Leona''s Unlucky Mission by Ahmet Zappa, Shana Muldoon Zappa & Ahmet Zappa Page A

the starlight like…like one of those fluttery Wishworld insects that looked like moonmoths to the big round bulb outside the front door of their Havisham dorm. Of course, she didn’t mind backup singers. They made her feel like more of a superstar, in fact. And duets could be fun…with the right Starling. But choruses? Ugh. They were always saying things like “Try to blend in more,” and “Stop stepping out of your row!” Still, Leona had to do something to get Lily’s wish back on track. The success of the mission depended on it.
    And she’d been so busy she hadn’t taken any time to try to figure out what her special talent was. Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe that was just what she needed to make this wish come true….Then a thought suddenly tickled the corner of Leona’s mind. “Are you saying that you would do the talent show if you didn’t have to sing all by yourself?”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œI mean…what if I got up there and sang with you? Would you do the talent show then?”
    â€œUh…well…I don’t know….”
    â€œYou wouldn’t be alone,” Leona reminded her.
    â€œNo.” Lily nodded. “You’re right….Would you?” She smiled shyly. “Would you really do that for me?”
    â€œYou bet your stars!” roared Leona. “Um, I mean…I guess so. If it would help
you
get up there and sing, and show all these girls how talented—and brave—you are, then yes.” Leona bowed humbly. “I’d be most honored to help.”

Leona was just about to follow Lily into the arts building to practice their duet when she glimpsed (Was it? Yes!) a hot white flash across the sky. It was their free period before lunch and after a class Leona had come to like a lot: History of the Ancient World. Her mind was still reeling, in fact, from that day’s lesson about a place called Greece, where they believed in many gods, including one named Helios, who drove a golden chariot across the sky each day. And this, the Greeks believed, was how the sun moved from east to west.
    Leona wondered if Lady Stella or any of her teachers were familiar with this Wishling myth. She added it to her Wishworld Observations just in case they weren’t. She also wondered where such a myth had come from. Could maybe—just maybe—some ancient Starling have shared their means of Wishworld travel with some ancient Greek? And maybe, as in a game of holo-phone, a few details were changed? Leona could see how it might have happened. Stories were fickle things. She had to sit on her hands to keep from raising one and saying, “That sun chariot stuff is crazy, but you really can ride a shooting star!”
    But back to the flash, which Leona would have missed if a small furry gray Wishworld creature hadn’t scampered across the path in front of her and made her stop and hop back. As soon as the creature reached the grass, it sat up on its hind legs and stared at her, twitching its fluffy tail as if to wave her a Wishling hello.
    â€œHello, to you, little Wishworld…”
Hmm…
Leona tried to remember what the species was called. A “squid”? A “squirt”? A squ-something…And that was when she noticed the silvery burst.
    If it had been that wonderful Wishling holiday when they lit up the sky with colorful, sparkling explosions, Leona would have thought it was one of those. But since it was not a holiday, Leona guessed the source at once.
    Lily poked her head out the door of the arts building. “Are you coming?”
    â€œYes!” Leona waved. “I mean, I am…in just a second. I think…” What did she think? “I think I left something…somewhere….You go on and start rehearsing, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
    Lily shrugged and withdrew into the building while Leona leapt over the friendly, wide-eyed