Davina Dupree Predicts a Plot Read Free Page A

read, “Alfie’s make up”, “Twenty different flavours of tea for Alfie”, “Alfie’s yoga mat”, “Alfie’s favourite pillow” and “Alfie’s hair dye”.
    ‘Didn’t think he had much hair left to dye,’ Arabella said, nudging me.
    The crowd was breaking up, with Cleo and Clarice looking offended, probably because Alfie hadn’t recognised their Hollywood potential in the few moments they were lying across his car, when there was a tinkling sound and a bike came zooming down the drive.
    ‘Is that Stephania Sellwig?’ I asked, squinting.
    ‘Yes I think so,’ Arabella said, as the tall, graceful lady dismounted and removed one, small backpack from her bike. ‘She looks much more normal than that Alfie chap, don’t you think?’
    ‘Hello girls,’ Stephania said in a lilting voice as she swept towards the front door, golden hair wound round her head in an intricate plait. ‘It’s
so
lovely to meet you, I can’t
wait
to see what talents you all have when we start the auditions tomorrow. Your teacher, Mrs De Nero, sent me an email saying to come and find her when I got here, so I’ll go in search of her now. See you soon.’ And with that she hopped inside and disappeared, Cleo and Clarice following her like two little puppies.
    So now we’ve got lessons all morning and auditions all afternoon. Aggghh! I’ve never acted in front of anyone in my life and Arabella is absolutely insistent that we both audition, just to annoy the bullies if nothing else. Oh WHAT am I going to do?
Thursday 4 th November
    Surprising news, Diary.
    Yesterday afternoon I felt like digging a hole and sitting in it quietly until the auditions were over, but Arabella didn’t let me. Honestly, she’s
such
a fiery red head! She came and found me in the library, where I was trying to hide from her behind the biggest stack of books, unsuccessful plan.com , and frog-marched me to the Grand Hall.
    I had to admit the hall was looking utterly fabulous. Apparently Mrs Fairchild had hired a team of professional designers over the half term, who’d completely transformed the hall from somewhere we have assemblies and sit exams to a West End standard theatre. It now has a proper high stage with a drop down red curtain, stacks of blank scenery leaning up against the back wall that has to be painted by us pupils, loads of boxes of props and even a trap door in the stage floor. Wowzers.com . The designers even put new rows of seating in. soft red chairs that step up higher and higher towards the ceiling, with pairs of red binoculars for the seats far from the stage.
So
cool.com .
    Alfie and Stephania were sitting several seats apart from one another on the front row and Mrs De Nero was perched on the side of the stage. Melody was reading from a script when we got there. She’s really good at acting and she wants to be a famous actress when she grows up so I hope she gets a good part.
    I saw a whole pile of scripts on one of the seats and the sight of them made me want to be sick. They were titled, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Arabella stepped forward and grabbed a couple, shoved one at me, then thumbed through the pages of hers excitedly. I couldn’t look at mine as I was trying not to faint.
    ‘I don’t even know what “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is about,’ I muttered.
    ‘All I know is it’s by the playwright William Shakespeare. Don’t worry, they’re bound to explain it to us when rehearsals start,’ Arabella said over her shoulder.
    There were only two first years ahead of us in the audition queue, and of course it had to be Cleo and Clarice. Clarice’s mum, Mrs Blinkham was also there, dolloping bright red LIPSTICK (for goodness sake!) on to her daughter’s face.
    ‘Speak clearly, darling,’ I heard her whisper loudly. ‘Alfie’s bound to recognise your star quality if you draw enough attention to yourself.’ Hah! Clarice’s little sister, Polly, was galloping along rows of seats, pretending to be a horse,