Leona''s Unlucky Mission

by Ahmet Zappa

  Her head still down, the girl nodded.

  Awesome! Leona thought. There was only one wish this Wisher could have: to win this talent show!

  “So what’s your talent?” she asked the girl. “Or should I say which talent do you want to perform?”

  The girl took a long, deep breath and held it. “Singing,” she said, exhaling at last.

  “Really?” Leona could hardly contain her excitement. This was going to be the best mission ever! How lucky could a Star Darling get?

  Meanwhile, music had started and so had Make-a-Move’s routine. Leona didn’t see too much talent in their dancing, yet she couldn’t tear her eyes away. They did what they did with such self-confidence—just like Leona, in a way.

  Even Lily looked up and watched them as most of the audience started to clap. Their dance involved a lot of rolling hips and stomping feet and crossing arms and pumping fists, along with a good bit of running in place and making fierce faces that featured curled lips.

  “Wow,” said Leona as the dancers finally dropped to their knees at the end. “They know how to get your attention. You have to admit that, I guess.”

  Onstage, the girls hugged and high-fived. Then they linked arms and took a bow. This was followed by another bow, and another—

  “Okay, thank you, Make-a-Move,” Ms. Frasier shouted. “Really, thank you. But let’s keep it moving. We’ve got a long list here. Okay…who’s next? Let’s see….Lily. Lily!” she shouted. “It’s your turn!”

  “Hey, that’s you!” exclaimed Leona. She turned back to cheer on her Wisher, only to find that her Wisher was gone. “Wait! Lily!” she called to the closing door. “You can’t go now! It’s your turn!”

  She slipped through the door, too, and caught Lily in the lobby, just about to go outside. “Lily! Ms. Frasier just called your name! You’re up! It’s your turn to get up there and shine!”

  But Lily just stood there, her head shaking back and forth, her mouth clamped firmly shut. It took Leona a starsec to finally realize that her Wisher had stage fright.

  Just then, Make-a-Move burst out of the theater and into the lobby.

  “Omigosh! Lily Fisher!” Talia covered her mouth. “Are you the Lily Ms. Frasier’s calling? Please tell me you’re not really going to try out.”

  “Of course she’s trying out!” declared Leona. No one was talking to her Wisher that way! “You tried out,” she reminded Talia, “so why shouldn’t she?”

  “Uh, yeah,” Talia said, “and we have talent. And since this is a talent show, that’s kind of something that you need.”

  She laughed, and so did Kasey. Adeline, however, shrugged.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Haven’t you heard her sing in chorus? If I were her, I might try out. She’s really pretty good.”

  At this, both Talia and Kasey turned to their friend and glared.

  Lily, though, didn’t seem to hear her. She’d already opened the door to the quad and was halfway through it.

  Leona brushed past the dance group to follow her, scowling at Talia as she did. “Just so you know, your routine was fine, but you were totally off beat.” She was so mad she nearly forgot to open the doors like a Wishling again. They were already starting to open by the time she remembered and lifted her hands.

  Leona ran outside and spotted Lily heading down a brick path toward a building just beyond the quad.

  “Hey!” she panted, catching up. “Don’t listen to them. I’m sure you can sing! Let’s go back so we—I mean you; of course, I mean you—so you can try out. Come on!”

  Lily slowed down but kept walking, her eyes fixed on the ground. “I’m not trying out,” she said softly.

  “But…but I thought…I thought you wanted to,” Leona said, confused.

  Lily shook her head. “No,” she said very definitely. “I was just kidding when I said that. I never really wanted to. It was a joke, signing up. I don’t belong in any talent show.” She looked up at last as they reached a long brick building. Solemnly, she opened the door. “After you,” she told Leona, forcing a smile and waving Leona past her.

  “What’s this place?” asked Leona. Her nose twitched at the rush of new smells. They were heavy and strange and thick.

  Lily looked at her oddly. “It’s the dining hall.”

  “Really?” Leona looked around. Ah, yes, of course. She spotted the line of girls taking trays and sliding them down a silver track, past a line of older Wishlings in paper aprons and gauzy hairnets.

  “So, what, are you new here?” asked Lily, gazing more closely at her.

  “Um…yes.” Leona quickly nodded. “In fact, I just got here today.”

  “Are you a sophomore, too?”

  “Um…sure.” Leona could be a sophomore, she guessed—whatever a sophomore was.

  “Well, the food’s pretty good. Except for the meat loaf,” said Lily. “Here, take a tray. And there’s always the salad bar, and pasta and stuff like that. And we just got a frozen yogurt machine, but it keeps breaking, I’m afraid.”

  “Oh? That’s too bad….” A thought suddenly popped into Leona’s head. “I bet you wish it would get fixed.”

  Lily shrugged. “Yeah, I guess….But I’m lactose intolerant, so I don’t care that much, I guess.”

  She seemed to care, however, because her face suddenly went pale. She’d been looking at Leona, but her eyes had shifted to something in the distance, past Leona. Leona turned and saw an older girl approaching, shaking her head.

  “So.” The girl crossed her arms. “Guess what I just heard.”

  Lily sucked in her lips. Her ears and neck flushed.

  “You bailed on the talent show tryouts. Why are you always such a wimp?”

  Lily’s mouth fell open, but nothing came out except a meek breath.

  “Excuse me!” huffed Leona, but the older girl was already walking away. “Honestly!” said Leona. “Who does that girl think she is?”

  Lily swallowed, sniffed, and found her voice. “She’s my big sister,” she explained.

  Leona was speechless—for a starsec. But a starsec was all it took for Lily to drop her tray back on the pile and flee the dining hall.

  Leona was tempted to follow her again, but she wasn’t sure that she should. She had a limited amount of time to help grant Lily’s wish, yet what did Professor Eugenia Bright always say? “Haste makes waste.” Think things through before you act, in other words.

  Plus, Leona’s stomach was growling. Better to see what this Wishworld cafeteria had to offer, she thought, and restore her energy. One thing was for sure, though: she’d be eating by herself. She knew there were plenty of nice Wishlings on Wishworld—or so other Starlings had said—but the girls at Havisham Academy so far seemed pretty unpleasant.

  Leona pushed her tray—with her hands—through the line briskly, taking a little bit of everything. Everything, that is, but the stuff labeled “meat loaf,” as Lily had warned her. When she saw it, it was easy to skip. She saw the wedges labeled pizza and remembered what Libby had said about it—delicious! She took two.

  “Wow, you must be hungry,” said someone behind her.

  Leona closed her eyes and sighed. Starf, she thought. Just what she needed. Yet another Wishling giving her a hard time.

  She glanced over her shoulder to see the smiling face of one of the girls who’d almost run into her when she’d first arrived. “But you skipped the meat loaf. Smart. I see you got a uniform.”

  Leona nodded.

  “Cool! Welcome! My name’s Calley. Want to sit with us?” She pointed to some girls already sitting at a table nearby. Two were the other girls she’d met in the courtyard. They all waved back and smiled.

  “Um…yeah,” said Leona. “Sure.” It was still sinking in, the fact that the girl was being nice. Leona supposed she hadn’t been so mean at first, either, now that she thought about it.

  “What do you want to drink?” asked the girl as they reached the beverage station. She took two plastic tumblers and offere
d Leona one.

  “Um…” Leona could have used a nice cup of Zing, but that would have to wait until her Starland return. She remembered from Wishlings 101 the icy-cold drink described as the perfect sweet-sour combination.

  “Do you have something here called…lemanode, I think?”

  Calley’s smile grew even wider. “Lemonade?” she said.

  “Yes!” Leona grinned. “That’s it!”

  Calley pointed to a machine with a shiny picture of some kind of oblong bright-yellow fruit on it.

  Leona read the word splashed across the bottom. “No way! Lemonade! You do have it! This is super startastic!” she exclaimed.

  Leona filled her cup, tasted it, and then gulped most of it down and filled her cup once again. It was just as delicious as they said. Much happier than she’d been before, she followed Calley to her friends’ table.

  Each girl introduced herself politely.

  “What year are you?” one, named Sophia, asked.

  “Um…” Leona tried to remember. “A starmore, I think.”

  “A what?” The girl wrinkled her nose and frowned.

  Leona tried again. “A softstar?”

  “Do you mean ‘sophomore’?” asked a dark-haired girl named Maya.

  “Right!” said Leona. “That’s it.”

  “Are you an exchange student?” Calley asked.

  “Why…yes! Yes, I am! How’d you know?”

  “We can just tell.” Calley smiled.

  “Where are you from?” Sophia asked.

  “Where am I from…” Leona tried to recall Wishworld places they’d learned, but her mind had become a black hole. Wait! She remembered the sign on the bulletin board about what looked like a beautiful place. “Spain!” she said, a little more loudly than she needed to, perhaps.

  “Wow,” said Maya, looking impressed. “Your English is really good!”

  “Uh…thanks.” It was time to change the subject. “Sooooo…are any of you trying out for the talent show?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “No way.”

  They all shook their heads.

  Calley even made a face as if she might get sick. “I tried out last year, but I never will again.”

  “Why not?” Leona asked.

  “Talia and her friends. They’ve won the last two years. And they’re not even all that good.”

  “No,” Sophia helped her explain, “but what they are is super mean, so that girls either quit and drop out or get too nervous to do their best.”

  “Someone should stand up to them,” said Leona.

  “You’re right.” They all agreed.

  “You’re welcome to try.” Calley nodded at her, but she looked doubtful of Leona’s success.

  Not Leona, though. Her thoughts were orbiting, working to make a plan. After all, if Lily’s wish was going to come true in time, Leona might have to be the one to make it happen.

  After they’d eaten, the girls had to head to the library to do homework, so Leona told them good-bye. She had her own work to do, and she knew that if she didn’t find Lily and get her to those auditions before they ended at nine o’clock, making her Wisher’s wish come true would be impossible.

  She decided to go check out her new dorm room. She fished the key out of her pocket. Room 113. She found the building—Auburn Hall—and stepped inside. She paused in front of the door, then unlocked it.

  Leona heard the sound of a tap turning on through the bathroom door. Her roommate was taking one of those water showers, she guessed. Another reason she should go.

  Leona turned to enter the hall, but then something made her stop. It was another sound: a voice—her roommate’s, apparently—singing a sad, sweet song.

  Wow… Leona moved to her bed and stretched out on it to listen better. The girl was really good, and with every verse her voice grew even stronger and clearer and more sure of itself. The song was catchy and easy to follow, and Leona found herself singing along. She soon stopped, though, and sat back and listened, eyes closed, as the girl hit heavenly notes Leona knew she never would. If only other Starlings could hear this, she thought. Wait! She realized they could! She pulled out her Star-Zap, held it up, and began to record.

  Then the shower stopped, and, unfortunately, so did the song. A starmin later, the bathroom door opened.

  “Lily?” Leona gasped the moment she saw her. She recognized her Wisher at once even with her wet hair and music-note pajamas.

  “Ahh!” Lily jumped back. “You scared me! What are you doing here?” She looked confused.

  “Actually…I’m your new roommate,” Leona told her. “They put me here this afternoon. Some coincidence, huh? I sing, and so do you!” She grinned. “And wow! Are you ever good!”

  Lily was clearly trying not to smile at Leona’s compliment, but she couldn’t contain her grin. “I didn’t know anyone could hear me,” she explained.

  “Oh, don’t apologize! Not for a second!” said Leona. “I believe in singing as loud as you can. I also believe that a voice like yours should be heard. Honestly, it’s a gift you were born to share!”

  “Thanks.” Lily blushed. “But I’m not that good.”

  “Um, yeah,” said Leona. “You are. And you are crazy not to enter that talent show. So hurry, come on, let’s go!”

  At that, Lily started shaking her head. Her smile faded and her blush disappeared.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not trying out,” said Lily.

  “But why not? You’re so good! You’ll win!”

  “That’s not what those girls said….”

  “Yeah, and I hear they say that to everyone else, too. Honestly, it’s time for someone to step up and show them they can’t keep using bullying to win.”

  “Yeah, well, someone else will have to show them. I just can’t sing in front of other people, not all by myself.”

  “Of course you can!” Leona insisted.

  “No, I can’t,” said Lily, stubbornly shaking her towel-wrapped head.

  “Have you tried?” asked Leona.

  “No…not really.”

  “Exactly! So you have no idea! In fact, if you’d tried, you’d know that all by yourself is the best way in the universe to sing!” Leona declared.

  “I don’t know about that….” Lily laughed, but she couldn’t argue. Leona could tell that her mind was beginning to change. And not a starmin too soon, Leona realized as she glanced at the clock by the bed. It was already eight fifty-five. They only had five minutes left!

  “So will you try out?” asked Leona. “I’ll go with you—for moral support….” She reached out and took Lily’s hands.

  “Oh!”

  Leona could feel Lily shiver. “Oops. Star ap—I mean, sorry!” Leona said, dropping Lily’s hands.

  “That’s okay….” Lily rubbed her palms and wiggled her fingers. “There’s a lot of static in the air, I guess.” Then she smiled broadly at Leona. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes, I’ll do it. I’ll try out! Just as soon as I get dressed…”

  “That’s great!” Leona checked the clock again: 8:56. There was barely enough time to get to the auditorium, let alone to change….

  She reached for Lily’s hands again and held them tight in hers. “You know, it’s almost nine o’clock. Why don’t you just go how you are? I mean, really, what’s more perfect for a singing audition than musical pj’s?”

  Lily shivered again and nodded. “Sure…Whatever you say…”

  They burst in just as the final auditioner was coming off the stage.

  “Thank you, Anya. I have to say, you’ve brought your yodeling routine a long way from last year.”

  “Thanks, Ms. Frasier,” said the curly-haired girl. “So…you’ll post the results tomorrow?”

  “Correct. Outside Kettlekern Hall.”

  “Yoo-hoo! Ms. Frasier!” Leona called as she guided Lily down the aisle. “You have one more tryout!”

  The music teacher turned and lifted her eyebro
ws in an expression of happy surprise.

  “Lily! You’re back….” She checked her watch. “And look at that, just in time.” She paused to sniff, her chin raised. “Mmm! Warm apple pie! I hope there’s some left in the dining hall.”

  The girl who was holding a flugelhorn stared at Lily as she passed her. “Are you wearing pajamas?” she asked.

  Lily glanced down, then back at Leona, who simply waved her toward the stage.

  “Just get up there and sing!” Leona told her. “What’s wrong with pajamas?” she barked at the girl.

  “Nothing! Nothing at all. I just wondered where she got them, that’s all. Do you think maybe they make some with flugelhorns instead of notes?”

  “So you’re going to sing?” Ms. Frasier asked meanwhile, as Lily climbed onto the stage.

  Lily nodded.

  “Do you need music?”

  Lily shook her head.

  “Well, then please go ahead,” said the teacher.

  Hesitant, Lily gulped down a breath.

  Leona smiled up at her from the aisle. “You can do it!” she mouthed silently. “It’s your gift to share!”

  Lily nodded at her, took another breath, and did.

  “You made it!” Leona dragged Lily to the bulletin board outside Kettlekern Hall.

  Lily read the sheet. “I made it….”

  “Of course you did!” Leona said. Now all Lily had to do was win for Leona’s mission to be complete! “Hey, what’s wrong?” She looked at Lily. “Are you okay? Are you going to faint?”

  “I don’t know if I can do it.”

  “Do what?” Leona asked.

  “Sing.”

  Leona was confused. “Of course you can sing! Your voice is amazing!”

  “I mean in front of the whole school. I know what you said about it being a gift and all…” Lily gnawed her lip and sighed. “But just thinking about it now, it feels almost like a curse.”

  “Oh, no, no! It is a gift! Just wait until you’re up there onstage, and you’ll see!” Leona closed her eyes, envisioning herself in that spot exactly. “When all those eyes are on you! And everyone is just holding their breath, waiting to hear what you can do! Lily?” Leona opened her eyes to find her Wisher propped up, pale, against the wall.