Lady Stella visualized the innocent Cora, a young, smart, giggly girl. Cora had been Lady Stella’s best friend and roommate while they both attended Starling Academy. That was before their secret trip to Wishworld—before they were caught by their own headmistress and before Cora was expelled. Lady Stella’s reflections took her back to the time when she and Cora had first met at the Little Dipper Dorm. What fun they had shared, dancing to tunes on their star player and eating starlight snacks, like moonberry crumbles and cocomoon delights, their absolute favorites. Once friends, now they were enemies.
Lady Stella sighed. How she wished things had gone differently.
That fateful day, when Cora was exposed to the negatites in the Negative Energy Facility and began her transformation into Rancora, Lady Stella had lost her best friend. Now time had passed and she and Rancora stood on opposite sides of a powerful and dangerous struggle between positive wish energy and negative wish energy. The very fate of Starland hung in the balance.
Something shook Lady Stella from her reflective state. It was a cool wind that tickled her nose. She opened her eyes once again, looking out to the swirling lights in the sky for a clue as she pondered Starland’s fragile future. Her eyes opened just in time to witness a streak of colors in the sky that she had never seen before. A shooting star sparked and sputtered, then fell in an unfamiliar zigzag pattern toward Wishworld. Instead of the usual formation of rainbow trails, glowing with soft light and color, this star torpedoed toward Wishworld, leaving a spiky black and steely blue trail.
Lady Stella was taken aback. It almost looked as if—no, it couldn’t be. Is that a Starling traveling down to Wishworld? For a moment, she convinced herself otherwise. That was impossible. Yet the colors and the movements…There was something just not right about that shooting star, not right at all.
The sky suddenly went completely black. A crackle accompanied by a flicker of lights shot across the sky. Then it began to rain, which was quite out of the ordinary. Not a sparkle shower, either, but tiny spiky hail. Small shards of frozen ice fell furiously from the sky. Lady Stella stepped back, still refusing to believe what she was seeing as she watched the hail disrupt the once tranquil sky.
She knew in her heart that she must act, and act quickly. She managed to make her way back across the Star Quad to her office, drenched and shivering from the cold ice. As soon as she entered her office, the storm calmed, almost as if by command. Lady Stella looked out her window and noticed something unusual outside. The Starling Academy campus was completely dry. She rushed down the hallway and stepped back outside, then leaned down to touch the ground. There wasn’t a drop of moisture anywhere.
A flash of light shot through the sky toward the Isle of Misera. Lady Stella studied the star trail closely. The ominous purple and black light that sparked and crackled before fading held great interest for her. She steadied herself and exclaimed with great certainty, “It’s her! Rancora has been here!”
Leona twirled around, singing at the top of her lungs, “La me, la me, la meeeee!”
Scarlet was setting up her drums for rehearsal. “How about we start with the melody first this time, Leona?” She smirked.
Leona scrunched up her nose and waved impishly at Scarlet. “Just testing out my vocal range, Scar.”
Sage had called a last-minute evening practice session at the Lightning Lounge. She was determined to find inspiration for the song the Star Darlings band had signed up to perform for Light Giving Day. They still needed to write a song for the celebration, and Sage was feeling the time pressure. She ran through a series of chords on her guitar while the others prepped their instruments, hoping the band could come together to create just the right song.
Leona continued her vocal warm-ups, creating even stranger sounds this time around. Scarlet shook her head, then put on her headphones to block out the noise. Suddenly, the light in the sky flickered out long enough to distract Sage from her chord progressions.
Leona stopped warming up. “Uh, anyone just see that?” she asked nervously.
“Must be the atmospheric changes that occur this time of year,” Vega stated matter-of-factly. “It’s very rare, along the lines of the total eclipse of a purple moon. Statistically, this sort of celestial event can happen just before the Time of New Beginnings.”
Through the window, the Star Darlings saw the light in the sky flicker out again. This time the blackness lasted longer.
Vega blinked a few times, then looked up at the sky, searching for another logical explanation for what was happening. Before any of the other Star Darlings could offer their thoughts on the mysterious flickering light, their Star-Zaps flashed with matching messages that read: URGENT! PLEASE COME TO MY OFFICE AT ONCE!
Lady Stella had called an emergency meeting of the Star Darlings. It was most unusual for that time of night.
Scarlet saw the message from Lady Stella on her Star-Zap. She turned down the music she was listening to and took out her earbuds.
Leona dramatically covered her mouth with her hands and gasped in her typical theatrical fashion. “What could this possibly mean?”
“Any Starling knows that there’s something out of tune when the Starland sky light flickers,” Scarlet said, breaking down her drum set.
Sage wondered if positive wish energy could be draining, since flickering lights had been the first sign of negatites affecting the balance of energy on Starland. “This starlight display is more than just a celestial event….Starland is in trouble,” she announced to her bandmates.
The Star Darlings agreed. They hurriedly packed up their instruments and headed straight to Lady Stella’s office, without another note played or a single word spoken.
At the meeting in her office, Lady Stella paced the sparkling floor with an intensity that alarmed all twelve Star Darlings. They sat at her round table, waiting to hear what news she would share with them. They knew better than to say anything or even ask questions. The deafening silence in the room made it crystal clear that something of great importance was happening.
Lady Stella began to speak with urgency in her voice. “My young Starlings. Much has transpired on Starland. We have faced many dangers and overcome them all. I have all of you to thank for that. Now we find ourselves facing a new challenge. Does any Starling know why we’re all here this evening?”
Sage offered her explanation. “Could it have something to do with the light flickering in the sky?”
“Yes, Sage, but there’s more. My discovery of the long-forgotten ancient oracle that foretold of twelve Starlings who held the secret to saving Starland was just the beginning of the puzzle. Now I believe there is much more to uncover, and I’ll need your help.”
“What’s happened this time, Lady Stella?” Leona asked nervously. “What can we do?”
“Sh-should we be concerned?” Libby stuttered. “I don’t understand.”
Lady Stella took a long deliberate sip from her oversized mug of warm Zing. “Our last encounter with Rancora was a test for us all. And we succeeded. However, there were mistakes made. Mistakes that have led to this moment.” She took another sip of Zing and announced, “Starland is once again in danger!”
The Star Darlings froze in their seats. Sage closed her eyes, bracing for the worst.
“I’ve learned that Rancora has intercepted a Bad Wish Orb,” Lady Stella continued.
“I can’t hear this!” Leona leaped out of her seat.
Scarlet leaned over to calm her down. “Sit down, Leona. Now is not the time to lose it.”
Leona’s excitable nature didn’t serve any Star Darling at that moment. The best thing the Star Darlings could do was remain calm and listen to what Lady Stella had to say.
Sage reassured Leona and the others. “We’re going to deal with whatever comes our way.”
“We’re Star Darlings!” Clover added.
Lady Stella resumed pacing around her office. “Now, where was I…Ah, yes. It’s not clear how much negative energy Rancora has
left, now that I’ve drained the reserve she was storing on the Isle of Misera. But I know it isn’t very much. However, I believe it was enough to have affected a student here at Starling Academy. Somehow, this particular student’s memory did not get erased after we defeated Rancora. She knows everything about the Star Darlings and about our Wish Missions to Wishworld. I believe this Starling is now under Rancora’s control.”
Lady Stella found it difficult to hide her concern and frustration about the difficult situation. She turned away from the Star Darlings to compose herself. When she turned back, she spoke. “Just moments ago, I saw an unusual colored streak of light shoot through the sky. I am convinced it was Vivica, heading to Wishworld to grant a bad wish for a Wisher.”
“Vivica?” Sage blurted out.
“Of course, it’s Vivica!” Piper exclaimed.
“Who else would it be?” Scarlet added. She shook her head in disappointment.
Lady Stella continued. “First Professor Eugenia Bright reported Vivica absent this morning from Wish Fulfillment class, and when I checked my messages, I saw that Vivica had not attended Professor Margaret Dumarre’s Wishling Ways class, either. When I tried to contact her, she didn’t answer. Several Bot-Bots searched everywhere for her, but she couldn’t be found. That’s when all the crystals fell into place. Rancora must have found a vulnerable Starling in Vivica, who for one reason or another was more susceptible to negative influences than the rest of you, and exposed her to negative energy.”
The Star Darlings looked at one another knowingly.
“Yep, that sounds like Vivica,” Scarlet sighed.
“She is negative, but would she really go that far?” Adora wondered.
Lady Stella continued. “The level of exposure Vivica had is still unknown. But the negative energy will enhance Vivica’s worst instincts. Her better self has been overpowered by Rancora’s dark forces. As we sit here on Starland, Vivica is on her way to Wishworld to grant a Wisher a bad wish. If granted, this bad wish will most likely produce enough negative wish energy to restore Rancora’s negative power. Since Vivica is a young Wish-Granter, and the Wisher is young, too, the power will be that much greater—as you know.”
Lady Stella took a deep breath and another long sip from her cup of Zing in an attempt to calm herself. “For this journey, a Wish Orb will not simply choose a Star Darling to go to Wishworld. It is more complex than that this time. This is a dire situation, not only because if the bad wish is granted, it will give Rancora the negative energy she needs to gain strength…but it will also have a terrible permanent negative affect on Vivica.”
The Star Darlings looked anxiously around the room, each wondering who would be chosen to stop the bad wish from being granted by one of their own.
Lady Stella cleared her throat. “I’ve managed to learn that the Wisher is named Clara and she’s a student in a performing arts program at a place called the North Coast Performing Arts Center. I believe Clara’s wish is something that will hurt her best friend in some way. I don’t know any more beyond that.”
The Star Darlings listened quietly to Lady Stella’s every word.
“Since the potential threat to Starland’s positive energy is so extreme, one Star Darling will not suffice. Nor will two. There must be three Star Darlings sent to Wishworld to stop Vivica before she grants Clara’s bad wish.”
Lady Stella paused, and a glowing Wish Orb appeared. It hovered around the room, first drifting over to Scarlet. It glowed with the rich fuchsia color of Scarlet’s ravenstone Power Crystal. Scarlet blushed almost the same fuchsia color as it floated in front of her. She stared at the glowing orb and then looked at Lady Stella. “I’ve got this!” Scarlet said. Images of Wishworld flashed before her. She was grateful to have another opportunity to visit Wishworld, even if the journey would test her strength and resilience more than ever. Scarlet knew she was ready.
Lady Stella nodded in silence.
The floating, glowing orb then made its way to the next Star Darling who would take the challenging journey to Wishworld. It was Leona!
Leona yelped, astonished and flattered that she had been chosen. “Lady Stella, I’m honored beyond words.” She bowed her head to Lady Stella.
Lady Stella bowed back to her.
As for the third Star Darling who would take the journey, the glowing orb finally landed in front of Sage. She froze in her seat. It was what she had been wishing for, and now there it was!
“Thank you for the honor, Lady Stella. I won’t let you down,” Sage promised.
“I have great faith in you, Sage.”
Sage was thrilled, maybe even more than the others, to be taking such an important journey, because each successful mission brought her closer to her goal. The other Star Darlings gathered around Sage, Leona, and Scarlet. They congratulated the chosen Starlings, offering their help in any way they could provide it.
“We must hurry now. Time to prepare,” Lady Stella said, dismissing the Star Darlings.
Sage was the last of the girls to leave. Lady Stella stopped her at the door and motioned for her to return to the office. “Sage, I’d like to talk with you. Please come in and sit down.”
Sage wondered why she had been singled out. Had she said something to upset Lady Stella? She found a seat at the round table.
Lady Stella joined her. “Sage,” she said with great seriousness and sincerity, “I know that I’ve given you a challenge beyond what I could have ever imagined taking on when I was a student at the academy.”
“Thank you, Lady Stella. I’ll do my best to stop the bad wish from being granted.”
“Your mother has an extraordinary legacy. She continues to make great advances in wish science for Starland. However, in you, my young Starling, there are untapped gifts that are yours alone, gifts that even you are not wholly aware of yet. You have the power to be a great leader, and I am counting on you to bring that to this journey. Remember that while you are on Wishworld. Now off you go. There’s very little time to prepare, so hurry, my dear, hurry!”
“You are a star. Light up the world!” Leona recited in the mirror. She glowed with anticipation for her latest mission to Wishworld. Her room was a blur of rainbow colors and shimmering lights. She didn’t even notice the encouraging message from Lady Stella that flashed on her Star-Zap: LEONA, MY STARLING. YOU ARE READY FOR THIS. REMEMBER, THIS MISSION IS BIGGER THAN ANY ONE STARLING. IT’S FOR ALL OF STARLAND! PREPARE WISELY.
Leona was traveling to Wishworld again! Oh, my stars. Another chance to make an impression on Wishworld and on Lady Stella, she thought. She grabbed a microphone from her dorm room stage and started singing her Mirror Mantra this time. “You are a star. Light up the world!” She felt a surge of positive energy rush through her. She twirled around her room and pushed through her starlight curtains, gently falling backward onto her silky golden-covered platform bed that was sprinkled with oversized soft pillows. She grabbed a pillow and squeezed it tightly with excitement. “No broken Wish Pendants this time, Leona. You’re going to prove that you are up for the challenge!”
She thought about the moment when Lady Stella had presented her glisten paw Power Crystal to her. The crystal held great cosmic power that she hoped would help her through this uncharted mission.
Leona quickly went through the Wishworld Outfit Selector on her Star-Zap. She knew she would have to blend in with the Wishlings, meaning no obvious sparkle or shine, no glistening skin or brightly colored hair. But who said that “blending in” meant you had to be dull? Leona was convinced she could still make a fashion statement without exposing the precious secret that she was actually a Starling on a time-sensitive mission to save her home star.
It’s time for some star power! Scarlet’s Mirror Mantra ran through her mind as she contemplated her next mission. She soared on her skateboard, catching air on her dorm room skate ramp and landing an ollie kickflip. “Nailed it!” she exclaimed, psyching herself up to go back to Wishworld. She grabbed her skateboard and took a bre
ak to step in front of her mirror. She recited her Mirror Mantra aloud for extra positive energy. “It’s time for some star power!” Scarlet couldn’t help smiling at her reflection. “I’m going to Wishworld. This is better than awesome!” she exclaimed excitedly.
After taking a refreshing sparkle shower, followed by rigorous brushing with her toothlight, Scarlet reminded herself that on Wishworld, Wishlings took showers with rushing water that bounced off their skin, and they brushed their teeth with harsh bristles glued to a plastic stick. Scarlet loved it all!
Dressed and ready for the journey, Scarlet took what was left of her limited time on Starland before her mission began to practice her energy manipulation. She concentrated as hard as she could, visualizing a holographic image on her dorm room wall of a perfect blue sky against a green grassy hill on an idyllic day somewhere on Wishworld. Scarlet stood in front of it to admire all its Wishworld beauty and wonder. “I’m coming to you, Wishworld! So stoked about it, too!” She grabbed her fuchsia drumsticks. “And these are definitely coming with me!”
One of the big absolute no-nos on Starland was to reveal to a Wishling that you were actually a Starling who was granting a wish. Scarlet was well aware of that rule, and wondered what it would be like to live among the Wishlings one day for real, not as a secret visitor on a mission.
Sage rushed to the mirror hanging on her lavender patterned wall, lit by a floating chandelier. She tried to imagine all the challenges that awaited her on Wishworld. “You can do this, Sage!” she said to her reflection. Then she recited her Mirror Mantra. “I believe in you. Glow for it!” She thought of the Wish Blossom she had received after her first mission to Wishworld, a boheminella that glowed with soft healing lavender light. If she completed this mission successfully, she would receive another. What an honor that would be! It was true that her mom’s Wish Blossoms filled the Hall of Granted Wishes. Sage had only one blossom in the silvery garden. She longed for more, to carve out a name for herself on Starland. This Wish Mission could very well be the opportunity of her dreams.
Stealing Starlight Page 3
