Sequins, Secrets, and Silver Linings Read Online Free

though, she is like a bony child-bird. Except for her hands, which are beautiful. She has the longest, most graceful fingers I’ve ever seen.
    The stall’s a bit of a mess. She has just one table and it’s scattered with colorful bits of cheap nylon fabric. She doesn’t look up when we get there. She’s got her notebook out and she’s busy sketching, as usual. If she expects to make a sale, she certainly doesn’t show it.
    I pick up one of the scraps of fabric.
    “How’s it going?” Edie asks.
    Crow looks up with a scowl. Naomi Campbell on a bad day. She glances at Edie and shrugs. I’m guessing sales haven’t been fantastic so far.
    “Oi! Fairy.”
    A shout comes from behind us. I turn around to see three very pretty blonde teens in matching minis and open-necked shirts, arranged to show off their flat, tanned, bare midriffs and belly-button piercings. They’re all grinning across at Crow. Their stall is selling handbags made out of patchwork squares. Quite nice ones, actually. I feel disloyal for thinking it.
    “Got a customer? Ooh, Fairy. Lucky girl! Going to make your fortune?”
    They cackle with laughter, amazed at their own cleverness.
    “Are they always like that?” asks Edie indignantly.
    Crow shrugs again. Shrugging seems to be her major form of communication.
    I’m indignant, too. I know how it must feel.
    “Nice hats, Fairy!” They cackle again. Then one turns to the others and says very loudly, “D’you remember when she wore that gold cape? Proper little Wonder Woman she was, weren’t you, Fairy? Shame it got ruined in that nasty drain.”
    They laugh hard, holding on to each other. I can imagine how the cape ended up in the “nasty drain.” Crow carries on drawing without any change in herexpression, though. It’s as if they’re not there. In fact, she seems to be annoying them far more than they’re annoying her.
    However, by now, Edie and I are more annoyed than anyone.
    Edie picks up one of the nylon things.
    “How much is it?” she asks.
    “Fifty p,” Crow almost whispers, hardly raising her eyes.
    “I’ll take three,” Edie says loudly. “Nonie, how about you?”
    “Oh, me, too,” I agree. “And one of these.”
    There’s a raspberry-pink knitted thing peeking out from under all the nylon. I’m not sure what it is, but I’m happy to pay two pounds for it.
    “And I’ll have one as well,” says a voice right behind me. It’s Harry. He seems relaxed enough, but I can tell from the way he’s breathing that he’s as annoyed as the rest of us.
    Startled, Crow starts putting things in bags and collecting up our proffered coins.
    “Actually, we’re from Teen magazine,” Edie adds after a moment’s thought, still keeping her voice up. “My friend here’s our stylist and this is one of our staff photographers. We love your stuff and we’d like to featureyou. Such a shame everything else today is so TRASHY. Here’s my card.”
    She hands something across to Crow, which on inspection turns out to be her library card.
    Then she turns on her heel and sweeps off, with me sweeping after her and Harry bringing up the rear, after running off a few shots of the stall for effect.
    “Ooooh, Fairy!” we hear just before we head out of earshot. But it sounds like air coming out of a balloon. The blondies’ hearts don’t seem to be in it anymore. And Crow seems to be too busy examining the library card to notice.

    Once we’re outside the playground, Harry throws his arms around Edie and hugs her.
    “Well done! You could be Wonder Woman yourself, you know.” Then he laughs. “You’re shaking.”
    She is. I can see it now. It must be a mixture of nerves and indignation.
    “We have to DO something,” she splutters.
    “I certainly owe her one,” Harry says. “I got another great picture out of it.”
    He scrolls through the pictures on his camera and shows us the one he means. It’s of the blondies, all clustered together, looking gorgeous but positively