Maeve on the Red Carpet (19 page)

Maddie was shocked. She grabbed Apollo’s arm and squeezed it. “You can’t be serious. EVERYONE wants to be a star.”

We didn’t make a peep as we waited anxiously for Apollo to speak. “Look,” he said sharply. “My answer’s no. N-O. I don’t want to be a star. I like shooting and setting up scenes. Besides, David got the part of Grego fair and square. He deserves to play the lead.”

Now all eyes were on Maddie. No one knew what would happen next. Even David Dell looked intrigued. People just didn’t say “no” to Maddie. Forget
Boston Holiday
—this drama was better than a movie!

“Hey, I have an idea,” Rebeccah volunteered. “David can still carry Maddie out of the hotel. But we’re going to need Maeve’s help.”

Artemia raised her eyebrows. “Maeve?”

“Why not? I’ll try anything once.”

Maddie folded her arms. “Typical has-been.” She sneered and huffed away.

Rebeccah’s idea was nothing short of genius. She showed me and David how to make a seat for Princess Sophia by gripping our fists into a tight square. That way, Maddie could sit primly and properly in the middle—even more like a princess. The best part of all was that Artemia taught us that a series of kung fu punches made the perfect transition to the fist-seat.

“Now let’s take this from the top,” Artemia clapped. “Scene one, take two—”

“Wait,” Apollo interrupted.

Maddie tapped her foot. “What
now
?”

Apollo ran over to me. “Okay, Maeve, I want you to leap in the air and do a high kick. Then do a hip hop spin and punch the air the whole time. Just keep kicking and dancing and doing your thing. When we’re done I’ll edit the scene so you’ll move in slow motion and then pause it when you’re suspended in the air, like in my mom’s movies. You know what I mean?”

“Do I! I’ve only watched
Kung Fu Crazy
, like, a billiongazillion times!” I exclaimed. I could see why Apollo wanted to shoot. He had vision. Maybe he would be a famous director someday.

Artemia looked proud of her son. “That’s a great idea! Maeve, can you do that?”

“Sure!” I rolled up the sleeves of my costume—a kung
fu outfit that Ms. Pink had specially made for me … in a shade of vibrant, flamingo pink.

I slapped David Dell five. “This is going to rock,” I assured him.

He looked slyly at Maddie, who, thank goodness, was busy getting primped by her makeup artist. “Are you sure you’re going to be able to do this carrying thing? Take it from me …” He glanced over again at Maddie, leaned in, and covered his mouth. “She’s pretty heavy.”

“It’s true,” I said, flexing my arms in my best bodybuilder-woman pose. They weren’t what I’d call bulging with muscles. “Maybe Maeve Kaplan-Taylor might not be able to lift her … but I have a feeling Sufoo can.”

David grinned. “Right on.”

“Places!” Artemia called.

I hurried over to my mark in the Taj lobby, while David and a not-so-happy Maddie dashed to the hotel elevator. As Apollo walked by adjusting his camera, I tried to get his attention. “
Pssst!
California boy, over here!”

He looked back at me.

“Thanks,” I whispered.

“Hey,
de nada
.” Apollo shrugged, smiled, and went back to the camera. I sighed. Some people were so naturally cool. How they managed it was beyond
moi
.

“Now from the top,” Artemia instructed as she sat down in her director’s chair. “Scene one, take two. Aaaaaaaand ACTION!”

Ten minutes ‘til shooting, Ms. Kaplan-Taylor,” calls a voice.

Shooting? But I’m not ready yet! My hair is a mess … “Renaldo! And where is Julia—my makeup artist? And the gown—it’s blue … I hate blue.” Suddenly the trailer door flies open. “Ms. Kaplan-Taylor, Ms. Kaplan-Taylor. We’re here, we’re here!
”

I sigh, feeling calm and cared for. “You guys are too good to me. I should buy you a gift. How would you like your own convertible?”

“TOTALLY, DUDE!”

I sat up with a start and blinked. I was in the back seat of Dad’s car, and … oh no. I wiped my eyes and groaned. “Sam, you didn’t …”

Sam lowered his camera. There was a big, silly smile
plastered on his face. “Did you know that you talk in your sleep, Maeve? And did you know that you say some pretty funny stuff too?” Sam pinched his nose and squawked, “Where is Renaldo? Where is Julia?” He started to giggle. “You know, you’re a better actress sleeping than you are when you’re awake. I mean, you sounded just like Maddie.”

“I was
dreaming
,” I huffed, feeling my cheeks burn. Why did my brother always seem to catch me right in the middle of my favorite Maeve in Hollywood dreams? “Can you drop the camera already … pleeeeease, Sam?” I couldn’t help whining, I was so tired.

“Sure. But first, who’s
Renaldo
?” Sam asked, using the same high-pitched voice. I reached over and grabbed his jacket.

“I SAID drop it,” I warned, shooting him my best impression of Mom’s I-am-really-not-amused look.

We were parked outside the Boston Common, and it was the last day of
Boston Holiday
shooting. After filming for days, I was totally zonked. There was a big difference between my dream of being in a movie and my reality of being in a movie. It was more work than I had ever imagined.

Artemia made sure that all the campers got a taste of the different tasks that came with making a movie—set design, schlepping stuff, running lines, shooting the same scene over and over again, more schlepping, moving stuff—I wanted to sleep for a week. No wonder it cost so much for a movie ticket!

But I couldn’t sleep. I had to make Sufoo shine … over and over again. And then I had to do my second job, which was to count and gather ALL the props after every shoot. When she noticed how tired we were, Artemia declared, “Welcome to the world of independent film.”

“Artemia made sure that all the campers got a taste of the different tasks … design, schlepping stuff …”

I’ll take the world of Hollywood with limos and stuff, thank you very much!
I thought.

Today we were filming the very last scene of the movie:
the Parasol Fight Scene. It was the trickiest one yet. I had to learn how to fake sword fight with my pink umbrella against Nanny Nuna and her red umbrella. David, with a green umbrella, got to fight the Evil Assistant with a blue one. “Think
Singing in the Rain
meets
Kung Fu Crazy
,” Apollo told us. “It’ll be awesome.”

I was excited, but still I yawned. “They haven’t started filming yet, have they?” I asked Sam.

He shook his head. “Nope. Maddie isn’t even done setting up the props. It takes her forever.”

Even the Krupcake Princess had another job—putting all the props exactly where they were supposed to be
before
the scenes. That was called continuity. If someone didn’t do that, then when you went to film again, things could be out of place and the audience would see it. Maddie had asked Artemia if she could be in charge of bringing Maddiecakes as refreshments instead, but Artemia said no—no way. “Maddiecakes aren’t going to give you young people enough energy to shoot this movie,” Artemia had told her.

“But Artemia,” Maddie said with a smile, “everyone knows that Maddiecakes are filled with Vitamin L-O-V-E.” Everyone could tell that Maddie was mad, but she was really good at pretending she wasn’t. She knew better than to talk back to Artemia. In fact, Artemia was the one person who kind of mellowed Maddie out. Artemia was like a general … a nice general who made sure everyone did their jobs. Katani would have loved her. Katani loved people who were organized and got the job done.

I opened the car door to get out. “Where’s Dad, Sam?”

“Let me see …” Sam reached into his backpack and pulled out a pair of binoculars. I had to admit—he could be pretty handy to have around. “Hmm … Dad is at two o’clock. Precisely.”

I folded my arms. “Translation please … for those of us who don’t speak Army geek?”

Sam pointed. “Right over there by the Frog Pond. He’s talking to Artemia.”

“Good job, Sam. Let’s go.”

Artemia and Dad were in the middle of the park by the Frog Pond, which was my favorite part of the Boston Common. The Swan Boats—these boats that look like huge swans—were across the street in the Boston Public Garden. Sam and I used to ride them all the time when we were little. They were another Maeve-approved favorite landmark.

Sam and I walked around the little shack where you could rent skates or use the bathroom. Artemia and Dad were standing on the other side, so busy talking they didn’t notice us.

“I’m telling you, Ross,” Artemia was saying, “she’s really making this film come to life.”

I put one finger over my lips and reached out my arm to block Sam from walking. “Shh!” I crouched down outside the ladies’ room. I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose this time … well, maybe a little. But I was too curious.
Who’s making this film come to life?
I had to know.

“That is very nice to hear. You’re not just saying that?” Dad asked.

“Why would I just say that?” asked Artemia.

“Well, you know, her father happens to be a pretty important guy around here,” Dad remarked. “Kind of a big deal.”

Sam nudged me. “They must be talking about the Von Krupcakes,” he whispered. With a sinking heart, I realized he was right. No father was a bigger deal than Maddie’s.

“That’s true,” Artemia was saying with a laugh. “But no, I am very serious. Giving her that role turned out to be the best thing we could’ve done for this movie. What a lovely surprise, right?”

“Absolutely,” Dad agreed. “Remember how worried we were at first?”

“I know! It seems so foolish now. With all her knowledge and experience, I can’t believe we doubted for even a moment that she would be anything less than a real pro,” Artemia declared.

I looked at Sam and gulped.
So Maddie had been the right choice for Princess Sophia all along
. How could the universe be so cruel? I almost cried. I had wanted to be Princess Sophia so badly. And now I was just a funny maid who was good at kung fu and dancing. This was a real tragedy.

“I have worked with a lot of actors in my day, Ross,” Artemia continued. “And Maeve has been not only an amazing talent but also a delight. She’s a great sport.”

“No way!” I breathed. “They’re talking about me!” I
started to do a silent victory dance. “Go Maeve, it’s your birthday. Go Maeve, it’s your birthday …” I whispered as I boogied around in a circle.

“Ugh!” Sam gulped. “You better stop or I’ll laugh and then we’ll blow our cover!”

But I couldn’t stop. I was too elated. I grabbed Sam’s hands and swung him around with me. “C’mon, this is HUGE! Go Maeve, it’s your birthday, Go Maeve, it’s—”

The door of the ladies’ room suddenly rattled and we heard the scampering of feet running away. Sam and I froze. We weren’t alone.

Hey, Kaplan-Taylor dudes!” Apollo jogged over to us. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you guys. It’s time to start. Maeve, are you okay? You look a little … pale.”

“Who me? Pale? Nope. I am A-okay. Swell. Fantastic. Cool as a cucumber. See?” I did my best kung fu chop. “Lights, camera, action. Let’s get rolling!”

Apollo looked worriedly at Sam as if he didn’t know what to make of my little performance. “I think your sister might need a vacation.”

We followed Apollo back to where the rest of the campers were getting ready for the shoot. Maddie was sitting in a chair running lines. She wouldn’t would even look in my direction—big surprise there. (True confession—I was a tiny bit jealous of her Princess Sophia wardrobe.) I looked down at my cheesy kung fu clothes and over again at Maddie’s special, sparkly, spanking-new designer
dress … courtesy of Krupcake’s Pies and Cakes Incorporated, of course. Artemia said the extravagant clothes were not necessary. Maddie said they most definitely WERE. She told Artemia they helped her get in character. The princess clothes were in.

Maddie’s dress today was a strappy gown in robin’segg blue satin, bespeckled with rhinestones. I had to admit, she looked really, truly gorgeous … and also—without a jacket—really, truly cold. In fact, her lips were blue, and she was shivering. I took pity on her. After all, the show must go on and I wouldn’t want our leading lady to turn into an ice sculpture. “I have an extra sweater in my bag if you want it,” I offered.

Maddie glared at me but didn’t say a word.

“Maeve-a-licious!” Rebeccah greeted me with a wave. “I missed you, girlfriend.” I spun around, happy to see my friend. My fellow campers had started to call me “Maevea-licious” ever since I had brought in a super-sized bag of my favorite candy—Swedish fish.

“Snappy Turtle!” I waved back. “Love the costume.” Rebeccah was wearing a swirly red skirt with a crisp white blouse with her trademark pearls. Her golden curls had been pinned into two Danish buns on either side of her head. It was Princess Leia meets wicked Nanny Nuna—totally fabulous.

Mickey was in a black tuxedo and he had a fake goatee glued to his face. He pretended to buzz in on an intercom. “Attention: Call off the search party. The Sufoo is alive. Repeat, the Sufoo is alive.”