by Ahmet Zappa
“Oh, that’s bad,” said Cassie, biting her lip. “She loves the band. That’s such a shame.”
Vega put her hands to her forehead. “We should be able to help her get through this. Get everything back to normal. But I have no idea how. That’s where you come in. You two are such good friends.” The thought of losing the band was very upsetting to Vega. She took everything seriously—her classes, her studies, the meals she ate (to give her energy), the time she went to bed (so she’d be well rested for the next day’s classes). Even her beloved games—she was a stickler for following the rules. When she played her bass, it was the only time she ever really let loose and relaxed. She did not want to give that up.
Cassie grimaced. “We used to be good friends,” she said. “But she’s been keeping to herself lately. The only person she seems to want to spend time with these stardays is her new roommate, Ophelia.” She thought for a moment, then nodded as if she had made up her mind. “I’m going to try to talk to Leona after dinner,” she said. “Will you come with me?”
“Sure,” said Vega, shrugging.
Cassie’s mood brightened considerably. Vega thought that it was probably both because they had a plan and because they were approaching the end of the maze. Cassie breathed a sigh of relief as they walked out the leafy doorway. The Celestial Café came into sight, and Vega’s stomach rumbled at the same time that the large star above the door began to blink, letting everyone know that it was dinnertime. Perfect. The two girls headed to the building. Inside the large, warmly lit room, soft music was playing. There was the soothing sound of students softly chattering and the clink of silverware against fine china. They headed to the table that had unofficially become the Star Darlings’, with its stunning view of the Crystal Mountains. To the rest of the school, they were a group of girls—four first years, four second years, and four third years—who attended regular classes but required some extra help during last period. Only the Star Darlings; Lady Stella, the headmistress; Lady Cordial, the head of admissions; and a handful of professors knew who they really were. Vega found that some students treated her differently (a small number of those scornfully, though many were sympathetic), while most didn’t seem to care that she was “different.” Little did they know that Vega and her fellow Star Darlings were really special in the very best way. That didn’t matter to Vega, who didn’t really care what others thought of her. It was enough for her to be singled out as special by someone she had admired for a long time: Lady Stella. In the hopes that she would one day be chosen to attend Starling Academy, Vega had devoured every holo-article that had been written about the headmistress.
There were three empty seats at the table, and Cassie and Vega sat next to each other. They missed out on the seats facing the radiant Crystal Mountains, but the light of the setting sun hit the mountain peaks, refracting into stunning mini rainbows that bounced off the shining goblets and illuminated everyone’s face.
“So how was Wish Theory class today, Adora?” Vega asked as she unfolded her soft cloth napkin and laid it on her lap. The Star Darlings always made certain to limit their conversations to non–Star Darlings business when they were in eye- and earshot of the rest of the student body. They had been warned countless times that the work they were doing was top secret. Even most of the faculty had no idea what was going on.
“A snore,” said Adora with a rueful grin. Professor Illumia Wickes liked to let her students run the class discussions, which was oftentimes wonderful, unless you had an incessant talker in the class. “This girl named Moonaria would not stop talking. No one could get a word in edgewise.”
Vega nodded in sympathy. She watched as Tessa entered the cafeteria and, seeing that the only free seat was next to her roommate, Adora, leaned over and whispered in her sister’s ear. Gemma rolled her eyes and moved into that seat, leaving the seat next to Leona open for Tessa. Vega noticed that Cassie was openly staring at Leona, who kept leaning over to whisper in Ophelia’s ear. Leona was being unusually quiet, and the rest of the girls stole glances at her, as well, used to being entertained by the girl at mealtimes. She would often lead the girls in a sing-along or start a game of holo-telephone. Once the message had started off as “Glow for it! You are starmendous!” But by the time it got to the end of the line, it had been completely mangled, and poor Cassie had squeaked out, “You’ve got it! Glowfurs are delicious!” and everyone roared with laughter. Cassie had seemed way more humiliated than she should have been about her mistake, in Vega’s opinion. But she had not been able to figure out why.
Astra leaned over. “Why so quiet, Leona?”
Leona simply shook her head. Her expression clearly read Leave me alone. Astra looked like she was going to try again, but Cassie elbowed her in the ribs.
“Ouch,” said Astra, rubbing her side. She and Leona both had very big personalities. The two usually enjoyed a friendly rivalry, which occasionally resulted in the butting of heads and angry words. But they rarely stayed mad at each other for long. Astra looked confused.
Finally, Cassie leaned over and whispered in Astra’s ear. Vega wasn’t sure what she had said, but she thought she could guess the gist of it: Leave Leona alone; she’s fragile. Astra looked disappointed. Whether it was that she felt sorry for Leona or missed her sparring partner, Vega was not sure.
The look on Cassie’s face as she watched Leona from across the table was also impossible to decipher—jealous, wistful, or maybe just curious. Next Vega studied Ophelia, who was smiling shyly, her orange-pigtailed head bent to the side to listen to Leona’s whispered comments. She seemed like a very nice, quiet girl, and Vega found herself wishing that she was the Star Darling who had been assigned the new roommate instead of Leona. The fact that Piper would have to have been expelled from the Star Darlings for that to happen did not escape her, and she silently chided herself for her unkind thoughts.
Vega found her appetite was not diminished by the strange goings-on and polished off her garble-greens soufflé and moon cheese popovers. After the Bot-Bot waiters had cleared the table, she ordered a mug of piping hot Zing and a cocomoon pavlova. The food at Starling Academy was top-notch, and although she wasn’t quite as into food as Tessa (who hadn’t been able to decide between two desserts, so had ordered both), she appreciated eating well—especially after many nights of popping a premade Sparkle Meal into the oven when her mother was on the overnight shift at the hospital. As a nurse, her hours were long and she couldn’t miss a day unless it was an absolute emergency. Vega had learned at a young age what constituted an emergency: not much. She sighed, remembering the many nights she had eaten alone at the kitchen table while doing her homework. She looked around and smiled. Maybe that’s why she felt so fierce about being a Star Darling and keeping everyone together and happy. It was nice to be part of a group, to literally have a place at the table among friends.
After polishing off the last bite of her dessert, Vega swigged the rest of her Zing and stood, pushing her chair back from the table. She was ready to march over to Leona, and she turned to ask Cassie to join her. Cassie grabbed her arm. “Let’s wait a minute,” she said softly, “and see where Ophelia goes. I’d like to talk to Leona alone.” They discreetly followed the two Star Darlings out of the cafeteria. Sure enough, once outside, the two girls parted ways.
After a moment, Leona noticed their presence and gave them a wan smile. “Hello, girls,” she said.
Cassie leaned forward for a closer look at Leona. “Did you take your sparkle shower today?” she asked in a concerned voice. Vega blinked, suddenly realizing that Leona’s skin was not quite as glittery as usual. She once again wished she was as observant as Cassie, who never seemed to miss a detail. All Starlings had a shimmery glow, and they supplemented it with daily bathing in a shower of weightless sparkles. It was a great way to start the day, as it revitalized and invigorated you, improving your mood and outlook and also refreshing your sparkle. Some Starlings took them twice a day, but Vega felt that was a bit excessive an
d a daily shower was perfect. It was funny: Leona, with her golden hair, coloring, and clothing, always managed to look extra glittery. But not that night.
“Of course,” said Leona. Then she paused and wrinkled her brow, thinking about it. “I mean, I think so. Maybe,” she concluded.
Cassie gave Vega a despairing look. Leona was usually vain about her appearance. This was so unlike her.
The Cosmic Transporter dropped them off between the two dorms. The first and second years lived in the Little Dipper Dorm, and the third and fourth years lived in the Big Dipper Dorm. Cassie clearly wanted Leona to invite them to her room, but the girl was not cooperating. She looked at them quizzically as they shifted their feet. “Well, I’ll see you la—” Leona started.
“Hey, mind if we drop by?” Cassie interrupted. “I haven’t been over in a while.”
Leona shrugged halfheartedly. “Sure,” she said.
They walked through the doors and stepped onto the Cosmic Transporter that looped its way through the large dormitory, dropping students off in front of their doors. They headed to her room in a silence that seemed awkward to Vega. She and Cassie weren’t used to having to carry a conversation when Leona was around. The transporter deposited the three in front of Leona’s door, and she placed her hand on the scanner. The simple gesture seemed to take considerable effort. “Welcome, Leona,” the soothing Bot-Bot voice said, and the scanner glowed bright blue as the door slid open. The girls stepped inside behind her.
“It’s a little messy,” Leona said awkwardly. “I’ve been kind of, um, busy lately.”
A little! That was the understatement of the starcentury. Vega was shocked by the state of the room. Offices, dorm rooms, public spaces, houses, classrooms, restaurants, stores—every space on Starland—were self-cleaning. Scrubbing, scouring, mopping, sweeping, vacuuming, and washing were unheard of on Starland, which was why Wishling tools such as mops, brooms, pails, cleansers, sponges, and, most of all, the frighteningly loud contraptions Wishlings called vacuums completely confused Starlings. But Starlings weren’t entirely off the hook when it came to cleanliness: they still had to hang their clothes, place their holo-books on the shelves, and throw their garbage into the vanishing garbage cans. Leona had clearly not tidied up in a while. Vega shuddered with distaste as she took in the clothing draped over chairs, the burned-out lightbulb in Leona’s three-sided vanity mirror, the pile of jujufruit peels on the floor. Her large round pedestal bed was unmade. Gliony, Leona’s stuffed talking lion who never said the same affirmation twice, sat forlornly on the floor, on his head. Cassie picked him up and righted him. “Shine on, bright Starling,” he said. Cassie placed him on Leona’s shelf and patted his mane.
Vega looked around the room. Leona’s stage, a golden star-shaped platform used for her daily performance, was littered with star-shaped stuffed creatures, pillows, and holo-magazines. The disco ball, which usually spun, filling the room with dancing stars of light, was turned off. The trunk she used to store her glamorous golden costumes was empty, its contents strewn about on the floor. The sheer messiness of Leona’s side made the contrast with the other side of the room even more shocking. Leona’s untidy half was giving Vega a headache, but she was shocked to see that Ophelia didn’t seem to have anything to organize. Her side was just…sad. There was a plain solar-metal bed with a simple white moonfeather comforter. The tiny chest of drawers made it clear she didn’t have a lot of clothing, either. The lone spot of color on Ophelia’s side of the room was a thin orange ribbon that trimmed her plain white bedding.
“Your roommate doesn’t have a lot of belongings, does she?” Vega observed.
“No, she doesn’t,” said Leona with a hint of defensiveness. “She likes to keep things simple.”
“Not a holo-book or a holo-photo?” Cassie pressed. “Not a single stuffed creature?” It was clear she was trying to keep her tone light, but Vega could see that Leona was starting to bristle at the questions. To Vega’s surprise, the usually sensitive Cassie plowed on. She picked up a tiny crystal that sat on Ophelia’s dresser and placed it in her palm. It was a miniature version of the beautiful crystal her own roommate, Sage, displayed in their dorm room, which she had received as a Bright Day gift.
“So tiny!” she marveled. “More like a chip than an actual crystal…”
“Put that down!” Leona snapped.
Cassie’s eyes widened and she set it back on the dresser like it was burning her hand. She stared down at her silver slippers, looking like she might cry. Then she seemed to gather herself, taking a deep breath and sitting next to Leona on the rumpled bed. She launched into more questions.
“So what’s your new roommate like?” Cassie asked. “Where did she come from? How did a first year get assigned to a third year, anyhow?”
Vega was staring at Cassie, willing her to slow down, but the girl was just getting started.
“You have to admit that it’s a little weird that she doesn’t have any belongings,” Cassie added. “Where’s her desk? Her bookcase? Her shelves?”
Leona stood up. “Did you come here to interrogate me about Ophelia?” she asked angrily. “Well, here’s a star flash: I think she’s great. She’s sweet and the perfect roommate. Especially after that Scarlet,” she spat out. “I’m so glad not to have to look at her weird stuff anymore.”
“Leona, we were just—” Vega started.
“Ophelia’s going to be back from the library soon, so why don’t you just ask her yourself?” Leona interrupted. There was a grin on her face, but it looked angry and mocking. “Or better yet, why don’t you just leave us both alone?”
“Sorry to have bothered you,” Cassie muttered, jumping up from the bed. Vega followed her to the door, which Leona slid open with her wish energy manipulation skills. She’s good, thought Vega. Almost as good as I am. Vega hurried into the hall, relieved to be out of the tense room. She felt lighter just standing in the hallway.
“Why are you bothering me, anyway?” Leona called after them. “You’re just as annoying as Scarlet.”
Cassie spun around so quickly that she knocked into Vega, who had to shoot out a hand and brace it against the wall to steady herself.
“Wait, you saw Scarlet?” they both cried.
But the door slid shut behind them with an angry bang.
“Well, that didn’t go very well,” said Vega as the two girls, looking dejected, stood on the Cosmic Transporter on the way back to their dormitory.
After Leona kicked them out, they had stood there for a moment, wondering if they should knock and try to explain themselves. The door had slid open and they had smiled, eager to make amends. But Leona stuck her head out and said, “This isn’t for you. Our scanner isn’t working right and I have to leave it open for Ophelia in case I fall asleep before she gets back.” She withdrew her head, then stuck it out again. “It’s time for you to go.”
Cassie had opened her mouth to reply, but Vega had stepped onto the Cosmic Transporter, pulling Cassie along with her. Enough was enough. Now Vega looked down at the smaller girl, who was frowning. “That must have been really hard for you,” she told Cassie sympathetically. “You two were starting to become such good friends.”
Cassie shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but Vega was pretty sure she was still smarting. The girl’s soft burgundy eyes flashed behind her large star-shaped glasses. “Well, at least now we know that Scarlet is still on campus!” she said. “I was afraid that she left the school.”
Vega nodded. “We need to find her and see how she’s doing.” And, she added to herself, convince her to rejoin the band.
“Exactly!” said Cassie. “She needs to know that we’re still her friends even if she isn’t”—she lowered her voice—“officially one of us.”
“I’ll tell you one thing, though,” Vega said thoughtfully, leaning on the railing. “Leona gets along really well with Ophelia, which is more than I can say for Piper and me these days, that’s for sure.” She turned to Cassie. “Hey, ar
e you and Sage still bickering?”
Cassie opened her mouth to speak, then shut it.
“I said, are you and Sage still bickering?” Vega repeated.
Cassie’s brow was furrowed. “I heard you the first time,” she said. “And it just started me thinking….” She looked down at her silver slippers, deep in thought, then lifted her head. “No,” she said. “We’ve actually been getting along great. Ever since…”
“Ever since what?” Vega asked.
Cassie was nodding to herself. “That’s so weird. I just realized the oddest thing. Sage and I have been getting along great ever since I got rid of that vase of flowers.”
Vega made a face. “You mean those gorgeous coral flowers we all got? You got rid of them? Why would you do that? They’re so pretty and they smell so good!”
Cassie tilted her head to the side. “They were pretty,” she said. “And they did smell great.” She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. “And I can’t really explain it, but I had this weird feeling about them. So one day I just threw them away. Sage was really mad at me at first and tried to get them back, but they had already vanished.” Vega nodded. Once you put your refuse into a garbage can on Starland, it disappeared. Forever. “But she got over it amazingly quickly and we had a good laugh about it. And we’ve…we’ve gotten along ever since! How funny that I just put that together.”
Vega barked out a laugh. “Oh, Cassie,” she said. “Not to be rude or anything, but you have to admit that sometimes your hunches are totally wrong.”
Cassie looked like she was about to argue, so Vega began to list examples. “Remember when you were convinced that the Bot-Bot waiter served you breakfast for dinner one night because it was mad at you, but it really just needed to be retuned?”
Cassie bit her lip. “Yeah,” she said.
“Or when you thought that Lady Rancora stole your Star-Zap when it was obvious that she picked up the wrong one by accident?”
