Read No Biz Like Show Biz Online
Authors: Nancy Krulik
No Biz Like Show Biz (6 page)
But that wasn’t going to happen. At least not until the magic wind came to turn Katie back into herself.
“Bye, Miriam. I bet you’ll feel better tomorrow,” Mandy Banks said as she left the girls’ dressing room after the rehearsal.
Katie waved, but didn’t say anything. After all, she was supposed to have laryngitis.
“Keep drinking that tea!” Ms. Sweet said as she placed the last costume on a hanger and walked toward the door. “We’re really going to need you tomorrow.”
“Don’t forget you still have
me
,” Suzanne said, zipping up her white winter parka.
me
,” Suzanne said, zipping up her white winter parka.
“Oh, of course, Suzanne,” Ms. Sweet assured her. “But we’re all hoping Miriam will be well enough to go on tomorrow. She’s worked so hard.”
Suzanne frowned.
As Suzanne and Ms. Sweet left the dressing room, Katie sat there alone for a minute, staring at the mirror. Miriam’s face stared back at her.
Just then Katie felt a cool breeze blowing on the back of her neck. She turned around to see if someone had come back into the dressing room.
But the door was shut tight.
The draft on Katie’s neck grew colder then, and her hair started blowing.
But the costumes that were hanging up weren’t moving with the wind at all. Neither were the scripts that were scattered around the room.
In fact, the wind only seemed to be blowing right on Katie. Which could only mean one thing . . .
The magic wind was back!
The wild tornado started blowing harder and harder now, whipping around and around, faster and faster until . . .
It stopped.
Just like that. The magic wind was gone and Katie Carew was back!
The real Miriam Chan was back, too. And boy, was she confused.
Chapter 12
“Katie?” Miriam asked slowly. She looked around. “How did I get here?”
“You . . . uh . . . you came in here after the rehearsal,” Katie replied.
“
After
the rehearsal?” Miriam repeated. “You mean it’s over?”
After
the rehearsal?” Miriam repeated. “You mean it’s over?”
Katie nodded.
“But I . . . I don’t remember . . .” Miriam began. Then she stopped. “Well, I sort of do. Kind of. I was up onstage, and then I was in the audience and . . . oh, I don’t know. It’s all sort of fuzzy.”
“You got laryngitis,” Katie told her. “But you sound better now.”
“I guess,” Miriam said.
“You’re fine,” Katie assured her. “And you’re going to be amazing tomorrow.”
“I sure hope so,” Miriam told her. “I really wish that I had gotten a chance to do the dress rehearsal, because—”
Just then Suzanne burst into the dressing room. “Miriam! You’re talking!” she exclaimed. She did not look happy about it.
“I thought you left,” Katie said to Suzanne.
“I forgot my script.” Suzanne turned toward Miriam. “How did you get your voice back so quickly?”
“Um . . . that tea was really powerful,” Katie suggested.
Suzanne didn’t seem very convinced. “You sure got your voice back pretty fast. The last time I had laryngitis I could hardly talk for three days!” Her eyes grew small and angry.
“I should get going,” Miriam said. “I want to practice a few things tonight.” She raced out of the room, away from Suzanne’s angry glare.
“It’s not fair!” Suzanne declared as Miriam left. “Why did she have to get her voice back?”
“That’s not nice, Suzanne,” Katie said.
“Yeah, well, it’s not nice to tease a person and make her think she’s going to have the lead in the play and then take it away,” Suzanne shot back.
Katie thought about that. She could understand why Suzanne was upset.
And it
was
kind of Katie’s fault. After all, she was the one who faked having laryngitis so she didn’t have to go back onstage. If she hadn’t done that, Suzanne wouldn’t have gotten her hopes up.
was
kind of Katie’s fault. After all, she was the one who faked having laryngitis so she didn’t have to go back onstage. If she hadn’t done that, Suzanne wouldn’t have gotten her hopes up.
Suzanne really wanted to be a star. She loved attention. Unfortunately, Katie couldn’t help her with that.
Or could she?
Suddenly Katie got another one of her great ideas.
“Suzanne, I think there’s a way that you can be a star tomorrow night, too,” she said.
“Yeah, right,” Suzanne harrumphed.
“No, really. I have a plan,” Katie told her.
She grabbed Suzanne by the arm. “Come on. We need to talk to Mr. G. right now!”
Chapter 13
“One, two, a one, two, three, four!”
As soon as Mr. Starkey began to play the piano, the curtain went up, and Miriam danced across the stage singing her song. The audience applauded wildly.
“The scenery looks awesome!” Suzanne whispered to Katie and Mr. G.
Katie looked across the catwalk at Suzanne. “Thanks. Are you almost ready?”
Suzanne looked down at the stage. George and Kadeem were talking to each other. “I think so. I guess I’d better get ready to go on.”
Katie nodded. “Break a leg,” she said.
Suzanne nodded nervously as she got ready to go onstage. “Thanks.”
Just then the snowflake music began to play. Suzanne grabbed her sleigh bells and began to shake them. And then . . .
She pushed herself right off the catwalk!
But Suzanne didn’t fall hard onto the wood floor below. Instead, she drifted slowly to the ground—just like a real snowflake!
And it was all thanks to Katie!
Strong ropes were attached to Suzanne’s costume. Katie and Mr. G. worked together to gently lower her onto the stage—the same way Katie had learned to work the sun she’d made.
As Suzanne whirled and twirled in the air, the audience members jumped to their feet and cheered wildly.
Suzanne took a special bow as she landed. She smiled up at Katie.
Katie looked down and gave Suzanne a big thumbs-up. Suzanne wasn’t the star of the play, but the audience was certainly going to remember her performance.
“Well, you certainly surprised me,” Mr. Starkey told Suzanne backstage after the play had ended.
“Me too,” Jeremy agreed. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw you jump from that catwalk. I thought you were crazy.”
“Were you scared?” Emma W. asked her.
Suzanne shook her head. “Not at all,” she assured her, obviously enjoying all of the attention her surprise was getting.
“Where did you get the idea to do that?” Kevin wondered.
“I decided my entrance needed to be more spectacular. So I asked Katie and Mr. G. to help me with it,” Suzanne explained.
Katie sighed. That wasn’t exactly the way it had happened.
Just then Miriam walked backstage. She was carrying a big bouquet of roses. Surprisingly, Suzanne was the first to congratulate her.
“You were awesome, Miriam,” Suzanne told her. “I’m so glad your voice came back.”
“Th-thanks,” Miriam stammered. She was shocked to get a compliment from Suzanne. “You were great, too.”
“I know,” Suzanne replied proudly.
“You really were amazing,” Katie told Miriam. “Everyone is talking about what a great voice you have.”
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