Secret Journal

  To Steph and Nathan—for the bell tower.

  Chapter 1

  The sun shone down, seeping through my panama hat and into my chestnut brown hair. I could hear a lorikeet chattering in the distance as a warm summer breeze rustled through the slightly parched leaves of the distant bush trees. I walked along the path, which snaked its way around the central courtyard, gently running my hand across the manicured hedge that hugged its edge.

  As I passed the main building of classrooms, I saw Violet walking ahead of me. I knew it was her as soon as she glanced up at the tree beside her. Her profile showed her pale face shining in the sunlight, with rays bouncing off her round glasses. She looked out of place walking around a high school campus because she was so little. Sometimes I’d catch myself thinking she was my little sister, Olivia.

  ‘Violet!’ I called out.

  She spun around and smiled at me. I jogged to catch up with her.

  ‘How’s it going?’ I asked.

  ‘Pretty good,’ she said, linking arms with me.

  I couldn’t believe how different Violet was from when I first met her. Early on, Violet seemed completely reclusive (that means someone who doesn’t like socialising with other people). But then I found out that Violet wasn’t really like that at all. She was just really nervous everyone would find out about her diabetes and judge her for being different. Since she admitted to us that she has diabetes, it’s like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She’s been hanging out with me, Zoe and Grace a lot. This is pretty cool because we are all in the same dorm room.

  We walked across Centenary Lawn and through to the dining hall. Inside, girls were bustling about collecting their afternoon tea and a drink. Some sat at the long bench seats and tables inside, while others took their food outside to the lawn.

  I looked in the baskets set out on one of the tables. There were apples and bananas, and some kind of muesli slice. It looked delicious. I grabbed an apple and a piece of the slice.

  ‘I’m just going to the kitchen to get my food,’ Violet said. Having diabetes meant Violet needed to stick to a particular diet, so her food was specially prepared by the chef.

  ‘I’ll wait for you,’ I smiled.

  Violet skipped into the kitchen.

  ‘If you have your food, please either move to a table or go outside,’ an irritated voice bellowed over the chatter. It was Ms Montgomery. Ms Montgomery is the Vice Headmistress of the school and also the Juniors’ Housemistress. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her eyes darted from left to right as she took in the chaos of afternoon tea. It clearly bothered her. She looked at us all like we were a swarm of ants crawling over her coffee table.

  Violet came back out of the kitchen with her food and we hurried past Ms Montgomery.

  ‘Walking, please,’ she scolded.

  We immediately slowed to a leisurely stroll, but then accelerated into a run as soon as we’d cleared the dining hall doors, away from her watchful eyes. We giggled as we ran over to one of the big trees that grew on the side of the lawn. Underneath, Grace and Zoe were already sitting down in the dappled sunlight.

  ‘Took your time,’ Grace scoffed, as we collapsed next to them.

  ‘Monty said to walk,’ Violet said sternly, imitating Ms Montgomery’s serious face.

  We all laughed.

  I looked around at my little group. Violet with her pale skin and glasses glinting in the sunlight. Zoe with her Italian olive skin and dark bob. And Grace with her hair in a long, dark braid and effervescent (that means bright and sparkly) cat-green eyes.

  My Nanna Kate says that friendship groups need balance, like a good cake recipe. Not too much sugar or too much salt. Just the right amount of everything. Grace was proving to be our ‘sugar’—the hit of humour and mischief we all needed, especially when we were feeling down. Violet had a quietness about her and was an amazing listener. She never jumped in and told you what you were feeling—she always quietly helped you work it out for yourself. And Zoe—my BFF since we were five. So smart, logical and wise.

  And where did I fit? I think I’m a person who feels things pretty deeply. Mum thinks I can be too dramatic, but my Nanna Kate says I am ‘emotionally intuitive’. She says that means I can tell what people are feeling and I understand. Nanna Kate says this is a good thing, but it also means I need to be careful not to make decisions with my heart over my head every time.

  ‘So, who’s excited about tomorrow’s excursion?’ Grace asked.

  ‘It’s so weird,’ Zoe mused. ‘I only thought about it the other day, but this will be our first time being more than five minutes away from school since we started here!’

  I frowned. Zoe was right. Living at school meant almost all our days were spent on campus. On the weekend, we were allowed to walk to the local shops with the Senior girls to get ourselves a treat, but, other than that, we rarely went anywhere offsite. Of course, there would be school holidays and exeats (that’s weekends where we go home for a visit), but, on the whole, we were always at Eden College.

  This didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. Eden had everything I could ever want. We were allowed to use the school pool on hot afternoons and weekends. We could use the tennis courts or the oval for playing games or sport, and the music, art and drama centre if we felt like being crafty. Our dormitory was pretty cool, too—we had a big TV and a huge common room to hang out with our friends in.

  Life was pretty good at Eden. The only thing really missing was my family. The thought of Max and Olivia and Mum and Dad sprung up on me like an unwelcome fright. I startled, then took a deep breath. Homesickness was something we were always going to have to deal with while we lived at school.

  ‘Ella?’ Zoe asked, breaking my train of thought.

  ‘Oh, sorry, what was that?’

  ‘Are you excited about the excursion tomorrow?’ Zoe repeated.

  ‘Yeah, it’ll be good,’ I said, nodding. ‘I have to start thinking about some new reports for Eden Press, and I figured the excursion might give me some ideas.’

  I had just been made Junior Journalist for our online school newspaper. This meant I was responsible for coming up with stories particularly relevant to the Juniors in Year 7.

  ‘Zoe, can I be your bus buddy?’ Grace blurted.

  ‘Sure,’ Zoe smiled.

  Something in my chest lurched. It’s fine, I thought to myself.

  ‘Ella, will you sit with me?’ Violet asked.

  I smiled and nodded. I had to remember I was in high school now. And that meant Zoe and I would be making new friendships. It wasn’t like primary school anymore. But the thought of Zoe and Grace together on the bus tugged at my heart just a little.

  ‘So, what should I write about the excursion tomorrow? For Eden Press, I mean,’ I said, after swallowing a mouthful of afternoon tea. ‘How cool would it be if we discovered something at the museum!’

  Grace waved her arm dismissively. ‘Oh, Ella, you know what happens on these excursions. We ride in a bus, we get there, we walk around with some old guide who points out old things, we eat, we get back on the bus and someone pukes. End of story.’

  Zoe laughed loudly.

  I frowned. ‘It’s not like that, Grace. What if something exciting happens? What if there’s a robbery or we crack an ancient Egyptian code?’

  ‘As if,’ Grace laughed.

  I picked up a sweet gum pod from the ground and gently threw it at Grace in mock irritation.

  ‘Hey!’ she protested. ‘Those spiky suckers hurt!’

  She picked up one of the spiky pods from behind her and lobbed it back at me. But it sailed over my head and hit something behind me.

  ‘Ow! What gives?’

  We turned around to see Saskia rubbing her arm angrily a
s she walked past with her friends, Portia and Mercedes.

  ‘Oops!’ Grace whispered. Then she yelled, ‘It was Ella!’

  ‘Hey! Was not!’ I exclaimed, indignant. ‘Grace is lying!’

  Saskia frowned at me and wrinkled up her nose as she walked away.

  Grace laughed heartily. ‘Grace! Saskia already has problems with me. Don’t make it worse,’ I said. But I couldn’t help smiling just a bit.

  Saskia was the school diva. She loved being the best at everything, and loved drama even more. Not Drama as in the subject. I love that kind of Drama. No, I mean drama as in fights and scandals and getting everyone into trouble. I thought we had come to a bit of an understanding when I kept a secret for her recently. But even after that, she still seemed so volatile. That means unpredictable.

  Violet dusted off her dress and Grace stood up and took a netball shot at the bin with her apple core. It bounced slightly off the rim of the bin, then clunked inside.

  ‘Yes!’ Grace celebrated.

  ‘What are you all doing now?’ Violet asked.

  ‘Computer for homework,’ Zoe sighed.

  ‘Me, too,’ said Grace.

  ‘I’ve got orchestra rehearsal, but I need to grab my flute from the dorm,’ I said.

  ‘I’ll come with you, Ella,’ Violet said. ‘I need to get changed for ballet.’

  We all began walking toward the dormitory, which was across the other side of Centenary Lawn. As we approached the house, Grace linked arms with Zoe and pulled her ahead.

  ‘Let’s go, Zo!’ she yelled. Zoe laughed loudly and skipped into the house with Grace. I stopped where I was and watched as the front door shut behind them.

  ‘You OK, Ella?’ Violet asked, as she opened the door in front of me. ‘Yeah, fine,’ I said, shaking my head just a little.

  ‘Come on, then!’ she giggled.

  I grabbed the door from Violet as she walked inside. Glancing towards the study room, I gently lifted my hand to my chest, then let it drop. I hurried up the stairs after Violet to get my flute for orchestra rehearsal.

  Chapter 2

  × −

  From:

  Ella

  Sent:

  Monday, 5:05 PM

  To:

  Olivia

  Subject:

  Going out!

  Hi Olivia!

  How are you? Why didn’t you email me last week?? Too busy practicing your part for the school musical, I bet. How’s that all going? Has Matilda gotten over her stage fright yet? I bet you’ll be a good friend and help her like you always do.

  Speaking of friends … things here are great. Violet, me, Grace and Zoe are all getting along really well. I’m so lucky to have such great room buddies. But … I dunno. It’s kinda different to primary school. Like, people don’t have BFFs here—you’re meant to kinda have a group. Zoe is still my best friend, I think. But sometimes … I dunno. Ignore me, I’m just being a baby.

  Tomorrow we are getting out of this place! Haha! Sounds like I live in jail. It’s exciting though—we are going to the museum for the day. It’s going to be totally fun. Mr Quinn (my history teacher) said we might even be able to get an ice cream at the end of the day if we are all super-duper well-behaved. But Monty (Ms Montgomery, remember?) gave a big frown when he said that, so we’ll have to wait and see if it actually happens. She is SUCH a fun-police.

  Email me ASAP.

  Miss you!

  Love, Ella

  xx

  The bus pulled out of the front gates of Eden College and gathered speed as it chugged up the road. The long private driveway was lined with tall green trees, which were full and round with the cloak of summer. Through the open window, cicadas chirped and kookaburras cackled.

  But the sounds of wildlife were quickly replaced with the chatter of excited 11 and 12 year old girls, eager to go on an outing. I watched as my school disappeared behind me. I could see the ornate turrets of the main building, and the big bronzed bell sat silently in the bell tower, like an old retired relative, happy to watch without speaking himself.

  I’d only been at Eden a short time, but much of it already felt like home. Even though I missed my family and my real home every day, I’d noticed how parts of Eden were being etched into my mind and heart, like the freckle on my hand or the birthmark on my thigh.

  I looked at Violet sitting beside me and smiled. ‘You feeling OK, Violet?’ I checked. Now that I knew Violet had diabetes, I liked to make sure she was OK. I think she mostly appreciated that we were all looking out for her, but sometimes she rolled her eyes at me like I was a nagging mum.

  ‘You asked me that already,’ she laughed. ‘And yes, I’m fine.’

  Grace spun around in the seat in front of us. ‘Right, time to make this more fun.’

  Zoe raised her eyebrows.

  ‘Who wants to do a dare?’ Grace asked excitedly, as she jittered in her seat.

  ‘No way, I’m OUT,’ I moaned. ‘Remember what happened last time we played Truth or Dare? I had to pretend to sleepwalk to save you all from getting into massive trouble with Monty. Uh-uh.’

  Grace looked hopefully from Zoe to Violet. Both girls looked at each other, then rolled their eyes and shook their heads.

  ‘Oh, you boring people!’ Grace said, throwing her hands up.

  ‘What’s on offer?’ a voice asked from across the aisle of the bus.

  Saskia.

  Grace smiled, sensing prey. ‘Well,’ she said slowly. ‘I’ll challenge you to a dare on the excursion. If you do it and succeed, I have to accept whatever dare you throw me back at school. Deal?’

  Saskia’s eyes glittered. ‘Deal,’ she purred.

  Grace turned back to us, clapping her hands together with glee.

  ‘Grace, don’t you ever learn?’ Zoe scolded, play-punching Grace in the arm. ‘NEVER make a deal with Saskia.’

  ‘Oh, she’s fine. Her bark is worse than her bite,’ Grace giggled.

  ‘What are you going to dare her to do?’ Violet asked.

  ‘I don’t know yet. But it will come to me. Just wait till we get there.’

  Grace bounced around excitedly in her seat for the rest of the journey, chattering away to Zoe next to her. I got my notebook out of my bag and flicked it open. I’d written down a few ideas for my next big story for Eden Press. I definitely wanted to do something inspired by the excursion, but I wasn’t exactly sure what yet. I didn’t want to just do a boring report recounting our day walking around. I needed something more.

  The bus ambled on, until we finally pulled up outside a grand old building in the middle of the city. The sandstone construction had an ornate frontage and a big sign saying ‘National Museum’ hung across the front. Everyone began to rustle around in their seats, gathering their bags and hats and trying to stand up.

  ‘Girls, sit down!’ a stern voice cut across the chatter. Ms Montgomery frowned and waved for us all to be seated and quiet.

  ‘Put on your panama hats and keep them on your heads for the duration of the excursion,’ she said. ‘Now, I needn’t remind you that Eden Girls are always on their best behaviour in public. While you are walking around in the museum, you will be representing your school. So I want no foolish or disrespectful behaviour.’ Her beady eyes darted around the bus, accusingly. ‘You will now quietly stand and file out of the bus in an orderly fashion.’

  We all filed off the bus, thanking the driver on our way out. I squinted in the sunshine and pulled my panama hat down, but it didn’t stop the bright sunlight from bouncing off the sidewalk pavers, making me wince. We walked inside the museum and gathered quietly in the foyer, while Ms Montgomery and Mr Quinn sorted out our tickets at the front counter.

  They came back from the desk and broke us into smaller groups. Luckily, they did this simply by bundling us into groups of about ten with the people standing closest to us. This meant Violet, Grace, Zoe and I were all in the same group, much to our surprise and delight. Our group also consisted of Saskia and her two friends
, Portia and Mercedes, as well as Annabelle and Ruby.

  ‘Perfect,’ Saskia purred. ‘I’m ready for my dare, Grace.’

  Grace smiled mischievously.

  ‘Each group will be allocated a museum guide, who will take them around the exhibits. I trust you will be respectful towards your guide and will listen carefully. Any bad reports from the guides will result in loss of privileges back at school,’ Ms Montgomery said sternly.

  The museum staff each walked up to a different group and introduced themselves. I looked at the group to my left, who had been allocated a young guy with dreadlocks in his hair.

  ‘Are you ready for an adventure?’ he yelled. All the girls nodded eagerly. ‘I can’t hear you!’ he cried.

  ‘YEAH!’ they cheered, as Ms Montgomery shook her head disapprovingly.

  ‘Let’s go, explorers!’ the guy shouted, waving for his group of girls to follow him.

  I couldn’t help but smile, too. Maybe this trip was going to be—

  ‘Right, are we ready?’ a stern voice said.

  We looked at each other, confused. Ms Montgomery stood in front of us.

  ‘Where’s our guide?’ Saskia asked.

  ‘There aren’t enough museum staff to have a guide per group, so I am your guide,’ she answered flatly. ‘Mr Quinn is taking one of the other groups, too.’

  We all stared.

  ‘Well, stop gawking and let’s get moving!’ she said. Ms Montgomery briskly walked off as we scrambled to follow her.

  ‘Just our luck to get Monty as our guide!’ Grace hissed.

  We all nodded as we saw the group ahead skipping off with the cool guy with dreadlocks.

  The groups all started in different parts of the museum. Our group was starting in the ‘Ancient Egypt’ exhibit. There was a display recreating the Boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb, with all its amazing riches. It was so shiny and lavish (which means fancy and expensive-looking). We also saw some recreated masks from the pharaohs and their painted coffins. Then we watched a video about mummification, which Zoe thought was amazing but I thought was yuck, yuck, YUCK!