Grace squinted past the glare of the spotlights. At the front of the audience was a table with three people sitting behind it. A large silver star was fixed to the table, with ‘Star Maker’ written across it in swirly red letters.
“We’re at a talent show,” she said. “They must be the judges.”
Cuddle sprang off the stage, landing on the judges’ table. Two of the judges, a woman in a purple dress and a man in a red jacket, stroked the little kitten. She rolled over in front of the third judge, a man with gelled hair and a tight white T-shirt, knocking over his nameplate. It said ‘Larry’.
“Nice to meet you, Cuddle the Conjuring Kitten,” Larry said, tickling her tummy. He looked up at the boy onstage.
“You’ve definitely got star potential,” Larry said to the boy. “And so has Cuddle,” he added, with a wink at the kitten.
As the curtain came down, the boy cried, “Thank you, Cuddle – you made my act purr-fect!”
Cuddle raced offstage with Grace and Olivia right behind her and darted through a half-open door.
“I wonder why she’s taking us here,” Olivia said, spotting a sign that said ‘Dressing Rooms’.
Grace pushed open the door and stared in wide-eyed amazement. There were jugglers juggling, clowns laughing, gymnasts tumbling, dancers twirling, singers humming and at least two performing dogs.
Cuddle bounced up to a girl, who looked like she had stepped out of a history book, and leapt into her arms.
“Oh!” the girl exclaimed.
“Sorry. That’s Cuddle and she’s very friendly,” Grace said.
The girl’s face was as white as Cuddle’s tummy. “Are you all right?” Olivia asked.
A woman was standing next to the girl, holding a book called Poems by William Shakespeare. She said, “Chloe’s just nervous about performing her act. Aren’t you, dear?”
Chloe nodded. She was trembling all over, from her red hair, which was pinned up in a bun, to her long emerald dress, right the way down to her green shoes. Even her puffed sleeves were shaking.
“I’ll be all right as long as I have my lucky charm,” Chloe said. She held out her hand to show the girls a chain with a sparkling white jewel hanging from it.
Cuddle batted it and watched it swing.
“It’s beautiful,” Olivia said.
“What’s your talent?” Grace asked.
“Chloe’s dressed as a girl from Shakespeare’s time,” Chloe’s mum said. “She’s reciting one of his poems for her act.”
A man burst through the door behind them, holding a clipboard. He wore a badge saying ‘Stage Manager’.
“Is Hypno the Great here?” he asked. “It’s his turn to perform.”
Another man, dressed in long blue robes with an orange turban on his head, weaved his way through the sea of performers.
“There you are,” the stage manager said. “You’ll be Hypno the Late if you don’t hurry.”
Hypno whirled round. “I need to find my crystal first. I think a monkey took it. It’s essential to my act.” His eyes lit up as he saw the necklace sparkling in Chloe’s hand. “That’s perfect! Can I borrow it?”
Before Chloe could reply, Hypno grabbed the necklace from her and ran out to the stage.
“My lucky necklace!” Chloe cried. “I can’t perform without it.” Her eyes welled with tears.
“I’ll get it back,” Grace said. “Hypno, wait!”
She sprinted after him, her legs pounding as if she was aiming for the finishing line on Sports Day.
Without thinking, Grace ran across the stage towards him, but there was a creak of rope and a whoosh! of velvet. The stage curtain was going up!
