Chapter 7
Mara checked into the emergency room shortly after midnight. The nurses collected her information, asked where her parents were, and wrapped her head. Mara showed a fake ID describing her as Lila Wintergreen, and stating that she was over eighteen. She claimed to be an artistic student from Virginia, taking a semester to study Venice. Mara explained that she had slipped on the wet walkway a few blocks away and smacked her head. The nurses seemed to buy her story. Mara heard a paging for an on-call doctor to visit Fondamenta Bollani, number 223, and she realized what a good actor Scipio must be.
When Mara got back to the hideout, the gang was very worried about her. Apparently Riccio had taken Mosca out looking for her, only to come back empty-handed. She told them she had slipped on some ice and had to go to the hospital. As Hornet studied Mara's head, Bo plopped himself in her lap and fell asleep. Hornet finished her inspection and carried Bo to his mattress. Riccio and Prosper and Mosca sat there, watching her. At last, Mara announced that she was tired and was going to bed.
They didn't see Scipio for nearly a week after Mara's accident. By the time he showed up, the ragamuffin band had planned out almost the entire job of stealing the wing.
'How are we going to get that thing over the garden wall?' Hornet wanted to know.
'Oh, that's easy,' said Riccio, 'Just throw it over.'
'What if it breaks?' Prosper countered, 'Then what will you do?'
Mara piped up, 'Duct tape fixes everything.'
Riccio leaned toward Mosca and whispered 'What's duck tape?'
'I've no idea.' Mosca answered.
'Where's Bo?' Prosper asked anxiously.
'I'm up here!' shouted Bo, clinging to the theater curtain, about halfway up. Suddenly, the tattered fabric ripped, and sent Bo plummeting. Prosper jumped up and
ran to center stage, but he was too late. Bo had already fallen on something...or rather someONE. The gang could hear a muffled cry of 'What the heck is going on here?!' Mosca and Riccio dragged the curtain off the struggling figure, and were shocked to find Scipio underneath.
'Scip! Thank you for catching me.' Bo said, happy as ever.
'Any time...although next time I'd rather you warned me before you decided to fall from the sky.' Scipio said breathlessly. Mara let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. He was alright! Bo could be so scary sometimes. He was such a little monkey! Hornet checked Bo, then Scipio for signs of injury, and then, satisfied that it was nothing a Band-Aid couldn't handle, tugged Scipio's ponytail. She ignored the glare he shot her, and remarked, 'Well, that was lucky.'
'No kidding! Good thing Scip was there to catch me, huh Prop?' Bo was astounded, 'How'd you know where to stand, Scip?' he asked.
'I didn't.' Scipio admitted, 'I didn't even know you were up there. Don't you know better than to climb up things like that?'
Bo was immediately remorseful. 'Sorry Scip, I won't climb up it again.'
Riccio laughed. 'I bet you won't. There's no curtain left!'
Everybody looked up to see what Riccio meant. The entire curtain had fallen when Bo had accidentally tackled Scipio, and it surrounded the children in a giant river of fabric.
'And the curtain falls for the last time,' Mosca said poetically.
'Duct tape fixes everything! Let's stick that baby back up there!' Mara exclaimed.
Riccio leaned in to whisper to Scipio, 'What's duck tape?'
'No idea.' Scipio replied.
