Purple

`Ellie's completely changed since she started going to Purple!' Mandy said breathlessly. `She says it's the most fantastic club there's ever been, and the DJ's brilliant! She wants to take us next time!'
All six members of SPLAT were sitting in Ian's lounge, drinking milk shakes. Mandy looked round at them, her face pink and eager.
`Well?' she said. `Shall we go?'
How can a club be that great? thought Dinah. She didn't know Mandy's cousin Ellie, but she knew Mandy very well. And it took a lot to get her so excited. Was it really worth going to this Purple thing--whatever it was? Dinah glanced at the other four, to see what they were thinking. Lloyd and Harvey--her two adopted brothers—had quite different expressions. Harvey was beaming, but Lloyd looked cautious. He wouldn't give a lead until he knew what everyone thought. Ingrid was grinning and blowing bubbles down her straw. `Let's make it a SPLAT outing! On Wednesday.
That's the next Under Eighteens night, isn't it?'
Lloyd nodded, but he was still being cautious. He looked at Ian. `What do you think?'
Ian leaned back in his chair, stretching out his long legs. `I'm not desperately keen,' he drawled. `But I'll go along with the rest of you, of course, if that's what we're doing.'
Lloyd was counting heads. `We've got three in Favour--Mandy and Harvey and Ingrid--and two of us who aren't sure. What about you, Di? Fancy a visit to Purple?'
Dinah frowned. `I don't know anything about it. What's it like? Are all the walls purple, or something?'
`Of course not!' Ingrid said scornfully.
`So why is it called Purple?' said Dinah.
Shut up! Lloyd and Harvey both pulled faces at Dinah. Don't be embarrassing! But once Dinah started asking questions about something, she went on until she understood.
`Do you have to wear purple to get in?' she said. Lloyd sighed and Harvey put his hands over his face.
`Where do you live? In a box?' Ingrid rolled her eyes up at the ceiling. `Purple's been all over the television for weeks. In every magazine. Plastered across the newspapers. There are clubs opening up everywhere.'
Dinah shrugged. `Well, I've been busy. There's lots of new research coming out about the socio-biology of feelings and facial expression--'
All the others groaned, and Lloyd threw a cushion at her to make her shut up.
`Who cares about science?' Ingrid growled.
Mandy reached over and patted her shoulder. `Calm down, Ing. You can't expect a genius like Di to be interested in clubs.'
`Don't see why not,' Ingrid muttered. `I thought science was about the real world. Purple's part of that. We've got to know about it!'
`She's right, Di.' Lloyd nodded, making up his mind. `I vote for checking it out--and that makes four in favour. We'll have a SPLAT outing on Wednesday.'
`Fine,' said Dinah.
She wasn't going to argue any more now they'd voted. She might not care much about clubs, but SPLAT meant a lot to her. The Society for the Protection of our Lives Against Them. They were her best friends in the world and the six of them had been through a lot together. Battling against the sinister Headmaster and his plans to control the world had led them into all kinds
of problems and dangers and they knew they could rely on one another.
They were SPLAT and they stuck together.
`What time do we leave on Wednesday?' she said.
Mandy beamed. `It starts at half past seven. But we'll need to be there just after six to get in. Ellie said there was a massive queue last week.'
`OK,' Lloyd said. `We'll meet at our house, and get the five forty-five bus.'
`Fine.' Ingrid sucked up the last drops of her milk shake. `I'll be round straight after school!'
`Me too,' said Mandy. `As soon as I've been home to pick up my stuff.'
`Why do you need to come so early?' Dinah was mystified.
Mandy laughed. `We've got to get you dressed right. And Lloyd and Harvey might need a bit of advice too.'
`You don't need to worry about us,' Lloyd said stiffly.
`We know how to dress ourselves. Don't we, H?'
Harvey hesitated.
`Of course you do,' Mandy said gently. `But it's a bit different with Purple.'
`It's only a club!' Lloyd was getting annoyed. `I'm perfectly capable of choosing what to wear.'

On Wednesday, Mandy and Ingrid turned up at quarter past four, both with bulging carrier bags. Lloyd and Harvey stared at them.
`You can't wear that many clothes!' Harvey said.
`Got to have something to choose from,' said Ingrid. `Come on, Di.'
Lloyd shook his head. `Why has it got to be so complicated? I know exactly what I'm going to wear. And it'll only take me ten minutes to change.'
Secretly, Dinah agreed with him. But she knew better than to argue with Ingrid. And whatever Ingrid and Mandy were going to do, it couldn't be that terrible. It was only clothes, after all. It couldn't really matter what she wore.

It was almost an hour before Ingrid and Mandy were satisfied with how Dinah looked. By the time the three of them finally came rattling downstairs, it was after half past five and Lloyd and Harvey were just opening the front door to Ian.
Lloyd turned round and stared at Dinah. `What are you wearing?'
`Purple chic!' Dinah said cheerfully. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.