Leona''s Unlucky Mission by Ahmet Zappa, Shana Muldoon Zappa & Ahmet Zappa Read Free Book Online Page A

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!” Leona set the holo-picture down. “What do you like to do for fun?”
    â€œI don’t know….”
    â€œLike music?”
    â€œWell, um—”
    â€œWant me to sing for you? Startastic idea!” Leona leapt back onto her stage and stuck a hand out toward a rack of gleaming golden microphones. A large one blinked, rose, and floated to her. Leona grabbed it with both hands. “Let’s turn the lights down, shall we?” she said with a nod. Immediately, the room dimmed. At the same time, two gold spotlights blinked on and converged, capturing her in their beams.
    â€œSit! Please!” Leona nodded toward her beanbag chair, and Ophelia obliged her by plopping down. Still cradling the stuffed glion in her arms, she tilted her chin up and smiled at Leona.
    â€œHere. Want a gamma-chip cluster? My mom made them. They’re soooo good!” Leona said, offering her one. “Just watch the flowers, if you would.” She nodded toward a vase of delicate coral-colored blossoms on the crystal table by the chair.
    â€œOh, they’re so pretty. Where did they come from?” asked Ophelia.
    â€œYou know, I’m not really sure….They just showed up one day—in all our rooms. It’s a Star Darlings thing, we think. Maybe I should move them….I’d hate for you to applaud and knock them over,” she explained. “That’s better for now, don’t you think?”
    The rest of the starday flew by—for Leona at least—as she performed her repertoire in its entirety…plus a few encores for fun. She was frankly stunned when the landscape began to brighten outside her windows as the sun sank behind the Crystal Mountains and the moon began to rise. All of Starland, and Starlings, too, shone brighter in the evening, at lightfall, when the halo of energy surrounding the planet reached its most glorious peak.
    Just then, Leona’s Star-Zap flashed. Ophelia’s did, as well.
    â€œDinnertime? Already?” Leona let her mic drift back to its place on the stand and nodded the spotlights away. “Star apologies, Ophelia! We hardly talked about you at all! But don’t worry! We will. We have plenty of time!” she assured her with a wink.
    As Leona’s eye reopened, she noticed the flowers sitting in the corner of the room. She walked over and took them, pausing to smell them. It was hard not to; their fragrance was so very sweet. She sighed with pleasure, then turned to give her new roommate a chance to smell them…but changed her mind suddenly.
    â€œWell? Are you ready?” She sent the flowers to her dressing table and crossed her arms over her ribs.
    â€œUm…yes.” Ophelia jumped up from the chair and left Leona’s stuffed glion on the seat.
    â€œHey! Careful!” Leona snapped. “Have a little respect for my things!”
    â€œStar apologies!” said Ophelia. She hurried over to hand Leona her toy.
    â€œGive me an
S
! Give me a
T
! Give me an
A
! Give me an
R
!” the glion roared while Ophelia’s wide eyes began to fill with liquid glitter—otherwise known as Starling tears.
    Instantly, Leona wished she could take her words back or at least tame them a bit. She sounded…she sounded like Scarlet!
What’s wrong with me?
she asked herself.
    She took a deep breath, let it out, and tried to find a smile somewhere within. “It’s fine,” she finally growled. As she heard herself, she winced. “Let’s just go to dinner.”
    As they left the room, Ophelia used her wrist to wipe her eye. “I was careless with your things, but I’ll be more careful next time.”
    â€œAnd I guess I was a little hot-tempered,” Leona admitted. “Star apologies. I think I was just hungry….” Leona gulped.
What’s wrong with me?
she wondered.

After dinner, Leona felt much, much better. And because of that, Ophelia did,