by Betsy Haynes
Christie and Melanie patted Beth on the shoulder and grinned.
Beth beamed. "At least my name's on the list," she said. "It says here that Mr. Levine will tell us which part we have at the first rehearsal today after school."
"Of course, you'll be one of the emcee witches," Jana said.
"I hope you're right," Beth said.
"And look who else is on the list," Christie said. "Paul Smoke made it, and so did Chet Miller, Shelly Bramlett, Lisa Snow, and Dekeisha Adams—"
"Good," Beth said. "They're all nice."
"—and Laura McCall," Christie said.
"Yuck," Beth said.
"But look," said Katie, frowning. "You five girls made it and some variety acts, but didn't you say there were two skits, also? Shouldn't the cast be larger?"
"Right," said Beth, peering closer at the list. "I see what you mean. The cast should be larger. I wonder what happened. Lots of kids tried out."
"Maybe everybody else dropped out," offered Melanie.
"That would explain why Laura McCall got a part," said Jana. "Her witch reading wasn't all that great."
"It really wasn't," Christie agreed.
Beth rolled her eyes. "Laura kept grinning like an idiot at Mr. L all through the auditions."
"Well, even though she's a rat," Melanie said, "you have to admit that she's pretty."
"I don't have to admit any such thing," Beth sniffed.
Jana nudged Beth and mumbled out of the side of her mouth, "Speak of the witch herself."
Laura McCall, followed by her friend Tammy Lucero, elbowed Christie and Melanie aside to get a look at the cast list.
"Yes," she said when she found her name. Then her smile faded and she stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "Oh-h-h," she said with exaggerated disappointment in her voice, obviously for the benefit of The Fabulous Five. "Looks like Beth's in the show after all. I sure didn't think she'd be cast."
Beth's face grew hot in about two seconds. "We'll see, Laura McCall," she said, her voice rising in anger. "We'll see who's the real actress around here! If you watch me carefully during rehearsals, you just might pick up a few acting pointers. Messing up your hair doesn't make your character if you can't act in the first place! And you sure didn't show anyone you can act at the auditions!"
Beth turned on her heel and stormed off down the hall.
"Apparently Mr. Levine disagrees with you," Laura called nastily after her. "He cast me, didn't he?"
Beth ignored Laura's remark as she hurried along the corridor toward her math class. She was sorry that she had let Laura get to her. She could handle Laura most of the time, but the theater was different. Beth loved the theater. If things worked the way she planned, she would become a professional actress someday. "Laura just wants a part because she likes to show off," she muttered.
It took about three or four minutes for Beth to calm down. She took a deep breath and sauntered along toward her math class trying to find something more pleasant to think about. Suddenly the first bell rang. "Oh, my gosh," she said aloud. "I'm going to be late."
Picking up speed, she raced down the hall and careened around the corner. She juggled her books to keep from dropping them and slammed into someone just outside the classroom door.
"Keith!" Beth cried, looking up to see whom she had bumped into.
Keith Masterson grinned. "Hi, Beth," he said. "I always did say you could knock me off my feet. Now you almost did it."
She laughed sheepishly. "Sorry about that."
"I hear congratulations are in order," Keith said. "You made the cast of 'The Witches' Caldron.'"
"That's right," Beth said. "And there are going to be some good acts in the show! Wait till you see Paul Smoke and Chet Miller."
"Don't tell me about those guys," Keith said, his smile fading slightly. "I'm just interested in seeing you." He slipped an arm possessively around Beth's shoulder and steered her into the classroom.
Keith had been Beth's boyfriend since grade school, and the last time she'd been in a play, he'd been jealous of all the time rehearsals were taking. It felt good to hear him congratulate her for her part in the Halloween production.
Beth didn't concentrate very well in math or in any of her classes that day. She was too excited about the first rehearsal scheduled for the end of the day. She had managed to put thoughts of the Macbeth curse out of her mind. She didn't believe in that sort of thing anyway.
Finally the time came. Immediately after her last class, she gathered up the books she needed for homework and headed for the auditorium. She saw Melanie in the hall on the way.
"Beth, good luck at the rehearsal today," Melanie said. "Say hi to Chet for me."
Beth rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, right."
Melanie giggled. "I sure wish I was good at acting so I could work with him."
"Why don't you work on one of the backstage crews?" Beth asked. "You'd be around him that way."
Melanie's eyes got big. "That's a terrific idea. How do I sign up?"
"Come with me. Mr. Levine will be happy to put you to work."
"Just so long as I can work with one eye on Chet," Melanie said.
The girls walked to the auditorium. Some of the cast members were already there, sitting in the front seats.
"There's Molly McHugh," Beth said. "She's working on the crew, too."
The girls approached Molly, who was sitting alone in one of the back seats. Molly turned and grinned at them.
"Hey, B.B.," she called to Beth. "Congrats on your casting."
"Thanks," Beth said. "Do you know Melanie Edwards?"
Molly nodded and said hello.
"Melanie is interested in working on one of the crews," Beth said.
"Well, you've come to the right place," Molly said, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. "Mr. Levine is going to assign some jobs to us today."
"Great," Melanie said, and sat down next to Molly.
Molly sighed. "I love the theater. 'The roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd.'"
Melanie giggled. "Don't you have that turned around?"
"That's the name of an old play," Beth told her, then turned to Molly. "Have you ever acted?"
Molly shook her head. "I like working behind the scenes—you know, helping the show run smoothly. Most people don't know how important the crews are to the success of a show."
Beth nodded. "That's for sure. I needed all the help I could get with my props and costume changes during the Ronnie and Julie play."
The auditorium door opened then and Mr. Levine walked in, along with Laura McCall.
"She would walk in with the director," Beth grumbled. "Still trying to score brownie points, I see."
Molly shrugged. "Don't let that snob get to you," she said. "She's a cipher."
Beth stared at Molly. "A what?"
"A cipher. You know, a zero, a zilch. In the grand scheme of things, Laura McCall is a nothing."
"Yeah, but in the Wacko scheme of things, she's a big deal," Melanie said sourly.
Molly shrugged again. "She has no imagination."
Beth was curious about Molly's remark, but she didn't get a chance to ask her what she meant. Mr. Levine was calling everyone down front to begin the meeting.
"Welcome, everyone," Mr. Levine said. "Please move down here so I don't have to shout at you." The three girls got up and moved to three seats in the fourth row.
"Dekeisha!" Beth called out to the pretty black girl sitting in the row in front of her. "Congratulations!"
Dekeisha turned and smiled. "Congratulations back!"
"All right," Mr. Levine said. "Those who signed up for crews, please meet now with Mr. Mendleson, who will be supervising and organizing backstage activities while the rest of us rehearse."
"That's our cue," Molly said to Melanie. They got up and moved, with about a half dozen other kids, to the side of the auditorium with Mr. Mendleson, the shop teacher.
"I'm going to announce the casting of the show now,
" Mr. Levine said. "You all know that you've been cast in our production. Remember, there are no small parts. If each one of you gives his all, this will be a fantastic show."
Mr. Levine cleared his throat. "But first, there's another matter I'd like to discuss. As you may have noticed, the cast is rather small. That's not because Wakeman Junior High lacks talented performers. There's another reason. Apparently my discussion about the Macbeth curse frightened a few people, and they asked that their names be taken off the tryout list."
Beth leaned forward and whispered to Dekeisha, "Why would anyone quit over a silly superstition?"
Dekeisha looked back over her shoulder and shrugged.
"I just want to say," Mr. Levine continued, "that the subject of the Macbeth curse is closed. We will all forget about the broken mirror and the old theater superstition and proceed with the production of our show as if nothing ever happened. Does everyone understand?"
Heads nodded all over the auditorium.
"Very well, then." Mr. Levine looked down at his clipboard. "The three emcee witches will be: Beth Barry—"
There was applause from the kids in the auditorium, which made Beth feel great.
"Please hold the applause until I've finished," Mr. Levine said.
Beth's checks turned red, but she smiled appreciatively at the kids around her.
"The other two witches will be played by Dekeisha Adams and Laura McCall."
Dekeisha turned and grinned at Beth, and Beth gave her a thumbs-up sign. Laura turned toward Beth, and they glared at each other.
Mr. Levine continued, "Because of the dropouts, the three emcee witches will be double-cast as the witches in the skits. This will mean costume changes, but I'm confident the three of you can handle it. Dekeisha will be the witch in the Snow White skit, and Lisa Snow will play Snow White."
There was some giggling and commenting about Lisa's name being Snow, the same as the character's she was playing, but Mr. Levine held up his hand for silence.
"In The Wizard of Oz skit," he went on, "Shelly Bramlett will be Dorothy, and the witches will be played by Beth and Laura. Beth will be the bad witch, and Laura will play the good witch."
Beth was stunned. Mr. Levine went right on talking about the rest of the casting, but she didn't hear any of it. She was going to be the bad witch—which was ugly and mean. By itself, that was okay because the bad witch was definitely the better part. But why did Laura have to get the part of the good witch? The beautiful one. It had never occurred to Beth that there would be two kinds of witches, beautiful and ugly. Still, it wouldn't have mattered if the beautiful witch had been anyone but Laura.
She stole a glance at Laura, who sat in her seat with a smug little smile playing on her lips. Beautiful Laura, who hadn't even auditioned very well. Beth pictured Laura in her costume, a gorgeous, long, sparkling gown. She'd probably put her hand on her hip and glide across the stage looking glamorous, and everyone would have their eyes on her.
There had to be a reason why she got one of the best parts in the show. Was it because Laura had a great body? She was tall and slender and very developed. That must be it, Beth thought. That developed chest of hers.
Beth glanced down at her own chest and groaned inwardly. She was so thin, there was practically nothing there. Not that it mattered . . . most of the time. But didn't famous actresses always have great shapes?
She glanced at Laura again, this time through narrowed eyes. Maybe being in "The Witches' Caldron" wasn't going to be so wonderful, after all.
CHAPTER 4
When Beth got home, she stretched out across her bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Laura McCall.
Beth had felt little tingles race up and down her spine sitting there in the auditorium after Mr. Levine had made the casting announcement. He had called them "the good witch" and "the bad witch," but she knew what he meant—and so did everyone else, she was sure of it. Mr. L was just too kind to say "the beautiful witch" and "the ugly witch."
Of course she had wanted the better part, she thought, the one that would give her the chance to show off what a good actress she was. But it hurt to think that looks were so important. That someone such as Laura could give a lousy audition and still end up a star. And why, she wondered, does it have to be Laura McCall who's so pretty and has such a great body? And furthermore, why am I so flat-chested? It isn't fair.
When Mr. Levine had announced their casting, she had suddenly felt as if everyone was stealing glances at her, examining her, and finally agreeing with him that Beth should, indeed, play the ugly witch. Beth felt deflated. She had never been concerned with things like that before. Should I have been? she wondered.
Beth raised herself up on her elbows and gazed critically at her reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall. No cleavage. None at all. Was that really what had made the difference?
Beth had seen pictures of beautiful women posing the way she was lying in movie magazines, and they looked beautiful and sexy. She had always dreamed that someday she would look just like them, and when she became a famous actress, she might just pose like this for glamorous pictures, too.
Oh, well, she thought. Laura still can't act. Surely that's what will matter in the long run.
The rest of The Fabulous Five were waiting at their meeting spot by the fence when Beth arrived at school the next morning. Melanie was grinning broadly.
"Beth, I'm so glad you suggested that I sign up to work on the backstage crew," she said, her eyes sparkling. "I'm certainly not afraid of any curse. Besides, getting to watch Chet Miller is fun. And working with Molly"—she giggled and slapped her forehead with the back of her hand—"Molly's totally nuts."
"Lots of kids are talking about the curse," said Christie. "Alexis Duvall said she wouldn't go anywhere near that stage after the mirror fell and Mr. Levine told that story. She said there wasn't enough money in the world to pay her to be in the show."
"Daphne Alexandrou said practically the same thing," said Katie. "I told her I thought it was just an accident, or at worst, a stupid Halloween prank, but she wasn't buying it. She really believes in the curse."
"I'll vote for the stupid Halloween prank," said Beth in disgust. "And I'll bet Laura McCall was behind it, too."
"So, how did your first rehearsal go?" Jana asked Beth. "You did get one of the emcee parts, right?"
Beth took a big breath. "Yes, I got that part, and I'm also going to be the witch from The Wizard of Oz."
"Is that because so many kids dropped out of tryouts when they heard Mr. Levine's story about the curse?" asked Katie.
Beth nodded. "At least he didn't cancel the show."
"Which characters are Laura and Dekeisha playing?" asked Christie. "Are they double-cast, too?"
"Right," answered Beth. She hesitated a moment, not wanting to tell them about Laura. But she knew she had to. "Dekeisha is an emcee and she's playing the witch from Snow White—"
"Great. She'll do a good job," said Katie.
"—and Laura is an emcee and she's in The Wizard of Oz skit with me."
"She is?" asked Jana, obviously puzzled. "But you're the witch in that."
Beth paused a moment before speaking. "I'm the—bad witch," she said quickly. "Laura is the good witch."
"Oh, yeah," Melanie cried. "Glinda! I remember her from the movie. She's blond and glamorous and she wears this long, beautiful gown—" Melanie stopped, and her mouth dropped open. "Oh, Beth—Laura is the good witch?"
Beth forced a smile. "That's right," she said, and shrugged. "Good old Laura."
"Will Laura get to melt you at the end of the skit?" Melanie asked, her eyes big.
Beth continued to smile. "Yup" was all she could manage.
Jana snorted. "Well, the obvious reason that Laura was chosen to play Glinda is that her audition was crummy. Mr. L. knew she couldn't pull off one of the more difficult roles."
Beth smiled gratefully at Jana. "Thanks," she said to her friends. "But we can't overlook the fact that La
ura is—well, let's face it, she's beautiful. All over."
"You're a much better actress than that jerk Laura is," Katie said indignantly. "Mr. Levine was looking for real talent for the other two witches. After all, it's a Halloween production. Anyone could've played Glinda."
Except me, Beth thought, but she didn't say it.
All day Beth dreaded the rehearsal after school. She knew that this time, they'd read through the script. Maybe Mr. Levine would even start blocking, telling actors and actresses where to move on the stage during their scenes. She hated to think of Laura's smiling nasty little smiles at her during rehearsals for the next few weeks.
When the final bell sounded, marking the end of the school day, Beth gathered her books and notebooks and, with a pounding heart, headed for her locker.
"Beth, wait up," a familiar voice called out. "I'll walk to the auditorium with you."
Beth turned to see Melanie hurrying toward her. "Hi, Mel," she said, trying to act casual. "You have crew work this afternoon?"
Melanie nodded. "We're going to work on the emcee witches' costumes."
"What will we wear?" Beth asked, arriving at her locker.
"We're trying to find long, black capes," Melanie said. "Cathy Smothers and some other kids were going to visit secondhand clothing stores yesterday after rehearsal. We'll see what they were able to find."
Beth smiled for the first time in hours. "Capes? That sounds good. I can see it now—swirling around me." She whirled around, imagining the shiny black fabric floating in a circle around her feet. Laura couldn't spoil that. It would be great. She put her math book on the locker shelf and pulled out her science book to study that night.
Melanie grinned. "If we can't find capes, I'll try to make them. Then, of course, the witches will need tall, pointy hats. And broomsticks."
"Right," Beth said, grinning. The Halloween show was beginning to sound like fun again. She nearly asked Melanie what Laura would be wearing when she played Glinda, but she decided that she didn't want to hear about it.
"Look who's over there," Melanie said, nodding with her chin toward the water fountain.
Beth suspected who it was before she even looked. She was right. Laura McCall was leaning over, sipping water.