Magic Tree House #50: Hurry Up, Houdini! (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

thirty-minute show. Got it?”
    “Okey dokey!” said Annie.
    “Good. Get ready! I’ll call for you!” said Mr. Wilson. The stage manager left, closing the door.
    Annie grinned at Jack. “Do you believe this?” she said.
    “No. I. Don’t,” Jack said coldly.
    The smile left Annie’s face. “What’s wrong? You don’t seem very jolly,” she said.
    “I’m
not
jolly,” Jack said. “I’m angry.
Really
angry.”
    “Why?” asked Annie.
    “Because we didn’t decide on this together,” said Jack. “You didn’t even listen to me. Just like you didn’t listen to me when I wanted to buy our tickets early.”
    “But with the magic mist, this could be so much fun, don’t you think?” said Annie. “Plus we’ll meet the Great Houdini for sure. And—and we’ll helpMr. Dewey and his theater. It’s a good plan, Jack!”
    “It might be a good plan,” said Jack. “That’s not the point. The point is we didn’t talk about it together. We’re supposed to be a team on our missions.”
    “But if it’s a good plan, what difference does it make if we didn’t talk about it?” said Annie. “Why can’t you just go along with me?”
    “Because I don’t want to,” said Jack. “
You
decided by yourself to do this—so just do it by yourself. Just go on the stage and use the magic mist all by yourself.”
    “Really?” said Annie.
    “Really!” said Jack.
    “Well, fine,” said Annie.
    “Okay, then,” said Jack.
    “Good-bye,” said Annie.
    “Good-bye!” said Jack. He stormed out of the dressing room, banging the door shut behind him. He walked briskly down the backstage hallway, through the doors, and into the auditorium.
    A rowdy crowd was streaming down the aisles.
    Ushers yelled at teenagers who were shoving each other and fighting over their seats.
Hooligans
, Jack thought, glad he didn’t have to perform.
    Jack made his way through the auditorium, then through the packed lobby. He slipped by the ticket taker and squeezed past people streaming into the theater.
    Jack walked away from Henderson’s Music Hall as fast as he could. He hurried up the avenue, weaving his way through the crowds on the sidewalk.
    She can just do it by herself
, Jack thought.
I don’t care. She can use Merlin’s magic mist all by herself! She can perform for the hooligans and the hordes if she wants to! But I don’t have to! She can sniff the magic mist and just … oh. OH!
    Jack stopped. He dug into his brown bag. He pulled out the small bottle. “Oh, no,” he moaned. Annie didn’t have Merlin’s magic mist.
He
did!

J ack whirled around and started back up Surf Avenue. The sidewalk was so crowded, he had to jump off the curb into the street and trot alongside the old-timey cars and the horses and buggies.
    When Jack reached the theater, people were still making their way inside. He squeezed through the crowd, trying not to push anyone too hard. “Excuse me, excuse me,” he said. He tried to sneak his way past the ticket taker, but the man grabbed him. “Ticket, sonny?”
    “I don’t have a ticket,” said Jack. “I just need to get backstage fast.”
    “Beat it, kid,” said the ticket taker.
    “Wait!” said Jack. He pointed at the chalkboard announcing their act. “I’m Jolly Jack. See?”
    “I don’t see nothing jolly about you!” said the ticket seller. “Beat it now or I’ll call the cops. Next!”
    Jack backed away from the door. He pulled out his pocket watch. It was ten minutes to eight! Annie had to go on at eight-fifteen! He paced up and down the sidewalk, desperately looking for another entrance.
    There must be a door somewhere that leads backstage!
he thought. He peered down a long, narrow alley beside the theater. The alley was dark, except for the glow of light from high windows above a row of garbage cans.
    Jack hurried down the alley. A rat skittered out from behind a can. Jack kept going until he rounded the corner. He found the back entrance, but when he tried the handle, it was locked. Hebanged and banged on the door, but no one answered.
    The windows!
Jack thought. He hurried back into the alley. To reach the row of windows, he had to step from a packing crate onto the top of a garbage can. Jack stood on his toes and looked through a lit window. He saw a hallway, but no one was there. He carefully stepped from one garbage can to another until he reached the next window.
    Jack looked through the glass into the Bambinis’ dressing room. He saw Annie dressed in an