for the ride!â
Just then, one of Luluâs favorite songs started playing over the speakers. She jumped up and started to dance and sing along.
âLulu,â Mia said, glancing back at the rest of the bus. âI donât think . . .â
Across the top level of the bus, everyone turned to watch and clap along with the music. Lulu wasnât going to stop now with so many people egging her on. As she always did when she had a captive crowd, Lulu turned on her extra-special charm. She pranced up and down the aisle, singing specifically to one group and then to another.
âArenât you going to stop her?â Mia said.
Miss Julia snapped a photo. âSheâs not bothering anyone.â
âSheâs . . .â Mia said, and then she looked over at Maddie and shrugged.
The song rose to a crescendo, and Luluâs voice rose along with it all the way to the end. Then she dropped into a low curtsey and started blowing kisses at everyone.
âTips, tips?â she called.
âAnd thatâs the end of that,â Miss Julia said, jumping up and sweeping Lulu back to their seats.
âWhat?â Lulu asked. âWhat did I do?â
âYou canât ask random people on the bus for tips, Lulu,â Mia said, eyebrows raised in what she probably hoped was an Iâm serious face.
Even so, Maddie could see a smile threatening to break through. Lulu got away with things by leaping into them so quickly that no one had time to stop her. And who knew? If Miss Julia hadnât pulled her back to her seat, someone might even have given her a tip. That was just the way things went with Luluâall part of the fun of having her for a little sister.
Lulu climbed onto her seat, scooting close to Miss Julia. âHow much longer?â
âWeâre almost there,â Miss Julia answered. âI think weâre just a few blocks away.â
âWhat are you drawing, Maddie?â Lulu asked.
Maddie turned her sketchbook so Lulu could see. Sheâd drawn her little sister, arms stretched up to the London sky, her mouth open as she sang, and the other bus passengers clapping along.
âCan I have that one?â Lulu asked.
âI donât think she should pull out pictures from her sketchbook. Her drawings should all be togetherâa record of our trip,â Mia said.
âLike a travelogue,â Miss Julia said.
âI want one,â Lulu said, and then grinned at Mia. âA sketchbook, I mean, not the picture.â
âYou want to draw?â Miss Julia asked.
Lulu bit her lip. âWell, no. I donât know. Maybe.â
âIf you want a sketchbook, we might be able to find you one at the National Gallery. But maybe your travelogue could be different than Maddieâs. Yours could have photos with captions, for instance.â
âOh, yes, letâs do that!â Lulu said.
âThereâs an app Iâve been thinking about using,â Miss Julia said. âWe could use it on my phone to take pictures and keep some notes about our trip.â
For the next few minutes, Lulu and Miss Julia were busy with her phone, installing and trying out the app.
Mia scooted over close to Maddie to look at her drawing again. âI like the way you sketched the facesâloose, but you can still see their expressions. Well, actually, itâs like you can see what theyâre feeling, if you know what I mean.â
âReally?â Maddie asked, warmth spreading through her despite the wind. âThatâs exactly what I was going for.â
âDo you think there will be any paintings that we like at the National Gallery? Wonât all of them be old?â
âI love seeing old paintings. Iâd like to try to draw some of them.â
âBut sometimes old paintings are weird, like in colors I wouldnât choose, or . . . well, sometimes, theyâre naked people.â
âTrue,â Maddie said.