Millie Hardiman and the Red Parrot Fever

A Boy named Wolf - Part 25

Millie stood just inside studio three and watched a teenage classroom series being filmed. A good looking, tall boy about her own age, was reluctantly handing over his phone, to a young, bearded teacher in a brown corduroy suit. The teacher continued to hold his hand out, until the boy produced a tablet from his bag and passed it over.

She couldn't take her eyes off of him. Her stomach felt funny and she wondered if she was ill.

The boy who had spiky, black hair and very dark eyes, next produced an I-Pod from his sock and the class giggled. The teacher still held his hand out. Finally, the boy pulled a laptop from the front of his trousers and the class erupted. The Director called, "Cut" and the red light went off.

The kids streamed out of the set and she hurried after the boy. He stopped abruptly to check his phone. Millie quickly bent down to tie an imaginary shoelace, and then looked up slowly to make sure she hadn't been seen. He was already walking away, and Millie approached a small girl wearing glasses who had been on the set. She pointed after the boy. "Excuse me, who's that boy you were just in the scene with?"

The small girl's face lit up. "Oh, that's Wolf Van Der Beek. He's amazing isn't he? Do you like him?"

"No." Millie felt her face redden. "I just thought I knew him, that's all. Thanks." She walked quickly away, thinking furiously. That must be Vicious Vera's son. Of all the boys in all the world, why do I have to like that one!

..

On Saturday morning, Millie caught a bus to the studio and showed the security man her pass. He checked it and asked her if she needed any help finding her dad. "No thanks," Millie said politely. "I'm a movie brat. I've been around film sets since I was two years old."

..

Millie went into the first Ladies she saw. She unpinned her hair and then did it up again tightly, securing it with her broom grip. She was wearing her red Christmas jumper with Rudolph on it, over a grey, wool skirt. She had changed several times before deciding to risk it. She didn't want to look like a little kid, but the jumper said she was a fun person who liked Christmas, and wasn't afraid to laugh at herself.

She made her way to studio three and settled down at a table in the corner with her laptop. She had already checked the filming schedule for the day and knew that he was due in soon.

While she was waiting, Millie carried on writing her latest story, Czech Mate. It was about a ten year old, Czech girl who was the greatest chess player in the world. She had to hide her talent, because her father, a once great, Grandmaster of chess, had lost his confidence, and she was re-training him.

Kids began to arrive on the set and she secretly watched Wolf Van Der Beek until he came over to her, as she knew he would. Boys couldn't stand seeing a girl doing something, without having to go and stick their big noses in.

"What are you doing?" Wolf had a thick South African accent, like Vera.

"Homework," Millie replied noncommittally, not even looking up. She had read up on first meetings and decided to be aloof, at first.

"That's a waste of time," he sneered. "We are living in the world of celebrity now. You are either a star or you are a nobody."

He spoke strangely, Millie thought, saying "you are" instead of "you're" like a normal person. Maybe that's just the way South Africans spoke?

"Which one are you?" Millie smiled up at him.

"That's easy, I'm going to be a star." Wolf wasn't short on confidence. "You are Millie, aren't you?"

Brilliant! He must have asked someone her name. Play it cool. "Yes, who are you?"

"I am Wolf Van Der Beek."

Millie thought that he actually puffed his chest out when he introduced himself.

"Is your name really, Wolf?" Millie wondered if he'd given himself a pretentious stage name.

Wolf smiled. "I know, it seems mad, right? My full name is Wolfgang. It's a family name. I was named after my Grandfather."

"Oh, that's nice." Millie honestly couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't rude or sarcastic.

"My mother used to be on that rubbish, darts soap your dad writes."

"Was she?" Millie affected an air of disinterest, even though she really wanted to defend Double Top.

"Yes, she hates your dad. She said that he got her sacked."

Millie looked up. "I'm sure Barry didn't get anybody sacked. Characters in soaps come and go all the time."

"Well he better watch himself, because Ma doesn't forget," Wolf warned her.

Millie felt her face going red and she stood up. "Don't threaten my dad! Your mum was rubbish and that's why she got sacked!" She stormed away. What a horrible boy. How could I ever have thought that I liked him?

..

On Monday, Barry picked Millie up after school and took her to the studio.

Wolf Van Der Beek had been on his way out of the building, when he saw Barry coming back in with Millie. He had orders from his mother, who even he thought of as, Vicious Vera, to look out for anything he could get on Barry. So he followed them back up the stairs, and listened from outside the open door of Elaine's office.

"A show written by a kid, for other kids has got to be a hit," Elaine was saying. "I can't wait to get started after Christmas. We've got the girls coming in in early January for the lead roles. But there was no-one at your school suitable for the teenage baddie, Joz Killdog. I'll have a word with the agencies, and see who I can find."

"We need someone like Captain Hook." Millie gave her vision of the character. "A real pantomime baddie! I want the kids to be scared of him, but to love to hate him, at the same time."

Wolf pursed his lips, deep in thought, and slipped away, unseen.