Party Crashers!

by Erica David

  “I like it, too,” said Karen. “There’re no hurdles. Or tackling. Or Cerberuses-es.”

  Everyone followed Diana across the field to the greenhouse. The building was made entirely of glass, which let the sunlight shine through. The glass was dirty, though, and some panes were missing, so Diana assigned everyone a repair task. Kara and Jessica looked for replacement glass, Babs and Zee swept and cleaned, and Karen and Diana were in charge of planting. It would take some time, but if they worked hard, the greenhouse would be fixed in time for homecoming.

  As Kara and Jessica worked to replace the missing glass, Kara heard a strange sound coming from far away. Her superhearing told her that it was the sound of a citizen in distress!

  “Hey, it’s go time!” Kara told her friends. “Someone’s in danger!”

  Diana, Zee, Kara, Babs, Jessica, and Karen enthusiastically sprang into action. Justice was calling, and far be it from the super hero girls to ignore the call.

  Famous jeweler Larry Stinson knew the sound of a citizen in distress—most likely because he was a citizen in distress. In his penthouse in one of Metropolis’s nicest neighborhoods, he found himself surrounded by a crew of crooks. Catwoman, Giganta, Livewire, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn had barged in and tied him up.

  “What do you want?” he asked angrily. “I don’t keep any jewels here!”

  “We want ya to talk!” Harley Quinn said.

  “And we have ways of making you,” Livewire threatened. She nodded to Giganta, who grinned and cracked her knuckles.

  “Tell us where you’re keeping the Star of Andromeda and we’ll be out of your hair,” Catwoman said.

  Larry shook his head. He wasn’t about to give up such valuable information about his valuables.

  “What’s the matter, Larry? Cat got your tongue?” Catwoman asked. When Larry didn’t answer, she gave a dramatic sigh. “Looks like we’ll have to resort to other measures.”

  Beside her, Giganta pounded her big fist into her palm menacingly. As the strongest of the villains, she was prepared to exercise her muscle if necessary. But before she could make a move, Poison Ivy stepped forward. A winding vine trailed after her. It uncurled to reveal a beautiful pale blue blossom.

  “Not everything needs to be about brute force, Giganta. Why not try a little flower power?” Poison Ivy suggested. “One whiff of this blossom and Larry here will have to tell us the truth.”

  “A truth-serum plant? I didn’t come all this way to let the front lawn fight my battles. I think it’s time for a bit of shock treatment,” Livewire said, shooting sparks from the tips of her fingers.

  “Hold your horsies!” said Harley Quinn. “I got just the thing.” She pulled a feather from her pocket and waved it threateningly.

  “I don’t get it,” said Giganta. “How’s the feather gonna clobber him?”

  “We’re not going to clobber him,” said Catwoman, catching on to Harley’s idea. “We’re going to use tickle torture. Get him, Harl!”

  Harley Quinn gave a gleeful shriek of delight. She closed in on Larry, who squirmed desperately in his chair. As soon as the tip of the feather touched his feet, he squealed with terrified laughter.

  It was this sound that traveled across the city. With her super-hearing, Kara had heard it, and she led the super hero girls to Larry’s penthouse. They arrived in the nick of time. Larry was extremely ticklish and was giggling so hard that he was about to reveal the tiara’s new location, when Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Green Lantern, Zatanna, and Bumblebee crashed through the large windows in his living room.

  “If it ain’t the super hero squirrels!” Harley Quinn cackled.

  “No squirrels here. Just bats,” said Batgirl, hurling a Batarang at Harley Quinn. It whisked through the air, tore the feather from Harley’s hand, and pinned it to the wall behind her.

  “Aw, rats, Bats! Yer ruinin’ my fun,” Harley griped. “Unlucky for you, I don’t hold a grudge, I hold a mallet!” The villain pulled out a huge mallet and took a swing at Batgirl, who ducked and evaded the blow.

  The other girls leaped into action. Supergirl flew straight toward Larry, hoping to untie him. But a large muscled arm shot out to block her path. Giganta stepped into view—all seven feet of her. Supergirl wasn’t intimidated. She flexed her muscles and readied herself for a fight.

  Meanwhile, Wonder Woman tried to reason with the villains. “This juvenile behavior is foolish,” she said. “Let this man go and turn yourselves in!”

  “Not a chance, pussycat,” said Catwoman, taking a swipe at Wonder Woman with her claws. Wonder Woman blocked the claws with her gauntlets and took a few swings of her own. Catwoman cartwheeled out of the way, dodging Wonder Woman’s punches.

  Behind them, Poison Ivy sent a web of vines slithering after Green Lantern. The hero channeled her power through her ring to create a glowing green trellis. The vines tangled themselves in the garden fence, deflecting the attack. Seconds later, Zatanna joined her friend and cast a spell that froze the vines solid. She pulled a penny from behind Green Lantern’s ear, flicked it at the plants, and watched as the small coin shattered the frozen vines to pieces.

  In the middle of it all, Larry Stinson did his best to avoid being accidentally crushed. He tried to inch his chair away from the fighting, especially when Giganta went flying past him, courtesy of Supergirl. The supersized villain hit the wall with a thud, leaving a body-shaped hole in the plaster. Larry squeezed his eyes shut, hoping it would all be over soon.

  “Don’t worry, sir,” Bumblebee said. She shrank down to the size of an insect, rocketed through the commotion, and landed next to him. In a flash, she grew to full size again and began to untie Larry’s hands. Unfortunately, Livewire wasn’t about to let that happen. She launched a bolt of electricity at Bumblebee, forcing her to dive for cover. Larry’s hair stood on end as the energy flowed past him.

  At the opposite side of the room, Wonder Woman spun and kicked, driving Catwoman toward the large windows. The wily thief flipped backward onto the window ledge and smirked. “You may be in the catbird seat for now, Blunder Woman. But it’s true what they say about cats—we do have nine lives.” With that, she jumped off the ledge and disappeared.

  When the other villains saw Catwoman leave, they knew it was time to retreat. One by one they leaped out the windows, leaving just as quickly as they’d arrived.

  “So much for the goon squad,” Supergirl said.

  With the villains gone, the super hero girls freed Larry Stinson and helped him up. He explained that Catwoman and her crew had been after the location of the tiara. Fortunately, he hadn’t told the villains anything useful, but that didn’t mean the danger was over.

  “We will have to be on our best guard at the homecoming dance,” Wonder Woman said. The night of the dance was when the tiara was scheduled to make its next appearance. And all of Metropolis would be watching.

  With just a few days until the homecoming dance, the whole school was abuzz with excitement and anticipation. There were so many activities taking place that it was hard to keep track of them all. Fortunately, one plucky student took it upon herself to keep everyone up to date.

  “Lois Lane here, bringing you the scoop, the skinny, the scuttlebutt live via social media for the Daily Planetoid.” Lois was the school’s ace investigative reporter. She knew everything about everything, and if there was anything she didn’t know, she made it her business to find out.

  Today Lois was waiting for a closed-door meeting of the school’s dance committee to let out. “All the school’s caught it: dance fever! And it’ll take more than the usual sock-hop shenanigans to cure what ails ’em,” said Lois. “That’s right, folks! The kids are crazy for choreography, and in the midst of all the homecoming hoopla, they want to know: What will the theme for the dance be?”

  The door to the meeting room swung open and se
veral students trickled out. Lois rushed forward, angling with her cell phone for the perfect shot. “Excuse me, excuse me!” she said, stopping the first student to exit the room. “Say, kid, don’t leave this reporter in the dark. What’s the homecoming theme?”

  The student told Lois that the committee hadn’t reached a decision yet. She wanted an outer space theme featuring papier-mâché planets, but the other members were split. Lois looked at those other members as they left the room. Garth Bernstein and Barbi Minerva walked out at the same time, but they were far from together.

  Barbi was known for being rich and popular, while Garth was known for being, well…neither of those things. But he did work at a pet store and liked fish very much.

  “Miss Minerva, spare a second for the press! What’s the theme for homecoming?” asked Lois.

  “It’s all about luxury, Lois, darling,” Barbi drawled. “My idea is Puttin’ On the Ritz. Crystal, chandeliers, gold leaf, the works.”

  “Sounds expensive,” said Lois. “And you, Garth?”

  “I have this great idea for an underwater theme. You know, with an aquarium and sea ladies and clams and kelp streamers—”

  “Boring!” said Barbi Minerva. “Who wants to spend the night tangled in seaweed?”

  “There you have it, folks. The debate rages on,” Lois said. She was just about to end her broadcast when she spotted Diana, Zee, and Jessica walking down the hall. Sensing a scoop, Lois hurried toward them. “Diana! What are your chances of being elected queen?”

  “Well, I am working very hard to win the support of the students. So, by Tyche’s good fortune, I think my chances are as good as anyone’s,” Diana answered.

  “Really? Your social media likes are zero—zilch—nada—no likes at all,” Lois told her. “Care to comment?”

  “What?” Zee gasped. She whipped out her cell phone and began scrolling furiously.

  Satisfied that she’d stirred up news for tomorrow, Lois darted off in search of her next scoop.

  “This can’t be right! Traffic on your campaign page is at an all-time low!” Zee exclaimed.

  Diana looked at her in confusion. “What campaign page? What traffic? There are no automobiles here,” she said, staring up and down the hall.

  Zee explained that she had created social media accounts for the campaign. Diana was easily perplexed by the wonders of the internet, so Zee had taken responsibility for connecting her to an online audience.

  Zee scrolled worriedly through the campaign feeds, showing Jessica the latest traffic data.

  “Uh-huh. I see. Ah. Uh-oh. Oh no. Really? Ugh,” Jessica said.

  “What is wrong?” Diana asked. “Are there not enough of those emotional mojis?”

  “The bottom line is that we need to win over the hearts of the student body,” said Zee.

  “Perhaps if I told them the story of the Tournament of Athena and Aphrodite and the Twenty-One Challenges,” Diana suggested. “Among the Amazons, this rousing tale would be told while polishing armor and serve to bolster the bonds of sisterhoo—”

  “WE KNOW!” Jessica and Zee said firmly.

  The three girls walked in silence for a moment. Each was thinking of ways to help Diana win.

  “I think you need something a bit more modern than an armor-polishing tale. Something like…” Jessica’s voice trailed off as they turned a corner in the hall. Up ahead, Oliver Queen’s campaign was in full swing. He stood in front of a flashy selfie booth, inviting students to join him.

  “Take a selfie with a real leader!” Oliver called out. “As homecoming king, I’ll make you look good.” He placed a paper crown on his head and gestured to the fancy backdrop hanging behind him. The other students in the hall were delighted. They pulled out their phones and lined up, eager to take a photo with Oliver.

  “I hate to say it,” Jessica whispered, “but that’s a pretty genius campaign stunt.”

  “You’re right,” said Zee. “That’s exactly the kind of thing we need to do for Diana.”

  “What about Oliver Queen? Now, there’s a fella with moxie and a mind for marketing! What do you say? Is he the next homecoming king?” said Lois Lane, popping up in front of them.

  “Where did she come from?” Jessica asked, startled, but before she could respond, Carol Ferris swooped in. She pushed Jessica aside and peered into Lois’s phone camera. “There is only one candidate fit for king, and his name is Hal Jordan! HE WILL BE KING. HE WILL BE MINE!”

  “Really?” said Lois. “Because I heard he broke up with you by text. Care to comment?”

  Carol’s eyes widened. She remembered the painful day when Hal had ended their relationship. He had tried to soften the blow by adding a smiley-face emoji to the text. That only made things worse. Carol was still convinced that they belonged together, and she would use the tiara’s wish to make him hers.

  “I WILL BE QUEEN!” Carol shouted even louder. “AND HAL JORDAN WILL BE MY KING! NO ONE WILL COME BETWEEN US!”

  “You heard it here first,” Lois said as Carol turned on her heel and marched off, headed for the girls’ bathroom.

  Jessica shook her head. “I just don’t know what she sees in Hal,” she said to Diana and Zee. “I mean, who breaks up with someone by text?”

  Before either girl could answer, they were interrupted by a whistling sound. It took Diana a moment to identify it. “Incoming!” she shouted, dragging Zee and Jessica with her to the floor.

  Suddenly, several heart-shaped balls of energy exploded into the lockers behind them. Diana, Jessica, and Zee looked up to see Star Sapphire hovering at the end of the hall. The Violet Lantern was angry, and she was glowering straight at them!

  “How did she get here?” Zee asked.

  “I do not know, Zee Zatara,” Diana said. “But it appears that we have done something to offend her.”

  Diana’s suspicions were confirmed when Star Sapphire fired off a second round of exploding hearts. The three girls rolled to their feet and scrambled for cover behind a trophy case, while the rest of the students fled the hall. Even Oliver decided that it might be unwise to stick around. He folded up his selfie booth and scurried off.

  “What is it we have done to bring on this attack of hearts?” Diana asked.

  “Violet Lanterns get fierce when they think someone is standing in the way of love,” said Jessica. “Maybe she heard Carol and flew to her rescue?” As a Green Lantern, Jessica knew Star’s real identity, but she was honor bound not to reveal it.

  “Her rescue? What about us?” Zee asked as another heart exploded nearby.

  “It does seem that her purple rage is misdirected,” Diana said. “But that leaves us no choice. We must protect the school.”

  Carefully, Zee peeked out from behind the trophy case to see Star Sapphire flying directly toward them. The rest of the hall was completely empty. Zee quickly motioned to Diana and Jessica to follow her. They ducked into an empty classroom and transformed.

  “You will not be queen, Diana!” Star shouted from the hallway. “You will not have my wish. You will not have my Hal!”

  Green Lantern was the first to step back into the hall, holding a circular shield powered by her ring. She deflected Star Sapphire’s energy blasts, while Wonder Woman and Zatanna sheltered behind her.

  “How long can you hold it?” Zatanna asked.

  “As long as you need,” she answered, muscling her way forward. Soon, they were close to where Star Sapphire hovered. Wonder Woman leaped out from behind Green Lantern and charged toward the Violet Lantern with a fierce battle cry.

  Star Sapphire was just about to launch another volley of blasts when suddenly she noticed that Diana was no longer there.

  “What are you doing here, Wonder Woman? Where is Diana? This isn’t your fight!” she said.

  Wonder Woman skidded to a stop. Sh
e explained that Diana and her friends had run off in the commotion. Star Sapphire’s temper faded. Now that her biggest competition for queen was no longer present, she gave up the fight.

  “Tell her that I’ll be back,” Star said with a flip of her hair. She turned and flew down the hall, leaving a trail of purple light in her wake.

  Green Lantern lowered her shield and said, “Never underestimate a super-villain with a crush.”

  Wonder Woman and Zatanna agreed. With the danger averted, the three super heroes hurried off to change. They didn’t want to be late for third-period English.

  * * *

  Having been huddled behind a trash can at the end of the hall, Lois Lane emerged from hiding. She’d captured the whole confrontation on her live feed. It was sure to win the Daily Planetoid its biggest streaming audience ever! But when she looked at the feed, there were zero likes! That was when Lois noticed that she had no Wi-Fi signal!

  “You gotta be kidding me!” she wailed.

  The school’s Wi-Fi had been knocked out by the fight with Star Sapphire. That meant that everything Lois had just filmed hadn’t been posted! Lois wasn’t sure which was worse: a super-villain in the fourth-floor hall or a day without an internet connection!

  “And I thought fighting Catwoman was tough!” Zee Zatara exclaimed.

  She and Jessica were standing outside a dressing room door at the Metropolis Mall. They were in a trendy clothing boutique, helping Diana choose a dress for the homecoming dance. But Diana wasn’t making things easy. Inside the stall, she rejected every one of Zee’s fashion choices.

  “Great Gordian knot, I do not like how these garments restrict my movement,” Diana said through the door. “An Amazon must keep her sword arm free at all times.”