by Ahmet Zappa
“I can’t tell you that,” the receptionist said, still smiling. “Lady Cordial has requested privacy. No visitors allowed.”
Surely Lady Cordial didn’t mean the Star Darlings! The receptionist had to let them in. Clover was doing her best to establish a bond with the woman—just like she’d been taught as a performer—smiling, speaking with friendly good humor. It seemed to be working. So she’d give it another try.
“I know Lady Cordial would be pleased to see us,” Clover told the receptionist. If only they’d brought flowers—calliopes or chatterbursts. That would convince the woman.
“Take a seat,” the receptionist said, waving toward the waiting area. “Lady Cordial is with the doctor. I’ll see what I can do later. But right now I am swamped with work.”
She whirled around to face a holo-keyboard, then examined her nails one by one.
“I guess we’ll wait,” Clover said, disappointed. Nodding, the girls sat down. Some flipped through old holo-magazines. Leona snickered, looking at the cover of Starlebrity Journal. “Look at this actor. He’s so last staryear.”
While everyone else crowded around, Clover decided to explore. In case the receptionist didn’t follow through, she wanted to find Lady Cordial’s room. She sidled down the hall, tiptoeing past empty rooms, until she heard voices in one room. She peeked through the door.
“We can’t find anything wrong with you,” a doctor was saying, her back blocking Clover’s view. “But since you are in such pain…”
“Yes,” said Lady Cordial in such a weak voice that Clover had to strain to hear. “I am in a great deal of pain.”
“We’ll keep you overnight for observation.” The doctor turned and left. Clover jumped back, not wanting Lady Cordial to spot her. But it was too late.
Starf! thought Clover. What if Lady Cordial really didn’t want to see them? Clover had gone and put her in an awkward position. And Lady Cordial wasn’t at her best in difficult situations.
“Clover,” Lady Cordial said falteringly, “you’ve come to s-s-s-s-see me.”
“We all have, Lady Cordial, if that’s okay.”
“Yes,” Lady Cordial said with a sigh. “But just for a few s-s-s-s-starmins. I don’t have much s-s-s-s-s-strength.”
Clover hurried to get the other Star Darlings and they all squeezed into the room.
Lady Cordial lay in bed, the sheet pulled up to her chin.
“How are you feeling?” asked Tessa. “Is it your ankle?”
Lady Cordial shook her head wearily. “At first I thought it was, but now I’m not s-s-s-so sure. The s-s-s-s-staff is running tests. It could be s-s-s-s-serious.”
Maybe keeping someone for observation meant running tests. And “we can’t find anything wrong with you” meant the doctor didn’t want to frighten poor Lady Cordial.
Clover’s glow flared with remorse. We should have been visiting Lady Cordial because it’s the right thing to do, she told herself, not because of our energy crisis. But they were there now. So they might as well proceed.
Lady Cordial closed her eyes.
Clover edged closer to the bed. She’d better say something fast! “Since we’re here,” she said, “we thought we could talk about energy. We’re hearing all sorts of reports about power outages.”
“And it’s been so long since we’ve had a mission,” Cassie said.
“Yes,” Clover said. “Maybe you’re worried about Gemma or me not being ready, so you’re holding off on sending us. But there’s no need to worry. You can trust us.”
Lady Cordial said nothing. She began to breathe evenly. Was she sleeping? Should they leave?
Then Scarlet stepped forward, bumping into the bed. Lady Cordial’s eyelids fluttered a bit.
“It would be a very good time for a Wish Mission,” Scarlet told her loudly. “Lady Stella isn’t here to sabotage us. So we should be able to collect a starmendous amount of wish energy.” She smiled. “I wish I could go back again. I really liked it on Wishworld.”
“We can check the orbs!” Clover offered, thinking quickly. “Since you’re in the infirmary, we can monitor them and see if one is ready.”
Lady Cordial’s eyes snapped open.
“Oh, good!” cried Leona. “Our visit is helping. You look wide awake now.”
“S-s-s-s-sweet of you,” Lady Cordial murmured, half closing her eyes again. “But I can keep track of the orbs remotely.” She gestured at her Star-Zap on the nightstand, and it fell to the floor with a clatter.
Clover picked it up and put it out of Lady Cordial’s reach, just for safekeeping. “I wish we could do something!”
“Maybe you can,” said Lady Cordial. “I, too, have been following the reports.” Her voice grew louder, as if relating her idea was giving her strength. “All the heads of s-s-s-s-schools are comparing notes on the energy crisis. I just heard about one s-s-s-s-school at the top of Mount Glint where they are making their own alternative fuel source. I don’t know any details. But perhaps you girls could look into it? I can write you a s-s-s-s-starscuse note for missing class tomorrow. Why not take a trip and check it out?”
“That would be starmazing!” Sage said. “So we won’t just be waiting for the Wish Orb!” She smiled at Clover. “Like you said, we’ll be doing something!”
“Yes, something any old Starling could do,” said Scarlet. “We should be concentrating on collecting wish energy. Remember, we’re the chosen ones.”
“And Mount Glint is so far away.” Leona frowned. “It’s really quite a hike.”
“Oh, come now,” said Lady Cordial. “You twelve are s-s-s-star-charmed. But who knows what fate has in s-s-s-store for you? What role the S-s-s-s-star Darlings will need to take?”
Piper nodded, and a dreamy expression crossed her face. Clover knew what would happen next. Piper would recount a dream and interpret it.
“I did just have a dream,” Piper said, her forehead furrowed in concentration. “I was walking…walking…I couldn’t tell where I was going. But I wasn’t alone. And I needed to reach a specific destination. The fate of Starland depended on it.”
She shook her head to clear it. “Maybe it means we should travel to Mount Glint.”
“Well, count me out,” Scarlet said crossly. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m with Scarlet.” Leona linked arms with her roommate. Clover blinked. More and more often lately, the two roommates—universes apart in every way—were in agreement. It was odd to see, but really nice. “It sounds like a lot of work and no payoff,” Leona continued.
“But we all need to be together,” Clover argued. “The oracle states clearly there are twelve Star-Charmed Starlings. Not ten.” She looked at Cassie, the only Star Darling the other two would listen to. “Right?”
“We do need to stick together,” Cassie agreed. “In the ancient book, the energy at the center of the holo-drawing comes from all of us working together.”
“Yes!” Gemma grabbed Tessa’s hand. “We stick together!”
Lady Cordial leaned back, looking exhausted.
“We’ll go tomorrow,” Clover said quickly, before Scarlet or Leona could say anything else. “And we should leave you, Lady Cordial, so you can rest.”
Lady Cordial lifted her hand in a feeble wave. “Farewell and s-s-s-star s-s-s-speed,” she said drowsily.
Walking on tiptoe, the girls filed out of the room.
“And bring your S-s-s-s-star Darlings backpacks,” Lady Cordial called out in a surprisingly loud voice, “in case you need to carry the energy s-s-s-s-source back!”
Early the next starday, just as the moons were eclipsed by the suns, the girls met between the two dorms. They’d all had a bit of difficulty getting ready. Their manipulation energy was slowing down, and sparkle showers took forever to sparkle. But there they were, everyone except Clover and Gemma carrying a backpack as Lady Cordial had instructed.
Tessa handed out astromuffins, saying, “I hear Mount Glint’s cafeteria can’t hold a hololight to ours. So j
ust in case we get hungry…”
“Star salutations,” Vega said, placing the muffin in her backpack. “Now,” she said, turning to Clover, “are you sure you have the route figured out? I checked some holo-maps and—”
“Vega! I said I could do it!” Clover interrupted. “We just take a few hover-buses, then walk a bit.” She consulted her Star-Zap holo-map. “We can get the first one right at the gate. It’s the number twelve bus.”
“Twelve!” said Piper, delighted. “A wonderful sign.”
And it did seem to be a sign. The bus was already at the stop, as if waiting just for them. The door lifted.
“No passengers!” the Bot-Bot said, hurriedly closing the door without further explanation.
The bus didn’t move, and the girls stood there impatiently. “Maybe it will take us after all,” Libby said hopefully. But then a sign on the side of the bus flashed: OUT OF SERVICE. OUT OF POWER.
“When will the next one come?” Adora asked.
“Right now,” Clover said, pointing down the street. But that one was so crowded the Bot-Bot conductor poked its head out and said, “No room!” before the bus sped away.
A starhour later, the girls finally boarded the first bus, which was by then fully functional. “So,” Clover said, checking the map, “we change buses at Starland City Hall.”
“Starland City Hall?” Vega blinked. “We could have walked there!”
In no time at all, the Star Darlings reached Starland City Hall and changed buses, first to the number 593, then to the number .003, and finally to the number 6,672.
“Now, this one will take us right to the foot of Mount Glint!” Clover said triumphantly.
“If we ever get there,” said Adora as the bus sputtered to a stop.
“We are having problems with the power steering,” the Bot-Bot conductor announced. “All passengers must disembark. Another bus will arrive in one starhour.”
Two starhours later, the girls finally reached their destination: the foot of Mount Glint. Clover gazed at her friends. They all looked grumpy and tired. And they still had to hike up the mountain!
“This way,” Clover said cheerfully, leading them to a path. “We’re almost there!” she added, though she really had no idea.
Luckily, Mount Glint turned out to be more of a hill than a mountain, and the path was smooth and wide. Still feeling responsible, though, Clover made up a marching song to energize the group.
Left, right, left right—
We’re almost there, we’re on our way.
Right, left. Right left—
Right in the middle of a star school day.
Before Clover knew it, they’d reached the top, having stopped only once, to eat Tessa’s astromuffins. The suns were shining brightly, the grass sparkled with glow-dew, and multicolored glittery trees swayed in the breeze. Clover’s spirits rose.
The girls walked a few steps more to a narrow walkway, which was marked with a sign: WELCOME TO THE MOUNT GLINT SCHOOL, WHERE LEARNING IS SUNDAMENTAL.
The path led directly to the campus, built on a much smaller scale than Starling Academy. Its low one-story buildings seemed a bit worn.
“They don’t have a Cosmic Transporter?” Libby asked.
“I think we’re on it,” Scarlet said. “It’s just not working.”
“They must be restructuring it for the new energy source,” Clover said determinedly. “Maybe they’ve discovered that energy can come from those colorful trees we passed.”
“Or from that dirt road we took!” Scarlet smirked.
Clover sighed. Of course her guess was just a moonshot. And usually she was the one with the sarcastic one-liner. But if she dished it out, she had to take it, so she just grinned.
“Okay, enough joking around,” Scarlet said, actually returning the smile. “I don’t want to waste another starsec on this silly trip.…Starscuse me,” she said, stopping an official-looking adult with large glasses on top of her head, holding back her dark green hair. “Can you tell us anything about an alternative energy source?”
The woman looked at her, baffled.
“Or at least direct us to the head of the school,” Clover added quickly, not giving up. “She’d know what we’re talking about.”
“I am the head of the school, Lady Marissa.”
“Star greetings, Lady Marissa,” Clover said, politely bowing her head. “We’re from Starling Academy. And we heard your school is using a new energy source. But we don’t have any other details.”
“That’s because there are no details—and no energy source,” the headmistress said. “I did send a holo-mail to headmasters and -mistresses across Starland, suggesting we spearhead a research effort. But no one thought I was serious. In fact, they thought I was joking. Here.” She showed Clover the reply from Star Prep’s headmaster, which Clover read aloud.
“‘Star salutations for the laugh. If only laughter could be used for fuel, I would show your holo-letter to everyone.’”
Everyone’s a comedian, Clover thought grimly.
Lady Marissa sighed. “I guess he’s right. Our history holo-books tell us the founding Starlings tried everything before they stumbled upon wish-granting energy.”
Clover sighed along with her. How disappointing. She hated to go back and tell Lady Cordial the bad news.
“And as you can probably tell,” Lady Marissa continued, waving an arm to indicate the dim campus, “we are on energy rationing right now, saving our resources for overcast days and nights.”
Clover nodded. Lady Marissa was trying to be helpful. Unfortunately, she couldn’t give them what they wanted: a way to save Starland. “Star salutations anyway,” Clover said as the Star Darlings began to retrace their steps. Now they’d have to make the long trip back empty-handed. Everyone was grumbling unhappily.
“Look on the bright side,” Scarlet said, nudging her as they walked. “I see a Starcab stand right over there. There are three cabs hovering, so we can divide up into groups of four and just drive home.
“I have only one question for you, circus star: why didn’t we do this in the first place?”
Even with Starcabs, the trip back wasn’t easy; the cabs had to stop to recharge again and again. Finally, as the first stars began to shine, the Star Darlings walked through the school gates, just in time for dinner. The girls ate quickly, then decided to go to the infirmary and tell Lady Cordial what had happened.
Unfortunately, it seemed the stars were still against them. Lady Cordial had checked out. They hurried to her office, but she wasn’t there, either.
Clover felt terrible hauling everyone all over campus—especially after dragging them all around Starland. “I’ll go to her house,” she told the others. “Everyone else should just go to bed.”
Walking alone, Clover made her way to the faculty residences. She placed her hand on a scanner and walked through the entrance as the curtain of leaves slowly parted.
Clover recognized Lady Cordial’s house immediately. The teachers’ homes looked just like them. And Lady Cordial’s was the same shade of purple as her hair, with an unkempt yard and a frazzled look. Clover strode to the door and knocked loudly.
She looked up and saw the curtains on the second floor ripple slightly, as if someone was peering out. But she must have been mistaken. Lady Cordial didn’t answer the door.
I probably just missed her, Clover thought, disappointed. Maybe now she was back at her office, catching up on work.
Clover sighed. Another wasted trip. Quickly, she turned to walk up the overgrown path. Wait, what was that?
A newish home a little farther up the street had caught her attention. It was tall and narrow, imposing and no-nonsense, with a bright red roof and a silvery sheen.
That must be Professor Honoria McHue’s house, Clover told herself. I’m here. I might as well talk to her.
The teacher had raised so many interesting questions; maybe she actually had answers, too. But just as Clover reached the front steps, a holo-sign ap
peared.
ATTENTION, VISITORS! PROFESSOR HONORIA MCHUE HAS TAKEN A POSITION AT A WEE STARLINGS SCHOOL IN GLOOM FLATS, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. HER STARLING ACADEMY HOLO-MAIL HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED, AND THERE IS NO FORWARDING ADDRESS. WE WISH HER ALL THE BEST!
Well, that was sudden, Clover thought. She hoped the teacher was happier at her new job, but her absence certainly didn’t help the situation at Starling Academy.
Standing by the leaf curtain a starmin later, she flicked her wrist to open the exit. Nothing happened. She was too low on energy to use her manipulation skills—that was the problem. Groaning a bit, Clover pushed her way through.
Would things keep getting worse?
Clover wasn’t the only Star Darling who was worried. It seemed everyone’s spirits were so dim that the sparkle had gone out of their eyes…and hair…and skin. And of course that was perfectly understandable. Nothing was going right.
Clover had eventually found Lady Cordial, to tell her about the Mount Glint fiasco. But the new headmistress, while feeling better, was too busy catching up on work to come up with more suggestions. Plus there was still no sign of a Wish Orb. Add to that the worthless, time-consuming trip to Mount Glint, and Clover felt her own energy level sink.
She felt responsible for cheering everyone up. And what makes every Starling smile? she asked herself. A circus, of course!
Excited by the idea, Clover sat at her desk to holo-type some notes. The atmosphere had to be fun and daring, bright and energetic. For starters, she could give star-swallowing lessons. She made a note: order at least twelve stars. And she’d need a cloud candy machine. What was a circus without that fluffy, sticky, sweet treat on a stick?
Then she had another idea. There was a galliope stable a couple of floozels away. She could bring over a few and work up a routine—standing on one galliope’s back while it galloped, then leaping to another and swinging from the tip of its glowing tail to its sparkly mane.
Clover’s mind raced with more plans. Juggling! A clown act! She could set up a starwire between trees. She could use the school’s trampoline for a tumbling performance!
