Roller Ella - Collins Big Cat

1 Exciting news At the youth club, everyone’s crowded around the noticeboard.

Meg calls out: “Ella, come and look!” She puts her hand on my shoulder and brings me to the front to see what the fuss is about.

A large poster reads:

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I love roller skating. Mum and I always used to roller skate in the park when I was little. It was our special thing.

Meg, Lily and I are so excited about the roller disco.

We’re going to have the best time!

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Meg and Lily are my stepsisters. It was a bit strange when they first moved in with their mum, Val. It wasn’t just that there were new cushions in the living room and different photos on the walls.

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The house sounded and smelt different too, with a new mix of voices and perfumes in the air.

For a while, I felt like a stranger in my own home, but it was the same for Meg, Lily and Val. Over time, we’ve become a new family.

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At home, Lily searches her room for her roller skates.

She’s worried that she might have left them at her dad’s. While she looks for them, Meg tells us about The Royal Rollers. They’re a roller-skating crew who are going to perform a routine at the disco and judge a competition.

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Thankfully, Lily finds her roller skates.

Then, I pull out Mum’s old suitcase from under my bed.

There they are, nestled under Mum’s clothes – her old roller skates. The white leather is a bit cracked with age, and some of the stitches are coming loose, but they fit me!

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