Greetings everyone! Yep, Vega's in trouble for sure. Will she make it out okay? We're about to find out…:)

Chapter 6

"It's a Monday. Are you sure you won't get in trouble for missing class?"

"If Scarlet got away with skipping class for stardays, I can get away with doing it for a few starhours."

Sabrina was surprised. "Scarlet skipped class for that long?"

Libby nodded. "Actually she skipped everything. No one knew where she was until a few stardays before her Wish Mission."

The two girls had left Starling Academy and were now walking through the glorange tree forest. It was just like exploring an orange tree forest, but the trees and fruit were a lot brighter and sparklier. This was one of Libby's favourite areas in Starland; a place that, at least in her opinion, was the perfect place for a party if it could just be decorated in pink. Sabrina was the first friend of hers who had ever agreed with her on that.

"This is the prettiest forest I've ever seen," remarked Sabrina.

"I know, right? Don't you think it would be the perfect place for a party? If I just decorated it all in pink and set up some tables, and invited everyone over and set up some tables, it would be starmendous!" Libby paused to take a breath. "Sorry. Everyone thinks I have a problem with how much I talk about that."

"I don't think you have a problem," said Sabrina.

"Really? I do it every starday. Everyone thinks all I care about are pink, boys, shoes, and parties."

Sabrina placed a hand on Libby's shoulder with a reassuring smile. "Being yourself is not a problem."

Libby smiled back, and the two hugged. Once they released each other, Sabrina noticed that the smile on Libby's face had disappeared. Libby noticed Sabrina noticing this, and she sighed. "Sabrina, I…I have to tell you something."

"Are your ears failing you? Where's Sabrina?!"

Vega wished she had the power of invisibility like Cassie, the power of teleportation like Astra, or the power to rewind time like Gemma. She didn't though, and it wasn't as if she could erase these Wishlings' memories of what just happened. To do that, she'd have to hug one of them, which wouldn't go so well now that everyone in the class knew she wasn't really Sabrina. There was no way out this. She was doomed.

Chloe was getting angrier and angrier. "Answer me! If you don't answer me right now, I'll call Daddy! He's the mayor of Paris, so he'll have you arrested for trying to humiliate me so much!" To emphasize her point, Chloe picked up her phone and held it up for all to see.

Quickly, Vega tried to think of what to do. She considered looking Miss Bustier in the eyes and telling her she was the real Sabrina (a Starling hypnosis trick that worked on every adult Wishling), but that would only make matters worse. That kind of hypnosis worked on adults, but no matter what, it was always ineffective on kids and teenagers. Vega would have to answer Chloe's questions without bringing up Starland or the other Star Darlings.

"Okay," Vega finally said, "the truth is, I'm not Sabrina. But don't worry, I don't mean her or any of you any harm. The reason why I'm here is to help her find her inner light."

Chloe stomped away from her table so she could get in Vega's face. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a beeping noise coming from the back of the classroom. "Sorry," said Cat Noir, "that's my ring telling me I need to transform back. Gotta go!" He jumped out through the window Ivan broke, leaving the muscular Wishling with brief satisfaction that he hadn't broken the glass for nothing after all. Ladybug left too, though she obviously didn't want to.

"Tell me where my minion is," growled Chloe through clenched teeth.

"She's…not in Paris," said Vega, "But in two days she'll be back—"

Chloe scoffed. "Oh please. I'm only asking what you did with her so I can know where you live. Obviously you didn't get your powers from Hawk-Moth."

Alya had started filming with her phone again. "What exactly are you planning to do, Chloe?"

Chloe placed a hand on her hip and smirked. She didn't like Alya one bit, but she did like any opportunities to be popular for reasons other than her spoiled behaviour. "Well, Alya Césaire, since my minion's been replaced with a girl that has superpowers, I want to find the place she got those powers so I can have some too! Then I can finally get my way all the time without Hawk-Moth's help."

"You can't get my powers," said Vega, "They're not the kind of powers that magic spells give you. I was born with these powers. You couldn't get them if you tried."

"Maybe I can't, but my daddy is the mayor of Paris! I can still get my way all the time with your powers! I'll just have to make you my new minion! And to make sure you don't disappear like Sabrina did, I'll have her father provide some items to keep you in my wrath at all times. He's a police officer that never lets Daddy down, so that should be easy."

Vega started to back out of the classroom, but Chloe grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the door. "Kim, would you hold onto her while I call Daddy and Officer Roger?"

"Anything for you, my valentine," said Kim, walking over and obeying her.

"I'm not your valentine," grunted Chloe, dialling a number on her phone. As she waited for her call to be answered, she narrowed her eyes at Vega and said, "Now that we know you're not Sabrina, you might as well turn back into the real you and say your real name."

Reluctantly, Vega mumbled, "Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." She changed back into her Starling form and stammered, "I…I'm Vega…"

"They're going to erase my memories?"

"Wishlings aren't supposed to know about Starland. I know you can be trusted, but if people like Chloe know about us, they'll start forcing us to grant their wishes. Even the good Wishlings can't know. It's a risk Lady Stella doesn't want to take. I'm so sorry…" Libby started crying pink glittery tears, and she sank into a sitting position. "I really want you to remember everything. If we had control over what memories of us you keep and what memories you forget, I'd make you at least remember me and the other girls. But try as we might, it doesn't work that way…"

Sabrina hugged her. "What if you go with me when it's time to go back to Paris, and when you take Vega back up here, you can pretend you did erase my memories? Then you can sneak out and visit me every night without anyone knowing."

"Sabrina, I can't come visit you," sobbed Libby, "To do that, I'd have to sneak out to the Wishworld Observation Deck every night, which is exactly what Scarlet does every night. Sometimes Sage and Cassie do it too. They'd find out the truth in a matter of starmins, and as much as they don't want to do it, they will make sure your memories are erased. Like I said, it's a risk no one wants to take!" She clutched her friend tightly. "I want us to be BFFs. I really do. But I…I don't think this is a secret we'll have an easy time keeping from the girls."

Sabrina could feel tears building up in her eyes too. Libby was the spark of hope in her life; the reason she was finding her voice. She couldn't forget about her—they needed each other! She had to do something to protect their friendship, and she needed to have it figured out by Wednesday. That was when she would be due back in Paris, and she and Vega would have to switch back.

Libby must have sensed her pensiveness, for she sat up and wiped her tears away. "Maybe we should recite my Mirror Mantra," she suggested, "It helps Star Darlings and Wishlings alike gain their confidence and feel better."

Sabrina nodded. She already knew what Mirror Mantras were, since she overheard Leona and Gemma reciting theirs yesterday. After she'd asked, Sage had explained what they were, and then each of the Star Darlings took turns revealing their Mirror Mantras. They each had a different mantra, but Sabrina personally liked Libby's the most. Even when she wasn't the one saying it, just hearing it in general made her feel like she really did have a voice, and that she'd never be alone.

Libby took Sabrina's hands in hers, and together they recited the Mirror Mantra. "It's all in the balance. Glimmer and shine!" Instantly a warm, comforting feeling spread through both of the girls, and they gained a reassuring feeling that everything would be okay. If they thought up a creative plan together, their friendship would last forever, and no memories would have to be erased. All they had to do was think.

Suddenly Libby had an idea. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a beautiful sparkly pink stone. Before Sabrina could ask what it was, it was pressed against her chest by Libby. Thinking the stone had to be some kind magical source, Sabrina braced herself and waited for anything strange to happen. But nothing did.

"Starf," groaned Libby, taking the stone back and putting it back in her pocket.

"What was that?" Sabrina asked.

"It's my Power Crystal," explained Libby, "Every time a Star Darling comes back from a Wish Mission, she receives one. After our battle against Lady Rancora, we found out the Power Crystals make their owners stronger than ever before. I thought it might protect you from getting your memories erased, but first I needed to see if it would even work on a Wishling. I guess not though."

"Or maybe it didn't work because it's your Power Crystal," said Sabrina, "Maybe they only work when their owners are the ones using them."

Libby thought for a minute. "Good point…but a Wishling on a Wish Mission? That's never happened before."

Sabrina chuckled. "A Wishling's never been on Starland or used any Star Zaps to disguise themselves as Starlings before. And look what I've been doing. I think I can go on a Wish Mission too, even if I can't see the positive wish energy you can see."

"Let's go to the Wish House," said Libby, "Maybe there's a Wish Orb ready to choose someone to help its Wisher."

"Do you think we can catch it before Lady Stella and the faculty do?"

"If Scarlet said Sage and Cassie did it when they snuck into the Wish House, we can do it too."

With Libby leading the way, she and Sabrina left the glorange tree forest and returned to campus. There, they were able to sneak into the Wish House without anyone seeing them—not even Scarlet, Sage, or Cassie. Once they were inside it, Sabrina gasped at the sight. They were standing in a beautiful room with a giant pink flower in the middle of it. Brightly-coloured balls of different shapes and opaqueness were floating all around them, some wandering idly and others dancing around Sabrina and Libby, as though wanting them to play with them. Sabrina waved a sparkly lavender spherical orb towards her and held it in her hands, examining it closely. Somehow she could feel the positive longing within it, and she closed her eyes, imagining what well-intentioned human could have formulated this wonderful Wish Orb.

Suddenly Libby gasped, and Sabrina opened her eyes. She was just in time to see the big pink flower open up, releasing a bright magenta Wish Orb that looked like it had a little tulip inside of it. "Moons and stars," Libby exclaimed, "it's a new Wish Orb! It's ready to have its wish granted!"

Sabrina gazed at the magenta orb in fascination. It almost looked like Scarlet's hair without the dark violet streaks. It was truly beautiful, just like all the other orbs in the room. She walked up to look at it more closely, but she'd only taken two steps before it started to float to her. She paused mid-step, and the magenta Wish Orb kept coming until it came to a stop, right in front of her face. Sabrina held it in her hands to look at it and then walked away to examine a green orb, but paused as she realized the magenta one was following her. She ran behind the big flower, but it picked up speed and still followed her. Sabrina laughed. "Libby, I think this one really likes me!"

Libby chuckled. "Actually, I think it chose you."

"What?"

"It chose you to grant its wish."

Sabrina came out from behind the big flower, once again followed by the magenta Wish Orb. "Really? Or…or maybe it just thinks I'm Vega."

"It doesn't think you're Vega. Wish Orbs have a way of knowing which one of us its wish is made for. They can tell through our personalities. You and Vega are too different on the inside for a Wish Orb to get you confused!"

As if telling her it agreed with Libby, the magenta orb flew up and nuzzled Sabrina's neck, making her giggle. "See?" Libby said, "It chose you."

"I guess it did," Sabrina breathed. A big smile spread across her face as the truth sank in. "So all I have to do is grant someone's wish, and then I'll get a Power Crystal that'll hopefully stop my memories from being erased if it comes down to that?"

Libby nodded. "But granting the wish isn't always easy. Maybe I'll come with you to help."

"Yeah, that would be a good idea."

Libby led Sabrina out of the Wish House, and after smuggling a pair of backpacks from Lady Stella's office, they went to the Wishworld Observation Deck. There, Libby used her powers to charm a star wrangler into lassoing a shooting star for them. Once the girls were attached to the shooting star, it was released from the lasso's hold and sent hurtling to Wishworld. Sabrina screamed and held Libby's hand tight. It was just like riding a roller coaster, but without a safety bar. Not to mention the fact that once they entered Earth's atmosphere, they both had to change their appearances! While it was a much quicker process for Sabrina because she actually was a Wishling, Libby had to do more than just say the magic words. She also had to use her Star Zap to change her outfit and turn most of her hair brown.

They landed in the outskirts of a city, and while Libby folded up the shooting star and put it in her backpack, Sabrina studied the city. It looked familiar to her, but why? Wait a minute…she'd been there on a class trip! It had been a very exclusive field trip, but it had been a fun one. The city was New York City!

"Oh Libby," exclaimed Sabrina, "could this day get any better?"

Vega groaned. Could this starday get any worse?

Chloe's father, Mayor Bourgeois, and Sabrina's father Roger were at the school within thirty starmins. Chloe had them place a wrist brace with a camera inside on Vega's arm, so if she thought of escaping what she had in store for her, she "wouldn't get away with it." It wasn't as if anyone besides Roger could remove it either!

Throughout the rest of class, Chloe made sure Vega not only did all the assignments for her, but also used her mind controlling powers. It was the only way to prevent Miss Bustier from preventing Chloe's spoiled behaviour. After school, Vega narrowly escaped having to run after Chloe's limousine by saying she needed her energy to grant wishes. She was able to ride in the seat next to Chloe, but the rude Wishling still found a way to make her feel miserable.

Throughout the ride, Chloe told Vega to use her powers. "Make this limo pink…no, make it yellow. Actually, make it black again." "Here. Make my shoes pinker. No, that's too pink! Ugh, now they're not pink enough!" "Give me a better hairstyle." "Make my hair sparkly like yours!" "Get a fancy dress to appear on my lap. Oh, and make sure it's as sparkly as your hair." "Remember, since Sabrina missed five days of daily work, you'll have to do the work she missed, plus today's work! I'll let you know when I need you to use your powers." It was a good thing Starlings processed all that they learned from school as they slept. If it wasn't for that, Vega knew she never would have managed to finish all the homework by the end of the starday.

At dinner, Vega finally got a break from all the chores, but she found that eating wasn't an easy task. Doing homework combined with using her powers had made her truly exhausted, both physically and mentally. She didn't even have the energy to eat a meal without lifting her head from the table. It wasn't until she got to Chloe's bedroom (the wardrobe of Chloe's bedroom, to be precise) that she finally found an opportunity to get some real rest. It didn't even cross her mind that there was no bed in the wardrobe. Vega was just happy to go to sleep.

Sabrina and Libby tackled each other into Libby's invisible luxury tent, laughing. It had been the best experience of their lives. Since Sabrina had been to New York before, she'd wasted no time in showing Libby around. With the help of Vega's Star Zap and Wish Pendant, they'd been able to find the wisher right away—and it was none other than Jessica Keynes, one of the American teenage girls she'd met on her field trip! Sabrina didn't tell Jess how she'd arrived in New York or anything regarding Starland; just that she was on vacation with her new BFF Libby, and they wanted to see how she was doing after a long time of not seeing each other.

It turned out that Jess's wish was to show her mother that she could handle things on her own; exactly the kind of thing Sabrina wanted to do from now on. She and Libby were able to work together to help Jess's wish come true, and as a result, Sabrina had managed to collect positive wish energy. Of course she couldn't see it, but she could tell from the big smile on Libby's face that she'd managed to get every drop. After granting the wish, Sabrina had decided to spend the rest of the day showing Libby everything else in New York City. With the help of Jess and her friend Aeon, they had not only been able to have the best American tour ever, but also get permission to sing onstage after the original performer got sick! And the song they'd decided to sing? It was Starlight—the very first Starland song Sabrina had learned.

"Did you see the way everyone clapped and cheered?" Libby exclaimed through her laughter.

"I sure did," giggled Sabrina, "You're such a good singer and keytarist!"

"You're startacular at singing too. We sounded like shining stars together!"

Sabrina sighed happily. "We should do this more often. Sneak to New York and just…sing it all out."

"Well, thanks to the wish energy you collected, we'll be able to do that." The girls chuckled and hugged each other until they fell asleep.

The next morning came, and while Libby and Sabrina slept in with the peaceful comfort of each other and the tent, Vega woke up early. For the first time since last night, she became aware that she was lying on an uncomfortable wooden floor, resting against a desk that was also in Chloe's wardrobe. If it wasn't for her strong desire to get some rest, she would have been up all night trying to get comfortable.

Vega sat up and used Sabrina's phone to check the time. It was 7 AM; only half a starhour left before Chloe woke up. The phone turned off by itself, and Vega put it down. She wanted to try and get the wrist brace with the hidden camera off, but she still felt tired from all the work she'd done yesterday. What she'd gone through had been twice as hard as the daily routine Sabrina used to have. She didn't think she'd be able to put up with an entire day of it. How the stars did Sabrina have the energy to work every starday?

Shakily, Vega stood up and collapsed into Sabrina's office chair. She had never felt so helpless before. It was as if she was trapped in a prison she couldn't get out of, no matter what she did. She also missed her life back on Starland; band rehearsals, her mom, the hedge maze, meditations with Piper. She even missed her second year classes, even if they'd been stressing her out so much lately. As she lay in the chair, Vega sighed and thought, I'll never complain about my studies again. She wished she could go back to Starland now, but she had no way of doing so. She wouldn't until tomorrow, but even then, how was she supposed to go home with that wrist brace on? Chloe and everyone else in Paris might have found out Vega's true identity and learned she had powers, but they didn't know about Starland. If she returned to her planet with the wrist brace on, its camera would reveal the Star Darlings' biggest secret to Roger Raincomprix, who would undoubtedly share the information with all of Paris.

Vega sat up straight. She had to get the wrist brace off. Now. Even though she was still trying to conserve her energy, she concentrated on the wrist brace, willing for it to come off. Unfortunately, it didn't move. She tried using her wish energy manipulation powers to levitate it off, but it was locked around her wrist—Roger really was the only one who could get it off. On top of that, Vega wasn't exactly good with her wish energy manipulation skills either. If Sage, who was a pro at it, were here right now, she'd be able to lend a hand for sure.

After concentrating with all her might to either levitate the wrist brace off or unlock it, neither of which prove successful, Vega gave up. There simply wasn't a way to get the wrist brace off. She couldn't go back to Starland as long as she had it on. Sparkly blue tears began to roll down Vega's cheeks, and desperate for a solution, she bent down and picked up Sabrina's phone. She went on the internet and typed, how do you remove a wrist brace. A video that was recorded in a city called New York last night popped up, and she pressed play.

In the video, a woman with blonde hair and glasses was wrapping a wrist brace around her finger. Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind that had a key. Vega was about to pause the video when she noticed three girls chatting a few paces away from the woman. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but they were certainly having fun together. One of the girls was unfamiliar to her, but she immediately recognized the other two. One of them was Sabrina, who had restored her Wishling appearance; the only difference was that she didn't have her headband and glasses, and she was wearing Vega's Wish Pendant. The other girl was Libby, who was wearing a backpack that had obviously come from Starland.

Vega squinted, trying to read the girls' lips, and then she saw it. Libby was the only one who could see it, but suddenly a huge amount of rainbow-coloured wish energy poured out of the unfamiliar girl and was absorbed into a Wish Pendant—Vega's Wish Pendant. Sabrina obviously couldn't see the positive wish energy, but regardless of that, she still did a starmendous job at collecting it. She knew it was there, and she definitely knew what she was doing. Once all the energy was collected, Libby squealed with delight and hugged Sabrina, who laughed joyfully and embraced her in return. The Wishling she'd just helped didn't know why Libby had suddenly become so excited, but she went with it without any questions.

They look so…happy together, Vega thought as her sadness suddenly began to increase. She quickly turned off the phone and put it down. Her friends had never been that happy with her—come to think of it, there were so many things about her that they'd never really understood. She liked a lot of things that they didn't, after all. However, the way Libby became ecstatic upon Sabrina's success in the video was the happiest she'd ever been. Vega didn't know much about Sabrina apart from the fact that she was overly loyal to Chloe, but Libby's reaction told her one thing for sure: the other Star Darlings loved having her around. She clearly loved having them around too.

Vega's crying grew louder, but she didn't care if it was loud enough to wake Chloe. If Sabrina was happier taking Vega's place as a friend and a Star Darling, she might as well let her do it. She was happy, the Star Darlings were happy, and it wasn't like Vega could go back to her own life anyway. Not with the wrist brace stuck on her arm. She couldn't even communicate with anyone on Starland to let them know she needed help. Wishworld's atmosphere prevented verbal communication from here to Starland, and since her Wish Pendant was with Sabrina, Lady Stella had no way of realizing she was in danger by checking her wish energy levels. There was no escape—Vega was trapped in the wrath of Chloe Bourgeois forever, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She heard Chloe yawn and wake up. "Wish granter! You just woke me up from my beauty sleep!"

"Sorry," Vega whimpered. She scooted against the wall and buried her head in her knees so Chloe wouldn't hear her. For what felt like starhours, she stayed in the wardrobe, wallowing in her sadness. If she hadn't used her special skill on Chloe, she'd be able to get back to her life. Why hadn't she been more careful?

Vega's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden scream from Chloe. "DADDY! THERE'S AN AKUMA IN MY ROOM!"

Vega jumped back as she saw a black and purple butterfly (which she'd come to learn was called an akuma) squeeze its way through the tiny gap in the wardrobe door. She screamed and jumped onto Sabrina's desk, but the akuma just flew up toward her. Vega waved her arms like crazy to shoo it away, and it touched her wrist brace. Instantly the akuma absorbed itself into the brace, and it turned black. A powerful wave of anger came over Vega, and a bright purple butterfly-like symbol appeared in front of her face. Behind it was a creepy-looking male Wishling with a grey mask covering most of his face.

"Star Perfectionist," he told her, "I am Hawk-Moth."

Vega quickly realized the danger she was in and held her head with both hands, trying to resist his emotion-controlling motives. "Don't akumatize me! Get your akuma out of me! Now!"

"Why are you trying to resist me? I'm here to help you get your life back."

Her life. Once that thought popped in there, Vega's mind was entirely consumed with rage; the kind of rage she could only imagine within Lady Rancora. An intense glare appeared on the young Starling's face. "Go on," she said, clenching her fists.

"From now on, you will be known as Star Perfectionist. I'm giving you the power to restore your role in life, and get revenge on anyone who tries to stop you. All I ask for in return are the Miraculous of Ladybug and Cat Noir…and the knowledge of where you got your original power from."

On a normal basis, Vega wouldn't have agreed to such a deal. However, the man's words had become all she could think about. She was going to reclaim her life—no matter what she'd have to do.

"I'll make sure we both make all our wishes come true," Vega said. Her lips curved into a sinister smile, and she was engulfed in black and purple smoke.

Oh man; looks like things are going to turn sour! Hope you're looking forward to what happens next….See you soon, in the next chapter!