Star-Bubble Trouble Read online

  “Always point your arrow at their feet!” Pedro yelled.

  “Correct,” Mr. Rightflight said. “Cupid arrows are extremely soft, so they won’t hurt anyone. But you don’t want to frighten an Earth child, either. If you shoot an arrow at their feet, they will just think they have tripped over a little twig. And they won’t get scared.”

  Willa Bean tried to listen. She knew that what Mr. Rightflight was saying was important. But Vivi was standing in front of her. And so was her pink rubber star-bubble ball. It was dangling back and forth on the zipper of her wingsack.

  Looking at Vivi’s star-bubble ball made Willa Bean think about Baby Louie’s lost star-bubble ball. She thought about her baby brother’s puffy red eyes and super-runny nose. And then she remembered all the terrible wheezy sounds he had made that morning. Daddy said he had cried for a long, long time last night. And now his voice was gone!

  Willa Bean reached over and tapped on Vivi’s shoulder.

  Vivi turned around. She made a mad face at Willa Bean. “What?” she whispered.

  “Why do you have a rubber star-bubble ball?” Willa Bean whispered. “Aren’t those just for babies?”

  Vivi wrinkled her nose. “You’re supposed to be paying attention, Willa Bean. And for your information, my rubber star-bubble ball was a special present from my grandmother. She went to heaven when I was little. So I still keep it ’cause it makes me think of her.”

  Willa Bean blinked. “Oh,” she said. “Does it still glow?”

  “Mr. Rightflight!” Vivi yelled. “Mr. Rightflight! Willa Bean keeps on talking to me! And it’s very annoying, because I can’t pay attention to what you are telling us!”

  Miss Twizzle walked over. She took Willa Bean by the hand and led her away from the group. She made Willa Bean stand right next to her. Then she leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You must pay attention, Willa Bean. This is very important.”

  Willa Bean stood up straight. She told herself not to think about Baby Louie. Or Vivi’s pink rubber star-bubble ball. She listened to Mr. Rightflight. It was not a hard thing to do. He was talking very loudly.

  “Okay,” Mr. Rightflight said. “I think we’re ready. Half of you are going to pretend to be Earth children. And the other half will practice with your arrows.”

  “I want to shoot my arrows first!” Vivi screamed. “Let me, Mr. Rightflight! Please!”

  “And me!” yelled Pedro.

  “I want to, too!” shouted Lola.

  “Calm down, everyone,” said Mr. Rightflight. “You will all get a chance to shoot your arrows. Everyone will also get a chance to pretend to be an Earth child. That’s the whole reason we’re here.”

  Willa Bean was in the cupid group that was going to shoot arrows first. So was Harper.

  By now, Baby Louie was way far back in her brain. So was Vivi’s pink rubber star-bubble ball.

  It was time to get down to business.

  Willa Bean stayed close to Harper as they crept toward the gift shops. She could hear other cupids yelling and shouting. They were pretending to be Earth children. Willa Bean held her bow and arrow close and crept around one of the buildings.

  Up close, the gift shops looked much bigger. They had signs on the front doors.

  One of them said WATERWORLD POSTCARDS. Postcards were boring. Willa Bean tiptoed past it quickly.

  The next one said WATERWORLD SHOES & CLOTHES. Willa Bean didn’t have any clothing from Waterworld. Maybe Mama would get her a Waterworld bathing suit next year.

  The one after that said GOLDEN ARROWS. Willa Bean’s eyes turned wide when she saw that one. Golden arrows were only used by big cupids. Mama and Daddy had golden arrows. Daddy used them every day when he went down to Earth to help big people fall in love. Golden arrows were very, very special.

  “Willa Bean!” Harper whispered. “Come here! Look!”

  Willa Bean ran toward her. Harper pointed to another gift shop, a little farther away. The sign on the door said WATERWORLD WING FEATHERS.

  “So?” Willa Bean asked.

  “Underneath!” Harper pointed. “Look what it says underneath!”

  Willa Bean crept closer. And there, underneath WATERWORLD WING FEATHERS, were three more words. “Waterworld Snoogy Bars!” Willa Bean squealed.

  “Lolly-dolly-doodad!” Harper yelled. “Can you imagine? A whole entire gift store full of Snoogy Bars!” She did three twirls. “It’s like my secret dream come true!”

  Willa Bean giggled.

  But she stopped giggling when Vivi marched over. “You two better stop fooling around,” Vivi said. “Else I’m going back and telling Mr. Rightflight that you’re distracting the rest of us.”

  “Oh pooey!” Willa Bean said. “You’re not the boss of us, Vivi!”

  “Well, Mr. Rightflight is.” Vivi tossed her head. “And so is Miss Twizzle. And if I go back and tell them what you’re doing, you’ll have to sit on the bus for the rest of the day! So there!”

  “Come on.” Harper took Willa Bean’s hand. “Vivi’s right. We have to pay attention. Else we’ll never get this right.”

  Vivi flounced off. Raymond, Hannah, Pedro, and Sophie followed her. They moved on tiptoes. They looked for places to hide. Willa Bean and Harper did, too. The shouts of the other cupids were getting louder. It was almost time to use their arrows.

  “I can’t stand that old Vivi,” Willa Bean whispered to Harper. “She is turning my life into a crazy-daisy!”

  “What’s a crazy-daisy?” Harper asked.

  “I’m not sure.” Willa Bean shrugged. “I just made it up.”

  Harper thought about that as they walked. “I like it,” she said. “It rhymes.”

  Willa Bean nodded. “Here’s another one,” she said. “A loopy-poopy!”

  Harper laughed. “How about a wacky-dacky?”

  “Or a …” Willa Bean stopped short. Right in front of another gift shop. “Holy shamoley,” she said.

  “I like holy shamoley, too,” Harper said. “Except you say that one a lot.”

  “No!” Willa Bean pointed to the gift shop. “I meant holy shamoley! Look!”

  Harper looked at the gift shop, too. The sign on the front door said WATERWORLD TOYS, ETC. in big black letters.

  “Do you know what’s in there?” Willa Bean asked Harper.

  “Yeah,” Harper said. “Toys! And Etc.!”

  “Right.” Willa Bean looked at Harper. “We have to get inside,” she whispered. “Just for an eensy-weensy, teeny-tiny second.”

  Harper’s eyes turned wide. “No way, Willa Bean! We’re not allowed to go inside the gift shops! We just have to hide behind them! So the other cupids don’t see us!”

  Willa Bean shook her head. “We’ll be super-quick.”

  “We can’t!” Harper looked scared now. She took a step back. “Mr. Rightflight said! We’ll get in trouble.”

  “Okay,” Willa Bean said. “You just stand watch, then. To make sure no one sees me. I’ll go in by myself.”

  “But why do you have to go in at all?” Harper asked.

  “Because of those!” Willa Bean had already flown up to the window at the top of the gift shop. Harper flew up next to her. The cupids peeked inside. Willa Bean pointed to one corner.

  “Ohhhh!” Harper said.

  Willa Bean smiled. “See?” she said. “That’s why I have to go in!”

  Harper looked again at the enormous white bucket in the corner.

  It was filled to the top with red rubber star-bubble balls.

  The window was open a little bit at the top. It was just enough so that Willa Bean thought she could squeeze through.

  Harper stood on guard next to the gift shop, looking all around. She tapped the sides of her glasses with her fingers. Harper did a lot of glasses-tapping when she was nervous.

  “Is anybody watching?” Willa Bean whispered.

  Harper checked behind her. She looked to the right and then to the left. “Nope!” she called up to Willa Bean. “But hurry!”

&n
bsp; “I will!” Willa Bean tried to stick her head through the window crack. But her hair was too wide. It got in the way—all over the place!

  She tried to push the window open a little wider. But it was too heavy. She pushed and pushed. It didn’t even budge an inch.

  Next, she tried smooshing her hair down on the sides. She used both hands and pressed down super-hard. Then she tried to squeeze through the window again. But now her elbows got in the way!

  “Pooey!” Willa Bean said. She stared at the window crack for a moment. She thought and thought. “I know!” she said suddenly. She turned around. And then she wiggled her feet through the crack. They went in! So did her knees! And her wings! And her shoulders, too!

  But when it came time for her hair to go in, Willa Bean stopped moving. There was simply too much of it. It stuck fast in the window. It was being very stubborn.

  Again, Willa Bean thought and thought.

  She moved her head to the right. Then she moved her head to the left. Slowly, slowly, her hair began to slide through the crack. She kept moving her head. Right. Left. Right. Left. All of a sudden, with a great whooshing sound, it came unstuck! Willa Bean was inside the gift shop!

  She blinked a few times. It was very dark in there. Even with the window open, it was hard to see. Willa Bean felt nervous inside. She would have to move quickly. She was not a big fan of dark places.

  A huge pile of rubber baby dolls sat in one corner. They were wearing Waterworld bathing suits. Next to the dolls were plastic slides, and toy trumpets, and even a blue rocking sea horse! Willa Bean tried to ignore the toys, but it was impossible.

  She went over and sat on the sea horse. She had never been on one before. She had never even seen one before! She rocked back and forth. She leaned forward and pretended she was in a race, riding a real racehorse. Snooze had told her about racehorses before. He had watched a real, live horse race in Paris!

  Willa Bean pretended she had a helmet on her head. Her feet were in the stirrups. She held the reins tightly in her hand. She clicked with her mouth just like Snooze told her real riders did.

  “Let’s go, Mr. Blue!” she said. “We’re gonna win this race!”

  Willa Bean pretended other horses were around her and Mr. Blue. To her right was a cream-colored one. TO her left was a black horse with a white star on his forehead. But Mr. Blue was the fastest. Back and forth Willa Bean rocked. Faster and faster, until … BAM!

  Willa Bean found herself on the ground. Mr. Blue was still rocking. Willa Bean got to her feet. What a ride! She would try again. This time she wouldn’t fall off. This time, she would stay on Mr. Blue until the end and come in first!

  She started to get back on. But then she saw the white bucket in the corner. Willa Bean sighed. Slowly, she slid off Mr. Blue. Now was no time to be playing around. She was down here for one thing, and one thing only.

  She stepped over to the white bucket. She picked out the roundest, reddest, rubberiest star-bubble ball she could find. Then she stuck it in her pocket and flew back up to the window.

  Willa Bean tried to wiggle through the window. But her hair had decided to be stubborn again. It made her stuck. She turned herself upside down. But her wings did not work when she was upside down. They only worked when she was right side up. Maybe they did not know how yet. Or maybe they were just confused.

  Being upside down could confuse anyone.

  Willa Bean put her mouth against the window crack. “Harper!” She made her voice into a whisper-scream. “Harper! Are you still there?”

  There was no answer.

  Willa Bean tried again. She made her voice a little bit louder than a whisper-scream. “Harper! It’s me! Fly up to the window again, okay? I need you!”

  There was a noise down below. Willa Bean turned around. The noise was coming from behind the front door. “Willa Bean!” Harper whispered.

  Willa Bean smiled and flew back down to the ground. Harper was such a good friend. She was always there to help Willa Bean. Sometimes Willa Bean didn’t even have to ask for what she needed. Harper just knew. She was the best friend in the entire universe.

  Willa Bean ran toward the door. Harper would be so happy when she saw what she had found! She would laugh and clap her hands. Maybe she could even come with Willa Bean after school to give it to Baby Louie.

  The front door swung open.

  There was Harper.

  And Vivi, and Raymond, and Sophie, and all the rest of the cupids.

  Mr. Rightflight was there.

  And Miss Twizzle, too.

  No one was laughing. Or clapping their hands.

  Not even a little bit.

  Willa Bean gulped when she saw everyone standing there. Especially Mr. Rightflight. And Miss Twizzle. She tried to smile. But her lips did not move the right way. Her smile came out all wibbly-wobbly. So she did a little wave instead.

  “Hi, everyone!” Willa Bean said. “I’m very glad you’re here. Because if you weren’t, I would still be stuck!”

  “Willa Bean Skylight,” Miss Twizzle said. “Come with me this instant.”

  Willa Bean took a step forward.

  “Miss Twizzle!” Vivi called. “Miss Twizzle! Willa Bean has something in her pocket! And I don’t think it’s supposed to be there!”

  Willa Bean clapped her hand over her pocket.

  Now Mr. Rightflight came forward. “Please take your hand off your pocket, Willa Bean,” he said.

  Willa Bean took her hand away from her pocket.

  One.

  Finger.

  At.

  A.

  Time.

  “Now,” Mr. Rightflight said, “put your hand inside your pocket, take out what’s in there, and give it to me.”

  Willa Bean slid her hand inside her pocket. She felt around. Then she pulled out a small, flat moonstone. It was orange. She had found it yesterday, on her way home from school. She held the moonstone out to Mr. Rightflight.

  Mr. Rightflight’s eye twitched. “Not the moonstone, Willa Bean,” he said.

  Willa Bean put the moonstone back inside her pocket. She felt around once more. This time, she pulled out a piece of purple felt ribbon. She had found the ribbon on Moonday. It was going to go into the treasure chest she and Harper shared, along with the moonstone.

  “Willa Bean.” Miss Twizzle was tapping her fingertips together. “Do not make Mr. Rightflight ask you again. Give him the round thing that is in your pocket.”

  Willa Bean looked at Vivi. “You are the biggest, meanest, tattletale-est cupid in Nimbus!” she yelled. “That’s why no one wants to be your friend! Or even sit with you on the cloudbus when we have cloudtrips!”

  “That is enough, Willa Bean!” Mr. Rightflight’s voice was very stern. His hand was still outstretched, waiting.

  Willa Bean reached into her pocket. She pulled out the red rubber star-bubble ball and handed it to Mr. Rightflight.

  “Thank you,” Mr. Rightflight said. He gave the red rubber star-bubble ball to Miss Twizzle, who put it back in the white bucket.

  “Come with me, Willa Bean,” Miss Twizzle said. “Since you did not follow the rules, you are going to have to spend the rest of the cloudtrip on the bus.”

  “You mean I can’t go to Waterworld?” Willa Bean cried.

  Miss Twizzle shook her head. “I’m sorry, Willa Bean.”

  Willa Bean took Miss Twizzle’s hand. It was warm and soft, but she hardly even noticed. Mostly because her inside crying feeling was starting up. She bit her tongue. She did not want to cry in front of all the other cupids. Especially that mean old tattletale Vivi.

  Miss Twizzle led her toward the cloudbus.

  Behind her, Willa Bean could hear Mr. Rightflight yelling. “All right, cupids! Let’s get back to bow-and-arrow practice!”

  Willa Bean sniffed.

  And then she sniffed again.

  There was a big, round pain in the back of her throat. She tried to swallow over it. But it just got bigger. And by the time she got to the bus, i
t hurt so much that she opened her mouth.

  A long, sad cry came out.

  Miss Twizzle sat down in the seat next to her. She let Willa Bean cry for a few minutes. Then she gave her a green tissue. Willa Bean pressed it to her nose. She blew into it until her nose felt better. Her eyes were dry again, too. But she did not feel good inside. Not even a little bit.

  “May I ask you a question, Willa Bean?” Miss Twizzle asked finally.

  Willa Bean nodded.

  “Why did you go inside that gift shop?” Miss Twizzle asked.

  Willa Bean picked at the edge of her seat. She did not answer.

  “I believe what Mr. Rightflight told you to do,” Miss Twizzle went on, “was to sneak around them. Or fly over them. He did not say to go inside. Not once.”

  “I know,” Willa Bean whispered.

  “And then you took something that did not belong to you,” Miss Twizzle said. “That is not allowed, no matter where we go. Ever.”

  “I know,” Willa Bean whispered again.

  Miss Twizzle sighed. “Besides, if you really want a rubber star-bubble ball that much, I’m sure your parents would get you one.”

  “But it wasn’t for me!” Willa Bean burst out. “I don’t even like rubber star-bubble balls! I think they’re boring! It was for Baby Louie! He loves them even more than Babyflakes! His red star-bubble ball is his most favorite thing in the whole entire uvinerse. He even sleeps with it. And yesterday he lost it. And he’s been crying ever since. He cried so hard last night that he lost his voice, Miss Twizzle! His own little baby voice! It’s gone!”

  “Ah,” Miss Twizzle said slowly. “I see.”

  Willa Bean stared out the window. It was hard to see since her eyes were wet with tears again. Everything looked blurry and smeared. She took a deep, shuddery breath.

  “Let me ask you something else,” Miss Twizzle said gently. “How do you think Vivi felt after you said those things to her? About not having any friends? And sitting alone on the bus during our cloudtrip?”

  Willa Bean twirled a piece of her hair around her finger. She knew the things she said were mean. But Vivi just made her so mad. She drove Willa Bean into a crazy-daisy with all the tattling she did!