Scarlet Discovers True Strength by Ahmet Zappa

know.” Her eyes flashed and flickered between Vega and Cassie. “You’re the puzzle solvers. Any thoughts?”
    â€œThese things happen, I suppose,” said Vega.
    Cassie frowned. “Not here. Not at Starling Academy. All these ‘mistakes,’ ‘coincidences,’ ‘mysteries’—they don’t just
happen
here.”
    Vega nodded reluctantly. “Agreed.”
    â€œSo do you think somebody switched our records?” said Scarlet. “On purpose? But those things don’t happen here, either…do they?”
    The three Starlings traded worried looks. They were all thinking the same thing, but no one was quite ready to put such a dark thought into words. Then, suddenly, Cassie’s lacy silver sweater pocket beeped. She pulled out her Star-Zap and read the holo-text. Behind her glasses her eyes grew big and round.
    â€œIt’s the botany lab!” she exclaimed. “They’ve finished testing the flowers and have the results!”
    â€œWell? What did they find?” asked Vega.
    â€œThey don’t say. They just say to come.”
    â€œThat’s one connection I still don’t see,” Vega told her. “And it’s not just because I want to win our bet. I was hoping Piper and I would get along better when the flowers were out of our room….”
    â€œAnd did you?”
    â€œNo. Nothing changed. In fact, you should have heard how she went on about my letting you take them to the lab to be studied. You would have thought I’d stolen her bed.”
    â€œReally…” Cassie’s nearly translucent eyebrows slid together as she frowned.
    â€œBut then suddenly yesterday,” Vega went on, “she gave me this sweet holo-poem she’d written…and this morning we meditated together.” She smiled at Cassie’s and Scarlet’s dumbfounded expressions. “Cross my stars! I know!”
    â€œThere might still be a connection…” said Cassie.
    Vega shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out.” She slipped one arm through Cassie’s, then the other through Scarlet’s.
    â€œYou want me to come, too?” Scarlet eyed Vega’s elbow and gingerly unhooked her arm.
    â€œOf course,” said Vega. “Right, Cassie?” She tried not to look too hurt by Scarlet’s initial response.
    â€œMoon and stars, yes,” said Cassie, smiling warmly. “We’re in this together now.”

The botany lab was in Halo Hall in the science stellation, where the Starlings’ Wishology and Astrophysics classes—among dozens of others—were held. Those labs, though, were on the lower floors. The botany lab took up most of the top floor and had a ceiling made of glass so the hydrongs of plants and flowers growing there had all the sunlight or starlight or moonlight they could want.
    Naturally, there were specimens from all over Starland: featherjabbers, mellomallows, even nomadic druderwomps—shrublike knots of glittery branches that were constantly uprooting themselves and lazily rolling around the lab until they got bored and decided to stop and spread their roots, inevitably tripping someone up. The lab was best known, though, for its extensive collection of flora samples from Wishworld. It was the largest collection on Starland, in fact. Generations of Wish-Granters had brought back everything from Spanish moss to buttercups to fragrant evergreen trees. Scientists were still working to get those to bloom ornaments the way they did on Wishworld…but so far, they’d had no luck. Scarlet’s personal favorites were the dandelions, which were like two flowers in one, the second better than the first: a starburst of yellow petals followed by tickly cloud-white fluff. And best of all Wishers used them to make wishes! Plus they didn’t overwhelm you with that cloying flower smell, which was always such overkill, Scarlet thought.
    The three