Carlotta Brown

"No, it's very nicely warm." Charlie is wearing appropriate clothes--much as he's not terribly fond of the clothes. He also doesn't have noticeable injury, until you get very close.

"I hope she does well."

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Charlie walks behind the others. He can tell that Teja and the other Charlie are engrossed in conversation, and he doesn't want to crowd the woman he hasn't met yet just because they are in the same group.

So he takes in the spring air, and wonders if how he's seeing or smelling things is different because he is (appearances notwithstanding) dead.

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fiery_ring

At the back of the group of girls, the beautiful blonde girl is sulky and unusually quiet. It isn't so much that she has to go and cheer on her nemesis; nobody can force her to cheer, and it carries the advantage of missing afternoon lessons. More, it's about a letter she carries in her pocket from her father.

As far as Angela is concerned, she has no need to show up Carlotta or bully her; the girl does plenty of her own accord to cause shock and gossip. But the fact that her father has suddenly got into his head that she ought to move to a different school after talking for ages with the exchange girl has her very suspicious.

Carlotta is oblivious of any sly looks thrown in her direction, mostly because she keeps getting told to walk in a more ladylike manner, and scolded by the teacher for being the only one to manage to get mud on the hem of her school dress.

As they get close to the village, some of the girls notice that the party are heading in the same direction, but pay little attention. After all, it's the only road to the village, and plenty of people are out walking that day.

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Demeter moves to talk to Charlie though she tries to keep an eye on the girls,

"I'm Demeter, I don't think we were ever introduced."

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ostro_goth

Teja walks ahead, talking quietly to 'his' Charlie. "I like this land," he says. "And the village -- it looks timeless and lovely."

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Charlie smiles at that and nods politely. No one would think of them as talking about anything incredibly--aa Carlotta would put it--panyish, with the space between them.

"Maybe we should come back here some time. It would be nice, to be alone here, or nearer the sea." He watches the girls idly, and smiles quietly at them, noting Carlotta's hair in the middle.

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"Charlie. Nice to meet you." He offers his hand as they walk. "Where and when are you from?"

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fiery_ring

The school group go into the village hall; most of the class sit down on benches whilst Carlotta goes to get changed.

There are many rows of chairs for other audience members, and in the middle an arrangement of beams and mats. There are a couple of other school parties in the hall already.

After a few minutes, Angela gets up and goes to sit next to a plain girl with a discontented face from a different school.

"Prudence, long time no see."

"Hallo Angela. Been dragged along to this as well?"

They make small talk for a few minutes, then Angela says.

"You used to go to St Clare's, didn't you? There's this awful common girl staying with my class at the moment, Carlotta Brown."

Prudence raises an eyebrow.

"Ringmere lets in circus girls? Their standards have slipped."

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Since there are some free chairs about halfway back, that's where Demeter heads as she speaks more to Charlie,

"At the moment Southern France in you could say the near present of most who come through Milliways."

Demeter hears Angela and one of the flowers in the bouquet she's holding suddenly grows an inch.

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ostro_goth

Teja follows her gaze, and looks at the girls. Awfully pretty, Carlotta had said.

Ahh, so that was Carlotta's current arch-nemesis.

"Let us sit," he suggests to the others. There is no point in arguing with schoolgirls, is there? They are here to cheer Carlotta, after all.

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Charlie looks over at Teja surreptitiously, wondering who he's trying to look at.

"That blond girl you've been watching for the past four minutes looks to be completely oblivious. She'll grow up to be very attractive to someone."

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He listens in on the things the girls say about Carlotta as he sits, and wonders about that flower. Very odd indeed.

"I never got to that neck of the woods. This is about as close as I come."

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fiery_ring

Prudence smiles with pleasure, filling Angela in on Carlotta's background. Angela looks disgusted.

"Are you going to burst her bubble?" Prudence asks, suddenly feeling the afternoon may be more entertaining after all.

Angela smiles back.

"Not now. But thank you."

Prudence looks taken aback.

"Surely this is the perfect time!"

"You said the St Clare's girls turned on you when you told her secret." Angela says. "Ringmere could go either way, and I have no wish to end up as you did, no offense intended. I'm sure there will be a better opportunity to use such information."

Satisfied, the two girls share pleased grins, and Angela gets up to go back to her own school. She is sidetracked by the head of her form, who takes her to one side.

"I know that look Angela Favorleigh. If you're thinking of spoiling this afternoon then you jolly well better not. It's been simply ages since Ringmere won a decent sports trophy."

Angela assures Victoria in a smooth and prettily worded manner that she won't spoil the event, then the girls sit down.

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"Perhaps I can show you it at some point and I'm glad that girls are still good about gossip."

Then she turns to watch the event.

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ostro_goth

Teja sits beside her, ready to cheer for Carlotta at the proper time.

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Charlie joins the row, watching lazily for Carlotta to appear. He's never been the gymnastics type, really, but watching someone else--who is much better--do it should be interesting.

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The other Charlie wonders if Demeter just made a pass at him, and then decides that if he's wondering, she's not.

He notes as his attention shifts that while most of these girls are small, none would be tiny enough to meet his era's Olympic requirements. That's a good thing.

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fiery_ring

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, welcome to the county gymnastics tournament!" Says a very short man with a truly enormous moustache.

"Well our clever little contestants have all been working hard, and one lucky lass will take home a trophy for their school and their mantlepiece. Our independant judges will watch each five minute routine and grade the contestants. In the event of a tie we will ask the girls to perform their second routine."

He clears his throat.

"And first up is Fanny Atkinson from St Catherine's Convent School!"

The girls clap, and one of the school parties cheer for the nervous looking girl who steps out of the dressing room door.

The first three contestants show that there is a format to the gymnastics routine; each one does a performance of variable quality on the uneven bars, balance beam, floor and vaulting horse. They are all very good, though not professional standard just yet. The third girl falls off the vault and bursts into tears, and is quickly hurried off by her teacher.

"Next we have Carlotta Brown, representing Ringmere."

Carlotta's form clap, and some cheer. Angela, with her new knowledge in hand, actually watches with interest now.

Carlotta hasn't seen the other girls perform, so she doesn't know how they did. But she starts off with a bang by going for the vault first, launching herself on the springboard, and turning a double somersault with twist in the air before she lands.

There is an audible gasp from the audience, and her games mistress, who had actually only expected her to spin once and thought she was about to land on her head.

Carlotta takes no notice of them and moves onto the uneven bars. Her expression is one of extreme concentration, but inside, she's having the time of her life.

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Demeter is grinning and beaming, she loves seeing Carlotta doing well and getting praised for it.

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ostro_goth

Teja watches with intense fascination; he is now hoping that Carlotta will win. She is so obviously so much better than anybody else so far!

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Carlotta's good; Charlie supposes that by dint of being raised in a circus she would be more comfortable around some things.

"She's very good, and confident...the first girl didn't do badly, either."

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"She's excellent," he says to no one in particular. "Mary Lou Retton and the Flying Graysons have nothing on her."

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fiery_ring

Carlotta does a series of floor exercises, then finishes her routine with the balance bar; the watching Milliwayans might recognise these moves from the ones she tends to perform in the rafters of the bar.

The girl called Prudence looks very explosive when the crowd applauds Carlotta, and as the judges retire to make their decision, she gets up and wanders casually over to the man with the moustache.

"Carlotta was wonderful, wasn't she." she says in a smooth voice. "She's come along well even since she left the circus."

The man looks at Prudence.

"Oh, is that where she learned it? Well there's nothing in the rules against that, we are open to girls and boys of all backgrounds." He sees her sour face and smiles, amused. "Nice try, miss."

Prudence pouts and goes to sit down again. Angela gives her an 'I told you it wasn't the time' look.

The judges ring a bell for silence and the head of the table stands.

"Well we were very impressed with all four of our very talented young ladies. However we do have to make a decision, so without further ado.
In fourth place, after a most unfortunate fall off the vault but an otherwise good performance - Elizabeth Knight from Cavestede School. In third place, Tessie Johnson from Whyteleafe School. In second place, Fanny Atkinson from St Catherine's Convent School and in first place Carlotta Brown from Ringmere!"

There is a lot of cheering, even from the schools that didn't win; in fact the school that came fourth are subjecting their slightly injured candidate to extreme hugging and slapping on the back.

"Carlotta, would you like to come up here?" The man with the moustache presents her with the big trophy for her school, and little one to keep herself. And then, unexpectedly, a local photographer appears in the audience and snaps off some photographs. Carlotta looks slightly startled, but nobody notices; the crowds are dispersing and the reporter honing in on her.

This could be bad.

"Miss Brown, congratulations, I'm from the local paper and we'd love to have a chat with you."

"Um, I don't think my father would like that." Carlotta says, going a bit red and flustered.

"That's all right, I have plenty of time if you want to ask him first." The reporter looks around.

"He's not here." Carlotta says. The reporter looks back at her.

"Not here! Goodness, that must be very disappointing for you after you clearly worked so hard. What about your mother?"

"My mother died when I was a baby." Carlotta says, looking for an exit route. She can see him writing notes. 'Father missed her big day, mother dead' "Please, I don't want to be interviewed, I'm sorry, I'm not prepared to talk to you without my father's permission."

She hurries back towards her school party, the frustrated reporter shaking his head. Prudence approaches him, smiling.

"I used to be at the same school as her. What would you like to know?"

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