by Ahmet Zappa
Cassie blushed. “Oh, you’re right. I did act a little crazy then.” Her determination returned. “But this time I’m pretty sure I’m on to something.”
“I’m just saying that sometimes what seems like a hunch is just you being overly sensitive about things,” Vega concluded. “And I just find it hard to believe that those gorgeous flowers we all got have some sort of power to make roommates argue with each other. Think about it. What would be the point? It’s ridiculous!”
Cassie frowned. “I know it sounds strange,” she said. “But I can’t dismiss the fact that everything between us was better afterwards.” She frowned. “But Leona and Ophelia are getting along great, right? I mean, she couldn’t have stuck up for her any more than she did. And I know Leona had those flowers in her room. I saw them when they first got them….” Her voice trailed off.
“That’s true,” said Vega. “So we’re forgetting about that crazy idea?”
“Actually…” Cassie said with a frown, “I don’t remember seeing any flowers in their room just now. Do you?”
Vega laughed. “I’m sure they had flowers, just like all of us.” She thought for a moment. “In fact, I remember Scarlet complaining that they weren’t black. Here, I’ll prove it.” She whipped out her Star-Zap and accessed the video album.
Cassie gave a low whistle. “Really, Vega? You holo-videoed the room? That’s just weird.”
Vega shrugged. “I holo-vid lots of things!” She turned it on and Cassie leaned over her shoulder to watch. She saw the strange room—half-messy, half-empty—come into view as the holo-camera scanned it and its contents (or lack thereof). Sure enough, the flowers were nowhere to be seen.
“See? No flowers,” Cassie said triumphantly.
“I just can’t believe that you think a vase of flowers could possibly make people not get along. It seems like a really big leap to take,” said Vega.
Cassie stamped her foot. “I don’t know why you can’t see it! Sage and I and Leona and Ophelia are all getting along, and no one else is. It’s so clear!”
Cassie certainly has a temper! thought Vega as they stepped off the Cosmic Transporter, pushed open the door to the dorm, and stepped outside. It was funny: the girl had been super shy at first, but when Cassie got to know someone, her true self certainly started to come out. They were greeted by the always soothing sound of the bloombugs’ evening chorus. Cassie seemed to relax, for which Vega was grateful. Then came the sounds of students returning home for the evening; they chatted and laughed, their voices low and their bellies no doubt pleasantly full. The two girls paused for a moment between the dorm buildings, not quite ready to go inside the Little Dipper Dormitory. Vega squinted. “I think I see your roommate,” she said. “Hey, what’s that in the air following her?”
Cassie looked into the distance and grinned. “That’s a Bot-Bot guide,” she said. “MO-J4 to be precise. He has been following Sage everywhere, ever since she got back from her mission.”
Vega guffawed. “I thought we weren’t allowed to have pets on campus. That’s grounds for automatic dismissal!”
Cassie’ alabaster face grew even more pale, which seemed impossible to Vega. “It is?” she said worriedly.
“I was just joking,” said Vega. “It is forbidden, of course, but the Student Handbook does not specifically mention automatic dismissal.”
Cassie looked relieved.
Vega shook her head. “But Bot-Bots are like, neutral. No emotions, you know? They certainly don’t play favorites. They’re supposed to help us all equally.”
Cassie shrugged. “Well nobody told that to Mojo.”
“Mojo?” said Vega. She gave Cassie a puzzled look.
“That’s what he likes to be called,” Cassie explained.
“Likes to be called?” Vega shook her head. This was highly irregular. “I don’t get it,” she said.
“Well, maybe it’s because we’re the Star Darlings,” Cassie said with a shrug. “We’re special.”
But that didn’t make sense to Vega. If MO-J4 was a special Star Darlings Bot-Bot, wouldn’t he be following them all around? This was highly irregular and Vega didn’t like it one bit. She shook her head as if to clear it and tipped it back to look at the stars which had just started to stud the darkening sky. Staring into the heavens always calmed her, and she brightened with an idea.
“Let’s make a bet,” she said to Cassie.
Cassie chuckled. “You and your games,” she said, but her voice was kind. Perhaps the stars had settled her, as well.
“I just remembered that we have a botany lab on campus,” said Vega.
“We do,” agreed Cassie.
“So who better to tell us if there really is something odd about the flowers?” Vega asked.
Cassie nodded. “That’s a great idea!”
Vega had a plan. “We can bring them in and leave them for observation,” she suggested. “We won’t say a word about them, just see what they can tell us. But here’s the bet. If I’m right and they are simply ordinary flowers, you have to do a puzzle with me every starday for a double starweek.”
Cassie sighed, but she was smiling. “Fine,” she said. “But if I’m right and there’s something wrong with the flowers, you have to help me with my Astral Accounting test. I’m just not absorbing the lessons the way I want to.”
Vega would have helped Cassie with her Astral Accounting anyway (she adored numbers), but she simply said, “It’s a deal.” The two girls pressed their foreheads together, the traditional Starling way of sealing a deal.
Vega smiled. She knew that Cassie’s imagination was getting away with her. The flowers would turn out to be normal, just as she thought, and she’d be able to share her rebuses and crossword puzzles with a friend for sixteen whole stardays. It was a win-win situation. They’d find Scarlet, and Leona would eventually return to her usual jovial self. Everything was going to be okay.
The two tore themselves away from the brilliant night sky and headed inside to the Cosmic Transporter, which would take them to their respective rooms.
“Good night,” said Vega, who was dropped off first.
“Good night,” said Cassie with a yawn. “I’ll pick you—and the flowers—up in the morning before breakfast.”
“See you tomorrow,” said Vega. She placed her hand on the scanner and stepped inside. She checked the time on her Star-Zap. She’d be able to replay the day’s lessons and listen to them twice before bed. Most students just listened to theirs at night as they slept. But Vega didn’t like to take any chances. She wanted to graduate with top honors, and she’d do anything to make it happen. She put on her pajamas, sparkled her face, and brushed her teeth with her toothlight, then settled into bed with her earphones on. Piper, as usual, was already asleep.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Cassie put her hand over the small bell that sat on the botany lab’s front desk, to put an end to Vega’s incessant ringing. The laboratory was located on the top floor of Halo Hall’s science stellation, where the scientific departments and classrooms were located, and sunlight streamed through the glass roof, causing the two girls to squint at each other.
“That’s enough, Vega!” Cassie said.
“Well, where are they?” Vega asked. She placed the flowers on the desk. “We’re going to miss breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day, you know.” Although she was feeling quite impatient, she glanced around at the hydrongs of varieties of plants that filled the room. The botany lab boasted that it had a sample of every plant that grew on Starland, as well as several varieties that Starlings had brought back from trips to Wishworld, and it certainly appeared to be true. The air in the laboratory was moist and warm—pleasantly so, Vega thought—and the many blossoms perfumed the air with an intoxicating scent.
Vega spotted an interesting-looking specimen sitting on a shelf nearby. It was a short, squat, chubby plant and it looked tantalizingly fuzzy. Go ahead, touch me, it seemed to be saying. She reac
hed out a finger toward the plant….
“Careful!” someone said.
Vega jumped back and turned around. A woman in a white lab coat stood behind her, a blue holo–name tag pinned to her chest. Vega leaned forward and read it: GLADIOLUS ROSE, BOTANY LAB ASSISTANT.
“I’m Gladiolus Rose, botany lab assistant,” she said unnecessarily. “Didn’t mean to startle you,” she added in an apologetic tone. “But I’d be careful if I were you. That’s a cactus from Wishworld.”
“What’s a cactus?” asked Vega.
“Cactus plants are quite interesting, because they don’t need much water. And they’re very protective of themselves!” She laughed, waggling her bandaged fingers at Vega. “I learned the hard way. Those soft-looking hairs are really pointy little spikes that can get stuck in your skin!”
Vega backed away. “Thanks for the warning!” she said.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting,” Gladiolus said. “I’m the only one on duty right now. Everyone else is attending a morning meeting, so I’m in charge of the lab at the moment. How can I help you?”
Vega lifted the vase of flowers off the desk. “We received these flowers as a gift. We don’t recognize them and we were wondering if you could help us identify them,” she said.
Gladiolus immediately looked intrigued. She reached for the vase and lifted it from Vega’s hands. She studied the coral blossoms closely. “So interesting! They have the coloring of a roxylinda, but the flower is similar to a calliope,” she said. She held up a single bloom. “But the leaves are more like those found on a violina. It’s very intriguing! I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this before. Perhaps it’s some kind of new hybrid.” She shook her head. “Of course,” she added, “I’m still an assistant, so maybe one of the botanists will have a better idea of what these are. Can you leave them with us?”
“Yes,” Vega and Cassie answered in unison.
Gladiolus leaned over and took a deep sniff. “I just can’t stop smelling them. The scent is so similar to my favorite flower, the callistola, but they look nothing like them.”
“Really?” said Cassie in disbelief. “I think they smell just like—”
Vega gave Cassie a gentle kick to stop her from talking. “I guess we’ll be going now,” she said. “We’ll be in touch.” She didn’t want Cassie to give the assistant botanist any clues about the flowers.
Gladiolus smiled. “Startastic. This will be a fun challenge.” She nodded, still staring at the flowers. “I’m…I’m almost compelled to keep sniffing them. It must be part of their makeup to attract insects to pollinate them. But how strange that it affects Starlings so strongly, as well! So interesting! Star salutations for bringing these in!”
The two girls said good-bye and left the lab. They broke into a jog when they realized how late it was, and raced each other to the Celestial Café. Most of their fellow Star Darlings had already finished their breakfast and set off for class. Only Clover remained, finishing a bowl of Sparkle-O’s. The two girls placed a quick order with their hovering Bot-Bot waiter and soon received their astromuffins and glorange juice in to-go cups. They thanked the waiter.
“I wish you girls had time for a real meal,” the Bot-Bot waiter said sadly, and they assured him they would make time for a proper breakfast the following morning. They munched their muffins on the way to class.
“So what class do you have now?” Vega asked before taking a long swig of juice.
“Wish Fulfillment,” said Cassie with a smile. Professor Eugenia Bright was a captivating teacher and routinely won top honors as Starling Academy’s favorite professor.
“Lucky,” said Vega. “I have Wish Identification.”
“With Professor Lucretia Delphinus?” asked Cassie. “Then you have my sympathies.”
Tiny and tough, Professor Lucretia Delphinus was an inspiring teacher, but her temper could be mercurial. When she was in a happy mood, her class was a dream and Vega didn’t want it to end. But if she was feeling cranky, everyone needed to watch out. On those days, Vega would sit through the whole class willing time to fly and trying hard not to steal glances at her Star-Zap to check on its progress. Once, Professor Lucretia Delphinus caught a student surreptitiously checking her Star-Zap, and she grabbed it from the girl and read the offending holo-text out loud. Most unfortunately, it had said DO YOU HAVE GOOD PLD OR BAD PLD FOR CLASS TODAY?
The girl had tried to explain that PLD stood for Positive Light Definition, but PLD herself would have none of it. There had been detention as a result—for everyone.
“I can’t wait to find out what’s going on with the flowers!” said Cassie excitedly, changing the subject. “The wait is going to kill me.”
“Me too,” said Vega teasingly. “I can’t wait to discover that they’re just ordinary flowers and that you’ll be playing games with me all double starweek!”
Cassie shook her head. “Didn’t you hear what she said? She’d never seen anything like them before!”
“Only because she’s still an assistant,” said Vega. “As soon as one of the real botanists takes a look, they’ll identify them in no time.”
Cassie shrugged. “I guess time will tell,” she said. “How long do you think it will take? I wonder if we’ll hear from them tomorrow. Do you th…” Her voice trailed off. “Vega? Vega, are you even listening to me?”
But Vega had just spotted a flash of pink and black ahead and wasn’t listening at all. She grabbed Cassie’s arm, dropping her half-eaten muffin. It fell to the floor unnoticed and was promptly squashed by a foot clad in a shiny bright-yellow shoe.
“Scarlet!” she managed to say. “I think I see Scarlet!”
Cassie’s eyes lit up. “Where?” she asked eagerly.
“Up ahead!” Vega grabbed Cassie’s hand, marveling briefly at how cold it was, and dragged her through the crowd, elbowing students out of her way in her excitement.
“Watch it!” said a fourth year with purple braids, turning around with a scowl.
“What’s your hurry?” asked another as Vega accidentally knocked into her. “So rude!”
Cassie ducked under another girl’s elbow as Vega spotted her target—a girl in a black miniskirt, pink-and-black-striped leggings, and a matching hoodie pulled over her head. Vega reached out and grabbed the girl’s arm before she could disappear.
The girl spun around and smiled pleasantly at the two. “Hey, can I help you?” she asked, pulling down the hood and exposing her pale pink curls.
Vega felt the sinking feeling of disappointment in her stomach. “Starscuse me,” she mumbled. “I thought you were someone else.”
The girl nodded and turned away.
Cassie gave a strangled laugh. “She was much friendlier than Scarlet, anyway.”
Vega grinned despite herself. “You’re right.”
The two girls stared at each other for a moment. Vega shrugged. “Oh, well,” she said. “Here I am.” She was standing right in front of her Wish Identification classroom. “See you last period,” she told Cassie, and turned to go into the classroom.
“See you last period,” said Cassie. Vega saw her own look of disappointment mirrored in the girl’s expression.
“Vega! Starland to Vega!” someone said with exasperation.
Vega sat up straight with a start. She suddenly realized that every Starling in class was staring at her. The formidable professor was standing right in front of her, snapping her fingers in her face. Oh, starf.
“I’m sorry,” she told the teacher, who was looking at her expectantly. “Can you repeat the question?”
Professor Lucretia Delphinus looked disappointed. “My most ardent student not paying attention,” she said with a sigh. “And here I was, thinking that my lesson was particularly interesting today!”
Vega was deeply embarrassed and felt her cheeks flush hot and sparkly. She hated disappointing her teacher and being called out in front of the other students. She could imagine what they’d say: See, she’s one of those remed
ial class girls who don’t belong. I knew she wasn’t so smart after all! But she had been mulling over the events of the past two days and had zoned out.
“I asked, ‘Are you paying attention?’” Professor Lucretia Delphinus said with a smirk. “I guess I know what my answer is.”
Half the class tittered, relieved that they weren’t the ones caught in the starlight. The other half winced in sympathy.
“Sorry,” said Vega.
“Not as sorry as I am,” said Professor Lucretia Delphinus, which, as intended, made Vega feel even worse.
Vega was relieved to head to “remedial class” at the end of the day. She always felt much more relaxed when she was surrounded by her fellow Star Darlings. She settled herself in her chair, set her Star-Zap just so in the corner of her desk, and switched it on to begin recording so she wouldn’t miss a word the teacher had to say when she arrived. Vega recorded everything, including the teacher’s greeting and farewell, and appended her own thoughts to the recording. If a fellow student ever missed class, she always went to Vega, because Vega took the best and most thorough notes in the school.
The door slid open and the teacher stepped inside. Vega’s heart sank. Was this a joke? That day’s visiting lecturer was none other than Professor Lucretia Delphinus herself!
“Greetings, students,” she said as she walked into the classroom briskly. The Star Darlings sat up straight and silenced themselves immediately. She smiled when she saw Vega giving her a sheepish look. “Vega! All has been forgiven,” she said. “We start anew right now.” Vega smiled back tentatively.
The professor sauntered down the aisle and paused at Vega’s desk. “I’m only hard on you Star Darlings because I expect great things from you,” she explained.
Vega nodded, relieved.
“Today we are going to concentrate on wish identification,” she said. “This is the most difficult part of the wish-granting process.” She looked around the room. “Why is that?” she asked.
Vega’s hand shot up. She was eager to impress.