Authors: Lyn Gardner
Olivia Flies High (14 page)
Pablo and the taxi driver eased Olivia’s wheelchair out of the cab. The journey from the hospital to the Duke’s had been tense. Olivia hadn’t wanted to get up and go to the theatre, but Pablo had insisted, and when Tom had said that Eel would be really disappointed if Liv didn’t come to the performance tonight, Olivia had finally relented. But she had said very little and just looked morosely out of the window of the taxi.
At one point they stopped at traffic lights right outside a Tube station where people were handing out copies of the evening newspaper. The headline read “All Hope Fades for Missing Stunt Ace”. There was a picture of a laughing Jack underneath. Georgia had tried to draw
Olivia’s attention away to something else, but Olivia just made a sound as if somebody was sticking a pin into her heart with agonising slowness.
They had wheeled Olivia through the stage door and left her to chat to Bert, although in reality it was Bert who did all the chatting. He told her his favourite stories – about the actress who insisted on taking her beloved Pekinese dog on stage hidden in her handbag until it had got out one evening and pooped all over the tragic deathbed scene, and the theatrical knight whose memory was so poor that he had to have all his lines pasted on to the furniture and props around the stage.
After a few minutes Eel had appeared and hugged Olivia. “We’ve got a surprise for you,” she said excitedly.
“A surprise?” said Olivia listlessly. “I don’t think I’m up to any more surprises. I’ve had enough surprises to last me a lifetime.”
“You’ll like this one,” said Eel, and she wheeled Olivia through the wings and on to the stage. For just a second, Olivia’s eyes brightened. Stretched across the stage at shoulder height was her old wire and standing in the middle
of it, bouncing lightly on his toes, was Tom. He took a few steps.
“Not like that,” said Olivia. “Have you forgotten everything I taught you?”
“Not quite everything,” said Tom. “But it’s been such a long time that I’m going to need your help, Liv, if I’m going to get back to my best.”
“Well, straighten your back and lift your chin for a start,” said Olivia.
Eel and Pablo looked at each and grinned. This was the most animated they had seen Livy since the morning after the accident. Maybe the plan was working? Olivia directed Tom for a few minutes, putting him through a series of manoeuvres. After a while he said very casually, “Liv, it’s not the same up here without my partner. Why don’t you join me?” He held out his hand. “We’ve got a safety harness if it would help.”
A series of emotions flitted across Olivia’s face: shock, anguish, maybe the tiniest flicker of hope. Everyone held their breath. Her hands gripped the sides of her wheelchair, the knuckles white. She lifted herself a little way out of the chair as if she was going to stand up, and then
she sank back again and burst out, “I can’t! I just can’t do it! Don’t try and make me. It’s a trick to get me walking again. But I can’t do it. I’ll never do it. My high-wire days are over.” Then she burst into angry, noisy tears.
Tom jumped down from the wire and came and took her hand. “It’s all right, Liv. Nobody is going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. But as far as I’m concerned, whatever happens, we’ll always be a double act.”
“A triple act,” said Georgia, taking her other hand, “and a quad when Aeysha’s back, which she will be very soon.”
Eel and Georgia were standing on the roof of the Duke’s, close to a large mound of broken furniture which included an old wardrobe and three sofas. Alicia had arranged for Olivia, Tom, Georgia, Pablo and Eel to have dinner with her on the roof of the Royal Vic next door, before the evening performance of
The Sound of Music
. The theatre had a lift to take them to the restaurant area, but just as the doors were opening, Eel had grabbed Georgia, saying that they would join them later.
Eel peered over the low balustrade at the
roof of the Royal Vic and pointed the party out to Georgia. Olivia was looking glum and Alicia was talking to Tom. Chuck Daniels and Josie were at another table with Katie’s dad. Jon James was there too, at a table with Cassie and Sam.
“Eel,” said Georgia, “I’m really not sure this is going to work. Katie’s never going to fall for it. Why would she agree to meet me on the roof? She’ll know it’s some kind of set-up. She’s not stupid.”
“She’s not,” agreed Eel, “but she’s blinded by all those stars in her eyes. As soon as you mention Huff, she’ll be here like a shot. She’s desperate for him to cast her in a Hollywood movie. She won’t pass up the opportunity.”
“OK,” said Georgia. “I just hope it doesn’t end in tears.” She pulled out her phone, put it on speaker and tapped in a number.
Katie answered. “What do
you
want, little Miss Georgia Jones?”
“Hello, Katie. Put the phone down if you like, but if you do, you’re passing up the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Georgia. “I’ve got a message for you from a mutual friend.”
“I don’t think we’ve got any mutual
friends,” snapped Katie. “You only hang out with losers.”
“Oh, I think we do,” said Georgia smoothly, winking at Eel. “Warner Huffington the Fourth.”
Katie gasped. “How do you know him?”
“Eel introduced us.”
Katie gritted her teeth at the memory of seeing Eel on the stairs with Warner. “So?” she said.
“Well, Katie, it’s our lucky day. He wants to audition us both for a new movie he’s casting.”
“The one with Theo Deacon?” said Katie excitedly.
“That’s the one,” said Georgia, giving the performance of a lifetime.
“Are we going to fly to LA for a screen test?” asked Katie.
“Well, he may fly one of us over later if he thinks we’re good enough, but for now he wants to meet us both on the roof of the Duke’s for a preliminary audition.”
“The roof of the Duke’s?” said Katie, sounding puzzled. It was a strange place for an audition, but these movie people were all a little crazy.
“Yes,” said Georgia. “I know. Insane,
isn’t it? But he told me it had exactly the right ambience, or something. I’m already here, and he’s on his way.”
“So am I!” said Katie excitedly. She wasn’t going to let Georgia Jones steal a march on her.
Georgia disconnected the call and turned to Eel. “Is your phone ready to record?” she asked. Eel nodded. “You’d better hide behind that old wardrobe, then. She’ll be here any minute.”
“Where’s Warner?” demanded Katie as soon as she arrived on the roof.
“He just called. He said he won’t be long.”
“Well, well, well. It’s just you and me, Georgia Jones. Up against each other again just like we were at the newbies’ concert at the Swan last term. But I got the better of you then, didn’t I?”
“I guess you did,” said Georgia, “but pushing someone off the stage so you can take their place is hardly fair play.”
Katie coloured slightly. “I never meant to really hurt you, Georgia. I just wanted you out of the way. Just like I never meant to hurt that irritating Freya kid when I shoved Tom in the back. I just wanted to get him into big trouble. How was I to know the silly kid would
break her stupid leg?”
“It was a bit unfortunate,” said Georgia neutrally.
“It was, because it allowed that dreadful Eel to take centre stage.” Katie eyed Georgia. “I always rather liked you, Georgia Jones. You were one of the few kids at the Swan who I thought had real talent. But you’ll never be a star like me because you’re just too nice and you lack ambition. You have to be ruthless if you’re going to get to the top.”
“You’re ruthless, aren’t you, Katie? And proud of it. I admire that about you.”
“I admire it too,” said Katie, who was starting to enjoy her chat with Georgia. It was good to have somebody to boast to. “I really did for that Tom McCavity. I bet he thought he was going mad. It was me who stole his shoes and kept messing up his costumes, and of course it was me who locked him in his dressing room, and sent him that bad-luck card. I rang his mum too, pretending to be Josie and sent him to the Clapham rehearsal room.”
“Wow, you’re really clever,” said Georgia quietly.
“It only got better after that, though,”
boasted Katie. “A real masterstroke was to take the note that Tom had written to me and put Olivia Marvell’s name on it and leave it for her. But of course the thing I’m most proud of was messing around with her text message to Ginger Tom. That turned you all against her, which I really enjoyed watching.” She paused. “But best of all is that nobody can prove a thing … there’s no evidence apart from the note and that’s mostly in Tom’s handwriting.”
“Oh, but there
is
evidence now,” said Eel, stepping out from behind the pile of old furniture.
Katie looked around wildly. “What is this?” she shrieked. “Where’s Warner? There is no audition, is there? This is some kind of set-up!”
“Yes, it is,” said Eel, and she pressed play on her phone. Katie’s confession began to ring out loud and clear.
Bile rose in Katie’s throat. She rushed at Eel, who dropped the phone as she put her hands up to defend herself. But Katie didn’t touch her, she just stopped right in front of her and shouted into her face: “You! You marvellous Marvells. Everything was all right at the Swan
until you and your horrible sister turned up.
You’re
to blame for this. Not me. It’s you two and your awful friends who have made me behave like this. It’s all your fault! I’m glad your sister can’t walk and your dad’s dead! It’s what you deserve.”
Katie was shouting so loudly that people in the Royal Vic restaurant had started to stand up and look across the passageway to the Duke’s roof. Katie turned away towards the door, then suddenly she ran back at full pelt, throwing herself on Eel in a fury. The two girls crashed backwards into the balustrade. Georgia screamed as the ancient brickwork crumbled and Eel and Katie flew over the edge of the building.
They landed a metre below on the ledge, the abandoned roll of carpet breaking their fall. For a second there was silence, and then Katie screamed as she started to slip off the ledge. In the Royal Vic restaurant people began to scream, too. Up on the roof a panicky Georgia picked up Eel’s phone and dialled nine-nine-nine.
As Katie slipped over the ledge, she put out her hands and, more by luck than judgement, managed to catch hold of the rusty old flagpole that extended out from the building. She clung desperately on to it, her feet dangling over the terrible drop below.
Shocked but unharmed by the fall, which had knocked all the breath out of her, Eel sat up. Katie was in terrible danger. She leaned towards her, trying not to look down at the drop below, and put a hand out. But Katie flinched back as if Eel had burned her.
“Katie,” said Eel very calmly, “try to inch yourself closer to the ledge, one hand over the other.” But Katie was completely hysterical; she could no more do that than she could sprout
wings and fly.
“I’m going to fall,” she gasped. “I’m going to fall. I can’t hold on much longer.”
“No, you’re not,” said Eel. “Everything’s going to be all right.” She hoped she sounded more certain than she felt. She knew that she didn’t have the strength to pull Katie to safety; Katie’s weight would drag her over the edge, too, and Katie was in such a state that she couldn’t help herself at all.
Down in the passageway a small crowd had gathered, and the faces of the people watching from the Royal Vic were white and scared. Some, though, were filming it on their phones. Alicia and Pablo had seen what had happened and had rushed back to the Duke’s, leaving Olivia, Tom and Georgia looking on in horror. Jon James, Cassie, Chuck and Katie’s dad were also heading for the roof of the Duke’s.
Once on the roof, Jon and Pablo immediately started to climb over the balustrade to make a rescue attempt, but the brickwork was so old and crumbling that their movements caused broken bits of brick to fall down on to the girls below. After one brick narrowly missed Eel’s head, they retreated, aware that they were
in serious danger of doing more harm than good.
Suddenly there was a commotion behind the people watching on the Royal Vic roof. The crowd parted as Tom pushed Olivia’s wheelchair to the wall that ran around the edge of the restaurant. Olivia was frantically indicating the wire in her suitcase on the back of the wheelchair. Tom made a face and took the wire and harnesses out of the suitcase.
“Eel!” shouted Olivia. “See that hook on the brickwork to your left?” Eel nodded. “Is it secure?” Eel pulled at it and nodded again. “OK, Tom’s going to throw you the wire. I want you to slip it over that hook.”
Tom threw the wire across the passageway and Eel caught it easily. She attached it to the hook and checked that it was secure. Tom was looking for somewhere to fix the wire on the Royal Vic side of the gap.
“I can’t hold on much longer!” cried Katie.
“Yes, you can, Katie,” said Eel. “You’ve got everything to live for. You’re going to be a star.”
“No, I’m not,” wept the other girl.
“Yes, you are,” said Eel. “You’re just going to have to work for it and stop expecting it to
drop into your lap. But you’re going to make it, I know you are. You just have to hang in there like you’re hanging on now.”
Tom had found a place to hook the wire so it was now taut across the passageway. He came back to Olivia and said, “It’s done, and I’ve got the safety harnesses you wanted. But how’s this going to help, Liv? What’s going to happen now?”
Heaving herself out of her wheelchair, Olivia said, “You and I are going to walk across the wire and rescue Katie. She’s never going to hold on until the emergency services get here.”
Tom stared at Olivia for a second, a look of total horror on his face. Then he took a deep breath, said, “Welcome back, partner,” and started to help her on to the wall. Alicia, who was now standing on the Duke’s roof with Pablo, saw what was happening and shouted, “No!”
But Pablo put his arm around her shoulders and said, “It’s all right, Alicia, she’s assessed the risk. She knows that they can do it. Have faith. Livy wouldn’t do something on the wire that she thought was too dangerous.”
A noise like a rumble of thunder grew
through the watching crowd as they realised what was happening. A few adults protested loudly, but others pointed out that Katie clearly wasn’t going to be able to hang on much longer.
“Quiet, they’re fully trained. They know what they’re doing,” shouted Pablo. Everyone was silenced.
Standing up on the wall, Olivia felt very shaky. She wasn’t sure that her legs were going to obey her. She thought of the time she had walked the wire across the very top of the towers on Tower Bridge and how frightening the river below had seemed. But she had looked up and walked on then. This time, too, there was nothing to fear except fear itself.
Down below she could see that people were trying to move mattresses underneath the flagpole, including the one from the bedroom scene in
The
Sound of Music
. Other people were carrying mattresses from a bedding store a few doors down.
She looked across the wire at Eel and Katie’s frightened faces. “Katie,” she said, “we’re coming to get you.”
Olivia stepped out into thin air. Her foot hit the wire and instead of feeling terrifying it
was like coming home. She was back where she belonged. She took a few steps and waited for the moment when she would feel the wire shake as Tom stepped out behind her. It came. She raised a hand to him to indicate she was ready to move forwards, and then she walked swiftly across the wire, stepped on to the narrow ledge, crouched down and laid a soothing hand on Eel’s cheek.
Tom stepped on to the ledge behind her and crouched, too. Up on the roof of the Duke’s, Alicia and Pablo hugged each other, even though they knew that the danger had far from passed.
Olivia took one of the safety harnesses that were slung over Tom’s shoulder and put it over the hook. “You’re going to have to do this, Tom. I’m not strong enough.” She put the belt around his waist, clipped on the harness and attached the other end to the hook. Then she passed one end of the second harness over the hook and gave the belt and the other end to Tom.
“You’ve got to lean down and put the belt around her waist, clip on the harness and then try and heave her up. At least if she does fall, she’s got a chance. As long as the hook holds.”
Katie had stopped crying and was just
whimpering to herself. Tom leaned down and did as Liv had instructed. Olivia heaved a sigh of relief. From up above came a shout. One of the stagehands who had gathered on the roof had found a safety-wire cable and Pablo was lowering it towards them. Tom clipped that on to Katie’s belt, too.
“Right, on the count of three: one, two, three … heave!” shouted Olivia. Tom grabbed one of Katie’s arms and Olivia grabbed the other and Katie let go of the flagpole. For a moment it seemed as if she would pull them all downwards but the stagehands, who were all pulling for dear life, took her weight and started to haul her upwards. With one frantic, messy fumbling movement, they managed to grab Katie and the next minute she was sitting on the ledge with the rest of them.
A huge roar went up from the crowd and from far away the faint sound of a fire engine could be heard.
Olivia leaned her back against the wall, waiting for the adrenalin rush to subside. Her phone started to ring in her pocket. Without thinking, she reached wearily to answer it and put the phone to her ear. For a moment she said
nothing, but then burst into huge sobs. “Eel!” she cried, grabbing her little sister.
“Livy, what’s wrong?” asked Eel.
“There’s nothing wrong,” sobbed Olivia. “It’s Dad.” She choked. “Jack’s not dead, Eel; he’s alive!”