Somersaults and Dreams: Making the Grade First published in Great Britain 2015 by Egmont UK Limited The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN

Text copyright © 2015 Cate Shearwater

Illustration copyright © 2015 Jongmee

The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted

First e-book edition 2014

ISBN 978 1 4052 6878 3

eISBN 978 1 7803 1421 1

www.egmont.co.uk

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library

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For Elsie and Lucy and all the wonderful gymnasts and coaches at Baskerville’s Gym Club. With all my love.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

CHAPTER One

CHAPTER Two

CHAPTER Three

CHAPTER Four

CHAPTER Five

CHAPTER Six

CHAPTER Seven

CHAPTER Eight

CHAPTER Nine

CHAPTER Ten

CHAPTER Eleven

CHAPTER Twelve

CHAPTER Thirteen

CHAPTER Fourteen

CHAPTER Fifteen

CHAPTER Sixteen

CHAPTER Seventeen

CHAPTER Eighteen

CHAPTER Nineteen

CHAPTER Twenty

CHAPTER Twenty-one

CHAPTER Twenty-two

CHAPTER Twenty-three

CHAPTER Twenty-four

CHAPTER Twenty-five

CHAPTER Twenty-six

CHAPTER Twenty-seven

CHAPTER Twenty-eight

CHAPTER Twenty-nine

CHAPTER Thirty

CHAPTER Thirty-one

CHAPTER Thirty-two

CHAPTER Thirty-three

CHAPTER Thirty-four

CHAPTER Thirty-five

CHAPTER Thirty-six

Acknowledgements

Back series promotional page

CHAPTER

One

Ellie stood on the beach and stared out across the creek. The pale winter sun was just rising over the water and everything was still, except the gentle bob of the boats and a solitary seagull looping in the air. It reminded her of a gymnast turning circles on the bar.

She shivered with excitement and cold. The day she’d been dreaming of for so long was finally here! She’d woken up early, far too excited to sleep. So she’d slipped out of bed, taking care not to wake her little sister Lucy, pulled on her flip-flops and stolen down to the beach in her pyjamas and duffle coat. She didn’t want to waste a second of this day.

The water sparkled under the sun and Ellie gave a little sigh. She knew she was going to miss this place like mad. But she was going to the Academy! She had won a place at the London Gymnastics Academy, the best gym in the whole country, where famous gymnasts like Sian Edwards and Emma Bannerdown and even the great Lizzie Trengilly, Ellie’s aunt, had trained.

Just thinking about it made Ellie want to somersault with joy. She grinned as she looked around. There was no better place for somersaults than the beach.

So Ellie kicked off her flip-flops, shrugged out of her duffle coat and prepared to launch herself into a tumble sequence across the cold, damp sand. She started with a simple round-off flick, then sprang into a neat aerial – like a cartwheel with no hands. The chill wind caught in her hair as she moved, and she could almost imagine she was leaping across the ice-cold water.

‘I should have guessed you’d be head over heels with excitement this morning!’

Ellie landed with a jolt and spun round at the sound of the familiar voice. Her gym coach, Fran, was standing outside the little boathouse watching her with a smile playing across her lips.

‘Fran!’ Ellie cried. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Your dad said this is where I’d find you,’ Fran laughed. ‘And I couldn’t let you go without saying goodbye, could I?’

‘Thank you,’ Ellie said, still breathless. ‘For coming to see me off. And . . . for everything. I couldn’t have done it without you.’

Fran sat down on a rock and Ellie perched next to her. Fran hardly looked old enough to be a coach. With her small, compact gymnast’s body, rosy face and long, dark hair, she could have been mistaken for Ellie’s older sister. She had been coaching Ellie since Ellie was a little girl of five. She’d been the one who first picked her for the Beginner’s squad, seeing some spark of talent in her all those years ago. Since then she’d witnessed Ellie’s triumphs – and her failures; seen her battling competition nerves, injuries and setbacks; seen the way she pushed herself harder, determined to be the best.

And it had been Fran who’d suggested the move to the Academy. She’d always said she didn’t want to push Ellie too fast, that a careful and steady approach was best. But last month she’d told Ellie that if she wanted to go all the way – to British Championships, Worlds, maybe even the Olympics – she would need to move to a bigger club. And of course that’s what Ellie wanted! It was all she had ever dreamed of since was a little girl.

Fran had asked her old friend Emma Bannerdown, former World Champion and now director of the London Gymnastics Academy, to give Ellie a trial. To Ellie’s astonishment, Emma had agreed. And, to her even greater amazement, she’d offered Ellie a scholarship to train at the Academy.

All this had happened in the last few dizzying weeks, and Ellie could still barely believe it was true.

‘You know you’ll be behind the other girls there,’ said Fran. ‘It could be tough trying to catch up.’

Ellie nodded, feeling butterflies dance in her stomach.

‘Maybe I was wrong to hold you back.’ Fran looked more serious now. ‘I don’t know. But, whatever happens, there’s something I want you to remember.’

‘What’s that?’ Ellie looked up at her coach eagerly.

‘Well, there are three kinds of gymnasts,’ said Fran. ‘There are power gymnasts – all muscles and strength. There are technical gymnasts, capable of executing moves with an incredible degree of difficulty. And then there are the artistic gymnasts.’ She smiled. ‘Artistic gymnasts perform with their heart. Think of Nadia Comăneci, Sian Edwards – your Aunt Lizzie. When each of those gymnasts steps on to the floor, she tells a story. They are breathtaking to watch, not just because of the skill they exhibit, but because they turn gym from a sport into an art.’

Ellie thought of the footage she’d watched of her aunt, springing across the blue floor at World Championships. She really looked as if she was dancing over the creek, her arms moving like the swaying of the trees.

‘I think you have the soul of an artistic gymnast, Ellie,’ Fran said with a smile. ‘Remember that. You have strength too – from all the rowing and sailing you do. And wonderful poise – although you need to improve your balance on the beam . . .’

Ellie nodded. She knew the beam was her weakest piece of apparatus.

‘But most of all you have heart.’

Ellie felt as if her heart might actually burst. Fran expected a lot of her gymnasts, so compliments from her really meant something.

‘So it doesn’t matter that you’re behind the other girls at the Academy,’ Fran was going on. ‘Stay true to who you are and who knows how far you can go.’

‘But how do I do that?’ asked Ellie.

‘Hang on to all this,’ said Fran, gesturing around her at the little sandy beach, the boathouse, the wooden pontoon stretching out into the lapping waves. ‘The creek is part of you. Don’t let it go.’

CHAPTER

Two

‘There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!’

Ellie turned to see her little sister come flying down on to the beach, bouncing across the sand. She came to a breathless stop by Ellie and Fran.

‘I told Mum you’d be here,’ Lucy squeaked excitedly. ‘She says you need to get a move on or you’ll miss the train. Ooh – did you say goodbye to Jorian? And Diablo? And little Roo?’

Ellie grinned. ‘Not yet, no.’

Lucy frowned and put her hands on her hips. Ten years old, with wild red hair and a rosy face full of freckles and dimples, Lucy looked nothing like pale, sandy-haired Ellie who was three years older than her. People sometimes refused to believe they were sisters – until they noticed their eyes, which were the exact same shade of cornflower blue, framed with startling black lashes.

‘Well, you need to. They’re going to miss you,’ Lucy insisted. ‘But I’m going to look after Jorian. I’ll take her out every single day for you, keep her in good condition.’

The way Lucy spoke, you’d have thought she was talking about her pet dog or horse. But Jorian was Ellie’s old rowing boat. Living on the creek, both girls had learned to row pretty much as soon as they could walk. Dad was a boat-builder, so for Ellie’s seventh birthday he’d made her a beautiful ten-foot dinghy from salvaged wood, painted blue and white. She couldn’t imagine a day going by without going out in Jorian, with Lucy beside her in her boat, Roo.

‘And I’m going to miss you too,’ said Lucy, her bright face filled suddenly with sadness. ‘But I’ve decided I’m going to work really hard at gym so I can come to the Academy one day. Aren’t I, Fran?’

‘So you keep telling me,’ said Fran, who had a soft spot for Ellie’s crazy sister. Then she glanced at her watch. ‘But I think you should get going, Ellie. You don’t want to miss that train.’

‘Ooh, no,’ said Lucy, slipping her hand in Ellie’s and tugging her up towards the cottage. ‘You can’t be late for your first day at the Academy!’

Ellie took one last look around. She’d grown up on the creek, spent every day of her life messing around on the water, rowing, crabbing, collecting shells with Lucy, helping Dad in the boatyard or Mum in her painting studio. She tried to drink it all in, as if she could carry it with her – just like Fran had said. Then she turned and made her way back up to the cottage.

‘Darling, I’m so sorry we can’t come up to London with you,’ Mum was saying as she darted around the kitchen searching for her mobile phone and her car keys. ‘This exhibition is so important. If I could sell a few more paintings it would make all the difference. You know.’

‘I know, Mum,’ said Ellie. ‘Sending me to the Academy is expensive.’

‘Oh it’s not that. You’ve done so well to get this scholarship,’ said Mum. ‘There’s just a lot of other things to get – what with uniform for your new school – and all the things you’ll need because of transferring in the middle of the year . . .’

Ellie’s stomach did a flip and she stopped listening for a moment. She’d almost forgotten she was starting at a new school. She’d been so focused on the new gym she hadn’t given it much thought.

‘Of course we’ll muddle through like we always do,’ Mum was saying. ‘It’s just . . .’

‘I understand,’ said Ellie. It wasn’t that they were poor exactly. Dad had always made enough to get by with his boat building and Mum’s paintings sold well to tourists in the summer months, but gymnastics was an expensive sport and, though they never said so, Ellie knew they’d already given up a lot to help her follow her dream.

‘And the train fares, you know,’ Mum went on, still searching for her mobile phone. ‘It’s astonishing how much it costs for a return ticket these days.’

Next to her two petite daughters, Mum seemed like a giant – and a very strange giant at that! She was nearly six feet tall with a cloud of frizzy red hair and an extremely odd dress sense. Today, she was wearing an orange tie-dye kaftan with green patent boots and what looked like a feather boa wrapped round her waist. She had a paintbrush stuck in her hair, which was spattered with tiny blobs of coloured paint.

‘Looking for this?’ asked Lucy, pulling Mum’s ancient phone from out of the fruit bowl.

‘Of course. I knew I’d put it somewhere safe!’

Ellie grinned at Lucy. They were used to finding their school books in the dishwasher, or Mum blowing up the microwave because she’d accidentally tried to nuke her car keys.

‘Now. Where’s your dad?’ Mum said, squinting as if she might find him hiding in the fruit bowl too.

‘I bet he’s down at the boatyard,’ said Ellie. ‘He’s probably totally forgotten I’m leaving today.’

‘Would I ever do a thing like that?’ said Dad, appearing at the back door, wearing a faded fisherman’s jumper and a chauffeur’s cap covered in sawdust. It was easy to see where Ellie got her looks from – Dad was small and wiry with sandy hair and eyes the colour of the sea. ‘Your carriage awaits, Gymnastic Princess,’ he said with a flourish of his cap.

‘What on earth are you wearing, Dad?’ giggled Lucy.

‘The Landrover’s on the blink again,’ Dad said, then bowed low and declared, ‘So Diablo begs the privilege of escorting Britain’s next great gymnastic champion to the station!’

‘What?’ shrieked Lucy. ‘We’re going by boat?’

‘What could be more appropriate,’ said Dad. ‘Tide’s perfect and it’s not too choppy. It’s far quicker than the coast road anyway.’

Lucy jumped up and down excitedly and Ellie couldn’t help smiling. One last trip out on the water before she left the creek. What better way to say goodbye?

CHAPTER

Three

They arrived at the station with just minutes to spare. There was only time for some hasty hugs on the platform and Lucy pushed a package into Ellie’s hands. ‘Just a little good-luck present from me,’ she said shyly. ‘Open it on the train.’

‘Thanks, Lucy!’ said Ellie, touched by her sister’s kindness and realising how desperately she was going to miss her.

Just then the guard blew his whistle and Ellie jumped on board as he yelled at Lucy to stand clear.

‘We’ll email you – and Face-thingie – and Twittle – and all that stuff!’ shouted Mum as the train started to draw away from the platform.

Ellie leaned out of the window to wave. ‘But you don’t know how to do any of those things!’ she laughed.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll show them!’ said Lucy.

‘Good! Oh – and don’t let Dad blow up the boat-shed,’ shouted Ellie. ‘Or let Mum paint the cat blue – or try to feed you watercolour soup . . .’

‘That was an accident!’ cried Mum.

‘I’ll be home at half term!’ called Ellie. But the train was gaining speed and her final words were blown away. She could just see Lucy, waving like her life depended on it, getting smaller and smaller on the platform.

‘Goodbye, Cornwall. London, here I come!’ Ellie whispered as the train started on its journey from the seaside home she loved towards a future she’d been dreaming for as long as she could remember.

She stood by the window for ages, watching as the train made its way along a section of track that seemed to skirt right along the edge of the clifftop. Even though it was January, the sun was bright and the sky clear, and Ellie could see the ocean stretched out like the blue practice floor at the gym.

Finally, she turned away from the window, but somehow she couldn’t face going into the carriage to sit with the crowds of people, so she plonked herself down on her suitcase by the bike racks and unwrapped Lucy’s gift. She gasped as she lifted the tissue paper to reveal a beautiful new leotard – all silvers and greens and blues – the colours of the ocean, Ellie thought. It was so beautiful, and it was so sweet of Lucy – who must have been saving her pocket money for ages – that she felt suddenly like crying.

Determined not to let the tears come, she folded the leotard carefully into her rucksack then tugged out her favourite gymnastics book and opened it on a well-thumbed page. This book always made her smile. There was a picture of a young gymnast doing a backwards walkover on the beam. She made it look so easy and yet Ellie remembered her own struggles to achieve that move.

There was another picture on the opposite page of the same gymnast performing a floor routine. The photographer had caught her mid split-leap and she looked almost as if she was flying. Her face was focused, but also serene – as if she was feeling the moves as well as executing them. Wasn’t that what Fran had said Ellie should try to do?

The young gymnast’s face was as familiar to Ellie as her own – which was hardly surprising since it was almost like looking in a mirror. The girl must have been about sixteen when that picture was taken – just three years older than Ellie – and she shared Ellie’s pale brown hair and her large expressive blue eyes.

There were other pictures on the page too. Of the same gymnast holding aloft a trophy at the British Championships, aged just fifteen. Of her performing a gold-medal-winning vault at World Champs two years later. With her teammates on the way to the Olympics, hope shining on their faces. Underneath the last picture a caption read, Britain’s top gymnast, Lizzie Trengilly, just before the tragic fall that ended her career.

A shiver went down Ellie’s spine as she took in the page for what must have been the millionth time. It always thrilled her to think that she was actually related to the great Lizzie Trengilly.

Today, more than ever, she wished she could talk to Lizzie about her time at the Academy. But Lizzie had turned her back completely on gymnastics after that terrible injury. She’d always been a bit of a free spirit, so she’d taken off round the world – teaching sport to street kids in South America, helping save gorillas in the African jungle and who knew what else. Ellie wasn’t sure if Aunt Lizzie even knew she was going to the Academy.

Ellie sighed. Maybe one day she could talk to her about all this. Until then she had to keep working hard, and try to achieve her greatest ambition – the one she’d never shared with anyone – to fulfil Aunt Lizzie’s dream of Olympic gold.

Dreams of Olympic glory helped Ellie pass the time, but by midday the train was hot and sticky and she was stiff and ravenous. She munched on the strange sandwiches her mum had made for her – peanut butter and smoked salmon sprinkled with popping candy – as the train rumbled through fields and villages on its journey towards London.

‘Tickets, please.’

The guard was standing over Ellie with a kindly expression on his face. She rummaged around in her bag and handed him the ticket.

‘Now, I’m curious,’ said the guard with a twinkle in his eye. ‘How on earth do you manage to sit comfortably in that particular position?’

Ellie looked down and realised she was sitting virtually in the splits, one leg stuck out to the side, the other folded inwards. ‘Oh – um – I suppose – I – well, I do a lot of gymnastics.’

‘Ah,’ said the guard, his face lighting up. ‘A gymnast! I thought perhaps you’d dislocated your hips or something, and I was just wondering if I needed to pull the red cord and call for medical help.’

Ellie giggled.

‘Off to the Olympics are you, young lady?’

‘One day, I hope,’ said Ellie.

‘Goodness me, a world-famous gymnast on my train!’ exclaimed the guard.

Ellie grinned. ‘I hope so.’

‘Well, take a look out of the window and get your first glimpse of the Big Smoke.’

The guard tugged down the window and Ellie was amazed to see that the fields and villages had been replaced by rows of buildings that stretched as far as the eye could see, red-bricked terraces side by side with glistening office blocks and concrete shopping centres, traffic fumes mingling with neon signs in the cold grey winter’s afternoon. The sun had disappeared and it all seemed so different to Cornwall – so gloomy and crowded. Ellie wondered how she would ever feel at home here.

‘Newcomers to the city get to make a wish,’ said the guard.

‘Oh,’ said Ellie. ‘Um – right.’ She closed her eyes and made her wish.

‘Let’s hope London makes all your dreams come true,’ said the guard with a grin. Ellie shivered, but she wasn’t sure if it was excitement, cold or fear.

‘Now, I’d best be getting on,’ said the guard. ‘And no somersaulting down the aisles on my train, y’hear? Or I might have to impose a penalty fare.’

CHAPTER

Four

In no time the train was drawing into Paddington Station and Ellie gathered up her belongings and made her way on to the platform. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. The concourse was jammed with people and she wasn’t sure who she was looking for.

‘Ellie! Ellie!’ A voice sailed high above the crowd and Ellie turned to see a girl holding up a poster with ‘Academy Ellie’ painted on it. It was just like she’d seen in the movies, only this poster was massive, glittery and covered in hearts and pictures of gymnasts. Ellie couldn’t help smiling. There was no way she could miss that!

No longer feeling so nervous, Ellie made her way over. The girl had hair the colour of toffee cake, a face like a pixie and an upturned nose covered in freckles. As soon as she caught sight of Ellie, she squealed out, ‘It’s you! I recognised you right away because you look just like a fairy. All gymnasts are tiny – except me. I’m shooting up like a weed, Tam says. I’m Nancy by the way. Welcome to London!’

‘Thanks for coming to meet me,’ said Ellie as soon as she managed to get a word in. ‘I love the sign.’

‘We’ve been dead excited about you coming,’ Nancy went on happily. ‘Especially me cos we’re going to be sharing a room. You might not be so excited after you see what a mess I make, but I’m going to try not to be total nightmare, I promise . . .’

Ellie laughed. Nancy’s giddy excitement reminded her of Lucy and made her feel at home right away.

‘Nancy, let the poor girl get her breath,’ laughed a willowy blonde woman who had just reached Nancy’s side. She had to be Nancy’s mum, because she looked just like her, only her eyes had a kind light that was softer than Nancy’s mischievous twinkle.

‘Yeah, like that’s gonna happen!’ said a boy who had appeared apparently from nowhere. He had dark unruly hair and chocolate-brown eyes that sparkled as he grinned at Ellie. Despite the difference in colouring (and the fact that he was a boy) he bore such a startling resemblance to Nancy it was kind of weird looking at the two of them side by side. ‘The only time my sis ever stops is when she’s asleep – and sometimes not even then. You’ll be lucky if you get a wink of sleep sharing a room with Nance! She can talk for England.’

‘Oi! Shut up, Tam!’ said Nancy, punching the boy on the arm.

‘Trust me, I know what I’m talking about,’ Tam went on, ignoring her. ‘I had to share Mum’s tummy with her for a whole nine months. It’s a miracle I ever made it out alive.’

Ellie smiled. So they were twins. And, despite the glare that Nancy shot at her brother, Ellie could tell that there was a bond between them like the one she felt with Lucy.

‘If you two have finished bickering, shall we do some proper introductions?’ said the twins’ mum. ‘I’m Mandy and these are my troublesome twins, Tam and Nancy.’

‘At your service,’ said Tam, bending low in a way that made Nancy giggle.

‘Tam?’ said Ellie. ‘I’ve never heard that name before.’

‘Short for Tamar. Apparently I’m named after some river near where Mum and Dad went for honeymoon or something.’

‘Oh yes! It’s in Cornwall,’ said Ellie. ‘At least, it runs between Cornwall and Devon. Haven’t you ever been there?’

‘Nope,’ declared Tam. ‘We were born in the city and haven’t ventured out much our whole lives.’

‘Well, I’ve never been to London before,’ said Ellie. ‘So I suppose that makes us sort of – I don’t know – opposites?’

‘Ooh! Then we’ll have to show you all the sights,’ said Nancy. ‘Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye – the lot!’

‘Let’s just get Ellie back to Head-Over-Heels House for now,’ laughed Mandy. ‘She must be exhausted and hungry after her long journey. She probably isn’t ready for your magical mystery tour just yet!’

‘Head-Over-Heels House?’ said Ellie, confused.

‘Oh,’ Tam said, ‘that’s the nickname for the shared house where all the out-of-town Academy students live – the girls anyway.’

‘Some of the students came up with the nickname years ago and it kind of stuck,’ said Mandy. ‘It actually suits the place because it’s a bit topsy-turvy. You’ll see what I mean when we get there.’

‘I can’t wait!’ Ellie bent down to pick up her suitcase, but Tam reached for it at exactly the same time and their heads clashed.

‘Ow!’ said Ellie, rubbing her forehead.

‘Oops! Sorry!’ said Tam. ‘Just wondered if you needed a hand.’

Nancy giggled. ‘She’s a gymnast! She’s probably got stronger arm muscles than you.’

‘Yeah, right!’ said Tam. ‘All you girl gymnasts do is silly flicky-flacky prancing around stuff. It’s us boys who do the real strength disciplines.’

‘Is that right?’ said Nancy. ‘I’d like to see you manage a flick layout on the beam!’

‘And you wouldn’t last two minutes on the pommel horse,’ said Tam with a shrug.

Mandy shook her head and smiled at Ellie. ‘They’ve been having this argument since they started gym when they were four years old.’

‘Is this all the stuff you have?’ Tam asked, looking round. ‘I thought you’d have loads of bags.’

Before Ellie had a chance to think of a reply, Nancy had punched her brother’s shoulder again and linked arms with Ellie. ‘Don’t be stupid. All she needs is a few leotards, her hand guards and a tracksuit,’ she said. ‘After all, she’s going to spend most of her life in the Academy, just like the rest of us. Now, if you could just stop talking for a single moment . . .’

‘Me stop talking!’

Nancy ignored him. ‘Head-Over-Heels House, here we come!’

CHAPTER

Five

They caught a tube and a bus and Ellie was amazed by how many people there were. On the creek, you could go all day without seeing anyone. But in London every square centimetre of space seemed to be filled with life. People crammed on to the platform, streaming down the escalators, squeezed like sardines into the tube carriages and on the buses. To Ellie, it felt totally insane but brilliantly exciting at the same time.

‘London must seem pretty full on,’ said Tam, noticing her wide eyes. ‘You live by the seaside, right?’

‘Sort of,’ said Ellie. ‘On a little tidal estuary, just inland from the sea.’

‘Cool,’ said Nancy. ‘Do you go surfing every day, and sailing and water-skiing? I’ve always wanted to try water-skiing. And rowing. I’d love to be able to row.’

‘I go rowing most days,’ said Ellie. ‘I have my own boat that my dad made for me.’

‘Awesome!’ said Nancy. ‘I reckon if I get too tall for gymnastics I’m going to be a rower. They’re always pretty tall, aren’t they? And I’ve got strong arms. Scarlett reckons I’m more like a weightlifter than a gymnast – but that’s the sort of thing she would say.’

‘Um – who’s Scarlett?’ asked Ellie.

‘Oh, she’s in Development squad like us,’ explained Nancy. ‘And she lives in Head-Over-Heels House because her mum and dad are always off travelling overseas. They’re like multi-millionaires or something – as she’s always reminding everybody.’ Nancy rolled her eyes but didn’t stop talking. Ellie was starting to wonder how she managed to breathe sometimes. ‘Anyway, she reckons she’s ten times better than the rest of us in Development squad. She’s not going to like you – at all!’

‘Oh.’ Ellie’s face fell. ‘Why?’

‘Because you’ve come from nowhere and been given a place at the Academy,’ said Tam.

‘Most of us’ve been training there for years,’ Nancy explained. ‘Tam and I started at the Academy before we even went to school. I mean, sometimes gymnasts come from other big gyms overseas, like Camille – she’s half French, half Belgian – or Lily Raza – her parents sent her all the way from Israel just to train with Emma. But people don’t usually just get picked from little tiny clubs. There must be something special about you for Emma to take you on.’

Ellie blushed, finding it hard to believe. The bus was going over a bridge and Ellie caught a glimpse of the River Thames, crowded with city vessels, the water dark and oily in the falling dusk. It was so different to the creek, but still somehow the sight of it reminded her of home.

‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘I mean, I think I’m way behind the rest of you. I don’t have my Compulsory Grade Two yet.’

‘Oh, me neither,’ said Nancy. ‘I’ve failed it twice now.’ She shrugged like it was no big deal, but there was something in her face that made Ellie think she was more bothered than she was letting on.

‘Got to get it this time or I won’t be able to go to British Champs,’ Nancy went on. ‘We’re old enough to compete at the Junior British this year. But I guess you know that. Of course, Scarlett passed every grade first time so she’ll be going for Grade One this year. And Camille and Kashvi and Bella are too. They’re the other girls in Development. They’re all cool – it’s only Scarlett who thinks she’s too good for the rest of us. But if she was so good Emma would have promoted her to Pre-Elite squad, so I don’t know why she’s strutting around, pretending she’s Lizzie Trengilly or something.’

Ellie blushed again at the mention of her aunt. She wasn’t sure if Nancy or anyone else at the Academy knew that she was related to the famous gymnast. Nancy’s sign had just said ‘Academy Ellie’ – so maybe they didn’t even know her second name. Ellie was almost relieved. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep it a secret, but she didn’t want to go around boasting either.

‘Seriously, though, you need to watch out for Scarlett,’ said Tam. ‘That girl is determined to get to the top, no matter what it takes.’

‘Yup,’ Nancy agreed. ‘She’ll be nice to you as long as she doesn’t think you’re a threat. But if she decides you might have a chance of being better than her one day then . . .’

Just at that moment the bus lurched to a stop, sending Ellie flying into Nancy, who had toppled into the doorway.

‘Here we are!’ said Tam, ‘This is our stop.’

Head-Over-Heels House turned out to be a big, old Victorian house on Albert Bridge Road, overlooking Battersea Park. It had probably once been quite grand, but now it looked pretty scruffy. The door was painted bright purple and somebody had made a sign that read ‘Head-Over-Heels House’ with a picture of a gymnast doing a backwards walkover.

Being opposite the park made the house feel less hemmed in by the city, and to Ellie’s delight she noticed that they were still close to the river. The smell of the Thames hung in the air and again it reminded her of the creek.

‘Come on in,’ said Nancy, flinging open the door. ‘Welcome to the madhouse!’

‘It’s huge!’ said Ellie as she stepped into a giant hallway with a swooping staircase, faded marble tiles and battered wallpaper.

‘Well, there are six other gymnasts living here,’ Mandy explained. ‘All out-of-towners like you. And then my two, of course.’

‘Mum can’t get enough gymnasts to look after, can you, Mum?’ said Tam.

‘And none of them are half as much trouble as you two,’ laughed Mandy, ruffling Tam’s hair. ‘But, seriously, Ellie, here in Head-Over-Heels House we’re all family. I want you to think of me as someone you can always come to. If you have any problems – no matter how big or small – my door is always open. OK?’

‘Thanks,’ said Ellie.

‘Come on, I’ll show you our room,’ said Nancy, dashing up the staircase.

Ellie followed her, half in a daze, trying to take it all in.

‘There are a couple of other Development squad girls here,’ said Nancy, calling over her shoulder. ‘Then there are two from Junior Elite and one Pre-Elite girl. No boys, except for Tam, but he’s in the basement with Mum. Oh, and Sian Edwards and Sophia Mitford share the attic flat. They’re both Senior Elite, of course.’

‘Sian Edwards – the Olympian?’ said Ellie, amazed. She’d watched Sian compete for Team GB at World Championships last year, and been dazzled by her amazing performance on the vault, which had helped to earn her a gold medal. ‘She lives here – in this house?’

‘Well, in the flat upstairs,’ said Nancy, like it was no big deal. ‘She’s dead nice. Never too busy to chat to any of us kids in Development squad either.’

Ellie couldn’t imagine what she’d do if she bumped into Sian Edwards over breakfast, or in her pyjamas. The idea of chatting to a gold-medal-winning Olympian seemed too crazy.

‘So, this is our pad,’ Nancy was saying as she opened the door to a room on the second floor and ushered Ellie in. The room was tiny and had a slightly tatty appearance like the rest of the house, but it had a large window overlooking the garden and a beautiful old fireplace in the corner.

On Nancy’s side, the walls were covered in posters of gymnasts and boy bands and kittens dressed in a variety of weird and wonderful costumes – including one in a sparkly pink leotard. Her bed and every surface was strewn with leotards and scrunchies and jogging bottoms.

On Ellie’s side was a bed with a patchwork quilt, a small chest of drawers and a massive bouquet of flowers in a chipped vase. There were also a couple of framed pictures. One was a painting of a beach in Cornwall which Ellie recognised as Kynance Cove, not far from the creek. The other was a photo of a gymnast on the uneven bars, mid twist, her body swooping like a seagull into the dive. Ellie knew who it was immediately and her heart leapt.

‘D’you like the Cornwall painting?’ asked Nancy. ‘Tam found it in a charity shop. He reckoned it would be perfect, in case you felt homesick for the beach, you know. I did the flowers.’

Ellie looked at the colourful blooms – huge gaudy pinks, oranges and even blue flowers. ‘Thank you. They’re lovely!’ she said, touched by the thought.

Nancy smiled brightly. ‘Tam figured you’d like the photo too – since you’re family, an’ all.’

‘Oh, so you know, then,’ said Ellie nervously. ‘About Lizzie Trengilly . . . being my aunt.’

‘Of course!’ chirped Nancy. ‘I mean, no offence, but it didn’t exactly take major detective work. The name Trengilly isn’t that common, is it? And the minute we saw your picture we knew right away. You look just like her. I bet you’re as good as she was too,’ Nancy went on, flinging herself on to her bed amidst all the muddle. ‘I’ve got a feeling about it, looking at you.’

‘How can you tell if I’m any good at gym just by looking at me?’

‘I dunno,’ said Nancy. ‘But I can. Maybe I’m psychic – Tam reckons I’m a bit weird like that, y’know. But I bet you anything I’m right!’

CHAPTER

Six

Just then there was a knock on the door and Ellie turned to see a face peeping into the room.

‘Can we come in?’

The door creaked open to reveal a tiny girl with a round face, big velvety dark eyes and sticky-out ears. The little buns she wore on each side of her head made her look a bit like a baby monkey. She was standing next to a taller girl with golden hair, a flawless complexion and green cat-like eyes.

‘Bella! Scarlett!’ squeaked Nancy, jumping off the bed. ‘Meet Ellie, my new roomie and our new squad buddy. Ellie, meet the Floor Fairy, Bella Chee and Queen of the Beam, Scarlett Atkins.’

Bella smiled broadly and said in a soft voice, ‘Welcome to Head-Over-Heels House.’

But Scarlett narrowed her eyes and said, ‘Is it true Emma gave you a scholarship even though you haven’t even passed Compulsory Grade Two yet?’

‘Scarlett, don’t put her on the spot,’ said Bella. She spoke with a gentle authority, despite being so small she even made Ellie look like a giant.

‘It’s OK,’ said Ellie. ‘Scarlett’s right. I didn’t start Compulsory Grades till I was quite old. My coach didn’t think I was ready.’

‘I passed Grade Two when I was eleven.’ Ambition flared in Scarlett’s eyes as she spoke. ‘I won the bronze medal. Because you do know that Grades are also a competition, right?’

‘Um – yes,’ said Ellie.

‘Of course she does!’ said Nancy.

‘Well, I’ll be doing Grade One this year. Which is higher than Grade Two – in case you didn’t realise.’

‘She’s from Cornwall!’ said Nancy. ‘Not a whole different planet.’

‘Well, how should I know how they do things in the middle of nowhere?’ said Scarlett.

‘You might want to remember that Bella won the gold when we did Grade Two,’ said Nancy, who looked as if she was keen to prick Scarlett’s bubble. ‘And all the other girls in Development squad are up for Grade One this year too.’

‘Except you, of course,’ said Scarlett with a smile. ‘Let’s hope you get third time lucky with your Grade Two, Nancy, or we’ll all be going to the British without you!’

‘Stop arguing, you guys!’ said Bella firmly. ‘Remember what Emma’s always saying. We’re teammates, not rivals. We perform better if we support each other.’

Scarlett glared and Nancy gave a ‘hmmph!’ sound. But just then a clamour in the hallway and a call of ‘Food!’ signalled that dinner was ready, and all arguments were set aside as they raced downstairs to eat.

‘Is that true?’ Nancy whispered, linking arms with Ellie as the girls made their way down the stairs. ‘About you having a scholarship.’

‘Um – yeah.’ Ellie flushed, suddenly embarrassed. ‘My parents couldn’t afford for me to train here otherwise.’

Nancy shrugged. ‘Yeah, well, we can only afford it cos of Mum – you know, being Head-Over-Heels house-mother, or whatever you call it. But, seriously, the Academy hardly ever give out scholarships. Emma must think you’re really good.’

‘I dunno . . .’ Ellie started to say.

‘I wonder how Scarlett found out?’ Nancy was musing as she pulled open the door to the kitchen.

Sitting round the giant dining table, Ellie met most of the other residents of the house. She thought she’d be too nervous to eat, but after the long journey and all the excitement she was starving so she tucked in to the biggest dish of shepherd’s pie she’d ever seen in her life.

Nancy and Bella introduced her to the others. Isobel Mallin and Mia Rudolph from Junior Elite squad made a funny pair. Isabel was tall, quiet and serious-looking, whilst Mia was small and a total chatterbox – but they were clearly the best of friends.

Then there was Bree Summers from Pre-Elite who told lots of funny stories about her squad coach, Oleg Petrescu. There was no sign of Sian Edwards or Sophia Mitford, and Nancy told Ellie they had been off at a Team GB training weekend and would be back tomorrow.

Ellie tried to imagine that one day she might be picked for Team GB, but right now it was enough to be here, an Academy girl – or very nearly anyway.

‘I thought Oleg was going to explode today,’ Bree was saying, ‘when Lily kept sneezing and couldn’t stop.’

The other girls all giggled and Nancy turned to Ellie to explain. ‘Oleg Petrescu is Romanian, and basically a living legend! One of the seven ancient wonders of the gymnastics world.’

‘He looks like a tiny little weightlifter and he’s got this giant moustache – all curly like a circus ringmaster or something,’ added Mia with a giggle.

‘And he’s got a thing about germs and people being ill,’ Bella explained. ‘Remember when Pearl had mumps and he acted like she had the plague?’

‘Yeah, and I basically spent the whole year I was in Pre-Elite terrified of even getting a headache,’ Isobel said with a frown.

‘Anyway, when Lily sneezed for the tenth time, Oleg started screaming like a bomb had gone off and kicked her out of the gym,’ Bree went on.

‘No – he sent her out?’

‘Right away,’ said Bree. ‘Then he started spraying the vault with anti-bacterial spray. And you should have seen the masks he got out of his bag. Like nurses wear. He wanted all of us in Pre-Elite to wear them so we didn’t catch anything.’

‘What did Emma say?’ asked Nancy.

‘Oh, Emma knows Oleg’s funny ways, but she also knows he’s the best vault coach in the world,’ said Bree with a shrug. ‘Oleg was going on about the English weather and going to California where it was sunny all day, so Emma said she’d arrange for everyone in the gym to have multi-vitamins and loads of oranges to make sure we get don’t get colds.’

‘What did he say to that?’ said Mia.

‘He went off into a flurry of Romanian and flung his arms around a bit – you know how he does,’ said Bree, doing an impression of Oleg, which made everyone laugh again. ‘But he let Lily come back into training – and he was so sweet and apologetic. He made her a lemon-and-honey drink and everything.’

‘He really is a total sweetie, isn’t he?’ said Bella.

‘He’s lovely!’ said Bree. ‘He gets so upset with himself for losing his temper, and then he fusses over you like anything. Lily will get the royal treatment for at least a week.’

‘Not like Toni,’ said Nancy, rolling her eyes. ‘When Toni’s annoyed, he goes totally silent. The quieter he is the more you know you’re doing it wrong.’

‘Toni Nimakov, you know,’ Bella explained, turning to Ellie who was tucking into her second helping of shepherd’s pie.

‘Don’t be stupid!’ said Scarlett, who hadn’t said much up to this point. ‘Of course Ellie’s heard of Toni Nimakov. He’s won four Olympic gold medals, he coached Emma Bannerdown and Lizzie Trengilly. Even girls from tiny gym clubs in Devon must know that.’

‘Cornwall,’ said Ellie quietly.

‘What?’

‘My gym club is in Cornwall,’ Ellie repeated. ‘And, yes, I have heard of Toni Nimakov, but I thought he only coached the Elite squads.’

‘Oh, he does, but sometimes he comes and helps us with our bar work,’ said Nancy, shooting Scarlett a look. ‘Which is terrifying because he picks up on the teensiest faults.’

‘And if you actually do it right, he might manage two words of praise,’ said Mia with a rueful grin.

‘Yes, but two words from Toni can put you on top of the world,’ said Bella, and all the other girls nodded in agreement.

‘And he always knows exactly what to say to help you get a move right too,’ Isobel said. ‘I struggled with the double pike tuck for months and then he came along and in two days he had me getting it every time. I don’t even fully remember what he said or did. It’s like he’s the magic man of the bar.’

‘What’s Sasha like?’ Ellie asked. Nancy had told her earlier that Sasha Darling coached the Development squad.

‘Oh, Sasha’s hilarious,’ said Tam, emerging from the kitchen with a tray of apple crumble and a steaming jug of creamy custard. He might be the only boy in Head-Over-Heels House, but he certainly didn’t seem intimidated by all the girls. ‘Did you know she won Junior British Champs when she was fourteen, and Senior the following year, then she gave it all up to go to Hollywood and work in the movies?’

‘Really?’ said Ellie.

‘Oh, yes. She played Nadia Comăneci in a film,’ said Nancy. ‘Then she worked in Las Vegas in an acrobatics circus show and she was in an American TV series, and all sorts.’

‘When Emma took over at the Academy she begged Sasha to come and coach,’ Tam added, plonking the crumble and custard down on the table and stepping back as all the gymnasts dived in at once.

‘Emma reckoned Sasha was born to be a coach, and she was right,’ said Bella. ‘She’s awesome. But don’t be fooled by all her pink sparkle and fun, cos she can be really strict if she thinks you’re messing around.’

‘I reckon she’s the strictest coach of them all,’ said Nancy, helping herself to a giant plate of dessert. ‘She’ll make you work over and over and over on a move until you get it right.’

‘But when you do she gives you a hug,’ said Bella with a grin. ‘And I can’t imagine any of the other coaches doing that, can you?’

‘If Oleg tried to hug you, he’d probably crush you to death!’ laughed Bree. ‘And Toni looks like he’s never given anyone a cuddle in his life.’

‘As for Emma, she’ll only give you a hug when you win Olympic gold,’ added Nancy. The table fell silent for a moment, as every gymnast there imagined standing on the podium at the Olympics with a gold medal round their necks. Then Nancy laughed and added, ‘Which means never in my case!’

CHAPTER

Seven

Ellie didn’t think she’d be able to sleep with the sound of the city humming around her. She was so used to the silence and pitch black of the creek nights, and couldn’t get used to the traffic and sirens, and even once the thrum of a helicopter flying low overhead. But she drifted off far more quickly than she expected to, and dreamed of doing round-off flicks along the tube platform and vaulting over Albert Bridge.

She woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed, although by the time she got down for breakfast the butterflies in her stomach felt as if they were doing an energetic floor routine. She found it almost impossible to force anything down, even though Mandy’s pancakes and scrambled eggs were every bit as delicious as last night’s dinner had been.

‘So, did you manage to sleep through Nancy’s bulldozer snoring?’ was the first thing Tam asked when he appeared for breakfast.

‘I do not snore!’ said Nancy.

‘Yeah, right! And I suppose you reckon you don’t talk in your sleep either!’ said Tam. ‘Seriously, you spend all night muttering about how I’m a far better gymnast than you are.’

‘Then I’m an even bigger liar in my sleep than you are in the daytime,’ Nancy said, quick as a flash.

‘Don’t you know people always tell the truth in their dreams?’ said Tam.

Ellie listened to the good-natured banter, but it didn’t quite take her mind off her nerves.

‘Come on,’ said Nancy, bolting down the last of her pancake. ‘We’d better get to the Academy. Can’t have you being late on your first day.’

Ellie jumped up as if she’d been scalded. ‘Are we late?’

‘Actually, no,’ said Nancy. ‘Which is surprising for me, but I thought I’d make a special effort today since you’re new. So, have you got everything? Weights – guards – leo – fluffy socks.’

‘Socks?’

‘The gym floor is ice cold first thing in the morning. Especially this time of year,’ Bella explained, pulling on a coat that looked about two sizes too big for her. ‘I can lend you a pair if you haven’t got any.’

‘Thanks,’ said Ellie, as the girls headed off to the front door. How many other Academy traditions would there be to get used to, she wondered. She could hardly wait to find out.

The Academy was only a short walk from Head-Over-Heels House, across the frost-covered park, over a busy road and through some winding backstreets. The other girls had gone on ahead after Nancy had realised she’d forgotten her weights, but Ellie and Tam had waited for her. It wasn’t even 6 a.m. and it was still dark outside, but Ellie was amazed how many people were up and about.

‘London never sleeps, Mum reckons,’ said Nancy as they ducked past a twenty-four-hour grocery shop and down an alleyway into a courtyard of converted warehouses. And then Ellie found herself standing in front of a battered metal door, above which a sign read ‘London Gymnastics Academy – Home of Sian Edwards and Matt Simmons – World Champions!’

Ellie took a deep breath and made a vow to remember this moment. But then a couple of boys – members of the boys’ squad, she guessed – nearly knocked her off her feet as they raced up the steps.

‘Right, I’m this way,’ said Tam, following the other boys through a large metal door to the left. ‘See you later.’

‘The boys train in a separate gym next door,’ Nancy explained as she led the way to the girls’ changing room. ‘So you won’t have Tam showing off on the rings – which he is annoyingly good at. Don’t tell him I said that, though, or I’ll have to kill you.’

‘Um – no, I won’t,’ murmured Ellie, standing in the middle of the changing room, staring around half in a daze.

‘You’re busy thinking about all the famous gymnasts who’ve got changed here, aren’t you?’ said Nancy as she plonked down her bag and started tugging off her trainers.

‘Um – yes, I was,’ said Ellie. ‘How did you know?’

‘You’re one of those romantic types,’ said Nancy with a grin. ‘I could see that right away. I wish I was like that, only Tam says I have less imagination than a slug. Although slugs could be very imaginative for all he knows.’

Ellie giggled.

‘That’s rubbish, anyway! You’ve got the craziest imagination of anyone I know, Nancy!’ said Bella who was already in her leotard and pulling on a pair of fluffy socks.

‘Yes, the sort of imagination that gets me in trouble for daydreaming, not the kind that makes a world champ,’ said Nancy.

‘You see, Emma’s got this theory that there are three kinds of gymnasts,’ Bella explained, twisting her hair up into two little buns. ‘Power gymnasts, technical gymnasts and artistic gymnasts.’

‘Oh!’ said Ellie. ‘That’s what my coach Fran said too.’ But of course that made sense. Emma and Fran had trained together and competed for Team GB together too – along with Aunt Lizzie.

‘According to Emma, you need all three to make it to the top,’ said Nancy. ‘So, if you’ve got strength and precision to go with that imagination of yours, you’ll be winning gold medals before you know it.’

A couple of other girls appeared at that moment, so Ellie didn’t have the chance to reply. She was touched by Nancy’s faith in her, but she couldn’t help worrying that she wasn’t going to live up to anyone’s expectations – not even her own.

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