Page 19 - HowToBeMe

Another girl called, “Come on to the deck, Keely!’
Keely. That was red tights girl’s name.
She shouldn’t climb on that chair. Avalon would tell her off.
She was on tiptoes now, her hand shielding her eyes. ‘If there’s attackers, we need to see them coming. There’s a dark boat on the horizon.”
“Great, Keely.” Avalon didn’t care about the chair. She just smiled. What an odd teacher, not a proper teacher at all.
“OK, everyone. FREEZE!” Avalon said.
Some people became like wobbly scarecrows. I wasn’t moving anyway.
“Fab! I love this, guys.”
She counted down and we came back to life. The dark boat was much nearer, and it was definitely an enemy.
We didn’t have to read anything. No one ever put their hand up.
I liked it when the pirates arrived. I didn’t say
I wanted to be one. But half the group came
snarling on to the deck, leaping and threatening.
Vanessa said you should breathe out and count if
you felt stressed, so I went one ... two ... three ...
How to Be Me by Cath Howe
Uncorrected Sample
Not for Redistribution • Copyright © Protected
17