Sister Switch

by Beth Garrod

  I couldn’t believe I’d got so far, but it might all be snatched away from me, from Erin, with less than two days to go.

  ‘Cheer up.’ Lou kicked my trainer. I glanced up from my script. ‘It might never happen.’

  ‘Or it might happen in…’ I checked the time. ‘Less than two hours.’

  I looked over at Lou’s understudy in the corner practising her lines for Puck, ready to step up into her role.

  Lou shook her head. ‘Ignore that. There’s no way Mrs Saddler would swap me for you. And definitely not when the show’s in less than two days. You’re way better than I ever could be! Just remember all the advice you’ve been messaging me this week.’ She smiled. ‘You’ve been a total ledge.’

  Despite the weird circumstances, it was nice to hear she and the real Erin had been getting along – I never normally saw my sister with friends, and, from what I’d got to know of Lou, I thought she’d make a good one.

  But another person was also boosting my confidence – Erin darting in and out of the wings, getting all my prompts ready on the props. She saw me looking and gave me a big thumbs up.

  My sister really thought I could do this – keep my place, our place, in the play – and I couldn’t let her down. But as I gave her a thumbs up back, Frankie walked over to her. And… hugged her.

  Maybe Erin was right – maybe Frankie really had forgiven her for the whole ticket thing? Either way, I needed to say an in-person sorry. And as much as I’d been dreading it, there was no time better than now. For everyone’s sake, I needed to clear the air before opening night, so I said bye to Lou, and walked nervously over to Frankie and Erin in the wings. My sister mumbled something about ‘needing to fix a wobbly donkey ear’ and left me alone with Frankie.

  I’d normally handle this by pretending I’d seen an intriguing squirrel through the window and run off to look at it. But that wasn’t Erin’s style.

  I had to be brave.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt.’ I tried to channel my sister’s normal confidence. ‘I just wanted to talk to you about the whole Chase mix-up. Make sure you knew how sorry I was.’ I paused. ‘Because I am. Really sorry.’

  ‘Oh yeah.’ Frankie laughed to herself. ‘Stealing someone’s identity and their backstage passes is just a mix-up, isn’t it?’

  So she was still mad at me – and I didn’t blame her.

  ‘I’m so sorry. I really thought you weren’t picking them up. Not that that matters. I shouldn’t have done it.’

  She folded her arms. ‘Too right.’

  Well, this was awkward. I’d never had to grovel while dressed as a fairy queen before.

  ‘I’m not sure how, but I’ll find a way to make it up to you.’ As much as I was the world’s smallest fan of Frankie, she hadn’t deserved what I’d done. ‘I promise.’

  She looked at me.

  And, after a long wait she… smiled.

  ‘Well… in that case…’ She unfolded her arms. ‘Apology accepted. I guess.’ Well, that went better than I thought! ‘Lily explained why you did it.’ Maybe I hadn’t given Frankie enough credit after all. ‘So I’m sure karma will sort it all out. And there’s enough going on anyway with getting everything ready for Saturday.’ Frankie picked up Erin’s props list. ‘Less than forty-eight hours till your one chance, your big audition, in front of Chinyere Okafor. Your life idol, right?’ I nodded. ‘I’m sure you’ve got nothing to worry about. Who wouldn’t loooove a Mrs Saddler eighty-nine-minute retelling of a Shakespearean classic?’

  ‘Er, thanks.’ I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something about the way she said it didn’t make me feel great. ‘Although how come you know about the audition?’

  ‘Oh, your sister was filling me in.’ Frankie twirled one of the fresh apples we used for my first scene. ‘Weird that we didn’t speak much before, she’s so… fascinating.’

  Frankie calling me ‘fascinating’ definitely made my ‘something’s not right’ alarm sound. But Mrs Saddler had arrived and was summoning us together.

  ‘So it begins.’ Mrs Saddler had her eyes closed, and was breathing so loudly through her nose it was like she was blowing up imaginary nostril balloons. ‘TODAY IS THE DAY!’ She spun in a slow circle, her arms out. ‘Like when Da Vinci unveiled the Mona Lisa.’ Well, that was one way of describing the dress rehearsal. ‘Or when Michael Bublé released his debut album BaBalu.’ She breathed out. ‘Ssssssseminal.’

  I looked at Enthusiastic Mark who was wearing brown leggings covered in brown cotton wool and was gluing on fake sideburns. I wasn’t a hundred per cent convinced I shared her vision.

  ‘I am expecting mesmerizing performances. From all of you.’ So why was Mrs Saddler only looking at me?! For five loooong seconds?! ‘So let us BEGIN!’

  Lou and I whispered, ‘Break a leg,’ to each other, but by the time I got my cue to walk out on stage, I was a nervous wreck. I strode out behind Harley, and that was when I saw it. A tiny piece of card stuck to the back of the foam tree.

  You’ve got this, Lil! Your first line is ‘What, jealous Oberon!’

  I looked over at the wings and smiled at my sister.

  And knowing she thought I could do it meant I… did.

  I said the right lines, I pulled the right faces, I even managed to bite my apple mysteriously enough for Harley to look impressed. Sure, I was nowhere near as good as the others, but thanks to Erin’s help and hints all over the props, I’d definitely improved.

  As we all gathered on the stage to bow there was only one thing on my mind.

  Had I done enough to keep my part?

  Well, that, and: must wear more deodorant as Titania’s dress was not breathable.

  Erin looked as nervous as I felt.

  ‘Soooooooo.’ Mrs Saddler stepped up to the stage. ‘If I could sum that up I’d say it was…’ A triumph? A relief? A miracle? ‘Adequate.’

  There was a collective drop of shoulders. We’d all put so much into it.

  ‘Good news? Backstage ran smoothly. Your detailed plan is working brilliantly – well done, Frances.’ I’d never seen Frankie look so smug. Guess forgiving my sister didn’t go as far as giving her the credit she deserved. ‘Louise, solid performance. Mark, lots of enthusiasm. Harley, powerful, as always. But all of you can do better tomorrow. No… sorry. Must do.’ Was it good news or bad that she hadn’t mentioned me? ‘We’re incredibly lucky to have the Swan Theatre to perform in.’ It was a huge, grand theatre that backed on to the super-modern event space where LOLCon was happening. ‘As most of you know, acting icon Chinyere Okafor herself will be in the audience so there will be no room for anything less than perfection.’ I saw the looks go around. Everyone wanted to impress her. ‘Which leads me on to my little surprise… I’ve organized professional hair and make-up teams for the principle cast.’ Mrs Saddler nodded dramatically, enjoying the excited gasp. ‘Yes! You’re right to be excited.’ But Erin and I looked the happiest of all. Forget magical make-up! Could she mean the Hairy Godmother? ‘It’s really going to add an extra layer of magic to the whole night. Although, talking of quality, we must discuss the outstanding issue. Titania…’

  My stomach knotted. Here it came. The moment of truth. Had I done enough to keep Erin’s dream alive? I knew my sister felt as nervous as me, as she was rocking back and forth in her chair, her head in her hands.

  ‘Today was an improvement, of sorts… but as your rrrole is so crrrrritical…’ Mrs Saddler unleashed the most dramatic ‘r’ roll I’d ever heard. It went on for so long a bird landed on the window and flew off again. ‘To the prrrrrrrroduction…’ She went for it again. The bird returned. ‘I’m going to leave it to the most important people to decide who they want as their Titania. Your fellow castmates.’

  Er, what?!

  ‘So on the count of three, all in favour of understudy Louise playing Titania, put your left hand up. For Erin, raise your right. And remember – this isn’t personal, this is about one thing only. Art.’ It really wasn’t, it was about my sister g
etting her dream place at the drama academy. About her little sister doing her best to make it happen.

  But the decision was out of my control. I looked round the room. The only person brave enough to make eye contact was Lou who mouthed, ‘Sorry.’

  I mouthed, ‘Don’t worry,’ back. It wasn’t her fault.

  ‘Three… two… one…’

  I stared at the floor, too scared to look. I heard the noise of arms going up.

  Mrs Saddler started counting the hands. But then stopped.

  This was torture.

  I had to look.

  But… I couldn’t believe what I saw.

  Every right hand – Lou’s, Harley’s, both of Enthusiastic Mark’s, Singed Simon’s – they were all in the air. Everyone had voted for me.

  Even Frankie?!

  I did a double take.

  ‘Thank you!’ I blurted out, at the exact same Erin shouted, ‘Yesssss, sis!’

  I’d done it! By some miracle I’d kept Erin’s place in the play!

  Now all we needed was an even bigger one to swap us back before it started.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Dad only made waffles for breakfast on big days.

  And this Saturday morning he made waffles and pancakes. I arranged the berries in a smiley face, and sent a picture to Micha.

  Me: The waffle of truth says: Micha, you will be most excellent today.

  Me: And NO ONE messes with the waffle of truth

  Just like the rest of this week I didn’t get a reply. Erin had been trying to spend more time with Micha, but she’d been avoiding her, saying she had to study for her exam. I added the most motivational-looking penguin GIF I could find.

  Me: If you want to celebrate staying up in chemistry and taking YOUR RIGHTFUL PLACE in the youth squad I’ve still got a spare ticket for later (if you fancy watching 89 mins of Harley my sister)

  I knew Mich wouldn’t come, but I needed her to know that I missed her. Especially as today was going to be the day Erin and I swapped back. It had to be.

  We’d planned every second of it. We had to after Mrs Saddler sent a memo asking us to all arrive at the venue earlier than planned. She thought we needed more preparation time. Backstage crew were needed first, which meant dealing with the slightly large spanner in the works of my sister needing to be in two places at the same time. At LOLCon interviewing live on TheNicReport, and somehow setting up the props in the Swan Theatre with Frankie. The only bit of good luck was that the two venues backed on to each another.

  I opened up my notebook and went through our plan for the millionth time.

  MISSION IMPRESS NIC, IMPRESS CHINYERE OKAFOR AND GET THE HAIRY GODMOTHER TO YOU KNOW WHAT!

  10.30 a.m.: Dad gives us both a lift.

  ‘Lily’ to head to LOLCon.

  ‘Erin’ to head to Swan Theatre to find Hairy G.

  BOTH BE ON ALERT FOR POTENTIALLY YOU KNOW WHAT (SWAPPING BACK) AT ANY POINT FROM NOW!!!

  My hope was that we could switch before LOLCon started.

  11 a.m.: Interviews start at LOLCon + backstage crew due at theatre.

  Frankie to cover for ‘Lily’.

  My sister had told Frankie about the double booking, and she’d agreed to cover for the two hours she’d be missing so Mrs Saddler wouldn’t find out. To say thank you, Erin and I had spent last night loading all the props into the school van, so Frankie would have one job less to do today.

  1 p.m.: ‘Lily’ finish LOLCon + run to theatre

  1 – 4.30 p.m.: If we haven’t already found Hairy G IT’S NOW OR NEVER to YOU KNOW WHAT (swap) *

  4.30 p.m.: Curtains up. (Real Erin to impress Chinyere Okafor! Get place in drama academy!)

  7 p.m.: Celebrate.

  I tried not to look at the tiny bit we’d added below.

  *Just in case worst happens, Erin and Lily to run through lines for a final time and make sure notes are on props.

  I accidentally gulped a full mouth of unchewed waffle at the terrifying thought of maybe having to be the world’s worst Titania in front of hundreds of people.

  ‘So, Lil.’ Mum sipped her tea. ‘Big day. We’ll be watching online later. Can’t wait.’

  ‘Absolutely.’ Dad had a big grin. ‘And if you see KingKoalaFiguresItOut, please tell him I’m a massive fangirl. Boy… Adult man.’

  Mum gave Dad the sort of look she normally reserved for me.

  ‘Are you feeling prepared? Your notes look…’ She peered at Erin’s folder which was meatier than my script. ‘Extensive.’

  My sister nodded. ‘Uh-huh.’ She then made a noise like Barry the Hamster (RIP) had when he was picked up after a big meal. Speechless Erin was a rare thing but she’d been like this ever since I’d shown her the post of the queue outside LOLCon when we’d woken up.

  Mum put her hand on her arm. ‘We’re all very proud of you, whatever happens. So just try to…’ I knew what she was thinking. Don’t do anything ridiculous like normal. ‘Focus. And you’ll be fine.’

  My sister looked queasy and pushed her plate away. Pancake-refusing Erin was even rarer than silent Erin.

  ‘You’re going to be more than fine.’ I nudged my knee into hers. In reality I worried it might be a total disaster – a disaster that would exist on the internet for ever. But my sister didn’t need to know that. Through our bedroom wall I’d heard her playing Chase’s entire back catalogue. She’d been really trying. ‘You’re going to be great. You’re going to get to chat to soooo many amazing people.’ I sipped my juice and tried to give her a mysterious look. ‘So many amazing hairy people.’

  She finally spoke, a little grin on her face. ‘Very hairy.’

  ‘Must be a young people thing,’ Dad said quietly to Mum. ‘Probably means cool.’

  ‘Well, fingers crossed.’ Erin stood up and took her plate to the sink. ‘It’s not easy getting picked for TheNicReport, you know. Nic only takes on one or two people a year. She once had an exclusive with Dua Lipa but didn’t run it because she didn’t like how Dua chewed her crisps.’

  I knew Erin was trying to manage my expectations, everyone’s expectations, but I couldn’t help but smile that she remembered all the things I’d been telling her about why it was such a big deal for me.

  ‘Well, we’ve got faith in you.’ Dad gave her one of his lovely big smiles. ‘And remember – a winner never stops crying.’

  Mum coughed. ‘Trying, Norm. It’s trying. And, Erin? Knowing your father, just a warning we’ll be in the front row for your performance.’

  ‘Please remember Chinyere Okafor will be there…’ I shot Dad a look. ‘So can you keep any clapping to a normal level?’

  ‘And no Mexican waves this time,’ Erin said sternly. ‘You know no one ever joins in.’ At her last play, Dad had flung his arms up so violently his wedding ring had flown off and landed in Singed Simon’s gran’s hair.

  Mum looked at me. Then my sister. Then me again. Were her eyes… misty?

  She was either getting emotional or had waffle in her eyes.

  ‘Supporting each other like this… who would have thought?’

  A magical hairdresser who wanted us to stop arguing?

  ‘Well, hold the pride until you’ve seen me in action. I just want to do justice to all Lil’s hard work behind the scenes.’ I looked at my sister. ‘And I hope, hope, hoooope Chinyere Okafor is impressed.’ But not as much as I hoped our plan to swap back worked before the curtain went up.

  ‘When are you ever not impressive?’ Mum smiled.

  It was weird being Erin – no matter what I said, people told me to stop worrying and that I would be great. I think I preferred being me, when they just let me get on with messing up.

  How did Erin deal with the pressure? I was at breaking point after two weeks.

  When breakfast finished, and I’d done the dishes to help with Erin’s chores, we headed up to my room. I jumped straight on the bed. Was it weird to miss a bed? Who cared. I lay face down and hugged it.

  ‘Do you reckon our pl
an will go okay?’ I really needed some reassuring right now.

  ‘Do a reckon the pan will gherkin?’ Erin repeated back. ‘I’m not going to lie – you’re a lot easier to understand when you’re not talking into a pillow.’

  I shuffled upright. ‘I said, do you reckon it’ll go okay. Today?’

  Erin was checking herself out in the mirror. She’d stuck to her word and let me pick my favourite outfit for her to wear. Black jeans, trainers, slightly cropped jumper – and no tubes of foot cream in sight.

  ‘It’s got to, right? The clues you found all point to today. So if you find Agatha…’

  ‘When I find her…’

  ‘Ring me immediately?’

  I nodded. ‘Course.’

  ‘And be warned. Ben might pop up backstage. He’s into cute surprises.’

  Cute + Ben = could not compute.

  ‘Last year he made me a good luck rock.’ Is that a thing? Couldn’t only erosion make rocks?! (The geography fact Post-its in Erin’s room were clearly getting to me.)

  But Dad was yelling, so we headed out. Just in case this was my last car journey as Erin, I shotgunned the front seat and suggested we put on Chase Cheney to help my sister’s vibe. What a selfless sibling I was.

  When we saw LOLCon for the first time Erin and I both gasped (me in excitement, Erin in horror). It looked st-unning! It was so, so big. Even outside there were loads of stands, and massive neon photo boards you could pose with – and the queue was streaming round the block. Dad and I wished Erin luck, but as she reluctantly waved bye, clutching her notes in her hand, she looked like me heading to a maths exam. Well, me heading to a maths exam in the middle of a crowd of thousands of super-happy people. I’d never seen her this scared! I, however – I was hanging out of the car window trying to glimpse a single guest.

  ‘You okay there?’ Dad turned the engine back on. I ducked my head back in. With Erin gone, it was time to focus on my mission.

  ‘Definitely. Just, you know, pre-performance nerves can make you do funny things.’ Which was the wrong thing to say as Dad turned the engine straight off for an impromptu mindfulness breathing session. But all I was mindful of was that it meant less time to find the Hairy Godmother. I gripped my fingers round the newspaper article about Chase Cheney tightly folded up in my pocket and tried to reassure myself. Yes, Agatha was going to be at the theatre. And yes, I could do this.