like Toni,’ said Nancy, rolling her eyes. ‘When Toni’s annoyed, he goes totally silent. The quieter he is the more you know you’re doing it wrong.’
‘Toni Nimakov, you know,’ Bella explained, turning to Ellie who was tucking into her second helping of shepherd’s pie.
‘Don’t be stupid!’ said Scarlett, who hadn’t said much up to this point. ‘Of course Ellie’s heard of Toni Nimakov. He’s won four Olympic gold medals, he coached Emma Bannerdown and Lizzie Trengilly. Even girls from tiny gym clubs in Devon must know that.’
‘Cornwall,’ said Ellie quietly.
‘What?’
‘My gym club is in Cornwall,’ Ellie repeated. ‘And, yes, I have heard of Toni Nimakov, but I thought he only coached the Elite squads.’
‘Oh, he does, but sometimes he comes and helps us with our bar work,’ said Nancy, shooting Scarlett a look. ‘Which is terrifying because he picks up on the teensiest faults.’
‘And if you actually do it right, he might manage two words of praise,’ said Mia with a rueful grin.
‘Yes, but two words from Toni can put you on top of the world,’ said Bella, and all the other girls nodded in agreement.
‘And he always knows exactly what to say to help you get a move right too,’ Isobel said. ‘I struggled with the double pike tuck for months and then he came along and in two days he had me getting it every time. I don’t even fully remember what he said or did. It’s like he’s the magic man of the bar.’
‘What’s Sasha like?’ Ellie asked. Nancy had told her earlier that Sasha Darling coached the Development squad.
‘Oh, Sasha’s hilarious,’ said Tam, emerging from the kitchen with a tray of apple crumble and a steaming jug of creamy custard. He might be the only boy in Head-Over-Heels House, but he certainly didn’t seem intimidated by all the girls. ‘Did you know she won Junior British Champs when she was fourteen, and Senior the following year, then she gave it all up to go to Hollywood and work in the movies?’
‘Really?’ said Ellie.
‘Oh, yes. She played Nadia Comăneci in a film,’ said Nancy. ‘Then she worked in Las Vegas in an acrobatics circus show and she was in an American TV series, and all sorts.’
‘When Emma took over at the Academy she begged Sasha to come and coach,’ Tam added, plonking the crumble and custard down on the table and stepping back as all the gymnasts dived in at once.
‘Emma reckoned Sasha was born to be a coach, and she was right,’ said Bella. ‘She’s awesome. But don’t be fooled by all her pink sparkle and fun, cos she can be really strict if she thinks you’re messing around.’
‘I reckon she’s the strictest coach of them all,’ said Nancy, helping herself to a giant plate of dessert. ‘She’ll make you work over and over and over on a move until you get it right.’
‘But when you do she gives you a hug,’ said Bella with a grin. ‘And I can’t imagine any of the other coaches doing that, can you?’
‘If Oleg tried to hug you, he’d probably crush you to death!’ laughed Bree. ‘And Toni looks like he’s never given anyone a cuddle in his life.’
‘As for Emma, she’ll only give you a hug when you win Olympic gold,’ added Nancy. The table fell silent for a moment, as every gymnast there imagined standing on the podium at the Olympics with a gold medal round their necks. Then Nancy laughed and added, ‘Which means never in my case!’
Ellie didn’t think she’d be able to sleep with the sound of the city humming around her. She was so used to the silence and pitch black of the creek nights, and couldn’t get used to the traffic and sirens, and even once the thrum of a helicopter flying low overhead. But she drifted off far more quickly than she expected to, and dreamed of doing round-off flicks along the tube platform and vaulting over Albert Bridge.
She woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed, although by the time she got down for breakfast the butterflies in her stomach felt as if they were doing an energetic floor routine. She found it almost impossible to force anything down, even though Mandy’s pancakes and scrambled eggs were every bit as delicious as last night’s dinner had been.
‘So, did you manage to sleep through Nancy’s bulldozer snoring?’ was the first thing Tam asked when he appeared for breakfast.
‘I do not snore!’ said Nancy.
‘Yeah, right! And I suppose you reckon you don’t talk in your sleep either!’ said Tam. ‘Seriously, you spend all night muttering about how I’m a far better gymnast than you are.’
‘Then I’m an even bigger liar in my sleep than you are in the daytime,’ Nancy said, quick as a flash.
‘Don’t you know people always tell the truth in their dreams?’ said Tam.
Ellie listened to the good-natured banter, but it didn’t quite take her mind off her nerves.
‘Come on,’ said Nancy, bolting down the last of her pancake. ‘We’d better get to the Academy. Can’t have you being late on your first day.’
Ellie jumped up as if she’d been scalded. ‘Are we late?’
‘Actually, no,’ said Nancy. ‘Which is surprising for me, but I thought I’d make a special effort today since you’re new. So, have you got everything? Weights – guards – leo – fluffy socks.’
‘Socks?’
‘The gym floor is ice cold first thing in the morning. Especially this time of year,’ Bella explained, pulling on a coat that looked about two sizes too big for her. ‘I can lend you a pair if you haven’t got any.’
‘Thanks,’ said Ellie, as the girls headed off to the front door. How many other Academy traditions would there be to get used to, she wondered. She could hardly wait to find out.
The Academy was only a short walk from Head-Over-Heels House, across the frost-covered park, over a busy road and through some winding backstreets. The other girls had gone on ahead after Nancy had realised she’d forgotten her weights, but Ellie and Tam had waited for her. It wasn’t even 6 a.m. and it was still dark outside, but Ellie was amazed how many people were up and about.
‘London never sleeps, Mum reckons,’ said Nancy as they ducked past a twenty-four-hour grocery shop and down an alleyway into a courtyard of converted warehouses. And then Ellie found herself standing in front of a battered metal door, above which a sign read ‘London Gymnastics Academy – Home of
