The london thief, p.1
The London Thief, page 1
Eden College
Juniors’ Dorm
Chapter 1
The smell of the hot winter’s lunch enveloped me as I entered the dining hall. I loved the winter lunch options, as there was always some sort of warm food to have, like pasta, casserole or soup. I joined the end of the line, and craned my head to see what was on offer today. Along with the usual selection of wraps and sandwiches, I could see piles of small aluminium foil trays with cardboard lids. One stack had a sign saying, ‘Pasta Bolognese’. Another said, ‘Vegetarian fried rice’. When I got to the front of the line, I selected a tray of pasta Bolognese and took a disposable bamboo fork, a few serviettes and an orange juice box from the end of the serving area.
‘Where should we eat today?’ I asked my three best friends, who had just collected their own lunches. We looked around the dining hall, which was already quite full and noisy. Usually, we would take our lunch outside to eat on one of the lawns, but it was a particularly cold and windy day.
‘Let’s go to the break room,’ Zoe suggested.
Violet, Grace and I nodded in agreement, and started towards the big doors that led out of the dining hall into the school grounds.
‘Stop right there, girls,’ said a stern voice.
We froze and looked back at the vice headmistress, wondering which one of us had committed a misdemeanour (which is a fancy way of saying done something wrong).
‘Grace, look at your leg,’ Ms Montgomery said. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes were piercing.
We all looked at Grace’s leg and saw her stockings had a giant hole in them, revealing a big patch of her bare skin underneath.
‘Oh, oops! I must have snagged them this morning!’ Grace said airily.
‘Well, it’s not good enough. Eden College girls are ladies, and ladies do not walk around with holes in their stockings! You need to go back to the dormitory before the end of lunch and change,’ Ms Montgomery snapped.
Grace nodded and we all bundled out of the dining hall doors into the cold winter air.
‘I don’t think I have any stockings left that don’t have holes,’ Grace said miserably.
‘Just go up to the dorm and take a pair from my drawer after you finish your lunch,’ Zoe said kindly. ‘I have lots of spares and we are the same size.’
Grace thanked Zoe with a little side hug. ‘What would I do without you guys?’ she smiled.
Grace was right. What would we do without each other? My three best friends also happened to be my roommates here at Eden College, and we were always there for each other. Grace was a scatterbrain, but so brave and she helped us all feel more confident when we were low. Zoe was smart and logical, and could help with any problem, whether troublesome stocking holes or frustrating maths equations. And Violet was kind and supportive, and provided a sense of calm and comfort whenever we were upset or homesick. They really were the best friends anyone could ask for.
We walked up the path as it snaked its way around the manicured gardens of Centenary Lawn. I held my warm food tucked against my chest, with my blazer pulled tight across my body to keep out the blustering winter wind. Even with my shirt, tunic, jumper and blazer on, it was still cold and I couldn’t wait to get inside the warmth of the Year 7 break room.
We all picked up the pace into a little jog as that warmth beckoned. Zoe flung open the door to the main building and we bundled inside and down the hall. The Juniors’ break room was a place where the Year 7 students could relax and hang out during school hours. There were couches, beanbags and a small station for making cups of tea and hot chocolate.
We walked over to our usual spot, where two couches facing each other stood waiting. The break room heater was on, so I stripped off my blazer and sat down with my lunch. I peeled back the cardboard lid to reveal the delicious-smelling pasta.
Grace took a mouthful of her steaming lunch and dropped a big splodge of Bolognese onto her jumper.
‘Oh, man!’ she cried.
Violet handed her some napkins while smothering a giggle.
‘I can’t wait for the art competition announcement after lunch,’ Violet said enthusiastically. ‘I think you might win, Ella!’
A wave of anticipation and nervousness washed over me. All of Year 7 had entered artworks into a portrait competition for a big upcoming exhibition. The best bit was the winner would join a group of students from other year levels on a trip to London to exhibit their artwork in an international art competition! The thought of flying to London made my stomach flutter with excitement.
‘Maybe,’ I said. ‘There were a lot of good entries.’
I had painted a portrait based on a photo of my Nanna Kate. The only rule for the competition was to create a piece of art based on a person, but we were allowed to use paint, charcoal, pencil or even do a sculpture. I had chosen paint and tried to create as realistic a portrait of Nanna Kate as I could. I was pretty happy with the end result, and by the feedback I’d received from my art teacher, Mrs Hodges, I thought I was in with a pretty good chance.
‘Who did you paint, Grace?’ I asked, realising I had never seen Grace’s entry.
‘I painted my brother, Alec, but it’s not very realistic,’ she said, scrunching up her nose. ‘I was reading some stuff about these painters who make really weird-looking art by showing all the different parts of the face on one side, so I thought I’d try it. It makes it look a bit strange, though.’
‘Well, it’s not a competition for the most realistic piece of art,’ I said encouragingly. Even though I wanted to be nice about Grace’s art, I knew her work would have been something pretty out there. Just like Grace’s personality, she wasn’t one to keep to the rules and colour in the lines. Her art was always a bit different to everyone else’s, so maybe she was right about not being likely to win. Some of the other artworks I had seen entered were absolutely amazing. One girl, Annabelle, had done a pencil drawing of her mum and it looked so real you could actually see the life in her eyes. She was probably my main competition at the Year 7 level.
‘How exciting to go to London, though!’ Zoe said, her eyes gleaming. ‘I went two summers ago with my family, and it was so cool. We saw a musical in the West End and caught the Tube everywhere.’
‘What’s the Tube?’ I asked.
‘It’s the underground train system in London.’
‘Are you talking about London?’ a voice said from the beanbags behind us. It was Saskia and her friends, Portia and Mercedes.
‘Yeah, about the art competition winners getting to go there,’ Zoe said.
‘I’ve been to London, like, four times,’ Saskia said, flicking her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. ‘I got the funniest photo of me in front of Big Ben. We took it with Big Ben in the distance behind me and angled the camera so it looked like I was holding it on my hand!’
‘Who is Big Ben?’ I asked.
Saskia cackled, ‘Oh, Ella! It’s a clock, not a person!’ She laughed loudly.
My cheeks felt hot. I’d never been to London. I’d actually never been overseas at all. Girls from Eden College were always going on amazing trips overseas—skiing in France or to see the Grand Canyon in America. My Nanna Kate had travelled all over the world, and I really wanted to do that myself someday. But for now, I didn’t think it was likely that my family would take me on such a big trip.
‘I’ve never been to London either,’ Grace said.
‘But you go to America all the time for your dad’s work, right?’ Saskia replied.
Grace’s eyes flicked towards me. She nodded silently, waving her hand dismissively at the same time.
As if sensing my awkwardness, Zoe patted my knee. ‘You’ll get your chance,’ she whispered.
I smiled gratefully. Zoe had been my best friend for as long as I could remember, and she always knew how I was feeling, even when I didn’t say anything.
‘I’d better go get my new stockings before lunch ends,’ Grace said, getting up. As she stood, a piece of pasta rolled off her dress and onto the floor. ‘Oops!’ Grace bent down, picked up the spiral and popped it into her mouth.
‘Gross, Grace!’ Violet said, shaking her head.
Grace shrugged and skipped out of the break room door.
‘Have any of you seen Grace’s portrait?’ I asked.
Zoe and Violet shook their heads.
‘She was working on it after school with Mrs Hodges,’ Zoe said.
‘I don’t want to be mean,’ I said, ‘but it sounded a little weird! What was that about all the parts of the face being on one side? Wouldn’t the ears be with the eyes?!’
‘Well, you know Grace!’ Zoe shrugged.
‘What would you do if you did win, Ella?’ Violet asked. ‘Wouldn’t you be nervous to go all the way to London?’
Butterflies flitted around my stomach. The thought of travelling overseas without my friends or family filled me with apprehension. Apprehension is a fancy word for feeling really nervous. But there was also excitement mixed in.
The bell pierced the air and we gathered up our rubbish and put it into the recycling and waste bins in the corner of the break room. We pulled our blazers back on over our jumpers and Zoe wound her Eden College scarf around her neck. Then we headed through the central courtyard towards the auditorium for the art competition announcement.
To help calm my nerves, I linked arms with Zoe, who gave my elbow a reassuring pat. And as we walked towards the auditorium, I crossed my fingers and hoped.
Chapter 2
We sat in the flip-down seats of the auditorium, with the lights shining down on the stage in front of us. The whole school could fit in the cavernous room, which was alive with chatter. Grace had caught up to us, with her fresh stockings on. My leg jittered nervously next to hers as we awaited the start of the special assembly.
‘Hey, Ella,’ a voice said from the aisle. It was Lauren, our Year 12 School Captain. ‘I saw your portrait. Good luck today—I think you have a real chance!’
‘Thanks, Lauren,’ I said, smiling. I had gotten to know Lauren quite well in the school musical earlier in the year, when she played the main role of the Snow Queen and I played a woodland dryad. Lauren was always so kind to the girls in the younger years, often giving us advice or just being a friendly face to talk to. She’d become like a big sister to me. That was one of the great things about being in a boarding school—it was like you lived with a few hundred sisters.
Lauren walked down the front and climbed the stairs to take her seat on the stage with Ms Montgomery and the headmistress, Mrs Sinclair. Mrs Hodges was also on stage, because she was the head of the art department and one of the judges of the art competition.
Mrs Sinclair rose to her feet and approached the lectern. ‘Good morning, girls.’
‘Good morning, Mrs Sinclair,’ we all chorused.
‘Today is a very special assembly. I know many of you entered our portrait competition and it gives me great pleasure to now reveal the winners. Our winners will be going to London with Mrs Hodges and a team of teachers to stay in a boarding school over there, while exhibiting their artwork in an international, interschool art competition.’
A murmur rose up amongst the students. I bit my lip nervously.
‘When I announce the winner for each year group, a picture of their artwork will be displayed on the screen behind me. Then I will invite Mrs Hodges to explain why the panel of judges chose this particular piece,’ Mrs Sinclair said, beckoning to Mrs Hodges.
As Mrs Hodges stood up, her skirt billowed about her ankles. I recognised the swirls of yellow, blue and black on her skirt—it was a print of the famous painting, Starry Night. Her silver hair was pulled up into a bird’s nest of a messy bun and, even from several rows back, I could hear her multiple bangles clacking together as she walked.
‘We’ll begin with Year 7,’ Mrs Sinclair said.
Zoe reached over and held my hand.
‘The winner for Year 7 is . . .’
The room was so quiet you could have heard a bubble pop. It was like the entire audience had collectively held its breath as we all leaned forward in our seats.
‘Grace!’
Grace?!
I looked up at the screen and saw Grace’s artwork for the first time. Underneath was the title, My Brother, Alec. As Grace had said, the portrait wasn’t a realistic one. There were bright colours spinning all over her brother’s face, and exploding from his head were what looked like fireworks or shooting stars. His eyes were large, but there was a softness to them.
Mrs Hodges spoke into the microphone. ‘Grace has explored surrealism in her work, which was influenced by famous painters such as Pablo Picasso. In the accompanying description of her painting, she explained that she wanted to show the beautiful difference of her brother Alec’s mind. She did this by portraying his thoughts as an explosion of colour, representing his creativity and also his anxiousness. As you can see, Grace’s skill and technique are impressive. Grace, please join us on stage.’
Grace stood, her mouth open in shock. She looked at us with wide eyes. Violet let out a little squeal of excitement and Zoe clapped loudly. I sat frozen.
Grace walked up onto the stage and received her certificate from Mrs Sinclair. She was then invited to sit on stage as they moved on to announce the other winners in the other year levels.
I looked down at my hands. My mind was a bundle of confusion. One of my best friends had won. Why wasn’t I happy for her? Was I a terrible friend? It was just that I’d worked so hard on my portrait of Nanna Kate, trying to make her as realistic as I could. And yet Grace had won with a painting that was nothing like real life. It didn’t seem fair.
The assembly finished and we were dismissed.
‘I can’t believe Grace is going to London!’ Zoe squealed.
Grace came down from the stage and ran towards us. Violet and Zoe enveloped her in their arms in a laughing embrace.
‘I can’t believe it,’ Grace said, holding her hand to her chest. ‘I thought my work was too weird to win. I didn’t think it was even in with a chance!’
Violet and Zoe stood back from their hug, making room for me to give Grace my own congratulations.
‘Well done, Grace,’ I said shakily. ‘I guess realistic portraits weren’t what they were going for.’
Grace’s brow momentarily furrowed. She bit her lip.
‘I’m sure you’ll have an awesome time in London,’ I added hastily.
Grace forced a smile.
Zoe frowned as we plunged into an awkward silence.
‘Better get to class,’ I said, edging my way out of the row of seats and running up the aisle.
I burst out of the auditorium and into the sunny winter’s afternoon. I walked quickly up the path, as tears began to prick my eyes. I was embarrassed about crying and began to jog, hoping nobody would see me. But as I entered the main building, I tripped on my undone shoelace and fell to the ground.
‘Ella, are you OK? Are you hurt?’
I looked up and saw Lauren, her hand outstretched.
I wiped my eyes. ‘No, I’m not hurt,’ I said sheepishly. I stood up, feeling a little shaky.
‘But you’re crying! Do you want me to take you to the school nurse?’
I shook my head, embarrassed. ‘I’m not hurt. I’m just being silly about the art competition,’ I confessed.
Lauren’s eyes softened. ‘You really wanted to win, didn’t you?’
‘I’ve never been overseas,’ I said quietly. ‘And Grace’s art wasn’t even realistic.’
Lauren smiled kindly. ‘Ella, art is about conveying emotion, not about looking like a photo. I thought Grace’s piece was incredible. And she’s one of your best friends. Aren’t you happy for her?’
I felt a wash of guilt come over me. Lauren was right. Grace was one of my best friends and I’d been so busy sulking about not winning that I hadn’t even hugged her in congratulations. Her art had won fair and square and she deserved to go to London. I sighed sadly. ‘You’re right. I think I owe her an apology.’
Lauren gave me a little side hug. ‘See you later, Ella.’
‘Thanks, Lauren,’ I said.
I knew exactly where Grace would be—on her way to her Maths class, which was right next door to mine. I ran ahead of the crowd of students, trying to find her before she went in. Then I saw her long, dark braid from afar and called out to her.
‘Grace!’
She spun around and looked surprised to see me.
‘Grace, congratulations on your win,’ I said breathlessly.
‘It’s OK, Ella. You don’t have to pretend to be happy for me,’ she said sadly.
‘I am happy for you. I’m sorry I didn’t say it straight away. I was so busy wallowing in my own disappointment, I overlooked that one of my best friends had just won. Do you forgive me?’
Grace broke into a smile and pulled me into a hug. ‘Of course,’ she laughed.
One of the best things about Grace was that she never held a grudge. She didn’t like fighting and was not one of those girls who would drag on a disagreement for days on end.
‘Ella, there you are,’ another voice said as I broke away from my hug with Grace. It was Mrs Sinclair. ‘I was looking for you after the assembly, but you disappeared so quickly.’
‘Sorry about that,’ I said, glancing sheepishly at Grace.
‘That’s OK. I just had an exciting proposal that I wanted to discuss with you,’ she said warmly.
I nodded, listening.
Grace backed away slightly as if to give us privacy, but then bent down and pretended to tie her shoe. I could tell she was trying to hear what Mrs Sinclair was saying, which made me smother a giggle.
‘As you know, we have our competition winners going to London for the art exhibit. In your year, Grace is going, as we just announced in the assembly.’
‘Yes, she’ll be so great,’ I said, glancing back at Grace, who was still lingering behind Mrs Sinclair.
