Zodiac Girls: Brat Princess by Cathy Hopkins Read Free Book Online Page B

chair to look out of them, it really did resemble a
prison. Where was my private room? My bed? My
luggage? All I could see was this unwelcoming dorm
with three single beds on one side. No pictures. No
flowers. No bowls of fruit or TV. No phone. No Peroni
water. No nothing . Just beds, bare cream gloss walls and
a couple of sets of drawers and a wardrobe. And it felt
damp. I could see condensation on the windows and the
glisten of moisture on the shiny wall just beneath.
    Selene pointed at the bed that was furthest away on
the right. “That’s where you’ll be sleeping.”
    “But… but it’s not even made up!” I said as I took
in the duvet, cover and sheet that were in a neat pile
at the bottom of the bed. “And where are the pillows?”
    “You have to earn those,” said Selene.
    “Wha…?!” I was so gobsmacked, I couldn’t think of
anything to say. To think that MY mother and father
had sent me here. I felt a rage inside the likes of which
I’d never experienced before and was aware that my jaw
had tightened, my fists clenched and I had a bitter taste
at the back of my mouth. How DARE they? Even
though I had no doubt that I’d be out tomorrow, to
even leave me here for one night was unjust. Bang out
of order. I was going to so make them suffer when I got
home. In fact, I’d take them to court. I would sue them
for unreasonable behaviour. I would sell my sad story
to the tabloids to the highest bidder and that way I’d
be financially free of them. Then I would leave home.
Go and live with Tigsy. That would show them. No.
Maybe not. They’d probably like that. Out of sight, out
of mind. I don’t think they really love me any more, so
they’d be glad to get rid of me. I was a constant
reminder of Poppy and what had happened, so they’d
probably be happier if I went. So, no. I’d stay and make
their life a misery.
    “So, I’ll leave you to it,” said Selene. “You can make
up your bed and then the others will be back soon from
their hike and you can meet them after their supper.”
    I still couldn’t speak. I pinched myself. Surely I’d
fallen asleep on the plane and was having a nightmare?
This couldn’t be happening for real. I was Leonora
Hedley-Dent. Daughter of Alex and Clara Hedley-Dent. We were loaded. We stayed in the kind of places
that most people dreamt about. Places that featured in
the top posh mega luxury seven-star locations on the
planet. Not dingy dives in Loserville like this dump. So
Mum and Dad didn’t like me. So what? I still always
got my own way. I did. I diiiiiiid. Did. Did. Did. Did.
Surely Mum and Dad couldn’t hate me this much? I
bent over, pulled at the bedding on the bed nearest and
yanked it off.
    “Er… Marilyn’s not going to like that,” said Selene.
    “Never mind MariLYN. Who’s she anyway?
Actually, don’t answer. I don’t care. I’ve met enough
deadbeat losers for one day. And you know what?
LeoNORA doesn’t LIKE IT!” I shouted, then
proceeded to pull the covers off all the beds, shoved
them on the floor, then stomped on them. Selene
didn’t attempt to stop me. In fact, she didn’t seem
bothered at all. She just waited until I’d stripped every
bed bare then said, “Okay. Feel better now?”
    “No I DON’T!” I yelled and made my way down to
my bed, lay face down and thrashed away with my
arms and legs.
    As I wailed into the mattress, I heard the door open
and close.
    “Ah, a new girl,” said a female voice.
    “Yeah, and see what the stupid pillock has done to
my bed,” said a second voice in a Cockney accent.
    Pillock, I thought. Did someone just call ME a pillock? I stopped mid wail and tilted my head so I could see
who had come in. Two girls were standing at the other
end of the room staring at me. Both were medium
height, one with dark, wavy, shoulder-length hair and
glasses, the other with long blonde hair and a wide
mouth. Older than me, I decided. Maybe seventeen? The