Witch Twins at Camp Bliss (11 page)

Luna closed her eyes and pictured herself: brown eyes, six freckles on her nose, bad haircut, and even the little chicken pox scar under her chin.

In a heartbeat, she jumped onto two legs and was Luna-the-girl again.

“Grandy, that’s the best spell yet!” she exclaimed. “Outstanding!”

“That’s the worst spell ever!” Claire-the-girl sputtered at her side. “Luna gets to be a dog and I’m just a dumb lizard?”

“Salamander,” Grandy corrected. “A witch transforms into the animal that best represents her human traits.”

“I guess I really am a loyal and trusted companion,” Luna noted.

“But I’m not slithery and cold-blooded!” Claire argued.

Grandy looked unconvinced. “If I were you, I’d read up on salamanders.” She sniffed. “Interesting. It takes three spices—cumin, coriander, and cardamom—for you to transform, Claire. But not a single spice for you, Luna. That means that you, Claire, need to memorize the spell, but Luna, it’s already here.” She tapped her forehead. “Right in your head, in one-star memory files, for whenever you need it.”

Now Grandy brushed her hands together and a cigar appeared between her fingers. “Oh, one other thing. If each of you can use this spell to help someone, you’ll earn half of your second star.”

“Just half?” faltered Luna.

“Everything gets harder as you get better,” snapped Grandy. “That’s life. But a one-point-five star sorceress is better than a single-starred simpleton.”

At the twins’ glum faces, Grandy added, “You’ll get your spy globes, too. All one-and-a-halfsters do.”

Luna exchanged a grin with her twin. Spy globes were cool.

“One last thing,” mentioned Grandy as she set the cigar between her teeth. “A Samaritan Spell is about using individual smarts to benefit someone else. So you can’t consult your twin when it’s time to use the spell. Got it?”

The twins nodded. Got it.

“Good. Time for a smoke, then bed. Nightie-night, twinsies.”

With that, Grandy winked one eye and wriggled the opposite ear, which was actually an easy, insta-port spell that jumped her straight from the study and into her bed, her teeth spell-brushed and her clothes spell-changed from satin robes to cotton pajamas.

“A salamander!” Claire shook her head in disbelief once Grandy was gone. “I’m only one up from a beetle or a centipede.”

Luna silently agreed. She felt sorry for her twin. “Oh, it’s not so bad, Clairsie,” she comforted her. “It could have been worse. You could have turned into a cockroach or a rat or a…” She yawned. She could not follow her train of thought. “I’m sleepy,” she said. “Animal magic takes a lot out of a witch.”

Claire let out a giant yawn of her own. “Stupid spell,” she slurred. “I’m sure there was a mix-up. My real, true animal-self is more like a panther, or a wise old owl. It must be some kind of wrong spice or…”

Now both of them yawned again. It took all the rest of their energy to wink and wriggle themselves straight to bed.

D
OUBLE DELIGHT WAS BEING
filmed two blocks over on Pine Street, so Jill Bundkin allowed the twins and Justin to walk there, as long as they looked both ways before crossing.

Turning onto Pine Street, Claire saw that the whole block had been transformed to look like a fall day. Red and yellow and orange autumn leaves were heaped on the sidewalk, and more colorful leaves had been twisted and tied into the branches of trees that lined the town-house buildings.

Instant October, Claire thought. Wow! Hollywood magic at work!

Movie equipment was set up everywhere. Sawhorses and plastic cones blocked off Pine Street’s entrance. Lights, cameras, and folding chairs cluttered its edges. Movie extras in wool sweaters and long pants sat around looking hot and bored. Other men and women in jeans and black T-shirts darted around, speaking on headsets. A crew of T-shirted people was hard at work, sponge-painting red and orange and yellow fall colors onto flat cookie pans of ordinary brown leaves.

“Hey, that looks fun. I bet they’ll let me help!” And Justin shot off to pester the painters.

“Yoo-hoo! Gals!” Fluffy waved from behind the snack table that was set up near a big steel trailer.

Fluffy looked extra sparkly today, Claire noticed. Her denim maternity shirt was studded with jeweled pins shaped like fruit and flowers. Privately, Claire thought it looked like Fluffy had decorated herself with refrigerator magnets.

“Melody is inside, preparing for her next scene,” said Fluffy, pointing to the trailer. “She’ll be out in a jiffy-pop. I told her all about you two! Ooh, there’s Bernardo, the photographer. Howdy, Bern!” Fluffy wriggled her fingers at a skinny bald man who was walking around, aiming and snapping from the large zoom lens camera that hung around his neck.

“You’ve already met Melody?” Claire squealed. “What’s she like? Is she nice? Is she tall or small? Does she look like a big-headed Martian?”

“Naw, sugar, she’s just a normal gal,” Fluffy answered. “Take a seat, and she’ll be out soon.”

“Does my headband look okay?” Luna whispered as the girls sat in the folding chairs that Fluffy indicated.

“It hides your nice new haircut I gave you,
if
that’s what you meant,” Claire answered, “plus it shows off your pumpkin forehead.”

“If I have a pumpkin forehead, that means you have one, too, dummy,” Luna retorted.

“Hush, y’all.” Fluffy handed the twins each a cup of apple juice and a napkin of graham crackers from the snack table. “Melody will be with us any minute,” she said, “so well just stay put.”

Claire and Luna fell silent. They munched down their crackers and drank their apple juice and stayed put.

And stayed put.

And stayed put some more.

“Look, Justin is painting leaves.” Luna pointed to their brother, who was huddled with the crew, a sponge brush in his hand. “I want to paint, too! Are movie sets always this boring? And where is Melody?”

“Oh, don’t be so impetuous,” said Claire. “Movie stars are known to be temperamental.”

“If you keep using those words,” warned Luna, “Melody will think you’re a know-it-all nerdburger.”

“She will not!”

“Will, too!”

“Will not, double cross my fingers.”

“Will too, no crossies count.”

“Gals, hush!” Fluffy scolded.

Right then, the door to the trailer opened. Claire jumped from her chair and smiled the warmest-blooded smile that she could muster. Ever since last weekend when she had changed into a salamander, Claire had worried that her human self was cold-blooded as an amphibian. So she had been practicing her warm-blooded smiling.

Now her smile widened. Yes, it was Melody Malady, all right. Wow! And she was walking down the steps directly toward them!

Claire could not wait. She sprinted across the set. “Hi, Melody! My name’s Claire Bundkin, and I just want to say that I’m your biggest fan. I think
The Melody Malady Show
is the best thing on television after
Galaxy Murk
!”

Melody smiled as she shook Claire’s hand. “Well, thanks!” she said. “I love
Galaxy Murk
too. Captain Xeno is so cute. Once I got to go on set and sit in his Solar Excelsior. And guess what’s inside the space-control compartments? Makeup and hair spray, for his emergency beauty touch-ups!” Melody threw back her head and laughed her throaty, famous laugh.

Claire laughed along in a happy Claire laugh of her own. Was it really possible that Melody Malady was even nicer in person than on television? Amazing!

“What’s so funny?” A girl had crept up next to Claire and Melody and was eyeing them suspiciously. She was dressed in cargo shorts and a camouflage vest that was weighted with bulging pockets. Her arms and legs were scabbed and bug-bitten. In one hand, she was carrying a small curved chisel.

The smile dropped off Melody’s face. “Claire,” she said, “this is my sister, Dolores.”

“Greetings,” said Dolores, waving her chisel. “I’m Dolores Gologly. Gologly is our family’s real last name. It’s of Irish descent. As you might have guessed, Malady is a fake stage name of no descent.”

“Be quiet, Dolores,” said Melody.

“Hi.” Claire shook Dolores’s free hand, which squeezed back in a granite grip. She turned to Melody. “Cheese and chips! I didn’t know you had a sister!”

“We’re more than sisters. We’re twins,” said Dolores.

“Twins!” Claire was dumbfounded.

“Melody is the public, artistic twin and I’m the private, academic twin,” said Dolores.

“Dolores, get lost,” said Melody. “Go be the silent, invisible twin.”

“My twin sister is here, too.” Claire looked around. Luna was standing by the snack table, picking grapes out of the fruit salad. “Loon!” she shouted.

Luna approached slowly. Claire made introductions. “Luna loves your show, too!” Claire piped up when Luna forgot to compliment it.

“Really?” Melody smiled. Her teeth were pearly white and perfect.

Luna touched her headband. “Mmm-hmm,” she said. She looked over at Dolores. “Whatcha got in your vest pockets?”

“Rocks,” Dolores answered. “I collect them. That’s why I’m here on this boring movie set, instead of back in Bethesda, Maryland, where we live. The outlying region of Philadelphia is a rich rock resource. If I can get samples of—”

“Don’t bore us, Dolores!” snapped Melody. “Aren’t we ready for photos or something?”

“Howdy, Melody! I see you’ve met my twin stepdaughters.” Fluffy had appeared with Bernardo the photographer at her side. Every pin on her shirt flashed and glinted in the sun. Claire felt her cheeks flush. Why did Fluffy have to look so over-sparkly on this important Melody-meeting day?

“Dolores, go back to the trailer with Dad,” Melody instructed. “My sister is always underfoot,” she explained to Fluffy. “I guess I could get my dad to take her back to the motel.”

“Naw, honey, she can stay on set if she wants,” said Fluffy. “Maybe well do a different spin on the photo shoot. About two sets of twins and—”

“No!” Melody’s own cheeks flushed. “Go on, Dolores.” Now Melody shoved Dolores semi-gently.

“I didn’t want my picture taken, anyhow,” said Dolores calmly. “The Fijians believe that the photographic image robs your soul.” Turning to Luna, she explained, “See, I’m the academic twin and Melody is the artistic—”

“Beat it!” Melody stamped her foot.

Dolores sighed, turned, and stomped off.

Poor Dolores! thought Claire as she watched her retreat to the trailer. Imagine how awful it would be to have beautiful and talented Melody Malady for a sister, when all you’ve got is scabby knees and a vest full of rocks.

It was time for photos. First, Melody’s stylist, a guy named Jake, appeared. He combed and spritzed both twins’ hair, smoothing Luna’s more tightly into its headband. “That haircut’ll grow out in no time,” Claire heard him whisper to Luna.

Next, Jake spent fifteen minutes taking care of Melody so that every eyelash was in place.

Finally, Bernardo snapped some photographs of Melody with Claire and Luna. He asked them to pretend that they were meeting Melody all over again.

Claire pumped Melody’s hand and gave her warmest-blooded smile.

Luna’s smile was not quite as warm.

Bernardo clicked and clicked and said, “Fantastic-o, perfect-o!” until he ran out of film.

“Bernie, you’re great-o! We’ve got enough for a darlin’ magazine piece,” drawled Fluffy.

“I’m hungry,” said Melody. “Is my lunch ready?”

“Sorry, Mel,” said Bernardo. “Willa says we’re about to begin filming.”

Melody looked sad. She turned to Claire. “Willa is the movie director, and her word is law. Hey, do you want to hang around and watch?” She looked over at Luna. “You, too, Uma.”

“Luna,” corrected Luna.

“Wow! I’d love to watch!” said Claire.

“It’s too hot to be outside,” Luna protested.

Melody pressed a finger to her chin. “You can stay in the trailer with Dolores if you want,” she suggested. “It has air-conditioning.”

“Okay.” Luna said, and walked off.

Claire was aghast. Was Luna crazy? How could she pass up an opportunity to watch a movie being filmed? Crumbs, it wasn’t that hot!

Or maybe Claire could take the sun better? Like a salamander that breathed through its skin, maintaining a comfortable moisture level in spite of the heat. (The other night, Claire had done some research about salamanders. She found out they had some unusual habits, such as skin breathing.)

“I don’t think it’s too hot, Melody,” she said.

“Great!” Melody tugged Claire’s arm. “Let’s go find you a seat.”

Melody might be a big Hollywood star, thought Claire, but she was also
sooo
down to earth. From Jake the stylist to Dina the gaffer to Jorge the key grip, Melody had a smile and kind word for everybody.

That’s how I’d be, too, if I were a movie star, Claire decided.

Melody found Claire a seat on one of the high-angle camera stools. Claire climbed up and watched as Willa ordered everyone to places and asked for quiet on the set. In the scene being filmed that day, all Melody had to do was walk across the street and bump into a man exiting a building.

“Take one!” shouted Willa through her megaphone. Then, “Take two! Take three!”

Melody was wearing winter clothes that must have made her very uncomfortable, but she never complained. She walked and bumped, walked and bumped. Chin in her hands, Claire watched and watched. She could not believe Luna was missing all this action.

After nineteen takes, Willa called, “Okay, that’s a wrap. Be back here in two hours.”

A few people clapped, relieved. Then Melody took Willa aside and spoke with her, pointing at Claire all the while. Finally, Willa looked over and nodded.

Smiling, Melody ran to Claire.

“Guess what? Willa said a small part could be written into the movie. A part just for you,” Melody told her. “Come back tomorrow, Claire, and you can be on the other side of the camera. With me.”

“Wow, thanks, Melody!” Claire jumped off her seat and began to hop around from excitement.

Melody Malady, television star, movie star, and now, Claire’s costar!

This summer kept getting better and better!