Free Stagefright by Carole Wilkinson Page B

launched into the song, yelling Margaret’s curses in between jarring heavy metal chords. It was loud and aggressive, the total opposite of the one he’d written for Lady Anne.
    “
You killed my husband. You killed my son
.
    Give me one good reason to forgive what you’ve done
.
    My sadness is because of you, you know it well
.
    I wish you would leave this world and go to hell
.
    “
Bottled spider!
    Rooting hog!
    Spotted toad!
    Foul dog!
    I hate you. You … you … you … hedgehog!
    “
Listen to me, my words will all come true
.
    Your friends will turn their backs on you
.
    Your nights’ll be sleepless, your days like bad dreams
.
    Don’t you others trust him. He’s worse than he seems
.”
    Taleb yelled the chorus again. Velvet was horrified. Mr MacDonald looked stunned. When it was over they all sat there, listening to the ringing in their ears.
    “What is going on in here?” It was Mr Kislinski standing in the doorway.
    “We’re just rehearsing our play, sir,” Peter said.
    “I thought you were doing Shakespeare.”
    “We are, sir.
Richard the Third
.”
    “What was that awful noise?”
    There was a moment’s silence while everyone tried to think of something to say. It was Roula who had the brainwave.
    “It was a performance exercise, sir. Method acting. It helps you get over stage fright.”
    Mr Kislinski swallowed Roula’s story. “Keep it down, could you? You’re disturbing the athletes.”
    “Sorry, sir.”
    Mr MacDonald hadn’t said a word. The principal glared at him.
    “If this production isn’t up to scratch …” He left him to imagine the consequences.
    Mr MacDonald looked pale. “You just lied to the principal, Roula.”
    “It’s Taleb’s fault.”
    “You nearly blew it, dude, with that awful song,” Jesus said.
    “It was a joke, right?”
    “Absolutely not.” Taleb was unrepentant. “It’ll sound different when Mei sings it in her screechy voice. Margaret’s a crazy old woman.”
    Velvet couldn’t contain herself any longer. “It’s horrible. It’ll ruin the musical.”
    “I like it,” Taleb said. “It’ll be a contrast to the other sickly sweet song.”
    Velvet loved Lady Anne’s song. “The audience will leave.”
    “Not everyone’s got your white-bread taste in music, Velvet.”
    “Settle down,” Mr MacDonald said, glancing nervously out of the window.
    “We should find out what Mei thinks. Drago can you …”
    “
Ni xihuan zhi shou ge ma?
” Drago asked.
    Mei thought for a moment. “
Xihuan!
”
    Everyone turned to Drago.
    “Yeah, she likes it.”
    Velvet glared at Taleb. So much for their creative partnership.

C H A P TE R 14
    On Thursdays, Velvet had technology for the two periods before recess. That week, it was food technology, which, at Yarrabank, was a euphemism for cooking. They were making jam roly-poly pudding. The teacher, Miss Guerin, had only been at Yarrabank for three years, but she was at least 150 years old and she had previously taught home ec. at a girls’ school. She hadn’t changed her lesson plan since about 1955, so it didn’t quite fit the curriculum emphasis on healthy food.
    Taleb was the only Year 10 in the class. Somehow he had managed to fail food technology the previous year and he was repeating. Velvet was still angry with him for writing that awful song for Mei and being critical of her taste in music. Taleb didn’t have a cooking partner. Velvet didn’t either. But neither of them had suggested they team up. That was fine with Velvet. It wasn’t like they were good friends.

    Nothing had been said, but Hailie and Roula now allowed Velvet to sit with them at lunch. Velvet’s jam roly-poly pudding might not have been healthy, but it tasted good and the three of them were eating it with their fingers.
    “You’re not listening, are you?” Roula said.
    “What? Yes, I am.” Velvet’s mind had been somewhere else. “Something about red-back spiders living in your cousin’s hair.”
    Hailie went off to the