by Ahmet Zappa
“Actually, it was…” Lila started.
But Annabel spoke over her. “It was Sir Isaac Newton,” she said, giving Lila a disgusted look. “He published his finding in 1687,” she added.
“That is correct, Annabel,” said Ms. Olds. “Nicely done.”
“As usual,” muttered the boy who sat behind Annabel. She turned around and gave him a smirk.
Ms. Olds continued with a discussion of the force of gravity and Cassie tuned out, choosing to spend the rest of the class trying to figure out what Lila could be wishing for. She considered the evidence. She was clearly well liked by most of her classmates and she was certainly very funny. So Cassie could probably rule out a friendship wish. Could it have something to do with her family? A friend? A pet? Cassie sighed. It could be practically anything at that point.
Finally, it was time for lunch. “Annabel,” said Ms. Olds. “Will you please show Cassie to the lunchroom?”
“Of course, Ms. Olds,” said Annabel with a sweet smile.
Cassie followed her out of the classroom and they walked to the cafeteria in silence. Annabel paused at the entrance and turned to Cassie. Her sweet smile was gone.
“I hope you don’t plan on sitting with me and my friends,” she said. “Because you are definitely not invited.” She turned and flounced off, waving to a group of girls already at a table.
Cassie stared after her, a look of disgust on her face. “That girl deserves a bowl of—” she looked at the menu offerings displayed on the wall behind the ladies of lunch—“vegetable chili on her head.”
A voice came from beside her. “Turkey tetrazzini would be better.”
Cassie spun around. It was Lila, grinning at her. “Or mac and cheese, alphabet soup, sloppy joes. But it’s not worth it. You’ll just get detention.”
“She’s so awful,” said Cassie. She brightened. Maybe Lila’s wish was to get even with Annabel. But how could that possibly be a good wish?
“Yeah, and the worst part is she has all the teachers fooled,” said Lila. “She’s been the Student of the Month three times in a row.”
Cassie felt her face get warm. “That’s so unfair,” she said.
“Tell me about it, sister,” said Lila. “Now let’s get some lunch. You can sit at my table. Just keep that chili to yourself, please.”
Cassie got in line behind Lila and took a closer look at the cafeteria. It was just as bad as Sage had said—smelly, uncomfortably warm, and filled with lots of unidentifiable food you were expected to eat.
“Do you wish to get even with Annabel?” she asked Lila.
Lila shrugged. “I wouldn’t waste a wish on that. I save my wishes for important things.”
Aha! thought Cassie. She grabbed a tray and a bowl of the chili. She followed Lila to a table in the back of the cafeteria, close to the windows. They had a lovely mountain view, though it wasn’t quite as spectacular as the Crystal Mountains.
One by one they were joined by other girls and a couple of boys, Lila’s friends. Lila introduced her to them all, and Cassie recognized several of them from room 261. They seemed like a nice bunch of kids. Cassie dug in to her chili, which was actually not inedible.
Lila told the group the story from that morning. She was a great storyteller, and even her friends from class laughed as if they were hearing it for the first time.
“So why were you late this morning?” Cassie asked. Lila made a sad face and said, “It’s so hard, Cassie, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you. It’s just so terrible. My mother…”
Cassie leaned forward, almost placing her chin in her pudding cup. “Yes,” she breathed. She was this close to finding out Lila’s wish; she was sure of it.
“My mother”—her voice cracked—“forgot to set the alarm last night!”
Her friends all burst into laughter. “I hate it when that happens!” a blond girl cried.
Cassie tried again. “I see your teeth are silver. Do you wish they were white?” But that got a laugh from Lila.
“You don’t like my braces?” she said, baring her teeth. “Well, neither do I, but they’re coming off soon.”
Cassie tried again. She looked out the window at the driving rain. “Perhaps you wish for this rain to end?”
“No way,” said Lila. “It’s good for the plants.”
She leaned back and looked at Cassie. “You ask some crazy questions, new girl,” she said. “How about this one? What do you call cheese that isn’t yours?”
“I have no idea,” Cassie replied.
“Nacho cheese!” said Lila.
Cassie didn’t get it, though the rest of the students at the table howled with laughter. “Oh,” said Cassie. Another joke. She was beginning to realize that it was going to be very difficult to get Lila to be serious. How was she ever going to get the truth out of her? Just before classes began, Cassie stood up from the table and dumped her tray. She was really starting to worry and needed a moment to think, so she headed to the girls’ bathroom, where she stood in front of the mirror, staring at her pale, non-sparkling reflection in the mirror. Was it time to use her underwhelming Mirror Mantra already? She pulled out her Star-Zap instead and accessed her Countdown Clock. She looked at the time remaining and gasped. It had to be broken! Could she really only have twenty-seven hours left to make Lila’s wish come true? Was that even possible? Even for someone as determined and talented as she was, this was going to be tight.
There were no other clues for Cassie for the rest of the afternoon. And as the time came to pack up their bags, Cassie was in a bit of a panic. She couldn’t let Lila out of her sight; she had to be sure to stick to her like sparkleglue for the rest of the day—and somehow wrangle an invitation to stay at her house overnight. That way she’d get extra time with her. And I also won’t have to sleep in an invisible tent in this weather, thought Cassie. While she was pretty sure the tent was waterproof and would be warm and toasty inside, she didn’t want to take any chances.
The bell rang for the end of the day and Cassie pushed into the hallway, determined not to lose sight of Lila. Luckily, the girl’s locker was only a couple away from hers.
“Good first day?” Lila asked, unzipping her backpack.
“It was good,” said Cassie. She decided to plunge right in. “So, um, do you want to hang out after school? Do homework together?”
“Can’t,” said Lila. “After-school club. Ice-dating.” Or at least that was what Cassie thought she said. Her words were muffled by the arrival of a noisy bunch of kids who opened the lockers that stood between them. Cassie quickly grabbed her things, but by the time she slammed her locker shut, Lila was gone. Cassie felt her heart beat faster and her pulse race. She had to find Lila immediately.
Ice-dating? What could that be? She turned to the girl next to her, who was staring into a mirror on the inside of the top of her locker, putting a glossy-looking substance from a tube on her lips. It smelled a bit like starberries to Cassie.
“I need to find the ice-dating club,” she said.
“Ice-dating?” said the girl. “What in the world are you talking about?” Then she thought for a moment and laughed. “You mean ice-skating! Yeah, the rink is right at the bottom of the hill. Go out the front door of the school and make a left. You can’t miss it.”
Cassie thanked her and took off down the hall.
“It’s pretty cold in there,” the girl called out after her. “Don’t forget your gloves!”
On the run, Cassie accessed her Wishworld Outfit Selector and made her choice. She waved her mittened hand at the girl and ran out of the school as fast as she could, whipping right past Annabel. “No running in the halls!” Annabel yelled after Cassie. “Do you hear me, new girl? Do you want a detention?”
Cassie pushed open the door to the ice rink. The girl had been right; it was just as cold inside as it was out. The room was huge, and a large shiny white oval stood in the middle. After some searching, Cassie found a group of students sitting on a bench, taking off their
shoes. “Hey, Cassie!” said Lila with a smile. “I didn’t know you were joining the ice-skating club. That’s so cool!” Then she laughed at her accidental joke.
“I am!” said Cassie.
Lila introduced her to the club moderator, a teacher named Mr. Thompson. He told Cassie to take off her shoes and go get a pair of skates.
“What size?” asked the bored-looking boy behind the counter.
“One thirty-seven G,” said Cassie, giving her Starland size without thinking.
The boy’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He stared at Cassie for a minute, then grabbed her boot off the counter and turned it over. “Size five,” he said, shaking his head. “Everyone’s a comedian.”
It took a while for Cassie to force her feet into the stiff white boots and even longer to lace them up. She stood up and quickly realized how hard it was to balance on the thin metal blades as her legs bowed first in, then out. She took a few shaky steps toward the rink, where Lila was already zipping around. A few more and she was clutching the rink wall for support. Whew! She made it to the entrance. The rink was a vast, intimidating expanse of white, not a sparkle in sight. Gingerly, Cassie placed one foot on the ice, then the other. She was standing! She pushed forward confidently. While she had never skated before, she was sure that with her inherent nimbleness and ability to master new things, she’d be a natural on the ice. She glided forward and…whoosh! Within an instant she was flat on her back, looking up at the rafters. This is the second time I’ve fallen since I arrived on Wishworld, she thought. Must be a record.
Cassie put her hands to the ice and struggled to her feet, happy she was wearing mittens. Moons and stars! she thought. This Wish Mission is more dangerous than I thought. She somehow managed to make it to the waist-high wall that ran around the rink, and she slowly circled the rink with short, choppy steps, her hand in an iron grip on the railing. Any time she tried to let go of it, she lost her balance. She started to get hot, sweaty, and annoyed. She could see Lila zooming around the ice with her hands behind her back, then skating backward and even doing some spins. Cassie was impressed by how graceful she was.
Lila swooped toward Cassie, then turned away and sharply doubled back, sliding to a quick stop in front of her. Cassie was so startled she lost her balance. Luckily, Lila reached out a red-gloved hand and grabbed her arm in time.
“I’m sorry,” Lila said. “The ice is slippery, isn’t it?”
Cassie scowled at her.
“I’m not joking,” she said. “It’s not easy. You’ve got to take it slow, and pay attention. And practice.”
Then, Cassie’s hand firmly in hers, Lila showed her how to keep her knees bent, which dramatically improved Cassie’s balance. She began to relax, a tiny bit.
“Take little steps,” said Lila. “There you go. It’s all about keeping your ankles steady.”
Cassie wobbled forward.
“And if you think you’re going to fall, make your hands into fists,” she suggested. “Don’t want to lose a finger under a sharp blade!”
Lila next taught Cassie how to push off and glide. And before Cassie knew it, she had navigated one full turn around the ice without falling. At the end of the hour, the girls were laughing and joking. Cassie had made it three times around the rink without falling.
She really is kind and helpful, thought Cassie. But unfortunately I still have no idea what her wish could be.
After the girls left the ice and had returned their skates, they put on their boots and stood outside waiting for Lila to be picked up.
“Who are you waiting for?” Cassie asked.
“My dad,” said Lila.
Cassie had an idea. She hoped it would work. “Um…maybe you could come to my house tonight for dinner. My mom’s making…” she searched her memory for a Wishling dinner option. “Grilled cheese pizza burgers” was what she came up with.
Lila burst out laughing. “I’d love to find out exactly what that is, but my dad is on his way to get me.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” said Cassie sadly. Would Lila take the bait?
She did. “Hey, why don’t you come to my house for dinner instead? And sleep over, too?” she suggested. “Maybe you can have grilled cheese pizza burgers another night.”
“Okay!” said Cassie quickly. Her plan had worked!
“What would you girls like to drink with dinner?” Lila’s mother asked. She had the same black hair and easy grin as her daughter.
“Sparkling water for me,” said Lila.
Cassie’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes, for me, too!” she exclaimed. Why hadn’t she heard about this delightful beverage in Wishers 101? It would be a tiny reminder of home. She was missing the colors and the sparkle of Starland. It really helped to keep your spirits up, she realized. Her non-glittery surroundings were starting to get her down.
Lila’s mom returned with two glasses of clear liquid, which she set on the table. A few bubbles rose to the top of each glass and popped joylessly on the surface. Cassie looked at Lila. That was it? “Um, I thought you said sparkling water,” she said.
“This is sparkling water,” replied Lila, taking a sip.
Cassie stared at the glass. “So where are the sparkles?” she asked.
Lila laughed. “Oh, Cassie, you crack me up!”
After dinner there were chocolate ice cream sundaes for dessert, which were startastic. But even more wonderful was that Cassie finally figured out Lila’s wish.
Once the table was cleared, Cassie and Lila spread out their books on the dining room table and did their homework together. Cassie did her reading comprehension homework, reading a long passage and then answering ten multiple choice questions, and her science assignment, then dawdled over the math homework, trying to look like a normal Wishling who couldn’t add, subtract, divide, and multiply huge sums instantly in her head. She stole a glance over at Lila’s math book. She was pleasantly surprised to see that every answer was correct.
“Hey, you’re good at math!” Cassie said admiringly.
“I am,” said Lila. “Very good.”
Cassie next leaned over to take a look at Lila’s reading comprehension answers.
“Um,” Cassie began, not sure how to broach the subject “You might want to take another look at those first…um…ten answers,” she said.
Lila sucked in her cheeks and looked for a moment like she might cry. Then she glared at Cassie and slammed the book shut. “It’s fine,” she said tersely.
“But…” began Cassie.
“Just leave me alone, all right,” Lila said. She stormed off and Cassie was left sitting at the dining room table by herself. She could hear Lila stomping up the stairs.
Well, this is awkward, she thought.
After giving the girl a couple of minutes to cool down, Cassie walked up the stairs, which creaked under her feet. After first opening the doors to two closets and a bathroom, she spotted a door with a sign on it that said LILA’S ROOM.
She grinned. “I’m a regular Detective Marmaduke Carbuncle,” she said to herself. She took a deep breath and knocked on Lila’s door.
“Come in,” said a muffled voice.
Cassie opened the door. Lila was lying on her bed, her face buried in a pillow.
Cassie sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. “Do you want to talk?” she said.
With a heavy sigh, Lila flipped over on her back and stared at the ceiling, unable to make eye contact with Cassie.
“So now you know,” she said. “I’m great at math but I’m terrible at reading,” she said. “It’s so humiliating. Ms. Olds must think I’m so dumb.”
Cassie felt a sudden tingly rush of energy. She shivered with excitement. “You wish Ms. Olds would appreciate you,” she said, her eyes shining.
Lila sat up, clutching the pillow to her chest. “I want her to like me,” she said. “So to get her attention, I try to make her laugh. But she ends up getting mad at me.” She sighed. “Meanwhile, people like Annabel Victor get all the att
ention. It’s not fair.”
“Well, I have a suggestion,” said Cassie. “Save the jokes for lunch and recess. Just be your smart, kind, helpful self during the school day. Like when you helped me today at the ice rink. Ms. Olds is sure to notice and appreciate you.”
Lila got a hopeful look on her face. “You really think so?”
“I do,” replied Cassie. “And here’s another thing. I’m pretty good at reading. I can give you some tips to help with this reading comprehension stuff. You might never be as good at it as math, but you could get better,” she told her. “It’s kind of like ice skating. Take it slow. Pay attention. Practice, practice, practice. Use a dictionary when you get to words you don’t know.” She laughed. “Okay, that’s not like ice skating, but you catch my gift.”
“I catch your drift,” corrected Lila.
“See, you’re paying attention already,” said Cassie. Though she thought her way made more sense.
The two girls got ready for bed.
Before Lila drifted off to sleep she asked, “Do you really think this plan to impress Ms. Olds is going to work?”
“I’m sure of it,” Cassie said confidently. With me on the case, she thought, how could it not work?
They had pancakes for breakfast the next morning. They looked just like starcakes to Cassie, only round. They tasted pretty similar, too. Cassie tried maple syrup for the first time and nearly poured the whole container onto her plate, it was so delicious. Tessa would love this on her starberry waffles, she thought.
“Do you remember the plan?” she asked Lila. “Plenty of participation, kindness, and generosity. Today and every day. There are much more positive ways of getting attention from your teacher.”
Lila bit her lip. “I’m a little nervous!”
“No need to be nervous,” said Cassie. “Just be yourself.” Then she hastily added, “Maybe without quite as many jokes, of course!”
Lila held her glass of orange juice up to Cassie. “To participation, kindness, generosity, and no jokes,” she said. Cassie stared at her blankly. “Pick up your glass,” instructed Lila. “Let’s make a toast!” Cassie held her juice aloft and Lila clinked hers against it. And Cassie made another Wishworld observation: “Toast” has more than one meaning on Wishworld!