Clover's Parent Fix

by Ahmet Zappa

  “Come in! Come in!” said Ruby. “Make yourself at home.”

  Gingerly, Clover took a step forward. She edged closer to the window, over to a teeny tiny clear space. Peering outside, she saw a girl with bright orange hair walking down the street.

  Could that be Gemma, here to help? Clover thought excitedly. She hoped against hope it was the Star Darling. She desperately needed her.

  The girl drew closer, and Clover realized it was just an ordinary Wishling, not a transformed Starling. But now that she thought about it, she realized her Star Darling helper should be there any starsec. Her mission was definitely in trouble. Clover couldn’t pull herself away from the window, just in case she spotted a Starling.

  What was happening on Starland, anyway? Surely Piper must have told Lady Cordial about the mission. And Lady Cordial must know that it was going terribly wrong and reinforcements were needed. Then Clover’s heart sank with a realization. Maybe Lady Cordial didn’t know what was going on because of the lack of energy. Maybe Clover had to figure it out all by herself.

  Clover slumped and yawned. Quickly, she recited her Mirror Mantra in her head—Keep the beat and shine like the star you are—twice. Even without a mirror, she felt a bit better. She was just about to think it a third time when Mrs. Marshall came to the door.

  “Ruby Marshall,” she said in a firm voice, “we really need to talk. You need to tell me where you’re going. Do you know how worried I was when I came home and you weren’t here? It’s important that I know your plans, in case of an emergency.”

  Then she turned to Clover. “You’ll have to leave now, Clover. Ruby is grounded. She can’t have friends over.”

  This was getting worse and worse. What was she going to do?

  She turned and looked into the woman’s eyes. “I can still stay here. It’s okay.”

  “You can still stay here,” Mrs. Marshall repeated in a dull voice. “It’s okay.” Then she sniffed the air. “Does anyone else smell chocolate fudge cookies?” she asked, then left before Clover or Ruby could answer.

  “Wow,” said Ruby. “That was weird.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Clover told her. “And you know, don’t you, that your mom is kind of right? She just worries about you, that’s all. And she wants you to talk to her. Maybe if you did, she’d be more open to hearing about your ideas about your hair and clothes.”

  Ruby looked at her thoughtfully, considering. Giving Ruby time to think, Clover pushed aside some books and sat on the edge of the bed. She hadn’t even had a starsec to come up with a new—simple—plan. How much time did she have left?

  She opened her Countdown Clock. Starf! She was down to fifteen Wishworld minutes. She didn’t see how the mission was even possible anymore.

  Clover heard sounds from downstairs: voices raised in greeting, Mrs. Marshall saying, “Hello, dear.” Ruby’s dad must be home.

  “Ugh,” said Ruby as her phone vibrated with a text. “My mom’s still not leaving me alone.” She turned the screen so Clover could see the message: DAD AGREES. YOU’RE GROUNDED. AND DON’T LEAVE YOUR ROOM UNTIL IT’S CLEAN! THAT WOULD BE ONE WAY TO PROVE YOU’RE RESPONSIBLE.

  Aha! Clover leaped to her feet. Cleaning the room would be a simple solution, an easy way for Ruby to show her maturity.

  Clover didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had the answer. But there wouldn’t be enough time to clean up. The room was a wreck.

  Clover sighed. It was really too bad. Ruby was so close to achieving her wish. She was a terrific, responsible babysitter. And she seemed to be seriously thinking over Clover’s advice about talking to her mom. But Clover was out of time.

  She turned, smiling sadly at Ruby. “I need to go home.”

  “Can’t you stay longer?” Ruby pleaded.

  “I wish I could!” Clover shook her head, upset. “If only I could make time stand still!” She laughed bitterly. “For everyone but us, of course.”

  For a moment she visualized time actually standing still, everything coming to a halt: cars and buses stopping; Michaela and Joelle standing in front of the sprinkler, still as statues, the water frozen in place.

  “Good-bye, Ruby.” Then, before Ruby could say a word, Clover slipped out of the room, leaving the wish ungranted.

  In the hall, Clover took a deep breath. Everything seemed oddly quiet. She turned toward the stairs, then gasped. Mrs. Marshall stood at the landing, her finger raised as if she was making a point. She didn’t move, didn’t blink as Clover slid past. In the kitchen, a man—Ruby’s dad—stood unmoving by the table, pouring a glass of juice, the liquid frozen in an orangey arc.

  What was going on? Clover peered out the window. A boy was riding a two-wheeled vehicle, flying over a bump. But the wheels weren’t turning; the boy wasn’t moving; and the vehicle hovered in midair, stuck in place.

  A realization dawned on her. Just like she had imagined, time was standing still! And she’d made it happen—that had to be her special talent. Without Lady Stella’s reminder, Clover hadn’t given her special talent any thought. She hadn’t spent a starsec trying to figure it out. But there it was, revealed, like a gift! And she was certainly going to take advantage of it!

  But how long will it last? she wondered.

  Hurrying back upstairs, Clover couldn’t resist waving a hand in front of Mrs. Marshall’s face. Clover giggled. No reaction.

  Still laughing, she flipped just for fun outside Ruby’s bedroom and walked casually inside. “Hey,” she said.

  “You’re back!” Ruby said happily, sitting up in bed, her laptop open.

  “Yup, change of plans.” It felt good to be spontaneous for once; maybe things didn’t always have to follow a routine. “And I’m going to help you clean your room.”

  “Oh.” Ruby slumped back against the pillow. “Great.”

  “Listen, Ruby.” Clover sat next to her, kicking aside two empty tissue boxes. “I’ve been thinking about your mom and your wish. About how you want her to stop treating you like a baby.”

  “Let me guess,” Ruby said with a smile. “You think cleaning my room will help.”

  “Absolutely. Let me explain.” Clover talked about a vicious circle of stars—leaving out the “stars” part of the phrase—how Ruby complained about being treated like a baby but actually sometimes acted like one.

  “You have to act like someone who deserves to be trusted,” Clover explained. Hopefully, she didn’t sound too much like a parent herself! She lifted a half-eaten chocolate bar off the blanket and added, “Ask permission. Be polite. Cleaning your room would be a good first step to gaining their trust. And then your wish could come true!”

  “Maybe later,” Ruby said, going back to her laptop. “Let’s just—”

  “No!” Clover interrupted loudly. It had to be done then, while time was frozen, so she could collect the wish energy and still be able to get back home. “Can you play music? That would help get us moving.”

  At that, Ruby jumped up, fiddling with her phone. Suddenly, music was pumping through the room. Clover couldn’t quite make out the lyrics. She heard the word baby a lot and not much else. But the song had a danceable beat, and Ruby was clapping her hands in time with the rhythm.

  Together, the girls danced around the room, filling garbage and recycling bags, making the bed, dusting the furniture, and folding clothes. They were just slipping the last books onto the shelf when they heard a knock.

  Clover grinned. The spell was broken at just the right time!

  Ruby went to open the door, but Clover stopped her. “Remember,” she said, “you can’t act like a little kid anymore. No whining. No surprises like dyeing your hair without asking. And keep your room neat.” She paused as she spied a stray sock under the bed. “At least, neater than it’s been,” she added.

  “Ruby?” said Mrs. Marshall from the other side of the door.

  Ruby looked at Clover as she reached for the knob. So would she take Clover’s advice or not? Clover still wasn’t sure.

>   The door swung open. “Ruby!” Mrs. Marshall gasped when she saw the room. She flung her arms around her daughter. “Look at this room! I can’t believe it! How is this even possible? I just—”

  “We’re fast workers,” Clover interrupted.

  Ruby laughed. “It is kind of awesome, isn’t it? I forgot how much I actually like my room!”

  “And you listened to me,” Mrs. Marshall said. “That makes me feel respected. And it shows you’re acting responsibly.”

  Meanwhile, Clover tried to make herself as invisible as possible, leafing through a book while the two talked.

  “I know I was tough on you,” Ruby’s mom added.

  “Not as tough as I was on you,” Ruby said genuinely.

  “I’m proud of you, honey.”

  “Does that mean you’ll stop treating me like a preschooler?”

  “Ruby,” Mrs. Marshall said warningly.

  “Okay, no attitude.” Ruby smiled. “But really, will you trust me more now?”

  “Yes. In fact, Mrs. Howard called earlier. She said you did a great job with Michaela and Joelle. She wants to offer you a regular position, babysitting every week.”

  “Wow!” said Ruby. “I’ll make a ton of money! I can buy all the clothes I like—”

  “Within reason,” her mom said.

  Clover held her breath. What would Ruby say to that?

  “Within reason,” Ruby agreed. Then she grinned. “And could my hair be within reason, too? How about just one teeny streak?”

  Mrs. Marshall turned to Clover. “I do like the way Clover has it: very subtle, so it doesn’t always show. Can you do it that way? I can help.”

  “Yes!” said Ruby. “Deal?” She held out her hand for her mom to shake.

  “Deal,” said Mrs. Marshall, pulling her in for a hug.

  Clover let out her breath and felt a tingle travel down her spine. It was happening! She knew it. The wish energy would be released any starsec.

  Just then a burst of colors streamed from Ruby straight into Clover’s Wish Pendant.

  She had done it! She had beat the Countdown Clock. Now all she had to do was hug Ruby good-bye to erase any memory of their meeting, unfold her shooting star, and ride it all the way home. There was just one question left.

  What would she find there?

  It was late afternoon when Clover landed back on Starland, right behind the hedge maze. Just a few star feet more and she would have been smack in the middle of the maze. And stars knew how long it would have taken her to find her way out.

  Smiling, Clover checked her Star-Zap to see if Lady Cordial had called the Star Darlings together for her Wish Blossom presentation. I can’t believe it, she thought. I’m the only one to have completed a mission on my own!

  Sure enough, there was a Star Darlings group holo-text waiting. Clover hurried to the Cosmic Transporter. The transporter moved smoothly; the students seemed fine; and the lights were shining brightly. Everything seems okay, she thought, relieved. Maybe the energy shortage is resolving itself. Wouldn’t that be starmazing?

  “Hey, you!” Gemma was rushing around other Starlings to catch up to Clover. “I’m starmendously happy to see you!”

  Clover grinned. “I’m happy to see you, too—and to be back.”

  “You have to tell me all about it,” Gemma said excitedly. “I can’t believe we didn’t even know you went! But first, let me tell you what happened here when…”

  Gemma kept up a steady stream of talk as they approached the headmistress’s office, and Clover didn’t end up telling her one thing about the mission. That was just as well. Why make her nervous? Surely Gemma’s mission would go better. By then Lady Cordial would have everything under control.

  “And Lady Cordial was in such a tizzy!” Gemma was saying. “Piper told her you’d left for your mission, and all of a sudden, she was rushing around her office like a bloombug during a full moon! I guess she was really worried about you, Clover, because as soon as she realized you’d taken the backpack and were better prepared, she calmed down a bit.”

  Clover was about to mention that the backpack had been empty, anyway, but they were walking into Lady Cordial’s office. Piper was waiting at the door.

  “Welcome back, Clover!” she said. “I was sending you good thoughts from the moment you left the Wishworld Surveillance Deck.”

  “You were?” Clover exclaimed. “Just as I was leaving, I heard a voice giving advice! It said—”

  Clover was cut short as the rest of the Star Darlings engulfed her in a group hug, chattering excitedly.

  “Come, come, girls,” Lady Cordial said, waving off the Star Darlings as she shuffled over to Clover and awkwardly placed an arm around her shoulders. “Job well done.”

  As everyone took their seats, Lady Cordial continued. “S-s-s-s-star apologies, Clover. I feel terrible you had to leave on your own. Your mission, while a s-s-s-s-success, was highly irregular. Everything about it, in fact, appears to be a bit off. Your Wish Blossom opened before you returned, and your Power Crystal has already been revealed.”

  Clover’s heart sank with disappointment.

  Stop it, Clover! she told herself. The most important thing was a successful mission—and she’d brought back wish energy. Besides, she reminded herself, she’d still get her Power Crystal.

  “So will you just give it to me now?” she asked.

  Lady Cordial shook her head sadly. “With everything going on, I s-s-s-s-seem to have misplaced it. I will continue s-s-s-s-s-searching, I promise you.”

  “It’s fine, Lady Cordial,” Clover said quickly. She didn’t want to add one more worry to the poor woman’s list. “It’s all been so odd, anyway, the Power Crystal can wait. But why was my mission so difficult when Lady Stella hasn’t been around to cause trouble?”

  Lady Cordial stepped back, a strange look on her face. “What could it be?” she whispered. Suddenly, to Clover’s shock, she grabbed a starstick from her bun and reached for the backpack. Then she stabbed the star key chain hanging from its loop.

  A heavy black cloud spilled out from the star. It floated above the Star Darlings’ heads until, bit by bit, it broke apart and disappeared. An icy cold shiver ran down Clover’s spine so forcefully that her teeth chattered.

  “Is that negative energy?” Clover asked with a gasp. She’d never actually seen it before, never realized it had a color, shape, and form.

  “Negative wish energy, to be exact,” said Lady Cordial. “Lady S-s-s-s-stella created those key chains. Again, s-s-s-s-star apologies, everyone. I should have realized those could be a danger.”

  Lady Cordial was so visibly upset that it looked to Clover like she might cry. “Really, Lady Cordial,” she said, “don’t worry…”

  Clover paused, staring at Lady Cordial’s skirt. “Your pocket is glowing,” she said. A small but bright purple light was beaming from inside.

  “It’s got to be Clover’s Power Crystal!” Cassie rushed over, the other girls right behind her. Lady Cordial reached into her pocket, and there it was, shining for all to see.

  “Oh, my s-s-s-stars,” said Lady Cordial, turning the brightest shade of purple Clover had ever seen. “Imagine that! I’ve just been s-s-s-so distracted I’d forgotten where I’d put it!”

  She handed Clover the crystal without another word. The whole thing was a bit anticlimactic, Clover had to admit. But she had her lovely Power Crystal, cone-shaped with magenta and mauve swirls and an exquisitely bright orb dangling from the bottom.

  It felt smooth and powerful, and holding it gave Clover a sense of strength.

  “S-s-s-s-see, girls? Everything is falling into place. We are well on our way to returning S-s-s-s-starland to its earlier brilliant s-s-s-s-state!”

  The girls left Lady Cordial’s office together, happily talking about the future. “And there’s still Gemma’s mission!” said Tessa. “That will make everything even better!”

  “I know what we should do to celebrate!” Astra jumped up and down with
excitement. “Let’s hike up in the Crystal Mountains. The suns will be setting. It will be beautiful!”

  Leona glanced worriedly at her sandals. “We’ll only go to the foothills,” Astra assured her. “We don’t want to wear anyone out—especially Clover, since she just got back.”

  Tessa ran to the Celestial Café to pick up a picnic dinner, and starmins later, they were off. The girls followed the trail, talking and laughing and hugging Clover. This is even better than a boring old ceremony! Clover thought. She was having so much fun it took her a few starsecs to realize they’d reached the lookout point.

  One by one, the Star Darlings took seats along the soft mossy ledge. Tessa handed out star sandwiches and glimmerchips as everyone gazed at the setting suns. Colors filled the sky like Festival of Illumination fireworks. Clover, filled with a sense of well-being, put one arm around Astra and the other around Piper.

  Piper turned to her, a worried expression on her face. “I had a dream just like this. I have a strange feeling something’s about to happen.”

  “Stop it, Piper!” Clover said, laughing. “You heard Lady Cordial.”

  “Look,” Piper said quietly, pointing to the view.

  Clover gazed over the city and towns spread below, and suddenly, she saw it, too. The lights were flickering. The Star Darlings’ voices trailed off as one by one they noticed it. Then, suddenly, the lights were snuffed out. All was dark.

  “Oh, starf,” said Clover. “Things aren’t better. They’re way worse.”

  She had a sudden horrible thought. What if Starland faded so much that Wishlings stopped making wishes at all? What would happen then?

  The temperature dropped, and she shivered. She’d keep her frightening thoughts to herself for now.

  Sage jumped to her feet. “Everybody! Let’s get out of here and go someplace warm. My room!”

  The girls hurried down the hill, hugging themselves for warmth, relieved when they reached Sage’s room.

  Clover sat on Sage’s comfortable round bed. The room was homey, decorated in soothing shades of lavender, with a holo–photo album running pictures of her life in Starland City. She saw Sage posing with her younger twin brothers.