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she’d get the part in Mr. Michaels’ movie. She wiggled her toes and grinned as her shoes caught the light. Their brilliant shade of deep red reminded her of rubies. Perhaps she had the charmed ruby slippers that Dorothy had worn in The Wizard of Oz.
    The thought was so funny, Tammy laughed out loud. She didn’t believe in magic, or charms, or curses. But she did believe in good luck, and her luck was fantastic tonight. The first act had gone perfectly, even better than her wildest hopes. She hadn’t blown a single line and the audience had adored her. When she’d looked at Mr. Michaels, right before the curtain had fallen, he’d been smiling and clapping right along with the rest of the audience. And then Mr. Carlson had raised his hand and made a little circle with his thumb and forefinger. It must mean that Mr. Michaels had liked her.
    She’d seen Steve, sitting in the back row with Donna. Tammy couldn’t understand what Steve saw in her. Of course, that was none of her business now. She couldn’t care less who Steve dated.
    Right before the play had started, Tammy had broken up with Steve. Now that she was going to be an actress, she needed to be seen with someone more important, someone rich and famous. There was no way Tammy wanted to be linked romantically with a small town, high school football player like Steve!
    It was time to get ready for the second act. Tammy glanced down at her red shoes and her eyes widened in surprise. She’d planned to take them off for the second half of the play. She’d been sure that they’d clash with her costume, but the beautiful ruby red color had darkened to a shade of bronze that exactly matched the dress she was wearing.
    How strange! And how wonderful! Tammy’s face lit up in a smile. She didn’t actually believe that the red shoes had helped her acting, but now there was no need to take any chances. She’d wear them, just in case.
    Tammy checked her makeup. She was ready, and she could hardly wait for the next act. But when she tried to open her dressing room door, it wouldn’t budge. The knob turned and the latch clicked, but the door simply wouldn’t open.
    â€œOh, great!” Tammy glared at the door. When she didn’t appear backstage, someone would be sure to come. But Tammy didn’t want to wait to be rescued by one of the stagehands.
    Luckily, the door opened out. It was against fire regulations, but the maintenance man hadn’t gotten around to fixing it. Tammy put both hands on the door and shoved, but nothing happened. It really was stuck, and that made Tammy so angry, she kicked it.
    That was when something totally unexpected and awful happened. Although Tammy didn’t kick that hard, her red shoe connected with the door with incredible force. There was a loud snapping sound, and for the briefest of moments, Tammy was puzzled. Then she felt a rush of blinding pain, and she started to scream.
    Tammy fell to the floor, writhing in agony. Her leg was broken! Her last thought, before she lost consciousness, was about the red shoes. She should have believed the old woman. And she should have listened to Donna’s warnings. The red shoes really were cursed and this was her bad luck!
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    There wasn’t time to talk during the fifteen-minute intermission. The concession stand was swamped with people, and Donna and Steve served punch and cookies until they’d sold out. They’d just finished wiping the counter when the lights flickered for the start of the second act.
    â€œLet’s go.” Steve lifted the shelf and held it up so Donna could step through to the lobby. “If we hurry, we won’t miss any of the second act.”
    But there was no need to hurry. Donna and Steve sat in the darkened theater for a full five minutes and the curtain still hadn’t risen. And then Donna heard it, the wail of a siren in the distance, coming closer and closer to the