Drama at Mouseford (Thea Stilton Mouseford Academy #1)
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since you have been at the academy, and I
don’t think you would start now.”
The headmaster nodded. “We have
gathered all of the
PAPERS
with your
names on them. Let’s see if we can figure
out
what happened.”
The Thea Sisters carefully
examined the papers. They
quickly noticed a very
important detail.
“One of these names is in
my handwriting,” Pam said, “but the rest aren’t. See?”
Looking at the papers, it was CLEAR that
someone else had written the names of the
Thea Sisters on the extra slips of paper.
The headmaster nodded. “You are
right. These extra names were added by
someone else!”
Pamela
Pamela
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The Thea Sisters breathed a sigh of relief.
“Someone must have played a terrible
trick on you,” Professor Rattcliff said.
“We’ll conduct an investigation. Until then,
I’ll put your names at the bottom of the list.”
“Thank you!” the friends said.
When they left the office, Nicky turned to
the others. “Ruby has her
paws
all
over this!” she said. “We should say
something. Then she’d be disqualified.”
“We don’t have proof,” Violet said.
“Besides, I don’t need to play games like Ruby does. If I get the part, I want it to be because I’m the best — not because someone else got disqualified!”
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THEATER FEVER
The Thea Sisters made their way back to the
auditorium . They passed by Craig as
they entered.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “I
thought you were
OFF THE LIST.”
“That was a mistake,” Violet said.
“We’re back on it — at the bottom.”
Craig shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anyway.
Ruby is so going to get the part of Juliet.”
“Why is he so sure about that?” Nicky
wondered, as they walked off.
When they got inside, they saw that
Headmaster de Mousus and the rest of the committee had returned as well.
“QUIET,
everyone!” the headmaster
announced. “I need the first five rodents on
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the list to please line up by the stage.”
The nervous students QUICKLY lined
up. The rest of the students sat in the auditorium to watch as they waited to be called.
The auditions went by at a very fast
pace. Many boy mice tried out for the part
of Mouseo, and many girl mice tried out to be Juliet. They were all fine, but there was something missing.
“We need actors with a little more . . .
spark!” Professor Rattcliff told the other
judges.
But so far, nobody was quite right.
Then Craig’s turn came. He put so much
ENERGY into his performance that when
he declared his love for Juliet, he pounded on the floorboards, breaking one of them.
Shen gave a sensitive performance, but he
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My beloved!
was so nervous that he kept forgetting
his lines.
Connie from the Ruby Crew was a little
too LOUD, and Zoe was a little too quiet.
At the judges’ table, Professor Marblemouse
sighed. “I don’t think we’re going to find the
perfect Mouseo and Juliet in this bunch!”
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A DREAM
AUDITION
Professor Rattcliff looked down at the list.
“Next up . . . Ruby Flashyfur,”
she called out.
The auditorium suddenly went quiet.
Ruby swept down the aisle in a
beautiful blue gown, just like Juliet
would have worn. She looked
stunning
.
Even so, Ruby felt nervous. She
tried to SHAKE OFF the feeling.
Why are they wasting time
listening to these other actors?
she thought.
I am the Juliet they’re looking for!
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Ruby held her head
high
as she made her
grand entrance.
I was born for the stage, she reminded
herself. This is the moment I’ve been
waiting for!
“COME ON, RUBY
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, show them you’re
the best!” Connie yelled from her seat.
“That’s right!” Alicia called
out. “Do your BEST, Ruby!
It doesn’t matter if you get the
part or not!”
Ruby stopped and scowled
at her. The other members of the Ruby Crew shook their heads at Alicia.
“What did I say that was so wrong?”
Alicia asked.
“It does matter if Ruby gets the part,” said
Zoe. “She has to get the part!”
Ruby reached the stage and began to read
her lines. Soon it was clear.
SHE WAS REALLY GOOD!
There was no denying it. Her performance
was filled with real emotion. And she had
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that “spark” the judges were looking for. They couldn’t take their EYES off her.
“Now, that’s a Juliet,” said Professor
Marblemouse.
Even Professor Rattcliff, who was usually
very serious, let a tear fall from her eye.
“Just lovely,” she said.
Headmaster de Mousus stood up. “Well
then, we have found our Juliet!”
Luckily, Professor Sparkle came to the
rescue of the Thea Sisters.
What feeling!
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“To be fair, we should hear from all the students before we decide,” he said.
The headmaster sighed. “Very well, then.
Let’s get this over with.”
Colette was more nervous than ever.
“There’s no way any of us will beat Ruby!”
But Violet had a determined look in
her eyes. “We’ll see about that,” she said.
“May the best
mouse win!”
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a thrilling
audition
“Colette! You’re next,” Professor Rattcliff called out.
Colette NERVOUSLY got onstage.
“You can do it, Colette!” the Thea Sisters
cheered.
Colette took a deep breath.
Then she recited her lines.
While she declared her
feelings for Mouseo, she
did a pirouette, sighed, and clutched her paws together.
“Good, but maybe a little
TOO MUCH feeling,”
Professor Marblemouse whispered to the others.
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The rest of the Thea Sisters took their turn. Nicky’s performance was
ENERGETIC and
LIVELY.
Pamela forgot most of her
lines, so she improvised instead.
“Hey, Mouseo, let’s forget
about this cheese and go on a
TRIP
around the world,” she
quipped. But the judges didn’t
seem to enjoy the new twist
on the ol
d classic.
Paulina was so
shy that she spoke all of her lines in a whisper. She was still good, though,
and everyone quieted down,
riveted, so they could
hear her.
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“She’s good, but no one
would be able to
HEAR
her in
the back rows,” remarked
Professor Sparkle.
Finally, it was Violet’s turn.
Any NERVOUSNESS she
had vanished once she stepped onstage. She briefly closed her eyes and tried to imagine being on
Juliet’s balcony. She could almost
feel the cool breeze on her fur and hear
the leaves rustling in the trees.
As she recited her lines, she transformed
herself into Juliet. She took everyone in the
auditorium with her on a trip to the
ENCHANTED land created by William
Squeakspeare.
When Violet finished, everyone applauded
like crazy.
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Wherefore art thou, Mouseo?
The judging committee began to whisper to one another.
“Ruby was
wonderful, but so was
Violet,” said Headmaster de Mousus.
Professor Rattcliff nodded. “Yes, they’re
both perfect for the part!”
?
?
?
?
The professors just couldn’t decide which student to choose!
?
?
?
Finally, the headmaster stood up and
addressed the crowd.
“We are not ready yet to make any final
?
?
?
?
decisions,” he said. “Ruby and Violet, we
would like to see each of you again here
tomorrow at one o’clock for a second
audition. After that, we will decide who will
play the role of Juliet.”
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A murmur rose from the crowd. Violet and
Ruby were both SHOCKED.
The auditions weren’t over yet!
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an unexpected
mouseo
The students in the crowd were about to leave when the headmaster made an
ANNOUNCEMENT.
“We almost forgot,” he said. “There is one
more name on the list: Ryder Flashyfur.”
Ryder CONFIDENTLY strode onto the
stage and began to recite his lines.
“I love you more than CHEDDAR. When
I’m with you, there’s nothing BETTER.”
The professors and students all got quiet.
Ryder was performing the part with his whole heart and soul.
“wow!
”
exclaimed Craig loudly,
nudging the rodent next to him. “Who knew
Ryder had it in him?”
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“Shhh!” the student hissed. “I want to
listen!”
Everyone was
completely MESMERIZED
as Ryder finished his
lines. It was pretty clear
that he would get the part of Mouseo.
Headmaster de Mousus
dismissed everybody. Craig walked up to Ryder.
“Well, it looks like I won’t be playing
Mouseo,” he said. “But I hope your sister
gets the part of Juliet. She was the BEST.”
Ruby joined them. “Oh, I’ll get the part,”
she said CONFIDENTLY.
Ryder raised an eyebrow. “How can you be
so sure?”
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“Because I’m the best, of course,” Ruby
replied with a wicked
twinkle
in her eye.
You’ll see . . .
a mysterious
invitation
Violet woke up early the next morning.
Now that it was between her and Ruby
for the part of Juliet, she wanted to get
in as much practice as possible.
Instead of waking her friends, she took her copy of Mouseo and Juliet and went to the
garden to read her lines.
She wasn’t the only one up early. Violet
found Ruby near the fountain, wearing workout clothes and doing some stretching exercises.
Violet walked up to her. “Good luck today,”
she said.
Ruby snorted. “I don’t need any luck!”
Then Craig jogged by. “I’m rooting for
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you, Ruby!” he called out, and Ruby smiled.
I suppose a lot of students are rooting for
Ruby, Violet thought. But I can’t let that distract me. She found a
quiet spot on a
bench and began to go over her lines.
“Hey,
Violet! You’re
up early!”
Violet looked up to see
Nicky waving at her. Her
friend wore a tracksuit
and was headed out for
her morning RUN.
Violet left her book
on the bench and went
to meet her friend. “I
wanted to get some
EXTRA practice in,”
Violet explained.
Hey, Violet!
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“GOOD! ”
Nicky replied. “But don’t
overdo it. You were a natural yesterday.
Meet you in Colette’s room before lunch, okay?”
Violet nodded. “See you later!”
She went back to the bench. When she
picked up her book, a note fell out. She picked it up and read it:
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Dear Violet,
I thought maybe we could rehearse the parts of Mouseo and Juliet together. It’s hard to concentrate at the school, so maybe we could meet at the observatory. How about 10?
I hope to see you there.
Bye,
Ryder
Violet was surprised. The MYSTERIOUS
Ryder wanted to practice with her? They had
never really even had a conversation before.
Still, she liked the idea. It would be easier
to practice her lines with someone reading
the lines of Mouseo. And Ryder was so
good. . . .
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She looked at her watch. It was 9:30.
Why not? she decided.
She had plenty of time to
go to the observatory,
practice with Ryder, and
then get back in
time for lunch with her friends and her audition.
She picked up her book and started
walking, reciting lines softly to herself
as she went.
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CAUGHT IN
A TRAP!
The astronomy observatory was built
on top of a hill and was the highest
point on Whale Island. From there, students
could observe the sky and the stars
without being disturbed by the lights on the
island. A large telescope stuck out from the
dome-shaped building, pointing toward
the sky.
Violet walked along the
that traveled through Hawk Woods and continued up the hill. It felt good to walk
in the fresh morning air, and the VIEW was beautiful.
On one side of the path, she could
see the
glittering
blue ocean down below.
narrow path
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Green trees and plants grew on the other
side. She heard wings flapping and turn
ed to
see a FALCON fly out of the trees.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a large
shadow moving in the brush.
“Ryder?” she called out, but there was
no answer.
Suddenly, a sparrow popped out of a
bush and began to fly in circles around Violet.
“Oh, it was just you,” she said, LAUGHING
to herself. “I thought someone was there.”
When Violet reached the observatory, she
opened the large front door. On weekends, only the museum inside was open, and it was
usually quiet and empty — the perfect place to rehearse.
“Ryder?” Violet called out.
There was no reply.
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“I’m here!”
“HERE HERE
HERE . . .”
her echo responded.
She looked at her watch.
It was 10:10.
Ryder should have arrived by now.
Maybe he’s running late, Violet thought.
Might as well wait. She stepped toward
a map of the stars that hung
on the wall. The map had always fascinated her, and she leaned in for a closer look.
Violet said.
A few seconds later, she thought she heard
a noise outside. She turned just as the door shut loudly behind her.
SLAM!
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“Oh no!” Violet cried. She RAN toward
the door and pulled on the handle, but it wouldn’t OPEN !
She pulled again, but it didn’t budge.
She was locked inside!
But how had the door closed? Violet
wondered. A sudden GUST OF WIND ?
But it wasn’t windy outside. . . .
Oh no!
It seemed really strange, but there
was nothing she could do. Violet tried her
cell phone, but she couldn’t get a signal.
Her only hope was that Ryder would be
there soon.
“Ryder, where are you?”
she called out.
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THE USUAL
SUSPECTS . . .
Back at Mouseford Academy, Connie, Zoe,
and Alicia were chatting in the garden