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draped over his hand. A red-and-yellow parrot perched on his fingers.
    Delia applauded along with the rest of the audience. About thirty or forty kids had stayed after school to watch the talent competition.
    He’s good, Delia thought. He pulls off some great tricks. But his act isn’t too original.
    Karina has a better voice. She’s going to score much higher. But if the judges give me some points for writing my own song, I have a shot at winning the talent section, Delia decided.
    â€œWhere did he get a parrot?” Britty laughed.
    Stewart bowed and everyone applauded some more. Then he collected his props from around the stage. He appeared relieved as he carried them off.
    Delia’s stomach tightened. Closer. The big moment was getting closer. Only one more number to sit through. She wondered how she’d ever get through it—especially since it was Karina’s.
    â€œI wish Vincent could be here,” Delia said. “But he said his mom was making him take his little brother to the dentist. Can you believe it?”
    â€œWell, I’m here to cheer you on,” Britty reminded her. “And Gabe is right backstage. He promised that you’ll look great under the lights he set up for your song.”
    Two boys rolled a massive grand piano onto thestage. “Karina’s piano,” Britty explained. “I heard she had it shipped from her house especially for today.”
    Delia shook her head. This gets worse and worse every second, she thought. An older woman sat down at the piano and started playing scales.
    â€œKarina’s voice coach,” Britty announced.
    Delia gripped the arms of her seat and gazed at Karina. She sat in the front row, and appeared calm and cool. And blond and beautiful.
    As if she could feel Delia’s eyes on her, Karina turned. Her lips started to pull back in a sneer. Then she must have remembered the judges. She smiled brightly and waved.
    â€œWhat a phony,” Delia muttered to Britty.
    Delia thought about what had happened last week. How Karina had caught her eavesdropping. How Karina had threatened her.
    Since then, she had passed Karina in the halls several times. And every time Karina acted so sweet, it made Delia’s stomach ache.
    The judges called Karina’s name. Delia watched her stand and make her way up to the stage.
    â€œSame dress she wore to homecoming,” Britty muttered.
    Yeah, Delia thought. The same beautiful dress. Blue satin that clung to Karina’s slender figure.
    Karina glided to the center of the stage. She introduced her song. Her voice sounded steady andconfident. Then she stepped back while her accompanist played the introduction.
    When Karina started to sing, everybody in the auditorium sat spellbound. “Wow!” Britty breathed.
    Karina didn’t just have a good voice. She had a fabulous voice—clear and pure. Even though Delia didn’t understand one word of the Italian song Karina sang, she knew it was a love song. A beautiful love song.
    Beautiful. Just like Karina.
    Trying hard to appear casual, Delia turned in her seat. She had to see the judges’ reactions. The three judges sat at the side, smiling as they stared up at the stage.
    As Delia turned back, she noticed someone staring at her from down the row. She leaned forward, craning her neck to see past Britty.
    â€œSarah?” she whispered. “What is Sarah doing here?”
    â€œShh!” Britty nudged her in the side.
    â€œBut why would Sarah …?”
    â€œShe’s your kid sister,” Britty whispered. “Of course she’s here. She wants to see how you do.”
    â€œRight.” That proved Britty didn’t know Sarah too well. “Any normal sister would want to see how I do. But Sarah isn’t normal, remember?”
    â€œShh.” The girl sitting in front of Delia turned around and raised a finger to her lips.
    Embarrassed, Delia sank back in her seat. Then she stared down