbs glanced at her apologetically. “I’m really very sorry, Katie.”
    Jon ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry too, guys. I know it’s unprofessional but I really do have to take this call. Forgive me, Katie, and stay exactly where you are. I’ll be straight back and we can take it from the top.” He followed Mrs Gibbs out of the door.
    Katie stood on the stage on one leg, trying to look unconcerned. There was a moment’s silence, then a few people began chatting and Poppy went over to chat to her friends. Suddenly a voice at the back of the theatre began singing very clearly, “If I were a smell I’d go ping pong, ping pong ping.”
    Some of the girls giggled; everyone else looked embarrassed and stopped chatting. Katie tried to pretend she hadn’t heard a thing but gave herself away by turning bright red.
    â€œPing, pong, ping pong ping,” trilled Kylie. “There
is
a nasty smell in here. Must be coming from the stage.”
    There was a charged silence. Poppy looked worried, as if she knew she ought to do something but wasn’t sure what. A few girls laughed uncertainly; others looked unhappy, as if they thought Kylie had crossed a line. Katie looked wildly around as if seeking help, hereyes filled with tears, then she made a choking noise and stumbled off the stage.
    Aeysha stood up very calmly from where she’d been sitting and walked down the auditorium until she was standing right in front of Kylie. Kylie stood up with her arms folded and a sulky, challenging look on her face. Aeysha leaned forward until her face was close to Kylie’s and, making sure everyone could hear her, said, “What is your problem, Kylie Morris? One day, one day very, very soon, it will be you standing on a stage somewhere and I have no doubt that somebody will do to you what you have just done to Katie. As my mum always says, what goes around comes around.” She smiled sweetly. “Do you know what you are, Kylie Morris? Because I do, and so does everybody else in this theatre today. You are nothing but a coward and a big bully.”
    Aeysha’s grave voice carried a quiet authority. Kylie turned beetroot red; a number of her friends looked deeply embarrassed and shifted in their seats. There was another minute’s pause and then somebody broke into applause and others followed, and some even cheered what Aeysha had said. Everyone wasgetting fed up with Kylie and she had gone too far this time. One of the unwritten rules of Swan auditions was that everybody was treated with courtesy and respect.
    For a moment Kylie’s eyes blazed. She looked around at her friends for support, but they all seemed to be mesmerised by their feet. For a moment it looked as if she might spit in Aeysha’s face, but then she barged her way along the row and flounced out of the door, almost knocking over a surprised Jon James on his way back in. Not a single one of her friends followed her. Jon looked around at all the serious faces. He could feel the tension in the air.
    â€œIs everything all right?” he asked, before turning to the stage.