‘It doesn’t seem fair otherwise.’
A young man behind them coughed into his hand ‘princess’. Ash heard a titter of giggles from the two girls sat either side of him. She turned to look at them. How old were they, twelve?
The young man – really hewasbarely older than a boy – gave her what she assumed was meant to be a winning smile. He wasn’t bad-looking but he was obviously an idiot. Probably Mr Popular at the drama school. Yawn. But then why was she surprised she was surrounded by students? No real grown-up would seriously be pretending to be an elf in order to pay their bills.
She lifted her eyebrows a little and turned back, leaning towards the young vegan woman. ‘They always make sure there are options for vegetarians, so hopefully that covers vegans too.’
Her bench mate nodded her head vigorously and smiled gratefully. Her curly brown hair made her elf hat look like it was going to pop off her head at any second.
‘Okay.’ The manager at the front, gave a decisive nod. ‘Thank you. I’ll look into it and let you know by the end of the day. Now, if you could each come up to the front, I’ll check how your costumes fit and give you the lunch token for the café. You’ll have one hour and then we’ll be meeting up in the cinema tent for the health and safety training.’
One by one the people on the front benches went over to the stage and stood like scarecrows, while the woman tugged at their outfits and scribbled notes down. Mainly she nodded, like it was good enough.
‘Mine’s really baggy,’ Ash told her when it was her turn.
‘Oh yes, I see. Perhaps a smaller size,’ the woman said, as she tugged at the shoulder of the tunic, trying to right it.
‘It won’t be long enough if I have a smaller size,’ Ash pointed out. ‘It’s okay, I can alter it myself.’
‘Erm…I’m not sure that’s allowed.’
‘I’m very good with a needle. I have to be. Clothes rarely fit me properly.’ As soon as Ash hit puberty and it was clear that she was going to be “blessed” with being tall and slim, her nan had pragmatically set to work, teaching her how to use a sewing machine.
‘Well…’ The woman was still reluctant. What did she think? Ash was going to add a spangled belt and some shoulder pads? There was no rescuing this outfit and making it look good, the least it could do is fit. ‘No. I’ll get you the smaller size and we’ll see how you do in that.’
Ash barely stifled her sigh. Perhaps this was her punishment for jumping in and giving a better answer to the other elf’s question?
She tucked her hands under her arms as she left the puppet theatre and walked back up the hill again. The vegan girl fell into step beside her, hurrying a little to keep up with Ash’s long stride. ‘Thanks for backing me up there,’ she said breathlessly over the top of their jingling socks.
‘It’s okay.’ Ash lifted one shoulder but didn’t slow down. ‘It was a fair question.’
‘Some of the others didn’t seem to think so.’
‘Well, they look like they’re straight out of drama school or still studying. They have to reinforce their cliques somehow.’
‘Yes, I suppose. I’m not from drama school, I’m doing a degree in marine biology. What about you?’
Ash turned left at the top of the hill, the exit in sight and her car, with its heater, just past that. ‘Oh. I did go to drama school. Years ago.’
‘How old are you then?’
‘Shouldn’t we exchange names before ages?’
‘Oh, I’m so sorry, you just look so young but act so grown up, I was curious – never know when to zip my lips. Terrible social skills.’ She laughed. ‘I’m Selina.’
Ashleigh had to smile at that. She was hardly any better herself. She paused as they got to the unmanned gift shop, chock full of decorations and cuddly toys and sweets. ‘I’m Ash.’
‘Would you like to go the café together?’ Selina’s smile looked a little wobbly and Ash was torn.
‘I actually brought my lunch. Left it in my car to remind me to go get some petrol for the drive home.’
‘Oh. Okay. Maybe another day then?’
‘Maybe.’ Ash nodded and left Selina to cross the gravelly parking lot to her car. She wasn’t here to make friends. They were going to be working with each other for barely two months and then they’d all be off in different directions, like all the jobs Ash had. She’d learnt a while ago that the friendships were just a comfort blanket while people were in the job. As soon as they left, they forgot all about keeping contact the way they always said they would. Ash would prefer to be straight from the start and not waste any of her time off the job with pointless social engagements to ‘get to know each other’.
She climbed inside her little car and started the engine up, sitting with it idling for a few minutes while she got some feeling back in her fingers. She didn’t really want to go and grab some petrol. She was starving and wearing an elf costume. She could probably make it home after the health and safety training bit and then go out to the supermarket in the evening. No doubt her nan would want her to get a few bits and pieces of shopping anyway.
Her mobile phone started ringing and she grabbed it from the glove box. ‘Mum’ lit up on the screen, with the photo she’d assigned to her mother, a rare one of them together, taken a few of years ago, the last time Ash had visited her in LA. They were on the beach, holding cocktails and wearing big sun hats and smiling. It had been taken by her mother’s boyfriend at the time. He’d said they could be sisters and her mum had giggled and said no, or at least only because Ash was looking so tired from her jet lag.Thanks, Mum.She’d have picked another photo of her mother on her own, but they were all ridiculous poses, like she couldn’t just be normal in front of a camera now she was a television star.
