The Dramatic Life of Azaleah Lane

by Nikki Shannon Smith

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Introduction

  Chapter 1: WILLA WONKA AND HER SISTER

  Chapter 2: THE GHOST OF THESPIS

  Chapter 3: FOUL PLAY

  Chapter 4: UNDERSTUDY (NOT A BUDDY)

  Chapter 5: SNEAKY DETECTIVE

  Chapter 6: INTERMISSION

  Chapter 7: THE DRESSING ROOM

  Chapter 8: WHAT IF...?

  Chapter 9: SURPRISES

  Chapter 10: A SHINING STAR (OR TWO)

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  Glossary

  Let's Talk!

  Let's Write!

  Act It Out!

  Explore More

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  Hey, there! I’m Azaleah!

  I’m eight years old and in the third grade. My life is amazing. I live in Washington, D.C., with my family: Mama, Daddy, Nia, and Tiana. Washington, D.C., is our nation’s capital and the coolest place to grow up.

  Mama has her very own restaurant here called Avec Amour. That means “with love” in French. She named it that because she adds love to everything she does.

  My daddy is a lawyer. He sues bad guys for a living. The bad guys are big businesses that do things that hurt other people. But my daddy makes them pay. He makes sure they’re held responsible.

  Tiana is my baby sister. She’s four years old and pretty cute—most of the time. I like her a lot, even though she comes in my room too much. I also have an older sister named Nia. She’s in middle school and is always in her room. Always.

  Mama’s sister—my Auntie Sam—takes care of us when Mama and Daddy are busy. I love Auntie Sam. She’s never too tired to play and she likes to do art. She also likes adventures—my favorite!

  Aside from my family, there are three main things you should know about me.

  I’m curious… not nosy. (Despite what Nia says.)

  I’m good at solving mysteries—very good.

  I live in the White House!

  OK… not the real White House. (The president of the United States lives there.) But my house is big and white, plus it has a great big living room and a nice backyard. It’s just as good as the real White House, if you ask me!

  It’s hard to believe this amazing life all belongs to me, Azaleah Lane!

  CHAPTER 1

  WILLA WONKA AND HER SISTER

  “Action!” the drama teacher yelled.

  The theater lights dimmed. Actors came onto the stage. I couldn’t believe my luck. I was about to watch a top-secret rehearsal at my big sister’s middle school!

  I stared up at the stage. A beautiful candy garden had been set up there. My older sister, Nia, was up there too. She wore a long, glittery purple coat and a matching purple top hat. The dark theater and bright spotlight made the coat look even shinier.

  Nia had been talking about her costume for weeks. She was the lead in her school’s next show, Willa Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

  Willy Wonka was originally supposed to be a boy. But Nia’s teacher, Mr. Guidi, had changed the name to Willa Wonka just for her.

  Now I could finally see why my sister kept saying her costume was awesome. It was gorgeous!

  I watched while Nia sang a song about imagination. The other actors stood nearby, amazed by the garden around them. They were the visitors at the chocolate factory.

  I leaned forward. Nia sang in a soft, dreamy voice. She sounded even better than she did when she practiced at home.

  Suddenly, Mr. Guidi, yelled, “Cut!”

  Everyone froze—including my sister. She looked very upset.

  I don’t think Nia wants to stop, I thought.

  A boy came out from the back.

  “What happened to the lights, Mike?” Mr. Guidi asked. “Why is the coat not lighting up?”

  What is he talking about? I wondered.

  Mike held up a remote control. “The batteries are gone!”

  “They were there yesterday,” said Nia.

  At the end of my row, a boy with long, curly hair giggled. I didn’t think it was very funny. I wanted to tell him to stop laughing, but I couldn’t. I had promised Mama I’d be quiet.

  I wasn’t even supposed to be at the rehearsal. Mama usually took me, Nia, and our little sister, Tiana, to her restaurant after school on Friday afternoons. We’d stay at Avec Amour until Daddy or Auntie Sam picked us up.

  Auntie Sam watched us all the time. Between Mama’s restaurant and Daddy’s job as a lawyer, my parents were pretty busy. I loved being with Auntie Sam. We always had fun.

  But today after school had been very unusual. When I got to Mama’s car, my little sister wasn’t there.

  “Where’s Tiana?” I asked.

  “She’s at her friend Kevin’s house playing,” Mama said. “It’s the mayor’s birthday today, and she’s celebrating with dinner at Avec Amour. That means I can’t bring you to work with me today.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “The mayor’s party is in the private dining room,” Mama explained. “You can’t be in there, and you can’t sit alone for three hours. Daddy is working late, and Auntie Sam is out of town.”

  There was nobody to watch me. That’s how I ended up at Nia’s rehearsal. Mr. Guidi had agreed I could stay there for the evening. But he had what Mama called conditions.

  I had to stay seated.

  I had to stay quiet.

  Mama had reminded me about this three times before she left. That’s why I couldn’t tell the boy to stop laughing.

  I wonder why he’s allowed to be in the theater, I thought. Does he have conditions too?

  Mr. Guidi crossed his arms and looked at everyone. “Batteries!” he yelled.

  Every light in the theater came on. All the kids onstage looked nervous. Nia looked like she was about to cry. She took her shows very seriously.

  Nia was what Daddy called a “triple threat.” That meant she could dance, sing, and act. She was always in a show. She had been the main character before. But this was the first time Mr. Guidi had changed a character just for her.

  It was a really big deal. Our family was even planning a special surprise party for Nia. It would be at Avec Amour on Sunday after the show. I was in charge of making decorations.

  But the party wouldn’t be any fun if Nia was sad about the show. Onstage, everyone was standing in silence.

  Then I had an idea. I’d noticed a TV in the lobby when I got to the theater. I had a feeling it had a remote with batteries.

  I knew I was supposed to stay seated and quiet. I really wanted to help, though. Nia needed me.

  I had two choices.

  I could follow the conditions.

  I could interrupt.

  My heart started to beat fast. I knew I might get in trouble with Mr. Guidi. I knew Mama and Daddy would find out I hadn’t listened. I also knew Nia might get mad at me.

  But I did it anyway.

  “Mr. Guidi!” I stood up and yelled. “I have an idea!”

  CHAPTER 2

  THE GHOST OF THESPIS

  Everyone in the whole entire theater stared at me. The laughing boy in my row frowned. A few rows back, an older boy gave me a curious glance.

  From the stage, Nia glared at me. It looked like she was trying to shoot laser beams out of her eyes.

  Mr. Guidi didn’t look happy either. He said, “Azaleah, your moth
er promised me you would behave if I let you stay here this afternoon.”

  Just then, one of the fake lollipops in the candy garden fell over. It made all the other lollipops fall like dominoes.

  Mr. Guidi rubbed his hands over his face. “Falling props, missing batteries, interrupting children… what’s next?”

  Suddenly a door somewhere in the theater slammed. We all jumped.

  “Too many things are going wrong,” said Mr. Guidi. “It’s the ghost of Thespis.” He shook his head and walked toward me.

  The closer Mr. Guidi got, the more I worried. Maybe I should have just stayed quiet.

  “Well, what is it?” Mr. Guidi frowned at me.

  The boy I’d seen laughing about the coat covered his mouth and laughed at me.

  I wish Mr. Guidi would turn around and catch him, I thought.

  I focused on Mr. Guidi. “There’s a TV in the lobby,” I told him. “You know the one that shows the stage? I saw it on my way in. Does it have a remote? Maybe we could use the batteries from there.”

  Mr. Guidi’s whole face changed. He smiled at me and turned to the laughing boy. The boy stopped laughing just in time.

  “Owen,” Mr. Guidi said, “go get the batteries from the lobby TV remote!”

  Owen popped up and ran toward the lobby.

  I grinned, and my heart slowed down. It was a good thing I was so observant. Observant people noticed things other people didn’t.

  I was also a good listener. I hadn’t forgotten what Mr. Guidi said.

  “What is the ghost of Thespis?” I asked.

  “Who is the ghost of Thespis,” Mr. Guidi corrected me. “Thespis was the first actor ever. If things go wrong in the theater, it’s usually him.”

  I couldn’t tell if Mr. Guidi was serious or not. A few of the kids were nodding like they believed him. In the audience, the older boy I’d noticed was writing something down.

  Before I could ask any questions, Owen came back with the batteries. He gave them to Mike. Mike popped them into the remote. I held my breath as he pressed a button.

  The coat lit up, and I let out my breath. The coat was even more amazing with the lights on.

  Mr. Guidi turned back to me and clapped. “You’re a genius! We need someone like you around here. You’re welcome to come back tomorrow.”

  I grinned and sat back down in my seat, right in the middle of the row. Owen frowned and went back to his seat.

  The lights went out. “Take it from the top of the scene,” Mr. Guidi said.

  Nia had to start her song all over again. This time her coat lit up while she was singing. As Nia’s voice got louder, the lights inside the purple coat got brighter and brighter. It almost looked like the coat was glowing.

  I stood up and clapped when Nia finished. She had done an excellent job. Owen didn’t laugh this time. This time, there was nothing to laugh at.

  * * *

  For a while, things went fine. But then, during the Oompa Loompa song, everything started going wrong.

  First, something happened with the microphones the actors had on their shirts. One microphone turned off. Then another. And then another.

  The song got quieter and quieter. Soon all seven microphones were off. The Oompa Loompas were dancing and singing, but I could barely hear them.

  Mr. Guidi yelled, “Cut!”

  Mike ran out from backstage. “I’ll go check the connection,” he said. Then he disappeared.

  At the end of our row, Owen giggled—again. It was like he wanted the show to be bad.

  Onstage, Nia crossed her arms. I watched her chest go up and down. I could tell she was taking deep breaths.

  When Mike came back out, he looked confused. “The cord fell out of the plug somehow. It should be fine now.”

  The rehearsal started again. But a few minutes later, the wooden petals fell off one of the fake flowers in the garden.

  The petals made loud bangs! when they landed on the ground. The Oompa Loompas kept tripping over petals and kicking them. They were sliding all over the stage. Nia had to keep looking down so she didn’t step on the kids or the petals.

  “Keep going!” yelled Mr. Guidi. “We don’t have time to fix them right now.”

  If there really is a ghost of Thespis, he sure is busy, I thought.

  Owen laughed again, but this time Mr. Guidi heard him.

  “That’s enough, Owen,” he snapped.

  Owen stopped laughing right away. I smiled. I was glad Mr. Guidi had finally caught him.

  The crew picked up the petals, but then the string that opened and closed the curtains broke. Mr. Guidi had to stop everything so the crew could tie the ends together.

  A few minutes later, the bubble machine that was supposed to blow bubbles on the stage ran out of bubble soap. They had to stop to refill it. When they started again, Nia messed up her lines.

  The rehearsal wasn’t going well at all. The only good thing was that Owen wasn’t laughing anymore.

  Every time something went wrong, I thought about the ghost of Thespis. I didn’t think a ghost could ruin a whole rehearsal. But it seemed like a lot of bad luck for one show. Something strange was going on.

  Finally, the rehearsal was over. Mr. Guidi said loudly, “Everyone, gather around, please.”

  He motioned to the teenager I’d seen sitting a few rows back. The boy came forward and joined the cast. He had a tiny recorder in one hand and a notebook in the other.

  “This is Chris,” said Mr. Guidi. “He’s a reporter for the high school newspaper. He’s hoping to write a good story about the musical.”

  Nia’s eyes got big. Some of the actors smiled at Chris.

  A reporter? I thought. No wonder he seemed like he was paying attention to everything.

  Mr. Guidi kept talking. “I’ve given him a backstage tour and time to explore. He has full permission to be anywhere in the theater. Chris will be at the dress rehearsal tomorrow and the show on Sunday.”

  I knew all about dress rehearsals because Nia had been in so many shows. It was the last chance to get things right. It was supposed to be as good as the real show, even though there was no audience.

  At dress rehearsals, all the actors wore their costumes and stage makeup. They didn’t stop to fix things, even if something went wrong. Nia always said, “The show must go on.”

  Mr. Guidi looked at all the actors. “We have a lot of work to do if we want a flawless production and a good review,” he said.

  I knew what flawless meant. It meant perfect. And one thing was for sure: this show was not perfect.

  CHAPTER 3

  FOUL PLAY

  When we got to the lobby, Daddy was waiting for us. “How did it go?” he asked.

  Nia burst into tears. “It was a total disaster!”

  Daddy looked at me. “What happened?” he asked.

  “The rehearsal had… a few problems,” I said.

  “We have to go pick up Tiana. Let’s talk about this in the car,” said Daddy. Once we were all in the car, he turned to Nia. “So, what happened?”

  “My costume didn’t light up because the batteries in the remote were missing. Microphones went dead. Props were messed up. Everything went wrong. I messed up my lines,” said Nia.

  “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” Daddy said.

  “It was that bad,” Nia insisted. “And a reporter was there. He’s going to write an article for the high school newspaper. If the show is bad, the review will be bad. People are going to think I did a bad job!”

  Daddy sighed. “I’m sorry, Nia. I’m sure tomorrow will be better.”

  “I get to go back tomorrow,” I told Daddy. “Mr. Guidi said he needs someone like me around.”

  “Are you sure that’s OK with Mr. Guidi?” Daddy asked.

  I nodded.

  “Azaleah wa
s helpful today,” Nia said.

  “That’s great!” Daddy grinned at me.

  The car was very quiet until we got to Kevin’s house to pick up Tiana. I was glad to see my little sister. She was usually cheerful.

  “Guess what?” Tiana said. She bounced in her booster seat as Daddy buckled her in. “Me and Kevin made ice cream sundaes for snack!”

  “Kevin and I!” Daddy said, but he was smiling.

  Nia stared out of the window while Tiana told us every single detail about her playdate with Kevin. Tiana smiled so much that it made me smile too.

  Daddy kept saying, “That sounds like fun.”

  Finally we got to our house—the White House. It isn’t the real White House. The president lives there. But I call our house the White House because it’s huge and white and beautiful with a big backyard.

  I was happy to be home. Plus, it reminded me that I needed to work on the decorations for Nia’s party. I would have to start right after dinner. It was already Friday, and now I would be at the rehearsal tomorrow. I wanted to take my time so I would have a beautiful sign by Sunday.

  In the kitchen, Daddy took out leftovers from Avec Amour.

  “Yummmm!” yelled Tiana. “Crab jambalaya!”

  We loved leftovers from Mama’s restaurant. They were always a good surprise. We set the table and sat down. Nia still looked sad.

  “Daddy, have you ever heard of the ghost of Thespis?” I asked.

  Daddy shook his head.

  “Mr. Guidi said it’s the ghost of the first actor ever,” I explained. “When something goes wrong in the theater, the ghost probably did it.”

  Tiana gasped. “A ghost? That’s scary.”

  “He was just saying that,” said Nia. She shook her head at me.

  “Are you sure it wasn’t just a coincidence?” Daddy asked.

  Daddy used the word coincidence a lot. He’s a lawyer. That means he always has to prove that something is not just a coincidence.

  “Well,” I said, “it was a lot of bad luck. Something strange was definitely going on.”