Mallory Pike No.1 Fan Read online

  Like Kristy, Dawn is now part of a blended family. The great part is that her family joined up with the family of her very best friend, Mary Anne Spier, who's also a BSC member.

  Things get the tiniest bit complicated here, so let me take a moment to tell you about Mary Anne before I go on with the rest of Dawn's story.

  Mary Anne and Kristy used to live next door to one another on Bradford Court. Mary Anne lived alone with her father; her mother had died when Mary Anne was very young. Her father had very rigid ideas about bringing up a daughter. Mary Anne had to obey strict rules about everything from how long she could talk on the phone to what she could wear. (She still wore braids and jumpers in the seventh grade!) Then Mary Anne met Dawn, who had only been in Stoneybrook for four days. They didn't appear to have much in common. Dawn is tall, Mary Anne is short. Dawn is a cool dresser, Mary Anne wasn't. Dawn is outgoing, Mary Anne is shy. But, still, they became good friends pretty quickly.

  One day, as they browsed through Mrs. Schafer's old high school yearbook, they discovered something amazing. Mrs. Schafer and Mr. Spier had been boyfriend and girlfriend in high school! Obviously, they hadn't gotten married, at least not to each other. But now they were both free again. Mary Anne and Dawn decided to try to get their parents back together.

  It took some doing, but finally everything fell into place. After dating for a long time, Mr. Spier and Mrs. Schafer got married. That's how Dawn and Mary Anne became stepsisters, and Mary Anne and her dad moved into the farmhouse on Burnt Hill Road. At first, it wasn't easy. Everyone - including Mary Anne and Dawn - had a bumpy time learning to work together as a family. But, things slowly started settling down. And, just when everything was finally going smoothly, Dawn decided she missed Jeff and her dad, and went to California to stay with them. Dawn swears she'll be back, but I sometimes wonder. We all really miss her, and hope she doesn't decide to stay in California.

  Oh! Talking about Mary Anne reminded me of someone else you should know about: Logan Bruno, Mary Anne's steady boyfriend.

  The reason you should know about him is that he's an associate BSC member, like Shannon used to be. We call Logan whenever we have more jobs than we can handle. Logan has curly light brown hair and a Southern accent. His family (which includes his mother and father, a younger sister, and a younger brother) is from Louisville, Kentucky.

  Let's see, who haven't I mentioned? Claudia! Claudia Kishi, whose room we were in at that moment, is strikingly beautiful. She has long, silky black hair, and lovely almond-shaped eyes. (She's Japanese-American.) Claudia's natural beauty is set off by her unique fashion sense. You see, Claudia is extremely artistic. She paints, sculpts, makes jewelry and pottery, sketches - you name it. And her clothing reflects her artistic nature. She combines colors and styles in an original way which really works. For example, today she wore wide-legged maroon corduroy pants, a yellow paisley-print blouse with ruffle sleeves, and a yellow-and-maroon-striped vest. Her hair was fixed in two braids and she wore a black brimmed fisherman's cap. On her feet were heavy-soled black Doc Marten shoes with bright yellow laces. It might sound a little strange, but on her it looked spectacular.

  Looking at Claudia's creamy skin and slim figure, you'd never guess she's~ a junk food fanatic. Bags of snacks are stashed all over her room, because her parents disapprove of this habit. They also disapprove of the Nancy Drew books Claudia adores. (Those are hidden all over the place, too.) Claudia's parents would like her to read more "challenging" books, and be more like her older sister, Janine. Janine is an authentic genius, with an I.Q. of 196. Claudia is smart, too, but there's no way she'll ever be like janine. For one thing, Claudia isn't much of a student. She does just enough work to get by and no more.

  Claudia's best friend is Stacey McGill, another BSC member. Stacey is our New York girl. She's a real live native New Yorker, and she loves everything about New York City. Like Claudia, Stacey also has a great fashion sense, although she isn't quite as original. Her blonde hair is permed and she has the biggest blue eyes.

  As I mentioned, Jessi and I joined the BSC when Stacey moved back to New York. While they were there Stacey's parents decided to divorce. Soon afterward, Stacey moved to Stoneybrook once again with her mother, and rejoined the BSC.

  Considering all the moves she's made and her parents' divorce, Stacey is a remarkably upbeat person. That's even more surprising when you consider that she has another problem. Stacey has a very serious form of diabetes. Diabetes is a condition which prevents your body from properly regulating the sugar levels in your bloodstream. To keep her diabetes under control, Stacey has to monitor her diet carefully (no sweets). She must also give herself insulin injections every day.

  Now that you know who is who, let me give you a brief rundown on how the BSC works. We meet in Claudia's room, because she is the only one of us with her own phone and a private number. Her private number allows us to do business without tying up someone's family phone. Because we use her phone and room, Claudia is the vice-president.

  At the beginning of every meeting, Kristy, who is president, asks if there is any new business. If anyone has something special to discuss that's when we do it.

  Kristy is president because the club was her idea, and also because she is the driving force that keeps things going smoothly. She runs the club strictly, like a real business. And she's constantly coming up with great new ideas. Kid-Kits, for example. Kid-Kits are boxes filled with our old toys and books, plus new art supplies and stuff. We don't bring them on every baby-sitting job, but kids love them when we do. The BSC notebook is another of Kristy's ideas. It's a book in which we record what happens on all of our sitting jobs. It's a great reference if you are sitting for a family for the first time, or if you want to know what's been happening with certain kids since the last time you sat for them. Some members grumble about having to write in it, but I love to. (Naturally, since I love to write.) When Claudia's phone rings, the person sitting nearest answers, and takes down the client's information. She tells the client we'll call right back, and then asks Mary Anne who can take the job.

  Mary Anne is the club secretary. She keeps the record book in order. The record book lists everyone's schedules (my orthodontist appointments, Jessi's ballet classes, Stacey's doctor appointments, etc.). It also contains information about our clients - addresses, rates paid, plus records of our charges' allergies or any special problems.

  By checking the record book, Mary Anne can figure out which of us is free to take a particular job. Once we decide who will take it, we call the client back.

  Stacey is the club treasurer. She's a math whiz, which makes her the natural choice for the job. She collects the dues and keeps the money in a big manila envelope. We use the money to help pay Claudia's phone bill, and to pay Kristy's brother, Charlie, to drive Kristy and Shannon to meetings, since they live so far away. We also use the money to restock our Kid-Kits from time to time. If there's any money left over (sometimes there is, thanks to Stacey's good money management) we put it toward something fun such as a pizza party or a slumber party.

  These days, Shannon is the alternate officer (that's usually Dawn's job). The alternate officer must know everyone's job, so that she can fill in if anyone is absent. Jessi and I are called junior officers, but we don't have any special duties.

  At this particular meeting, the phone didn't start ringing until about a quarter to six. No one had any new business either. So, while Claudia passed~ around a bag of Doritos, and Mary Anne wrote in the club notebook, I told the others about Jessi's and my English assignment. "Does anyone have any good ideas for us?" I asked.

  "I have an idea for Jessi," said Stacey. "Why don't you write down the stories of some famous ballets? Sometimes when I go to the ballet with my father at Lincoln Center, I have no idea what the story is. I mean, the dancing is gorgeous and all, but it would be nice to understand the story behind the dance. You could make a book of the stories." "What a great idea!" said Jessi. "I could do Swan Lake, The Nutcrack
er, and The Firebird!" "And you wouldn't have to interview Madame Noelle," I said, laughing.

  "She can be a little intimidating," Jessi agreed. "But I like the idea of telling the stories. I can write about how they make me feel and how the feelings behind the stories affect my dancing." "Mal, why don't you just write another story?" Mary Anne suggested.

  "I was thinking I'd like to do something with kids," I told her. "After all, I do want to write for kids. I was thinking of working with the Kids Can Do Anything Club at the elementary school, but I'm not sure what to do." "Kids, huh," Kristy mused. "Why don't you write a play? A play featuring kids. Maybe you could get the Kids Club to perform your play." "I like that," I agreed excitedly. "I like it a lot." Good old Kristy. You can always count on her for a great idea.

  Chapter 3.

  On Monday, after school, I headed over to Stoneybrook Elementary. I wanted to talk to Mr. Katz and Ms. Simon, who run the Kids Club. I was eager to find out what they thought about my writing a play for the kids to perform.

  When I reached the classroom where the club meets, room 164, I peeked through the window in the door. Becca, Haley, and several other kids, some of whom I know from around the neighborhood and from baby-sitting, were busily sorting through boxes of canned goods. Mr. Katz was sitting in a chair, making checks on a paper attached to his clipboard. It looked as if their Thanksgiving food drive was well underway.

  "Mallory," said a woman, coming up behind me in the hail. It was Ms. Simon. "How nice to see you. What brings you here?" "Hi, Ms. Simon," I replied. "Actually, I came to see you. You and Mr. Katz." "Great. Just to say hello?" "No, I mean, not only to say hello. I have to do a project for English and I thought I'd write a play and have the kids in the Kids Club perform it." I hadn't intended to just blurt out my idea while standing in the hallway like that. But that's how it came out. I studied Ms. Simon's expression, looking for a reaction.

  Ms. Simon nodded thoughtfully. "What will the play be about?" "Urn, I haven't actually gotten that far yet," I admitted. "Does it matter?" "Well, for one thing, I'd like the kids to learn something from it." "But isn't being in a play a learning experience?" I asked. It hadn't occurred to me that the teachers might turn me down. "They learn how to act, and speak in front of a group, and make costumes, and a lot of helpful things like that." "You're right," Ms. Simon agreed hesitantly. "More important, though, Mallory, the Kids Can Do Anything Club is a service oriented group. I'm not sure how putting on a play fits in with that." "Well . . ." I pressed my lips together as I tried to think of something persuasive to say. Luckily, a stroke of genius came my way right then. "People in hospitals and nursing homes love to see plays. If the kids learned how to put on their own plays, they'd be able to entertain people in those places. That's a very valuable service." Ms. Simon's eyes brightened with enthusiasm. "That is brilliant, Mallory!" ( I agreed.) "The food drive is wrapping up. Mr. Katz and I were wondering what to do next. With the holidays coming soon, we can put together a show, and travel to spots where people can't get out." "That would be great," I said. "But, well, I wanted to write the play." "Yes, of course. They can do your play to learn about plays. And then they can put their own together. It think this might just work out beautifully. Would you be willing to work with interested kids on the topic of drama, of telling a story through dialogue, and so forth? If we can shape this as a real learning experience it would be wonderful." How could I say no? Besides, it sounded like fun. "Sure, that sounds good," I agreed.

  "Let me discuss this with Mr. Katz. If he agrees, and I think he will, we'll arrange for you to come in and talk to the kids at the next meeting. How does that sound?" "Cool," I replied happily. "I'll start working on a talk." "Wonderful! I'll call you up tomorrow afternoon and we can discuss it some more," said Ms. Simon.

  "Thanks!" I said, smiling.

  That night I lay on my bed and worked on my proposal for Mr. Williams. Although I plan to write books for kids, I might like to try playwriting for them, as well. Writing a play for kids will be a new experience for me, I wrote. A writer must always grow and expand as an artist. I am looking forward to this project because it will open me to a new experience in writing. I thought that sounded pretty good. I wrote another page which wasn't entirely honest. I said that watching the kids work on the play would give me a good chance to observe kids and see how they acted and felt, which would help in my writing. True, it would give me that experience, but I didn't exactly have to put on a play in order to observe kids. Between my brothers and sisters and the kids I sit for I have tons of kids to watch. Still, I wanted to make this project seem highly educational.

  The next day I handed in my proposal, ahead of time. That afternoon, Ms. Simon called to tell me that Mr. Katz was wild about the idea of my working on drama with the kids. They wanted me to come in the following Wednesday.

  I felt confident that Mr. Williams would be equally wild about my proposal. "Mallory, could you see me after class, please?" he requested the following morning.

  "Sure," I replied.

  I spent the rest of class thinking of cool ways to react to his praise without blushing or smiling too much. I imagined Mr. Williams saying something like: "Mallory, this is the most original idea any sixth-grader has ever submitted to me. I am awestruck!" I could then nod knowingly and reply: "I appreciate your support. My first book will be dedicated to you because so few teachers encourage the talent of an original thinker." No, that might be a bit much. Maybe a simple "thank you" would be best.

  When class ended I approached Mr. Williams's desk. "Mallory, I want to speak to you about your proposal," he said.

  Without meaning to, I began smiling. It's hard not to smile when you know praise is headed your way.

  "It just isn't right," he said.

  "What?" "It's a good beginning, but it has to be developed further. As it stands now, it's not involved enough. It's not really sufficiently career-related, either." "But it's writing for kids, and I want to be a kids' writer," I objected.

  "Yes, I understand that. But, I'm looking for something which will enhance your understanding of the career you've chosen. I don't think you'll learn anything new from this." When he put it that way, I couldn't think of anything new I'd learn, either. (Obviously he hadn't fallen for the part about my having a chance to observe kids.) Maybe that was what I'd liked about the project to begin with - I already knew how to do it. Even though I'd never written a play, I'd read a lot of them. I was sure I could write one. It seemed pretty easy.

  "Take this back," said Mr. Williams, handing me my proposal. "Try to think of ways to make it more challenging to yourself. Come up with something you'd like to learn and then set out to learn it." "All right," I agreed glumly.

  "I know you'll come up with something good. I have a lot of faith in you, Mallory." "Thank you," I said. (I had certainly been right about that being the best reply.) It was a good thing Mr. Williams had faith in me, because by Thursday afternoon I'd lost faith in myself - or at least, faith in my ability to come up with an interesting project. I hated the thought of giving up on my play. I wanted to do it, and besides, I'd already promised to work with the Kids Club on a drama project. I couldn't back out of that now. There had to be a way to make my proposal bigger and more exciting. But what was it?

  The proposal was due the next morning, so I had to come up with something by that night. I sat with my back against my bed and stared down at the blank lined paper in the notebook propped against my knees. The pad accurately reflected what was in my head - nothing. (The pad was really better off. At least it had blue lines. My mind was a total blank!) What could I do to make this project more impressive?

  Absently, I began doodling on the pad. (Doodling sometimes helps me think.) I drew a picture of Alice Anderson, at least the way I imagined her in Alice Anderson. There were no pictures in Henrietta Hayes's book, but the cover showed her as a pretty girl with long, wavy, corn-colored hair, running happily through a meadow of wild flowers. It was a nice picture, but
I wished that inside the book the reader could see more of Alice in different situations.

  "What are you doing?" asked Vanessa coming into our room.

  "Trying to think of something to do for my English project," I grumbled.

  Vanessa gazed down at my pad. "Who is that supposed to be?" "Alice Anderson. A character from a book I just finished." Vanessa dropped a long white envelope down on the pad. "Here. Mom sent me up to give you this. She said you'd want to see it right away. Who is it from?" Turning the letter over in my hand, I saw it had no return address on it, but it did have a name written in the upper lefthand corner. Henrietta Hayes! Henrietta Hayes had written back to me in just one week! Awesome! Unbelievable! 1 tore open the envelope.

  The letter was neatly typed. It said: Dear Reader, Thanks so much for your lovely letter. I am very glad that you enjoyed my book. Hearing from you means a lot. I'll try to answer some of the questions as best I can. In the next couple of paragraphs I learned several facts about Ms. Hayes. For example, she was born in Binghamton, New York, and she graduated from Ithaca College.

  What I found most interesting was that Henrietta Hayes was both an author and a playwright. She'd written five Alice Anderson books, six other books, and ten plays.

  By the time I was done with the letter (which Vanessa insisted I read aloud), I knew a lot more about Henrietta Hayes. I realized, though, that the letter didn't answer any of the questions I'd asked.

  This puzzled me for a moment, until I realized something. Henrietta Hayes probably sent the same letter to everyone who wrote to her. That's why it said Dear Reader, not Dear Mallory.

  "She didn't write this to me," I said glumly.

  "Then whose letter is it?" Vanessa asked.

  "The letter is mine," I replied. "But it wasn't written to me, specifically." "It says Mallory Pike on the envelope," Vanessa pointed out.