Olivia and the Movie Stars (2 page)

Before Olivia could answer, the bell sounded loudly. It was as though it was some kind of cue, because the second it died away there was a huge roar of noise from the building site next door, with lots of banging and the
high-pitched
squeal and shudder of drills. It sounded as if somebody had turned on all the machinery at once. Olivia and Tom stared at each other. It felt as if the Swan was suddenly at the centre of an angry, deafening thunderstorm.

Chapter Three

Cosmo and Cosima Wood stood in the middle of the Judi Dench rehearsal room on the first floor of the Swan. They were playing Wendy and Peter in a scene from
Peter Pan
, watched closely by Alicia and Sebastian Shaw.

“Peter, how old are you?” asked Cosima, sounding as if she had absolutely no interest in the answer.

“I don’t know, but quite young, Wendy,” replied Cosmo with a strange transatlantic twang that made him sound half Californian and half Cockney, a bit like Dick Van Dyke in
Mary Poppins
. “I ran away the day I was born.”

“Ran away? Why?” asked Cosima, raising her arms stiffly on the word “why” as if she was trying to round up a herd of particularly
stubborn cows. Alicia could feel Sebastian glance her way. She resisted meeting his eye: she knew exactly what he was thinking, and it wasn’t encouraging. “Why?” hissed Cosima again, more loudly this time.

“Because I heard Father and Mother talking of what I was to be when I became a man. I want always to be a little boy and have fun…” Cosmo’s next few words were drowned out by a terrible racket from the building site next door. The floor of the rehearsal room trembled slightly as if it was complaining.

Cosmo broke off and raised his eyes to the heavens. “They warned me that conditions in West End theatre were primitive,” he drawled, “but nobody told me that I’d be trying to act on a demolition site.” He looked at his sister and added nastily: “It’s tough enough having to act with someone like Cosi who demolishes the meaning of the text at every opportunity.”

“Zip it, Cosmo. Nobody cares what you think,” his sister replied.

“Children, children…” began Alicia, but she got no further because the terrible noise started up again.

Almost immediately the door flew open
and Pablo appeared in the doorway, his eyes flashing. “This is impossible! This noise has scrambled my brain. My poor little ducklings, they shake like leaves in a big storm when they are on the wire. We cannot work in these conditions. Miss Alicia, I beg of you, please stop this noise! It is monstrous.”

Alicia sighed. “I’ll go and talk to whoever is running the site,” she said wearily. “Please take Cosmo and Cosima up to my flat, Sebastian. It’s almost time for the final afternoon bell anyway. Olivia and Eel and their friends will be coming up for tea shortly. Would you mind putting the kettle on?”

As she turned to go, Cosima blurted out loudly, “I can’t do this. I can’t play Wendy on stage. I just can’t do it. I’ve told Dad but he just bawls me out. Why won’t someone listen?”

Alicia turned back. Cosmo raised his eyes to the heavens and said, “Oh no, here we go again, the princess is whining. Cut it out, Cosi. Dad and I are fed up with your moaning
twenty-four
seven.”

Alicia frowned at him before turning to Cosima. “Of course you’ll be able to play Wendy,” she said kindly. “I’m going to make
sure that you will. That’s my job. You just need more self-belief, Cosi. You’re going to be fine.”

Cosima said nothing, but she shook her head sadly.

“Jeez, yes,” said Cosmo. “She’s going to be just awesome. I don’t think.”

“Cosmo!” said Alicia warningly and there was something in her tone that made him stop, and even look a little bashful.

“Sorry,” he muttered, popping a wad of gum into his mouth. She opened the door of the rehearsal room and found her way blocked by the two man-mountains that were the twins’ minders. They eyed her with suspicion before stepping aside reluctantly.

Alicia set off downstairs. The noise was deafening and all classes seemed to have ended prematurely. She felt as if she was centuries old. Normally she loved the first day of term, but it had been a very stressful afternoon. For a start, there had been the threatening phone call, with the anonymous voice at the end of the line trying to persuade her yet again to sell the Swan for a ludicrously knock-down price. Today’s call had been the most menacing yet. The sensible thing would be to go straight to the police but
there was something about the caller’s voice that made Alicia feel frightened. She was certain he would have no hesitation in carrying out his threats.

It had certainly been a most exhausting day. Getting the Wood twins into the building via the river entrance to avoid the photographers had proved difficult enough, and made Alicia realise that having them at the Swan might prove more disruptive than she’d imagined. She just hoped that after the press conference tomorrow morning, where the details of the production and its casting would be announced, that interest would dissipate and the photographers would decamp elsewhere. The twins’ minders were another problem she hadn’t anticipated. It was like having two human Rottweilers on the premises. Some of the younger children were quite scared of them. Alicia wondered whether they could be persuaded to smile occasionally and at least take off their sunglasses when they were inside the Swan.

But she had far more pressing things to worry about than the twins’ minders: seeing Cosmo and Cosima act was a sharp reminder of what a long, hard job it would be to get them
ready for their West End debut. Despite what she’d said to Cosima, she wasn’t convinced that they’d ever be truly ready.

And they certainly wouldn’t be if this dreadful noise kept up. Alicia felt as if she’d been spun around in a concrete mixer all afternoon. There could be months of disruption ahead from the building site next door. She had to deal with it and find a way to limit it. She just hoped that whoever had bought the building would be reasonable and willing to discuss the situation with her. Then, as she reached the front door of the Swan, the noise suddenly stopped.

The silence was exquisite for a few seconds and then it was filled by the clang of the bell marking the end of the Swan school day. She waited for a moment, expecting the building site noise to resume again but all was silence except for the chirp of a blackbird and the sound of two hundred and fifty children heading home. Alicia turned on her heel and started to climb the stairs towards the flat. Maybe that was the end of the disruption? If it happened again tomorrow she’d respond, but her nerves were too stretched for any further confrontation today.

Chapter Four

The tea party in Alicia’s flat was not going well. In fact, thought Olivia, it was a disaster, unfolding like a slow-motion car crash before her eyes. She kept looking at the clock in the hope they’d get through to the end without anyone getting seriously hurt. Cosmo and Cosima seemed to have had some kind of argument and kept glaring at each other, and the Swans found themselves unexpectedly shy when faced with the famous Hollywood twins. Tom, who was normally so sunny and funny, was stiff and formal, and Georgia and Aeysha were unusually subdued.

Only Eel was her usual self, prattling on about dancing and asking Cosmo about his favourite ballet, a question that Cosmo didn’t
even deign to acknowledge, let alone answer. He refused all food and just chewed gum noisily all the way through tea. He kept texting and checking his iPhone, which the others thought was very rude. Cosima sat looking miserable, eyes downcast, nibbling on the corner of a sandwich. She reminded Olivia of a nervous and very pretty squirrel.

It was made worse because while Alicia and Sebastian had tactfully withdrawn to give the children a chance to get to know each other, the twins’ minders stood in the corner glowering and looking suspiciously around as if they were convinced that the tea party wasn’t a tea party at all but a dastardly plot to kidnap the twins and hold them for ransom. Not surprisingly, the conversation was somewhat stilted. Questions about whether the twins had any pets, had read all the
Harry Potter
novels or had been to England before were greeted with a monosyllabic grunt from Cosmo or an unhappy little shake of the head from Cosima. At one point, when Georgia started enthusing about
Peter Pan
, saying how much she loved the story about the boy who refused to grow up and how she wished she wasn’t a girl so she could play one of the Lost
Boys, Cosmo yawned very loudly and started to play a game on his phone. Georgia had looked really hurt and flushed very pink, while Olivia felt furious on her behalf.

In their TV series in which they supposedly played a version of themselves, Cosmo and Cosima came across as a pair of cool,
quick-witted
pranksters who never stopped joking and kidding around. In real life they barely said a word. Olivia wondered if it was because they didn’t have a script to follow. There seemed to be a vast chasm between the real Wood twins and their celebrity image.

After a while Olivia and the others began to talk amongst themselves to fill in the silences. Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia could see Cosima visibly relax. She wondered whether Cosima might be quite nice away from her ghastly brother.

Aeysha started to talk about her holidays. “Mum says we might be able to go to Disney World in Florida next summer!” she said excitedly.

“That’d be awesome,” said Georgia.

“No, it wouldn’t,” grunted Cosmo. “Disney World sucks.”

“How would you know?” asked Tom sharply, seeing Aeysha’s face drop.

“We had our tenth birthday party there,” replied Cosmo. “They closed the place specially.”

“You mean you had the whole of Disney World to yourselves?”

Cosmo puffed out his chest proudly. “Yep,” he said. Cosima looked embarrassed.

“They’ve only ever done it for us,” added Cosmo. “It still sucked, though.” He took out his gum and stuck it under the table. Olivia made a mental note to remove it later before Alicia discovered it.

“But wasn’t it amazing to have Disney World closed specially for you?” said Georgia. “It must have made you feel really special.”

“We
are
special,” drawled Cosmo flatly, as if Georgia were a bit slow. Cosima looked as if she wanted the floor to open up and the others just looked at each other, embarrassed.

Eel broke the silence. “How many auditions did you have before you got cast as Peter Pan and Wendy?” she asked very sweetly.

“Auditions?” said Cosmo, looking astounded. “We’ve never had to audition for anything in our lives. We’re not like you kids.
We were in a movie when we were six weeks old. We played the baby and Angelina Jolie was our mom. We were voted cutest newcomers by the biggest Hollywood fan site. We’ve had loads of awards since. We pick and choose from stuff we’re offered. Auditions! They’re for losers.”

“Oh,” said Eel, surprised. “So how do you know if you’re any good? You could just be getting roles because of who you are, not because you’ve got any talent.”

Olivia kicked Eel’s ankle very hard under the table, while Georgia’s apple juice went down the wrong way and Tom had to thump her hard on the back. Cosmo looked at Eel as if she had just crawled out from beneath a stone and Cosima seemed to be looking frantically for the nearest exit. Her cheeks were flaming. Aeysha quickly thrust a plate under Cosmo’s nose and said a little too brightly, “Chocolate cake?”

“You’re kidding?” drawled Cosmo. “I’m wheat- and dairy-free.”

“Don’t forget charm-free,” muttered Cosima.

Her brother glared at her. “Least I’m not talent-free,” he snarled.

“Oh yeah?” snapped Cosima. Cosmo
flushed. Olivia thought they looked like tigers ready to spring at each other.

Aeysha coughed. “Where are you living while you’re in London?” she asked.

“We have a suite at the Savoy Hotel,” said Cosmo. “It sucks.”

“No, it doesn’t, Cosmo,” said Cosima sharply. “It’s totally neat.” She looked a little wistful. “But I wish we could live in a real apartment like this and be just like other kids.”

Cosmo made a braying sound, like a donkey laughing. “But we’re not like other kids, Cosi. We’re the Wood twins and don’t you forget it.”

“As if,” sighed Cosima.

At that moment, Alicia and Sebastian came back. “Why don’t you show the twins round the Swan?” said Alicia. Cosmo looked totally underwhelmed at the idea but Alicia was insistent. She explained that the Swan was a bit of a warren and a tour would make everything much easier for them when they started the next day. The children set off, with Cosmo trailing behind still playing a game on his phone. The minders followed at a distance.

Alicia and Sebastian watched them go.

“This isn’t going to be easy, Alicia,” said Sebastian.

“No,” said Alicia. “In fact, it’s going to be much harder than I thought. I’m really worried about the twins, Seb. You saw them acting this afternoon. I know it’s still early days but they’re going to be so exposed on the West End stage. When I was doing the film with them in Hollywood I strongly advised Jasper Wood against doing
Peter Pan
but he still went ahead and signed the contract on their behalf. They may be rich and famous the world over but they’re still just a couple of twelve-year-old kids and I can’t bear to think of them being sacrificed on the altar of the Wood family ambitions.”

“I can see why Jasper Wood was keen,” replied Sebastian. “I know he’s still a big star but his career is rumoured to be on the skids. His last couple of movies flopped and he hasn’t been on Broadway for years. Presumably he wants to make sure that his kids carry on the family name. But I’m curious. Why did you agree to this? Why get involved in something so risky?”

“How could I say no?” said Alicia. “I
think I genuinely helped them improve their performances in the film, and the editing will do the rest. Once Jasper had made up his mind that the twins were going to do
Peter Pan
, I felt I had to do anything I could to prevent a catastrophe. They’ve never even been on stage before, poor little mites.”

“I don’t think that Cosmo qualifies as a poor little mite; more of a spoiled little brat,” said Sebastian drily.

Alicia nodded. “I don’t think he’ll be half so cocky when he realises the challenge he’s up against. I just hope that the rest of the principals in the cast go all out to help them.”

“Who’s playing Captain Hook?” asked Sebastian.

“I imagine they’ll double Mr Darling and Captain Hook, but Jon wouldn’t tell me who the actor is. It’s top secret, so it must be a huge name. Even the twins don’t know who it is. There’s more security round this show than there is around the Crown Jewels. Everyone involved has had to sign confidentiality agreements, and I had to get special permission just to announce it at assembly this afternoon. I just hope Captain Hook is played by someone who’ll be generous
and supportive towards the twins.” Alicia shook her head gravely. “I’m seriously worried their West End debut is going to backfire and that’ll end up reflecting badly on the Swan too. But there’s no going back now. We’ll just have to make the best of a bad situation and hope that the critics don’t eat them up and spit them out.” She looked at her watch. “I’d better call Tom and Georgia. Their taxi will be here any moment to take them to the Duke’s for
The Sound of Music
.” She cocked her head to one side, reminding Sebastian of a delicate bird. “Isn’t this lack of building-site noise bliss?”

Everyone rushed off about their business and suddenly Olivia found herself alone with the twins and their minders while they waited for their limo to arrive to take them back to their hotel. Cosmo was still playing on his phone.

Olivia and Cosima looked at each other awkwardly. Olivia was itching to get away too. She had had quite enough of the Wood twins for one day. She thought Cosmo was one of the most unpleasant boys she had ever met. There was something about his pampered arrogance that reminded her of Katie Wilkes-Cox, a former
Swan pupil who had hated Olivia and done everything she could to hurt her. As for Cosima, Olivia found her self-pity and lack of spark and animation depressing; she seemed to come alive only when she was arguing with her brother. In many ways, she was just as self-absorbed.

“Do you like it here at the Swan?” asked Cosima shyly.

Olivia realised that it was the first question either of the twins had asked; throughout tea they had let the Swans do all the questioning and shown no interest in anybody else’s lives. She nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Though I hated it when I first came here two terms ago. I loathed all the acting and singing and particularly the dancing, but now I love it. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Well, I still don’t like dancing much, but I don’t do very much of that. I do circus instead. High-wire and trapeze mostly.”

“You can walk the high-wire?” said Cosima. “Oh my gosh! That’s totally awesome.”

“Yes,” said Olivia. “I used to live in a travelling circus with my dad, Jack Marvell. He’s a high-wire walker.”

“Your dad’s the Great Marvello? Wow! I’ve seen clips of him on YouTube walking across
Niagara Falls. You have the coolest dad on the planet. I’d love to meet him.”

Olivia was delighted by Cosima’s words. “He’s away in the US making a documentary but he’s promised to come home very soon,” she said. “Eel and I really miss him. I just wish he could get a job here in London for a while.” She smiled at Cosima. “You could learn the high-wire while you’re at the Swan.”

Cosima looked worried. “Er, well, I’m not good at heights.”

“Oh, you can start just a few centimetres off the ground.”

Cosima still looked worried. “I guess my dad wouldn’t like it,” she muttered.

“No, he wouldn’t, because it’s just circus garbage,” said Cosmo, looking up from his phone for a millisecond. “Move it, Cosi, the limo’s here. Dad’s texted me – he’s just touched down at Heathrow and he’s going straight to the hotel. He wants to talk to us about the press conference tomorrow.”

He stalked away without even saying goodbye. Olivia felt furious. Cosima smiled apologetically and followed him meekly, sighing heavily. Olivia watched her go. She thought how
many girls envied Cosima Wood and fantasised about what it must be like to be her, but from what Olivia had seen, it was a real downer. Well, she wasn’t going to waste any more time on the Wood twins. She doubted that she’d have much to do with them. Cosmo clearly thought that everyone at the Swan was beneath him, and she couldn’t imagine that she and Cosi would ever be friends in the same way she was with Georgia, Aeysha and Tom. She hurried away to find Pablo, who had promised to give her a trapeze lesson.