Charlotte and the Starlet Read Online Free PDF Page A

everything about being a stockwoman. She
ripped open the envelope.
    Her eyes found the line straight away.
    Immediately all the strength went from her legs
and she plopped down on a chair. She looked up
wanly at her dad.
    'Hey, it's okay. There's always next year.' He stroked
her hair, consoling her.
    Her voice was weak and seemed to come from a
long way away. 'I'm in.'

    The next week was a blur. The cost of the camp,
which ran during school holidays, was much more
than her dad's savings. Mrs Thomas wouldn't hear of
Charlotte missing out, though. She organised quiz
nights and raffles, and made the whole town chip in.
And now it was almost time to leave. Charlotte stared
at the dry, dusty plain that seemed to stretch on
forever. She felt very empty. She'd miss her dad
terribly, even if it were just for four weeks.
    'I'll miss you too, Stormy.' She patted the big
chestnut horse on which she sat. She would even miss
this scorching, hot piece of land. It was more than
home; it was part of her. She knew every dip in the
plain, every rock on the hill and just about every
lizard hiding under those rocks. She would miss her
friends but she supposed she would make new friends
at the riding academy. After all, they were all girls who
loved horses, so they would have that in common.
    Charlotte dug her heels into Stormy and felt
exhilaration as the big beautiful beast tore across
the red earth, turning the dead air into a breeze
that danced around her face. This was heaven, this
moment, her body shuddering with each powerful
stride. Here, nothing could touch her. Here she was
complete.

    At the cattle yard, Tony Richards saw his daughter
galloping towards him. She was a natural horse-person.
This invitation to try out for a place in
the JOES was a chance in a lifetime and no matter how
much it hurt to be without her, he would not do
anything that might give her cause not to go. Julie
would have been so proud to know their little girl had
been selected for a trial.
    This was their last day together before Charlotte left
him for the first time. If she made the elite development
squad then she would spend most of the year away with
the JOES. Even if she didn't, he knew that when she
came back she could be changed forever.
    Charlotte came to a halt beside him.
    'So what would you like for dinner tonight?' he
asked, already knowing the answer.

    Charlotte forked down the last morsel of mince and
potato, realising that she hadn't even thought about
what food they might have at this Thornton Academy,
where she'd be boarding. She hoped they'd have top
food like her dad's shepherd's pie.
    'You packed?' her father asked.
    'You know I am,' she said.
    She saw him smile and realised he'd been teasing
her. She'd packed days ago!
    'What I meant was, have you got more things to
pack?'
    Charlie didn't normally correct her father. 'No, it's
all done except for my wash-bag.'
    He smiled some sort of secret smile and walked out
of the kitchen. When she didn't move he poked his
head back in. 'Come on.'
    She joined him in the lounge room. At first she
thought he was holding a shiny tent. Then she
realised it was a satin dress. The awful significance of
it revealed itself before her father even spoke.
    'Mrs Henderson made it for you. She said the satin
is very good quality and came from a bridesmaid's
dress. How about that?'
    Charlotte swallowed hard. It was horrible. Not
that she knew much about fashion. She'd had some
party dresses when she was little but since then she
had worn only jeans or shorts. As they didn't have
television up here it was difficult to tell what sort of
dresses thirteen-year-old city girls wore but she was
certain they did not resemble this ... thing! In
Rockhampton the nurses had kept bringing in big
glossy magazines for her to read to her mum.
Charlotte had loved the new smell of the shiny
paper. But she'd been disappointed by how pathetic
and soft the girls in the photos had been. They
always had hair like velvet and skin like milk.