As she sat under a giant tree, she heard a cheerful voice. “You showed! I wondered if you actually would,” Maxwell called out. He jumped on his skateboard and rode toward Scarlet, flipping the board over twice in a row and then landing back on it. He kicked the board up to his hands and stood in front of her, smiling.
Scarlet searched for even the simplest of words and could only get out “hello.”
“Hey,” Max said.
Then neither knew what to say for an uncomfortable moment—until Max jumped in.
“So, I bet you go to Danforth High, right? It seems like that’s where all the cool girls go.”
“No, I’m from a bit farther away than Danforth,” Scarlet replied, feeling unusually shy.
“That explains it. I knew you seemed different.”
“Thanks?” Scarlet said, wondering whether he meant “different” as a compliment. Scarlet wasn’t used to second-guessing herself. She reminded herself that she was on a Wish Mission and couldn’t let herself get distracted. Maxwell could provide key information about Holly for the mission. That was why Scarlet had agreed to meet up with him.
“Wherever you’re from, it must be a pretty awesome place.” Maxwell grinned and put down his skateboard. “You skate?”
Scarlet couldn’t wait to jump back on a skateboard. Skateboarding was one of her favorite ways to escape on Starland besides playing drums. Now she had the opportunity to skateboard on Wishworld. It was almost too perfect. “I love to skate,” she told him.
Maxwell grabbed her hand and led her away from the front entrance of the arts center. “I know the best skate park in Port Harbor. Let me show you.”
Whisked away to a hidden skate park near the arts center, Scarlet didn’t hesitate to show Maxwell her skills. It felt great to be back on a skateboard again, especially under a Wishworld sky, even if it was cloudy. The dampness in the air inspired her and made her feel as if she might be moving closer to her dream of someday living on Wishworld. First she kick-flipped the board, popped, slid, and jumped. Then she twirled around on one wheel and raised her fist in the air. “Yes!”
“Gnarly! You really aren’t from around here.” He smiled. “I don’t even think you’re from this planet!”
“Thanks,” Scarlet said, and thought, If he only knew! She smiled at Maxwell, who looked at her adoringly. It made her feel uneasy, even slightly nervous. She stretched herself to try another kick-flip. That time, she took a hard fall.
Maxwell ran to her to make sure she was okay. “Hey, I don’t want anything to happen to you. I just met you. Tell me that you’re fine.”
Embarrassed and a little sore, she looked up at him. “I’m fine.” She tried to get up by herself but was shaken.
Maxwell reached for her hand and held it tightly, then guided her to a nearby bench. “You’re not as tough as you think you are, Scarlet who is not from around here.”
Scarlet hung back and rested on the bench while Maxwell took his turn on the skateboard. He pulled off some killer tricks. After he landed a kick-flip and a backside tailslide, Scarlet shouted to him, “You’re almost as good as I am!”
Maxwell shouted back, “Hey, you hungry? Want to grab something to eat downtown?”
It occurred to Scarlet that would be the most perfect opportunity to explore Wishworld, a firsthand look at that wonderfully mysterious world, and from a Wishling’s point of view, too. She couldn’t believe how much she was enjoying spending time with Maxwell. He was like no boy she had ever met before, nothing like the Starling boys at Star Preparatory, who thought she was strange. She was in the unusual position of liking a boy. Nothing in her Wishling Ways class had prepared her for what she was feeling—not even a little bit. She glanced at her Star-Zap and saw that her wish energy had dramatically dipped since the last time she had checked it. Not good. She quickly picked up her backpack and put it on. “Can’t. I’ve got to get back.”
Maxwell didn’t understand her mood change. “What? Where? Is it something I said?” he asked.
“I, uh, just have to go.” Focus, Scarlet, focus. In her haste, her drumsticks fell out of her backpack and rolled across the ground. She raced to grab them, but Maxwell was there first to retrieve them.
He took a close look. “Where did you get these? I’ve never seen drumsticks like this before.”
Scarlet grabbed them from Maxwell before he could examine them more closely. “I need those. They mean a lot to me.”
“I get it,” Maxwell said, backing away. “Your music is your passion.”
Scarlet froze. “How do you know that?” she asked, wondering if the Wishling boy was truly just a Wishling.
“I heard you play, remember?”
Scarlet flashed back to the day before in the practice room. How long had Maxwell been standing there before he tapped her on the shoulder?
“Wait, that reminds me. I’m not going to let you go until you hear this new song I discovered.” He took out his phone and gently handed over one of his earbuds. They sat down on the bench, and he played her what she thought was the most beautiful song she had ever heard.
“It’s called ‘Far Away,’” he told her. “It’s got an awesome beat, right?”
She nodded. The song was about two people from two different worlds who had found each other through destiny. Something about the lyrics touched Scarlet. A light rain suddenly started to fall from the sky and the clouds grew increasingly gray. Maxwell quickly took back the earbud and put away his phone before the song ended. Just then, lightning struck and a downpour followed.
He shouted over the rain, “Let’s get out of here!”
“Wait. You can’t do that. The song didn’t finish. How does it end? Do they stay together?” Scarlet shouted back to him.
“What?”
Scarlet shook her head, knowing it didn’t matter how the song ended anyway. “Nothing,” she whispered.
Maxwell wanted to know more about the mysterious girl. He asked, “Where do you have to be exactly, Scarlet? Is your mom picking you up?”
“Something like that,” Scarlet replied, careful not to reveal too much.
“My sister, Holly, is picking me up today. I’ve got to go meet her at the center.”
Scarlet caught herself glancing into Maxwell’s green eyes, then shook herself out of the spell he had put her under, and shouted, “Right, your sister!” against the falling rain. She had gotten so caught up in getting to know the Wishling boy that she had lost track of the Wish Mission and hadn’t learned a single new thing about Holly. She was no closer to figuring out what the bad wish was.
Clara strutted into rehearsal, completely transformed. A hush fell over the other students who sat in the audience waiting for Wordsworth to begin that day’s rehearsal. Clara radiated a new confidence that set her apart from the others.
Whitney sat with her girl posse, admiring Clara’s new look and attitude. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Whitney asked them.
They all nodded in unison, jaws dropped.
Clara looked like Vivica’s twin! They were both dressed in skinny jeans with strategically matching off-the-shoulder tops. Their hairstyles complemented each other, too. Vivica tied her platinum-blond hair back in a bun, carefully hiding her silvery-blue streak, while Clara’s hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Both wore bright pink lip gloss and matching silver hoops in their ears.
“That intern has done amazing things for Clara’s style,” Nelle observed.
“Totally! I need to know what kind of lip gloss that is. It’s unreal!” Whitney walked over to Clara to talk to her, but Clara didn’t acknowledge her. Whitney quickly returned to her friends and sniffed, “Apparently, Clara has changed more than her look.”
Behind the red curtain, the Star Darlings were dressed in all black, wearing tees and sweatpants, posing as stage crew. Rehearsal was about to begin, and Wordsworth stepped onto the stage. All eyes turned to him, including Vivica’s and the Wisher’s.
A former actor himself, the di
rector boomed in a trained baritone voice, “Good afternoon. Rehearsal will begin shortly. The North Coast Arts Center’s last show of the season—our all-star variety show—is just a few days away. I still haven’t worked out the lineup, but we’re going to run through all the acts today and see if this order works.” He took a long dramatic pause. “Oh, yes, and I heard from the producer of Song and Chance, who confirmed she will be attending opening night. So go out there and put everything you have into these performances. This could be your big break!” Then he shouted with great enthusiasm, “Lights, curtains! Let’s rehearse!”
As Clara headed down the aisle, lit only by teeny, tiny floor lights, she felt a chill run down her body. She was the first singing act in the show. A strong wind pushed her forward. She climbed the small set of stairs onto the stage and began her song.
For a moment, Sage and Leona forgot they were on Wishworld. Captivated by Clara’s performance, they were struck by how talented she was and how much joy came from watching her perform. Her light, airy tone invited the audience to listen to every word she was singing. Her lyrics told a story of a little girl with big dreams. It was funny and sweet. But as Sage watched, she could see that Clara was holding back a bit, that she wasn’t totally secure in her own talent.
Sage whispered to Leona, “How does Clara not see that she is such an amazing singer? What’s missing here? Do you not see what I’m seeing?”
Scarlet interjected. “I see it.”
Leona agreed. “She’s missing what’s right in front of her!”
Sage’s eyes widened. “I’ve got it. Stopping Vivica from granting the Wisher’s bad wish is only part of the mission. We also have to help show the Wisher how gifted she truly is!”
Sage’s Star-Zap flashed. Her wish energy was dissipating, which meant that time was running out. The Star Darlings’ pendants lit up, too, which told them they were getting closer to stopping the bad wish. They just needed to find a way to get through to the Wisher.
Sage thought, If Vivica’s powerful force field is stopping us from reaching Clara, then we have to find another way to get to her. We’ve got to show Clara that she has what it takes to be a star! But how?
Clara’s original song ended to loud applause from the other students in the audience.
Wordsworth smiled. “Nice job, Clara. Work on your projection so we can all hear you, and you’ll be just fine for the show.” Clara returned to her seat next to Vivica, hardly noticing the positive response she had received or Wordsworth’s encouraging words. She saw only the negative, blocking out the applause, and was still convinced that no matter how good she sounded, Holly would always sound better and steal the show.
Clara grumbled, “‘Just fine’! Wordsworth would never have said that to Holly. He would have told her how perfect she is and how she’s the center’s rising star.”
Vivica smiled. Even though she still hadn’t found a way to grant the young Wisher her bad wish yet, she knew the negatites were working and had overtaken Clara. Now it was time to guide Clara toward making her bad wish come true.
Wordsworth called Holly to the stage next. “Our shining star, Holly!” A music student started playing solo piano. Holly stepped into the spotlight and up to the microphone. She began to sing. After her first note floated through the air, the audience was silent.
Sage, Leona, and Scarlet turned their attention away from Vivica and Clara to listen to Holly’s astounding voice.
Scarlet recognized the Wishling song. It was the love ballad Maxwell had played for her, “Far Away,” but Holly had given it her own unique spin. The lyrics and the music were bringing Scarlet back to the time she had spent with Maxwell. She listened and felt something she had never felt before—like the space inside her chest was filled up with something almost painful, but she was really happy. Scarlet couldn’t stop thinking about Maxwell, replaying certain moments, like when he had grabbed her hand to show her where to go, or when he had looked at her a certain way.
Sage watched as Scarlet’s aura changed colors from a saturated bright pink to a much softer pink. Even though Scarlet was on Wishworld, it was almost as if she was glowing. Something was going on with her. Sage wasn’t sure, but she thought she even saw tears well in Scarlet’s eyes. Sage lit up. “Oh, my stars! This Wishling love song is melting Scarlet’s heart,” she whispered to herself.
Leona tapped Sage on the shoulder and said, “Looks like the song is making Scarlet feel something!”
Neither girl had ever seen Scarlet react to anything that way before.
Sage turned to Scarlet and asked, “How do you know this song?”
Dreamy and distracted, Scarlet said, “Maxwell played it for me.”
Scarlet must have feelings for Maxwell, Sage realized. And the music was bringing out the Starling’s softer side.
Sage was suddenly distracted by a flash of blue light in the audience. She quickly shifted her attention from Scarlet to Clara, who was glaring at Holly onstage. A sizzling blue aura surrounded Clara now. It was invisible to a Wishling’s eye, but Sage saw it.
Sage looked at Leona. “Can you hear any of what Vivica is saying to Clara?”
Leona tried out her special power of hearing from distances, but she still could not break through. She heard only loud static crackling.
Vivica leaned in closer to Clara. She really wanted to guide Clara to the bad wish. “Soooo, how long have you known Holly?” she asked.
Clara rolled her eyes. “I’ve known her since I was five. She’s been my best friend ever since. Well, at least until now.”
Vivica kept pushing. “Did she always hog the spotlight? I mean, look at her!”
As Clara watched Holly onstage, she thought about all the times Holly had gotten the lead in a performance or won the heart of a director or received a standing ovation. Vivica guided the conversation in hopes of gathering more details so that she could help grant Clara’s bad wish as soon as possible.
Clara sighed. “I know. I wish just one time I’d be able to outshine Holly!”
Vivica felt a surge of negative energy fill her body. She tried to conceal her excitement at getting closer to granting the young Wisher’s bad wish. She pictured Rancora on the Isle of Misera, proud of her Starling apprentice. It was only a matter of time before she would shine brighter than any of the Star Darlings on Starland!
Clara had spoken her bad wish, but that was only one part of the process. There was still the matter of timing the wish. A bad wish couldn’t release its negative energy unless the timing was just right.
Anxious to get on with the wish granting, Vivica pried even more. “Or maybe the television producer who is coming to the performance would discover you instead of Holly?”
Clara looked at Vivica and thought about what she had just said. That idea had never crossed her mind. She didn’t respond at first, but soon a smile appeared on her face. “That would be a dream come true! But it’ll never happen as long as Holly is performing. I wish Holly would just disappear!”
Vivica studied Clara, searching for a clue. Then her teardrop necklace vibrated and crackled. A sharp blue light flashed from it. Negatites recharged her body. Vivica had an idea. That’s the wish! Holly needs to disappear!
Holly finished her song. All the cast and crew in the theater stood up and clapped, even though it was only a rehearsal. Wordsworth turned to Holly before she stepped into the wings. “Perfection as usual, my young star. If you do what you did just then, you’re going to impress the producer and land yourself a spot on television!” He clapped for her and then motioned to the whole cast, clapping for them, too. “Okay, let’s carry on. We’ve only got another hour for this run-through, then dress rehearsal tomorrow and then…the show!”
The Star Darlings tried to track Vivica and Clara, but they were already gone. Vivica was still one step ahead of them.
The Star Darlings retreated to their storage room hideout to rest and regroup for the next step in the mission.
Sage sat in on
e corner of the cluttered room, trying to make sense of the mission. She wrote in her Cyber Journal. Wishworld Observation #1: Latest development. At the variety show’s rehearsal, the Wisher, Clara, was holding back when she performed her original song. If only Leona, Scarlet, and I could hold a mirror to her to show her how uniquely talented she truly is, maybe she could finally see it for herself and shine like the star she is. Maybe then she would stop comparing herself to Holly, and she wouldn’t need to wish anything bad.
In another corner of the room, Leona thought about how talented Clara and Holly were—and in such different ways. Seeing them both perform also reminded her that she hadn’t sung a song since she’d landed on Wishworld. She missed that feeling of getting lost in the music. Watching the performers at rehearsal that day had inspired her. She knew she couldn’t perform on Wishworld on that mission, but she still couldn’t stop herself from wishing for it.
Scarlet stretched out on the old velvet love seat she had officially declared as her own. She needed a moment to herself, just like the other Star Darlings, to reflect on the mission so far. All she could think about was how all the holo-screens she had collected on her Star-Zap, and holo-projected throughout her dorm room on Starland, had not prepared her for that trip. Wishworld was more beautiful than she had remembered it. Would there ever be a time when a Starling could live on Wishworld and start a Wishling life there? Wishworld had captured her imagination and was maybe even stealing her heart.
High in the sky above Wishworld, hidden behind a starry canvas of vibrant colors and shimmering starbursts, Lady Stella continued her late-night studies into Starland’s ancient past at the Illumination Library. She pored over translucent scrolls and celestial artifacts, searching for answers to Starland’s latest crisis. Since Rancora had been posing as Lady Cordial for some time, Lady Stella could not gauge just how much secret knowledge she had gathered and absorbed during her time at the academy.
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