What Lies Beneath ▸ House of Anubis [1]

chapter thirty. house of drama

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Nina and Fabian followed the clue after hours and found their next puzzle piece, but it wound up getting confiscated from Victor—and Nina says he recognized it, and he was upset. So now we have to figure out a way to get it back.

The play is happening tomorrow night, and we're not finished setting it up. I'm the only person without a role on stage, only because I begged Mr. Winkler to give me make-up and design duty instead. So I've got control of makeup, backgrounds, and lighting/sound cues, which is way more my style. The costumes, however, were not my job. I don't do fashion.

"Okay, guys, time to focus!" Winkler announces. I look up from the large curtain laid out on the stage that's due to act as our scenery. I'm almost finished drawing it out, and if I may say, it's coming out pretty well. "Big night tomorrow. Ashley, how's our background coming along?"

I gesture to it. "Give me ten minutes and I'll be done."

"All right. Dress rehearsal, ten minutes!"

I grab a new color pencil, focusing on the sky now. Someone kneels beside the curtain, blocking my light. "This is great, Ashley," Evan compliments. I look up, smiling. "So why didn't you want a part in the play? You could've done both."

"I can't act, but I can draw," I reply. "How are things going on your end, Tree Number Three?"

He laughs. He's supposed to be one of the live props in the play, a tree, of course. "Pretty well. Looking forward to seeing your artwork on display tomorrow night, with all the lighting and sound stuff to bring it to life."

"Me, too."

"Evan!" Winkler exclaims. "Give our artist a breather, yeah? Put your leaf hat on."

"Sorry, Mr. Winkler!" Evan replies, giving me an apologetic look as he steps off the stage. I smile to myself. He's pretty cool. Wish I had more time to spend with him.

"But I don't understand!" Amber whines. She's dressed in her costume, which is supposed to be a cactus but looks more like a cucumber wearing a flower. "Why can't the cactus sing?"

"Because cacti can't speak, Amber," Winkler replies.

"And anyway, you've got a terrible voice," Jerome pipes up from somewhere. I look around the room for him, finally realizing he and Alfie are dressed in their two-part camel costume together. I can't even see him. But I'm sure he's pleased being the backend of a camel.

I go back to finishing up the backdrop, completing it with three minutes left to spare. This looks good. I like it. "Hey, can someone help me get this up there?"

—

At the end of our dress rehearsal run-through, I sit in my chair, clapping for the cast as they take a bow on the stage. Nina and Amber did really, really well with the story. And Nina's a great actress. My lighting and sound controls are in front of me as Winkler sits beside me, complimenting, "Okay, guys, well done, well done! Mick, Mara, you do realize you'll have to actually kiss tomorrow night, don't you?"