Charm School Read Online Free Page A

fairies waiting for some wonderland party.
    But Miss Stardust had jumped to her feet as well.
    ‘Oh, please let me go with her,’ she begged Mrs Opalene. ‘Just so I can explain about my flashing lights.’
    ‘Not yet, dear, because I’m sure Miss—’
    She stopped and peered at Bonny, waiting for a name.
    ‘“Sparky”,’ bossy Cristalle insisted, nodding her puffy hair. ‘You always call electricians “Sparky”. It’s a theatre rule.’
    ‘
Miss
Sparky,’ reproved Mrs Opalene. ‘I’m sure we don’t
ever
want to forget our manners.’ She turned back to Bonny, still peering, and started rooting in her bag. Bonny was sure that she was searching for her spectacles, and when she put them on she’d see at once that, even for somebody’s helper, Bonny was terribly young – no older than everyone round her.
    But then Miss Stardust started up again. ‘About my flashing lights—’
    ‘No!’ said Mrs Opalene. ‘Right now we’re busy with our Handy Helping Hints. And since no-one’s seen Maura yet, Miss Sparky had better start getting everything set up and ready for our rehearsals for the Curls and Purls Show.’
    Bonny was horrified. What she’d been hoping to do was sneak away to find her mother. Vanish and never come back. Mum might have given her that stern look over her spectacles, and ordered her back with a lecture on not wasting money – warmly applauded, probably, Bonny thought bitterly, by all the other people in Bookkeeping (Advanced). But even then she could have spent the day lurking in some cupboard, out of sight.
    But now they were expecting her to walk the other way – to the door at the back of the room. And then start up lights and music by herself! She was no expert in anything like that. She knew how to use her own music equipment, of course. And she was as good as anyone else at flicking on a light switch. But running the sound and lighting for the rehearsals for a Curls and Purls Show – even making things flash for Miss Stardust – well, that was different.
    Better confess that she was really here, like all the rest, to listen to the Handy Hints.
    But just at that moment Mrs Opalene spoke up again.
    ‘So, dears. Back to all this time we have to spare, sitting with our elbows in our lemons. What are we going to do with it? Well, one quite
brilliant
idea is to make sure our feet are busy soaking in a bucket of perfumed water to soften all that nasty hard skin that gathers at the back of our poor heels!’
    Bonny looked round. No-one was sniggering. No-one was rolling their eyes. No-one was even making a face of mock astonishment. They were all diligently taking notes.
    Bonny turned round and set off determinedly for the back room.
    Better Miss Sparky than Miss Twink.

C HAPTER T WO
    THE SMALL BACK room looked like the cockpit of an airplane. There were switches everywhere. Switches to the right of her, switches to the left, and switches on the panel under the glass window through which she could see Mrs Opalene lecturing everyone on how to cope with all that nasty hard skin at the back of their heels.
    And watching her.
    Should she just sit there pretending? When Maura turned up, she could just say that she’d been looking for a phone or some water, and slip away.
    Or should she have a go? After all, Maura might be very late. Or she might even have forgotten she was supposed to be there at all.
    Bonny looked up. There on the panel right above her head was one big red master switch, labelled POWER.
    No point in being chicken, Bonny thought. She flicked it down. At once, a hundred lights began to blink at her, red, white and green.
    ‘Oh, excellent!’ she breathed. ‘Oh, yes! That’s power!’

    Taking the swivel seat, she whirled around. Best to get going. She might as well start with the panel in front of her. Just like any kitchen or toolshed, the things that were closest were probably the most useful.
    Choosing a switch, she slid it gently up its track. Instantly, from the