Good Wish Gone Bad

by Disney Book Group

  Adora, who was between Scarlet and Sage, immediately let go of her friends’ hands and bent down to grab one of the rocks. She studied its rough surface, which was slightly lined with threads of sparkly purple, before putting it in the pocket of her jumpsuit and turning to head back toward the door of the Negative Energy Facility. “Well, that was the easiest mission ever,” she said.

  “Wait!” Scarlet grabbed Adora by the shoulder to stop her. “Shouldn’t we look around some more? I mean, can we really be sure that the rock Cora took from here wound up being the source of all her power?”

  “Hmmm.” Adora narrowed her pale blue eyes as she considered Scarlet’s words. “Maybe not.”

  “Hey—look over here!” Sage called out, having been drawn to something glowing toward the back wall of the facility.

  “What is it?” Adora shouted back, recoiling when the Bad Wish Orbs wailed a bit louder, as if they were telling her to quiet down—as if they were the only ones permitted to make any noise in there.

  Adora and Scarlet carefully made their way past the menacing black spheres and over to where Sage was standing.

  “It’s some sort of alcove,” Sage told them when they arrived.

  “Whoa.” Scarlet gasped. “It’s like an evil lair.”

  The area resembled what one might imagine the inside of an enormous hollowed-out Bad Wish Orb would look like—as if a giant ball had been pushed against the back of the Negative Energy Facility, carving out a round room that hissed, pulsated, and glowed in swirling, eerie hues of purple, black, and blue. Along one side of the sloped wall was a tall silver cabinet with a long, teardrop-shaped door cut into it; on the opposite side was a glassy black teardrop-shaped bench. Most shocking of all, though, were the dozens upon dozens of little holographic images floating all around the room in teardrop-shaped frames, all of which appeared to be portraits of Wishlings in various stages of agony!

  “What do you think this is?” Adora asked, her voice shaking as she stepped inside.

  “Clearly, this is Rancora’s secret hideout,” Sage replied.

  Adora went to get a closer look at the holographic images and marveled at how incredibly unhappy they all seemed. “I wonder if these are all Wishers whose bad wishes have come true.”

  “Maybe—but if their wishes came true, why would they all look like they’re in so much pain?” Scarlet wondered, also studying the images.

  “Probably because getting a bad wish never feels good, even if you think it will,” Sage noted as she headed over to the silver cabinet. She touched a little black button on its tear-shaped door, which caused the door to disappear. Sage gasped.

  “What is it?” asked Adora, rushing over to the cabinet with Scarlet right behind her.

  “Holo-books,” Sage said, taking one from the top shelf and wiping a thin film of black dust from its surface so that it glowed a bit more brightly.

  “What are they doing in here?” Adora asked, crouching down next to Sage.

  “Well…this one’s called Negative Energy Manipulation,” Sage said, shuddering as she plucked another holo-book from the shelf. “And this is My Negatite, My Self.”

  “Oooh!” Scarlet said, captivated by the one she’d found. “This one’s called How Bad Is Your Wish Orb?”

  “Yikes.” Adora dreaded what else they might find, but then she noticed a holo-book that appeared to be slightly smaller, newer, and cleaner—as if it had been handled more recently than the others. Her pulse began to race as she carefully removed it from the shelf and realized what she had found. “Oh. My. Stars.”

  “What?” Sage asked.

  “I—I think it’s Rancora’s journal!” Adora gasped.

  “Let’s see,” Scarlet said, putting the holo-book she was holding back onto the shelf where she’d found it.

  All three girls went to sit down on the little glass bench and, trying to steady her trembling hands, Adora accessed the first holo-record…and then the next…and the next. It indeed appeared to be a detailed account of everything Rancora had ever done, with records dating all the way back to a few months after she—or, rather, Cora—had been expelled from Starling Academy.

  “She’s been sneaking in here!” Sage said, her violet eyes expanding and expressing fear as she looked at the date stamped on one of the first records. “I can’t believe she’s been coming here for so long—or that she even managed to get in.”

  “And she’s been going down to Wishworld to grant bad wishes,” Scarlet added, shaking her head.

  “Of course!” Sage said. “Maybe that’s how she’s been collecting negative energy!”

  “I bet you’re right,” Adora noted. “The bad wishes she’s been granting go all the way through until just a few years ago.”

  “Which is when she started working at Starling Academy,” Sage interjected. “She probably stopped granting bad wishes after that.”

  The girls all looked up from the holo-book and searched each other’s frightened eyes for some sort of direction.

  “What should we do?” Adora finally asked.

  “Maybe we should take a look at the last bad Wish Mission she went on,” Scarlet proposed.

  “Definitely,” Sage and Adora both said, nodding solemnly.

  Adora tapped on the holo-record of Rancora’s final Wish Mission, and they all watched with mouths agape as the details were revealed….

  As she made her way along the dusty path leading to the Negative Energy Facility, Rancora felt nothing like the young Starling who had once been terrified to set foot anywhere near the place. In many ways, it had become like a second home to her. When she first left Starling Academy all those years ago, she assumed that the dark feelings in her heart were because her best friend, Stella, had betrayed her and she was so harshly expelled by that dim-witted Lady Astrid. But the truth was, Cora had also been affected by the blast of negative energy she was hit with that day in the Negative Energy Facility, and she knew it.

  Initially, she had been startled by the potent energy that seemed to be coming from the mysterious black rock she’d taken during that first fateful visit. The rock seemed to be pulling at her, urging her to somehow harness its power.

  That’s when she began to do some research and discovered exactly what she had in her possession: unlike Good Wish Orbs, which turn into Wish Blossoms after their wishes come true—with or without the help of a Wish-Granter—Bad Wish Orbs turn into black rocks called negatite after their wishes come true. Rancora learned she was able to grind up her rock into a powerful powder: an evil magic dust.

  So now, as she stood on the hill on the outskirts of Dimtown staring at the distant bluish-gray cliffs surrounding the Negative Energy Facility, she took out a bit of negatite powder and gently blew on it. Almost instantly, the powder expanded into a gray cloud that began swirling around her until, all at once, she transformed into a glimmermoth with shiny purple eyes, a furry gray body and antennae, and transparent purple wings. Unlike flutterfocuses, their close relatives, which traveled in swarms, the glimmermoths of Starland were solitary creatures and, best of all, they were known for their ability to slip through the tiniest cracks around windows and doors, allowing them to take up residence in Starlings’ homes and closets whether they’d been invited or not. It was how she continued to sneak into the NEF, despite the increased security.

  Once she flew past the armored Bot-Bot guards and slithered into the Negative Energy Facility, Rancora easily transformed back into her Starling body—although all traces of the girl formerly known as Cora had vanished. Instead of shimmering blue hair and glittery skin, her eyes were now a terrifying purple and her skin and hair a cold ashen gray, which matched her long ragged gown with its high amethyst collar.

  She had become Rancora, and there was no turning back. It was the result of her many years of bad Wish Missions, each one exposing her to increasing amounts of negative energy, which she came to thrive on and gathered in the teardrop-shaped crystal pendant that hung from a black chain around her nec
k.

  Now, walking slowly through the rows of Bad Wish Orbs that were bobbing around her like hissing and crackling minions, Rancora narrowed her eyes at each one, growing more impatient as the moments ticked by. Which orb would select her next, and why was it taking so long? She was so close to reaching her goal—to gather enough negative energy to upset the balance of Starland, thus allowing her to seize control—and she was fed up with all the waiting! She would finally get her revenge on Stella after all these years by ruining the positive energy she had spent her life’s work to create.

  Finally, the dark crystal teardrop hanging around her neck began to pulsate and glow, and her attention was drawn to an orb that was vibrating and smoldering in the same ominous way as her pendant. Carefully, she wrapped her bony fingers around the crackling black surface of the orb and almost instantly she knew she would be making the familiar journey to Wishworld.

  Thanks to her teardrop pendant, Rancora had no need for a Star-Zap to give her instructions or assistance in altering her appearance; the negative energy provided her with more than enough power for such pursuits. So as she neared the Wishworld atmosphere, she quickly held the pendant, chanting the words, “Star dark, star dim, take this blackened orb so grim; negatite I call on you to help me make this wish come true!” With that, she changed herself into a middle-aged Wishling with ash-blond hair in a messy updo. Her dark gown transformed in a mission-appropriate ensemble: dark skinny jeans, knee-high black boots, and a black T-shirt with a cropped gray leather jacket over it.

  Moments later, Rancora found herself touching down in a large parking lot packed with cars from one end to the other. Beyond all the vehicles was a huge collection of buildings with a sign at the top in big red letters that said GLENNCOVE MALL. She wrapped a hand around her crystal pendant so that it could direct her to the Wisher she was there to help and then made her way past the rows of cars and toward the complex’s entrance.

  The sliding glass doors leading into the mall parted and she walked in, scanning the shoppers who walked by to see if one of them was her Wisher. As she made her way toward a row of kiosks, Rancora heard the sound of excited screams and saw a huge crowd of people rushing toward her, clamoring to get into a clothing store. There was such a massive wave of Wishlings that she felt herself being forced off to one side. But then, as she was regaining her footing, she bumped into a girl with long purple-streaked black hair.

  “Excuse me!” Rancora snapped at the girl as she staggered back to her feet.

  “No, excuse me!” the girl shot back, narrowing her dark eyes at Rancora and scowling as she planted her hands on her hips.

  The Wishling couldn’t have been more than seventeen years old, but she was still an intimidating figure—tall and stocky with a red denim jacket over a white tank top paired with black jeans and black motorcycle boots with metal studs. She wore heavy makeup, with purple lipstick that was almost as dark as her thick black lashes and eyebrows.

  Rancora scowled right back at the girl and was about to use a bit of negative energy manipulation to knock her down when the pendant instead crackled, indicating that this was her Wisher. “I—I’m so sorry,” Rancora backtracked with a tight smile. “I didn’t mean to get in your way.”

  The girl’s purple lips curled into an angry snarl as she examined Rancora. “It’s okay,” she finally decided, tossing her head in the direction of the crowd. “It’s their fault anyway.”

  Although most of the Wishlings pushed their way into the clothing store, several of them were loitering outside, jumping up and down, screaming and squealing. As Rancora looked from one to the next, she realized that they were almost all girls.

  “Juan!” one of them suddenly called out, trying to push through the wall of bodies that blocked the store’s entrance. “Please! I need to talk to you!”

  “What are they trying to do?” Rancora asked her Wisher when she saw her rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

  “Seriously? You don’t know?” the Wisher replied.

  “Not really,” countered Rancora as she squared her shoulders and stood tall, easily matching the girl’s haughty attitude. “Should I?”

  “My brother Juan is in there somewhere, and those are all his wannabe—or, you know, Juannabe—girlfriends…and boyfriends,” she explained.

  “Oh.” Rancora nodded as her pendant silently channeled a few important details to her about Juan. “You’re talking about Juan Vasquez? The Internet star?”

  “See?” The Wisher scowled. “You do know. Everyone does.”

  “And you’re his sister?”

  “Yeah—but you better not tell me how lucky I am to be related to him,” the girl fumed, waving an angry finger in the air. “And do not tell me that you’re a Juannabe Internet star just like him. I don’t want to hear your demo. I’m not gonna give it to him. I can’t help you!”

  Rancora smiled to herself as she listened to the girl’s tirade and thought about the amount of negative energy she might be able to gather from this mission. She had met a lot of Wishers with attitude through the years, but this one was incredibly angry—in a truly awesome way.

  “Oh, I would never say any of that,” Rancora replied as her pendant channeled some advice to help her craft the most effective Wishworld identity for the task at hand. “I’m actually a music producer, so I get the same annoying requests all the time. Everybody wants to be an Internet star these days, you know?”

  When the girl heard that, everything about her softened—her shoulders relaxed, she stopped scowling, and her dark eyes brightened beneath her thick purple-streaked bangs. “You’re a producer?”

  “Uh-huh.” Rancora nodded.

  “Me too!” the girl said—and then, with eyes darting from side to side, she stepped closer and whispered, “I’m the one who does the production work on all Juan’s music and videos. That’s why this drives me especially crazy.”

  Rancora felt her pendant beginning to tremble beneath her black T-shirt and knew she was getting close to discovering the girl’s wish. But before she could, a couple of Juannabes raced over and interrupted their conversation.

  “Ohmygod! Are you Mallory?” one of the girls, who had a headful of long braids, asked.

  “Yeah, why?” Rancora’s Wisher replied impatiently.

  “I knew it!” the other girl with the frizzy blond hair chimed in. “You’re his sister! You get to live with him!”

  “I know,” an exasperated Mallory answered while sucking in her breath and rolling her eyes as she looked over at Rancora.

  Finally, after drilling Mallory with endless questions, including “What does Juan wear to bed?” “What kind of toothpaste does he use?” and “What does he eat for breakfast?” the girls disappeared back into the crowd waiting to push into the store.

  “See what I mean?” Mallory bristled, walking over to Rancora. “He gets all the credit for everything and I’m sitting here answering questions about the color of his stupid underwear. It’s ridiculous!”

  “Yeah, that would drive me crazy,” Rancora replied with a sympathetic smile. “And you don’t even get any of the credit?”

  “No!” said Mallory, whose face was now flushed pink with anger. “I wish people could hear what he really sounds like. I wish they could see that he’s not as great as they think he is—or as he thinks he is! I wish, for once, he would get hundreds of negative comments instead of millions of likes!”

  Rancora felt her pendant pulsating forcefully beneath her shirt and a surge of power coursed through her body so intensely that it made her fingers curl into eager fists at her sides. This was her first triple wish—three times as evil as the previous ones! It was almost too bad to be true!

  “I might be able to help you with that,” Rancora said, her lips stretching into a confident, knowing smile.

  “Really?” Mallory’s eyes widened in excitement, though there was still some skepticism.

  “Absolutely.” Rancora nodded. “We producers need to stick together, right?�
��

  When Mallory smiled gratefully and waited for Rancora to elaborate, the wheels in Rancora’s head began to spin at an accelerated pace as she realized the significance of this mission. At last she would have an opportunity to harness the advances in technology that had come about in recent Wishworld years. With the help of the Internet and social media, the hurt and humiliation she would be able to cause wouldn’t be limited to the victim’s immediate circle—it could be executed on a much larger scale, potentially three times as big! And with all of Wishworld watching!

  After discussing the finer points of music and video production for at least the next twenty minutes—all while Juan continued to chat with his fans—Rancora had successfully positioned herself as a music industry authority. She could see that Mallory already considered her to be a trusted new mentor, which was further confirmed when Mallory asked if Rancora would like to check out her home studio.

  “Sure,” Rancora agreed.

  “Great—let’s go!”

  “You don’t need to wait for Juan?” Rancora asked.

  “No.” Mallory shook her head and shot a final look of contempt at the crowd, which had thinned only slightly for a time, but again grew as more teenaged Wishlings entered the mall and learned that Juan was there. “We have an understanding that whenever the Juannabes show up, he takes the bus home.”

  “Cool.” Rancora nodded, impressed.

  Once they were inside her black sedan, Mallory cranked up the stereo and played some of her favorite bands for Rancora as she drove through one busy city street after another. Meanwhile, Rancora continued to receive useful information from her pendant about everything from the hottest and most reputable Wishworld music video producers to the latest production equipment.