Wish Upon a Superstar

by Phoebe Bright

  “Oh, of course!” said Mrs. Cafferty. “I have some nice rooms available. Come in and join us for lunch!”

  Mr. Gold followed her inside, but Roxy stopped and looked up at Starwatcher Towers.

  “What’s that funny round room up there?” she asked Cassie, pointing.

  “My bedroom,” Cassie said. “Come and see.”

  They ran upstairs, followed by Alex and Comet.

  Roxy stared around the room. “I love your starry wallpaper,” she said, “and the moon-shaped lamp.” She looked up and gasped. “Wow! A glass ceiling!”

  They heard Mom’s voice call, “Lunch in five minutes!”

  Cassie quickly showed Roxy to the room where she’d be staying.

  “What a gorgeous view,” said Roxy, peering out the window. “There’s the beach and — look! Bert’s donkeys, too! Oh, Cassie, I love it here already.”

  She opened her suitcase and pulled out a denim skirt. “I’m going to change into something comfy.”

  “Okay, see you downstairs,” said Cassie, turning to leave.

  “Mee-owwwww!”

  Cassie looked back over her shoulder. Twinkle, her black-and-white cat, must have been hiding under the bed. Now he was turning around in Roxy’s suitcase, settling down right on top of her purple silk pajamas!

  “Twinkle!” cried Cassie, embarrassed.

  Roxy smiled. “It’s okay, leave him there,” she said. “He looks so cozy. But why is he meowing so much?” She went into the bathroom, giggling. “It’s almost like he’s talking to you.”

  He probably is! Cassie thought. When Roxy was out of sight, she concentrated on her crescent moon charm. Silver sparkles danced around her bracelet and swirled between her and Twinkle. Cassie knew the charm was giving her the power to understand animals.

  Twinkle blinked his amber eyes. “She didn’t throw me out,” he said. “I like her, and I like it in this box thing.”

  Cassie blew him a kiss, then called out, “Roxy, Twinkle likes snuggling in your suitcase.”

  “Tell him I’m really glad that he likes it!” yelled Roxy.

  Cassie whispered, “Twinkle, Roxy’s happy, too.”

  “Well, of course,” Twinkle purred. “I could make anyone happy.”

  Roxy appeared again, drying her face on a towel. She petted Twinkle gently. “Oh, Cassie,” she said. “This is going to be the best vacation ever!”

  Cassie set some extra places at the table for lunch. Pete the limo driver was joining them, too, before bringing the limo back to the studio.

  After they’d eaten salad and soup, Mrs. Cafferty brought out the strawberry shortcake and a blue jug full of thick cream. “Cassie picked the strawberries this morning,” she said.

  Cassie remembered giving Stella Starkeeper some strawberries at the outdoor movie theater. That made her think of Alex’s pamphlet.

  “Mom,” she asked, “can we go to see Secrets of Astral-on-Sea at the Whimsy Woods theater this afternoon?”

  “Of course,” said Mom. “In fact . . .” She pulled an old book from the bookcase. “This is called Astral-on-Sea Mysteries.” She flipped through the pages and showed everyone a picture of Whimsy Woods.

  Roxy drew a sharp breath. “There are golden lights shining in the trees!”

  “Those are supposed to be the fairies of Whimsy Woods,” said Mrs. Cafferty. “When I was younger, I used to look for them all the time. I never saw one, though.”

  “Me neither,” said Cassie. But I have seen a magical light among those trees! she thought.

  “The legend is well known,” Mom went on. “I think secretly everyone would love to see a fairy.”

  Just then, two of the other B&B guests came into the dining room. The young couple stopped and stared in surprise when they saw who was at the table. Mrs. Cafferty held up some extra plates and said, “We have lots of strawberry shortcake left. Would you like some?”

  But the couple said that they’d eat their shortcake out in the yard. “We don’t want to intrude on Miss Gold,” the woman said, smiling and waving as they headed outside.

  When Pete left, Cassie’s dad gave Mr. Gold a tour of his observatory. Alex helped Cassie clear the table, while Roxy went into the yard to chat with the guests.

  “That’s nice of her,” Cassie said. “I’ll bet they were dying to meet her, but they wanted to be polite.” Then she whispered, “While we’re out, I have to listen for someone making a wish. If I make it come true, I’ll earn another charm.”

  Alex put the salt and pepper away. “I hope you do. I really want you to become a Lucky Star before my vacation is over.” Comet yipped and tilted his head to look up at Cassie with his big brown eyes. “So does Comet!” Alex laughed.

  Cassie smiled, but she felt sad. Alex had become such a good friend. She couldn’t imagine him not being around anymore! She was going to miss him and Comet so much when they had to leave.

  “We need to take Comet for a walk before we go to the movie,” said Alex.

  “I have an idea!” said Cassie. “Let’s invite Roxy to come for a walk with us. Then we can go to Whimsy Woods afterward.”

  Alex looked down at his feet. “Do you think you could ask her?” he said shyly. “She’s coming up the path now.”

  “Of course,” said Cassie. She opened the kitchen door. “Roxy, we’re going to walk Comet before we go to the movie. Want to come?”

  “I’d love to!” Roxy replied.

  Ten minutes later, Cassie, Alex, Roxy, and Comet wandered down to the beach. They waved to Bert and his donkeys, and Cassie called hello to Bert’s son at the cotton candy booth.

  Down at the pier, Roxy stopped. “Look! An ice cream stand,” she said. “I’ll buy you both an ice cream, as a thank-you for being so friendly.”

  “You don’t need to do that!” said Cassie.

  Roxy hesitated for a moment. “You do like me, don’t you?” she asked quietly. “It’s not just because I’m a movie star?”

  Cassie looked at Alex with wide eyes, then said, “Are you kidding? We like you a lot! Not superstar Roxy, but our new friend Roxy. And we would definitely like some ice cream!”

  Roxy grinned. “Will you go up and get them, Cassie?” she asked, handing Cassie some money.

  Cassie looked at her, surprised.

  “I might be recognized,” Roxy explained, “and it’s so nice just hanging out with you two.”

  “Okay,” said Cassie. She hadn’t thought of that!

  While Cassie joined the ice cream line, Roxy waited with Alex and Comet. But when Comet barked excitedly, the ice cream man looked over at them.

  “Hey!” he said. “You’re Roxy Gold!” He called over to the woman in the burger van. “Look, Janice! It’s Roxy Gold!”

  Soon, Roxy was surrounded by people taking photos with their cell phones and asking for autographs.

  Cassie felt sorry for her! Imagine getting all that attention, when Roxy just wanted to be a normal girl. She moved to Roxy’s side. “Let’s go down Main Street,” she whispered. “Then we’ll head for Whimsy Woods.”

  Alex carried Comet along Main Street, so he wouldn’t accidentally trip people on the narrow sidewalks. They passed the Fairy Cupcake Bakery, and Cassie laughed when Kate’s mom stared, openmouthed, at Roxy through the window!

  A little crowd had followed them, and more people joined along the way. They were all so excited to see a famous movie star.

  Cassie showed Roxy the Flashley Manor Hotel, with its grand entrance and gold sign. “It’s run by the parents of a girl I know, Donna Fox,” she said. “As Donna’s always saying, it’s the fanciest hotel in town.”

  Suddenly, Cassie was jostled from behind and she stumbled. There were an awful lot of people following them now!

  Roxy had a brave smile on her face, b
ut the crowd was still growing.

  A man with a large camera called, “Smile, Roxy!”

  Cassie desperately tried to think how to help Roxy. If she used the flying charm, everyone would see. Talking to animals was no use. None of her charms were quite right. Maybe the cupcake charm could help — but how?

  She stopped suddenly as Donna Fox appeared in front of her, scowling and crossing her arms.

  “Got a new friend?” Donna asked Cassie. “Don’t you know that superstars are supposed to stay at our hotel?”

  Before Cassie could reply, a little girl ran toward them, waving a pen and notebook. But Roxy was signing an autograph and didn’t notice.

  The girl tugged at Roxy’s sleeve. “Please, can I —” she began.

  But she pulled so hard that Roxy tripped, and her foot slipped off the edge of the sidewalk. She fell right into the road.

  “Ow!” she cried. “My knee!”

  Quickly, Cassie and Alex helped Roxy to her feet.

  Cassie was horrified. Her friend’s leg was scraped and bleeding, and her face was white.

  Poor Roxy!

  “I’m sorry,” the little girl whispered.

  Roxy patted her shoulder. “It’s okay, I’m fine,” she said gently, but Cassie could see that her eyes were swimming with tears.

  I have to find someplace quiet, Cassie thought. She guided Roxy toward the nearest store. Curtains covered the window and door, and a sign out front said Grand Opening Tomorrow. Even though the store seemed to be closed, Cassie could hear someone moving inside. She knocked.

  A woman with spiky pink hair opened the door. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Please,” said Cassie, “our friend scraped her knee. She just needs to sit quietly for a minute. Can we come in?”

  “Of course,” said the woman. She ushered them inside and closed the door firmly. “My name’s Kara.”

  Cassie ducked below a broom that hung from the ceiling. That looks like a witch’s broomstick, she thought.

  “I’m Cassie,” she said. She gestured to her friends. “This is Alex, and this is . . .” Her voice trailed off. She knew that Roxy didn’t want anyone else fussing over her.

  “Don’t worry,” Kara said. “I recognize you, of course, Roxy, but I promise you'll have peace and quiet while you’re here.” She looked at Roxy’s knee. “And a bandage, too! I’ll go get one for you.”

  “Thank you, Kara,” said Roxy. She managed a brave smile, then burst into tears.

  Cassie shifted a heap of clothing from a chair so Roxy could sit down. Before long, Kara returned with her first-aid box and began to clean Roxy’s scraped knee.

  “All I want is a quiet vacation,” Roxy sobbed, “but wherever I go, there are always huge crowds. I can’t be just me.”

  Cassie hugged her, finding it hard to believe that a famous movie star was crying on her shoulder.

  “Oh, Cassie,” Roxy sighed. “I wish I could go around unnoticed, just for one day. . . .”

  Cassie froze, then looked at Alex. His eyes were wide.

  Roxy made a wish! she thought. I have to help make it come true. But how? She touched her new cupcake charm, thinking. I must be able to use this somehow. But what power does it have?

  Just then, Comet jumped up next to Roxy, gazing at her and giving her arm a sympathetic lick. On the chair beneath him Cassie noticed something that looked like a sparkly silver mermaid’s tail.

  A mermaid’s tail? That’s strange, she thought, looking around the shop for the first time.

  Racks of clothes stood against the walls. There was a cowboy outfit, a ballerina’s tutu, a scarecrow costume, and an astronaut’s space suit — and lots more. She glanced down at the clothes she’d moved from the chair.

  “A Captain Hook outfit!” she said. “And Peter Pan’s hat . . . a giant rabbit suit . . .” She picked up something bright green and frizzy. “And a witch’s wig!”

  Kara smiled. “I’m opening a costume shop,” she said. “These are costumes people will really notice!”

  If Kara makes outfits that people notice, Cassie thought, maybe I could make a costume that does the opposite — one that nobody notices at all.

  “Kara,” she said, “could we please borrow some things? Just for the afternoon?”

  Everyone looked confused.

  “It’s to help Roxy,” Cassie added.

  “Oh! Of course,” said Kara, realizing what Cassie was planning.

  Cassie looked through the racks of clothes and found a pair of baggy pants and a shirt decorated with palm trees. “Roxy, put these on.”

  “But . . .” Roxy began.

  “If you wear a disguise, people won’t recognize you,” Cassie explained, passing her a pair of sandals. “It'll be like you’re invisible.”

  Alex fished around in a box. “Try these, too,” he said, passing Roxy some sunglasses. “We met a singer named Jacey Day, and she used dark glasses when she didn’t want to be recognized.”

  Roxy closed the curtain on the doorway of the changing room. When she reappeared in her new clothes, she did a twirl. “How do I look?” she asked, adjusting the sunglasses.

  “Just a sec!” said Cassie, darting to the other side of the room.

  She hunted through a cardboard box and pulled out a baseball hat. She put it on Roxy’s head and tucked her long black hair inside.

  “There!” Cassie said. “Now everyone will think you’re just a tourist visiting the ocean for the day.”

  Alex laughed. “You look more like my cousin Suzie than Roxy Gold, movie star!”

  Kara clapped her hands. “Amazing!” she said. “Look in the mirror.”

  Roxy smiled when she saw her reflection. “That’s perfect!” she said. “Thank you, everyone. Let’s try it out!”

  Kara led them out of the back of the store and opened a door that led onto a side street. “All quiet,” she said.

  Roxy hugged Kara and said, “You’ve been so nice. Thanks for everything.”

  “We’ll bring the clothes back tomorrow, Kara,” said Cassie. “And we’d love to help with the grand opening — with Roxy in disguise, of course!”

  Roxy held up crossed fingers. “Let’s hope this works!”

  Cassie crossed her fingers, too, wondering, Will Roxy’s disguise be enough to make her wish come true?

  As the friends approached Whimsy Woods, they joined groups of people. Everyone was heading along the path toward the outdoor movie theater.

  “No one’s recognized you so far,” Cassie whispered.

  “I know!” Roxy said happily, pushing the sunglasses farther up the bridge of her nose.

  Just before the clearing was a chestnut tree with low branches. Cassie followed the other people as they ducked under. Roxy was next, then Alex.

  Suddenly, Cassie heard Roxy cry out, “Oh, no!”

  She turned around and saw that Roxy’s hat had snagged on a tree branch, letting her black hair tumble free. As Cassie and Alex rushed to help Roxy put the hat back on, her sunglasses slipped off.

  “Look!” cried a girl nearby. “It’s Roxy Gold!”

  “Hey, Roxy!” the girl’s friend called. “Can I have your autograph?”

  “Me, too!” said a woman.

  Roxy sighed, taking the pen and paper and giving a little smile.

  “I’m sorry,” Cassie said miserably.

  “It’s not your fault,” said Roxy. She signed her name for the girls, and then for the woman. But now a line was forming behind them. Everyone wanted Roxy’s autograph!

  “Oh, if only I was invisible,” Roxy mumbled quietly.

  Cassie’s bracelet jangled, reminding her of something Stella had said. What was it? Not everybody enjoys being in the spotlight. . . .

  Hmm, she thought. Ro
xy’s so famous, it seems like she’s always in the spotlight. But she doesn’t want people to see her. . . .

  Suddenly, Cassie took Alex’s arm and led him away from the crowd. Comet bounded after them.

  “I think I know what kind of magic my cupcake charm gives me,” Cassie said. “I think it has the power to make me invisible!”

  “Really?” he said, raising his eyebrows. “Then you could make Roxy invisible!”

  Cassie shook her head. “No. That would give away my secret. You’re the only other person to know about it, and that’s the way it has to stay.”

  “Why don’t you experiment with the charm?” Alex suggested.

  “Good idea,” said Cassie.

  They squeezed back through the crowd. Roxy was still signing autographs and posing for pictures, but her smile didn’t make her eyes sparkle. She clearly wasn’t having fun. I need to do something fast, Cassie thought.

  “Roxy, would you watch Comet for a minute, please?” Cassie asked. “We'll be back soon.”

  “Sure,” said Roxy, taking Comet’s leash and giving the little puppy a cuddle. “It’s a shame you can’t sign your paw print, Comet.”

  Cassie led Alex behind an enormous oak tree. It had a thick trunk and lots of branches that hid them from sight. She gripped his hand and concentrated on her butterfly charm. Instantly, everyone and everything around them was still and silent. Cassie peered around the tree at Roxy, who was frozen to the spot with a pen in her hand. Comet sat nearby on his hind legs, trying to lick her. The crowd around them was frozen to the spot, too.

  “You stopped time!” Alex said excitedly.

  Cassie nodded. “Now we have time to try out my new charm,” she said.

  Cassie let go of Alex’s hand and concentrated on her cupcake charm. Silvery sparkles swirled around it. They danced in the air, then drifted to her fingertips and along her arm.