It had been three days since Jinx had abandoned the team. Lux was getting sick of seeing her empty, graffiti-marked chair in the classroom. And as if Jinx's absence weren't bad enough, Janna had scheduled a team meeting to brief the Star Guardians on their latest mission that afternoon. Lux twirled her pen between her fingers and stared out the window intently. Maybe if she looked hard enough, Jinx would return. Taking a quick glance behind her, she noticed Lulu doing the same thing. Well, we always were the resident optimists.
Time seemingly passed more slowly when Jinx wasn't around. Not that Lux wasn't fond of school, but she was a naturally gifted academician who excelled in all subjects without having to pay much attention in class. Whenever she'd get bored, she'd look back at Jinx and have a chuckle at whatever antics she was up to. Now, she just found herself dozing off as the painfully long seconds ticked by.
"I hate this team! I'll never belong here."
"Jinx, wait! Please don't go. We need you." Lux outstretched her hand toward the receding red trails of starlight until they blended in with the red of the setting sun.
"Lux. Lux."
She felt a hand shaking her back gently. Sitting up from her sleeping position, she saw Janna's blue-green eyes fixed on her.
"Is it time for the meeting?"
Janna gave a single, solemn nod. She led Poppy, Lux and Lulu out of the school building and into the adjacent park. After scanning the area for potential eavesdroppers and spotting none, she called for the three others to form a small circle.
"The mission which I am about to brief you on is possibly the most difficult and dangerous one we will ever undertake," Janna started. "The Star Forger has been corrupted."
Excited murmurs broke out among the rest of the team. "That's impossible...How could anyone subjugate him?...Doesn't he have the power to break free of their control?"
A stern glance from Janna hushed them. "While I do not know how exactly he was corrupted, the First Star has tasked us with freeing him, for if he continues to be enslaved, this universe will inevitably die."
"Don't we need Jinx's help with this?" asked Lulu, concern in her bright blue eyes. Lux nodded, signaling her agreement.
"Why would we need the help of a traitor?" Poppy exploded, raw anger setting her diminutive frame aquiver. "Out of all of us, her loyalty to the First Star is the weakest. She's nothing but a mistake! I'm glad to be rid of her."
"Now, Poppy, I do not believe that the First Star makes mistakes," chided Janna. "But I do believe that Jinx's drive to fulfill the duties of a Star Guardian leave…much to be desired. And until she accepts her role as a protector of this universe, as a servant to the First Star, she has no place on this team."
"But…" Lux tried to protest.
The look of piercing resolution on Janna's face silenced her. "We are doing this mission without Jinx."