Wishworld, Tel Aviv, Isreal
It was a starry late night in Tel Aviv. A middle school was having their annual talent show. Amongst the kids performing was a shy 14-year-old magician. She'd been practicing for about a year, and she figured it was about time she displayed her magic for real, but she was nervous. "I don't know about this," she said to herself. "All the critiques during my training, I was deeply hurt. I know they're trying to help, but too much of it is making me a perfectionist. I just hope they like it."
XxoxX
At the Tel Aviv Port, Cheryl was doing a little research on her Starblet. Vivian, Georgia, and Alyssa were with her as well. "What are you doing, Cheryl?" Alyssa asked.
"Archiving all the Wonder Wishes so we won't forget," Cheryl explained, "Squeaky toy - loyal, makeup box - courage, paper bag - friendship, beret - honesty, hula hoop - strength, paint palette - inspiration, pie tins - faith, Russian doll - kindness, bouquet - discipline, dungbell - nutrition, tiki - patience, sombrero -diversity, paper lantern - sharing, prop apple - compassion, Rubik's cube - mercy, star sponge - forgiveness, and beach ball - handling peer pressure."
"That's a lot of Wonder Wishes," Vivian said.
In the sky, Vega and Greer were hoverboarding. Luckily, Cheryl helped him out by adding cloaking devices only those with Starling blood can see.
"Greer?" Georgia asked her twin brother. "What did Daddy tell you about using powers in public?"
"Sorry, sis," Greer shouted while coming down. "I just wanted to make sure the cloaking worked, and it did."
All of a sudden, their Star-Zaps glew, knowing that there was a mission. By a public art display, they found out that a wishing named Elisheva Rosenberg needed confidence for her to perform in the talent show. "We better get there before all her confidence disappears," suggested Vivian.
"You go on ahead," Cheryl replied. "I have to tutor Maria in her Wish Identification Class."
"Gotta go too," Greer replied. "Gotta work on a special surprise for Alyssa."
Alyssa blushed. After Cheryl teleported back to Starling Academy, Vega, Vivian, Alyssa, and Georgia teleported off to Elisheva.
XxoxX
At the talent show, Elisheva was still feeling nervous abotu going on when a boy magician who is around The Starlings age came up, "You must be Harlow," Elisheva said, "one of the teenage volunteers supervising the talent show. Mrs. Liberman said that we'll be getting some volunteers in case we get hurt."
"That's right," Harlow replied, "although the school I attend is a bit different from any of the schools here."
Elisheva was confused, but decided to get ready, for she was the last act of the talent show. The first act was a ballerina reenacting a dance from Giselle. By the curtain, Harlow was contacting his fellow Star Darling agents that his Countdown Clock had about one hour, which was how long the talent show was.
During the show, Harlow watched a hip-hop dance troupe, a poet, and a dog trainer. Still he needed a way to get Elisheva to get the confidence to perform.
When the Star Darlings arrived while posing as volunteers, Georgia took a glimpse at Harlow. "Oh, my stars," she sighed. "That is the cutest magician I've ever seen."
Harlow didn't know what to expect. He had met other Starlings before, but not one with genie apparel. Wanting to impress the half-Starling genie, he did a little magic. "Abra Cosmicdabra!"
Unfortunately, only Harlow's pants disappeared. Everyone laughed at the magician. Georgia felt so sorry for the magician that she used her genie magic to make them focus on the talent show, and not on the magician's embarrassment. "Middle-schoolers can be a hassle," Georgia recalled. "Name's Georgia. You must be the magician Harlow."
"You saw me?" Harlow asked while adjusting his glasses.
"Yeah," Georgia recalled. "You were the Radical Harlow at Club Comet. Everystar thought you were a stand-up comedian until DJ Kai started playing Queen's 'We Will Rock You'. My friends and I were the only ones who participated."
"Yeah," Harlow recalled. "You were also the only ones who liked the act."
Harlow and Georgia began to blush, "Hey!" snapped a familiar evil face. "Can you make your dumb faces disappear?"
It was Hydra. He came to grant Elisheva's wish, in a bad way. As he was summoning his star-snakes, all of the Wishlings got scared and ran away, forfeiting the contest except for Elisheva, for she was putting on her costume that she made in sewing class. Seeing the snakes, she knew that they didn't allow vermin in school. She did a hanky trick, a cage trick, and a sleeping trick on the star-snakes and made them disappear.
"Where did the snakes go?" Vivian asked. "I would love to give them out to the pet shelter."
"Sis," Vega whispered, "If I know magic, Elisheva must've sent it to wherever she chose."
Just then, Hydra started bouncing up and down like crazy. "Star-snakes," Hydra asked, "how did you get into Papa's trousers?"
"A magician never reveals its secrets," Elisheva smiled.
Observing his Countdown Clock, Harlow realized that his assignment was complete.
"Foiled by a magician without pants," Hydra growled. "I'm going back to find some better clothes."
After teleporting off, Alyssa found Harlow's pants by the medals. When Harlow placed his pants on, an elderly lady came in to see what was going on. "Where is everybody?" the old lady asked.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Liberman," Elisheva said, "but they ran off after a snake investation started by a trespasser."
"As your guidance counselor," Mrs. Liberman said, "I appreciate your honesty, because I saw a hunky gentleman insulting how I dressed. Now that the other acts forfeited the contest, looks like you're up."
To give her a confidence boost, Vega, Alyssa, Vivian, and Georgia perfomed the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" from the instruments left behind by the musician competing in the talent show.
Just like that, Elisheva won the talent show. When she tossed her hat like it was a high school graduation, the magician hat turned into another Wonder Wish: Self-Esteem.
"What are you going to do next, Harlow?" Georgia asked.
"Haven't booked a gig since that magic show at Club Comet," Harlow said. "Looks like I'm not going anywhere."
Then Vega realized something. "My mother wasn't a nurse on Starland," she said, "but she was a nurse for the Isreal NSA division."
"Oh, yeah," Vivian replied. "She sometimes tells us stories about Isreal."
After suggesting a gig at the Isreal NSA Hospital, Harlow agreed to perform, with the Star Darlings as his assistants.
Wishworld, Isreal NSA Hospital
The next day, the Isreal NSA Hospital was hosting Harlow's new and improved magic act. First he did some card tricks, then a fire-eating trick, and finally pulled some bitbats out of a hat. Everyone was weirded out by the bitbat trick, but Georgia, Vivian, and the night shift heroes liked it.
For a final surprise act, Harlow summoned a bouquet of Chatterbursts, and gave them to Georgia.
The End
