Read Online Rising Star by Cindy Jefferies - Free Book Online

asked Danny to stop and play his snare drum instead. When all the recording levels had been set, Mr. Timms told her to get Danny to do a run-through. Danny twirled a drumstick at her through the glass partition and set off. She sat back to watch him. She felt like a real professional.
    â€œWatch the levels, Chloe,” Mr. Timms warned, tapping the monitor. “Look at the cymbals. They’re going to drown out the rest if you don’t tweak it a bit.” Oops! Perhaps it wasn’t as easy as she’d thought!
    It didn’t take long to record the piece Danny wanted to perform. When it was done he came into the control room and they all listened to the playback.
    â€œWhat do you think?” asked Mr. Timms. Chloe tried hard to think of something that would improve the recording.
    â€œIs the snare drum a bit quiet?” she asked.
    Mr. Timms nodded. “You could increase it a bit if you like.” He showed her which knob to turn, and she adjusted it until the sound was more balanced.
    â€œThat’s fine!” said Danny when they’d played it back again. “Thanks. Tara will be pleased.”
    Mr. Timms took a tape out of a tape machine and handed it to Chloe.
    â€œPut your name on this tape,” he told her. “This is your first recording as a sound engineer. It’s important to keep a record of your work.” Chloe was speechless with delight. She held on to the tape as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
    â€œThis is Tara’s copy,” Mr. Timms added, handing another tape to Danny. “You can tell her she needs to bring it back after the concert to be used again. I don’t approve of waste. Well, go on, then,” he said. “Well done. Off you go. I’ve got better things to do ... When I was at Abbey Road I didn’t ...”
    Danny and Chloe scooted out of his way and back into the main hall.
    â€œThanks for helping,” Danny said.
    â€œNo! Thank you !” Chloe said. “I’ve had a great time. You didn’t really need me though, did you? Mr. Timms could have done that recording in his sleep. What made you think of me?”
    Danny shrugged. “Do you mind giving the tape to Tara?” he said, not meeting Chloe’s eyes and changing the subject. “It’s just that she’s such a pain about rehearsing. She’s so bossy, always thinking she knows best. If she has the tape, she can practice without me there. Then I might just manage the performance without losing my cool!”
    â€œOf course I will, but Danny, why... ”
    He hurriedly thrust the tape at her, still avoiding her eyes. “No reason,” he said, and then relented. “Well, I thought, you know ... ” He shrugged. “You’ve had a hard time, and you really like the recording studio ... ” He looked at her at last, and blushed.
    â€œYou’re beginning to sound like Mr. Timms,” she complained. Then she found she was blushing, too.

13.
    An Awful Fright
    It was the last day of the term and the day of the concert. Lots of parents were arriving. Right after the concert, everyone would be heading home for Christmas, but no one could get excited about that until the performances were safely over. No one except Chloe, that is.
    Chloe was really looking forward to seeing her parents, and her little brother, too. She couldn’t wait for Pop and Lolly to meet Ben at last. She’d shown them pictures and told them so much about him. At the same time, he was too young to worry about her lack of progress with singing. He, alone of all the people she knew, wouldn’t be asking how she’d done this term. With Ben, Chloe could be herself, and forget her worries, and she badly needed to be able to do that.
    She had plenty of time to pack her bags while everyone else was frantically rehearsing.
    â€œI’ll strip your beds if you want,” she volunteered to Pop and Lolly, after Mrs. Pinto had