As the students all filed into Stellaris’ Sun Tower, Mena noticed something different. A chrome ladybug had been hastily hammered into the wall. It was above the magic blackboard and glowed bright red.

Stellaris stood at the front of the room, but her sister was nowhere in sight. She nodded at Mena and gave her a kind smile.

Mena smiled back and turned around. As she did, Ashlan winked at her in a weird way. Mena avoided her roommate-turned-rival and sat alone. “I’m not dealing with Ashlan when she’s being so ‘catty,’” Mena muttered to herself.

She signed. “Not even a good pun can cheer me up.”

“Welcome!” Stellaris called out as the class chattered loudly. “To Humanity for all Magical Beings. I’m so excited that Wormwood has finally launched a campaign to help those in need. It will surely be a magical experience for everyone involved and…”

The class continued to banter between themselves, ignoring Stellaris, when suddenly, Nebula trudged into the room. She was about three heads taller than the already lofty Stellaris.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Nebula said, as Stellaris glared at her. “I had to move my 50000-pound weight rack to the gym all by myself. Fortunately, it only took one trip.”

“Don’t you think children’s lives are more important than your physical fitness?” Stellaris asked in an ultra-stern voice, unbefitting of her.

Nebula punched the air, surprisingly light on her feet. “Can’t kick bad guy tail without a serious bod. The only exercise I see you getting, Dwarf Star, are your lips.”

“Ohhhh,” the class went, causing Stellaris’ already bright face to turn a riper shade of red.

“Now listen up, maggots.” Nebula shouted, “To take down a fully armed soldier of King Buda-whaticus, you’ll need to be magically ripped, but physically toned as well. And judging by your noodle limbs, we’re going to need some serious training. I don’t see any definition on you at all.”

“They’re young girls,” Stellaris muttered, but Nebula raised her fist.

“When I was a child in the womb,” Nebula said, crossing her glazed muscular arms. “I was benching my umbilical cord. Never let those muscles atrophy.”

Ashlan raised her hand. “Teachers? I hate to break up this glorious bout of sibling rivalry, but how will we be evaluated for this mission?”

“Ah yes,” Stellaris said, smiling broadly. “Each girl will get an opportunity to prove herself by winning one of three awards: bravery, compassion and teamwork. Whoever accumulates the most by spring-break will earn their celebrity trip to Wormwood.”

The red spots on the Ladybug Transistor flashed bright white and a whirring siren went off. Nebula shouted, “May-day, may-day, looks like there is a Groundborn in danger! We’ll need to assemble of totally jacked, super-amazon rescue team. Unfortunately, we don’t have one, so you lot will do.”

Stellaris rolled her eyes. “Phenomena Willow, please report to the front of the room.”

Mena hustled out of desk, accidentally bumping her knees as she rose. As she hopped, regaining her balance, she shuffled to the front of the room. “Yes, Stella?” Mena asked. Ashlan glared jealously at her.

“We will utilize your powers as a Rainborn,” Stellaris said, and a yellow light from the Ladybug Transistor cast down onto Mena’s forehead. “With the Ladybug Transistor. We know the general area where a Groundborn is, but with Mena’s help we will know exactly where they are.”

A translucent dream bubble appeared over Mena’s head depicting a rocky terrain with numerous chocolate brown rocks. A young girl was trapped inside what seemed to be a magical prism, high on top of a mountain. She was dressed in a brown furred parka. A look of sheer terror and hopelessness filled her eyes.

“That poor girl!” Stellaris swooned observing the dream bubble. “Who will save her?

“Us!” the girls shouted.

“Excellent soldiers,” Nebula said, surveying her team. “It seems Budaludicus is applying anti-magic traps in the Northern Mountains in hopes to ensnare unsuspecting magic users.

The ripped professor pointed dramatically at the girls. “Now let’s move. Hup-two-three four. A select team of seven of the highest-ranking girls, along with Professor Stellaris, myself and Phenomena Willow will be tasked with saving the child.”

Without even hearing her name be called, Ashlan stood up, her hands on her hips. She spoke boldly to Mena, “Looks like it’ll be our first assignment together, Rainy. Now we’ll see who the Valor Sorceress truly is.”

“You’re on!” Mena shouted back, causing everyone to look either at her or Ashlan.

“Remember,” Stellaris said trying to calm the girls down. “This isn’t a competition.”

“Perhaps for you, Dwarf Star,” Nebula said, marveling at a flexed muscle, “but I love the charbroiled heat of a good competition.”

“Stop calling me that,” Stellaris screamed at her. Soon there was enough intensity between the glares of Mena, Ashlan and the two sisters to set the room ablaze.

Ashlan, Mena, Stellaris, Nebula and five other girls stood outside the castle courtyard. Everyone was clad in dark blue overcoats to protect themselves from the brisk chill of the icy sky. A wintery mist hovered around them. Stellaris gave a pep talk to keep their spirits warm.

“Everyone,” she said. “I’m positively ecstatic about our first rescue mission. For those wishing for true justice, we are the fire that kindles that poor heart! We are not only preserving this young girl’s present, but her very future as well.”

“That’s well and good and all,” Ashlan said, snidely. “But professor, shouldn’t you be showing these other girls, how to disarm this trap? You don’t need to tell me though. I’ve already studied the five schematics that Nebula lent me.”

Stellaris rolled her eyes before settling into a glare at Ashlan. “There is no extra credit in saving lives, Miss O’Ryan. Either you save them, or you don’t. But I will teach these girls how to disarm this very simple trap.”

Stellaris tapped Mena’s head a bubble appeared over her head. “Whoa!” Mena exclaimed, as the girl in the crystalized trap appeared in her thoughts.

“Deactivating a Prism Switch,” Stellaris said. “Is easy-peasy. Simply have five of us stand at the five switches at each platform. The knights often use these so their squads can easily activate and deactivate the switches when need be.”

Mena and the other girls nodded. It really was that simple.

Stellaris nodded too. “We will simply let five girls activate the switch, while I and two of our strongest stand guard.”

“Well considering I’ve aced Night Creeper Defense Classes with all W’s,” Ashlan began. “It’s clear one of the guardians should be me.”

“Oh yeah,” Mena said, her eyes equally burning with passion. “Have you fought a real Phantom Lord? I have!”

“Well,” Stellaris said, laughing to herself. “It looks like I’ve found my two guardians.”

***

The Dream Castle reached the snow-capped peak of the highest mountain and began its descent. Stellaris, Mena, Ashlan, Nebula and the rescue squad clung to the cobalt anchor of the Dream Castle. They were ready to take the plunge into the depths below. “On my count,” Stellaris commanded, her robe billowing in the wind. “Drop the anchor… One…Two…”

Suddenly, Nebula interrupted them. “This is taking too long. I’m going in myself. Let’s do this, NEBULA ANDROMEDA”

Nebula leaped off the anchor plunging towards the mountain below. One of the girls who accompanied Mena and Ashlan circled her finger around her ear. Stellaris sighed. “That’s my little sis.”

With the sound of rolling chains, the anchor plummeted towards the mountain below. The velocity around the rescue team caused the skin on their cheeks to pull backwards. The chocolate brown mountain top was approaching faster and faster. Mena closed her eyes as tight as she could, hoping they wouldn’t splatter. The rocks loomed closer, and Mena braced for impact, but when she opened her eyes, they were an inch away from it. Everyone still screamed until they realized they had stopped moving.

Scared into silence, the only sound they heard was the soft whimpering of a brown-haired girl in a buffalo furred parka…and Nebula.

Nebula pranced around shaking off the aftershock from the fall. Mena was impressed that an interstellar being could survive such a plunge.

“Oh yeah,” Nebula boasted. “I felt that in my calves.”

Mena disregarded Nebula and focused on the girl. Her hair was braided into two circular buns at the top of her head. She was enclosed inside a red prism where a steaming machine of steel pipes and five separate platforms sealed her tightly. Shaking off their dizziness from the vertigo, Mena and Ashlan both stumbled over to the prism. “Quit crying, groundie,” Ashlan said flippantly. “We’re here to get you out.”

“Don’t speak to her like that,” Mena snapped. “There’s no way you’re going to win the compassion award with that attitude”—She turned to the girl—"It’ll be okay,”

“I’m not sugar-coating things, Rainy,” Ashlan shot back. “I’m merely being pragmatic.”

“Stop calling me that,” Mena growled, turning her head away from the girl, whose eyes darted back and forth between the two-bickering ex roommates. “It’s not cute anymore.”

“I think both of you should shut up,” Stellaris accosted them. “You both have the prize on the brain. “What matters most is that we make sure she is safe and…”

“Ho-ho!” a triumphant, yet caustic voice cried out. “What luck!” Not only have we landed one magical miscreant, but a whole band of magical mischief makers as well.”

Mena and her allies turned around to see a towering knight fitted in bright green armor. He sported a bushy orange mustache and lead a squad of the king’s knights. Swords and shields drawn, they were ready to brawl with the rescue team.

“Sir Stephen?!” Mena cried out in shock.

“You know him?!” Stellaris, May and Ashlan exclaimed.

“That’s Sergeant Stephen,” the knight shouted. “I’ve been demoted, you wenchy witch. But I’m sure to rise in the ranks again once I bring you before King Budaludicus