Everything We Keep by Di Walker (inspirational books .TXT) 📕

‘What do we have to do?’ came a voice from the back.

‘You need to re-read the design brief, talk to your partner and if you both are still unsure, then you can come and talk to me. Okay everyone, one pair at a time and I’ll give you a position.’

The students began to move towards Ms Faber, except for Agatha. She stayed still. ‘Come on, Agatha,’ Tully said encouragingly.

‘We can’t be partners, Tully.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘This is a homework assignment. We can’t be partners because your mum doesn’t want us to be friends, remember?’

Tully looked over towards Ms Faber. They were the last pair to be placed. ‘We can’t change now. Everyone has started.’

Agatha’s hands were tightening around her books. She could feel herself begin to panic. She could leave now, run, but then Tully would be alone. She didn’t know what to do. ‘Are you two ready?’ Ms Faber was right beside Tully.

‘Agatha?’ Tully was looking at her.

Ms Faber stepped in front of Agatha. In a hushed tone she said, ‘Whatever it is, right now, in your mind, I want you to breathe in, nice and slow. In through your nose and out through your mouth. Slowly. That’s right.’

Agatha followed Ms Faber’s instructions, just like what Katherine would say. She felt herself calming down, felt her mind calming down. Maybe it was the breathing, maybe it was the coolness of the gym or even Ms Faber’s voice. Whatever it was, Agatha felt the tightness in her chest begin to subside.

‘Good. Well done,’ Ms Faber said softly. ‘There’s a lunchtime relaxation club you should think about joining. A lot of the senior students do it, but it’s open to everyone, even the teachers go sometimes.’

Agatha was puzzled by Ms Faber. Usually people ask her a lot of questions; what’s wrong, what’s happened, tell me why? But not Ms Faber.

‘Now, I think you two should get down to the last hat, read over the design brief and get to work. Whatever it is, Agatha, that is causing you to hesitate, we can work that out later. Okay?’

Agatha looked at Ms Faber. She knew from her face exactly who Ms Faber was. She smiled. ‘Okay, I’m ready.’

Ms Faber put her hand onto Agatha’s shoulder, ‘Great, now, here’s a tip; less is more.’

‘What does that mean?’ Tully said, as the pair headed to the final hat and placed their books down beside it. ‘Less is more.’

Agatha looked around at the others, some carrying heaps of items back to their positions. ‘I think I know, Tully. Let’s go!’ With the brief in her hand, Agatha lead Tully to the table, for once excited that she was in charge of what happened next.

28

‘Are you ready?’ Ms Faber stood at the end of the gym, close to the tables and to Tully and Agatha. ‘We will soon see who has the fastest design.’

Agatha was at the hat with one hand holding the end of the fishing line and the other clasping the neck of the blown-up balloon. Tully was on the other side of the gym, holding the fishing line. As Agatha looked down her side of the gym, some of the other pairs held the beginning end really high while their partner’s end was really low, creating a downward angle.

‘Less is more,’ Agatha had whispered to Tully. ‘Let’s keep ours close to straight, only a small angle.’ They had also resisted adding the decorations that had been on offer. Some of the other pairs had covered their balloons in thin streamers, imagining that they would fly behind or had added paper wings. One pair had created a shark out of their balloon, teeth and all.

Agatha and Tully’s had nothing added. They had kept their balloon simple, using the least amount of tape as possible to attach it and only having one test run, to make sure everything stayed together.

‘Yours looks boring,’ Jax called out to Agatha. He held his up so that everyone could see it. He and his partner had added a long rocket point to the front of their balloon. ‘It says, whoever gets there first, so we just made sure it was us.’ There were parts of egg cartons added to the back, to look like rocket boosters.

‘He won’t win. That is a bad design,’ the boy standing next to Agatha said. Arnold and his partner had hardly spoken to the others during the design phase, and kept their balloon covered, as if they were on a secret mission. When he stood up next to Agatha, she saw that their two designs were very similar. ‘Our designs are similar. This will be a real competition. What angle are you holding you line on?’

‘I don’t think I will tell you that,’ Agatha said, with a slight grin.

Arnold smiled at her. ‘Fair enough. Let the games begin.’

‘Alright everyone. It’s time.’ The teams took up their positions, the lines pulled tight. Ms Faber moved to the finishing line, so she could see who would come first.

‘Ready . . . Set . . . . Go!’

The silence of the start was replaced with the cheering of the teams. Agatha watched their design fly across the gym, with Arnold’s right beside. It didn’t take long for their balloons to reach the other side.

Tully, and Arnold’s prac partner Val, both jumped excitedly, thinking they had each won. Agatha ran to Tully and both looed expectantly at Ms Faber. ‘That was too close to call,’ Ms Faber said. ‘I think both teams have five minutes to revise their design and strategies and we will race again.

‘What about me?’ called out Jax, holding his balloon in him hand, the front cone having come loose and stopped the balloon mid-flight. ‘I want to have another go.’

‘Only these two Jax. No one else’s design came close to beating them. The rest of the teams can pack up and quickly write down your observations of your flight. You will need the detail for your