The next few days were difficult. Roxanne was worried about presenting at the Science Fair. They had handed in their reports and posters and now the day had come to be judged. Roxanne felt her report had been alright. But now she was going to have to tell strangers, adult strangers, about it. "It will be okay, they want you to succeed," Mandy said.
Roxanne nodded, she felt sick to her stomach as she stood in front of her display. Mandy had come over from her own display as she had already been judged.
Mandy patted her on the back, "Try thinking of something else."
"Like what?" Roxanne said.
"Maybe we can do something fun during spring break." Mandy said with a shrug.
Both girls were staying at the school. Roxanne because Hogwarts' Easter Break was a different week and she needed to study.
"Maybe," Roxanne said, thinking she'd have very little time for fun if she had any hope of passing her classes.
"Roxanne, you're next," Mr. Crew said coming towards them followed by the judges.
Roxanne's breath caught in her throat.
"Pretend you're talking to me," Mandy said before heading back towards her own display.
But Mandy was a kid, the three judges now standing in front of her poster were adults, a woman and two men. The woman had short black braids like Mum's, maybe she could pretend she was talking to her family. One of the men was older, with gray hair that could be Granddad Weasley. The last man didn't look anything like a member of her family.
"Go ahead and start whenever you're ready," Mum said.
Roxanne couldn't start until she figured out who the last man was, then it hit her, it was Teddy in disguise.
Roxanne smiled, "Well, I decided to do my Science Fair project on paper airplanes. Because I always wondered how planes stayed up."
The interview went smoothly from there she even got Granddad Weasley to try out one of her demo planes.
"Thank you Roxanne, that was a very well thought out project, you have the makings of a scientist," Mum told her.
"Thanks, Mum," Roxanne said, and then she covered her mouth. The woman in front of her no longer looked anything like her Mum. But she smiled and was pretending she hadn't heard Roxanne.
"Did you just call the judge Mum?" Sevastian said loudly.
Roxanne felt more than the usual heat of embarrassment. She felt like she was going to burn up from the inside out and to make it worse it wasn't happening fast enough.
"You did! What a freak," Sevastian said.
His voice broke into her embarrassment long enough to get her moving. She ran past Sevastian and other students who were pointing and laughing at her.
Sevastian's voice calling, "she called one of the judges Mum," was the last thing she heard as she ran from the hall.
And she didn't stop running until she reached her room. She felt too miserable to flop down on her bed so she crawled under it and cried on the floor in the dark. When Scarlet came in she stayed still and Scarlet soon left never knowing Roxanne was in the room. It wasn't until after dinner and the sky had grown dark that Mandy came to find her.
"Roxanne? Are you in here?" Mandy called.
Roxanne found she wanted Mandy to find her so she kicked her foot against the bed frame.
Mandy lifted the bed curtain and then lied down next to the bed so their faces where on the same level. "It's all over school, Scarlet's Dad is going to Brazil and Scarlet has to stay here for spring break. She threw a tantrum in the dining hall. I'm afraid everyone has forgotten about you." Mandy finished sadly.
"Everyone?" Roxanne asked, her voice was rough from crying.
Mandy got up so she could come out from under the bed.
Roxanne slid out and found Mandy had brought her dinner.
Mandy nodded and then smiled ruefully, "Well everyone but Sevastian, he does seem to have it in for you. But everyone just thinks he's jealous."
"Why would he be jealous?"
Mandy giggled, "oh, I forgot to tell you. You won the Science Fair, you got first place out of all the first year's Science projects."
"I did?" Roxanne hardly believed it. "Thank you for bringing me dinner."
Mandy nodded, but she had that worried distant look again. She couldn't stop worrying about getting accepted into the Royal Ballet Summer Program.
Roxanne felt bad, Mandy had been there for her even though she had her own worries. "You'll get in."
"But what if I don't? I want to get in so bad, and all I can do now is wait." Mandy looked desperately at Roxanne.
Roxanne didn't know what to say, she understood all to well. Not getting into the Royal Ballet Summer Program was to Mandy like not getting into Hogwarts had been for Roxanne. But of course she couldn't tell Mandy about that.
***
A few days later after most of the students had left for spring break, Scarlet was in a foul mood. Roxanne did her best to ignore her as she slammed things down and stomped around their room before lights out. It was pretty easy because she was reading an amazing Muggle book for English called "The Giver." She on the second to last chapter when Scarlet spoke. "I can't believe his secretary wouldn't put me through."
Roxanne glanced up, and saw Scarlet had her back to Roxanne and seemed to be addressing her hairbrush.
"First I have to stay at school for spring break and now only an emergency will be put through." Scarlet slammed down the hairbrush and turned away as if she couldn't bear to look at it any longer. She saw Roxanne watching her.
Roxanne quickly looked down at her book. Embarrassed to be caught witnessing Scarlet's vocal yet private rant.
But Scarlet did not feel any such emotions and sat down on Roxanne's bed. "Don't you think a new outfit for my Royal Ballet School Summer program audition, which is only a week away, is an emergency?"
Roxanne looked away from Scarlet. She was pretty sure only Scarlet would consider an outfit an emergency.
"My whole dance will be ruined, but does my dad care? I might as well not audition, than go in my practice clothes."
Roxanne was now looking fixedly at her book, but she wasn't really seeing it. Scarlet had been bragging all weekend about how her mother had gotten her a private audition. For the same summer program as Mandy had auditioned for. Mandy had been worrying ever sense that Scarlet would buy her way in and lower Mandy's chances.
Scarlet pushed Roxanne's book aside. "What did Mandy wear to her audition? Surely even she knows what you wear is important for a dance, even if you have talent."
The way she said it seemed to Roxanne to imply that Scarlet had talent and Mandy did not. Roxanne found herself saying. "Mandy is very talented, Mrs. Stalinskey says she could become a professional ballerina. She's sure to get into the program."
Scarlet narrowed her eyes, then smiled thinly. "Well I've had lessons since I could walk from professional dancers and they said I would be a star ballerina."
Roxanne knew Scarlet was lying because the proper term was a "Prima" ballerina.
"Don't smirk, I'll prove I'm a great dancer." Scarlet jumped from the bed, and raised her leg out behind her.
She wobbled and her line was a little off, but Roxanne nodded in an encouraging way.
Scarlet scowled, "Don't, I'm not done." She started to raise up onto the ball of her foot, "I bet Mandy can't do this." Scarlet jerked her heel off the ground. For a second, Scarlet was on her toes, then her ankle went sideways and Scarlet fell to the ground with a shriek. "It's broken, I heard it break, I'll never be able to walk again!"
Roxanne jumped off the bed and knelt next to Scarlet trying to see her ankle. But Scarlet was clutching it with both hands.
"Let me look," Roxanne said, putting a hand on Scarlet's arm.
Scarlet flinched away. "No this is all your fault, you wanted me to get hurt so Mandy could get into that stupid program."
Roxanne rolled her eyes, "I'll go get Miss Raferty, okay?"
She left Scarlet to her anger and practically flew down the stairs. She didn't know if Scarlet had really broken her ankle. But she knew if Scarlet was able to blame her, it was not as serious as when she had been thrown from the horse.
First Roxanne knocked on Miss Raferty's door, mentally preparing what she would say. "Scarlet's hurt her foot, she's up in our room." Roxanne said this over and over in her head as she waited, but the door did not open. Roxanne forced herself to knock again louder. Reminding herself Scarlet was in pain and she wasn't being a bother. But the door still didn't open. So with great reluctance Roxanne went further down the hall to Mr. Crew's room. Not wanting to have to knock twice, Roxanne banged on the door, as she mentally added to her speech. "Sorry to bother you, Miss Raferty didn't answer. Scarlet's hurt her foot, she's up in our room." But this door didn't open either. Roxanne stared at it thinking, both their house parents weren't in their rooms. That was unheard of at night, unless someone on the boy's floor and someone on the girl's floor were also sick or hurt. Something was up. It was after curfew, all the lights were off downstairs, and all the students were supposed to be in their rooms. Roxanne decided to check the offices and kitchen area. Maybe the teachers were working late or having a cup of tea.
The kitchen was empty, and the office doors were closed and locked and there was no light under the doors. Roxanne was standing there lost in thought when something touched her shoulder. Roxanne jumped as her whole body went tense.
"What are you doing out of bed?" a familiar voice said.
Roxanne turned, squinting into the dark and saw Sevastian still in his school uniform.
"Scarlet hurt her foot, she's in our room." Roxanne said without thinking, at least the darkness hid her blush.
"The teachers both got called to the main office, there is some sort of school emergency."
"Oh?" Roxanne said, wondering what sort of school emergency a Muggle school could have.
"They told a senior he was in charge and that nobody was supposed to leave their rooms." Sevastian continued.
Roxanne frowned at Sevastian, "Why aren't you in your room?"
Sevastian shrugged. "My roommate thought it would be funny to lock me out, him and his friends stole my key."
Roxanne didn't know what to say to that, it sounded cruel and real pranks should never cross that line. She was saved from an awkward silence by the sound of glass breaking. Instinctively both Roxanne and Sevastian ducked into the shadows on either side of the hallway. Roxanne stared wide eyed at Sevastian, as they both listened. What they heard was unmistakable. A scrabbling sound then the smooth grating followed by a click as the front door was unlocked. Roxanne and Sevastian were down the hall from the door where someone was breaking in. The door creaked as it opened. Then they heard crunching glass as whoever entered stepped on the broken glass from the window. Roxanne held her breath. If they came down the hallway instead of going upstairs, Sevastian and she would be found. She waited eyes wide for any sign of movement and ears alert for any sound, ready to run and try to make it out the front door. Sevastian met her eyes and slowly shook his head.
"What does that mean?!" Roxanne thought, panicky. Then she heard the high squeak of the fourth step and a man's whisper from the door, "Keep it down." Roxanne's heart seemed to speed up even more. Multiple people were breaking in and one of them was still blocking the door.
Sevastian carefully peaked around the corner. He must not have seen anyone because he dashed across the opening to Roxanne. "Come on," he seemed to say with a head jerk before silently heading back to the common room.
What was your most memorable Science Fair project/science project? I hated my Science Fair projects, but really enjoyed Science Olympia. Thanks for reading, don't forget to comment and vote!