Fatima could see how hard Jaclyn was trying to keep it all together. She put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’re going to get this all figured out. I’ve got to get to my seat now. They put me in the front row right next to Miss Carver, so it’s going to be a weird-smelling couple of hours for me.” She pulled her notebook and pen out of her jacket pocket.
“What’s that for?” asked Jaclyn.
“The review for the school paper. Just because I wrote the play doesn’t mean I get the night off. And I’m determined to be completely objective.” She clicked up the pen and headed for her seat.
As Jaclyn sat down on the frayed couch backstage, Marina approached her.
“Hey, Jaclyn?” said Marina, blinking her big brown eyes.
“Oh, hey,” said Jaclyn. “Are you ready for your big solo?”
“I think so. I’ve been working really, really hard on it. Anyway, I just wanted to say it’s been fun rehearsing this play with you. I couldn’t have asked for a better understudy. You’re so talented. It could just as easily be you out there.”
Suddenly, Jaclyn felt bad for ever being jealous of Marina. She really was just trying her best. “Thanks, Marina. You’re going to nail it. If you need anything, I’ll be here waiting in the wings. Oh, and don’t forget your wig! Remember, when the original settlers came to Fog Island, bangs were outlawed.”
Marina reached up and felt the top of her head. “Oh my gosh! I almost forgot! Thank you!” She hurried down the hall toward the costume closet.
As soon as Marina turned the corner, Jaclyn felt it happening again. In a matter of seconds, Jackie was back. Her neck bones cracked; her nails sharpened into claws. Jaclyn was no longer in control. She felt like she was locked in a fortress, peering out through Jackie’s eyes.
Jackie leaped up from the couch and looked around, careful not to be caught. She saw the brown velvet moose costume crumpled on the ground.
“Come here, moosie!” she hissed.
She stepped into the moose costume and zipped it up. Only her green eyes were visible through the eye holes. She tiptoed down the hallway, giggling quietly to herself. When she got to the costume closet, the door was open. Marina was digging through a box of wigs, humming the notes of her solo. She found the wig she was looking for—blond and ponytailed, just like the real Penny Pogwilly. She was about to put it on when Jackie snatched it out of her hands.
Marina gasped. “What’s going on?”
“The moose is loose!” Jackie cackled. Then she ran out of the costume closet and slammed the door behind her. She grabbed a broomstick and shoved it through the door handle, locking Marina inside.
Marina shouted, “Let me out!” But her voice was so muffled by the door that no one could hear her.
Jackie hoofed it back to the tattered couch just as Mr. Collins was finishing up his opening-night speech to the crowd.
“Sit back, relax, and please enjoy Fog Island: The Musical!” Mr. Collins announced. The audience applauded, and Mr. Collins went backstage. The lights dimmed. The orchestra played the first few notes of the opening number. The cast took their places onstage.
Mr. Collins looked around and panicked. He clutched his chest. “Where’s Marina?” he whispered. “The show is starting!”
And just like that, Jaclyn found herself back in her own body, wearing a moose costume. She quickly unzipped it and took the head off and ran over to Mr. Collins, determined to tell him what Jackie had just done. “Mr. Collins, I have to tell you something—”
“There’s no time! The show must go on!” Mr. Collins whispered. He saw the blond wig in Jaclyn’s hands. He grabbed it and put it on her head. “Don’t let me down! Who am I kidding? You’re Jaclyn Hyde. You’d never let me down!”
“But—” Jaclyn tried.
“Now, get out there!” Mr. Collins gave her a firm shove and she stumbled onto the stage. The curtain rose. The lights went up. The musical began.
Chapter Thirteen
It Sure Is Foggy Out
One, two, kick, turn, Jaclyn thought as she flawlessly executed every dance step. For the first time, she wasn’t hidden backstage; she was under the bright lights. All the hours of practice were really paying off. She hit every note in “This Land Is Fog Land.” She nailed the tap dance during the duet “Fog Horns for Sale.” She led the entire cast in a showstopping song set in the orchard called “You’re the Apple of My Pie.” She could see her parents in the audience, beaming with pride. Even Miss Carver’s normally acrid expression was twisted into something that resembled a smile. Jaclyn was a star.
But she had learned in science class that some stars are destined to explode. And that’s exactly how she felt as the first act neared its end. During the entire show, all she wanted to do was rush offstage and free Marina from the costume closet, but as the narrator, she had to be onstage for every scene.
The show was quickly closing in on the act one finale, which took place on Trash Beach. During the scene, Penny Pogwilly had a big solo called “A Trash Can Made of Sand.” This was the song that Marina had been practicing for months. Jaclyn had to find a way to get Marina out of that costume closet in time for her to have her big moment.
Luckily, Zeke was just starting his ferry-hitching monologue. As he hitched a covered wagon to an old-timey ferry boat, he talked at length about the lonely life of a ferry boat captain in the early days of Fog Island. Jaclyn knew that this was her chance. Even though she was technically supposed to stand with the rest of the ensemble and, according to Mr. Collins’s directions, “Listen with your eyes,” she knew she could duck away unnoticed.
She ran down the hallway to the costume closet as fast as she could and pulled the broom out from the door handle. She found Marina sitting on the wig box, her head in her hands.
Marina leaped to her feet. “Jaclyn! Thank goodness! I got locked in here by a moose!”
Jaclyn could hear Zeke finishing up his monologue onstage. There wasn’t any time to explain. She took off the wig and shoved it into Marina’s hands. “Take this! You can still make it in time for your big solo!”
Marina fixed the wig onto her head, overcome with emotion, and gave Jaclyn a hug. “Thank you. You’re the best understudy ever.”
As Marina ran toward the stage, Jaclyn breathed a sigh of relief. But the relief didn’t last long. Jackie was fighting to come back. Jaclyn felt it deep in her bones.
“Oh no . . . ,” said Jaclyn.
Within seconds, she had completely transformed.
“Oh yeah!” said Jackie.
She chased after Marina, but by the time Jackie reached the wings, Marina was already stepping onstage. The lights were dimmed while the stage was being set to look like Trash Beach.
Jackie looked around. She spotted a staircase that led to a storage area underneath the stage. She scampered down the steps into the darkness. She pushed past piles of old props and crouched down directly below center stage.
“Don’t worry, Jaclyn,” Jackie whispered. “I’ll get you back in the spotlight before the big solo. Your parents will be so proud. The whole school will be talking about you for years to come. Even Miss Carver will love it!”
Above her, the stagehands pushed the painted ocean background into place and littered the ground with trash. Marina stood on the taped X that marked center stage. Just as the orchestra played the opening notes to “A Trash Can Made of Sand,” Jackie pulled the latch on the trap door.
Marina dropped down and landed underneath the stage. It was so dark she could barely see anything when out of nowhere, a pair of knobby hands reached out and grabbed her.
“Give me that!” said Jackie, yanking the wig off Marina’s head.
Marina was so shocked that she stumbled backward and tripped over a pile of old prop swords from The Three Moose-keteers. Before she could manage to get a word out, Jackie scrambled up onto the stage and pulled the trap door shut.
As the bright spotlight turned on, Jaclyn was back. No one in the audien
ce knew she had ever left. She felt like she had been blindfolded and spun around a million times. She gathered herself just in time to sing the first verse of the solo. She belted out the notes, trying her best to keep from falling apart. How could she possibly fix this? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Marina stumble into the wings, looking pale as a ghost. As Jaclyn neared the final verse of the song, Shane released a massive blast of fog from the fog machine. Technically, that wasn’t supposed to happen until the end of the song, but it was close enough—and it was perfect timing for Jaclyn to run offstage. She plopped the wig onto Marina’s head.
Marina stared back at her in utter confusion. “Wh-what’s happening?!” she stammered.
“There’s no time to explain! Go!” Jaclyn pushed Marina onstage just as the fog cleared. A murmur of surprise spread through the audience. Marina looked stunned. Sure, she had rehearsed for months, but nothing could have prepared her for this.
Jaclyn watched with anticipation, hoping Marina could make it through the end of the song. Shane stood next to her at the fog machine, bewildered.
It was time for the final verse. Marina opened her mouth to sing. That’s when Jackie came back. As her bones shriveled and her eyes flickered green, Shane let out a loud scream.
Jackie clapped her hand over his mouth. “Quiet!”
Marina’s voice floated through the auditorium. It sounded so beautiful that it made Jackie’s skin crawl. She couldn’t take it. She completely lost control. She couldn’t let Marina outshine Jaclyn like this. She began pulling the rope to close the stage curtain.
“What are you doing?!” Shane yelped.
“Show’s over,” Jackie spat.
She tugged as hard as she could, feeling the rope burn on her sweaty palms. The students onstage looked around, perplexed. Marina glanced nervously at the curtain but she kept on singing.
Shane grabbed Jackie’s arm and tried to pull her away from the rope. She shook him off and climbed up the edge of the half-closed curtain. As Marina sang the final note of the song, Jackie tugged as hard as she could. The rungs snapped, and the curtain came crashing down. The covered wagon and painted background toppled over. Marina shrieked and fled in fear, along with the rest of the cast. Only Paige stood strong, firmly planted where she was. After all, it was time for her one and only line.
She cleared her throat. “It sure is foggy out!”
The entire audience sat frozen in shock—until Miss Carver broke the silence. “What is the meaning of this?!” She leaped up from her chair and stalked onto the stage. “I have never been so embarrassed in my entire life! You call this a musical?! I call it a tragedy!”
Mr. Collins stepped out onstage. “Miss Carver, this is not what we rehearsed.”
“An excuse? From the director? How’s this for direction?” She pointed at Mr. Collins. “YOU’RE FIRED! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN!”
Mr. Collins let out a sob.
Miss Carver approached the curtain. “Now, let’s see who’s responsible for this.” She flung the curtain aside.
Crouched on the stage in her pioneer dress was Jaclyn.
Everyone in the auditorium gasped.
“Well, well, well. Jaclyn Hyde.” Miss Carver’s mouth twisted into a wicked smile.
Jaclyn glanced out at the crowd. Her mom looked horrified. Her dad covered his face with his hands. Fatima stood up from her seat in the front row. She locked eyes with Jaclyn. Jaclyn looked back at her helplessly. Then the entire crowd watched Fatima turn and run out of the auditorium. Her parents got up from their seats and chased after her.
Mr. Hanh stood up. “I don’t believe it! Jaclyn would never do something like this! Just this morning, she brought fresh-baked brownies to my classroom!”
Todd leaped up from his seat. “Hey! Somebody stole the brownies from our bake sale this morning!”
“Yeah!” added Davis angrily. “And now we can’t afford to buy a chicken!”
Ms. Bicks held up her hands. “Let’s not get carried away, everyone! Jaclyn is a model student. She’s my star artist of the week!”
Ryan Knowles stuck his head out of the light booth. “Wait a minute! Jaclyn was right behind me in art class today when my painting got destroyed. She must have swapped my water cup with paint thinner. I put my soul into those sunflowers!”
Mr. Ellis jumped up and shouted, “I found Jaclyn at the scene of the crime when my classroom got infested with baby spiders. I’m still picking them out of my beard!”
The audience broke out into a babble of surprise and disbelief.
Miss Carver sneered at Jaclyn. “I always suspected you were as bad as all the rest of them. Turns out, you’re the worst of all. And you know what they say, one bad apple spoils the bunch.” She turned to the crowd. “The Fog Island Middle School theater program is canceled forever! And don’t even think about eating any intermission snacks—the snacks are canceled too!” She pointed at Jaclyn. “And you can all thank Jaclyn Hyde.”
Chapter Fourteen
Shoot for the Moon
Dad drove home in stunned silence, while Mom looked back at Jaclyn, her eyebrows knitted with concern. Jaclyn stared out the window, trying to avoid her gaze.
“I don’t know where to begin,” said Mom. But that didn’t stop her from beginning. “I can’t believe you would do something like this. I’m worried, Jaclyn. It’s so unlike you. What were you thinking?”
Jaclyn struggled to come up with the right words. How could she even try to explain Jackie? She stammered, “It—it wasn’t me.”
“Well, of course it was you,” Dad said, befuddled. “You were the only one underneath that curtain. And what’s this about stealing brownies from two sixth graders?” He shook his head. “Those kids just wanted a chicken.”
Mom said, “Not to mention sweet Ryan Knowles—”
Dad interrupted, “You poured paint thinner all over his soul.”
Mom put her hands to her temples. “And what kind of person dumps baby spiders all over their history teacher?”
“That poor man is going to have to shave his beard now.”
Jaclyn shouted in desperation, “I told you, it wasn’t me!”
Dad pulled into the driveway and stopped the car abruptly. “Enough. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but the least you can do is take responsibility for your actions.”
Mom added, “If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”
“It was . . .” Jaclyn took a deep breath. “Nobody.”
“Unbelievable,” said Mom. “Just go to your room.”
When Jaclyn got to her room, she found a bouquet of flowers on the bed with a card that said, You’ll always be our star! Love, Mom & Dad. She felt like a bee had stung her right in her heart. Her parents had never been so upset with her. The whole school thought she was a backstabbing monster. And she kept replaying one moment in her mind: Fatima jumping out of her seat and running out of the auditorium. Fatima had worked so hard to write the musical, and Jackie had ruined her big night. In fact, Jackie had ruined everything. And Jaclyn had a feeling it was only going to get worse.
She opened the rabbit cage and picked up the rolled-up ball of socks that was supposed to look like Charles. She held it close to her chest, curled up on her bed, and fell asleep.
When Jaclyn got to school the next morning, she saw that Todd and Davis were having another bake sale. There was a tray of cupcakes on the table, along with a sign that said “Bake Sale to Earn Back the $ for the Baked Goods Jaclyn Stole.”
Jaclyn was mortified. She wanted to give them all the money she had in her wallet. As soon as she took a step toward the table, Todd put his arms protectively around the tray, like a mother bird defending her eggs—not that Todd and Davis would know much about that, since they hadn’t been able to buy a bird.
“Stay away, thief!” Davis shouted.
“Yeah!” said Todd. “These are baked goods, Jaclyn. They’re for good people!”
Jaclyn’s face flushed red with embarrass
ment, and she hurried away. She headed toward Mr. Hanh’s class for homeroom. On the way, she saw Marina getting a drink from the water fountain.
Jaclyn walked up behind her. “Marina, I’m really sorry . . .”
Marina spun around, water dribbling from her mouth. “AAAGH!” she screamed, and sprinted away.
Jaclyn stood there helplessly. Everyone was glaring at her. She wished she could just disappear. She got to homeroom and noticed right away that Fatima’s chair was empty. The slimy knot of guilt in her stomach tightened. She couldn’t even apologize to one of her best friends. Luckily, her other best friend was waving her over. As Jaclyn made her way over to Paige, she noticed Shane in the back corner, trying not to look at her. There was no sneer, no mean quip. He just looked afraid.
Jaclyn sat down next to Paige.
“Hi,” said Paige. “Are you . . . how are you?”
“Well, I ruined the play and everybody hates me.”
“I don’t hate you.”
“You don’t?”
“Of course not! Personally, I was glad the play ended early. I didn’t want to stand there for the whole second act. All those tree branches stuck in my hair were really starting to itch. Plus, I got to take home all the intermission snacks.” She unzipped her backpack. It was packed to the seams with chips and candy bars. “I’ll never have to go to that stupid vending machine again!”
Jaclyn let out a little laugh in spite of herself. “Where’s Fati?” she asked.
Paige shrugged. “I tried to call her last night, but she didn’t pick up.”
Jaclyn bit her lip. “She must be really mad at me.”
Paige leaned over and whispered, “If she’s mad at anyone, it should be Jackie. She’s the one who caused all this, right?”
“I guess so.”
Paige looked around to make sure no one was listening. “What are you going to do?”
Jaclyn Hyde Page 8
