Gemma and the Ultimate Standoff

by Ahmet Zappa

  “S-s-s-star greetings, s-s-s-students,” she said softly into the microphone. The students continued to talk. She raised her voice and tried again. “S-s-s-star greetings, s-s-s-students,” she repeated, and the crowd began to quiet down. “As you all know, S-s-s-starland is in a bit of an energy crisis. Belts have been tightened and we are now doing all we can to help conserve energy on campus. And don’t think I haven’t noticed the s-s-s-sacrifices that you have all made! You deserve to be commended! S-s-s-so with Lady S-s-s-stella s-s-s-still temporarily away, I have made the executive decision to keep S-s-s-starshine Day on the calendar, which, as you know, is coming up s-s-s-soon. This is an important celebration for us all and I am counting on all of you to pitch in to make this a resounding s-s-s-success. It will boost morale and foster feelings of hope and camaraderie among s-s-s-students and faculty alike.”

  The Star Darlings glanced at one another. Was she serious? Starshine Day was still going to happen despite all the uncertainty?

  “The S-s-s-starshine Day committee has been hard at work, but now we must ask for your help to make this day go off without a hitch. In a few s-s-s-starsecs you will each receive an assignment on your S-s-s-star-Zaps.”

  Gemma’s Star-Zap vibrated and she looked down. The screen read DECORATING COMMITTEE. She glanced over Tessa’s shoulder. FOOD COMMITTEE. Figured. Astra was on the games committee, and Leona was entertainment. The other girls were assigned to hospitality, science fair, prizes, sports, animals, light shows, art fair, costumes, and the parade. Oddly, none of the Star Darlings were on the same committee.

  “Are there any questions?” Lady Cordial asked after the general post-assignment hubbub died down.

  Several arms shot up, including Sage’s and Astra’s. But Lady Cordial didn’t notice. She squinted at the crowd and said, “Okay then, let’s go s-s-s-straight to the entertainment! As you know, we will be having an exciting Battle of the Bands competition on S-s-s-starshine Day, with a gift certificate from Musical Madness for the winners! Today we have a s-s-s-special treat. Competitors Vivica and the Visionaries are going to give you a preview of their s-s-s-spectacular s-s-s-sound!”

  The crowd clapped politely as Vivica and her bandmates ran onstage. They were all in sparkly outfits that matched their auras, and Gemma had to admit that Vivica’s light blue outfit, which looked like it was made of moonbeams, was positively stellar. As the drummer, keyboardist, and guitarist got into position, Vivica raised the mic to her lips. “Hey, everyone, I’m Vivica,” she said, pointing to herself, “and these”—she pointed to her band—“are the Visionaries. And we’re here to get you pumped for Starshine Day. We’re gonna rock your starsocks off! The song we’re going to sing is the brand-new anthem ‘Starshine Day Is Coming.’ It’s a song written and composed by our very own headmistress, Lady Cordial. It’s a great song that I am sure you will enjoy, and…”

  As Vivica went on (and on), Leona turned to Gemma and placed something in her hand. Gemma looked down and blinked at the star-shaped orange devices. “Ear shields?” she said. “Really, Leona?”

  Leona grinned. “I ran into Vivica onstage when I went up to check out the drum kit. She was so rude and called us embarrassing amateurs! Of all the nerve! So I ran off to the star emporium to pick up twelve pairs.” She gave Gemma a pleading look. “Come on, put them on. It’s just a little joke!”

  Gemma bit her lip. “I don’t know,” she said. “Aren’t we supposed to rise above others’ petty behavior?”

  Leona did not look at all convinced, so Gemma tried another tactic. “Don’t you want to hear what the competition sounds like?” she asked.

  “Nope,” said Leona. “I’ve heard them play one too many times already.”

  “Maybe I want to hear them,” said Gemma.

  “Come on,” begged Leona. “Humor me!”

  “Fine,” said Gemma with a sigh. She held them tightly in her hand as she watched Leona hand out the ear shields to rest of the Star Darlings. Some questioned her, but most of the girls just shrugged and placed them over their ears. Donning ear shields at a performance was an aggressive move, especially when your rival was onstage.

  Gemma held off, curious to hear a bit of the music before sealing up her ears. Vivica turned to the band and said, “A-one, a-two, a-one, two, three…” and the Visionaries burst into song:

  Starshine Day is coming

  Time to celebrate

  Starshine Day is coming

  Hurry, don’t be late

  Not too bad, actually, thought Gemma. The tune was bright and bouncy, and Vivica, surprisingly, had a clear, sweet voice. Gemma suddenly felt startacularly excited about Starshine Day and started clapping along to the music. But after a sharp elbow to the ribs and a look of disapproval from Leona, she reluctantly fastened the ear shields over her ears. She was immediately engulfed in silence. It was a strange experience, almost like being underwater. She could see girls in the audience mouthing the lyrics, dancing, and jumping up and down. But because she couldn’t hear anything at all, she felt like she was watching everything from a distance. The crowd had certainly perked up. She looked all around her. They really appeared to be enjoying the music. One girl even looked like she was about to cry with joy!

  Leona, standing next to Gemma, jostled her arm. Gemma glanced over and saw Leona remove something from her pocket. She took a closer look. It was black and misshapen, but Leona cradled it in her hand quite lovingly. Suddenly, Gemma realized what it was—Leona’s ruined Wish Pendant, a cuff bracelet, once gleaming and golden. Poor Leona! Gemma felt very sad for her friend and her dashed dreams. Leona would never get a Wish Blossom or a Power Crystal. The ruined accessory was a reminder of that. If Gemma were Leona, she’d just throw it away. Who needed a token of one’s failure?

  Gemma realized that Vivica and the Visionaries had finished playing as they took a bow and exited the stage. She removed her ear shields and put them in her pocket. The crowd wasn’t moving, apparently hoping that the band would come back and sing some more. They lingered for quite a while. When it was clear that the band wouldn’t be playing another song, the crowd reluctantly began to disperse.

  Leona smiled at the other Star Darlings. “Star salutations for humoring me,” she said. Scarlet gave her a look that Gemma could only translate to “I can’t believe you asked us to do that” and possibly “I’m shocked that we all agreed,” and Leona rolled her warm golden eyes back at her roommate. “And yes, Scarlet, I do know that I was being childish.”

  Gemma shrugged. It was no big deal. “You’re welcome,” she said. She was about to say more when she spotted Lolo, a girl who had a turquoise aura and was in her lighterature class, passing by. Gemma reached out an arm and stopped her. The girl blinked at her sleepily, as if she had just woken up.

  “Hey, Lolo,” Gemma said. “I was wondering if I could borrow your notes from yesterday’s class. I can’t find mine anywhere. It’s like they disappeared.”

  Lolo smiled at Gemma as if she hadn’t heard a word she had said. “What a startastic song,” she said. “I’m so excited that Starshine Day is coming.”

  Gemma frowned. “But don’t you think it’s weird that we’re still celebrating Starshine Day even though we’re in the middle of an energy shortage?”

  The girl looked back at her blankly. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not at all. Starshine Day is coming.”

  A girl with bright pink curls springing out from under a knit cap stopped in her tracks. “Oh, yes,” she gushed. “Starshine Day is going to be startacular!”

  Passing girls began saying, “Starshine Day! Starshine Day!” until, to Gemma’s starprise, it became a chant. Gemma turned to the rest of the Star Darlings, who still stood in front of the stage in a tight little group.

  Clover’s piercing purple eyes flashed. “Did you know that Starshine Day is coming?” she said sarcastically.

  “So I’ve heard,” said Gemma. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re waiting for Lady Cordial,” an
swered Clover. “We’re going to tell her the news about Lady Stella.”

  “Startastic. That’ll put an end to all this Starshine Day silliness,” Gemma said.

  Clover nodded in agreement.

  Just then Lady Cordial emerged from backstage, flanked by two Bot-Bots. She stepped off the stage and hurried past the Star Darlings, so focused on her Star-Zap that she appeared not to notice them.

  “Lady Cordial!” called Astra. The headmistress turned and stopped.

  “Hold it right there,” said one of the Bot-Bots.

  “At ease, RE-D7,” said Lady Cordial. “You may proceed, girls.”

  Sage opened her mouth to speak, but Leona burst out with “Vivica and the Visionaries? Really?”

  “Leona!” said Scarlet warningly.

  Lady Cordial’s eyes glittered and Gemma was afraid for a moment that Leona had angered her. But then her expression changed. “S-s-s-star apologies,” she said. “But Vivica begged for a chance to practice in front of a crowd. It was thoughtless of me. Thoughtless.”

  Leona made a face and folded her arms tightly across her chest. “Fine,” she said, though Gemma could tell she was still steaming. “We’ll beat them fair and square. You’ll see,” she said, her words clipped.

  “Is that all, girls?” asked Lady Cordial. “There’s s-s-s-so much to do to get ready!”

  “Actually, we have some great news to tell you,” Gemma said.

  “Great news!” echoed Libby.

  “The very best!” said Cassie.

  Sage and Astra both opened their mouths to speak, but Gemma felt like she was going to burst if she didn’t say something. “We’re pretty certain that Lady Stella is not the culprit!” she blurted.

  Lady Cordial looked shocked. Then her expression grew soft with sadness. “Oh, you poor, poor girls,” she said. “This is a very difficult s-s-s-situation for you. You’re quite clearly in denial about Lady S-s-s-stella’s involvement. Completely understandable.”

  Sage pushed forward. “Actually, we’re almost a hydrong percent sure of it. We recently discovered that Lady Stella has been consulting with my mother,” she explained. “You know, Indirra, the top wish energy scientist? So Lady Stella is clearly working with her on a solution to the shortage. She’s not the one sabotaging us.”

  “Well, how do you explain that all the terrible things s-s-s-stopped as s-s-s-soon as she disappeared?” Lady Cordial asked.

  “We’re convinced it was a coincidence,” said Cassie. “Or maybe the real saboteur stopped as soon as Lady Stella disappeared to make her look guilty.”

  Lady Cordial considered this. “I guess that’s possible….”

  Gemma piped up. “It’s such a relief to know she’s on our side,” she said. “We were all so worried!”

  Lady Cordial opened her mouth to speak, then shut it just as quickly. She took a deep breath and appeared to be thinking. “Of course. How wonderful to hear this news. Did you also find out if she’ll be returning s-s-s-soon?” she asked eagerly.

  The Star Darlings’ faces fell. “We…um…thought that you might be able to help us with that,” Gemma explained. “We can’t seem to find her.”

  Lady Cordial shook her head. “I’m s-s-s-sorry, girls,” she said, “but I have no idea where she could be.” She smiled at them. “Well, keep me posted,” she said. “This is exciting news indeed!”

  “So will we postpone Starshine Day?” Gemma asked.

  Lady Cordial looked at her as if she had two auras. “Postpone S-s-s-starshine Day?” she said, her eyes wide. “On the contrary! We must s-s-s-step up the preparations in honor of Lady S-s-s-stella’s return. This c-c-celebration is even more important than ever!”

  Starshine Day, Starshine Day. That was all anyone could talk about after Lady Cordial’s impromptu assembly. The Star Darlings were getting tired of hearing about it. Students and teachers discussed it in class. They received holo-reminders about it every starday. It was talked about in the echoing starmarble hallways of Halo Hall, at the finely set tables in the Celestial Café, and on the soft, comfortable couches in the Lightning Lounge. It seemed that everyone, except for the Star Darlings, had Starshine Day on the brain.

  It was last period on Yumday, and the Star Darlings had assembled in their secret classroom, waiting for the guest lecturer to arrive. They were hoping it would be Lady Cordial. There were so many unanswered questions: Was there anything they could do to help with the shortage? Did Lady Cordial have any further thoughts about where Lady Stella could be? Could she offer them any help in trying to figure out who the saboteur was now that Lady Stella was no longer their number one suspect? And did she have any idea when the twelfth and final Wish Orb would reveal itself?

  “I just don’t remember Starshine Day being such a big deal last year,” Adora was saying as they waited. “I mean, it’s a fun day and all, don’t get me wrong. I always have a great time and I especially enjoy the interactive science experiment exhibit. But this is a little over the stars, don’t you think?”

  “Totally,” Clover replied. “Especially since we’re in the middle of this energy shortage.” The rest of the Star Darlings nodded in agreement.

  “So what are the chances that our guest lecturer makes an appearance today?” Libby said as she twisted a strand of jellyjooble-pink hair around her finger.

  Vega perked up. Now they were speaking her language. “Oh, I’d say it’s one in—”

  “It might as well be one in ten moonium,” interrupted Scarlet in a bored voice. She was sprawled on the floor with her head leaning against the wall, tapping her big clunky boots together rhythmically. “Face it, Vega, no one’s coming. We haven’t had Star Darlings class in stardays. We keep showing up, but the guest lecturer never does. It’s like everyone forgot about us or something. I say we shouldn’t waste our time.”

  “Oooh,” said Leona. “That’s really bad. You mean, you think everyone has given up on the Star Darlings?”

  Gemma grew irritated. She didn’t like the sound of that at all.

  Piper spoke up and her voice startled Gemma. “Maybe it’s because we already know everything there is to know about being a Star Darling,” she offered. “Maybe it’s actually a star compliment!”

  “Maybe,” said Gemma. But she didn’t really believe that. “Actually, I’m worried about my Wish Orb. When will it be ready?” Maybe Lady Cordial was too distracted by her duties and responsibilities and had lost sight of the importance of the final Wish Orb. Gemma desperately wanted to be sent to Wishworld. (She didn’t want to say it out loud, but she was wondering if her Wish Mission—the twelfth and final one—could be the mission that would collect enough energy to save Starland, which she believed would fulfill the prophecy.) Then she had a scary thought and was seized with panic. Maybe Lady Cordial knew something they didn’t know. Maybe there wasn’t going to be a Wish Orb for her at all.

  “Let’s try Lady Stella again,” Cassie suggested. “We just have to keep sending messages until we reach her.”

  But the result was the same: HOLO-MESSAGE DECLINED. The looks on the girls’ faces ranged from disappointed to sullen, teary to fed up.

  Sage shook her head. “I haven’t gotten through to my mother, either, but Dad and Gran keep telling me she’s fine, not to worry. Of course, they have no idea about what’s going on with Lady Stella.”

  Gemma wished she had the right words to help take the worried look out of Sage’s lavender eyes. She was about to start trying when the bell rang for the end of class. Scarlet stood up and brushed off her black tulle skirt with hot-pink lining. She grinned wickedly and hopped up on the desk, where she perched primly. “Students, class dismissed!” she called out in a perfect imitation of Professor Lucretia Delphinus. “I hope you all enjoyed my fascinating lecture on the different types of Wish Pendant glows, though I did notice a few of you nodding off in the middle of my discussion of faintly bright versus somewhat bright, which could be considered quite rude! But perhaps you were overwhelmed by the sheer vo
lume of information I provided today. Now if someone could just help me get down from this desk…Is there a Flash Vertical Mover around here?”

  “Scarlet!” said Piper, shaking her head reproachfully. “Be nice!” But even she couldn’t help smiling. Scarlet’s imitation of the tough and tiny teacher had been starspot-on.

  “Off to our Starshine Day committees,” said Tessa with a sigh. “As usual.” All after-school clubs, meetings, and sports had been put on hold until after Starshine Day so students and faculty could fully concentrate on the preparations, per Lady Cordial’s direct orders. Her laser-sharp focus on this one event was troubling to Gemma, who wondered why Lady Cordial didn’t seem concerned about who had been sabotaging them (since Lady Stella had been cleared), the shortage, or the delinquent Wish Orb. She’d ask her all those questions if she got the chance.

  She waved to the other Star Darlings as the girls went their separate ways to their various committees and Gemma headed to her own—the decorating committee, which was made up of a group of students who were all startastically excited to have such a big part in making Starshine Day “the best it could be,” plus Gemma.

  “Star greetings, Gemma!” called a girl named Tansy. “It’s so nice to see you this starday.” Tansy had a sweet round face and a pale pink aura. Gemma smiled despite herself; the girl was so kind and gentle she deserved a warm greeting in return, no matter how grumpy Gemma might be feeling. “Star greetings, Tansy,” she said as she settled into the stargrass next to her. They had been tasked with stringing what felt like floozels of briteflower garlands, which they would hang all over campus. Gemma picked up a half-strung garland and, with a sigh, began threading the small twinkling white blossoms onto it by hand, one by one. Every task, every preparation these days took an agonizingly long time, as everything needed to be done the old-fashioned way, which was the way many things were done on Wishworld—by hand.