by Kat Shepherd
“Whatever you say,” Maggie said airily.
Ethan plopped his lunch bag down at the empty spot next to Clio and slouched into his seat. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes and wiped his hands on his black skinny jeans.
“Hey, Ethan,” Tanya said. “How’s business?” Ethan had a pet-care business called Snout of This World. He had an uncanny connection with dogs, and he had never met an animal he didn’t love. He also had a similar connection with ghosts, but that side of his business hadn’t quite taken off yet.
“I’ve gotten some great new petsitting jobs thanks to Clio getting me that gig with the Lee family.” Ethan glanced over at Clio and blushed. He looked down at his hands and cleared his throat. “So, what’s up with you guys?”
Maggie excitedly told him about her babysitting news, and Ethan’s blue eyes brightened. “Cool! I’ve always wanted to get inside that place. Old theaters are supposed to be full of spirits!” He pulled a sandwich and chips out of his bag. “Maybe we can go on a ghost hunt one night.”
“Ugh! No way!” Maggie said with a shudder. “No offense, Ethan, but the last time we went looking for ghosts with you, things didn’t exactly go as planned.”
“Well, yeah, but that was my first time ever trying it. I’m getting better,” Ethan said.
“Let’s hope so,” Rebecca said, and everyone laughed.
Maggie laughed, too, but it felt hollow. She remembered their last brush with the supernatural and how close she had come to being trapped in the terrifying Nightmare Realm. She pushed the rest of her pizza away.
Tanya saw the anxious expression on Maggie’s face and tapped her on the arm. “Hey. We all went through some scary stuff a while back, but don’t worry, it’s over. And I think you’re gonna have the best time at the Twilight. Just imagine how much you’ll learn from being around all those actors!”
Maggie relaxed, happy to have her mind back on her new job. “For sure. Maybe they’ll let me help out on the play when I’m not busy with Juniper.”
Rebecca checked her phone. “Oops, I gotta bounce. I have PE next, and Mrs. Hitchings gives us, like, no time to change.”
Clio stood up. “Good call.” She looked at the rest of the table. “You want to head out?” The other girls stood up, too.
Ethan grabbed his trash and pushed in his chair. “I’ve got art, so I’ll see you guys later.” He smiled at Maggie. “Have fun babysitting tonight.”
Maggie pulled her beanie back on. “I definitely will!”
Ethan picked up his blue backpack. “Oh, but, uh, Maggie? Just make sure the theater doesn’t turn off the ghost light.”
Maggie laughed and started to walk away. “Whatever you say, Ethan!” She stopped. “Wait a minute. What’s a ghost light?” She turned around, waiting for an answer.
But Ethan was already gone.
CHAPTER
3
WHEN MAGGIE ARRIVED at the Twilight Theater later that afternoon, it was a bustle of activity. The cast milled about the stage chatting excitedly, and sounds of hammering could be heard behind the half-open curtain. Maggie noticed Kawanna talking with a white woman with short, platinum-blond hair. Holding the woman’s hand was a four-year-old girl wearing overalls and a hand-knit cardigan. Kawanna waved Maggie over, and Maggie hurried to join them.
The blond woman held out her hand. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Maggie. I’m Emily Forester, and this is Juniper. Juni and I are thrilled that you can keep her company here while I’m in rehearsal.” Emily gave her daughter a squeeze.
Maggie knelt down and unzipped her brand-new, leopard-print babysitting bag. “Hi, Juni. I brought all kinds of books, games, and toys. What would you like to do first?” The little girl peeked curiously into the bag, and her face lit up when she pulled out a book with a picture of a girl in a tiara and black mask tiptoeing across the cover.
“Ooh, you found one of my favorites: The Princess in Black,” Maggie said. “It’s about a princess who has a secret identity fighting monsters.”
“It looks like we picked a winner,” Emily said. “Juni’s deep in a princess phase right now.”
“That’s cool,” Maggie said. “Princesses have amazing fashion, plus they run entire countries. What’s not to love?”
Emily beamed at Maggie. “Exactly.” She crouched down and smoothed her daughter’s hair while she talked. “Kawanna tells me you’re interested in acting, too.” Maggie nodded, suddenly shy. “I think that’s wonderful! I was just about your age when I first fell in love with theater, and it’s been a part of me ever since. Let me know if you’d like a backstage tour sometime.”
“Really? Wow! Thanks,” Maggie said.
Juniper tugged at Maggie’s hand. “When are we going to read the story?”
Maggie grinned at Emily and Kawanna. “If you need to head to rehearsal, it looks like we’re good to go.”
“I’m so glad this worked out,” Kawanna said. She checked her watch and pulled a measuring tape out of the pocket of her embroidered orange duster coat. “I have to take a few more measurements before rehearsal starts. We’re not letting anyone onto the balcony for now, as there are a few loose seats that need to be repaired. But there are lots of other spaces in the building up for grabs if it gets too loud in here.”
Maggie led the little girl into the wings, the backstage areas on either side of the stage behind the curtain. She picked her way through the clutter of old props and scenery to find a spot where they would be out of the way but where Juniper could still see her mother. After passing an umbrella stand full of spears, a plywood Viking ship, and a taxidermic bear, she finally found a cozy little nook with a dusty purple love seat. “Look, Juni! It’s the perfect spot for princess stories, don’t you think?”
Juniper climbed onto the sofa and sat back, her little legs straight out in front of her. She wiggled her feet, the toes of her shiny red mouse shoes tapping together. When Maggie sat beside her she reached down and touched Maggie’s glittery, gold leg warmers. “I like your leg warmers. They’re so sparkly, just like a princess would wear.”
“Thanks!” Maggie said. “I love sparkly things.”
“Me, too,” Juniper breathed. “I want my whole world to be sparkle and diamonds all the time.”
“I get you, girl,” Maggie said. She held up her hand for a fist bump. “Sparkles for life.” Juniper bumped her fist, and Maggie pulled her arm back and exploded open her hand. “Princess power!”
“Princess power!” Juniper cried. She giggled and lifted the cover of Maggie’s book. Soon the two had their heads together, deep into a tale of Princess Magnolia saving the day.
They had almost reached the end when Maggie heard a commotion from the other side of the stage. There was a loud bang, and the hammering stopped. She heard one of the carpenters curse.
Juni’s eyes opened wide. “Someone said a bad word,” she whispered. “I bet he’s gonna get in trouble with his mom.”
Maggie tried to hide her smile. “I bet you’re right.” She saw the actors clustered around someone lying on the floor. She took Juniper’s hand. As they walked onto the stage, she noticed the man on the floor was holding his leg; his face held a grimace of pain. She stopped. Maybe it would be better to keep Juniper from getting too close. “Why don’t we go finish our story down where the audience sits?” She tried to lead the little girl away from the crowd, but Juniper pulled in the opposite direction, craning her neck to see.
“That man got hurt. We have to help him!”
Maggie gently led her away. “I think it’s super cool that you want to do that, but luckily he already has a lot of helpers.” Juniper’s face fell, and Maggie had an idea. “Tell you what. How ’bout if you make him a get well card? I bet that would help a lot.”
Juniper jumped up and down with excitement. “Yeah!”
Maggie led her down to the floor below the stage and pulled some craft supplies out of her backpack. “Check it out. Glitter crayons!” Juniper began drawing with enthusiasm. “I’ll go find out his n
ame so we can write it on the card.”
Back onstage, one of the actors was bandaging up the carpenter’s leg. Keeping Juniper within eyesight, Maggie walked over to Kawanna. “Is everyone okay?”
Kawanna put her hand to her forehead and sighed. “Carl will be fine; it’s just a bad cut.” She rubbed her temples. “And we’re lucky that the actor playing Banquo happens to be a doctor. But it was a rotten accident, and it shouldn’t have happened at all.”
“What did happen?” Maggie asked.
“Carl was standing over there”—she pointed to where a beam of plywood lay across two sawhorses—“cutting some replacement wood for the balcony. He heard something in the rafters above him and looked up to see a falling sandbag headed straight for him. He jumped out of the way in the nick of time, but he lost his balance and cut his leg on the saw.”
Maggie gasped. “OMG! Poor Carl. He must be so freaked out!”
“To tell you the truth, I’m a little freaked out, too. There shouldn’t have been any sandbags up there in the first place.”
Maggie gestured at the messy backstage area. “Maybe there were some just left over from before, like all this other stuff.”
Kawanna shook her head and pointed up above. “See for yourself.”
Maggie looked up into the fly space above the stage to see what could have caused a sandbag to fall, but the rafters were empty.
Had the falling sandbag been an accident, or was the curse real after all?
CHAPTER
4
MAGGIE FOUND HER friends at their lockers the next morning. Clio checked her reflection and adjusted the red beret she wore with an A-line denim skirt, striped top, and navy over-the-knee socks. A pair of lace-up ankle booties completed the look.
“Ooh, très chic, Clio! I like it!”
Clio pulled a berry-tinted lip balm out of her backpack. “Thanks! I found the beret at my auntie’s shop.”
“Your aunt always carries the best stuff,” Maggie said. “I don’t know where she finds it all.”
Rebecca pulled a roll of blue glitter tape from the pocket of her puffy down jacket and slipped a few magazine clippings out of a folder in her backpack. She carefully taped the images to the inside of her locker door, sliding a few cupcake-shaped magnets out of the way.
“Cute new collage,” Tanya said. “What’s the theme? Cupcakes?”
“Animal cupcakes. See?” Rebecca pointed to the images one by one. “Hedgehog, lion, and look … this one is totally adorbs. It’s a pig!”
Tanya crowded closer. “Oh, so cute! I love the pink marshmallow nose! That’s one pig I might consider eating.” Tanya’s green T-shirt said FRIENDS NOT FOOD in big letters across the back. She had been a vegetarian since preschool.
Rebecca squatted down to tighten the laces of her quilted high-top sneakers. “Yeah, I found a great website about how to make cupcakes into all different animals. You can do the cutest cake pops that look like little shaggy dogs! That’s definitely going on the vision board.”
“Nice!” Maggie tugged at Rebecca’s fishtail side braid. “And no offense, but I hope the first few batches turn out horribly. It’s been forever since we’ve gotten to eat any mess-ups; you’re getting too good!”
Rebecca grinned and popped the collar on her half-tucked chambray shirt. “Sorry, Mags. I just can’t hold back this sweet, sweet talent.” She shut her locker door. “Speaking of talent, how was the theater last night?”
Maggie told them about Juniper and about the accident with the sandbag.
“My auntie must have been so stressed,” Clio said. “They barely got the town council to even let them open the theater in the first place, and then there’s an accident on the first day of rehearsal? That’s not good.”
“Well, it’s an old building,” Tanya said. “It’s natural to have a few things go wrong.”
“Like sandbags appearing out of thin air?” Maggie countered. “I think it’s the curse.”
“Not the curse again,” Tanya said. “Where did you even hear that?”
“Oh, from a little place called the internet,” Maggie shot back. “Perhaps you’ve heard of it?”
Tanya snorted. “Oh, if you read it on the internet, then I guess it must be true,” she said sarcastically.
Maggie folded her arms and jutted out her chin. “Well, for your information, I didn’t read it,” she said haughtily. “I watched a video.”
Tanya laughed and picked up her canvas backpack. “Okay, then, in that case, I totally believe it,” she said, rolling her eyes. “See you guys later!” She headed down the hall toward the science wing.
“You know you’re never going to convince her,” Clio said. “I don’t know why you keep trying.”
“I’ll wear her down eventually.” Maggie yanked at the hem of her leopard-print miniskirt, making sure it hung straight over the neon-pink leggings she wore underneath.
“But everything went okay with babysitting, right?” Rebecca asked. “You know you can always call us if something goes wrong, or if you have any questions.”
“I know,” Maggie said impatiently. “But nothing went wrong. It was totally fine!”
“No, yeah, I know it was awesome. I just meant, like, in the future.”
“Yeah, duh, Becks. I got it. I know how to use a phone, okay?”
Clio closed her locker. “Let’s get back to the good stuff. What about the rehearsal? Did you get to watch some of it?”
Maggie’s eyes grew dreamy. “You guys, it was so amazing. They were just sitting around the stage reading their lines, and it was like the whole thing came to life right in front of me. It’s like, you look down at a page of Shakespeare, and none of it makes any sense. But then these actors are all ‘Wherefore’ and ‘Hark,’ and I totally get it all of a sudden. How do they do that?”
“That’s the genius of acting,” Clio said, picking up her backpack.
Maggie shoved a pile of wrinkled papers back into her locker and slammed it shut with a bang. “I know! And I love it so much! But how am I supposed to learn anything when our school has no drama program? It’s like we live in the middle of nowhere!”
Rebecca leaned against her locker. “It’s a bummer. But in a couple of years we’ll be in high school, and you can take drama there. Remember when they did Our Town last year? It was really good.”
“But I don’t want to wait ’til high school,” Maggie whined. “I want to learn now! I don’t see why we can’t—” Maggie grabbed Rebecca’s arm. “Wait a minute. I just had a great idea.”
“What is it?”
“You guys, we’re gonna have a drama club right here at Sanger Middle School. And I’m going to start it!” Without waiting for her friends’ response, Maggie ran down the hall, headed straight for the principal’s office, her heart bursting with excitement.
* * *
“I’m sorry, Maggie, but that’s absolutely out of the question.” Dr. Gujadhur sat in his tall rolling chair, his palms flat on the tidy desktop. “I would love for our school to have a drama program, but we simply don’t have the budget for it.”
Maggie leaned forward. “What if I put on a talent show to raise the money? Everyone in Piper would come!” In her mind’s eye she saw herself on stage, flowers at her feet as the whole town cheered for her. The mayor would hand her one of those giant checks, and she would smile for the paparazzi that would inevitably surround her.
Dr. Gujadhur’s voice cut into her reverie. “We also don’t have a faculty adviser. Or the space. And even if we did, a drama club is just too specialized to make it a priority. We don’t have enough students interested.”
Maggie’s face fell. “Oh.”
Dr. Gujadhur stood up and held out his hand. “But thank you so much for coming in. I applaud your gumption. Never give up, Maggie, and you can be sure your dreams will come true.”
Maggie shook the principal’s hand with vigor. “I understand, and I won’t give up. One way or another we’ll find a way to make the Sanger
Drama Club a reality!”
Dr. Gujadhur looked flustered. “Oh, no. That’s not what I meant. There definitely will not be a drama club here at Sanger, no matter what you do.” He smiled encouragingly and ushered her out the door. “But don’t worry, in a few short years you can join the drama program at Piper High School. I hear it’s quite excellent.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Maggie mumbled. She turned to thank the principal for meeting with her, but he had already closed the door to his office. She stood alone in the hallway, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She loved acting, and in all her twelve years she had only ever wanted to be a star. Everyone seemed to think that she should be happy about something happening years from now, with all their dumb sayings like, Good things come to those who wait. No, good things definitely did not come to those who waited. Good things came to those who went out and found them.
Maggie walked down the hall, passing posters and flyers for school sports, chess club, and the math team. Why did her school seem to have plenty of money for stupid, boring stuff like that, but not for theater? One way or another, Maggie was going to get that drama program, and she wasn’t going to wait until high school to do it.
CHAPTER
5
LATER THAT EVENING at the Twilight, Maggie found herself sitting next to one of the actors she hadn’t spoken to yet. Alan Moseley was a tall, thin man with pale eyes and a receding hairline. He sat beside her studying his script, his long legs crammed up against the seat in front of him. He recited his lines silently to himself, his brow furrowed with concentration.
Maggie looked around and saw the other actors scattered throughout the theater, stretching, practicing, or prowling the stage as they waited for rehearsal to begin. Juniper and her mom weren’t due for another hour, but Maggie had wanted to come early and watch. One man held a fake sword and practiced lunging at a cloth dummy that was hung from a hook near the front of the stage.
Maggie peeked back over Alan’s shoulder. She cleared her throat. “Um, I could help you run lines, if you want.”