by Ahmet Zappa
And with those last words written and her real thoughts deleted, Tessa finally fell asleep.
The next morning should have worked out perfectly for Tessa. All the Star Darlings were coming to her and Adora’s room for an important meeting. And she was totally prepared.
Even though she’d stayed up late working on her holo-paper—and excuse note—Tessa had set the alarm on her Star-Zap for an extra-early wake-up time. Before morning, the alarm buzzed her favorite childhood tune, “Old MacStarlight Had a Farm.”
She took her sparkle shower in record time, not losing track of starmins the way she usually did. She finished so quickly, in fact, Adora was still sleeping soundly when she went back to the room.
So Tessa tidied her ultra-plush bedcovers and smoothed her soft-as-a-cloud rug. Both came from Bed, Bath, and Beyond the Stars’ exclusive line of luxury items, perfect for Tessa, who liked to surround herself with sumptuous comfort.
Then she pulled on the outfit she’d laid out the night before: an emerald-green and ocean-blue striped sweaterdress that swirled around her knees. It matched Tessa’s long wavy hair perfectly.
Quickly, Tessa checked her Star-Zap to make sure she was still on schedule. Yes, she was doing great. She picked up her starbrush to sweep her bangs to the side. There was just one more thing to do before the Star Darlings came over. She had to—
Tessa caught sight of the headboard over her bed…and everything fell apart.
The headboard was really one big holo-screen, and Tessa was drawn to it like solar metal to a magnet.
Initially, Tessa had used the screen to care for virtual pets. She loved creatures of all sizes, shapes, and glows. But then she’d programmed the screen to show her family farm in real time—real creatures in real action.
Tessa and her younger sister, Gemma—also a Star Darling—were from Solar Springs, a tiny town of gently rolling hills. A small number of families lived on simple farms nestled in valleys. It was a lovely spot. But the town had just one general store that sold only basic items, like toothlights and starbrushes.
When Tessa wanted that starmazing luster-lotion for her skin, or the glitz gloves that felt soft as shimmer-butter, she had to put in a special order. Except for that, Tessa loved her farm life: the fresh fruits and vegetables she used for cooking, the farm creatures…
And that was why she couldn’t turn away from the screen. Her favorite creature of all, a playful baby galliope named Jewel, was there in all her cuteness, nudging a round druderwomp bush across the ground like a ball.
The deep purple creature was all spindly legs and long neck, with a glowing feathery mane and tail. Tessa had seen holo-pictures of Wishworld ponies. She agreed they resembled galliopes. But she doubted they could hold a glowstick to Jewel in charm alone.
Tessa dropped her starbrush and edged closer to the holo-screen. “Jewel,” she cooed softly. “Star greetings, little girl.”
If Jewel was in the right mood, she could step out of the screen—or at least her image could—and be virtually close to Tessa. Hoping that would happen, Tessa tapped the bottom of the screen, and a virtual starapple floated into her hand. She held out the sparkling round fruit to Jewel. Back on the farm, it wouldn’t be just an image; the starapple would be real and crunchy and sweet.
Jewel whinnied, stepped out of the screen, and nuzzled Tessa’s neck. “I could do this all starday,” Tessa said with a giggle.
“Maybe you could, but you really shouldn’t,” said Adora. Tessa looked across the room. Adora had gotten up and dressed without her even noticing.
“Everyone will be here in a starsec. So pick up your starbrush and finish getting ready.”
Tessa ignored her, putting her arm around Jewel. “I don’t like being told what to do,” she whispered, as if the galliope could understand. “You’d think after rooming together for so long, Adora would know that.”
Sighing, Adora picked up Tessa’s starbrush and placed it on the nightstand. “Come on, Tessa, I put away all my test tubes and experiments—even that new lipsparkle I’m working on. The one that actually shoots out sparks.”
Adora spoke as calmly as ever; Tessa had rarely seen her ruffled or emotional. And they generally got along. But Tessa had cleaned up! What was one little starbrush in the grand scheme of things? Still, the Star Darlings were coming over.…
Tessa waved good-bye to Jewel, and the galliope stepped back into the screen. “See you soon, little girl. Next time we’ll play and we’ll—”
“Starland to Tessa!” Adora snapped her fingers in front of Tessa’s face. “The Star Darlings meeting is—”
“Knock-knock,” sang Leona from the other side of the door.
“Now!” Adora finished, nodding toward the door so it slid open quickly. The other ten Star Darlings walked into the room and settled on beds, chairs, and rugs.
“Oh, Tessa,” Gemma said, disappointment in her voice. She eyed Tessa’s cleared-off table. “I thought for sure you’d have a whole breakfast spread for us.”
Tessa groaned. That was what she’d been planning to do! Before she was distracted by Jewel, she had been about to bake breakfast treats in the micro-zap!
Scarlet shook her head emphatically, her dark hood falling to her shoulders before she quickly pulled it back up. “Breakfast is not important,” she said brusquely. “We’ll have plenty of time to go to the Celestial Café after the meeting.”
“Still, we could have met a little later,” Piper said wistfully, covering up a yawn. Tessa knew Piper liked her rest more than the average Starling.
“No, meeting now makes the most sense,” said Vega. “This way we take care of business and keep the rest of the starday free for studying.”
“I would have voted for a bit later so I’d have had time to warm up my vocal cords.” Leona’s voice started out deep, then rose higher with every word: “Now I have to do my exercises in regular conversation.”
“Please, spare us,” Scarlet said.
Tessa sighed. Those roommates were a much bigger mismatch than she and Adora! She doubted they would ever get along.
Cassie held up a hand, and everyone quieted down. She was the smallest Starling of the group, but her words carried great weight. “The fact is, spies could be anywhere on campus. I don’t know whom we can even trust! Not even Lady Stella.”
Tessa laughed. “You don’t really believe what that crazy Ophelia said, do you? She was clearly making it up.”
Half the Star Darlings nodded in agreement. Others didn’t look quite so convinced.
Libby stood up. “Okay, everybody, let’s focus!”
Tessa nodded in agreement. It would also be great if they could move the meeting along so they could make it to breakfast in a timely fashion. Without her usual pre-breakfast snack, she was hungry.
“Fine.” Cassie nodded. She took off her star-shaped glasses, polished them so they shone, and nodded again. “Someone is clearly trying to sabotage the Star Darlings. If it isn’t Lady Stella, then who is it? And why? I mean, there have been so many crazy problems.…”
“Like our holo-text compliments coming out as insults,” interrupted Piper indignantly.
“And every student invited to try out for my band,” Leona added, “when it should have just been Star Darlings!”
“And those are just communication issues,” Cassie continued. “What about everything else? The poisonous flowers? The strange nail polish that wouldn’t come off? Who is responsible?”
Scarlet shook her head irritably. “It’s so clearly Lady Stella,” she said. “Why can’t you all see it?”
The Star Darlings began to argue.
Lady Stella was the head of the school. She was revered in academic circles for her principles and forward thinking in education. She was held in highest regard all across Starland. Business Starlings, Starling scientists, and heads of state constantly consulted her, and wee Starlings wanted to grow up to be just like her.
Tessa had actually dressed as Lady Stella once for
Light Giving Day, when young Starlings dressed in costume to hand out flowers and welcome the growing season. She guessed a couple of others may have, too.
Tessa thought back to one of her first days at the academy, well before the Star Darlings had been formed. She had been curled up in a chair in the Lightning Lounge, holo-texting Gemma back home and feeling homesick.
Lady Stella had come over and sat down next to her. She seemed to know all about Tessa without Tessa’s saying a word, and she led her on a tour of the Celestial Café kitchen, where Bot-Bot cooks and waitstaff worked.
“You can come here any time you like,” she had said, “and cook, bake, or just relax. The Bot-Bots will be informed.”
Then they’d sat in a corner and munched on astromuffins together—moonberry for Lady Stella (she said they were her favorite) and lolofruit for Tessa.
Lady Stella couldn’t be capable of any wrongdoing whatsoever!
“Scarlet, you’re going galactic!” said Libby, apparently agreeing with Tessa. “The person or people responsible don’t even have to be part of Starling Academy! He or she could be from outside the school.”
“I doubt that,” Cassie said nervously. “Whoever is doing this would need to be here full-time. And Lady Stella is here 36/8.”
“You’re both going galactic!” Sage said to Scarlet and Cassie. “Lady Stella has been starmendous to each and every one of us!”
“Well, count me out of that lucky stargroup,” Scarlet shot back. “Here’s a fact for you: my grades were switched with dimwit Ophelia’s so I’d be kicked out of the Star Darlings. Who else would be able to do that? And why would Ophelia lie?”
The girls fell silent. It was hard to disagree with Scarlet; plus, she could so easily go supernova. Tessa looked at Leona, who stood up to Scarlet regularly. But Leona had been uncharacteristically quiet. Then Tessa glanced at Gemma. What was her sister thinking? She, too, had been quiet.
“Well, lots of Starlings could have access to records,” Tessa finally said. “What about the Bot-Bot guards? They have access to every room on campus.”
Gemma finally spoke up. “That’s right! Once, when I was walking past the teachers’ lounge, I was hurrying really fast down the hall. I can’t even remember why I was there. Maybe because I had to go to the Radiant Rec Center and I was a little nervous because I had never—”
“Get to the point of the story,” said Scarlet.
“Well, once there was a Bot-Bot repairman outside the lounge door, stooping over. He could have been trying to listen in!”
“Or fix the hand scanner,” said Scarlet.
“Lady Cordial keeps close watch on all the comings and goings in that hall,” Cassie noted, “because the admissions office is there. She’d notice anything strange. So forget about the Bot-Bot!” She sighed. “Lady Stella clearly set up the whole Scarlet-Ophelia switch. She told me Ophelia was an orphan. She lied. And as we all know, Ophelia was never even in an orphanage!”
Scarlet leaned closer to Sage with an almost compassionate expression. “I was fooled, too, for a long time.” A shadow passed over her face. “But Lady Stella pulled the glimmersilk over my eyes.”
Finally, Leona spoke up, as if she’d been weighing the information and had made up her mind. “Well, I spent the most time with Ophelia of all of you, and frankly, I think she’s telling the truth.”
“But why would Lady Stella want to sabotage our missions?” Vega asked. “It doesn’t make sense. The missions were her idea to begin with!”
The girls all spoke at once.
“Maybe she wants Starling Academy to fail so she can start a new school.”
“Maybe she wants to move to Wishworld!”
“Maybe she’s just a hologram, and the real Lady Stella is being held captive in one of the underground caves.”
Tessa shivered. The last comment, which had come from Piper, was especially creepy.
“I don’t know why she’s doing it,” said Scarlet. “But we have to confront her, and soon.”
“I just don’t believe it,” said Tessa stubbornly. “I need real proof.”
“I don’t believe it, either,” Sage said.
The room fell silent. The girls eyed each other nervously. No one knew what to say. But then Tessa’s stomach rumbled loudly. Gemma laughed, breaking the tension.
“I say we’ve talked enough for now. It’s time to eat,” said Tessa.
Cassie nodded and stood up. “Before we confront anyone,” she said to Scarlet, “we should do more sleuthing.” Then she turned to Tessa. “And you’re right, of course. We should all go to breakfast.”
Cassie is smart, Tessa thought as everyone left the room, even if she does suspect Lady Stella. And she’s read all those detective books her uncle wrote; she must know about sleuthing. She’d stick close to Cassie, find out what was really going on, and put in her two stars to defend Lady Stella whenever she could.
Tessa stepped onto the Cosmic Transporter, careful to get in place right behind the younger Starling.
Cassie and Scarlet were standing side by side, whispering. Tessa edged closer, trying to listen. It’s not like I’m really eavesdropping, she reasoned. We’re all just heading to the Celestial Café at the same time.
But all she heard was: “Mumble mumble Lady Stella.” “Mumble mumble Leona.” “Mumble Ophelia.” “Mumble mumble mumble.”
Nothing new there.
Then Cassie said “Star Caves” loud and clear. Scarlet gave her a “shut your stars” look. “Later!” the older Starling whispered harshly.
Hmmm, thought Tessa. Now that was interesting. They must think the secret underground tunnels, where the special Star Darlings Wish Cavern was hidden, held clues. Maybe—
Suddenly, the star above the Celestial Café dimmed, signaling that breakfast was about to end. Tessa forgot about the caves. She took off past the other Starlings, thoughts of warm astromuffins and tinsel toast filling her head.
After breakfast, Tessa’s starday was basically back-to-back classes. Some flew by like a comet. Others seemed to last an entire Cycle of Life. So much of what the professors taught had already been covered in the special Star Darlings class.
Tessa’s final class before Star Darlings lessons was Wish Fulfillment, taught by Professor Eugenia Bright. Usually, Tessa paid attention to Professor Bright’s lessons; the teacher was warm and engaging and cared about each student. Besides, Tessa wanted to raise her grade.
That day Professor Bright was lecturing about wish fulfillment history: how Starlandians had first discovered their connection to Wishworld.
“During a space exploration trip,” the teacher explained, “scientist Dusty Particulus forgot to transfer shooting stars. She wound up landing near a group of Wishling stargazers just as they wished on a different shooting star. One Wishling said, ‘I wish I could come face-to-face with someone from another planet.’ So Dusty stepped right in front of her, and suddenly a surge of energy…”
Yes, it was starmazingly interesting. But Tessa had heard the story so many times she found her mind wandering back to the Star Darlings meeting.
It was true: much had gone wrong for the Star Darlings. Right there on Starland, there had been the band tryouts, the flowers, the nail polish, the holo-texts, and, of course, the power failures that affected the whole planet. And they’d had trouble on Wishworld, too. There had been Leona’s burnt-out Wish Pendant that lost wish energy; and her scary trip back, when she almost hadn’t made it home; and all the Starlings’ misidentifying of Wishers and wishes.
But Lady Stella? How could some of the Star Darlings think she was responsible?
“Star excuse me, Tessa.” Tessa looked up. Professor Eugenia Bright was standing over her desk, smiling. They were the only two in the classroom.
“Is there something you’d like to discuss with me?” the teacher asked kindly.
Tessa eyed the professor. She had to say something, but she certainly couldn’t say she’d been lost in thought, wondering if Lady Stel
la was sabotaging Starland.
“I like your earrings!” she sputtered. She turned deep green with embarrassment, but it was true—she did like them! The glittery cylinders hung almost to Professor Bright’s shoulders and twirled when she moved, giving off sparks. They were exquisite and classic and must have come from Starland’s most acclaimed jewelry store, Starrier’s, where the rich and famous shopped.
Professor Eugenia Bright lowered her voice. “I found them at the Brilliant Bargain Basement in Old Prism. Sure, it’s a tourist town, but you can still find starmazing deals there.”
Tessa laughed and stopped worrying about Lady Stella and Star Darlings problems—at least for the moment.
That afternoon, Tessa joined the Future Farmers of Starland after-school club. They visited a new colony of glitterbees at the foot of the Crystal Mountains. And it was well worth the trip, Tessa thought on the way back. One delicatacomb in particular was starmendous, as big as a Starcar! Plus, she even managed to bring some of the sweet liquid back to campus. It was starrific for baking.
But now, standing in front of Halo Hall, saying good-bye to her fellow future farmers, Tessa felt restless. She paced back and forth, her mind returning again and again to Lady Stella. She thought fleetingly of her overdue Wishworld Relations paper. She even took a few tentative steps toward the library. But how could she settle down to work when her mind was in such a state?
Tessa’s feet switched course and she found herself heading to the Celestial Café.
I’ll just bake for a starhour or so, Tessa thought. It will calm me down, help me focus, and then…“On to my ‘Being Human’ paper!”
“You’re still working on that?” Cassie asked. Tessa hadn’t realized that she’d spoken out loud, or that Cassie was walking next to her. She shook her head to clear it. She really did need to bake!
“Yes, but cross my stars, I’ll get an extension. I’m still waiting to hear from Professor Margaret Dumarre. Right now I’m going to the kitchen.”
Cassie brightened, and her pale skin glittered, showing her interest. “Are you baking? Can I tag along? I promise I won’t talk about Lady Stella. We can agree to disagree until more facts are in.”
