Libby and the Class Election (13 page)

Libby awoke with a start
as the bus pulled to a stop. It took her a moment to remember where she was and what was going on (school bus, Wishworld,
wish fulfillment).

“Nice nap?” said the young male Wishling as he stood up.

Libby nodded. She felt very refreshed, actually.

After she and her classmates got off the bus and headed to their classroom, they had to scramble to get their bags packed up before the final bell. It was time to go home. Libby, of course, had
no place to go home to, so she was up for anything—hopefully something election related.

“Here you go,” said Ms. Blackstone, walking over to Libby's desk and handing her a thick book. “Everyone, your math homework for tonight is section three, pages fifteen
through seventeen.”

Libby's eyes lit up as she grasped the book in her hands. She flipped through the pages, marveling at the thinness of the paper and the way it was printed on both sides. She hugged the
book to her chest.

The girl in the seat in front of her turned around. “Wow,” she said. “I've never seen anyone so excited about math homework before!”

Ava leaned on Libby's desk and zipped up her silvery backpack. “Homework will be the death of me,” she groaned, making a gruesome face. “I wish we didn't have any
tonight.”

Libby pricked up her ears when she heard the word
wish
. She really wanted her Wisher to be happy. Surely that meant helping her with any extra little wishes that came up when Libby was
around. It couldn't hurt to have a happy Wisher; she was sure of it.

This was going to be easy. Libby placed the book on her desk and sidled up to Ms. Blackstone. She peered up into her eyes. “Maybe we shouldn't have any homework tonight,” she
said in a low voice.

“I'm sorry, Libby, did you say something?” Ms. Blackstone asked distractedly.

Libby glanced around to make sure the other students couldn't overhear. “Maybe we shouldn't have any homework tonight,” she repeated, more intently this time.

Ms. Blackstone nodded. “Maybe we shouldn't have any homework tonight,” she said loudly.

The class cheered and happily returned their textbooks to their desks.

“Wow,” Libby heard Ava say. “Sometimes wishes do come true. Just like that!”

“Yeah,” Libby said to herself with a laugh. “Just like that!”

The bell signaling the end of the day rang, and the students streamed out of the classroom, still cheering. Libby followed along as they merged with other kids in the hallway and marched down
the stairs, past the auditorium, and out the door into the yard. She lost sight of Ava and wandered around the schoolyard in search of her, dodging flying balls and running kids. She finally found
her and Waverly chatting in the corner of the yard. She couldn't help noticing that Waverly had a look on her face that Libby was beginning to recognize: one of irritation.

“I'm just not sure you're taking this election seriously enough,” Libby heard Waverly say. “We missed a whole day of campaigning!” She shook her head.
“Did you notice that while we were away, Kristie hung up some new posters? She's got a lot more posters up than us now.”

“She did?” said Ava, looking interested. “I must have missed them.”

Libby nodded. She had spotted one by the auditorium on her way out. It featured a huge blown-up photo of a young female Wishling with long, straight black hair on a bright green background. She
was blowing a big pink bubble—only the bubble was actually a pink balloon that was glued to the poster board. The copy read
DON
'
T BLOW
IT
,
VOTE FOR KRISTIE
. Libby joined in the conversation and described the poster to Ava.

Ava laughed out loud. “What a funny idea!” she said. “Kristie always has such—”

“Correction,” said Waverly exasperatedly. “It's a lame idea. She's making a joke out of the election. I didn't like them at all. Plus, now she's handing
out bubble gum to everyone.” She pointed to a boy who was walking by, chomping away, his cheeks stuffed with bubble gum.

“Everyone knows you're not allowed to chew gum on school grounds.” She pursed her lips. “She's not following school rules. Maybe I should report her to
the—”

“Don't do that,” said Ava quickly. “Hey, I have an idea. Let's make some cool posters of our own. I've got all those art supplies at home still.”

Yes!
That was exactly what Libby was hoping for. She was excited to see Ava working to make her own wish come true. “I'll help!” she offered.

But the two girls were staring at her expectantly.

“What?” said Libby, shrugging.

“Don't you have to ask your mom first?” Ava asked.

Libby nodded. “Of course!” she said. She opened her Star-Zap and randomly punched in some numbers. To her surprise, it began to ring. She made a hasty observation:
Mission 2,
Wishworld Observation #5: Star-Zaps work as actual phones on Wishworld.

“Hello,” said a voice.

Ava and Waverly were watching, so Libby decided to wing it. “Hi, Mom,” she said. “Can I go to my new friend's house after school?”

“Sorry, I think you have the wrong number,” said the voice on the other end.

Libby had an idea. “Oh, you have a work dinner tonight?” she said. She paused. “Okay, I'll ask.”

“Listen, kid, you have the wrong number,” the person repeated.

She held her hand over the Star-Zap. “My mom's got a big work dinner tonight that's going to go late, and she was wondering if I could sleep over at your house
tonight.”

Ava shrugged. “Sure. My mom won't mind.”

“Okay, so it's a plan,” said Libby. “Thanks, Mom.”

“You do realize that you have the wrong number and that I'm not your mother,” said the voice. “Actually, I'm not anyone's mother. Because I'm a
father!”

Libby almost burst out laughing. “I love you, too, Mom,” she answered.

And so it was settled. Libby mentally patted herself on the back the whole walk to Ava's. Everything was going startastically on her mission so far. She'd be collecting wish energy
in no time.

“Mom! I'm home!” Ava yelled. No answer. “She must be in her office,” she said. “She can never hear me when she's in there.” She
slipped off her shoes and lined them up by the door. Libby and Waverly did the same. Libby wiggled her bare toes, with their bright pink polish. Obviously Wishling shoes were not made of materials
that repelled dirt. And she remembered learning that their homes were not self-cleaning. Poor Wishlings.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows. The three girls spread out their materials on the rough-hewn dining room table.

Ava headed to a big silver box in the kitchen and pulled open the door. The lighted interior revealed shelves filled with different foods and drinks.

“Can I get you anything?” she asked. Both Libby and Waverly asked for water.

Mission 2, Wishworld Observation #6: Wishling food apparently does not keep constant optimal temperature and needs to be stored in large cooling devices.

As soon as they were settled, Waverly produced a notebook and a pen from her backpack. “Let's come up with some new slogans,” she said.

“I have an idea,” Ava said softly. She looked excited to share it. “Hey, remember last Halloween when Kristie and I went as prisoners in those striped costumes? We could take
that picture of me and draw bars in front of my face, and the message could be ‘Wanted: Ava for President.'” She smiled at Waverly expectantly.

“No way,” said Waverly. “Too gimmicky. How is anyone going to take you seriously as a candidate?”

Ava's face fell.

Libby thought fast. “Well, then, how about a picture of Ava with a caption?” she suggested. “Something fun and memorable. Like ‘Vote for Ava,
she's…'” Her voice trailed off. “What rhymes with Ava?”

“How about
favor
?” suggested Ava. “‘Do me a favor and vote for Ava'?” She pronounced it “favah.”

“That's cute!” said Libby.

Waverly made a face. “That's terrible,” she said.

Ava bit her lip and tried again. “‘Vote for Ava, she's got flava'?”

“Oh, that's good,” said Libby. “Very catchy.”

Waverly wadded up a napkin and threw it at Libby's head. “No offense, guys, but those really stink.”

Ava didn't look so sure. “I think kids like fun stuff,” she said. “It makes them laugh. It's memorable.” She looked away. “I know I do. And so does
Kristie,” she muttered.

“This is no time for jokes. We need to let the students know that you are serious about the job!”

Ava looked down at the table. “Okay,” she said.

Waverly stood up. “Can I go to your room to get the supplies?” she asked.

“Sure,” said Ava.

Libby put her hand on Ava's arm as soon as Waverly left the room. “I thought those ideas were great,” she said. “We should just tell Waverly you want to do something fun.
It's your campaign.”

Ava shook her head. “No, I guess she's right,” she said. “Elections should be serious.” She sighed. “Nothing really rhymes with Ava anyway.”

“I've got it,” Waverly said, returning with a stack of poster board. “No gimmicks, no rhymes, and certainly no costumes. We'll take a picture of you, looking
responsible. We'll print it in black and white with the words ‘Vote for Ava.' Simple. Classic. Effective. Trust me, it's the best way to go.”

Ava thought for a moment. “Okay,” she finally said.

“Are you sure?” Libby asked worriedly.

“You guys have to trust me,” Waverly repeated. “I know what I'm doing.”

Libby sighed. She hoped that Waverly was right.

After taking fifty-three photos of Ava with her phone (Libby counted), Waverly was finally convinced they had the right one. It was “the perfect combination of serious and
approachable” per Waverly, although they all looked pretty much the same to Libby, save the one she liked best, in which Ava was crossing her eyes and making a goofy face. Libby had overheard
Ava muttering, “I wish this was over,” under her breath, so she had concentrated on making sure that the fifty-third photo was indeed perfect. They printed twenty copies in black and
white (“Classic and classy,” Waverly had proclaimed) and glued them onto the poster boards with the word
VOTE
on top of the photo and
FOR
AVA
underneath.

Libby turned to Ava. “What do you think?” she asked.

Ava opened up her mouth as if to say something and then shrugged. “They're fine,” she said.

Waverly looked down at the posters. “You know,” she said. “I think I love them.”

“Love what?” someone said.

“Oh, hey, Mom,” said Ava. “Waverly was just saying that she loves the campaign posters we made.”

Libby looked up. Ava's mom wore black-rimmed glasses and had short red hair, which she pushed behind her ears. She was wearing jeans and a faded red hoodie. She looked at the posters and
smiled. “Very nice, girls. A little serious but I guess that's the point. Are you hungry?” She inhaled deeply. “Hey, anyone smell spice cake?” She sniffed again.
“With…cream cheese frosting?”

Ava gave her mother a funny look. “This is Libby, the new girl at school. She's helping out with the campaign. She's going to sleep over tonight.”

Ava's mom smiled. “Sounds good.”

Then she stole a glance at the large timepiece that hung on the wall. “Yikes!” she said. “Sorry, I was busy working and didn't realize how late it was. You all want pizza
for dinner?”

“Yes!” Ava and Waverly shouted.

Ava's mom picked up her phone, then turned to Libby. “Good with you, too?” she asked. “You're not gluten-free, vegan, paleo, or lactose intolerant, are
you?”