"On behalf of all the students and staff, I want to thank the parents for being here today. I would also like to extend a thanks to the girls themselves for the work they had put into their projects over the past few months. They have all worked remarkably hard this year and I am sure that will be reflected in their presentations this morning," Mrs Maddox said on the stage.

Mrs Maddox looked across the crowd of people scattered on the grounds, no one appeared to be paying too much attention. Emma was picking at the grass around her and sprinkled it onto the blanket. Beatrice was plaiting and unplaiting her hair. The only people who seemed to be paying attention were the adults, well, minus Michael who was poking me in the back with a stick he found on the ground.

He certainly wasn't going to have the attention span to sit through every single presentation. I didn't mind, he just had to stay awake for mine so he could sleep through all of them for all I cared.

"Without further ado, our fourth-years and their independent study projects. Today we will be starting with Emma Greenwood!"

I joined in with the applause from the parents and other students, watching Emma as her Grandmother poked her to get her attention. She dropped the grass she was holding, gathered up her stack of notes and approached the stage. Mrs Maddox walked down the steps and offered Emma a small smile as they passed her, but she quickly rearranged her face and walked to Mr Havisham and Mrs Clarington who were acting as the other judges. The entire panel looked a little intimidating and I didn't want to make eye contact with any of them.

Emma took the stage, reorganising her notes a little and taking a breath. She launched into a presentation about how communication in Shakespeare's work would have cut the run time in half. I was inclined to agree with her on that, almost every play could have been solved if the characters spoke to each other. She didn't appear all that nervous, speaking in a clear voice and only using her notes if she really needed them. They had picked the best person to go first.

When she finished, Emma stepped down from the stage and joined her Grandmother on the blanket whilst Mrs Maddox took to the stage once again to introduce the next presentations. I found myself drifting in and out of focus and paying very little attention to the presentations given. It wasn't as though I didn't care about them, I was amazed that so many had even finished the project – most wouldn't have even started at my old school – it was just that I didn't want to psych myself out because of how good all the other projects were.

Some, like Emma's, were insightful arguments about literature or society and others were monologues performed with costumes and props going into depth about how it felt in a bomb shelter or in the workhouses. Mine didn't appear all that intelligent and it certainly wasn't an examination into works of literature. It was history facts and a little model for dramatic effect. It certainly didn't seem like a winning project.

"Our next presentation will be given by Victoria Havisham!" Mrs Maddox said from the stage. My head darted up and I started to spin the bracelet around my wrist.

"You should probably close your eyes and ears, hearing Victoria's presentation will only make you nervous," Katie whispered.

"I doubt I can get any more nervous. My butterflies have butterflies."

"Just picture everyone naked, that's what I used to do," Michael hissed from behind me. I turned to look at him.

"No chance. That's just weird."

He nodded his head towards Victoria. "Is this one of those girls that think they're above everyone else for no reason?" I nodded. "I thought so. She looks like on."

"She's a pain is what she is. Needs taking down a peg, or seven," Katie said.

Michael turned to Mum. "Can we keep her? I like this one?" That earned him a light tap on the back of the head by Mum who pointed to the stage where Victoria was about to start her project.

Katie and I exchanged glances and I quickly looked away. Even if no one would accept us romantically, they would have to accept us being friends and spending an awful lot of time with one another. Michael accepting Katie straight away meant that no one would seem that suspicious if we spent a fair bit of time together. I just had to hope that my parents didn't find it strange either.

Despite Katie's advice, I found myself focused on Victoria's presentation from the moment she started speaking to the moment she stopped. Victoria spoke of the progress made for women in England since the turn of the century. From the right to vote to the work done during the war while the men were away. It certainly wasn't something I expected Victoria to talk about given her strong dislike towards the idea of working. Her project was well-researched, thorough and engaging.

It had me worried.

When Victoria finished, I joined in with the applause – albeit a little half-heartedly – and watched Dorothy take to the stage as the next person to speak. The three of them had somehow managed to end up going back to back and I was scheduled to go last, right after Dorothy. It would be ten minutes before I had to step up to the plate myself and I was terrified. Part of me wanted to dig a hole and stick my head in it. It seemed easier than getting up on stage and having to speak.

Jo poked me in the side. "Victoria's was really dull. Even her dad checked his watch at least twice. You'll be fine."

I didn't believe her. "Fine isn't an emotion I'm aware of," I muttered.

"You've got this, Flicky," Michael said behind me.

"Coming from you, that's not very reassuring."

"Charming." He poked me with a stick.

"Remember what I said," Katie whispered in my ear. "When you're up on that stage, try and find me." I nodded.

I realised I hadn't been paying the slightest bit of attention to Dorothy's presentation, I didn't even know what the topic was about. The only thing I heard was the applause when she finished and looked up just in time to see Mrs Maddox take to the stage and introduce the final project, mine. I didn't hear the applause after my name was read out and instead wanted to lie down and blend in with the picnic blanket. Maybe I should have worn my red and white dress.

Katie smiled at me and placed a reassuring hand on my arm as I stood up, deciding to leave my notes behind and just hope for the best. If I had them, I would have spent the entire presentation looking down. On my way to the stage, I had the same warning going through my head. Just two simple words. Don't trip. I didn't want to be the only person who tripped on their way to the stage, but given my lack of coordination, it was always possible.

With the mantra repeating in my head, I made my way across the grass and up the few steps to the stage. From the stage, I could see every single person in attendance, all of them staring directly at me with some not even blinking. I searched the crowd until I found Katie who looked at me and smiled, nodding her head slightly in reassurance. My nerves calmed a little and I took a breath before starting to speak.

"I was going to stand up here today and talk to you about the old Roman Emperors. From Caligula who tried to go to war with the sea, to Nero who used to turn Christian's into candles and use them at his garden parties. Nice guy." I gave a small chuckle that didn't get a reply. "Unfortunately, the Roman Emperors decided they didn't want to be talked about, so they forced my project to grow legs and jump in the swimming pool."

My eyes darted over to Victoria who seemed to huff and roll her eyes.

"However, I do not stand before you without a project, the opposite in fact. Now, I know you're all comfortable on the floor, but I had a little something over on that school desk which I need, and you all need to see it. So, I'm asking you all to please stand up and make your way over here."

A few people exchanged nervous glances, and no one moved at first. Fear bubbled up inside of me that no one would more. After a few seconds, they did. I jogged down the steps and walked around to the model on the school desk, standing beside it as everyone started to form a crowd around me. Mrs Maddox, Mr Havisham and Mrs Clarington were all at the front and standing directly in front of me. No pressure.

"I'll show you what this is in a minute, but first I want to talk to you about one of the worst natural disasters in living memory. In 79AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted. The eruption lasted two days with many inhabitants of Pompeii to escape, however, the city itself was buried under roughly four to six meters of ash that had been spewed up by the volcano. Under the ash, Pompeii was preserved and has become a unique insight into Roman life.

"Not long after the eruption, survivors and thieves returned to salvage any valuable items from the site, even leaving their mark in some wall writing. Over time, it was forgotten. Very little excavation work was done in Pompeii and the greatest progress came in 1863. In fact, during this excavation, the scientist Fiorelli discovered voids in the ash layer created by human remains. He decided to inject plaster into these voids and ended up creating casts of people's last moments during the eruption. Bit weird if you ask me."

That got a few chuckles.

"In the 1920s, older layers of the city were discovered and there is potential for more excavations to continue over the next few years. Pompeii has become one of the most known historic sites due to how much of the city was preserved during the eruption all those years ago. The event itself was cataclysmic to the lives of the people that lived there, and the plaster cases created by Fiorelli allow for a better look into the final moments of those who died.

"The chances of seeing a volcanic eruption are very slim, especially one of this magnitude. However, I thought it would be fun to show you a smaller scale eruption. Bear in mind, there wasn't that much lava involved in the Vesuvius eruption, but this looks cool, so we'll go with it."

A few people laughed, even Mr Havisham. Despite feeling as though I was reading from a textbook, I knew that sounding like I knew what I was talking about, was better than coming across as knowing nothing.

I grabbed the blanket that had been draped over the model and pulled it back, exposing the model volcano and the small buildings I'd made for a bit of fun.

"I'm going to use some vinegar and baking soda to create a reaction that should erupt, something I discovered completely accidentally about two years ago in the kitchen. It shouldn't explode. I hope."

With everyone watching, I muttered a little prayer hoping it would work and produced a bottle of vinegar I had pilfered from the kitchen, pouring half of it into the model. I placed it on the grass and seized a bag of baking soda and a spoon. Not wanting to cause an early eruption, I scooped out a heaped spoonful of the power and at an arms-length distance, dropped it into the top. I stepped back.

Almost immediately, the foamy mixture burst out the top of the model and ran down the sides, hitting the little buildings and people, almost drowning them. The mixture stank, but it was fun to watch and seemed to capture everyone's attention as the reaction continued. A small pocket of conversation broke out amongst the crowd and I waited for it to quiet before I spoke.

"And there you have it! A model volcanic eruption and the history of one of the worst natural disasters in human history!"

Everyone started to applaud so I just stood there, feeling a little awkward until Mrs Maddox finally spoke.

"And that is our fourth-year presentations! Now, you are free to enjoy a picnic on the grounds whilst the other judges and I make our decisions. We'll be announcing the best project this afternoon."

The crowd dispersed and returned to their picnic blankets, talking amongst one another. I caught Victoria's eye, smiling slightly at the look on her face and the fact that she seemed less than impressed I had managed to claw my way back from having my project drowned. Mum and Dad had already returned to the picnic blanket, so I crossed the grounds to join them, leaving the model by the stage.

"Congratulations, Flick! That was so good!" Mum said.

"I agree with your mother, Flick. You did such a good job and the model was very well made," Dad added.

"Thank you," I said.

"I told you you could do it," Katie muttered, placing her hand on my arm and sending a wave of electricity up my body.

"Thank you. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

"You would have, you just have to have more belief in yourself." She smiled at me.

"Anyone hungry?" Mum cut in.

~~~

First Published - August 2nd, 2020