Alice-Miranda stared at the blank page in front of her. She’d just read an intriguing picture book about a fox and a bear and their journey together, though it didn’t take long for her mind to wander back to the feud between Miss Grimm and Miss Reedy and the part she’d played in fuelling it. She tapped her pen rhythmically on the pad of paper, puzzling over how she could fix things between the two women.

Millie nudged her friend and pointed out the window. ‘There’s some good news.’

Alice-Miranda pushed back her chair and scurried over to take a closer look. Jacinta and Chessie followed. Sloane, meanwhile, was busy chatting to Miss Crowley about creating a collage using mixed media to represent the various themes of the story she’d chosen. Alice-Miranda stood on her tiptoes and peered out the window to see Mrs Abboud hop out of a minivan with Mrs Parker. There was another lady in a sedan behind them. Minutes later, with a mountain of baby equipment unpacked, the ladies took the twins and little Hatice out of their car seats. There was no sign of the older Abboud girls, but perhaps they were at school.

‘That is a relief. I’m so pleased Mrs Abboud took up Miss Grimm’s offer,’ Alice-Miranda said, turning to her friends.

‘It’s fine for now, but they won’t be able to stay in that flat upstairs forever,’ Jacinta said. ‘I don’t imagine it would be terribly big and they are a large family.’

Tabitha returned to the front of the room and asked the girls to take their seats. ‘I just wanted to congratulate you on how hard you’ve all worked today,’ she said, fiddling with her bracelet. ‘I can see that many of you are making great headway on the unit already.’

Alice-Miranda felt a twinge of guilt. She’d barely achieved a thing, which wasn’t like her at all.

‘And I’d also ask you to spread the word that the first rehearsal for the Winchester-Fayle Singers will take place this Friday after school, here in the music room down the hall,’ the woman said.

‘Will everyone be involved?’ Jacinta asked innocently.

Caprice sniggered. ‘What Jacinta really wants to know is whether her boyfriend from Fayle will be coming over.’

‘Oh yes, the boys will be joining us,’ Tabitha said with a grin.

‘Is the concert still going to happen?’ a small girl called Lettie asked from the front row. Even though the other students hadn’t watched the television show last night, news of the festival had spread like wildfire.

‘I think it should. I’m sure that it would raise lots of money,’ Miss Crowley said. ‘Well done, Millie, for thinking of it.’

Caprice rolled her eyes.

‘I’m afraid that Miss Grimm and Miss Reedy aren’t very keen,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘Maybe if we formed a committee and organised everything ourselves, they might change their minds.’

Tabitha chewed on the end of her pencil. She didn’t want to overstep the mark, being new and all, but if she could help the girls pull off something amazing then hopefully the school would keep her. ‘Girls, I think we should do it,’ she said finally. ‘We have to at least try.’

A ripple of excitement ran through the room.

‘Yes!’ Millie hissed, clenching her fists.

‘You’d better get in touch with your uncle, Alice-Miranda, and see if he has any contacts for singers or bands,’ Sloane said. ‘I’m voting for Pretty in Pink and The Stingrays – they’re both awesome.’

Tabitha looked at the child curiously. Those were two of the most popular groups in the world at the moment. Sloane was likely aiming a little too high. ‘Might I ask who your uncle is, Alice-Miranda?’

‘Lawrence Ridley,’ Millie answered for her. ‘And his son, Lucas, is Jacinta’s boyfriend.’

Tabitha gasped. ‘He’s gor … very talented and I’m sure he’s well connected too.’

‘You were going to say gorgeous, weren’t you?’ Millie grinned with all her teeth. ‘And he totally is. My mum says she’d leave Dad in a heartbeat for Lawrence if he ever divorced Charlotte.’

Miss Crowley’s face turned the colour of an overripe tomato. ‘I’m sure your mother’s joking.’

‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ Millie said with a glint in her eye.

Jacinta raised her hand. ‘Miss Crowley, the lesson’s over.’

‘Oh, so it is,’ the woman said, grateful for a change of subject. ‘Now, girls, I’m going to make an announcement about singing practice at dinner tonight. Alice-Miranda, would you like to see who wants to be involved in the committee?’

‘I’ll get on it,’ the girl promised with a nod. There was still a niggle in the back of her mind about Miss Grimm and Miss Reedy, but hopefully she could talk them around. If the girls organised everything, there was no reason for them to say no. A family’s wellbeing depended on it. If Mr Abboud woke up to find that his home and restaurant were being rebuilt, that would go a long way to making him feel better. Granny Valentina always said that it was important for people to have something to look forward to.