The Silver Moon of Summer

by Leila Howland

  “Um, I’m not sure,” Marigold said. She stood in the doorway as Chloe took a few more pictures.

  “It was 1875,” Zinnie said and flopped on the bed.

  “Wow, this place is ancient,” Chloe said. “It’s seen so much.”

  “Wait, how do you know that’s when it was built, Zinnie?” Marigold asked.

  “Tony has a whole binder about this place,” Zinnie said as Chloe sat next to her on the bed. “I’ll show it to you if you want, Chloe. It has diagrams and old logs from the keepers.”

  “Whoa! Yeah, I definitely want to check it out,” Chloe said, hopping up from the bed to take pictures. “I love stuff like this. You could totally set a movie right here.”

  Marigold thought the lighthouse was cool, but she was more interested in talking about Performing Arts Magnet.

  “Do you know which electives you’re going to take?” Marigold asked Chloe.

  “I’m not sure yet,” Chloe said, looking around the circular room. “I think I’ll just decide when I get there.”

  “Oh,” Marigold said. She couldn’t believe Chloe wasn’t more excited about PAM. From what Marigold had heard, it was the coolest high school in Los Angeles. “I’m so excited for my shoot tomorrow!”

  “Totally,” Chloe said.

  Marigold sat at the foot of the bed and tried to think of a good question to get Chloe’s interest and attention. What was it like to be a famous director’s niece? How was filming going? Did she ever want a part in her uncle’s films? Were her parents in the film industry too? But before she decided on the right one, Zinnie jumped in.

  “The local legend is that this place is haunted,” Zinnie said.

  “Wait, what?” Chloe asked, taking out her notebook.

  “Everyone knows that’s not true, though,” Marigold said, hoping to lead the way back downstairs. This room was small and cramped, and she had set out lemonade, cookies, and a stack of fresh towels on the front porch. “Tony spent so much time here when he was fixing this place up, and he swears up and down that he didn’t so much as hear a strange noise. So don’t worry, Chloe, it’s not haunted.”

  “Tell that to Ashley,” Zinnie said, turning to Chloe. “My friend claims to have a sixth sense. She says this place has vibes.”

  “I think your friend is right,” Chloe said.

  “Chloe, you have to understand, Ashley is a little dramatic,” Marigold said. “Come on, let’s go back downstairs. We need to try the diving board.”

  “Wait a second, Marigold. Chloe, do you feel vibes?” Zinnie asked very seriously.

  “I think so,” Chloe said, and pulled her knees into her chest and closed her eyes.

  “You feel a presence?” Zinnie asked.

  “Zinnie, you always say you don’t believe in ghosts,” Marigold said. “Obviously, there’s not a presence or Tony would have said something.”

  “Actually, yes,” Chloe said, opening her eyes. “At least I think I do.”

  “Oh!” Zinnie said, shivered with delight. “That’s crazy.”

  “Next time I’ll bring my Ouija board,” Chloe said.

  “You have one of those?” Marigold asked.

  “My mother is kind of obsessed with this stuff,” Chloe said. “And she’s taught me a little.”

  “Do you communicate with spirits?” Zinnie asked.

  “Nadia always says that her Ouija board and tarot cards are more about being open to our higher selves, not about, like, talking with ghosts,” Chloe said.

  “Wait, who’s Nadia?” Marigold asked.

  “My mother,” Chloe said.

  “You call her Nadia?” Zinnie asked.

  “She says we’re equals,” Chloe said.

  That’s so weird, Marigold thought.

  “That’s so cool,” Zinnie said. “I’m going to start calling Mom ‘Gwen.’”

  “Good luck with that!” Marigold said, laughing at the thought. But no one laughed with her. Did Zinnie really think it was “cool,” or was she just swept up in the moment?

  “I have an idea,” Chloe said. “Zinnie should come to the set tomorrow, too.”

  “No!” Marigold said. She was looking forward to seeing Chloe without Zinnie around. By the look of confusion on Chloe’s face, Marigold could tell she’d reacted too strongly. “I mean, Zinnie has so much work to do for her blog.”

  “No, it’s perfect,” Zinnie said. “I’m going to write about it for my blog—remember? I already asked Chloe about that.”

  “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it until now,” Chloe said. “It’ll be perfect.”

  Yeah, thought Marigold. Perfectly horrible.

  22 • The Deal

  “The canoe is ready for your fun fourteenth!” Tony announced to everyone that evening after dinner.

  “Yay,” Marigold said, trying once again to sound happy about it.

  Aunt Sunny had just brought all the camping gear down from the attic and laid it out in the living room: the tent, the tarp, camping stove, canteens, and sleeping bags.

  “That’s a beauty of a stove,” Tony said as Zinnie picked it up.

  “Do you have fuel for this?” Zinnie asked as she examined it. Marigold put a pillow over her face and rolled her eyes. Zinnie’s obsession with wilderness survival had started here in Pruet two years ago, when Lily had almost drowned. Of course that had scared the two of them senseless, and they’d enrolled in water safety classes as soon as they’d returned to L.A. Then last summer, when Zinnie had done the most amazing thing ever by saving Cameron, she’d decided she not only needed to be prepared for water emergencies, but also for those on land. So Zinnie had taken that camping trip in the Angeles National Forest, and now she thought she knew everything.

  Marigold understood how and why this stuff was so important to Zinnie, but she was afraid that Zinnie was going to be a total know-it-all on this trip.

  “I don’t have any fuel in it yet,” Aunt Sunny said. “But I’ll make sure the tank is full before we leave.”

  “There’s some fuel out in the garage,” Tony said. “I’m very glad you’re so well prepared, Zinnia.”

  “Marigold, is there anything special you’d like to eat on your fun fourteenth?” Aunt Sunny asked.

  “As long as we can have s’mores, I’ll be happy with anything,” Marigold said, taking a deep breath and remembering the promise she and Zinnie had made that first night: no fighting. “Even hot dogs.”

  “Well, those we can roast over an open fire,” Aunt Sunny said.

  “You might even be able to leave the camping stove at home,” Tony added.

  “I definitely think it’s going to be a fun trip,” Zinnie said as she inspected the tent.

  “It will be heavenly,” Aunt Sunny said. “Telling stories, sleeping under the stars— Oh, there’s nothing like a little summer adventure with your sisters.”

  “I’ve never slept outside before,” Lily said.

  “Lily, with your love of nature, I might never be able to get you indoors again,” Aunt Sunny said.

  “And if anything goes wrong, I’ll be able to keep us all safe,” Zinnie said. “So don’t worry, Lily.”

  “I’m not,” Lily said.

  “Aunt Sunny, did you know that Chloe, Mr. Rathbone’s niece, is going to be going to Performing Arts Magnet in the fall with me?” Marigold said. “I feel like if she came on this trip, it would be a great chance to get to know her a little better.”

  “It would be so cool if Chloe could come,” Zinnie said.

  “That’s not the tradition,” Lily said, lying on top of one of the sleeping bags to test it out.

  “There’s something about camping with your family that’s deeply bonding,” Aunt Sunny said. “I really want you to experience it.”

  “Actually, Zinnie,” Marigold said. “Is there any way you could let me have some alone time with Chloe?”

  “Alone time?” Zinnie said as she carried a platter to the sink. When she returned to the living room she asked, “Why?”


  “Because I feel like we have so much to talk about for next year,” Marigold said. “But for some reason, when you’re around—maybe because she doesn’t want to be rude, I don’t know—we never end up getting to chat about PAM.”

  “Wait a second here,” Lily said. “Marigold, are you excluding Zinnie? No one likes to be excluded.”

  “Lily, I don’t think this is really any of your business,” Marigold said in her calmest voice.

  Lily cocked an eyebrow. “Any sister business is my business.”

  “Zinnie,” Marigold said, ignoring Lily. “I know she said you could come tomorrow to the set, but I think it’s better if you didn’t.”

  “Wait, what?” Zinnie said.

  “Hey,” Lily said. “Just because I’m the youngest doesn’t mean my opinion doesn’t count.”

  “You’re being really bossy, Marigold,” Zinnie said.

  “I’m being a leader,” Marigold corrected her.

  “Hmph,” Lily said.

  “I’m going to make some coffee while you girls work this out,” Aunt Sunny said, standing up.

  “I’ll join you,” Tony said, and followed her out of the room.

  “It’s okay, Lily,” Zinnie said. “It’s just . . . I really want to go to the filming. She already said I could.”

  “You guys, we’re fighting,” Lily said in a loud whisper. “We have to stop.”

  “If you can just let me have some alone time with Chloe after the shoot, then I won’t put up a fight about you watching my scene,” Marigold said.

  “Okay,” Zinnie said. “You have a deal.”

  23 • Lights, Camera, Action!

  Even though Marigold’s scene was being shot in the afternoon, she’d needed to get to the set early to get into her costume and have her hair and makeup done. Zinnie had run a couple of errands for Jean, delivering piles of T-shirts that said “Pruet Tricentennial” to the general store in a wagon and typing up the itinerary for publication in the yacht club newsletter. She’d also looked at her classmates’ blogs and checked her email about a hundred times, but there were no more emails from Brave13. Or Max, she thought with a grin. Right after lunch she headed straight to the yacht club.

  She was sitting next to Chloe in the yacht club dining room, which Mr. Rathbone’s crew had completely rearranged, though they had decided to keep the nautical flags that hung across the ceiling. Windows were blocked off with black paper, and the lights were huge, bright, and professional. There were at least fifteen different people working, operating cameras, checking lights, touching up makeup, and holding big microphones. And of course there was Mr. Rathbone, sitting in his director’s chair, telling everyone what to do in a calm but firm voice. It was crazy to think that this was usually just the regular old yacht club, where the people of Pruet ate their hamburgers and lobster rolls after a sail and where Peter, who sometimes worked as a busboy, folded napkins and cleared the tables.

  Zinnie actually got chills when Mr. Rathbone said, “Aaaaaaand . . . action!”

  Zinnie held her breath as she watched Marigold emerge from the swinging doors of the kitchen carrying a tray with coffee, cream, and sugar on it. Even though she had been jealous of Marigold for getting to have the real adventure of the day by being in front of the camera, she was still impressed by her sister. She hadn’t even said a word, and yet it was as though Marigold had been a waitress her whole life. In her yellow-and-white waitress’s costume, which was nothing like the khakis and T-shirts the real servers at the yacht club wore, her hair up in a loose bun, and a professional smile on her lips, she definitely looked the part. She also resembled their mom more each day, especially with that makeup on. Zinnie wished her mom were here right now.

  She watched as Marigold said her line, “Here’s your coffee,” and placed the coffee on the table like it was no big deal. She made acting look so effortless. Zinnie saw now how out of place her over-the-top accent must have seemed during auditions, even if it had been funny at the time.

  Marigold walked back through the swinging kitchen doors, and Zinnie watched the scene play out. It was a conversation between a dashing man and a woman, who were plotting a jewel heist on a yacht. Someone off to the side gave a hand signal, and Ashley and a boy about Peter’s age walked in the background, each holding a tray. Zinnie had to cover her mouth to keep from saying “Hey, Ashley!” She knew how excited Ashley was to have been cast as an extra.

  Mr. Rathbone called, “Cut!”

  “What did you think?” Chloe asked, turning to Zinnie.

  Zinnie felt a little pinch in her stomach. She really wanted to stay in her director’s chair and analyze the scene with Chloe, to hear why she thought it had gone well or poorly, and maybe talk about other scenes in other movies. She had a feeling they probably liked a lot of the same shows and stuff. But then she remembered her deal with Marigold.

  “It was really cool,” Zinnie said, hopping off her seat. She’d been surprised that Marigold had wanted to spend time with Chloe without her. But then she thought about how she’d asked Marigold to do the same thing with Max last year. Marigold had kept her word, so she had to, too.

  “See, if I’d written the script, I would have made the dialogue even more lighthearted so that the poisoning would be an even bigger reveal,” Chloe said.

  “I love that idea,” Zinnie said. “It would make the crime so unexpected.” These were just the types of conversations she wanted to be having. They would make her a better writer. She regretted making the deal with Marigold.

  “Did you see stuff you wanted to write about for your blog?”

  “Weirdly, I was most interested in the extras,” Zinnie said, thinking that it had been hard to take her eyes off Ashley as she walked around in the background, though she wasn’t sure why.

  “I know just what you mean,” Chloe said.

  “Hi!” Marigold said, approaching them.

  “You were really good,” Zinnie said.

  “Thanks,” Marigold said. “Chloe, do you want to go sailing with Peter and Vince and me tomorrow afternoon? It would be like a double date! Or do you have to help your uncle?”

  “I’d love to go! I’ve never been sailing before,” Chloe said. “Zinnie, are you coming?”

  Before Zinnie could even think about saying yes, Marigold gave her a quick but effective glare.

  “I can’t,” Zinnie said.

  “Why?” Chloe asked.

  “The boat’s too small,” Marigold quipped.

  “Can we find a bigger boat?” Chloe asked.

  “Not exactly,” Marigold said. “Peter, um, has only one boat.”

  “It’s okay, because I need to write in my blog,” Zinnie said.

  “I get that,” said Chloe, and then turned to Marigold. “Sure, I’d love to.”

  Marigold gave Zinnie a little thank-you nod, and Zinnie went to talk to Ashley, who was waving at her from across the room. Zinnie would have loved to talk more with Chloe, but she had to keep her promise. And anyway, now was a good opportunity to get the scoop from Ashley about the behind-the-scenes details.

  “What are you, a report-ah now?” Ashley asked when Zinnie pressed her for specifics.

  “In a way,” Zinnie said.

  “You put on talent shows, you rescue drowning children, now you’re writing a blog. Zinnie, is there anything you can’t do?” Ashley asked.

  “Let’s see . . . I can’t say the line, ‘Would you like a cup of coffee?’ without making a total mess of it!” Zinnie said, and they both burst out laughing.

  “Tell me about your audition again,” Ashley said through her giggles. “It kills me every time.”

  “Here goes,” Zinnie said, because she loved to tell a good story, and Ashley was the perfect audience.

  24 • Not a Lie . . . Exactly

  “How do you think that went?” Marigold asked Chloe now that Zinnie was safely on the other side of the room, granting her the space she’d asked for.

  “It was great,” Chloe said.
“Trust me, if Uncle Phil didn’t think it had gone well, he would’ve made everyone do it over until it did.”

  “I was so bummed out when your uncle cut my scene from his movie,” Marigold said.

  “That’s not going to happen with this scene,” Chloe said confidently.

  “How do you know?” Marigold asked.

  “Because in the script, the coffee that your character just served is laced with deadly poison,” Chloe said with a smile.

  “Really?” Marigold asked, suddenly concerned. “Does my character know? Because I would have played it differently. . . .”

  “Nope,” Chloe said. “She’s just an innocent waitress. But the male lead played by Daryl—you know the actor with the gray hair?” Marigold nodded. Of course she knew who Daryl Johnson was! He was only one of the most well-respected character actors on TV! “He barely survives this attempt on his life. The next scene is in the hospital. Which we’re shooting back in L.A.”

  “So basically, if you don’t show this scene, no one will understand the episode?” Marigold asked, grinning.

  “Exactly,” Chloe said.

  “Yay!” Marigold said. Glancing over Chloe’s shoulder, Marigold saw that Zinnie and Ashley were headed out the door, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey, have you ever been in any of your uncle’s productions? I love acting, so if I were you, I’d try to be in all of them.”

  Chloe shook her head. “Acting isn’t really my thing. Nadia’s an actress, and it’s always just seemed so . . . I don’t know. It’s just not for me.”

  “Oh,” Marigold said, feeling a ripple of uncertainty. Was acting uncool to Chloe? “Well, I guess I wouldn’t want to do the same thing as my mom either.”

  “Really? What does she do?” Chloe asked.

  “Film editing,” Marigold said. “Kind of boring, right? All that time just cutting and pasting.”

  “My uncle says that editors are the ones who really tell the story,” Chloe said. “I was thinking of taking an editing class at PAM.”

  “Really? I want to take a directing class. Hey, do you want to go get some ice cream right now?” Marigold asked. “I know you said you’re going to decide about electives later, but have you heard about the heroes and villains storytelling class? It’s supposed to be awesome.”