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Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3
http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7014

Author:  Advent Drabblers [ Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:12 am ]
Post subject:  Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3

After

She shifted on her perch, careful not to dislodge anything. This was the worst part of being freelance. It was great to be able to pick and choose her own jobs, her own hours, to shove her way in with the big boys whenever she could. However it did mean that she had no support, she was on her own. There was no journalist to write copy for her, no bevy of official newspaper photographers to both help and hinder her. There was just her. Trying to get the scoop.

Melanie worked mainly in Europe. School had seen her fluent in several languages and accustomed to travelling. This gave her a distinct advantage over the British hacks, many of whom thought they could be understood by anyone if they shouted loud enough. There was also the advantage that the European press would publish a lot of photographs that the more sedate British press would turn regretfully away. She was hoping to take some of those today.

She was actually halfway up a tree with a branch sticking in a most inappropriate place, but provided with plenty of cover by the leaves and with a useful v-shape in the tree limbs to support her camera since a tripod was out of the question. She had been taking photographs of Princess Margaret for many months now, some more candid than others and had sold a good few of them, but the one she was after today should make her the envy of the other freelancers.

Getting the tip off had not been easy, it cost her a lot of drinks. The Princess' staff were not easy to get information out of. In the end she worked not on them but on their friends and their friends friends. It was a long shot, but it had paid off. This was the beach the couple were going to today. She ignored the fact that it was a private beach. It wasn't as if she was a terrorist after all. She was just a press photographer who happened to be on the island of Mustique. Melanie had come down early in the morning and watched the bodyguards check the beach, the trees, the caves, all from a distance. Then once they were satisfied she moved in closer. This tree was a perfect perch, apart from that one damn branch.

As the sun got higher she finally saw the couple. A few rounds where shot off as they came onto the beach and settled down, but this wasn't what she was there for. Two fully dressed adults looking at sun loungers was after all not headline news, even if one of them was a royal and the other not her husband. Melanie was after bigger shots than this and was sure today was her lucky day. The weather was balmy, the beach secluded. Princess Margaret and  Roddy Llewellyn would not sit like this all day. She was right of course. It was not long before they took off their robes preparatory for a swim. That was the shot she was after. She kept shooting, changing film and lenses quickly. Photographs of the pair in swimsuits would be headline news, especially swimming together, playfully splashing each other. There was enough in the photos to hint at more than friendship.

Melanie pocketed a roll of film and reloaded. Now was decision time. Should she quietly make her way back and sell what she had, or wait around, see if the afternoon led to more indiscretions. What she had would be clamoured over by all the press, including the British, but if she waited then maybe she would get THE shot. A kiss or caress. A single photograph worth a fortune. Melanie wondered who she would approach with it, how she would bargain. That short daydream was her undoing. She lost concentration for a moment, wriggled and the branch that was in an awkward place suddenly became a lot more awkward, painful in fact. Trying to free herself without attracting attention was suddenly more important than any future shot.

It wasn't possible of course. And it wasn't Melanie who had photographs of the pair published in the News of the World. That happened a few days later, while Melanie was still cooling her heels in the local police station, minus several rolls of film!

Author:  JB [ Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas

Ouch. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Author:  sealpuppy [ Thu Dec 10, 2009 2:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas

Dear me, where's Miss Annersley when you need a moral pointing out? :shock:

Author:  Alison H [ Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas

:lol:

Author:  ChubbyMonkey [ Thu Dec 10, 2009 4:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas

Ouch!

Author:  Abi [ Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas

Oohhh dear! :lol:

Author:  Advent Drabblers [ Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas

During


Melanie Lucas was a fairly ordinary schoolgirl, neither particularly bright nor especially dim. She had never stood out in a crowd, and although an only child she had learnt that it was not possible to get your own way all the time. There was nothing about her to make anyone think that she'd do anything very spectacular apart from a deep vein of jealousy which she took pains to hide. This had nearly ruined the summer holidays for more than just herself before she came to the Chalet School, and she was determined never to behave that way again if she could help it. That was, however, before a certain Barbara Masters arrived.

Barbara was one of those girls who drew attention to herself without actually doing anything to attract it. She was naturally bright and vivacious, ready to be friends with all and sundry. That was the problem, and where all the trouble started. Melanie felt that the girls that she was friends with were deserting her for Babs, as she liked to be called, and Melanie resented it.

"What do you see in her?" she asked Ruey one day, just before half term, when she was feeling particularly low.

"She's so bright and alive, I suppose," said Ruey. "And she's miraculous at lacrosse."

"Oh you and lacrosse," said Melanie, who didn't share Ruey's devotion to the game. "Is that all?"

Rue shrugged, and Melanie had to leave it at that. But the niggle persisted, right through half term, and on, not helped by the weather which had turned wet and windy once they were back in school, confining them to the building. Then the parts for the Christmas Play were given out, and Melanie was given the sort of small part that she had expected. But Babs had a much better part, and Melanie found this adding to her resentment of the girl. Babs herself had no idea of what Melanie was feeling. She wasn't the type to see things like that and Melanie herself tried to hide what she was feeling. But that only buried it deeper, and it ate away at her until she felt she had to do something - what she didn't know.

The snow came early that year, and the girls were released onto the slopes as soon as the first frost had hardened it sufficiently for skiing and tobogganing. Not being very sporty, Melanie soon tired of tobogganing, but knowing that she had to keep moving, she decided to spend her time at the top of the slope building a snowman. Odette Mercier helped for a while, as she was feeling tired after slogging back up the hill for another run, but when Len came back up she went off with her, leaving Melanie alone again. She had made the base of the snowman by rolling a snowball bigger and bigger until it wouldn't roll any more, and then she started in on the head. Once she'd got it to the size she wanted she rolled it across to where the body stood, ready to lift into place. Before making the effort she stood and looked around her. Everywhere were girls and mistresses having fun, skiing or coasting. Immediately below her she saw Babs, who had proved to be a competent skier. She was just finishing a run, and for the moment was quite alone. Something snapped in Melanie, and instead of lifting the snowball onto the body, she sent it rolling down the hill, straight at the unsuspecting Babs. It bounced down the slope gathering speed and snow on the way. Suddenly Melanie realised what she had done, and yelled a warning. Babs looked up, gave a wild yell, and tried frantically to get out of the way of the lethal projectile. For a moment it seemed as though she would succeed, but she wasn't quite in time, and the giant ball caught her, sending her flying and rolling over her, breaking up as it did so. Miss Ferrars, first on the scene, dug frantically in the mass of snow, trying to find the buried girl. Others joined her, and Melanie came flying down the hill to help too. But it was in vain. By the time the diggers had reached Babs it was too late. The impact of the ball and the suffocation under the weight of the snow had done their job, and Babs lay there very dead.

Melanie burst into tears when she realised what had happened.

"I didn't mean it, honestly I didn't," she sobbed.

"No one thinks that you did," said Miss Ferrars. "It was an accident Melanie, so stop that crying and go and get Matron please."

Melanie hurried off, not realising that she had been sent on the errand to give her something else to think about. Matron returned with the school stretcher and Babs was lifted onto it and carried back to the school san to await the arrival of a doctor. No one ever found out that Melanie had sent the snowball rolling on purpose, but Melanie had learnt her lesson. Never again did she let her jealousy get the better of her.

Author:  JB [ Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas

Thanks for today's corpse. :)

Author:  Sugar [ Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 2

Thanks .... :shock:

Author:  Alison H [ Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 2

Well, so many people lay there still, grey and to all appearance dead that someone had to be genuinely dead one day :shock: !

Author:  Abi [ Thu Dec 10, 2009 11:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 2

Yes, I can see how that would teach you a lesson. :shock:

Author:  Advent Drabblers [ Fri Dec 11, 2009 1:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 2

Apologies for late posting - I fell asleep! :lol:

At the age of thirteen everything changed for Melanie; she had been used to travelling with her parents all over the world when, suddenly, they had decided that a long trip to Brazil was too much for her. Instead she was to stay with her father's twin sister and her husband. Melanie liked her Aunt and Uncle a lot – even though Uncle Oliver was very strict – but she was still very upset that her parents could abandon her so easily. She enjoyed her school, St Katherine's and made some very good friends there but, still, the need to show her parents that she was annoyed with them remained.

She finally managed to get the opportunity some six months later when her mother and father had flown home for a short leave. Melanie made her preparations and then sat back to await developments. She had to wait some weeks to hear of the success of her plans and then only in a letter that her father had written to her aunt. Aunt Amabel had allowed Melanie to read parts of it and the girl's eyes sparkled when she read the following,

'And the one thing that was extremely vexing about the entire trip back was a complete accident. As you know we packed very carefully for our trip back, having a few things in our overnight bag while the rest went in the hold. Well when we finally got back to Manaos we were astonished to discover that all of our clothes were stained a brilliant purple – and I mean everything! We found the culprit to be a pen that had leaked even though neither of us recognised the pen – but some clothes had to be discarded while others, even now, have a slight violet tinge. Not exactly the image we wanted to project over here! It's a complete mystery...'


Melanie did not think it a mystery, She had appropriated the pen from Sister Mary Margaret and deliberately broken it before placing it in her parents' trunk. That would teach then to go off and leave her!

Author:  Sugar [ Fri Dec 11, 2009 1:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 2

:lol: Lovely childish prank!

Thank you for posting Lesley! You can go back to sleep now! :wink:

Author:  Dawn [ Fri Dec 11, 2009 12:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3

Hope you managed to get back to sleep Lesley!

And well done Melanie - I think I'd have been tempted to do something too :lol:

Author:  JB [ Fri Dec 11, 2009 12:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3

What a wicked prank. I don't blame the poor child.

Author:  ChubbyMonkey [ Fri Dec 11, 2009 12:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3

Two very different sides! :shock: Loved the prank though.

Thankyou.

Author:  Abi [ Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3

Awww, poor Melanie. :(

Author:  Cath V-P [ Sat Dec 12, 2009 2:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3

Thank you Drabblers; what an excellent revenge!

Author:  cal562301 [ Sat Dec 12, 2009 9:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3

Dawn wrote:
Hope you managed to get back to sleep Lesley!

And well done Melanie - I think I'd have been tempted to do something too :lol:


*Wondering how anyone knew this was Lesley, as I thought the ADs were anonymous*

Are we to know who the others are?

Enjoying all of them very much!

Author:  Pat [ Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3

I thought that miost people knew who we are. Lesley, CarolynP and me!

Author:  cal562301 [ Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3

Pat wrote:
I thought that miost people knew who we are. Lesley, CarolynP and me!


Sorry was that posted somewhere, because if it was, I missed it. And how do we know who wrote what?

Author:  Pat [ Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3

cal562301 wrote:
Pat wrote:
I thought that miost people knew who we are. Lesley, CarolynP and me!


Sorry was that posted somewhere, because if it was, I missed it. And how do we know who wrote what?



I think it's been in one of the earlier drabbles, but not sure. Sorry it missed you.

As for knowing who wrote which - that would be telling!!!! :twisted: :devil:
However, we do tend to post in the same order, though even that isn't necessarily true, today being an example of that.

Author:  Susan [ Sun Dec 13, 2009 5:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent 10 Melanie Lucas x 3

Poor abandonded child. Thank you.

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