Stella tried to quash her fears by focusing on Lindie, who was sitting up on a special part of the stage, alongside the rest of the honors students—or “high illumination” students, as they were called on Starland. All of them wore shiny gold sashes to indicate that they were the top students in the class. There were enough honors students to make up two full rows, and several of the boys in the group, according to Lindie, had also applied for the ASAA scholarship.
Once everyone was settled in, the principal stepped up to the podium and began to speak to the crowd. Stella’s nervousness intensified. There was so much riding on Lindie’s wish, and the last thing Stella wanted was to return to Starland without accomplishing her mission. After making a long series of announcements about the accomplishments of the graduating class, which only served to make Stella more worried than ever, the principal finally got to the part of the day Stella and Lindie had been waiting for.
“As we all know, the work being done by the American Space and Aeronautics Academy has become more important than ever before,” the principal said as the afternoon sun’s rays bounced off his little round glasses. “And they had to be incredibly careful in selecting their recipients for this year’s honor. Therefore, I do not want to see any disappointment among the very worthy candidates here. Only one student from our school could be accepted, and I have no doubt that it was a most difficult decision.”
Stella sucked in her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, silently channeling every bit of positive energy toward Lindie and the envelope in the principal’s hand—not that she had the power to affect what was inside. If only! The principal paused dramatically, and Stella opened her eyes to see most of the people up onstage nodding, smiling, and looking directly at a boy named Charlie, who Lindie had told her was considered the “class brain.”
Stella glanced over at Lindie and noticed that she was staring down at the stage, already looking crushed—as if the award had already been given to Charlie. Worry began to consume Stella completely, and she was finding it impossible to concentrate or to make out a word the principal was saying. She pressed her lips together, tears beginning to well up in her eyes as she looked at Lindie. But then the principal’s words rang out loud and clear: “It is my distinct honor to announce this huge step for ASAA, and giant leap for women everywhere, as this is the first time this scholarship has been awarded to a female student,” he said, turning to look directly at Lindie. “And so it is with tremendous pride that I congratulate our very own Lindie Rand!”
As everyone in attendance leapt to their feet and began to cheer, Lindie stood up and joined the principal at the podium. Stella was clapping so hard that her hands hurt. Lindie had done it! Stella had done it! Lindie’s wish had come true! The moment that Lindie began shaking the principal’s hand and accepted the paper he was handing her, a massive stream of positive wish energy in bright rainbow hues flowed from her all the way to the back of the bleachers and into Stella’s Wish Pendant.
“Wow,” Stella heard someone say behind her. “I didn’t even know girls were allowed to attend ASAA!” And then more murmurs from people around her: “Well, that’s impressive for a young lady.” “I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
That was when Stella noticed something even more magical than anything she had seen on Wishworld ever before—fifty, seventy-five, possibly more than a hundred Wish Orbs shooting above the graduating class, headed straight for Starland. Then, even more Wish Orbs began to rise up above the crowd of friends, family, and especially the young Wishling girls who were there to watch their older family members graduate. Stella couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It was just as Skylar had said—and she understood why, without a doubt, this was her most important Wish Mission yet.
Upon her return from her mission, Stella couldn’t hide her elation—and Skylar was equally thrilled when she welcomed Stella back, her eyes sparkling with warmth and pride as she embraced her on the shimmering blue deck of the Wishworld Launchpad. However, over the next several days, things turned more serious. Stella was called into one meeting after another as she and Skylar determined exactly how events during Stella’s Wish Mission impacted the work of the Wish-Tank.
Finally, after tirelessly analyzing the findings, it was time for Stella to share with the rest of the team what they had learned. When she opened the door to the conference room, she was exuberant—and she soon discovered she wasn’t the only one. The entire room was buzzing with positive energy as she set down her holo-notebook and took her seat at the large table.
As everyone settled in, Skylar gave Stella a quiet, encouraging smile before turning her attention to the rest of the Wish-Tank staff. “As you all know, Stella’s recent Wish Mission was extremely successful,” she began. “Never in all my years as a wish scientist have I seen so many new wishes generated in such a short period of time. But the implications of this Wish Mission go far deeper than that—and I would like Stella to come up here and share them with all of us.”
Skylar turned and nodded at Stella, who rose to her feet and made her way to the presentation screen while Skylar took her seat at the head of the table.
“Thank you, Skylar.” Stella felt her face glowing with pride as she took a deep breath and began her presentation. “I feel like we’ve all done a wonderful job with the Wish Motivation Protocol that was put in place a while ago—but although we have consistently proven the importance of interacting with as many Wishlings as possible so as to motivate additional wishes, my recent mission has opened our eyes to an entirely new category of Wish Orbs.”
As Stella and Skylar had anticipated, this news was both fascinating and a bit unsettling for the Wish-Tank staff members, who immediately began chattering among themselves before launching into a series of questions for Stella.
“How can we tell these new Wish Orbs from any other Good Wish Orbs?” asked Lena. “Do they have any physical properties that distinguish them in some way?”
“Fortunately, yes.” Stella nodded and took a small glass scepter from the pocket of her silver lab coat. She waved the rod at the presentation screen, prompting a glowing image of a Wish Orb to appear. Like the one Skylar had presented to her on her recent mission, its surface swirled in brilliant hues of green, blue, and silver. “As you can see, these orbs shine more brightly than most and look almost like small replicas of Wishworld itself.”
Stella lightly tapped the hologram, sending the image of the Wish Orb over to Lena so she could examine it more closely. Her lavender eyes widened in curiosity as she inspected the image and then passed it around the table to the others. When the image arrived in front of each staff member, they all responded with equal amounts of surprise and awe.
“So what do we call this new category of Wish Orbs?” asked a blue-haired coworker when the image floated over to him. He moved his hands around it, causing it to spin so he could get a look at it from every possible angle.
“Skylar and I discussed this at length, and although we’re awaiting approval from the members of the Starland Wish Science Senate, we have proposed that they be called Inspirational Wish Orbs,” Stella revealed. “We have also recommended that these orbs be kept in a new, highly specialized section of Starland’s Wish-House. These wishes are very special—they are wishes for things that haven’t been achieved before, like when my Wisher Lindie was chosen to be the first girl ever to get a scholarship to a prestigious space program. When wishes like these are granted, they show people what is possible.”
As her colleagues processed this information, several of them seemed somewhat confused; then Norma, the youngest and newest staff member, raised her hand.
“Yes?” Stella nodded at Norma.
“Are these wishes similar to Impossible Wish Orbs?” Norma asked in her soft, ethereal voice as she blinked her large greenish-blue eyes. It was an important question, and one that Stella and Skylar had also grappled with for quite a while.
“In some ways, yes,” Stella acknowledged. “On
my recent mission, I learned that these wishes are especially challenging—often because they focus on things that Wishlings have been told they shouldn’t even bother attempting.”
Lena motioned to Norma, asking for her to pass the hologram of the orb back across the table. When it floated over to her, Lena stared at it intently, examining it for several starminutes. “So they’re almost like Inmpossible Wish Orbs—which must be kept safe in case the Wisher changes it to something that can be fulfilled—but we must work harder than usual to help them come true?”
“Correct,” Stella replied. “The important distinction is that these wishes really are possible if they’re made by Wishlings who are strong and determined enough to pursue them in spite of seemingly insurmountable odds.”
Norma raised her hand again. “But it’s up to us to make sure a Wisher doesn’t lose sight of the power she has to make those wishes come true?”
“Exactly!” Stella smiled and waved her scepter in Lena’s direction, retrieving the image of the Inspirational Wish Orb. She gave it a light tap, which caused it to begin multiplying into smaller orbs—each of which began to grow and then sparkle. “The very best part is that when these wishes come true, they have a ripple effect.”
“Yes!” Lena said excitedly. “That’s what happened when we observed Lindie getting her scholarship on your Wish Mission! When her name was called, almost a hundred girls in the audience were so inspired by her that they sent wishes out into the universe right there and then. There were so many Wish Orbs produced we couldn’t possibly count them all.”
“Ah, but we were able to count them,” Skylar interjected.
“We were?” Stella asked, surprised that her mentor hadn’t shared this information with her during their meetings.
“Indeed.” Skylar nodded. “I received the data from the Starland Wish-House just before our meeting began today.”
Stella searched Skylar’s face for some indication of what the number might be—but her expression was uncharacteristically blank, and suddenly Stella worried that perhaps the numbers weren’t as impressive as she had previously thought. But then, at last, Skylar’s eyes sparkled and her rosy lips broke into a wide smile. “Two hundred and forty-seven,” Skylar revealed. “And of those, nearly one hundred appear to be Inspirational Wish Orbs!”
Two hundred and forty-seven Wish Orbs produced—and nearly one hundred of them Inspirational Wish Orbs? It was more than Stella could have possibly hoped for! She knew that the more wishes that made their way to Starland, the more positive energy that could be collected. Inspirational Wishes were exponential; they might mean an end to energy shortages forever! As she made her way back to her seat, the entire conference room erupted with conversations about all that had been accomplished—and all the possibilities to come.
“I hope that you’re ready,” Skylar added, looking around the table at each member of the Wish-Tank staff. “Because you will all be called upon for an Inspirational Wish Mission very soon.”
Once again, the room buzzed with positive energy, and Stella felt herself tingling all over. She could only hope that her next Inspirational Wish Mission would be as exhilarating and successful as her first—and that she would get a chance to find out soon.
It had been several months, and although Stella had gone on a record number of Wish Missions by Wish-Tank standards, she still hadn’t been on another Inspirational Wish Mission. So when she was summoned to the Wishworld Launchpad, she tried not to get her hopes up too high. But then, there she was—and there it was: Skylar was waiting for Stella with what she immediately recognized as an Inspirational Wish Orb, and it was even more dazzling than Stella remembered her previous one to be.
“Finally!” Stella blurted out, unable to contain her exuberance.
“Yes,” Skylar replied with her usual warm smile. “Finally.”
“Do you know anything about the wish?” Stella asked as she eagerly took the orb and gazed at the shimmering hues of green, silver, and blue.
“Only that you are uniquely equipped with the ability to help make it come true—and that it has the potential to set a new standard for Wish-Granters and wish scientists everywhere,” Skylar said. “I’m not sure I can even quantify how significant it might be for the Wish-Tank, nor for Starland as a whole.”
Stella looked into Skylar’s eyes and noticed the slightest hint of concern flash across them.
“Don’t worry,” Stella said as a sense of calm washed over her. “I’m ready.”
“I’m glad.” Skylar blinked gratefully at Stella and led her over to the two Star Wranglers who were holding Stella’s shooting star steady for her.
Within moments, Stella was fastened to the star and ready to take flight.
“Good luck!” she heard Skylar call out, but she didn’t have time to reply as she sped off through the atmosphere at a velocity that made it too difficult to speak.
From there, everything seemed to happen more quickly than usual. Stella found herself approaching Wishworld and swiftly changed from her silver lab coat into a pair of soft, stretchy pink pants and a matching jacket with a white zipper along with white sneakers. Then, holding tightly to her Wish Pendant and saying the words that would transform her appearance, she focused on changing her golden-pink ponytail to light brown and removing all the sparkle and shine from her skin. When her Star-Zap told her to prepare for landing, she noticed that she was approaching a giant sports arena that was full of thousands of people. For a fleeting moment, she worried that someone might see her. But fortunately, she touched down in an empty area near a short tunnel that appeared to lead directly to the playing field itself.
After picking up the star that had transported her, folding it up, and placing it in a small shoulder bag along with her safety glasses, Stella looked down at her Star-Zap and told it to take her to her Wisher. Following its directions, she walked through the tunnel and arrived at a long chain-link fence. Inside the fence was a dirt running track, which was divided up by white lines into several individual lanes that circled around the grassy athletic field. As Stella peered through the fence, she heard the crowds of people up in the stands whistling and cheering. It was clear that this was some sort of athletic competition—but Stella had never seen such an enormous stadium before. It was at least five times the size of the playing field outside of the Radiant Recreation Center at Starling Academy.
As she looked out on the track, Stella finally saw why the crowd had been cheering: six girls were walking out and taking their positions in front of large signs that were numbered one through six. All of the girls wore white shorts, some with stripes down the sides, and sleeveless shirts in different colors. In the middle of each of their shirts, front and back, was a large white patch with a black number on it. As they took their positions, a man’s voice boomed out through a loudspeaker, introducing the girls by name and revealing a few details about each of them, such as where they were from and what had led to them competing in the race that was about to begin. Then each girl bent over, placed her hands on the dirt track, and squatted down as a hush fell over the entire arena.
Suddenly, a loud bang pierced the air and the girls took off like shooting stars, running faster, faster, and faster still. As they sped around the track, the girl in the inner lane was in the lead, but then the one on the outside raced ahead of her. A few moments later, however, it was the third one from the inside of the track edging into first place. It was stimulating to watch, and Stella couldn’t resist cheering right along with all the people up in the stands, many of whom had now leapt to their feet. At last, each girl crossed what appeared to be the finish line, one after the other, and the stadium erupted with thunderous applause.
Realizing she still needed to find her Wisher, Stella looked down at her Star-Zap again and followed its directions up the wooden steps leading to the endless rows of blue seats and over to an empty spot near the front. She could feel her Wish Pendant growing warm beneath her jacket as she sat down next to a dark-
skinned woman with short black hair who looked over at Stella with a sweet smile. Could this be her Wisher?
“Our baby’s up next,” the woman said to Stella, who smiled back in spite of being somewhat confused.
Stella simply nodded politely and looked out at the track, wondering who the woman’s “baby” was—and, more to the point, if baby Wishlings were really allowed to compete in an event this big. If they were, why would this woman be up in the stands instead of taking care of her baby? Just then, six more girls walked out onto the track and the woman next to her immediately jumped to her feet.
“You’ve got this, Tina!” the woman shouted, waving her arms frantically, to one of the girls.
“Come on, baby girl!” added the man two seats down from Stella, also rising to his feet. He had gray hair peeking out from a fancy dark blue hat, along with a matching blue suit.
Stella watched as a girl in a red shirt and white shorts, who looked like a younger version of the woman next to her, smiled and waved back before taking her spot in the outside lane. So that was their baby—although a bit more grown-up than Stella had expected. She must have been at least sixteen. As the couple next to Stella sat back down, the booming voice of the announcer echoed through the stadium once again, introducing each of the competitors out on the track. When he began talking about Tina, Stella glanced over at the couple again and saw them nodding along and beaming with pride.
“When Tina was a little girl,” the announcer was saying, “every doctor she met told her parents that she would never be able to walk—but that didn’t stop her. She wouldn’t let anything stop her—and now, here she is, participating in the Summer Games!”
Stella looked down at the track again. How was it possible that Tina was about to run a race after being told as a child that she wouldn’t even be able to walk?
Good Wish Gone Bad Page 13
