Phoebe Finds Her Voice Read Online Free

everyone else will repeat that person’s name and copy the action.”
    Say my name? Do an action? In front of strange people?! I really had to get out of there and fast.
    â€œOh, can I start, Mandy?” Sam called out, but before Miss Howell could even answer she kicked one of her legs high up into the air and shouted, “I’m Sam, yes I am!” like she was a Dr. Seuss character or something. Ellie was next. She said her name and then burst into giggles, so everyone said her name and giggled back. Then it was Monty B’s turn. He yelled “Monty B!” did a flying cartwheel right across the circle and landed in a heap at my feet.
    I couldn’t tell you what anyone else did after that. I desperately wanted to make a run for it, but I knew that if I moved or spoke or even breathed something horrible would happen.
    As Tara Perkins finished her go twenty pairs of eyes turned towards me like deadly lasers and I wished more than anything that I could drop dead – or magic myself back home with Mum. I didn’t think I was going to say or do anything at all. I was pretty sure that even if I tried to speak no sound would come out of my mouth.
    But then something clicked in my head like an invisible switch turning on and this picture of Donny appeared, as clear as if he was standing right in front of me. He was grinning wildly and doing a double thumbs up just like in my poster – and before I could even think about what I was going to do next, I said “ Phoebe Franks ” in the tiniest whisper – I doubt anyone even heard it – and I did a double thumbs up.
    For a minute I couldn’t believe I’d spoken out loud. Maybe I’d imagined the whole thing, like in my bedroom. But then everyone else shouted out “ Phoebe Franks! ” and did a double thumbs up, and the game carried on around the circle. I wiped my sweaty palms on the back of my jeans, said a silent thank you to Donny and breathed again.
    When the circle games were finished, Miss Howell asked us to walk around the hall using all the available space. I tried to stay as near to Ellie as I could without making it obvious. But she kept changing direction and she was walking so fast she was almost running, so it was more or less impossible for me to keep up with her.
    In the end I gave up and walked around by myself. I was just thinking about how much I wanted to go home and about how amazing it was that one measly morning could somehow seem like a whole entire week, when Polly Carter walked past me with two of her mates from school.
    â€œ All right, Phoebe Franks, ” she said, sarcastically, giving me a thumbs up. She looked back at her friends sniggering, but before I could answer – or stick my thumb in her eye – Miss Howell shouted “Freeze!”
    â€œRight, guys, get into groups of four with whoever you’re standing closest to,” she called out from the front. “And I don’t want to see anyone running across the hall to be with their friends!”
    Of course Ellie was nowhere in sight, and I wasn’t about to go with Polly, so I shuffled over to Tara from my class – at least she was someone I knew. Then this really funny girl called Neesha who lives in Ellie’s road came over – and so did Monty B.
    â€œHey, Frankie,” he said, lifting his hand up for a high five.
    I looked at him, horrified. “Don’t call me Frankie here,” I hissed. “And why on earth is your hair bright red?”
    His face lit up as if I’d paid him a massive compliment or something. “Oh, it was kind of like a dare that went wrong,” he said. “I thought it would wash out but I bought the wrong stuff and it turns out it was permanent. My dad hit the roof big time – but Mum said it was an expression of my individuality – you know what she’s like.”
    â€œ An expression of your individuality ?” snorted Neesha, rolling