by Ahmet Zappa
“But because of her role,” Lady Cordial went on, “sh-sh-sh-she was privy to knowledge the rest of us weren’t privy to. For s-s-s-s-stars know how long, sh-sh-sh-she knew there was a wish energy deficit! That we’d soon be losing power. And she kept us in the dark.”
“Literally,” Clover joked.
“Ahem.” Lady Cordial frowned, and Clover felt bad. This was hard enough for the new headmistress. She didn’t need a wise-star interrupting.
“At any rate,” Lady Cordial continued, “Lady S-s-s-stella eventually left a holo-letter open on her desk. I read the warnings. I confronted her, and she had to confide in me then, along with a few other faculty members. But s-s-s-still, she wasn’t concerned. S-s-s-s-still she did nothing about the crisis!
“Then one s-s-s-s-starday, I was exploring the underground caves and I came upon a hidden room. It was filled with ancient tomes. I s-s-s-spent s-s-s-starhours there, poring over rare old holo-books. And then I came across a s-s-s-s-s-special one.” She cast a significant look around the table. “It was about twelve S-s-s-star-Charmed S-s-s-starlings who are fated to s-s-s-s-save S-s-s-s-s-starland.”
Clover bowed her head, still awed by the responsibility.
Lady Cordial continued. “I immediately realized we could use this information to help S-s-s-s-starland. Lady S-s-s-s-s-stella was very reluctant to pursue this. But I wouldn’t give up. I persevered and took matters into my own hands. I combed through records and test s-s-s-s-scores and s-s-s-sat in on classes. I identified you twelve S-s-s-s-star Darlings. Lady S-s-s-s-stella appeared to s-s-s-s-support your group. But she replaced S-s-s-s-scarlet with Ophelia for a time. She was responsible for the poisonous flowers and nail polish, for interfering with missions…and for trapping you in that underground room!”
“We already know all that!” Scarlet said crossly. “The question is, why? Why would she do it?”
“Lady S-s-s-s-s-stella wanted the energy deficit to worsen,” Lady Cordial replied. “She was working against me…against us…against our planet…the whole time. Clearly, she thrives on negative energy. It gives her power. There is no other explanation.” She paused. “Who knows what she would have done with that power?”
Clover gasped. Stated so baldly, it was shocking.
“What happens now?” asked Cassie.
“Excellent question. I am hoping no further action will be required. Lady S-s-s-s-s-stella must have gone into hiding. Most likely, she will never return. S-s-s-s-s-so now we work to repair the damage sh-sh-sh-she caused. We have two Wish Missions left.” Lady Cordial’s eyes rested first on Clover, then on Gemma. “Much can be done.”
Clover’s heart thudded. Everything depended on these next missions—one of which would be hers. She’d work tirelessly to find her Wisher, to help grant the wish. And if she couldn’t do it? She tossed her head to shake off doubts. It was easier said than done, but she’d just have to prove herself.
“I still can’t believe it,” Sage said miserably, her glow dimming. Clover knew that it was one thing to think Lady Stella might be evil, but it was another to have your fears confirmed.
“If you s-s-s-s-see or hear from her,” Lady Cordial finished, “you must alert me immediately. Her destructive behavior cannot continue. I will not let it.”
These were strong words indeed from Lady Cordial, who was usually so sweet and indecisive. Now she seemed almost fierce. All of a sudden, Clover felt glad they were on the same side.
“That is all.” Lady Cordial spoke in a milder voice. “For now.”
Slowly and silently, the girls filed out of the office, then left Halo Hall. Outside, they stood uneasily in a loose circle, not sure what to do next.
“We can still make it to the Celestial Café in time for a quick breakfast before class,” Clover said. She didn’t feel very hungry. Still, maybe the others were and would want company. But shaking their heads, sad and upset, the other girls set off in different directions.
“Tessa?” Clover called, certain that at least she would want to eat. But Tessa just turned away. Even she had lost her appetite.
The next starday, Dododay, began in the usual way. There was breakfast, morning classes, lunch, and afternoon classes. But a shadow hung over the school. Without Lady Stella overseeing the students, everything seemed slightly off, even though on the surface nothing had changed.
So just as usual, the Star Darlings met after regular classes for their lecture.
Clover was glad to go to that class, happy to follow the regular routine and know what to expect. But deep inside she knew it wouldn’t be normal at all. Lady Stella wouldn’t lead the lecture or introduce a guest professor.
“It all seems so strange without Lady Stella,” Clover said quietly, sliding into a seat next to Adora. “And sad.”
Leona crossed her arms. “Well, I think it’s all for the best. At least now we know what’s what.”
“Knowing and feeling are two very different things,” Piper said, her eyes half-closed in meditation.
Those were almost exactly Clover’s thoughts!
“Well, I know and feel one thing for certain,” Clover said jokingly. “Lady Cordial is not going to get up in front of this class and lecture us like Lady Stella sometimes did. She’s an administrator, not a teacher. We’ll definitely have guest lecturers from here on.”
Everyone turned to the door expectantly.
“Well, whoever it is, is late,” Scarlet said.
Starmins ticked by, and still no teacher came to the room.
“Maybe our lecturer is stuck somewhere,” Clover said, thinking of the stalled circus swift train. “Energy outages are everywhere.”
“It’s true,” Libby agreed. “My parents canceled their vacation when their hotel lost its fifty-star rating because of slow service. Meals were delayed because of faulty micro-zaps, and beach towels at the cabana stand weren’t dried properly.”
Libby blushed a bright pink shade, realizing she came off as a bit entitled. Of course, it wasn’t her fault her family was wealthy!
“We know you’re not spoiled, Libby,” Clover said gently.
Libby smiled gratefully and continued. “Everyone has to tighten their belts now and start conserving energy. My parents said things are pretty awful, even though the holo-papers have been downplaying the crisis. And they’re not just talking about wet towels! Businesses are closing.”
“Well, the only thing we can do is go about our business.” Clover smiled at her play on words, even though no one else noticed. “Just keep collecting energy to help save Starland. Hopefully, a Wish Orb will be ready soon, and Gemma or I can go on a mission.”
Then she turned to Sage. “What does your mom think?”
Sage’s mother was a wish energy scientist and would be sure to know the latest news.
“I don’t really know.” Sage shook her head and her long lavender hair swung back and forth. “Every time we start to talk, her Star-Zap goes off and she has to take a holo-call, or she’s called into a meeting. I’ve only gotten a few holo-texts. You know, typical mom stuff: do you need a new toothlight…holo-call your brothers…”
“Well, I’m going to holo-call my family right now,” Leona said with a huff, “instead of sitting here and waiting for a teacher who isn’t going to show.”
“Yes!” Scarlet stood and stomped to the door in her heavy black boots. “Class dismissed!”
Stardays passed without any Star Darlings classes and without a Wish Orb notification from Lady Cordial. Increasingly, lights flickered and devices slowed. Still, Clover kept to her regular routine: writing songs before breakfast, going to class, and working on a big Golden Days project. It was an oral history assignment, and Clover was collecting stories from older family members.
She’d just holo-interviewed her great-uncle Octavius, who’d been a wee Starling during the Great Circus Disaster of ’08. He’d described how the train’s creature car had hurtled into a deep lake and everyone had jumped in to rescue the galliopes and glions. T
he story had a happy ending. The creatures had all survived. And there was an amusing bit about her great-uncle losing his pants.
But somehow, Clover’s story kept turning into a piece about loss and disappointment. Usually, her written projects had a few jokes or witty sayings thrown in for entertainment. Now, worrying about Lady Stella and the power outages, she couldn’t manage it.
At dinner that night, the overhead lights turned off and on and no even glanced up. It was becoming alarmingly routine.
“Are you done with that noddlenoodle soup?” Tessa was asking Libby hopefully. Noddlenoodle was the special of the day, and Libby had just started to slurp the one extremely long noodle in the dish. It wound round and round the bowl and could take starmins to finish. Libby, still working on the noodle, could only shake her head.
Disappointed, Tessa turned to Clover. “Don’t even think about it!” Clover joked, placing her arms protectively over her own dish. “Just ask a Bot-Bot for your own soup!” She pointed out several Bot-Bot waiters hovering throughout the café, taking orders and serving meals.
“Well,” said Tessa with a harrumph. “I just wanted a taste. But if you insist…” She waved to a nearby Bot-Bot, on its way to deliver another bowl of noddlenoodle. The Bot-Bot paused to say, “I’ll be right back, Miss Tessa.” Then its eyes opened wide. A loud whirring sounded from somewhere in its body, and its feet moved uselessly back and forth.
“Uh-oh,” it said in its robotic voice. “I…am…about…to…power…down.” It sank, tilting crazily. The bowl tipped over.
“No!” cried Tessa as the soup poured into her lap, the noddlenoodle winding up in a coil on her head.
The Bot-Bot, now on the floor, its face blank, had nothing to say.
“Well, there you have it,” Clover said with a giggle. “Your own bowl of noddlenoodle.”
And then, thanks to self-cleaning technology, the soup and noodle disappeared, leaving Tessa’s skirt dry and clean, her head free of the noddlenoodle crown. Even she had to laugh.
For once, they’d found something funny about the power failures. But Clover’s good mood didn’t last. That night she couldn’t take a sparkle shower; for the first time ever, the sparkles had run out. And she realized her Star-Zap had failed to record her Wishling Ways lecture, so she couldn’t study while she slept.
Everyone was complaining about power problems early the next day, Yumday, as Clover and the Star Darlings joined the rest of the school for the weekly assembly.
“I bet we’ll talk about the energy crisis,” Gemma predicted.
“It would be hard to ignore,” Tessa agreed.
“Unless Lady Cordial wants everything to seem as normal as possible,” Clover said. “Then there’d just be the regular announcements and presentations.”
Sure enough, Lady Cordial stumbled onstage and began the assembly with the traditional Starlandian Pledge of Illumination, same as usual. She then recited a long list of updates: students celebrating Bright Days, a holo–book club meeting, a special presentation by the drama club.
“Don’t miss out on that,” Lady Cordial said, nodding approvingly. “It includes a holo-retrospective of their most talented alumna, a student named Cora, who s-s-s-specialized in villainous roles.”
Lady Cordial went on and on until she came to the last order of business: a demonstration by the Ultimate Frisbeam club. The girls walked onstage, holding their disks of light, ready to perform.
A loud voice interrupted the assembly: “Starscuse me, students!” The Frisbeam team stopped, confused. “I don’t mean to interfere with your performance, girls. But the assembly is drawing to a close, and we still haven’t discussed a topic of utmost importance: the energy crisis.”
A tall, thin imposing figure rose from the first row of teachers. Her bright red hair framed her narrow face like a sun’s corona. “It’s that new teacher!” Astra hissed to Clover. “Professor Honoria McHue. She just took over my Astronomics class.”
The teacher stood, half facing the audience, half turned toward Lady Cordial and the stage.
She certainly has everyone’s attention, Clover thought admiringly. All the students were sitting up straight now, alert and interested.
Lady Cordial stared at Professor Honoria McHue, flustered.
“What exactly is being done here?” the teacher demanded. “I’ve heard other schools have started conserving energy. Is that an option at Starling Academy?”
Lady Cordial nodded so vigorously her bun came loose. “Of course it is, Professor Honoria McHue. I was planning on addressing the issue, of course—at a more appropriate time. But I will get right to it now. I feel the best course of action is to establish committees to research those options.”
While Lady Cordial continued, the students settled back in their seats. Scarlet yawned.
“Each committee can be tailored to focus on one aspect of the issue,” Lady Cordial went on, “s-s-s-s-so the eventual plan will be s-s-s-s-stronger as a whole. For instance, the Rules and Regulations Committee can be headed by Professor Dolores Raye.” Lady Cordial took a few steps toward the professor, as if to introduce her, and tripped over her own feet. She tumbled to the ground with a loud thud. “Oh, my s-s-s-s-stars!” she cried, holding her ankle. “Can s-s-s-s-someone call an EMB?”
The assembly ended in chaos. Emergency Medical Bot-Bots rushed to Lady Cordial’s aid. But many didn’t have the energy to reach the stage. They slowed, then stopped, blocking the aisles.
Finally, the Bot-Bots were rebooted. They carried Lady Cordial out on a stretcher and flew her to the infirmary. The assembly was officially over. Slowly, moving with the crowd, the Star Darlings made their way to the starmarble lobby.
“Should we just go to lunch?” Tessa asked the others. “It’s early, but the café is open. If we’re the first ones there, the Bot-Bots will still have plenty of energy to serve us.”
“That makes sense,” said Clover. They turned toward the Cosmic Transporter just as all their Star-Zaps went off.
“I have a feeling this is important,” Piper murmured. She patted her pockets, then went through her big green bag, taking out a sleep mask, a dream journal, and other odds and ends as she searched for her device.
Clover watched Piper with amusement. She wasn’t the most organized Starling around. Clover, on the other hand, liked to be fully prepared—always.
“Ready when you are” was, in fact, the credo of the Flying Molensas. The family was constantly on the go, with all their belongings in tow. Hmmm, thought Clover, nice rhyme. Maybe she could use it in a song.
Then she flicked her Star-Zap and read the message aloud to share with Piper. “‘To all faculty and students.’”
“It’s from Professor Honoria McHue!” Piper said, looking over her shoulder. “She sent a holo-mail blast to the whole school.”
Nodding, Clover continued reading: “‘Every Starling—here at the academy and across the planet—should be asking questions about the state of our energy supply. Why have there been power outages? Our energy is supposed to be continuously replenished! Are our Wish-Houses in order? Is negative energy affecting our Wish Orbs? And what can we do about our wish energy manipulation losing its power? If you have suggestions or would like to discuss any of these points, I am available. Starfully yours, Professor Honoria McHue.’”
“That’s hitting the starnail on the head,” said Scarlet, reading over the holo-mail on her own Star-Zap. She flicked to a news site. “And listen to this. The Daily Moon reports major outages in Solar Springs and Gloom Flats.”
Tessa and Gemma were from Solar Springs; Piper was from Gloom Flats. This is really hitting close to home, Clover thought.
The sisters bent over their Star-Zaps, tapping furiously. A starsec later, Tessa and Gemma heard back from their mom. Gemma read the quick holo-text out loud. “‘All farm creatures are fine. Hydro-energy system not working, so crops may be in danger. Garble greens in bad shape.’”
“No loss there!” Clover joked. Hardly a
nyone enjoyed eating the bitter green vegetable—except for Tessa. “Sorry, Tessa.”
“‘But Dad and I found some antique watering cans,’” Gemma continued, “‘so don’t worry!’”
Piper, meanwhile, had finally found her Star-Zap and sent off her own holo-text. “Oh,” she groaned. “It keeps bouncing back. I can’t get through!”
Piper’s grandmother and brother lived in such an out-of-the-way place that their lines of communication were probably the first to go, Clover thought.
Piper took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and seemed to go to a different place for a moment. Clover had seen this happen before. So had all the other Star Darlings. They waited patiently.
“It’s all right,” Piper said, opening her eyes. “Gran is sending messages our old-fashioned family way. And mind-mail never fails! She and my brother are both fine.”
“That’s good,” Clover said, relieved. Then she was filled with determination. “But we need to help any way we can—Wish Orb or no Wish Orb. We are the Star-Charmed Starlings.”
Everyone nodded. Clover knew she sounded sure and in control. But what could they do without Lady Stella’s guidance? They were just students, after all. And some were just first years, away from home for the very first time. Were they really prepared to take on Starland’s fate?
Yes, she decided.
But maybe Lady Cordial was wondering the same thing! Maybe she was hesitant to send them on a mission.
“We need to see Lady Cordial,” Clover told the others. “To the infirmary!”
Clover, always in good health, had barely stepped foot in the Interstellar Infirmary during her two staryears at school. Now she noted the floor glistened with extra starpolish. A strong but not unpleasant antiseptic smell floated through the air.
She led the Star Darlings to the front desk. Smiling at the receptionist, she said warmly, “We’re here to see Lady Cordial.”
“Well,” said the Starling, smiling back, “that’s nice.”
“Yes,” said Clover pleasantly. “What room is she in?”