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

too. Oddly, though, a delicious meal did not have the same effect on the other Star Darlings, who left the café seeming more irritated than ever before.
    Breakfast the next morning wasn’t much different, though some arguments had changed.
    Sage and Cassie were bickering about holo-books. Cassie was certain that Sage had borrowed her copy of
Once Upon a Starry Night
.
    â€œI didn’t borrow it,” Sage said.
    â€œBut I saw it in your hands,” Cassie argued, her eyes blazing behind her star-shaped glasses.
    â€œI picked it up, it’s true,” Sage admitted. “But it seemed kind of boring, so I put it back on your shelf.”
    Cassie’s mouth opened in disbelief. “Boring? Are you serious?
Once Upon a Starry Night
is the best book ever. What’s wrong with you?”
    â€œWhat’s wrong with
you
?” Sage retorted.
    â€œAnd what’s wrong with
you
?” Libby suddenly said, staring daggers at her roommate, Gemma.
    â€œWho, me?” asked Gemma.
    They had their own squabble going, about Gemma’s housekeeping skills, which Libby deemed startacularly poor.
    â€œThat’s what happens from living on a farm—messy seems normal,” said Libby.
    â€œThat’s not true,” Gemma’s older sister, Tessa, said. “We had to be very neat, but Gemma could never get the hang of it.”
    Tessa, meanwhile, had her own issues with Adora—specifically over their shared bouquet. Tessa thought the coral flowers looked much more pleasing on her green side of the room and clashed horribly with Adora’s blue. Adora found the argument frankly absurd, however, as her holo–color wheel clearly proved.
    As they went on and on, Leona turned to Ophelia and rolled her eyes in a weary “Who cares?” arc.
    â€œOh, my stars,” Leona remarked to Ophelia as they left the table together, arm in arm. “Is it me, or did everyone wake up on the dark side of the moon today?”
    â€œSo they aren’t always like that?” asked Ophelia.
    â€œOh, no,” Leona said. “Well…” She rethought that. “Maybe, sort of, lately. But never as bad as today.” She shrugged. “Lucky us, is all I can say. I was actually having the same problem with my old roommate until you took her place.” She gave Ophelia’s arm a happy squeeze. “We’re like the perfect roommates! It’s as if we’ve known each other forever already, don’t you think?”
    Ophelia smiled and nodded. “It’s a cosmic connection!” Leona continued. “For instance, I used to get mad at Scarlet for moving our flowers around, too. But with you I don’t care. We’re roommates. We
should
share!”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” asked Ophelia. “Move what flowers? Where?”
    â€œOur bouquet. You know.” They emerged from the café and into a misty, sparkly rain. Leona closed her eyes and turned her face up, and Ophelia did the same. “Did you know they say that the rain on Wishworld doesn’t even
sparkle
?” she asked Ophelia. “And that the lakes there
reflect
light but don’t make any of their own?”
    â€œAmazing,” Ophelia said, nodding. “How do they get glitter into their star showers do you think?”
    â€œBeats me.” Leona shrugged, pulled out her Star-Zap, and dialed up an energy bubble umbrella for them both. “Anyway, I don’t know where you put the flowers, but it’s fine. I don’t care,” she went on.
    â€œBut I didn’t move them,” replied Ophelia.
    â€œYou didn’t?” Leona turned to her just as the lights throughout the campus shifted spectrum, turning from warm white to rosy pink.
    â€œTime for first period already?” exclaimed Leona. “I guess I better get going to Wish Theory.”
    Ophelia was on her way to Wish Energy Manipulation. They arranged to meet up before Star Darlings