by Thea Stilton
when Ruby ran up, still wearing her workout clothes.
“Hi,” Connie said. “Where did you
disappear to? We looked everywhere
for you.”
“Yeah, we almost thought that Violet had
locked you up somewhere because she was
scared of having to face you today,” added
Zoe, and the other members of the Ruby Crew LAUGHED.
Ruby just shrugged. “She might be worried
about me, but I’m not worried about her,” she said breezily.
85
Alicia sighed. “Wow, Ruby, I
sure wish I had your SELF-
CONFIDENCE!”
A little while later, the Thea
Sisters were in Colette’s room,
ready to go to lunch — but
Violet hadn’t showed up.
“Has anyone SEEN her recently?”
Colette asked.
“Not since early this morning,” Nicky
replied. “She was going over her lines. But she promised she’d meet us for lunch.”
“And her audition is at one o’clock!” Pamela
said worriedly. “This isn’t like her at all.”
“We should see if she’s still in the garden,”
Paulina suggested. “She’s probably just still practicing.”
The friends headed down to the garden,
where they saw Ruby and her crew.
86
“Hey, Ruby, have you seen Violet?” Nicky asked.
“Why are you asking me?” Ruby
SNAPPED. “I haven’t done anything.”
“What do you mean by that?” Pamela
asked suspiciously.
“Oh, nothing, nothing,” Ruby said,
with a nervous laugh. “She’s
probably just off practicing somewhere.”
Oh, nothing . . .
The big outdoor clock began to chime
twelve times.
“Time for lunch, crew,” Ruby told her
friends, and they left without another word.
Nicky SCANNED the garden. “I don’t see
Violet anywhere.”
“Lunch today is EXTRA-CHEESE
pizza, and I’m not even hungry,” said Pam. “I’m too worried about Violet.”
Colette nodded. “I’ve been trying to text
her, and she’s not responding,” she said. “I
have a strange feeling that something terrible has happened to her!”
88
THE SEARCH
FOR VIOLET
“We’ll do a SEARCH,” Nicky suggested. “We’ll start by asking if anyone has seen her. After we check the campus, we can move to other buildings on the island.”
They went to the cafeteria first, in case
Violet had gone there without them, but
they didn’t see her. They did bump into
Craig, though.
“Hey,” he said when he saw them. “Did
you try the pizza? It’s SUPER-CHEESY.”
“No, we’re LOOKING for Violet,”
Colette said. “We can’t find her.”
“She’s probably hiding somewhere
because she knows she can’t beat Ruby,” Craig said.
89
“Hey, that’s not nice!” Pam cried. “First of all, Violet is just as good as Ruby. And second
of all, she would never hide out like that.”
Craig shrugged. “I wouldn’t waste
time
looking for her. She’ll turn up.”
“You know what’s SUPER-CHEESY?
Him,” Pam muttered as he walked away.
The friends left the cafeteria and headed
into the hallway. They saw Ryder about to turn a corner up ahead.
Pam suddenly brightened. “Hey,
maybe he knows where Violet is,” she said. “They might have been practicing together.”
Paulina frowned. “That doesn’t seem likely.
He is Ruby’s brother after all. But I guess we
could ask.”
“Hey,
Ryder!” Colette called out loudly.
“Have you seen Violet?”
Ryder shook his head. “No, sorry.”
90
Hey, Ryder!
“It’s just weird, because we can’t find
her anywhere, and the SECOND AUDITION is about to start soon,” Paulina explained.
Ryder thought for a moment. “I’ll help you
look. Maybe we could split up. Colette
and Nicky, you can look for her in the school.
The rest of us can look outside.”
“Great idea!” Nicky said. “Even if I did
think of it first.”
Pam gave Nicky a high five. “Let’s make
like a wheel of cheese and roll!”
92
A TIGER
IN A CAGE!
For two hours, Violet had been pacing the
floor of the observatory, trying to think of a
way out. She had lost all hope that Ryder
was coming.
She grew
ANGRIER
with each passing
minute. “Ryder and his mysterious note!” she fumed. “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t
be in this mess. Grrrr! ”
She continued to walk back and forth, like
a tiger in a cage. Then she stopped and took a breath.
Violet, try to calm down and think, she
told herself.
She scanned the room again. She pushed a
chair up to the nearest window and stood on
93
it. The window was sealed shut. And even if she could climb out, it was a long drop to the
ground beneath.
What do I do now?
With a sigh, she climbed back down. She
would never make it back to the academy in time for the audition.
Then she noticed a shaft of sunlight
coming through the window. It reflected off a TELESCOPE that had been put on display.
An idea suddenly came to her.
“It’s brilliant!”
95
A SHINING
SOS!
While Violet tried to find a way to escape,
Colette and Nicky SEARCHED all the
school buildings for her. Pam, Paulina, and Ryder checked all the sports fields.
“No sign of her yet,” said Pam with a
. “I’m starting to get really
frown
worried.”
“We’ll find her soon,” Ryder said, but his
voice was a little unsure.
Paulina looked thoughtful. “Let’s
think. Where are some places on the island that Violet likes to go?”
“Well, there’s the garden, but we’ve
already checked there,” Pam said.
“What about Kneecap River?” Paulina
96
asked. “I know she likes to sit by the water and sketch sometimes.”
Pam nodded. “You’re right! Let’s
go!”
Paulina, Pam, and Ryder RACED toward
the trail that led to the river. It was 12:30,
and the audition was just thirty
minutes away. There was no
TIME to lose.
When they got on the path,
Ryder stopped to figure out the
quickest route. That’s when he
saw a STRANGE
FLASH of
light on top of the hill.
It was coming from the
observatory. But Ryder had never seen the
observatory give off a light like that . . . unless . . .
“Pamela! Paulina!” he yelled.
The two mice turned around.
“What is it?” asked Paulina.
Ryder pointed to the o
bservatory. “I think
I may have figured out where Violet is,”
he said, his normally calm voice rising
98
Look!
with excitement. “See that FLASH OF
LIGHT?”
Paulina nodded. “Yes.”
“It’s weird,” Pam said. “I’ve never seen a
bright light like that coming from the
observatory before.”
Ryder nodded. “Exactly. I think Violet
must be in there . . .”
“. . . and she’s sending us a signal!”
Paulina finished.
“Let me get my SuV,” Pam said. “We’ll
head right up there!”
100
FINALLY
FREE!
Pam tore up the road to the observatory,
kicking up dirt behind her wheels. When
they pulled up, they could hear Violet screaming inside.
“Heeeeeelp!
I’m locked in here!
Let me out!”
They QUICKLY got out of the SUV.
“Calm down, Vi!” Pamela yelled, running to the door. “We’re here now! We’ll FREE
you!”
Pam reached for the door and noticed
that some long sticks of wood had been
jammed under the handle.
101
“This is why Violet can’t get out!” she realized.
She removed the sticks and pulled open
the door. Violet RUSHED OUT and
threw her arms around Pam and Paulina.
“I am so happy to see you guys!”
she sighed. “Thanks! I got stuck in here some-how, and if you hadn’t found me . . .”
Then she noticed Ryder standing behind
them. “It’s all your fault!” she said
furiously, stomping toward him. “What
kind of trick was that? You invite me up here and then don’t even show up?”
“Invited you up here?” Ryder asked in
. “Me?”
Violet waved the
she had received
under his snout. “You sent me this note asking me to practice with you here!”
“I didn’t write this, I swear,” Ryder said.
shock
NOTE
103
“Then who did?” Violet asked.
“Um, Vi, you might want to figure this out
later,” Pam said. “We’ve got to get you to your audition — FAST !”
104
ALL’S WELL
THAT ENDS WELL!
“I still don’t
UNDERSTAND,” Violet said
as she climbed into the SUV. “Who would
want to lock me in the observatory?”
“Someone who didn’t want you to audition,”
Pam guessed. “Like Ruby.”
“Or CRAIG,” Paulina added. “He’s really
been rooting for Ruby to get the part.”
When they got to the main hall, they
spilled out and rushed to the auditorium. Nicky and Colette greeted Violet with hugs.
“The auditions are starting!” Nicky said.
When Violet entered, Ruby turned as
PALE as a slice of mozzarella.
“But how did you get out . . . I mean . . .”
she stammered.
105
Violet looked at her friends. Ruby had
just given herself away. She was the one who
had locked Violet in the observatory!
“I’m here now,” Violet said calmly.
“May the best mouse win!”
Ruby auditioned first. She was so rattled
by seeing Violet that she messed up her lines.
When it was Violet’s turn, she
delivered her lines perfectly.
“We have made a
decision,” said Headmaster
de Mousus. “The part of
Juliet shall go to Violet!”
“Hooray!” shouted the
Thea Sisters.
Over the next few
weeks, all of the students
worked together
106
to put on the play. Colette helped design
CoSTuMES. Paulina and Nicky helped
PAinT scenery. Pam worked with the
lighting crew.
Even the Ruby Crew was busy. They
created
PROGRAMS
for the night
of the performance that told a summary of
the story of Mouseo and Juliet. It wasn’t the
most glamorous job, but Ruby and
her friends worked
hard on it
anyway.
Mouseo and Juliet
By William Squeakspeare
This play is set on Mouse Island in the 1500s.
Juliet and Mouseo are teenaged rodents who
belong to two rival cheese-making families.
Juliet’s family,
the Ratulets, make a delicious
blue cheese. Mouseo’s family, the Montagues, make a delicious mozzarella. One day at a picnic, their lunches get mixed up. Juliet eats the mozzarella and Mouseo eats the blue cheese. They both realize what they’ve been missing all their lives.
One moonlit night, Mouseo visits Juliet, who
talks to him from her balcony.
He convinces
her to run away with him so they can open their own cheese shop together. But when their plans are revealed, their families do anything they can to keep them apart.
Mouseo and Juliet
BRAVO!
ENCORE!
On opening night, spectators crowded the main hall. Colette, Nicky, Pam, and Paulina
made sure they got FRONT-ROW seats. When
the curtain opened, Violet spotted her friends right away.
Pamela stood up and started cheering.
“WAY TO GO, VIOLET!”
YOU’RE THE BEST!”
Violet tried not to smile.
The support of her friends meant so much to her.
Professor Rattcliff gave Pam a
severe look.
109
”
Sssh!
Once the crowd calmed
down, the show began. The
performers had rehearsed
many times, and everything
went smoothly. A few actors
forgot their lines and improvised instead, but nobody noticed.
When Violet and Ryder did their scenes
together, something
magical
happened.
The whole audience was transported to a different place and time. You could practically
smell the CHEESE in the air. . . .
When the final curtain fell, the audience
burst into joyous applause. The Thea Sisters
hugged one another. They were so happy
for their friend!
110
”
she
scolded.
”Be
quiet!
”
Even Ruby applauded. She was jealous
of Violet, and would have loved to get the applause instead — but she had to admit that
Violet was really great. And she was
happy for her brother, of course.
Afterward, everyone agreed on one thing —
there really is something magical about the theater!
It was truly
a night to remember!
111
Hooray!
Bravo!
Brava!
Bravo!
Bravo!
Bravooo!
www.scholastic.com/
geronimostilton
$7.99 US/ $8.99 CAN
RL3 007-010
Don’t miss
these exciting
Thea Sist
ers
adventures!
Don’t miss
any of my
fabumouse
adventures!
Mouseford
Athletic fields
Teachers’ living
quarters
Dorms
Garden
South Tower
Library
Headmaster’s
office
Herb garden
North Tower
Cafeteria
Great Hall
Classrooms
Map of
whale island
1. Falcon Peak
2. Observatory
3. Mount Landslide
4. Solar Energy Plant
5. Ram Plain
6. Very Windy Point
7. Turtle Beach
8. Beachy Beach
9. Mouseford Academy
10. Kneecap River
11. Mariner’s Inn
12. Port
14. Town Square
15. Butterfly Bay
16. Mussel Point
17. Lighthouse Cliff
18. Pelican Cliff
19. Nightingale Woods
20. Marine Biology Lab
21. Hawk Woods
22. Windy Grotto
23. Seal Grotto
24. Seagulls Bay
25. Seashell Beach
13. Squid House
Thanks for reading,
and good-bye until our
next adventure!