Sophie Cleverly - The Lights Under the Lake

After breakfast, we headed for assembly. Scarlet pretty much bounced into her seat, dropping her satchel on the floor and nudging it about with her foot. She was so jittery, waiting to see if we’d got a letter. I was too. I barely listened to what Mrs Knight was telling us.

“Now,” Mrs Knight said, “don’t forget that today is the deadline for your permission letters.” My ears pricked up, and Scarlet squeezed my knee. “On that note,” the headmistress said, “it’s post day.”

She began reading out names from the pile of letters in her hand. “Agatha Brown! Alice Carter-Jones!”

Scarlet squeezed my knee even harder as the alphabet got closer to our surname. I had to slap her hand away, because I didn’t want my leg to fall off.

“Scarlet and Ivy Grey!”

Scarlet leapt up and ran for the stage. She grabbed the letter from Mrs Knight’s hand and was back in her seat tearing open the envelope before I even had time to speak.

I read it over her shoulder. I didn’t recognise the beautiful looped handwriting, but I soon realised it must belong to our Aunt Sara.

Dear Scarlet and Ivy,

My darlings, I hope you are well. I received your letter about the school trip. I have managed to speak to your Aunt Phoebe (it wasn’t easy – I had to telephone someone named Philip?).

We have decided that you ought to be allowed to go on the trip. We’ll keep this quiet from Edith, shall we? I have enclosed a cheque for you, which should be more than enough to cover the trip, and a letter of permission.

Go forth, my darlings, and have a new adventure!

With love,

Sara Louise

started bouncing up and down in the middle of the hall. I couldn’t believe it. We were going on the trip! Finally, a way out of Rookwood – even if it was only for a week.

“Aunt Sara is the best!” I said. I was so glad we’d found her. At least someone was on our side who could help us. Aunt Phoebe was lovely too, but she couldn’t be trusted to remember where she’d left her own head.

Ariadne was bouncing beside me. “It’s going to be brilliant!” she cried.

Ivy wasn’t quite bouncing, but she at least looked pleased. “We need to take this to Mrs Knight,” she said.

“No time like the present,” I said. I ran to the front of the hall, where Mrs Knight was just stepping down from the stage. “Miss! We can go on the trip!” I waved the letter and the cheque at her.

Mrs Knight held her hands out in front of her protectively. “Slow down a moment, Scarlet. Let me see.”

I handed the papers over, and she pulled her glasses up from the chain round her neck and put them on. I watched as her eyes slid along each line of the letter.

“Well,” she said after a moment. “This is a little irregular. I do recall your aunts, but …”

“Aunt Sara’s paid the fees!” I said, tapping the cheque repeatedly.

An expression I couldn’t quite read crossed Mrs Knight’s face. She took her glasses back off again. “Ah. Hmm. I suppose it’s all right …”

“Yes!” I punched the air.

Ivy came up beside me. “Thank you, Miss,” she said.

“Um, yes,” said Mrs Knight, taking the cheque from me and tucking it into her pocket. She patted it a few times, as if making sure it was still there. “Well done, girls. The bus leaves at four o’clock on Monday.” She wandered away, leaving us both to share an excited hug.

Ariadne had ceased bouncing by this point, and now she looked a little concerned. “I just remembered about Rose,” she said. “Do you think she stands any chance?”

I shrugged. “No idea. She doesn’t have parents who can give her permission …”

“… but she doesn’t have parents to deny her permission either,” Ivy finished. That was a good point. I wasn’t sure what Mrs Knight would say to that.

“But the trip is full anyway,” I said, picking up my satchel from the floor. “Miss Bowler made it very clear that your name has to be down. I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”

Ariadne sighed. “You’re probably right. Poor Rose.”

I felt sorry for her as well. Violet had been Rose’s best friend, and at the moment it didn’t look like Violet was coming back. And all right, I was a little pleased about that. She’d always wanted everything to go her way, and I wanted everything to go my way, and that was always going to be a recipe for disaster.

Still, Rose didn’t deserve to lose her friend. She was so shy and quiet and kind, completely the opposite of Vile Violet. She’d been through the same asylum hell that I’d been through. But most people still thought she was strange and avoided her, or at worst, picked on her. I didn’t want to abandon her at school with only the horses to talk to.

“We can get someone nice to keep an eye on her,” I suggested. “But right now we have more important things to do.”

“Oh?” Ivy said with a curious smile.

“Like PACKING!”

“We have lessons,” Ariadne pointed out.

“I know,” I said. “But after that, we can start packing. Because WE’RE GOING ON THE TRIP!”

I raced through Rookwood’s traditional stew dinner that night. As soon as we were back in room thirteen, I pulled my old battered suitcase out from under the bed. I tossed it on to the blankets and opened it wide, taking a moment to appreciate the possibilities.

Ivy was looking at me funny.

“What?” I asked.

“What are we supposed to pack?” she said. She waved a list that we’d been given of things we were meant to bring. “We can’t wear uniform, but we don’t have most of these things. Hiking clothes? ”

Ugh . She was right. We’d picked up a few things when we’d briefly returned home, but the sad truth was that most of my clothes had been taken away when they’d thought I was dead. And our parents had never provided us with much in the first place.

“We’ll just have to take what we have. Can I borrow some of yours?” I asked. That was one advantage of being a twin. We both wore the same size.

She sighed. “All right. Let’s have a look.” She went over to the wardrobe and pulled it open.

I followed and peered over her shoulder. It contained our ballet outfits, a few plain dresses and skirts that belonged to Ivy, and one that belonged to me. Oh, and the embarrassing costumes that Ariadne had made us, but I wasn’t planning on ever wearing one of those again.

I moved Ivy out of the way and grabbed my dress and a couple of hers. “Scarlet!” she moaned.

“What?” I said. “I’m only borrowing them.” I made a show of folding them as neatly as possible and placing them gently in the suitcase.

There was a knock at the door and Ariadne bounded in. She was clutching the camera again.

“I’ve been asked to take photographs!” she said, grinning with excitement.

“Oh no,” I said, putting my hands up to protect myself. “No more posing!”

“No, silly, not of you. Of everyone. On the trip.” She made a sweeping gesture at the window, as if that conveyed everything.

“Really?” Ivy asked. “I thought the teachers didn’t like you using the camera?”

“Mrs Knight asked me personally,” Ariadne said, her chest swelling with pride. “She wants to take lots of pictures for the school newsletter, and they might put some in the local paper as well.”

The local paper? “Goodness,” said Ivy, sitting down at the desk. “She really is determined to promote the school with this, isn’t she?”

“Well, make sure you get my good side,” I said.

“You have a good side?” Ivy asked, puzzled. And then added after a moment, “but we’re mirror twins. Does that mean it’s my bad side?”