Nice to see a successful midnight!
And the first one seems very plausible.
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| Advent 15 - Jo Scott x 3 http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7052 |
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| Author: | Advent Drabblers [ Tue Dec 15, 2009 9:21 am ] |
| Post subject: | Advent 15 - Jo Scott x 3 |
During. Jo Scott walked down the long corridor. It had to be quick. She looked around as she entered the splashery, but no one saw her. She looked at the long rows of blazers hanging on their pegs and smiled nervously. She should have a clear ten minutes before anyone missed her. This was too good an opportunity to miss. Stealthily she walked down the row, her nimble fingers darting in and out of pockets, seeing what they could find. She was careful to take only small trinkets, loose change and the odd broach or tie pin. Things that if they were ever missed would be put down to carelessness. When she had been through as many as she dared, she sat down and added up what she had found. It didn't seem much. A couple of loaves or a joint of meat maybe. Not a lot compared to the cost of keeping her here. She knew her fees etc were all taken care of, but there were so many incidentals that she knew her parents would be expected to provide. Pocket money, subscriptions, trips, breakages, it all added up. What would happen when the money ran out, as it always did? She needed to have a back-up, some way of enabling her parents to keep her at school. This pickpocketing was hardly enough. It may cover her pocket money when the worst happened, but no more than that. Jo wanted to step up her game. She didn't think that middles carelessness would suffice in the long term. It certainly wouldn't pay for the sort of trips this school went in for. The first solution was to turn her attention to the mistresses, but she was well aware that they would look for the culprit with some ruthlessness. While she knew she could quite happily stand in assembly, look into Miss Annersely's eyes and lie, saying she knew nothing, she didn't want to have to do it too often, it was tiresome. Still they would do in the meantime. She would have to be careful, one at a time maybe rather than several at once. As she planned to pick the mistresses pockets her brain ran forward, looking for schemes and ways to make this bigger. She wanted to discover how to get the petty cash from Miss Dene; how to take housekeeping from Matey; how to take the maids wages from Karen. There was money here for the taking if she could plan well enough. She was motivated enough. Her parents couldn't manage money so it was up to her. |
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| Author: | JB [ Tue Dec 15, 2009 9:54 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advent 15 - Jo Scott |
I can completely understand that Jo would feel that way after all the family's worries about money. Poor Jo. |
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| Author: | Advent Drabblers [ Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:08 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advent 15 - Jo Scott |
Before Jo Scott sat in the corner of the common room reading one of her favourite school stories. She had just got to the part detailing a (failed) midnight feat, and shook her head. It seemed very strange to her that the staff took midnights so seriously. And even stranger that the girls who took part were so very ill afterwards. Of course, she mused, some of these schools mixed up the ages of girls in the dorms, and that didn't happen at her African school. Each dorm only had girls from the same year in it, and so they had a much easier time, since they didn't have to risk leaving their rooms. Of course, strictly speaking it was against the rules, just as talking after Lights Out was. The general attitude was that if you were caught you took whatever punishment was given out, but very few midnights were ever found out. They took place on someone's birthday if anyone could get to the shops, and always, without fail, on the last night of term. It was amazing, she thought with a grin, how many people had a family member with a birthday so that someone from each room had to go into the nearby town. And the Christmas term midnight was always special, and would take place that very night. None of the dormies made any fuss about going to bed that night, much to the relief of the staff on duty. Naturally they all knew why - some of them were old girls after all. Their attitude was that so long as their attention wasn't drawn to what was going on they would turn a blind eye, whether it was against the rules or not. In Jo's dorm they got through the bedtime routine as quickly as they could, and settled down to read or talk quietly till the lights were turned off. After that the conversation went on in low tones or whispers for a while. "Does anyone actually wait till midnight?" asked Sally Rogers, who was new that term. "Of course not! Far too hard to stay awake, or to wake up at the right time if you go to sleep. We just wait for things to settle down, and once it's quiet we get going," replied Jo. "In fact, it sounds pretty quiet out there now." The girls crept out of bed, smothering their giggles, and collected the goodies hidden on the top of the big wardrobe that held their dresses and coats. They had to stand on a chair to reach, but none of them thought of the risks, unless it was the risk of being caught if they fell. Before long a range of food was set out on the floor, including fruit from the local market, small pies and pastries, crisps, and mince pies and Christmas cake brought in from home. Drinks had been thought of, and there was a large bottle of the local soft drink made from flower petals. If any of the staff had seen that there would have been real trouble, for the girls knew that they weren't supposed to drink this, as no one knew what else found its way into the concoction apart from the flowers, sugar, and water. Not that the girls cared about that of course, they just found the drink had a nice flavour and was refreshing. Half the fun of a midnight was having to be quiet, keeping the talk and giggles down to almost a whisper level. Within a very short space of time all that was left was a litter of crumbs, and the dregs in the bottom of the bottle. "How about a pillow fight?" asked Rosey Wadey, who was always ready for a bit of fun. The idea was leapt upon, and a free-for-all started with each girl standing on her own bed. The idea was to avoid touching the floor at all costs, and if you did you were out. The final two left in were belabouring each other near the window, when one of the girls staggered back into the frame. Looking down she gasped. "Quick! Settle down! The Head's out there," she hissed. Within seconds the girls were in bed, covers pulled up, pillows where they should be, just in case. They were drifting off to sleep before they realised that it wasn't their dormy she was heading for. And unlike Jo's books, not one of them was sick or ill from their unorthodox meal! |
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| Author: | ChubbyMonkey [ Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:34 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advent 15 - Jo Scott x 2 |
I'm pleased to see that someone got away with it! How understandable that she should feel the need to steal, though. |
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| Author: | Lesley [ Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advent 15 - Jo Scott x 2 |
Nice to see a successful midnight! And the first one seems very plausible.
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| Author: | Advent Drabblers [ Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:28 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advent 15 - Jo Scott x 2 |
After. Maeve Bettany answered the telephone on the third ring, “Hello? Oh hello Maurice, good to hear from you, how's Carol and the family? Good, good. No I'm not flying today – have a rest day, starting with the new 737's tomorrow. Yes I'm looking forward to it - especially as I'll be in charge of the cabin crew – quite a responsibility – still, nothing that an Old Head Girl of the Chalet School can't handle. Yes, I'll be at the Quadrant for Christmas – can't upset the parents now, can I? Take care.” She placed the phone back on it's base and continued getting ready, just as she was about to leave it rang again, “Hello? Sue, lovely to hear from you, yes I'm looking forward to the flight tomorrow – long haul as well. Still, we'll be able to go shopping in New York – I fancy Macy's myself. No, I'm not seeing the others today, no I'm not festering inside my flat – if you must know I've got a date – no, not anyone you'd know. Oh well it's a bit of a blind date – we've only sent each other notes. I'll let you know more later - no I won't tell you his name – not until after I've met him to see if he's fanciable.” Maeve ended the call and hurried out. She drove her car quickly to an old, deserted airstrip nearby and stood waiting. Sure enough, only minutes later, a small twin engined plane appeared and landed nearby before taxi-ing over to where Maeve was standing. She got in and looked round, “Joe? Are you there?” A female voice from the cockpit answered her, “In here.” Maeve moved to the cockpit and frowned, “Who the Hell are you? I'm looking for Joe Saunders, pilot, he's the Co-Pilot on the flight to New York tomorrow.” The woman flying the aircraft smiled, “Yes, that's me, Jo Saunders, though you might know me better as Jo Scott, I was married for a while, kept the name.” “Jo Scott? But that's...” Maeve swallowed quickly, “you said you fancied me.” “I lied,” Jo said, still smiling, “I just wanted a way to meet you, excuse me a minute,” she flipped a switch and a voice suddenly echoed through the small craft, 'TV 818 respond, you disappeared from our radar.' “Sorry flight, had to dodge down to miss a flock of birds, back on original flight plan, across to Brittany.” 'Copy' Maeve smiled, “Well this is all very mysterious,” she said, “I mean I'd have come out for the day anyway, Jo, to meet up with an old school friend. Why the trickery?” “I had my reasons, Maeve,” Jo replied, “I gather you are doing well then?” “Yes, doing what I always wanted, you know me, I always get what I want.” “Yes, I know,” Jo replied, placing the plane on autopilot, “like when you wanted to be Head Girl – had to be, after all, your two older sisters had been, hadn't they?” “Oh you're not still sore about that, are you?” Maeve gave a little laugh, “I mean that's all water under the bridge now, yes, I framed you for that theft, caused Miss Annersley to ask your parents to quietly take you away in our final year, but look at you now, a pilot no less. There can't be many female pilots.” “There aren't,” Jo replied, “but it's not been easy. First the struggle for my parents to get me into another school for my last year – oh nothing was said but you could see the other schools asking, why would I leave the Chalet School in the year I was expecting to be Head Girl? The struggle continued after that, having to fund my way through university, put up with all the sneers, the ridicule when I wanted to become a commercial pilot. But I did it, I managed.” “Well then I probably did you a favour then,” Maeve said, “made you tough enough to win through. So I was Head Girl and you've become a pilot – we both win.” Jo sat still for a moment, “You know, right up to that point I was prepared to forget all this,” she said quietly, “if you'd just said you were sorry, it would have been enough.” “What are you taking about?” Jo looked out of the window, saw the English Channel far below, she smiled, “I'm talking about this,” she said, and, in one fluid moment she had tightened her seat belt, opened the main hatch and send the plane into a spin – Maeve didn't even have a chance to scream before being swept out of the plane and down, down, down into the grey, choppy waters far below. As quickly, Jo closed the hatch and brought the plane back onto a normal heading, she flicked the intercom, “This is TV 818; flight I've changed my mind, returning to base, copy.” 'TV 818, copy your change of plan – too choppy for you out there?' “Something like that.” |
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| Author: | Sugar [ Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:44 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advent 15 - Jo Scott x 3 |
Wasn't expecting that! Neither was Maeve!
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| Author: | Nightwing [ Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:48 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advent 15 - Jo Scott x 3 |
Served Maeve right! Loved Jo's midnight feast - and I wonder about the first one. Almost sounds as though she's suffering from some form of post-stress disorder 
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| Author: | Dawn [ Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:49 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advent 15 - Jo Scott x 3 |
 Wow! Three very different Jo Scott's but all feasibly part of the same person. And a big thankyou ADers, sorry I haven't been posting much, but I have been reading and really enjoying them all. |
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| Author: | JB [ Wed Dec 16, 2009 10:32 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advent 15 - Jo Scott x 3 |
Good detective work, finding out why Jo really left the school so quietly. Thanks Advent Drabblers. |
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| Author: | ChubbyMonkey [ Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:57 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Advent 15 - Jo Scott x 3 |
Now, that was unexpected! I like that Jo had a good career, though. Thankyou! |
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