by Katy Cannon
“Wow!” Abi said, grinning. “I like your hair! Was it fun having it done?”
“Lots,” Emily said, dropping down to sit next to Hero. She hadn’t put on her fashion-show outfit yet, because Nina didn’t want her to get dog hairs all over it. She’d get changed just before it was time to go on. “Go and find out – they’re waiting for you. And I want to see what you look like with make-up on! Besides, I need to practise dressing Lulu and Hero.”
Abi didn’t think Emily would need to know how to dress the dogs. She’d be up on the catwalk! Still, Emily did love dogs and it would be fun if they both knew how to dress Lulu in the future.
In the dressing room, the air was heavy with hairspray and perfume. Abi sat in the chair and let the hair stylist get to work, while she watched everything that was going on in the mirror.
“I’m not Harry,” one of the twins said, as Nina’s assistant, Sarah, held out his first outfit. “I’m Henry.”
“Oh!” Sarah pulled the outfit back and reached for the next one. “I’m sorry.” She handed him the correct outfit, then turned to the other twin with his.
“I’m not Harry!” the second twin said. “Don’t listen to him. I’m Henry.”
“Well, you can’t both be Henry!” Sarah snapped, swapping the costumes again as the boys fell about laughing. “And we don’t have time for these sort of games today.”
Sarah stalked off to give someone else their costumes, but the boys were still laughing. Somehow Abi didn’t think they’d get bored of this game any time soon. Normally, she’d think it was a bit funny, but not today, when everyone was working so hard to make the show perfect.
“Right,” the hair stylist said to Abi. “That’s your hair done. Now Jenny is going to do your make-up!” Abi looked at her reflection. She hardly recognized herself!
Jenny spun the chair around to face her, ready to put on Abi’s make-up. “Close your eyes, please.”
“I bet you they can’t tell our dogs apart either,” she heard Henry – or was it Harry? – say. Well, that was just where they were wrong, Abi thought. Telling dogs apart was easy compared to identical twins!
“How’s it going?” Abi asked, as she arrived back at the dog’s costume station, and found Lulu half in, half out of a pink dress with a frilly, sequinned skirt.
“Really well,” Mel said, enthusiastically. “Emily’s definitely getting the hang of it now.”
“It’s fun,” Emily agreed, easing Lulu’s leg through a sleeve, then looking up at her friend. “Abi, I love your hair!”
“You look gorgeous,” Mel said. “And I think we’re just about prepared for the dress rehearsal now. Which is lucky because here come the first dogs, ready for their outfits!”
The Pooch Parlour staff brought the dogs over on their leads, one by one. First up was Hero, who already knew them, and stood very patiently as Abi dressed him in his waistcoat with tiny white spots on black satin, to mirror his natural coat. Emily fastened the bow-tie collar around his neck, then led him back to his owner, who wore a very smart suit with a matching waistcoat.
“See?” Emily said. “This is going to be easy.”
But then Abi saw who the Pooch Parlour groomers were bringing over next – the chocolate Labs. And the twins were approaching too, ready to take their dogs. “Watch out for these two,” she whispered to Emily, but her friend just looked confused.
Abi stared at the boys as they approached. They truly were identical, although their outfits were different. Their dogs’ outfits were matched to theirs, so it was important to get them the right way round. But from what she’d heard earlier, she suspected that the twins would try to swap their outfits, just to confuse everyone!
“You can’t tell us apart, can you?” The twin who’d spoken flashed his brother a look.
“Don’t worry,” his brother said. “Almost no one can. Even our mum gets confused sometimes.”
“I’m Harry, and this is Freddie,” the first twin said, patting his Labrador puppy on the head.
“And I’m Henry, and this is Frankie,” said the other twin, pointing to his own puppy.
Abi studied them carefully. Each puppy seemed very devoted to their own twin, so she was pretty sure they wouldn’t just swap dogs. Looking at the labels on the costume bags, she realized that the names didn’t match up, though. Frankie’s costume matched Henry’s outfit, and Freddie’s costume matched Harry’s! But which was the wrong way round? The boys’ costumes or the dogs’ names?
Emily was staring at the costumes and then the boys in confusion. “Hang on,” she said. “If that’s Frankie…” As she said the name, the dog the twins had told them was Freddie looked up.
Abi grinned. That was it! The dogs knew their real names, even if the boys mixed them up. “Freddie!” she called, and the dog standing with Henry ran forward to her.
Nina suddenly appeared behind them. “Looks like the dogs can tell themselves apart better than you can, boys. At least I know their costumes will be the right way round. You two will just have to make sure that yours match up now, won’t you?”
“Yes, Miss Grace,” the boys said, looking sullen.
Abi didn’t care if the boys were cross about having their fun ruined. The most important thing was making the show a success!
“And, Emily,” Nina added, watching as Abi’s friend slipped Frankie into his waistcoat. “You’d better go and get changed, if you’re going on with Boomer.”
“And I’d better help get Boomer into his costume,” Abi agreed, spotting the pug being led over from Aunt Tiffany’s grooming table.
Abi was kept very busy getting all the dogs into their costumes, but Mel told her to take a break when it was Emily’s turn on the catwalk, so she slipped over to the edge of the curtain to wish her friend luck.
Each of the models had to queue up in order beside the curtain, as soon as they were ready in their costumes. Nina’s assistant, Natalie, stood there with a clipboard, telling people when it was time to go out, and ticking off each model as they went. So far, it was all going smoothly.
“You’ll be great out there,” Abi said, handing Emily Boomer’s lead. Emily wore a beautiful lacy dress that came down to her knees, and a fluffy white cardigan over the top. Boomer had a red and white waistcoat on, and a matching bowler hat! “Are you ready?”
“I think so,” Emily said, but her voice shook as she spoke.
“You’re on!” whispered Natalie, and gave Emily a gentle push to get her to move through the curtain.
Abi held her breath as her friend walked out on to the catwalk. She could see Emily’s legs wobbling just a little, but she kept her head up high and walked straight.
She’ll be fine, Abi thought.
But then she looked at Boomer.
The little pug was pulling on his lead, straining towards the twins and their dogs, as they walked back towards the curtain.
“Oh no…” Abi whispered, but there was nothing she could do, no way to warn Emily what was about to happen.
“Boomer!” Emily cried, as the pug dragged her across the catwalk, barking wildly.
“Oi! Get away from Freddie!” Henry yelled back, yanking on his puppy’s lead to try and keep him away.
But it was no good. Boomer jumped up at Henry, and Harry dashed over to try to stop him. But Boomer kept jumping and barking, and Abi could see that Emily was barely keeping hold of Boomer’s lead. Nina approached the catwalk, probably to try and stop the rehearsal. Emily would never be allowed to take Boomer out for the show if that happened!
Abi had to help. Slipping through the curtain before Natalie could stop her, she tried to remember exactly how Rachel had controlled Boomer earlier that day.
Calm but firm, she told herself. That’s the key.
“Boomer,” Abi said, careful not to shout, but loud enough that the pug couldn’t ignore her. “Down, Boomer. Quiet.”
Boomer turned away from the boys and their puppies to look at Abi. He gave one last bark, then stopped.
“Good boy,” Abi said, motioning for the twins to get off the catwalk. She fished in her pocket for a treat to give Boomer. “He’ll be fine now, Emily,” she assured her friend. But Emily was shaking worse than ever. “Go on, you can do it,” Abi said.
Emily shook her head. “I think you’d better be the model for tonight’s show, Abi,” she said. “Boomer needs you holding his lead.”
“Are you sure?” Abi asked. She knew how much Emily had wanted to be in the fashion show.
“Very.” Emily gave a wobbly laugh. “I’ll be much happier backstage with Mel, trust me!”
“OK then.” Abi took Boomer’s lead, and walked to the end of the catwalk with him, trying to imagine that she was wearing the same fancy outfit as Emily.
At the end of the catwalk she paused and smiled out into the imaginary audience, Boomer waiting patiently at heel.
“That’s great, Abi,” Nina said, from the front row. “Just wait there for a moment, let everyone see the outfit, then turn and walk slowly back.”
Abi did as she was told, feeling a little nervous as she headed back towards the curtain and spotted the next model walking towards them. Keeping a tight grip on Boomer’s lead, she tried to stay calm as he pulled ahead a little, towards the approaching dog.
“Quiet, Boomer,” Abi said when Boomer barked, just once. She hoped Nina couldn’t hear. But Boomer pulled back and stayed at her side, silent now. Abi let out a huge sigh of relief as she made it back through the curtains.
“You did it!” Emily whooped, wrapping her arms around Abi. “You were brilliant!”
“Shh!” Natalie hissed, and Abi and Emily skipped down towards the doggy dressing room.
“Boomer did it,” Abi said.
“Because you knew how to control him.” Emily sighed. “Maybe I’ll wait until I can star in an ordinary fashion show. One without dogs.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind me being the model for the show?” Abi asked. As fun as it was, she didn’t want to do it if it would upset her friend.
“I’m sure,” Emily said, firmly. “I had great fun having my hair and make-up done and trying on the dress. But you’re much better with Boomer than me. Besides, I’m getting loads of practice dressing the dogs. It’s fun. I think I’d like being a doggy designer more than a dog trainer.”
Abi smiled. For Abi, getting to know new dogs and teaching them how to behave was best of all.
“Abi, you’d better get into Rachel’s next outfit,” Mel said. “You’ll be on again soon.”
“I’ll dress Boomer,” Emily said, then glared at the little pug. “As long as he promises not to bark at me this time.”
“Have fun,” Abi said, and skipped off to the dressing room to find Sarah, and her outfit.
The rest of the dress rehearsal went smoothly. Abi and Boomer strutted their stuff on the catwalk twice more. They didn’t have to go on straight after the twins again, so it was fairly easy to keep Boomer calm. For the second time, everyone was in their finale costumes – except Abi. Nina wanted to save her surprise outfit for the show itself.
Emily and Mel kept all the dogs in order and in the right costumes, and Abi grinned at them as she collected Boomer. He didn’t have his last, top-secret, show-stopping number on either, although Nina promised that it would be a perfect match for Abi’s outfit.
“I want to see the secret outfits,” Emily complained.
“Not as much as me,” Abi said. “I’m the one who has to wear it! I hope it’s nice.”
“Well, you’ll both have to be patient for just a little bit longer,” Mel said, with a mysterious smile. “But I think you’ll like it!”
All the models and dogs were onstage together for the grand finale, and as they lined up, Nina, Mel, the assistants, the Pooch Parlour staff, Emily and Lulu all gathered at the front of the catwalk to cheer and clap.
“That was really fantastic, everyone,” Nina said, beaming broadly. “I just know tonight is going to be a huge success.”
“Now, can you all take your dogs back to the doggy dressing room, then make your way back to your own dressing rooms, please,” Sarah said. “We need everyone out of their outfits until it’s time for the real show to start, so make sure you hang everything up on the right hanger, and that the label with your name and the running order number is still attached.”
Abi turned with the rest of the models, ready to get changed and have a break before the evening show.
“Oh, except you, Abi,” Nina called. “We still need to adjust your outfits to make sure they’re a perfect fit!”
Abi glanced down at where Mel and Emily stood with Lulu. She’d planned to go and help them get all the dogs out of their costumes and prepare for the evening.
“Don’t worry,” Emily called. “We’ll take care of Lulu. And the other dogs!”
Abi followed Nina to one of the smaller backstage rooms, where she stood on a stool while the designer pinned and tucked each of the first two outfits in turn, to adjust for the differences between Rachel and Abi. Rachel was a few centimetres taller than she was, and Abi didn’t want to trip over the trousers she wore in the second outfit! Even then, Abi didn’t get to see the secret finale outfit. They took some measurements to adjust it, and that was that!
Nina sent the clothes off with Sarah and Natalie to be quickly altered and Abi, dressed in her own clothes again, headed back towards the doggy dressing room to help with all the pups.
“Not so fast, missy,” one of the stylists called out as she passed. “You’d better get in here. We’ve still got to touch up your make-up and fix your hair!”
Abi sighed. A model’s work was never done!
It didn’t seem like very much later when Nina stuck her head into the dressing room.
“The audience are all in their seats!” she told the models. “I’ve got to go out front now and get things started, but I just wanted to wish you all lots of luck. I know you’ll be brilliant!”
The room was abuzz with nervous chatter.
Abi smoothed down the lacy dress Emily had worn earlier. It was a perfect fit for Abi now, and the black shoes she wore it with even had a tiny heel. She just hoped Boomer would behave…
“Good luck!” Emily whispered as she handed Abi Boomer’s lead. The twins were already out on the catwalk and any moment now it would be her turn.
Kneeling down, she stared into Boomer’s eyes. “OK, Boomer,” she said, quietly. “This is it. We’re going to go out there, do our thing, then walk back again. No barking, no jumping up, nothing. Understand?”
Boomer tilted his head to the side as he stared back at her.
Abi sighed. She’d have to hope for the best.
“You’re up,” Natalie whispered. “Good luck.”
With a deep breath, Abi stepped through the curtain, smile in place, Boomer at her side. Her hands felt sweaty and slippery as they held the lead, and the lights that pointed down at her from above were so bright she could hardly see beyond the front row of the audience. The twins and their puppies were walking towards them, so she kept Boomer’s lead very short.
She knew the moment Boomer spotted the twins, because he tugged on the lead.
“Heel, Boomer,” Abi said quietly, and Boomer fell back. Moments later, they were past the twins and Abi felt her whole body start to relax. Now she could enjoy the show!
The rest of the evening went past in a blur of changing costumes, having powder dusted over her face and clutching Boomer’s lead in her hand, the wrinkly dog panting beside her.
Before she knew it, Abi was stepping out on to the catwalk in her last outfit of the evening – Nina’s true masterpiece.
She’d gasped when Nina had finally unzipped the case in the dressing room. Her secret finale outfit was a princess’s ball dress!
Abi smoothed down the pale blue satin skirts that fell all the way to the floor from the bodice, and stretched out her arms in their flouncy sleeves. It was beautiful! She even had a little tiara clipped into her hair.
As the cast of models and dogs all lined up along the catwalk, the audience’s applause grew louder and they started cheering and stomping. Abi’s face hurt from grinning so much, but she couldn’t stop. They’d done it! The fashion show had been a success!
Looking down at the edge of the catwalk she saw Aunt Tiffany, Mel and Emily cheering. At Emily’s feet, Lulu yapped excitedly, and Abi’s best friend was busy taking photos in between cheers.
Mrs Travers climbed the steps from the audience on to the catwalk, and they all shuffled along to make room for her.
“Ladies, gentlemen and dogs,” she said, as the audience settled down to listen. “Thank you all so much for coming today. This show would not have been possible without your support – and without the support of everyone who has taken part. From our brilliant designer, Nina Grace…” More clapping, as Nina took a bow. “To the stylists and the staff of Pooch Parlour. A huge thank you to our gorgeous models and their humans, especially Abi, who stepped in at the very last moment to help us out –” Abi blushed, as everyone from Pooch Parlour cheered even louder at her name – “And to everyone here in the audience tonight, I want to say the biggest possible thank you. Finally,” Mrs Travers added, shouting over the clapping. “Finally, I am delighted to tell you that we have totally smashed our fundraising target for the night!”