Olivia's Winter Wonderland Read Online Free Page A

childhoods. But whatever natural talent they have, all actors have to have some kind of inner life and emotional depths to draw upon. With the interesting ones there’s always a feeling that what you see on stage is only the very tip of an iceberg, that it’s all the intense stuff going on beneath the waterline that makes them really fascinating to watch.”
    â€œAnd does Katie have that?” asked Alicia softly.
    Sebastian looked hard at her. “I think you know as well as I do, Alicia, it doesn’t come along often. Sometimes you only see it a few times in a generation. Toni had it, and we’vehad a handful since, like Theo. At the moment I’d say that although we’ve plenty of talented children, we’ve only one pupil in the school for whom that’s clearly true, and of course she’s fighting it every step of the way, and by fighting it she may smother it until it withers and dies. But you know, I think there’s a chance that Katie may be another. Who knows? It’s a mysterious thing that often sprouts in the most unexpected places and in the least likely children.”
    â€œHow do you think Katie’s coping with being back at the Swan?” asked Alicia.
    â€œPretty well in the circumstances. Though she doesn’t say much about it, I get the impression that things are a bit grim at home.”
    â€œWell, a lot of our children rise above their circumstances. Many of their families make great sacrifices for them to be here. She wouldn’t be the first to have a difficult home life. I was really wondering how she is settling down in the school.”
    â€œGenerally OK. Livy, Tom and their friends are keeping a pretty close eye on her. But I think some of the scarier Year Nine and Ten girls are doing their best to make her feel like an outcast.”
    â€œAh, the Coven, as Eel calls them,” saidAlicia with a glint in her eye. “I’ve noticed some of them are getting above themselves. I’m going to have to keep an eye on them. But it’s understandable that some of them feel resentful about Katie being given a second chance.”
    â€œEel’s name for them is spot-on,” said Sebastian. “It’s a stage a lot of girls go through, but this gaggle are particularly irritating. But I reckon as long as most of them get a shot at Zelda and realise that Katie isn’t getting any privileges she doesn’t deserve at this stage, they’ll back off and turn their attention to running each other down and discussing the latest miracle mascara.”
    After Sebastian had left, Alicia had been lost in thought. What he had said wasn’t going to make her interview with Katie any easier.
    But in the end Katie made it painless for her. The two of them had discussed how Katie was settling down and Alicia had praised her for the progress she was making in maths, and then there had been the tiniest of pauses before Katie suddenly blurted, “Look, Miss Swan, I know this is difficult. But I do realise you can’t let me go up for Zelda. It wouldn’t be right. I know it’s not an option, however much Imay want it.”
    Alicia gave a sad, kind little smile. “That’s very mature of you, Katie, and very perceptive. I’m afraid it’s quite true. I can’t only think of what’s in
your
best interests, I have to think of the whole school. It’s such a pity the role has come up now, not next year. By then you would have proved to everyone what an asset the new Katie is to the Swan, but just at the moment I know that a number of pupils in the school will be alert to any suggestion that you are being given any special treatment. As far as I’m concerned, you redeemed yourself entirely when you helped save the Swan, but you made an awful lot of enemies before that and people can hold a grudge. So I’m sorry it’s not going to happen for you this term. It’s a shame; Mr Shaw says