Making the Grade

‘Thanks for coming to meet me,’ said Ellie as soon as she managed to get a word in. ‘I love the sign.’

‘We’ve been dead excited about you coming,’ Nancy went on happily. ‘Especially me cos we’re going to be sharing a room. You might not be so excited after you see what a mess I make, but I’m going to try not to be total nightmare, I promise . . .’

Ellie laughed. Nancy’s giddy excitement reminded her of Lucy and made her feel at home right away.

‘Nancy, let the poor girl get her breath,’ laughed a willowy blonde woman who had just reached Nancy’s side. She had to be Nancy’s mum, because she looked just like her, only her eyes had a kind light that was softer than Nancy’s mischievous twinkle.

‘Yeah, like that’s gonna happen!’ said a boy who had appeared apparently from nowhere. He had dark unruly hair and chocolate-brown eyes that sparkled as he grinned at Ellie. Despite the difference in colouring (and the fact that he was a boy) he bore such a startling resemblance to Nancy it was kind of weird looking at the two of them side by side. ‘The only time my sis ever stops is when she’s asleep – and sometimes not even then. You’ll be lucky if you get a wink of sleep sharing a room with Nance! She can talk for England.’

‘Oi! Shut up, Tam!’ said Nancy, punching the boy on the arm.

‘Trust me, I know what I’m talking about,’ Tam went on, ignoring her. ‘I had to share Mum’s tummy with her for a whole nine months. It’s a miracle I ever made it out alive.’

Ellie smiled. So they were twins. And, despite the glare that Nancy shot at her brother, Ellie could tell that there was a bond between them like the one she felt with Lucy.

‘If you two have finished bickering, shall we do some proper introductions?’ said the twins’ mum. ‘I’m Mandy and these are my troublesome twins, Tam and Nancy.’

‘At your service,’ said Tam, bending low in a way that made Nancy giggle.

‘Tam?’ said Ellie. ‘I’ve never heard that name before.’

‘Short for Tamar. Apparently I’m named after some river near where Mum and Dad went for honeymoon or something.’

‘Oh yes! It’s in Cornwall,’ said Ellie. ‘At least, it runs between Cornwall and Devon. Haven’t you ever been there?’

‘Nope,’ declared Tam. ‘We were born in the city and haven’t ventured out much our whole lives.’

‘Well, I’ve never been to London before,’ said Ellie. ‘So I suppose that makes us sort of – I don’t know – opposites?’

‘Ooh! Then we’ll have to show you all the sights,’ said Nancy. ‘Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye – the lot!’

‘Let’s just get Ellie back to Head-Over-Heels House for now,’ laughed Mandy. ‘She must be exhausted and hungry after her long journey. She probably isn’t ready for your magical mystery tour just yet!’

‘Head-Over-Heels House?’ said Ellie, confused.

‘Oh,’ Tam said, ‘that’s the nickname for the shared house where all the out-of-town Academy students live – the girls anyway.’

‘Some of the students came up with the nickname years ago and it kind of stuck,’ said Mandy. ‘It actually suits the place because it’s a bit topsy-turvy. You’ll see what I mean when we get there.’

‘I can’t wait!’ Ellie bent down to pick up her suitcase, but Tam reached for it at exactly the same time and their heads clashed.

‘Ow!’ said Ellie, rubbing her forehead.

‘Oops! Sorry!’ said Tam. ‘Just wondered if you needed a hand.’

Nancy giggled. ‘She’s a gymnast! She’s probably got stronger arm muscles than you.’

‘Yeah, right!’ said Tam. ‘All you girl gymnasts do is silly flicky-flacky prancing around stuff. It’s us boys who do the real strength disciplines.’

‘Is that right?’ said Nancy. ‘I’d like to see you manage a flick layout on the beam!’

‘And you wouldn’t last two minutes on the pommel horse,’ said Tam with a shrug.

Mandy shook her head and smiled at Ellie. ‘They’ve been having this argument since they started gym when they were four years old.’

‘Is this all the stuff you have?’ Tam asked, looking round. ‘I thought you’d have loads of bags.’

Before Ellie had a chance to think of a reply, Nancy had punched her brother’s shoulder again and linked arms with Ellie. ‘Don’t be stupid. All she needs is a few leotards, her hand guards and a tracksuit,’ she said. ‘After all, she’s going to spend most of her life in the Academy, just like the rest of us. Now, if you could just stop talking for a single moment . . .’

‘Me stop talking!’

Nancy ignored him. ‘Head-Over-Heels House, here we come!’

CHAPTER

Five

They caught a tube and a bus and Ellie was amazed by how many people there were. On the creek, you could go all day without seeing anyone. But in London every square centimetre of space seemed to be filled with life. People crammed on to the platform, streaming down the escalators, squeezed like sardines into the tube carriages and on the buses. To Ellie, it felt totally insane but brilliantly exciting at the same time.

‘London must seem pretty full on,’ said Tam, noticing her wide eyes. ‘You live by the seaside, right?’

‘Sort of,’ said Ellie. ‘On a little tidal estuary, just inland from the sea.’

‘Cool,’ said Nancy. ‘Do you go surfing every day, and sailing and water-skiing? I’ve always wanted to try water-skiing. And rowing. I’d love to be able to row.’

‘I go rowing most days,’ said Ellie. ‘I have my own boat that my dad made for me.’

‘Awesome!’ said Nancy. ‘I reckon if I get too tall for gymnastics I’m going to be a rower. They’re always pretty tall, aren’t they? And I’ve got strong arms. Scarlett reckons I’m more like a weightlifter than a gymnast – but that’s the sort of thing she would say.’

‘Um – who’s Scarlett?’ asked Ellie.

‘Oh, she’s in Development squad like us,’ explained Nancy. ‘And she lives in Head-Over-Heels House because her mum and dad are always off travelling overseas. They’re like multi-millionaires or something – as she’s always reminding everybody.’ Nancy rolled her eyes but didn’t stop talking. Ellie was starting to wonder how she managed to breathe sometimes. ‘Anyway, she reckons she’s ten times better than the rest of us in Development squad. She’s not going to like you – at all!’

‘Oh.’ Ellie’s face fell. ‘Why?’

‘Because you’ve come from nowhere and been given a place at the Academy,’ said Tam.

‘Most of us’ve been training there for years,’ Nancy explained. ‘Tam and I started at the Academy before we even went to school. I mean, sometimes gymnasts come from other big gyms overseas, like Camille – she’s half French, half Belgian – or Lily Raza – her parents sent her all the way from Israel just to train with Emma. But people don’t usually just get picked from little tiny clubs. There must be something special about you for Emma to take you on.’

Ellie blushed, finding it hard to believe. The bus was going over a bridge and Ellie caught a glimpse of the River Thames, crowded with city vessels, the water dark and oily in the falling dusk. It was so different to the creek, but still somehow the sight of it reminded her of home.

‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘I mean, I think I’m way behind the rest of you. I don’t have my Compulsory Grade Two yet.’

‘Oh, me neither,’ said Nancy. ‘I’ve failed it twice now.’ She shrugged like it was no big deal, but there was something in her face that made Ellie think she was more bothered than she was letting on.

‘Got to get it this time or I won’t be able to go to British Champs,’ Nancy went on. ‘We’re old enough to compete at the Junior British this year. But I guess you know that. Of course, Scarlett passed every grade first time so she’ll be going for Grade One this year. And Camille and Kashvi and Bella are too. They’re the other girls in Development. They’re all cool – it’s only Scarlett who thinks she’s too good for the rest of us. But if she was so good Emma would have promoted her to Pre-Elite squad, so I don’t know why she’s strutting around, pretending she’s Lizzie Trengilly or something.’

Ellie blushed again at the mention of her aunt. She wasn’t sure if Nancy or anyone else at the Academy knew that she was related to the famous gymnast. Nancy’s sign had just said ‘Academy Ellie’ – so maybe they didn’t even know her second name. Ellie was almost relieved. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep it a secret, but she didn’t want to go around boasting either.

‘Seriously, though, you need to watch out for Scarlett,’ said Tam. ‘That girl is determined to get to the top, no matter what it takes.’

‘Yup,’ Nancy agreed. ‘She’ll be nice to you as long as she doesn’t think you’re a threat. But if she decides you might have a chance of being better than her one day then . . .’

Just at that moment the bus lurched to a stop, sending Ellie flying into Nancy, who had toppled into the doorway.

‘Here we are!’ said Tam, ‘This is our stop.’

Head-Over-Heels House turned out to be a big, old Victorian house on Albert Bridge Road, overlooking Battersea Park. It had probably once been quite grand, but now it looked pretty scruffy. The door was painted bright purple and somebody had made a sign that read ‘Head-Over-Heels House’ with a picture of a gymnast doing a backwards walkover.

Being opposite the park made the house feel less hemmed in by the city, and to Ellie’s delight she noticed that they were still close to the river. The smell of the Thames hung in the air and again it reminded her of the creek.

‘Come on in,’ said Nancy, flinging open the door. ‘Welcome to the madhouse!’

‘It’s huge!’ said Ellie as she stepped into a giant hallway with a swooping staircase, faded marble tiles and battered wallpaper.

‘Well, there are six other gymnasts living here,’ Mandy explained. ‘All out-of-towners like you. And then my two, of course.’

‘Mum can’t get enough gymnasts to look after, can you, Mum?’ said Tam.

‘And none of them are half as much trouble as you two,’ laughed Mandy, ruffling Tam’s hair. ‘But, seriously, Ellie, here in Head-Over-Heels House we’re all family. I want you to think of me as someone you can always come to. If you have any problems – no matter how big or small – my door is always open. OK?’

‘Thanks,’ said Ellie.

‘Come on, I’ll show you our room,’ said Nancy, dashing up the staircase.

Ellie followed her, half in a daze, trying to take it all in.

‘There are a couple of other Development squad girls here,’ said Nancy, calling over her shoulder. ‘Then there are two from Junior Elite and one Pre-Elite girl. No boys, except for Tam, but he’s in the basement with Mum. Oh, and Sian Edwards and Sophia Mitford share the attic flat. They’re both Senior Elite, of course.’

‘Sian Edwards – the Olympian?’ said Ellie, amazed. She’d watched Sian compete for Team GB at World Championships last year, and been dazzled by her amazing performance on the vault, which had helped to earn her a gold medal. ‘She lives here – in this house?’

‘Well, in the flat upstairs,’ said Nancy, like it was no big deal. ‘She’s dead nice. Never too busy to chat to any of us kids in Development squad either.’

Ellie couldn’t imagine what she’d do if she bumped into Sian Edwards over breakfast, or in her pyjamas. The idea of chatting to a gold-medal-winning Olympian seemed too crazy.

‘So, this is our pad,’ Nancy was saying as she opened the door to a room on the second floor and ushered Ellie in. The room was tiny and had a slightly tatty appearance like the rest of the house, but it had a large window overlooking the garden and a beautiful old fireplace in the corner.

On Nancy’s side, the walls were covered in posters of gymnasts and boy bands and kittens dressed in a variety of weird and wonderful costumes – including one in a sparkly pink leotard. Her bed and every surface was strewn with leotards and scrunchies and jogging bottoms.

On Ellie’s side was a bed with a patchwork quilt, a small chest of drawers and a massive bouquet of flowers in a chipped vase. There were also a couple of framed pictures. One was a painting of a beach in Cornwall which Ellie recognised as Kynance Cove, not far from the creek. The other was a photo of a gymnast on the uneven bars, mid twist, her body swooping like a seagull into the dive. Ellie knew who it was immediately and her heart leapt.

‘D’you like the Cornwall painting?’ asked Nancy. ‘Tam found it in a charity shop. He reckoned it would be perfect, in case you felt homesick for the beach, you know. I did the flowers.’

Ellie looked at the colourful blooms – huge gaudy pinks, oranges and even blue flowers. ‘Thank you. They’re lovely!’ she said, touched by the thought.

Nancy smiled brightly. ‘Tam figured you’d like the photo too – since you’re family, an’ all.’

‘Oh, so you know, then,’ said Ellie nervously. ‘About Lizzie Trengilly . . . being my aunt.’

‘Of course!’ chirped Nancy. ‘I mean, no offence, but it didn’t exactly take major detective work. The name Trengilly isn’t that common, is it? And the minute we saw your picture we knew right away. You look just like her. I bet you’re as good as she was too,’ Nancy went on, flinging herself on to her bed amidst all the muddle. ‘I’ve got a feeling about it, looking at you.’

‘How can you tell if I’m any good at gym just by looking at me?’

‘I dunno,’ said Nancy. ‘But I can. Maybe I’m psychic – Tam reckons I’m a bit weird like that, y’know. But I bet you anything I’m right!’

CHAPTER

Six

Just then there was a knock on the door and Ellie turned to see a face peeping into the room.

‘Can we come in?’

The door creaked open to reveal a tiny girl with a round face, big velvety dark eyes and sticky-out ears. The little buns she wore on each side of her head made her look a bit like a baby monkey. She was standing next to a taller girl with golden hair, a flawless complexion and green cat-like eyes.

‘Bella! Scarlett!’ squeaked Nancy, jumping off the bed. ‘Meet Ellie, my new roomie and our new squad buddy. Ellie, meet the Floor Fairy, Bella Chee and Queen of the Beam, Scarlett Atkins.’

Bella smiled broadly and said in a soft voice, ‘Welcome to Head-Over-Heels House.’

But Scarlett narrowed her eyes and said, ‘Is it true Emma gave you a scholarship even though you haven’t even passed Compulsory Grade Two yet?’

‘Scarlett, don’t put her on the spot,’ said Bella. She spoke with a gentle authority, despite being so small she even made Ellie look like a giant.

‘It’s OK,’ said Ellie. ‘Scarlett’s right. I didn’t start Compulsory Grades till I was quite old. My coach didn’t think I was ready.’

‘I passed Grade Two when I was eleven.’ Ambition flared in Scarlett’s eyes as she spoke. ‘I won the bronze medal. Because you do know that Grades are also a competition, right?’

‘Um – yes,’ said Ellie.

‘Of course she does!’ said Nancy.

‘Well, I’ll be doing Grade One this year. Which is higher than Grade Two – in case you didn’t realise.’

‘She’s from Cornwall!’ said Nancy. ‘Not a whole different planet.’

‘Well, how should I know how they do things in the middle of nowhere?’ said Scarlett.

‘You might want to remember that Bella won the gold when we did Grade Two,’ said Nancy, who looked as if she was keen to prick Scarlett’s bubble. ‘And all the other girls in Development squad are up for Grade One this year too.’

‘Except you, of course,’ said Scarlett with a smile. ‘Let’s hope you get third time lucky with your Grade Two, Nancy, or we’ll all be going to the British without you!’

‘Stop arguing, you guys!’ said Bella firmly. ‘Remember what Emma’s always saying. We’re teammates, not rivals. We perform better if we support each other.’

Scarlett glared and Nancy gave a ‘hmmph!’ sound. But just then a clamour in the hallway and a call of ‘Food!’ signalled that dinner was ready, and all arguments were set aside as they raced downstairs to eat.

‘Is that true?’ Nancy whispered, linking arms with Ellie as the girls made their way down the stairs. ‘About you having a scholarship.’

‘Um – yeah.’ Ellie flushed, suddenly embarrassed. ‘My parents couldn’t afford for me to train here otherwise.’

Nancy shrugged. ‘Yeah, well, we can only afford it cos of Mum – you know, being Head-Over-Heels house-mother, or whatever you call it. But, seriously, the Academy hardly ever give out scholarships. Emma must think you’re really good.’

‘I dunno . . .’ Ellie started to say.

‘I wonder how Scarlett found out?’ Nancy was musing as she pulled open the door to the kitchen.

Sitting round the giant dining table, Ellie met most of the other residents of the house. She thought she’d be too nervous to eat, but after the long journey and all the excitement she was starving so she tucked in to the biggest dish of shepherd’s pie she’d ever seen in her life.

Nancy and Bella introduced her to the others. Isobel Mallin and Mia Rudolph from Junior Elite squad made a funny pair. Isabel was tall, quiet and serious-looking, whilst Mia was small and a total chatterbox – but they were clearly the best of friends.

Then there was Bree Summers from Pre-Elite who told lots of funny stories about her squad coach, Oleg Petrescu. There was no sign of Sian Edwards or Sophia Mitford, and Nancy told Ellie they had been off at a Team GB training weekend and would be back tomorrow.

Ellie tried to imagine that one day she might be picked for Team GB, but right now it was enough to be here, an Academy girl – or very nearly anyway.

‘I thought Oleg was going to explode today,’ Bree was saying, ‘when Lily kept sneezing and couldn’t stop.’

The other girls all giggled and Nancy turned to Ellie to explain. ‘Oleg Petrescu is Romanian, and basically a living legend! One of the seven ancient wonders of the gymnastics world.’

‘He looks like a tiny little weightlifter and he’s got this giant moustache – all curly like a circus ringmaster or something,’ added Mia with a giggle.

‘And he’s got a thing about germs and people being ill,’ Bella explained. ‘Remember when Pearl had mumps and he acted like she had the plague?’

‘Yeah, and I basically spent the whole year I was in Pre-Elite terrified of even getting a headache,’ Isobel said with a frown.

‘Anyway, when Lily sneezed for the tenth time, Oleg started screaming like a bomb had gone off and kicked her out of the gym,’ Bree went on.

‘No – he sent her out?’

‘Right away,’ said Bree. ‘Then he started spraying the vault with anti-bacterial spray. And you should have seen the masks he got out of his bag. Like nurses wear. He wanted all of us in Pre-Elite to wear them so we didn’t catch anything.’

‘What did Emma say?’ asked Nancy.

‘Oh, Emma knows Oleg’s funny ways, but she also knows he’s the best vault coach in the world,’ said Bree with a shrug. ‘Oleg was going on about the English weather and going to California where it was sunny all day, so Emma said she’d arrange for everyone in the gym to have multi-vitamins and loads of oranges to make sure we get don’t get colds.’

‘What did he say to that?’ said Mia.

‘He went off into a flurry of Romanian and flung his arms around a bit – you know how he does,’ said Bree, doing an impression of Oleg, which made everyone laugh again. ‘But he let Lily come back into training – and he was so sweet and apologetic. He made her a lemon-and-honey drink and everything.’

‘He really is a total sweetie, isn’t he?’ said Bella.

‘He’s lovely!’ said Bree. ‘He gets so upset with himself for losing his temper, and then he fusses over you like anything. Lily will get the royal treatment for at least a week.’

‘Not like Toni,’ said Nancy, rolling her eyes. ‘When Toni’s annoyed, he goes totally silent. The quieter he is the more you know you’re doing it wrong.’

‘Toni Nimakov, you know,’ Bella explained, turning to Ellie who was tucking into her second helping of shepherd’s pie.

‘Don’t be stupid!’ said Scarlett, who hadn’t said much up to this point. ‘Of course Ellie’s heard of Toni Nimakov. He’s won four Olympic gold medals, he coached Emma Bannerdown and Lizzie Trengilly. Even girls from tiny gym clubs in Devon must know that.’

‘Cornwall,’ said Ellie quietly.

‘What?’

‘My gym club is in Cornwall,’ Ellie repeated. ‘And, yes, I have heard of Toni Nimakov, but I thought he only coached the Elite squads.’

‘Oh, he does, but sometimes he comes and helps us with our bar work,’ said Nancy, shooting Scarlett a look. ‘Which is terrifying because he picks up on the teensiest faults.’

‘And if you actually do it right, he might manage two words of praise,’ said Mia with a rueful grin.

‘Yes, but two words from Toni can put you on top of the world,’ said Bella, and all the other girls nodded in agreement.

‘And he always knows exactly what to say to help you get a move right too,’ Isobel said. ‘I struggled with the double pike tuck for months and then he came along and in two days he had me getting it every time. I don’t even fully remember what he said or did. It’s like he’s the magic man of the bar.’

‘What’s Sasha like?’ Ellie asked. Nancy had told her earlier that Sasha Darling coached the Development squad.

‘Oh, Sasha’s hilarious,’ said Tam, emerging from the kitchen with a tray of apple crumble and a steaming jug of creamy custard. He might be the only boy in Head-Over-Heels House, but he certainly didn’t seem intimidated by all the girls. ‘Did you know she won Junior British Champs when she was fourteen, and Senior the following year, then she gave it all up to go to Hollywood and work in the movies?’

‘Really?’ said Ellie.

‘Oh, yes. She played Nadia Comăneci in a film,’ said Nancy. ‘Then she worked in Las Vegas in an acrobatics circus show and she was in an American TV series, and all sorts.’

‘When Emma took over at the Academy she begged Sasha to come and coach,’ Tam added, plonking the crumble and custard down on the table and stepping back as all the gymnasts dived in at once.

‘Emma reckoned Sasha was born to be a coach, and she was right,’ said Bella. ‘She’s awesome. But don’t be fooled by all her pink sparkle and fun, cos she can be really strict if she thinks you’re messing around.’

‘I reckon she’s the strictest coach of them all,’ said Nancy, helping herself to a giant plate of dessert. ‘She’ll make you work over and over and over on a move until you get it right.’

‘But when you do she gives you a hug,’ said Bella with a grin. ‘And I can’t imagine any of the other coaches doing that, can you?’

‘If Oleg tried to hug you, he’d probably crush you to death!’ laughed Bree. ‘And Toni looks like he’s never given anyone a cuddle in his life.’

‘As for Emma, she’ll only give you a hug when you win Olympic gold,’ added Nancy. The table fell silent for a moment, as every gymnast there imagined standing on the podium at the Olympics with a gold medal round their necks. Then Nancy laughed and added, ‘Which means never in my case!’