CHAPTER 2: WISH UPON A STAR

When the quartet entered the main building, they saw students pouring down the hall in one direction like a stream, instead of going all over the place to their respective classes.

"What's goin' on?" Grim asked.

"Uh-oh… everyone's being assembled," Ace said quietly. "Whatever it is, it won't be good."

Jill's stomach tightened. Was she in trouble? That's ridiculous, what for? her mind reasoned, but the fear was there nonetheless. Okay, maybe this wasn't about her. Was there a crime recently? An emergency? Whatever the reason was, the gang followed all the other students down the hall, and into a massive auditorium that resembled a theater. Jill had never been here before, and that only heightened her anxiety. She automatically sat between Ace and Deuce in the back pews, with Grim on her lap, and watched everyone else take a seat.

Professor Divus Crewel and Headmage Dire Crowley were on the stage, and their faces were shown on large monitors mounted on the wall so that everyone could see and hear them. Once everyone was seated, Crewel cleared his throat while leaning over the microphone.

"Quiet, pups! Enough barking!" he snapped. "Headmage Crowley is announcing an important annual event for Night Raven College!"

"Oh no… my brother warned me about this…" Ace whispered. "Buckle up for busy work."

"Busy work? What's this about?" Jill asked.

"Better not be extra homework," Grim huffed.

"Shhh! I can't hear!" Deuce hissed.

Finally, the clamor died down, and Crowley took his place at center stage.

"Thank you, Professor Crewel," he said. "Students, I am happy to announce the beginning of our annual Starsending Ceremony."

A wave of groans erupted from the audience, and a few boos to go along with it. Jill was initially excited when she heard the word 'ceremony', but this reaction made her jump in agitation.

"Man, not this again…" a student whined.

"Why do we even have this stupid event?" his friend asked at his side.

"All I know is, I better not be a Stargazer again this year!" someone harrumphed.

"QUIET!" Crowley shouted, and the bellyaching came to a halt. The headmage cleared his throat, regaining his composure.

"I know that public opinion paints this as an unwanted event, even outdated, but it is not!" he said. "This Starsending is a very important tradition that has been here since our founding! Like it or not, you will all participate!" Another wave of groans emerged from the crowd, this time smaller and shorter-lived.

"Now, for you first-years, let me explain," Crowley said. "Long ago, there lived an old toymaker with no children of his own. One night, he wished upon a star that he had a child… and one of his wooden puppets came to life! In honor of this legendary miracle, we hold the Starsending event every year."

So it was the story of Pinocchio. Jill was relieved that they seemed to be playing this story straight. Given how twisted this world was, she thought they'd be honoring the Coachman, or Honest John and Gideon. Then again, she had been slowly reading through all the twisted stories of the Disney tales she knew—she hadn't read their version of Pinocchio in-depth just yet. It was likely going to hold some unwanted surprises when she got around to it.

"Each student will be given a Wishing Star," Crewel explained, and he held something up in the air. The monitors zoomed in on his gloved hand, revealing that it was a dark-blue spiky crystal. "These are special jewels which will light up when their holder makes a wish! And each one has the name of a different student, so we will know if you don't make a wish!"

The currents of grumbling and complaining continued. Even Ace looked as if he was about to visit the dentist. Jill was utterly baffled. Why would someone not want to make a wish? Even if wishes weren't real—and Jill believed they were, why not?—at least it was a harmless gesture.

"In accordance with their horoscopes, four Stargazers are picked every year to deliver the Wishing Stars to the large tree behind the school. Once all the Stars are hung on the tree, the Stargazers will perform the ceremonial dance and song, and the Wishing Stars will be sent up into the sky and disintegrate into the cosmos!" Crowley sighed nostalgically. "Thus, the wishes of all our students will be one with the sky, and come true! This is why the Starsending is very special!"

"Sounds special," Deuce said, and Jill agreed. It sounded like fun!

"I want a wish!" Grim cackled. "Gimme one of those stars!"

"Wait for the other shoe to drop," Ace said.

"And now, I will announce this year's Stargazers," Crowley said, "This year, the Stargazers will be…" He took out a notecard.

"…Deuce Spade, Trey Clover, Idia Shroud, and Jill Bones."

"ME?!" Deuce and Jill cried at the same time. There was a brief uproar of both relief and indignation all around them.

"Oof. Tough luck," Ace commented. "At least it's not me."

"Now everyone, come up and collect your Wishing Stars. Once all the Stars are passed out, the chosen four will remain here while everyone else goes back to class," Crowley said.

"Single-file line, pups! One at a time!" Crewel barked.

Slowly, the students trickled to the front of the stage to receive a Wishing Star, which were kept in enormous burlap sacks. It felt almost like a graduation ceremony, except no one was happy about it. After about an eternity of waiting, Grim and Jill found themselves at the front. Crewel gave each of them a blank Wishing Star, and Jill was instructed to wait at the stage while Grim was free to go.

"Sweet! I get a wish!" Grim crowed. "Oh, I know what I'll be wishin' for!"

"To be a great mage, or getting lots of food?" Jill asked.

"Huh… that is a hard pick! But I'll tell ya after class!" Grim said. "See ya!"

"Don't cause trouble in class!" Jill warned him. "I mean it, little mister!"

Grim rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, Jill! I learned my lesson from day one, okay? I can't be a great mage if I break the rules and get kicked out!" Holding his Star close to his chest, he ran out of the room on his hind legs.

Jill stood by Deuce, who seemed excited and nervous at the same time, and then glanced at two other students who were meant to be Stargazers. One was a tall boy with green hair and glasses, and a club symbol under his left eye. Even without the red trim on his uniform, Jill could tell he was from Heartslabyul. The other one was not a student at all: it was a floating tablet. There was no face, only a bluish triangle with some unreadable text underneath. This was Idia Shroud, the housewarden of Ignihyde—or rather, the tablet that he used to communicate with the outside world. Idia was rumored to stay in his room all day, and Jill had never seen his face. She couldn't help but wonder what he looked like…

After all of the other students dispersed, Crewel made his leave. This left the Stargazers alone with the headmage.

"Stargazers, congratulations!" Crowley beamed at the four. "You have an important role to ensure this event is a success!"

"OBJECTION!" Idia suddenly shouted. "You can't do this to me! Dressing up in glitzy clothes, singing and dancing, talking to everyone in the school… this is such an extrovert thing! Do you want me to drop down to 0 HP?!"

"The horoscope doesn't lie, Mr. Shroud," Crowley said patiently. "I know social interaction makes you uncomfortable, but you were chosen to do this. I can provide some accommodation, but my decision is final."

Idia grew quiet. "…Fine, if you're gonna drag me into this. But I have one condition: let me take Ortho with me."

"Very well, you may have your brother accompany you," Crowley agreed.

"Great." Idia let out a sigh through the tablet. "Listen, you don't need to explain the rules to me. I already saw this twice. Just lemme go find Ortho so we can work this out." And with that, the tablet suddenly shut off and gently floated to the ground. Crowley picked it up and set it on the podium.

"It's weird enough that Idia doesn't show himself at housewarden meetings," Jill said. "But he doesn't even appear for a school event?"

"Idia isn't really one for groups," said the club-eyed boy. "He never has been."

"Isn't he supposed to be a housewarden, like Riddle?" Deuce questioned. "I thought a housewarden would be more… dedicated."

"Mr. Shroud is… very particular about what he gets involved with," Crowley said with a sigh. "He does provide spectacular work when he's motivated, and he's more cooperative when he's with his brother, but his eccentricities… anyway!" He turned to the remaining three. "Are you ready to learn about your Stargazer tasks?"

"Of course." Jill's tone was light, but there was a growing twist in her stomach. Despite the whimsical names and the Pinocchio influence, this "Starsending" was hated by everyone. But why?

"Now, the first step is collecting all the Wishing Stars that were given to the students," Crowley said. "As you just heard, the Stars start off as blank. But when someone makes a wish, they glow, revealing the words of their desire."

"And we have to go around school, collect all the lit Wishing Stars, and then hang them on the large tree in the back," said the club-eyed boy.

"Correct, Mr. Clover," said Crowley. "Given that you're a junior, I hope you'll assist our two freshmen here."

"Wait, but you already had all the Stars before you passed them out," Jill said. "Wouldn't it save time if everyone made a wish right then and there, then gave the Stars back?"

"I wish that was the case, but…" Clover trailed off.

"Nonsense! One cannot make a wish right off the bat!" Crowley said. "Students need time to make their wishes! That is why we have the Stargazers collect them!"

"Collect the wishes of every student…" Deuce repeated to himself. The pressure was starting to sink in.

"The second step is the ceremonial dance and song," Crowley said. "On the night of the Starsending Ceremony, at the end of this week, you will perform, and all the Wishing Stars hung onto the tree will float up to dissolve into the atmosphere!"

"They float… all on their own?" Jill asked, mouth agape. Then again, she was part of a magical world. Who was she to be surprised at anything anymore?

"Wishing Stars are very unique items," Crowley said. "In the olden days, people would just wait for them to float up when the time was right. But now that we can pinpoint when the Stars will ascend, we can have an official send-off for them!"

"This is also a public event," Clover told the first-years. "There are plenty of people from outside campus who come in to watch the dance. So we also have a few stands where we make star-related sweets for our guests—that makes it more enjoyable." He frowned. "Usually I would help with that, but it seems the others will have to bake without me this time around. Stargazers are very busy as it is."

"So we have to collect wishes from every student in the school… and then we have to perform the song and dance…" Deuce echoed. Jill had seen him do this method a few times between classes—repeat something to himself aloud so that he'd get it.

"I understand this is a tall order, but you can do it!" Crowley said. "I'll send the Starsending Robes to your respective rooms tomorrow morning. Once you have your Robes, you are required to wear them for the remainder of the week. Don't start collecting wishes until tomorrow!"

"Right…" Jill's voice sounded vacant. She was already juggling all these tasks in her head. Sure, it still sounded fun on the surface. But would it really be fun? She freshly recalled all the complaints of the students hearing the news…

"One more thing before you're dismissed," Crowley added. "With every year, there are some students who are… disagreeable about the whole thing, as you've seen with Mr. Shroud."

"Believe me, I'm aware," Clover said lightly.

"There are even some students who will refuse to make a wish! Very selfish of them!" the headmage chided. "And so, you have my express permission to use force to get these students to cooperate, if they deny giving you their wishes."

"…Force?" Now all the pressure was starting to make Jill feel faint. She understood if some kids dragged their feet, but refusing entirely? And what kind of force was Jill supposed to use? Would she have to fight them? Now this was seeming more like a gladiator arena than a school event.

"It's not as dramatic as all that," Clover assured Jill. "In my experience, there's only a few naysayers every year who need some… extra coercion." He gave a flinty smile. "If you meet anyone like that, Jill, just leave the encounter to Deuce or myself, okay?"

"I mean, but… that wouldn't be right… right?" Jill asked timidly. "I'm a Stargazer too, so I want to pull my own weight…" Even if it was more weight than she was used to carrying.

"Collect wishes from the students, use force if they refuse to make a wish, then perform the ceremonial song and dance…" Deuce said to himself. He then took on a confident smile. "I have it all memorized now! I can do this!"

"I'll do my very best," Jill promised, though the fluttering in her stomach didn't subside.

"Me too, though I'm not good at standing out…" Clover chuckled nervously.

"Oh, by the way… I don't think we've met," Jill realized. She stuck out her hand in front of the club-faced boy. "My name is Jill Bones, housewarden of Hallowgrim. It's nice to meet you!"

Clover smiled and shook her hand. "A pleasure. I'm Trey Clover, vice housewarden of Heartslabyul."

"Trey helps take care of things at our dorm when our housewarden has his hands full," Deuce translated for me.

"So, I've heard you made Ramshackle into a dorm with a patron and all that. Hallowgrim, right?" Trey commented. And he gave a smile that made Jill's heart flutter a bit. "That takes a lot of dedication. I find that admirable."

Jill blushed and looked down at her feet. "It's nothing, really…" she muttered shyly.

"After classes tomorrow, please come to the tree behind the main building to learn the song and dance," Crowley told the group. "I have every confidence in you!" Then he dissolved in his usual rush of feathers and dark magic, leaving the remaining three Stargazers alone.

One thing was clear: to get through this ceremony, Jill would need Deuce Spade's help. In more ways than one.