The Amazing Stardust Friends #1: Step Into the Spotlight! (A Branches Book)

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The Amazing Stardust Friends #1: Step Into the Spotlight! (A Branches Book) Page 2

by Heather Alexander


  “Well, you will need to show

  me something fabulous.”

  “Fabulous?” I asked.

  “Yes! Amazing and awesome, too. If you do,

  you’re in. Deal?” He put out his hand.

  “Deal.” I shook Liam’s hand. Mom smiled.

  As we walked to school, I added up the

  days: Today we were on the train. Tomorrow

  afternoon we would stop to set up. Then the

  next day was the show.

  That gave me only two days.

  Could I find something fabulous, amazing,

  and awesome to do in only two days?

  “We’re here,” Mom said. She pushed open a

  door that said

  school car.

  The long car looked like a classroom. Desks

  lined each wall. A teacher’s desk sat up front.

  There was a whiteboard and many windows.

  Outside, farms rushed by.

  Inside, a mini-circus was going on!

  6

  Crazy Circus School

  “Hi, Marlo!” Carly

  zoomed about on a

  unicycle. Two boys

  chased her. How did

  she balance on one

  wheel?

  Bella sat at a desk. She held three ribbon

  leashes. At the end of each ribbon, a white dog

  in a tutu and a pearl necklace lifted a paw.

  “Marlo, meet Coconut, Marshmallow, and

  Tofu,” said Bella.

  “Wow!” I said. “In my old school, we just had

  one fat hamster inside a cage.”

  Allie and two older girls sprawled on the

  floor. Allie was reading a book—with her feet

  wrapped around her head!

  I gave her a small wave. She didn’t wave

  back. Maybe she didn’t see me? I thought.

  A young woman hurried

  over to Mom and me.

  “Welcome, Marlo. I am

  Miss Ross,” she said. She

  wore regular teacher clothes,

  cherry-red glasses, and

  bright red lipstick.

  Then Miss Ross went clap-snap-clap with her

  hands. Everyone quickly sat down. I sat next to

  Carly. Mom waved good-bye.

  As Miss Ross took attendance, I listened

  closely to see how everyone fit together. Danna

  and Renata were Allie’s big sisters. They had

  the same honey-brown skin and dark curly hair

  as Allie. Carly’s little brother, Leo, was there.

  So was Bella’s big brother, Shen.

  This taking-attendance part felt like regular

  school—especially when Miss Ross passed out

  math worksheets.

  “Miss Ross! Miss Ross!”

  Carly raised her hand. “I

  have a present for you.”

  She held out a sunflower.

  Leo groaned. “Not again.”

  “How sweet!” Miss Ross leaned forward and

  took a big sniff.

  A huge spurt of water shot out from the

  sunflower!

  It splattered Miss Ross’s glasses!

  Uh-oh! Carly was going to get into big trouble.

  But Miss Ross just laughed. “What a funny

  trick flower!”

  She reached into her pocket. She tried to pull

  out a cloth to wipe her glasses. It was stuck.

  “Marlo, would you help me?” she asked.

  I hurried over. I gave the white square a tug.

  “Whoa!” I cried. A blue square was attached

  to the white square.

  I gave another tug. A bright green square

  was attached to the blue square. Then yellow.

  Then red.

  I pulled and pulled. The chain of colorful

  squares grew longer and longer.

  I laughed. “How does all that fit into your

  tiny pocket?” I asked.

  “It’s a clown trick,” Miss Ross said. “I’m a

  clown, just like Carly.”

  My teacher is a clown? I thought.

  Miss Ross was not a regular teacher. And this

  was not a regular school.

  I couldn’t wait to see what came next!

  For a clown, Miss Ross had us do an awful lot

  of not-funny schoolwork that morning.

  “Time for lunch,” she said. “And then dance

  class after that.”

  Finally! I was starving!

  Carly turned to me. “Eat with us?”

  “Sure!” I blurted out. Carly was so nice. And

  I couldn’t wait to tell Kira that I was becoming

  friends with a clown.

  7

  Lunch Bunch

  I grabbed my books and followed Carly,

  Bella, and Allie to the Pie Car.

  We all had grilled cheese.

  Carly took a big bite. “Yum! It’s extra cheesy.”

  “Your mom is a good cook,” said Bella.

  “Thanks,” I said. Then I told them about my

  deal with Liam. “I really, really want to be in

  the circus parade. But Liam said I have to show

  him something fabulous that I can do.”

  “Can you ride a unicycle?” asked Carly.

  I shook my head.

  “Can you do backflips on a trampoline?”

  asked Allie.

  I shook my head.

  “Can you do a cartwheel on a dancing

  horse?” asked Bella.

  I shook my head. “I’ve never tried riding a

  unicycle. I’ve never done a backflip. I’ve never

  even ridden a non-dancing horse.”

  “Well, that’s a problem,” Allie said, pulling

  the crusts off her grilled cheese.

  “Oh, come on.” Carly kicked Allie under

  the table. “Don’t listen to her, Marlo. If you’ve

  never tried, how do you know you can’t do

  amazing things?”

  That got me thinking. Maybe I could fly

  through the air or stand on a horse.

  “Can you guys help me find something

  special to do?” I asked.

  “Yes!” agreed Carly.

  “Well—” Allie began.

  “We’ll help you,” Bella said, standing up. “But

  first, we have dance class. We’re late!”

  “I’m not done eating,” I said.

  Carly popped the rest of my grilled cheese

  into her mouth. Her cheeks bulged as she

  chewed. “Now you are!”

  I laughed. “Let’s go, then!”

  My feet felt cold on the wood floors of

  the Dance Car. I watched Allie, Carly, and Bella

  in the tall mirrors.

  They all wore pretty leotards. I wore leggings

  and a tank top.

  8

  Let's Dance!

  “Marlo, we are working on the parade dance

  today,” said Nia, our dance teacher.

  “She doesn’t need to know our dance,” said

  Allie.

  I looked at my feet. She was right. I wasn’t in

  the parade . . . not yet anyway.

  “She can try it, Allie,” said Bella.

  “Totally,” agreed Carly.

  Nia showed me the dance steps. Kick, kick,

  kick, sway, arms up, twirl.

  The other girls kicked their legs high.

  I kicked my legs not-so-high.

  “Keep trying,” called Carly.

  I kicked. I swayed. And then . . .

  “What comes next?” I asked.

  “Arms.” Bella showed me.

  “Again,” said Nia.

  “Oops!” I said. “I forgot how to start.”

  “It’s easy.” Allie rolled her eyes. “Sta
rt with a

  high kick.”

  My cheeks burned. I was trying really hard.

  I kicked. I swayed. I put my arms up. But I

  kept looking over at Allie. I could tell that she

  didn’t want me there.

  I had to show her that I could do the dance.

  I twirled around and around.

  Whoa! I couldn’t stop twirling. The Dance

  Car was spinning. I felt dizzy.

  Bella laughed. “You’re funny, Marlo!”

  Allie laughed, too, but in a not-so-nice way.

  I looked away.

  “I have an idea, Marlo!” Carly cried. “You

  can be a clown in the parade! I’ll show you how

  to be a fabulous clown!”

  A fter class, Carly and I raced through the

  train. Carly’s legs were superlong. I tried my

  best to keep up.

  “Is your hair really pink?” I asked. Her hair

  was still in two bright pink braids.

  “My mom lets me put in wash-out color. It’s

  called Party Pink. I mean, who ever heard of a

  clown with brown hair?” Her words came out

  as fast as she moved. “But don’t tell anyone it’s

  not really-truly pink, okay?”

  9

  Who Are You?

  “Promise,” I said.

  “I am a pink clown with pretty pink hair!”

  Carly twirled in the hall. “Who are you?”

  What a strange question! “I’m Marlo.”

  “No, silly!” Carly giggled. She giggled a lot.

  “What kind of a clown are you? Every clown

  needs a Look. That’s why I’ve brought you to

  the Wardrobe Car.”

  Carly pushed open a door.

  Racks and racks of fabulous costumes filled

  the room. My eyes took in the bright colors,

  feathers, and sequins. There were tall hats and

  sparkly tiaras, too.

  “I want to look funny and fancy,” I said.

  Carly pulled out a long black-velvet gown.

  “This dress is fancy.”

  I shook my head. “But it’s not funny.

  I like a lot of colors.”

  “Carly?” called a voice.

  “That’s my mom.” Carly put the gown back.

  Then we poked our heads through a rack of

  feathered boas.

  “Hello there,” Carly’s mom said. She pinned

  lavender fabric onto a dress form. “You must

  be Marlo.”

  “Hi, Mrs. Bruni,” I said. Then I pointed to

  the fabric. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m making a dance costume,” she said.

  “I’m the costume designer. I make everyone’s

  sparkly outfits.”

  I looked at the fabric in a puddle at her feet.

  Suddenly, I had one of my great ideas!

  I told Carly’s mom all about the Pie Car

  makeover. “This lavender fabric would make

  amazing tablecloths!” I spotted purple ribbon

  nearby. “And they can be trimmed with ribbon!”

  I added.

  “Love, love, love!” Carly’s mom had as much

  pep as Carly. “I can sew them for you later.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Now, let’s find your Clown Look, Marlo!”

  Carly tugged me away. “Dress or pants?

  Stripes or polka dots? Plain or pattern?” We

  zigzagged through the racks. She tossed skirts,

  long gloves, and hats into my arms.

  “The fun part about being a clown is that

  nothing has to match,” Carly said. “Wear what

  you love.”

  Soon I found my Clown Look.

  “Ta-da!” I cried. “Check me out!”

  I am a Rainbow Fairy Clown,” I told Mom,

  Allie, Bella, and Carly.

  I showed off my new outfit in the Pie Car

  before dinner.

  Rainbow tutu. Rainbow-striped tights. And a

  teeny-tiny sequined top hat.

  Rainbow Fairy Clown

  10

  “I love it,” Mom said. “But where’s the fairy

  part?”

  “There are fairy wings. I may or may not

  wear them,” I said. “But with wings, I could be

  a flying clown. I’ll be funny.”

  “Clowns do more than be funny,” said Carly.

  “I ride a unicycle. Leo does magic. We both

  juggle.”

  Carly reached into

  one of her many

  pockets. She kept a

  lot of clown stuff in

  her pockets. She pulled

  out three scarves. Pink,

  purple, and red.

  Up in the air went

  one . . . two . . .

  three scarves. She

  caught one. Then

  she tossed it again

  to catch the next.

  She juggled fast.

  The colors became a

  beautiful blur.

  We all cheered. Then

  Mom pointed to a carton

  of eggs on the counter.

  “Marlo, will you help me

  make egg salad?”

  “Sure.” I turned to Carly, Bella, and Allie. “I

  am great at peeling and chopping eggs.

  I chop them really tiny. That’s

  what makes Mom’s egg

  salad taste so good. I’ll

  show you how.”

  “Hello, hello!” called

  Liam in his deep voice.

  He entered the kitchen.

  This was my chance

  to show Liam what

  a fabulous clown

  I could be!

  I grabbed three

  eggs. Juggling those

  would be fabulous.

  “Marlo, those eggs

  aren’t—” Mom began. I

  heard Mom, but I sent the

  eggs high into the air.

  One . . . two . . . three . . .

  I tried to catch them.

  Splat!

  Splat!

  Splat!

  “—cooked,” finished Mom.

  “Oh, no!” I cried.

  Liam was covered with drippy, yellow yolk!

  Carly giggled. Bella and Allie stared.

  “I tried to tell you, Marlo,” Mom said. She

  wiped Liam’s shirt with a dish towel.

  My face grew hot. “Sorry, Liam.”

  Liam didn’t seem angry. Just very yolky.

  “You need more practice, Marlo. Juggle one.

  Then move onto two,” he said.

  “But I don’t have time to practice. The show

  is in two days. Maybe I can be the funny clown

  who can’t juggle?” I said hopefully.

  “Nope,” said Liam. “Can you do any other

  circus things?”

  I gulped. Carly looked at me and shrugged.

  Then she looked over at Allie. Allie didn’t

  say anything, so Carly spoke up. “How about

  aerial arts?”

  “What are aerial arts?” I whispered to Bella.

  “Aerial means up in the air,” she whispered.

  “It’s acrobatics in the sky.”

  “Great idea,” said Liam. “Marlo can practice

  with Allie tomorrow.”

  Allie frowned. “Marlo won’t be able to—”

  Carly elbowed her. “Give her a chance,” she

  whispered.

  Allie shrugged. “Sure.”

  I could tell Allie didn’t think I could be a

  Stardust Girl.

  But I wanted it more than anything.

  I’ll show both Liam and Allie that I belong in the

  parade, I decided. Tomorrow, I w
ill learn to fly!

  O n Saturday afternoon, the train finally

  stopped moving. We had made it to Scarlet.

  The crew people started setting up the big tent

  for tomorrow’s show. The train’s ceilings were

  too low to practice aerial arts. So we had to

  walk to a gym in the town to practice.

  Flip, Flop

  11

  Allie’s parents, sisters, and cousins led the

  way. I followed with Allie. Her family had

  once been aerialists in Mexico. They called

  themselves the Flying Faltos.

  “Chocolate, molinillo, corre, corre que te pillo!”

  They sang a Spanish song loudly.

  Allie was the loudest.

  My belly flip-flopped. I hoped I could do

  aerial arts. I didn’t want Allie to laugh at me

  again.

  When we got to the gym, the Flying Faltos

  stretched. I stretched, too.

  I touched my toes.

  I tried a split. Ouch!

  “What are those

  long, hanging

  pieces of fabric?” I

  asked, pointing to

  the ceiling. “They

  look like fancy living

  room curtains.”

  “They’re called

  silks,” said Allie.

  Then Allie’s sister

  Danna climbed the

  silks using only

  her arms. High

  above the floor,

  she twisted the silks

  around one foot. She

  flipped upside down.

  She bent her back

  and pointed her toes.

  Danna looked so

  graceful!

  Allie jumped up and grabbed onto the fixed

  trapeze bar. She somersaulted over it. Then she

  held onto the bar with only the tops of her feet!

  Allie was short. But she was strong.

  “I can stay upside down forever,” she said,

  showing off. “I have superstrong feet.”

  I wiggled my own feet. They looked too

 

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