BlackEagle Girls
and The Quest to See

Chapter 16 - O.M.G. - Unbelievable!

At morning assembly in The Quad on the following Monday, Miss Poe had an exciting announcement to make.

'The Hopewell Talent Quest Concert is a proposal first put forward by our music instructor Mr Munro and supported by Mr Dance and Mrs Munro, our wonderful Arts and Crafts teacher. After some deliberation between the entire teaching staff, the Parenting Board and those representing the Education Department, it has been decided that the Quest is a good, that is to say, a very good concept promoting the untapped talent that is here within our school. So I am most pleased to announce our first Talent Quest which will be a part of the end of year celebrations. Applications can come from all levels of the school, however there is a limited quota for every age group. We welcome singers and musicians, either singly or as groups, bands and dancers. Recitals of written works such as poetry and short stories are not included. Perhaps we might look at that next year. The event will be staged in the main hall of the Student's Wing at the end of the school term.'

Soon after Hopewell's Head Mistress had given her approval, the school was abuzz with students eager to participate or at the least follow those who did.

'Thum-Tum Blasters are year nine. All drums and guitars. I've heard them work out over in the Gym. Heavy! Big time!'

'What about year-eight Atomic-Squirrels? They really rock!'

'So do Mitikovsky. Wonder what Mr Mitikovsky thinks about hip-hop?'

'Like, do we care?'

'There's this really awesome guy from year twelve who sings dreamy love songs and stuff, Mike Leonard. Ohh, he's kinda like Michael Bubble...'

'Who?'

'You know. He's on television a lot.'

'Oh, that older guy. Probably thirty or more.'

'Practically in the old people's home.'

'Well Mike isn't and he could sing to me any time.'

'Donny's a bit of a dork but he can play the piano pretty well, even if it is classical crap.'

'Bronwyn says she wants to be a choreo...orograffer... like you know, someone who shows ballet dancers what to do. She's going to do some dance or something.'

'No!' said Priscilla. 'I sing like someone gargling underwater, Henry and Harry yodel and Louis is far and above such "puerile" things. None of us are any good at singing. We even do Happy Birthday off key.'

'It's unbelievable! R. Sole is actually going to get up in front of the whole school and sing! She's going to make herself the biggest loser in Hopewell's history! Why would that lump put herself out there? I mean is she trying to self-destruct?' Henry laughed and poked his pal Brodie's shoulder.

'I'm going to try not to laugh too much,' Brodie answered. 'Mainly because it'll get drowned out by everyone else!'

'Right-on!' Henry answered, slapping hands with Vincent as they walked toward their next class.

'... and now our next entrants in the song section are a girl and boy duo. They are to sing Lionel Richie's timeless ballad Endless Love. Please give them a warm welcome. Miss Roseanne Sole and Mr Alan Greerson!'

Miss Poe backed away from the microphone clapping, as the two emerged from the right of the stage. Greerson in jeans and T-shirt and Roseanne Sole wearing something that might have been best described as a colourful, tie-dye carnival tent.

'This is gunna be sooo funny.' Henry scoffed. 'Boof-Head and Bad-Arse trying to sing some pukey love-song. I wish Harry was here, he could join in and make them look better!'

'Well we can do the howling for him,' suggested Brodie. 'Get ready. Give 'em a few seconds to commit suicide, then we'll turn on the razz and watch them curl up.'

'Marsha and her dog John-boy are just over there with your Sis and her pals Henry.' Vincent grinned. 'Maybe Johnny will have a go!'

Priscilla, Monique, Belinda and Narenda, staring aghast at the cringe-making spectacle, collectively sucked in air awaiting the impending disaster.

Belinda said, 'I can't believe she... even he... can be so foolish! Can't they see how embarrassing this is going to be? They can't be that jolly stupid!'

'It would seem that they can be.' Monique remarked, her eyes widening in anticipation.

The music swelled and as the voices of the pair chimed in and Henry and his pals covered their ears to avoid the onslaught, The BlackEagle Girls screwed up their faces. Then, suddenly, were jolted into reality.

'I don't believe it! What's happening? Are they miming?' Priscilla asked, her mouth dropping open. 'They sound so... '

'So good together... ' Completed Marsha, her sightless expression blank.

'She's like that Susan Boyle... Unbelievable!' Said Belinda, awed.

'Wow! I am so very much gob-smacking!' Exclaimed Narenda.

'They're really doin' it! How come?' Vincent whined.

Henry cursed under his breath. 'It can't be them singing! Not those two! Has to be some sort of scam! Gotta be someone behind them!'

'I don't think so.'

A hand fell upon Henry's shoulder. It was the male hand of a teacher. Henry, following it up the arm, came to Auguste Munro's face beaming down at him.

'Sir! Are we in trouble?'

'No. Unless you guys have already committed an offence, or are aboot to. I really wouldn't like to see more flying cream-pies, or balloons filled with whatever, y'know ?'

'Gee Mr Munro, we didn't... that is we haven't... like, no way...' Henry whined, as the singers continued their booming ballad of love.

'All good then gentlemen. See that you three Messketeers keep to the straight and narrow and let the Singers do their thing and the Judges do theirs. And that goes likewise for your sister and her pals, Mr Black!'

Priscilla, shaking her head, said crossly, 'They weren't screaming and yelling at each other when we saw them on the other side of the oval. They were rehearsing! He's not just a tough-guy, he's some kind of a coach and somehow Boof-head can sing!'

'This is really shocking oh yes, thank you very much, she will throw it into all our faces for how good she is being at singing!'

'Right on Narenda.' Priscilla growled as the duet ended without faltering. 'Now comes the crap from R. Sole!'

Priscilla was right and wrong. Because, before her prediction of Rose-Anne's big-time boasting, came the Judge's verdicts for all categories, and the winner of the Song Ballad section went to Roseanne Sole and Alan Greerson. The audience was somewhat astonished, but supportive, breaking from a collective heave of murmured wonder into a ragged, but growing round of applause. The big, blousy girl and the moody loner had won against the odds.

Called up, the pair sauntered onstage, Roseanne reaching for the microphone, but Greerson, taking it from her, said, 'Yeah, Thanks. Thanks very much.' And handing it back to Mr Mitikovsky, propelled Roseanne's formidable presence out of the lime-light.

After the winding up of the night's proceedings by Mr Munro, Miss Poe concluded, 'Thank you Parents and Students for such a successful evening. The school believes that this will become an annual event for Hopewell, along with the possibility of art, craft and writing competitions as other forums to follow. We, the teaching staff, salute all the winners and their families and all those who gave of their best. For those who wish to stay on, tea and biscuits await in the foyer.'

Tea and biscuits were somewhat enlivened by the presence of a number of rather unsavory types amongst the students and parents. Both Priscilla and Monique recognised several of them as being the drug dealers and stand-over men from the Ice-Angel affair.

'Ho-boy! I bet Miss Poe and Mitikovsky are on high alert with these heavies mingling amongst the Dads and Mums.' Priscilla muttered. 'Look! Red bow-tie! That's Morris Sole, Annie's shonkey Real Estate double-dealing Uncle. How did he get in?'

'And the blonde with him?' Belinda asked.

'Might be Mrs Morris?' Narenda wondered.

'Well we know the big man. He is Angelo, cousin of Morris and Ronaldo- Ronnie Sole- Annie's dad, who lives in the Big House with lots of guards and walls to keep him in.' Said Monique.

'Perhaps that is why Red-bow-tie is here, being his brother's stand-in.' Suggested Marsha.

'And the woman with this Angelo?' Belinda asked.

'Probably just there to make him look O.K.'

'Yeah, and no sign of Boof-head and her boy-friend. I wonder why...' Priscilla left off, thinking hard. 'Wait a minute... We're all missing something here. Those two were having shouting matches... rehearsing... before Poe even announced the contest, remember?'

'Which means?'

'Well... nothing maybe, or maybe they already knew it was going to happen!'

'But it was first suggested by Mr Monro and Mr Dance. How could...'

'Greerson! He gets around, remember? Break-ins, minor incidents, nothing taken... Nothing but information: Reports, recommendations, suggestions, possible new programs. What's his game?'

'Whatever it is, it seems to have gotten him to where he wants to be if he is really the one.' Marsha said. 'Remember, information can be leaked by other staff or overheard by chance.'

'There is one other thing.' Monique added. 'And perhaps it is nothing at all apart from an observation. But it appears to me that Rose-Anne is being controlled and directed. She is being manipulated. Yes, it seems that she has an undreamed of talent as a singer, she certainly has a huge talent as a vicious, vindictive, spiteful, intolerant bully who unashamedly would take any of her enemies down, but here I guess, is her Achilles Heel, she can sing and someone not only wants to advance her cause but also wants to guide her away from her family's doings. In other words, they have decided that she is a liability and should be diverted to places that wont be hurtful to their cause. That she can actually sing is her, and their way out. Greerson has his way in. What is he really all about?'

A clue to that question came unexpectedly some weeks later.

'Can any of you be guessing who I saw yesterday at Blacky's Eat-In and Take-Away in Camberwell?' asked Narenda breathlessly as she hurriedly entered Priscilla and Monique's dorm room, late and last of the four BEG Girls to gather there.

'Phoo-wer-ree! No I cannot be guessing Narenda. Who'dja see?' Priscilla asked without much enthusiasm, looking up from her assignment papers.

'Mother and Nisha and myself were having pancakes there and I had to be going to the little girls room, when out of the boy's door came Alan Greerson, followed by that boy who was involved with the school drugs-ring Dennis Whitely! I turned my face aside and entered, but I peeked out again as they left. Both of them went out into the laneway.'

'That's weird. What would they be doing together? Whitely got kicked out of Hopewell. Ugh! I still remember him all over us when Mon and me were trapped underground.'

'And that Monkey Joe, he was to being placed into a Mental Prison and the other one Tony, the leader of them all, he and his Father were shot and killed in their driveway.'

'No one was ever caught over that.'

'Non, the police made no arrests, and the whole business faded from public notice.' agreed Monique.

'But wasn't there something about somebody in the school perhaps leaking information to one of the other drug gangs?' wondered Belinda.

'Or the Police?' This from Narenda.

'The boy Beresford?' Monique suggested.

'But he was out of it, got sick, remember!' said Priscilla.

Monique shook her head, idly playing with the Peridot pendant about her neck. 'That is what we were told.'

'And Whitey?'

'Expelled and sent away to Juvenile Prison.' said Belinda.

'That's what we thought.'

'And he pops up at a local eating place?'

'Maybe he was released after two years in Youth Detention?'

'And just happens to be an ami of this Greerson who is a loner except for son amor "song-bird Annie" and all her grubby relatives.' said Monique.

Priscilla rubbed at her forehead. 'Who's who then?'

Belinda brightened. 'Perhaps our little canine friend might send his chums out on the trail?'

'Girlsss really! Even Aliens...rufff... have their limits! You guys are start... ing to treat me and my associates... as a convenience... We are...grrrr... a Humanitarian Privilege... not a Humani... tarian Right. How many of your... problems...wow-wow!... would you like us to wrangle? I know, I know... rrrr... you need help. Well start taking...ruff-ruff! responsibility! Get with it! What would... happen if me and my pals... weren't around?'

Harry managed to get all this out while bouncing up and down, trying to get the ball that Belinda was holding a metre above the grass of Headgley Dene Park. All the girls, including Marsha and Johnboy, who had formed an interested, though somewhat distanced relationship with Harry, were gathered there.

Belinda tossed the ball over to Narenda who flipped it to Priscilla, who leaned back and threw it as far as she could.

'Could take some time, wow-wow-wow!' barked Harry, haring after it at full speed on his little legs.

'Oui! Go for it Monsier Harry!' Monique cried, hugging Marsha. John-boy momentarily tensed in his harness, as if he wanted to surge off after the little black dog, then relaxed, focusing on his Mistress and his duty to her.

Chapter 17 next