by Ahmet Zappa
Cassie felt her stomach give a little flip of anxiety. Professor Lucretia Delphinus’s words brought her both extreme excitement and crippling terror. Each time another Star Darling was chosen to go on a mission, she could see the looks of disappointment on the other girls’ faces and realized they did not experience the same overwhelming feeling of relief that swept through her.
Professor Lucretia Delphinus raised a finger as an idea came to her. “I know! I’m going to go inside and tell the rest of the class that I sent you to Lady Stella’s office for a chat. That will keep them on their toes!” She laughed a conspiratorial laugh as she smoothed her skirt. “Why don’t you go to the Luminous Library and relax until your next class?” She paused for a moment as if she was considering whether to say something else. “Cassie, maybe you could spend some time mulling over what’s been bothering you.”
Cassie looked at the teacher quizzically.
“You look like you have the weight of Starling Academy on your shoulders,” the teacher explained. She looked deep into Cassie’s eyes. “Is there anything you want to talk about?”
Cassie felt her chest expand for a moment when she thought of the possibility of having an adult ally. A grown-up to trust? An authority figure to share her worries with? It was like being presented with an unexpected but extremely valuable gift. But she couldn’t get rid of the feeling that she just shouldn’t trust anyone. She shook her head. “Actually, everything’s fine,” she fibbed. “I’m just worried about my Wish History assignment. Star salutations for understanding what happened in class. I’m really sorry.”
The teacher nodded. “Now I’d better get back inside and help poor Mica,” she said. “Of course, as you probably already figured out, he’s wishing…”
“For a mirror so he can begin his daily grooming,” finished Cassie. She could tell by the irritated way he had been preening his whiskers.
Her teacher smiled. “That he is, the vain little thing!”
The thought of having forty starmins to herself before her next class put a little bounce in Cassie’s step. She walked down the hall, her footfalls echoing, as she considered her options. She could go to the Lightning Lounge and clear her mind in a meditation room and possibly come up with a clever idea for disposing of Astra and Clover’s flowers. Since those two had had their flowers the longest, she thought that they could certainly put up a fight to keep them. She might have to do some fancy footwork. Or she could steal some time for herself and finish the last chapter of the holo-book she was reading. It was her uncle’s latest thriller, which would definitely relax her. (It wasn’t even available to the public yet, but she was certain it would be another runaway best seller.) She was pretty sure she had the mystery all figured out, but Uncle Andreas often threw a few misleading clues (also known as drifting moonbugs) into his stories, so she was really interested to find out if her hunch was correct. Not wanting to waste any of her free time, she sat on a nearby starmarble bench and pulled out her holo-book.
The words leapt into the air and she began to read eagerly. Her uncle’s books used IMT, the new Illuminated Manuscript Technology: anytime the reader wanted to see the action unfold, she just needed to push a button and the animated holo-scene would play, with the text read aloud as it happened. It was a thrilling way to experience a story, especially a mystery. She got to a particularly exciting passage and pressed the IMT button.
She held her breath as Detective Marmaduke Carbuncle stepped out of the shadowy recesses of a dark alley in Starland City. “Hold it right there, NT-96,” he called.
“I…um…This does not compute!” Bot-Bot NT-96 barked. And suddenly it began to go berserk, ramming its metal body against the wall, sparks flying. Detective Carbuncle dove for cover as the Bot-Bot burst into—
“Um, starscuse me?” someone said meekly.
Cassie turned the book off with an irritated swipe. She turned to the figure that stood in front of her. “Yes?” she said through gritted teeth. There was nothing Cassie hated as much as being interrupted when she was reading.
“Um, hi, Cassie. Sorry for bothering you.”
Cassie blinked. It was Ophelia. Her bright yellow hair hung on either side of her face in two pigtails. She wore a plain yellow T-shirt and a pair of overalls, which were a little short, so her yellow-and-white-striped socks peeked out. She was so tiny and frail that she made Cassie feel tall, an unfamiliar sensation for her. When she gazed down at the girl, she realized the height difference made her feel motherly and protective.
“Oh, hi,” Cassie replied. “I was just talking about you with Leona.”
The girl’s wide ochre eyes filled with liquid-glitter tears. “Oh, Leona,” she said. “I miss her so much. She was a wonderful roommate.”
“Really?” said Cassie, who imagined that sharing a room with Leona would involve a large amount of appreciative observation. And applause.
“Oh, yes,” she breathed. “She was so entertaining! Always putting on such fun shows. It was like going to the theater! Every day!”
“So where are you living now?” Cassie asked.
“I have a single room in the Little Dipper Dorm,” said Ophelia sadly. “It’s pretty lonely. I really miss Leona and also being a…” She looked around, saw that the hallway was deserted, and lowered her voice anyway. “A Star Darling.”
Cassie nodded.
Ophelia leaned her head to one side, thinking. “I know I had some trouble fitting in. And my Wish Mission was a disaster, of course. But I really tried. Because I…I liked it. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. Now I just feel kind of lost.”
Cassie understood completely. “It was nice to belong to something special,” she said. “Now you’re just another Starling Academy student.”
“That’s right,” said Ophelia. “That’s exactly right.”
“I understand you more than you know,” said Cassie. She was starting to feel even more protective toward the girl. “I don’t tell a lot of people about this, but I’m an orphan, too.”
Ophelia gulped and looked away. “I’m sorry,” she said. She let her eyes wander around the hallway, unable make eye contact with Cassie for a moment.
Cassie was touched. “Girls like us, we need to stick together,” she said. She was overwhelmed with an unfamiliar desire to hug Ophelia and make her feel better. Let her know that she wasn’t alone. She felt ashamed for the unkind thoughts she had had about the girl before.
“It’s just so…hard here,” said Ophelia.
Cassie nodded. “It is hard,” she said. “It’s so big and there’s so much to learn and so many new people. It’s difficult to be away from home….” Her voice trailed off as she realized her slip. How thoughtless of her! Ophelia didn’t have a home; what had she been thinking?
But Ophelia leaned forward eagerly. “I know!” she said. “My mom says…”
Cassie looked at the girl in sympathy. “I used to do the same thing right after my parents began their afterglow,” she said. “It’s hard to talk about someone you love so much in the past tense, since they’re still so present for you.”
“What?” said Ophelia. Her eyes widened and she shifted in place. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “What I meant was that my mom used to tell me that you need to find a group of friends who make you sparkle. And I thought I found it with you Starlings.”
“Just because you’re not an official Star Darling, it doesn’t mean we can’t help to make you sparkle,” Cassie told the girl gently.
Ophelia’s face lit up. “Star salutations, Cassie,” she said.
The bell rang and girls began to swarm out of their classrooms. Ophelia was jostled a bit. “I’ll holo-text you later,” said Cassie as she turned to head down the hallway toward her next class. “I’ll see you again soon. Cross my stars and hope to shine,” she promised.
Ophelia smiled wanly. “I’d like that,” she said softly. She then turned and merged into the current of students, her small yellow-pigtailed head disappearing almost immediatel
y.
Cassie stared after her, a smile on her face. All Ophelia needed was some friends, poor thing. She started toward the science stellation for her next class, then stopped in her tracks.
“Watch it!” said a blue-haired girl. “First year!” she remarked to a friend.
A sudden thought crossed Cassie’s mind. She knew why she was roaming the hallways during first period. But why hadn’t Ophelia been in class?
“I’m sorry,” said Vega. “I never got your holo-text. Scarlet and I have band practice right now, anyway. We can’t go with you.”
Cassie smiled at Scarlet. Despite her disappointment, she was glad to hear that the girl was back in the band.
Most of the Star Darlings were standing in the Star Quad, the area in the middle of campus. Their secret S.D. lessons, the last class of the day, had just let out. The girls usually chatted outside a bit before they headed off to their respective clubs, sports, lessons, studies, and other leisure activities before dinnertime.
“What time will it be over?” Cassie asked. “Maybe we could do it afterwards?” She really didn’t feel confident confronting the two roommates by herself.
“No, then I’m meeting Professor Elara Ursa to talk about an extra-credit assignment,” Vega explained.
Cassie wanted to ask if that couldn’t wait until the next starday, but she saw the determined look in Vega’s eyes. She knew that Vega’s dream was to be the top student at Starling Academy and that she would do whatever it took to get there. She turned to Scarlet.
“And I have an Intuition study group,” offered Scarlet. “I’ve really got to go since I missed all those classes. Star apologies.”
“So I have to go get the flowers alone?” Cassie asked.
“Can’t it wait till tomorrow?” asked Vega.
Cassie glanced at Astra and Clover, who were arguing again. She gasped as Astra snatched the hat off Clover’s head and tossed it into the air, levitating it with wish energy in a cruel game of keep-away.
“I guess you’re right,” said Vega. “The sooner, the better.”
“And this is the only afternoon Astra has off from practice this week,” Cassie explained. “I overheard her saying she was going back to her room to watch old holo-vids of the team they are playing on Bopday.”
Vega considered this. “You’ll have to convince only her,” she said. “Clover will be at band practice with us.”
“That’s a plus,” said Cassie, her mood lightening a bit.
“So what’s your plan?” Scarlet asked.
“Oh, look!” shouted someone. Cassie turned around and gasped. The nimble Clover had scrambled up the trunk of a nearby ballum-blossom tree and now stood on a sturdy branch, her arms held out to the sides. She didn’t hesitate for even a moment before walking its length like a tightrope. Clover paused for a starsec, then leapt off, plucking the hat out of the air. She landed neatly, not a hair out of place. With a smirk at Astra, who looked like she was fuming, Clover jauntily placed the hat on her head and gave a deep bow. The rest of the Star Darlings applauded.
Vega shook her head. “I keep forgetting that she’s one of the Flying Molensas,” she said, referring to the most well-known circus family on Starland. “That girl is a born acrobat!”
“Impressive,” Cassie said, turning back to Vega and Scarlet.
“So, your plan?” Vega prompted her.
“Right,” said Cassie. “My plan is…” She sighed. “Actually, my plan is to come up with a plan on my way to their room.”
Scarlet snorted.
Vega sucked in her cheeks. “Not much of a plan,” she said.
“You’re telling me,” Cassie replied.
“Well, good luck with that!” Vega said, grimacing. “If it doesn’t happen, we can always try again tomorrow.”
Scarlet nodded. “I’m free.”
“Star salutations,” replied Cassie. She was determined to put an end to the nonsense that day.
She watched as the two girls headed to the Lightning Lounge with Sage, Leona, and Libby. That was good. Sure, Scarlet was straggling behind, keeping apart from everyone, but she was getting back into the swing of things and that was what mattered.
Cassie turned around, looking for Astra, but she had already left. Cassie hopped on the Cosmic Transporter, hoping that the girl had gone straight back to her room. The flower business needed to end that day. She had a bigger dish to dry. She grinned as she recalled another Wishling expression one of the Star Darlings had shared with her. I’m going to knock their clocks off when it’s my turn to go down to Wishworld, she thought. Her words were brave but her stomach flipped at the very thought.
Cassie took a deep breath and knocked on Astra and Clover’s door. Her mind was a complete blank and she noticed that her hands were trembling a bit out of sheer nervousness. She pulled a piece of boingtree gum out of her pocket. She found its mellow taste soothed her nerves. Then she unwrapped another for good measure and shoved it into her mouth. A vanishing garbage can stood nearby and Cassie tossed her wrappers into it. She wondered how she was going to connect with Astra. The Starling was a total sports fanatic and Cassie didn’t know a star ball from a star…a star something.
She was chomping away, still hoping for some stellar inspiration, when the door slid open. Cassie’s head snapped up. Astra stood there, a star ball tucked under her arm.
“Cassie!” said Astra. “I have the star ball game on. But I thought I heard something.”
“Um, do you mind if I come in?”
“Of course not,” said Astra, stepping aside. She slid the door closed behind them.
Cassie was so keyed up she was practically vibrating with nervous energy. She was certain that Astra would notice and get suspicious. But the girl turned back to her star ball game without another glance. Cassie looked around the room, which was both sporty and sleek, reflecting the personalities of the two roommates. It was her first visit to their room, and her eyes took in Astra’s side, with its star ball court and shelves lined with sporting equipment and startrophies of all shapes and sizes. The star ball game Astra was watching was playing on a screen that took up an entire wall. Clover’s side had an extra-high ceiling and was filled with musical instruments and some technical-looking machines. Cassie noted with interest a terrarium, lush and green, built right into the floor.
“That’s Stellar School playing Comet Prep a couple of weeks ago,” said Astra, her eyes never leaving the screen. “We’re playing Stellar on Bopday. They’re really good, so I’m watching a holo-vid of their last couple of games to get some pointers on how to approach the game.”
Cassie nodded. Sounded good.
“Just let me watch this last play and I’m all yours,” said Astra.
“VALENCIA DODGES THE ONCOMING CENTER AND PIVOTS. SHE JUMPS! SHE SHOOTS! SHE SCORES!” the announcer shouted. The crowd went wild. Astra turned back to Cassie. “This game is over,” she said, even though Comet Prep now had the ball. “It’s all over but the sparkling.”
“Oh,” said Cassie, not understanding.
“There’s not enough time left for them to tie,” Astra explained. “So how can I help you?” she asked, cradling the star ball in the crook of her arm as if it was a baby.
Cassie wandered to the vase of glittery flowers, which never faded or lost their bloom, sitting on a table right between the two girls’ sides of the room. She thought she’d try the direct approach one more time. “You know we all got these flowers, right?” she began.
Astra nodded distractedly.
“Well, Vega and I took one of the bouquets to the botany lab and found out that they are full of negative energy. Like off the charts. They were grown on the Isle of Misera. Everyone has gotten rid of their flowers but you. We think they are causing you and Clover to fight all the time.” She paused to gauge Astra’s reaction.
“That’s ridiculous,” Astra laughed. “They’re so beautiful. And they smell so amazing. Like florafierces.” She laughed again. “Though that crazy roo
mmate of mine thinks they smell just like purple piphanies.”
Cassie sighed. The flowers had worked their intoxicating magic on Astra. She had to come up with another plan. She had come to realize that these strange flowers smelled different to everyone. For example, she could only smell the strong odor of silverbellas. She figured that the blooms, perhaps to entice you into not discarding them, gave off the smell of your own favorite flower. And she also knew from experience that it was impossible to convey that to someone who hadn’t figured it out on her own. The silverbella odor was actually so strong to Cassie that it was overwhelming and very distracting. She found herself wanting to lean over and bury her nose in the blossoms. She countered this by taking a step back and concentrating on breathing only through her mouth.
Suddenly, she had a startacular idea. Okay, maybe it was a startacularly crazy idea. She’d find out soon enough.
“I just read this amazing holo-article about keeping flowers in your room,” she fibbed. “It involves sports, so I thought you’d want to be the first to know.”
“Really?” said Astra, leaning forward. She knew that Cassie read more than all the other Star Darlings put together, so it was perfectly reasonable that she would have seen a holo-article Astra had missed.
“Three…two…one,” the announcer counted down, and a buzzer went off. “STELLAR SCHOOL WINS AGAIN! AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!”
Astra lowered the volume with a wave of her hand and turned toward Cassie with interest. Behind her, Cassie could see the players jumping up and down, huge grins on their faces, but she tried not to let it distract her from her mission.
“Well, the holo-article said that athletes should avoid having fresh flowers in their room before a big event,” Cassie said. “Apparently, it weakens their powers of concentration.”
Astra stared at her. “Really?” she said. She gave the flowers a quizzical look. “That’s terrible! And here I have that big game coming up.”
Cassie nodded sympathetically, biting her lip.
Astra tossed the star ball onto a chair and picked up the vase of flowers. With a confused expression on her face, she held them out to Cassie, whose heart skipped a beat. Is my crazy idea actually going to work? she thought.