Piper's Perfect Dream (17 page)

Piper suddenly felt very tired. There was a weird tension in the air that left her feeling uneasy. She looked over at Astra, who had a puzzled expression on her face.

Then Lady Stella stepped forward, Piper's Wish Blossom cupped in her hands. As Piper reached to accept it, it began to glow brighter and brighter. Piper gasped as it started to transform. “Why, it's a sleepibelle!” Piper whispered, delighted. She loved the way its hanging petals swung in a soothing motion, back and forth like a pendulum. It's soothing glow warmed her right to her toes. Then, one by one, its drooping petals rose and unfurled. And there was her Power Crystal. “Dreamalite,” Lady Stella declared.

Gingerly, Piper picked up the stone, sparkling green with hidden depths. Holding it felt right. It touched Piper's very essence. This was a stone she would never, ever lose.

Lady Stella nodded seriously, then continued. “I know it's been an unsettling few days here.”

Sage giggled.

“So it's extra nice to have Piper—and Astra—back safely from a mission well done.”

Once again, the Star Darlings applauded.

As Sage tried to pull Libby to her feet and everyone started to leave, Astra edged closer to Piper. “Is it me,” she asked, “or is something different?”

“It's not you,” Piper said. “I think so, too. Maybe it took us going away to see it.”

Something was not quite right. But what in the stars was it?

Afterglow:
The Starling afterlife. When Starlings die, it is said that they have “begun their afterglow.”

Age of Fulfillment:
The age when a Starling is considered mature enough to begin to study wish granting.

Bad Wish Orbs:
Orbs that are the result of bad or selfish wishes made on Wishworld. These grow dark and warped and are quickly sent to the Negative Energy Facility.

Ballum blossom tree:
A Starland tree with cherry blossom–like flowers that light up at night.

Big Dipper Dormitory:
Where third- and fourth-year students live.

Bot-Bot:
A Starland robot. There are Bot-Bot guards, waiters, deliverers, and guides on Starland.

Bright Day:
The date a Starling is born, celebrated each year like a Wishling birthday.

Celestial Café:
Starling Academy's outstanding cafeteria.

Cocomoon:
A sweet and creamy fruit with an iridescent glow.

Cosmic Transporter:
The moving sidewalk system that transports students through dorms and across the Starling Academy campus.

Countdown Clock:
A timing device on a Starling's Star-Zap. It lets them know how much time is left on a Wish Mission, which coincides with when the Wish Orb will fade.

Crystal Mountains:
The most beautiful mountains on Starland. They are located across the lake from Starling Academy.

Cycle of Life:
A Starling's life span. When Starlings die, they are said to have “completed their Cycle of Life.”

Dramboozle:
A natural herb that promotes sweet dreams and comforting sleep.

Druderwomp:
An edible barrel-like bush capable of pulling up its own roots and rolling like a tumbleweed, then planting itself again.

Flareworks:
Colorful displays at the Festival of Illumination.

Flutterfocus:
A Starland creature similar to a Wishworld butterfly but with illuminated wings.

Galliope:
A sparkly Starland creature similar to a Wishworld horse.

Garble greens:
A Starland vegetable similar to spinach.

Glimmerwillow tree:
A Starland tree with hanging branches called glimmervines that create a space at its base resembling a closed-off leafy room.

Glitterberries:
A sweet Starland fruit.

Gloak tree:
A Starland tree known for its strength and beauty.

Globerbeem:
Large, friendly lightning bug–type insects that are sparkly and lay eggs.

Gloom Flats:
A rural, sparsely populated, dimly illuminated area of Starland and home to Piper's family.

Glorange:
A glowing orange fruit. Its juice is often enjoyed at breakfast time.

Glowfur:
A small, furry Starland creature with gossamer wings that eats flowers and glows.

Glowmoss:
A soft vegetation that covers fields on Starland.

Good Wish Orbs:
Orbs that are the result of positive wishes made on Wishworld. They are planted in Wish-Houses.

Halo Hall:
The building where Starling Academy classes are held.

Holo-text:
A message received on a Star-Zap and projected into the air. There are also holo-albums, holo-billboards, holo-books, holo-cards, holo-communications, holo-diaries, holo-flyers, holo-letters, holo-papers, holo-pictures, and holo–place cards. Anything that would be made of paper or contain writing or images on Wishworld is a hologram on Starland.

Hydrong:
The equivalent of a Wishworld hundred.

Impossible Wish Orbs:
Orbs that are the result of wishes made on Wishworld that are beyond the power of Starlings to grant.

Isle of Misera:
A barren rocky island off the coast of New Prism.

Lightku:
A spare and simple poem with only three lines of verse and seventeen syllables total.

Lightku Isle:
An isolated part of Starland with sandy, sparkling beaches, where local Starlings speak solely in lightkus.

Lightning Lounge:
A place on the Starling Academy campus where students relax and socialize.

Little Dipper Dormitory:
Where first- and second-year students live.

Luminous Lake:
A serene and lovely lake next to the Starling Academy campus.

Luminous Library:
The impressive library at Starling Academy.

Mirror Mantra:
A saying specific to each Star Darling that when recited gives her (and her Wisher) reassurance and strength. When a Starling recites her Mirror Mantra while looking in a mirror, she will see her true appearance reflected.

Moonium:
An amount similar to a Wishworld million.

Old Prism:
A medium-sized historical city about an hour from Starling Academy.

Plinking:
A delicious striped fruit that bounces like a ball.

Power Crystal:
The powerful stone that each Star Darling receives once she has granted her first wish.

Serenity Islands:
A Starland recreation area. Starlings sometimes take hover-canoe rides around it.

Shooting stars:
Speeding stars that Starlings can latch on to and ride to Wishworld.

Silver Blossom:
The final manifestation of a Good Wish Orb. This glimmering metallic bloom is placed in the Hall of Granted Wishes.

Sleepibelle:
Piper's Wish Blossom. Its blue-green petals hang down and swing in a soothing motion, like a pendulum.

Snuggle sack:
A heavily quilted tube that immediately adjusts to a Starling's height and body shape for extreme comfort.

Sparklecorn:
A versatile Starland food.

Sparkle shower:
An energy shower Starlings take every day to get clean and refresh their sparkling glow.

Star ball:
An intramural sport that shares similarities with soccer on Wishworld. But star ball players use energy manipulation to control the ball.

Starcar:
The primary mode of transportation for most Starlings. These ultrasafe vehicles drive themselves on cushions of wish energy.

Star Caves:
The caverns underneath Starling Academy where the Star Darlings' secret Wish-Cavern is located.

Starf!:
A Starling expression of dismay.

Star flash:
News bulletin, often used starcastically.

Star Kindness Day:
A special Starland holiday that celebrates spreading kindness, compliments, and good cheer.

Starland City:
The largest city on Starland, also its capital.

Starlicious:
Tasty, delicious.

Starlings:
The glowing beings with sparkly skin who live on Starland.

Starpepper jelly:
A condiment (often crushed) that adds spice and flavor to Starland foods.

Star Quad:
The center of the Starling Academy campus. The dancing fountain, band shell, and hedge maze are located here.

Star sack:
A Starland tote bag. This container starts about the size of a lunch bag, but it expands to hold whatever is stored inside.

Star salutations:
The Starling way to say “thank you.”

Staryear:
A period of 365 days on Starland, the equivalent of a Wishworld year.

Star-Zap:
The ultimate smartphone that Starlings use for all communications. It has myriad features.

Stellar School:
A rival of Starling Academy in star ball.

Stellation:
The point of a star. Halo Hall has five stellations, each housing a different department.

Sunnet:
A rhyming poem that can be any length and meter but must include a source of light.

Supernova:
A stellar explosion. Also used colloquially, meaning “really angry,” as in “She went supernova when she found out the bad news.”

Time of Letting Go:
One of the four seasons on Starland. It falls between the warmest season and the coldest, similar to fall on Wishworld.

Time of Lumiere:
The warmest season on Starland, similar to summer on Wishworld.

Time of New Beginnings:
Similar to spring on Wishworld, this is the season that follows the coldest time of year; it's when plants and trees come into bloom.

Time of Shadows:
The coldest season of the year on Starland, similar to winter on Wishworld.

Toothlight:
A high-tech gadget that Starlings use to clean their teeth.

Trilight:
A planet with three moons that is visible from Starland.

Wish Blossom:
The bloom that appears from a Wish Orb after its wish is granted.

Wish energy:
The positive energy that is released when a wish is granted. Wish energy powers everything on Starland.

Wisher:
The Wishling who has made the wish that is being granted.

Wish-Granters:
Starlings whose job is to travel down to Wishworld to help make wishes come true and collect wish energy.

Wish-House:
The place where Wish Orbs are planted and cared for until they sparkle. Once the orb's wish is granted, it becomes a Wish Blossom.

Wishlings:
The inhabitants of Wishworld.

Wish Mission:
The task a Starling undertakes when she travels to Wishworld to help grant a wish.

Wish Orb:
The form a wish takes on Wishworld before traveling to Starland. There it will grow and sparkle when it's time to grant the wish.

Wish Pendant:
A gadget that absorbs and transports wish energy, helps Starlings locate their Wishers, and changes a Starling's appearance. Each Wish Pendant holds a different special power for its Star Darling.

Wishworld:
The planet Starland relies on for wish energy. The beings on Wishworld know it by another name—Earth.

Wishworld Outfit Selector:
A program on each Star-Zap that accesses Wishworld fashions for Starlings to wear to blend in on their Wish Missions.

Wishworld Surveillance Deck:
Located high above the campus, it is where Starling Academy students go to observe Wishlings through high-powered telescopes.

Zing:
A traditional Starling breakfast drink. It can be enjoyed hot or iced.