"Replica03 - Another Amy - Kaye, Marilyn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kaye Marilyn)

"What are you talking about?" Tasha asked. "What math assignment? How come I don't know about any of this?"
Amy didn't respond. She was busy watching Eric, and she could see the struggle going on behind his eyes. Finally he said, "Okay. I'll do it."
Amy clapped her hands in glee.
"But don't forget our other bargain," he warned her. "You're still going to watch Ronald Hurley tonight, right?"
"Absolutely," Amy promised. "When's your date?"
"Tomorrow night," Eric said. Amy noticed that his face was taking on a slight greenish tinge as he thought about it.
She jumped up. "I'm heading over to Ronald Hurley's house right now. I'll call you tonight if I see anything. And you're going to call Sue Adams back, right?"
"Right," Eric said in resignation.
"Great. See ya later. Bye, Tasha." She barely heard Tasha's "Bye" as she ran out the room.
A few hours later Amy had a stroke of luck. She'd gone straight to the Hurley home but had to walk around the block more than a few times before Ronald showed up in the den. At last she spotted him sitting at his desk. And his computer screen was flickering. Quietly, and making sure no one was around to see her, Amy crept closer to the den window.
She'd only played Island Treasure once, and she didn't know the format well at all. Still, she found that if she concentrated and really strained, the tiny words at the top of the screen came into focus.
ISLAND TREASURE: LEVEL FOUR
Eric was going to be ecstatic. She ran home within seconds. And she dialed Eric's number even faster.

When Eric arrived at school early the next morning, he was relieved not to see Aimee among the movie people in the gym. But Sue Adams was there, and she dragged Eric over to meet Aimee's mother.
"This is the boy who will be Aimee's date tonight, Mrs. Evans."
The big blond woman looked him over. "Yes, I remember seeing you yesterday. Now, don't get any bright ideas, young man. This so-called date is strictly for publicity purposes. My little Aimee is only twelve years old." She paused. "Of course, she's not your ordinary twelve-year-old. But she has no interest in you. And I don't want you to show any special interest in her. If you know what I mean."
It was the farthest thing from Eric's mind. "I know what you mean."
"There's nothing to worry about," Sue Adams broke in. "I'll be the chaperone, and they won't have a moment alone. Eric, give me your address, and I'll pick you up at seven."
The great Aimee came in just then, followed closely by a man struggling to do something to her hair.
"Slow down, slow down," the man was muttering.
"Move faster," she snapped.
Sue Adams beamed at her. "Aimee, I want you to meet Eric Morgan, your date for tonight!"
Aimee gave no sign of recognizing him. She scarcely even glanced his way. Eric didn't think it was possible for him to feel more ill at ease until Jeanine and her friend Linda suddenly appeared by his side. "Hi, Eric! Hello, Aimee!" they chorused.
A voice came through a loudspeaker somewhere. "Aimee Evans, report to makeup."
"Gee, you'd think they could at least say 'please,' " Jeanine said. Aimee allowed her a brief smile before sauntering off.
"You know what just occurred to me?" Linda mused. "Aimee looks familiar." She snapped her fingers. "Amy Candler! That's who she looks like. Isn't that weird? They even have the same name."
"Don't be ridiculous," Jeanine said. "Aimee Evans is much prettier than Amy Candler."
The voice came over the loudspeaker again. "All extras report to the bleachers." Eric climbed up the bleachers, taking a place behind a guy who was taller so he wouldn't be seen too much. Mr. Hardy addressed them.
"Okay, kids, this is what's happening. We're going for reaction shots here. You're watching a basketball game. When someone from your school scores, you cheer. When someone from the other team scores, you boo. When someone from your school just misses a basket, you groan. Got it?"
Someone was confused. "Where are the players?"
"We're not shooting the game now," Mr. Hardy told them. "Just the reaction shots from the crowd."
"Then how do we know when to react?"
Mr. Hardy looked pained. "When I tell you to cheer, you'll cheer. Got it?"
Eric slumped in his seat. Oh well, it was better than answering the roll in homeroom.

Amy was having a hard time concentrating at school that day. It was too easy to let her fantasies drown out the teachers. She was imagining Eric on his date. She was sure Aimee would turn out to be much nicer than they thought. And soon she and Aimee would meet. She was sure of it. And once they met, they'd really bond. They could even search for the other Amys together.
Eric was being sweet. She knew he didn't really want to do this. But she wasn't really asking that much from him. All he had to do was go out on an all-expenses-paid date with a pretty girl. Big deal.
When she went to her English class, she found Jeanine in an exceptionally giddy state, and she wouldn't even let Amy get to her seat before regaling her with her news. "I've just been called to the set! I'm playing the part of Marcia, and she has a very important scene right at the beginning of the movie with Aimee and Rory!" Jeanine didn't even wait to see Amy's reaction before scampering out of the room.
At least Amy didn't have to fake attention in English. The class was given a pop quiz, which she completed in five minutes. After that she pretended to study her answers while she daydreamed.
"Amy?" The teacher spoke softly. Amy looked up, and the teacher beckoned to her. "If you've finished the quiz, would you take this message to the office?"
"Sure," Amy said, and hurried off. The halls were very quiet as she ran the errand. Her ears picked up the faint sound of activity on the floor above her, and she distinctly heard the word Action. Checking to make sure no one was around, she tore up the stairs four steps at a time. She stopped abruptly when she reached the hallway.
There was a flurry of activity outside a classroom. A tall, freestanding lamp shot a bright beam into the room. She spotted Aimee, having her hair combed. A woman was patting makeup onto Rory's face.
Amy slid against the wall, positioning herself so that she could see into the room. Mr. Hardy came out. "This will be a take! Positions, everyone!"
Then she saw Jeanine, lying on her back on the floor of the room. She didn't look happy. Aimee, on the other hand, did. She was watching with a small, satisfied smile on her face. She whispered something to Mr. Hardy, and the director called out, "Facedown!" Jeanine rolled over. Something that looked like the shaft of a knife was carefully placed on her back, and then some sticky red stuff was dripped onto her.
Rory went into the room and stood by Jeanine. Aimee stayed outside the classroom door, and someone placed a stack of books in her arms.
Mr. Hardy looked around. Then he yelled, "Lights! Camera! Action!"
Another voice called, "Middle School Maniac, take one."
Amy watched as Aimee walked into the classroom and almost tripped on Jeanine. She screamed and dropped the books. One of them fell on Jeanine's head, and she twitched.
Mr. Hardy was not pleased. "Don't move, you're suppose to be dead! Okay, take it again." He watched the action through a camera, and although Jeanine didn't move this time, he still wasn't pleased. "It's the lighting," he grumbled. "You need to work on that. Five minutes, everyone! Dead body, stay there so we don't have to redo the blood."