Rose October

By Felicty Keats Morrison

Rose October is disruptive at school because she is old for her class and unhappy at home. One day she stumbles into a fashion designer's workshop where Preparations are underway. This is a world she has never imagined she could be part of. What happens after this changes everything for Rose.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Felicty Keats Morrison
• Release date: Jun 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476098654

Book preview

Rose October

Written by: Felicity Keats

Copyright 1998 Felicity Keats

Cover Illustrations copyright by: Henda Olivier 1998

Smashwords Edition

and UmSinsi Press

PO Box 28129

Malvern

4055

South Africa

http;//www.umsinsi.com

Chapter One

Rose October! What are you doing? demanded Miss Pembroke who had been reading 'The Hobbit' to the class.

Rose jumped. On her way to school that morning she had found an oblong red shiny glass stone with faceted sides which she had put in her mathematics set.

Nothing, Miss, she said. Whilst that was true right then, a few seconds before she had been playing with the stone at her desk at the back of the classroom, tilting it about to see it catch the light.

Really? said Miss Pembroke in a disbelieving voice. Three lines of pupils stared at her, barely daring to breathe, as she took off her reading glasses and very deliberately put down the book and walked up the aisle towards Rose.

With or without her reading glasses, Miss Pembroke was formidable. She had a thin mouth that was set in a straight line, a sharp nose, and dark hair with grey streaks, and she wore clothes that were severe.

Knowing that her teacher would take the stone from her if she found it, suddenly the stone became very precious to Rose. Keeping her eyes fixed on her teacher, with her left hand she very carefully felt in the mathematics set to see if she could find it. Then, crash! The mathematics set fell onto the floor, scattering its contents. Desperately Rose slid under her desk, groping amongst the scattered protractors and rubbers and rulers for her red shiny stone. She must find it before the terrifying Miss Pembroke closed in on her.

Under the crossbar of her desk, her groping fingers felt the cool faceted surface of the stone. Scratching with her fingers, she managed to scoop it into her palm and as Miss Pembroke appeared at her side, she deftly dropped it into her pocket.

One more interruption from you, Rose, and it's off to Miss Orson you go. The light caught her steel rimmed glasses that hung from a cord around her neck and her voice was high with tension, as she said, Now pick up this mess!

Rose stared back at her insolently but said nothing. She collected her mathematics instruments and put them in the box.

Miss Pembroke turned and stalked back to her desk. But as she picked up her book to start reading again, Rose's elbow caught on the mathematics set again and it clattered once more to the floor.

The class, as one person, jumped, and then sat quite still, as Miss Pembroke, her voice high-pitched with exasperation, said, You did that on purpose, Rose. I've had quite enough of you in my class for one day. Come here this instant and take the punishment book to Miss Orson.

Grim-faced, she picked up a slim black book and began to scribble in it as Rose, stung by the unfairness of it, pushed herself out from behind the desk with exaggerated politeness. She was a tall slender girl with a tiny waist and long legs and a long slim neck. Her strange green eyes looking out from under arched dark eyebrows were darting sparks of anger.

Behind her, someone sniggered. It was Jarod.

Jarod! roared Miss Pembroke. "This is not a joke! Take your dictionary, and do one hundred lines, starting from 'a'. Write the word, and the meaning, in each case. And, Rose October, when you get to Miss Orson, yet again, remember this is the second time in one lesson you've deliberately disturbed the class."

Rose actually didn't care. She hated everything about school; she hated her class mates, especially Anastasia Ntembu with her round golden face and she hated blonde-haired Hillary Epsom both of whom were always mocking her. She hated Miss Pembroke and all of the other teachers. In every lesson she'd been at today, she'd been picked on. No one liked her. Even in choir practice Miss Ingram had kept telling her she was out of tune.

As she took the black book, she glared balefully at Miss Pembroke who appeared not to notice, then she strutted to the doorway and slammed the door just a little too hard, but not hard enough to get her into further trouble. She swung nonchalantly down the corridor towards the principal's office. Her head-mistress could do