Astra''s Mixed-Up Mission

by Ahmet Zappa

  “Your turn,” Lady Stella said to Astra.

  And suddenly, Astra knew exactly which cup to lift. She reached over and placed her hand on top of it.

  “No!” said Leona. “Tessa already picked that one!” But Astra shook her head. She knew she was right, the same as she knew that you never, ever threw a lolopitch when the runner was on her first leg in starshoot and that you always bobbled in the final three starsecs of a tenth. She smiled at Lady Stella and lifted the cup off the table.

  “Ohhhhhh!” breathed the Star Darlings. For under the cup a brilliant orb was floating in midair, looking exactly like a miniature star ball. Astra tossed it into the air and cradled it in her hands. “It’s mine, it’s finally mine,” she said.

  “The Wish Orb has chosen,” Lady Stella pronounced. “Starkudos, Astra.”

  A blur of activity followed. Once everyone had left, congratulating Astra (though she could tell that four Star Darlings—Adora, Tessa, Gemma, and Clover—were perhaps not as pleased for her as the others, and who could blame them?), she met with Lady Stella and received her instructions, then got a briefing on shooting star travel and the trip to Wishworld, an upgrade to her Star-Zap, and a quick lesson on the Wishworld Outfit Selector.

  When she left the headmistress’s office, she let out a sigh of relief. There had been no inquiry into why she and Piper had been late, for which she was very grateful. Until she knew for sure what was going on, she didn’t want to make any accusations or show her hand. However, as she had stared into the brilliant kaleidoscope eyes of her headmistress, Astra couldn’t help wondering: Is she who she says she is? Truth be told, she was finding it almost impossible to believe that Lady Stella could be anything but a stellarly trustworthy leader, but there was still a small glimmer of doubt she couldn’t shake.

  The meeting ran late, so by the time she made it to the Celestial Café, there was just time for a quick star sandwich. She wolfed it down and headed to her room. She would leave for Wishworld early the next morning. The rest of the evening was hers.

  Astra bounded into her room to find her roommate, Clover, sitting cross-legged on her bed, playing her keyboard and jotting down lyrics. “Astra!” she said delightedly. Clearly she had gotten over her disappointment at not being chosen. Astra could see that the girl was struggling not to stand up and rush over to her. Astra was feeling generous. “That’s okay,” she said. “Get over here.” She held her arms open.

  “Sorry,” Clover said into Astra’s hair as she squeezed her tightly for a moment. She broke the hug and stood back, staring at her.

  “This is so exciting, Astra,” she said.

  Astra couldn’t contain herself. “It is!” she shouted. She hopped onto her bed and started jumping up and down.

  “No flips!” said Clover in a warning tone. “Remember what happened last time? You almost flew right out the window!”

  “All right, all right,” said Astra. She dropped to the bed and bounced a few times.

  “So let me see your Star-Zap!” said Clover excitedly. “Should we flip through some Wishworld fashions? Cassie told me that’s what she and Sage did the night before their missions.”

  Astra looked down at her clothes. She dressed sporty. Very sporty. Hair pulled back, knee-length shorts, a T-shirt, tube socks, and sneakers. “Do I look like I want to make a fashion statement?” she asked her roommate.

  Clover, who picked out her own outfits with great care, looked disappointed.

  “So what do you think the wish will be?” she asked, changing the subject.

  Astra reached her arms above her head and stretched. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m hoping it has to do with sports, or some kind of competition.”

  Clover nodded. “That would make sense,” she said. She thought for a minute. “But will it be confusing, since Wishworld sports are so different from ours?”

  Astra shrugged. “How different could they be?” she asked. “From what I’ve seen of Wishworld sports from the Wishworld Surveillance Deck, the movements are all the same—throwing, hitting, tagging, kicking, catching, flipping, leaping, jumping, tumbling, sliding, tackling. It’s just the rules that are different. That’s easy enough to figure out.”

  “I’m dying to see how the Cyber Journal works,” Clover said. “Can you make a mental observation?”

  Astra considered this and smiled. “Well, we’re only supposed to use it on Wishworld, but I guess once won’t hurt,” she said. She accessed her Cyber Journal, pushed the record button, handed Clover the Star-Zap, and made her observation.

  And before Clover’s amazed eyes appeared: Star Observation: Note to self, get new roommate.

  “Oh, Astra!” said Clover with a laugh. She threw a small star-shaped pillow at her roommate and it bounced off Astra’s head.

  “They don’t call it a throw pillow for nothing,” joked Astra.

  Clover began getting ready for bed, but Astra found she was still full of excited energy. She headed to the Radiant Recreation Center and went for a run on the startrack, which helped relax her a bit. Then she returned to her dorm room and, in the dim light so as not to wake up her already-sleeping roommate, put on pajamas, slipped on her headphones so she could absorb her lessons, and finally fell into a deep sleep. In her dreams she played strange sports with unfamiliar equipment in a vast arena, and despite her confusion, she was presented with a medal in front of a roaring crowd—which happened to include a handsome boy with indigo hair and golden-brown skin. She didn’t need Piper to interpret that dream. Clearly her subconscious was telling her that her mission was going to be a success. She just wasn’t sure why Leebeau had been there. Why was she dreaming about someone she hadn’t even known existed that morning at breakfast? That was startastically odd indeed.

  “Good-bye, Astra!”

  “Good luck!”

  “Safe star travels!”

  The Star Darlings were all clustered around Astra, getting a little too close for her personal comfort. “Back up, guys!” she said, waving them away. Still, it was nice that they were so excited for her. Piper pushed to the front and spoke softly. “I’ll keep looking for Ophelia while you’re gone,” she said. “Do you think I should ask Leona for help? I know she was worried about her.”

  “That’s a great idea,” said Astra. “See if there’s anything you two can find out.” She paused. “But don’t forget that she’s going to say one thing and do the opposite. It could get confusing.”

  “I’ll remember,” said Piper.

  Sage squeezed Astra’s hand. “Think things through, try not to draw too much attention to yourself, and be careful,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll be sending you good thoughts.”

  Astra got an unexpected lump in her throat. She and Sage could be real competitors, so that meant a lot to her. “Star salutations, Sage,” she said.

  Tessa leaned in next and gave her a hug. “Can’t argue with the Wish Orb,” she said. “This one is all yours. Good luck to you.”

  Adora was the last Star Darling to see her off. “The best of luck, Astra,” she said sincerely. “And just keep in mind that we’re here for you if you need us.”

  “Huh?” said Astra. “I mean…uh, thanks!”

  A star had been captured. The wranglers would only be able to hold on to it for so long and it was time for Astra to go. Lady Cordial handed Astra a red backpack with a star on it. Lady Stella turned to Astra. “I would wish you luck, but I don’t think you need it. You are bold and strong and full of confidence. Never lose that.” She paused. “But you must also remember that there is strength in vulnerability, as well.”

  “There is?” asked Astra.

  “There is,” Lady Stella said.

  Astra had had enough advice. She was done with good-byes. She motioned for the Star Wranglers to help her onto her star and release it, and she shot off into the ether. It was time to start her mission!

  After her relatively boring trip down to Wishworld to help Piper with her mission, Astra was hoping for a
wilder ride this time. Sure, there were some bumps along the way and some stomach-scrambling spins, and she did narrowly avoid hitting an asteroid, but all in all it was a disappointment, in her opinion.

  COMMENCE APPEARANCE CHANGE, her Star-Zap announced. Astra accessed her Wishworld Outfit Selector and put on a sporty yet sassy outfit. It wasn’t very different from her Starland apparel, just a lot less sparkly. It was her signature style and practical, too, as you never knew when you’d have to sub in for someone on the playing field (or so Astra hoped).

  Now it was time to make sure her skin and hair lost their Starland sparkle, too. She began to recite: “Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight: I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.” She watched with amazement as her skin lost its glimmer, and from the corner of her eye she could see that her hair was no longer bright red but a dark reddish brown. Since clothes and hair and accessories were not her thing, she really did not mind at all.

  APPROACHING WISHWORLD ATMOSPHERE, said the Star-Zap. That’s when things livened up a little, as the star began to buck and bump.

  “Whee!” yelled Astra with glee. But all too soon the ride was smooth again.

  She was hoping the landing might be exciting, but it was completely uneventful, to her disappointment. She touched down gently in a stand of trees, well hidden from curious eyes. Astra stood and stretched her legs. She was pleased to note that the air was warm and the sun was shining. It was a beautiful Wishworld day. She waited patiently as the star finished sparking, then picked it up and folded it down to pocket size. She accessed the directions to Pine Brook School, where she would find her Wisher, and set off at a quick pace in a northwest direction.

  But there was so much to see along the way! Astra’s last visit to Wishworld had been centered in a limited area in a small town, and she now found herself in a park, which was of much more interest to her. She passed a small body of water and admired some swimming creatures. She was shocked when one of them suddenly unfolded its wings, started flapping them, and then lifted itself out of the water and began to soar through the air! They made funny noises that she tried to copy. “Quack!” she cried, and she was pretty sure they quacked right back at her. She heard some chirpy whistling and looked up to find adorable feathered creatures hopping from branch to branch. The many trees were all shades of one color—green—but they were attractive nonetheless.

  She had to tear herself away but finally headed out of the park and made her way to a busy road. She walked alongside it on a grassy embankment as the cars passed by. Next she came to a fenced-in field. A man was blowing a whistle and kids were running around kicking a black-and-white patterned ball. So Astra, even though she knew she should be hurrying along, had to rest her arms on the fence and watch. The game reminded her a lot of star ball—without the wish energy, of course—and, she realized, in this game you could only use your feet. Each team had to direct the ball to the other team’s net, which was guarded by a player who, oddly enough, could use her hands. If it got past that player, the other team scored a throw, which there on Wishworld was quite obviously called a “gooooaaaal!” The game looked like a lot of fun (even without the use of wish energy), and she wished she could join in. That she was twice the height of any of the players kept her on the sidelines.

  The whistle sounded. “Game is over!” the man shouted. “Time to get back to class!”

  Starf! It was time for Astra to get to class, too. She glanced down at her Countdown Clock. She had wasted more than one of her precious Wishworld hours and she hadn’t even arrived at her Wisher’s school yet! Correction, she told herself. She hadn’t wasted the time at all. She was observing Wishworld life. She hadn’t recorded a single observation, though. She should get started on that.

  I wish I was already at my Wisher’s school, she thought. WHOOSH! There was an unexpected blast of air, a moment of blurry discombobulation, and as soon as Astra caught her breath she realized she was standing right in front of Clarkston Mills School. My stars! thought Astra. My talent must be teleporting. A woman with short dark hair and piercing blue eyes sat behind a desk.

  “May I help you?” the woman asked.

  “My name is Astra,” she said, as she had been instructed. “I am a new student in school.”

  “Your name is Astra. You are a new student in school.” The woman frowned and leaned forward. “You do know that this is the next-to-last week of school, don’t you? Kind of an odd time to start!”

  “Well, better late than never!” said Astra brightly.

  Then the woman’s expression changed as she sniffed the air. “Why, I do believe that is devil’s food cake.” She sniffed again. “With fudge frosting, if I’m not mistaken.” Her eyes misted over. “My grandfather was a baker and I used to help him after school. That was my favorite cake of them all. I’ll have to go to the cafeteria and get a slice later.” She smiled. “Come right in, Astra. Do you know which classroom to go to?”

  “I’ll find my way,” Astra told her.

  The woman nodded. “You’ll find your way.”

  Astra followed the directions her Star-Zap provided and was soon pushing open a set of double doors. She was back outside again, to her delight. And she was treated to a most welcoming sight. Dozens of Wishlings, all milling about, playing games in the sunshine. Was it P.E. class or a non-compulsory-between-class recreational break like they had on Starland? Not that it really mattered. There was a group of kids hitting a round white ball back and forth over a net. Some were kicking around the same type of black-and-white ball she had seen earlier. Others were bouncing a brown ball on the ground and taking turns tossing it into a net high above their heads. When they got it in, they slapped hands.

  She loped over to that group, and without a second thought, she ran into the middle of the game and grabbed the ball. It was different from a star ball—larger, more solid—and it had a funny rubbery texture. She liked the way it felt in her hands. She pointed, aimed, and shot.

  “Nothing but net,” said a Wishling boy admiringly. “Hey. I’m Tony. Who are you?”

  “I’m Astra,” she answered. “The new girl. I enjoyed playing your netball game.”

  Tony laughed. “It’s called basketball, you know.”

  Wish Mission 8, Wishworld Observation #1: Wishlings have funny names for their games. There is no basket in basketball!

  She then glanced at her Wish Pendant wristbands. Nothing. That was too bad. None of the netball—make that basketball—players was her Wisher. Astra had been distracted—again—by another one of the wonderful sports there. Now it was time to get down to business.

  She looked around the yard. Aha! A girl was holding one of those fluffy white wishing flowers Lady Stella had told them about. Imagine if she was Astra’s Wisher and she was just about to make her wish again! Astra ran over as the girl took a deep breath, ready to scatter the seeds.

  “Hey!” Astra said eagerly. “Are you wishing for something?”

  The girl lowered the arm holding the flower and gave Astra a dubious look. “Um, yeah,” she said. “Why else would I be holding this dandelion?”

  Wish Mission 8, Wishworld Observation #2: The fluffy white flowers Wishers wish on are called Dandy Lions.

  “What’s your wish?” Astra asked eagerly. “Is it a good one?”

  The girl smiled. “I’ll say. I wish I had a million dollars!” she said.

  Astra frowned. A million! That was like a moonium! “All for yourself?” she asked.

  The girl nodded.

  “You wouldn’t even share it?” Astra asked, trying to give the girl the benefit of the doubt.

  “Nope,” said the girl.

  Astra gave her a disgusted look. “Well, that’s not a good wish at all!”

  The girl looked insulted. “Mind your own business!” she said. Then she raised her arm, closed her eyes, and blew. Astra watched as the fluffy seeds danced through the air across the schoolyard.

  “Good luck with that on
e,” muttered Astra to herself. She scanned the yard, counting the kids. Well, that girl obviously wasn’t the person Astra was looking for. So who among the twenty-four remaining students was her Wisher?

  A bell rang and the students all dropped what they were doing to line up and head inside. A black-and-white ball rolled up to Astra and she sent it flying with a well-placed kick. She smiled. She had been itching to do that! She joined the line and followed her class inside.

  A young woman with her dark hair pulled into a ponytail was standing in the doorway, watching everyone head inside. Astra realized she must be her teacher. “I am Astra Starling. I am your new student,” she told her.

  “You are Astra Starling. You are my new student,” the teacher repeated, just as Astra had known she would. “I am Ms. Lopez,” she told her. “Head inside, Astra, it’s time for lunch!” She sniffed the air. “And if I am not mistaken, it smells like they’re making banana cream pie, lucky you!”

  Astra smiled. There was something really nice about reminding adults of their favorite treats from childhood. It seemed always to bring a wistful smile to their faces.

  The class trooped in through the cafeteria doors and Astra followed close behind. She had been warned that cafeterias on Wishworld were not up to Starling Academy standards, but she wasn’t prepared for what she saw once she was inside: a dingy room with scuffed floors lined with bare tables. She grabbed a beat-up orange plastic tray and waited in line as a lady handed out plates of weird-looking food. Limited choices. No cloth napkins. And certainly no Bot-Bot waiters.

  “I wish…” a boy ahead of Astra said.

  In her eagerness, Astra nearly knocked down a curly-haired girl who stood between them. “You wish what?” she asked him.

  The boy grinned. “If I tell you, it won’t come true.”

  Astra shook her head. “Huh? Where did you get a crazy idea like that? That is not true!”