Troubles of Jessica - Part Four - COMPLETED 31 Aug pg 20

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#1: Troubles of Jessica - Part Four - COMPLETED 31 Aug pg 20 Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 11:16 am
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Links to previous parts:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

~pim~


The ambulance arrived and the paramedics looked grave. Emily was whisked off to hospital while Adam remained to fetch Miss Winter to look after the girls. He followed the ambulance in his car, paying no heed to Jessica’s demands to be allowed to go with him. Adam was far too worried about Emily to give a thought to the distraught girl and it took Miss Winter, with her sensible, matter of fact attitude, and Spud, with his unquestioning devotion, to bring Jessica back to some semblance of normality. Rosamund sat quietly though it all, not wishing to make a nuisance of herself, but praying devoutly that Emily would be alright and that the baby would survive.

Emily lost the baby. It was still born just after midnight. Emily was devastated. Apart from a few bruises, she had suffered no other injuries but the fall had proved too much for the baby in her womb. She sank into a bitter depression from which nothing would rouse her. Her physical injuries healed quickly and she was allowed home after five days. Jessica had refused to go back to school, wanting to be on hand in case her mother needed her. When Emily saw Jessica waiting for her at the front door of Moorlands, she began to cry weakly and would not see her daughter. If only she had picked another time to break the news to Jessica about her new school.

Jessica, too, was distraught. She knew that she must be held partly to blame for her mother’s fall. If she had not been so cruel and so determined to find fault with the school that had been chosen, Emily might not have felt unwell at the top of the stairs. She would not have lost her balance and she wouldn’t have fallen. She would not have killed the baby. Jessica had never wanted the baby that Emily had carried for five months, but she felt to blame for the death of the tiny human.

Christmas was just round the corner. Jessica would not return to Redferne and Miss Burn arranged for all her belongings to be shipped back to Moorlands. It was sad to say that none of her form mates missed her. Emily remained in her depression. Although she was up and about and keeping house with Adam’s help, her heart was not in it and she spent a lot of time thinking about her lost baby. She could hardly bear to be in the same room as Jessica and this affected Jessica badly. Eventually, Adam decided that for Emily to make a full recovery, Jessica must go away for a while. Shortly before Christmas, he bundled her into the car and drove her up to Ambleside, to the Coach House and to Kate and John. Adam knew she would be safe there and it was not good for her to be in the cold atmosphere of Moorlands when she should be preparing herself for starting her new school. He wanted Rosamund to go to his sister’s, but Emily seemed to derive a lot of comfort from Rosamund’s presence and so she stayed put.

Jessica returned home to Moorlands two days before she was due to depart for Cor-Lan. Kate had seen to getting her uniform and Miss Winter had spent a lot of time packing her trunk at Moorlands. Jessica came back in trepidation, unsure as to how Emily would welcome her. She stood uneasily in the doorway, staring at her mother who looked wan and tired, but was otherwise her normal self. Emily held out her arms, and Jessica flung herself into them. No words were spoken, but Jessica knew that she was forgiven for her part in the accident and Emily knew how wrong she had been for blaming Jessica in the first place.

The night before leaving for Cor-Lan, Emily visited Jessica in her bedroom. Emily promised that, if Jessica behaved herself for the next term, they would reconsider sending her to the High School after the summer holidays. Jessica was delighted and arrived at Cor-Lan determined to do her best for that term.

Last edited by leahbelle on Thu Aug 31, 2006 5:47 pm; edited 48 times in total

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#2:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 11:19 am
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Thanks, Sue.

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#3:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 11:25 am
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Thank you Sue. How sad that Emily lost the baby but I am glad that she was able to make things up with Jessia.

Thanks you

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#4:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 11:27 am
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Thanks Sue. I feel terrible for Emily, but think Adam's handling of the situation was rather unfortunate. Packing Jessica off and leaving Rosamund at home has potential for creating more resentment.

I wonder what goes wrong at the new school for Jessica's good intentions to be dashed.

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#5:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:06 pm
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Poor Emily and Adam .

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#6:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:35 pm
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Thanks, Sue. I am also feeling sorry for Emily and Adam. It's good that Emily has shown Jessica that she has forgiven her.

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#7:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:36 pm
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Adam drove Jessica down to Cor-Lan the next day. Emily was beginning to feel stronger, and so she accompanied them to Jessica’s delight. Rosamund was left in the care of Miss Winter. Jessica was nervous about starting her new school, but she could see that it would be a new start for her and a chance for her to make good. The fact that Emily had told her there was a chance that she could be a day girl again and go to the High School made a difference to Jessica’s outlook. Instead of making a nuisance of herself at Cor-Lan and making Emily regret sending her there, she was prepared to make an effort, behave herself and study hard so that, after the summer, she could live at Moorlands. If she was living at home, there was no way Rosamund could continue to inveigle her way between mother and daughter. Jessica was bright and cheerful during the drive, and Emily was thrilled at the change in her errant daughter.

Jessica liked the look of Cor-Lan on sight. It was an old manor house, three stories high built from gray granite. It would have been a rather severe looking building, but ivy and climbing roses grew up the walls in profusion and, even though they were brown and lifeless at the moment, they added character to the house and Jessica knew that it would be a very pretty sight in summer.

Numerous cars were pulled up on the gravel driveway and Jessica got out of the car shyly, looking round at the other girls. They were all dressed identically to Jessica – in a saxe-blue winter coat with the school badge in blue and yellow on the breast and a saxe-blue hat with a twist of yellow wound round the crown. Jessica knew that, beneath the coat, the younger girls would be wearing a tunic over a cream blouse and a tie of the same blue with narrow yellow stripes. The fifth and sixth formers would be wearing skirts instead of tunics. Jessica thought the uniform was pleasant, and a nice change from the gray she had worn at Redferne.

Jessica’s trunk had been sent in advance and she only had a small night case with her which she clutched to chest nervously as she followed her mother and Adam up the driveway and in through the ornate wooden front door. She knew that she would be the only new girl this term as all of her form – the fourteen year olds in the third – had been new the term before. Cor-Lan did not, as a rule, encourage new girls to start mid-way through the school year, but they had made an exception for Jessica. She knew that she was attracting a lot of stares as she made her way towards the door.

Emily had received instructions that they should report to one of the two matrons on arrival who would be situated in the Hall to meet the girls and shoo them off to unpack. The three were greeted in a friendly manner and one of the elder girls was told off to take them to the study where the head mistress, Miss Carson, was expecting them.

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#8:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:39 pm
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It's nice to see Jessica so positive for once, but I'm already worried about what's going to go wrong here. Thanks, Sue.

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#9:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:52 pm
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Hope it goes OK.

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#10:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 3:24 pm
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Thanks, Sue. I am also hoping that things will go ok.

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#11:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 6:45 pm
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Thank you Sue, I'm glad that Jessica likes her new school so far...

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#12:  Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 7:57 pm
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I wonder if one of the girls will know someone from Redferne? Who will tell them about how Jess was, giving her a bad reputation, that she'll then live up to...

On 2 July, Chelsea wrote

Quote:

Not that my parents would have to show up at an interview to learn I was being expelled

Trusting you meant you weren't expelled Chelsea, not that they'd have found out without having to go for an interview?

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#13:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 8:33 pm
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Something's going to go wrong, isn't it? Such a shame because I feel Jessica would have made good if things had happened as planned.

Thanks

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#14:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:28 pm
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I've been reading ML, and she was only there 2 terms!

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#15:  Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:17 am
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She's going off in such a positive frame of mind, with the intention to make good - it's such a shame that we know something is likely to go horribly wrong for her again!

Thanks, leahbelle.

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#16:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 1:10 pm
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Miss Carson was in her early sixties, and was a tall, serious looking lady with dark gray hair pulled into a loose bun at her neck. Tendrils of hair escaped from the bun making the whole effect rather less serious than it would otherwise have been. Jessica thought she looked ancient. Miss Burn had only been in her late forties and looked a positive child compared to this new head mistress! Miss Carson was friendly, however, and she invited the three to sit down and take some tea with her before Jessica went off to her dormitory. Cor-Lan had only been given the very outline of Jessica’s history and so the head mistress was not at all prejudiced against the new girl. Miss Carson spoke for a while about the school and about the activities in which Jessica could get involved. Cor-Lan may have been a much smaller school than Redferne but it seemed to offer a lot more in the way of clubs and societies and Jessica began to look forward to the term.

Tea over and Miss Carson rang a bell. A few moments later, there was a knock on the door. In response to Miss Carson’s “Enter”, a small, slightly built girl with a long fair pigtail falling over her shoulders came into the room. She had been expecting this summons.

“Natasha, I’d like you to meet Jessica Wayne,” Miss Carson said. “Jessica is our only new girl this term and she will be with you in the third form, and in your dormitory. I’d like you to look after her, please, until she’s found her feet.”

“Of course, Miss Carson,” Natasha said properly, casting a beaming smile at Jessica.

“Jessica, this is Natasha Coles. She’ll take care of you until you’ve found your feet and make sure you know all the rules. Go with her to the dormitory now and she’ll help you to unpack.”

Jessica suddenly felt very tearful and lonely. She had never been away from Emily for so long before, except when she stayed with grandparents but that didn’t count. She treated Emily to a bear hug and Adam to a kiss on the cheek before she went off with Natasha.

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#17:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 1:18 pm
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At least she isn't feeling stroppy!

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#18:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 1:20 pm
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But it will be so much worse when things go wrong after she's being so positive about it all. At least if she's stroppy she only gets what she deserves.

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#19:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 1:32 pm
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Thanks, Jessica. I am starting to wibble about the future when things will go wrong.

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#20:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 2:00 pm
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It's actually been really nice writing about a happy Jessica instead of a moody, stroppy Jessica. It was a real downer for me to think of something to put her back to stage one! Enjoy these next few posts - her happiness doesn't last long.

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#21:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 5:58 pm
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So sad to know what's coming.

Thanks Sue

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#22:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:10 pm
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Thank you Sue, it seems such a positive start

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#23:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:55 am
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Natasha led her through a maze of corridors and up two flights of stairs, chattering happily. “You’ll soon find your way around, Jessica. This place is a regular rabbit warren but it’s quite easy once you get used to it. You’re in the Daffodil dormitory with me and…” Natasha paused here and giggled for no reason that Jessica could see. “Anyway,” the fair girl went on, “there are never more than four in a dormitory here because the rooms are so small. When you get to sixth form, you have your own room. Here we are!”

Natasha threw open the door leading into a small room with low coved ceilings and dormer windows. It was a very attractive room with four beds, one in each corner, with pretty coverings scattered with daffodils. There were yellow curtains at the windows and matching rugs on the floors. Jessica also took in the rods and curtains that surrounded each bed and Natasha later explained that the curtains closed round to give each girl an individual living area. Jessica was delighted with this. Redferne had had no such niceties and she was just at an age where she was beginning to feel the need for privacy. But that was later. At the moment, what caught Jessica’s eye was another small, fair girl with plaited hair who was grinning at her from the bed at the far end of the room.

“What on earth…” Jessica gasped, turning to Natasha.

“Meet Natalie,” Natasha said, also grinning. “My twin! Nat, this is Jessica.”

“Hi, Jessica. I guess we gave you a bit of a shock?”

“Just a bit!” Jessica was startled out of her sudden shyness. “I’ve never met identical twins before. You are identical, aren’t you?”

“We are,” Natasha confirmed, taking Jessica’s arm and pulling her right into the room. She led her up to a bed and Jessica recognised her trunk at its foot.

“How do people tell you apart?” she asked curiously, “You must have tons of fun in class!”

“We did…last term,” Natalie said ruefully. “But the teachers have put paid to that.” She twitched the end of her pigtail. “Look, I wear a yellow ribbon and Tash’s is blue. No mistaking us now!”

Jessica laughed and said impishly, “But you could always swap ribbons,” and the twins looked at each other, mischief ripe in their faces.

The rest of the day went quickly. The twins, who were in the same dormitory as last term and therefore had left most of their school things in situ over the holidays, had little unpacking to do and set to with a will to help Jessica unload her trunk. Jessica found that Cor-Lan was not so strict about the use of a specific drawer for a specific item of clothing and, as long as drawers and cupboards were tidy, they could be used as the girls wished. Halfway through the unpacking the fourth member of Daffodil, Ruth Shipley, arrived and Jessica was introduced. She got the impression that, together, the three girls formed a group and Jessica wondered if they would like her enough to ask her to join with them.

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#24:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:13 am
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I hope the twins aren't too naughty. Jessica really needs some hard-working friends. But they do seem like fun! Thanks, Sue.

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#25:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:44 am
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I think the twins naughtiness will be the nice naughtiness. So far so good then.

Thanks Sue.

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#26:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:35 pm
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Sounds promising so far.

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#27:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 1:16 pm
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The twins sound lovely and I hope they make friends with Jessica.

Thanks Sue!

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#28:  Author: Alice, Location: London, England Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 2:24 pm
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This all seems promising... So where's it going to go wrong?

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#29:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:23 pm
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Thanks, Sue. I hope that Natasha, Natalie and Ruth will ask Jessica to join them in their group.

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#30:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 11:31 am
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Is this where the dares come into it? I came to this story via Leahbelle's thread about dares and don't recall seeing any so far ...

It's a fab story, Leahbelle, and I really wish Jess could stay at this school as it actually sounds a lot nicer than the CS in many ways!

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#31:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:10 pm
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lizarfau wrote:

Is this where the dares come into it? I came to this story via Leahbelle's thread about dares and don't recall seeing any so far ...

Stay tuned - the dares are on the way!


Dinner followed, and then the girls were free for the evening. There were no evening prayers at Cor-Lan, only an “assembly” every morning which included time for worship. The common room for the Thirds was just as well stocked as any common room at Redferne had ever been, possibly better. Jessica was intrigued by a green table, marked in white with a net and was informed that it was a table tennis table and that the girls often got up competitions in the evenings. The twins introduced her to the rest of the form. There were only sixteen girls in the Third, and Jessica learned that this was the average number in every form. She found out that the form mistress was Miss Cross who was a “perfect poppet out of school” and she also learned that mistresses were, in general, known as teachers here.

The prefects and head girl were pointed out to her. Being such a small school, Cor-Lan only had three full prefects plus the head girl and games prefect. Each of the three prefects was assigned to a form and was responsible for seeing to the girls within it. Jane Fletcher was the prefect allocated to the Third and Jessica was told that she could apply to Jane for help or advise at any time. This was different to the set up at Redferne where the prefects had been a very elite body who tended to keep themselves to themselves, except on rare occasions. One of the benefits of such a small school as Cor-Lan was that the prefects tended to integrate themselves much more.

The Third had its own prefect and deputy, Catherine Cousins and Laura Fareham, and these two were responsible for seeing that the girls behaved themselves during prep, which was not overseen by anyone in authority.

Bedtime for the Thirds came at 0900, the Fourths went at 0930 and the Fifth and Sixth could stay up until 1000 if they chose – and most of them did! The girls were very much on their honour in their dormitories. There was no dormitory prefect, although one of the school prefects did the rounds each evening and she could usually get to the bottom of most problems or ferret out any mischief. Jessica was informed that the rising bell went at 0730 and that the girls were expected to be down to breakfast at 0800. Assembly followed at 0830 and lessons began at 0900.

All in all, Jessica thought as she snuggled beneath the sheets that night, Cor-Lan looked like being a reasonable school and she thought that she could be happy there. It was not the same as being a day girl again, but Jessica was determined to do whatever she could to make sure that this was a real possibility.

Jessica did not take long to settle into school life at Cor-Lan. At first, she missed Beth and Charlotte terribly. She had neither seen nor heard from her erstwhile friends since that awful weekend when Emily had lost the baby. She had contemplated writing to Beth and apologising for her cruel stunt, but she had not quite felt brave enough. The girls in her new form were, on the whole, pleasant and friendly, but it was the twins, Natalie and Natasha, to whom Jessica felt most drawn and she was glad that Natasha was obeying the Head’s instructions to look after her.

Jessica soon learned that, with only one exception, the girls in the Third were workers. Even those who were not academically inclined worked hard during lessons and prep and did their best. As a result, the average marks in the class were amongst the highest in the school which was amazing given that the girls were the youngest in the school. With such dedication being shown by her form-mates, Jessica felt she had no alternative but to work to the best of her ability and she guessed that these girls would not look kindly on anyone who disrupted lessons or who dragged the form down. It was not easy for her because she had missed a lot of work during her illness and had done little to catch up during the previous term at Redferne. The form teacher, Miss Cross, saw that she was struggling and arranged for her to have extra coaching for the first half of the term in her weakest subjects – languages, history and English.

The one girl in the Third who refused to conform to the standard set by the others was Sophie Gilmore. She liked what she saw of Jessica and tried to involve Jessica in her ploys but the other girl would have nothing to do with them and so Sophie had to admire Jessica from afar and break the law without the assistance of the new girl.

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#32:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:19 pm
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It's funny to see Jessica on the other side of the fence, being the one ignoring the overtures of the troublemaker! Thanks, Sue.

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#33:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:20 pm
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Hope she'll stay out of trouble, but assume she won't!

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#34:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:32 pm
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Oh dear - can see where the trouble is going to come from - such a pity.

Thanks Sue.

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#35:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 2:37 pm
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Thanks, Sue. I am wondering if Sophie will lead Jessica astray.

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#36:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:20 pm
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Thanks Sue, it's such a shame that Jessica doesn't settle down as this promising beginning suggests

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#37:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 6:35 pm
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I only have two chapters of this left to write! Then I need to decide whether or not to tell the story of Jessica at the CS. I'm not sure. What do people think? I can't help feeling that all Jessica does is get into trouble and get told off for it and then she goes and does something even worse and so on. Her early time at the CS is no different, and I don't know if it would be a bit boring. Opinions welcomed!

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#38:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 6:46 pm
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Well, I for one would like to see more! Whatever she did when she first arrived at the CS was missed out, as OOAO wasn't there, so we do need to know all the details about that. And it might be interesting to see what she thinks of OOAO when she first meets her. I will be really sorry when this ends, as it's been brilliant.

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#39:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 7:08 pm
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I would love to read Jessica's view of the CS.

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#40:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 7:13 pm
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Me too. It's always interesting to read different perspectives!

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#41:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:28 pm
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I'd love to read more if you've got time to write it. Jessica's one of those characters who makes an interesting start then kind of fades into the background, and anyway most of what we hear about her is from OOAO's viewpoint - would love to hear it from Jessica's viewpoint.

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#42:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:11 am
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Oh, yes, do write it, Leahbelle. I always liked Jessica because she stood up to Matey (or tried to), hence was always a bit of a heroine for me, because I've always loathed Matey. This story has been great fun and I will be sorry when it ends.

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#43:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:07 pm
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Thanks for your replies. I must admit I am quite tempted to continue Jessica's story as, bizarrely, I'll miss her when Troubles is finished, even though she is the most annoying character! I think I'll give the bunny a rest during our move, and then see what he can come up with, so watch this space!

Here's today's effort.


The out of school activities were numerous and surprising in such a small school. There was a drama club and a debating society, as well as a chess club, a music appreciation group and a book club. There were also several smaller groups, including a nature group, and all of these were open to all of the girls. Jessica joined the nature group and the book club straight away. Natalie, Natasha and Ruth were all in the drama club, and so Jessica joined that as a matter of course.

Jessica’s only real complaint about Cor-Lan was to do with the games. The official game at Cor-Lan was hockey and there were two teams – fifteen and unders, and over-fifteens. The two senior forms also played lacrosse. Jessica had no interest in hockey and had no aptitude for it in any case. She was disappointed that netball wasn’t played as she had hoped that, now she had fully recovered from her illness, that she might be good enough for the team. But there was no netball and enquiries amongst her form revealed that no-one was very keen and so Jessica had to set aside plans to set up a form team.

It was quite a small thing, though, and Jessica found her time filled to overflowing with the other activities offered by the school.

Half term came and went before Jessica knew it, the end of term was looming. She had settled in amazingly well and was fit and happy. Her work had picked up and her average was usually around 64%. She was still around the bottom of the form lists, but Miss Cross assured her that her averages would rise as she continued to catch up with her work.

Natasha, Natalie and Ruth had welcomed the new girl into their coterie and Jessica found herself missing Beth and Charlotte less and less, though she still could not quite bring herself to write that letter of apology to Beth. It had been a good term, and Jessica was looking forward to spending Easter at Moorlands. She had missed Spud dreadfully, and couldn’t wait to take him out and about across the moors. Jessica had become very fond of the Devon countryside and had often wished that she had Spud at her side as the form went for its walks and rambles.

Adam was due to collect Jessica on the last Friday of term and she found that she was actually looking forward to seeing her stepfather again. She had missed Emily as she had known she would, but had barely spared a thought for Adam, and none at all for Rosamund, so it was strange to her to be anticipating his arrival with something akin to pleasure.

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#44:  Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:12 pm
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Well that seems to have been a whole term without any problems. It would be nice to think it could go on like that, because I don't think Jessica is missing being in trouble all the time. What happens to spoil everything?

It would be very interesting to read Jessica's point of view on the CS. Thanks, leahbelle.

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#45:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:12 pm
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I am delighted that Jessica is settling in well, however I am concerned that something is going to happen over Easter which will change all that. I mean, there has to be some reason why she falls back into her old ways, and it is usually home events which lead to her getting into trouble so I am wibbling slightly about what is happening next!


Thanks for the updates though.

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#46:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:13 pm
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Jessica seems to happy at the moment...I wonder what's going to happen next...

Thanks Sue, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for more of this!

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#47:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:22 pm
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It's great to see Jessica so happy. I just wish it had lasted. Thanks, Sue.

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#48:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:27 pm
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Things seem to be going well .

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#49:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:47 pm
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leahbelle wrote:

She had missed Emily as she had known she would, but had barely spared a thought for Adam, and none at all for Rosamund, so it was strange to her to be anticipating his arrival with something akin to pleasure.

I suspect dear old Adam is going to do or say something to send Jessica off the rails again.

Actually, while it's nice in a way to see her so happy, I must confess I've missed her bad behaviour a little. I mean, that's what I tune in for.

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#50:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:55 pm
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Thanks, Sue. I am also wondering if something will happen over halfterm.

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#51:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 1:19 pm
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lizarfau wrote:

Actually, while it's nice in a way to see her so happy, I must confess I've missed her bad behaviour a little. I mean, that's what I tune in for.

You're going to love what happens next term!

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#52:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 8:51 pm
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Something's going to go seriously wrong, isn't it?

*Waiting*

Thanks Sue.

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#53:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:30 am
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Here it comes....


On Wednesday evening, Jessica was summoned to the secretary’s study. She went with some trepidation. She had not been in trouble all term (an enormous achievement for her) and could think of nothing that she had done that would warrant such a summons. Miss O’Hara, the school secretary, smiled as Jessica entered looking positively scared.

“Don’t look so worried, dear,” she laughed. “You haven’t done anything wrong, though you must have a guilty conscience to look so concerned!”

“Oh, no, I…” Jessica stammered.

“I’m teasing you, Jessica! Now, take a seat. I’m expecting a phone call from stepfather and he has said that he’d like to speak to you. The call should be coming through anytime.”

Jessica looked confused as she sat down. She couldn’t imagine what Adam would want to speak to her over the telephone about. Miss O’Hara could not enlighten her, so Jessica settled down to wait while the secretary dealt with some correspondence. After what seemed like an age, but was really only five minutes, the telephone bell rang out shrilly. Miss O’Hara lifted the receiver and spoke crisply. She made a few more comments, which made no sense to the waiting Jessica, and then she passed over the receiver to the girl.

“Hello?” Jessica said.

“Hello, Jessica,” Adam’s voice replied, sounding somewhat disembodied as it was not a great line. “How are you?”

“OK, thanks,” Jessica was not forthcoming because she wanted to find out what was so important that Adam had decided to telephone her. “Is mother all right?”

“She’s fine,” Adam assured her. “Jessica, I’m not going to be able to come and collect you on Friday evening. We took Rosamund to the doctor a few weeks ago and he’s referred her to a specialist in London. He thinks there may be a chance that, if they do an operation, Rosamund could walk again and be almost normal. Rosamund is booked in to the hospital on Saturday and she’ll see the specialist on Monday. If he’s agreeable, they may be able to operate on Tuesday, but she’ll have to stay in hospital for about a month to recover. We’re leaving for London on Friday morning and breaking the journey half way so as not to tire Rosamund out too much. I’m sorry, Jessica, but it means you’ll need to be escorted home with a teacher.”

“But,” Jessica protested, “where will I stay? There won’t be anyone at Moorlands. And won’t I get to see Mother at all? She promised me we’d be able to talk about me going to the High School”

“I can’t talk for much longer, Jessica,” Adam warned. “You’ll stay with Miss Winter. She’s looking forward to having you. We’ll probably be able to arrange for you to come up to London for a few days but Rosamund will need us to be with her. I’m very sorry about this, Jessica, but I hope you can see that this is a wonderful chance for Rosamund.”

“Yes,” Jessica said mechanically. “I can see. Good bye then.”

---

#54:  Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:34 am
    —
How bad can their timing get? This is just yet another example, as far as Jessica is concerned, of her mother prefering Rosamund to her. Couldn't Emily have stayed at home for some of the time and seen her?

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#55:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:48 am
    —
Poor Jessica, what a reward for all her hard work and effort.

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#56:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:49 am
    —
Oh dear . I can understand that this is very important for Rosamund, but if Adam can take the time off work to be with her then couldn't Emily stay with Jessica for part of the holidays?

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#57:  Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:39 pm
    —
I agree with everyone else - Jessica really does have good reason for feeling that even her own mother doesn't want her any more. Poor child. Why can't Adam and especially Emily think about what they are doing to Jessica? It won't be surprising if she plays up again - she is behaving just like a jealous toddler trying to get attention, but she has a good point - it is the only way she ever gets any!

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#58:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:40 pm
    —
Oh, Emily's just a hopeless mother. There's no reason whatsoever why she can't spend some time with Jessica when she hasn't seen her for weeks. And she can't even pluck up the guts - or the interest, perhaps - to pick up the bally phone and tell Jess herself.

You pay them back, Jess - waste all their school fees!

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#59:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:42 pm
    —
*agrees with all the comments re Emily* She has turned into the mother from hell and its all downhill from now.

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#60:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:18 pm
    —

leahbelle wrote:

*agrees with all the comments re Emily* She has turned into the mother from hell and its all downhill from now.

Should I really be looking forwards to that?

Thanks for the update.

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#61:  Author: alicat, Location: Wiltshire Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 2:20 pm
    —
I am feeling sorry for emily. I don't know if she's the mother from hell so much as the person who never had to be a mother until now - after all, when jess was younger and before she met adam they were supposed to be 'like sisters': I think she has had a lot of growing up to do too, as since she met and fell in love wth adam she has had to learn how to live with another person (adult + male = difficult) and a disabled child and how to be a mother.
it's not easy, y'know, dealing with a difficult teenager. especially when htey've always been good before.
nor is it easy learning how to put a stepfamily together (probably why so many people make a hash of it)
and she has lost a baby she wanted very much

i feel sorry for jess too, but I think emily possibly was a very immature person who had not had much to cope with - her first husband dying young almost seems romantic, like something out of a story.......

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#62:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 2:26 pm
    —
Poor Jessica, it's such a shame when everything was going so well

Thanks Sue!

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#63:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 3:19 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm sorry that Jessica won't be able to go home.

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#64:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 5:29 pm
    —
Poor Jess. I do think Emily should have at least spoken to her though.

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#65:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 5:35 pm
    —
On this occasion I think Adam and Emily have handled this very badly - they know Jessica's feelings about her step-sister - no amount of saying it's a wonderful opportunity for Rosamund is going to change the fact that, as far as Jess is concerned, she's comes second in her mother's affections behind Rosamund now.

Stupid woman, Emily - can't she see?????

Thanks Sue - very realistic reason why Jess will go off the rails again.

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#66:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 1:51 pm
    —
Jessica replaced the receiver on the cradle and turned a pale face to Miss O’Hara.

“OK, Jessica?” the secretary asked in some consternation.

Jessica nodded. She was so angry that she could not speak. How could her mother abandon her like this when she had promised – promised – that they would talk about her going to the High School after the summer? And all just that Rosamund could have an operation!

“So,” Miss O’Hara was saying, “several of the girls will be going home on the same train as you. Miss Cross will be escorting you. Miss…em… Miss Winter will be meeting you at the station and she’ll take you home. You must be ready to leave at 0930 on Saturday morning. Jessica?”

“Yes. Thank you,” Jessica said glumly and got to her feet.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Miss O’Hara asked again. The girl did not look at all well.

“Yes. Thank you,” Jessica repeated. It seemed to be all she was capable of saying.

Miss O’Hara dismissed her, and Jessica ran straight to her dormitory where she threw herself down on her bed and a storm of tears ensued.

For the next few days, Natasha, Natalie and Ruth could not understand what had happened to their friend. They knew Jessica as a bright, friendly girl who was prone to sudden, unexplained silences which only lasted a short time. This quiet, sullen, almost rude Jessica was an entirely new person and they were not sure how to handle her. Eventually, to get them to leave her alone and stop questioning her, Jessica told them that she had had bad news from home and that she didn’t want to talk about it. The three backed off at this, but they could see that Jessica was miserable and wished they could do something about it.

The twins and Ruth were being collected by their respective parents on the Friday evening, so Jessica was alone in her dormitory for the night. She was furious that she was not going to be able to see much, if anything, of her mother and was hurt that Emily had not phoned to talk to her in person. Jessica decided that her mother must still be blaming her for the accident when she lost the baby. All her hard work that term would have been for nothing if Emily was not going to be around to keep her promise about reconsidering sending Jessica to the High School. Well, Jessica thought, if that was the case, she would show her mother exactly where she got off!

It was typical, but entirely understandable, that Jessica did not give a thought to Rosamund who was facing a life changing, and possibly dangerous, operation.

All through the train journey, Jessica’s feelings mouldered. Sophie Gilmore was a fellow travelling companion and she tried to talk to Jessica since she could see that the new girl was unhappy. Jessica would have nothing to do with her, however, and even garrulous Sophie eventually withdrew from Jessica’s rebuffs.

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#67:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 1:56 pm
    —
Well this time you can hardly blame her for being annoyed. Poor Jessica. Thanks, Sue.

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#68:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 1:58 pm
    —
Poor Jessica.

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#69:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:23 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I don't blame Jessica either for being annoyed.

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#70:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 4:06 pm
    —
Poor Jess. I think she has every right to be hurt actually.

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#71:  Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 4:07 pm
    —
Poor Jess. I hope she manages to have a nice time with Miss Winter and Spud.

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#72:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 5:39 pm
    —
I agree - she has been treated very badly on this occasion - why on earth couldn't her mother even speak to her?

Thanks Sue.

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#73:  Author: Cryst,  Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 11:58 pm
    —
Just had a mammoth catch up session - this is gripping! Thank you.

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#74:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:17 am
    —
Poor Jess. I have the utmost sympathy for her here.

Thanks for the update.

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#75:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 11:07 am
    —
Miss Winter was waiting at the station for Jessica, and Spud sat patiently at her heels. He knew that his young friend was on her way home and he was looking forward to seeing her, having missed the long tramps they had been used to taking through the countryside. Miss Winter could see from Jessica’s face that she was in a bad mood. The girl climbed down from the carriage, swinging her night case dangerously and without due regard for fellow passengers. She narrowly missed braining an elderly gentleman who had exited just before her Miss Winter rushed forward to apologise and relieved Jessica of her case.

“Really, Jessica,” she scolded, but there was no denying the affection in her voice. “You’ll maim someone swinging the case around like that.”

“Sorry,” Jessica muttered, sounding anything but. “Where’s Spud?”

She needn’t have asked. Spud had seen Jessica climb down from the carriage and now he flung himself at her legs, almost overbalancing her. It was lucky that she managed to save herself because she would have toppled into that same elderly gentleman who had already been at the tender mercies of her case. Jessica picked Spud up and followed Miss Winter away from the train where she could hug Spud without risk of damaging anyone. Spud, in turn, treated Jessica to a good wash before he finally allowed her to place him on the ground.

“Come on, Jess,” Miss Winter said, seeing that the touching scene was at an end. “I’ve got a taxi waiting outside. Let’s get you back home. Spud’s desperate for you to take him for a walk.”

Jessica grinned. “Good. I’ve missed him.”

The three clambered into the taxi and were soon back at Miss Winter’s. Jessica was feeling slightly happier. Miss Winter was a good friend, despite the difference in their ages, and it was quite nice to spending time with her. It went without saying that Jessica was over the moon at being able to see Spud everyday. Miss Winter showed Jessica to the spare room, a small but pretty room with early flowers in a vase on the dressing table and Jessica looked around approvingly.

“Unpack your stuff,” Miss Winter said, nodding to a larger case on the bed. “Your mother brought over everything you’d be likely to need. Then come downstairs. I’ve got a message to give you from Emily.”

Jessica’s face hardened. She had managed to forget about her mother and the broken promise since she climbed down off the train. Miss Winter noticed the change in Jessica and wisely left the room without comment.

“What did mother ask you to tell me?” Jessica asked later, when Miss Winter had prepared tea and the pair were relaxing in the sitting room drinking tea and munching on fruit scones.

Miss Winter put down her cup and looked thoughtful. She knew that Jessica liked and respected her and looked up to her, and her handling of this situation might make the difference between Jessica accepting things and going off on another fit of temper.

“Your step-father spoke to you about Rosamund’s hospital visit, didn’t he?” Miss Winter asked and Jessica nodded. “The doctor is very hopeful that, once she’s seen the specialist the operation will be able to take place almost at once. Do you realise what a difference this will make for Rosamund, and for you?”

“For me?” Jessica queried. “What possible difference could it make to me?”

“Rosamund won’t be so reliant on your mother, for one thing. Emily would be able to spend more time with you.”

Jessica looked doubtful. To her, it felt that Emily had already expressed her preference for her stepdaughter over her real daughter. “What’s the message mother sent?”

“You’re to go down to London for a couple of days on Thursday,” Miss Winter explained. “The operation will be over by then and Rosamund should be out of any danger. Your mother will be able to spend some time with you. You can visit Rosamund, and then you’ll go shopping and possibly do some sightseeing if there’s time. Your parents are staying in a small hotel and you’ll stay there too on the Thursday night and come back here on the Friday. How does that sound?”

“Alright,” Jessica said cautiously. “She’ll really have time to spend with me and talk with me? She promised me we could talk about me going to the High School after summer if I did well during my first term at Cor-Lan.”

“And you’ve done very well,” Miss Winter said heartily. “Emily’s very proud of you. She told me so herself. I’m quite sure there’ll be plenty of time to discuss anything you want. Another scone? No? Well, why don’t you put on your outdoor things and take Spud out for a run? I know you’re desperate to spend some time with him.”

“I’ve missed him so much,” Jessica said. “Would you like me to help clear away?”

“No need. Off you go!”

And Jessica needed no second telling.

---

#76:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 11:17 am
    —
I think Mrs Winter handled Jessica really well there and it was nice to see Jessica offering to help clear the table. Underneath everything, she's pretty decent at heart I think.

Thank you Sue!

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#77:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 11:29 am
    —
Well done Miss Winter!

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#78:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:18 pm
    —
Crisis averted... for the moment!

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#79:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:29 pm
    —
Miss Winter is very sensible; I hope she gets Jessica into a better frame of mind for when she meets Emily.

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#80:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:34 pm
    —
I do like Miss Winter myself. What a shame she isn't Jessica's mother!

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#81:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 2:02 pm
    —
Oh dear, I have a terrible feeling aobut this operation. It's all going to go wrong, isn't it? And Rosamund will be weaker than ever, and Jessica will have proved that Cor Lan suits her and so it'll be better for her to stay there......

Please do carry on with Jessica's story, leahbelle - I'm really really enjoying it.

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#82:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 3:44 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I hope that Emily doesn't break her promise to Jessica.

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#83:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:01 pm
    —
I think Fran's got it - and Jessica is going to look on that as broken promises and further evidence that her mother favours Rosamund.

Thanks Sue.

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#84:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:21 pm
    —

Lesley wrote:

I think Fran's got it - and Jessica is going to look on that as broken promises and further evidence that her mother favours Rosamund.

I think Fran has too, and to be honest, will you blame her for thinking that?

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#85:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:47 pm
    —
Adam's about to pull a clanger, though he has good reason....


She felt much happier since her brief talk with Miss Winter. It sounded as if her mother had not forgotten about her after all. Jessica had only been to London on one or two occasions in the past and these had only been day trips. She had never stayed over night before and she hoped that there would be time to visit some sights – the Tower of London sounded very exciting.

Early on Thursday morning, Miss Winter saw Jessica off on the London express. The train was direct and the journey was quite a fast one so it had been agreed that there was no need for Miss Winter to accompany her. Jessica was quite excited at the thought of travelling on her own though, in reality, the journey turned out to be quite boring as she was alone in the compartment and had no-one to talk to. Emily was due to meet her daughter at Euston and, though she would never admit it, Jessica was looking forward to seeing her mother.

Jessica knew that something was wrong as soon as the train pulled into Euston Station and she saw Adam waiting for her on the platform. There was no sign of Emily. Jessica clambered off the train, taking more care with her night case this time, and walked up to Adam to demand,

“Where’s Mother?”

If Jessica had been more observant, she would have noticed that Adam was pale and his eyes were red-rimmed. His tie was askew and it looked as if he had been to sleep in his clothes. But Jessica saw none of this.

“She’s at the hospital,” Adam said shortly. “Come on. You’re here now. I’ll drop you at the hotel.”

Adam took Jessica’s case from her, but gave her little chance to talk as he marched her out of the station to the taxi rank.

“I don’t understand,” Jessica protested when they were finally seated in the back of a black cab driving through the busy streets. “Mother was supposed to meet me and we were going sight-seeing.”

“There’s been a change of plan,” Adam explained wearily. “I phoned Miss Winter but there was no answer.”

“Where’s Mother?” Jessica persisted.

“She’s with Rosamund. Rosamund’s had a relapse. The doctors think she’s going to die. We tried to contact Miss Winter to stop you coming.” Adam spoke quickly. It was more than he could bear to mention the possibility of his girl dying. “You’ll have to go to the hotel. Children aren’t allowed in the hospital.”

“But…”Jessica gasped, “what am I supposed to do?”

“You’ll go back to Miss Winter’s on a train later today. Emily can’t have you around at the moment.”

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#86:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:48 pm
    —
Poor Adam, having to deal with Jessica when he'd rather be with Rosamund.

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#87:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:53 pm
    —
I do feel sorry for Adam, but why isn't he at the hospital and Emily at the station? It's his daughter dying, after all, not Emily's. You'd think he'd want to be with Rosamund, not leaving the bedside vigil to Emily.

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#88:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:01 pm
    —
I feel sorry for all of them.

A cousin of my dad's has a daughter around my age and a disabled son a couple of years older. They had various problems with the daughter whilst she was growing up, and they say now that they feel a little bit guilty that they didn't give her the attention she needed because caring for the soon took up so much time. They're lovely people and were doing the best they could but it's a very difficult situation to deal with.

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#89:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:50 pm
    —
It must be such a hard situation for them all but I agree that Emily could have come and met Jessica.

Thanks Sue

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#90:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 8:08 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm also sorry that Emily didn't come and meet Jessica.

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#91:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 8:56 pm
    —
Why oh why couldn't Emily have been there?

They are not handling this at all well - it wouldn't be a problem if Jessica was more mature, but she isn't and this is going to rebound horribly.

Thanks Sue.

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#92:  Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 9:40 pm
    —
It does seem as though a lot of the problems ensue from the fact that Adam and Emily expect Jessica to have a much more mature attitude to everything than she is capable of. All the poor child wants is a bit of love and understanding from her mother - is that too much for her to ask?

Thanks, leahbelle.

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#93:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 12:00 pm
    —
“But…” Jessica began and then stopped. Adam’s news had shocked her. She had never even considered that the operation might put Rosamund in danger and it is doubtful that she would have cared if she had thought of it. But, she thought, it was just typical. Mother was never going to have time to talk to her about the High School now. She turned away from Adam and stared out of the window. She was sorry for Rosamund in the same way that she would be sorry for anyone who was unwell, but Jessica felt very alone. Once again, her mother had deserted her for Rosamund.

Adam dropped Jessica at the hotel, only pausing long enough to take her up to the bedroom. He told her that he would be back later on in the afternoon with Emily and she would be able to spend some time with her mother before making the return journey home. He had to get straight back to the hospital because the doctor would be seeing Rosamund on his rounds. Jessica was to stay put in the room and not wander around the building. He barely even said goodbye to the girl before closing the door behind him and leaving Jessica on her own.

When he’d gone, Jessica gave her night case (which Adam had placed on the floor) a violent kick. That relieved some of her pent up anger and she kicked it again. Then she looked round the room with an increasing look of disgust on her face. Knowing that they would spend most of their time at the hospital, Adam and Emily had not splashed out on a posh hotel and Jessica found herself in a very soulless room with a double bed covered in a plain white counterpane, a chest of drawers, an uncomfortable looking wicker chair and very little else. What on earth was she supposed to do until her mother arrived?

Sighing deeply, and bitterly resenting Rosamund more than ever, Jessica fished in her abused night case and fished out the novel she had brought. She gave an exclamation of annoyance. She had picked up the book she had just finished and the one she had intended to bring, Rebecca, must still be on the bedside cabinet at Miss Winter’s. Jessica flung the book back into the case, more disgruntled than ever.

She wandered over to the window to look out, but there was little to be seen as the room backed on to a courtyard where was hung lines of washing. There was nothing to be seen of the city at all. Jessica thought for a moment. Then, on an impulse, she pulled on her coat and slipped out of the room. She went downstairs and passed by reception, but there was no-one on the desk so no-one saw her leave. She emerged out into the bright, crisp day and spent a happy hour and a half wandering along the busy streets, staring into shop windows and watching the crowds as they went about their daily business. Jessica had no idea of the danger she might be putting herself as she walked through the busy London streets. She did have one nasty moment when she took a wrong turn and found herself in a dirty little alley way. Two men, obviously drunk, turned to watch her as she turned on her heel and scuttled back the way she came.

Back at the hotel, Jessica found that she had returned only just in the nick of time. Ten minutes later, Adam and Emily opened the door and came into the bedroom. Both looked weary and heartworn.

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#94:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 12:34 pm
    —
Glad she didn't come to any harm. Get the feeling the news about Rosamund isn't too good though .

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#95:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 1:38 pm
    —
Fancy being dumped in such a horrible room like that. You'd think someone would have made sure she had something to do there. Thanks Sue.

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#96:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 9:51 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. It's good that she at least gets a chance to see Emily. I was worried that she wouldn't get to see her at all.

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#97:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 10:46 pm
    —
That's terrible - the girl is only, what 14? To be dumped in a hotel room with no thought for her - Adam and Emily have to realise they have two children, not just one - regardless of how ill Rosamund is, they cannot neglect their other child. Previously the problems were soley due to Jessica's jealousy and immaturity, now, this time, I feel any breakout from Jessica is fully justified.

Thanks Sue

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#98:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 12:54 am
    —
Just caught up on a large chunk after being away on holiday, and am gasping!

Just when everything at last seemed to be going well for Jessica!

Like other people, I do feel Emily has handled this last crisis badly. Things with Rosamund are awful, of course, but to ignore Jess in the way she has is dreadful. Jess is bound to think she doesn't care, and is still blaming her for the loss of the baby etc. OK, it's fairly awful of Jess to care more about changing school than about Rosamund'sillness, but she is a mixed-up child, her mother is the adult here.

You've really managed to get us all impassioned about Jess, leahbelle!

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#99:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 10:04 am
    —
I agree with all that has been said about Emily's behaviour towards Jessica. I definitely feel sorry for the poor girl and you can see why she behaves as she does.

Thanks Sue

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#100:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 12:36 pm
    —
From bad to worse...


“Get your coat on, Jess,” Emily told her daughter, tiredly. “There’s a train from Euston that will take you back home in half an hour. We can just make it if we leave now.”

“Oh, but I thought we were going to talk…” Jessica protested, but Adam cut in.

“Not now, Jessica. I’m sorry, but we simply must get back to Rosamund as soon as possible. The doctors think she’s showing signs of coming round and we want to be there when she does.” He handed the girl her coat.

“I won’t put it on!” she cried passionately. “Mother, you promised we would talk about me going to the High School after the summer.”

Emily looked surprised. She had forgotten her promise to Jessica and had thought that, as Jessica had done so well at Cor-Lan in her first term and seemed happy, that she would be content to remain there for the rest of her school career. Remembrance dawned, and Emily looked stricken.

“I did promise you, Jess, and I’m sorry but this is not the time. Please just do as you’re told and we’ll sort it out another time.”

Jessica flung herself into her coat and snatched up her night case. She stormed down the stairs in front of her parents and into the waiting taxi. She refused to speak to either Adam or Emily on the journey to Euston. When she boarded the long train, she deliberately chose a seat away from the window so that she could not wave goodbye.

Miss Winter had her hands full with Jessica for the remainder of the holiday. It was lucky that Jessica both liked and respected the governess. This kept her in check to some extent, but she was still difficult and hard to handle.

Shortly before Jessica went back to Cor-Lan, word came from London that Rosamund had turned the corner and was out of danger. The operation, however, had not been a success and Rosamund must resign herself to a life of invalidism since the doctors felt it unlikely that she would be strong enough to stand another operation in the future. She was to remain in hospital for another couple of weeks to build up her strength again and Emily would stay with her. Adam had to return to Moorlands as he was needed back at work.

It was a very hurt and angry Jessica who boarded the train for Cor-Lan for the summer term. She could not understand why her mother had not come to visit her when the news came that Rosamund was out of danger. Even if she had just come for the day and talked to her daughter about changing schools, Jessica would have been happy with that, but the only contact the two had was two short telephone conversations and they had not been successful. Emily made it clear that she would not discuss the issue over the phone and Jessica became silent and refused to talk. She only just stopped short of hanging up on Emily.

Very well, Miss Jessica thought, the night before she returned to school. If her mother could not find time to discuss her going to the High School, Jessica would force the issue. She made a little wager with herself that it would not be her fault if Miss Carson did not expel her before the end of term. Then Emily would have no choice but to discuss schooling.

---

#101:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 12:39 pm
    —
Go for it, Jessica! It's all their fault this time.

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#102:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 12:43 pm
    —
Emily has been entirely unreasonable this time and deserves whatever Jessica does. However, I don't think it's going to make Jessica happy.

Thanks Sue.

---

#103:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 12:48 pm
    —
I really feel that, this time, Jessica is fully justified about her actions - can they not realise just why she's so upset? I really hope someone is able to speak with them after Jessica goes to the Chalet School to point out just how culpable they are in all this.

No wonder she was so angry when she first arrived - them sending her there just confirmed her thoughts.

Thanks Sue.

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#104:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:03 pm
    —
I don't know what Adam and Emily can expect after they way they've treated her.

Thanks Sue

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#105:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 2:22 pm
    —
Poor Jessica - she's obviously feeling desperate.

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#106:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:35 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I wonder what Jessica will do to get herself expelled.

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#107:  Author: Cryst,  Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 5:12 pm
    —
uh-oh ...

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#108:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 6:09 pm
    —
Just to let you all know that I may not be on line for the next week or so because of our move so I might not be updating this for a while. (I'm hoping to sneak on line when SLOC is loading up the van and isn't looking!...)

I've left Jessica at quite a good point. She's just about to go back to Cor Lan and cause havoc, but I've not left her in the middle of incident with everyone wondering what's going to happen next!

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#109:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 6:36 pm
    —
Here's hoping that you do sneak on sometimes! Good luck with the move and I hope it all goes smoothly.

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#110:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 6:54 pm
    —
Hope the move goes well - all the best in your new home!

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#111:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 8:06 pm
    —
Thank you, both! The worst part of moving is the er... moving bit! But it will be worth it once we're there

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#112:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:07 pm
    —
Best of luck with the move!

Looking forward to seeing more of this when you can, leahbelle.

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#113:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 12:07 am
    —
Good luck with the move, leahbelle. We did likewise two years ago, reluctantly leaving our family home of 25 years, and I hope your move is as successful for you as ours has been for us. It is worth the hassle - afterwards!

Looking forward to more of Jess when you have time. I agree with Fatima that, while Jess's reaction is both understandable and predictable, it's not going to make her happy.

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#114:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:40 am
    —
Thanks, everyone!

Here's a snippet for today...


Jessica’s travelling companion for the journey back to school was Sophie Gilmore. The two found themselves squashed together in a seat because the train was surprisingly crowded. Sophie was pleased. Jessica still held a lot of fascination for her and she was glad that the two would have time to talk now. Jessica had showed no interest in Sophie to term before, but Sophie was quite determined to be friends and she thought that she could recognise something of the kindred spirit in mischief in the other girl.

Sophie lost no time.

“How was your holiday, Jessica?” she asked, a little shyly, but she was not put off by Jessica’s grunted reply. “I say, I’ve got something pretty special in my case.”

Jessica’s interest was roused despite herself. “What?” she demanded.

“Firecrackers,” was the surprising response.

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#115:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 11:34 am
    —
I guess that will be the start of a beautiful friendship then! Thanks Sue.

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#116:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 11:37 am
    —
Sounds interesting!

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#117:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 11:56 am
    —
Uh oh.....

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#118:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 12:17 pm
    —

leahbelle wrote:

“Firecrackers,” was the surprising response.

What a shame Jess isn't going to be able to put them through Adam and Emily's letterbox!

Liz

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#119:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 12:37 pm
    —

lizarfau wrote:

leahbelle wrote: “Firecrackers,” was the surprising response. What a shame Jess isn't going to be able to put them through Adam and Emily's letterbox! Liz

What a fab idea!

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#120:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 12:47 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I wonder what they will do with the firecrackers.

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#121:  Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 2:33 pm
    —
Watch out for fireworks, then!

Good luck with the move, leahbelle.

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#122:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 5:50 pm
    —
Actually I think both Adam and Emily would benefit from the firecrackers placed somewhere else!

Thanks Sue.

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#123:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 11:20 pm
    —

Lesley wrote:

Actually I think both Adam and Emily would benefit from the firecrackers placed somewhere else!

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#124:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 11:57 pm
    —

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#125:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 2:55 pm
    —
Thank you Sue!

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#126:  Author: Tan, Location: London via Newcastle Australia Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:38 pm
    —
Hope the move goes well and you didn't melt in the heat!

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#127:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:19 am
    —
Really, Emily.

Looks like we can expect an interesting term....

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#128:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 11:45 am
    —
An update at last! Sorry it's been so long - it took ages for the broadband connection to be, er, connected!!


“What?” Jessica cried.

“Firecrackers,” Sophie repeated. “I snaffled them from my brother. He’ll be furious when he finds out!”

“But what are you going to do with firecrackers?”

Sophie had the sense to lower her voice slightly, though there was no real chance of them being overheard over the noise of the train. “I was going to light the fire in the common room and throw them in. What a scene it would make!”

Jessica looked approving. She could just imagine the scene in the common room when firecrackers were exploding all over the place. “That’s a stupendous idea! But how will you light the fire? Don’t the maids usually light the fires?”

“Matches!” Sophie explained. “I snaffled them from Michael, too. Oh, Jessica, it’ll be ever so funny! Let’s do it tonight.”

Jessica was nothing loathe and so, later on that evening when the girls had unpacked their night cases and were either enjoying themselves in the common room or taking advantage of the balmy weather to take a turn round the grounds, Sophie and Jessica knelt by the fire in the room and tried to light it. Neither of them were experts, having had little to do with fires in the past, and it took them a few tries before the fire caught. By this time, they had attracted the attention of several girls in the room who all wanted to know what they were doing, fiddling with the fire when they knew it was forbidden. Sophie, who possessed an amazing ability to lie without giving the slightest hint that what she was saying was not the truth, said,

“I’m cold. Miss Cross said earlier that I could light the fire if I didn’t warm up,”

Natasha, who had asked the question, looked doubtful but the fire was beginning to blaze merrily and the room was a little chilly, so she turned back to the jigsaw she was doing with Ruth and Natalie. Sophie raised her eyebrows to Jessica and the pair giggled.

Ten minutes later, when the fire was roaring, Sophie drew out the packet of firecrackers from the back of a cupboard where she had hidden them. She looked enquiringly at Jessica who nodded delightedly and then flung the firecrackers right to the very back of the fire.

---

#129:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:19 pm
    —
What all of them?!!!

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#130:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:24 pm
    —
Hooray, it's back!!

Go Jess!

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#131:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:33 pm
    —
Oh dear. In no universe can that possibly turn out well.

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#132:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 1:05 pm
    —
I'm so glad to see Jessica back.

Thanks, Sue.

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#133:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 2:21 pm
    —
Thansk Sue, I'm glad you are connected up again because it's fab to see this back!

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#134:  Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 5:00 pm
    —
Good to know that you're settled in now, leahbelle.

But what is going to happen to the Common Room, the school, and, worst of all, the pupils and staff?!?

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#135:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:50 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm glad that you've managed to sort out enough things through moving to be able to reconnect to the internet. I can sense there is trouble ahead.

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#136:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:09 pm
    —
Actually, now I re-read the firecracker incident, I'm not at all sure it's very realistic. Ah well, not to worry!!

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#137:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 11:05 pm
    —
Oh dear - that's not good.

Nice to see you back Sue.

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#138:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 11:38 pm
    —
Welcome back, leahbelle, glad the move went well.

Now what and whom are Jess and Sophie going to destroy? Young idiots!

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#139:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:38 am
    —
Thanks, everyone, for welcoming me back so warmly! I missed the CBB a lot!

For a few moments, nothing happened and the two sinners looked disappointed. They had expected a fine scene! Then, there were some crackling noises and a few pops. These were followed by two louder bangs. The girls in the common room looked up in surprise, just as two or three rockets shot out from the fire and hurtled across the room, emitting streams of smoke and colour. These were followed by more and the girls screamed in unison. Sophie and Jessica could barely stand up, they were laughing so heartily. The looks on some of their classmates faces was priceless. More crackers hissed and spat and launched themselves across the common room. One even span round three or four times in the air before wearing itself out and depositing its remains on the carpet. The shrieks from the girls continued long after the crackers had all died and the noise they made was incredible. By this time, Jessica and Sophie had sunk to the floor, unable to contain their mirth any longer.

Into this confusion erupted two or three prefects, including the head girl and Jane Fletcher the third’s own special prefect, and Miss Cross was not far behind.

“What on earth is going on in here?” Elizabeth Caird demanded, but the noise in the room was so confused that no-one heard her. It appeared that no-one had seen the new arrivals, either, and the screams continued though the danger was long past.

Miss Cross took matters into her own hand. She marched into the room and picked up a large book which she brought down on a table two or three times until the girls began to quieten and give her their attention. When eventually there was silence in the common room, she cast an evil glance at the girls who were standing in confused little groups around the walls. They had no idea what had happened. Sophie and Jessica, coming to their senses now that a teacher and prefects were on the scene, got to their feet and wondered what was going to happen next.

“Would someone kindly explain,” Miss Cross began in tones that could have cut a diamond, “just what has been going on here?”

As no-one except the two culprits really knew what had happened, the girls maintained their silence. Miss Cross was looking furious and the prefects were very serious.

“I am waiting for an explanation,” the teacher reminded her form. “Catherine Cousins, you are the form prefect here. What has been going on?”

Catherine looked horror-struck. She could not explain and she merely opened and closed her mouth several times before shaking her head and looking silly. Jessica could not bite back a laugh and Miss Cross swung round on her.

“Yes, Jessica? Do you have something to say?”

Jessica was remembering the looks on her form mates’ faces as the fire started to behave irrationally and another giggle came from her mouth. She bit it back, but Miss Cross could see that she was on the verge on hysteria. A quick glance at her neighbour, Sophie, told her that the other girl was also trying not to laugh and she knew at once that here were her culprits.

“Jessica and Sophie, go to the form room immediately. Elizabeth, would you go with them?”

---

#140:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:47 am
    —
Back to familiar territory for Jessica now, then. As it's her first offense here, presumably they'll let her off lightly. Thanks Sue.

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#141:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 5:11 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I wonder what will happen to Sophie and Jessica.

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#142:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 6:10 pm
    —
They were lucky the fireworks didn't set light to something.

Thanks Sue.

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#143:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 11:32 am
    —
The two evil-doers reluctantly followed a severe looking Elizabeth from the common room. Miss Cross turned her attention to the rest of the form and for the first time noticed the state of the room. The firecrackers had left trails of dust and soot behind them and there were burnt patches on the walls and floors where they had landed.

“I don’t know what has been happening here,” the teacher said, “but there can be no excuse for acting like kindergarten babies. Get this room tidied up as best you can and then you can all go to bed early,” and Miss Cross swept from the room, leaving Jane Fletcher to take charge.

In the form room, she found Sophie and Jessica laughing uproariously and talking nineteen to the dozen about the success of their stunt. They tried to pull themselves together when they saw their form teacher enter, but it was a struggle and the occasional splutter escaped from them. Miss Cross sat down at her desk and Jessica thought that she had never seen her looking so angry.

“Well, girls?” the teacher demanded. “What have you to say to me?”

The two looked at each other, and Jessica bit her tongue as she tried to stop another giggle.

“Now!” Miss Cross thundered.

Sophie, who was in any case dying to tell someone about her great stunt, cried, “Firecrackers!”

Miss Cross looked confused for a moment and then enlightenment dawned. “Do you mean to tell me that you girls put firecrackers into the fire?”

“It was me,” Sophie said. “They were my crackers. Jessica didn’t put them in.”

“But she knew that you planned to?” Miss Cross asked. “Then,” as Sophie nodded, “that makes her as guilty as you are, Sophie. Did you light the fire as well?”

“Yes, Miss Cross,” Sophie was beginning to calm down now and something about the teacher’s manner scared her slightly.

“Do you have any idea,” Miss Cross began, “any idea at all, how dangerous this stunt was? You girls know that you are not supposed to touch the fires. You could have burnt yourself badly, not to mention the risk that you were putting your form mates at. And as for putting firecrackers in the fire…” Miss Cross was speechless.

It was unfortunate that, at that moment, the memory of the girls’ faces came back to Jessica and and a splutter of laughter escaped from her. This set Sophie off again and the two were soon giggling uncontrollably again. Miss Cross was furious. Not only could these two stupid little girls not see the danger of what they had done but they seemed to think that they had done something immensely clever. The teacher sat in silence as their laughter gradually quietened. With a final titter, even Jessica’s giggles came to an end as she saw how stern the form teacher was. Miss Cross looked from one to the other and they both wished that she would speak. The silence was most unnerving.

At last, Miss Cross spoke.

---

#144:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 11:34 am
    —
But you didn't tell us what she said, Sue! Jessica seems to have found the perfect friend in Sophie, doesn't she. I don't think this is going to be the only trouble these two get into this term.

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#145:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 11:40 am
    —
Aargh - why do the rest of the class have to tidy up when they'd done nothing wrong? That is SO Chaletland - be within a million miles of the troublemaker and you come in for punishment yourself.

What will they do next, Leahbelle? Do the dares start here?

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#146:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 11:44 am
    —
Thanks, Sue. I don't think they have done themselves any favours by continuing to laugh.

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#147:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 1:44 pm
    —
The dares are about to start big-style!

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#148:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 7:53 pm
    —
So whatever punishment they get isn't going to make them think of the consequences then?

Thanks Sue.

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#149:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 12:05 am
    —

Lizarfau wrote:

why do the rest of the class have to tidy up when they'd done nothing wrong

Well, someone has to, and although it wasn't their fault, by then they were milking it for all they were worth!

How very silly of Sophie and Jess not to realise how badly someone could have been hurt.

Thanks, leahbelle.

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#150:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 12:38 am
    —

Tara wrote:

Lizarfau wrote: why do the rest of the class have to tidy up when they'd done nothing wrong Well, someone has to, and although it wasn't their fault, by then they were milking it for all they were worth!

I think Jessica and Sophie should have been made to clean up the mess they'd made!

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#151:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 4:05 pm
    —

Lesley wrote:

So whatever punishment they get isn't going to make them think of the consequences then?

No - that would ruin all their fun!!


At last, Miss Cross spoke.

“This must go to Miss Carson, I’m afraid. You girls have played a very dangerous and silly prank that could have caused serious injury. She will be most disappointed with you both, especially since this is barely the first night of term. You can both go to bed now and you must not speak to anyone until Miss Carson has interviewed you.”

Sophie and Jessica crawled to the door and left the room. They had not expected the head mistress to become involved but, grinning broadly at each other as they went to their respective dormitories, they decided that it had been worth it.

Miss Carson saw the sinners before morning school. She read them a lecture which left them quaking in their boots and all desire to laugh at their prank left them. As punishment, they were set to cleaning the common room. The firecrackers had made a terrible mess of the walls and carpet. One wall even needed to be repainted. Jessica and Sophie were set to restoring the room to its previous pristine freshness every evening after prep under the supervision of the janitor until he was satisfied with their work. Sophie, as the instigator of the prank, was also set to writing an essay on the history of fireworks which must be completed to Miss Carson’s satisfaction before she could begin on any of her prep. It was a rather chastened pair of girls that left the headmistresses study as the bell sounded for morning classes.

Their punishment did not end there, for the girls in the Third were not impressed by this stunt. Apart from anything else, their common room was now out of bounds until such time as Sophie and Jessica had cleaned it up and, although the evenings were warm enough to spend them outside those girls that wanted to read or play card games must now do so in the form room and this was far from ideal. Catherine Cousins, who took her duties as form prefect very seriously, spoke to the pair about the stupidity of their stunt but they paid little or no attention though they were angry that a girl of their own age, form prefect though they may be, could speak to them in such a way. Various other members of the form added their own views on the subject, including Natalie and Natasha. They could not understand what had caused Jessica to behave so outrageously and she seemed to want nothing to do with the twins or Ruth this term. Natasha still felt some sense of responsibility for Jessica and tried to talk to her, but Jessica was so rude that Natasha shied off and decided to leave her to stew in her own juices. This made the situation in the dormitory difficult since, if Ruth or the twins attempted to make conversation with Jessica, she would either ignore them or be so rude that they ignored her.

Jessica did feel a pang of conscience at the way she was treating her old friends. She had genuinely liked Ruth and the twins and they could have continued to be great friends if only Emily had kept her promise. Jessica blamed Emily and Rosamund for ruining everything and determined to keep her promise to herself – she would be expelled before the end of term or her name was not Jessica Wayne!

Under the watchful eye of the janitor, the common room was restored to its original state in four evenings. Both Jessica and Sophie hated every minute of their punishment, especially as the weather was getting nicer by the time and they longed to escape into the garden. Sophie also had her essay to complete and this took her two evenings. She was not allowed to begin her ordinary prep until Miss Carson had signed it off and she was spoken to sharply in several classes as a result.

By the time a week had gone by, the two were ripe for mischief again. Sophie had received a letter from her brother, Michael, berating her for stealing his firecrackers but he also told her about the latest “rag” at his school. This turned out to be dares, and Sophie and Jessica fell on the idea with glee. It offered a lot of scope for trouble!

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#152:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 4:14 pm
    —
She's right, though, it is all Emily's fault. Thanks Sue.

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#153:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 4:45 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm sorry that Jessica isn't keeping up her friendship with Ruth, Natasha and Natalie.

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#154:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 6:32 pm
    —
Very sad - and yes it is Emily's fault, but Jessica is the one that's going to suffer, isn't she?

Thanks Sue

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#155:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 7:37 pm
    —
Thanks Sue.

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#156:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 12:51 pm
    —
The dares began innocently enough with pranks that annoyed people but there were not really naughty. For instance, Jessica dared Sophie to knock on the door of the staff room and then run and hide before the door was opened. In return, Sophie dared Jessica to knock on the door of the prefect’s room and run away. Then Sophie dared Jessica to hide Miss Cross’ form mark book. It was unfortunate that Jessica was shortsighted enough to hide the book in her own locker and she was given short shrift. Jessica then dared Sophie to lock Miss Cross’ desk and “lose” the key. Miss Cross, who did not suspect a thing, was nonplussed when the key turned up in the Science lab.

The girls soon bored of such lowly stunts and turned their attention to bigger things. It seemed good to Jessica to dare Sophie to soak the form’s chalk in water so that it wouldn’t write on the blackboard. Sophie went one better and soaked every piece of chalk in all the form rooms so that they were all useless. She had to own up to the prank and found that she would be minus pocket money for several weeks until she had replaced all the ruined chalk. Sophie, seeking revenge on Jessica, dared her friend to mix some of the ruined chalk into the ink that the girls used for their fountain pens. Jessica happily ground up some of the chalk one evening and added it to the can of ink that lived in the form cupboard. Catherine Cousins was responsible for filling the inkwells on the desks every Sunday evening and, when the girls came to write on Monday, there was chaos. Jessica was set to cleaning out the inkwells and the ink can in her free time and, as well as having to pay for the ink she had ruined, she had to refill all the wells. She also came in for a lot of grief from her form mates who had had to use pencils during Monday’s classes.

“But it was worth it!” she giggled to Sophie. “Oh, and Miss Cross’ face when she tried to write with that chalk and nothing happened!”

The two were very pleased with themselves, but they were rapidly building for themselves a reputation for mischief which could never stand them in good stead. Jessica was pleased with this. She knew that teachers and girls alike were beginning to find her a complete nuisance and she was never out of trouble. Sophie was slightly more circumspect in that she took her punishments in good humour and was never rude. Jessica always answered back and always had to have the last work. This did not endear her to those who tried to keep order in the school.

The next dare was even sillier.

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#157:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 12:52 pm
    —
I can't wait to hear about it then! Thanks Sue.

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#158:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 1:08 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I wonder what the next dare will be.

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#159:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 1:17 pm
    —
Thanks Sue - bet the dares are going to escalate aren't they?

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#160:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 1:38 pm
    —
Oh, yes! And the next two are very Chalet-esque

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#161:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 3:48 pm
    —
Thanks Sue, it's such a shame to see Jessica misbehaving again and being nasty about it too.

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#162:  Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 8:38 pm
    —
Is anyone going around the room without touching the floor? Or walking along a ridgepole? (That was actually Anne of GG, but JAck and Gill ended up doing it anyway, just without the dare.)

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#163:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 10:14 pm
    —
There may, indeed, be a ridgepole in there somewhere, but what happens will be a leetle bit different from those two incidents!

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#164:  Author: Cryst,  Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 10:57 pm
    —
Glad to have this back, I've missed it. Thank you Leahbelle.

leahbelle wrote:

Jessica always answered back and always had to have the last work.

Reminds me of a friend of mine being told off at school for something - I forget what - by a very irate teacher.

"... and don't answer back!"

"I wasn't answering back."

POW. Up she went.

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#165:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 11:12 pm
    —
Hmmm. Just irritating behaviour at the moment. It is clearly about to get worse. The mind boggles.

---

#166:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:37 pm
    —
There was a tall tree in the school grounds. Some folk said that it was over two hundred years old and it stretched up from the ground, almost seeming to touch the sky. The girls were forbidden to climb it because the branches grew thinner and thinner near the top and some were rotten. Jessica and Sophie used to spend a lot of their time sitting beneath the tree, with the breeze blowing the leaves above them. Looking up into the tree one day, Jessica was moved to say lazily, “Dare you to climb to the top of the tree, Soph,”. She didn’t really expect Sophie to accept the dare. Both girls knew that it was dangerous. But Sophie was grumpy because of some returned prep and, before Jessica could tell her that she had only been kidding, Sophie had ripped off her garden, hitched up her tunic and was climbing her way deftly through the thick, leafy lower branches. Jessica stood up and watched her friend’s ascent. Then, suddenly, came Sophie’s voice, “I’m stuck!”

And so she was. Her long hair had escaped from its pigtails and had became wrapped round one of the branches. If she had kept her head, all would have been fine and she could have extricated herself easily enough. But Sophie panicked and began to tull and pull and twist at her hair and only succeed in making the knot tighter. She was almost crying from the pain as it felt as if the hair was being pulled out by the roots. She was brave enough, however, and waited patiently until Jessica had made her way up through the branches to join her friend. Sophie had made a fine mess of her hair and there was no way Jessica could free her without a knife or pair of scissors. There was nothing for it but to go for help. The pair shrugged mentally, knowing it meant another row, but Sophie was more concerned about her hair than anything else. Would she end up bald?

Running across the grounds, the first person Jessica came across was the head girl, Elizabeth Caird. She quickly explained the situation and Elizabeth came quickly to Sophie’s rescue. Saving her recriminations for later, Elizabeth saw immediately that the only way to free Sophie was to cut her hair. Sophie bit back tears as the head girl hacked at her brown curls with a pair of scissors. The pair came down from the tree, Elizabeth looking angry and Sophie looking very forlorn with her hair lopped up to her shoulders on one side and, on the other, falling down almost to her waist. Jessica couldn’t help but giggle when she saw her friend; she did look ridiculous! Sophie managed a wan smile but she was very disheartened. She was even more upset when Matron calmly chopped off the rest of her hair to the same length. She knew that it served her right and she had been quite vain about her long brown curls. Now they were gone! A hairdresser finished what Elizabeth and Matron had started and Sophie looked human again, though very different with a chin length bob.

---

#167:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:58 pm
    —
Poor Sophie, how awful to lose her hair like that. Having all your hair cut off is trauma enough when you know it's going to happen! Thanks Sue.

---

#168:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:06 pm
    —
Poor girl - more rows then.

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#169:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:47 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm sorry that Sophie has lost her long hair.

---

#170:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 9:18 pm
    —
Oh dear, poor Sophie !

---

#171:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:00 pm
    —
Elizabeth spoke sternly to the two girls about the dangers of climbing the tree. Both were downcast enough, especially Sophie, who was still lamenting the loss of her hair. Jessica felt guilty about having allowed Sophie to go through with the dare and so she was quieter than usual. The pair made no demur when they found they must write to the Gilmores to explain what had happened to their daughter’s glorious hair. Elizabeth also forbade them to go near the tree again and so they were deprived of their favourite haunt.

The pair spent the next day or so lying low. Sophie was downcast at the loss of her hair and, though Jessica chafed at the inactivity, she sympathised with her friend. Sophie’s hair had been gorgeous and Jessica had always admired it. Still, it was not in Sophie’s nature to be down for long and she was soon back to normal. She decided that it was only fair that Jessica should be dared to do something just as dangerous as the tree stunt and she thought long and hard for an idea. It came to her one day during games when she had been sent off the hockey pitch for constantly fouling the other team. She sat at the edge of the pitch, staring up at the buildings of Cor-Lan before her. The attics of the building had been transformed into bedrooms for the domestic staff, storage rooms and even some music rooms. Six skylights were set into the roof, just at the height at which the chimney stacks began. Sophie smiled to herself. She had just found her dare. She would dare Jessica to climb up to the ridge pole of the roof using the skylight and chimney stack to get her there.

She grabbed Jessica immediately after games. Jessica was not in a good mood. She hated hockey but, since play she must, she decided to play as badly as possible and had tried to get herself sent off with Sophie. The games teacher had cottoned on to her plan and had deliberately kept Jessica in the game, though her friend had been dismissed. Sophie’s idea brought a smile to her face.

“What a stupendous idea!” Jessica cried. “And,” she went on, “I double dare you to do it with me!”

---

#172:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:25 pm
    —
No, Jessica, that's not a stupendous idea at all! Thanks Sue.

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#173:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:30 pm
    —
Oh dear! Trying to get expelled is one thing (and fair game in the circumstances), but trying to get killed is quite another...

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#174:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:30 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I wonder if Sophie will agree.

---

#175:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 4:25 pm
    —
It's all going to end in disaster!


Sophie could not refuse and the friends laid their plans.

“We’ll have to do it during the night,” Sophie said. “Otherwise we’d be stopped straight away and that would be no fun. It doesn’t matter if anyone hears us once we’re up there. It’ll be great fun. And the sky is so clear at night just now; we’ll be able to see all the stars and the moon.”

“Let’s do it tonight,” Jessica said. “Look,” she pointed to the furthest skylight. “That one is closest to a chimney. It should be easy enough to hoist ourselves up to the ridge pole if we use that chimney to boost us. Is that room in use?”

Some investigating soon told the girls that the room in question was a disused music room. There was a piano in there, covered by a sheet, and a stool but little else. The skylight was in good working order and the girls felt they would have no trouble climbing out through it on to the roof.

At two o’clock that night, two separate alarm clocks went off in two different dormitories. Sophie’s dormitory was on the same floor as Jessica’s but at the opposite end. The two had agreed to meet inside the music room on the top floor. They knew that if they met outside their dormitories, they would be unable to keep from giggling and would be given away. Upstairs, they could giggle for all they were worth and no-one would hear them. It was a warm night, and neither girl bothered to do more than pull on a light cardigan over their pyjamas. Outdoor shoes were not kept in the dormitory and so they had to make do with slippers for their feet.

Once up in the music room, Jessica closed the door carefully behind her while Sophie opened the skylight. Their testing of it earlier had cleared it of cobwebs and dust and it did not even squeak as Sophie pushed it open to its full extent. Jessica dragged the stool over and positioned it beneath the window. She climbed up on to it.

“I’ll go first,” she told Sophie. “After all, its my dare!”

Sophie was amenable and watched as Jessica hoisted herself through the open skylight. It was a marvellously light night and Jessica did not even need a torch to see across to the chimney. It was about a foot and a half away from the skylight and she could easily reach across with her leading leg to get a good foothold. Gripping the edge of the window with one hand and reaching across to the chimney with her other, Jessica pulled herself out of the window and across on to the side of the chimney. From where she balanced herself she could see that she was very high up and the playing fields and gardens of Cor-Lan seemed to her to belong to a doll’s house. Jessica had no fear of heights and she looked up from her resting place to her final destination – the ridge pole of the roof. She decided that she could do it easily. She was a tall girl and the roof was only about five feet away. She could reach up with her hands and pull herself up on to the pole. Jessica turned to grin reassuringly at Sophie who was hanging out of the skylight watching her friend’s progress.

“It’s easy!” she hissed, and Sophie gave Jessica thumbs up.

---

#176:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 4:31 pm
    —
Oh, I'm afraid to watch! This is a really awful idea and I can't believe they're going through with it.

Thanks Sue.

---

#177:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 6:25 pm
    —
Watching through my hands - how I used to watch 'Doctor Who' when I was a kid!

Thanks Sue.

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#178:  Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 8:00 pm
    —

Lesley wrote:

Watching through my hands - how I used to watch 'Doctor Who' when I was a kid! Thanks Sue.

And I'm hiding behind the sofa to read this - just like I used to as a kid for Dr Who

---

#179:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:22 pm
    —
This sounds like trouble ...

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#180:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 11:50 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I hope they will both be ok.

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#181:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:23 am
    —
Wonder if Sophie has a good head for heights!

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#182:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 4:45 pm
    —
Jessica turned away and began to concentrate on the next part of her adventure. She was completely unaware of the inherent danger in the stunt and had supreme confidence in her own ability to make it to the ridge pole. It did not even occur to her that this was a foolhardy thing to be attempting.

She had a good balance with her feet on the chimney and she lay down on the slate tiles of the roof and stretched herself up to the ridge pole. It was just beyond her reach, even on tiptoes and with her fingers fully stretched. Jessica decided that a good shove with her feet on the chimney would give her the boost she needed to grab on to the ridge pole and pull herself up. Then she could swing herself over, one leg on either side. Easy, she thought.

Jessica rested both feet firmly on the chimney.

“One, two, three,” she counted to herself. Then, she pushed off from the chimney firmly. Sophie held her breath as, for a moment, there was nothing holding Jessica on to the roof. Jessica reached out with both hands, ready to grab the ridge pole as it came within reach, but she had miscalculated the amount of force she needed to reach it. One hand caught hold of the pole but the other just missed. Both her feet were above the chimney stack and she fought frantically to grip the slate tiles with her feet and find some purchase to steady herself. Her feet scrabbled about as she dangled dangerously and tried to reach up with her other hand to grab the pole. Jessica began to panic as there was no hold to be found on the tiles and she found herself unable to reach up far enough with her free hand. She was dangling from the roof of Cor-Lan with only one hand. Sophie’s was horrorstruck, but she found herself unable to move as she watched her friend fight to pull herself to safety.

Then the inevitable happened. The roof at Cor-Lan had not been replaced since the house was built. It was old and the tiles were loose in places. The tiles subjected to Jessica’s frantic scrabbling protested and gave way and Sophie looked on in fear as five or six tiles descended to the ground and landed with a resounding smash.

---

#183:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 4:49 pm
    —
Eek, you can't leave it there!!!

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#184:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 4:57 pm
    —
I feel sick just thinking about it!

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#185:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 5:03 pm
    —
*has a very large swig of vodka to calm nerves*

Someone has to hear the tiles falling and wake and come to rescue her, don't they, Sue? Please?

---

#186:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 6:20 pm
    —
Well we know she survives, don't we? Not too sure about Sophie though...

Thanks Sue.

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#187:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 6:26 pm
    —
Sorry, guys, that was a mean place to leave things hanging (no pun intended!). Tune in tomorrow....

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#188:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 7:01 pm
    —
Uh, oh!
Hold on, Jessica.

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#189:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 7:31 pm
    —
I should say this counts as a cliff!

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#190:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 9:21 pm
    —

leahbelle wrote:

Sorry, guys, that was a mean place to leave things hanging (no pun intended!). Tune in tomorrow....

If you were really sorry, you wouldn't leave it till tomorrow.

---

#191:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 11:00 am
    —

Pat wrote:

leahbelle wrote: Sorry, guys, that was a mean place to leave things hanging (no pun intended!). Tune in tomorrow.... If you were really sorry, you wouldn't leave it till tomorrow.

Agrees!

---

#192:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:29 pm
    —
I'm just a meanie! Here we go, anyway


Jessica, glancing down just in time to see the tiles fall, only just managed to fight the rising waves of panic within her. She knew that if she gave into them, she, too, would fall. Sophie, her eyes fixed on the other girl, seemed unable to move. Jessica saw that there was nothing else for it but to let go of the pole. She was unable to swing herself into position that would allow her to grab the ridge pole with her other hand and she was becoming tired. The muscles in her arm were beginning to ache and she must surely lose her grip and fall if she didn’t do something quickly. If she could get herself into position directly over the chimney, she would fall on to it and, from there, she could climb back to the skylight. It was a dangerous idea, but Jessica could not see that she had any choice. Gritting her teeth, she managed to manoeuvre herself into position over the chimney. Then, with a little scream, she let go. She felt herself falling, sliding over the tiles, loosening others as she went, but she was lucky and she landed safely in a heap on top of the chimney.

Sophie too screamed as she saw her friend slithering down the roof. She screamed again as something or someone took hold of her shoulders and dragged her back in to the music room. Sophie began to sob as she looked up into the angry faces of Miss Carson, Miss Cross and Matron. The noise of the tiles smashing on the ground had woken them and, on investigating, they had seen someone hanging out of the skylight. They had been unable to see Jessica as she was in the shadow of the chimney. All three had come racing upstairs to find out what was going on, having no idea of the peril that one of their pupils was in.

“What is going on in here?”

Sophie could do no more than point to the skylight and murmur, “Jessica,”

“Jessica is on the roof?” Miss Carson was immediately concerned. She took Sophie’s place at the skylight and, looking out, she could see her errant pupil crouched in the lee of the chimney. Jessica was not far away, only a foot or so, but to Miss Carson it seemed as if she were miles away. She could see that the girl was trembling, but Jessica’s face was turned away from her.

“Jessica,” the headmistress said, quietly and calmly.

Jessica turned her head and began to cry softly when she saw the face of Miss Carson where she had expected to see Sophie. Jessica was shaken by her experience and, though she knew she was more or less safe now, was dreading the journey back in through the skylight. She had a feeling that it would be much more difficult to get back inside.

“All right, Jessica,” Miss Carson said soothingly, and later marvelled that she had managed to keep so calm. “You’re quite safe. I need you to turn right round slowly. Keep your eyes fixed on me and you’ll be fine.”

Jessica had landed facing away from the skylight and now she managed to manoeuvre herself round, taking tiny steps. There was no real danger as long as she didn’t lose her head as there was plenty of room on the wide chimney breast, but she was scared after her fall and very close to breaking point. Eventually, she had turned right round and Miss Carson could see her clearly. The girl did not appear to be injured, just scared, and the headmistress allowed herself a sigh of relief. However, Jessica still had to be encouraged back in through the skylight.

---

#193:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:10 pm
    —
Phew!!

Thanks Sue .

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#194:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:52 pm
    —
But she's still not back in, is she...

Thanks Sue.

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#195:  Author: Tan, Location: London via Newcastle Australia Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 6:57 pm
    —
I thought it was going to end the same way that Anne's stunt did in Anne of Green Gables. Thankfully not! Oh dear, Jess does ask for it doesn't she?

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#196:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:06 pm
    —
Poor girl - glad that Miss Carson kept her head.

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#197:  Author: Sarah_L, Location: Leeds Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:23 pm
    —
I wonder what will happen to the pair of them once Jessica gets back in the skylight.

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#198:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:16 pm
    —
Jessica has to be fit enough to go the the CS next term doesn't she?

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#199:  Author: Cryst,  Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:23 pm
    —
Full of admiration for the Head, and can't wait to find out what happens next.

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#200:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 12:21 pm
    —
“Well done, Jessica.” Miss Carson said. “Now, I need you to reach across with your left hand and grab the edge of the skylight. When you’ve done that, bring the rest of your body across. I’ll be here to help you in.”

“I can’t,” Jessica whispered.

“Yes, you can,” Miss Carson’s tone was brisk. “Come on, left hand over.”

Unwillingly, Jessica reached across the foot gap and grabbed the edge of the skylight with her left hand. She suddenly found that she could do it after all and, a few seconds later, Miss Carson was hauling her into the music room where the two landed in an undignified heap on the floor as the stool gave way beneath them.

“Oh, Jessica!” Sophie flung herself on her friend, sobbing loudly “I was so scared you were going to fall and it would have been my fault!”

Miss Carson and Jessica got to their feet, Sophie still hugging the latter. The two mistresses and Matron now looked very grave. The girls were crying more quietly now and it was obvious that they were in no fit state to be questioned or scolded. Miss Carson nodded to Matron and that good lady marched the pair off to the Sanatorium to spend the rest of the night.

---

#201:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 12:25 pm
    —
They are so going to be for it in the morning, though. What a dreadful thing for a headmistress to see one of her pupils doing. Thanks Sue.

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#202:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 12:44 pm
    —
If Miss Carson is a good Headmistress - and she certainly appears to be - then I should imagine she went through agonies while Jessica was in danger.

Thanks Sue.

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#203:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:45 pm
    —
I'll be impressed if the pair of them aren't expelled...

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#204:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 1:42 pm
    —
The pair awoke next morning feeling very sheepish. After all, there had been no real danger once Jessica had landed safely on the chimney and there had been no reason for their floods of tears. However, whether they admitted it or not, it had been a harrowing experience and Jessica knew that she would have dreams about sliding down the roof for a long time to come. Matron forbade them to get out of bed until gone ten o’clock when, once they were dressed, she sent them straight to Miss Carson’s study.

The headmistress soon got the whole story from the girls, who were still inclined to be tearful despite their best efforts to pull themselves together. Miss Carson regarded them thoughtfully. She knew that they had had a bad fright and it was unlikely that either girl would try anything so stupid again in a hurry.

”Well,” she said, after a silence that made Sophie and Jessica more nervous than ever. “You have both been very silly little girls. I hope you can see that dares are stupid and can be very dangerous. Jessica came very close to seriously injuring herself.”

The pair bit back tears as they stared studiously at the ground.

“You have also made complete nuisances of yourself,” Miss Carson continued. “Because of you, that part of the roof is going to have to be repaired. The whole roof was due to be replaced during the summer holidays, but now we are going to have to get workmen in to patch up the damage. You also disturbed Matron, Miss Cross and myself, not to mention several of the girls. Now, I’m not going to say any more about the matter. I think that you have punished yourselves quite severely. I daresay it will be sometime before you can forget how close Jessica came to injuring herself. However, you will both go to bed for the rest of the day. Jessica, you will stay in the San and Sophie, you will go to your own dormitory. You can rejoin your form tomorrow. I want you to spend the remainder of the day resting and thinking about your conduct.”

The girls were aware that Miss Carson had let them off lightly as they trailed back to the San. Sophie collected her belongings and went back to her own dormitory in the charge of Nurse, while Matron saw Jessica back into bed. Both girls were the better for a day resting and Jessica was back to her normal self the next day, though she could not look up at the roof without shivering. Sophie had been more badly affected and it was several days before she began to feel herself again.

---

#205:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 1:49 pm
    —
She let them off lightly! I'm almost wishing she'd been harder on them!

Thanks Sue.

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#206:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 1:51 pm
    —
I think she might regret not being harder on them if they try something else ...

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#207:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 3:36 pm
    —
Unfortunately, once they've recovered, I think they will look on it as easy.

More traumas to come then.

Thanks Sue.

---

#208:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 8:27 pm
    —
I'm very excited. I have just finished "The Troubles of Jessica". Now I can start to think about her adventures during Mary Lou. How does "The Chalet School and Jessica" sound?

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#209:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 8:52 pm
    —
So post it!!!

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#210:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:26 am
    —
Well done, Sue! Can't wait to read it all!

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#211:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 2:03 pm
    —
Jessica's next installment will be harder work than Troubles, cos I'll have to be very careful not to contradict anything that happens in Mary Lou! Hoping to have some to post soon.


Jessica was bored. She had recovered remarkably quickly from her ordeal on the roof although sometimes, when she was especially tired, she would relive the episode in her dreams and would cry out. Sophie, however, was very quiet, even after the first shock had worn off. She lost her appetite for mischief and causing trouble, preferring to keep very much in the background, so much so that Miss Cross was quite worried about her. Jessica chafed at this and tried to coax her friend into making trouble again. Sophie was quite willing to egg Jessica on, but she seemed to want to take no part for herself. Was it possible that the scare on the roof had made Sophie begin to grow up, even as Beth at Redferne had began to grow up?

Jessica ploughed on with her path of destruction. It was much more fun to mischief-make with a friend, but she was quite capable of causing trouble on her own and she proceeded to make as much of it as she could.

One evening, having been sent to the dormitory to get a clean handkerchief, she swiftly made apple pie beds for the twins and Ruth. Ruth, leaping into bed and thrusting her legs down quickly, succeeding in ripping her sheets and let out a yell. The twins came running to see what the problem was, while Jessica giggled to herself in her cubicle. Natalie and Natasha were angry for the noise Ruth made had brought the prefect on duty into the Daffodil dormitory. Jane Fletcher regarded the damage to the sheet and then told Ruth that she must report this to Matron. The twins glared at Ruth, wanting her to tell Jane the truth, but Ruth would not tell tales, even on Jessica and poor Ruth found that she must spend her free time for the next few nights mending the sheet to Matron’s standard. When Ruth broke this news to the twins, Natasha rounded angrily on Jessica. She flung back the curtains of the other girl’s cubicle and the fact that Jessica was still laughing only served to make the usually mild-manner Natasha even crosser.

“I call that a simply mean thing to do!” she cried. “The least you can do is offer to mend the sheet for Ruth! You should have told Jane it was your fault!”

“Oh, rot,” Jessica returned. “It’s only a stupid sheet. What’s all the fuss about?”

“The fuss is that poor Ruth has to give up her free time to mend the sheet and it wasn’t even her fault. You made the apple pie beds and you should take the blame.”

“Nonsense,” Jessica said irritatingly, “it’s Ruth’s fault for bounding into bed like that. If she’d got in properly instead of shoving her feet down like that, nothing would have happened.”

Natasha opened her mouth to continue the argument, but a hand on her shoulder checked her. “Come on,” Natalie said to her twin, “there’s no point arguing with her. Everyone knows she’s just a thorough little nuisance. Just leave her alone. We’ll help Ruth mend her sheet.”

And the twins walked out of Jessica’s cubicle, yanking the curtains closed behind them. Jessica had the grace to feel ashamed as they left. Ruth had been nice to her last term and they had all been good friends. But it couldn’t be helped. Jessica was quite determined to continue her efforts to “show” Emily, even if it meant hurting herself in the process.

---

#212:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 2:07 pm
    —
Poor Ruth, that's a heck of a lot of mending. And wouldn't the sheets that get sewn across the middle like that be uncomfortable to lie on - or would that only be if they were sewn as poorly as I'd have managed?

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#213:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 2:18 pm
    —

Fatima wrote:

And wouldn't the sheets that get sewn across the middle like that be uncomfortable to lie on - or would that only be if they were sewn as poorly as I'd have managed?

I never thought of that! She'll probably get bed sores!

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#214:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 2:22 pm
    —
Probably it would be like sheets turned sides to middle...

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#215:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 5:58 pm
    —
Silly Jessica - even when she realises that she's hurting herself she still continues. I know that Emily and Adam are at fault, but it's poor Jessica that is suffering.

Thanks Sue.

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#216:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:33 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm relieved that Jessica and Sophie are ok after her fall. I'm sorry that she has fallen out with Ruth, Natasha and Natalie.

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#217:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:26 am
    —
The next evening, Ruth and the twins got into bed with more circumspect than usual. Unfortunately, this did not save them from the horrid shock that was awaiting them. Jessica had come up to bed before and had taken their washing sponges. She had soaked them in ice cold water and then placed the sponges under the bed clothes, in the middle of the bed. The result was that, when the three got under the covers, the mattresses were soaking wet with cold water. Their respective yells were so loud that not only the prefect on duty, Elizabeth Caird, arrived in Daffodil but so did Matron. The three girls were told to be quiet, and they obeyed, but Natasha was not going to let Jessica get away with another nasty trick and, before Elizabeth or Matron could ask what was going on, she broke in,

“Matron, Jessica Wayne has put wet sponges in all our beds,”

A prolonged hiss came from behind Jessica’s curtain.

Matron promptly began to pull the bed clothes from Ruth’s bed. Elizabeth followed suit with Natalie’s and Natasha saw to her own. Matron’s face when she saw the sopping wet mattresses and sheets had to be seen to be believed. She left Ruth’s sheets in a heap on the floor and marched over to Jessica’s cubicle, wrenching open the curtains. All desire to laugh left Jessica as Matron took her by the shoulders and marched her to Ruth’s bed.

“Is this your doing?” she demanded.

“Yes, so what?” Jessica said, and her casual tone infuriated Matron.

Matron turned her back on Jessica as she went back to the three girls. It was clear that they could not sleep in their own beds tonight. “I’m afraid you three must sleep in San tonight. Take your things and go along there right away. Elizabeth, would you go with them and explain things to Nurse, please?”

Natalie, Natasha and Ruth quickly got their belongings together and followed Elizabeth out of the dormitory. Matron turned back Jessica.

“Finish stripping these beds, please,” she ordered. “The fetch the laundry basket from your bathroom and put the sheets in it.”

For a moment, Jessica looked as if she might defy Matron. Then she shrugged and pulled the remaining bedclothes from the bed as Matron looked on. She bundled them all up and dumped them into the laundry basket.

“These will all need to be washed and dried and put back on the beds. You can do that tomorrow instead of going with your form for the ramble. Take that basket to the laundry room immediately, and come straight back here.”

Again, Jessica looked mutinous but she did as she was told. When she got back to Daffodil, she found that Matron hadn’t finished with her.

“The mattresses must be dried out straight away. Luckily for you, it’s a warm night and they’ll dry out in the garden. You can help me get them downstairs.”

With a very bad grace, Jessica did as she was bid and it took a good twenty minutes to manoeuvre the mattresses downstairs and into the back garden. Jessica was exhausted by the time they were finished, and it was well after ten o’clock. She climbed back up to Daffodil wearily, hoping that Matron would go away and leave her alone. After all, hadn’t she been punished enough? Humping heavy mattresses about the place and having to miss out on the ramble! Jessica was disappointed as Matron proceeded to deliver a scathing lecture in which she touched upon the iniquities of messing with, and damaging, other people’s property. Jessica felt quite small when Matron had finished, but she was furious that she had been spoken to in such a way. After all, it had only been a harmless prank. She stopped short of telling Matron so, however, as she desperately wanted to get to her bed and she knew that cheek would only result in another lecture.

Eventually, Matron left Jessica to go to bed, but Jessica promised herself that she would get her own back on Matron for being, as Jessica saw it, unreasonable.

---

#218:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:30 am
    —
I'm glad that someone's having a go at Jessica - she really does deserve it for being mean to girls who had been such nice friends the previous term. I'm looking forward to seeing how she gets back at Matron, though! Thanks Sue.

---

#219:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:31 am
    —
Silly Jessica!

If I were Matron I'd have made her sleep in one of the damp beds!

---

#220:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:01 pm
    —
She doesn't know when to stop, does she?

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#221:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:42 pm
    —

Ruth B wrote:

If I were Matron I'd have made her sleep in one of the damp beds!

Am liking that idea a lot, Ruth! That would really have shown her!

---

#222:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 7:26 pm
    —
That was actually quite nasty of her - especially as these girls were her friends last term and had done nothing to her. If she wants to get expelled why not play tricks on the Staff?

Pleased that Matron told her what she thought of her.

Thanks Sue.

---

#223:  Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 7:41 pm
    —

Ruth B wrote:

Silly Jessica! If I were Matron I'd have made her sleep in one of the damp beds!

I don't suppose Matron wanted to have to deal with the cold that would quite possibly ensue from sleeping in a cold wet bed though.

---

#224:  Author: Michelle, Location: Near London Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 12:40 am
    —
Poor Natalie, Natasha and Ruth. I can understand why Jessica has gone off the rails - I would too, if Emily was my mum. But Jessica's friends aren't to blame for what Emily did. Thank you, Sue.

---

#225:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 11:13 am
    —
The next day, Jessica had to watch her form head off for a glorious ramble in the warm weather while she was left behind to replace the mattresses on the beds. She also had to wash and dry the bedclothes, no mean feat for a girl who had never done such a thing before. Fortunately, it was a warm day and the sheets dried quickly but, even so, it was well after lunch when Jessica finished. She was then sent off by herself to sit and read her book in the garden. She was sure of one thing, however – she would never again mess with anyone’s bed. It was too much like hard work!

For the next day or two, Jessica brooded about how to get her own back on Matron. She felt thoroughly ill-used by that lady and was determined not to let her get away with it. Nothing came to her mind immediately, and so Jessica put it to one side, guessing that an idea would come to her when she wasn’t thinking about it.

Shortly after the incident with the sponges, Jessica, along with the rest of her form, was summoned to Matron’s examining room for a tooth inspection. Jessica knew that her teeth were perfect. Emily had always insisted on regular visits to the dentist and, as a result, Jessica could boast a mouthful of healthy white teeth. As Jessica titled her head back and succumbed to Matron’s invasion of her mouth, she glanced round the room, moving her eyes from wall to wall. It was the first time Jessica had been in this room and she thought what a clinical, unwelcoming room it was. It was like a doctor’s examining room in a hospital. The walls were painted plain white and there were no pictures on them to break up the monotony. The only items of furniture in the room were a desk, with its piles of paper stored neatly to one side, an uncomfortable looking chair, an equally uncomfortably looking examining couch and a filing cabinet. Jessica, although not in the least artistic, thought that the room could benefit from being “prettied up” a bit so that girls sent to the room could feel a little bit more relaxed about being there. Matron released Jessica’s head and the girl was free to go.

It was a coincidence that the next lesson was art. Jessica had no artistic ability, but she was able to appreciate what was good and what was bad about drawings, paintings and sculptures, in much the same way as she had no musical talent and yet enjoyed listening to beautiful music. For the past couple of lesson, Miss Douglas, the art teacher, had been concentrating on designs for stencils and friezes. Jessica was quite enjoying this as it took no artistic talent to produce the geometrical designs that Miss Douglas had asked for. The trouble was trying to keep those designs as simple as possible. Jessica had already been sent back once to start again as her design was so intricate that it would be of no use as a frieze.

As Jessica concentrated at her desk, a vision of Matron’s room came into her head. How much cheerier that room would look with some stencils painted round the edges! Suddenly, Jessica grinned as an idea took hold of her. Why not treat Matron’s room to the redecoration it was crying out for? That would show her!

---

#226:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 11:17 am
    —
And will improve the room no end, if it's really that plain! I'm not sure Matron will agree, however.

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#227:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 12:01 pm
    —
She really is asking for trouble!

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#228:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 12:30 pm
    —
Actually I think that's a really good idea - don't know that Matron will see it that way though...

Thanks Sue.

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#229:  Author: alicat, Location: Wiltshire Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:22 pm
    —
can't wait to see what subject jessica picks on for her design...or colour either.....blood red, perhaps??? or vomit green????

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#230:  Author: Tan, Location: London via Newcastle Australia Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:40 am
    —
Curious to see what happens next!

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#231:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:46 am
    —
By the end of the lesson, Jessica had finished her stencil design and Miss Douglas had professed herself happy with it. Jessica put the design away safely, ready for next lesson – but it would have a little outing in the meantime!

After lessons, Jessica went back to the art room. The room was never locked as the girls were encouraged to make use of the room in their free time, provided they tidied up after themselves and did not misuse anything. As it happened, there was no-one there to see Jessica collect her stencil design and pick up a pot of red paint and a paint brush. The problem now would be to get up to Matron’s examining room unnoticed. Jessica was lucky and it seemed that most of the girls were making the most of the warm weather and they all seemed to be out in the gardens or playing fields. Jessica arrived at Matron’s room unseen. She did not think that Matron would be around because she usually joined her teaching colleagues in the staff room at this time of day.

Jessica opened the door of the room and went in. She closed the door behind her and went over to the desk where she laid down her stencil, brush and paint pot. She gave a little giggle as she glanced round at the austere walls. They would look very different when she had finished! Jessica popped the lid off the paint pot and her transformation of the room began.

She had never worked with stencils before and it took her a while to get the hang of holding onto the stencil with one hand and painting with the other. She made a terrible mess of the first few that she did but, on reflection, she felt this was better than painting them perfectly – after all, she was setting out to make a mess of the room! – and so she began to just slap the paint on any old how and, if some splattered onto the floor, who cared?

Jessica lost track of time as she carried out her vindictive plan and she gave a jump as the dinner bell rang. She had had no idea she been painting for so long. She was in a quandary. What to do with the messy stencil and brush and the paint pot? Girls were expected to go straight to the dining room when the bell for meals rang and any latecomers were frowned upon. Jessica had planned to take her equipment back to the art room when she had finished but that was not going to be possible. There was no option but to leave the things in Matron’s room. Jessica didn’t think it would matter too much. After all, once the redecoration was discovered, it wouldn’t take Matron long to discover who the culprit was. So Jessica opened the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet and shoved the messy utensils inside, incidentally covering the drawer in the paint that stained her hands. Jessica then grabbed some paper towels that were sitting on the desk and scrubbed her hands as best she could. Throwing the paper into the bin, she left the room and made her way hastily to the dining room. She was no later than most of the girls who had had to come in from the playing fields and so no-one really noticed that she was quite excited and flushed. Jessica did wish that she had taken more time over her appearance as she noticed that her tunic was flecked with red paint and she hoped that no-one else would notice.

---

#232:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:48 am
    —
Wonder how Matron will react!

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#233:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 1:42 pm
    —
Hoped no-one else would notice? No chance!

Thanks Sue.

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#234:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 1:44 pm
    —
She's going to be in an almighty row this time. Thanks Sue.

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#235:  Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:12 pm
    —

Alison H wrote:

Wonder how Matron will react!

I imagine she'll see red!

Thanks, leahbelle.

---

#236:  Author: Tan, Location: London via Newcastle Australia Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:43 pm
    —

Lottie wrote:

Alison H wrote: Wonder how Matron will react! I imagine she'll see red! Thanks, leahbelle.

Terrible pun!

Am waiting for the fireworks!!

---

#237:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 2:49 pm
    —
Then there was nothing left to do but wait for the next time that Matron used her room. It was not in constant use, and Jessica spent the next day or two on tenterhooks, waiting for the storm to break. She knew that something was wrong when the entire school was summoned to an ad-hoc assembly on the Friday afternoon. No-one seemed to know what the assembly was about, and the girls waited expectantly as Miss Carson and Matron climbed onto the dais. Only Jessica knew what was to come.

“Good afternoon, girls,” Miss Carson greeted her pupils, and her tone was very grave in contrast to her usual merry tones. The girls returned the greeting and Miss Carson went on, “I should like to know which of you knows anything about these.”

At this point, the girls saw Matron holding up a tub of red paint, a brush and a stencil covered in dry red paint. They all looked at one another in astonishment, wondering if the Head had finally gone crackers. What on earth was this about? Jessica knew that this was the point at which she ought to stand up and declare herself guilty but, for some reason, she found herself moulded to her seat. She did not feel she could stand up in front of the entire school. It would be too shaming.

Miss Carson’s face grew graver as she saw that no-one was going to own up. “Girls,” she said seriously, “Matron’s examining room has been vandalised. Someone has painted the walls in red paint with this stencil. I ask you now, if anyone knows anything about this, please own up now.”

Still Jessica could not get to her feet. She longed to jump up and shout defiantly, “It was me!” but her legs refused to obey her and she remained glued to her chair.

“Very well,” Miss Carson’s tone was scathing. “It would seem we have a coward in the school. It is all very well to play nasty tricks such as this, but I would at least expect a pupil of mine to have the decency to own up afterwards.”

At this, Jessica finally found herself released and she leapt to her feet. “It was me!” she shouted. “I did it! I painted Matron’s room!”

For a second or two there was complete silence in the hall. The girls looked at Jessica as if she had taken leave of her senses and even Miss Carson was momentarily speechless. She had not expected such a brazen admission of guilt. The headmistress quickly regained her senses.

“Jessica Wayne,” she said quietly, “go immediately to my study and wait for me.”

Jessica obeyed, and she stalked out of the hall aware that the eyes of every girl in the school were on her.

---

#238:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 2:52 pm
    —
Thank you!

Can't blame Jessica for not wanting to stand up in front of the school! Hope she's suitably penitent, but can't help thinking she won't be.

---

#239:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 3:06 pm
    —
Well she did ask for it!

BTW, would she like to come and paint my house ?

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#240:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 3:36 pm
    —
I'm glad she did own up, even if it took a few moments. She's certainly no coward.

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#241:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 5:06 pm
    —

Alison H wrote:

Well she did ask for it! BTW, would she like to come and paint my house ?

Of course! Not sure you'd appreciate her style of decorating, though - I know I wouldn't!

---

#242:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 7:39 pm
    —
Well she's going to get what she wanted, isn't she?

It's not going to bring her much happiness though, is it?

Thanks Sue.

---

#243:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 11:40 pm
    —
Have just caught up on all the dares (still have my heart in my mouth over the roof one!), and am gasping.

The trouble is that Jess is so focused on how awful she feels and on getting herself expelled that she's lost all ability to distinguish between ordinary mischief; 'pranks' that are destructive of 'things'; and really nasty and unkind actions towards people who have never been anything but nice to her. Of course, she has to do some pretty rotten stuff to get thrown out, but she's behaving in a way she'll be very ashamed of later on - and storing up a great deal of unhappiness for herself.

BTW I really like Miss Carson. Would she like a career move to the CS?

Many thanks, leahbelle.

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#244:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 1:38 am
    —
Oh heck is all I can say.

Poor silly Jessica - she's going the right way to get herself expelled, which is of course what she wants but can't she see she isn't doing herself any favours at all? And despite all this I do really like the girl, she has a lot of good qualities but she doesn't know what to do with them.

Thank you, leahbelle.

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#245:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 2:12 pm
    —
Yes, Jessica is hell-bent on "showing" Emily and getting herself expelled that she doesn't care what she does or who she hurts in the process. Despite that, I don't think she's happy and I think she'll be even more unhappy when she gets what she wants and finds it's not what she expected!!


Miss Carson dealt with Jessica quickly and effectively. She was thoroughly disgusted with the girl’s behaviour, even more so when she heard that the stunt was the result of a desire to “get back” at Matron. The headmistress had the reputation of having a tongue that could flay girls alive at ten paces when she wanted to and there was little left of Jessica by the time she had finished with her. Jessica, feeling less than three inches tall, dazedly realised that she was banned from all half term festivities. Instead, she would remain at school in charge of whichever teacher was off duty and spend the day reading quietly. As half term had included trips to the theatre and to the seaside, Jessica was very despondent. She had certainly got her own back on Matron, but she felt that Matron was the one who was having the last laugh.

But Miss Carson was not finished with Jessica quite yet.

“I’ve seen a lot of you this term, Jessica,” she mused thoughtfully. “We were very pleased with you last term. You worked hard and you seemed to be settling in and making friends. You seemed to be happy. What has happened this term?”

Coming so soon after her tirade, this speech of Miss Carson’s left Jessica nonplussed. She looked into the head mistress’ eyes and saw there that compassion had taken the place of the anger from moments earlier. Jessica knew that she had no right to expect Miss Carson to feel sorry for her and she lowered her eyes, embarrassed for once.

“Come, Jessica,” Miss Carson prompted, “you’ve been nothing but a nuisance since the start of term. Something must have happened to change you from the happy, helpful girl we knew last term. Perhaps its something I can help with.”

Jessica felt the old jealousy of her mother and step-family rising within her. What could Miss Carson do about that?

“There’s nothing wrong,” Jessica practically spat at her headmistress. “Nothing. I just can’t be bothered anymore, that’s all.”

“I see,” Miss Carson became severe once more. “In that case, Jessica, I must warn you that this sort of behaviour cannot be allowed to continue. You disrupt classes, you are rude to pupils and teachers alike, you damage school property. You seem to think that you are the only pupil at the school and that our lives should revolve around you. There are more than sixty girls at Cor Lan, Jessica, and I won’t allow their education and fun to be spoiled because of the actions of one silly little girl. I will be writing to your parents,”

“He’s not my parent!” Jessica interrupted rudely.

“I will be writing to your parents, “ Miss Carson continued, ignoring the girl. “They must be told about your behaviour this term. If your behaviour does not improve after half term, I will have to consider asking your parents to send you to another school because I do not want such a disruptive influence at Cor Lan.”

It was just as well for Jessica that her face was turned towards the floor and that Miss Carson could not see the grin that flashed fleetingly across her face. Chances are she would have been expelled there and then. But Jessica had got what she wanted, in any case, and Miss Carson had given her the excuse she needed to be just as disruptive and irritating after half term.

---

#246:  Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 2:19 pm
    —
Oh dear! I suppose things are going to go from bad to worse now. Poor Jessica, and poor everybody else at Cor Lan.

Thanks, leahbelle.

---

#247:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 2:25 pm
    —
Poor girl, if only she could see that she's only going to get into more trouble by carrying on like this, and that she won't be happy when she's expelled.

---

#248:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 2:35 pm
    —
Yet had she told Miss Carson I get the impression that something would have been done to change Jessica's opinion. Such a pity.

Thanks Sue.

---

#249:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 2:41 pm
    —
Oh, Jessica.
*shakes head*
*suspects Emily & Adam won't be too perceptive*

---

#250:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 8:22 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm sorry that Jessica didn't tell Miss Carson what was wrong.

---

#251:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 10:05 am
    —
It's a shame that Miss Carson didn't pick up on the "He's not my parent" as being part of the problem. She did try to be helpful, though, at least.

---

#252:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 12:22 pm
    —
On Saturday morning, while Jessica’s form mates were getting ready for a day trip out as part of their half term treats and Jessica herself was preparing to spend a dull day in the company of Matron, Adam and Emily were sitting down to breakfast. Adam had brought the post in with him and he handed a harmless, inconspicuous looking envelope to his wife. Emily glanced at it, decided it couldn’t be anything important and put it to one side to open when breakfast and the morning chores were finished.

It was not until she had helped Rosamund to get ready for the day that Emily sat down with a cup of tea and opened the letter. She gave a gasp of dismay as she read the contents and her normally rosy cheeks turned pale. Adam was working in the garden, with Rosamund looking on, but Emily felt she simply must share the letter with him immediately. Emily knocked on the window and Adam, seeing the look of consternation on her face, came running inside.

“What on earth is wrong?” he demanded.

For answer, Emily thrust the letter she had received from Miss Carson at Cor Lan at him. Adam took it and skimmed it quickly. It did not make pleasant reading and he frowned as he led Emily to the sofa and sat down beside her.

“I though Jessica’s report from Cor Lan last term was excellent?”

Emily nodded. She was close to tears. This was her fault. She had promised Jessica that they would discuss the possibility of Jessica becoming a day girl again and she had broken that promise.

“Come on, Em,” Adam said bracingly. “It’s not as bad as all that.”

“But it is!” Emily cried. “Don’t you see this is because of me?”

“I don’t see it at all. This seems to me like Jessica is up to her old tricks again.”

“Yes, because of me! Don’t you remember I promised her we would talk about her becoming a day girl again at the High School if she did well at Cor Lan last term? Well, she did do well but, what with Rosamund being so ill, there wasn’t the opportunity to talk about it during the holidays.”

“Surely Jessica would have understood that? And you did try to talk to her about it. I know you phoned her on at least two occasions and she practically put the phone down on you.”

“Oh, Adam, of course she wouldn’t have understood. We were so wrapt up in Rosamund that there just wasn’t anytime to spare for Jess, especially when we thought we might actually lose Rosamund. I’ve let her down. I’ve spent so much time caring for Rosamund that I’ve forgotten about my own daughter.”

“You think Jessica is behaving like this deliberately because she thinks you let her down?”

“I know she is. From this, it sounds like she’s trying to get herself expelled so that we have no option but to consider sending her to another school.”

“This is ridiculous!” Adam said angrily. “She can’t hold you to ransom like this. Things were difficult at Easter. There was nothing we could do. It’s not as if we deliberately forgot about her. And if she can behave like this, she doesn’t deserve the opportunity to be a day girl again. You haven’t let her down, Em. It’s her own stubbornness and jealousy that’s making her do this. She’s trying to make you feel guilty, and I won’t let her!”

“What are we to do?” Emily asked. “At this rate, Miss Carson will ask us to remove her at the end of term. Expelled from two schools, Adam! My Jessica!”

“She’s not a bad girl, Em,” Adam said, consolingly. “But she is mixed up and confused and there’s a limit to the amount of excuses we can make for her. We must try to sort this out straight away. I suggest that, on Monday, you take the train to Cor Lan and visit her. Take her out for the day. I know Miss Carson has refused her all half term treats, but I think she’ll make an exception. Talk to Jess and see if you can’t make her see sense. If she’s genuinely unhappy at Cor Lan, then of course we would have to make alternative arrangements for her. But if her unhappiness is of her own making, then she must make the best of the bed she’s made for herself.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?” Emily pleaded. “I just want her to be happy.”

“So do I,” Adam assured his wife, “but we can’t give in to her every time Jess has a temper tantrum or acts the fool. She needs to learn her lesson, and she needs to learn it now, before it’s too late. Redferne only asked us to remove Jessica. If this goes on, Cor Lan will expel her. We have to act to try to save her that disgrace and, if that means being harsh with her, then so be it.”

Reluctantly, Emily agreed with everything Adam said and she went off to telephone Miss Carson. The head mistress was only too happy to agree to Emily’s proposal to visit Jessica on the Monday. Nothing any of the staff had done had roused Jessica from her black mood; perhaps her mother would have better luck. Emily arranged to see Miss Carson before taking Jessica out for the rest of the day.

Emily then dialled the number of the High School in town. It was a day school and she was taking a risk calling them on a Saturday. Chances are, no-one would be around, but Emily felt she could not face Jessica without having at least tried to ascertain if there were vacancies for the new school year. To Emily’s surprise, the call was answered by the head mistress herself. It was to no avail, however, and Emily learned that there would be no further vacancies until next summer. Sighing, she put the phone down, but was glad that she could say honestly to Jessica that she had tried to keep her promise.

---

#253:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 12:36 pm
    —
Somehow I don't think Jessica will be too impressed by Emily's efforts. I'm glad Emily has realized why Jessica is playing up, but it's too late, isn't it.

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#254:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 12:40 pm
    —
Also don't think enough has been done - and Adam's not making any attempt to see it from Jessica's point of view, is he? They really are somewhat ineffectual as parents, aren't they?

Thanks Sue.

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#255:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 1:03 pm
    —
Adam and Emily are both totally useless - the quicker Jessica is grown up and can be free of them the better.

I do wish she would do something really bad to them and not to the folk at Cor-Lan, though.

---

#256:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 1:08 pm
    —
They're not much use, are they? Although I'm sure they mean well.

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#257:  Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 1:12 pm
    —
At last Emily has begun to realise what the problem is, but Adam seems totally unsympathetic, and I suspect it is too late now anyway.

Thanks, leahbelle.

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#258:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 5:59 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. It's good that Emily is starting to feel guilty but I wish that she had rung the High School sooner than she actually did.

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#259:  Author: arky72, Location: Cheshire Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 8:58 pm
    —
Just caught up. I'll be really sorry when this comes to an end

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#260:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 9:58 pm
    —
Astute of Emily to figure it out!

Adam's strategy doesn't sound too helpful, though.... And it's not too impressive that Emily hadn't talked with the local school well before the Rosamund crisis. If I were Jessica, I'd find it hard to believe she was serious.

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#261:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 10:02 pm
    —
I do wish Jess could have talked to Miss Carson.

I think things have gone too far wrong with Emily and Adam to be patched up quickly and simply.

Thanks, leahbelle.

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#262:  Author: Tan, Location: London via Newcastle Australia Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:45 am
    —
Oh dear, if only they had realised earlier. Perhaps if Emily had made the effort to visit Jessica before this things might have been different. Then again, she wouldn't have ended up at the Chalet School would she??

---

#263:  Author: alicat, Location: Wiltshire Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 9:36 am
    —
It's so easy, looking at this from the outside, to see all sides......

poor jess, having had her mother to herself for so long of course she feels resentful and she has never accepted that emily has a right to have feelings of her own, which is where all the resentment comes from

poor emily, it's awful feeling you are a failure to your own child, especially when you are still grieving for a lost baby. now she's failed them both.

poor adam, he never expected all this trouble when he fell in love with emily and after all, rosamond's never given him a minute's worry on the obedience scale. jessica has certainly opened his eyes to the reality of normal parenthood.

but most of all poor rosamond.
crippled, probably in pain a lot of the time, feeling hated by jess and responsible for tension between adam and emily, and just having had to cope with a tremendous disappointment with her operation not being a success.

this is a really great story.

---

#264:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:23 pm
    —
Emily set off for Cor Lan early on Monday morning. Adam dropped her at the train station on his way to work. He would have liked to have accompanied her, but felt it would be better for mother and daughter to meet alone. Besides, he had an important meeting that it would have been difficult to get out.

The journey passed without incident, though Emily grew more and more nervous as she neared her destination. She tried to shake the feeling off. It was ridiculous to be nervous – even scared – of one’s own daughter, but Jessica was such an unpredictable quantity that Emily had no way of knowing how the girl would receive her. A taxi took Emily to the school and she asked the driver to wait, having planned to take Jessica out in Taverton for the day. The driver agreed amiably and took out a newspaper while Emily found her way to Miss Carson’s office.

There was nothing new to be learned from Miss Carson. It was obvious to Emily that she was worried about Jessica, but felt she had no option but to act for the good of her school and not for the good of one girl. The message was clear – Jessica would be expelled if she did not improve.

It was with a heavy heart that Emily followed a maid to the Third’s common room where Jessica was waiting reluctantly for her mother. Today had seen the rest of the girls depart for a theatre matinee and Jessica was furious to be missing out. She was even less pleased to learn that she must spend the day with her mother. A day hemming sheets in the company of Matron looked like a positive holiday beside this.

Emily planned to take Jessica for lunch at a good hotel and then go on to see a film at the cinema. She had decided that it would be best to keep the girl occupied rather than spend too much time talking. They would go on to the small museum that Taverton boasted and then take tea somewhere before Jessica returned to Cor Lan and Emily to Moorlands.

Emily quickly realised that she had been right in her decision to keep Jessica busy. Although Emily tried to coax her daughter to talk in the taxi and in the hotel over lunch, Jessica remained stubbornly silent, at times seeming almost unaware that her mother was there. As a result, Emily found herself prattling nervously about anything and everything which came into her head. Later, she had no idea what she had talked about. The visit to the cinema and the museum were slightly more successful and Jessica came out of herself enough to enthuse about the film and the natural history displays at the museum. Heartened, Emily led Jessica to a tea room. It seemed to be the right time to try to talk seriously to the misguided girl.

---

#265:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:30 pm
    —
Even though Emily has made such a mess of things with Jessica I do feel sorry for her. It must be so difficult to see Jessica hurting so badly and not know what to do about it.

---

#266:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:40 pm
    —
At least Emily's trying.

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#267:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 4:19 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I am wondering how Jessica will react about the High School.

---

#268:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:33 pm
    —
I think, basically, it's too little, too late. Jessica feels so betrayed by Emily that nothing she does now will suffice.

Thanks Sue.

---

#269:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 12:07 pm
    —
Have just caught up on the last 8 pages of this. Fab. Thank you.

---

#270:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 12:19 pm
    —
“Are you unhappy at Cor Lan, Jessica?” Emily asked after she had given their order to the waitress.

Jessica shrugged. She was neither happy nor unhappy as long as she was trying to achieve of her aim of being asked to leave.

“I had a letter from Miss Carson at the weekend. She’s not at all happy with your behaviour and Adam and I were very disappointed with what she had to say about you. You did so well last term. What’s gone wrong this term?” Emily had no idea how to approach this situation and she feared she was doing things all wrong, but she could only say what she thought was right and try to get Jessica to co-operate.

“If you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you,” Jessica growled.

“It’s because of what happened at Easter, isn’t it?” Emily prodded. “I promised you we would rethink you becoming a day girl again and, because we were so worried about Rosamund, there was no time. I broke my promise.”

Jessica looked surprised. How had Emily known? “But if you knew,” she said, “why didn’t you keep your promise? You could have found the time, if you’d wanted to.”

Was that true? Emily wondered. How do you decide which is most important to you – your stepdaughter who might be dying or your real daughter who was unhappy. Perhaps it was true, Emily decided, but in her defence, she had telephoned Jessica to talk to her and it was Jessica who had wanted nothing to do with the calls.

”Things were very difficult, Jess,” Emily explained patiently. “You know that. The doctors thought Rosamund was going to die. We wanted to spend every moment possible with her because we thought we might not see her again.”

“But she didn’t die. She’s fine,” Jessica said. “You could have come home when you found that out instead of dumping me with Miss Winter.”

“I thought you liked Miss Winter, and Spud?” Emily said indignantly.

“I do, and I had much better fun with her than I would have with you at Moorlands. But you could have visited me for a day and we could have talked about it. You broke your promise because you don’t care about me as much as you about Rosamund. If I died tomorrow, you wouldn’t miss me at all.”

“That’s unfair, Jess. You know that I love you. Adam loves you too, as if you were his own daughter. And if you would just give Rosamund a chance, she has lots of love to give you. She’d be delighted to be your friend and sister.”

“I don’t believe you,” Jessica said stubbornly.

“I’ve come here today to prove that we love you,” Emily told her. “I should have come a long time ago, you’re right. But I’m here now, and we can talk.”

“What about?” Jessica asked.

“Anything you like,” Emily said, “but first, I’d like you to promise that you’ll try your hardest at school for the rest of the term.”

”Can I be a day girl next term?” there was a hint of brightness and hope in Jessica’s voice and Emily balked at telling her that the High School was full.

“Jess, I contacted the headmistress at the High School. All the places are taken. It’s just not possible for you to be a day girl; not at the moment.”

“Then when?” Jessica demanded. “If you had contacted the High when you promised, they might have had spaces. It’s too late now! I’ll have to stay at Cor Lan.”

“Is Cor Lan that bad? You seemed to get on so well last term.”

“Yes, because you promised me that I wouldn’t have to stay!”

“And because I’ve broken my promise, you have decided to be so badly behaved that you’re asked to leave and we have to find you another school. Is that it?”

“What of it?” Jessica said rudely. “You’ve broken your promise. There’s no room at the High and I can’t be a day girl. I don’t want to stay at Cor Lan. I want to come home.”

It was obvious to Emily that this was going nowhere. Jessica was determined to punish her mother for that broken promise. From one point of view, Emily couldn’t blame her. From another – Emily wanted to give her daughter a good shake and tell her to pull herself together but she feared this would only make matters worse and she had no idea to cause a public scene.

“Jess, I’m sorry I broke my promise. I understand that you are hurt and upset. I’ve tried to put things right, but you won’t let me. There’s nothing else I can do. If you are really unhappy at Cor Lan, then we can look to find another school for you, but it will be a boarding school because there simply isn’t another day school nearby. Can’t you give Cor Lan a second chance, Jess? It’s a good school and you made some good friends there last term. Won’t you try?”

Jessica gave another shrug. She had no intention of “trying” as her mother put it, but she did not want to get involved in a row with Emily. The most important thing to her was that her mother would be made to keep her promise one way or another. If Emily wouldn’t remove Jess from Cor Lan, Jess would remove herself. Jessica failed to see that it would be impossible for her mother to magic the girl a place at the High School.

Emily, wrongly as it was to transpire, took Jessica’s shrug and silence as an affirmative. She urged the girl to finish her tea as they were due back at school and Emily was going to be hard pressed to catch her train.

---

#271:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 12:21 pm
    —
Oh dear, what a mess .

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#272:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 3:08 pm
    —
What a shame Emily realized all of this too late. Thanks Sue.

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#273:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:36 pm
    —
Just a mess - and Jessica has been so badly hurt she won't see reason now.

Thanks Sue

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#274:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:11 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm wondering what Jessica is going to do now after she is so upset with her mother.

---

#275:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 6:44 pm
    —
It had been a hard day, Emily thought as she boarded the train. She was sad to say that she had not been sorry to say goodbye to Jessica and it had been almost with relief that she had watched her daughter go in through the front door of the school. Did that make her a bad parent, she wondered. What Jessica would be like at home during the summer if she did not pull herself together at school did not bear thinking about.

Emily dozed off on the train and only just made her stop, thanks to the kindness of an elderly gentleman. Adam met her and looked at her expectantly. Emily just shook her head. She was weary after the journey and only wanted to get home and have a bath. Then, when she had eaten and felt more like herself she would share the story of her day with Adam, but Adam had a surprise for her.

“We’ve got a visitor,” he told her as they drove back to Moorlands.

Emily was in no mood to be polite to visitors. “Oh, no, Adam. Who is it?”

“Don’t worry, darling, it’s no-one who’s going to bite you. It’s Lucia Gordon.”

“Luce!” Emily cried, immediately cheered by the prospect of meeting her old friend again. They hadn’t seen each other since the wedding, although Luce had sent occasional postcards from some of the outlandish places she had been to paint. “She’s not a visitor. She’s a friend. How lovely to see her again!”

The two friends enjoyed a rapturous greeting but Luce, seeing how tired Emily obviously was, ordered her off for a bath while she helped Adam prepare some dinner. It wasn’t til after dinner that Luce allowed Emily to tell the story of her day.

”I see,” Luce mused when Emily had finished and Adam looked grim. “I hoped she might have come round after the wedding.”

“So did we,” Emily smiled dolefully. “I don’t know what we are to do, for it seems almost certain that Miss Carson will expel her at the end of term.”

“And then we’ll have to find another school for her,” Adam inserted, “and who’s to say how long she’ll stay there.”

”What about the Chalet School?” Luce asked.

“That school at Carnbach?” Emily said. “We did try there before, but they had no vacancies. I felt it was too far away as well.”

“I wasn’t thinking of Carnbach,” Luce said. “I was thinking of Switzerland.”

“Switzerland?” Adam cried. “If Carnbach’s too far away, Switzerland’s the other side of the planet!”

“Nonsense,” Luce said briskly. “My niece – Katharine, you know – has been a pupil there for years. At least, they weren’t always located in Switzerland. They were located on an island called St... St Brendas... no, St Briavel’s for sometime and then part of the school moved to the Gornetz Platz, leaving behind an English branch at Carnbach. Katharine simply loves it there. She enjoyed St Briavel’s, but Switzerland is something else. Perhaps the complete change of scenery would do Jessica good? And they are notorious for being able to reform even the most wayward of girls.”

Emily was uncertain. Switzerland was a very long way away. Jessica would be terribly homesick, not to mention angry at being sent so far away. “I don’t think so,” she said doubtfully.

Adam was more positive. “Perhaps it is what Jessica needs.”

“Won’t she feel like we are punishing her even more?” Emily asked.

“She might, at first,” Luce said, “but the girls have a fantastic time. Lessons are important, of course, but the main emphasis is on the girls’ health and they go for long walks and rambles. Sport is an important part of the curriculum. And they go for expeditions across Switzerland at half term, so Jessica would see a lot of the country.”

Emily still looked unsure.

“I tell you what,” Luce said, “why don’t I leave you the address? You can contact them and ask them to send you a prospectus, then see what you think. Miss Annersley’s the head mistress and she’ll see that Jessica’s given every chance possible to better herself. And, I’ll get Katharine to write to you and tell you how much she enjoys being there.”

“Will they have any vacancies?” Emily asked.

”You can only ask,” Luce said, “but they usually make exceptions in special cases. If Jessica is expelled, I think the Chalet School would be a very good option for her. Don’t let me forget to give you the address; you know what I’m like!”

And so, next day, Emily wrote off to Miss Annersley asking for a prospectus. She received a charming reply and was very taken with what she read about the school. What was more, Miss Annersley also told her that there were several vacancies for girls of Jessica’s age for the coming term.


I'm not sure that I have made Lucia Gordon scatty enough. She just wouldn't behave herself. Maybe she's reformed!

---

#276:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 6:50 pm
    —
Adam seems very keen to get rid of Jessica. Not that you can blame him, but it's not exactly going to help.

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#277:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 6:53 pm
    —
Can see why Jessica arrived at the CS with such a huge chip on her shoulder - bet the summer holidays were horrible!

Thanks Sue

(Oh and Aunt Luce might have just been having an off day! )

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#278:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:17 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. It's nice to see Luce. I wonder how Jessica will react to the possibility of going to the CS in Switzerland.

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#279:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 8:52 pm
    —
She can't have been scatty all the time !

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#280:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:05 am
    —
Please, please Leahbelle, can we have a scene 'tixt Cor Lan and Jessica's departure for the Chalet School where she does something really awful to Adam and Emily, so that we can all smile and say, "Yes, they deserved that."

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#281:  Author: arky72, Location: Cheshire Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 10:00 am
    —
This story is getting far too close to the end for my liking

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#282:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 5:53 pm
    —

lizarfau wrote:

Please, please Leahbelle, can we have a scene 'tixt Cor Lan and Jessica's departure for the Chalet School where she does something really awful to Adam and Emily, so that we can all smile and say, "Yes, they deserved that."

I can't promise anything, not in this part of the drabble, but maybe in The Chalet School and Jessica. I like the idea, though!!


Later, Emily wished she’d acted sooner and made the decision to enrol Jessica at the Chalet School straight away. But she wanted to give Jessica the chance to make good and her intention was well-meant, if misguided.

With half term over at Cor Lan, all the girls returned to their studies feeling refreshed and all the better for their short break. Jessica had to listen to her form mates talking about the fantastic time they had had on their various trips and she was jealous that they had had such fun whilst she had been stuck at school with only a teacher to keep her company. Even Sophie, who had kept out of the worst of trouble since the roof incident, had had a fabulous time and she wanted to share her excitement with Jessica. Jessica listened jealously and then stormed off in a huff, as if Sophie was to blame for all her woes.

As a result, Jessica was in no sweet temper when she presented herself for the first class on Tuesday which happened to be music. Music classes had not been too much of a chore to Jessica since her arrival at Cor Lan as they had involved no singing to date. During her first term, Miss Paulson had concentrated on teaching the girls the rudiments of reading music and the basics of the piano. Jessica had not minded this, though she had no talent. During the previous half of this term, Miss Paulson had been off ill and music had been replaced by extra games. But now Miss Paulson was back and, with the end of year concert in mind, she had selected some songs for the girls to learn and sing as a form.

Jessica looked at the song sheets in disgust. Learning by her experiences at Redferne, she judged that her best option was to stand at the back and open her mouth in time to the words but not to make any actual noise. She had had some specialist singing lessons at Redferne in the dim and distant past but had been declared tone deaf. Jessica could read some of the notes and she judged that the songs were pretty ones and she felt sorry that she would not be able to join in.

Miss Paulson started the class. She took the girls through the first song several times and then sat down at the piano to accompany them. At the same time, she kept an eye on the girls to make sure everyone was giving the class their all. She thought that there was something funny about Jessica Wayne. The girl was obviously reading the music, but appeared to be miming the words. Miss Paulson kept her eye on Jessica for ten or fifteen minutes and it soon became apparent that she was making no effort to sing. The music teacher had heard all about Jessica’s exploits during the earlier part of term and she decided that this must be another effort on Jessica’s part to play the fool.

Miss Paulson stopped playing abruptly in the middle of a bar and the girls came to a confused stop.

“Jessica Wayne,” the teacher said, “you’re not singing.”

---

#283:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:01 pm
    —
So is she going to be allowed to explain this time?

Thanks Sue.

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#284:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:10 pm
    —
I hope she doesn't get into trouble for something that is so not her fault.

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#285:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:28 pm
    —
Poor Jessica, she must feel as if the whole world's against her.

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#286:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 9:39 pm
    —
Squeeee! Sequel!

Interesting to see how they handle this conundrum, and compare it to the CS way.

Thanks leahbelle

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#287:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 9:43 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I hope that Jessica will have a chance to explain.

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#288:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:51 pm
    —
How ironic if Jess gets into trouble for this! Unfortunately, she's got herelf a reputation now.

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#289:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:05 am
    —
“Jessica Wayne,” the teacher said, “you’re not singing.”

This was Jessica’s chance to explain that she could not sing, but Miss Paulson’s statement had been aggressive and it put the girl’s back up. She did not respond.

“Is there a problem?” Miss Paulson persisted. Still Jessica remained silent. “Then, if there is no problem, kindly apply yourself to your singing and join in with the rest of the form.”

Jessica was annoyed now. There was nothing she hated more than to be called to attention because she was unable to do something and the rest of the class was staring at her. It was humiliating. She stuck her tongue out at Miss Paulson as the teacher sat back down at the piano and it was fortunate that she was not observed.

Miss Paulson launched off on the piano again, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on Jessica. This time, Jessica did not even bother to open her mouth. She could not sing and she would not sing and she would not humiliate herself further by droning along on the two or three notes which were all she could manage. Miss Paulson persisted until the end of the song and then she slammed down the lid of the piano, thoroughly angry. The girls looked at one another in trepidation. They had never seen the music teacher cross and they wondered what would happen. None of them could understand why Jessica would not sing.

“Come out here, Jessica,” Miss Paulson ordered, in cold tones which belied how angry she really was. “Bring your song sheet with you.”

Jessica came. When the girl was mounted beside Miss Paulson on the dais, the teacher ordered, “Now, I want you to sing the first song through by yourself, without accompaniment.”

It was a harsh order, even for someone who was really musical. Miss Paulson did not mean to be cruel, but she was determined that Jessica would not cause disruption in her class as the girl had done in so many others.

“I won’t,” Jessica said.

The girls gasped. Miss Paulson felt a wave of fury cross her and she tried to keep a grip on herself.

“Now,” she said. “I won’t ask you again.”

“I won’t,” Jessica repeated, and she threw the song sheet to the floor. “So there.”

Miss Paulson paused and took a deep breath to calm her rising fury. The girl deserved a good slap and she was sorry that it was not her place to deliver one.

“Leave the room,” Miss Paulson demanded. “Go. I won’t have such a rude, disruptive girl in my class.”

---

#290:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:08 am
    —
I feel sorry for Jessica now; it's not her fault she can't sing, and I know I'd hate to have to sing in front of the whole class. She was rude, but the teacher wasn't exactly nice. You'd think that a music teacher would have a little more tact.

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#291:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:38 am
    —
Also feel sorry for Jessica - my music teacher used to tell me just to mouth the words because my voice was so bad !

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#292:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 4:03 pm
    —
Don't worry. Miss Paulson will get what she deserves, Jessica style!

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#293:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 5:36 pm
    —
Now that I'm looking forward to!

Thanks leahbelle

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#294:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:33 pm
    —
To be fair to Miss Paulson she didn't know that Jessica was tone deaf - and I imagine that she's had to listen to all the other mistresses in the Staff Room telling her how disruptive Jessica was being. She did actually ask Jessica if there was a problem - which is more than Plato does later!

Jessica is really not helping herself here, is she?

Thanks Sue.

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#295:  Author: Caroline OSullivan, Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:43 pm
    —
Thanks Sue

Am surprised that Jessica's previous school didn't mention this. Surely they would have sent some details as to her ability. Mind you the CS didn't seem to know this though

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#296:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 12:04 am
    —
Jess has brought Miss Paulson's reaction on herself by her behaviour in other contexts, but she's in a horrible situation, nonetheless.

Thanks, leahbelle.

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#297:  Author: Cryst,  Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 6:17 am
    —
Ah, mmmm, remembers. Singing teachers are this crabby, yes indeed. Ours used to walk along the row to find out who was making the bad noise, and crash her hands down on the piano in an enormous discord when we got something wrong. So, go Jessica, she deserves it!

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#298:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 12:53 pm
    —
Jessica went. She was almost as angry as the teacher, but Jessica felt that, this time, she was in the right. So she would have been, if only she had made the effort to explain to Miss Paulson that she was tone deaf. Jessica closed the door behind her and the class resumed, though the pleasant atmosphere which always pervaded music lessons had gone and the girls were nervous lest anyone else should do something to annoy Miss Paulson.

Jessica had been outside the classroom for ten minutes when she saw Miss Carson coming down the corridor towards her. She knew that the head mistress would want to know why she was cooling her heels in the corridor. Jessica felt that she had been wronged and was cross that an unfair scolding was likely to descend on her.

“Well, Jessica,” Miss Carson said, “shouldn’t you be in your music lesson?”

“Ye-es,” Jessica felt no need to be rude because she had not deliberately tried to cause trouble.

“Then maybe you could tell me what you’re doing in the corridor when the rest of the class is learning some new songs?” Miss Carson suspected Jessica of trouble-making, but she was determined to be fair and give the girl the benefit of the doubt.

“I wasn’t singing, so Miss Paulson sent me out,”

“Why weren’t you singing?”

“Because I can’t!” Jessica cried, suddenly impassioned at the miscarriage of justice that had been done to her. “I’m tone deaf.”

“Tone deaf?” Miss Carson looked disbelieving.

“It’s true! They told me so at Redferne.”

“In that case, why didn’t you explain to Miss Paulson?”

“Because… er, because…” Jessica ran dry. She could think of no valid reason for not telling Miss Paulson of her affliction.

“Because you wanted to cause trouble?” Miss Carson asked.

“No!” Jessica cried, inflamed again. “I was embarrassed. Everyone else can sing.”

Jessica sounded so heartfelt that Miss Carson was inclined to believe that her motives were good. The head mistress could not understand why Jessica had not told Miss Paulson that she was tone deaf; she was also somewhat surprised that the girl’s parents had not mentioned this.

“All right, Jessica, I’m sure that Miss Paulson will understand when we explain this to her, though you should really have told at the start of the class and then none of this would be necessary.”

“Yes, Miss Carson,” Jessica was subdued but pleased that Miss Carson believed her.

---

#299:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 12:54 pm
    —
Yes, I'm pleased, too.

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#300:  Author: Cryst,  Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 12:56 pm
    —
Phew, that's a relief. So what can possibly go wrong?

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#301:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 1:02 pm
    —
I'm also pleased - Miss Carson is a very good Head.

Thanks Sue.

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#302:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 2:28 pm
    —
Miss Carson sounds like a really good headmistress.

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#303:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 2:34 pm
    —
Yay for Miss Carson!

But it's still going to be tough for Jessica, especially since she really has no friends left with whom to commiserate.

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#304:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:06 pm
    —
Oh good, injustice duly averted. *Relieved*.

I do like Miss Carson, as I seem to have said before! Shame the CS already has Heads of unparalleled brilliance.

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#305:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:14 pm
    —
Miss Carson ordered Jessica to her common room for the remainder of the lesson and then told her to return to classes as normal. Miss Carson would arrange for Miss Paulson to be told about Jessica’s tone deafness. The result was that, after school, Jessica was summoned to the head mistress’ office. Miss Carson and Miss Paulson were both there. Miss Paulson looked ashamed and she barely waited until Jessica had sat down before saying,

“Jessica, I’m very sorry for what happened in singing class. I didn’t know that you can’t sing. I’m very sorry for sending you out of class.”

Jessica was taken aback. She had never before met a teacher who apologised. Usually they just assumed they were right regardless. However, Jessica had had more time to think about the incident and she cringed inwardly every time she thought of being ordered out of the room like a naughty child. She didn’t mind being sent out when there was a reason for it, but she was a proud girl and felt that she had been humiliated for no reason. Outwardly, Jessica felt that she must accept Miss Paulson’s apology, but inwardly she was determining that the teacher should not get away with treating her thus.

“Jessica has something to say to you as well, Miss Paulson,” Miss Carson said. “Well, Jessica?”

Jessica bit back her retort that she had nothing to say to Miss Paulson because she had done nothing wrong and said dutifully, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I was tone deaf.”

“Then,” Miss Paulson said cheerfully. “We’ll say nothing more about it. You won’t need to sing in the concert at the end of term. There are plenty of other things we can get you involved in.”

Jessica thought that she would be saying plenty more about it in the not too distant future but said nothing as she accompanied Miss Paulson to the door. The music teacher would soon learn that she could not embarrass Jessica Wayne and get away with it.

---

#306:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:37 pm
    —
Stupid little girl *shakes head dispairingly* she has just had the opportunity to start afresh and what does she do?

Poor kid - she really does have a lot of growing up to do, doen't she?

Thanks Sue.

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#307:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:59 pm
    —
But I'm still looking forward to seeing her get the better of Miss Paulson!

Thanks Sue.

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#308:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 5:31 pm
    —
I'm kind of hoping Miss Paulson gets her come-uppance too!

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#309:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 7:23 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm sorry that she is still annoyed with Miss Paulson.

---

#310:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:12 pm
    —
Jessica waited until Miss Paulson had left her for the staff room and then headed for the music room. Sometimes, girls used the piano in the room for practice but it was empty, everyone being outside since it was a lovely evening. Jessica cast her eyes round the room, wondering what she could do to “show” Miss Paulson. A heap of song sheets was piled on the mistress’ desk. They would do for a start, Jessica thought, and she picked them and flung them to the floor. Some of them were quite old, and lots of sheets separated themselves from each other and scattered across the carpet. For good measure, Jessica stamped on them, twisting and turning as she did so and the sheets were ground into the carpet, several more disintegrating as she did so. Not satisfied with what she had done so far, Jessica spied a vase of flowers on the windowsill. She took the vase and calmly emptied the contents over the ruined song sheets, strewing water and flowers all over the carpet.

Jessica nodded to herself, well satisfied, as she plonked the vase down on the floor beside the mess she had made and then left the room.

Miss Paulson did not discover the girl’s nasty trick until the next day. She had been on duty supervising a tennis match and had had no time to return to her music room in the meantime. When she entered the room next morning, she was confronted by a pile of sopping wet song sheets and rotting flowers on a soaked carpet. At first, Miss Paulson did not know what to make of it. It was obvious that someone had played a mean trick, but who? She did not immediately bring Jessica to mind because she had thought that the girl had accepted her apology and had put it behind her. Miss Paulson observed the mess for a moment or two, mentally making a note of anyone she had upset but the only name which came to mind was Jessica’s and the teacher’s face grew very dark.

The music teacher went into the corridor and grabbed the first girl she saw there and it happened to be Sophie Gilmore.

“Sophie,” she said, “would you find Jessica Wayne and ask her to come to me in the music room straight away?”

Sophie’s face was alight with curiosity as she scuttled off to do Miss Paulson’s bidding. She guessed that it had something to do with the scene in class yesterday, but Jessica was not forthcoming when Sophie delivered her message. In any case, the two were not as close as they had been during the first part of the term and Jessica felt it was none of Sophie’s business.

Jessica presented herself to Miss Paulson as insolently as she could, barging into the music room without so much as knocking. On her part, Miss Paulson stood on no ceremony either.

“Is this your doing, Jessica?” she demanded, pointing to the mess on the floor.

Jessica grinned cheekily. “Yes. What of it?”

The girl’s response momentarily robbed Miss Paulson of her ability to speak and she stared in open dislike at her pupil. Finally, she said, “Clean this mess up and then report yourself to Miss Carson,” and swept out of the room.

Jessica did as she was bid, albeit half-heartedly. She merely picked up the sopping pile of paper and flowers and flung them into the bin. She did nothing about drying the carpet or removing the nasty stain which had appeared. Then she set off for Miss Carson’s office, aware that she was one step closer to achieving her desire.

Miss Carson dealt with her swiftly and her words were so cutting that even Jessica felt their full force and had the grace to feel ashamed, even if it was only for a few moments.

“Be very careful, Jessica,” Miss Carson warned as she ended her lecture. “Remember what we spoke about before half term. Don’t underestimate me. There is only so much more I will put up with from you. This is your last warning.”

---

#311:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:16 pm
    —
Have a horrible feeling she's really going to out do herself next time...

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#312:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:49 pm
    —
I wish she'd found something less nasty to do, because this has stopped me feeling quite so sorry for her. What was it they did to the piano keys in the CS? That kind of thing would have made the teacher look silly, not Jessica.

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#313:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:03 pm
    —
She went a bit overboard, didn't she?

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#314:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:25 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm sorry that Jessica is on her last warning.

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#315:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:52 pm
    —
Yes that was nasty - but we know she has a nasty streak in her - witness her treatment of Rosamund. So she knows she has only one more thing to do then? Wonder what she'll choose.

Thanks Sue.

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#316:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 11:41 pm
    —
I suppose the whole object is to get expelled, so she doesn't need to be subtle, but I, too, am sorry she chose such an unpleasant way of getting her revenge.

How will she up the ante on this one?

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#317:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:25 pm
    —
Because it was the summer term, gardening was the order of the day for the girls at Cor Lan. For one afternoon each week, the girls took to the gardens under the tutelage of the Head Gardener, Joseph Weeks – fondly known to the girls as Old Joe. From him they learned about soils, shrubs, vegetables and fruits and there was always a friendly rivalry between each form as to whose garden could produce the most colourful flowers or the tastiest vegetables. Those honours usually fell to the two top forms, but that didn’t stop the Third and Fourth from giving their all to these delightful lessons in the open air.

This year, Old Joe had two assistants. Frank Murphy had worked at Cor Lan on and off for years and usually returned to help his old friend, Joe, during the summer months. In addition, this year Old Joe’s youngest nephew, Jacob, was being apprenticed to his uncle and not only helped with the gardening, but also with the tutoring. This was somewhat of a novelty for the girls as Old Joe and now Jacob were the only males in the school. Most of the girls had brothers and many had boys as friends (and even boyfriends) back home and they missed male company during term time so it was a nice change for them to be being taught by a young man (Jacob was just nineteen).

Jessica thoroughly enjoyed her gardening lessons. They freed her from the daily grind of classroom work and she loved getting her fingers dirty and to her there was nothing more satisfying than getting rid of weeds and watch healthy plants appearing. She had had some prior experience of gardening at the Coach House under Kate and John but at Cor Lan, she also received tutelage in the theory of gardening. Jessica had expected to find this side of it dull but, on the contrary, she found that it helped to understand why certain plants grew best in particular types of soil and so on. Gardening was the one class in which Jessica made no attempt to play the fool.

Jessica also had something of a soft spot for Jacob. Of all the girls in her form, she probably had the least to do with the male sex outside of school. She had no brothers or male cousins and knew very few boys. She found Jacob a breath of fresh air and very different from the other teachers at school.

For Jacob’s part, it was obvious to him that Jessica was one of the most enthusiastic gardeners in the Third. She was keen and asked intelligent questions.

Jacob had grown up helping Old Joe in his garden at home, although gardening had not been his first choice for a career. When he left school, Jacob had gone into an office but it soon became obvious that the young man had a problem. Each lunchtime, Jacob would disappear and, when he came back, it was clear that he had been drinking. His employer had tried to help Jacob, but he had been unable to quit the habit and had eventually been sacked. Old Joe had volunteered to take Jacob under his wing and uncle and nephew had been working together for nearly six months now. As far as Old Joe knew, Jacob had not been near a bottle during this time.

Jacob, however, was wilely. He knew exactly how much he could drink before it became obvious and the more he drank, the more it took to get him drunk. He was very careful at work. There was an old gardener’s shed at the bottom of the garden which was not used since Miss Carson had a new, larger one built closer to the form gardens. At lunch time and break times, Jacob would set off for a walk round the grounds, telling his uncle that walking helped clear his head. When he got down to the old shed, he would sneak inside and help himself to the bottle of gin he had hidden there. He was careful never to stay in the shed, or out of sight from his uncle, for more than ten minutes. He had, unfortunately, reckoned without the admiration of a young girl.

---

#318:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:38 pm
    —
Not a bit like Gaudenz, then! What on earth is Jessica going to do now, I wonder.

Thanks Sue.

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#319:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:40 pm
    —
I bet Gaudenz had a few bottles hidden somewhere as well!

But what's Jess going to do ?

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#320:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 5:49 pm
    —
Join him at the bottle in the shed!

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#321:  Author: Cryst,  Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 6:52 pm
    —
A drunken Jessica - that'd be expulsion for sure!

Thank you Leahbelle.

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#322:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 9:09 pm
    —
Oh dear....oh dear indeed.

I know she's trying to get herself expelled but there must be limits.

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#323:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 9:24 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue.

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#324:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 10:58 pm
    —
Yikes! The mind is boggling ...

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#325:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:16 pm
    —
Jessica tried to keep as close to Jacob as possible during their gardening lessons. There was nothing untoward in her admiration of him. He was merely different and he aroused Jessica’s interest, nothing more. As a result, she came to know him quite well and she became intrigued to find out where he went during the afternoon break. Jacob always came back from his breaks with a funny smell about his breath and Jessica noticed that he avoided Old Joe as much as he could.

One day, about a fortnight after the singing incident, Jessica decided to follow Jacob during the break. She was supposed to go the dining room with the rest of her form for a snack because the girls worked hard during their gardening lessons but she could not have cared less if anyone saw that she was missing. She asked Sophie Gilmore if she wanted to come too. Everyone knew that Sophie had a “crush” on Jacob, and Jessica thought that she would jump at this. But Sophie had grown up a lot since the ridge pole incident and she rarely got into trouble these days. She turned Jessica down and went off with the rest of the form for their snack. Shrugging, and mentally wondering why both Beth and Sophie seemed to have grown away from her, Jessica set off after Jacob.

It was easy enough to follow him without being seen. The garden was tree lined and Jessica felt like a spy as she crept along behind Jacob, darting behind the nearest tree if she felt she had made too loud a noise. She stopped at the edge of the trees and watched Jacob enter the old gardener’s shed. He closed the door behind him, and Jessica edged up to the nearest window. It was quite dark inside, but she could just make out the young gardener perched on a tea chest and drinking something out of a large clear bottle. What was he doing? Jessica wondered. Why would he come all this way to have a drink? Surely Old Joe had refreshments in the new hut?

Jessica’s curiosity was roused even more and she decided that she would enter the hut and ask Jacob what he was doing. With Jessica, to think was to act and she scooted round the side of the hut to the door and barged in.

Jacob got such a shock that he very nearly dropped his precious bottle of gin. Clutching it towards him, and looking furious he demanded,

“What are you doing in here? Don’t you know it’s off limits?”

“Who cares!” Jessica said cheekily. “I came to find out what you’re doing.”

Jacob was blown away by the girl’s breezy manner.

“I’m having a drink,” he said defensively, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Water?” Jessica asked naively. “Can I have some? I’m dying for a drink.”

“No,” Jacob said, fitting the lid back on the bottle and shoving it to the back of a cupboard. “You should have gone to the dining room with the rest of the class if you were thirsty. You shouldn’t be here.”

“Please!” Jessica pleaded, suddenly realising how thirsty she was. It was a very warm day.

“No,” Jacob said with finality. “Come on, let’s get you back to the garden.”

He breathed a sigh of relief as he finally persuaded Jessica to leave the shed. At least she had not realised that the bottle contained something other than water.

---

#326:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 2:00 pm
    —
Oh - is she going to get drunk by accident ?

Thanks Sue .

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#327:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 2:05 pm
    —
Now that would be entertaining!

Thanks Sue.

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#328:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 4:22 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I am also wondering if she is going to get drunk.

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#329:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 8:00 pm
    —

leahbelle wrote:

Shrugging, and mentally wondering why both Beth and Sophie seemed to have grown away from her, Jessica set off after Jacob.

That'll be because they've grown up, Jessica - something that hasn't happened to you yet.


Oh dear - so will Jessica get drunk - and also will she get Jacob sacked?

Thanks Sue.

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#330:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:19 pm
    —
Oh dear - to get drunk by mistake after all her efforts seems a bit of a shame!

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#331:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:05 pm
    —
Jacob had reckoned without Jessica’s persistence, however. It had been sometime since Jessica had been in trouble. The teachers and prefects had all been keeping a very close eye on her at Miss Carson’s request and, as a result, Jessica had found it very difficult to cause any trouble. After nearly a fortnight of this, the teachers were beginning to ease up, hence why Jessica had been able to sneak away without any difficulty.

Jessica decided that there must be more to Jacob’s visits to the shed than met the eye. Why did he go all that way to get a drink? Why did he not go to the dining room or to Old Joe’s shed? Was it really just water in the bottle?

Unaware that she was about to bring someone else to the brink of disaster, the next day Jessica set off for the hut and arrived there before Jacob. It was not locked; there had never been a key as the girls had been used to accessing the shed outside school hours to continue their gardening. Jessica remembered where Jacob had hidden the bottle and she calmly took it from its resting place. She untwisted the lid and took a long, deep swig. Whatever else might be in that bottle, it was not water! Jessica coughed and choked as the alcohol burned its way down her throat. Her eyes began to water and she could barely breath. This liquid hurt! She was still coughing and trying to catch her breath when the door to the hut opened and Jacob walked in. When he saw fourteen year old Jessica there, holding the bottle of gin in one hand and mopping her eyes madly with the other, he almost collapsed.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?” he cried, springing forward and wrenching the bottle out of Jessica’s hand.

Jessica was unable to speak. Her throat felt as if it had been burned and there was a fire in the pit of her stomach. Jacob shook his head as he balanced himself on the edge of a box and watched her. Unable to help himself, he too took a long swig from the bottle and Jessica had recovered enough to notice that whatever was in the bottle did not affect Jacob in the same way that it had her.

“What’s in the bottle?” Jessica managed to ask, breathily.

“Gin,” Jacob said, shortly, glaring at the girl.

“I thought it was water or lemonade,” Jessica was rapidly regaining her composure and she was starting to feel a bit lightheaded and reckless.

“Well, it’s not,” Jacob snapped. “What are you doing here, anyway? Didn’t I tell you yesterday you shouldn’t be here.”

“I wanted to see what was in the bottle,”

“Now you know, so you can just get yourself back to the garden right away,” Jacob took another swig from the bottle, replaced the lid and then shoved it back into its hiding place. “Go!”

Jessica grimaced at him but she left the hut obediently. She guessed that Jacob would move the bottle and so she peered in at the window just in time to see him take the bottle and shove it into an old chest. Jessica grinned to herself. She was feeling almost euphoric and guessed that it was the gin in the bottle which had caused the feeling. She liked it, though the liquid itself had tasted foul. What a lark it would be to get the bottle and take it to the common room. If she could persuade Sophie to drink some, the pair of them would have a fine time! Jacob was heading towards the door and so Jessica took off across the grounds, arriving back in the garden flushed and breathless though her pallor had less to do with her flight than the alcohol she’d consumed.


BTW - I have to confess I haven't begun my sequel yet. RL has been stressful lately and I just haven't had the time or inclination. Hoping to get some written soon, though there may be a week or so with no Jessica!

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#332:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:08 pm
    —
Thanks for the update, Sue. Hope you get things sorted with the house sale soon.

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#333:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:09 pm
    —
Not poor Sophie! She's been through enough already, what with her hair and the rooftop experience. Thanks Sue.

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#334:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:12 pm
    —

Alison H wrote:

Thanks for the update, Sue. Hope you get things sorted with the house sale soon.

Thanks, Alison . We have given the buyer til close of play tomorrow to confirm his intentions and then we'll put it back on the market. The whole thing's such a nightmare and it's really put a blight on life. I'm sure it'll all work out eventually, but what about the here and now!!

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#335:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:56 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I hope that you will be able to sort things out soon. I wonder if Sophie will agree to have a drink from the bottle.

---

#336:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:28 pm
    —
Our sale has fallen through. The buyer was an idiot. His survey confirmed that the house was worth the price he had agreed, but highlighted some things he'd need to look into the next year or so. He seemed to think we should pay for that and should drop the price by £5k! He didn't even have any estimates done to back this figure up - he just seemed to pick one from thin air. We've got the survey and he's talking nonsense. The survey says the property is mortgageable at the amount we agreed, so end of story. The most annoying thing is that he had the survey for three weeks before he decided to do anything about it! Anyway, it's back on the market and I hope someone snaps it up soon or we will be destitute!

Here's today's update.


After dinner, Jessica found herself alone. Most of the form had gone to watch the seniors play a tennis match against another local school, Sophie with them. Jessica thought this was as well, since she didn’t think Sophie would take too kindly to removing someone else’s property. Jessica carried herself to the shed. The gin was still there, in its new hiding place and the girl lifted it out of the chest. She gingerly unscrewed the lid and sniffed. Yuck! If she’d taken the time to do that earlier, she’d have realised it wasn’t water and wouldn’t have got such a nasty surprise! She tipped the bottle up to her mouth and took a tiny sip. This time, the liquid slipped down easily, though it stung the back of her throat a little. The burning sensation passed quickly, though, and Jessica took another, larger sip. It wasn’t so bad, she thought, once she got used to it. The pit of her stomach felt warm and it was quite a comforting sensation. Jessica took a final mouthful and screwed the lid back on. She could get this safely to school while the others were still at the tennis match. That she was stealing someone else’s drink did not occur to her, nor did she stop to think that she would be getting Jacob into deep water when this latest prank was discovered. It all seemed like a great laugh and was sure to get Jessica into trouble – the only thing she was bothered about.

In typical Jessica fashion, she managed to get the gin up to school without encountering anyone. Even the mistresses were watching the match. The common room was empty and Jessica took a few more cautious sips from the bottle. This stuff might taste simply foul, but it did give one a lovely cosy sensation. A few sips later, and Jessica began to feel that her head felt “fluffy”. She gave a little giggle. Really, this stuff was good. It made her feel confident and determined and she knew she could do anything she wanted if only she tried hard enough. If only Sophie were here to enjoy this with her, but then Sophie had been incredibly boring since the night of the ridge pole incident. She’d probably refuse to drink any gin and it seemed a shame to waste this fabulous stuff on someone like that. Jessica decided she wouldn’t bother sharing the bottle with Sophie. It would be more fun to keep drinking it herself.

A short while later, Jessica decided that drinking alone was boring. She glanced at the bottle and noticed that there was only an inch or two left.

“Where have you gone?” she asked seriously, then giggled. “In me, of course!”

She got to her feet and promptly fell back down onto the couch she’d been sitting on. Her legs had just given way under her! Jessica poked her legs viciously with her fingers.

“Work!” she ordered and, miraculously, when she tried to stand up again, she was able to remain upright. Jessica wobbled across the floor to the common room door. It took her two or three attempts to grab the handle as she kept missing and hitting her hand off the wood instead, but eventually she wrenched the door open and sashayed out into the hall. There was no-one around. They must still be at that stupid match. Jessica helped herself to a much longer swig from the bottle – the liquid didn’t burn anymore (in fact, she could barely taste it) and staggered along the corridor to the nearest outside door. This one was open, so she didn’t have to go through the rigmarole of trying to use the handle. As she went outside, Jessica could hear cheers coming from the direction of the tennis courts. She thought she might as well go and join them. Even in her drunken state, Jessica realised that it would not be sensible to march up to the courts with a bottle of gin in her hand, so she took a large mouthful and the shoved the near-empty bottle behind a bush before setting off unsteadily for the courts.

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#337:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:40 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I hope that Jessica will not be too ill afterwards.

ETA: I'm sorry that things aren't going well with the house.

Last edited by Chair on Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:53 pm; edited 1 time in total

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#338:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:50 pm
    —
Sorry to hear of your house troubles, Sue. I hope you find a decent buyer soon.

And I really hope that Jessica hasn't made herself ill.

Thanks, Sue.

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#339:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:25 pm
    —
Sorry to hear about the house. ((Sue))

Hope Jessica's OK.

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#340:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 5:25 pm
    —
Your ex-buyer is a pillock! Hope you find one with some intelligence soon.

Thanks for the latest.

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#341:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 5:33 pm
    —
Thanks, everyone, for your kind comments about the house. I particularly like Lesley's!

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#342:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 6:07 pm
    —
I hope Jessica gets a good hangover.

Thanks for writing this Sue - hope your house get snapped up quickly by someone with more sense and decency

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#343:  Author: Vikki, Location: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!! Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 8:56 pm
    —
I suggest beating your ex-buyer about the head with a scrofulous camel and then electrocuting him!
Fingers crossed someone else comes along soon.

(and Jessica really is a silly little mare! This looks like it may be the final straw.....)

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#344:  Author: Cryst,  Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:06 pm
    —
All you can do when buyers pull that sort of stunt is walk away.
(Or hit the gin bottle like Jessica!)
I do hope it works out soon.

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#345:  Author: Pado, Location: Connecticut, USA Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 12:27 am
    —
Your buyer deserves to feel like Jessica's going to feel in a few hours time.

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#346:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 1:35 pm
    —
Vikki - I like your suggestion! Thanks again, all, for your comments both re the house and Jessica. They mean a lot at this hard time.


Whether it was the effect of the fresh air, or whether she’d just taken one mouthful too many, Jessica began to feel very ill. She had the beginnings of a headache and her stomach churned with every step. No matter, she thought, there were the tennis courts, right ahead. Jessica clambered her unsteady way through the spectators, girls from Cor Lan and from the visitors, rudely pushing people out of the way. The girls began to mutter and the teachers, sitting at the far end of the court noticed and looked up to see what the disturbance was. What they saw made their jaws drop. There was Jessica Wayne, weaving her way though the groups of the girls right to the edge of the courts, apparently oblivious to the fast balls that were sweeping back and forth. Jessica took a step on to the grass court, swayed dangerously and then tripped over her own feet. She fell headlong across the court and a ball missed her head by a mere inch.

There was an instant outcry. Jessica tried to get back to her feet, but her legs had turned to jelly and refused to obey her. She also felt terribly ill and her abused stomach gave up and deposited its contents on the grass. The Cor Lan players rushed to the girl’s aid, but she shoved them back, crying “Don’t touch me! Leave me alone!” before throwing up again.

The prefects and some of the teachers gathered the agog girls together and began to march them back to the school buildings. Miss Cross and Matron remained with Jessica, trying to ascertain exactly what was wrong with her. None of them suspected that she might be drunk! But as Matron bent down to the prostrate girl, the alcohol fumes on her breath were unmistakeable and that worthy looked over at Miss Cross in disgust.

”This girl is drunk!” she exclaimed in tones of horror.

“Nonsense!” Miss Cross said crisply. “It must be something she’s eaten. Perhaps she was allergic to those strawberries we had for dessert.”

But then she too smelt the gin on Jessica and, shaking her head, she apologised to Matron.

“Let’s get her to San,” Matron said, taking charge immediately. “We need to get some water into her. We’ll go in to the little matter of where the alcohol came from later.”

By this time, Jessica had passed out and she was only vaguely aware of being lifted in someone’s arms. The swaying caused her to retch once more, and she threw up all over herself and Matron. Matron had never looked grimmer as she marched across the grounds with Jessica in her arms. Jessica was completely out for the count now, and she remembered nothing of being washed, changed and put to bed in the San. Matron tried to force some water down her throat but most of it just dribbled out of her mouth and soaked the pillow. Giving it up for a bad job, Matron went to her office and called the doctor. Jessica was a young girl and she wasn’t going to take any risks where alcohol was concerned. She might need her stomach pumped.

The doctor arrived an hour later and, by that time, Jessica was sleeping naturally and had roused enough to drink a glass of cold water thirstily. The doctor checked her over, but decided that no further action was needed, though the young lady would have an outsize in headaches in the morning. Relieved, Matron saw that Jessica was comfortable for the night and retired to the staff room to discuss the girl’s latest effort.

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#347:  Author: little_sarah, Location: Liverpool/Manchester Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 1:58 pm
    —
Thanks Leahbelle, that sounds horribly familiar! Jessica will be regretting her latest trick in the morning I think.

I'm sure you'll get the house sorted soon. My mum works for an estate agent (but she's not an evil one), and she thinks the market is beginning to ease up, so fingers crossed you'll get something sorted soon.

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#348:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 2:22 pm
    —
Reminds me of when a group of girls at our school got drunk on the last day of term. They didn't get their stomachs pumped though!

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#349:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 3:45 pm
    —
But if she remembers, she'll be glad that she threw up on Matron!

Thanks Sue.

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#350:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:09 pm
    —
She's not going to enjoy how she feels when she awakens!


Thanks Sue.

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#351:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:22 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I hope that Jessica will be ok when she wakes up.

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#352:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 11:24 pm
    —
She certainly doesn't deserve to be!

Wibbling about whether the gin will be traced back to Jacob, and what will happen if it is.

Jess is leaving a swathe of destruction behind her, isn't she.

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#353:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:08 pm
    —
Jessica’s dreams that night were as hazy and vague as her memories of what she had done that evening. She seemed to be forever stumbling through a crowd of girls and someone was throwing tennis balls at her. Then she fell and the balls began to bounce off her head.

Jessica woke with a start to find the sun shining in through the windows of the San and she wondered what she was doing here. The last thing she remembered was hiding the bottle of vodka. Jessica gave a groan as she sat up and her head protested violently. She lay back down again and the room seemed to swim with the sudden movement. What was wrong with her? Was she ill? Surely the gin couldn’t have made her feel this bad? Her mouth felt like the inside of a birdcage and she was desperate for a drink of water. She noticed a full glass on the table beside the bed and she grabbed it, ignoring the pains that shot through her head, and drank it in go. She felt a little better and replaced the glass, wondering what she should do next. She was in San, that much was obvious, so she must be ill.

Jessica was not left with long to wonder. She was the only inmate of the small San at the moment, and Matron came swiftly down the little ward at exactly 7.30 to do her rounds, just the same as she would have done if the San had been full. Jessica noticed that Matron looked even crosser than usual.

“Well, Jessica, how do you feel this morning?” Matron asked, trying to hold back the anger from her voice but not entirely succeeding.

Jessica could see that Matron was angry and did not feel up to her usual cheekiness. Her head ached just too much.

“Not very well, Matron. My head aches.”

“I’m not surprised, “ Matron said sharply, “that’s what you get when you drink alcohol. Are you up to some breakfast?”

Jessica did feel hungry, but she doubted that she would be able to keep it down so she shook her head. “Maybe later?” she said hopefully.

“I’m afraid not,” Matron said. “Breakfast is ready now. I cannot ask the maids to go to the trouble of preparing an extra breakfast later on for one naughty little girl. If you’re not hungry now, you must wait til lunch time.”

Jessica was nonplussed. She could not understand Matron’s cold, dismissive tones. It was almost as if Matron disliked her!

“You can get up now,” Matron continued. “Miss Carson will see you in her office in half an hour. I think you have a lot of explaining to do. Get dressed and wait for me to come to take you to the study.”

Feeling too ill to argue, Jessica managed to get herself out of bed and dress herself in the clothes that someone had brought from the dormitory. Every movement sent hammers through her head and her stomach churned, so it took her longer than usual to get herself ready and Matron was waiting impatiently for her by the time she had finished.

---

#354:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:59 pm
    —
Being summoned to the Head's office when you've got a hangover ... oh dear, Jess is really in for it now.

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#355:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 4:08 pm
    —
Oh dear....



Sorry about your house problems. I hope they get sorted out soon.

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#356:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 4:45 pm
    —
How horrible for her to have to meet the head feeling so poorly!

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#357:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:58 pm
    —
Yes she deserves it - but is matron angry because of what Jessica did to her room earlier - or is there some other reason? Something to do with the alcohol, perhaps?


Thanks Sue.

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#358:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 9:03 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I am wondering how the interview will go.

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#359:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 10:55 pm
    —
I wouldn't be best pleased if she'd thrown up over me, either! She really does sound ill, though.

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#360:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:20 pm
    —
There is a small glimmer of hope regarding our house sale, but I'm not going to mention what incase I jinx things. Just keep your fingers crossed!


Jessica trailed along behind Matron to the study, wondering what fate was to befall her. She knew that she had been wrong in both taking and drinking the gin, but she felt too unwell to give the situation her usual insolence. She just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep for about a week. Drinking had seemed like such a good idea last night but now Jessica felt that she was paying for her error and she hoped that Miss Carson would be lenient with her – vain hope!

Matron left Jessica to Miss Carson’s tender mercies and Jessica noticed that the headmistress, too, was looking at her most severe. Miss Carson was furious at her errant pupil, but was wise enough to realise that Jessica was suffering and that she would not stand up to a long interrogation, however much she might deserve one.

“Sit down, Jessica,” Miss Carson ordered. She was not happy with Jessica’s appearance. Her skin was almost gray in colour and she looked as if she was in some discomfort. Miss Carson set her heart. Jessica deserved all she was suffering. “What were you drinking last night?” she asked.

“Gin,” Jessica said.

“And where did you get the gin from? Did you bring it from home?”

“Oh, no, I got it from the old gardener’s hut,”

“The old gardener’s hut?” Miss Carson was surprised. She had thought that Jessica had probably lifted the bottle from home and hidden it in her cubicle, waiting for her opportunity. “How did you know there was gin there?”

“It was Jacob’s,” Jessica said, oblivious to the fact that she was about to get Jacob in serious trouble.

“Jacob… the apprentice gardener?” Miss Carson was horrified as Jessica nodded assent. “How did you know he had gin there?”

“I saw him through the window. You see,” Jessica said confidentially, “he often disappears at break time and I wanted to know where he went. So I followed him, and he went to the hut. He was drinking out of a bottle. He told me it was water, and I went back another time to make sure. He caught me and hid it somewhere else, but I watched him so I thought I’d go back and take the bottle. It gave me a nice feeling in my tummy.”

“So you stole it?”

“Well,” Jessica hadn’t thought of it in this light, “I suppose so.”

“I’m disgusted with you, Jessica,” Miss Carson said. “You knew that there was alcohol on school grounds and you must have known that Jacob had no right to have it there. You should have come and told me immediately. Instead, you decided to take advantage of the situation and make a fool of yourself. You must have known the effect alcohol would have on you, and yet you went ahead without a thought for anything but making trouble. You ruined the tennis matches. They’ll have to be re-played, and you showed yourself up in front of another school. Where is the gin now? Was there any left?”

“Yes,” Jessica acknowledged. “I shoved it down behind a hedge. I didn’t want anyone else to find it.”

”And no-one else had any part in this?”

“No, it was just me.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Well, Jessica, I know that you are feeling very rough and probably want to go back to bed, so I won’t prolong this interview much more. There is only one more thing I have to tell you and that it that I will be contacting your parents this morning and I will be asking them to remove you from Cor Lan. I simply cannot keep you here with your disruptive influence. You’ve been warned before and I’ve given you enough chances. There are to be no more chances, Jessica. I’m expelling you.”

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#361:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:32 pm
    —
Finally she's got what she wants. I forsee fireworks when Adam and Emily find out though!

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#362:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:33 pm
    —
Fingers crossed for you.

And unfortunately Jessica asked to be expelled .

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#363:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:54 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I hope things will work out. I am feeling sorry for Jessica, despite what has happened.

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#364:  Author: Tan, Location: London via Newcastle Australia Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:29 pm
    —
Oh dear ... I can only imagine the response she gets from home. The poor mixed up girl!

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#365:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:43 pm
    —
I wonder how Jessica will react to that?


Thanks for the update.

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#366:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:58 pm
    —
Well she got what she wanted - such a pity because, the term before she had made such a bright start. Wonder if she's aware that she's also responsible for Jacob being sacked?


Thanks Sue - good news re home front.

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#367:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 7:18 pm
    —
I also have my fingers crossed for you, Sue.

I hope Jessica is satisfied now; don't think Emily and Adam will be, though!

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#368:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:03 pm
    —
Unfortunately, the small glimmer of hope has been extinguished. . It's our own fault for trying to reason with someone who clearly doesn't understand what reasoning is about. Grrrr! I think I'll go and paint his house red like Jessica did to Matron's room. Then, I might put a sponge in his bed. And an apple pie bed. That'll show him. Well, maybe not, but it made me smile!

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#369:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:37 pm
    —
*pokes house sale people*


Bad luck Leahbelle. I really hope that it all gets sorted out soon.

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#370:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:51 pm
    —
Stupid man! Obviously one of those that couldn't find his own a*se with both hands and a map!


((((Sue))))

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#371:  Author: Sarah_L, Location: Leeds Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 10:06 pm
    —
I wonder if Miss Carson was a bit harsh on Jessica there. She assumes that Jessica must have known about the effects of alcohol, but judging by Jessica's reactions to the 'warm feelings in her stomach', I don't think she had any idea what alcohol can do to you. She seems to have thought of it as a childish prank rather than something detrimental to her health.

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#372:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:08 pm
    —
I agree with Sarah, it does sound as if it was almost accidental.

Well, she's got what she wanted - I wonder if she'll still want it?

Hang in there re. house, leahbelle, something else will come along.

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#373:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:03 am
    —
Thanks, everyone for your encouragement!

I don't think Jessica knew what the alcohol would do to her, but she did know that drinking was wrong as was taking the bottle. I think Miss Carson was at her wits' end!

Jessica’s mouth dropped open. This was exactly what she had wanted and yet… she wasn’t sure if it was because she felt so ill that she couldn’t feel any elation. Miss Carson was right when she said that the girl probably just wanted to go back to bed. Her head still thumped and the seriousness of the interview had not made her feel any better.

”Do you understand me, Jessica?”

“Yes,” Jessica nodded. A little knot of pleasure began to form in her stomach, detracting from how bad she felt. Expelled. That would show Emily! But there was one thing. “What about Jacob?” she asked. “What will happen to him?”

“I’m glad that you are concerned for someone else, Jessica. Jacob will lose his job, of course. I cannot employ someone who brings alcohol into school grounds. It would be irresponsible of me. I am very sorry for Jacob, but he must pay the price. You can go now, Jessica. I want you to go to your dormitory and pack a night case. Take it to the San and remain there. I don’t want you mixing with the other girls. You can remain in San until your parents come for you. Matron will arrange for your trunk to be packed. Then you can go back to bed until you feel better. And I hope, Jessica, that you will take some time to think about what you have done. Being expelled is a disgrace that will live with you for the rest of your school days.”

Jessica left the study. She forgot how awful she felt and gave a little skip and a giggle as she made her way to her dormitory. She had got her wish! Now Emily would have to find a day school for her.

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#374:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:02 pm
    —
Somehow I don't think she's going to be too impressed by the idea of Switzerland!

Thanks Sue.

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#375:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:08 pm
    —
I hope she feels guilty about Jacob getting the sack! OK, he shouldn't have brought alcohol into the school, but it's only because of her that he got caught out.

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#376:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:38 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. It could have all so easily have been avoided, but then of course she would never have gone to the CS.

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#377:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 6:27 pm
    —
So she's not going to be too happy with her mother's next idea then, is she?


Thanks Sue.

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#378:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 9:19 pm
    —
Silly little girl.

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#379:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:50 am
    —
She really is a silly little girl. Doesn't she realise that schools might well not want to take her if she's been expelled. She's going to be horrified when she finds out what's going to happen.

Very sad that she's done all this just because she wants to be at home.

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#380:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 11:16 am
    —
As soon as Jessica had closed the door behind her, Miss Carson put a call through to Moorlands. She broke the news as gently as she could to Emily. Emily knew that her daughter was no angel and that there was every likelihood that Cor Lan would refuse to keep her, but the call still came as a shock. Miss Carson was sympathetic, but quite firm. There was simply no way Jessica could remain at school and she would appreciate someone coming to collect the girl as soon as possible.

Emily hung up the phone and thought for a moment. Then, she put a call through to the Gornetz Platz in Switzerland. A Miss Rosalie Dene, who identified herself as the school secretary, answered the phone. Miss Dene remembered Emily’s original enquiry and was pleased to tell Emily that there was still a space for Jessica the coming term. Miss Dene didn’t sound quite so enthusiastic when Emily explained the full situation, but she did say that the school had had more than its fair share of difficult girls, and the secretary felt confident that the Chalet School would be able to make a difference to Jessica. She asked Emily to complete the necessary paper and a letter of introduction and get them sent to Switzerland post haste to secure Jessica’s place. In turn, Miss Dene would forward everything Jessica would need to prepare herself for her first term at the School.

Emily replaced the receiver and went in search of Adam who was working from home that day. She broke the news to him, and immediately told him that the Chalet School would accept Jessica next term. Adam was furious with Jessica as Emily had known he would be. Emily herself was more disappointed than angry and she prayed that the Chalet School would, indeed, be the making of Jessica.

Adam drove down to collect Jessica that very day and there was a very strained atmosphere in the car on the way back. Jessica refused to talk to Adam. She ignored his scoldings, his offers of refreshments and his half-hearted attempts at conversation. Jessica was not feeling up to a long drive in the car and the bumpings and joltings made her stomach heave. At one point, she thought that she would be sick but she managed to keep it down.

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#381:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 11:21 am
    —

leahbelle wrote:

At one point, she thought that she would be sick but she managed to keep it down.

What a pity! It would have been amusing to see her being sick all over Adam (and perhaps even his briefcase).

Not much fun having a long drive home with a hangover, though.

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#382:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 11:29 am
    —
Oh dear - Jessica's not going to be very pleased when she finds out what they've arranged .

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#383:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 11:33 am
    —
Does Emily not drive? Surely she could have picked her daughter up herself!!

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#384:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:43 pm
    —

Ruth B wrote:

Does Emily not drive? Surely she could have picked her daughter up herself!!

I think there may some truth in Jessica's fears that Emily prefers Rosamund over herself...

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#385:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 1:11 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm sorry that some of Jessica's fears are true.

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#386:  Author: meerium, Location: belfast, northern ireland Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:09 pm
    —

Ruth B wrote:

Does Emily not drive? Surely she could have picked her daughter up herself!!

I didn't think Emily did - didn't she have to get the train either down or back just after half term so she could go and see Jessica?

ETA: Yes, from page 14:

Quote:

Emily set off for Cor Lan early on Monday morning. Adam dropped her at the train station on his way to work. He would have liked to have accompanied her, but felt it would be better for mother and daughter to meet alone. Besides, he had an important meeting that it would have been difficult to get out.

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#387:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:54 pm
    —
Seeing how sweet Rosamund is and how difficult Jessica has become, it's not difficult to imagine Emily actually preferring to spend her time with her step-daughter now.
Thanks Sue.

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#388:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 5:47 pm
    —
I was going to wait til tomorrow to post the final installment of this, but thought I may as well post it today. Am very proud of myself for finishing this!


Back at Moorlands, and Jessica was sent straight to her room. Rosamund was aware that her step-sister was in deep disgrace but she did not know the ins and outs. Jessica stalked past Rosamund who was waiting in the hall and flounced up the stairs to her rooms. The whole house shook as the door was slammed behind her.

“Who gets to tell her about Switzerland?” Adam asked wryly.

With a vague, unpleasant memory of what had happened the last time Emily had broken the news about a new school, Emily reluctantly agreed to be the bearer of the bad news. After all, Jessica was still her daughter. Emily was at her wits end, however, and she was not prepared to allow Jessica to have the upper hand at the interview.

“Switzerland!” Jessica cried. “I’m not going to school in Switzerland. I want to go to a day school. You know that!”

“I do know that, Jess, but I’m afraid you hardly deserve to get what you want. Your behaviour has been truly shocking and we can’t have you around the house when you are such a disruptive influence. I’m sorry, Jess, but you’ve brought this on yourself. Think about your actions and the consequences they’ve had.”

“I won’t go to Switzerland. I’ll run away!”

“No you won’t,” Emily said. “Don’t be so silly. You’ll go to Switzerland and I won’t hear another word on the subject.”

“Then I’ll make the silly school sorry they ever agreed to accept me!” And Emily knew that Jessica meant what she said. She could only hope that Lucia Gordon and Miss Dene were right and that the Chalet School could turn Jessica into a normal, happy school girl again.

Refusing to be drawn into an argument, Emily left Jessica alone to get used to the idea of going to school in another country.

“I don’t care what Mother says,” Jessica fumed to herself. “I’ll make that silly Chalet School sorry they ever heard of me. I’ll show them… and Mother! I won’t stay there any longer than I stayed at Cor Lan. Mother can’t bully me like this. I won’t let her… and I won’t let this stupid school bully me either.”

And with these unpraiseworthy sentiments, Jessica Wayne gave herself up to hating the Chalet School.


The End


For anyone who would like to read this in its entireity, you can find it in the Sally Denny Library at
http://www.sallydennylibrary.co.uk/viewstory.php?sid=40. Beware, though, its 116,707 words long!!

Last edited by leahbelle on Thu Aug 31, 2006 5:55 pm; edited 4 times in total

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#389:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 5:52 pm
    —
Congratulations Sue for finishing - it's a wonderful feeling. Thank you so much for this - it's given so much background to Jessica's story and you can really understand why she is the way she is when she starts at the Chalet School.

Looking forward to the next one.

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#390:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 5:55 pm
    —
Thanks, Lesley! The CS and Jessica is on its way!!!

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#391:  Author: arky72, Location: Cheshire Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 6:14 pm
    —

leahbelle wrote:

The CS and Jessica is on its way!!!

Hurrah!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait! I've thoroughly enjoyed this story and have bookmarked the link so I can read it all through again whenever I like.

Thank you so much!

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#392:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 6:49 pm
    —
Thanks Sue, that was absolutely brilliant. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading about Jessica and can hardly wait until you start on her career at the CS!

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#393:  Author: little_sarah, Location: Liverpool/Manchester Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:32 pm
    —
Thank you, I really enjoyed reading this. Looking forward to the next part!

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#394:  Author: ali, Location: medway, kent Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:48 pm
    —
Jessica seems very real, you can understand how she became the girl who started the Chalet School.
Looking forward to seeing more of Jessica after her transformation, as usual EBD seems to forget about a character on the whole after solving their problem.

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#395:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 8:01 pm
    —
Thanks, Sue. I'm really looking forward to reading The CS and Jessica. Thank you for such a wonderful drabble - I've really enjoyed reading it.

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#396:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 8:55 pm
    —
I'm heartbroken that this has finished! I have enjoyed reading it so much, thankyou. I am looking forwards to the Chalet School and Jessica. Thanks again for a great story!

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#397:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 10:24 pm
    —
Thanks Sue - this has been brilliant!

Looking forward to the sequel .

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#398:  Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 10:52 pm
    —
Thanks so much for this Sue -it has been assolutely fascinating finding out why Jessica was as she was at the start of her CS career

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#399:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 11:17 pm
    —

leahbelle wrote:

Am very proud of myself for finishing this!

And so you should be! It's been absolutely brilliant. We've all taken Jessica to our hearts and are muchly looking forward to seeing her at the CS.

Many thanks, leahbelle.

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#400:  Author: lizarfau, Location: Melbourne Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:55 am
    —
This has been a terrific story, Leahbelle - I've really enjoyed reading it. I confess I'm not usually a fanfic reader (it's not my thing), but this didn't feel like fanfic, probably because almost every character apart from Jessica was original, as were the two schools. Shame she had to get herself expelled from Cor Lan, as I thought it sounded like a really nice school - better than the CS, actually, as the girls seemed to have more privacy at Cor Lan.

I liked the family scenes too, and am rather sorry that we don't get to see a few more stormy scenes at Moorlands prior to Jess's departure for the CS.

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#401:  Author: Pado, Location: Connecticut, USA Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:12 am
    —
I've really been enjoying this - congratulations on a super finish! I'm waiting eagerly for the next part of the story.

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#402:  Author: Tan, Location: London via Newcastle Australia Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:14 am
    —
Excellent finish. I am really looking forward to seeing the journey to Switzerland and the first few days at school.

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#403:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:56 am
    —
This has been fantastic Leahbelle, Jessica is so real.

Really looking forward to the next part.

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#404:  Author: pim, Location: Hemel Hempstead Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 10:45 am
    —
I have been very neglectful of my work this morning to finish reading this and it's been worth every minute. Your Jessica is so real and wonderful. Can't wait for her to get to the CS!

Thanks, Leahbelle

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#405:  Author: meerium, Location: belfast, northern ireland Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 11:39 am
    —
Congrats on finishing, Leahbelle! I've thoroughly enjoyed this, and it's ace that you've decided to do a sequel too - looking forward to it!

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#406:  Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 5:06 pm
    —
I just wanted to thank everyone for reading my drabble over the past nine months (!) and also for your kind, encouraging comments. I'm really glad that you've all enjoyed reading Jessica as much as I have writing about her. It's also been lovely to be able to incorporate CBBers ideas into the story.

Thanks, everyone

I hope you all enjoy the sequel just as much!

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#407:  Author: arky72, Location: Cheshire Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 5:29 pm
    —
nine months???? Good Grief! Roll on the sequel....

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#408:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:45 pm
    —
Thank you so much for this drabble Sue - it's been a wonderful read, and I'm looking forward to The CS and Jessica

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#409:  Author: Rosea, Location: Edinburgh Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:30 pm
    —
I can only echo all the compliments above - have really enjoyed this and am looking forward to the sequel.

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#410:  Author: Vikki, Location: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!! Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 8:34 pm
    —
Thanks Sue! This has been brilliant, and I can't wait to see Jessica's arrival at the CS!

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#411:  Author: alicat, Location: Wiltshire Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:45 am
    —
Have just got back from holiday and am so pleased to find not only the end of this but the start of the new one - I'm impressed by how hard some people manage to work!
this has been really good, with some very real characters, and I'm looking forward to the continuing adventures.......

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#412:  Author: Alice, Location: London, England Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:51 pm
    —
I've just finished reading this and I'm off to read The CS and Jessica. Thanks Leahbelle.

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