Old Writing: Mystery Story! (With errors)

“Come On!” My six-year-old sister yelled shaking me.
I had been daydreaming again. Leave it to Cora to ruin my daydream. I’d been having these sessions ever since I saw the newest movie, “The Legend of the Crystal Ring”, a film about a girl who found a ring that was said to have been over 100 years old. I had found it very interesting and I wondered if I could audition for a movie, just like the star Clara Cadman. I looked down at my little sister. “Cora, listen, I understand you want to go now, but you didn’t have to be so impatient.” “You’re not the boss of me.” She huffed. “Plus you were being slow.”
“Please stop arguing!” My best friend Nova yelled over us.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
We were in line for ice cream at Ivy’s Ice Cream for our Wednesday after school tradition and Cora wanted to play games in the arcade room.
“Penelope, Please???” She whined.
“Cora! Do you have to play games every week? We’re up next!” Since me and Cora were fighting, Nova took our orders. Cora took this as another thing to complain about.
“Penny, who do I always have to eat small bowls, why not big like you and Nova?” I ignored her.
“Thanks!” I called to Hailey, the Employee who handed us the ice cream. Cora tried to snatch her bowl.
“Cora, let’s wait until we get home.” Nova said. She seemed to tolerate Cora a lot more.

When we arrived at Nova’s house a while later a basket of fruit was lying on the counter. We knew the rule. Each of us gets an apple and a cookie, with a glass of milk. Dad would pick me and Cora up at 5:00.

Until then we had two and a half hours to do whatever we please. That was usually just sit in Nova’s treehouse. Nova’s parents built her a treehouse two years ago. We have had our playdates there ever since.

As we ate our food, Nova took a big binder out of her backpack. Nova is very organized and is neat overall. From her tight black ponytail to her spotless shoes, she is the tidiest person I ever met. She flipped to the tab with a blank title.
“What to put here…” She mumbled. Just then we heard the door unlocking. Nova’s Mom entered with a bag in her hand.

“Hello Girls!” she said kissing Nova on the head. “I thought I’d say hello then sit down and read this.” She waved a magazine in front of us.

“Wow, Mom!” Nova said. I gasped.
“Is that…” On the front cover was Clara Cadman!
The cover read:

Meet Clara Cadman, a young actress from New York

But the bottom advertised:

Come to her new show, Sunday at 6:00

“I need to go to that!” I squealed. Cora frowned.
“Penny, don’t we eat special dinners on Sunday nights?”
“Yes, but Clara Cadman! She is coming HERE!”
“Can we go Mom?” Nova asked.
“I’ll think about it.” Her mom said. “I costs money you know, but I understand how much you girls love that actress! ”
I smiled and squeezed Nora’s hand. Broadway, here we come!

I looked down at my red velvet dress. I looked rich. Just then, the doorbell rang. I ran to the door. It was Nora. She was wearing a fancy black dress. We were going to see Clara’s show! Outside, Nova’s parents were waiting in their white car.
Cora stepped into the door way.
“Bye, Penny!” She said.
I jumped up and down with excitement. Nova and I ran down the driveway and hopped in the car.
“Hello Penelope! Whose ready to see a real actress?” Nova’s Dad asked.
“US!” We shouted.

As the car turned around the corner we saw the big sign.
“Grand Theatre” I read.
Nova’s Parents showed the man at the door our tickets. He motioned that we could enter.
“Mom, I kind of need to go to the bathroom.” Nova said.
“I’ll go with you.” I said. “I see the sign over there.”
She followed me down a hall to the sign. It was a long confusing hall with twists and turns.

When Nora came out, I tried to retrace our steps. We ended up at a big door.
“Maybe this is a different exit.” Nova said.
We pushed the door open. We appeared to be in a lounge. A stressed looking teenager came out of a door on the right. She was clutching a pendant in one hand and a makeup brush in the other. I gasped.
It was Clara Cadman.
“May I help you?” Clara asked. “By the way, this is the VIP lounge. I have an interview and party here after the show.” She eyed us, knowing that we weren’t VIPs.
“Sorry Ma’am” Nova said turning around.
“Wait!” Clara said grabbing Nora’s arm. “Please stay for just a minute. I knew you weren’t VIPs, but I think that you wanted to meet me right?”
“Actually, we got lost.” I said.
“That’s understandable.” Clara agreed. “My first time here I got lost as well! Do you want me to walk you back.”
“Really?” Nora and I asked amazed.
“It’s not everyday that two little girls get lost and wander into an actresses lounge huh?”
“Thank You!” I exclaimed.
“Thank you for being so polite, I’m Clara by the way. I guess you knew that.”
“I’m Nova, and this is my best friend, Penelope, or Penny for short.” Nora said.
“Well Nova and Penny, how would you like to come to my VIP party?”
“I’ll ask my mom, but I’d love to!” Nova said excitedly. “If Penny wants to that is.”
“Of course!” I squealed dancing around.
Clara pushed the door open and we followed her down the long hall. When we heard voices around the corner, Clara motioned for us to go without her. She put a finger to her lips.

As I slid into the seat next to Nova, I noticed the lights dimming.
“The shows about to start!” I whispered to her.
Just then the lights went out and the curtain opened. A man with a microphone stepped into the spotlight.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome the one and only… Clara Cadman!” The audience cheered as Clara stepped up to the mic. “Thank you for coming everyone! It is a great honor to be here on this stage tonight after being in the wonderful movie, The legend of the Crystal Ring.” Clara turned to the man. “And now Clara will sing the main song from her new movie.” He said. I remembered that song. I had it stuck in my head. It was a beautiful song about how no one remembers the past, they only think about what happens next. Just then music blared. It was a rock song! Clara looked confused. I glanced behind us at the control booth. The man inside was trying to find a button. Soon the music stopped. A voice took over. “This is a fire, a fire in the–” The lights turned on. Everyone climbed up the stairs to the control booth trying to see what happened. Clara ran off the stage horrified. She came out a side door. We ran to her. The confused backstage crew flooded into the theater.
“That isn’t the fire alarm! It doesn’t sound like that!”
“The show must go on” Nova’s Mom said hoping to comfort the teen girl.
“I know!” Clara said weeping. “But this show meant a lot to me! I need to start the VIP party. We can just pretend that the show ended well! Someone is Sabotaging my show! ”
She sniffled. “Let’s go.” She picked up her mic. “Listen everyone. There is no fire. Carry on with your evening.”
Nora and I held Clara’s hands as we walked back to the lounge.
As Clara touched up her makeup, me and Nora admired the VIP lounge. The velvet chairs with a real gold table. Trays of biscuits and sweets filled counters. “Help yourself!” A maid said. Nora and I each took a cookie. Just then we heard a scream.
Nova and I rushed into the dressing room. We had no time to admire the lights around the mirrors. We found Clara franticly looking around. She was in utter panic.
“I can’t find it!” She yelled. “help!”
“What?” Nova and I asked simultaneously.
“My pendant!” Clara cried. “It belonged to my great grandmother! It’s a family heirloom. It’s Priceless! It’s made of pure gold and diamonds. I need to think!”
Nora’s Mom put her hand on Clara’s back. “Were did you see it last?”
“I always keep it in a velvet chest behind my mirror. It is locked at all times. I know I put it there before the show! I didn’t wear it because it is too heavy.”
“Where’s the key?” I asked.
“The key is always tied around my neck with a ribbon. I found the chest wide open. I can’t find the key!” Clara said panicking.
“Is this the key?” Nora asked holding up a cut ribbon with a golden key on the end.
“Yes!” Clara exclaimed.
Just then we heard a knock at the door.
“Miss Cadman, the guests have arrived.” Said a man’s voice, evidently the announcer.
“I’m coming Nate.” Clara said trying to sound happy. She lowered her voice. “It must have been stolen.”
We nodded and all of us left the room. I entered the lounge trying to note the possible suspects. There were nine other people in the room. Three couples, an aloof man with dark eyes eating a croissant, The announcer Nate, and A woman with blonde curly hair drinking a cup of tea. I walked over to the woman with blonde hair.
“Hi!” I said as happily as I could.
“Hello, young lady.” She said. “Who might you be?”
“My name is Penelope, Penelope Williams.” I said. “I’m one of the VIPs that Clara Cadman invited.”
“As am I,” The woman said. “I am Tina White.”
“Nice to meet you.” I said. I knew that name from somewhere. “Are you the director of Legend of the Crystal Ring?” I asked.
“Indeed!”
“Are you enjoying the party?” I asked.
“Yes, of course!” Tina said. “Now if you don’t mind, I must get on a call.”
I nodded. So far the case had gone no where.
Nova ran over too me.
“Any luck?” She asked.
“Not yet. How about you?”
Nova grinned.” I think I found a clue.” She said. “Whoever committed this crime needed time. Someone tried to draw us away by faking that fire. All I need is to know who didn’t run upstairs during the alarm.”

Just then the door burst open. It was a young lady, about Clara’s age. “Clara!” She exclaimed. “What is this? Why wasn’t I invited.”
“Oh, sorry Melody. I didn’t know you were here.” Clara said, truly surprised.
“I’m your best friend! Plus, I came just to see you in this show!”
I realized I had seen Melody before. She was lingering in the theater before the show began. I marked her as a possible suspect. She seemed to be hurt that Clara would have not spent time with her.

A while later, when Clara was walking into her dressing room to find her costume from the movie to show the crowd, I stopped her.
“Who is Melody?” I asked.
“She used to be my makeup artist. We are good friends, why?”
“I’m just wondering.” I said.
Clara nodded. “I don’t know her that well. I only see her during shows. She seems set on being my BFF. I think she might be hurt that I got the role in the movie.”
“How did you get the pendant?” Nova asked running over.
“It was passed down to me from three generations. When my great grandmother was a little girl, she lived on the coast with her poor parents. Her father was a Mariner. He took his boat to and from the Marina every day. My great grandmother would watch as he let the boat go and waved. One day, when on an expedition in his submarine, Her father found the pendant. It was from an old shipwreck! He didn’t know what it was worth so he took it back to show his daughter. Little did he know that it would bring his family prosperity. Later that year they moved into the forest. They had gotten a new car and it broke down on some rough terrain. Some men had followed the car and were trying to steal the pendant. The family had no choice but to inter the now broken pendant. It was like a funeral. It remined them of their old home. It was missing for many years. When my grandmother finally found it a decade later, she had to take it to a jeweler. To ameliorate the necklace took a lot of money. It was finally fixed and finished and then passed down to me.”