LiliescanBeViolet01 - I'm really not gonna incorporate Toffee. Marcia's powers will be fully revealed when the chapters who enter season 3, but something fun is coming soon.
Collateral Damage - What's a Possum?
Outside Echo Creek Academy Janna was once again in detention. Her punishment today, picking up garbage. The teen was wearing an orange safety vest with a matching hat and some yellow work gloves. In one hand she had a garbage bag and a sharp ended garbage picker in the other. Janna was walking about the front of the schoolyard stabbing any piece of "trash" she could get.
"Stabbing all the trash with the stabby stick." Janna hummed to herself. "Stabbing the trash and I put it in the sack. Gonna stab the trash."
Janna used her trash picker to stab a hamburger that a guy was about to bite into.
"Hey, I was eating that!"
"Come on, you know this stuff is garbage," Janna said
The hamburger levitates off Janna's trash picker and into a dumpster nearby. Janna looks to find both Marcia and Star, dressed in the same yellow vest and hat as well, picking up trash. Marcia using her own trash picker and Star using her magic.
"What are you two doing here?" Janna questioned
"Same thing as you. Getting rid of trash." Star used her wand taking a guy's headphones off his head and floating them to the trash.
"Hey!"
Marcia nimbly jumped into the air snatching the headphones before bringing them back to the guy.
"Sorry dude, my friend...she's going through some things."
Janna watched as Star continued to throw away random things that were not trash and Marcia tried her best to prevent what wasn't trash from going into the dumpster.
"Uh, I can see that, but I meant what did you get in trouble for?" Janna asked
"Huh?" Star said
"Did you waste somebody? Marcia, I knew you had it in you," Janna said
"What? No, we volunteered," Star said
"Uh, for detention? Are you okay?" Janna asked
Star gave a somewhat vacant laugh. "Totally!"
Star levitated a garbage can and it slammed into the side of the dumpster.
Janna looks at Marcia.
"I volunteered because the hours look good on a college resume plus...that," Marcia gestured to Star. "She's going through some things." She whispered to Janna.
"I'm actually pretty messed up right now," Star spoke walking over to the other two girls.
"Ah, me too," Janna said
"You know, I think I'm the first princess to lose everything, which is kind of impressive. I'd log it in my spellbook, but I don't have my spellbook. And I would tell Glossaryck, but I don't have Glossaryck, either."
Star waves her wand and the next thing she picked up was Marcia.
"Star. Star! Star!" Marcia shouted as she was dropped in the dumpster.
"How am I supposed to know where to go or who I am if I don't have a history? And if I keep myself busy, I won't be able to mess up anything else. So that's what I'm in for, Janna."
Star, still zoned out, captures a large possum statue with her magic. It's ripped up from the ground and starts floating to the dumpster.
"Mm-hmm. Uh…" Janna gapes staring at the floating statue
"Because I'm out," Star said
Marcia pops her head out of the dumpster, a candy wrapper stuck in her hair. She looked up and screamed as she saw the possum statue hovering overhead. She pulled herself up and out of the dumpster just as the statue was dropped in. Several students standing around gape, jaws dropped staring at the dumpster.
"Yo, what did you do?!" Janna said
"What did I do?" Star said
"You just put Otis in the dumpster. Right on," Janna said
"Who-tis?" Star said
"Otis! You know, he's, like, the school mascot or whatever," Janna said
"You also threw me in!" Marcia said walking over.
She sniffed her clothing and cringed.
"I'm gonna be in the girl's locker room taking a shower," Marcia stated before walking into the school.
Star runs over to the dumpster, along with Janna and three other students, peering in.
"Okay, probably that shouldn't be in the garbage. Phew, it's okay. That made a crazy sound when I threw it in. It was all, like-"
Star is cut off by a cracking noise. The princess goes wide-eyed as the statute starts to crumble before her eyes. In a matter of seconds, Otis is nothing but a pile of rubble.
"So, you're gonna be in detention forever," Janna said
One of the students who had witnessed the end of the statue opened her mouth and let out a terrified scream.
"Ahh...much better."
Marcia let out a nice sigh as she exited the girl's locker room, toweling off her damp hair.
"Ha, and people laughed at me for keeping an extra set of clothes and emergency bathroom bag in my locker. Well, who's laughing now? This gir-ah!"
Marcia yelped as she tripped over something. She managed to catch herself and turned around to see what she had tripped on. Looking down she spotted Justin laying on the floor, tears flowing down his face.
"Well, he definitely isn't laughing right now."
Marcia walked over to Justin crouching down next to him.
"Justin? Hey, buddy you okay there?" Marcia asked
"Otis! He's gone!" Justin exclaimed
"What do you mean…"
Marcia trailed off when she looked up to see throngs of students in the same state as Justin.
"Oh...this is not good."
Star sat scared in the Principal's office. The lights were dimmed giving the room an ominous feel as Principal Skeeves sat before Star, silently, slowly dunking a teabag in his mug.
"Oh, Principal Skeeves, I am so sorry!" Star apologized
"Without Otis, I would be dead. I remember the moment well. It was very cold that day. Winters here are quite harsh, you know. I was being chased through the halls of this very school by a herd of bullies and hid beneath Otis's underside. I hid for days. Survived by eating the frozen gum stuck to Otis's great big belly. He saved my life."
"...Principal-"
"Life!" Principal Skeeves shouted
"I'm…" Star stood up scooting back away from Principal Skeeves. "-gonna take off, yeah? So, just, uh, you know, find a brother in the hallways when you're ready to give her detention."
Principal Skeeves just stares at Star creeping her out.
"You want that door open or closed?" Star asked
"Hit the lights," Principal Skeeves said
Star reached into the room flicking off the already dim lights submerging the room in complete darkness.
She closed the door letting out a sigh. "Okay, that was not normal, even for Skeeves."
Star was about to walk off but stopped as she heard crying.
"Excuse me!" A tearful girl said running past Star.
Star followed the girl and saw her, among several other students, crying as they sat outside Mr. Candle's office.
"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Star asked
"We're waiting for Mr. Candle's grief counseling," Brittney cried
"Grief counseling?" Star questioned
The door to the counselor's room opens and out steps Mr. Candle.
"Sorry, everyone. No counseling today. I'm too torn up about Otis. No point in pulling you onto a sinking lifeboat."
"Uh, Mr. Candle, how can you be torn about Otis? You're not even from this dimension!" Star said
"But look at them, Star! Look at their little, droopy, baby-fat faces! Contact grief is a real thing, okay?" He turned around shutting the door behind him.
"Dang!" Star looked at the other students, their crying faces breaking her heart. "Oh, dang. Hey, come on, guys. I'm really sorry about Otis. Please, is there anything I can do to help? Let me fix you."
"It's not your fault. It's our fault." Someone cried
Star puts a hand on her chin in thought before she brightened up coming up with an idea.
The next day came and Star had gathered up everyone she could, in front of the school. The princess sat atop of a large object that was covered by a big tarp.
"Good morning, everybody! I've invited you all out here to say I am so sorry for yesterday. I made a pretty big mess, but I think I made some magic today. I give you.." Star grabbed the tarp and pulled it off. "Otis!"
Everyone gasped at the reveal.
"Otis is really here?!"
"It's a miracle!"
Principal Skeeves steps forward falling to his knees before the statue. "Otis? Otis, is that you? Oh, my dear boy, I... I thought I lost you forever. But you're really here! Hahaha!"
"Wait, a second...I-I used to put my used gum there! Where is it?!" Francis exclaimed inspecting the statues underbelly.
"Yeah!" Principal Skeeves smooshed his face against the statute. "And where're all the scratches? It's too shiny!"
"And where is the kissing hole?" A girl with braces asked
"Kissing hole?" Someone questioned
"Y-You know, the hole where you practice your kissing?"
"What?"
"Where's our kissing hole?!" The girl shouted at Star.
"This is Otis, right, Star?" Francis asked
"Duh! But the old statue was all beat up, so I made a shiny new one. Isn't that great? It sure is, Star." Star spoke imitating someone else's voice.
"That's not Otis! That's a fake!" Principal Skeeves shouted
"No, it's Otis, just better!" Star said
"Otis was perfect the way he was!" Francis sobbed
Everyone started to disperse the wave of pure sadness once again overtaking the school body.
"W-W-W-W-Wait! Come back! Come back! Otis is back! What's wrong?!" Star said
"That's just a horrible reminder of everything we've lost!" Principal Skeeves said
"What? I need to find out what I did wrong." Star ran over to the school kicking the doors open. "Marcia!"
The doors flew open hitting a boy in the face.
"Ow!"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Star exclaimed
The guy sighed sliding to the floor. "It doesn't matter."
"Excuse me!"
Star jumped startled as she looked down seeing she was standing on Justin.
"Oh, never mind," Justin said
A few feet away from Star was a couple holding hands, but they looked just as miserable as the rest.
"Zeke, I think we should break up."
"But, Becky, I love you."
"I love you, too, Zeke, but nothing matters anymore now that Otis is gone."
Another male student came running out with a tin can tied to his nose, a rope around his waist imitating a tail, and some fake round ears strapped to his head.
"Hey, everybody! It's me, Otis! I'm back."
"Otis!"
"I love you!"
"Otis, we love you!"
A group of students surrounded the boy petting him.
"Ohhh, what did I do to this school?" Star said
A Janitor walked by Star holding a stack of books. "Heh. School's done for, Miss. Everything's crumbling." He tossed the books into a garbage can that had a fire burning inside.
"Hooray!" Justin cheered from his place on the floor.
A girl ran up to Star and grabbed her shoulders shaking the princess.
"Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?!"
"Marcia!" Star cried out.
"Who am I?!" The girl cried as Star pulled away.
"Marcia! Where are you?!" Star called out
"Star, I'm right here." Marcia's voice sounded from a set of lockers.
"Oh, no! Marcia's a locker?! This day just keeps getting worse!" Star said
"I'm just trying to avoid all the craziness in this school," Marcia said
The Janitor walked by again, more books in his arms. "Hey, the lockers are talking! The end is near!"
"Marcia, I am soooo confused by this statue stuff. I know what I did was wrong, but I also have no idea what I did wrong," Star said
Marcia let out a sigh. "Star…" She kicked open the locker and stepped out. "Let me take you back 170 years ago to the top of Mt. Angelus Mountains."
Marcia led Star over to a wall decorated in old photos.
She coughed clearing her throat before she started talking, changing her voice to mimic an old-timey folksy accent.
"In the dead of winter of 1846, the Bonner party had set out for the shores of the western coastline. Packed with nothing more than a week's ration of food and a dream for a better life, the Bonner party stood no chance of survival. They gave up quickly and decided to settle in the tame suburban valley of Echo Creek. But one last challenge lay between them and their American dream: possums. To stake their claim to the land, the Bonner party went to war. Man and possum fought, biting one another with force and vigor. A letter from Timothy Bonner: 'Dearest Rebecca, I hate the possums. I hate the possums so much. My rage for them is all I can think about. They scratch and bite like the demons in fairy tales. I can no longer love you. I can only hate...the possums.' After twenty-six days of miserable war, Otis, the very last possum, was sent scurrying into the forest. The Bonners' land was now possum-free. They built a statue of Otis to commemorate the first victory of their small town. But it was the last time Echo Creek won anything. Football players kiss it before games. Teachers make offerings to it. Others just stare and wonder, "What's a possum?" Otis has come to represent Echo Creek's history, and without it-"
Marcia let out a cough no longer able to continue with the accent.
"We don't know who we are," She finished
"Oh, I know that feeling. Remember when I lost the book of spells?" Star said
Marcia crossed her arms. "Yep."
"I went a bit crazy," Star said
"You kept calling me Glossaryck. You tried to shove me in a book and feed me pudding!" Marcia said
"Because that's where you live and pudding is your favorite food!" Star sighed "I'm sorry. It's terrible losing something you care about. Something with history, something with…"
Marcia put a hand on Star's shoulder. "Star, it's okay."
Star gasped, "I got it!"
She takes off running leaving Marcia alone. The brunette looked around before stepping back inside the safety of the locker.
Star ran to Principal Skeeves' office kicking the door open. "Mr. Skeeves, I'm making an announcement!"
The man just stays in his chair staring blankly out into nothing.
"Don't try and stop me!" Star said, snatching the microphone.
Principal Skeeves just continues to stare, unmoving.
Star turned on the microphone speaking into it. "Check. One, one, two. One. Can you hear me? Echo Creek, can you hear my loud voice? Teachers, students, janitors, friends, I've destroyed something you had history with, and I understand that no magic can fix that."
With microphone in hand, she makes her way out into the halls.
"But you were more than just a statue of a possum! You're from Echo Creek! You're better than possums! Johnny Raisinberry!"
"Who said that?" Johnny spoke looking around
"You have been held back seven times at this school," Star said
"My wife keeps telling me to give up," Johnny said
"But you have perfect attendance every one of those years, and you should be super proud of that. You are better than a possum," Star said
"Thanks!"
"Brittney!" Star said
"What?" Brittney said
"You are...really judgmental and mean, but maybe that's because you want us to keep being better than possums," Star said
Brittney stood up wiping away the running mascara from her face. "Yeah!"
"Mr. Skeeves, you dropped the ball today on looking after your school. But, hey, at least you got a school!" Star said
"Unlike those Possums!" Principal Skeeves exclaimed
"StarFan13, you're the second-best me there is, baby," Star said
"Oh, my gosh!" Starfan13 gushed, over the moon
"Ferguson! Alfonzo! I haven't talked to you guys all year, but you're always there in the background doing your thing! You don't need a big possum statue to make you proud. That's just letting the possums win. We're from Echo Creek, and we're better than possums! So, like the Bonner party before us on that fateful day in 1846 let's get rid of that possum!" Star said
Everyone starts cheering, running out of the school.
"Like their ancestors before them, the students of Echo Creek got rid of Otis with pride and school spirit. They destroyed that possum statue as one mob of unity. An old janitor suggested they burn down the school. Star Butterfly stepped in and said no. That day, our town was victorious, and a girl named Star Butterfly shined brighter than the Northern Star."
The front yard of the school was littered with remnant pieces of the Otis statue.
Janna walked over to Star handing her an orange vest. "Hey, Star, you, uh, gonna help me clean this up?"
Star took the vest. "I suppose I should." She spoke in the same accent Marcia used earlier.
"Ugh. Why are you talking like that?" Janna said
"Because today, Janna, was a great day in history," Star said, not dropping the accent.
"Seriously, stop it," Janna said
"Not today, Janna. Not tomorrow. Not ever," Star said