star
I open my eyes, and frantically sit up.
Where am I?
I look around. It's pretty dark, but I can make out a few things.
I'm sitting on the edge of a huge, long, table, and there's a seat all the way across at the other end.
And finally, I know where I am.
Ludo's castle.
marco
I observe Star carefully as she lies on the bed. It took me a while to move her up, but I managed it anyway.
Her chest rises and falls while I examine her new wings.
They're much bigger now, still the same shade of purple, but it gives off a whole new aura.
A new layer has grown, and her wings have some kind of swirly pattern now. They look nice.
I nervously look at her face.
Completely knocked out.
It's been ten minutes since she's collapsed, and I'm starting to feel very nervous.
At least I know she's still breathing... But who knows what's going on in her mind right now?
She's Mewman, I don't know anything about Mewmans growing bigger wings and fainting.
She could be fighting a war with some kind of conscience monster of some sort, she could be dead inside, but on the outside, she's alive, she could even be -
BUZZ.
I let out a high-pitched scream that I never knew I was capable of, and jump onto Star's bed and duck under the sheets.
The buzzing continues for a while.
I finally find the courage to lift myself up.
I pat Star's forehead gently as an attempt to wake her, but it doesn't work. I get on my feet and look around the room.
The buzzing appears to be coming from her mirror.
Of course, Diaz. Of course. How could be scared of a mirror?
Scared? Who's scared? I'm not. I'm a red belt in karate.
I stop fighting myself and check the mirror.
INCOMING CALL FROM MOM
Oh gosh... What do I say?
I pick up anyway, I've put the Queen on hold for too long.
I hit ANSWER CALL and the Queen's face immediately pops up.
"... Marco?"
"Hey Queen."
"... And Star is... ?"
"Oh! She, uh, she passed out earlier. Twelve minutes, to be exact."
"WHAT?"
She looks around Star's room frantically, searching for her.
"Relax, relax! She's lying in bed. And still breathing."
"Marco... What exactly happened?"
I clear my throat.
"Uh... Star and I were... JUST TALKING. About Glossaryck. Yes. Then a bunch of weird hearts popped up," I say, pointing to my face."
"And they were glowing. Her whole face was lit up. She looked like that monster from the Dimension of Glowblins we saw a few days ago - "
"Ahem." She cleared her throat dryly.
"Oh yeah. Right. Out of topic here."
She taps her finger against her arms, which are folded.
"Well," I scratch the back of my neck. "Then she said her wings hurt. I was examining them, they were growing. Then Star screamed and she passed out."
I point to her bed, although I knew she couldn't see it from her angle.
"She's right there, her wings are huge, but I can't show you. I can't take the mirror off the wall and show you, I can't drag her over either. And... uh..."
I trail off as she calls, "RIVER!"
A few seconds later, Star's dad appears into the frame.
"Oh. It's the Marco boy."
I glance sideways and raise my eyebrows. "Hello."
An uncomfortable silence fills the room as he stares at me, drilling holes into my eyes.
The Queen clears her throat and addresses him seriously.
"Star is going through the Pervolonian process."
"What? So soon?" He stares into the mirror, dropping his gaze on me. He looks for Star just like the Queen did.
"You can't see her, she's on her bed, I can't take the mirror off the wall, or drag her over to - "
"Yes Marco, to show us. Well, anyway, River, the problem here is that I only had my Pervolonian process at the age of 21, after I dipped down at 19."
I raise my eyebrows, intrigued.
"Star's only fourteen, and this is the earliest case I've ever heard of. I would ask Glossaryck whether this is normal, but..."
She looks down at her shoes and I can tell she's sad.
The King makes a rumbling noise in his throat and pats her arm comfortingly.
"I'm sure she's fine, Moon. Star's a very strong girl, she'll be alright."
I couldn't understand why they were so worried. But I kept listening.
"Yes, but Baby told us her level of power is far beyond mine. At least when I was her age. And... Well? She hasn't seen anything like this since..."
The King nods while closing his eyes.
"Dear, the boy is watching."
The Queen looks up at me and stares for a while.
"Take care of her. Call us when she wakes up, Marco."
The two smile worriedly and nod at me.
I nod back, and hang up.
I walk over to the bed and plop myself down onto the bed next to Star.
I brush her hair off her face and sigh.
"Wake up, Star," I whisper, and lay my head on the pillow.
star
I look around, but all I see is an empty castle full of cobwebs.
I walk to the end of the table, and examine a bowl containing some kind of weird puree. I take a spoon lying next to it, scoop up the fluid, and let it dribble down back into the bowl.
"Eurgh."
I put the spoon back down next to the goo and spot the massive doors that are the castle's entrance.
I shove the doors open and squint my eyes as the sunlight blinds my vision.
I walk out to the huge hole in the ground where my 'upgraded' wand landed after it blew up.
The day I destroyed Toffee.
I slide down the sand and into the pit, and look around.
My wand. It's there.
Apparently, this whole time I wasn't holding it.
I walk over to it and crouch down, landing roughly onto the sand because of the uneven terrain.
Just as I reach for my wand, a little flap in the head of the wand opens up, and out walks the unicorn that's kept my wand running all this time.
He looks completely different now from when he went into the wand.
His mane is drooping over his eyes, he's sweating non-stop, there's even a puddle already forming at his hooves.
He's slouching in a way I've never seen any unicorn slouching before. His ribs poke out at the sides of his body.
Standing on all fours, his legs are trembling and quivering as if he doesn't have any more energy left to do anything anymore.
He scares me.
He looks demented.
Then I hear him whisper,
"Intoxicated."
marco
Star wakes with a jolt, and looks around as if expecting someone to attack her.
She takes a while to realize she's back in reality, and stares at me long and hard.
"Marco!"
She grabs my back and pulls me into a tight hug. "I missed you!"
"Star, you didn't go anywhere all this while. You were out cold."
"Yeah, but I was really creeped out, Marco. I had this weird dream."
Marco smiles at me with frowning eyebrows. "I'm just really glad you're okay."
He gets up from his kneeling position and sits next to me on the bed.
"You feeling alright now?"
"Yeah, I'm okay."
"And your wings? Are they good?"
I frown at him. "Wings?"
He nods and points at the mirror. I jump off the bed in response and walk over to it.
"...Woah."
My wings are the size of at least one of my pillows. They glimmer in the light like I've never seen them do before.
Floral patterns and translucent hearts dot them, and purple stars are dangling all around the bottom of my wings.
I turn and face Marco slowly.
"It's the Perv... Perva... Pervala..."
"Pervolonian process," I whisper, breathless.
"Yeah, that. We have to call your parents now."
"Wait, wait, wait. What? No! We can't call them without flying a little first."
I tie my hair up into a ponytail, and grab Marco's hand. Excitement begins to fill me up and adrenaline is pumping through my veins.
"Let's go, Marco."
Just as I'm about to jump in the air with him, he drags me back with both hands.
"Star, you never know what might happen. We have to check with your parents first."
"What? No. You know what they say, uh... Before you think deeper, try it for yourself. Haha... because that's how you learn."
"Star."
He gives me a stern expression, but it forms into a smile. "Trust me on this."
I roll my eyes and huff my hair out of my face.
"Fine."
I trudge over to the mirror and Marco walks closely behind.
I give him a sideways look and smile.
"Call Mom."