Wish Upon a Gift

by Phoebe Bright

  Back at the B&B, they found Cassie’s dad in the kitchen, polishing the lens of one of his telescopes. He was listening to the weather forecast.

  “It will be a sunny afternoon, followed by a cloudy night sky,” the radio announcer was saying.

  “Oh, no,” Cassie’s dad said.

  “What’s wrong, Dad?” Cassie asked.

  “There’s going to be an amazing meteor shower tonight,” he explained. “I thought Mom and I could watch it to celebrate our wedding anniversary. But it will be too cloudy to see anything in the sky!” With a sigh, he dropped the dusting cloth onto the table.

  Cassie gave her dad a hug. What a mess!

  So many things are going wrong today, she thought. But even if nothing else goes right, I’m going to make sure Izzy’s wish comes true. . . .

  “I’m so glad your parents let you come with me,” Izzy told Cassie and Alex as they climbed into the back of her mom’s car.

  “And we’ll all be there to see you dance at the end of the class,” Mrs. Nichols added.

  Cassie and Alex were wearing shorts and T-shirts, but Izzy had on a leotard and tights. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail. “You look like a real ballerina,” Cassie told her.

  “Thanks,” Izzy said. She smiled, but Cassie noticed that she held her hands tightly together in her lap.

  She’s really worried, Cassie thought.

  They drove down the hill and along the coast, where people were out enjoying the sunshine. Farther along the boardwalk, Cassie pointed out a reddish brown building with tall windows.

  “That’s the town hall. It’s where the ballet class is being held,” she said.

  Mrs. Nichols parked in a space outside the town hall. As they all climbed out of the car, the other kids attending the class were walking up the wide stone steps that led into the building. Cassie, Alex, Izzy, and Mrs. Nichols followed.

  “Move!” a girl screeched.

  Cassie’s heart sank. She looked around to see a familiar girl in a pink tutu and ballet shoes with ribbons wound around her ankles. The girl was spinning and twirling, knocking into everyone else.

  “Who’s that?” Izzy whispered.

  “Donna Fox,” Cassie replied. “Her parents own Flashley Manor, the biggest hotel in Astral-on-Sea.”

  “She always ruins everything,” Alex muttered.

  They headed through the doors and followed a sign that read Ballet Class — This Way! It directed them to a large hall with chairs around the edge, and an MP3 player and speakers on a table.

  “Come in, dancers!” a tall man said.

  He wore black pants and a white shirt. Stretching out his arms in welcome, he moved gracefully toward them.

  “I’m Roman, your teacher,” the man explained. “Now, let’s all learn some ballet and have lots of fun. At the end of the class, we’ll do a performance for all the moms and dads!”

  “Doesn’t that sound wonderful?” Mrs. Nichols said. She waved good-bye. “See you later!”

  Nearby, Donna fluffed up the frilly layers of her tutu. “I’m going to be the best dancer,” she bragged. “I’m the best at everything.”

  The other kids were grinning excitedly, but Cassie noticed that Izzy was looking around nervously.

  “First, we’ll do some warm-up exercises,” Roman said. He turned on the MP3 player, and the hall was filled with tinkling piano music. Roman lifted his arms up above his head. “Pretend you want to touch the stars,” he said.

  Cassie smiled. She knew what it felt like to touch a real star! All of the kids stretched their arms up, just like Roman showed them.

  “Now swing your feet,” Roman called.

  As Cassie kicked her foot up, she saw Izzy swing her foot high in the air and back again.

  “Very good!” Roman said, nodding to Izzy.

  Izzy blushed.

  When the warm-up was finished, Roman paused the music. “Excellent work,” he said. “Now, if you’ve danced before, please come to the front of the class.”

  “Watch it,” Donna snapped, pushing Izzy out of the way as she moved to the front of the room.

  “I bet she’s never danced in her life,” Alex said, scowling. “Remember her terrible performance at Lia’s birthday party?”

  Izzy moved close to Cassie and Alex, her hands shaking. “I think I’ll stay with you,” she said.

  Roman looked over at Cassie, Alex, Izzy, and the other kids at the back. “You can learn a lot from watching other dancers,” he told them. “Just have fun and relax. You’ll pick it up in no time!”

  Then Roman pressed the PLAY button on his MP3 player. Beautiful music floated through the air.

  “Let’s dance,” he said. “First, gallop!”

  Cassie, Alex, and Izzy all galloped around the room together. Alex neighed like a pony, making Izzy laugh.

  “Now leap,” Roman said. “And then pirouette — which means spin.”

  Together, they all leaped through the air and twirled around.

  “Good job,” Roman said. “You’re all doing so well. Next, I want you to try an arabesque. That’s a —”

  Before Roman could explain, Izzy lifted her leg behind her and stretched out her arms. Cassie gasped. She looks so elegant, she thought.

  “Look, everyone,” Roman said. “That is a perfect arabesque.”

  Izzy blushed again.

  “And now, let’s do all the steps in order,” Roman said.

  This time, Cassie noticed that Izzy did a great gallop and leap, but forgot to spin before the arabesque.

  “Not so perfect now, are you?” Donna sneered.

  Poor Izzy tried again. But this time, she pirouetted at the wrong moment, bumping into Donna.

  “Watch out, you clumsy girl!” Donna cried, glaring.

  “I’m so s-sorry,” Izzy stammered.

  “Don’t worry about Donna,” Cassie whispered. But Izzy looked like she might cry.

  I have to do something to make her wish come true, Cassie thought. But what? I can’t remember the routine, either. . . .

  Alex was repeating the steps quietly to himself. “Gallop, leap, turn, arabesque,” he muttered.

  Cassie was impressed. Even though Alex’s leg pointed out in front for the arabesque instead of behind, he was doing everything in the right order.

  Cassie whispered all the steps, too, concentrating hard to memorize the routine. Suddenly, she saw the heart charm glowing on her bracelet! Her own heart raced with excitement, and she ducked behind one of the floor-length curtains that hung from the windows so that no one would notice her.

  A shower of glittering sparkles swirled around her bracelet and over her feet. Still hidden by the curtain, Cassie tried the dance steps again in order. Amazed, she found that now she could remember the routine perfectly!

  Stella said that memories are precious, she thought, and my heart charm gives me perfect memory. Now I know how to help Izzy!

  Cassie danced out from behind the curtain and through the class, until she was in front of Izzy and Alex.

  “We’re going to use my magic heart charm to help Izzy remember the steps,” she told Alex quietly. Then she turned to Izzy and said, “Just follow my moves!”

  Izzy watched Cassie carefully, then copied her sequence of steps. Cassie glanced over her shoulder and smiled. Her plan was working! Izzy was dancing the routine perfectly. She looked great, leaping high, pointing her toes, and finally stretching her arms out in a graceful arabesque.

  “Beautiful,” Roman called out to Izzy.

  She didn’t blush this time. Her face beamed as she danced around the room, leaping, twirling, and holding the arabesque perfectly.

  “She’s got it!” Cassie said excitedly to Alex.

  Alex turned to watch Izzy. “She sure does!” he a
greed.

  Cassie glanced down at her charm bracelet hopefully, but her heart sank. She stopped dancing and moved to the side of the room.

  “What’s wrong?” Alex asked, following her.

  “I thought I made Izzy’s wish come true and earned my last charm,” Cassie said. “But it hasn’t appeared.”

  She and Alex looked at each other. What had gone wrong?

  Roman clapped his hands. The class all came to a halt — except for Donna, who spun right into Roman.

  “Be careful of those around you,” Roman told her. “This isn’t a solo dance.”

  With that, Donna stomped off to the other side of the room and sulked.

  Now that class was almost over, their audience started to arrive! The seats around the edge of the room were soon packed. Cassie and Alex spotted their parents, and Izzy waved excitedly to her mom.

  “Are you okay?” Cassie asked her.

  “I’m fine now,” Izzy replied with a smile as she practiced her arabesque again. “I managed to dance that new routine in front of a whole class of strangers, thanks to you. I’ve never had so much fun dancing before, because I’m always too worried about remembering the steps. You two are magical!”

  Roman clapped his hands again, and the kids all lined up. As the music began, Izzy galloped confidently across the room, with Cassie and Alex dancing along beside her. When they got to the arabesque, Izzy’s foot stretched high in the air.

  Cassie noticed that Izzy had been dancing so freely that her hair had come loose and whirled around her, just like it had in the observatory that morning. She looked so happy! Cassie smiled. She had definitely granted Izzy’s wish. So why hadn’t she received her final charm?

  The audience clapped as the dance came to an end. Suddenly, some new music came on the MP3 player. Roman had accidentally tapped the wrong button.

  “Oops,” he said, moving to turn it off.

  But Izzy kept on dancing to the new music, her feet spinning across the floor. Cassie recognized the jumps and arm movements from Izzy’s dance in the observatory.

  “I think that’s her Cinderella routine,” she said to Alex. “And look — she’s not nervous at all.”

  Izzy dipped and leaped, finishing with a pirouette, spinning on the spot so her hair flew out around her.

  When she finished the dance, everyone except Donna applauded loudly. Izzy glowed.

  “I didn’t worry about the steps. They just came naturally,” Izzy told Cassie and Alex in excitement. “I was enjoying dancing too much.”

  Izzy’s mom walked over and joined them. She was beaming. “That was fantastic! I’m so proud of you,” she said, hugging Izzy.

  “She dances from her heart,” Roman said, walking up to the group. “Izzy, the audience will always love you when you dance with such joy.”

  “I can’t wait to perform Cinderella, now that I know I can remember the steps,” said Izzy. “And it’s all thanks to both of you!” She smiled at Cassie and Alex.

  Cassie smiled back, but inside she couldn’t help feeling disappointed. On her wrist, her bracelet tingled in a strange way, but her final charm still hadn’t appeared.

  I wonder why, she thought. Without my next charm, how will I ever become a Lucky Star?

  With a heavy heart, Cassie stood in the hallway of Starwatcher Towers. The afternoon at the beach was over and Izzy had gone out with her mom, leaving Cassie and Alex to say good-bye.

  Outside, Cassie could hear her mom and dad talking to Alex’s parents.

  “We’ve had such a wonderful time,” Alex’s dad was saying. “Astral-on-Sea is so much more peaceful than our busy city. We’ll stop at the pier on the way home and enjoy the view for the last time.”

  “Yes, this is a very relaxing place,” Alex’s mom agreed. “I think we all wish we lived here!”

  I wish you did, too, thought Cassie. She glanced at Alex. His suitcase stood next to him, with the photo album Cassie had given him balanced on top. He took his glasses off and polished them on his sleeve.

  “I’m sorry you didn’t get your final charm,” he said sadly. “Then you could make my mom’s wish come true.”

  “At least we granted Izzy’s wish,” Cassie replied.

  Alex nodded and cleared his throat, popping his glasses back on. “I can’t seem to stop my glasses from fogging up,” he said.

  Cassie knew Alex was trying not to cry. She felt the same way.

  “I’ll miss you,” she said.

  Alex nodded. “I’ll miss you, too.”

  Placing a paw on Cassie’s knee, Comet gave a little whine.

  “MEOW!”

  Cassie and Alex jumped as Twinkle ran into the hallway, meowing loudly.

  “He came out of the shed!” Cassie said, stroking Twinkle’s fluffy fur. “I think he wants to say good-bye to Comet.”

  She concentrated on her crescent moon charm. Silver sparkles swirled around her bracelet, and sprinkled over Twinkle and Comet.

  “Comet likes that towel, so I want to give it to him to remember me by,” Twinkle meowed.

  “That’s awfully nice of you, Twinkle,” Cassie said.

  Comet ran over to Twinkle and licked his ears.

  “Thank you, thank you,” he barked.

  “Okay, okay,” Twinkle grumbled, but Cassie could see that he was pleased. “It’s been very interesting to have a puppy friend. Now, I have to get back to my pile of sacks.”

  Cassie translated for Alex.

  “There are lots of scientific theories about friendship,” Alex said after a pause. “You and I will be friends forever — that’s my prediction.”

  “We’ll see each other again, I just know it,” Cassie whispered, hugging him.

  “Good-bye for now,” Alex said, squeezing her extra-hard.

  “Time to go!” Alex’s mom called.

  Trying not to cry, Cassie followed Alex outside.

  Alex and Comet got into the car, Alex clutching his photo album the whole time. Comet sat on the towel. Cassie stood next to her parents, waving as they drove away slowly.

  A tear slid down Cassie’s cheek. She pulled one of her pretty star-dotted tissues from her pocket and wiped her eyes.

  Cassie’s dad patted her shoulder gently.

  “It’s hard to say good-bye, isn’t it?” her mom said. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

  “I’d like to stay out here for a little while,” Cassie replied.

  “Okay,” her mom said, kissing the top of Cassie’s head on her way into the house. “Come in whenever you’re ready.”

  Cassie sat down on the doorstep. It was such a sad day: Twinkle hiding in the shed, Alex going home, and no sign of her last charm.

  But at least I have lots of good memories, she thought, peering at her heart-shaped charm.

  She looked up at the evening sky. It was full of dark clouds without a star in sight. Except . . .

  Cassie jumped up, her heart lifting. A brilliant orb of light was heading toward Starwatcher Towers, aiming straight for the curved roof of her bedroom.

  She ran into the house. Her mom and dad looked up in surprise as she rushed past them.

  “Cassie?” her dad asked. “Are you all right?”

  “Just going upstairs,” she called. “There’s something I have to do!”

  Cassie raced up to her bedroom and pulled the lever that opened the glass panel of her ceiling. Whoosh! The orb spun into the room.

  With a whizz and a fizz and a zip-zip-zip, the orb slowly changed into Stella Starkeeper! Cassie gasped. Wearing a new silver dress, with a long, flowing skirt and a bodice covered in sparkling jewels, Stella looked even more magical than ever.

  Stella raised her wand and filled the bedroom with tiny glittering stars.

  “I am so proud of you, C
assie,” she said, kissing Cassie on the cheek.

  “But I’ve let you down,” Cassie said sadly. She held the pretty bracelet up for Stella to see. “I didn’t earn my last charm.”

  “Oh, but you did,” Stella explained. “You helped Izzy’s wish come true, didn’t you? It’s just that this charm is so special, I wanted to give it to you myself.”

  Stella unclipped a star-shaped charm from the bracelet on her own wrist and attached it to Cassie’s. It was just like the star on the top of Stella’s wand.

  Stella touched the new charm with her wand, and a shower of tiny glittering stars fluttered over Cassie.

  She felt like jumping up and down with joy. She had done it, after all! But then she glanced at Alex’s shining crystals and remembered that he wasn’t here to share the excitement.

  I’ll have to write and tell him, she thought sadly.

  “Congratulations, Cassie,” said Stella. “You’ve always watched and listened for someone to make a wish — someone who really deserved your help. And now that you’re a Lucky Star, you can grant wishes anytime.” She smiled. “Now it’s your turn to make three wishes.”

  What will I wish for? Cassie thought, looking up at the cloudy night sky. And then she realized. I know just what my first wish will be. . . .

  Whoosh!

  Hand in hand, Stella and Cassie flew through the open window of Cassie’s bedroom. Light as balloons, they circled over Starwatcher Towers. In the observatory, Cassie could see her dad shaking his head sadly.

  “What will your first wish be?” Stella asked.

  “Today is my mom and dad’s wedding anniversary. Dad was really excited because there’s supposed to be a meteor shower tonight,” Cassie explained. “But it’s too cloudy to see it. As a special gift, I’d like to make their anniversary absolutely perfect.”