Everything was on schedule. Li, Val, and Goldie took the high-speed train to Southwell. They signed in for the junior fashion show. Goldie and Val stood backstage, waiting for her turn to strut the runway. She wore her newly designed outfit with pride.

“Where’s Zada? Have you seen her?” Goldie held an invitation in each hand. She’d brought along an extra just in case.

“Don’t worry,” Val said, which was something she didn’t get to say often. “She’s in the audience. You’ll get to meet her when you win.”

And if I don’t win? Goldie decided not to think about that possibility.

“Li’s keeping an eye on her, too,” Val continued. “If she tries to leave early or something, he’ll let us know.”

Someone clapped loudly three times.

“Junior designers, time to line up,” a woman with a clipboard instructed.

“Good luck!” Val gave Goldie a hug. “I’m going to go watch. By the way, I think you look great.”

Val left, and Goldie lined up behind a redheaded girl in a beautiful dress that hung to her knees. The gray-and-pink fabric reflected the backstage lights.

“I like your dress,” Goldie told her.

“Thanks.” The girl twirled, and the bottom of the dress expanded.

“That’s awesome. Have you thought of adding propellers to the hem?” Goldie asked. “You might be able to design the world’s first hover dress. You could fly.”

“Really? I never thought of that. Do you think that could work?” the girl asked.

Goldie shrugged. “It’s worth a try. Even if the first prototype doesn’t work, eventually you’ll get it.” That was the secret to Goldie’s success. She believed every one of her designs would work eventually. They rarely did on the first or second try. But give her a hundred chances and a team like the Gearheads, and she could make anything work.

The contestants began walking through the curtain one at a time. Goldie had butterflies in her stomach. This was new to her.

“I like your look, too,” the girl whispered.

Goldie nodded. “Thanks.”

It was the girl’s turn. She waved goodbye and walked through the curtain and onto the runway. Goldie took a breath, ready to go next. She switched the button on her sneakers to activate them.

The woman with a clipboard nodded to Goldie.

“Wait!” a voice yelled.

“Don’t go out there!” shouted another voice.

Goldie turned to see Li and Val running toward her. They were waving their hands for her to stop.

The woman with the clipboard cleared her throat.

“Sorry. One second.” Goldie stepped aside, and a boy in a blue-and-black sweat suit took her place. His outfit had cool racing stripes, and Goldie wondered for a second if they were aerodynamic. They certainly made him look fast.

Val and Li stopped in front of her.

“Ruby’s here!” Li said.

“Right in the front row,” Val added. “She’s not a contestant, but she’s watching.” She pulled back the curtain. They could see Ruby sitting with her mom and little sister to the right of the runway.

“I can’t go out there,” Goldie said. “Ruby will see me and ask why I’m here. That’ll ruin the surprise.” And she couldn’t make up an excuse because there was none that wouldn’t hurt Ruby’s feelings. There was no good reason—other than the truth—for Goldie to enter a fashion show without telling Ruby about it.

“Maybe we could ask that lady to give an invitation to Zada for us.” Li pointed to the woman with the clipboard. She gave Goldie an angry look. She was not happy that a contestant was holding up the show.

Goldie shook her head. “I need to hand deliver it to Zada and tell her why she must be at the party.”

“What are you going to do?” Val asked.

Another junior designer walked onto the runway. There were only three left. The Gearheads were running out of time.

Goldie looked down at her outfit. It was fun, thanks to the paw prints and glitter. But it was also functional.

“I’ve got this,” she said with a wink. Goldie went back in line for the runway and left Li and Val wondering.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Li said to Val. They went back into the audience.

Goldie was the last person in line.

“Are you ready this time?” the woman asked.

“Absolutely.”

The woman opened the curtain, and Goldie tapped her heels together. Immediately, fog shot out of her sneakers. She turned so the gray mist would fill the right side of the room and keep Ruby from seeing her.

But the fog wasn’t easy to control. It swept across the right side of the room. Then it filled the rest of the auditorium.

Goldie turned on the laser lights in the toe of her sneakers. That just made it harder to see. Though it was completely safe, the crowd got up. People headed to the doors. Everyone was talking.

“Where’s the exit?”

“What’s going on?”

“Are we at a rock concert?”

Goldie couldn’t see either, but she needed to find Zada. She couldn’t miss her chance. She pulled the cord under her left arm. The wings on her overalls folded up. She slowly made her way to the end of the stage and jumped up. She soared above the scattering crowd.

It was still hard to see. Luckily, she had night vision glasses in her Swiss Army Belt. She popped them on and spotted Zada making her way out the back door.

Goldie turned and flew out right behind the iconic fashion designer. She came to a perfect landing in the parking lot.

Zada stared at Goldie. Her mouth hung open.

“Hi, I’m Goldie Blox.” She pushed the glasses off her face. “Nice to meet you.”

“What, my darling, are you wearing?” Zada asked.

“Glide overalls, a Swiss Army Belt, and special-effect sneakers.” Goldie held out her arms and turned to show off her outfit.

“Your design might be a bit dated. Paw prints were two seasons ago. But I love your mix of fashion and function, darling. Bravo!” Zada clapped her hands quietly.

“If you like this, then you need to see my friend Ruby’s designs,” Goldie said. “She’s a fashion genius. Probably the best fashion designer in the world!”

Zada smirked.

“Except for you, of course,” Goldie said and shrugged. “Ruby has this skirt that’s also a speaker. It’s great if you ever want to have a sudden dance party.”

“That’s a fabulous idea. I’d love to see it.”

“Well, you can.” Goldie pulled an invitation out of her pocket. “We’re having a birthday bash for Ruby. She’s your biggest fan. She’d love to meet you.”

Zada took the envelope and opened it. “Hmmm…I’m very busy. But I’ll make it work. See you then, darling.”

Goldie flew off and found Li and Val. “Mission accomplished.”