Gemma and the Ultimate Standoff

by Ahmet Zappa

  “We have to fix this,” said Leona. “There must be a way.” She paused. “Have you discovered what your special talent is?” she asked.

  “No,” said Gemma, lifting her head.

  “Think, Gemma, think,” said Leona. “We need to reverse this somehow.”

  Gemma buried her face in her hands. This was the twelfth and final mission. The last chance to collect enough wish energy to save Starland. And she had ruined things for everyone.

  “I only collected bad energy!” she cried. “How bad is this for Starland?”

  “It’s pretty bad,” said Leona. “While you were away, the wish energy scientists released some more information. It turns out that if the wish energy balance on Starland is shifted toward the negative, there won’t be energy to do anything. No Starcars, no Star-Zaps, no lights. But that’s not the worst of it. The worst thing is that as the negative overtakes the positive, everyone on Starland will lose their joy and become sad and mean. We won’t be able to grant wishes anymore, so the Wishers will lose their joy, too.”

  Gemma shivered. “Maybe I’ll just have to stay here. Keep the negative energy here with me.”

  “Maybe,” said Leona. “But I’m not even sure it works that way.”

  Gemma thought about the possibility of never seeing her parents again and felt like her heart would break. She supposed she’d possibly be able to see her sister and the other Star Darlings if there continued to be missions. That was the one ray of starshine in a bleak future.

  “There you are!” someone shouted. “You have to help me!”

  Gemma lifted her head again. Zoe rushed up to them, her wig askew.

  “What was I thinking?” she cried. “I made a huge mistake. I got so caught up in impressing Maddie and Kaila that I ruined the most important friendship I’ve ever had.”

  She sank down onto a nearby bench and thrust her hands into her luxurious blond wig. “Can you help me? Please?” Zoe looked quizzically at Leona and back to Gemma.

  “This is my friend Leona,” Gemma hurriedly explained. “We really want to help you,” she added fervently.

  “Hi,” said Leona. “You really were a bad friend to Cici.”

  Zoe couldn’t make eye contact with either of them. “I know,” she whispered.

  “What happened to your new friends?” asked Leona.

  “It didn’t last too long,” said Zoe with a wry smirk. “Right afterwards, I just felt awful about what I had done. Then Maddie and Kaila came over with all their friends and they started laughing at Cici and saying that she really was a nerd, and I thought to myself, ‘Oh, yeah? Well, I am, too! And we nerds have way more fun than people like you, who just stand around making fun of people. You’re so afraid of looking stupid that you never do anything!’ And then I realized everyone was staring at me, because I had said it out loud.”

  Leona sat next to Zoe and grabbed her hands. “You have to realize that you made a selfish wish followed by a bad choice. And here’s the thing—our wishes and our choices tell the world who we really are. So you’ve got to choose and wish wisely.”

  Zoe sniffed. “I know that now,” she said. “And I’ll never forget it. I learned it the hardest way of all.”

  She ripped the wig off her head and threw it to the ground.

  Gemma blew out her breath sharply. “Poor you. Poor us.”

  Leona pulled Gemma to the side. She put her hand to her forehead. “Poor Cici,” she said, pointing to the girl, who was standing alone in the crowd. Cici’s exaggerated nerd costume made her look even sadder. Leona laughed bitterly. “She looks like she just lost her best friend.”

  “Thanks to me,” said Gemma, her voice despondent. A ruined friendship, a missed chance to collect positive energy, and a Wish Pendant full of negative wish energy. Could things be any worse? This was a very grim future, indeed.

  Suddenly, she remembered the words she had heard in the hallway back on Starland: While looking to the future, you must not forget the past. She said the words out loud, softly, and a jolt of energy went through her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the past.

  When she opened her eyes, she watched in disbelief as Leona put her hand to her forehead again. “Poor Cici,” she said again, pointing to the girl. She laughed bitterly. “She looks like she just lost her best friend.” Again.

  Gemma grinned.

  Leona gave Gemma a funny look as a realization hit. “Wait a minute! Did you just…?”

  “I did!” Gemma crowed. “My talent must be to turn back time! Oh, my stars, we just might be able to fix this after all!”

  This time Gemma managed not to get separated from Zoe and Cici after the parade. She followed Zoe as she walked to the park bench where she had stashed her backpack. Stuffed inside was the supermodel costume that Gemma now knew Maddie and Kaila had handed her in the bowling alley the night before. Gemma grabbed the bag from Zoe’s hand. “Don’t do it,” she said. “Embrace the nerd!”

  Zoe looked as though she’d been caught red-handed. “But how did you…?”

  Gemma smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Just know that you’re better than this.”

  “But…” Zoe looked over at Maddie and Kaila, who stood in front of the stage with a group of friends, laughing and joking.

  “You have a choice to make,” said Gemma. “True friendship or popularity.”

  “Leave me alone!” said Zoe. She slung the bag over her shoulder and stalked off.

  Gemma chewed her lip as she watched her disappear into the crowd. Which choice would Zoe make?

  “So what happened?” asked Leona when Gemma joined her.

  “I don’t know,” said Gemma. “I guess we’ll know soon enough.”

  So Gemma and Leona watched as Cici walked onstage alone. “And what is your costume?” the announcer asked.

  Cici blinked at him. “I’m waiting for a friend,” she said. “If you could just give me one more minute, I’m sure that she’ll be here.”

  Just then there was a commotion that sounded like someone pushing her way toward the stage. Gemma held her breath as she waited for the person to appear. It was Zoe.

  The announcer asked, once again, “And what is your costume?”

  And Zoe said, “We’re nerds. Me and my best friend, Cici, are nerds.”

  Gemma felt as light as air. It didn’t hurt that she was zipping through the heavens—not a meteorite in sight—on her way back to Starland. She was bringing back positive wish energy in her Wish Pendant. But she had collected an awful lot of negative wish energy, too. Would the positive energy win out over the negative? She didn’t know. Despite her worry, she smiled as she recalled how Maddie and Kaila had thrown up their hands in disgust when Zoe showed up onstage in her nerd outfit, signaling to them that she had made a choice—true friendship over popularity. That had felt awfully good.

  Gemma landed right behind the dorms and headed inside. The halls were completely empty and her footfalls echoed. Through a window she saw a fourth-year Starling Academy student passing by. She ran to the door, pushed it open, and followed her. “Hey! Where is everyone?” she called.

  “Where have you been?” asked the girl. “It’s Starshine Day! Everyone is in the Star Quad. It’s almost time for the Battle of the Bands. You don’t want to miss that!”

  It was already Starshine Day! Gemma’s stomach did a flip. Talk about cutting it close. She couldn’t wait to tell Lady Cordial that it looked like her premonition just might be correct. That everything might turn out exactly the way it was supposed to. That her mission would turn the tide for Starland and return it to the way it was meant to be.

  Lady Cordial had predicted that this would happen just in time for Starshine Day. And here it was, really happening.

  Gemma took a deep breath, smoothed back her hair, and headed to the Star Quad.

  When Gemma reached the quad, she could see the briteflower garlands draped from pillar to pillar, shining beautifully, and she felt a little swell of pride in her handiwork. There
was a glimmerbounce house, bumper Starcars, even a mini starcoaster. The smell of grilled garble greens filled the air, and Starlings were walking around, laughing and chatting. It was as if everyone had forgotten about the shortage and they were just allowing themselves to relax and enjoy the day. And maybe that was the point.

  Gemma heard Lady Cordial’s voice over the loudspeaker. “Introducing S-s-s-starlight S-s-s-starbright, the first contestant in S-s-s-starling Academy’s Battle of the Bands!” she announced. The crowd roared.

  The quad was packed with Starlings, so Gemma took the long way around, past the hedge maze. As she passed the entrance to the hedge maze, she heard a sound. Psst! Psst!

  Whoa! The next thing she knew, someone had grabbed her arm and she was being yanked backward into the maze. She spun around. “What in the stars!” she exclaimed. Vega stood there, looking grim.

  “What’s going on? Did you find Lady Stella yet?” Gemma asked.

  But Vega just spun on her heel and started walking quickly into the maze. Not wanting to be left behind, Gemma raced after her. “Vega! Say something! What in the stars in going on?”

  “Just follow me,” Vega hissed. In only a couple of turns, they were in the center of the maze. It would have taken Gemma forever if she had been by herself.

  There, facing her, were all the Star Darlings, including Leona. Then they all took a step forward. And there, in all her regal beauty, was Lady Stella.

  Without a word, Gemma ran toward her, throwing her arms around the headmistress. “Oh, Lady Stella, Lady Stella.” It was all she could say.

  The headmistress stroked Gemma’s hair gently. “Oh, Gemma, I hope your mission wasn’t too overwhelming,” she said. “I heard it was a difficult one.”

  Gemma felt like she might burst into tears if she said a word. She took a step backward. She noticed that another adult stood nearby, her arms around Sage. They looked so much alike, right down to their pointy elfin chins. “Indirra!” said Gemma.

  Indirra smiled gently. “It’s so good to be here,” she said.

  “Tell her the story!” said Sage eagerly. “But quickly! We’re due onstage soon, so there isn’t much time!”

  “Cassie, you figured it out. You tell the story,” said Lady Stella.

  Cassie smiled at Lady Stella gratefully. “Well, Sage and I were really getting worried. Neither Lady Stella nor Indirra was anywhere to be found. We called all the Star Darlings together but no one had any idea what to do, and everyone was getting really frustrated. Then Itty started singing. I scooped her up and tried shushing her, but she just wouldn’t stop. I was about to put her in the closet when I stopped and listened to the words. She was singing the ‘Song of Secrets’! And the song told the story of two beautiful women who were trapped in a cave at the base of the Crystal Mountains against their will! We were hoping against hope that it was Lady Stella and Indirra. But we weren’t sure. Then we realized that the song rhymed ‘star-protection suits’ with ‘forbidden fruits’ and ‘shovel’ with ‘on the double.’ We grabbed those things and took off immediately, a little scared at what we might find.”

  Cassie paused to take a breath and Adora took up the story next. “When we got to the foothills of the mountains, we found a cave entrance blocked off by the hugest pile of the most beautiful crystal shards. But as soon as we got close, we all started bickering and feeling extremely tired and angry. They were clearly infused with negative energy! So we put on the suits and started digging. We dug and dug, and after what felt like forever, we finally reached the entrance. And there stood Lady Stella and Indirra!”

  Lady Stella smiled at the girls. “You have no idea how happy we were to see you. I explained that when I was confronted”—here she placed a hand on Cassie’s shoulder reassuringly—“I realized that someone had to be framing me. I panicked and disappeared in a flash and headed to the Crystal Caves. I contacted Indirra to meet me there so we could come up with a plan together. But as soon as we stepped inside the cave, disaster struck. There was a huge avalanche and we were trapped. My Star-Zap had gotten crushed in the avalanche and Indirra’s wouldn’t work. The negative energy was making us weaker and weaker. We were beginning to despair of ever escaping. Then, as we were drifting off to sleep one night, we heard the familiar ‘Song of Comfort.’ That’s when we realized we shared the cave with a gaggle of glowfurs! Quickly we made up a song and taught it to them, knowing they would pass it on to every other glowfur they met, as is their tradition. I just hoped it would get to Itty quickly.”

  Gemma had to interrupt. “So you knew about Cassie’s secret pet?”

  Lady Stella just gave her a look and Gemma blushed. Of course the headmistress had known. She knew everything about her students. That was the kind of headmistress she was.

  Sage’s mother spoke next. “And then we waited. And then the Star Darlings came!”

  “And we started talking and I discovered that my mom has known Lady Stella for a long time. She used to take me to campus when I was little, to hone my wish energy manipulation skills!” Sage said.

  “They were off the charts,” Indirra said proudly. “Even when she was a wee Starling.”

  “And that’s why Mojo liked me so much!” Sage said. “He must have somehow remembered me from long ago!”

  Leona stepped forward. “But why didn’t you tell us you were working together? That we were the twelve Star-Charmed Starlings?” she asked.

  “We didn’t want to overwhelm you,” explained Lady Stella. “We thought the pressure would be too much. We realize now we should have told you right away the true nature of your missions. I can promise you this, Star Darlings: there will be no more secrets going forward.”

  “We thought that once the twelfth Star Darling went on her mission the shortage could possibly be reversed,” Indirra said. “And now you have returned, Gemma. Soon we will discover if the theory is true.”

  Lady Stella reached into her pocket and pulled out a small solar-metal instrument. “This is the Wish Energy Meter. Right now it is exactly in the middle, right between positive energy and negative energy. Your mission should determine which way it will tilt.”

  “So, Gemma, how was your mission?” Indirra asked eagerly.

  Gemma looked down at the ground. “It was terrible. Something went wrong and I collected negative wish energy.”

  Everyone gasped.

  “But then she turned it around and collected positive energy, too!” Leona hastily offered.

  Though Lady Stella looked calm, Gemma could tell she was worried. Very worried. “We’ll see how things go. Stars crossed, my Starlings. Stars crossed.”

  Leona looked down at her Star-Zap. “Oh, starf, Lady Cordial is freaking out. The Star Darlings are up next!”

  “Everyone, stay calm,” Lady Stella commanded. She pulled her hood up over her head. Indirra did the same. “The saboteur could be out there,” Lady Stella said. “We can’t take any chances. We need to get that orb!”

  A shiver ran down Gemma’s spine. The twelfth orb. The final mission.

  Had she succeeded—or had she failed?

  The Star Darlings stood in the wings—five ready to perform, seven there for emotional support—waiting nervously as Vivica’s band finished its set. Leona had a grim look on her face, and Gemma wondered if it had the tiniest bit to do with the fact that the band actually sounded pretty good. A huge roar went up when they were done. The crowd apparently loved Vivica and the Visionaries.

  When the crowd quieted down, Lady Cordial began to speak. “And now, introducing our final contestants—S-s-s-scarlet on drums, S-s-s-sage on lead guitar, Libby on keytar, Vega on bass guitar, and Leona on lead vocals. S-s-s-starlings, I introduce you to the S-s-s-star Darlings!”

  The girls ran out to polite applause.

  Astra peeked out at the crowd and gasped. “Oh, my stars! Leebeau is here! I don’t think he has any idea what he is getting himself into. Who knows how tonight will end?”

  Despite her nervousness, Gemma took a pe
ek. When her eyes fell on the boy, she could understand Astra’s interest. Leebeau, with his dark skin and shock of blond hair (not to mention his excellent bone structure), was stellarly cute.

  Lady Cordial stepped offstage and smiled and nodded as she walked by the girls. A shiver—of either excitement or dread; she couldn’t be sure which—ran down Gemma’s spine.

  The band began to play. The crowd was quiet at first, but as the music grew louder and faster, they began to get into it, dancing and cheering.

  Each band got to play three songs. After playing “Together” and “Star-Crossed,” the Star Darlings launched into “Wish Upon a Star,” which turned out to be a real crowd-pleaser. When the girls were done, they took a bow. The crowd roared.

  Lady Cordial scurried back onstage, clapping her hands. “Star salutations, Star Darlings, on a job well done,” she cried. She shielded her eyes with her hand as she scanned the wings. “And now I will call all of the Star Darlings onstage. Come on, girls, don’t be shy!”

  Gemma started. What was Lady Cordial doing? The Starling Academy students only knew about Star Darlings the band. She wasn’t the only one who was confused: the band members stood there, still holding their instruments, looking at each other.

  “Yes, all of you,” said Lady Cordial. “Gemma, Adora, Astra, Cassie, Piper, Clover, and Tessa, please come join us onstage.”

  Not sure what else to do, the rest of the girls walked out and stood blinking in front of the crowd. Lady Cordial smiled at them. “Before we name the winner of the Battle of the Bands, I have an announcement to make. Here before you stand the real Star Darlings. I don’t mean the band. I am talking about twelve of your peers who were secretly hand-selected as the best of the best of Starling Academy. And believe it or not, these brave girls have all secretly gone down to Wishworld on missions to collect wish energy to help stop the shortage that has befallen Starland.”

  There was a loud gasp as the students took in this shocking news.

  Gemma glanced at her sister, who looked as puzzled as she felt. Why was Lady Cordial doing this? Tessa reached over and grabbed Gemma’s hand, which made Gemma feel a tiny bit better. Gemma stared at Lady Cordial. She suddenly realized something: Lady Cordial hadn’t stuttered a single syllable since she had revealed the Star Darlings. And something else was different. Was it possible that Lady Cordial looked taller than usual?