Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

I jumped up, catching the low bar. Gaining momentum, I flipped around the bar in a perfect bent pike. I spun around again and caught myself in a handstand.

Drop, spin, straddle, snap, release, flip, catch the high bar. And don’t forget to point your toes.

I drew in a breath and let the muscle memory take over as I spun around the bar again. I gathered my momentum and released.

This is why I loved gymnastics so much. The energy, the rush, the strength and precision needed to execute each move, it was its own kind of magic. I reached out for the bar, unfolding from my flip, and…

Slipped. 

I landed flat on my back, the air forced out of my chest in one big rush. A few of my fellow team members winced sympathetically from their own gym equipment.

“Muscle memory…” I grumbled.

I held my arms up in a half-hearted salute as Airen, my coach, walked up to me and clapped sarcastically. 

“You’re distracted today.” He held his arm out to help me up.

I took it, rocking backwards and standing. I stretched out each limb to make sure I wasn’t hurt. I was still a bit winded, but I’d make it out of the gym without any new bruises.

“Am not.”

He just raised his eyebrow.

“It was the bar’s fault.”

“It was the bar’s fault you’re nervous about your application to Alfea?”

I froze halfway over to my water bottle, “How do you know I applied?”

“Lucky guess. All the team can talk about this week is acceptance letters to this or that school. Besides, my sister told me she sent your application form for you.”

Busted.

Angelica Sorretti, Guardian Witch of Storm Systems, Council Member, and apparent blabbermouth, had generously offered to get me a form, and I agreed after I made her promise not to tell my aunt. I guess I forgot to make her promise not to tell anyone at all.

I scowled into my water bottle.

“There’s no chance you won’t get in, you know. Princess privileges and all that.” He came up next to me and gave me a friendly punch on the shoulder. 

“Yeah, well, there’s a difference between being accepted and being allowed to go.”

“Dude, haven’t you told your aunt you applied?”

I mocked a royal messenger stance, using my bottle as a fake scroll, “Her Majesty, Queen Regent Euphinia, has decreed that Princess Merreid of Callisto, due to her lack of mastery and control of elementary fairy magic, is not prepared to enter a higher education.” I bowed dramatically to finish off my statement.

“Shit, Mira. She really said that to you?”

I sighed, “No, of course not. Not to my face, at least. She wants the best for me and all that, but she thinks I’m not ready yet. Not until I can transform at least, and I’m still a long way off from that. I still take magic suppressants, for Storm’s sake! Ever heard of a fairy that takes magic suppressants?”

He scoffed and raked back his spiky frost-white hair, “Half the first years haven’t transformed yet, either.”

“Like you said, princess privileges. I have a reputation to maintain.”

We both turned towards the sound of approaching footsteps. My sister waved at a few of my teammates as she walked up to us, her lavender palazzo pants starkly contrasting the brightly colored gym equipment.

“Oh, Storms. I’m not late, am I?” I looked around for the clock.

“Don’t worry, I’m early. I wanted to see the routine you’ve been working on,” She smiled warmly, “Hi Airen!”

He nodded, “Your Majesty.”

My sister pointed at him scoldingly, “You know I’m not the queen yet, Airen. It’s still just Kiara.”

He nodded deeper, almost bowing, “As you say, Crown Princess Kiara.”

My sister just shook her head in exasperation, but I could see the smile in her eyes. I rolled mine.

“One more go on the bars? I’ll be done after that.”

Kiara nodded, “For the competition coming up, right?”

“In about two weeks, yeah. Magix City.” Airen gestured for me to begin my routine.

I chalked my hands up and went to my starting mark.

This time, I landed it perfectly. 

✭✭✭

Tea time is my favorite part of the week. Once a week, my sister and I get a couple hours all to ourselves for “Official Royal Mandatory Princess Sister Tea Time” as we named it, back when I was 5 and she was 7. Since then, it’s evolved beyond just having tea together in the parlor. Sometimes I’d paint and she’d read to me, sometimes we’d actually sit and drink tea in the greenhouse. On more stressful weeks, we’d go for runs as far as we could get from the palace. No matter the activity, it was always just the two of us.

Today, we took our mugs of tea out for a walk through the forest. It was the middle of the windy season, but luckily the skies were calm. The storm domes that protected the palace and the city below were down for the day, letting us walk freely out of the palace grounds.

“You’ve sent in your Alfea application?”

Cutting right to the chase, I see. 

“Yeah, a couple of days ago. You’re still not telling Auntie Fin, right?” I glanced at Kiara.

“Not my place,” She shrugged, “You'll have to tell her eventually, though.”

I tilted my head up to look at the sky through the towering trees, “Duh, I can’t exactly just sneak off to school for most of the year without her knowing. But I don’t want to tell her yet, not until I know if I’m actually in or not. I don’t want to make a big deal if it doesn’t even happen.”

She hummed in agreement, and I turned to look at her. She looked entirely in her element out here in the forest, her deep amethyst hair shining in the dappled sunlight. She took after our mother, straight dark hair, soft blue eyes, pale, lightly freckled skin, whereas I look more like our father with my blue-violet eyes, tan skin, and sunrise pink hair. Not that either of us knows our parents outside of royal portraits. They died when I was just a baby and Kiara was barely old enough to talk. They were heroes, but that doesn’t make them any less dead. 

“Race you to the lake!”

Kiara frowned, “You hate the lake.”

“I hate swimming in the lake. Besides, you love it.” I grinned and took off.

“I’m not spilling my tea for this!” She called after me.

Despite her protests, she passed me halfway to the lake (and maybe because I let her), years of etiquette lessons keeping her from spilling a drop.

“I win,” She grinned, stepping out of her shoes and into the gentle waves of the lake. I stayed a couple of paces back from the water, taking both of our mugs and setting them down on the pebble beach. 

“Well, congratulations,” I snarked, “As your reward, you get to tell me what’s been bothering you. You’ve had that little crease in your eyebrows since we left the palace.”

“Conjure us a picnic blanket first.” 

“Nice change of subject.” I crossed my arms.

She crossed hers right back, “I’m serious. You want to go to fairy school, you have to do fairy magic.”

“Fine, then you have to talk to me.” I rolled my eyes and turned to a spot of beach on my right. Holding my arms up, I concentrated on what I wanted to appear, summoning the magic inside me. While not the easiest spell, it certainly wasn’t supposed to be difficult, even for beginner fairies. I’d have to do all kinds of other kinds of spells at Alfea. Illusions, potions, metamorphology…

I snapped back to attention, but the magic faded with my concentration. All I had conjured was a sad puff of sparkles.

“One more try, you know you can do it.” She encouraged. 

I groaned deep in my throat, but I held out my hands to try again.

I tried to pretend I was back in my room, simply working on another painting. Visualizing each brushstroke, every color I’d mix, keeping my mind focused on the task long enough to…

Pop!

Make a picnic blanket appear.

Kiara side-hugged me and sat down on the blanket, saluting me with her mug, “Knew you could do it.”

I smiled and sat down across from her, nudging her knee, “Talk.”

Her smile fell.

“It’s not really even that big of a deal, I just,” She sighed, “With you applying to Alfea, I keep thinking about what it would’ve been like to go to a sorcery college.”

“You would hate it. You’d have to do homework.”

She snorted softly, “I would. But, at the same time, I don’t know that I would. Having private tutors and a super-powerful sorceress as an aunt, I’m certainly not lacking in education…”

“But it’s not the same.”

“It’s not the same.”

We lapsed into silence, listening to the birds sing and the soft lapping of waves. 

“You like history, you could go to the Historian College here. You won’t even have to leave Callisto. Hells, you barely even have to leave the palace!”

Callisto was home to the largest library in the Magic Dimension. The entire structure was carved into a cliff face, the valley below housing the closest thing to a major city on the planet, and forest on the upper land. It takes nearly an hour to walk end to end, and it would take multiple lifetimes to read every book in it, but Kiara and I are still trying. The palace was built right on top of it, with several of the towers acting as the dormitories for the Archival Historian College of Callisto.

“It’s still not the same as an off-world sorcery college, but consider it… getting to know your citizens. You might even make some friends.”

She scoffed, “I have friends.”

I raised my eyebrow at her. “The librarians don’t count.”

“I wonder what they’d have to say about ‘not counting.’”

“They’d say you need to get out more.”

Kiara looked down at her lap. Neither of us got to leave the palace grounds very much, her even less than me. At least I had my gymnastics competitions.

“Sorry, that came out mean.”

“You’re right, though. I’ve been gathering up the courage to ask Auntie Fin for a little more freedom, you know, as the future queen and all.” She smiled, a determined gleam once again in her eyes. 

“And I’m sure she’ll grant you some. You know how she is, she’s probably forgotten the outside world even exists.”

She snorted, “True. Now come on, we should head back. You’re not getting out of tutoring that easily.”

I groaned dramatically as I dragged myself to my feet.

“Race you back?”

“Don’t you dare.” She stood and hooked her arm through mine as we walked back to the palace.

✭✭✭

“Sorry I’m late, Miss Shelvey!”

I took a seat at my usual desk in the otherwise empty classroom. I was barely a minute late, but Helene Shelvey, my fairy magic tutor, was a stickler for punctuality. And etiquette. And overall perfection.

She sniffed, eyes not leaving her book for a few extended seconds. She placed a bookmark in between the pages and snapped it shut with finality.

“Last week, we worked on object enchantments. I thought this week we could simplify—”

Translation: dumb down.

“—this class of spells into their base parts. We’ll start with a basic transmutation exercise.”

She rose from behind her desk and brought out a cup full of flat marbles. I held my posture pin-straight as she scooped out a handful and spread them out in front of me. 

“All you have to do is change their color.” Miss Shelvey waved her hand over the marbles, shifting them from blue to pink, then back to blue again.

I internally cheered in relief. This was one of the few spells I could successfully cast, even if I mostly used it to change my own hair color. But the principle was the same.

I focused on one marble at a time, letting out barely a sliver of my magic to carefully change their color. It took more effort to rein in my power than it did to actually perform the spell, but a minute later, all twenty-two marbles were a lovely shade of rose pink.

Thank fuck.

“Good work, Merreid.”

You don’t have to sound so surprised.

“Thank you, Miss Shelvey.”

She brought one of the marbles up to the light, inspecting it closely.

“But your spellwork is still sloppy. See this?” She turned it so I could see the flash of blue in the center, “Do it again.”

I restrained a groan as she returned the marbles to blue with a flick of her hand.

She made me repeat the exercise several more times, both of us getting increasingly annoyed that I couldn’t reach her standard of perfection.

“You need to work faster. You’ll never get anything done at this rate.”

“Yes, Miss Shelvey.”

I bit my tongue to keep myself from saying something sarcastic. No need to have her telling my aunt that I’m insolent as well as inept.

I hovered both hands above the desk, extending my reach to the final five marbles, and tried to change them all at once. I thought I was successful until Miss Shelvey lifted one, revealing a damning pink splotch in the wood.

She clicked her tongue, “I think that’s enough for the day.”

I pushed back my chair and stood, more than ready to go.

“Have a good evening!” I forced out, the slight tang of blood filling my mouth.

Miss Shelvey smiled with all the decorum of a porcelain vase, “I’ll see you next week.”

I left the classroom as fast as I could without looking like I was rushing. As soon as the door shut behind me, I grabbed the pill case I’d tucked into my pocket and dry-swallowed one of the capsules inside. I held onto my temper just long enough for the effects to kick in, my magic settling dormant in my chest like silt at the bottom of a lake. Now that the palace decor was safe from me blasting it off the walls, I stomped off to my room.

✭✭✭

Dinner was a casual affair. Aunt Euphinia, her closest friend and royal advisor Brigid, Kiara, our little cousin Caden, and I sat at a round table on one of the many terraces of the palace. Trellises dripping in ivy enclosed the small seating area, protecting it from the worst of the winds, and drop lights charmed with heating enchantments kept the temperature pleasantly warm.

Kiara picked at her food while Caden and I pretended to sword fight across the table with our asparagus.

“Manners, both of you,” Auntie Fin scolded gently.

“Sorry, Mom.” Caden put his asparagus stalk back on his plate, then promptly stabbed it with his fork and held it back up en garde, smiling wickedly.

Brigid laughed, “Oh, let them have their fun!”

I copied him, shrugging apologetically at my aunt. We clashed our asparagi again until he sent out a final thrust, and I feigned a stab wound to my chest and fell back against my chair. Caden giggled and took a bite of his sword.

“Now that that’s over, what’s been bothering you, dear?” Euphinia asked Kiara.

She cleared her throat and took a sip of water. I nudged her foot with mine in support. 

Kiara drew in a deep breath, “I want to get out more. I’ve been thinking, I barely even leave the palace at all! I want to visit other planets and I want to…” 

She trailed off. A look of utter heartbreak fell across Auntie Fin’s face. 

I glanced between the two of them, not daring to even chew another bite. Euphinia was well known for preferring the safety and solitude of the palace, ever since our parents died. She’s almost afraid to leave, and she forgets that we could feel differently.

“Oh. Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I never thought— Of course you can. It’s hard to remember that you’re not a little girl anymore.” she laughed a bit sadly.

“Why don’t you take her with us to that meeting in Lynphea next week?” Brigid suggested, “It’s high time she starts attending these functions, anyway.”

“Actually, that’s an excellent idea. What do you say, my sunset?”

“Hooray, a boring business meeting.” Kiara’s massive grin revealed her true feelings.

I watched the tension release from both of them. I hadn’t even noticed how anxious Fin must have been about travelling off-world.

“Not to push our luck…” I butted in, “But maybe the three of us could go out for ice cream or something after my competition? We can come right back home afterwards, I promise.”

Euphinia never came to my competitions in person, but I never minded. She watches them on the newsfeeds and then asks me all the details as soon as I get back. I think it’s the closest she’s willing to get to being in an actual crowd. 

Caden screeched, “ICE CREAM!”

“Well, you can’t disappoint him now,” Kiara laughed.

Auntie Fin relented, “Alright.”

The three of us cheered.

“But I’m sending guards with you. One for each of you.” She looked each of us sternly in the eyes, “And then straight home.”

I grinned, “You got it.”

Kiara was practically glowing. I knew she had built this up so much in her mind; this was a massive weight off her shoulders. Maybe there was hope for me going to Alfea yet.

Chapter Text

I placed third in uneven bars and second to last on vault, my other event in this competition, but I couldn’t even be upset. My acceptance letter from Alfea had arrived a few days ago, and I was sitting outside of an ice cream shop with Kiara, Caden, and Airen. Passers-by gave strange looks to the three royal guards standing at attention behind each of us, but I didn’t mind. The air smelled like freedom and vanilla.

Airen was already trying to give me notes on my performances, but I waggled my spoon at him.

“Not today, mister, we’re enjoying the city!” I punctuated my words with jazz hands, accidentally flinging a drop of melted ice cream onto Kiara’s cheek. She made a noise of protest.

“Oops, sorry.” I handed her a napkin from the dispenser on the table.

She used it to wipe her cheek, and then the majority of Caden’s face, who proceeded to continue eating his banana split just as messily.

“Hey, why don’t the guards get to have ice cream?” Caden asked, staring up at the broad man standing at attention at his back.

“We’re on duty, Prince Caden. It wouldn’t be proper.”

Kiara waved her hand, “We’ll bring some home for you all. I’d feel terrible dragging the three of you out here just to make you watch us eat ice cream.”

My guard dipped their chin deferentially, “Much appreciated, your highness. You’ll make an excellent queen someday. And— salted caramel, if you will.”

“Salted caramel?” Caden’s guard boomed out a laugh, “I think you mean mint chocolate chip!”

My guard shook their head in disdain.

Kiara’s guard cupped his hand around his mouth conspiratorially, “Princess, I’m afraid you have started a feud.”

She laughed, “And what’s your favorite flavor?”

“Chocolate fudge. I, unlike those two, appreciate the classics.”

I nodded sagely, “Chocolate will always be superior. I will forever die on my cinnamon chocolate hill.”

“Cinnamon chocolate?” Airen shook his head, “I’m more of a peanut butter swirl guy myself, extra protein and all that.”

I snorted, “You’re such a gym bro!”

“I’m your gym coach.”

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes, “What ice cream hill are you dying on, Kiki?’

“Earl Grey. But I’m certainly not dying on it, I know it’s a very subjective taste.”

“You guys are forgetting the obvious answer.” Caden piped in.

Airen raised his eyebrows, “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

“All of them at once!” Caden grinned, showing off his rainbow of miniature scoops.

We all laughed. We spent the rest of our time in more easy conversation, our guards joining in occasionally. 

After we finished our ice cream, Kiara and her guard went back into the ice cream shop to get some more to take home, and I took Caden and our guards back to the ship. Airen stayed behind with the rest of my team, citing the need for a post-comp debrief. Caden coerced me into trying to catch a lizard scampering through a potted plant, and I let him hold it as we walked back to the ship port. I made him set it down in a small park just outside the city proper. The other part of our group rejoined us just as we were boarding the ship, and we flew home.

✭✭✭

“Incoming student at Alfea?”

Shit. Fuck. Storms, I could simply pass away on the spot.

Euphinia repeated herself, “Incoming student. At. Alfea?”

I had just walked into her office to tell her how the competition went, but the ice in her tone had me stuck frozen in the doorway. 

“Is it true, Merreid?”

“How did you fi—”

She played the newsfeed on the tablet she was holding. The camera panned around me as I saluted the judges, the shine on my red leotard in utter contrast to Euphinia’s bloodless face. 

“Up next, Princess Merreid of Callisto, medalist in four interplanetary finalist competitions since her debut at age twelve, and another incoming student at Alfea! She begi—” 

Euphinia slammed the tablet down, audibly cracking the glass screen, and stared back at me. I felt like I was dissolving under her glare.

“I’m sorry you found out like this. I was going to tell you. Today at dinner, actually. I only just got my acceptance letter and I didn’t—” My voice cracked and I cut myself off with a gasp.

She stood up and began pacing around the room. She wrung her hands mercilessly, but it couldn’t disguise their trembling.

“Now, letting you go out after a competition is one thing, I was even considering organizing a trip to the city for you girls, but this.” She paused, shaking her head in disappointment, “This is too much, too soon. I won’t have it. You’ve broken my trust, Merreid.”

“I was going to tell you!” I barely held myself back from screaming.

She held up a hand.

“It’s too late, I’ve already given a letter to the princess of Solaria to give to Miss Faragonda, unenrolling you.”

I couldn’t hold back my sob this time.

“Why?” One little word, carrying my entire heart with it.

Auntie Fin just shook her head.

“It’s a boarding school, Merreid, you can’t be gone that long. You have responsibilities to your kingdom, to me.”

“I could call every day, I’ll come home on weekends and every holiday, please, this is all I’ve ever wanted. You know that, please!” My ears were ringing, I thought my hands might be shaking, maybe my whole body was shaking.

“If you really wanted it so much, you should have worked harder in your tutoring sessions.”

“What?” My voice sounded strange in my ears. Something was pulsing, pounding, inside my chest.

“You can’t go to Alfea because your control over your magic isn’t strong enough, dear.”

The feeling inside me quickly eclipsed all of my senses, drowning out everything but the sound of my aunt’s voice.

“Your power is unstable,”

The pounding turned to a ringing in my ears.

“And unpredictable,”

I couldn’t feel my body anymore. Was I still standing?

“At the best of times, and—”

I screamed. 

The energy in my chest exploded, and a massive gust of wind poured out from me, knocking over everything that wasn’t bolted down. 

Unstable, indeed.

The wind stopped as quickly as it came. I gasped in a shuddering lungful of air, poised to flee, pausing only long enough to watch my aunt shake her head at me as she pulled herself upright.

“Case. In. Point.”

Kiara grabbed me after I had only stumbled a few steps out of the room.

“I heard everything. Do you need me, or should I go talk to Auntie Fin?”

I tried to say something, to explain myself, but all I could do was sob harder.

“Okay, that’s okay. Just breathe, alright? I’ll check on her, then I’ll meet you in your room, okay?”

I nodded shakily. She brushed a tear away, another one immediately taking its place. Kiara turned into the room, and I ran.

A couple of minutes later, Kiara found me clutching my favorite stuffed animal, a fluffy round cat, and curled up into a ball in bed. I had taken a double dose of the magic suppressant pills I kept on my nightstand, the power roiling inside my body slowing to a sluggish crawl.

“Auntie’s fine. And she’s sorry.” Kiara lay down next to me, and some of my tension released, “She won’t change her mind, though. She’s just… scared. You know that.”

No more words had to be said. Kiara held me as I cried out the rest of my tears, and I fell asleep in her embrace.

✭✭✭

I couldn’t bring myself to leave my room for over a week. 

Kiara stopped by every day to bring me food and some company. She told me she had gone down to see Airen, and that he told her to tell me I was missing ‘vital days of training.’ At least she gave me the mercy of not mentioning how Euphinia was, or the fact that students would begin arriving at Alfea any day now. She just read to me while I painted the view outside my windows, and I was thankful that she didn’t make me talk about it.

Chapter Text

I was painting the raindrops that slid down my windows. Storm season was beginning, the comforting sound of the downpour soothing my chaotic feelings. Kiara read me a book about wizards, maybe? I was only half listening. 

I’d actually left my room today, if only to head to the gym for an hour. Airen was there, but all he said to me was to do some conditioning exercises that left my body sore, but my mind clearer than it had been in days. 

Maybe my aunt was right after all, and I wasn’t ready. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe…

Maybe we’d never forgive each other.

I sighed and dipped my brush into some pale grey. I leaned in to highlight a few of the raindrops when my phone chimed.

I jumped back in surprise, swearing at the smudge I left across the canvas. Kiara looked up at me in confusion. She was the only one who ever texts me. Besides her, the only other people who had my phone number were my aunt, who never used her phone anyway, and a couple other royals my age I’d only ever met once or twice over the years.

“Who could that be?” Kiara bookmarked her page and set it down.

I shrugged, walking over to my nightstand to pick up my phone. Flipping it open, I read the name of the sender.

“Princess Stella?”

I met her at one of the rare galas I had attended over the years. We hadn’t spoken since then, but she seemed friendly enough, if I had ever worked up the courage to text her back. 

She was also the one my aunt gave my disenrollment letter to. 

Frowning, I opened the text and held it out so Kiara could read it with me.

-hey girl! i heard you’re not coming to alfea this year, but you should totally still come to the welcome ball tonight

-you can be our plus one! ;p

Kiara gasped and snatched the phone out of my hand, “You have to go.”

“Oh yeah? Me and what permission?”

“You don’t need permission!”

I crossed my arms, “Because that worked so well last time I tried to go to Alfea.”

“I’ll sneak you out,” Kiara started typing.

I debated on whether or not I should try and grab it back before she could send a message, but the truth was, I wanted to go. I wanted that brief taste of what it might feel like to be a student at Alfea, a real fairy. The bloop! of a sent text sounded and she looked back up at me, grinning.

“Well, what did you say?” I swiped the phone back and looked at the screen.

-i’d love to :) send me deets?

“Deets?” I raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged. Before she could respond, a new message chimed.

-how soon can you get to magix?

-me and my roommates are going dress shopping in an hour ish

I looked back at Kiara, “You think you can really, truly, get me out, and back in for that matter, without Auntie knowing?”

She nodded, “I’ve done it before, once. I didn’t go off-world, but I went downtown, kind of freaked out, and immediately came back.”

“You went to—? Never mind, but you’re telling me that story as soon as I get back.”

“In my defense, you were at a competition.”

I couldn’t even be upset that she hadn’t taken me with her. My excitement was bubbling up, filling the void inside me. 

“Okay, I’ll go.”

She squealed and hugged me as I typed out my reply.

-meet you there!

Kiara practically shoved me into the bathroom to wash off the paint splattered across my face and arms. I changed out of my painting clothes into a blue asymmetrical tank top and wavy-patterned orange pants that flared at the ankles, all while listening to her shout the directions to Magix through my bathroom door.

“Alright,” She handed me a small purse, “Credit card, bus pass, phone, phone charger, pills, and some accessories you might want to wear with your party dress. Now repeat the plan back to me.”

I tied half my hair up into a bun, checking myself over in the mirror one last time. “Take the library shuttle to the spaceship station, the spaceship to Magix port, and the bus from there to Main Street. I’ve got it, don’t worry.”

“Good. I’ll be right here covering for you until you get back, okay?” She brushed some stray hairs off my forehead, “Now, go have the time of your life.”

We grinned at each other. I hugged her one last time before heading down to the library.

✭✭✭

The trip to Magix was the most exciting bus ride of my life. I had to keep checking and re-checking my phone to make sure that Stella really had asked me to come. The initial excitement of sneaking out was waning, and the anxiety was setting in now that I was stuck in crowded public transit.

What if Euphinia finally decides to check in on me? What if Stella wasn’t serious, and I make a fool of myself in front of her and her new roommates? What if my magic gets out of control? What if whatifwhatif?

The thought of having another “magical incident” had me snapping out of my thoughts and back to the world around me. I had to control myself. To quote Miss Shelvey, uncontrolled emotion caused uncontrolled magic, and I would not ruin this night for myself. And just as an extra precaution, I took a pill.

The intercom on the bus chimed, “Main Street! Last stop, please transfer here.”

This is it!

My magic hummed inside me as my anxiety spiked, causing my hair to shift around in a breeze that seemed to only affect me. The pill finally kicked in, my hair slowly settling back into place. As I stepped off the bus, I wondered how I was supposed to find Stella. I may live in a palace, but the city was huge. I moved out of the way of the bustling crowds to grab my phone out of my bag when I heard someone calling my name.

“Merreid! Merreid, over here!”

Stella. I breathed out a sigh of relief. I was surprised she could even recognize me; my face was rarely shown anywhere outside of the gymnastics newsfeeds, and she had only seen me in person once. Stella looked about the same as I remembered her, even though we were both a few years older. Same golden hair, same golden skin, and same dazzling smile. I waved back, and she jogged over to me.

“I am so glad you could make it! Come meet everyone,” She linked arms with me, almost dragging me back over to her friends, and I struggled to keep my balance, both figuratively and literally.

“These are my new roommates, Bloom, Tecna, Musa, and Flora,” She pointed to each of the girls in turn, then back at me, “Girls, this is Merreid.”

Am I supposed to curtsy in this situation?

Bloom and Flora smiled at me, immediately putting me at ease. Bloom had an eye-catching shade of bright red hair and looked similarly out of place in such a big city. Flora, if I had to guess, was Lynphean, with her green eyes, long brown hair, and warm complexion. 

“Nice to meet you!” Musa stuck out her hand for a handshake.

I accepted it. She had cool, dry hands, and a firm grip that would have my etiquette tutors nodding in approval.

Tecna pocketed her palm-top, “So, this is the real Princess Merreid diCallisto?”

She slid over the middle half-syllable of my name, rounding out the R’s and changing it from Mereh-reed to Mer-reed.

Tecna was the tallest of the group, with short magenta hair and electric teal eyes. Musa was Stella’s opposite, black hair tied into two spiky buns and fashion more in line with a rock band than a style magazine, and was even shorter than I was. While I was tall for a gymnast, I was short by any other standard.

“You can just call me Mira,” I blinked, “What do you mean by real? Is there another one of me I should watch out for?”

Bloom laughed nervously, “Yeah, funny story—”

“Walk and talk, girls, we have shopping to get to!” Stella grabbed Bloom’s hand and mine, pulling us along to the clothing boutiques, the other girls trailing after.

I looked over at Bloom, eyes wide, “She’s always this… exuberant?”

Bloom shrugged and smiled. “We only met a few weeks ago, but so far, yeah.”

I smiled back, and Stella turned us into a dress store, beelining for the party dresses and stacking a couple into Bloom’s arms.

“That’s where the story begins, actually.” Bloom said, struggling under the new handful of dresses Stella piled on her arms.

Stella made a noise of agreement, “Mhm! I found her on Earth when I was attacked by an ogre and his creepy-ass minions. Do you need a dress too?”

“Oh, yeah…” I was still stuck on that first part, “How did you get to Earth? Hold on, does that mean you’re from Earth?”

“Trust me, I was just as surprised as everyone else.” Bloom tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Careful, Bloom!” Flora caught the stack of dresses as they began to topple, “I’ll take these to a dressing room for you.”

“Thanks, Flora.”

Before Bloom could continue her story, Stella dumped an equally large stack of dresses into my arms. “The ogre intercepted me as I was teleporting to Alfea. How he messed up the spell so badly that I crash-landed on a forbidden planet, I don’t know. But Bloom saved me, so I took her with me to Alfea!”

Jealousy roiled like acid in my stomach, and I struggled to hide it. Bloom, with no training and not even knowledge of her powers, could hold her own against an ogre, when I could barely control a breeze without help.

Bloom shook her head, “I wasn’t all that impressive. I was scared for my life, so I just acted on instinct. I haven’t done a successful spell since.”

Shame doused my jealousy in an instant. I couldn’t even imagine what that must have been like for her.

Stella side-hugged her, “Give yourself some credit, girl! You’re learning. Go try on the dresses, I can tell Mira the rest.”

Bloom hugged her friend back and walked over to the dressing room where Flora stood. 

Stella grabbed a few dresses for herself. “So, you know how I was supposed to deliver your disenrollment letter, right?”

I nodded, frowning slightly.

“I tore it up.”

“You what?” 

“So Bloom could pretend to be you at Alfea. Nobody really knows what you look like, so it was perfect.”

Huh. It was a good plan.

“And everyone still thinks that Bloom is… me?”

Stella snorted, “No, we had to come clean about that. Bloom is officially Bloom, and you’re officially unenrolled.”

I scowled before I could stop myself.

She looked at me with wide eyes, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d be upset about Bloom impersonating you. Don’t be mad at her, it was my idea.”

“No, I’m not mad at either of you,” I sighed. “I’m upset about being unenrolled. My aunt sent that letter, not me.”

Stella nodded, “I get it. I’m actually restarting my first year, they barely let me back in after I was involved in a freak accident, which totally wasn’t even my fault.”

I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in days. I could already feel a kinship with these girls, despite having met them just minutes ago.

“Come on, let’s go try on these dresses.”

Bloom and I didn’t find dresses we liked at that first boutique, so we went from shop to shop, the girls adding their inputs, and Stella gaining an increasing number of bags despite not even needing a dress in the first place.

Musa stopped in front of a store window, pointing at a dress, “Mira, you have to try this one on!”

The other girls nodded. I really did have to try it on. The bodice was a bright indigo, with cutouts designed to swirl around the bodice with gold detailing on the hems. Layers of feather-soft lilac chiffon fell to about ankle length, a slit down the side adding to its intrigue. It was perfect. I practically ran inside the shop, searching for a clerk who could get the dress for me.

Shoring up my confidence, I pointed at the window, “Excuse me, can I try on that one, please?”

“Of course! There’s a dressing room that way, I’ll bring it over to you.”

“Thank you!” I squeaked.

I headed over to where she pointed, Tecna and Musa following me to a couch outside the dressing room, and the other three went to look at the racks of dresses. 

The woman handed me the dress, and I went to try it on, struggling a bit with getting the bodice situated. I’ve had formal dresses before, hand-picked by the royal stylist, but I’ve never had the chance to truly choose something for myself. 

I felt gorgeous.

I did a quick twirl in front of the mirror, skirts fanning out around me, before stepping out to show the girls. Musa clapped, and Tecna held up an approving thumbs-up, while Stella raced over to come see.

“I have the perfect shoes for that.”

“Of course you do, Stella.” Musa rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

Bloom and Flora came back over, the former with an elegant turquoise dress in hand.

Flora gasped softly, “Oh Mira, it’s beautiful!”

Bloom agreed, “Definitely.”

Bloom and I went into our separate dressing rooms. After I had changed back, I went out to sit with the rest of the girls.

Bloom came out a moment later, showing off the blue dress, “How about this one?”

We all gave our approval, but then she looked sadly at the price tag.

“Hmm, too expensive.” She turned back into the changing room.

“I’ll pay for it!” Stella offered.

I forgot to even consider prices. I glanced at my price tag belatedly, not that I really knew if it was expensive or not. Being a princess had some perks.

I paid for my dress, and Bloom met us outside the store.

“Now what?” Bloom sighed. 

I wanted to offer to pay for that dress too, but Bloom had already turned Stella down, and I didn’t want to embarrass her further by offering too.

“It’s getting kinda late, Bloom,” Stella shrugged.

Tecna nodded, “Yeah, we’ve got to get back to Alfea.” 

“Go without me. I think I saw a sale sign, I’m going to check it out!” Bloom assured. 

“You’ll be alright if we leave you?” asked Flora.

Bloom shrugged, “Don’t worry, I can find my way back!”

She waved at us, turning back towards the shops.

“Good luck!” I called back to her.

Stella hooked my arm with hers, “Come on, I can’t wait to see your dress with my shoes!”

✭✭✭

“Welcome to Alfea!” Stella gestured grandly as we got off the bus.

Musa came up to my other side, “Come on, we’ll give you a quick tour on the way.”

Flora pointed out her favorite varieties of plants in the courtyard while Stella introduced me to almost everyone we came across. Musa and Tecna were a little more practical, showing me which halls led to each classroom. Finally, we made it to the dorm wing. 

“This is us!” Musa opened the door to one of the rooms, “The Winx suite.”

“Winx?” I asked, following the girls in.

“It’s the name of our group,” Flora said, setting down three shopping bags that I’m pretty sure were all Stella’s, “Bloom came up with it!”

They all seemed so close, after only a week of knowing each other. I tamped down another wave of jealousy and the ensuing flutter of power underneath my skin. I could have friends too, so long as I didn’t scare everyone off with my reckless magic.

“How about some getting-ready tunes?” Musa turned on a boombox in the corner, jolting me out of my thoughts with the heavy bass. “Oops, too loud!”

Stella grabbed my arm and dragged me towards her room. 

If it weren’t for all the time I spend hanging on bars, Stella would’ve dislocated my shoulders by now. 

Stella’s was the only single room, and somehow also the biggest. She flounced up the stairs to a second level that was entirely closet.

“How did you end up with this room?” I followed her up, taking in her organized clutter, and was that a wall-to-wall shoe shelf? 

“Hmm? Oh, princess privileges, I guess.”

I snorted, “I say that too.”

She beamed at me and handed me a pair of solid gold heels. 

“You fit right in.”

She didn’t know how much those words meant. I grinned right back.

“Your hair is glowing,” Stella cocked her head at me.

I swore, batting my hair like it was on fire.

I was literally glowing with joy?

 Unfortunately for my face, I had forgotten that I was still holding the golden shoes, smacking myself right in the nose with the solid block heel. I cursed again, my glowing hair instantly dying out. The magic suppressant had worn off too quickly.

Stella took the shoes from me as I touched my nose, making sure I hadn’t done any real damage to my face. 

“Yikes! Are you alright?” Stella peered at my face.

“Yeah, I’m not usually this clumsy,” I winced, more in embarrassment than actual pain, “Or… uncontrolled.”

It was true enough, gymnastics trained me out of any clumsiness, and my life was boring enough that I rarely had so many magical outbursts. Until recently.

“Are you kidding? That hair thing was so cool! You have to teach me how to do that.”

“It’s not like I did it on purpose.” I curled my hands into fists.

Deep breaths, push down the magic. Don’t scare her off before the party even starts!

“Don’t worry about it, girl! That’s what Alfea is all about!” She paused, rethinking, “...Well, you know what I mean. It’s okay not to have perfect control over your magic, none of us do! We’re all learning. You’ll get there, you’ll see.”

“Thanks, Stella.” I smiled.

It was easy to see she meant well, even if she wasn’t the most tactful about it.

Stella side-hugged me and handed me back the shoes, “Let’s go get ready!”

Back downstairs, the other girls had already put on their dresses. I picked up my dress in its garment bag from the massive pile of shopping bags left half on the couch, half on the floor. Stella disappeared back into her room to change, and Flora pointed me to her and Bloom’s room. The plaque on the door still read ‘Flora Vega and Merreid diCallisto.’

I lingered for only a moment, stuck on the what-if staring back at me.

Would I have liked having a roommate?

I shook it off and shut the door behind me. I was greeted with the bright scent of all sorts of Lynphaean plants, which were scattered on almost every available surface of Flora’s side of the room, and a small succulent on Bloom’s side that must have been from Earth. I set my garment bag on Flora’s bed and changed into my dress. I struggled with the clasps down the back, but eventually managed to pin them shut. Looking in the full mirror on the closet door, I cursed lightly, looking at the shoes I forgot to put on before my dress. Years of formal events, however infrequent, have taught me how difficult it is to put on shoes after being tightly laced into a gown. Thankfully, the slit down the side made it easy to reach my feet. Unsure of the proper etiquette of leaving clothes in an almost-stranger’s room, I stuffed my other outfit into the bag and took it back out with me.

“How do I look?” I twirled, my skirts fanning out around me.

Flora and Musa gasped in delight, Tecna nodded in approval, but Stella frowned in thought.

“It’s missing something,” She perked up, “Hair! That half-bun will simply not do for a party.”

“And I can do your makeup!” Musa piped up.

We all filed into the large bathroom, Musa pulling out a vanity stool for me.

“Don’t go too heavy on her makeup, Musa,” Stella untied my bun with surprising gentleness, “A light and airy dress like this deserves light and airy makeup.”

Musa squinted in annoyance, creasing her triple-winged eyeliner, “I know how to do makeup, you know. How about purple eyeshadow, to match the dress?”

Stella hmphed but nodded in approval.

“What about gold eyeliner? I never get to have exciting makeup, do whatever you want,” I shared a smile with Musa, “Oh! I have some jewelry in my purse that my sister packed for me.”

Tecna pushed off the wall she was leaning against, “I’ll go get it.”

Musa adjusted my face to the right angle while Stella turned on a hair curler. She showed me her eyeshadow palette, pointing at different shades of purple with the end of a brush, “I’m thinking the light one on the inner corner and the lower lash line, and we’ll put the shimmer purple on your lid. We can blend it with this matte one and smoke it out a lot.”

“Sounds great!” I only half understood what she was saying, but I decided to trust the process.

Stella had begun curling strands of my hair and pinning them up to set, and Musa brushed shadow onto my eyes.

“Here’s your bag.” Tecna handed me my purse. 

I took it from her, trying not to move my head too much.

“Thanks, Tecna!” I opened my purse, pulling out a handful of drawstring jewelry bags, each holding a different piece. I sorted through them, Stella peering over my shoulder. My fingers skated over the pill case of magic suppressants, and I toyed with the latch for a moment.

One more chance. One more chance to stay in control on my own, and then I’ll take one.

I shoved the case into my dress pocket. Forcing my attention back to the jewelry, I decided on small gold hoops with dangling crystal teardrops, a coordinating bracelet, and a delicate chain hairpiece that resembled a circlet.

“Perfect! Hold these,” Stella handed me the two face-framing pieces she had just finished curling and swept the rest of it back, pinning my hair out of my face. She placed the chain around the crown of my head, completing the look. Musa added the last touches of highlighter to my cheekbones, and they both stepped back, admiring their work. 

“Go ahead, take a look!” Musa turned my stool towards the mirror.

“It’s perfect!” I stood, turning to face them, “Thank you both.”

“Are we all ready then?” Flora pinned her last flower in her hair, “We should leave, we’re almost late.”

“Fashionably late, you mean!” Stella struck a pose. We all laughed.

The front door flew open, exposing a panting Bloom holding up a shopping bag.

“Bloom!” Flora cried.

“You found a dress?” Stella asked, inspecting the contents of the bag.

“And not a moment too late!” Bloom started towards her room, “Go ahead, I’ll be down soon.”

Tecna held open the front door, “Don’t take too long, you’ll miss the ceremonies.”

We all left, letting Bloom get dressed.

“Ceremonies?” I asked, after we had walked partway down the hallway.

Tecna nodded sagely, “The Exchanging of the Gifts. It’s tradition for the fairies of Alfea and the Specialists of Red Fountain to give each other presents during the Welcome Ball. Also, Musa is performing a song.”

“No way!” I turned to Musa, “What are you performing?”

Musa shrugged nonchalantly, “A song I helped write. All the music fairies got together yesterday, and we planned a few numbers.”

“That’s really cool, I can’t wait to hear it.”

“Well, I can’t wait to see the specialists again. Sky is helping present the gifts this year.” Stella butted in.

“How do you know the specialists?” I frowned.

“Sky and I met this summer at a ball on Eraklyon. He’s the prince there, you know. And Bloom and I met the rest of his team on Earth. They saved us from that ogre.”

We kept chatting as we walked down to the grand ballroom. The sound of fairies and specialists talking carried through the large double doors that led into the room, the volume almost doubling as we pushed through the doors. 

There was a raised stage set up to the right, already set with a couple of instruments for Musa’s performance, as well as flowers and ribbons decorating the walls.

I looked around, admiring the dresses and suits of the fairies in attendance. The specialists were easy to pick out, all dressed in the same blue and white uniforms. The only unique part of their ensembles was the cape clasps, each one a different color. 

“Do the specialists’ gem colors mean anything?” I leaned over to speak into Stella’s ear.

“I’m not sure. Why don’t we go ask them? I see Sky and the others over there!” 

We all linked hands and threaded our way through the crowd towards the specialists. 

Stella immediately flung herself onto a broad-shouldered brunet who hugged her back with ease. Standing around him was an even taller boy with spiked maroon hair and an obvious bad attitude, a thin but still athletically-built boy with light ginger hair who looked like he wanted nothing more than to melt into a wall, and a boy with shaggy blond hair in deep discussion with a sleek brunette girl who was almost as tall and just as corded with muscle as the rest of the boys.

Girls can be specialists too?

I didn’t know much about the other two Magix colleges, but Red Fountain had a long-held reputation of being a boys-only college. Unlike Cloud Tower, which had always been an inclusive school, and Alfea, which opened its doors to all genders decades ago.

“Hi, Stella,” The boy who must have been Sky gently set her down, “Who are your friends?”

“This is Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Princess Mira,” She pointed at each of us, and we waved in turn, “Girls, this is Sky, prince of Eraklyon, Brandon, Riven, Timmy, and Sorscha.”

Riven gave a surly nod, Timmy waved shyly, and Brandon and Sorscha looked up from their debate about proper sword stances to greet us. My eyes stuck on Sorscha’s face. Sharp jawline and even sharper brows, cat-like almond eyes, and soft, round cheeks that somehow fit in perfectly with her angular features. A painter’s dream, if I were being honest.

I subtly touched my fingers to my cheek under the guise of brushing back a stray hair, trying to gauge how badly I must have been blushing. I barely had experience talking to people my own age, let alone attractive ones.

Even at galas, I would only say a polite hello and curtsy to everyone before hiding in a corner with Kiara and a plate of tiny cakes. I couldn’t remember if I’d ever spoken more than a few sentences at a time to someone outside of the palace. I didn’t know how to interact with other people; I was going to mess it all up! Why did I even come here in the first place? I had to get out, to get some air and take one of the pills burning a hole in my pocket before I panicked completely and embarrassed myself, or worse, hurt someone with my magic. The more I thought about it, the more I could feel the energy building up inside my throat. I inhaled sharply, hoping to make my escape before I inevitably exploded, but I ended up choking on my own magic.

I doubled over, coughing sparks. I reached out, hoping to steady myself on the nearby wall, but I misjudged the distance. Thankfully, someone caught me before I could so much as stumble.

“Are you alright?”

The girl—Sorscha—had caught me in such a way that we were almost nose to nose, her hands on my shoulders and my arms pressed between us. She was several inches taller than me, even in my borrowed heels. She frowned slightly, her brows knitted with concern.

How much eye contact is too much eye contact? 

I inhaled again to respond that of course I’m fine, just eternally humiliated! But instead, I quickly pushed her off of me to finish my coughing fit and shake out the lightning dancing through my fingertips.

Brandon stepped away, “I’ll get you some water.”

I smiled wanly and held up a single thumbs-up.

I cleared my throat to dissipate the last of the magic and took a long, slow breath before turning back to Sorscha, “I’m okay now, thank you.”

She smiled tightly and opened her mouth to respond, but her eyes caught on someone behind me. I turned around to see Bloom, still in her clothes from earlier, gesturing us fairies towards a hallway away from the main ballroom.

“Bloom, we were starting to worry!” Flora said, “What’s going on?”

Bloom waited until we were all out of sight in the dim alcove, “The witches are here!”

“Why is that a problem? Aren’t they invited too?” I asked.

Stella crossed her arms, “Not since last year, they ruined the party for the rest of us.”

“I heard that one of them turned all the decorations into spiders!” Musa exclaimed. 

Flora gasped, and Tecna wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Stella nodded in confirmation, “Oh, it was horrible!”

“Girls, this is an emergency!” Bloom waved her arms at us, “It’s the same three witches from before! They cast a spell on the presents from Red Fountain, I overheard them talking about something called a snake-rat.”

“Snake-rat? Let me consult my database,” Tecna tapped a button on her bracelet, causing a holographic projection to appear in front of her, “Snake-rats. Swamp creatures of the Disgustabilis genus. They eat toads…” 

Stella waved her arms through the projection, distorting the image of the creature, “Thank you, Tecna, we get the picture. Slimy, vicious, and venomous, just like the witches. But what’s in it for them?”

Tecna and I both opened our mouths to clarify that snake-rats weren’t actually venomous, but Bloom cut back in.

“Let me finish! The witches want to provoke a huge panic and use it as a diversion to get their hands on your ring!”

I decided now was not the time to ask about the specifics of the ring or who these witches were. Anything I couldn’t learn from context clues, I could ask about when we weren’t in the middle of trying to stop an animal outbreak.

Musa steepled her fingers in front of her face, “Hmm, that’s quite the sneaky plan. We’ve got to stop the eggs from being handed out.”

“Should we find the headmistress or something?” I asked.

“Ugh, too late! Look!” All our heads whipped to Flora, who was holding open the alcove curtain.

We watched in horror as two specialists hoisted a large green and gold chest onto the stage. Sky opened the chest, revealing rows of golden eggs. He picked one up and handed one to the nearest girl, saying something flirtatious that made her giggle in response. 

“Egg surprises.” Musa grumbled.

Bloom scowled, “Yeah, and the surprise is a very cuddly snake-rat.”

“We need a counter spell, and fast!” Stella reached for our hands, “Come on, let’s form a circle!”

Bloom hesitated, and I wrapped my arms around my waist before Stella could take my hand.

“Wait, just do it without me.” I shook my head violently, “I’m terrible at magic. I’ll just ruin the spell.”

Bloom nodded, her hands hovering above Flora’s and Tecna’s, “Me too, I’ve been a fairy for less than a month!”

“This is no time for hesitation!” Tecna raised her hand closer to Bloom’s.

“It’s okay, we can guide the spell.” Musa reassured, “All you have to do is think about happy things!”

“You can do this, we believe in you.” Flora took Bloom’s hand.

I untwined my arms, tentatively placing them in Tecna’s and Stella’s outstretched hands, completing the circle.

I blew out a breath, “Happy thoughts.”

Stella rolled her shoulders back, “Alright, repeat after me. What it once was, let it be again.”

We all repeated, “What it once was, let it be again.”

Think about… the first time you won a gymnastics competition.

“What it once was, let it be again.”

Playing in the woods with Kiara and Caden.

“What it once was, let it be again.”

Being here, with my new friends.

“What it once was, let it be again!”

Our energy culminated in a flash of sparkles that shot towards the chest of eggs, sweeping around it and returning the eggs to their original bright sheen. We dropped our hands and scrambled to peer out at the stage.

Sky shot a confused look at the other specialists on the stage, but they just shrugged off the sparkles and continued handing out the eggs. Once they were all passed out, the gathered fairies lifted the tops off the eggs, revealing luminescent butterflies that fluttered around the ceiling. Musa and Flora dropped the curtains, all of us sighing in relief. 

“We did it!” Flora cheered.

Bloom and Tecna high-fived.

“And just in time, too!” Musa let out a relieved laugh.

We all jumped as Sky and Timmy brushed through the curtain.

“Hey girls, we’ve been wondering where you all ran off to so suddenly.”

Timmy pointed to Tecna’s wrist, “Is that a Holokinetic wristband?”

Tecna’s face brightened, “Yeah, I’ve made some modifications to it. Want to see?”

Timmy agreed, and they walked away, babbling about nanotech and RAM.

“Aw, aren’t they sweet?” Flora giggled.

Bloom and I laughed in agreement. 

I cast my eyes back towards Stella and Sky, who were making eyes at each other so hard I was afraid they’d trip into each other.

“Wait, which ones?”

Flora shrugged delicately, “Both of them, really.”

Sky flourished an egg towards Stella, “I saved one for you. I hope it brings you luck.”

Stella frowned, eyeing the egg closely, “I guess I’ll find out soon enough whether it does or not.”

“Let me see it,” Musa took the egg from Stella, making her pout, “Flora, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Flora smiled sneakily, “I am indeed, and I’ve studied Professor Palladium’s lesson very well.”

“It’s all yours!” Musa handed the egg to Flora.

“Who’s Professor Palladium?” I whispered to Bloom.

She shrugged, “I haven’t had a class with him yet, I don’t know.”

Flora finished her spell, the egg vanishing from her hands, “And now there’ll be a little surprise for our three witchy friends.”

“What did you do to the egg?” Bloom asked.

Flora pushed Bloom out of the alcove, “I’ll tell you later. Meanwhile, you need to run and get changed, it’s getting late!”

Musa and I filed out after them. Sky and Stella stayed back in the alcove, eyes only for each other. 

“So, who are these witches?” I asked.

Musa made a face, “They called themselves the Trix. They attacked us last time we went downtown. One of them trapped Bloom in ice! If she wasn’t a fire fairy, she could’ve been seriously hurt.”

“That’s horrible! Nobody tried to stop them?”

“Nobody else knows, and it’s not like anyone can do anything, antagonizing fairies is basically part of Cloud Tower curriculum. But it’s okay, we can handle them.” She put her hands on her hips and cocked one to the side.

“I bet!”

“Hey, let’s go find the specialists again. I wanted to talk to Riven, he’s cute, isn’t he?” 

“The scowly one, with the magenta hair? That one?” I looked at her strangely, and she shrugged.

“There’s just something about him, you know? Sometimes the scowliest faces are hiding hearts of gold.” 

We both giggled, and she took my arm as we searched for the specialists.

“I saw you with Sorscha, you should ask her to dance!”

I tightened my grip on her arm, “What? I can’t talk to her again, I fell on her and almost had a coughing fit in her face! I mean, Storms, did you see her expression? I don’t think she’ll want to see me again.”

“Well, there’s your opening line,” She bumped her shoulder into mine, “Sorry I fell on you, wanna dance?” 

I laughed, “That’s terrible! But maybe I’ll try it anyway, I don’t exactly have a plethora of conversational starters.”

Musa started to respond, but Flora’s hands landed on our shoulders, making us jump. Tecna and Stella caught up a second later, both of them breathing heavily.

“Bloom’s in trouble.” Flora gasped.

Tecna pointed out the grand window to the forest beyond, “The witches found her, she’s been cornered!”

I followed Tecna’s finger, but I couldn’t see past the glare from the chandeliers.

“We have to go, now.” Stella started hurriedly walking towards the exit, but before she got more than ten steps, the lights dimmed, and Headmistress Faragonda’s voice carried throughout the room.

“Young fairies, it’s time to offer our gifts. Come and join the others, and the music fairies will play something for us!”

Stella turned back to us, a hand covering her mouth, the other Winx showing similar signs of distress.

“Mira, you have to go,” Tecna stared at me, “You’re her only chance.”

Musa put her hand on my shoulder, “The rest of us can’t get out of this, but you can.”

“You can do this,” Flora pointed me towards the exit, “Now go, save her.”

I nodded, hoping my face didn’t look too squeamish at the idea of taking on three powerful witches. I slipped through the crowd as quickly as I could, bunching up my skirts in my fists as I neared the double doors. Closing the doors behind me as surreptitiously as I could, I ran a few steps before realizing I still wore Stella’s heels. I could definitely run in heels, especially ones with such thick supports, but I still worried they would slow me down. I shifted my weight from foot to foot, wasting precious seconds debating with myself. 

Barefoot is faster.

I shook out my arms and bent over to unstrap both shoes at the same time. I hid the shoes partially behind a pedestal, hidden enough that hopefully no one else would see them, but I could find them again. I looked up at the hallway, suddenly realizing I had no idea where to go from here. 

I was terrible with directions. I frequently got lost even within my own palace, and I never walked anywhere alone if I could help it. Which makes me the worst possible choice of rescuer.

And still, Bloom’s only hope.

I had to try. So I just picked a direction and ran. I hit a split in the hallways and tried to orient myself, but I gave up and just picked the right fork, hoping it would at least lead me out of the castle. It seemed to only lead me deeper into the halls, the lights growing dimmer as I continued running. I slowed to a stop, hoping to find a recognizable landmark, or at the very least a window I could jump out of.

Every door looked the same, as did the halls. Which direction had I come from? I reached for a door handle, deciding it was time to try my luck. The first four I tried were all locked, except for one leading into a storage closet. I turned another corner, sighing in relief at a door that had an actual Storms-damned label on it. I hurried closer to read it, but all it said was ‘Artifacts.’ I shrugged and tried the handle anyway, coughing from a mixture of dust and residual magic assaulting my senses when the door gave way.

The lights shimmered on as I stepped in, illuminating rows and rows of display cases of everything from swords and spellbooks to… was that a lock of hair?

I didn’t have time to stop and browse; I had to find an exit.

I have to get out of here I have to get outofhereIhavetogetout—

I jerked to a stop, feeling something tug in my chest. I glanced around, then shook my head, taking another step forward.

I don’t have time for this, I have to—

The tug came again, stronger this time, causing me to stumble sideways into the nearest case. My eyes caught on the label and I read it as I righted myself.

~Wayfinder’s Wand~

can be used as an energy focus in wand form, or can transmute into a compass for finding any desired objects, locations, or persons

Oh.

It pulled at me again, gentler this time, like it was saying you found me! I huffed out a laugh, lifting off the lid of the display case and hoping there wasn’t any sort of alarm. I picked up the wand as delicately as I could. It was a blue-toned silver, over a foot long and slender, and shaped like a fancy compass needle.

“Can you… help me find Bloom?” I felt silly talking to a stick, but how else was I supposed to communicate with it?

It glowed brightly, spinning and shrinking until it was the size and shape of a large bronze coin with a necklace chain hanging off of it.

“Great, now you’re a circle,” I inspected it closer, noticing the silver needle on its face pointing back towards the door. “Oh duh, it’s a compass!”

I looped the chain around my wrist a few times to secure it and raced back out the door. The direction of the needle changed, pointing down the hallway, and I followed its instructions all the way to an exterior door. I cheered triumphantly, burst through the door, and halted abruptly. The entire clearing was encased in ice.

I covered my mouth with my hands, holding in a cry of alarm as I frantically searched for Bloom in the ice.

No, no, no, I was too late!

My wrist jerked to the side, the compass pointing towards a hedge that escaped the brunt of the ice. I crept towards the bush, trying to avoid stepping on any stray ice shards. 

“...Bloom?” I called, hoping the witches wouldn’t hear me.

An arm shot up through the leaves, and I ran to her.

“Over here!” She groaned.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her up to a sitting position.

“Stormwinds, are you okay?” I glanced over her body, making sure she was still intact, “The girls and I saw you out the window, and we all tried to come and save you but the headmistress called them away for the ceremony so I was the only one who could come but I got lost and—shit, are the witches still here?”

I raised my arms in a defensive stance, ready to do… something. I wasn’t sure what. Bloom tugged my arm back down and sat up more fully.

“It’s okay, they’re gone.”

I dropped my other arm. I sighed and collapsed into a sitting position next to her, my skirts puffing around me. Both of us stared at the iceberg.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to you in time.”

“Don’t worry about it,” She turned, grinning at me, “I transformed for the first time.”

I squealed, “That’s amazing! What did your outfit look like? Did you fly?”

“Well, I didn’t really see what I looked like, but I think it was blue? Maybe teal, it’s too dark out,” She brightened, “And flying is everything I’d ever dreamed of. We have fairy stories on Earth, you know, but I never imagined I’d actually get to be one!” 

“I am so jealous of you right now! But seriously, congratulations. That’s a huge step.”

“You haven’t transformed yet?”

I grimaced, “No, but certainly not for lack of trying.”

“I’m sure you’ll get it soon. Especially if you stick around us! Getting attacked is becoming a bit of a habit.”

“I might have to take a pass on that. Thanks, though.” 

We both laughed and got to our feet, dusting off the dirt clinging to her.

I whipped around at the sound of feet running towards us, throwing my fists up for a fight.

“Bloom!”

I relaxed at the sound of Stella’s voice, slowly recognizing the other girls behind her as they came into view. 

Flora rushed over to us, pulling a twig out of Bloom’s hair, “Goodness, are you two okay?”

“Yes, I’m still in one piece.” Bloom let Flora continue to fuss over her, and I nodded.

“We just couldn’t get away from the headmistress!” Stella panted with her hands on her knees.

Tecna crossed her arms, “You know, you ran quite a risk.”

“I know, but they have Stella’s ring!” Bloom threw her arms out to the side, “I was just trying to get it back.”

“Don’t worry, Bloom, the ring is perfectly safe.” Flora smiled with a hint of unexpected mischief in her eyes.

“What do you mean? Tell me!” Bloom demanded.

“Simple! I did a little switcheroo with the egg and the ring, which now lies in a safe place. Right, Stella?”

“Right!” Stella held up her hand, now adorned with a sun-shaped ring on her middle finger.

Bloom laughed, “I’d love to see her face when she opens the egg and a swarm of butterflies comes out instead of the ring she so desperately wants to get her paws on!”

“Well, that’s not quite how it’s going to go…” 

“Flora, you’re devious!” I gasped, “What did you do?”

“I just gave the butterflies a little extra kick,” Flora smirked, “They’ll stain anything they touch in rainbow glitter.”

“Mira, your dress!” Stella shrieked.

I looked down at my dress in dismay, finding a large splotch of mud coating my skirt. 

“It’s okay, I have a stain remover spell back in my room,” Stella marched back towards the door, “And Bloom, you still aren’t dressed. Come on, everyone!”

We followed behind her, but I sucked in a breath, wincing as a splinter embedded in my foot.

Musa stopped, giving me an arm to balance on as I dug it out, “Have you been barefoot this whole time? Where are your shoes?”

“I left them somewhere by the ballroom, I’ll just get them when we head back,” I tossed the shard away, “It was easier to run without them.”

I gingerly took a step, testing my balance. The cut wasn’t too deep, only a drop of blood welling up on my skin.

Musa nodded in understanding, “Just a few more steps to the door.”

We made it to the apartment without further incident. Bloom rushed off to finish some last-minute alterations, and Flora went to grab her homemade healing salve.

Stella held up her hands at me, “Stay right there. Don’t. Move.”

She ducked into her own room, and I did as she asked, afraid of tracking mud on anything. Flora came back first, handing me a jar.

“Just a dab will do, a little bit goes a long way.”

“Use this first,” Tecna handed me a warm washcloth, “Dirt in an open wound is the quickest way to get an infection.”

I thanked them both, leaning against a wall to clean off the bottom of my feet and apply the salve. The cut closed before my eyes, leaving nothing but a hint of pink skin where it used to be. I tried to hand the jar back to Flora, but she shook her head.

“Keep it, it’s a gift! I always make enough to share.”

Stella dashed back into the room, now armed with a spray bottle, “Found it!”

She sprayed all of the spots on my skirt, the dirt shimmering away and leaving my dress pristine once again. 

“Hey, what’s that on your wrist?” Musa pointed.

I lifted my arm, the compass swinging like a pendulum. 

“Yeah… Funny story,” I watched it spin for a moment, “I think I stole it by accident.”

After a collective noise of alarm from the Winx, I recounted my adventure, starting from when I found the Artifact room.

“So, that’s what you all missed. I should probably put it back, right?” I set the jar and cloth down on a side table so I could properly inspect the compass. 

“If an artifact calls to you, it belongs to you now,” Musa shrugged, “That’s how the magic works. We took a tour of that room first day of History class.”

“You said it was an energy focus, right? That’s what my ring is, too! My parents said I had to use it if I wanted to go back to Alfea.” Stella tossed her ring in the air, shifting it into a staff. 

“I’ve read about focuses before, but I’ve never seen one in real life before.” I swung the chain around my hand, catching the compass before spinning it around the other way, “They’re supposed to help you channel your energy into spells, making them stronger and well, more focused, right?”

“That’s right! They also usually have two forms. One,” She flourished her staff, then tossed it in the air, shrinking it back into a ring, “And two!”

I tossed my own focus experimentally, but it stayed stubbornly compass-shaped.

Bloom came out of her room just then, at last dressed for the party. We all cheered as she gave a little curtsy. 

“You look as beautiful as a spring flower!” Flora complimented.

“Now come on, we are so late!” Musa laughed, all of us heading out the door after her.

I used the compass, now secured around my neck, to relocate my borrowed shoes, which were luckily not far off our path. After strapping them on, we re-entered the ballroom at last. 

“Canapes, anyone? I don’t know about you, but I’m starved after all that.” Musa said, beelining for the buffet table. Each of us followed after, grabbing plates and filling them with miniature foods. I went for the mini quiches and tiny frosted cakes, thinking of my sister. I tapped one of my quiches with Musa’s in a toast before taking a bite. 

“Hey, where did Bloom go?” Tecna asked. We all glanced around, not seeing her anywhere.

“Over there!” Flora pointed to the dance floor, where she was dancing with Brandon, “Oh, how sweet!”

Stella set down her plate, “I’m going to find Sky. He owes me a dance, too.”

“Have fun!” I waved at her as she left, “Musa, you should go find Riven, you never got that chance to talk to him before.”

She swallowed her last bite of quiche, “I will. And if I see Sorscha, I’m telling her that you’re dying for a dance!”

I barely avoided choking on my own quiche. 

“You are far too confident in my ability to talk to people.”

“Well, you know the best way to get better at talking to people?”

I stared at her blankly.

“Practice!” She grinned.

I made a noise of protest, but she had already left.

“She is correct,” Tecna said, “Ninety-nine percent of skills are improved through repetition of said activity.”

“What about that other one percent?” I wondered, happy to shift the subject.

“I’d have to consult my database.” 

“Huh. Well, let me know when you find out.”

Tecna nodded, finishing her bite of something on toast, “I’m going to find Timmy.” 

Tecna stacked her plate on top of the others. She waved goodbye, leaving just me and Flora. 

“Do you want to dance?” I asked her.

Flora hesitated, “Well, I never really learned how…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you! One of the joys of being a princess, you learn to dance the second you can walk,” I took her hand, leading us to an empty corner of the dance floor, “I’ll lead, all you have to do is follow my feet.”

“Okay!” She giggled, placing one hand on my shoulder and the other in my outstretched hand.

I put my free hand lightly on her shoulder blade, “See, that’s the hardest part. You’re a natural!”

I shifted my skirt out of the way, revealing the placement of my feet.
“Alright, there are only four directions that you need to know. Forward, backward, left, and right,” I punctuated each word with a step in each direction. “And everything else builds off of that.”

Flora nodded, watching my feet and stepping with me.

“So here’s the basic step. Right foot back, left foot left. Good, that’s the first half, keep your weight on your right foot, left foot forward, right foot right.”

“I think I get it,” Flora smiled.

“Good! Let’s try with the music. Do you hear the beats in the song?” I counted out the steps, “One two three, four five six.”

After a few counts, I stepped with the music at half speed, giving Flora a chance to feel it out. Once she gained confidence, I switched to regular speed, turning us onto the main dance floor. 

We danced for the rest of the song, idly chatting about our lives. 

At the end of our second song, a silver-haired fairy came up to us, “Mind if I cut in?” 

Flora and I looked at each other, and I raised my eyebrows.

“Okay,” Flora said shyly, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

“I was just about to get a drink. I’ll be back at the table,” I waved at the two of them, “I love your suit, by the way!”

They smiled, “Love your dress, too!” 

I gave one last thumbs up to Flora, who beamed back at me, before turning and heading back to the buffet tables. I really did need a drink. I grabbed a lightly fizzing beverage that turned out to be a sparkling mint lemonade and took a seat on a couch by our table. As the night went on, the other girls trickled back, with their own drinks and specialists in tow.

The ball eventually came to a close, and we left for the girls’ apartment.

“What a night!” Stella declared, taking off her heels and massaging her ankles. 

Musa and Bloom collapsed on the couch, and I stretched my arms downwards, planting my hands solidly on the floor before reaching up again as high as I could. Tecna went into her room to change, and Flora started unweaving flowers from her hair in the bathroom mirror. 

“I could sleep for a week after all that dancing!” Bloom yawned, triggering the rest of us to yawn as well. 

“I should get going soon,” I said, grabbing the garment bag from where I left it on the other couch, “Bloom, do you mind if I change in your room?”

She waved me on, “Of course, go ahead.”

I thanked her and shut the bedroom door behind me. I slipped out of my dress as quickly as I could, briefly getting it tangled with my hairpiece. After belatedly unpinning my hair, I changed into my clothes from before, tucking my gown back into its bag and switching my shoes. I slung my purse over my shoulder, grabbed the shoes and garment bag with one hand, and opened the door with the other. 

“Here are your shoes, Stella, thanks for letting me borrow them tonight!”

“Any time, girl, just leave them by my door!” Stella was in the bathroom, in the middle of an elaborate skincare routine.

I set them down where she said and turned to leave, “Goodnight, girls! Thanks for inviting me, it was lovely meeting you all.”

“Wait!” Musa sprang up, knocking a half-asleep Bloom off her shoulder, “You can’t leave yet, we haven’t given you our phone numbers yet!”

Bloom perked up slightly, “Can you give her mine too? I can’t remember where I put my phone right now.”

“Why don’t I just send all of ours to you? That’ll be easier,” Musa handed me her phone, “Here, put your number in.”

“Thanks!” I typed in my phone number and handed it back to her. She typed a couple more things in, then sent the message. I felt my phone buzz inside my purse.

“There you go!” 

I picked up my phone to see the message, but my eyes caught on the one below it.

-spaceships stop running at midnight!! get home soon!!

Shit. I checked the time, 11:30. If I hurried, I might still make it.

“I really have to go now, but I hope I see you all again soon!” I shoved my phone in my purse.

“Wait!” Stella screeched, running out of the bathroom and hugging me tightly, “Get home safe, okay?”

“I’ll text you when I get there,” I smiled, hugging each of the girls in turn, “Goodbye!”

A chorus of goodbye! and get home safe! chased me out the door.

I folded the garment bag over my arm so I could better carry it, holding the compass with my now free hand and asking it to guide me out of the building. It directed me quickly to the courtyard and out towards the gate.

“Mira!” someone called. 

Did I forget something in the apartment?

I turned towards the voice, spotting Sorscha and the other specialists by their ship, preparing to leave. She waved at me, and I stepped closer to her, almost without thinking. 

“I’m sorry we never got a chance to speak again.” She closed the distance between us in a few broad steps.

The butterflies in my stomach crawled up into my throat. 

“Me too,” I managed to squeak out, “I hate to be rude, but I really have to go. I need to catch the bus.”

“The bus? The last one just left.”

I choked back the anxious flood of magic, “You’re joking!”

“Afraid not, I just watched it leave,” Sorscha frowned, but she snapped her fingers a second later, “You should come with us!”

“What? Oh, I couldn’t.” I took a step back, nervously twisting the compass chain around my finger.

“I’m serious, you should!” She leaned in conspiratorially, “Between you and me, my team could use the training.”

I snorted at that, halting my subtle backwards retreat.

“Besides, it’s late. I’m not just going to leave you out here.”

I sighed through my nose, calculating my options, and pretending that I didn’t actually, really, want to go with her, to extend the night just a tiny bit longer. Taking me back to the spaceship port would be no big deal, anyway, it was practically on the way back to Red Fountain.

“Alright, I’ll go with you. Thank you.”

We walked back to the ship, where the rest of the specialists were already waiting inside. 

“Slight detour, boys! We’re making a stop at Callisto!” Sorscha looked back at me, “Come on up, I’ll show you around.”

“At Callisto?” I nearly had a repeat choking fit.

Riven grumbled, “Slight detour? That’s halfway across the Magic Dimension. It’s late, Sorscha.”

“Consider it a training lesson.” She shot back.

“In flying and in manners,” Sky chuckled.

“Whatever.” Riven rolled his eyes and stalked to his seat.

“Hi, Mira!” Timmy waved as he walked past.

Brandon had already strapped into his seat, “Nice to see you again!”

I waved back mutely, still trying to figure out if I’d heard Sorscha right. She leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed, looking down at me curiously, like I’d seen forest cats do when they spotted a bird.

I fought for my voice, “You want to fly all the way to Callisto? Does the planet best known for winds strong enough to rip apart buildings ring any bells? It’s the middle of storm season.”

“Don’t worry, princess, we’re very competent pilots.”

“Very competent pilots, and yet in desperate need of training? That’s quite the contradiction.”

“What can I say, I contain multitudes.” the corner of Sorscha’s mouth turned up, the first hint of a smile I’d seen on her face.

“You really can just drop me off at the port. I’ll be fine from there.”

A round of snorts came from the specialists.

“I’m guessing you haven’t taken much public transportation before.” Sky grinned, but not unkindly.

“It’s not safe after dark, especially for royals like u—”

Sky cleared his throat pointedly.

“Uh, like you. And Sky.” Brandon corrected, but from what, I couldn’t tell.

I lifted my chin defensively, debating on whether or not I should lie about how well I could defend myself.

“Really, we can take you. It’s no trouble. You can trust us, we’re top of our class.”

“I’m adding that to your list of contradictions. But okay.”

“Well then, welcome to the Owl!” Sorscha held her arm out wide, “Riven and Brandon are copilots, Timmy does technical support, Sky’s in charge of flight paths, and I take care of communications.”

“Because you’ve got such a big mouth.” Riven muttered.

I startled at his hostility, but Sorscha didn’t so much as blink.

“Don’t mind him, he gets pissy when he’s tired.” She walked over to a bench in the back of the bridge, “Sit here. I’ll help you strap in, it’s a little complicated.”

“No it’s no—” Timmy started to say before Sorscha cut him off with a look.

“It just gets tangled easily if you’ve never done it before.”

I sat down, adjusting the strap that sat between my legs before the situation could get even more awkward. She pulled the shoulder straps down, snapping them together before taking the strap I was holding and buckling it into the rest. She grabbed the final two straps and clicked them into place. Every place her hands brushed against me felt like it was on fire, and I pressed my hands into the bench in a flimsy attempt to ground myself.

She tightened the straps, then stepped back, “How’s that?”

I shifted around, testing the harness, “Secure, but not too tight.”

“Perfect,” She grinned at me, “Prepare for takeoff.”

She strapped herself in, putting on a headset, while the other boys began their preflight check.

“All systems check?” Sorscha asked.

“Flight path set!” called Sky.

“All systems are online!” Timmy confirmed.

“Pilots at ready!” chorused Brandon and Riven.

“Magix Tower, this is Specialist spacecraft Owl requesting takeoff from Alfea College. Taking a sixty-five degree path due south-south-east into outer space,” She paused, listening to her headset, “Copy that, we are clear for takeoff!”

I turned to watch out the window as the engines rumbled to life.

I always loved watching ships take flight. I never had a fear of heights, even when I probably should have. Watching the earth fall away, the sky enveloping you from all sides, it was a rush. The ship had reached the outer atmosphere, the protective shields glowing with the friction of the air outside.

Here comes the best part!

The air outside shimmered, becoming brighter and brighter until…

Flash! 

We pushed beyond the edge of the atmosphere, leaving us floating in a sea of stars.

“Preparing hyperspeed course,” Sky consulted the hologram chart in front of him, “Course is set!”

Timmy flipped a few switches, “Switching to FTL engines.”

“Hyperspeed is a-go!” Riven sent the ship hurtling through space.

After the initial excitement of taking off had ebbed, the cockpit was left in silence, save for the ship’s hum and the occasional comment about the flight path. I toyed with my phone, absently scrolling through my lock screen, then the home screen, and repeat. I glanced up at Sorscha through my lashes. She looked equally bored, tapping her fingers against her knees in a slow pattern.

A few minutes later, Sorscha shot to her feet, “Do you want a tour of the ship?”

My seatbelt was the only thing stopping me from leaping out of my seat.

“Sure!” I clicked the release button and detangled myself from the straps. I stood up, only to wobble like a newborn fawn.

“You’ll get your space legs soon enough,” Sorscha steadied me with a hand under my elbow, “Here, this way.”

She led me through an automatic door into the other side of the ship.

“Bet you’d never guess I was a gymnast right now,” I said, tripping over nothing.

Sorscha caught me deftly, setting me back on my feet, “I would, actually. I’ve been watching competitions since I was allowed to have my own vidscreen.”

“No way!” I laughed, steadying myself on the wall, “Nobody watches gymnastics except, like, my aunt.”

She shrugged, “And me. And my team, too. I made them sit down and watch the finals on Magix.”

“You’re joking!”

“I never joke. I’m a very serious person.”

I snorted, but Sorscha’s face remained like stone. She raised a single brow, but for some reason, this only made me laugh harder. 

It felt good to laugh. I couldn’t remember the last time I had, definitely not in the past week. Her expression stayed stoic, but oh, something glinted in her warm brown eyes.

My initial opinion of her shifted. At the party, she was stoic, almost stiff in the way she presented herself as a specialist. But here, away from the crowds, I could see something more start to shine through, like there really was just a girl my age under all that armor. And that was something I deeply related to. Sure, I didn’t make as many appearances as most royalty, but my public image was perfectly crafted through years of careful work.

“Hey, wanna see our weapons storage?”

“Sure?” I cautiously took a step away from the wall, actually maintaining my balance this time. 

“We don’t keep weapons on the bridge, it’s too much of a flight risk, so we keep them all in here.” She pushed a button on the wall, opening a panel to reveal a variety of weapons neatly arranged on hooks. 

Sorscha grabbed a pair of what looked like empty handles off the rack. She pressed a button on each of them, activating blades that glowed with a soft red-orange light.

“These are mine. Dual shortswords, I’ve been training with them since before most of the specialists were old enough to hold a kitchen knife.”

She tossed the swords in the air, flipping them around and catching them before I could even take in a breath.

“Is it true that you’re the first girl at Red Fountain?” 

I can’t believe that just came out of my mouth.

Sorscha took it in stride, “One of three who were enrolled this year. But I was definitely the first to be considered, since my dad’s a professor.”

She deactivated the swords and put them back in their place. 

“Is it true that you’re the first princess to compete in gymnastics?”

“As far as I know,” I laughed quietly, “It’s not exactly a princess-y activity.”

Timmy’s voice came over the loudspeaker, “Two minutes until we’re out of hyperspeed!”

“Better head back, then,” Sorscha nodded back to the bridge, “Downstairs isn’t very interesting, anyway. It’s all storage. Anything we might need on a mission, it’ll be there. Hoverbikes, engine room, brig.”

“Brig? Have you ever had to use it?”

“Once. We captured a hunting troll that had been set loose on Earth.”

I scrunched my nose in disgust, “Right, Stella told me about that. It sounded horrible.”

“It wasn’t too bad, especially for a first mission. Hunting trolls are just wild beasts, you just have to know how to contain them.”

I stared at her, slightly awestruck, “Wild beasts? They’re endurance predators that crush their victims to death with their bare hands!”

She shrugged, “We’re trained to fight dragons, a troll is nothing. Come on, let’s go back.”

I shook my head in awe as I followed her back into the cockpit. She walked me back to my seat, and we both strapped in.

“Reducing engines in three… two… one!” Timmy adjusted a lever on the dashboard, causing the ship to shudder violently.

Callisto blurred into view, revealing its cloud-swirled surface.

Sorscha spoke into her headset, “Callisto Tower, this is Specialist spacecraft Owl requesting landing permission. How’s the weather down there?” She paused, listening to the response, “Good to hear! Reason for landing, uh…”

My eyes widened and shot to hers, and I shook my head frantically. The specialists all gave me strange looks.

Sorscha just raised her eyebrows at me, “Just a training exercise, we wanted some practice flying through turbulence.”

I sighed in relief, slumping back in my seat.

“Copy that, we’re heading in,” She pressed a button on her headset and turned to face the boys, “Tower says we’re clear for landing, they’re sending up rocs to lead us through the cloud layer to the landing strip.”

“They’re sending up rocks?” Riven asked incredulously. 

I rolled my eyes, “R-O-C-S rocs, they’re giant birds that help guide ships through storms. They’re the only animals strong enough to withstand Callisto’s winds.”

“Course is set, ready for landing trajectory.” Sky said. 

Riven nodded and adjusted the ship’s path.

“So, what was that about?” Sorscha turned to me, headset looped around her neck, and that spark of something back in her eye.

I gripped the edge of the bench with both hands, “I’m, uh, not exactly supposed to be here.”

“You snuck out?” Timmy sounded aghast.

Sky and Sorscha laughed, and Brandon nodded in sympathetic understanding.

Riven held up a fist, “Respect.”

“Stella invited me to the ball, and my aunt is kind of upset with me right now, so I didn’t really want to ask her, so… yeah. I snuck out. So please don’t tell anyone I was here. Please?” I shrank further into my seat.

“As you wish, princess.” Sorscha winked at me.

I brought my legs up, wrapping my arms around them and hiding my furiously blushing cheeks behind my knees.

“Thank you.” My words came out slightly muffled.

“We’re reentering atmosphere now,” Timmy noted.

The ship trembled slightly at the change in pressure. Brandon and Riven adjusted their panels of buttons, steadying out the shaking.

After we had flown closer to the mass of clouds, Brandon pointed out the window, “Hey look, the rocs!”

I looked out to where he was pointing. Sure enough, two faint figures were flying around in a circle. As we approached them, one of them screeched and flew ahead, while the other one stayed in our range of vision. Riven piloted the ship after it, the first roc occasionally circling back and calling out to the second.

“I don’t understand why we can’t just use our radar system.” Timmy wondered.

“The static in the clouds can mess with the radar. The rocs’ feathers are resistant to electrical pulses, and they detect lightning hotspots before they even happen,” I pointed at the first roc, “See that one? It’s scouting out the path ahead and bringing back information. They’re very intelligent creatures.”

Timmy agreed, “They sure are.”

“I think we’re approaching the landing zone,” Sky gestured to his map.

The roc guiding us let out another shrill cry before dropping down through the cloud layer, and Riven sent the ship down after it in a sharp tilt.

Rain pelted the window as the ground came into view. A circle of lights illuminated a landing pad, indicating where we should touch down. Riven and Brandon expertly navigated the ship into the lines, landing softly with a final whoosh from the engines. 

“Well, thanks for flying me home. Oh!” I unstrapped myself from the seat, “Would any of you happen to have a mirror?”

They all shrugged and shook their heads with varying degrees of confusion.

“Never mind, I’ll make this work.” I took my phone out of my bag and opened the front camera, staring intently at the image of me on the tiny screen.

I tuned out the noises around me, the hum of the ship, the confused whispers of the boys, and focused only on my hair. A phantom wind swirled around me, and my hair shifted from bright pink to a deep blue. Another blink, and my eyes lightened a few shades to a soft cobalt. I put my phone back in my bag and tied my hair back into a quick bun. Changing my hair and eye color was one of the first, and only, spells I had ever mastered completely, so I figured I might as well put it to good use.

Sorscha tugged on a stray lock of hair, “Blue suits you.”

“Really?” I cleared my throat, tucking that strand behind my ear, “Well, it would kind of defeat the purpose of sneaking out if I were recognized by some of the port staff. I could blend in well enough before, but at midnight? Not so much.”

“Mind if I walk you out? I’d love to see one of these rocs up close,” Sorscha asked.

“Me too!” Sky stood up and joined us near the door.

Riven stretched lazily, “Yeah, why not?”

“I’ll stay here, I think the rear engine calibration is off by a degree.” Timmy said.

“I’ll stay too, in case you need an extra hand.” Brandon added.

I grabbed my bags and went to the door, “Alright, let me introduce you!”

The four of us stepped out into the rain and headed towards the hangars where the rocs rested.

“Welcome to the nest!” I walked over to one of the friendlier-looking birds, waiting for it to approach me first.

I’d always wanted to pet a roc.

Sorscha whistled, “They’re huge!”

“They look like they’re made of stone.” Riven pointed out.

“Evolutionary advantage,” I reached out my arm as the roc dipped its head down to me, “That’s how they can fly through storms, the wind and rain can’t penetrate their feathers.”

I gestured them closer to me, showing them the roc’s wing.

“The flight feathers harden into plates, and the downy feathers underneath keep them warm and insulated.”

The roc trilled deeply, nudging me lightly and presenting its neck to me.

“And that means it likes you!” I giggled and reached up to pet it.

“How are you getting home from here?” Sorscha asked.

I stroked the roc’s beak, “I’ll just take this guy.”

The roc whirred happily at the attention.

“Are you sure that’s safe?” Sky sounded concerned.

“I thought you guys were dragon riders!” I laughed, “Besides, people fly them all the time on Callisto.”

I neglected to mention that I, personally, had never been allowed to fly on a roc before.

How hard could it be?

“If you say so,” Sorscha shrugged, coming up to stand next to me.

The roc bumped her gently with its beak, making her take a step back to catch her balance. 

“Careful!” I scolded it, placing a hand on its massive head, “I don’t think they realize how much bigger they are. You can pet it, it’s okay.”

Sorscha tentatively held her hand out, “It’s big enough to bite off my arm in one go.”

The roc clicked its beak as if to say and don’t you forget it!

I gave it a stern look, “It won’t, all the rocs here are fully trained from hatchlings. I’m going to go grab a harness.”

I placed her hand on its beak, letting them decide how to proceed. The far wall had a number of different styles of harnesses, and I grabbed the one that looked easiest to carry. It was still shockingly heavy, and half of the straps were left dragging on the ground. I lugged it back over to Sorscha, who still had both arms fully attached.

“I still prefer hoverbikes.” She said, scratching its neck.

I snorted and dropped the harness at my feet, staring at the mess of leather straps. I managed to untangle it and lay it in a slightly recognizable shape. 

“Any idea how to put this thing on?”

Sky contemplated the harness, “I might be able to, I’ve had some practice with the dragons already.”

He held up a large loop, and the roc obediently ducked its head through it.

“That works. Thanks, buddy!” He ruffled the feathers on top of its head before throwing the other straps onto its back.

“You’ve never harnessed one of these before? I thought you said you rode them all the time.” Riven scoffed.

I crossed my arms, “I’ve never had to before, I’m a princess, remember? I don’t normally get to do this part.”

Or ever…

“My apologies, your majesty,” He bowed mockingly.

“It’s highness, actually.”

“Whatever.”

Sky cleared his throat loudly, “Anyway, I figured it out. It’s ready to go.”

The roc clicked its beak, settling down and looking like a half-melted pebble. 

“Need a boost?” Sorscha laced her fingers together to form a step.

“Oh, thanks,” I put one hand on her shoulder, placing my foot in her hands and vaulting myself up onto the roc. I strapped myself in and grabbed the reins.

“It was nice meeting you all,” My eyes caught on Sorscha, “I hope I see you again sometime.”

She waved up at me, “Me too. Have a safe flight!”

The other boys shouted their goodbyes as I led the roc out of the nest. The rain bore down on me, making me wish I had thought to bring a coat. I squeaked in alarm as the roc took off, each wing beat bringing us closer to the sky. It flew high enough to brush the clouds, mist dusting my skin instead of the barrage of rain.

It only took a few minutes to reach the castle grounds. I directed the roc to fly up to my balcony, which was too small for it to comfortably land on.

“Hmm, can you land on the roof? I think I can get down from there.” 

My room was the top two floors of the northeast tower, with a domed roof that I could slide down if I was careful. The roc perched on the top of the dome, settling down so I could step off more easily. I climbed off its back and steadied myself on the roof.

“Thank you, you can go now!” I gave the roc one last pet, and it flew off with a screech.

I stared at my roof, considering the best way to get down and not injure myself in the process. My balcony wrapped around the entire tower, but the bridge connecting my room to Kiara’s offered the most landing space. Deciding not to delay any further, I sat down, keeping one arm out behind me for balance, and I slid down the roof, aiming for between the railings. I accelerated faster than I expected, dropping off the edge and barely catching myself with my outstretched arm.

Kiara, who was reading a book on my couch, screamed in surprise. I winced and dropped the last few feet to the floor. She dropped the book onto the floor, not even marking her page, and stormed over to the balcony doors and flung them open.

“Merreid, what the fuck?”

I wrung out my hair and shook off as much rain as I could before stepping inside and beelining straight for the bathroom. 

“Hi, Kiki. Good to see you too!” I wrapped a towel around myself and sat on the edge of my bathtub.

“Why in the Realms did you come from the roof? And why is your hair blue?” She crossed her arms and leaned on the vanity.

I squeezed more water out of my hair into the tub, “Disguise. And I took a roc home. Scooch, I need the mirror.”

She reluctantly stepped out of the way, and I leaned in to look at myself in the mirror.

“You’ve never ridden a roc before. It’s like, an extreme sport, Mira, explain yourself!”

“Not true, there was one at my tenth birthday party.” 

“That does not count, and you know it!”

I concentrated on turning my hair and eyes back to their original color, then turned back to face my sister. 

She squinted and cocked her head to the side, “A little more orange. Seriously, Mira, what insane series of events led you to fly a roc onto the roof?”

I looked back at myself in the mirror, focusing harder and adding a touch more orange to my hair, returning it to its proper shade. 

“I think I have to start from the beginning.” I took off my shoes, leaving them to dry in the tub.

I walked over to my wardrobe and grabbed a set of dry clothes.

“Can you get me a hot chocolate first, please? Take pity on me, I’m all rainy.”

“Fine, but you have to tell me everything as soon as I get back.”

“You’re the best sister I’ve ever had!”

She rolled her eyes, but laughed. I went back into the bathroom to change, and when I came back out, Kiara was waiting on the couch with two mugs of hot chocolate and a plate of tea cakes. I sank into my bean bag chair across from her and grinned. Kiara gestured at me impatiently.

“I made new friends.”

She squealed in delight, “Tell me everything!”

And so I did; from first meeting the Winx, to flying home with Sorscha and the boys. We talked until the sky started to lighten behind the clouds, and we couldn’t keep our eyes open anymore.

Chapter Text

Someone knocked on my door, jolting Kiara and me awake. She groaned as I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

“Come in!” 

Kiara hadn’t bothered to go back to her own room last night, since my bed was big enough for both of us with plenty of room to spare. I looked out my window and saw the sun’s aura glaring through the clouds. We couldn’t have gotten more than a few hours of sleep. 

I froze mid-yawn as Euphinia tentatively stepped into my room.

“Good morning, Merreid,” She shut the door behind her and walked up to my bed, hands clasped in front of her.

I smoothed down my hair, hoping it wasn’t too much of a roc’s nest, “Good morning, Auntie.”

Kiara sat up and stretched, “Morning, Auntie Fin.”

“Oh good, you’re here too,” Euphinia nodded, “Good morning, dear.”

The drumming of rain punctuated the awkward silence filling the room.

Euphinia delicately cleared her throat, “May we sit? I can’t talk like this.”

“Yeah, of course,” I shifted myself out of bed, my anxiety setting me on high alert.

The beginnings of a breeze stirred the ends of my hair.

Did she find out about last night?

Kiara followed me to the couch, and Euphinia perched on my painting stool across from us.

“I’ve been thinking…” She began.

“Congratulations,” I mumbled, and Kiara jabbed me in the ribs, “Ow!”

My aunt let out an exasperated laugh, “Yes, indeed. I wanted to apologize, first and foremost. My emotions got the better of me, and I overreacted. I am sorry, my sunrise.”

All of my leftover rage drained out of me, “I’m sorry too. About not telling you I applied to Alfea… and for your office.”

She nodded, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face for the first time, “I’ve been thinking about Alfea. I’ve reconsidered, you may go—”

I squealed, bouncing up from my seat in excitement, but my aunt held up her hand.

“On a probationary basis.”

“That’s okay! I’ll take it!” I leaned in and hugged her enthusiastically. She patted my back gently before extricating herself from my hold.

“And you, Kiara,” She turned to face my sister, “As crown princess, you have many responsibilities to your kingdom and your people, but that doesn’t mean you should forget about your own wants.”

I looked at Kiara, who was frozen in anticipation. 

“I think you should also attend a college.”

She laughed in surprise, “Really?”

“Really. Now, I would much prefer if you chose to attend the Historian College here, but I will make arrangements at any school you choose.”

“Thank you, auntie!” Kiara jumped up from her seat, and we both sandwiched Euphinia in a hug. 

“I still have to make the arrangements, of course. But for now, why don’t we go have breakfast together?” She stood up, keeping her arms around us still.

“Will there be pancakes?” Kiara asked.

“I’ll make sure of it. Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t see how much you’ve grown,” Euphinia squeezed us one last time before letting us go, “Go get dressed, I’ll see you in the East Tower.”

She walked out of my room, leaving Kiara and me to chatter about schools as we got changed for breakfast.

✭✭✭

I stared out of the spaceship’s window as the planet of Magix came into view. Euphinia had talked to Headmistress Faragonda about accepting me both after the term had already started, and only as a part-time student. They agreed to let me attend the afternoon classes, leaving the rest of my day free for commuting to and from Alfea, gymnastics, and my other tutoring sessions at home. Kiara and I had spent the week picking out outfits, acquiring notebooks, and imagining what college life would be like. She was still deciding on a school to attend, but for now, she was happy to prepare for Alfea with me.

“This is commuter ship Skylark confirming landing at Alfea College,” The pilot paused for a response, “Copy that.”

I fidgeted in my seat, a mixture of excitement and nervousness setting me on edge. I checked through my bag one more time, making sure I had everything I needed. Three notebooks of assorted sizes and colors, cell phone, wallet, more pens than any one person could possibly need…

The ship landed softly, and I jolted up and unbuckled myself before the pilot even had a chance to finish adjusting all the levers and buttons. 

They pressed one last button, causing the pitch of the ship’s engines to shift down. 

They turned around in their seat to face me, “I’ll be here after your class is over. Have a good day, your highness!”

“Thank you, you too!” I bounced on my toes as I waited for the door to open, “Goodbye!” 

I raced out into the courtyard, grabbing my compass from around my neck as I went.

Take me to the Headmistress’s office!

The needle pointed forward, and I followed its path inside. It took me up two flights of stairs and down a series of hallways I never could’ve navigated on my own. The compass warmed in my hand as I neared a large, ornate set of doors. I knocked, and the doors swung open of their own accord.

Miss Faragonda looked up from her desk, “Ah, welcome. You must be Merreid.”

“That’s me!” I clutched my bag close to my chest, suddenly apprehensive.

“Come in, sit! I have just a few things to discuss with you before I send you off to your first class.”

I followed her direction and sat in the plush red chair across from her. She shuffled through the papers on her desk before pulling one out and setting it in front of her. She flicked her hand and a pen appeared, my breath catching at such an effortless use of magic.

“Now, a few personal questions, if you don’t mind,” She glanced over her spectacles, and I nodded my assent, “You have not yet reached your first transformation, correct?”

“Nope,” I let the P pop in my mouth, dragging out the word as I laced my fingers around the straps of my bag. 

“That’s quite alright. Your aunt mentioned that you also have trouble controlling your magic sometimes. She also said something about magic suppressants?”

I wove my fingers under and over the strap, “I was on them full time until I was twelve, and now I just take them before I go anywhere with a lot of excitement. Just in case.”

“I see. Have you ever used a focus before?”

I twisted the straps so hard my fingers went numb.

“I have, actually. Well, sort of. It’s a long story. I was here at the Welcome Ball, and I… got lost.” I decided I should leave the rest of the story out, at least for now, “I ended up in the Artifact room, and I found this.”

I untwisted my hand from my bag and guiltily held up the compass.

Faragonda’s expression remained terrifyingly neutral, “It called to you?”

I nodded, setting the compass down on the desk and re-tangling my hands into the straps. 

Her face softened into a smile, “Well then, it’s yours to keep for as long as you need it. The artifacts are there for those who need them, not just to sit there gathering dust. Good choice.”

She seemed to direct that last comment as much towards the compass as to me. 

“Have you met any other students yet?”

I nodded again, “I’ve met Princess Stella before, she’s the one who invited me, and I met all of her roommates at the party.”
She hummed in recognition, “Glad to hear it. You’ll be attending Professor Palladium’s class with them today. The first-years take all of their classes together, so you don’t have to worry about being split up from your friends. I assume you can find your way to their apartment? They can show you the way from there.”

“I can with this!” I picked up the compass and wrapped the chain around my wrist before standing up and swinging my bag back over my shoulder. 

“Oh, and one more thing,” Faragonda flicked her hand, and a tangle of khaki fabric fell into my hands, “You’ll need this.”

I glanced at it in confusion before I recovered my manners, “Thank you, Headmistress.”

I used the compass to take me to the Winx Suite. The wad of khaki turned out to be some sort of hiking outfit, complete with a hat and boots, and I wondered what we could possibly be doing today. 

The closer I got to the dorms, the more I began to second-guess myself. It was presumptuous of me to assume that the Winx would welcome me into their apartment just because I hung out with them at a party one time. We hadn’t talked since then; the only text I’d sent was to Stella, letting her know I’d made it home safe. She’d replied with a heart, and from my limited experience interacting with my peers, I knew that wasn’t exactly a sign to continue the conversation.

I was overthinking things. The lack of students in the hallways was putting me on edge. Empty spaces always did; they made me feel like I was somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be. 

My compass warmed, putting an end to my internal struggle as it pointed to the door of the Winx Suite. This next interaction would determine how the rest of the day would go, possibly even the year.

No pressure or anything.

I knocked.

Tecna opened it, and she stared at me, analyzing me, my bag, the clothes I was holding. I, on the other hand, was calculating if it was too late to flee the building. But at last, only a second later in reality, she spoke.

“Hi, Mira. What are you doing here?”

“I’m joining your class today!” I bounced on my toes.

A shout came from deeper inside the room, “Mira’s here?”

Tecna held the door wider for me to come in, and Musa wrapped me in a quick hug. Bloom and Flora came out of their room to investigate the commotion. 

“It’s good to see you again, Mira!” Flora finished tying her hair up in a ponytail.

Bloom waved from the doorway as she struggled with a pair of boots, “Hi, Mira!”

The door to the bathroom opened and Stella burst out, hair half straightened.

She hugged me tightly, “Mira! You didn’t tell us you were coming!”

And just like that, all of my fears were gone. It was like I hadn’t left at all, like our friendship spanned years instead of hours.

“Surprise! I’m taking afternoon classes at Alfea now. What are we doing today, anyway?”

They were all wearing the same adventuring outfit I held, although Stella had styled hers with an ascot and matching belt.

“We’re going into the Black Mud Swamp. Other than that, we don’t really know.” Flora shrugged.

Bloom stomped her foot the rest of the way into her boot, “I have to say, this is not what I expected when I signed up for fairy school.”

“Yeah, I’d better change,” I looked down at my clothes, “So much for my first day of school outfit.”

Kiara had helped me pick out a blue tee and a short pink circle skirt that matched my hair, and stylish but practical lilac platform Mary Janes. Definitely not a good outfit for whatever happens in a swamp.

Stella raced back into the bathroom to finish straightening her hair, “Change in my room!”

I went into her room and switched my skirt for the jumpsuit. I left my shirt on underneath, letting it peek out from beneath the collar. After pulling on my boots, I stepped back into the main room.

“Come on, girls. We don’t want to be late!” Flora called from the doorway.

Stella yelled back something about beauty taking time, but she came out of the bathroom a moment later. We headed down to the courtyard, where Professor Palladium and a handful of other fairies were waiting.

“Ah, just in time,” he greeted us, “We’re just waiting on a few more students before we head out.”

I nudged Musa, “So, what course does Palladium teach?”

She opened her mouth, but was interrupted before she could answer.

“And here they come!” Palladium gestured for the group of students who had just exited the castle to come join him, “Come along, fairies, we have a fair bit of walking ahead of us!”

He headed for the forest, leaving us to follow behind him. We walked for at least a mile, Palladium lecturing about fairies’ connection to nature all the while. When we neared a large clearing in the trees, the professor stopped and turned back towards us.

“This will be a group challenge, so please sort yourselves into…” he paused and counted each of us, “Ten groups of six.”

Stella clapped in delight, “Perfect! There’s six of us, and we’re already a team.”

“Easiest group project I’ve ever had.” Musa confirmed.

“Winx forever!” Bloom chimed in and threw her arms over Stella and Flora’s shoulders. 

Palladium called everyone’s attention back, “As I was saying, today’s exercise will be rather difficult. A good fairy must be able to listen to what nature tells us! Today’s exercise is designed to put your skills to the test. Now, you’re all in groups, so we’re ready to begin. You have three hours to get out of Black Mud Swamp and reach the clearing in the middle of Gloomywood forest without using any kind of magic, gadgets, or focuses. Remember, listen carefully to the voice of nature, and follow its advice…”

Palladium flourished his arms and disappeared from the clearing, leaving nothing but a shimmering trail in his wake. I blinked in surprise, and the other fairies around me let out gasps of delight. 

I turned back to the Winx, “So, where do you think we should go?”

Flora looked around, then pointed ahead, “This way!”

She walked forward to the edge of the clearing and turned back to wait for us. We followed behind her, trusting her connection as a nature fairy. Flora took us deeper into the woods and straight into a slow-moving creek. I cringed at the feeling of mud squelching beneath my boots, and again as I stepped deeper into the stream, the muddy water coming up just below my knees.

Stella was the most vocal about her disgust, groaning about every step she took into the muck, “Ugh, this place is—eww—totally disgusting!”

“Oh yes, all this mud is so very inconvenient!” Musa laughed.

Bloom, Flora, and I giggled, even as we trudged further across the creek. The smell of decaying plants crept up to my nose, and I coughed and tried to breathe as little as possible.

Tecna piped up, “I don’t know if you realize it, but we’re knee deep in what I would refer to as a problematic mud puddle.”

Pockets of gas were rising from the riverbed, worsening the stench around us with every noxious bubble that popped.

I coughed again and brought my collar over my nose, “You got that right.”

Tecna raised her arms, “Alright, I’ll handle this!”

“Tecna, no!” Bloom pushed her arms back down before she could complete her spell.

“Professor Palladium said no magic, we can only listen to the voice of nature, whatever that’s supposed to mean,” I grunted, freeing my foot from a particularly sticky patch of mud. 

“Hey, I smell something. What is it?” Bloom tilted her head, taking in more of the odor brought up by the air bubbles.

“He said listen, not smell,” Stella burrowed deeper into her own collar.

“It smells like gasoline, everyone get out!” Bloom splashed the rest of the way out of the creek.

The rest of us rushed after her and crouched behind a fallen tree. We all waited in anticipation as Bloom threw a heavy rock into the water.

The impact of the stone released a huge pocket of gas, igniting the surface of the water in a rippling sheet of fire, making us jump back in alarm. 

“One spark and we’d have been toast, my friend!” Bloom laughed in relief. 

“Hey, what’s gasoline?” Musa asked Bloom.

“We use it on Earth to fuel cars and things.”

“How primitive.” Tecna mused.

Stella brushed herself off, “Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.”

She took the lead this time, stomping through the forest without a backward glance. Flora caught up with her to make sure she was heading in the right direction. 

Bloom shouted in alarm, “Look, a Red Fountain ship!”

We stopped and looked up where she was pointing. Through the sparse canopy, a red ship was plummeting to the ground, trailing smoke behind it.

“They might need help!” Stella broke into a run, and we all followed.

Flora made a noise of distress at the sound of trees cracking and the ship crashing to the ground. I pulled ahead of the other girls, Tecna right on my heels, and the rest only seconds behind. We slowed as we entered the clearing where the ship landed, and I could make out the shapes of specialists stumbling out of the ship. I let out the breath I was holding. If they were walking, the damage couldn’t be too bad. We closed the rest of the distance to the specialists. 

“Are you all okay?” Flora asked as we neared the ship.

I halted abruptly in recognition. 

Riven glared at us, “Isn’t it rather obvious?”

“We’re all safe and sound!” Sorscha hopped off the ship, but winced and shifted her weight off her left leg.

“Aw, no!” Sky groaned and stared up and the gaping hole in the back of the ship, “Where’s the troll?”

Brandon pointed to a trail of large footprints leading away, “He’s escaped!”

We all gasped in alarm, looking around for any sign of it.

“You were transporting a troll, and you let it escape?” Tecna berated.

“We didn’t let anyone escape,” Riven snapped, “We lost altitude and—”

“Mechanical failure!” Timmy interrupted. 

“Either way, it’s not a problem. He’s sedated and handcuffed…” Sorscha groaned, eyes catching on a metallic object sticking out of the mud.

Sky picked them up, revealing handcuffs that were definitely not on the troll. Everyone looked alarmed at the prospect of dealing with an unchained hunting troll loose in the swamp. 

“So, what are you guys doing out here?” Brandon asked.

Bloom smiled shyly at him, “We’re in the middle of an assignment!”

“Then get back to your assignment and don’t worry about it, leave it to the specialists.” Riven snarled. 

Stella batted her eyelashes at him, not missing a beat, “The specialists are going to be here? When?”

“We’re right here, asshole!” Riven stomped right up to her face, but all Stella did was smile simperingly back at him.

Sky grabbed Riven by the shoulder and tugged him back a few steps, “What he means is that perhaps it would be best for you to go back to Alfea until we recapture the troll.”

Riven shrugged Sky’s arm off and glared at him instead, “We don’t need your editorial comments, your highness.”

“And we don’t need your opinion! We can take care of ourselves.” I clamped my mouth shut. 

Riven turned to me, teeth bared, and I froze in fear. I hadn’t meant to say anything at all, and I certainly didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention my way.

Sorscha stepped between us, “Cool it, hotshot.”

Riven laughed coldly, “Or what? You’re gonna get your daddy involved?”

“Keep picking fights, and maybe I will,” Sorscha’s voice dropped dangerously low, “But you and I both know that I don’t need his help to win a fight.”

“Fine,” He looked over her shoulder at me, “Do whatever you want, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Let’s get to work, we’ve got a troll to catch.”

He stalked back towards the ship. The other specialists shared a look, but went with him to inspect the damage done.

“What should we do?” Bloom asked. 

Musa smacked her fist into her hand, “I say go with them and help them find the troll.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. We should get back to our assignment,” Flora protested.

“We all know that troll. He’s a wild beast. Sky and the others could be in for mega problems.” Stella said.

Flora sighed, “Okay, if you all think so…”

We walked closer to the ship, and Tecna pointed to the gaping hole in the side of it.

“Well, one thing’s for sure, something strange is going on here. See the hole in the fuselage, the spacecraft was hit from the outside!”

“You think someone helped it escape?” My voice came out reed-thin.

Tecna nodded, “I’m afraid you’re right.”

Flora clutched her hands to her chest, “In that case, we don’t have much of a choice, do we?”

The girls and I joined Timmy at the ship, where he was opening up control panels and assessing what was left of them.

Timmy looked up from his work at Tecna, who was studying the damage.

“The impact knocked out the stabilizer,” He gestured at the unintelligible mess of wires in front of him.

Musa nodded towards Sky and the handcuffs, “Whoever did that must’ve dealt with the handcuffs, too.”

Tecna concurred, “It’s a psychic lock, you’d have to have mental powers to open it without the key.” 

“Hey girls, check out the troll’s footprints. Notice anything?” Bloom shouted from the edge of the clearing.

We followed the trail of footprints, watching them get lighter and lighter as the trail went on, until they disappeared entirely.

“Oh yeah, that guy’s got feet the size of an ocean liner!” Stella remarked.

“Huge feet that don’t leave prints?” Musa wondered.

Flora poked at the ground with the toe of her boot, “But the ground’s still soft, how do you explain that?”

“It’s as if the troll was on an ultrasonic weight loss plan!” Stella proclaimed.

I crouched closer to the last visible footprints, “Do you think it could be some kind of levitation spell?”

“Yeah, but trolls can’t cast spells.” Tecna’s brows knitted.

“That means someone must’ve helped it!” Bloom gasped, “Let’s be careful, who knows what’s in this swamp. Come on, girls!”

We left the specialists to their repairs and ventured off in the direction of the footprints. We walked for almost twenty minutes, without even a broken twig to know if we were still headed in the right direction. 

“Finding a troll in a swamp is turning out to be harder than I thought!” Stella grumbled.

I groaned in agreement and stopped to try and massage out the tightness in my calf muscles.

“He could be absolutely anywhere!” Flora slumped against the side of a tree.

Musa shivered lightly, “The quiet is eerie, the swamp absorbs every sound.”

“It’s a good thing! The silence helps us concentrate.” Bloom countered. 

Flora perked up, “So we can listen to the voice of nature!”

“Not that again, I don’t hear anything.” Tecna huffed.

Bloom and Flora closed their eyes and concentrated. I held my hand up to feel the wind, hoping it would give me any sort of clue. The song of the wind gusting through the trees entranced me. It whispered wordlessly, more of a feeling than actual speech, but I could comprehend its meaning nonetheless.

“So? Is the voice of nature suggesting anything to you?” Tecna pressed.

Flora pointed deeper into the trees, “I’d start over there.”

“I feel it too!” I swept my hand through the air, marking the path of the breeze, “The wind is leading me that way.”

“Why, what’s over there?” Stella asked.

“I’m not too keen on going myself, but I really feel that it’s the right way!” Bloom declared.

“Come on, this way!” Flora walked towards where she was pointing with renewed vigor.

“I just hope we don’t regret this,” Tecna muttered.

Flora halted abruptly after a few minutes of walking and flung her arms out to keep us from walking further.

“Don’t make any noise! I recognize these plants, they’re silent creepers. Quietus carnivorus, they react to sound!”

Stella stepped around Flora towards the unassuming piles of vines.

“Really? I find that hard to believe!” she whistled loudly, “See, nothing’s happ—”

She screamed as the vines sprang to life and wrapped around her legs, flipping her upside down. 

Flora sprinted over to her, “Shh, don’t move!”

She placed her hands over the vines, and smaller tendrils caressed her fingers as if they were scenting her. The vines around Stella loosened, and she thudded to the ground.

“Would you keep your mouth shut from now on?” Flora chastised. 

Stella scowled, but accepted the hand she held out. 

A muffled yell caught my attention. 

“Do you hear that?” I asked as loudly as I dared.

They all nodded, and Tecna pointed in the direction the yell came from. We ran on soft feet towards the noise until we came upon the specialists, tightly wound from head to toe in vines. The yells were coming from Timmy, who was struggling profusely.

“There you are!” Stella whisper-yelled, tiptoeing up to Sky and attempting to pull the vines off him.

“Keep whispering, by all means,” Riven grunted, “You wouldn’t want to upset the digestive process of these plants!”

The plants responded by covering his face in vines. 

“Keep your voice down, asshole!” Musa snapped.

Flora repeated the process of calming the plants, resting her hands on the nearest vine and stroking it gently. The vines retreated, and the boys dropped down. Sorscha landed neatly, but she stifled a cry of pain as her leg buckled beneath her. I leapt forward and caught her on instinct, supporting her weight before she could land in the mud. 

“Thanks,” she whispered in my ear, “I hope this doesn’t become a thing between us.”

I laughed breathily, adjusting my stance to support her more comfortably. She stifled a groan when she tried to put weight on her ankle.

“Are you alright? I saw you before. Is it an injury from the crash?”

She grimaced, “Yeah, rookie mistake. I wasn’t strapped in when we impacted, and I hit my leg on something when we impacted.”

I cringed sympathetically, “Do you think you can walk a little bit? I can take a look at your ankle, but we should probably get away from these plants first.”

She let out a breath and nodded, “I wrapped it while Timmy was looking at the ship, but I don’t think it’s helping.”

I kept my arm around her waist, and we trudged slowly away from the vines. Once Flora had confirmed that we were far enough away, I set Sorscha down on a convenient rock and knelt to look at her ankle.

“Where does it hurt?” I pressed lightly at a few spots, jerking my hands back when she hissed in pain.

“I’m fine, I’m just being a baby,” She waved dismissively.

“You’re allowed to be a baby if your ankle’s broken.”

Sorscha snorted and leaned down to unzip her boot.

I sat back on my heels, giving myself some much-needed breathing room, “Now, unless Tecna has an X-ray machine on hand, I’m going to need to press a lot harder than that to feel if there’s anything broken.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, and she nodded in assent. I gestured for her to put her foot on my lap. 

“Here, you can squeeze my hand if it hurts. You did a terrible job wrapping it, by the way.” I held up my free arm, and she took it with a laugh.

Oh shit, I just asked her to hold my hand.

I cleared my throat and focused on her ankle. And definitely not her hand in mine. I felt along the top of her foot, checking each of the bones. When that didn’t cause any pain, I wrapped my hand lightly around her ankle. 

“Can you flex your foot?”

She nodded and slowly flexed and pointed her toes. I breathed out in relief when I didn’t feel anything click. I pressed my fingers into the outside of her ankle, just above the joint, and her hand flexed in mine.

“Sorry,” I glanced up at her, “I don’t think anything’s broken though. Just a bad bruise and probably a sprain.”

“Guess I can’t be a baby, then,” she squeezed my hand, releasing it almost reluctantly.

Her wrap fell off as soon as I tugged on the end of it. I rewrapped it the way Airen had taught me, making sure it was tight and smooth all the way around her foot. I handed her back her boot, and she gingerly slipped it back on. 

“One more test,” I stood up and dusted myself off, “Can you walk?”

I held out my hands and pulled her to her feet. She winced slightly with every step, but managed to walk all the way over to the rest of the group. 

“Ready to head out?” Sky asked us.

Sorscha smiled tightly, “I’ll manage.”

We walked until we hit a river intersecting our path.

Musa stepped forward to inspect the river more closely, “Anyone see a good way to cross?”

I smothered a cringe, “Can’t we find a way around?”

I did not like water I couldn’t see the bottom of. The creek was one thing, but two bodies of water in one day was pushing it.

“There are these rocks all across the river. I think we can jump across them.” Sky leapt onto the closest rock, then gestured us to do the same. 

Timmy was the first to follow, but his foot slipped and he landed on his ass in the water. We all made noises of sympathy, except for Riven, who scoffed loudly.

“First we’ve got the fairies to look after, now we’ve got clumsy Timmy.”

Brandon helped Timmy up out of the river, “You need to check your attitude!”

“You’re just Prince Sky’s yes-man, why don’t you go shine his tiara or something?”

“You’re being an asshole, Riven.” Sorscha called from next to me.

Riven raised an eyebrow, “So? What are you gonna do about it?”

Sky jumped back onto shore, “You’re off the team, buddy. Is that clear?”

“Fine with me,” Riven jumped onto a rock, “Let’s find the troll and we can make it official.”

Riven hopped ahead, and the rest of us followed after him. We had made it about halfway across the river before the rocks started to wobble precariously. 

“I know this sounds crazy, but I think these clumps of turf are moving!” Stella yelled.

Bloom wobbled dangerously, “I was just thinking the same thing!”

“You can all stop thinking now,” Tecna hopped off of her clump just before it slipped under the water, “Because these clumps of turf are moving for real!”

I pointed up ahead, “We’re being sucked into that whirlpool!”

We frantically tried to cross the river on the remaining clumps until Riven slipped off his stone with a yell.

Tecna reacted lightning-quick and grabbed him by the arms, “Hold on!”

“Don’t let go!” He ground out.

The rest of us had barely made it to shore, except for Timmy, who was desperately holding Tecna back from following Riven into the water. 

“Someone help me, I can’t hold on much longer!” Tecna cried.

“Hang on!” Sky snagged the edge of Timmy’s cape and used it to drag all three of them away from the whirlpool. 

They collapsed on the bank, sighing in relief.

Riven stood up immediately, flicking water droplets off himself, “Come on, let’s go. We’ve wasted too much time already.”

He stormed off without waiting for anyone else to follow.

Flora closed her eyes and pointed, “This way.”

After another mile or so of hiking through the swamp, Sky shouted, “The troll!”

We hid behind a copse of trees, but a scream sounded from the direction of the troll.

“That’s Amaryl!” Bloom cried.

Sky chanced a look towards the troll, “The fairies are in danger!”

“They’re trapped, we have to do something before the troll can hurt them!” Musa exclaimed.

“We have to be quick,” Sky said, “Number one, we need to find a way to distract the troll—”

“I bet I’m the fastest. Hope your plan has a part two!” I dashed off in the direction of the troll before anyone could stop me.

Every rational thought fled my mind. All I knew was that I had to get to the troll before it got to the fairies. I ran full speed towards it, only slowing to grab a rock that I threw at its head. 

The consequences of my actions caught up to me as the troll lumbered towards me. It roared in my face, its vile breath making me gag.

I was ready to accept my fate of being violently crushed to death when a tiny pebble bounced off its nose. 

“Come and get us, dodo-head!” Stella’s voice called from behind me, “Come on!”

“Run, Mira!” Bloom shouted.

Musa grabbed my hand, “This way!” 

I turned and ran with the Winx. 

“Just a little farther!” cried Flora.

A loud crash echoed from behind us, but we didn’t dare stop running. I slowed when I heard the boys arguing behind me.

“What are you waiting for? Cuff him!” Sky yelled.

We turned to see the boys on the ground, barely restraining the troll. Timmy and Brandon had it by the legs, and Sky and Riven were trying to put on the handcuffs. Sorscha was trying to yell something from back over by the trees, but she couldn’t be heard over the growls of the troll. With one final roar, it broke free and tore off into the woods. 

“Great, we lost him again,” Brandon sighed, “What a good job we did.”

We rejoined the specialists, and so did the other group of fairies.

“So, you guys are the specialists, huh? Specialists in what, botchery?” the girl named Amaryl mocked. 

The group of fairies laughed and ran off. 

Brandon sighed, “That’s the thanks we get?”

None of us knew where to go from that, so we all sat around and tried to recuperate. I sat down on a log with Flora and stretched out my legs before they could cramp up. Raised voices caught my attention, and I was unsurprised to see Sky and Riven in the middle of an argument.

“Don’t try to blame me, Sky. I’m not the one who handcuffed Timmy!”

“You had the handcuffs!”

Flora sighed in dismay. Timmy got up from where he was sitting and intervened.

“Alright, that’s enough!” He pulled the two of them apart, “If we can’t work as a team, we’ll never capture the troll.”

Sky sighed and dropped his head, “You’re right. If we can’t work together, we’ll never succeed. Can we try again?”

Riven rolled his eyes, but took Sky’s outstretched hand and shook it. Brandon and Sorscha rejoined the group of specialists, and the other Winx settled back by Flora and me.

Sky grinned, “Riven and I have called a truce.”

“Thank the Great Dragon!” Sorscha sighed dramatically.

“I’d have preferred everlasting peace, but I can live with that,” Brandon said.

With the reprieve from the boys’ arguing, our group walked on. The sun was dropping lower in the sky, darkening our path as it slipped behind the trees. I trailed my arm through the air, letting the whispering breeze slip through my fingers and guide my path. I tuned back in to the conversation around me.

“And now what do you hear?” Brandon asked Bloom and Flora.

“It’s not a sound, more like a feeling.” Bloom explained.

“It’s something you can’t hear with your ears, you feel it inside.” Flora added.

Sky turned back to face them, “Well then, you think this should be the right path?”

Tecna shrugged, “Relax, I’ve learned that in these situations, these girls can’t be beat.”

I trailed ahead, still feeling the wind for the path. Abruptly, it stopped. I reached my hands out in front of me, searching for the threads I was following before, but the air had gone eerily silent.

“This is the end of the trail.” I breathed.

Sky walked in front of me, scouting out what lay ahead, “But there’s nothing here!”

“I don’t know what to say, I sense nothing!” Flora touched a nearby tree.

“There’s negative energy in this part of the swamp.” Stella shivered.

Tecna hummed, “I feel it too, like a spell was cast in this area.”

“Hey, do you guys smell that?” Musa interjected.

I wrinkled my nose, “All I can smell is swamp.”

I breathed in, shallowly, but all I could smell was decayed vegetation. I breathed in again, and this time I could smell it. Something astringent. Coppery, almost sickly sweet.

Blood.

“Someone could be hurt!” I ran through the trees, tripping over roots, hoping I could find whoever it was before it was too late.

I heard the rest of the group running behind me, and someone called for me to slow down, but I ignored them. I had just crested the top of a large mound of tree roots, and I stared down. The world hollowed out around me, everything darkening to a pinprick of the view in front of me.

A spike of ice, almost as tall as me, thin and sharp, was slowly melting in the heat of the swamp. I watched as a drop of water coalesced and slid down the shaft at a leisurely pace, mixing with crimson like fresh watercolor paint. It glided down the spike, slithering over pallid blue skin, and plinking with finality into mud below.

I whipped around, plastering a false smile on my face, “There’s nothing to see here. We should head back.”

Bile rose in my throat and I choked it back. I dug my nails into the tree next to me for support, using it to block everyone’s view. The air churned around me.

“Mira, what—” Bloom took a step closer to me.

“Nothing’s there, let’s go!” I insisted, holding up my other arm as a pathetic barrier. 

Timmy hopped up next to me, “Come on, what is it?”

“I said, nothing’s there!” I screamed. 

I desperately tried to shove him away, but he had already seen. He stared frozen in shock, only stepping back when I pushed him with both hands. He didn’t even look down at me. His eyes were transfixed on the corpse of the troll. 

“Holy stars.” He gasped, before stumbling away and vomiting into a bush. 

“Mira…” Sky approached me like I was a frightened animal.

A frightened animal, like the troll must have been before it—

“Please,” My voice cracked, and I dropped my arms, “Don’t.”

He glanced over my head anyway. He sucked in a breath and rubbed his hand over his mouth.

“Sorscha,” he gestured her up to where we were standing. 

She followed, letting Sky give her a hand up to see.

She blew out a breath, “I’m going to call my dad.”

Sorscha walked just out of sight. Riven and Brandon had both come up to see it, sharing equal looks of trepidation.

“Well, at least we found the troll.” Riven grunted.

Sky didn’t even reprimand him, “Let’s… Let’s get away from here.”

Stella gently took my arm to guide me away, pulling me down from the roots. I blocked her view with my body as best I could.

“You don’t need to see it, too.”

She nodded, keeping her head turned stoically away from the gore. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders, and we walked back out to the clearing. I shivered in the fading sunlight. Tecna took my hand, feeling my wrist for my pulse. 

She pressed her cool fingers over my forehead and nodded, “You’re going into traumatic shock.”

I leaned more heavily into Stella, “It doesn’t feel very good.”

We sat down in a cluster, supporting each other as best we could. Stella kept her arm around me, and Bloom settled into her other side. Tecna sat across from me, between Flora and Musa. We each took each other’s hands, linking our circle.

“You have to settle your breathing,” Tecna breathed in slowly and dramatically, “Like this.”

I matched her breathing, pulling in a little more of my sense of self with every breath. We sat there, staring at the last rays of sun, until we all felt a bit more back to normal. 

Sorscha walked towards our group, the other specialists in tow.

“They’re sending out a retrieval squad, they should be here any minute.” She sighed wearily and flopped down next to Tecna.

The boys sat down around us, completing our tangled cluster. We sat in silence until a Red Fountain ship landed near us in the clearing. Sky and Brandon stood up and waved them over, and pointed them in the direction of the body. They went to go deal with it, while another specialist came over to us.

“We can drop you fairies off at Alfea. There’s medkits in the ship if anyone needs them.” 

“Thanks, man.” Sorscha rose unsteadily to her feet and clapped him on the shoulder as she headed to the ship.

The rest of us followed, each of us silently agreeing not to let go of each other’s hands.

We gathered on the bench seats, while Sorscha, Riven, and Timmy discussed next steps with the other specialist.

“Our ship is wrecked, it won’t be able to fly without some serious repairs.” Timmy said.

The specialist nodded, and Sorscha stepped away to grab one of the medkits. Once she found the bottle she was looking for, she leaned against the wall and stripped off her boot and sock.

“We can deal with the ship tomorrow, let’s just… Get the troll to the police and deal with the consequences.” She rubbed ointment onto her ankle under the bandage, careful not to unravel it.

“We’ll drop the fairies off, then we’ll fly you there,” said the boy. 

Sky walked through the door and over to the boys. He grabbed the medkit from Sorscha, taking out a small vial and dabbing some of its contents onto a gash on his forehead.

“They’re just securing the… body. We’ll be ready to leave in a minute.”

They dispersed, Riven going down to help out with the troll, the unfamiliar specialist sitting in the pilot’s chair and beginning flight preparations. The girls and I released hands only long enough to sit properly on the bench and buckle up. The boys came up a moment later and strapped into their respective seats, and we took off. It took sixty-seven breaths to make it to Alfea, and I woodenly extracted myself from my seat. The girls followed behind me, and the specialists met us at the door.

Sorscha set her hand on my shoulder, “Are you going to be okay?”

“Sure,” I shrugged, unintentionally dislodging her hand. 

I stared longingly as it dropped back to her side.

“Will you?”

She shrugged right back, a ghost of a smile passing over her face.

“I’ve seen worse.”

I huffed out an empty laugh. I knew she was lying, but I let it go.

“You should go,” she gestured to the other girls, who were finishing their goodbyes with the other specialists.

I nodded and sighed. I made to step back, before hesitantly raising my hand. I curled my fingers indecisively, but reached out to touch her arm. She covered my hand with hers, holding me there for a brief eternity. 

“I hope I see you again soon. Under better circumstances.”

A smile tugged up the corner of her mouth, “Me too.”

I pulled my hand back, and she nodded in farewell. I finally turned away from her and rejoined my friends. We stepped off the ship, turning back briefly to watch the specialists take off and fly away.

Professor Palladium jogged over to us from the Alfea gates, “There you are, I was getting worried.”

“We’re all in one piece,” Musa smiled grimly.

“I heard what happened,” he said gravely, “Headmistress Faragonda and I have decided that it would be best to keep quiet about the, ah, situation for now to not cause a panic. But in case you were worried, you still receive full credit for this assignment. And no one would blame you if you chose to take the day off from classes tomorrow.”

“That’s the first piece of good news I’ve heard,” Bloom said.

We all laughed as best we could. We began trudging up to the dorms, eager to change out of our mud-soaked outfits. Palladium left us at the main entrance, citing a meeting with Faragonda he had to get back to. 

“I’m so ready for this day to be over,” Stella groaned as we went into the Winx suite.

Several of us sounded in agreement as we kicked off our shoes and sank into the couches, not caring about dirtying the cushions.

“My ride is probably waiting for me,” I picked up my clothes and changed in the bathroom. 

I could shower once I was home, but for now, the fresh clothing was enough. 

Flora asked, “You’ll be back tomorrow, right?”

I nodded, and the other girls stood up and clustered around us. We all hugged tightly, arms tangling together.

“Everything will look better tomorrow, you’ll see.” Bloom whispered.

Chapter Text

The next few weeks passed without incident, the days falling into an easy routine. Gymnastics or tutoring lessons in the morning, Alfea in the afternoons, and back home by dinner time. Magic came to me more easily every day. 

I was practicing object levitation for Palladium’s class, using my natural affinity as an air fairy to help lift random items around my room. My stuffed cat was currently floating in lazy circles over my bed, and I stretched my concentration out to a second pillow. I held out my other arm, raising it with the pillow until it bobbed in the air next to my cat. I laughed in delight as I pulled on my magic further, adding a third pillow into the mix. They all shuddered slightly, threatening to fall, but I strained for control. I took a breath once they steadied. I channeled more energy into my wand, letting it shift my raw power into something more controlled.

“Come on…” I murmured, reaching for one more pillow. 

A burst of energy slipped out before I could hold it back, and it smacked against the ceiling and fell back to the bed, taking the other pillows with it. 

I shrugged and set my pillows to rights. A month ago, I wouldn’t have been able to lift anything for longer than a few seconds, let alone three. Something about Alfea, being around so many other fairies, made magic click in a way it never had before. But that still didn’t mean that there wasn’t a long way to go.

I sat down on my couch, ready to tackle the rest of my homework when my phone chimed from my nightstand. I scrunched my nose in concentration, pointing my wand at my phone and carefully levitating it over to me. I grinned and looked at the caller ID, seeing Stella’s face and the holochat icon below it.

“Guess I’m not getting my homework done after all,” I pressed ‘accept’ and set my phone on the table in front of me, “Hi, Stella. What’s up?”

Stella’s projection appeared in front of me, “I’ve got a date with Sky tonight, can you believe it? But I need help picking out the perfect dress.”

“On a weeknight?”

Stella rolled her eyes, “Yes, Mom, I’ve finished all my homework.”

She pressed a button on her phone, and the projection expanded until Stella’s upstairs closet overlaid my room. 

“Stella, you’ve got so many clothes!” Bloom groused, “Oh, hi Mira!”

I waved at her, and the other girls greeted me too.

“That’s the problem, I need something really special, romantic!” Stella moaned.

I squinted at the rows of dresses, “Can you pull out some options? I can’t see them from here.”

Flora pulled a long-sleeved black dress out, “Sure, how about this one? Pure, classic elegance, it’s perfect!”

I made a noncommittal hum, and Stella stuck up her nose.

“For a funeral, yes. For a date, I need a bit more pizzazz.”

“Maybe we can narrow it down by color. Pink, maybe?” I tilted my head towards a sliver of pink I could see sticking out.

Tecna pulled it out, revealing it to be a garish flamingo bodycon with a triangle print, trimmed in navy blue fur.

“You’re sure to make a lasting impression wearing this! How could you have bought something like that?”

Stella sniffed, “I didn’t buy it.”

“Don’t tell me it’s part of the royal collection!” I laughed.

“Someone gave it to you?” Tecna asked dubiously.

“No and no,” Stella crossed her arms indignantly, “I designed it.”

Musa snorted, “In the dark?”

Stella harrumphed. Bloom was still scanning the shelves until she landed on a light blue number. She took it out and swished it, showing off the satiny texture of the halter dress, the asymmetrical hem fluttering lightly. 

“I like this one,” she grinned.

Stella took the dress from her, “Yeah, that’s it!”

She grabbed a long-sleeved shirt in a paler blue, then changed into them, layering the dress over the shirt.

“It’s perfect!” I gave her a thumbs up.

Bloom asked shyly, “Will Brandon be there too?”

“No, Sky gave his bodyguard the night off.” Stella tossed her discarded clothes through my projection.

“Aw, come on! Brandon is more than just Sky’s bodyguard.” Bloom scowled.

Stella turned back to face us, “Sorry, Bloom. I was just joking, alright?”

Bloom made a hmph! and turned away.

“You like him, huh?” she needled, “Yeah, I know, don’t tell me, it’s none of my business!”

The tension eased immediately, and Bloom squawked in outrage, but grinned widely at her.

Stella perched on a trunk to put on her heels, “Musa, could you get that box for me?”

“Sure!” she dragged it over with great difficulty, “What’s in there?”

“Oh, just a few pieces of jewelry,” she rummaged through a veritable mountain of gold before settling on two red and orange bangles.

Flora looked on in shock, “A few pieces?”

“What is that, like half the gold in Solaria?” I snorted.

Stella ignored us and slipped the bracelets on.

“Here, these are perfect. But, hmm, the ring is too much,” she slipped it off and admired her arm, “Now that’s better! Bloom, could you keep this for me, please?”

Bloom accepted it hesitantly, “But it’s your magic ring!”

“Oh, I won’t need it tonight. Hey, who needs a magic scepter when you’ve got a real prince to protect you!” She twirled around effortlessly in her heels. 

“Hey, what’s that noise?” I could hear a faint buzzing from the other side of the line, but I couldn’t make out what it was. 

Flora gasped, running over to grab a timer that was tucked in the back corner of the room, “Oh no, the roast!”

The other girls ran out of the room in alarm, shouting about the roast.

“Shit. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Stella picked up her phone, making all of the hologram except for her disappear.

“Have fun on your date!”

We both gave our goodbyes, and I ended the call.

What was that about the roast? 

I shook my head and laughed, finally getting back to my homework. 

✭✭✭

Metamorphology was quickly becoming my favorite class. Minor transformations came to me easily, something I could thank Brigid for all the extra practice for. Today, Professor Wizgiz was running the class through a few simple transformations using spoken phrases. Our heads were currently pumpkins, which was proving to be quite uncomfortable. 

“And one more time, all together!” Wizgiz commanded, “A deep breath, repeat after me; Vanish Pumpkin!”

“Vanish Pumpkin!” We all called. And with a puff of magic, our heads returned to their original shapes. All except for Katy.

“Professor Wizgiz! It didn’t work!” she cried.

Wizgiz hopped off his desk, “Calm down, calm down. This is what happens when you don’t concentrate enough.”

“Do something, please!”

“Alright, just take a deep breath.”

She did, calming slightly.

“Now try again, say it with me. Vanish Pumpkin.”

She repeated him, and her face returned to normal. Katy sighed in relief and slumped back in her chair.

“There you go, lass.”

The end-of-class bell chimed, and Wizgiz nimbly hopped up to sit on his desk.

“I’ll see you all again next class for our first lesson in ento-morphosis, the art of insect transformation!”

The class collectively groaned as we gathered our things and left the classroom. I waved to the professor on my way out, and he tipped his hat at me in return.

“Great work today, Mira!”

My cheeks warmed, but I grinned, “Thanks, professor!”

I was the last one out of the classroom, and I found the other Winx already deep in conversation in the hallway.

“—happened to her that she doesn’t want to tell us?” Tecna was saying.

Flora huffed, “I don’t know what’s gotten into her!”

“Gotten into who?” I interjected.

“Stella. Did you notice, her highness didn’t even bother to come to class today!” Musa scoffed.

I raised my eyebrows, “So the date went that badly, huh?”

“We don’t know! She was banging around in her room before dawn, and then she refused to tell us what happened!” Bloom frowned, “I’ll try to talk to her again. Wait for me?”

“Good luck, girl!” Musa waved as Bloom ran off to the apartment.

We chatted for a minute about today’s lessons when Flora’s phone dinged with an incoming text.

“It’s from Bloom, she says to come to the apartment!” Her eyebrows creased in worry.

“Let’s go see what’s going on with Stella,” Tecna nodded, and we headed to the apartment.

“Stella jumped out the window?” I exclaimed.

Bloom nodded wordlessly. She had just finished telling us how Stella attacked her and tossed the apartment in search of her ring, and now we stared out at the wreckage of the living room. Plants were knocked over and their pots broken, the furniture was tipped over and slid around the room, and everything else was strewn all over the floor.

“I don’t know, I can’t believe it,” Flora worried.

“Believe it, girl. This is no dream!” Musa toed at the remains of a picture frame.

Flora shook her head in distress, “What in the Realms has gotten into her?”

“Her date with Prince Charming must have sent her into dizzy mode,” Tecna twirled her fingers around her temples.

Bloom began gathering debris, “On Earth, we’d say she’s crashing out. But somehow, I don’t think Sky has anything to do with it!”

I righted the coffee table, and Bloom set her armload down on it.

“You should’ve seen her, she was— she was acting really evil! It didn’t look like her!”

Musa crossed her arms, “I don’t understand the part about the ring. Why was she looking for it if she herself gave it to you?”

“What if she’s lost her memory?” Flora gasped, “What if something happened to make her confused?”

I dug my phone out of my bag and called Stella, only to hear it ring from the floor of her room. I picked it up and ended the call with a sigh.

“She doesn’t have her phone on her,” I held it up so the rest of them could see.

Bloom groaned, “That would be too easy.”

“So, where do we start?” Tecna asked.

“Well, I’d start with last night’s date,” Musa held up a written invitation, “Prince Sky of Eraklyon, our number one suspect.”

I checked the time on my phone, “We can probably catch the bus if we run!”

We took the bus to Red Fountain, staring uncertainly at the sheer size of the school.

“So, how do we find Sky?” Flora wondered.

I held up my compass and jingled it, “I’ve got this!”

We followed the compass’s direction to a training yard situated on one of the middle terraces. Sky was taking a drink of water when we cornered him.

He waved, “Hey girls, what’s up?”

“What did you do to Stella?” Bloom stormed up to him.

Sky flinched back, more in surprise than actual fear, “Nothing, I think. What are you talking about?”

“Stella came home last night acting crazy, and now she’s missing. Right after a date with you.” Musa crossed her arms.

“You sent her a note inviting her on a date to the Black Lagoon.” Tecna pressed.

“I’d love to help you guys, but I really have no idea what you’re talking about!” he huffed in exasperation, “Last night I worked out ‘til nine, then I collapsed! I didn’t see Stella, and I never sent her a note like that!”

Bloom held up the note and raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, I didn’t write that!” Sky snatched it out of her hand and inspected it more closely.

At that moment, Riven decided to make an appearance with his usual charm.

“You sure didn’t, didn’t you girls know that Sky can’t write?”

“Very funny, Riven, we just can’t stop laughing,” Bloom deadpanned over his snickering.

I glanced towards Bloom, “That doesn’t even make sense. Sky isn’t illiterate, right? What’s the joke?”

“There is no joke. Riven just likes being a dick.” Sky stared at Riven pointedly.

“Bye, sweeties!” Riven winked obnoxiously at us and went on his way.

I rolled my eyes as he left and turned my focus back to Sky.

“Obviously, someone’s tricked her. Did something happen to her?” He stared harder at the note, like some hidden meaning would appear if he looked at it for long enough.

Musa nodded, “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

A lanky, light brown dog startled us out of our musings when it barked and ran up to us, immediately jumping on Tecna and trying to lick her face.

“Would it be possible to recall this animal, please?” she squirmed.

“Lady, down girl,” Sky called to no avail, “Hush, Lady—”

“Lady!” a new voice commanded.

Lady immediately rushed over to Brandon, heeling obediently as he came to join our circle.

Sky shook his head with a grin, “She spends so much time with Brandon, she’s stopped listening to me!”

Brandon returned his smile, using a hand gesture to command Lady to sit.

“Hi, Brandon!” Bloom tucked a not-so-stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Hi, Bloom,” Brandon smiled softly at her.

Flora looked at Lady, “Can we pet her?”

“Sure, she’s super friendly!” Brandon assented, making another hand gesture.

Lady wagged her tail hard enough to wiggle her entire rear half with it, and she pressed up against Flora’s legs, panting happily as Flora cooed and reached down to pet her. I knelt down and scratched her behind the ears.

A deep voice boomed from the mezzanine above us, “Alright boys, break’s over! Some fierce, fiery dragons are awaiting your arrival, so say goodbye to your friends.”

Sky shielded his eyes from the sun, “Yes, sir. We’ll be right there.”

Brandon stage-whispered to us, “That’s Codatorta the terrible—”

“Sorscha’s father?” I blurted, and Lady used the break in my defenses to lick my face.

“That’s right, it’s best not to keep him waiting.”

Sky handed the note back to Bloom, “You’ll keep us posted, won’t you? And if you need any help, you know where to find it.”

They waved in farewell as they headed back into the building, Lady bounding off with them at Brandon’s whistle. I gagged and wiped the dog slobber off my face as best I could.

“Now what?” Flora frowned.

“We go to Magix.” Bloom pounded her fist into her hand.

I cringed at the city noise as we stepped off the bus to Magix. 

“So you think Stella is here somewhere?” Tecna called over the drone of hovercars.

Bloom shrugged helplessly, “I think she could be anywhere at this point!”

“Then why start with the city?” Flora asked as we started down the sidewalk.

“Because of the Black Lagoon,” Bloom held up the note, “That’s where she was supposed to go last night, maybe they’ll be able to help us there!”

“Black Lagoon, hmm…” Tecna grabbed her palm-top out of her belt bag.

I concentrated on my compass as she typed in her search query.

“A quick scan of my synchronic map, and voila! Strange, no sign of a Black Lagoon.” Tecna frowned at her map.

I let my compass fall back on my chest, “Nothing here, either. Isn’t that weird?”

Tecna nodded and closed her screen.

“Now let’s try my search program,” Bloom smirked.

Tecna perked up, “You’ve got one too? How does it work?”

“Check this out,” Bloom walked over to a man holding a shopping bag and asked him a question. He shrugged and shook his head, and she waved farewell and rejoined our group.

“See, you guys can use it too if you want. It’s very easy to operate!” 

We giggled, then dispersed to ask around. 

I turned to Flora, “Should we check one of the shops? Maybe someone there knows about it.”

“Oh, good idea!” she nodded.

We scanned the rows of stores, and she pointed to a bakery.

“How about that one? We can get something for the girls while we’re there.”

I agreed, and we headed to the shop, asking a few passers-by as we went. Flora and I picked out cupcakes for each of us, and we stood in line to pay for them. The line moved swiftly, and soon the cashier was boxing up our cupcakes. I scanned my credit card while Flora talked to her.

“Have you heard of a restaurant called the Black Lagoon?” Flora asked.

The cashier nodded behind us, “There’s been some construction on the next block over, but I haven’t heard anything about a new restaurant, sorry.”

“Thanks, anyway.” She grabbed the cupcake box and waved at the cashier.

We left the shop and spotted Musa leaning against a large stone planter at a street corner. She waved us over, and we crossed the road. Bloom and Tecna rejoined us a moment later, and we sat around in defeat.

“Cupcakes?” I opened the box, and we each grabbed one.

“No luck, this isn’t good!” Flora sighed.

Bloom spoke through a bite of chocolate frosting, “If they wanted to be a cool spot, they really should start advertising a little more.”

I picked off the candied flower decoration and crunched it between my teeth, the sweet taste doing little to ease my frustration.

“Yeah, nobody’s heard of it!” Musa frowned at her cupcake, “There’s something fishy going on here.”

“Maybe we should go back to Alfea and tell Miss Griselda.” Tecna proposed.

I gestured towards the sun falling behind the buildings, “It’s starting to get late, I’ll have to leave soon.”

“You girls give up already?” Bloom stood and faced us.

Tecna eyed her, “Listen, this kind of perseverance is not always good.” 

“Neither are your electronic gadgets!”

Flora flung her arms out between them, “Hey, hey! This is no time to be fighting!”

They both apologized, and Bloom sat back down.

“Um, excuse me, ladies,” a young man in out-of-style, ill-fitting clothes approached us, “I couldn’t help but notice that, uh, well, you were asking questions, and I think I have the information you’re looking for! But maybe it’s none of my business.”
I squinted at him in suspicion, but Bloom jumped up again and closed the gap between them. 

“Are you kidding? Why didn’t you say so right away?” 

“You know something about the Black Lagoon?” Musa got up and flanked Bloom.

He adjusted his glasses awkwardly, “Yeah, it’s a great new restaurant just outside the city, very exclusive. You follow the main road and keep going ‘til you get to the bridge. You can’t miss it, there’s a really large oak tree in front.”

Bloom smiled broadly, “Great! Thanks, mister—”

But the stranger had already turned away, flipping his hood up and walking at a clipped pace away from us.

“What a strange man,” Tecna mused as he turned the corner.

“He’s lying.”

The girls turned to face me in confusion.

“What do you mean, Mira?” Flora asked.

I crushed my cupcake wrapper into a ball, “Maybe those are the directions to the Black Lagoon, but that definitely wasn’t the whole truth. I’ve always been able to tell when people lie. I can feel it in their breathing, in the way the air feels around them, it makes it feel… off.”

Bloom frowned, “It’s the best clue we’ve got.”

“I say we go, but we keep our guards up.” Musa nodded.

“The directions were right, at least. Here’s the big oak tree!” Tecna pointed.

We had just crossed the bridge leading out of central downtown. The sun winked and disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving the air cold and unwelcoming.

“And there’s the Black Lagoon,” Bloom said as a building came into view. 

It was shaped like a cottage, but with dark wood and shaded windows that gave it an ominous atmosphere.

Flora laid her hand on the side of the tree, “I’ve got a strange feeling about this place. It feels odd, cold, like it’s not quite alive!”

The door opened, revealing the same strange man from before.

“There you are, we’ve been waiting for you! Come in, please, come in.” He beckoned us inside.

“You!” I balled my hands into fists.

He just smirked and went deeper inside, the shadows quickly enveloping him.

“It’s a trap, Mira was right!” Musa cried.

Bloom bravely marched up to the door, “Last chance to turn back.”

“No way. If that’s where Stella is, we have to get her back.” Tecna asserted. 

We stepped over the threshold, giving our eyes a moment to adjust to the light before going deeper in.

Flora shivered, “I don’t like this place one bit!”

I laughed weakly in agreement.

Musa shrugged nonchalantly, “A fresh coat of paint, a few nice rugs, it would look totally different!”

“This is not the time to joke around!” Tecna chastised.

She held up her hands in surrender, “It’s what Stella would say.”

The door slammed shut, and we whirled back to face it.

Stella, or at least what looked like Stella, stood in front of it, arms crossed, “Well, look who’s here. My friends.”

“Guys, I don’t think that’s—” I dove out of the way as Not-Stella tried to blast me with a flare of dark purple magic.

I heard her step closer towards us, “I’m only here to take back what’s mine. I want my ring, and I’m going to get it one way or another!”

She sent a second blast hurtling towards the other girls. They split and ducked behind the nearest cover: Bloom and Flora behind a large support column, and Musa and Tecna hid with me behind an upturned table. Not-Stella sent a volley of magic towards Bloom and Flora, each burst taking the column one step closer to crumbling.

“Their cover’s not going to last long!” Musa shouted.

“I’ll take care of it!” Tecna stood up and transformed in a flash of light. 

She ran towards the two of them, summoning a shield as she left the cover of the table. Not-Stella continued trying to blast her, but the shield remained strong. Tecna said something inaudible to the girls, and they ran back to us behind the safety of her shield.

“Ready to surrender?” Not-Stella called. 

Musa made to stand, summoning magic in her clenched fists, “That’s it, I’m sick of being her target!”

Flora and I yanked her back down before she could get up.

“Don’t attack, we can’t hurt Stella!”

Musa scowled, “She’s not exactly pulling her punches.”

“That’s what I was trying to say before, that’s not Stella! She’s not…” I struggled to describe it, “Breathing the same? Anyway, it’s not her!”

Bloom nodded, “She’s right, Stella can’t do magic like that without her scepter!”

“I guess the game is up,” her voice sounding far too close, “Time to shed the disguise…”

We shot up from our hiding place to see Not-Stella mere feet away. Her appearance seemed to warp out of shape and into something new, a dark-haired witch dressed in purple, smirking wickedly at us.

“And be myself.”

Two other figures stalked out of the shadows, one with long white hair in a tight ponytail, and the other with a cloud of dark grey hair, both similarly dressed in muted teal and magenta. They looked older than us, maybe by a few years, but ancient cruelty glowed in their eyes.

“The Trix!” Musa balled her hands into fists.

Bloom slid her leg back into a fighting stance, “Get ready, girls.”

“Wait for me, wait for me!” The strange man from earlier stumbled out from his own pocket of shadow and fell at the first witch’s feet.

She rolled her eyes and flicked her hand towards him, and he warped into an ogre twice the size of his previous form. He turned to smile at us, baring his yellow-brown teeth in a horrific grin, then lumbered in front of the door to cut off our exit.

“Anyway, on to business,” she yanked at a bit of shadow that seemed thicker than the air around it, and it fell away like a curtain.

In its place hovered Stella, the real one, wrapped in icy chains of magic.

“Stella!” Bloom screamed, barely stopping herself from running to her, “What do you want from her?”

“Haven’t you figured it out yet? We want her ring, of course,” The teal one mocked, “Poor Stella, prisoner of my discs of energy. Better hurry up and make a decision.”

“Give us the ring, you little shits, or—”

The teal one glared at her, “What Stormy means is that you’re outmatched. So choose. Stella’s life, or the ring.”

She curled her hands into claws, and Stella contorted in pain as the discs tightened. 

“This is blackmail!” Flora cried.

“And we never give in to blackmail.” Tecna held her fists up.

Musa poised to transform, “Get ready, witches, for the thrashing of a lifetime!”

I summoned my courage and my magic, letting it manifest as pale lilac energy in my palms.

“No,” Bloom held out a hand to stop us, and stepped forward, “We can’t put Stella’s life in danger like this.”

Bloom held out the ring, and the purple Trix went to snatch it from her hand.

“Wait!” I threw my hand over Bloom’s, “It could be a trick. Let her go first.”

I glared as menacingly as I could at the witches.

“No.” she sneered at me before knocking my arm out of the way.

Before I could even blink, the teal one had an ice dagger to my throat. Stormy set the air crackling with lightning, and the purple witch just stepped back, ring in hand.

“Oh, shit,” my hair swirled around me with my untethered energy, “You?”

“I take it you’re the one who found my little message?”

Memories of a different spear of ice shot through my mind. I sucked in a sharp breath, taking my errant magic with it. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my eardrums. My magic itched beneath my skin, begging to be released, but I didn’t even dare breathe for fear of ending up like the hunting troll. She stared at me for another interminable second before whipping away from me, carelessly dragging the tip of the dagger across my collarbone. I gasped for air and clutched my throat, feeling a trickle of wetness seep through my fingers.

“Normally, I wouldn’t keep my word. But I don’t need her anymore,” She snapped, and the bonds holding up Stella disappeared, “And dealing with a body is such a drag.”

She fell like a rag doll and hit the ground with a painful thump. The Trix and their ogre laughed and disappeared, the air distorting around them.

Bloom rushed over and fell to her knees in front of Stella. I tried to step forward, but I wobbled and leaned against a column instead.

“Stella? Stella?” Bloom shook her, and she regained consciousness with a groan.

We all sighed in relief. Tecna crouched next to them, and they pulled Stella up to a sitting position.

“Do you think you can stand? We need to get out of here.” Bloom asked.

She nodded weakly, but managed to pull her legs underneath herself. 

Flora gasped, looking at my neck, “Mira! Are you alright?”

I tilted my chin up and tilted my head slightly from side to side, confirming that it was barely more than a scratch. 

“It stings, but nothing a bit of salve can’t fix. Please tell me there’s no blood on my shirt, though.”

She brought out a tissue from her purse and dabbed at it gently, “You’ll be okay. Bloom’s right, I don’t want to be in this place any longer.”

She handed me the tissue, and we stepped outside into the dimming late-afternoon sun. I used the tissue to clean off some of the blood drying on my hands.

Musa slumped against the guardrails of the bridge, “We’ve been had. We fell for it like amateurs!”

“Well, maybe that’s because we are amateurs.” Stella quipped hoarsely, rubbing at the rings of bruises forming all down her arms.

I jolted as my phone buzzed in my back pocket. I answered the call without checking the caller ID, half-turning away from the rest of the Winx as I put the phone up to my ear.

“Yo, princess, where are you? I thought your class was supposed to end like, an hour ago.”

I sighed, the side of my mouth quirking up a little, “Hi, Cameron. Yeah, I just got caught up in a, uh… extracurricular activity.”

Cam was the pilot who’d been flying me to and from Alfea every day, and we’d become fast friends during the hour-long commutes.

“No sweat, do you think you’ll be out soon?”

“Actually,” I glanced back towards Stella, who looked positively grey with exhaustion, “Could you come pick us up? We’re not far, just outside downtown.”

“How many is ‘us’?”

“Six?” I winced.

Static crinkled on the other side as Cam must have evaluated the size of the commuter ship.

“Yeah, we can make it work.”

“Great. Thank you, Cam.” I gave them more specific directions about our location, then hung up and rejoined the girls.

“Good news, we don’t have to walk back to the city.” I crumpled up the tissue and held it awkwardly in my fist, tapping it against my leg.

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day!” Stella chirped.

The sun’s final rays seemed to do her good. She sat propped against Bloom’s shoulder, legs stretched out in front of her. 

A few minutes later, a small blue and yellow ship descended from the sky and landed in the clearing ahead of us. I stretched my arms and let out a half-hearted yay! before walking over to meet it.

The door opened to reveal Cam leaning against the frame, wearing their typical monogrammed pilot’s jacket and teal dreads tied up in a ponytail, until they noticed my neck and tripped over their own feet in shock.

“Fuck, Mira! What kind of extracurricular activities are you doing?”

I shifted my hair as best I could over the wound, “I… tripped.”

“The fuck you did.” They put a hand on their hip and loomed over me.

I wrinkled my nose, “You can’t tell anyone.”

They just raised an eyebrow, looming harder.

“Please?”

“Not until I know how bad this,” They twirled their hand around, gesturing at my friends and me, “Was. I’m technically your bodyguard, I’m not getting fired over this bullshit.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, deciding how much truth I should share, “It was a dumb prank. Some witches… sort of trapped Stella in this house, then we got her back! No big deal, there wasn’t even a real fight.”

Not technically a lie.

“So this was a one-time thing?”

“I promise if it isn’t, I’ll get you involved. I’ll even tell the captain of the guard how cool you are.” 

Cam’s smile returned, and they jerked their head back towards the ship, “Well, come on then, let’s get back before someone notices how late we are.”

“Thank you, Cam.” 

We all crammed into the Skylark, and Cam took off back towards Alfea. The flight only lasted a few minutes before they set down just outside the gates.

The girls filed out, and I glanced back at Cam, “I’ll be right back, I just need my bag.”

Back in the apartment, Flora made quick work of Stella’s bruises and my cut with a couple of ointments and salves. Stella, seemingly back to her usual spirits, left to go ‘shower off the stench of kidnapping’, and Bloom stopped me as I grabbed my bag to leave.

“Hey, Callisto has like, the largest library in the magic dimension, right?”

I nodded, “That’s right.”

“Do you think I could borrow a book from there? Do I need a library card or something?”

“Card? No. But it depends on the book, a lot of them are too delicate for circulation. What kind of book did you want?”

“I wanted to do some digging up on Stella’s ring. The Trix wanted it pretty badly, so it’s got to be important, right?”

I hummed in agreement, “It must be. I’ll see what I can find and bring it tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Mira,” she wrapped me in a quick hug, “See you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow, Bloom. And don’t forget about the quiz in duFour’s class!”

She groaned, tipping her head up to the ceiling, “I’m so bad at charms.”

“Me too. We can fail together!” I laughed softly and reached for the door handle, calling out a final farewell to the rest of the Winx. They responded in kind, and I made my way back to Cam and the ship.

“Took you long enough!”

I just stuck my tongue out at them and took my seat.

“Your neck’s healed?”

“Yeah, Flora’s great at potions. She makes her own healing salves.”

“Good, that makes a lot less paperwork for me.”

“Of course, that’s the only reason I bothered healing it in the first place.”

They snorted and turned away to complete the pre-flight check. I grabbed my homework from my bag, making a quick note to find those books for Bloom before I forgot. I was back home before I even finished my metamorphology notes.

Chapter Text

Morning came with the pounding of heavy rain against my windows. I stretched and flicked on the newscast, listening to the weather report as I went into the bathroom to start my morning routine.

“—Storm domes will be raised early this afternoon, and are expected to stay up for at least the rest of the week. Postpone your travel plans, as we are issuing a severe lightning warning beginning at 7 PM until 6 AM tomorrow. I’m Audrey Vane, and this is Callisto Broadcast News. We’ll be right back after the commercial break.”

The feed cut to a trailer for the latest season of Love in the Sun, Solaria’s hit reality dating show. I switched off the newscast. After slipping on a cozy sweater over my practice leotard, I headed out of my room towards the gym.

“Ah, Mira. I’m glad I caught you.” Auntie Fin strolled towards me from an adjoining hallway.

“Good morning, Auntie!”

“Have you seen the weather today?”

I nodded, “I guess I’ll be missing school for a few days?”

“About that. If it’s alright with you, I think you should spend the duration of the storm at Alfea. I don’t want you to miss anything important. Didn’t you just tell me you had a quiz coming up?”

“Are you serious?” I grinned teasingly, “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

She smiled down at me, “I assure you I’m quite alright. Now, would you like to go, or not? You’ll have to leave within the hour if you want any chance of making it off the planet.”

“Yes, absolutely! I’m sure my friends have space for me in their apartment for a couple days.”

“Perfect, I’ll inform Faragonda of the last-minute arrangements,” She hugged me farewell, “I’ll also make sure Cameron is ready to take you as soon as possible, so pack quickly. Oh, my dear sunrise, I’ll miss you.”

I smiled reassuringly back at her, “I’m only a phone call away. Besides, there’s still time to forbid me from going!”

“Don’t tempt me. I’ll see you in a few days.” She touched a hand to my cheek fondly before turning back the way she came.

I skipped back up to my room, forgoing practice in favor of packing my overnight bag. I started with my toiletries, figuring that they would be the easiest to decide on. The clothes came next. I picked out enough for over a week, hoping that all of it would pack down small enough. 

In what bag?

I rolled my eyes and groaned in exasperation. In my haste, I forgot that I needed to actually pack my things in to something. I wasn’t sure I even owned a suitcase, or even so much as a large purse. I had my school bag, but of course, it was occupied by my school supplies. I grabbed my phone and called my sister. 

She answered on the second ring, voice groggy with sleep, “Why?”

Kiara was even less of an early riser than I was, sometimes even sleeping past noon if no one woke her before then. 

“Kiki, do you own any travel bags?” 

She groaned, and the muffled sound of a phone being smushed into a pillow came through the line.

“Kiki, I’m serious. I need a bag, like, right now!” I raised my voice, hoping she was still conscious enough to hear me. 

When no reply came, I rolled my eyes and hung up. I stacked all of my clothes into a neat pile and ran in a full-out sprint across the bridge from my tower to Kiara’s.

Might as well get my exercise in this way.

I entered without knocking. My sister’s room was just as messy as mine, but instead of art supplies strewn across the floor, it was books. Piles of books covered every available surface, the shelves, her desk, and even a couple lay on the edge of her oversized bed. 

“Kiara, I’m stealing your shit.” I announced, proceeding to dig through her wardrobe.

She mumbled incoherently, and I took that as an assent. I found a bag tucked under a collection of scarves, judging it to be of adequate size.

“I’m leaving for a few days because of the storms. Do you want to say goodbye to me?” I quirked an eyebrow at her.

She propped herself up on her elbows, “Leaving? Where?”

“Alfea. There’s lightning storms, so Auntie is letting me stay at Alfea so I don’t miss any classes. First night away from home, isn’t it exciting?” 

“I think I’d miss my bed.” She flopped back down but raised an arm to gesture me over to her. 

I took a step forward and tripped over a short stack of books.

“Ow! You really need to return some of these.” I glared at the offending books.

Kiara was notorious in the library for hoarding books, much to the librarians’ ire. Luckily for her, they enjoyed her company too much to hold it against her.

I picked up the books and read the titles, Prominent Relics Across the Magic Dimension, A Compendium of Royal Heirlooms, and Tales of Time: Fact or Legend?

“Huh, that’s convenient. Can I borrow these, actually? I told Bloom I’d get her some information on that ring Stella has.”

I plopped down on the edge of her bed, watching my step more carefully this time.

“Only if you give me a hug before you leave.” 

I happily obliged, crushing her deeper into her mound of pillows as I squeezed her tightly.

“I’ll miss you. I’ll call you and Auntie sometime tonight, but I really need to go now.”

“Go, live your dreams,” Kiara smiled at me.

“I’ll let you get back to yours,” I patted her on the head, and she swatted my arm away, “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

I raced back to my room and packed all of my clothes and toiletries in my newly acquired bag. Even with all of my extra just-in-case clothes, there was still a little bit of room left over. I glanced towards my round stuffed cat, who stared mournfully at me from on top of my pillows.

“Oh, Cat Cat, my beloved plushie, how could I ever leave you behind?” 

I levitated him into my hands, then shoved him mercilessly into the remaining space in my bag, zipping it shut around him. With everything packed, I shouldered my travel bag on one arm and my school bag on the other, then left for the spaceship port.

✭✭✭

An hour later, Cam touched down the Skylark outside of Alfea’s gates. Rain pattered against the windshields, but compared to Callisto, it was barely a drizzle. 

“And here I thought we were supposed to be escaping the weather.” I quipped.

I pulled on my raincoat and stepped out of the ship, taking in the smell of damp earth. I hurried through the gates, shaking off the rain once I was under the awning of the building. I tucked my raincoat through the straps of my bag and hurried up to the Winx apartment. I had called Bloom on the flight, letting her know I had her books, and to ask if there was space for me to stay overnight.

I knocked and let myself into the suite. Nobody was in, since I arrived in the middle of morning period, so I sat on one of the couches and worked on a few assignments I was falling behind on. 

I jumped at the sound of the door opening. The girls walked in, chattering amongst themselves. 

“Mira!” Stella cheered, “You’re staying in my room, everything is all set up.”

“Great, thanks!” I closed my notebook and set it aside, “I know it’s short notice.”

Flora waved off my hesitation, “Nonsense, it’ll be wonderful to have you!”

“Come put your things down, then we can go get lunch,” Stella beckoned me into her room. 

The space looked completely different. Stella’s bed and desk were shifted over to one side, making room for the second, equally large bed pressed against the opposite wall. There was even a small houseplant adorning the nightstand, as well as one on the matching dresser, presumably Flora’s doing. I could have sworn that the room was even larger than it used to be. 

“When did you have time to do all this?”

Stella shrugged, “It’s how the room is supposed to be, but since I had the room all to myself, I used a spell and poof! Single room. All I did was reverse it.”

“Cool.” I grinned and set my bags on top of the dresser. 

“Now come on, let’s go to lunch. I’m starved!”

“One more thing,” I pulled Cat Cat out of my bag, setting him on top of the pillows, “There, just like home.”

“Aw, how adorable! What’s its name?” Stella crooned.

“Cat Cat. I wasn’t exactly very creative at naming things as a child.”

She laughed, “Me neither, I named every single one of my dolls Priscilla.”

“Priscilla is a lovely name. Very versatile,” I gave my plush one final pat, “Alright, let’s go.”

Lunch was held buffet-style in the dining hall. I copied Flora and got a sandwich with a salad on the side, and we found a table near the windows. We ate quickly and made it to the library just in time for history class with Miss Barbatea. 

The lesson flew by, despite the dull topic of interplanetary trade relations before the Zenithi tech boom. 

“That concludes our lesson for today. There will be a comprehension quiz on Tuesday, so be sure to study chapters 4 and 5 in the textbook. Other than that, no homework. Enjoy your weekend, students!” Miss Barbatea finished with a nod, then neatly stacked up all of the papers on her desk with a twirl of her hand. 

Chatter bubbled up as we packed up our things and trickled out of the library. Bloom stayed behind to read the books I gave her, and the rest of us went back to the apartment.

“Can someone lend me a hand, please?” Flora struggled to drag a potted plant onto the balcony.

I grabbed my compass and shifted it into its wand form, “Actually, I’ve been working on this. Do you mind?”

Flora nodded, setting the pot back down. I pointed my wand at the plant, levitating it barely a few inches into the air. I kept my focus on keeping it upright, not wanting to spill any dirt on the carpets.

“On the balcony?”

Flora hummed in assent, “They could use the rain. I take my plants out whenever I can, but I’m afraid this one’s getting too big for me!”

She picked up a smaller plant in one hand and opened the balcony door with the other. I carefully guided the plant out into the path of the rain, setting it down with a soft clunk. 

“Don’t leave the doors open!” Stella shivered dramatically, “I miss home, it never rains on Solaria.”

“Ever? Are there even, like, seasons there?” Musa wrinkled her nose.

She shrugged, “Not really. I guess summer is a bit hotter, but that’s it.” 

“I can’t imagine not having rain. I love how it makes the forests smell.” I took in a deep breath of the cool air, setting another plant on the balcony.

Flora came back out of her room with an armload of empty jars, “Isn’t it lovely? I’ve tried for years to make it into a perfume, but I’ve never gotten it quite right.”

She stared wistfully into the sky as she set her jars into the last of the free space.

“So what about the weather on Zenith? What’s that like?” Musa tipped her head to Tecna.

She barely glanced up from her palm-top, “In the major cities, around the magnetic poles, it’s kept just above freezing. It’s the optimal temperature for all of the technological infrastructure. In the agricultural regions, it’s between fifteen and twenty-five degrees Celsius depending on the crops.” 

“So you actually control the weather?” Musa raised her eyebrows.

Tecna nodded, diverting her attention back to her palm-top.

“Someone pitch that to Callisto, we’d save a lot of money on storm repairs every year!” I joked, and the girls giggled with me.

Bloom burst through her door, brandishing one of the books, “I found it!”

We gathered around her, Stella and Flora squishing in next to her on the couch, Tecna and Musa leaning in behind them, and I perched on the armrest, my elbow on Stella’s shoulder for a better look.

“Check this out,” Bloom opened to a bookmarked page with an image of Stella’s ring, sliding a finger across the words as she read them, “The Sword of Power: part of the lineal right of the princess of Solaria, that means it belongs to you!”

“Of course it does! I could have told you that myself. The sword ring has been in my family, well, forever!”

Bloom’s eyebrows creased, “Yeah, but that doesn’t tell us why the witches are so eager to have it.”

“Well, it is an important royal heirloom.” Flora shrugged.

“The Trix aren’t just common criminals, there’s got to be something else to it!” Musa asserted.

“There’s got to be more. What does that next passage say?” I nodded back to the book.

Bloom tapped the page, “According to the legend, the Sword of Solaria was created a long time ago, nobody remembers exactly when! It was sculpted out of a stone immersed in the Spring of Light, which still flows today. It is one of the many gifts offered by the Sacred Fire.”

“Hey, I’ve been there on holiday!” Stella perked up, “I didn’t realize it had such a boring history.”

“So, what is the Sacred Fire, exactly?” Tecna mused.

Bloom pushed an imaginary pair of glasses up her nose and spoke in a haughty voice, “Excellent question, Miss Tecna. So pleased you should ask.”

“Hey, you sound just like Griselda!” Flora giggled. 

“Listen to this,” Bloom had flipped to the index, then flipped back to a new page, “The magical dimension as we know it was created at the beginning of time by the mythical Great Dragon, who sparked the Sacred Fire!”

“Great Dragon? As in, creation myth Great Dragon?” I blurted.

Bloom frowned at the book, “I don’t know, but I guess so. I don’t think there’s many Great Dragons flying about.”

“Did the dragon exist for real, or is it simply a mythical symbol?” Flora wondered.

Tecna shrugged, “I think it represents an ideal. You know, embodiment of Good versus Evil.”

Musa tapped Stella on the back of the head, “You must know the story.”

“Uh, well, ancient history is not my strong point.” Stella canted her head to the side.

“Oh, of course!” Flora put a hand to her heart, “A princess has different priorities.”

She played along, “Shopping, for instance!”

“Speak for yourself!” I grabbed one of the books Bloom left on the coffee table, “I grew up in a giant library.”

I flipped the book open to the table of contents, “Hmm, let’s see… Oh, perfect! Chapter One, Tales of the Great Dragon. Author’s note, before we begin, please keep in mind, blah blah blah, all it’s saying is that myths change over time and that this is their best interpretation of it. It’s a legal disclaimer, basically. Anyway. Tales of the Great Dragon. In the beginning, there was emptiness. It was a time before time, where everything was nothing. Then, out of the deep darkness, a dazzling light appeared! It took the shape of the first dragon, breathing life into the universe with his fiery breath. He created all the planets and realms we know today, spreading light, heat, and life throughout the worlds. Once the Dragon became satisfied with his work, he chose to lie down and rest in a planet known as Domino.”

“Domino? Isn’t that a dead planet now?” Musa interrupted.

Tecna replied in her usual fact-imparting tone, “It used to be one of the most ecologically prosperous planets, up until the Battle of Domino about 15 years ago.”

“Hey, Battle of Domino! Didn’t your—” Stella’s face fell as her words caught up to her, “Didn’t your parents fight in that?”

I nodded slowly, “Yeah, they were both part of the Company of Light. They both died during the final battle. Nobody likes to talk about it, so that’s all I really know.”

I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. My parents’ deaths and consequent absence in my life weren’t exactly a source of grief for me most of the time; it was just a fact of my life. My hair was pink, I was ambidextrous, and my mom and dad were dead. 

I directed the conversation back to the book, “Now here’s the author’s analysis.”

The tension eased while I skimmed the text.

“So, the author thinks that the myth is, at the very least, derived from truth. They reference a common theory held by Earth scientists, the Big Bang?” I glanced over to Bloom.

Bloom perked up, clearly more comfortable with the familiar subject, “Yeah, in school we learn that the universe started with a big bang, which sounds a lot like the beginning of the story.”

“How interesting, I’ll have to do some further research on this.” Tecna typed a note into her palm-top. 

“Yeah, so the scientific evidence points to the Great Dragon theory having merit, but there doesn’t really seem to be a way to prove it for certain. Domino was very secretive about any knowledge regarding the Dragon. They also reference a power held by the royal line known as the Dragon Flame, but again, there seems to be very little information about it.” I shut the book and set it back on the table. 

“I’d like to learn more. This has left me with more questions than answers. I think I’m going to go back to the library.” Bloom stood and stretched.

“I still have more homework to do, but let me know what you find!” I waved at her as she left, and we all dispersed to our own activities.

✭✭✭

After dinner, Stella and I started watching Love in the Sun. Her, more for actual enjoyment, and I, in some kind of morbid fascination. I felt like I should be taking notes for the sociology scholars back home. Musa had her headphones on while she scribbled some notes down at the table by the balcony, while Flora carried her rainwater-filled jars back inside. The other two were in their rooms.

A montage of the final couples played on the screen while the credits rolled in the bottom corner. Stella sighed heavily and switched off the show. I glanced at her in confusion. Sure, there was plenty of drama between the contestants that I couldn’t hope to understand without a thorough conspiracy board of all the relationships, but I still thought it came to a satisfying conclusion.

“You know, I just want to get my ring back.”

Aha, that’s what this is about.

Stella hadn’t performed a single successful spell since she lost her ring. They all fizzled out after only a few sparks, and she was becoming increasingly frustrated.

“Could you get a new focus? Until we figure out how to get it back?”

Stella sighed harder, sinking deeper into the couch, “I doubt it. Besides, if my father hears that I lost it, he might pull me out of Alfea.”

I hummed in understanding. 

Tecna came out of her room and turned the kettle on, “We should attack the witches! They stole your ring, so we should steal it back.”

Flora paused in shock in her doorway, “Tecna, we’re not soldiers, how can we overpower the Trix?”

“By taking them by surprise! This time, we go to their house!” Bloom pushed past Flora into the main room.

“Yes! Right into the lion’s den,” Stella punched the air, “But… do you guys really think it’s a good idea?”

“Relax, we’ll come up with a foolproof plan, you'll see.” Musa piped in.

Bloom jumped into the armchair next to us, “Remember the tunnels we found under the school a while back? Let’s use them to get to Cloud Tower!”

“I’m sure I can find the way, the rest shouldn’t be too hard.” I tapped my focus in emphasis.

“Tonight, when the whole of Alfea is fast asleep, the Winx will go into action!” Bloom proclaimed.

The next couple of hours were spent making a plan, finding problems with the plan, and remaking the plan. It was close to midnight, which still seemed a bit early for a Friday night heist, but we were all too jittery to wait any longer.

“We’ll just have to be extra careful to avoid running into anyone.” Flora worried at the hem of her cardigan. 

“Is everyone ready?” Tecna turned to each of us, and we nodded.

I focused my intent into the compass, “Let’s go, then.”

I told the compass to take us to Stella’s ring, but through the tunnels. It seemed to understand the command well enough. We crept through the darkened halls of the school before the compass led us to a hidden door that led into the tunnels. It pointed toward each fork in the path, leading us through miles of darkened dirt walls. The dust kept making me sneeze, and I really hoped that no one, or no thing, could hear us down here. 

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Flora’s voice echoed off the walls, making us all jump.

It was the first time any of us had spoken since we had entered the tunnels. Even Stella and Musa seemed too nervous to make any quips.

I held my flashlight closer to my compass, then back out at the path ahead, “My compass hasn’t steered me wrong yet. If it can help me find my way through the library back home, this should be no problem.”

“I just wish we knew how much longer these tunnels go on, I’m getting sick of all this dirt!” Stella pouted.

“It shouldn’t be too much longer. By my estimations, we have walked 2.7 miles, and the distance between Cloud Tower and Alfea is 3.2 miles.” Tecna added.

Bloom groaned, “We’ve walked almost three miles?”

I chirped sarcastically, “Don’t forget we have to walk back too!”

A collective groan echoed through the caverns, sounding more like a predatory beast than teenage complaining. We kept quiet after that, walking the last half mile in silence.

“Oh, thank the Stormwinds, I think that’s the entrance.” My compass abruptly pointed towards a flatter patch in the wall, which upon further inspection, seemed to be a hidden panel.

“Yeah, but how do we get in?” Musa poked hesitantly at the wall-door.

It slid open with a creak, causing us to jump back in alarm. I pressed a hand to my chest until the adrenaline rush passed, then we stepped into Cloud Tower.

“Now what do we do?” Flora whispered.

Bloom shrugged towards me, “I guess we keep following the compass?”

“Any chance you could take us to the ring and avoid running into any witches?” I asked the compass.

The needle shifted off to the side before settling back on its course as if to say, no promises.

“Maybe I can turn us all invisible!” Stella held out her hands, which momentarily faded from view before reappearing completely, “Ugh, I am sick of this!”

“I can sense people if they’re close enough. I’ll keep a lookout.” Musa stepped up to my side.

We climbed our way up the tower at a snail’s pace, finally making it to the Trix’s dorm about halfway up the tower.

“Icy, Darcy, and Stormy,” I read the plaque on the door, “I bet I can guess which is which.”

Musa placed her hands against the wall, “I don’t think anyone’s inside.”

“They must be out scaring children, or collecting spiders for potions, or something.” Bloom huffed.

I laughed, “What exactly do you think witches do?”

I pushed open the door slowly, glancing around to see if anyone was inside. We all filed in, and I shut the door before anyone could spot us in the hallway. 

“I don’t know, I thought they were all evil,” Bloom blushed, “In fairytales on Earth, witches are always the bad guys, and the Trix haven’t exactly proven that wrong.”

“Witches aren’t all evil, just like fairies aren’t all good! We simply draw on different sources of power. Fairies get their magic from light, while witches take it from darkness.” Flora explained.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean all witches are good people, either. Just look at this place!” Musa toed at a broken glass jar on the floor, full of an unidentifiable black sludge. 

Flora clapped her hands together, “Let’s get busy, Stella’s ring could be anywhere around here!”

“And the witches could come back at any time.” Tecna concurred.

We split up around the room, each of us taking a different section of the space. The compass seemed to struggle in such close range, spinning in an entirely new direction each time I took a step. I sighed and slipped the chain over my neck.

“Hey, look what I found!” Tecna called, holding up a limp doll stuffed with pins between two of her fingers.

Musa stepped back out of a closet, brandishing a strange-looking bat, “Wanna see something creepy?”

She shrieked as she accidentally pushed a button on it, releasing spikes around the head.

I stopped at one of the desks, sifting through some of the papers, “Homework! I wonder what kind of spells they have to do?”

“They must have had a party in here,” Bloom knelt towards a pile of unrecognizable garbage on the floor.

Stella opened an unlabeled jar, sniffed its contents, and gagged, “If these are the leftovers, I’m sure glad they didn’t invite me!”

Bloom picked something out of the rubble, “Look!”

Stella dashed towards her, grabbing it out of her hand, “My sword ring! Welcome home, little one. Did you miss me?”

She slipped it on her finger and admired the light glinting off it. 

Tecna dropped the items she was holding, “So, can we go now?”

“Absolutely, I’ve had enough of this place.” Flora turned her nose up.

We left the way we came, sticking to the countless shadows in the corridors. 

Bloom halted in front of an ornate door, “There’s something behind this door! It’s not a way out, it’s something completely different.”

“This is not the time to listen to your extra-sensory perceptions, we have to get out of here.” Tecna huffed.

“Just a minute, it could be important!” she pushed through the doors anyway.

The rest of us reluctantly followed after her. Stella lobbed a ball of light in the air, making it just bright enough to see our surroundings. The room was a maze of dusty shelves lined with books and scrolls of every size, shape, and color. A thin layer of dust covered everything in sight, adding an eerie halo to everything.

“What a strange place!” Flora whispered.

“Do you think it’s an archive room?” I blew the dust off the nearest shelf, immediately regretting it when it flew into my eyes.

I screwed my eyes shut, blinking heavily until I could see clearly again. The other girls had dispersed around the room, picking up books and reading the titles.

Flora held up a green tome with a woven cover, “This one’s about a fairy, Eleanor de la Roche Feu!”

“This one’s about a witch named Adaguild,” Musa said from a couple of stacks over. 

“Can you imagine?” Bloom trailed her finger over the tops of a row of books, “The histories of witches and fairies, all in here!”

“It’s fascinating, Bloom. But what do you say we get out of here?” Tecna frowned.

“Oh, please? If there’s a book about fairies from Earth somewhere in here, maybe I could learn something about my powers!” Bloom clasped her hands under her chin pleadingly.

“Fine, but let’s do this quickly.” 

We split up and searched as quickly as we could. I picked a random shelf and skimmed all the titles, recognizing a handful of the more famous names, but most were unfamiliar.

“Well, well, well.” Bloom said, and we all rushed to her.

Flora popped up from behind a pile of scrolls, “Did you find it?”

Bloom stood staring at a podium set up in the center of two aisles. On it lay a single volume, The Last Bloom on Earth.

“Maybe you shouldn’t read it. Think about it, what if the book contains your future?” Tecna reasoned.

I nodded, “Yeah, like a self-fulfilling prophecy type thing.”

“So, what’s the problem? I’d give my right arm to find out about my future, you know?” Stella shrugged.

“The future isn’t meant to be known. If I were you, I wouldn’t do it. But it’s your choice.” Tecna took a step back, leaving Bloom with full access to the book.

“I don’t know, isn’t this kind of suspicious? The title’s a little on the nose.” Musa worried.

Stella made a noise of dismissal, “What’s the worst a book can do?”

Bloom reached for the book. As if on cue, ropes of dark magic shot from the podium and wrapped around her arm from wrist to shoulder. We shrieked, and Tecna and Stella pulled Bloom away. The ropes coiled back into the book, leaving nothing but panic in their wake. They dragged Bloom back towards the entrance.

“The book!” Bloom cried, trying to shake free of their hold. 

Musa blocked her path, “I don’t think that book wants to be read. Let’s get out of here, come on!”

We ran back to the entrance, only to watch the doors shimmer out of existence, replaced by blank wall.

Tecna brushed her hands over where the doors used to be, “Woah. I don’t want to sound like a pessimist, but I think we’re in trouble?” 

“My compass isn’t working!” I shouted, “It can’t find a way out!”

“We’ve got to find a solution, now!” Bloom balled her hands into fists.

“Let’s try a little,” Tecna made finger-guns and pointed at the wall, “Tecna power!”

She shot a stream of green energy at the wall, lighting up its surface in brilliant neon. She strained, pushing all of her energy into her spell, and…

Nothing. 

“Not even a scratch!” Stella blurted.

Musa glared at the wall, “Now what?”

“Power Convergence.” Tecna stated, as if it were the only conceivable course of action.

I grimaced. It was my least favorite class, second only to transformation. True Convergence requires transformation and cooperation, as Faragonda says. Unfortunately for me, I was only good at one of those things.

“She’s right!” Bloom crossed her hands, pointing her fingers into the shape of wings, “Bloom, Magic Winx!”

I toed the ground as the other girls followed her lead, each of them becoming obscured by glittering lights as they transformed.

“Mira, Magic Winx,” I mumbled, half-heartedly copying Bloom’s hand gesture.

Of course, nothing happened. The lights faded, revealing the girls in their fairy forms, each in a different pose. 

“Hey, what about you, Mira?” Bloom had turned back to face me.

“I still don’t have my transformation yet,” I fidgeted uncomfortably with my compass chain, “But five should be plenty for a Convergence like this. You don’t need me.”

“Of course we need you!” Flora frowned.

Tecna nodded, “You provide crucial support to our team. Without your help, we couldn’t have made it here.”

The side of my mouth quirked up, “Thanks, girls. But the ego boost can wait until after we get out of here, yeah?”

“Right. Everyone ready? All together, now!” Tecna turned back to the wall, focusing her energy together with the girls. 

Their powers combined into a bright white light, disintegrating a door-shaped hole in the wall before the spell had even finished casting.

I cocked my head to the side, “Honestly, the five of you may have been overkill.”

“Yeah, look at us! We’re gonna be the most powerful fairies in the magic dimension!” Stella posed in front of the rubble. 

“Let’s get out of here before anything else creepy happens!” Musa broke into a run down the hallway.

We chased after her, turning down more and more corridors until Tecna skidded to a stop. 

“There doesn’t seem like a way out of this place!” Flora waved her arms in distress.

Tecna glanced around, inspecting her surroundings, “We’ve never been through this tunnel. It’s not the one we came from.”

“How can you tell? They all look the same,” Stella squinted at the wall Tecna was looking at.

“I have a photographic memory, I notice details.”

Bloom groaned, “Please, guys, tell me we’re not completely lost.”

“Of course not! I bet the compass will work now that we found a way out of that room,” I looked down at my compass, and it confirmed by doing a playful spin and pointing towards one of the hallways, “See, this way!”

I pointed down the hall, but before we could go anywhere, a strange rumbling-chittering noise sounded from just beyond our sight. 

“What now?” Bloom complained.

Musa shrieked, pointing at a writhing mass in the shadows of the corridor, “Giant spiders!”

We looked on in horror as a sickening avalanche of spindly limbs and bodies, each over two feet long, cascaded towards us.

Bloom whipped around to the other side, “They’re everywhere!”

Sure enough, every possible exit was blocked by the hordes of giant spiders.

“Okay, what’s the plan? I mean, these things don’t look too friendly!” Musa shuddered.

“We have to make a forcefield!” Bloom knelt and held her hands out.

The rest of us fanned out in a circle, reaching our arms out and manifesting the shield less than a second before the first spiders slammed against our forcefield. I shifted my compass into its wand form for better control. Directions could wait until after we got out of this mess.

Bloom screamed and shuffled backwards, barely holding onto her part of the spell, “They’ve made a breach in the barrier, do something, quick!”

“Well, I’ve got an idea,” Flora stood up, fanning her wings out, “Follow me!”

She launched into the air, dropping her side of the shield as she flew through it. The other girls flew up in quick succession. Tecna grabbed me under the armpits, and I squawked in protest, trying to struggle out of her hold before my brain caught up with me. While I wasn’t scared of heights or spiders under normal circumstances, falling into a pit of giant spiders sounded like a good thing to be afraid of. I stilled and gripped her forearms tightly.

“Got any bug spray?” Stella quipped.

“No need for that, Stella. We’ll use the spider’s natural enemy!” Flora raised her arms, scattering seeds of fairy dust down onto the ground.

Huge stalks shot up from the ground on impact, sprouting into jaw-like flowers that began snapping up the spiders with their needly pseudo-teeth.

“Yeah, go Flora!” I pumped my fist in the air, causing Tecna to grunt with the effort of holding me up.

Stella hovered closer to one of the plants, “Goodness! Professor Palladium’s lessons are good for something after all!”

The plant snapped at her, and she flew backwards with a huff. 

“Was there ever any doubt?” Flora remarked.

The plants chomped up the last of the spiders, and Flora waved her arms over them, dissolving them back into fairy dust. We flew back to the ground, now littered with spider… parts.

“Thanks for the quick thinking, Tecna,” I gingerly stepped away from a dismembered leg the length of my entire arm.

She nodded in welcome. We circled up, trying to figure out our next steps.

“You know, something tells me we’re not out of the woods yet.” Bloom mused.

Tecna knelt towards a mostly intact spider, “Bloom’s right. That was too easy.”

“Hey, let’s not sell ourselves short! We simply dealt with the problem efficiently.” Stella flitted around to pose in front of us, flexing her arms like a bodybuilder.

Tecna sucked in a sharp breath and stepped away from the body she was examining. I watched in disgust as it twitched and righted itself, then scuttled off behind Stella. I squinted at it, trying to see where it went in the shadows.

A horrifying amalgamation of the broken bodies rose up behind Stella, looming higher as more of the spiders’ remains attached themselves to the new creature.

“Oh, fuck.” I gagged.

Musa stepped backwards, arms raised, “Stella, not to rain on your parade, but I think it’s time to go.”

Stella pivoted slowly. The mass continued to grow, reaching closer to her by the second. 

She screamed in terror. Tecna grabbed me without hesitation, launching us into the sky. Musa and Flora jumped after us, taking Bloom’s hands to pull her along faster, and Stella flew not a hair behind us.

“This way!” I pointed Tecna to the left as we neared a fork in the path.

I could hear the thing scratching over the floor, just out of our line of sight.

“Hurry!” Stella screeched.

Tecna banked sharply, landing us down in front of a door blocking our path. 

Bloom stumbled to a landing in front of the door, yanking on the handle with no success, “It’s a dead end!”

“What do we do?” Stella panted.

We faced the monster as it shambled closer. It had grown larger since we ran, now scraping the tops of the rafters.

“We have no choice.” Tecna readied herself in a defensive stance, “Let’s take it on.”

I held out my wand, and we stood at the ready, prepared to strike as soon as it was in range. The creature lumbered closer, a threatening grumble emanating from it as it neared.

“Ready?” Bloom held fire in her hands, the bright orange flames crackling over her palms.

We each summoned our magics. My heartbeat thrummed in my ears, drowning out the eerie moans of the oncoming monster.

“Strike!” Bloom yelled, thrusting out her hands and her fire.

We sent our powers into hers, twisting and combining and strengthening her flame until the creature burned. It was a quick end, the fire burning so fiercely it crumbled it to ash in a matter of seconds. 

Stella turned back to the door, jiggling the doorknob, “We have a problem!”

Tecna rammed the door at full speed, splintering right through it like it was made of paper.

“Not anymore!” Stella sing-songed.

Tecna dusted herself off, and we followed her deeper into the room.

“Where are we?” Musta wondered.

I peered into a box filled with items of seemingly no discernible category, “Must be some kind of storage room.”

“Witches are very messy creatures.” Stella sniffed.

“And you aren’t?” Bloom teased, “I’ve seen your closet.”

Stella humphed and walked over to inspect a jewelry bust on a nearby table with a missing leg.

“What an eerie silence, I have a bad feeling… Huh? Another spider!” Musa screamed and pointed at the large creature crawling towards her.

“I’ll take care of it!” Stella brandished her staff in front of her, “Sun shower!”

She cast a blazing beam of light at it, and I had to cover my eyes or risk burning out my corneas.

She pointed at the smoking husk of the bug, “There it is! Nipped it in the bud!”

“Um, Stella?” Tecna gestured at the flames steadily growing around us.

“Oh Twin Suns, we’re going to roast!” Stella shrieked, batting at the nearest flames with her staff.

“Thanks a lot, Stella!” Musa quipped.

The flames spread quickly, trapping us in the center of the room.

Flora coughed, “The smoke is so thick, I can’t breathe!”

“Maybe I can clear the air?” I pointed my wand up and summoned a breeze.

It was less than effective, managing only to blow the smoke back in our faces. I collapsed to my knees, cutting off the spell.

“Shit!” I cursed between coughs.

Tecna activated the shield on her helmet, “The flames are blocking the door, we’re trapped again!”

I ran through the list of spells I knew, hoping one, just one, could help us escape with our lives intact. I turned to the other girls. Maybe there was a convergence spell that could work?

Bloom had gone completely still, staring at something unseen ahead of her. 

“Bloom?” Stella queried, “Bloom, what’s going on?”

She waved a hand in front of Bloom’s face, but she didn’t react. Bloom just stepped forward, up to the edge of the fire, and a path through the flames revealed itself. 

“Way to go, girl! Hey everyone, look at Bloom!” Stella bumped her shoulder, jostling her out of her trance.

Bloom shook her head, “What? What just happened?”

“Never mind that. For now, let’s get out of here!” Musa dashed to the newly revealed hidden door.

She jumped through it, disappearing from view a moment later. Bloom and Stella followed, then Flora, me, and Tecna brought up the rear. 

I held back a scream as I shot through the tunnel. It felt like it went on forever, twisting and winding down the whole tower. I heard a yelp and a thud, followed by three more yelps and thuds, before I landed in a heap on top of the girls. Tecna somehow managed to land on her feet. The rest of us groaned and untangled ourselves, pressing on sure-to-be future bruises. 

Tecna pulled Bloom up to standing, “Alright, how did you pull that off?”

Bloom waited until the rest of us had been pulled upright before responding.

“I heard this voice in my head, telling me how to get to safety. She sounded familiar, almost, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard her before.” 

“Maybe it was a manifestation of your intuition. Like how I hear the voice of nature?” Flora pondered.

I twirled my wand around my fingers in thought, “Yeah, you’re a fire fairy, right? Maybe the flames activated some new ability of yours.”

“I don’t know, maybe. I’m still new to all this fairy stuff.” Bloom chewed on the inside of her cheek, clearly unconvinced.

“Well, whatever it was, it got us out of a hot spot, that’s for sure!” Stella broke the tension.

Tecna laughed a bit robotically, “You’re so funny, Stella.”

“Hey, our plan worked, the Trix don’t have my ring anymore! The Winx have got the power!” Stella twirled her staff, shifting it back into a ring and slipping it on her finger.

I turned my wand to its compass form, “Let’s head back then, shall we?”

“Yes, please. It’s freezing down here!” Flora shivered.

“Want one of us to fly you back?” Musa suggested, “It’ll be faster than walking.”

I considered it, but I shook my head, “I’ve got an idea.”

I thought back to Wizgiz’s lessons on full metamorphosis and pictured a songbird from back home. The thin, short beak, the smudge grey wings, and the characteristic yellow stripe across its eyes. Once I had the image in my mind, I let my magic take over. The shift was immediate. My vision blurred as I plummeted down, my body shrinking to a fraction of its previous size.

I let out a chirp and hopped a few steps forward. The strangest feeling was the lack of fingers, of all things. I could feel the phantom digits flex every time I adjusted my new wings.

“Woah, when did you learn how to do that?” Bloom asked.

Just now, I tried to say, but all that came out was another chirp.

Flora picked up my compass from where it landed in the dirt, “Here, I can carry this for you.”

I dipped my bird body in thanks, since I was now barely twice the size of it. I gave my wings a little test flap, launching myself about a foot off the ground. Another few wing beats, and I was on my way down the tunnel.

The girls flew after me, and I kept a decent pace with them. After we made it about halfway back, I had to turn back to my regular shape so I could read the compass again. Due to a sudden craving for earthworms, I opted to stay in my human form. The other girls shifted back too, their magical energy depleted for the moment. We walked the rest of the way, making it back to the comfort of Alfea Castle in just under half an hour.

Flora yawned heavily, “I can’t wait to get some rest.”

“You can say that again,” Bloom yawned too, “I’m so tired, I don’t think I’ll have the energy to get out of bed tomorrow!”

“Yeah, it’s time to cash in a sick day.” Musa groaned.

An indignant throat cleared from behind us, and we all froze. Slowly, one by one, each of us turned around to face the newcomer.

“You all must enjoy breaking the rules,” Miss Griselda glowered down at us, “You are in big trouble, young ladies!”

She commanded us to follow her, and we slunk after her clipped pace all the way to the headmistress’s office.

A very cross, and very tired, Faragonda sat behind her desk. We all filed in, sharing nervous glances with each other, but not daring to even whisper. Griselda slammed the door behind us, then stalked over to a spot just behind Faragonda.

The headmistress sighed heavily, “I received a message from Headmistress Griffin at Cloud Tower. My colleague was furious! She tells me you broke into her school. Is that true?”

She glared at each of us over her spectacles. Tecna opened her mouth, but Faragonda cut her off with a slice of her hand.

“I won’t tolerate this kind of behavior in my institution! Now, what do you have to say for yourselves?”

Unsure if this was another rhetorical question, I kept my mouth shut, sneaking a glance at Stella to see if she wanted to reveal the reason we were there in the first place.

Bloom spoke up, “We’re really so—”

Griselda slammed her palms on the desk, “If I may, regardless of their reasons for doing what they did, their punishment should be exemplary!”

Faragonda leaned back in her chair, sharing a look with her fellow teacher, “What do you mean?”

“Seeing as the students went out without permission, I would suggest they be grounded and their magic revoked until such a date as you deem adequate.”

“But, ma’am! You wouldn’t do that, would you?” Stella blurted.

“Wouldn’t I? There are very few things I wouldn’t do.” She made a motion like turning a key.

I felt the spell instantly, and I doubled over, hoping I wouldn’t throw up from the force of it. It was like a vital part of me was being ripped out through my chest, leaving a gaping hole in its place. The pain was over as quickly as it started, but the hollowness in my throat was a pulsing reminder of what I had just lost. I peered out of the corner of my eye, seeing my friends try to recover as well.

“I do apologize for the… dramatics of that,” Faragonda had slumped slightly in her chair, “And, Mira,”

I froze.

“As this is only your first offense, I see no need to involve your aunt in this situation. Since you will be staying here for the time being, your punishment shall remain the same as the other girls.”

I nodded mutely, unsure if I could speak with the newly formed chasm inside of me. 

“You are all dismissed. Get some sleep, will you?” Faragonda seemed to breathe out the last of her anger, leaving only exhaustion.

We nodded and left, hurrying back to our rooms as the first dregs of sunlight filtered through the tall windows.

Stella wrapped a throw blanket around herself, “I think we should just lie down and veg out awhile.”

“Maybe if we explained ourselves better, she would’ve gone easier on us.” Flora frowned and sank into the couch.

Tecna sat next to her, stretching her long legs out, “I don’t think it would have changed anything, really. I’m sure she knows exactly what happened last night.”

“She must think we’re very naive for being taken in by that book. But how were we supposed to know it was a trap?” Musa grabbed a pillow and stretched out on her stomach on the floor. 

“And now we’re totally powerless! For me, it’s not so bad. I’ve lived my whole life without them.” Bloom sighed.

I sat in one of the armchairs, tucking my knees up to my chest, “Me too. When I was around two or three, I think? I had terrible meltdowns, and my magic was completely out of control. After the second irreplaceable family heirloom was destroyed, my aunt thought it best to suppress my power until I was old enough to learn control. I took pills until I was twelve. Still do, sometimes.”

“Wait, you were how young when your powers manifested?” Stella gasped.

I held up two fingers and smiled dryly, “I’m a prodigy, I know.”

Flora smiled nostalgically, “I still remember the day my magic manifested. I was seven, and I was out wandering in the forest, but I had gone too far and gotten lost. Before I could even call out for help, the trees bent their branches, and all the plants formed a path to show me the way back home!”

“Let me tell you about the day my magic manifested. There was this whole ceremony, and…” Stella began.

We kept talking until the sun had risen completely before we finally gave in to exhaustion. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillows on my new bed.

Chapter Text

Griselda woke us up mere hours later and summoned us to her office. The six of us stood, exhausted and still in our pajamas, while she lectured us again about safety and maintaining the reputation of the school.

She paced in front of us like a drill sergeant, “Your intrusion into Cloud Tower Castle was extremely rude, young ladies. You exposed yourselves to great danger, that's the reason why your powers have been revoked. It is sufficient punishment. For me, however, sufficient is not enough. Now, just so you remember this lesson, you will spend the entire day at school, and you will clean the castle from top to bottom.” 

“Um, the whole castle?” Flora gulped.

“No, just the stairs, corridors, and classrooms.”

“Oh, well that’s okay! I thought it would be worse, honestly.” Stella quipped.

“Stella!” I hissed, jabbing her in the ribs.

She glared at me, but kept her mouth shut. Bloom barely stifled her giggles.

“Well, if that’s too easy for you, you can also clean the great hall.” Griselda glared over her glasses.

We groaned collectively.

“And since you do not have access to your magic for the moment,” she clapped her hands, summoning buckets full of cleaning supplies, “These are your work tools.”

She shoved a bucket into Stella’s hands, making her stumble back and scoff indignantly.

“What an interesting object,” Tecna picked a scrub brush out of the bucket and scanned it with her wristband computer.

Griselda pressed the power button, “No techno-gadgets, either. You must complete your task with your own two hands.”

“Now this worries me.” Tecna frowned down at her bracelet.

“Yeah, how will we ever figure out how to use a scrub brush without an internet tutorial?” Musa joked.

Tecna nodded like this was a very real concern she was having.

Flora picked up her own bucket of supplies, “Don’t worry. I can teach you, it’s not difficult to use. My mother prefers brooms and mops to cleaning charms, she says it gives the house a more authentic clean—”

“Young ladies!” Griselda harrumphed, “Tomorrow, I’ll conduct an inspection. Now go!”

We left her office as quickly as we could, hurrying back to our apartment to drop off our supplies and change into appropriate clothing.

“We should get something to eat first, I don’t want to clean on an empty stomach.” Bloom proposed.

“Good idea! Let's get something quick, though. I don’t want to waste any time. Who knows how long this could take?” I glanced apprehensively at the pile of supplies.

“Sandwiches sound good to everyone?” Flora asked, “I’ll grab them from the dining hall, then we can get straight to work.”

Musa nodded, “I’ll come with you!”

“The rest of us can devise a plan for how we can clean the castle most efficiently.” Tecna suggested.

“Do you have a floor plan of the castle?” I asked.

Stella marched into the bathroom, “You do that, I still have to get ready for the day.”

“Suit yourself!” Musa called as she and Flora walked out the door.

Tecna pulled up a rotating holographic projection of Alfea on her phone and set it on the coffee table.

Bloom groaned, “That’s a whole lot of ground to cover.”

“It’s not all that much,” Tecna tapped on the hologram in a few places, turning the walls more transparent, “Griselda only said we have to clean the stairs, corridors, classrooms, and great hall.”

She separated the floors so that each one was visible, then swiped the top two floors away.

“Those are just residential floors. I assume we will still have to sweep the hallways there, but we can ignore them for now. That leaves us with this.”

Tecna tapped a few more sections, leaving only the areas we had to clean.

“That seems more manageable.” I examined the hologram more closely.

Bloom added, “Why don’t we split into two groups. One group can start with the great hall, and the other can do the main stairs. Once that’s done, we can divide up the classrooms!”

“I like it. How about Flora, Tecna, and I do the stairs, and you, Musa, and Stella can do the great hall?” I proposed.

“This is a good plan.” Tecna nodded.

Bloom held up her hand, “Go team!”

We high-fived each other, and Tecna closed the projection. Flora and Musa came back with lunch a few minutes later, and we recounted the plan over food. I changed into some of my favorite workout clothes, a dark blue halter top and matching shorts, tied my hair into a loose bun, and we left to complete our respective chores.

I stared up at the expansive grand staircase. 

“You know, this seemed easier in theory.”

“Well, the sooner we start, the sooner we finish!” Flora hopped up the stairs and immediately set to work sweeping down each step.

Tecna shouldered her own broom and followed her up. I chose to start sweeping the staircase on the opposite side, so we would meet in the middle on the way back down. I copied Flora’s movements, hoping I was using the broom properly. 

Sweep the corners, brush it onto the next step. Sweep the corners, brush it onto the next step.

Flora’s voice cut through my concentration, “I’d be happy to show you how to use a broom, you know.”

I looked up to see Flora suppressing a giggle as Tecna used her broom to dust a painting that was just out of arm’s reach.

“I can handle the situation, Flora.” Tecna swept the painting with vigor, causing it to wobble precariously on its hooks. 

“Are you sure you don’t need any… help?” Flora winced as the painting slipped off its hooks.

Tecna managed to catch it in time, slamming her hands against the wall to keep it from hitting the ground. She lowered it the last couple of inches to the floor.

“I think I may have done something wrong.” 

I stifled my own laugh as I went to help her, “Need a hand lifting that back up?”

We each lifted a corner of the painting, but neither of us was tall enough to reach the hooks. I upturned a bucket and stood on it, but it only made me a few inches taller than Tecna, nowhere near tall enough to reach.

“Do you think you can lift me?” I wondered.

Flora stepped back nervously, “Why don’t I go find a stepladder?”

“I should be able to support your weight. Are you confident in your ability to balance while holding the painting?” 

“If I can keep holding it against the wall, it should be fine.”

“Really, it would be much safer if I just—” Flora gestured hopelessly in the general direction of a storage closet.

I took off my shoes and stepped into Tecna’s cupped hands. She easily posted me up, one hand under my foot and the other wrapped around my calf. I half-consciously bent my other leg into a coupé, straightening my spine and squaring my hips like I was back at the gym preparing for a floor routine. 

“Flora, can you pass me the painting?”

She moaned, but reversed her retreat, “Oh, if I must…”

She pushed the painting up the wall until I could reach it. I took it from her, sliding it up until it hooked into place. 

“See, easy as a breeze!” I hopped out of Tecna’s hold. 

Flora let out a breath of relief. 

Tecna picked up her broom, “Perhaps I will take your offer of help after all.”

I left them to finish their side of the stairs. We finished within the hour and left to rejoin the other girls in the great hall. 

Flora gasped, “What happened here, a hurricane?”

Stella, Musa, and Bloom were collapsed on the floor, covered head to toe in water and soap suds. Bubbles coated the ground around them, and cleaning tools were scattered every which way. 

“A tough battle’s just ended, and I won by a landslide!” Stella crowed.

Bloom scooped up a handful of stray bubbles and slung them towards her, “Liar!”

“I won!” Musa harrumphed.

I stepped around a soapy puddle, trying not to slip, “I don’t think this qualifies as ‘clean.’”

“We’ll never finish this part!” Tecna groaned.

“I dare say not!” 

All six of us gasped, the girls still on the floor scrambling to their feet. Griselda loomed in the doorway.

“I’m here to let you know that we are all leaving for the Kayla Smith concert at the Magix Auditorium.”

“Great! I almost forgot that was tonight!” Stella pumped her fists.

Griselda stopped her in her tracks with a glare, “However, you six will have to miss it. You haven’t finished cleaning yet.”

“Oh no, I love Kayla Smith!” Musa groaned.

“Now get back to work!” Griselda stormed away. 

Bloom picked up a mop and sighed, “You heard her, let’s get this over with.”

We made quick work of the floor, mopping up all the soapy water and leaving it sparkling clean.

I looked out the window to where everyone was loading into buses, “Look, even all the teachers are going!”

Each teacher held a checklist and stood in front of their respective bus, checking off students as they filed in. They were all dressed up for the concert, Wizgiz in a flashy silver suit and matching hat, Madame duFour in a respectable cocktail dress, and even Miss Faragonda traded in her usual peacoat for a shimmering version. 

The last of the students made it onto the buses, and they all departed, leaving a mournful silence behind.

“Well, they’ve all gone.” Bloom sighed.

Musa leaned against the window, “I always feel sad when the school is empty.”

“Hey, what do you say we ask the boys to join us!” Stella piped up.

I squeaked, “Like, the specialists?”

She nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah, why not?” Flora threw her hands up, “Then, when we get caught, we can be grounded to infinity!”

Bloom turned back to the group, eyes just a little bit dreamy, “I think it’s a great idea!”

“What are we going to do with them, make them clean the school with us?” I argued.

Tecna nodded, “I don’t think this is in the spirit of Griselda’s rules.”

“She said no magic and no techno-gadgets, she didn’t say no flesh-and-blood help.” Bloom shrugged.

Musa cheered, “It’s a wonderful idea, we’ll have our own concert!”

Bloom and Musa high-fived and spun each other around. 

“I’ll call Sky!” Stella sing-songed.

Flora turned to me, “Want to do the hallways in the meantime?”

“Good idea, might as well make progress while we still can.” I grabbed my broom from against the wall. 

We left for the classroom wing, each of us sweeping either side of the corridor.

“So, what’s it like on Lynphea?” I asked, “I’ve never seen more than the inside of the palace.”

“Warmer, I think, than Callisto. Our rainy season is much shorter than yours. Is it true that there are trees taller than the castle there?”

I nodded, grinning at her astonishment, “You’re welcome to come sometime. We’re in the same solar system after all, it’s hardly out of the way!”

“I’ll have to take my sister, she’d love it! She’s only just come into her powers, but I think she might specialize in trees once she’s old enough to.” She smiled fondly.

“Oh yeah? How old is she?”

“She’s, uh, ten.” Flora’s expression shuttered. “We always got strange looks in primary school when we told people we were sisters.” 

“Don’t worry, you won’t get any weird judgment from me. My sister and I didn’t exactly make a lot of friends at parties after people found out that we weren’t actually twins. We’re a year and a half apart.” I raised a sardonic eyebrow.

“Oh my, I can’t imagine!” 

Perceptions about raising multiple children varied between planets, but generally, those with more magic, and therefore longer lifespans, viewed children born within a decade of each other as a product of irresponsibility at best.

We kept sweeping in companionable silence until headlights flashed through a nearby window. 

I set my broom down and peered out into the courtyard, “They certainly didn’t waste any time getting here.”

The specialists had arrived on their hoverbikes, parking them just in front of the main entrance. Stella rushed outside to greet them, throwing her arms around Sky as he raked out his helmet hair.

“They sure didn’t!” Flora stared out next to me. 

The four other figures removed their helmets, revealing Brandon, Timmy, Riven, and Sorscha. My focus zeroed in on her as she ran her fingers through her hair, fluffing up her deep brown waves to rest around her shoulders. 

I cleared my throat and turned my head away, “Let’s finish the hallway before we join them, I wouldn’t want to leave and forget about it later.”

“Why don’t we just finish all of the hallways?” Flora fidgeted with her broom, “Partying can wait, right?”

I pointed an accusing finger at her, “You’re trying to avoid them, too!”

“Too? That means you don’t want to see them either!” She pointed back at me.

“Well, I don’t not want to be with them, they’re my friends!”

“But there is something?”

I sighed, slumping against the wall, “I’ve never had… friends, before this, you know? It’s always just been me and my sister, and maybe sometimes the other girls on the gymnastics team would try to include me so I wouldn’t be the odd one out. I’m… intimidated. People are intimidating.”

“I know how you feel. It seems like everyone else has already paired up. Stella and Sky already knew each other, Tecna and Timmy have so much in common, Bloom and Brandon, Musa and Riven, even you and Sorscha! It makes me feel a little left out, is all.”

“Me and Sorscha? You really think—” I shook my head violently, dislodging the notion and my bun at the same time.

I pulled the rest of my hair out of its hold, retying it into a tighter bun. 

“No way. She’s, like, an actual badass, and I’ve been nothing but clumsy around her. I think I even insulted her by accident during that mission in the Black Mud swamp. It’s hard to remember, that whole day is… kind of a blur.”

Flora leaned next to me on the wall, “That’s a day I’ll not soon forget.”

“What about that fairy you always try to sit next to in class? What’s their name… Juniper, Jordan…”

“Jian.” The corner of her lips tilted up.

“They’re the one you danced with at the Welcome Ball, right?”

She hummed a yes, cheeks reddening.

“See! You should invite them to join us at lunch or something. If you don’t, I’ll ask Stella to do it!” I elbowed her teasingly.

Flora grabbed my arm, “You wouldn’t dare!”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t. But think about it, yeah?”

“Oh, I guess. I’m not so sure I want to deal with the whole ‘dating’ thing right now, but it’s nice to imagine it, right?”

I snorted lightly, “Yeah, we’ve kind of got a lot going on. I’m in no hurry to add something else to my plate. But have you ever, you know, dated someone before?”

“Nothing serious,” her expression grew nostalgic, “But I’ve had a few people ask me to be their date to school dances and such. What about you?”

“There was this one girl. She was the daughter of a lord from one of the other provinces, and she was staying at the castle to work on her studies. She was my first kiss, actually. But she ended up getting pretty badly sick and had to go home. She’s okay now, but we haven’t talked since.”

“Oh.” Flora’s eyebrows raised.

I flung a hand over my forehead, “I’m quite the tragic romance story.”

She giggled, and I smiled broadly.

“I’m sure we’ll both find love someday.”

“Someday.” I pushed off the wall and stretched my arms.

She grabbed her broom, “Shall we finish the hallway?”

“Let’s do it!”

Musa came to find us a while later, just as we were sweeping the last of the dirt into our dustpans.

“There you are! We just finished cleaning the last of the rooms, so we’re gonna have a dance party in the apartment!”

I dusted my hands off on my shorts, “Does that mean that you actually got the boys to help you clean?”

Musa shrugged, “Yeah, actually, they were super helpful. Riven and Sky even turned it into a competition.”

“I’m impressed, I didn’t think they would agree to it.” Flora dumped the contents of her dustpan into the trash. 

“Now, come on, everyone’s waiting for you two!” Musa turned and walked away without even checking that we were following.

“It seems we have no choice,” I said with a smile.

Flora returned my smile, “Let’s go have a party!”

Musa wasted no time setting up the music. Bloom and Stella had just returned from the kitchens with a wide assortment of snacks and drinks, and everyone was chatting merrily. 

“It’s the Phases Tour mix, you know, since we’re missing the Kayla Smith concert,” Musa gestured to her speakers.

Flora clasped her hands in delight, “What’s your favorite phase? Mine is Fablemoor, I just love her lyricism!”

Musa tapped a finger on her lip, “Definitely Notoriety, it’s one of the most iconic albums of her time! What about you, Mira?”

“I can’t say I’ve thought about it much. Maybe Scarlet? It’s the first album of hers I’d ever listened to.”

“Ooh, I like that one!” Flora agreed.

Musa nodded, “I’ll listen to any song she makes.”

I stretched my arms over my head, trailing my eyes across the room. My eyes locked with Riven’s cold stare. He deliberately raked his eyes up and down my body, smirking like a shark scenting blood. My skin prickled and I curled my hands into fists. 

“I’m going to go change.” I muttered to my friends, shooting Riven a glare before marching into my room.

I shut the door forcefully, just short of actually slamming it shut. I shook out my fists, trying to quell my anger before it turned into anything dangerous.

“What an asshole!” I growled to myself.

I paced, practicing intentional breathing, ready to reel in any stray magic. I grabbed a pair of jeans and a cardigan I stole from Kiara a while back. I threw them on over the exercise wear I already had on, good as any armor against Riven’s leering. I flopped on my bed, pressing the heels of my palms onto my eyes, forcing my emotions into submission. 

Wait a minute.

I laughed softly to myself. I had no magic now, I didn’t have to worry about it being out of control. I turned and punched my pillow as hard as I could. It didn’t make me feel much better, but the fact that I could do it without magical side effects had a smile ghosting over my lips. 

After a quick fix of my bun, I felt ready to rejoin the party.

I sat in the empty armchair next to Timmy and Tecna on the couch. I immediately grabbed a handful of chips from the bowl on the coffee table, stuffing one in my mouth to avoid joining the conversation. Tucking my legs underneath me, I let the tingling heat of the spiceflower seasoning zip across my tongue. I absently twirled a chip through my fingers, staring at the side with a dried spiceflower pressed into it, its six thin petals creating a star shape, then flipping it to the blank side, then back again.

“So, how have you been lately?”

I choked on the chip in my mouth. I grabbed the nearest unclaimed beverage and took a drink, scattering my handful of chips all over the table. The soda I had grabbed compounded with the spice already in my mouth, causing an unpleasant burning sensation in my nose. I swallowed heavily, pressing the back of my hand to my mouth, and finally turned to confront my would-be accidental murderer.

Sorscha leaned over me, a casual arm slung over the back of my chair. My thoughts scattered as I caught sight of her. Her hair framed her shoulders in a soft halo, and her eyes were lined in olive green, accentuating her already cat-like features. I set my drink back down, using that time to think of something to say.

“You have makeup on.”

Is that really the best I could come up with?

She smiled, “I’ve been trying it out. Do you like it?”

I tucked my legs tighter underneath me, searching for an appropriate amount of enthusiasm. 

Beautiful? Too much. Fine? Not enough. Cool?!

“It’s— nice.”

I grabbed my soda and took a huge drink before I faced her again. Sorscha seemed unperturbed, luckily. Storms, she reminded me so much of a cat. The way she smiled more with her eyes than with her mouth, the way she observed her surroundings, the way she melded right into your personal space—

“Stella gave us the whole story about how you ended up in detention. Was it the same witches who attacked that troll?” 

Flashes of icicles sped through my mind, and I gripped my drink tighter, “Yeah, we think so. But we don’t have any way to prove it. It’s not like we have any real evidence to show.”

Sorscha slipped her hand down to give my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, “The body was taken to Law Enforcement for autopsy and analysis, and uh— you don’t need the gory details, but I’m sure they’ll find something.”

“Thanks,” I swallowed back my nausea, “I don’t think they’re going to be a problem anymore. They got what they wanted, Stella’s sword ring, and we found it clearly discarded in their room at Cloud Tower. So there’s no reason to bother us anymore, right?”

“That makes sense.” she nodded thoughtfully. 

I gathered up my stray chips, stacking them into a neat tower on the table. 

“Anyway, how have you been? You know, classes and things.” Sorscha perched herself on the armrest of my chair.

I leaned into the opposite armrest to face her. I was close enough to see that she had mesmerizing little flecks of green dotting her irises, contrasting the rich brown of the rest of her eyes. A callous on my hand needed my immediate attention, so I shifted my gaze away from her to pick at it instead.

“Nothing too interesting. I only take afternoon classes, usually, but there’s a big storm at home, so I’m stuck here for the week. There’s a quiz in Basic Studies coming up, on applied algebra. It’s only a morning class, so I’m a little behind, but I’m getting the hang of it. What classes do you take at Red Fountain?”

“Well, we also do Basic Studies,” she ticked them off on her fingers, “Hand-to-Hand, Ranged Weapons, Strategy, Ground Vehicle Training, and Piloting Ships.” 

“That sounds tiring. Now I’m glad we only have Exercise and Defense once a week!” 

Before she could respond, the room rumbled ominously, knocking over my chip tower and spilling several of the drinks. Stella cried out as juice sloshed over the side of the pitcher she was holding, staining her shirt pale pink. Sorscha lost her balance, catching herself right before she could topple into me. 

I clutched the arms of the chair, “I didn’t know there were earthquakes in Magix.”

“There aren’t.” she frowned.

Musa slammed into the speakers, shutting them off, “What in the hells was that?”

“It’s coming from inside!” Flora quailed.

Stella shrugged, “Maybe one of our classmates left the TV on too loud. See, it stopped!”

The room had indeed stilled, but the ominous feeling remained. Bloom ran to the bathroom to get a towel to clean up the spilled drinks, while Stella, Riven, Musa, and Timmy went to the balcony to see what caused the quake.

Flora rubbed her temples, “I can’t stand being without my powers like this. It feels like one of my senses is gone.”

“Tell me about it. I didn’t realize how much I had been relying on it until now!” I agreed, avoiding a glance back at Sorscha.

A loud crash echoed from the other side of the school, making all of us jump in surprise. Everyone still in the room crowded on the balcony.

“It came from over there!” Musa pointed to a shattered window on the other side of the school.

The specialists each tapped a command into the devices strapped to their wrists. The hoverbikes sprang to life from their parking spots on the ground, floating up to the edge of the balcony where the specialists hopped on. They zoomed off in formation to the site of the wreckage. I threw a leg over the railing to follow when a hand gripped my arm.

“You do not have a safe path of descent. Especially without any magic to support you.” Tecna said, pulling me back from the edge.

“Ah… Right. Danger.”

Stella gestured impatiently, “Come on, this way!”

We followed her out of the dorm and down the stairs, catching up with the boys just as they had finished their sweep of the surrounding area. Each of them now carried a weapon, all different types of swords except for Timmy’s gun.

“Did you find anything?” Bloom asked.

Brandon shook his head, “Not yet, there’s no sign of whatever caused the broken window in the courtyard. It must have come from inside.”

“Take a look at this, it looks like a wild animal tore through here!” Sorscha pointed a blade at the inside of the classroom, where the remnants of the back wall lay scattered through to the hallway.

I groaned, “We just swept all of that!”

“So what kind of creature could do this kind of damage?” Timmy held up a flashlight to the rubble.

Tecna stepped into the room, picking her way over to investigate, “A big, heavy creature.”

“Oh Dragon, I never would have guessed.” Riven mocked.

She shot him a derisive glare, “It’s three and a half meters tall, and weighs close to a ton. It has a predominantly light brown bristled coat, at least one set of horns, and is bipedal with two sets of clawed arms. It also has a musky odor. Is that better?”

“Way to go, Tec!” Stella laughed in delight.

A crash echoed from further inside the school, putting an end to her celebration. 

Brandon raised his shield defensively, “Okay, that must be it.”

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Sky strode off in the direction of the crash, his dimly glowing broadsword the only light.

“Wait for us, we’re coming too!” Bloom bravely rolled her shoulders back.

Riven scoffed, “Stay where you are, fairies. This isn’t a job for you.”

“Says who?” Musa barged past him, knocking into his shoulder on the way past.

Riven’s lip curled, and he rubbed his arm. I hoped she hit him hard enough to bruise.

Sorscha turned back to regard us, a worried tilt to her mouth, “You know how much I hate to agree with Riven, but maybe you should sit this one out. Without your magic, you’re at too much of a risk.”

“We can take care of ourselves.” Bloom crossed her arms.

“Yeah, we’re not totally defenseless.” I piped in.

Brandon shared Sorscha’s frown, “At least promise us that you’ll run to safety if it gets too dangerous.”

“Alright,” Flora shrugged as we turned to her in surprise, “I prefer being alive to being brave.”

“Fair enough. Timmy, would you mind giving us some more light?” Brandon asked.

“Sure thing!” Timmy adjusted a dial on his gun, shooting up pulses of light that floated in the air above us.

The light orbs hovered just in front of us as we made our way through the hall. We stopped at the entrance to one of the larger classrooms made for spellcasting. Sky halted us with a fist, then made a series of gestures that the other specialists followed, fanning out along the edges of the room. Timmy sent up another pulse, illuminating the high ceiling. Weapons at the ready, they cleared the room, deeming it free of deadly creatures. Sky examined a long scrape that ran along the wall, at about the height a three and a half meter tall beast with horns would leave.

“It’s definitely been through here, look at the size of this!”

I turned to Tecna, keeping my voice low, “How’s your large beast knowledge? Any idea what this creature is?”

She matched my tone, placing a knuckle against her chin in thought, “I admit, I’m not sure. Chimera or manticore seems unlikely, and I can’t rule out minotaur without further inspection. Do you have any guesses?”

“You said it had horns and two sets of arms? Are you positive about that?”

She nodded.

“That certainly narrows it down. Minotaur is possible, but I don’t think they have four arms. Oh, fuck!” I pressed my fist over my mouth, a sudden realization catching me off guard.

Tecna made an out with it! gesture, and I exhaled heavily.

“A Whip. It could be a Whip. It matches your description, but— how?”

Tecna’s jaw slackened as she considered it. Whips were native to Eraklyon, and all but extinct due to trophy hunting. They were known for their prized horns and, above all, their ability to kill. 

“I’m afraid you might be right. We should warn the others.” 

“Alright,” I cleared my throat, raising my voice to carry across the room, “Hey, Prince Sky?”

Sky and Brandon both looked up from the area they were inspecting. I gripped my hands together to stop myself from fidgeting. 

“No need for formalities, just Sky is fine. What’s up?”

“You’re from Eraklyon, right? Brandon, too?” I squeezed my hand tighter, feeling my bones grind together.

“Yeah, so is Sorscha. We used to play together as kids,” Brandon nodded over to her, and they shared a nostalgic grin, “Why do you ask?”

“Have you ever heard of a Whip?”

Any hint of a smile drained off their faces. Sky turned back to the scratch mark, rubbing a hand over his mouth in thought.

“No… You don’t think—” Brandon turned back to Sorscha.

Sorscha tilted her head to one side, “The last two Whips were put into captivity last year, how would that even be possible?”

Tecna shrugged, “The evidence points to it.”

“I believe you. We just can’t know for sure until we find it,” Sky turned and clapped, gathering everyone’s attention, “Alright, squad, circle up! Good news, we may get to see a rare creature today. Bad news, it’ll kill you without a second thought. How many of you know what a Whip is?”

At the looks of confusion from the rest of the group, Sorscha went into a brief explanation of the beast. 

“Most importantly, we need to try and take it in alive. I’ll call a retrieval squad, but in the meantime, we need to locate it. Do not approach, do not attack, and whatever you do, do not try and capture it on your own. Girls, I know you want to help, but this goes beyond a simple loose animal in the school. You should go back to your dorm and barricade yourselves inside until it’s contained.” She looked at each of us in turn.

“I don’t know about you girls, but I feel like my life has been at risk enough for one school year,” Bloom said.

Stella rubbed her arms, “I second that!”

“Thirded,” I touched the phantom scar across my throat.

Musa pouted slightly but nodded, as did Tecna and Flora. 

“Tecna, do you have your phone on you?” Timmy asked.

She nodded and held up the device.

“Text me when you get back to your rooms. I’ll keep you updated, too. Uh, all of you, I mean.” He glanced around us.

Tecna repocketed her phone, “Will do.”

“Let’s head back, then.” Flora announced.

Stella gave Sky a quick hug, and we left the classroom.

Once out of earshot, Musa skipped to the front and started walking backwards to face us.

“We’re not really giving up that easily, are we?” 

I raised my hand, “Personally, I enjoy not being clawed to pieces.”

Musa huffed, continuing her backwards march.

“What if it’s not a Whip after all? Maybe it’s just a scared animal,” Flora suggested.

Musa wiggled her fingers conspiratorially, “Or one of Professor Wizgiz’s experiments that got loose!”

“I’d say it’s a dirty laundry hamper creature,” Stella laughed.

Musa bumped into a shadowed object, letting out an oof! of surprise. Tecna took out her phone and activated the flashlight feature.

“Hey! There never used to be a wall here,” she held her hands out to feel the unknown thing.

Tecna’s flashlight beam rose up, and up, and up, until it rested on a monstrous bovine face, complete with a massive set of horns longer than my arm span. Momentarily blinded by the light, it roared, spittle flying from its mouth onto us. 

Stella gagged, flicking strings of saliva off her face, “This is totally disgusting! You are so gonna get it!”

She marched forward, crossing her fingers in preparation to transform. Luckily, the beast was still pawing the light out of its eyes. 

“Stella, we have no powers!” Bloom screeched.

“Right,” she backed away slowly, “Nice monster…”

I grabbed her arm, “To the stairs! The stairwell is narrower, it might not fit through!”

We all turned and ran. The staircase was all the way on the other side of the hall, and we dashed up it, barely slowing down enough to keep our footing on the steps. Tecna had just made it into the safety of the corridor as the Whip slammed itself into the doorframe. She tripped and scrambled up a few steps before Flora and I pulled her up by the shoulders. 

“What now?” Flora panted. 

I looked around, hoping to catch my bearings. I was still hopelessly lost, especially in the crushing darkness all around us. We seemed to still be in the classroom wing, but other than that, I had no idea. The Whip kept battering the stairwell, roaring in fury as it tried to force its way up. 

“We shouldn’t just stand here waiting for it to find a way up here, we have to keep running!” Tecna groaned, rubbing at a spot on her leg where she must have hit it on the stairs. 

Bloom leaned heavily into the wall, “We can’t go back to the dorm, it’ll just bust through the door!”

“Potion lab?” I suggested, “Maybe Palladium has a… shield potion or something. I don’t know!”

“I don’t have any better ideas,” Musa shrugged helplessly.

“Well then come on, I know the way!” Stella pushed herself off the wall and broke into a run.

“Try not to explode it this time, okay?” Musa quipped.

I threw my hand out in confusion, “What are you talking about?”

“It was an accident!” Stella huffed.

She took us all the way around the building, aiming for the grand staircase. The sounds of growling and crumbling plaster grew fainter the further we ran, until we couldn’t hear the beast at all. 

The staircase was just within our sights when the windows behind us shattered, knocking me off balance onto one knee. Flora shrieked, and I turned back to see her clutching her bleeding arm to her chest. The Whip had caught up, and it charged full speed towards us. My throat hollowed out, and I could have sworn I felt my magic trying to claw its way out. The other girls scattered out of the line of attack, and I scrambled to my feet.

I dove out of the way in the nick of time, tucking and rolling like I had a thousand times before. Glass shards dug into my back, and I screamed. I shut my eyes against the burning pain, falling limp as a rag doll. I heard the Whip roar, but I was frozen in agony. I hoped my death would come quickly.

“Look at him, he’s struggling and sweating!” Stella mocked.

I squinted my eyes open, lolling my head slightly towards the sound of her voice. Stella stood, hands on her hips, in front of the beast. It was indeed struggling, trying to pull its massive horns out of the wall.

“Mira! Holy shit, are you okay? Can you stand?” Bloom hazed into my vision, sporting a fair share of cuts across her face and arms.

I groaned but nodded slightly, and she took my hands. My vision blackened at the edges, and the tang of copper filled my mouth, but I managed to stand on my own. Bloom stepped behind me and carefully picked out some of the shards.

“Is it bad?” I cringed.

Bloom paused and removed another piece, “I don’t think so, your sweater stopped a lot of them— Oh no. There’s one, it’s kinda big. I shouldn’t take it out, right? In Health class, they told us you’re not supposed to take out something that impales you so you don’t bleed out.”

“Yeah, I—” My stomach roiled at the word impales, “Let’s worry about it if we survive the next five minutes.”

I returned my attention to the Whip and Stella, who appeared to be taunting it.

“He really stinks! This should help a little.” She whipped a perfume bottle out of her skirt pocket.

Tecna threw out an arm to stop her, “Stella, no!”

But she was too slow. Stella spritzed the beast right in the eyes, making it let out the loudest roar yet. It punched clean through the wall, but its horn remained stuck fast, at least for the moment.

“Ha, I think I blinded it!” She reached out to spray it again.

This time, luckily, Tecna had reached her, stopping her from angering it further. 

“Down the stairs!” Tecna yelled, pulling Stella behind her.

Bloom tucked an arm around me, careful to keep her arm off my back, “Can you make it down?”

“Do I have a choice?” 

I looked back to see Musa finish tying her armband around Flora’s bicep, the fabric turning from blue to a sickening mauve. They hurried down the stairs, and we followed suit. Adrenaline flooded through me, dulling the pain and strengthening my shaking legs. We made it halfway across the entry hall when the Whip broke free and jumped over the railing. It landed in a crouch, twitching its nose and scenting the fresh blood. It stalked around us, almost playing with us before it went in for the kill. It breathed deeply when it reached Flora, rising back up to its full height.

“No!” Musa shouted with her arms outstretched, blocking Flora with her own body.

The Whip flicked her away without a second thought, sending her sailing into a darkened hallway. I was too shocked to scream, my mind unwilling to process any more. 

“That’s it, you’ve asked for it!” a familiar voice called from behind the beast.

Riven stepped into the moonlight, carrying Musa’s prone form. He set her down shockingly gently, checking her pulse and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear before activating his rapier and facing the beast. The other specialists ran in after him, immediately taking up defensive positions in a wide semicircle.

“Now this is my kind of party!” Riven spun his sword before charging in to catch the Whip’s attention.

“Timmy, Brandon, defense! Sorscha, take flank!” Sky commanded.

Sorscha took up position on the left, while Sky jogged to the right, taking away any escape routes. Brandon and Timmy rushed around to us. Brandon kept his eyes and shield front, while Timmy turned to assess us, face blanching at all the blood.

“So, I guess you never made it back to the dorm, huh?” Brandon joked half-heartedly.

“Yeah, what happened?” Timmy asked.

“Running. Broken glass. More running.” Stella deadpanned. 

Brandon turned his head to us, “The retrieval squad should be here any minute. We should get you girls somewhere safer until then.”

“What about the headmistress’s office?” Bloom suggested, “She must have some kind of defense in there.”

Timmy nodded, “Good thinking.”

I turned my eyes back to the fight just in time to see Riven get flung backwards. Sky stepped in seamlessly, taking attention away from him as he got back to his feet. 

“We’re retreating, get Musa out of there!” Brandon yelled to Riven.

For once, he did not object. He just scooped Musa into his arms and joined our group.

“Hey, look what I found!”

I whipped around to see Stella armed with buckets full of soapy water. I hadn’t even seen her slip away, I had no idea when she had time to grab them.

“I’ve got one stun round in here,” Timmy called to the other specialists, “It might only work for a few seconds, but it should be enough!”

Sorscha nodded and put an extra couple of feet between herself and the beast.

“On three!” Sky bellowed, still locked in combat, “One, two, three!”

Sky twisted out of the way, ducking into a crouch. Timmy stepped towards the Whip, shooting a blast directly into its face. A faint cast of orange light spread over its wiry coat, and it froze completely.

“Go, go, go!” Sky yelled.

We sprinted down the hallway. Flora stumbled, dizzy from blood loss, and Sky lifted her into his arms without missing a beat. Stella had divided up the buckets between herself, Tecna, and Bloom, and once we had all made it into the hall, they dumped the soapy contents all across the slick tile floor.

“I’d like to see that beast chase us across that!” Stella crowed.

I kept running, forcing my breath even like I did when Airen made me run laps around the gym back at home. I could feel the shard of glass in my back acutely now, slicing deeper into my lower back with every landing of my left foot. I was sure I was limping ridiculously by now. All I had to do was keep running a little bit longer.

Just a little bit longer.

I swallowed a shriek as a misstep nearly sent me faceplanting. My vision hazed, and I scrubbed away a stray tear before anyone could see.

Just. Keep. Going.

“Are you alright?” Sorscha ran next to me, glancing towards my back.

“Fine.” I swallowed back the thickening taste of blood. 

“You don’t have to keep running.”

“Giant scary monster? I kind of do.”

Black spots danced in front of me, and it took all my concentration not to trip again. I was in a truly nauseating amount of pain by now.

“I— one of us can carry you, you know.”

“What? I don’t need someone to carry me.” I gasped out.

I lost consciousness.

I woke to the sound of someone shouting, but I was too groggy to understand the words. I curled deeper into what I was lying on. It was warm, and smelled of lavender and cedar. A hand stroked my hair, shushing me softly and lulling me back to sleep. 

“...Wholly unacceptable! I have never seen such total lack of respect in all my years of teaching. I trust you will be disciplined accordingly.” 

The fear of being lectured shot me into awareness. Awareness of not only my injuries, but also where I happened to be sitting. My head was tucked into Sorscha’s shoulder, and her thumb stroked my hair. Her other hand rested… very low on my hips. 

I shifted and a whimper slipped out before I could stop it, pain lighting up my back at the slight movement. Her hands slid off me, one coming to rest on my bicep to support me.

“Sorry about, um, that. I didn’t want to risk touching your back in the state it’s in.”

I couldn’t tell who was blushing harder, me or her. Definitely me, because was that drool on my face?

I tried to subtly wipe it away with the back of my hand, but Sorscha tracked my movements.

“Mira, is that blood?”

I froze, looking down at my hand. I let out a garbled curse at the red smear on the back of my hand. 

“You shouldn’t have been able to stand with injuries like that. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Giant scary monster,” I echoed my words from earlier.

A tiny, tiny smile crinkled the corners of her eyes, “Fair enough.”

At the sound of a spell being cast, I turned to the rest of the room. Faragonda stood facing a closing portal, Griselda at her side. I counted each of the girls and the specialists, all of them half out of various hiding spots around the room.

“I will not reprimand you, girls. You have clearly been through enough tonight, and I suspect that none of this was your fault to begin with. Griselda, would you mind alerting the nurse?”

“Right away, Faragonda,” Griselda nodded and bustled out of the office. 

What happened to ‘such total lack of respect?’

Faragonda strode to her desk, stacking up a few scattered papers, “The Whip is contained and will be returned to Eraklyon shortly. It has suffered no lasting damage, and for that I commend you, specialists.”

“It wasn’t easy,” Riven grunted.

“Indeed not,” she shot him a look, “Now, come. We should get you all to the infirmary.”

I uncurled my legs from beneath me and made to stand. My head swam, but I powered through it. Sorscha rose quickly, steadying me with a hand on each of my elbows.

“You really don’t have to—”

“I can walk.” I said stubbornly, my words slurring at the edges.

“Don’t, child. The time for being brave is over.” Faragonda laid a hand on my shoulder, her eyes boring a hole through me.

Sorscha nodded, “Seriously, you look like shit. Um, excuse me, Headmistress.”

She looked guiltily at the headmistress, but Faragonda just smiled.

“Can you carry her? The infirmary is only a few doors down.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“I can still walk,” I protested feebly.

Sorscha scooped me up like a baby, one hand under my legs, the other supporting my neck. The movement had me biting my lip against another scream, but the relief from taking the weight off my leg was worth it.

“Too bad.”

“I’ll get blood on your clothes.”

“You already did when I carried you the first time.”

“Then your arms must be tired.”

“Hardly. Carrying you is like carrying a feather.”

“That’s insulting. I have so much muscles.”

“So much.” she agreed readily. “Feather.”

She had already carried me through the door of the infirmary by the time I realized how futile my protests were. 

“Stars above! Set her down here, I’ll be right over. Take her sweater off, if you can. Careful now, there are scissors on the side table, there.” The nurse pointed to an empty cot across from Flora.

I whimpered slightly as Sorscha set me down, “Please don’t cut my sweater off, it’s my sister’s.”

“It’s not exactly salvageable at this point,” Sorscha raised an eyebrow at me.

I ignored her and wriggled out of the sleeves, letting her peel it off my back where the blood had dried. She set it down next to me, and I stared blankly at the saturated fabric.

Is there even still blood left in my body?

“I do not have enough hands for this. Have you boys— ah, and you,” she nodded to Sorscha.

Sorscha shrugged, “I’m boys too.”

“Sure. Have you boys done your first aid training yet?”

“Yeah, we all know the basics. What do you want us to do?” Sky asked.

The nurse finished cleaning Flora’s gash, “Put pressure on that, it’ll need stitches, but not until I check the others. You three, anything worse than scrapes? Good, clean them out, then help yourselves to salve and bandages in that cabinet behind the blond one. Is she at risk of bleeding out in the next minute?”

Sorscha leaned back to assess me, “No, but she’s still got glass stuck in her back. Some pretty big, too.”

“Head injury takes precedence, then. One moment.”

She knelt in front of Musa, flashing a series of lights in front of her eyes.

“Just a concussion, you’ll be fine. Can one of you grab me the potion for that? It’s labelled, it’ll be in the drawer just behind you. Have her drink the whole thing and keep her conscious, okay?” she pointed to Riven, who was leaning against the cabinet in question.

“This one?” Riven pulled out a swirling purple jar.

“If it’s labelled ‘concussion,’ then yes. Grab a candy from that bowl while you’re at it, it has a nasty aftertaste.” She turned her attention to me, “Lie down for me, will you? This is not going to be fun. You, Ginger, grab me the potions labelled ‘pain.’ Yes, the milky-looking ones. Two of those, and give the clearer ones to any of the girls who want them. The clear ones are less potent, but they should do the trick. The other two are for her and her.”

She pointed to Flora and me.

“The concussion potion should dull the pain on its own, mixing in another potion is a recipe for disaster. You’ll just have to wait for it to kick in, I’m afraid.”

Timmy handed me the bottle, and I took it eagerly, downing the small bottle in two gulps. The effect was instantaneous. A warm tingling spread from my throat down to my toes, dulling the pain and leaving me with a slight floral aftertaste on my tongue, replacing the metallic blood.

“Now, I will need to cut off your shirt,” the nurse warned, “It’s too tight-fitting to pull off, and I can already see a piece of glass going right through it.”

Stella walked over to us, very carefully not looking at the blood, “I can fix it, I think. Even in this… state.”

I smiled weakly up at her. I settled my hands under my chin as a pillow, and resigned to the fact that my favorite exercise shirt was about to be sliced off of me. The nurse grabbed the scissors off the side table and cut straight down the back of my shirt.

“Will you grab me the tweezers and a bowl?”

Sorscha stood and grabbed them out of a labelled drawer, then sat back down in the same spot in front of me.

I am technically topless, and Sorscha is staring at me, my woozy brain supplied. 

“You’re lucky none of these hit your spine.” the nurse remarked, pulling out a shard with a slight pinch.

“She was bleeding from her mouth earlier, should we be worried?” 

She snorted, dropping another shard into the bowl, “Honey, this whole thing is something to be worried about. But no, not unless it keeps happening. I’ll check for internal bleeding once I get these out.”

Sorscha frowned but nodded. 

She handed her a square of gauze, “I’m pulling out the big one now, get ready to put pressure on it.”

Sorscha nodded again and moved her hand to hover over my back. The nurse dislodged the glass, and I groaned at the aching sensation in my lower back.

“You’re okay, just breathe.” Sorscha pressed the gauze into the wound, the pressure somehow comforting.

She held up the shard of glass for me to see, “Not so bad after all. It went in less than an inch. It may have cut through the muscle, but that’s nothing a round of potions can’t fix.”

“Oh. Ouch.” I mumbled incoherently.

“Let me stitch up your friend first, then I’ll get to yours. You can tape up the smaller cuts if you’re feeling up to it. Just don’t forget to keep pressure on that one.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Sorscha reached for the stack of bandages Stella left on the side table.

I closed my eyes, giving in to the drowsiness of the pain potion. My mind drifted, lulled into a state of half-sleep by Sorscha’s ministrations. She applied salve across my shoulder blades with a feather-light touch. The pungent scent of sterile herbs invaded my nose, and I tucked my face into the crook of my elbow, fighting off a sneeze.

“I can’t believe it was the witches who summoned that creature. What were they thinking?” Stella’s voice cut through my cloud of sleep.

“Yeah, I thought they were done with us after the ring business!” Bloom agreed.

“Maybe they wanted revenge after we broke into their rooms.” Tecna wondered.

“That’s the only explanation I can think of.” Flora’s voice was thin.

I opened an eye to see her being stitched up. The nurse had already bandaged up her bicep and had moved on to the long gash down her thigh. Flora kept her eyes averted, staring at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the room.

“The Trix were here?” I groaned.

Bloom nodded, “Yeah, you and Musa must have missed the whole thing! We went to hide in Faragonda’s office, and the Trix came in right after. Luckily, Faragonda came back just in time to send them back to Cloud Tower.”

Musa muttered something too quietly for me to hear, and Riven snorted in reply. The nurse tied off the final stitch, bandaged Flora’s leg, and switched to fresh gloves.

“All done, dear. That’s 19 stitches in total, almost an Alfea record! And don’t fret about the scarring, if you treat it right, you shouldn’t even be able to see it in a month or two.”

Flora nodded, glancing tentatively back down at her arm.

“Now, for you. Let’s see if you can beat your friend here.” She grabbed a fresh set of needles and sutures.

“Yay.” I snarked heatlessly. 

Sorscha left my side with a pat on my arm, going to stand beside the other specialists. The nurse set to work on my stitches. The pain potion had set in fully by now; the only sensation I could feel was a slight pinch as she sealed my cuts closed.

A couple of minutes later, she sealed off the last stitch and began the process of bandaging each of the cuts. The boys had said their goodbyes, stating their need to return to Red Fountain before curfew. Bloom, Tecna, and Stella had also left, promising to return with fresh pajamas for the three of us who needed to stay in the infirmary overnight. 

The nurse flashed a spell through my abdomen, “Looks like you’re safe from internal bleeding. The three of you will just need to rest, so try and stay out of trouble for the night, okay?”

Each of us nodded.

“You, concussion, I’m afraid you can’t sleep just yet. I’ll come back and check on you in a few hours, and if all is well, you can rest then. TV’s over there, or I can grab you a book before I go. Do you want anything to eat?”

“Maybe just some tea?” Flora asked.

The nurse smiled softly, “Sure, I’ll ask the kitchen staff to bring some up. I’ll be back around midnight to check on you all.”

She left with a wave, only to be replaced by Stella, Bloom, and Tecna, each carrying a blanket and nightclothes for us.

“We decided we’re having a sleepover.” Bloom declared.

I sat up, crossing my arms to keep the bottom of my shirt in place. 

Musa grinned, “Wanna watch something? I’m not allowed to sleep yet.”

Stella clapped in delight, “Ooh, how about Spy Princess? I haven’t watched that movie in ages!”

“What’s Spy Princess?” Bloom asked.

“You’re probably the only person in the magic dimension who hasn’t seen it,” I joked.

“I’ve never seen it!” Flora protested.

Tecna handed Musa her pajamas, “You’ve been missing out.”

“See, even Tecna has seen it! Now, Mira, I wasn’t sure what you wanted to wear, so I brought you a few options,” Stella dumped a heap of fabric onto the unbloodied side of my cot, “Oversized tee, shorts, tank top, sweatpants, and I brought one of my nightdresses if you wanted to borrow it. I wasn’t sure if the waistbands would bother you or not.”

“Thanks, Stella. That’s really thoughtful.” I opted for the tee and shorts.

Stella smiled and shut the privacy screen around me. I changed as fast as my body would let me, shoving my soiled clothing into a plastic bag and tucking it under the bed. When I emerged, I found Tecna and Bloom shoving together three of the beds in front of the TV. Musa was cueing up the movie, and Stella was bringing in a tea tray that one of the cooks had just brought up. Flora stepped out from behind her own changing screen a moment later, and we all huddled up on the beds to watch the movie. It took me a few tries to find a comfortable position, and I eventually just gave up and lay across Bloom and Musa’s laps with my legs tucked underneath me.

The nurse came back to check on us midway through Spy Princess 2, Electric Burglary, and deemed Musa safe to sleep. She left us with more pain potions and instructions to call her or the day nurse if anything changed. The movie marathon continued well into the night, and I finally fell asleep somewhere in the middle of one of the spinoff movies.

Chapter Text

We spent three more days in and out of the infirmary. Faragonda had given us back our powers the first morning, claiming that we had more than learned our lesson. Bloom had healed remarkably quickly once she got her magic back, and Stella and Tecna’s cuts were barely visible. Musa slept through most of the day, but the nurse assured us she was recovering steadily. Flora had just gotten her stitches out, and I was next.

“Now, let me know if it hurts too much, and I can give you a stronger pain reliever,” The nurse warned.

I nodded and braced myself. I had ended up with only 12 stitches across 3 cuts, as opposed to Flora’s 19. The nurse worked quickly, slipping out each stitch and replacing them with fresh bandages. 

She taped down the last bandage and patted me gently on the shoulder, “That’s the last of it. Come back tomorrow so I can change your bandages and apply some more topical pain relief. I’ll give you some waterproof covers so you can shower, but still no exercise.”

I groaned as I tugged my shirt back down. I had grown quite antsy these past few days, with nothing to do but rest and recover. Permission to shower was a relief, though. Stella taught us a spell that removed any dirt and odors, but it didn’t come close to the feeling of actual soap and water.

“Don’t worry, we’ll stay in our apartment.” Flora gave me her good arm to help me stand.

The nurse handed each of us a couple of transparent sheets to stick over our bandages, and we bid our goodbyes and left for the dorms.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m getting sick of watching TV.” Musa drawled as we entered.

“You could always do your homework, you know,” Flora remarked.

I slumped on the couch next to Musa, “What’s the point of being gravely injured if you can’t even get out of homework?”

“Exactly!” Musa agreed.

“Well, I’m going to go shower,” Flora said, “I’m going to try and make it to Illusions and Charms, Madame duFour said we’d be doing something exciting today.”

“I’ll gladly take an excuse to miss that class, I still haven’t even gotten the hang of a simple paper illusion!” I wiggled my fingers towards a book on the coffee table.

The letters shifted slightly, then bounced back, proving my point. Musa snickered into her fist.

Flora sighed, “Why don’t I just bring back the notes?”

“That would be great, actually. Thanks,” Musa stretched and yawned, “I think I’m going to go take another nap.”

Musa and Flora left me in the living room. My phone rang just as I decided that I would actually do some homework, and I grabbed it out of my pocket, seeing my aunt’s name lighting up the screen. I straightened my hair, made sure none of my bandages were showing, and answered the call.

“Hey, what’s—”

Caden’s bright orange hair filled the holoscreen, “HI MIMI!”

“Quiet down, you’re making the speakers cut out!” I laughed.

He backed up a smidge, just enough for me to see his toothy grin.

“So, how’d you get your mom’s phone?” I asked.

“I told Mom that I miss you and that I want to talk to you so she gave me her phone!” He waved it around, distorting his image, “When are you coming back?”

“Aw, I miss you too. It shouldn’t be too much longer. How’s the weather?”

“Well it’s not raining right now but Kiki said it’s gonna rain again but not as much. Look, a dragonfly!” 

He pointed the phone towards the forest. The view from the holoscreen wasn’t very good, but I could just make out the shaky image of a giant dragonfly flitting through the trees outside.

“Very cool! Did you know that here on Magix, the dragonflies are small enough to fit in your hand?”

He turned the phone back on his scrunched up face, “What? That’s impossible. Dragonflies are supposed to be huge!”

“It’s true! I’ll have to show you a picture.”

“I learned about a new dinosaur today and I know Mom is finally gonna let me have it as a pet.”

“Oh yeah? Where will you keep it?”

“This one can fit in my room! It’s only two feet long and it’s from Melody and it can fly! It’s called a micro raptor which means little thief because it steals bugs out of the sky and eats them. It’s got two sets of wings except not because it has arms and legs but they’re also wings!”

“You tell her, I think she’ll finally be convinced this time.”

“REALLY?” He screeched, making the speaker pop in and out again.

“You don’t know until you ask!” I shrugged. 

“Okay! I’m going to go now because Mom is in a meeting and I’m supposed to be tutored in two minutes. We’re doing math!” 

“How exciting! I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Bye Mimi!”

“Goodbye, kiddo!”

He hung up the phone. He’d been in our lives for such a short time, but I couldn’t imagine life without his constant stream of babbling.

A few years ago, Brigid had returned from one of her secret missions Kiara and I weren’t supposed to know about with an abandoned changeling baby. A changeling herself, she hadn’t had the heart to leave him behind. He was only supposed to be at the castle long enough for arrangements to be made, but Euphinia took one look at him and knew that Caden was meant to be part of the family. Even two tween girls wasn’t enough to deter her, but with the help of her two closest friends, Brigid and Nadya, I’d say we’re being raised pretty well.

I finally reached for my homework and set to work on my makeup assignments. It was Tuesday, meaning we had only missed three classes so far: Basic Studies, Transformation, and this morning’s class, History. I only had to finish a worksheet on non-magical chemistry for Basic Studies to be caught up. Hopefully, Tecna would bring back the history notes, and I’d be on track once I went back to class.

“Like, when do we even need to know this stuff, anyway?” Stella complained as she, Bloom, and Tecna entered the apartment.

“I don’t know, it’s kind of exciting! It sure beats learning about the Civil War back at home,” Bloom countered, “And we have a saying on Earth: Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it!”

“How insightful.” Tecna said, at the same time Stella said, “How odious.”

“You have to at least pay attention to some of it, as a princess,” I leaned over the arm of the couch, “What would you do if someone asks for your input on a trade deal and you have no idea what they’re talking about?”

“I’d tell them to talk to my advisors!” Stella moaned.

Tecna handed me a neatly penned sheet of notes, “The lesson from today. You missed the quiz, but Miss Barbatea said you can make it up whenever you’re ready. Where are Musa and Flora?”

“Thanks. Flora’s in the shower, and Musa’s taking a nap.” I skimmed her notes, nothing I hadn’t learned before.

“I’ll give them their notes later, then.”

“Are you coming to lunch, Mira? Or should we bring something back for you?” Stella asked.

I shook my head, “I haven’t washed my hair in five days, I’m not ready to leave the apartment. Flora might, though. She should be out of the shower any minute.”

Right on cue, Flora stepped out of the bathroom. Her hair was done up with a kerchief, and she wore a sage green long-sleeved top and a midi skirt, hiding any sign of her bandages.

“Girls! When did you get back?”

“Just a minute ago, are you coming to lunch?” Bloom asked.

She nodded, “Just let me put on my shoes.”

The four of them left, and I finally got in the shower. Putting on the waterproof bandages proved to be a minor struggle, but I managed to twist my arms around just enough to stick them on properly. I spent nearly an hour in the bathroom, scrubbing any remaining hint of dirt off me.

✭✭✭

I returned to class on Wednesday, but skipped Thursday’s Exercise and Defense. The nurse had declared that the worst of the wounds had healed, and that I could start working out again in a day or two, so long as I didn’t do anything too strenuous. Euphinia had called, saying I’d be clear to fly home again today, just in time for the Day of the Rose festival. Potions, the only class today, was cancelled for the holiday.

“Are you going home for the weekend?” I asked Stella.

I was helping her pick out an outfit for the festival in downtown Magix. So far, we had narrowed out long sleeves, jeans, wrap skirts, and the color blue.

“And have to deal with all my parents’ bullshit?” she scoffed, “No, thank you. I much prefer it here.”

“Your parents are separated?”

“Yeah. They’re officializing the divorce any day now. But don’t tell anyone yet, my dad’s trying to keep it out of the gossip columns as long as he can.”

She held up a flouncy baby pink dress with tiered ruffles and frowned.

“As if I know anyone to tell. And I’m sorry, it must be hard.”

She huffed and put the dress back, “It’s been coming my whole life. I’m just happy they’re finally going through with it.”

I hummed in acknowledgement while I sifted through a drawer of tops. I pulled out a pale green top covered in little embroidered yellow flowers.

Stella gasped, “I’ve got it!”

She combed through her skirts, eventually landing on a satiny miniskirt that matched the flowers on the shirt. She changed quickly and inspected herself in the mirror before grabbing coordinating wedge heels and adding her signature headband on top.

“How do I look?”

“Perfect.” I checked the time on my phone, “Shit, Cam’s going to be here in ten minutes, and I still need to finish packing!”

I raced down the stairs and started shoving my clothes into my bag. I hadn’t unpacked much, so it only took me a few minutes before everything was back in my bag. Cat Cat’s nose was left sticking out of the top, but that couldn’t be helped.

“I have a parting gift for you, actually.” Stella announced.

“I’ll be back on Monday, you know.”

She pulled something out of a drawer and handed it to me. I unfolded it to find my cardigan and my workout top, now unstained and perfectly repaired.

“How in the Realms did you even find time to do this? This is amazing!” I ran my hand over the back of my top, the only evident difference being a faint wavy pattern of stitches across the surface.

Stella shrugged, “I had some free time this week.”

I hugged her tightly, “You’re the best.”

“I know.”

I put the items into my school bag, the only remaining space, and we left the room.

“What’s the Day of the Rose?” Bloom was asking Flora.

“It’s a special holiday to celebrate your parents and your ancestors!”

“Don’t you have a holiday like that on Earth?” Tecna questioned.

Bloom thought for a moment, “I guess the closest we would have is Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.”

“Flora, you’re coming home with me, right?” I checked.

“Mm-hmm! Let me just grab my suitcase.”

“Anyone else need a ride? Cam should be here any minute.”

Tecna shook her head, “My brother is picking me up in an hour.”

“I’m staying, I’m not on the best of terms with my dad right now.” Musa sighed.

“If I see my parents or Kiko again, even for the day, I’ll just feel even more homesick! Besides, I want to see what this festival is all about.” Bloom added.

“You’ll love it! And I’ll be sure to text you girls all about it so you don’t miss a thing.” Stella bubbled.

I watched Tecna subtly turn her phone on mute, and I suppressed a snort. I checked my own phone to see that Cam had just landed, so I sent a quick reply and gestured to Flora.

“And we’re off. Have a good day, everyone!”

We hugged each other goodbye, and Flora and I left for the ship. Cam waved us on board, and we took off for home.

We dropped Flora off at the Lynphean spaceport, and she promised she could make her way home from there. Twenty minutes later, we completed our descent into Callisto.

“Will you be at the celebration today?”

Cam made a maybe-so gesture, “We’ll see. My mom wanted to see her parents out in the country, but we might make an appearance.”

“Say hi for me then,” I scrunched my nose, ”Unless that would be weird. I never know.”

”I will.” Cam laughed.

I gathered my bags, slinging one over each shoulder, “Well, I’ll see you later. Or Monday, whichever it ends up being.”

“Happy Rose Day!”

I waved goodbye and made my way to the castle. Cam had landed, like usual, in the smaller ship bay reserved for royal vehicles. I opted to take the scenic route up, hoping to see some festival preparations from the glass elevator. I could just make out a closed-off section of one of the main downtown roads. Shop owners set out tables and booths for the afternoon craft market, and later in the evening would be the parade. The elevator finished its ascent, and the city became too small to make out. I made my way through the top floor of the library to another set of elevators that led into the actual palace. Once I made it up there, I just had to find one more elevator up to my room. 

“Mira, you’re back!” Kiara waved from across the hall.

I grinned and picked up my pace to meet her, and we embraced tightly.

“Ow, ow, careful!” I squirmed out of her hold.

She froze, eyes wide in alarm, “What happened? Are you alright?”

“It’s a long story,” I groaned.

I told her a slightly sanitized version of events as we went up to my room, and she promised not to tell Euphinia that I had been anywhere even close to danger. She helped me unpack my stuff as she filled me in on the event details.

“So there’s the craft fair, of course. Someone said there were fewer vendors than usual, but more restaurants are participating, so there’ll be a lot more food stalls this year. Fin’s giving a speech before the parade starts, and we’ll be making an appearance with her. Nadya’s arriving with our dresses in… half an hour.” Kiara glanced at the clock.

“Good, that’s just enough time to eat something. I left before breakfast, I’m starving!”

We went down to the kitchens, which were packed with everyone rushing to prepare for tonight’s feast. I grabbed a pastry, then let it toast in one of the ovens with a tray of roasting potatoes, all while trying to stay out of the way. We slipped back out of the bustling room and headed up to the apparel studio.

Nadya was already there, draping a cupcake of a dress on a mannequin. Her chartreuse hair was swept up into a twist with a number of actual sewing pins, which she plucked out of her hair and pinned into the dress. The room consisted of a vanity, a tailor’s pedestal surrounded by mirrors, a wall of shelves holding fabric and sewing supplies, and a door to an adjacent storage room. 

“No food in here!” Nadya pointed at me with a slender finger.

I raised my hands, “I know better, I’m staying out here.”

She nodded sharply and returned to the dress, “Just a moment, and I’ll grab your dresses.”

Kiara took a seat by the vanity, and I leaned against the doorframe to finish my breakfast. Once Nadya was done with her chiffon monstrosity, she rolled in two racks of dresses.

“Typically, one would wear red on this occasion. But, since neither of you looks good in red, I’ve acquired a variety from deep magenta to baby pink.”

I pouted. My favorite leotard was red. I dusted a few errant crumbs off my shirt, washed my hands in the sink by the vanity, and went to inspect Nadya’s selections. 

“Let’s start with Kiara,” She nudged one of the racks over, “I wanted to compliment your hair, so I’ve chosen cooler tones for you. What do you think?”

Kiara pondered her options before pulling out a raspberry pink silk jumpsuit with butterfly sleeves and ribbon roses decorating the waistline and shoulders.

“This one?” Kiara held it against herself.

I gave her a thumbs up, “You’ve got my vote!”

“Good, that’s one of my favorites. Try it on, and I’ll see if it needs any adjustments.” Nadya motioned her behind a changing screen in the corner.

“These ones are mine?” I pointed to the other rack.

She nodded, “I picked some darker shades for you, mainly maroons. You always look so stunning in darker colors. You should wear them more often.”

My cheeks warmed. I walked my fingers across the hangers, pushing them back so I could get a look at each dress. I stopped on a burgundy one, and I pulled it out to get a full look. Beadwork decorated the bodice in little roses, fading out into a lush chiffon skirt, and puffy sleeves that cuffed somewhere around the forearm completed the look. I turned it to the back, which was fully covered, saving me from any awkward conversations about why I was covered in gauze from neck to hip. 

“Isn’t the beading gorgeous? I got it from a seamstress in Dolona, she does it all by hand.”

“Wow,” my eyebrows shot up, “I guess I have to pick this one.”

Kiara peeked out from behind the screen, “Definitely that one!”

She ducked back behind the screen, reappearing a moment later in the jumpsuit. She did a little shoulder shimmy, making her sleeves flutter. I laughed and took her place. I heard Nadya direct her onto the podium and start muttering about alterations. I didn’t bother removing my leggings; instead just took my shirt off and stepped into the dress. It buttoned at the collar, but it was too tight, so I just zipped it up as high as it would go.

“Can you adjust the collar? It’s trying to strangle me,” I walked over to the podium, where Nadya had just finished marking Kiara’s alterations.

She gestured me towards her, “Let me see?”

I twisted my hair out of the way and turned my back to her. I mentally crossed my fingers, praying all my bandages were out of sight.

“Easy fix. I’ll also let out the hems around your biceps and wrists, and take the skirt in a bit. It never ceases to amaze me how much muscle you pack into that tiny frame of yours.”

I flexed my muscles as I switched places with Kiara on the podium.

“She just called you short!”

I stuck out my tongue and tried to trip her, but I just ended up knocking myself off balance. Kiara laughed at me and went to change back. 

“Please give me platforms.”

“We’ll see.” Nadya marked out a hemline with her tailor’s chalk, then jotted down some notes about my sleeves in a notepad. 

“What time do you want us back?” Kiara called.

“Before three-thirty. I’ll have Angelica bring up your accessories around three.”

Kiara stepped out and handed Nadya the jumpsuit. I hopped off the pedestal, making my skirts puff up around me, and I changed back.

Kiara and I said our goodbyes and promised to be back on time. We collected Caden from his room and found Euphinia in her office. 

“You’ll be back in time for the speech?” she glanced up from her paperwork.

“Nadya wants us back before three, don’t worry.” Kiara reassured.

I tapped Caden’s fingers in a game of chopsticks, “We’re just going to go look around and have lunch, maybe buy a couple of things. Do you want anything?”

“What I want is for you three to be safe. Will you at least consider taking a guard?”

Caden smacked his three fingers into my two. I harrumphed and dropped my hand. 

“Why have a guard when you can go in disguise!” Kiara pulled a tiny vial out of her pocket, “Masquerade potion, I’ve been waiting for a chance to use this for months.”

She unscrewed the cap and dumped it on top of her head. The contents of the vial fell around her like smoke, coating her in a gauzy film that soaked into her skin. Once the enchantment had absorbed, she was left with warm brown hair, dark blue eyes, and a distinct lack of freckles.

“Oh my stars, put them back.” I scrunched my face up.

Caden nodded, eyes wide, “Yeah. You look weird without your face dots. Do me next!”

“What, don’t you want to do it yourself? Brigid says you’re getting really good,” Fin cajoled.

He jerked his head left, then right. As a changeling, he could easily shapeshift on his own, but the older cousin hero worship was alive and well at age four-and-one-quarter.

Kiara shrugged apologetically, “I only made the one vial.”

“Alright, I’ll do it,” I wiggled my fingers in his face for dramatic effect, “What colors do you want?”

“Green!” He wiggled excitedly in his seat.

“Alright…” I concentrated on his hair first, turning it from sunny orange to a rich phthalo green. I turned his eyes from changeling-iridescent to a spring green, and added a smattering of freckles across his nose for good measure.

Fin handed me a mirror out of her desk drawer, and I held it up, “How’s that?”

He examined his reflection, then turned to Kiara, horrified, “I stole your face dots.”

“It’s okay, you can keep them for the afternoon,” She ruffled his hair, causing him to squawk in outrage.

“My turn!” I turned the mirror around to look at myself. 

I pondered my face for a moment, considering what colors to pick. I decided to go for a more typical Callish palette, instead of the Lynphean pink and tan I inherited from my father’s side. Light blue hair, crystal teal eyes, and a slightly lighter skin tone to match.

“See, now we’re just three perfectly normal non-royals enjoying the festival!”

Auntie Fin sighed, “I’ll accept this. Just keep your phones on, okay? And don’t get separated.”

“We promise!” Kiara jumped up from her seat.

✭✭✭

I stared longingly at the gliders stacked by the cliff’s edge. It was a much more exciting way to reach the valley than by elevator. But if I went, Caden would want to go, and he was still too young to take a glider. So boring elevator it was.

The artisan booths were only a few blocks away, and we hurried to check them out. Tables were lined with all sorts of items, hand-crafted jewelry, clothes, and even one selling plants in decorated pots.

“Let’s start on one side and work our way down,” Kiara pronounced.

The first stall was one of many selling ornaments made of stormglass, Callisto’s main export. Stormglass made up our domes, most spaceship windshields, and many glassworkers prized it for its unique sheen and durability.

“How beautiful!” Kiara picked up a glass rose, “We should get one for Auntie Fin.”

“Definitely. Get the pink one.” I pointed to a different rose in a vase.

She switched the one she was holding for the pink one.

Caden pointed excitedly at one of the little glass sculptures, “Can I get that one?”

I turned to him. The sculpture was of an orchid lizard, sitting on its namesake flower.

“I think you have to,” Kiara picked it up and caught the attention of the seller.

The seller grabbed the scanner tile, and Kiara tapped her card against it. She bagged our purchases, and we moved on to the next booth.

We made our way down the line, picking out trinkets as we went along.

I stopped dead in front of a stand laden with musical instruments, “Musa would love this.”

“She’s the music fairy?” Kiara asked.

I nodded and picked out a stormglass flute that refracted the light into little rainbows as I moved it around.

“You play?” The burly man running the stand leaned over a cabinet of stringed instruments.

I huffed out a laugh, “I don’t, but my friend does. I’m thinking of getting something for her. Any recommendations?”

He took the flute from me, “The flute is a great place to start. It’s not too different to play than a regular flute, but the sound is much brighter and clearer.”

He played a short riff, the notes coming out crystalline and airy.

“I’m convinced! I’ll take it.”

“Excellent! Let me box it up for you. Each instrument comes with a manual and cleaning guide, and I’ll even throw in some sheet music for your friend.” He cleaned the flute and set it in a case, then put the case in a bag along with a small stack of papers.

I scanned my card and took the bag, “Thank you!”

The seller waved farewell, and we continued on. I ended up buying two more gifts for the Winx: a set of refillable glass pens for Bloom, and some hand-painted key caps for Tecna.

At the end of the row of stalls, dining tables spread across the closed-off street, and servers hurried from table to table, delivering food from every restaurant on the block. A sign told festival goers to seat themselves, so we grabbed a table off to the side.

“So many choices,” Kiara hummed.

A spread of menus lay across the table, each with a different restaurant name inscribed on the top. I leafed through a couple, handing a kid’s menu to Caden and pulling out a Melodian fusion menu for myself. Kiara had three menus laid out in front of her, and she stared at them in deep concentration.

“What do you want to eat, Cay-cay?” I leaned over to read Caden’s menu with him. 

“Lasagna!” 

“Is that even on the menu?” I scanned through the list. It was not.

“It is on this one,” Kiara tapped the menu on her right, still looking at her menus like they held the secrets of the universe.

Caden wiggled happily in his seat. I looked through my own menu, debating between a few options.

Kiara sighed and handed me her menus, “Pick for me and I’ll pick for you?”

“Please,” I gave her mine, “What are the choices?”

“Potato noodles, pho, or the sandwich on that menu. Or the tacos. You?”

“Soup dumplings or tofu bao. But now I want pho, too.”

“How about I get the pho, and you get the bao, and we’ll split it.” Kiara suggested.

“Deal.”

A server came to take our order and returned with our food a few minutes later. Caden devoured his lasagna, and Kiara deemed the bao too spicy for her. I thought they were delicious. 

After we finished eating, we ordered cake to go and continued back up the row of booths. I bought two more gifts, a jewelled glass headband for Stella, and a Petrichordelia flower that smelled like rain for Flora. Arms laden with bags, we made our way back to the castle. 

Nadya’s jaw dropped in horror when she saw us, and she made an undignified strangling sound that caught the attention of my aunt and Angelica over by the vanity. 

“Right. The hair.” Kiara smiled apologetically.

She began pinching the air around her like she was picking off invisible cobwebs. Her disguise shed in pieces, little bits of ethereal film coming off and dissolving into nothing. As she combed flakes of it out of her hair, I changed Caden and myself back to normal. 

Nadya blew out a giant sigh of relief, “Mira, you change first. Kiara, makeup. And Caden, would you like to pick out your circlet?”

Caden groaned but trudged over to the boxes of jewelry set out on a side table. I changed quickly, grabbing a hairbrush off the vanity while I waited for Angelica to finish with Kiara. Euphinia helped Caden into his suit.

“He’s the only one of you who can actually pull off the color red!” Nadya cooed.

Euphinia chuckled as she buttoned his jacket. She was fitted into a stunning ball gown in rosy pink, her grey-violet hair swept into a neat twist. It used to be a bright sky blue, sixteen years ago.

“Your turn, Mira,” Angelica gestured me into the newly vacated vanity chair, “Do you want to do the twists again?”

“Yeah, that would be great.”

I primed my face as she sectioned my hair, twisting the top half away from my face and securing the strands in the back. She flicked her fingers, and my remaining hair twisted into loose curls. Angelica, as the Witch of Storm Systems, specialized in temperature, and she used her affinity to heat the air around my head just enough to set the curls. Hair complete, she finished my makeup. Eyeliner, contour, all the parts I could never quite master myself.

“Circlet?” She pointed to the table, “And earrings, if you want them.”

“Definitely the swirly one,” I selected the one made of looping silver wire, set with clear crystals.

“There are little drop earrings that look like roses somewhere…” She sifted through boxes of earrings, then handed me the ones she mentioned. 

“Ooh, I see the vision!” I ducked back into the view of the mirror and put the earrings on.

Angelica set the circlet on my head, “You’re all set!”

“Should I call in your escorts?” Nadya asked.

Auntie Fin checked the time, “Yes, we’d best get going. Thank you both.”

“You know we’re always here for you. We’ll meet you down there.” Nadya smiled at her. 

A knock sounded on the door a minute later.

“That was fast!” Euphinia stood and dusted off her skirts. 

Angelica opened the door and let in two guards wearing ceremonial livery. Nadya gave our outfits a few last-minute adjustments, and we headed towards the elevators. One of the guards updated my aunt on security and logistics. Caden started fidgeting relentlessly in the elevator, and I turned to him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Is it the circlet?” I pushed my own up over my hairline. 

It had been itching fiercely, like a beetle crawling across my forehead. He nodded, scrunching his face up. 

I kneeled to his level, my skirts puffing out into the already crowded elevator, “Here.”

I adjusted his circlet to rest over his hair. I patted the top of his head, and he bumped his shoulder into my side. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Kiara and Euphinia readjust their own circlets, and I covered a smirk with my hand. 

The guards escorted us down to the parade’s starting point. Brigid, in a blood-red sheath dress, was waiting for us in a closed-off section behind the base of the stage, and she waved for us to join her. 

“Right on time!” She handed a stack of notecards to Fin, “Here, if you want to review them one more time. We’ve got another… ten minutes until presentations start. You look lovely, by the way.”

The first signs of nerves appeared on her face, “Good, good. Thank you.”

“It’s not too late for me to take your place again.” She put her hand on Euphinia’s shoulder, forcing her to make eye contact.

Kiara and I shared a knowing smirk. 

She blew out a breath, “No, I can do this. I have to start somewhere.”

“And there’s only what, five, six hundred people here?” Brigid’s hand still rested on my aunt’s shoulder.

They laughed, my aunt’s tinged with anxiety. 

“Mira, have you taken your pills?” Fin’s voice lowered so that she wouldn’t be overheard.

“Actually, no. I have to start somewhere, right?” I echoed her words, “But I still have them on hand, don’t worry.”

“Alright. If you think so, then I’ll trust you.” She patted my arm. 

I stood on my toes, trying to see the crowd from where we were. I couldn’t see much with the line of parade floats in the way.

“Have you seen our float yet?” I asked nobody in particular. 

Kiara and Caden were locked in the realm’s smallest game of tag, and Euphinia had started running through her speech.

One of the event staff spoke up, “Same build as last year, your highness, but we repainted it blue to match the royal crest and added some giant glass roses.”

“I can’t wait to see it!”

They smiled and returned to their preparations. I took my phone out of my skirt pocket to silence it, only to see a full screen of texts from Stella. I scrolled to the top of the thread.

-sky invited me to the rose ball tonight, isn’t it exciting!!

-bloom and i are off to check out the festival with some of the boys

I scrolled through pages of pictures, mostly selfies of Stella and Bloom in front of various decorations.

-there’s a hoverbike race!! cheering for sky obv

-oms. mega drama just started

-riven just tried to hit on bloom but like NOT in a cool way

-and she totally chewed him out!!

-she dumped a flower vase on his head and he stormed off somewhere. good riddance

A text from Bloom broke the tangent.

-it was an accident!!!

Stella’s thread continued.

-he totally deserved it though

-anyway we’re going back to explore the festival while the boys get ready to race

Another handful of pictures, this time of various performers.

-bloom??

-where did you go girl??

The timestamps showed a gap of almost ten minutes.

-found her. and just in time too!! The race is about to start!!

-switching to voice recording i don’t want to miss anything

“Okay, so, Sky, Brandon, Riven, and Sorscha are all here. A bunch of other specialists are competing, but I have no idea who they are. Oh, here they go! Yes! Sky’s in the lead! What, Bloom?”

“Riven’s helmet, doesn’t it look weird to you?”

“I guess, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“I thought I saw Timmy giving it to him.”

“But Timmy isn’t here!”

“Exactly!”

A coordinator called for places, and I huffed in annoyance. I figured I had just enough time to finish the last recording before I was called up.

“The race is still going, Sorscha pulled into the lead, but she’s neck-and-neck with Brandon. Riven just pulled in front! There’s definitely something wrong with his helmet, there’s an aura of dark energy around it. Second sun, he’s about to crash!”

I heard the sound of metal screeching and the audience gasping. I bit my knuckle in anticipation. 

“Stars, he’s okay, I think. One of the other riders caught him. They’ve set him down on the ground. We’re trying to get to him, but we can’t push through this damn crowd! Excuse me!”

Disgruntled audience members protested, and I could hear Bloom apologizing for her in the background.

“Let me in, I am the crown princess of Solaria, and those are my friends! Thank you.”

I snickered as I imagined the scenario.

“Darcy?”

My blood chilled.

“Chill out, bitch. I was just helping him.”

“Liar! We know you’re the one who messed with his helmet in the first place!” 

Riven scoffed loudly.

“What are you talking about? Timmy gave it to me.”

“Timmy isn’t even here!”

“Then how did I get this helmet, huh?”

Brandon spoke up, 

“Come on, guys, I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

“So you’re taking her side, is that the way it is?”

A long pause.

“Is that the way it is?”

The recording ended. Kiara tugged me towards the stage, and I quickly slipped my phone back into my pocket. Unanswered questions and worry swirled in my mind, but I pushed them aside for the sake of appearances. Euphinia was already walking up the steps to the stage. We ran to catch up, Kiara first in line, then me, then Caden taking up the rear. She walked gracefully up to her place on the podium, and I took my place on her left with Caden next to me.

“People of Callisto!” my aunt began, “Thank you for coming to celebrate with us. As you know, today is not just a day to celebrate our parents, but all those who come before us. Like petals on a rose, we are all part of a greater whole.”

I zoned out, focusing more on keeping my pleasantly neutral smile in place. I began to play my usual game of counting as many hair colors as I could before the speech ended. Blue and purple were easiest, since most native Callistans were born with some shade of them. Pink and brown were the next most common colors, originating from our neighbor planet Lynphea. Then came green, yellow, black, blonde, and the rarest, red and orange. I had just found white when I heard the speech wrapping up.

“...for a brighter future. May you all have a wonderful Day of the Rose, and enjoy the parade!”

The crowd erupted in cheers, and we filed off the stage in the same order we came on.

Caden groaned once we were back offstage, “Can I take this off yet?”

“You’ll have to put it back on once we get on the float,” Euphinia looked both relieved and somehow, more tense.

“You did great, Auntie,” Kiara reassured.

“You did, indeed,” Brigid ushered us down the line of parade floats.

Euphinia relaxed slightly at the hand Brigid placed on her shoulder. The two guards from earlier stepped into formation, one cutting through the event staff, and one holding up the tail end. I checked my phone again, but no new messages appeared. I sent a text. 

-is everyone okay?

I tossed my phone anxiously from hand to hand. The wind had started to pick up, blowing my skirts around in what felt like a conscious attempt to trip me.

“What is going on with you?” Kiara hissed into my ear. 

I kicked my skirt out in front of me, “Nothing! This Storms-forsaken wind is just antagonizing me on purpose!”

“The wind is you, Mimi.”

“What?” 

I felt for my power, and sure enough, it was rolling off of me in agitated waves. I drew it back in, and it was suddenly much easier to walk. Embarrassed, I looked around to see if anyone had noticed my slip-up. Everyone seemed to be involved in their own conversations, but the rear guard looked a little too obviously away from us.

“Seriously, is it the parade? I have extra earplugs if you want them. And don’t forget, you still have your pills.”

“No, the noise is fine. It’s this message Stella just sent, listen to this,” I played the end of the recording for her.

Kiara’s brow furrowed, “Darcy, she’s not one of the—”

“The Trix. Yes.” I stomped, immediately regretting it when pain shot up into my hip.

Angelica waited for us at the end of the line, holding four baskets that she handed to each of us royals as we neared. Each one was filled with rose petals in varying shades of red and pink.

Brigid gathered a handful of petals from my aunt’s basket, “They’re charmed to refill, so don’t worry about running out. The parade route is timed to be about an hour, but you’ll only be in view for a little over half of it, and then we can all go home and have a nice, warm cup of tea before the feast.”

As right-hand to the throne and Guardian Witch, the two of them were both political figures in their own right. And as such, Brigid and Angelica would be riding in their own parade float right in front of ours, along with a few other council members and the like.

Kiara returned her smile, “Thanks, Brigid.”

I echoed her, then set my phone in my basket so I could see the screen. My eyes wandered over the floats as we walked past them. One from the local primary school, one from the Artisan’s Guild, one from a popular bakery, and more from all sorts of communities from all over the planet. There were about forty floats in total, all varying in size and ostentatiousness.

“I’m sure they’re fine. They’re at a public event, right? How bad could it get?” Kiara whispered into my ear.

I tapped my phone screen on, “I’m not sure, if they’re willing to summon a deadly animal for a bit of petty revenge, what won’t they do?” 

Brigid ushered us onto the float before joining Angelica on theirs. It was designed like an open carriage with two rows of seats, and painted in a light blue that made our clothes stand out nicely. Shimmering glass roses covered every available surface. Euphinia and Caden sat in the raised back row, and Kiara and I took the front. Our two guards stood on a platform in the back, now equipped with ceremonial spears.

“Here’s my part,” Kiara grinned at me.

She pulled a small drawstring bag and a vial of blue powder out of her pockets.

“How much shit did you put in there?”

She shrugged, “A lot. Now, hush.”

She opened the bag and pulled out a handful of downy feathers. She tossed them in front of the carriage, and they floated, suspended in the air. With a flourish, she uncorked the vial and threw its contents over the feathers. They trembled, then shifted into two translucent pegasi, the same sheen as the stormglass roses covering the float. 

“You figured it out!” I laughed in delight.

Kiara tucked her now-empty containers back in her pocket, “Yeah, and it was a struggle. Using just powdered stormglass wasn’t working, it just looked kind of sandy. So I tried adding a bit of opal dust to my blend, and voila!”

“What about the behaviors?” I studied the way they moved, just like the real thing.

She grimaced, “Horse saliva.”

“That was my idea. Illusory enchantments always work better with a piece of the real thing.” Auntie Fin added.

“Well, it worked.” I wrinkled my nose.

One of the pegasi chuffed in agreement.

I lowered my voice so only my sister could hear, “But, seriously, we’ve never made it out of an encounter with the Trix unscathed. The ice witch almost killed Bloom on two separate occasions!”

“There’s nothing we can do about it right now. I can scry for them as soon as we get back to the castle?”

I slumped back into my seat, “Thanks.”

“Formal faces on, everyone! We’re moving!” Euphinia announced.

Brigid waved in farewell as our float began creeping forward. The pegasi moved soundlessly, ghostly reins pulling taut. I checked my phone one more time, to no avail. I sighed and slipped it back into my pocket.

The beginning of our route took us around the stage and onto the main road. We smiled and waved at our citizens, tossing petals from our never-ending baskets. The crowds blended together after a while, and it became harder and harder to keep up my pleasant royal smile.

I couldn’t stop imagining what could have happened to my friends. I was sure Bloom and Stella could hold their own against Darcy alone, but what if the other two were there? The specialists would help them, right? But what if they took Riven’s side, as a fellow teammate?

“Keep it together!” Kiara gritted through a plastic smile.

I channeled my energy into my next handful of petals, tossing them into a swirling breeze that sent the petals dancing in the air, much to the delight of the crowd. I did it again, and again, until the edge had worn off my power.

The end of the parade route came into view, and we all let out a collective sigh of relief. The pegasi drew to a stop as we waited in line for the rest of the floats to be disembarked. At least we were out of view of the crowds, and I whipped my phone out.

Two new messages from Stella popped up.

-sorry to leave you in the dark girls, we’re fine

-just a little shaken. we’ll give you the full story later

“Thank the Stormwinds!” I turned my phone to show Kiara, “They’re okay.”

✭✭✭

The next evening, I dressed in simple mourning clothes. Grey sweater, dark green pants, and a plain green headband. Kiara knocked on my door and let herself in.

“You ready to go?”

I nodded and combed a stray strand of hair flat, “I just need my shoes.”

Kiara’s outfit was the inverse of mine: a green turtleneck and her customary loose pants in charcoal grey. I tugged on my boots and gave myself one last appraisal in the mirror. Tonight, we would make the hike to the memorial caves. 

Euphinia was already waiting for us by the doors leading into the woods. Her grey pantsuit washed out her already pale features in an ethereal sort of way. 

“No Caden tonight?” I noted the absence of our cousin.

“No,” she laughed fondly, “He fell asleep before I finished reading him his bedtime story. Shall we?”

She held open a door for us. The air was brisk, but no colder than I was used to. Euphinia led the way down the trail.

“So, how has Alfea been? Did you like staying overnight?” She asked me.

“I did, it was nice. I think I’m actually starting to get the hang of my magic.” I proved my point by sweeping up the fallen leaves in a gentle whirlwind around us.

“How would you feel about staying for longer?”

“Really?” I dropped my winds.

She nodded, “Until midterms, at least. We can discuss next semester after that.”

“Thank you, Auntie!” I gave her a quick hug.

“And what about you, my sunset? Have you come to any decisions?”

Kiara rubbed her fingers together in thought, “I have, actually. I just don’t know if it would be possible.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure we can work something out.” Euphinia encouraged.

“I wanted to join the librarians during the Great Bookening, but I’m not sure they’d let me since I’m not technically a student.”

I bumped her shoulder playfully, “Are you kidding? They’ve been teaching you since you were a baby, what more could they want?”

The Great Bookening, or, as it was formally known, the Semi-Centennial Research Census, was a research trip conducted every fifty years. A team of professors and students from Callisto would go out to every planet and record statistics ranging from crop production and GDP to how fashion and colloquialisms have changed in past decades.

“I think that’s an excellent idea, Kiara. Let’s go speak to one of the researchers tomorrow.”

We spent the rest of the hike in and out of silence as the terrain grew rougher and the trail muddied out.

The caves came into view a short while later. They weren’t very impressive on the outside, just an opening into a hill that most people would walk past without realizing they had missed it. Not the royal family. 

Funeral rites had been subject to change over the centuries; some were buried in the caves themselves, many had their ashes scattered in the surrounding area, and some were simply placed on the top of the hill for their bodies to be reclaimed by nature. But everyone had their token placed inside the caves.

Euphinia sucked in a fortifying breath, “In we go.”

We stepped into the cave. At first, all I could see was darkness, but as we made it further in, bioluminescent plants began to light our way. The tunnel opened up into a massive cavern, echoes carrying even the sound of our breathing around the chamber. Glowing moss dripped from the ceiling like chandeliers.

“I never seem to remember just how beautiful this place is.” Euphinia breathed.

Glass sculptures were placed on every ledge, seeming to glow within with blue light reflected from the moss. Bells and windchimes hung from stalactites, ringing with a soft melody. I made my way in, careful not to step on a sculpture of a forest cat entwined with a wolf. I traced my finger along one of the rock walls as I made my way past. I read the names of my ancestors inscribed on their tokens. A roc with gold and silver threaded through the glass, the name Mairghread embossed on the base. An abstract swirling piece, with Lochlain delicately gilded in the center. The oldest pieces, near the back, were nearly overgrown with plantlife. I kneeled in front of a glazed ceramic vase and tried to brush off the moss covering the nameplate, but it stuck stubbornly on.

“Have I ever told you how your parents met?”

I turned to see my aunt inspecting a familiar pair of bells. 

Kiara ceased her own exploration, “You haven’t.”

She gestured for us to join her on an empty rock. There was just enough room for us to sit side-by-side, tucked in close to each other.

“It’s a funny story, really,” her laugh was tinged with wistfulness.

“Our parents never pressured us into marriage, of course. They saw no need to rush things before their time. But your mother was always very driven. The moment she turned thirty, she met with your father, who was the Lynphean ambassador at the time, to discuss potential marriage alliances between our two planets. He offered himself as a candidate, and the rest is…”

Euphinia paused.

“Well, the rest is history.”

We tucked our arms around her, holding each other close against the cave’s chill. 

Kiara’s giggle chimed through the quiet, “They arranged their own marriage?”

I barked out a laugh, and Fin tipped her head back in a warm chuckle.

“I suppose they did!”

We sat there for a while longer, listening to the susurrations of wind pass through the chimes. When we stood to leave, I brushed my hand over my parents’ bells, tracing their names engraved in the glass.

Aoife and Terrick, Queen and King, Mother and Father.

Chapter Text

A knock on the door jolted me awake. I had returned to Alfea that afternoon with significantly more luggage, and I was fully settled into my shared room with Stella. I cracked my eyes open just enough to see the clock read 3:27. Definitely not time to get up yet.

The knocker pounded on the door again, harder this time.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Stella muttered as she tripped out of her massive canopy bed.

I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Stella opened the door with a yank.

“No, wait. Don’t tell me,” Stella sniffed dramatically, “It’s you, Flora. I’d recognize that perfume anywhere.”

Flora pushed past her, “Stop joking around, Stella! I’m here about Bloom.”

“What about her? Is she okay?” I detangled a piece of hair from my tank top strap.

Stella flopped back into bed, unimpressed, “Wrong room. She sleeps in yours, remember?”

“No, listen, she’s doing it again!” Flora shook her.

I stood and slipped my sweater on, “The sleep-talking?”

“Worse!” Flora yanked Stella upright by the arm.

Flora dragged Stella into her room, and I followed behind.

She pointed at Bloom’s sleeping form, “See? She’s talking to somebody in her sleep!”

Bloom had thrown the covers completely off the bed. She was shifting restlessly from side to side, muttering something incoherent.

Stella huffed, “That’s not so unusual. She’s probably having a nightmare or something.”

I walked up to Bloom, intending to wake her up so we could all get back to bed. Before I could touch her, she gasped and arched her back, shifting in and out of her fairy form faster than a wingbeat. The excess energy tossed me several feet back, knocking the wind out of me.

“Holy shit!” Stella swore.

I picked myself up, “That’s more than just a nightmare.”

“That’s what I’m trying to say! Look at her!” Flora gestured back at Bloom.

Bloom flung her arm out, and I dodged on instinct. She yelled something I couldn’t understand.

“Is that the language they speak on Earth?” I questioned Stella.

“I don’t know, I gave her the translation spell as soon as we met!”

“Maybe we should get the others, maybe Tecna can do something to help her!” Flora worried, “Or Musa, or maybe…”

“Flora,” Stella growled.

“Maybe we should tell Griselda! No, maybe not. Or let’s go get Faragonda, she’d know what to do!”

“Flora…”

“Or maybe we shouldn’t do anything at all, you know, just wait for it to pass—”

“Flora!”

“What?” Flora whipped around.

Stella grabbed her by the shoulders, “Calm. Down!”

“Hey girls, I think she’s—” I jabbed my thumb towards Bloom.

“Stella?” Bloom groaned. 

“—Awake.”

Bloom sat up and rubbed her eyes, “For crying out loud, what are you doing?”

“Bloom!” Flora rushed over and sat on the edge of her bed, “You were talking in your sleep, and I was worried! So I got Stella and Mira, and then you started transforming, and then—”
Bloom held up a sleepy hand, “Why don’t we deal with this in the morning, yeah? It’s late.”

✭✭✭

Tecna and I set out on a run before breakfast. Without gymnastics as part of my daily routine, Airen had very strongly suggested I keep up some form of cardio while I was away. I had caught Tecna dressed in workout clothes, and she invited me to join her.

“It’s strange, I thought she was just babbling in her sleep, at first,” I recounted, “But then she shouted out something that sounded like actual words, and not in any language I could understand. And trust that I know languages.”

“I could scan her, if she consents to it, see if she’s picked up any stray spiritual residue. I wonder if it’s due to her living without magic for so long.”

“It’s an interesting theory. I wish I had samples of the language they speak on Earth to compare it to. I don’t remember exactly what she said, but I might be able to recognize it if I heard it.”

Tecna lowered her voice conspiratorially, “I have access to some of Earth’s social media.”

“No way!” I squealed, “I can’t believe I’m friends with such a devious criminal!”

Tecna’s eyes bugged out, and she looked around nervously, “Technically, I haven’t broken any laws.”

“Technically?”

“All I did was copy the signals coming off of Earth and reconstruct them into usable data. I never interacted with any software.”

“That is so cool, you have to show it to me. What’s Earth like? What’s the social structure?”

“Convoluted,” Tecna made a face like she had just taken a bite of a lemon, “But I can get you language samples. I’ll warn you, they don’t just speak one language on Earth.”

“Oh, like one per continent? That’s not too bad, there’s only five populated continents, right?”

“Try one per region. There are hundreds of languages spoken.”

“Stormwinds take me,” I breathed, “Tell me there’s at least a common tongue.”

Tecna hummed noncommittally, “Not exactly. There are a few dominant languages, but none of them seems to be the standard for the whole planet. I know which one Bloom speaks, though.”

“Well, we can start there.”

✭✭✭

“Today’s lesson: Tranquil Tea.” Madame duFour flourished, conjuring written instructions on the blackboard.

“Now, with midterms coming up, I felt you could all use some calm. Don’t mistake this for an easy charm, however. It will require perfect concentration to perform correctly, so stay alert.”

I groaned. Madame duFour loved assigning technical charms, my least favorite.

“Your first step will be to select your tea. I will be using chamomile, but you may choose any from the selection in back. Add your tea and your water to your pot.” 

She poured water out of a carafe into her teapot, then sprinkled a handful of tea on top.

“Now the magic begins. We will be building off of the heating spell I taught a couple of weeks ago, but instead of focusing purely on adding heat, I want you all to focus on adding warmth.”

She closed her hands around the teapot, and they began to glow faintly.

“Not only are you adding warmth, you are infusing comfort, peace, tranquility.”

Steam rose from the spout in gentle curls, and she poured her tea into a waiting cup.

“And the final step. Just a little sugar, and stir three times clockwise. Think of a happy memory, and let it brighten your cup. The final result will appear the same as any normal cup of tea, but the effect will be undeniable.”

She sipped her tea and sighed contentedly.

“Now pair up and begin.” She waved us into action.

“I call dibs on Flora. She’s the best at these spells.” Musa declared.

Bloom pointed to Tecna, “Partners?”

“I guess it’s you and me,” Stella held out her fist.

I bumped it with mine, “Team Princess it is!”

I went to the back of the room to pick my tea. The entire table was covered in jars and pots of dried teas, at least fifty in number. I grabbed one at random and smelled it. The bright, strong scent of peppermint hit my nose, and I took it back to my seat.

“I hope you like mint,” I said, setting the container on our shared table.

Stella showed me her own jar, “I got lavender. It’s already supposed to be calming, so I figured, why not give myself an extra boost?”

“Smart.”

I pulled my teapot closer to me. It was a simple design, white porcelain with painted strawberry blossoms, and the lid’s handle was made to look like a tiny pink strawberry. Stella’s teapot was a deep blue with colorful tropical fish swimming around it. I poured my water into my pot.

“Hey, look at this fish!” Stella puffed up her cheeks like the pufferfish she pointed at.

I giggled and handed her the carafe. I shook in my tea leaves, enough to cover the surface of the water, but hopefully not too much. I placed the lid back on top and cupped my hands around the teapot.

“Speaking of fish,” Stella leaned in, “Well, sort of. The ocean, really. I have the biggest piece of gossip ever.”

Does she have to talk exactly when I’m trying to concentrate?

“Oh yeah?” I kept my eyes on my teapot, focusing on warm, warm, warm.

“It’s insane! You’ll never guess what happened. It’s, oh, what’s the word Tecna uses… Unprecedented! The whole situation is completely unprecedented!”

“Mhm…” I felt my hands heat as they glowed a pale orange.

Is that the right color?

“It’s the princess of Andros. That’s why the teapot made me think of it. You know, fish, ocean, Andros. Anyway, the princess ran away. Can you believe it?”

I choked in surprise, and my hands flared brighter for a moment, “Ran away?”

“Uh-huh. And nobody knows why. Everybody talks about how archaic the royals are on Andros, the old-fashioned traditions, always so uptight. I mean, have you seen the way they dress? I’d run away too if I had to wear that many petticoats.”

Warm, not gossip. Don’t focus on the gossip. Be calm, don’t think about gossip!

“The press is locked down tight. The only reason I found out is because my friend Nova has a friend who has a cousin in the court, and they told her, and Nova tells me everything.”

Can she not keep her mouth closed for five seconds?

I yanked my hands off my teapot. The water had reached a full boil, and the pads of my fingers had turned pink.

“Shit, I hope I didn’t overdo it.” I scooted the teapot a couple of inches away from me.

Stella shrugged, “I’m sure it’s fine.”

Her own teapot was billowing steam, and she poured her tea into my teacup. I did the same, and the aromatic scents of lavender and peppermint twined through the air. I reached for the sugar bowl.

“Don’t bother. Peppermint tea tastes better without it.” Stella took a sip, “It is a bit bitter, though.”

I stirred a spoonful of sugar into my own tea, three times clockwise, “I can make it again, if you want. We’ve got time.”

“Nah, it’s fine.”

I took a sip of my own tea. The flavor was warm and sweet, and reminded me of my aunt’s workshop where she kept all of her spell ingredients. I sighed, feeling a little homesick.

“Let me try yours.” I took her teacup.

The tea burned my tongue, and I barely avoided spitting it back out. It was more than a bit bitter, with a slight composty aftertaste that had me wrinkling my nose in disgust.

“Yuck. Are you sure you don’t want me to remake this?”

“Don’t bother,” Stella waved me off.

“How’s it going, girls?” Flora leaned over her chair to face us.

“I oversteeped mine,” I grumbled, “What kinds of tea did you pick?”

Musa scooted her chair over, “Butterfly pea flowers!”

She showed us her teacup and the stunning blue color of the tea inside.

“Wow, how pretty! Musa, you would look so good in a dress this color,” Stella turned and cocked her head at Flora, “Hmm, not you though. Stick with earth tones.”

“...Okay?” Flora’s eyebrows knitted.

“What tea did you pick, Flora?” I glared pointedly at Stella.

“Sage and blackberry. The blackberry gives it sweetness, while the sage provides clarity of mind.” She held the cup for me to smell.

“Ooh, very nice.”

Madame duFour clapped for our attention, “Alright, class! It sounds like most of you are done by now. If you are finished, you may clean up and leave early. If you think you did a good job, you’re more than welcome to take your tea with you. Class dismissed!”

Chatter rose around the room as students began to clear their desks. I grabbed my teapot and took it to the sink to dump out.

What a waste.

I rinsed it out with a quick swirl of soapy water and plunked my pot on the drying rack. I noticed Flora had kept her teapot and was speaking animatedly with the professor. I rolled my eyes.

What a teacher’s pet.

I shook myself. Where had that thought come from? I finished cleaning up my desk and followed my friends out into the hallway.

“Ready for lunch? If we go now, we can still beat the rush.” Bloom asked.

“Let’s go! I hope they have noodles today,” Musa agreed.

The sun was bright as we made our way out into the courtyard, and I shaded my eyes with a scowl.

“Bloom, would you mind if I scanned you? I want to know if your nightmare was caused by an influx of psycho-magical energy.” Tecna activated a small ladybug-shaped drone.

“Uh, sure. But it wasn’t a nightmare. It wasn’t really a dream either. I don’t know.” Bloom stood still as the ladybug flitted around her head.

“Try to give me more details.” Tecna caught the drone and tucked it back in its case.

“You said something in your sleep, do you remember what it was?” I butted in.

Bloom frowned, “Not exactly, but I think I was calling out to someone. It was a lot more vivid than a dream. There were colors everywhere, and then I saw this beautiful woman all in gold!”

“Say something in your Earth language.” I prodded.

“Like this?”

I huffed, “No, you have to speak around the spell. Think about how the sounds feel in your mouth.”

Bloom said something else.

“Exactly! That doesn’t sound the same as what you said last night, though. Can you understand this?” I switched between a few different languages, repeating the same phrase over again.

“No, I don’t understand any of that.” Bloom shrugged apologetically.

“Can you understand this?” Stella turned to me and switched to High Solarian, “You’re a giant nerd!”

I responded in the same language, “And you’re a spoiled brat!”

Stella humphed and turned her nose up at me.

“There’s definitely traces of psycho-magic, but my computer couldn’t decipher what kind.” Tecna tapped on her palmtop.

“Do you think that woman was trying to communicate with me?” Bloom asked.

“It’s possible. The drone was able to pull a visual out of your memory data.” Tecna showed us the image on her computer, “Is this her?”

The screen showed the face of a woman entirely in gold, wearing a mask.

“Wow, Tecna! You’re a tech wizard!” Bloom complimented.

“I’d rather be called a fairy, but thanks anyway.”

Bloom looked closer at the screen, “Now that I can get a better look at her, I’m sure I’ve seen her somewhere before.”

“Aha!” Stella nodded to herself, “Now I get it. It was indigestion!”

“My stomach is perfectly fine, Stella.” Bloom threw up her hands in exasperation.

Stella tapped on her forehead, “I mean mental indigestion. You’ve got too much on your plate, what with all the exams coming up, you’ve got a lot to study! Plus, you being an Earthling, your brain isn’t used to working so hard, know what I mean?”

“No, I don’t.” Bloom swatted her hand away.

“Listen. You had a dream, that’s all.”

Bloom’s hands fisted, “It wasn’t just a dream!”

“Bloom, boom. Boom, Bloom!” Stella mocked.

“Are you being poetic or sarcastic?” Tecna asked flatly.

“Boom, Tecna,” Stella made an exploding gesture, “That’s what you hear when a balloon bursts, or when you blow things out of proportion.”

Bloom raised her voice, “Are you saying I’m making things up? Well, I’m not, okay?”

“Boom!”

“She was real! And I’ll prove it to you!” Bloom stormed off.

“Storms, Stella, you’re such a bitch!” I snapped.

Stella rolled her eyes, “Oh please, what? What did I say?”

“Why don’t we all go to lunch, okay? Maybe you’ll calm down after you eat something.” Musa cut the tension between us.

“Whatever!” I huffed.

After a very tense meal, we returned to our apartment for the remainder of the lunch break. Musa sat at her desk with a homework assignment, Flora and Stella sat on Musa’s bed, Tecna combed her hair by the mirror, and I sat on the dresser across the room, legs tucked to my chest.

Stella sniffed, “I don’t understand, I didn’t say anything wrong. I just made an innocent remark, that’s all!”

“You seem to not understand a lot of things,” I snarked.

Flora crossed her arms, “Define innocent.”

Stella waved her hand dismissively, “Follow your plants’ example, and be quiet, alright?”

“My plants know better than to speak without thinking!”

Musa groaned loudly.

Stella stood in a huff, “Don’t you start, Musa, or else I’ll—”

Musa spun in her chair, “Or else what?”

“Or else I’ll start talking about something else. Boys, for instance…” A devious smile stretched across her lips.

“Oh please, boys? What are you, a cliche?” I sneered.

Stella flipped her hair over her shoulder, “It doesn’t have to be boys we talk about. We could talk about a certain girl with deep brown eyes, if you prefer?”

She batted her eyes at me. I flipped her a rude gesture with both hands.

“Boring! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got stuff to do for tomorrow, and this is my room.” Musa turned back to her homework.

Stella sat on her desk, upturning a jar of pencils, “Come on, Musa, close the book and spill the tea! Like, we all know that whenever she sees Timmy, our friend Tecna blushes from head to toe.”

“That is not true!” Tecna slammed her comb down.

“And it’s obvious Bloom has a thing for Brandon,” Stella went on, oblivious, “And as for me, I admit I find Sky kind of cute. Now let’s talk about Riven. Riven, hmm.”

Stella leaned in like Musa was a fly caught in her web. 

Musa yanked her book out from under Stella’s leg, “I’m trying to study!”

“That guy doesn’t even look at you…”

Flora stood, “Stella, stop it!”

“Chill, Flora. I was just asking her if—”

“What did I just say? I don’t care about stupid boys!” Musa tried to push her off the desk.

Stella clicked her tongue and stood, “It was just a joke! And anyway, since Rose Day, the only one Riven has eyes for is Darcy. Of course, you didn’t know that, you weren’t there! Too busy mourning your mother?”

Musa stood and ran from the room.

“What the hells is wrong with you?” I jumped up and slammed Stella with a blast of wind, knocking her into a bookcase and scattering its contents all over the floor.

Stella dusted herself off, unfazed, “Don’t get so upset, it was just an observation. Oh right, I forgot. You’re a little sensitive about the whole ‘dead parents’ thing, too, aren’t you?”

I screamed and threw out another blast.

Before it could make contact, Tecna threw up a shield, “Mira still has those magic suppressants somewhere, right? Should we give her one?”

“Try it, asshole!” I shot lightning at the shield.

“Enough!” Flora threw out her arms, “I think I know what’s wrong with them.”

“Wrong with us? I think you mean what’s wrong with Stella!” I screeched, throwing more power out. 

Tecna grunted, but the shield held. I punched it, which was even less effective.

“We have to get them back to Madame duFour!” 

“Oh, so you can brag about how you’re so much of a better student than us?” I snarled, throwing more force into Tecna’s shield.

“We’d better do it quickly!” Tecna wrapped the shield around me, trapping me in a green bubble.

I shrieked in rage as I was toppled off my feet. Tecna floated me out into the hallway, and Flora dragged Stella behind us.

“You can’t keep me in here!” I screamed.

Tecna said something inaudible, probably something along the lines of ‘I soundproofed the sphere.’ Stella pointed and laughed, reigniting my fury. I slammed a gust of wind at her, which only succeeded in tumbling myself around the bubble.

We reached Madame duFour’s classroom, and Tecna let me out of the sphere, only to pin both arms behind my back.

“Great Dragon, what is going on here?” Madame duFour rose from her desk.

“Stella doesn’t know how to keep her Storms-forsaken mouth shut!” I writhed in Tecna’s hold.

“Mira’s having anger issues, and you,” Stella sucked in air through her teeth, “Are wearing the tackiest necklace I’ve ever seen.”

The professor cleared her throat, touching her necklace self-consciously.

“I think it’s the tea. I remember Mira saying she oversteeped hers,” Flora explained.

“Do you remember which tea she picked?”

“Peppermint. Both of them drank some.”

Her eyebrows rose in understanding. She strode to the back of the room and began to prepare a pot of fresh tea.

“And Stella never added sugar to hers because she can’t follow one simple fucking instruction!”

Tecna clamped a hand over my mouth.

“Yes, that’ll do it.” Madame duFour confirmed.

I bit Tecna’s hand. She yelped and dropped her hold on me, and I ran for the door. Before I could make a break for it, my muscles locked up and I froze in place.

“I am a princess of the realms! You can’t do this to me!” I spat.

Madame duFour pressed a cup to my lips, “So am I.”

“Does being a princess even count if you’re the third-born daughter of some half-forgotten planet in the middle of no—” Stella’s reply cut off as Flora shoved a second cup of tea at her.

Cloyingly sweet liquid filled my mouth, and I swallowed on instinct.

“Ugh, what is that?” I coughed and dragged the back of my hand over my mouth.

She handed me the cup, “Honey and rose. The problem with peppermint, especially unsweetened, is that it can turn caustic and bitter if oversteeped. Finish your cup.”

I downed the remainder of my tea in a few gulps and set the cup on the nearest table.

“Second sun, I am so sorry.” Stella looked around at each of us, wide-eyed.

I rubbed my temples, “Me too. I can’t believe I said any of that. I’m sorry I threw you into a wall, Stella. And, I’m sorry I bit you.”

“It’s okay. I have tough skin.” Tecna flexed her intact hand.

Stella jolted upright, “Oh my stars, I have to find Musa! I just hope she’ll forgive me after what I said to her.”

She dashed from the room. I groaned and sank into a nearby chair.

“I feel so stupid! This was all my fault, this wouldn’t have happened if I had just said something.”

“You did say something, none of us knew that this could happen.” Flora consoled.

“Yes, not just anyone can have such a strong effect on a charm,” Madame duFour added, “You’re a very powerful fairy, you know.”

I huffed, “For all the good it does me.”

“You have potential, and you deserve to succeed. Why don’t you come in for office hours sometime, and I’ll give you some extra help on the lessons?”

“Oh. Thank you.” 

“You’d better go find your friend, just to make sure the counter-charm fully kicks in.”

Tecna held out her unbitten hand for me, “Ready?”

“Thanks.” I took it and stood, “I’ll… see you tomorrow?”

Madame duFour smiled, “I look forward to it.”

Tecna, Flora, and I followed my compass out to the bus stop, where we found Stella and Bloom, but no Musa.

“She’s gone!” Stella moaned.

“And you don’t know what bus she took?” Flora asked. 

“The only bus that stops here is the one to Magix. It’s a no-brainer, Flora.”

“Yeah, but she could get off anywhere in the city!”

I cleared my throat and held my compass back up, “There is an easy solution to this problem, girls.”

“Yes, but that isn’t a solution to how we get there in the first place. The next bus doesn’t come until two.” Tecna frowned.

“Let’s just wait until after class, then. She may just need some time to cool off.” Flora suggested.

“Yeah, about that. Miss Barbatea told me to tell you guys that history’s cancelled today.” Bloom confessed.

Tecna raised an eyebrow, “Don’t tell me. First, Stella explodes the potions lab. Next, Bloom explodes the library!”

“I so regret telling you that story.” Stella groaned.

Bloom tapped her pointer fingers together, “You’re not too far off. I sort of overloaded the library’s search system when I was searching for more information about my dream, and now the whole library is a mess.”

“Huh. I guess I’m not making up that quiz anytime soon.” I remarked.

A familiar Red Fountain ship landed just outside the gates. The gangway lowered, and four uniformed figures made their way towards us.

“Is that even allowed?” I wondered.

“Do you need a prince, my princess?” Sky opened his arms wide.

Stella ran for him, “Sky!”

“Yes, we all saw him, we all know his name, no need to yell.” Tecna groused to herself.

“Hi, Tecna!” Timmy waved at her.

Brandon smiled at Bloom, “We saw you at the bus stop, and we thought maybe you needed a ride.”

“Hi Brandon! Actually, you guys showed up at exactly the right time!” 

“Mira, how have you been? How’re you healing?” Sorscha flipped her ponytail over her shoulder.

I twisted, showing off a full range of motion, “I can almost do a backbend again.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Riven’s not with you?” Flora asked.

Sky’s expression darkened, “After what happened at the race, he’s out of the group.”

“He applied to be part of the solo track, which is fine by us.” Timmy crossed his arms.

“Anyway, we’re trying to find Musa. She went to Magix and…” Bloom shrugged helplessly.

Brandon waved us towards the ship, “Well then, get in! That’s where we’re going, you can fill us in on the way.”

“I can direct,” I waved my compass.

Sky pulled up a holomap of the city, “Can you point to where on the map she is?”

“I don’t think so. I just know which direction to go.”

“We can work with that.” He closed the map with a swipe of his hand.

Timmy gestured to the bench seats, “Take a seat wherever you want. No need to strap in, we won’t be flying that fast.”
The girls and I crowded onto the bench, and I consulted my compass.

“Just keep going in that direction, I’ll tell you if anything changes.” I pointed towards the city.

Brandon and Timmy pressed an assortment of buttons and switches. The ship hummed to life, and Sorscha put her headset on.

“Alright, let’s go! Owl to Red Fountain. Yeah, Timmy thought he saw an anomaly with the power core,” Sorscha winked back at us, “It’s all good, turns out the system readout was wrong. We’re headed back out now. Owl out!”

Brandon piloted the ship in a steady flight over the woods separating Alfea from the city. It only took minutes to reach the outskirts of town, and another minute after that, we were in the heart of downtown.

“A little to the right,” I directed.

Brandon adjusted his course, lowering the ship to fly just above the tallest buildings. The girls and I stood and tried to look out the windows.

“So, what are you all doing out here, anyway?” Stella asked, leaning not-so-subtly over the back of Sky’s seat.

“Just a quick delivery,” Sky explained, “They’re having us fly through the city to practice maneuvering the ship through populated areas.”

Sorscha quipped, “It’s a glorified grocery store run.”

My compass needle flipped directions, “I think we just passed her.”

“There!” Flora pressed her hands against the glass, “Oh my goodness, I think she’s being chased!”

Sky scanned the map, “There’s a parking lot a block away where we can land. If anyone asks, we’ll blame it on the power core again.”

Brandon sharply readjusted course and set the ship down in what must have been some kind of Red Fountain record. Timmy slammed the button for the gangway, and we barreled out into the street.

“This way!” I took the lead, following my compass across the lot and towards an alley.

Musa crashed into me at full speed, and I barely avoided toppling like a domino.

“Guys!” Musa gasped, breath coming out in heavy pants.

I squinted into the dark behind her, “What’s going on? Who’s chasing you?”

“No time!” Musa pulled me back towards the ship.

Before we could make it even halfway back, the temperature chilled to a biting cold. I whipped around to see Icy, arms raised to the sky, surrounded by a posse of witches ready to attack. Riven pushed his way to the front of the crowd and twirled his sword menacingly.

Brandon reached for his sword, “Riven? What are you doing here?”

“I’m just having a little fun,” Riven’s mouth curved into a cruel smile, “Let’s dance.”

Riven launched straight into an attack, leaving Brandon with only a split second to draw his blade and parry. Musa and I inched backwards, hoping to remain out of notice long enough to find some cover.

“You wanna play rough?” Brandon grunted and thrust his sword forward.

The other specialists had drawn their weapons, taking up defensive positions. One of the witches shouted something, and they charged.

Sky threw some sort of handheld gadget in front of us. The ground lit up with green energy, forming a glowing barrier across the parking lot.

“This looks bad, let’s transform!” Bloom raised her hands in a butterfly shape.

Light flared around the girls as they shifted, leaving behind Musa and me.

Musa shook her head, “Can’t. Need to catch my breath first.”

“Back to the ship, then!”

The girls launched into action as the barrier faded, and Musa and I dashed for cover while the witches were distracted. The freezing air needled through my lungs, but I pushed forward. From the corner of my eye, I saw Tecna get knocked backwards by a shower of ice crystals.

“Come on!” Musa pulled me behind a nearby hovercar.

I leaned against it, heaving in great gulps of air, “But the ship?”

“We have to help, they’re being torn to shit out there!”

I poked my head out, wincing as I saw Stella take a hit to the chest. I ducked back behind the car.

“Are you sure you even have the energy for a fight?”

Musa scoffed, a little breathily, “Yeah, no problem.”

She closed her eyes in concentration, crossing her hands in front of her. The transformation light grew slowly around her, but in another breath, she was in her glittering red fairy form.

“You?” She nodded to me.

I shrugged, “Worth a shot. If imminent danger can’t get me to transform, I don’t know what will.”

I closed my eyes like she had. I crossed my wrists and pointed my fingers, then focused on my fairy energy. I scrunched my face up and concentrated as hard as I could. When nothing happened for what felt like several minutes, I growled a sigh and dropped my head against the car.

“Damn it!” I slammed my fist into the ground, immediately regretting it when the asphalt bit into my hand.

Musa gave me a sympathetic look, but it was clear she wanted to get out into the action.

“Go, it’s fine,” I waved her off, “I’ll support from the ground. Griselda’s lessons have to be good for something.”

I gave her a sideways grin. She gave my shoulder a quick squeeze in support, then flew into the fray. I jumped over the front of the car like I had seen action movie heroes do. I had to admit, it felt as cool as it looked. I tossed my compass into the air, yanking on its energy and shifting it into its wand form. I caught it deftly and ran after Musa. 

She was already dodging blows from Darcy, flying up to avoid a spell when Darcy unexpectedly teleported into her path and smacked her down. 

“No!” I threw out my wand arm and cast a spell to solidify the air beneath her into a cushion.

Musa bounced harmlessly to the ground, and I pulled her to her feet. Before we could escape, eight illusions of Darcy crowded us in. 

We stood back to back, ready to attack, when Musa screamed, “Duck!”

I dropped into a crouch, hands protecting my head. Something whizzed past my head, and I peered through my arms to see Sorscha and Sky having thrown something through Darcy’s illusions. The real Darcy was nowhere to be seen.

“Thanks, guys,” Musa nodded and flew back into the fight.

I flipped my hair out of my face, “Yeah, good shot.”

“Throwing knives, always keep them handy!” Sorscha winked and chucked another one straight at me.

I yelped and dodged, only to see that the knife’s true target had been a witch behind me. The knife glanced off the spell she was forming, effectively cutting it off. The witch growled in frustration. I shot off a spell on instinct, conjuring a gust of wind that sent her flying several yards backwards into another group of witches.

“You’re not so bad yourself!” Sky congratulated.

“Thanks, I’ve been practicing.” I had not.

At least, nothing at this level. I stuck to what I knew, depending on my wand to focus the blasts of raw energy I cast. I ducked and dodged through the onslaught of spells, feeling the way the air bent around the witches. I didn’t actually want to hurt anyone. If the Trix were involved, who knew what kind of manipulation was at play?

The sound of screeching metal distracted me from the spell I was casting. It fizzled out in a wave of static electricity, stinging like thousands of tiny bees as it washed over me. Luckily, it interrupted the spell of the witch I was fighting, causing it to blow up in his face like a green paintball. He looked at me like I had just thrown a clod of dirt in his face.

I stifled an inappropriate laugh and shrugged, “Sorry.”

I blasted him away with a sweeping gust and turned to the commotion behind me. I stumbled in shock as I watched Darcy raise several cars over Musa’s prone form.

I ran without thinking and launched myself into the air. Waving my wand in front of me, I hardened the air beneath my feet like springboards, running up my invisible staircase to where Darcy hovered. I latched on to the muscle memory of my vault routines. With one last jump, I twisted over Darcy’s head and shot a spell of storm-laced wind straight at her. 

She reached out a hand, not even bothering to face me, and smothered my winds. I jerked to a stop, stuck midair like a marionette, and Darcy was holding my strings.

“You think I don’t get enough of that from Stormy?” She tutted disappointedly, “And you didn’t even bother to transform, hardly a fair fight.”

She eyed me up and down, clearly finding me lacking.

I tossed my hair out of my face, “Who says I need to transform!”

I kicked out, slashing my winds at her face. It wasn’t enough to take her down, but it was enough to get her to release her hold on me. I free-fell much too long for comfort, catching myself only at the last second with the same air-cushion spell I had used earlier. I landed rather ungracefully, but unhurt. I readied myself for the fight, but Darcy’s attention had been drawn elsewhere. 

I didn’t dare take my eyes off her, especially with the cars still hovering menacingly over Musa’s head, until a sun-bright glow spilled into the corner of my vision. I squinted and turned ever so slightly to the side to see what was happening.

Bloom hovered in the air, glowing like a newborn star. Fire spilled off of her in waves, growing in power until her flames threatened to encompass the whole parking lot. I dove over Musa and threw up a shield just in time to feel the heat roll over us in waves. I could have sworn I heard the roar of a dragon before the flames faded away. 

I dropped my shield and collapsed on my back. The cars, thankfully, were gone from above our heads. I tilted my head back and saw them reduced to burnt-out shells crumpled against a wall.

“What the fuck was that?” Musa groaned, sitting up and detransforming.

“Bloom…”

“Bloom!” Brandon rushed to her crumpling form, catching her right as her knees gave out.

The witches recovered from their own shock and ran out of the parking lot. None of them seemed to be terribly injured; somehow, there wasn’t a burn in sight. I scowled as I saw Riven escaping with the Trix, one arm around Darcy to support her weight.

Musa and I picked ourselves up and rejoined the group. Everyone looked a little battle-weary, but whole. Stella was helping Tecna and Timmy defrost the ice trapping them to the ground, and Flora had taken a big hit from one of the Trix. Everyone else seemed to have come through with only minor scrapes.

“Back to the Owl? I’d rather not explain to my father why we were caught in the middle of a crime scene.” Sorscha jerked a thumb back at the ship. 

Sky groaned, “The delivery!”

“If we go now, we can still make it,” Timmy kicked the last of the ice away and pulled Tecna to her feet.

Stella brushed the sweat off her forehead and detransformed, “Mind if we tag along?”

“Of course not! What kind of specialists would we be if we left you ladies stranded out here?” Sky smiled broadly at her.

“Let’s go then. I’ll put some of that medical training to use while we’re at it.” Sorscha clapped her hands together.

We boarded the ship, which luckily seemed to be spared from any attacks. Sky and Timmy piloted while Sorscha and Brandon retrieved a medkit and some bottles of water. The girls and I stretched out in the cargo bay.

“So, how did you get stuck with nurse duty?” Stella probed.

Sorscha cupped a hand around her mouth conspiratorially, “I’m the only one on this team that can stand the sight of blood.”

Brandon frowned, “That’s not true.”

“Oh please, did you see the shade of green you all turned during the demonstration?” Sorscha kneeled in front of Flora, who looked a little green herself.

She flashed a small light into each of Flora’s eyes, then nodded in approval.

“What happened to you?”

“One of Stormy’s spells got her, she got thrown right onto a roof.” Bloom piped up.

“I also get… airsick.”

Sorscha’s eyes widened in understanding, “Bathroom’s right over there.”

Flora pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and ran to where she pointed, doors sliding shut automatically after her. 

“Anybody else?” Sorscha looked at each of us.

“I think I made it out unscathed, but you wouldn’t happen to have a hairbrush, would you? I’m sure I look like cotton candy.” I tugged my fingers through my wind-knotted hair.

“Sorry, I don’t think messy hair falls under the category of ‘medical emergency.’ You still look cute, though.” Sorscha gave me an apologetic smile.

“I’ll make it work.” I did my best to separate my hair into two more manageable chunks.

Stella gawked at me, and I shot her a confused look before turning back to my hair. I’d dealt with worse bedhead before, but it would still take a significant effort to detangle without at least a comb. Maybe I should start keeping hair oil on me, or stop wearing my hair down altogether if we kept getting into fights like this.

Oh, the curse of wavy hair.

I methodically finger-combed my hair from bottom to top until Timmy signalled that we were about to land. 

“You can all just stay where you are. We’ll be on our way back in just a minute.” Brandon gave Bloom one last lingering touch on her shoulder before leaving to help load the ship.

True to his word, they were loaded up in less time than it took for me to untangle the other half of my hair. Flora had come out of the bathroom looking a little wan, but somewhat better.

“Musa, I’m so sorry. It was that dumb tea charm gone wrong, but it doesn’t excuse what I said, and I’m sorry.” Stella blurted.

“I didn’t really think you would ever say something to me like that, it was more of a shock than anything.” 

“And I’ll never do it again. Even if I’m under another spell, I’ll just… break it on my own!” Stella vowed.

Musa’s lips quirked up, “Thanks, Stella.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” She slumped dramatically back in her seat.

Brandon sat back down next to Bloom, offering her a second bottle of water, “How are you feeling?”

She accepted the water, despite not having finished her first one, “Much better, thanks.”

“With such love and care, how could you not?” Stella perked back up, a sly smile spreading across her face.

“Oh please, Stella.” Flora looked ready to recheck her for the symptoms of my messed-up charm.

“Five minutes till we reach Alfea,” Timmy ducked his head through the door, “Where do you want us to drop you off?”

“Somewhere outside the gates is fine.” Bloom said.

Brandon’s eyebrows furrowed deeper, “Are you sure you can walk back?”

She waved him off, “Yes, it’s better if no one sees us coming.”

“Yeah, that’s a conversation I’d rather not have with Griselda.” I quipped.

“Well, if you say so.”

“I still don’t understand how you managed to single-handedly scare off the witches.” Tecna mused.

Bloom shrugged, “I don’t either.”

“Well, if nothing else, I’ve learned something important today,” Musa leaned back and stretched, “Never stick around where witches like to hang out!”

“But you’ve got to admit, I was right about you and Riven.” Stella pointed at her.

“Even so, I saw him in action today, and he’s lost every bit of charm he ever possessed. One thing’s for sure, I never want to see him again. He’s become a real dick.”

Stella laughed, “So you admit it!”

“Admit what? I didn’t say anything.” Musa stuck her nose up.

Stella swung her finger around to each of us, “Yes, I was right about you, and I was right about Tecna, and Bloom, and I was so right about Mira.”

“About me? What about me?” Bloom asked, confused.

“You know, you and—” Stella was cut off by an elbow from Flora.

“Nobody! Right, Stella?” Flora gave her a sword-sharp smile.

“Um, yes! Right! I think I’d better shut up now,” Stella put a hand over her mouth.

We all laughed, except for Brandon, who looked more confused than ever. The ship set down just outside of Alfea soon after, and we returned to our apartment. 

Chapter Text

I knocked tentatively on Madame duFour’s doorframe. She looked up from her desk and smiled warmly at me.

“Mira! You’ve come for tutoring?”

“If now’s a good time?”

“Of course. Come, sit down.” She gestured to a pair of armchairs set around a low table.

We each took a seat, and I awkwardly drummed my fingers on my knees. Madame duFour flicked a hand back at her desk. A piece of paper drifted up and puffed out of existence, reappearing in her hand a moment later.

“Let’s see. You seem to be perfectly proficient in the theory of spellcasting, every writing assignment you’ve turned in has been top mark, but you struggle with the spells themselves,” She set the paper down, “Why don’t we start with a simple illusion?”

She pinched her middle finger and thumb together and arced them over her head, drawing a rainbow in the air. It shone brightly for a couple of seconds before slowly scattering like dust motes in a breeze.

“Your turn. Use your focus.” She nodded at the compass around my neck.

I took it off my neck and tossed it like I was flipping a coin, catching it again in wand form. I tapped it against my opposite hand a few times as I gathered my energy for the illusion. I drew my wand around the same semi-circle, imagining a rainbow trailing after it. It looked more like a watercolor painting left out in the rain. Muddied, unsaturated colors that melted away before I even finished the path of my wand. I slumped onto the armrest and awaited her judgment.

“Tell me why you have trouble with illusions.”

I blinked in surprise, “I don’t know. They’re not real, I guess.”

“Why is it not real?”

I thought for a moment, trying to put words to the way illusions made me feel.

“They’re immaterial, they have no substance to them. How can I cast a spell that has no physical body?”

Madame duFour leaned back in her chair, tapping a finger against her lips, “Interesting.”

“My aunt and my sister are both sorcerers, and even they use some kind of anchor for their illusions.”

“Ah, that makes sense then, if you grew up around that type of magic. You’re an air fairy, right?”

“Yeah, but I’ve got a little bit of storm magic, too.”

“Do you draw?” I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes.

“I paint. Mostly landscapes.”

“I’ve seen the forests in Callisto, they must be beautiful,” She smiled, “Let’s try this. A rainbow is just an illusion created by nature, right? It’s made of light refracted through water particles in the air.”

I nodded, trying not to let my confusion show on my face.

“So, create it for real. Feel the water in the air, and refract it.”

I set my wand in my lap and held my hands up like I was holding an invisible ball. I tuned into the feel of the air between my hands, the microscopic drops of water suspended between, and I twisted my fingers. It wasn’t quite a rainbow, but colorful flecks of light danced across my palms.

“There you go! Now, can you shape it?”

I widened the space between my hands and drew in more energy. I focused on the light itself, willing it into a more proper rainbow shape. The colors wavered and shifted into order, although some stripes were wider or brighter than others. I held onto the magic as best I could, but the strain was proving too much. I dropped the spell with a sigh.

“That’s good, you’re already getting the hang of it. Let’s try a few more, shall we?”

I stretched my hands out in front of me, hoping to dispel some of the soreness in my neck and hands. Madame duFour had kept me for well over an hour, running basic charm drills until I could cast them properly every time. I was drained, but I felt a little better about the upcoming midterms.

I found the Winx in the main courtyard, clustered around one of the stone benches around the well. Flora was the only one sitting properly on the bench, with her history textbook open across her lap. Musa sat on the back of the bench, playing a game with Tecna on her holoscreen. Stella and Bloom both stood by the well, the latter lost in thought looking into the water. I collapsed on the bench and used Flora’s shoulder as a pillow.

“That bad, huh?” she asked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had to do so much magic in one day. I’m exhausted.”

“Well, did you learn anything?” Stella chirped.

I responded by flicking my hand at her, conjuring a small butterfly that flapped in place.

Stella leaned in to inspect it, “Hey, not bad! You’ve got the symmetry down.”

She waved her hand through it and gagged, “Ugh, why is it wet?”

“Water vapor. I’m still on training wheels.” I yawned and dispelled my illusion. 

Stella made a noise and wiped her hand off on her skirt. 

“It’s still tied with Transformation for my hardest class, but at least I stand a chance at passing the midterm now.”

“Speaking of, are you guys excited for next week?” Musa leaned over our heads.

Tecna looked skeptically at her, “The week before midterms? I think we have different definitions of excitement.”

“I’m excited for it to be over. I’m so overdue for a vacation, I need a closet refresh. And Bloom,” Stella turned to her, but Bloom’s gaze was still locked in the well.

“Bloom! Hey, Bloom!” Stella waved a hand in front of her face.

Bloom startled and turned around.

Stella put a hand on her hip, “You’re losing it, girl. Did you even hear a single word I was saying?”

“Sorry, I was kind of lost in thought. What were you saying?”

“Obviously, you have no interest in the fact that Professor Palladium is finally taking us into the new simulation room next class,” Musa announced, “But I, for one, think it is the most amazing news ever.”

Stella nodded, “No kidding. He told us some really cool stories about that place.”

“And some horrible ones, too.” Flora closed her textbook and hugged it to her chest.

“You shouldn’t let that scare you, they’re just warnings.” Tecna advised.

I tucked my legs up beneath me, “Yeah, what could even happen to you? It’s right in the name, ‘simulation.’”

“I guess you’re right.” Flora sighed.

“Come on, Flora. It’ll be fun, you’ll see!” Stella raised her arms like she was announcing her very own stage show, “As for me, I plan on having a memorable experience, one that will go down in Alfea history!”

“Memorable in a good way, or memorable like the potion lab?” I teased.

Stella poked me in the arm, “Ugh, you have no respect. You’ll see!”

✭✭✭

“This is it. Welcome to the simulation room!” Palladium opened the door, revealing a room covered floor to ceiling with flashing lights and computer paraphernalia.

The front of the room held a control panel and a window into a large, empty chamber. It was a little cramped, with the whole first-year class trying to squeeze in. 

“So, how does it work?” One of the other students, I couldn’t see who, asked.

“It’s the product of very powerful magic and sophisticated technology,” Palladium tapped a few buttons, and the room beyond lit up, “The light produced by these panels allows our computers to create all sorts of virtual realities and environments. The replications are absolutely flawless!” 

“Can it be used to simulate virtual dates?” Stella whispered to Bloom, probably a little louder than she meant to.

The students around her giggled, and she ducked her head in embarrassment.

Palladium cleared his throat, “Why don’t we use it to simulate your final exam instead?”

The whole class quieted instantly.

“In the anticipation of the upcoming midterm, I’ve set up a simulation of some of the things that will be on the test. Let’s have a look, shall we?”

He typed something into a keyboard, and the light in the simulation room shifted. I was too far in the back to see, and I squeezed myself to the side of the room to peer around a couple of my classmates. 

“From here, I can oversee everything that happens inside, and I can pull you out the second anything starts to go wrong. But really, there’s nothing you should worry about.”

Palladium entered another series of commands, and the room became an exact replica of the courtyard outside. The students oohed at the display.

“You’ll be able to choose between two tests;” Palladium pressed a large button in the center of the console.

The scene shifted to a dark forest, where a figure shrouded in a cloak turned an unsuspecting hiker into a frog.

“Your first option is to counteract the unfortunate results of a curse cast by an evildoer of your choice.”

He entered a new command and pressed the button again, changing the landscape to a desolate plain littered with the remains of burnt-out trees.

“Option number two, use your magic to produce positive results in a damaged environment. Again, any landscape of your choice.”

Flora perked up behind me, “That’s my strong point!”

“This’ll be a simple walk in the park for me,” Stella flipped her hair over her shoulder.

“Modesty is your best quality, hm?” Bloom teased.

“No, my second best! Right after beauty.” 

Palladium clapped his hands to draw our attention back.

“We’ll all meet here for the midterm. Please have decided on your choice of test, and bring any materials you may want to bring in with you. I’ll split you all into smaller groups so you don’t have to stand around waiting for your turn. The list will be posted outside your dorms either today or tomorrow. Believe me, this is an experience you’ll remember for a long time!”

“So, which of the tests are you thinking about?” Musa asked me as we left the classroom.

I shook my head, “Ugh, I have no idea. Probably the curse-breaking one, but I don’t know what curse to choose.”

“Same here.” Musa hummed.

“I think I’m going to try fixing a damaged environment,” Bloom turned to Flora, “Do you think you could help me put together some potions?”

Flora smiled, “Of course! I was thinking of picking that one too, so we can prepare together.” 

“I was thinking I’d try to fix a confusion curse. I was just reading about a spell to counteract it.” Tecna pulled up the article on her palmtop.

“Ooh, very cool.” I leaned over her shoulder to read the headline.

“I’ll send it to you.” Tecna typed in a few things, then my phone chimed from my pocket.

“Thanks.”

Stella tapped a finger on her chin, “I’m also going to do a damaged environment. Something cold, then I can fix it with my sunlight!”

“That’s not a bad idea,” I wiggled my fingers and conjured a slight breeze, “I wonder if I could fix something with my wind. Pollution, maybe? I’m not sure how well that would work, though.”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m going with the curse option. I don’t know what kind of environment I can heal with music.” Musa laughed.

✭✭✭

The weekend came and went in a haze of final preparation. I had opted to stay at school to work on my history essay, which I finished late Saturday evening. Sunday was spent cramming for all the other tests I had, and I was feeling tired both mentally and magically.

Stella’s alarm clock woke me up with a radiant chime just as the sun began to rise.

“Happy finals week.” I grumbled, flipping onto my back to stretch my arms.

I still felt a slight twinge in my hip, but it was lessening every day. I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. My hair had tangled completely around Cat Cat’s neck, and I set to work detangling it.

Stella flopped over and snoozed the alarm, “We just had to be the first group, huh?”

I freed Cat Cat and set him down on my pillow, then got up and did a few more stretches. 

“Luck of the draw, I guess.” I said, falling into a backbend.

Stella finally sat up and yawned, “At least we’re all together. I wouldn’t want to be in a group with Amaryll, that’s for sure.”

I lifted my leg up and pressed my shoulders out, “Yeah, did you see her that time I messed up that plant growth potion? She was laughing like it was the funniest thing in the realms!”

I switched legs, holding it for a count before I kicked over onto my feet.

“Like she’s so perfect herself. Are you showering?” 

“No, not until after class. I haven’t decided if I’m going to run or not today.”

Stella shook her head and made for the door, “You and your exercising on purpose. Don’t you get enough of it from E and D?”

I laughed as she left for the bathroom. I changed out of my pajamas and into light green pants and a matching top with a flower printed in the center. By the time I finished braiding the front sections of my hair out of my face, it was time to go.

“Alright, ladies! We’ll begin in just a few minutes. You’ll go one at a time.” Palladium powered on the control room’s computers.

The first group consisted of all six Winx and four other girls I was pretty sure were also all roommates.

“I’m just so nervous!” Musa whispered.

Flora clutched her bag of potions to her chest, “I hope I don’t have to go first.”

Stella shrugged, “I think it might be better to go first. That way, you get it over with, and then it’s off your mind!”

“I think going second might be best,” I countered, “At least then you know what to expect.”

The simulation room’s lights blared to life, jolting us out of our conversation.

Palladium clapped his hands together, “Alright, everything is ready. Let’s get the ball rolling! Which one of you wants to go first?” 

“Oh no!” Stella moaned.

A few of the other girls and I echoed her sentiment.

Musa nudged Stella with her elbow, “I thought you said you wanted to get this over with.”

Stella shrank backwards, “I changed my mind!”

Palladium pressed his lips together, hiding a smile, “Just as I thought. Why don’t I pick a volunteer, then?”

“I’ll go!” Bloom’s hand shot in the air.

I let out a sigh of relief.

“Excellent! Which one of the tests did you choose?”

Bloom stepped up to the front of the room, “Uh, the second option. I want to work on a damaged environment.”

“Good choice, girl!” Flora whispered in support.

Palladium started typing on the control panel, “You can choose the environment. What would you like?”

“I was thinking something desolate. Somewhere cold, maybe?”

He typed a few more things, then scrolled through a list, “How about Domino? It’s completely frozen and devoid of life.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it,” Bloom perked up, “It’s perfect.”

“Well then, here it is! I’ll adjust the settings so you won’t feel as cold, but everything else will be as it is in real life. Are you ready?”

“Yep! I’ve brought a few ingredients for potions and stuff, can I take them with me?”

“Sure, take whatever you want.” Palladium opened the door to the simulation room, “You have thirty minutes to complete your task. I’ll be watching everything from here, so just say the word, and I can pull you straight out. Now, do your best!”

“Good luck!” Musa waved.

Flora still gripped her bag, “Be careful!”

“You’ve got this!” I gave her a double thumbs up.

“Take care, alright?” Stella ran forward and gave her a quick hug.

“Figure it out!” Tecna nodded.

Stella turned back to us, arms crossed in confusion, “What kind of encouragement is that?”

“The most logical kind.”

“Thanks, girls. I’ll see you in a bit!” Bloom waved and shut the door behind her. 

The nine of us who were left crowded around the window as Palladium activated the simulation.

“Can you hear me, Bloom?” Palladium spoke into the microphone.

Bloom’s voice came from over a loudspeaker, “Loud and clear!”

Palladium entered a final few commands, and the landscape changed around her. The walkway beneath her feet retracted and was replaced with packed snow. The walls faded into pale sky and faraway mountains. 

“It’s still a bit chilly in here.” Bloom shivered.

“One moment,” Palladium adjusted a few sliders and knobs, “How’s that?”

“Much better, thanks!”

“Good, your time starts now.” 

I took a seat on the floor and watched as Bloom melted the snow around her with a glowing heat spell.

“Hey, I taught her that one!” Stella pointed.

Flora gripped her arm in anticipation, “Oh, just wait! I helped her pick out all the seeds!”

Bloom pulled out several packets from her bag and sprinkled their contents over the ground. Once finished, she opened a potion bottle and poured it on top. Sprouts burst through the soil, and Flora hummed in excitement.

“Hey, what’s that off in the distance?” One of the other students asked.

“That’s a mountain, Luna.” Another girl deadpanned to her friend.

“No look, it’s flying closer!” She pointed, a little frantic.

Palladium waved off her concern, “It’s probably an animal of some sort. They’re programmed to arrive as you get closer to succeeding.”

“I don’t think that’s an animal!” Stella jumped up and leaned over the console.

Bloom finally looked up from her gardening to see the three figures flying towards her. She turned towards us, a confused expression on her face.

“Hey, I thought this was su—”

Her voice cut out. 

Palladium tapped frantically on a few keys, “Bloom, can you hear me? Bloom!”

She showed no sign of being able to hear him. Instead, she turned back to the now clear figures floating around her. One dressed in magenta, one in purple, and one in teal. 

The Trix.

“You have to get her out of there!” I urged.

“I am trying!” Palladium bit out, hands moving rapidly over the control panel.

Tecna moved in for a closer look, “Are they real or part of the simulation?”

“I don’t know, I can see their auras, but they’re all weird and muddy.” Stella pressed her fingers into her temples.

One of the other girls put her hands up on the glass, “I can’t feel their thoughts, but I don’t think that means much. I don’t sense Bloom, either.”

Bloom dodged an attack from Darcy. She transformed in the next second and lobbed a fireball back towards her.

Musa rattled the door handle, “Can’t we just let her out?”

“Not from the outside.” Palladium kept his eyes on the controls.

Stormy shook the ground with lightning, killing all of Bloom’s new plants and gouging rifts into the ground itself. Chasms split wider by the second, and Bloom barely avoided falling into one. Lava churned up from the ground, razing the last of Bloom’s efforts.

Palladium jerked his head towards the door, “Ortensia, Priya, go get the headmistress. Tell her I sent you.”

The two girls ran from the room. Bloom was still fighting the Trix in earnest, but she was sorely outnumbered. Her power was flagging. Icy sent a blast that knocked Bloom off her feet and teetering towards the edge of the chasm.

Palladium shoved his chair back and stood with his hands raised, muttering a spell in Elvish. 

A glaring light overtook the view through the window, growing brighter until it was impossible to see through to the other side.

Stella squawked in protest as Tecna grabbed her hand and mine and slammed them against the control panel.

“Find Bloom, shield her!” 

I barely had a second to process what she meant before Tecna channeled our energy through the system. She guided us through a dizzying blur of technology, warping my sense of reality until I couldn’t feel myself standing in the control room. Stella pushed her light out across the digital landscape. I could feel her searching for Bloom through the way Tecna connected us, and I knew the moment they latched onto each other. I sent my own power out, wrapping Bloom in a protective shield of air and keeping her from being swallowed by the maelstrom of data. Strings of code died out like city lights, and Tecna yanked us back into reality.

Palladium yelled the final lines of his spell, the lights flickering out in a final crescendo. The sudden absence of the computer’s hum was deafening.

He steadied himself on the edge of the control panel, hair falling limply over his face, “Quick thinking, girls. Remind me to give you extra credit for that.”

Stella conjured an orb of light and held it over her head. 

“Look, there’s Bloom!” Stella rushed through the door, now unlocked.

We all ran through after her. Bloom lay in the middle of the walkway, looking a little dazed, but overall unhurt.

“Bloom, are you alright?” Flora knelt and pulled her up to a sitting position.

Bloom rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, “Yeah, something saved me just before I went tumbling into a river of lava.”

I laughed in relief, “You can thank Tecna for that!”

“Do you realize you crashed the computer?” Stella asked, one hand cocked on her hip.

“Really?”

Palladium nodded, “You did, the simulator is totally gone. But you’re okay, right?”

“I’m a bit shaken, but other than that I’m fine.” Bloom smiled tiredly.

I looked up at the ceiling. The light panels were completely shattered, like someone had taken a stone to a mirror. Stella’s light flickered ominously off the cracks, reminding me of the lava we had only just saved Bloom from.

“I don’t think that’s going to be an easy fix.” I remarked.

Tecna glanced back at the computer room, “If the system is as fried as I think, they’ll be lucky to have it back up again any time soon.”

“I’m postponing the exams,” Palladium announced, “I’ll have to discuss the situation with Headmistress Faragonda, then we’ll reschedule as soon as we are able.”

Stella and Flora pulled Bloom the rest of the way up to standing. 

“Hey Bloom, any chance you could get the history exam postponed too?” Musa joked.

Bloom’s smile widened, and she shrugged, “Well, I can try!”

Chapter Text

Bloom had not managed to postpone the history exam. Despite the incident in the simulation room, Miss Barbatea’s test had been held at one o’clock sharp in the library. I was sure it would be my easiest exam of the week, with the entire known history of Magix drilled into my head since birth. 

Flora had become increasingly frantic about the remaining midterms, especially the simulation test. For reasons unknown, she had changed her topic to breaking a witch’s curse, which she had announced to us over dinner. She had also asked all of us if she could put some of her plants in our rooms, as she had run out of space in her own room.

I came to regret that decision the next morning. I had woken up with a splitting headache after the strangest dream. Even the smallest bit of light sent my head pounding.

After three hours, or three minutes, of lying completely still with my hands over my eyes, I finally mustered the courage to make the trek over to Flora’s room. I made my way by feel, even the sunlight on my eyelids brought me to the verge of tears.

“Flora?” I knocked on her door, cringing when my ears rang from the sharp noise.

The door whooshed open.

“Oh my goodness, the augury bells must have bloomed early! You’re lucky, I just finished the counteragent. Here, sit down.” Flora led me deeper into her room.

I sat on the edge of her bed and waited. She clattered around on her desk for a moment before hurrying back to me.

“Eyedrops, tilt your head back a bit.”

I did as she instructed, blinking rapidly as she dropped a cool liquid into my tear ducts. The relief was immediate, and I opened my eyes fully. I blinked a few more times to clear the silvery-purple haze out of my vision.

“I am so sorry,” Flora twisted and untwisted the lid of the eyedrops, “I was so sure they wouldn’t flower until at least tomorrow, I must have added too much fertilizer. I was going to warn you, I swear!”

“At least you had a fix for that. I had the weirdest dream about the Illusions and Charms exam today. Do you think accidental visions of the future count as cheating?”

Flora laughed nervously, “I hope not. I’ll take it out of your room right now.”

I rubbed a spot in the center of my forehead, releasing the last of the tension, “You can put a different one in its place. Just, nothing with psychic powers, please?”

✭✭✭

I completed Madame duFour’s exams, a strange sense of deja vu guiding me through both the written and practical portions of the test. The practical exam had gone better than I expected, albeit exactly how I had dreamed it only hours ago. Madame duFour had let us pick from a list of illusions to perform in front of the class. I chose one we had worked on during our tutoring lessons, a chalkboard illusion, and she even complimented me on how realistic the chalk lines looked.

“Flora, is there any way to get rid of the effects of that plant you gave me? I feel like I’m living today for a second time.” I asked as we stood in line in the dining hall.

She shrugged apologetically, “I can make you a draught to flush the pollen out of your system, but—”

“It wouldn’t be ready until after it’s already cleared from my body. Right.”

Flora stared at me blankly.

“You didn’t tell me that yet.”

She shook her head.

I groaned, “I’ll just live like this for the rest of the afternoon, then.”

Musa nudged my arm, “Hey, any hints on the E and D final?”

“Bring your running shorts.”

“Ugh.”

The lunch line moved forward, and we each grabbed a plate. Bloom pondered her options, scanning each of the stations as she twisted her plate in her hands.

“You got pizza.” 

Bloom turned toward me, “I was just thinking about that, how did you know?”

I canted my head towards Flora, and she hummed in understanding. We dispersed to grab our food, and I followed Stella to the salad bar.

“Watercress.” I mumbled as Stella reached for the tongs.

I kept listing off her ingredients just before she reached for them as I absently piled salad onto my own plate.

“Bell peppers.”

“Radishes.”

Stella gave me a look as she grabbed the bottle of salad dressing, “Do you mind?”

“Careful. And sorry, I can’t help it.” I sighed as I dressed my own salad.

“Ah, damn it!” Stella cursed as vinaigrette spilled over her thumb.

I handed her the napkin I had grabbed earlier.

✭✭✭

I bit my tongue during Exercise and Defense to stop myself from predicting each command Griselda yelled as she led us through warmups. The actual test was simple enough: run a lap around the school and block a handful of attacks, and it was over in less than an hour.

Back in the dorm, I flopped upside down on the couch with a hand mirror to practice some metamorphology. I was too tired to shift my whole face, so I just changed the colors of my eyebrows.

“Mira, I’m putting this Ficus on your dresser. No magical properties, I promise.” Flora bustled past with a leafy shrub.

“Sounds good!” I shifted my eyebrows to match the color of the plant.

I kept aimlessly running through the colors of the rainbow until I heard raised voices coming from my room. I sat up to try and see what was going on when Flora stomped out, Stella hot on her heels.

“No, but really! You’ve gone too far this time, I’m putting a stop to it.” Stella snapped.

I swung my legs off the back of the couch, “What’s going on?”

“Yeah, what happened?” Bloom emerged from her own room.

Stella glared at Flora, “She’s overdoing it, as usual.”

“I’m just carrying out a couple of experiments! I have midterms to prepare for!” Flora raised her hands.

“No kidding, you’ve been going on about your new plan since yesterday!” Stella raised her tone to a mocking pitch, “I’m going to use the power of flowers to thwart an evil spell!”

Flora scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“What’s wrong with that?” I challenged.

“You don’t see anything wrong with sleeping next to a psychic headache flower? And Bloom, in case you haven’t noticed, your room has become a humongous chemistry lab!”

I glanced through the open door of their room at the beakers and glass tubes covering every available surface.

I shrugged, “She apologized.”

“Bloom gave me permission! She’s helping me study.” Flora sniffed.

“I’ve already passed the test, so I don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Stella scoffed, “Yeah, some test.”

“Hey! I took on the Trix, it wasn’t easy.” Bloom pointed an accusing finger at her.

I stood from the couch, “Why don’t we all calm down a bit? I’m sure we can figure something out.”

“Calm down? You should see my room!” Stella turned with a huff.

The three of us followed her back into our room, and Stella marched straight for her vanity.

“Okay. I gave Flora permission to put her flower on my windowsill because they needed a lot of sunlight,” Stella gestured towards the pots lining the window above her desk, “But then she spread herself out and put a bunch of Melanoma Varicosa—”

“Mimosa Vainatosa!”

“Whatever! I mean, she put them in front of my mirror. My mirror!”

“Well, it’s normal, they feed off reflected light. Your mirror is huge, so it’s perfect!” Flora explained.

Stella pinched a leafy vine, which tightly clutched an open tube of lip gloss. The plant curled tighter in on itself the more she shook it.

“Do you think this is normal? This one’s using my limited edition Spring Saturdays lip gloss!”

Flora crossed her arms, “That’s why they’re called vain-atosa.”

“I don’t care what they’re called, make them stop!”

Bloom plucked a blush compact out of the grip of a flowering strand, “Stella, it’s not so bad.”

“Oh, yes it is. They’re using my makeup, my skincare, and my perfume. And look at them! They have no taste whatsoever, their scent profiles are clashing!” Stella slammed a drawer shut.

A couple of vines shrank back off the vanity. She set to work righting everything on the table, setting brushes back in their jars and screwing shut lipsticks and mascaras.

“What do you expect? They’re just plants. Tecna doesn’t complain about it.” Flora left with a huff.

“I’m going to see if Musa’s out of the shower yet.” I grabbed a change of clothes and followed her out.

Musa had just stepped out of the bathroom, hair wrapped in a towel.

“Hi, Musa. Have you seen Tecna?” Flora greeted.

“Nope, haven’t seen her since we got back to the dorm.”

“Are you guys having any trouble with my plants?” Flora shot a glare back through the open door at Stella.

Musa’s brows scrunched in confusion, “We have plants in our room?”

“Um, yes. I asked Tecna to keep a few seeds in the dark, in her closet.”

I headed into the bathroom as Flora followed Musa into her room. Just as I grabbed my moisturizer from under the sink, I heard Flora shriek.

“Tecna?!”

I dropped the bottle into the sink and raced for Tecna’s room. Stella and Bloom were right on my heels, tripping through the doorway after me. Flora stood, frozen in shock, in front of the open doors of Tecna’s closet. Inside, Tecna was wrapped head to toe in unyielding ropes of vines.

“Twin suns, has she been trapped in there this whole time?”

Stella’s exclamation shook Flora out of her daze, and she cast a spell to free Tecna from the vines.

Tecna dusted herself off and stumbled away, “It’s about time! I was just looking for a pair of pants when this thing grabbed me!”

Flora hummed nervously as she bundled the vines into their pot like a pile of dropped spaghetti.

Tecna sighed sharply, “I’ll keep my cool, but I’d really like to know what kind of seed they were.”

“They were, um, Triple S’s?” Flora hid the plants behind her back rather fruitlessly.

Tecna choked, “Triple S’s?”

“...Sequoia Seprolifera Swifta.”

I barked out a laugh, more in disbelief than actual humor.

Flora cringed, “I didn’t think they would grow so fast, I swear to you, I had no idea!”

Tecna turned away to compose herself.

“Oh, Tecna, I’m so sorry.”

Stella broke the tension with her usual flippancy, “It’s all well and good now, but I think those killer string beans have got to go!”

Flora stood and cleared her throat, “You’re right, I’ll come and get everything in a second. Then I’ll take myself and my stuff over to Black Mud Swamp.”

“Black Mud Swamp?” Bloom gasped.

“Clearly, the apartment is too small for my experiments.”

“Just give us a little more warning about what you’re bringing into our rooms next time, you don’t have to leave.” I offered.

“Yeah, you can’t go to the swamp! We all remember what happened, it’s horrible. Right, girls?” Bloom tried to look each of the other girls in the eye.

Tecna looked deliberately away and crossed her arms tightly. Stella just frowned back at her.

Musa sighed heavily, “Maybe she should go, and just drop off some of these plants. I don’t think most of them are meant to be inside plants, anyway.”

“It’s okay, I can take a hint.” Flora sniffed and left the room.

Bloom scoffed incredulously, “I don’t believe this! All Flora was trying to do was study.”

“Bloom, we all have to study. But when we study, we don’t ruin hundreds of credits of her makeup.” Stella raised an eyebrow at her.

“Nor do we try to strangle her.” Tecna rubbed a spot on her shoulder.

“Or give her headache-inducing plants without any warnings.” I wasn’t quite over that.

Bloom held up her hands in surrender, “Fine, I get it. But I told Flora I’d help her study, and where I come from, promises are kept.”

Bloom stomped out after Flora and slammed the door behind her. I winced at the noise.

“We shouldn’t just let her go on her own, should we?” Musa frowned at the closed door.

Stella shrugged a shoulder, “She’s got Bloom, it’s not like she’s alone.”

I felt a sudden twinge in the center of my forehead, and I pressed a knuckle to it to ease the pain.

“Maybe it’s just the last of the augury bell pollen, but I think something bad is going to happen. We should go with them.”

Tecna’s posture deflated, “I may be upset, but she’s still my friend. If you think there’s danger, then I’ll go.”

“I’m already in.” Musa stood and tossed her towel on the back of her desk chair.

Stella groaned, tipping her head back for full dramatics, “Fine, but it had better not be the Trix out there. I’m so sick of them.”

Ten minutes later, all of us had followed Flora and Bloom into the swamp. We were headed towards the lake, over a much drier trail than the one we took during Palladium’s lesson. I tried to quell the fear churning in my gut, telling myself it was only anxiety caused by our last trip through the swamp.

It’s hard to believe that was my first real day at Alfea.

Flora finally stopped as we reached a shallow stream. It ran towards the lake, which stretched on nearly to the horizon, only distant trees dotting the land beyond. We hadn’t run into anything resembling danger yet, the tension in my forehead easing the more time passed. 

She set up camp on a flat area a short distance from the stream. It consisted of a small shade structure, a picnic blanket, and a fold-up table, all of which she pulled out of her impressively small backpack.

“I never thought you girls would have followed me here.” Flora remarked as she set a few plants next to the blanket.

“Yeah, me neither.” Stella unsuccessfully tried to wipe the dirt clinging to her shoes onto the grass.

Musa and Bloom settled onto the picnic blanket.

Musa lay on her back, hand behind her head, “The truth is, we couldn’t let you come by yourself.”

“They may be a bit grumpy sometimes, but they care about you.” Bloom grinned.

“You’re still our friend, that’s not changing anytime soon.” I kicked up into a handstand and walked forward on my hands.

“Still, I hope this camping trip doesn’t last too long.” Stella complained.

“All I need to do is find a good spot for my plants,” Flora held open a book, “And if you all help me find this flower, it won’t last long at all! See?”

I dropped out of my handstand to see the illustration. It was a long-stemmed plant, with long, thin leaves, and several flowers with six pointed petals, each a slightly different shade of blue-violet. 

“The Cheerful Gladiolus.” Flora explained.

Tecna tapped a knuckle against her chin, “Are you sure it can be found around here?”

“As luck would have it, it’s actually native to the area!”

“And what do you need it for, exactly?” Musa asked.

Flora closed the book, “The essence of the Cheerful Gladiolus is an antidote for a witch’s sadness spell!”
“Very well then,” Stella clapped her hands together, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go and get the flower so we can get back.”

“It’s not as easy as that. It’s a skittish flower, it doesn’t let itself be picked.”

Stella huffed, “Don’t tell me we’re going to have to coax it into following us of its own free will. I’ve had it with sentient plants!”

“Actually, I just have to ask it to extend one of its petals, and then I’ll use a drop of this mixture! Check this out.” Flora held up a round bottle.

She opened the bottle and squeezed a drop of the serum on a nearby fern. The drop slid off the leaf and plopped into the soil below, where it immediately sprouted into a second, smaller fern.

“Are you sure you’re not a sorcerer?” I joked.

“My great-grandmother is, I actually got the recipe from her!”

“This is great, let’s get to work right away.” Bloom stood and dusted off her hands.

“Can I stay here? I won’t wander off, promise cross my heart!” Stella drew an X over her chest.

Musa rolled her eyes, “Stella, please. Don’t start complaining already.”

She pouted, “Who’s complaining? I was just asking a simple question.”

“Actually, if you wanted to stay here, I think the Vainatosa would do nicely right by the edge of the water. See the light reflections, it’s perfect!” Flora pointed down at the stream.

Stella’s pout twisted deeper, “Oh, if I must. But Mira, you have to help me.”

“I’m not doing all the work just because you don’t want to get your hands dirty.” I side-eyed the deeper sections of the creek.

“I’m going deeper into the woods to find some of those silent creepers. The Triple S’s will fit right in!” Flora grabbed a basket full of vines, “Bloom, if you wouldn’t mind grabbing the needlewort, we can find a place for it on the way.”

“How about these?” Musa picked up a tray of flowers that looked like orchids covered in fine green hair.

“Anywhere in partial shade. Just set it on a mossy tree branch and wait for the roots to take hold.” Flora instructed.

“You got it!”

Tecna picked up a plant in each hand, and the four of them left the clearing.

Stella grabbed a spade, “So, shall we put this thing in its final resting place?” 

I laughed, “Are we planting it or killing it?”

“It makes me feel better about it spilling my good setting powder all over the floor.” Stella shrugged.

“Fair enough. Let me go grab a shovel, and we can start.”

Stella ambled down to the creek, tapping her spade against her hand as she searched for a place to put the plant. I hoisted the pot up to my hip and walked towards her, keeping an extra couple of feet between me and the water.

“Here’s a good spot!” Stella pointed to a spot where the land jutted out like a tiny peninsula.

“Are you sure it should be so close to the edge of the water? What if the soil’s too wet?”

“Flora said ‘right by the edge,’ and this is that.”

I dug my toe into the dirt, “If you really think so.”

I inched sideways down the incline, holding my breath on instinct as I neared the shore.

“What, do you not like water or something?” Stella snorted.

“...No?”

“I’ve watched you almost jump off the balcony with no powers, and this is what you’re afraid of?”

I let out my breath in a rush and plunked myself down on the ground, “Yep. Kiara says it’s like I forgot to be afraid of anything but water. I don’t even put my face under the water when I shower.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m terrified of bugs. Hate them.” She confessed.

“Really? What about, like, butterflies?”

“They’re on thin ice.”

I laughed, feeling a bit better about being so close to the creek. 

“Don’t come to Callisto, then. There are these huge dragonflies, as big as a person at least, but they bonk into windows the same way other insects do. It’s quite jarring if you don’t see them coming.”

Stella pushed my shoulder, “Stop, you’re going to give me nightmares!”

I laughed harder, “Sorry. Let’s start digging.”

We easily made a hole big enough for the Vainatosa. The soil was soft, but not oversaturated as I had feared. I stayed as far inland as I could, while Stella crouched on the other side by the water. Once the hole was complete, I lifted the plant out of the pot, careful to keep from ripping any roots.

“You ready, little guy?” 

It curled a few vines around my fingers as I set it into the hole. Stella watched as I scooped the loose soil and patted it in place over the roots.

“That should do it!” I tapped a frond and giggled as the leaves snapped shut.

“And good riddance.”

“I don’t know, it’s kind of growing on me.”

Stella just huffed, “I still haven’t forgiven it. Ugh, see what I mean?”

She snatched the vine that was inching into her pocket, then plucked her compact out of its leafy grasp.

“Actually, I think I have an idea.” 

I reached into the water and grabbed two palm-sized stones, one a rich red, and the other a slate grey, then began rubbing them together until a paste began forming.

“Rock paint! It’s like nature’s makeup.”

I held it out to the plant, and it dipped one of its powder-puff flowers into the paint. After it had deemed my substitute worthy, two fronds took the rocks from my hand. It began elegantly painting itself with the flower, not unlike the way I’d seen Stella apply foundation.

“Where’d you learn to do that?”

I rinsed the last of the dirt off my hands, “There’s a lake with a rocky beach that’s walking distance from the palace. Kiara would always beg me to come with her because our aunt wouldn’t let her go swimming on her own. Honestly, I have no idea how I figured it out the first time. I’ve been doing it for years.”

I climbed up the small hill, giving Stella a hand up the steep part.

“Aw, now you’re making me wish I had a sister.”

I snorted, “Should I tell you about all the times she’s stolen my clothes?”

“Never mind, being an only child isn’t so bad!”

We sat on the picnic blanket until the others returned, which turned out to be only another minute. 

“How’s the Vainatosa?” Flora asked.

I pointed back at the creek, “Settled right in, take a look!”

The plant was swaying happily in the slight breeze, dipping its fronds into the light-dappled water. 

Flora smiled down at it, “It’s perfect, thank you, girls. Let’s go find that flower!”

“Then we’ll go right back to Alfea, right?” Stella groused.

“Yes, that’s all I need,” Flora pressed her hands against the trunk of a tree, hands glowing a warm green, “This way!”

She pointed deeper into the woods, parallel to the lake’s shore. The trees grew denser and shorter as we walked, loose mud and tangled tree roots taking the place of solid ground, like a mangrove forest. 

Stella wobbled on a particularly treacherous patch of roots.

“Why, oh, why are swamps so…” She growled in disgust.

“Swampy?” Musa suggested.

“Your comments are uncalled for, Musa!”

“So is your outfit! For harmony’s sake, this is a swamp, not a fashion show.”

“What does that have to do with anything? A princess is always a princess and—” Stella screeched as she lost her footing.

I caught her flailing arm just before she fell face-first into the muck. 

“Are you okay?” Bloom scrambled back towards us.

Stella stomped, splashing mud everywhere, “No, I’m not okay! I’m tired, I’m dirty, and my feet are killing me from all this walking about. I just want to find this stupid flower and go home!”

Flora, at the front of our party, gasped at something she saw up ahead.

She gestured for us to stop talking, “Hush, quiet!”

Stella marched towards her, kicking up even more mud, “No. I refuse to be quiet! You said we’d find the—”

I slapped a hand over Stella’s mouth.

“Haven’t you learned your lesson from the last time you started yelling in the swamp?” I whisper-yelled.

“Look, Stella!” Flora pointed towards a clearing in between the mangroves.

It looked like a cove, if a cove could be in the middle of a swamp. A section of water, about as far across as a large room, and just over knee-deep, lay ahead of us. The water was crystal clear, nothing like the grey-brown murk we had been crossing. Small creatures, like tiny iridescent mermaids, flitted over and under the surface of the water like a school of fish.

Stella licked my hand.

“Ew! What are you, five?” I gagged and wiped my hand on my shorts.

“I’m as mature as I need to be, thank you very much.” Stella huffed.

Tiny shrieks of alarm sounded, and all of the creatures disappeared under the water or behind lifted roots.

“No, no, no, wait!” Flora spoke in a language I struggled to understand, “We don’t want to hurt you, we’re your friends!”

It sounded like a cross between Naiadic and one of the Lynphean dialects, which resulted in a language reminiscent of bubbling streams.

“We need your help, if you’re willing to offer it.” Flora crouched closer to the water.

A few of the braver creatures swam back to the surface, peeping their heads over lily pads.

“You speak the language of our foremothers.” One of them said in the common tongue, much to my relief.

Flora nodded emphatically, “There are water nymphs on Lynphea, where I come from. I learned from them.”

The speaker floated closer, “You must be a friend, indeed. You wish for help?”

“We do. We’re looking for a flower, a cheerful gladiolus?”

“Come with me. This way!” The nymph gestured for us to follow.

She swam through the air as easily as water, taking us around the pool to an even bigger pond teeming with lily pads and all sorts of semi-aquatic plant life. The trees, as well as the roots we were walking on, tapered away into the sparkling water. 

“What an amazing place!” Flora gushed, “I mean, look at all the flowers! The lilies, the gladioli, there’s just so much to see.”

The nymph tapped her tiny fin against her chin, “I don’t mean to be rude, but we have a bit of a problem. See, we can’t exactly invite you in, you’re too big. You’ll disturb the lake bottom if you walk through.”

“But our queen has expressed the wish to meet you.” A second nymph swam up behind the first.

I unlooped the chain of my compass from around my neck, “I may have a solution to that.”

I tossed my compass in the air, catching it as a wand. Pointing it at the water’s surface, I concentrated on hardening the air just above it. I took a tentative step, sighing in relief as it held my weight.

“Nobody distract me, please.” I half-joked as I stretched the spell wide enough for all the girls to stand.

Each of them hopped onto my invisible walkway. Bloom gave a couple of test jumps, laughing at the feeling of the solid air beneath her feet.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to all the things magic can do. It’s just so… magical!”

“Follow us!” The nymphs swam across the pond.

I extended the path out in front of me, releasing the air behind me once none of us were standing on it. Halfway across the pool, Stella stopped to stare at something in the water.

“Stella…” I gritted out, my connection with the air beneath her feet waning with the distance between us.

“Look down there!” Stella crouched to peer under a water lily.

Tecna walked back towards her to see, “Wow, it’s a whole miniature city!”

I groaned and took a few steps back to lessen the strain on my power. I gave in to the temptation and glanced under the water lily leaves. Hundreds of basketball-sized bubbles clung to the stems of the plants, reminding me of the clusters of frog eggs I’d seen back home. A couple of nymphs darted in and out of the bubbles; some of them curled up in sleep inside.

“Fascinating,” I hummed, catching my spell a split second before it dissolved, “But can we admire it when I’m not holding everyone out of the water?”

Stella straightened up, “Oops, sorry!”

We finished crossing the water, and to my relief, a wide strip of dry land separated the pool from the lake beyond. So close to the shoreline, the horizon faded into the mist, making the lake seem to go on forever. I felt a bit dizzy with the water surrounding me on all sides. The girls and I sat close to the edge of the pond, and the nymph that guided us bowed and gestured towards the throne.

“The queen of the water nymphs will see you now.”

The queen’s throne rested at the base of a solitary mangrove, almost twice the size of the ones we’d seen before. The queen herself was also larger than the other nymphs, and her coloring was a shimmering gold, unlike the others, who seemed to be mostly pastel blues and purples. She greeted us with a wave of her fin.

“We are very happy to have you here. We don’t often receive visitors.” Her voice carried further than I expected, loud and clear even as we sat several feet away.

Stella gave a traditional Solarian bow, right hand touched to her forehead.

“Thank you for your warm welcome, your, uh,” She turned to whisper to Bloom, “You think I should say your Littleness instead of your Highness?”

“Your Majesty, try your Majesty!” Bloom whispered back.

The queen graciously ignored Stella’s comment, “You must have had a long journey, you all look a bit weary. May I offer you some refreshments?”

“Actually, all we really want is to touch the petal of a cheerful gladiolus. May we?” Flora asked.

The queen nodded, “Of course you may, I can tell you have a lot of respect for nature.”

“So, how come we haven’t heard of you before? Uh, no offense.” Musa wondered.

“We keep a low profile. We know how to hide when we need to. There are many predators here, so we find it best to stay away from all creatures.”

“Perhaps you’ve heard of something called the Monster of Black Island?” One of the other nymphs piped up.

Bloom gasped, “What, a monster lives around here?”

“Yes, quite unfortunately. If you look just beyond the fog bank, you’ll see an island in the middle of the lake. In a deep underwater cave, under the island, that’s where that horrible monster lives. It’s a gigantic evil being that threatens my people.”

“You’re pretty secluded here. Why go to the island? Is there something you need there?” I asked.

“Yes. Our survival depends on the Xilith plant, which can only be found on the island. We’re able to create the material we build our bubbles with. Without the Xilith, we’d have to live above water, where predators await.” The queen revealed.

The other nymph swam up next to her, “But the Black Island Monster makes it very difficult to gather Xilith leaves.”

“Every once in a while, one of us will volunteer to go to the island to try and pick some of the leaves. This time, it was Lusiz’s turn.”

A nymph covered her face with her tail, letting out a heart-wrenching sob.

“What’s wrong? What happened to Luzis?” Bloom leaned forward, eyebrows creased.

The queen’s head dipped, “She never returned.”

“That’s terrible!” Musa gasped.

She smiled sadly, “It is the way of things. We’ve been living this way as long as memory.”

“Well I say it’s high time things changed!” Bloom got to her feet and smacked her fist against her palm.

The rest of us stood and dusted ourselves off.

Stella shrugged, “What’s another D-list monster to the Winx?”

“Should we fly?” Tecna glanced pointedly at me.

I twirled my wand through my fingers, “Go ahead, I’ll use the same spell I just did.”

“Ready when you are!” Flora held up her pointed fingers.

The girls transformed, and I squinted against the blinding flash of light. I toed the edge of the lake. I rolled my shoulders back, mustering as much courage as I could manage. 

“Are you sure you don’t want one of us to carry you, or something?” Musa hovered above the water in front of me.

I cast my spell and stepped onto the lake, “I can walk. Thanks for the offer, though.”

With one last wave to the water nymphs, we began the journey to Black Island. It wasn’t too far, the island was in clear view from the shore. I kept my eyes ahead, pretending I was only walking on a giant blue carpet, instead of a body of water so deep I couldn’t see the bottom.

“Hey Mira, what happened to that premonition of danger you had?” Tecna glided next to me, her plane-shaped wings casting a greenish glow on the surface.

I thought for a moment, trying to feel for that inner sense of dread, “I think it’s gone, actually. The pollen must have finally left my system.”

Musa flew backwards, looking more like she was relaxing in a lawn chair than flying midair, “Maybe you had a vision about the monster, and now that we all know about it, you don’t need it anymore!”

“You know, girls, I just was thinking,” Stella flipped over our heads, “The queen said the monster was gigantic, but to her, we’re big too! So if we average it out, it must be a medium-sized creature, right? It makes sense.”

“Yeah, what are the chances it’s just a big water snake or something?” I suggested.

I skipped forward and did a quick roundoff-back handspring combo, stretching out muscles I hadn’t used in days. We were nearing the island, almost close enough to make out the trees’ leaves on its domed surface.

“I’ll take a scan of the island.” Tecna rose a couple of feet higher and activated her spell.

I shielded my eyes from the sun, trying to get a better look at the island.

A force clamped down on my legs, and I gasped in a breath just before I was tugged beneath the surface. 

I tried to struggle free in vain, only managing to use up the little oxygen I had. My mind emptied, the only thought in my head reduced to no air, no air, no air. I screamed out the last of my air, beating my fists down on whatever held me fast. The sharp pain in my legs warred with the ache in my lungs. My vision started to spot, even with my eyes squeezed shut against the awful feeling of water in my eyes.

Strange, that even while drowning, the instinct to shield against that small discomfort still held strong.

I gave up trying to free my legs. The combination of the freezing water and buildup of lactic acid in my limbs had finally caught up to me after the day of hiking. I pinched my nose shut with both hands, hoping to keep from inhaling water as my lungs spasmed.

My strength finally deserted me, and I let my arms float limply in front of me. A part of me, the last vestige of rational thought, was disappointed in how quickly my body was shutting down. I had hoped I could last longer than a minute in the face of death.

I thought my life was supposed to start flashing before my eyes.

But all I saw was darkness. 

Darkness… until there wasn’t.

A steady glow encompassed the last of my fleeting consciousness, stronger and warmer than the afternoon sun. My skin began to… itch, for lack of a better word. All of my pain faded, replaced by an innate feeling of rightness, out of place as I bridged the gap between life and death.

The pressure of the water around me lessened, but the feeling built to an unbearable crescendo of magical energy. I lost any remaining awareness of my surroundings, the bubble of magic around me the only sensation.

All at once, it shattered. I was left free-falling through the air, landing with a jarring thud against solid ground.

Solid ground?

I stretched my fingers out, feeling the grainy, silty, dry earth shift beneath my hand. 

“Mira, holy fuck!”

Judging by the dirt I could feel clinging to my hair, and the panicked voices shouting my name, I felt I could safely assume I hadn’t died. I cracked my eyes open, only to immediately shut them again as the sun shone directly into my corneas.

“Mira, are you okay?” A familiar voice cut through my daze.

They shook me, repeating the question more and more frantically until I finally pushed myself up to a sitting position. My stomach roiled, and I barely managed to turn to the side in time to retch up a lungful of lakewater. Soothing hands pulled my hair away from my face as I finished emptying my stomach.

“I saw the monster when I dove under,” The same voice said, “I couldn’t get to Mira, the magical energy was too strong. But I saw it, I think it’s actually a giant turtle. I’ve read about…”

I lost the willpower to interpret language.

I groaned and tucked my head onto my raised knees, curling my arms tightly around my middle. Honestly, I didn’t feel as terrible as I expected to after what I had just gone through. The only pain I felt was the settling of my stomach, no tenderness in my back from the fall, or sharp sting of broken skin around my calves where I knew there should have been.

I finally opened my eyes, using my dripping wet hair as a shield from the sun. I twisted my foot to the side to assess the damage around my calves. To my confusion, I seemed to be wearing boots. Skin-tight, ultramarine boots that ended just above my knee, even though I specifically remembered tying the laces of my sneakers merely an hour ago. I ran the flat of my palm over my leg, marvelling at the smoothness of the material, unlike anything I’d ever felt before. 

At the sound of a foot scuffing the ground in front of me, I looked up to see Tecna examining me.

“You transformed.” She said simply.

I let out a choked sound, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. 

I finally transformed?

Musa offered me a strained smile, “I guess you needed a little more than imminent danger, after all.”

I burst into tears. Which was rather annoying, because I couldn’t check out my fairy form and cry my eyes out at the same time. The figure next to me, Bloom, hugged me tightly as I released the shock and pain of the last few minutes. 

“I never thought I, of all people, would ever say this, but Mira, you need to get a hold of yourself.” Stella warned.

I stopped crying long enough to look up. Everything had grown dimmer, and it took me a moment to realize that it was because the sun was now hidden by a dense layer of clouds.

“Stormwinds take me, I did that?” My voice sounded hoarse, even to my own ears.

“Yup. But it’s nothing a little sun magic can’t fix.” Stella raised her scepter, dissipating the clouds with a wave.

I cringed back from the return of the sun, shifting my hair back in front of my eyes until they readjusted. I wiped the tears off my cheeks and tossed my hair back over my shoulder. I paused, feeling a difference in the usual feel of it, even with the lakewater weighing it down. I pulled my hair back in front of me. The color was the same, so was the waviness, but the length…

“Is my hair longer?”

Flora huffed, concern raising the pitch of her voice, “Is that really the first thing you think about?”

Bloom spoke before I could come up with a response, “Yeah, everyone’s is. Imagine my surprise when my hair that I can barely grow past my shoulders is down to here!”

Bloom held up a hand to the bottom of her ribs, where the ends of her hair dripped water. I took a moment to actually take in my friends in their fairy forms. Stella’s ponytails swished around her elbows, Flora’s hair was almost pooling around her where she sat, and even Tecna’s usual shaggy pixie cut feathered down to her chin. Musa’s twin ponytails made it impossible to tell. I sat up a little straighter to measure the new length of my hair. I always kept my hair somewhere just above waist length, long enough to style but short enough not to be too problematic, but now it stretched all the way down to my hips.

With that revelation out of the way, I examined the rest of my new transformation. The outfit itself was fitted like one of my performance leotards, although even more skintight, but somehow didn’t feel overly revealing. The material felt sturdy, but moved with my body like it was a part of my skin. It was the same color as my boots, sparkling indigo that probably matched my eyes in the right light. The main body was one piece, sleeveless and with a lilac mesh panel at the top of my chest, ending in shorts at the bottom. Another piece of mesh wrapped around my waist like the warm-up skirts some of the gymnasts wore with their leotards.

Then came my wings. My wings. I tried to look at them, but I could only catch a glimpse of them over my shoulders. I squealed in delight, previous exhaustion easily eclipsed by the excitement of flying. Bloom tried to help me to my feet, but I was already halfway up before she could put a steadying hand under my elbow. I fluttered my wings, hovering about a foot off the ground before I landed again. 

“What do they look like?” I turned my back to the girls and fanned my wings out.

Musa leaned in for a look, “They kind of look like dragonfly wings.”

I squealed again and jumped back around, my wings giving me a few extra inches of height.

“You guys have no idea how cool this feels.” I gushed.

“Um, we kind of do, actually.” Stella teased, fluttering her own wings with a laugh.

Flora’s mouth still turned down in worry, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

My own smile faltered, “Sure. I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

“Still, let’s not do that again. That was too close for comfort.” Stella leaned on her scepter with false casualness.

I finally took in my surroundings. We were standing on the packed dirt of the beach, which I could still feel clinging to my damp hair. The land rose at a steady slope; short, stubby trees taking over the landscape only a handful of yards in from the edge of the water. 

“Should we look around? We’re clearly in the right place.” Flora suggested.

Tecna activated her visor, “If that’s the case, then we should definitely keep our eyes open.”

“I’ll do my best.” I yawned so hard I almost lost my balance.

“Why? The monster’s gone, right? There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Stella drawled.

I watched the lights of Tecna’s heads-up display flicker over her face.

“The monster’s not gone, it’s just retreated back into its shell.” Tecna relayed.

“Let’s follow the trees. Maybe we’ll find something up there.” I pointed to an opening in the cluster of trees.

The air had an uncanny stillness as we followed the natural path made by the endless circles of trees.

Bloom brushed her hand along the leafy branches, “Flora, do you know what sort of trees these are?”

“They look like red willows.” Flora smothered a yawn behind her hand.

I yawned too, the circular path of the trees becoming almost hypnotic.

“Funny, how yawning is contagious.” Stella giggled sleepily, letting out a yawn of her own.

Tecna marched at the front of the group, seemingly unaffected by our drowsiness, “Looks like they’re planted in an intentional pattern.”

“That’s typical of these trees, they grow in a spiral shape around their leader.” Flora waved her hand in a lazy circle.

Musa laughed, “These trees have a leader? That’s funny.”

“Anyone else feel kind of dizzy? We just keep going in so many circles.” I spun on my toes, stumbling into a tree as I fell out of the turn.

Stella tipped her face up to the sun, “What a beautiful place.”

“It’s very quiet, hear the birds?” Tecna probed.

I giggled at the way her face scrunched up in concentration.

“Actually, I don’t.” Stella yawned again.

“And you don’t think that’s strange?” Tecna began tapping furiously on a hologram keyboard.

I stretched my arms and sat down against a tree. We were only a few more rounds to the top, I could take a break here.

“You guys can finish… doing whatever. I’m taking a nap now.” I curled up with my arms under my head, “Just come get me when you’re done.”

“That’s a good idea. Why don’t we all take a break?” I heard Flora say.

“I’m detecting an airborne particulate, I’m analyzing its composition now.” Tecna rattled off a few more scientific phrases I didn’t bother processing.

She’s smart, she can figure it out.

Tecna’s voice muddled with the drowsiness pulling me under. She kept going on and on about reductives, or senators, or… sedatives? Yes, that made sense. Mystery solved, I finally gave in to sleep.

I was shaken awake a moment later.

“Mira, you have to get up, I need your help. Open your eyes, damn it!” 

I groaned, “Go away, I almost died.”

Tecna grabbed me by the elbows and forcibly pulled me up to a sitting position, “I need you to use your air magic.”

“Get your own!” I flopped back down.

She huffed in exasperation, “That’s not how magic works!”

I conjured a tiny bit of power in my hand and flicked it at her.

“Come on, you want me to leave you alone? Make an air bubble!”

Whatever, if that’s what it takes.

I let a little more power out, shaping a shield around me in an attempt to push her away. I finally settled back down to finish my nap in peace.

But I wasn’t tired anymore.

Exhausted, yes, but the drowsiness weighing me down was lifting. I gasped and sat back up.

“Sedative! You said sedatives, didn’t you?”

Tecna nodded, “The trees are excreting an aerosolized chemical that induces sleep. We have to expand the air bubble around the girls, or they may never wake up.”

“Yeah, I can do that. Give me a hand?”

Tecna held her palms up to me, and I placed my hands in hers. Our energies flowed around each other in a whirl of power. I pushed out the shell of clean air around me, encompassing Tecna, then the other Winx with an ease I never would have thought possible.

“So, that’s what convergence magic is supposed to feel like.” I let out a breathy laugh.

Tecna grinned at me. The sound of the girls shifting awake caught our attention, and we tied off the spell.

“What happened?” Musa groaned and rubbed her forehead.

Stella waved an indignant hand, “Turn off the light, the alarm hasn’t gone off yet!”

A ladybug landed on her arm, and she shot upright.

“Get this thing off me! Somebody do something!”

She shook her arm violently, even after the bug had taken off again. I cringed in sympathy, but couldn’t help but laugh at her expense just a little.

“Stella, relax. It’s just a little bug.” Musa chided.

Stella shot her a glare that could burn ice. 

Tecna stood and dusted herself off, “Well, it worked. Sounds like everyone’s awake now.”

“Not just us, the animals are waking up too!” Bloom pointed at a newly awakened bird flitting through the trees.

“Look, we made it to the leader tree.” Flora stared at a clearing in the center of the trees.

The girls and I gathered around her. The slight digital haze of our shield gave the scene in front of us a sense of unrealness, as if it were only a picture on a screen. The leader tree was larger than the others, with craggy red bark, skeletal branches, and a disturbingly face-shaped hollow in the middle of the trunk. The tree on its own would make anyone think twice about sticking around, but the true horror was the bones littered around the base of the tree. Small bones, like those of a bird or rodent, some that might have belonged to something like a deer, and a few skulls that looked a little too human for comfort. Some were picked clean, all the flesh long decomposed, but most were somewhere in between freshly deceased and half-rotted.

“The trees use it as fertilizer.” Flora noted, a little queasily.

“Well, that’s… grotesque.” I was glad my stomach was already empty.

Musa shifted on her feet, “Should we leave? I mean, we know what the monster is now.”

“Yeah. I’m never eating a burger again.” Stella made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat.

Bloom cupped her hands around her eyes to get a better look, “No, wait! I think I see a nymph, it could be Lusiz!”

Flora gasped, “Goodness, we can’t just leave her!”

“We can try expanding the barrier.” Tecna suggested.

“I’m down if you’re down.” I looked to the other girls.

Musa and Stella nodded, the latter more reluctantly. We joined hands in a circle. Tecna and I found the threads of our original spell, and we opened it up between the six of us. The air bubble expanded rapidly with our combined power, tripling in size in seconds. The smell of rancid meat hit our noses like a battering ram.

Tecna, the only one wearing a mask, managed to hold onto the spell as the rest of us doubled over and gagged. I covered my nose with my elbow and shot up a second shield between us and the tree, then pushed all of the rotten air away with a sweep of my hand. Dropping my arm, I took a tentative breath in, sighing in relief when it only smelled like the lake beyond. Still not the best, but a vast improvement.

Musa blew out a breath, “Quick thinking.”

“Thanks.” I grinned, still a bit in awe of my own abilities.

“Looks like you don’t need your focus anymore!” Stella quipped.

An unexpected wave of panic, and then grief, washed over me as I realized I didn’t have my wand. I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a sob. I hadn’t realized how attached I’d grown to the thing. If I were being honest, I wasn’t even sure I could navigate Alfea without it. 

Stella’s eyes widened in sympathy, “Oh no, I’m sorry! Please don’t cry again!”

She wrapped me in a hug, the other girls following suit until I was completely surrounded in the group hug.

“It’s been a long day.” I sniffled.

I curled my fingers around the empty air where the compass used to sit around my neck. A sudden weight filled my hand, and I yelped in surprise, dropping the item onto the dirt. The girls all scattered back in alarm. I looked down, laughing as I recognized the familiar metal object. 

“I thought it’d be lost forever!” I picked it up, a fresh flood of tears falling down my cheeks. 

“I wish mine did that,” Stella twirled her scepter, “That would’ve saved us a trip to Cloud Tower.”

I laughed wetly as I looped the chain over my neck, setting my compass back in its rightful place. The girls closed back around me, and I hugged them back, still crying profusely.

“I hate to interrupt, but what happened here?” A small voice asked from behind.

We whipped around to see the nymph floating just behind my shield. I quickly swiped the tears off my face and made a hole just big enough for her to swim through.

“Are you Lusiz?” Flora asked softly, like she was trying not to scare her off.

She hovered a good distance away, clearly unconvinced, “How do you know my name?”

Bloom stepped towards her, the nymph gliding backwards an equal distance.

“We met your queen, she told us all about you and the monster. We came to rescue you!”

Lusiz shuddered, “Yes, but the true monster is not what it seems.”

“You mean the turtle? Yeah, we figured that one out already.” Musa crossed her arms over her chest.

“It tried to eat me.” I deadpanned.

“No! The turtle is simply another affected creature, the monster is—”

A guttural growl came from behind my shield. One of the tree’s snarled branches lashed out, pulverizing my shield and forcing us backwards. The hollow in the center of the tree, now very clearly a face, snarled again with its sinister bark-teeth.

Bloom shot into action, flying above the tree and summoning a fireball.

“You bully, I’ll turn you into a bonsai!” She blasted the tree.

I scrambled to throw up a new shield as the flames cascaded towards us. Luckily, the fire died out as quickly as it had lit. Ash rose from the now petrified shell of the leader tree, gnarled face forever frozen in rage. Bloom landed and dusted off her hands.

“Well, that was the easiest monster we’ve ever faced.” Stella remarked.

I dropped my shields, exhaling heavily, “Good thing, I’m ready for a real nap.”

The ground rumbled beneath us, throwing everyone off balance. I readied myself for another attack, but Lusiz held up a fin.

“It’s only the turtle awakening. After so many years, you have freed it from the willows’ spell.”

Tecna dropped the larger shield, and a cool breeze swept through, carrying away the smell of charred wood and bones.

“The air is pure again. Do you hear that lovely sound?” Lusiz tilted her head up to the sky.

“I can hear the birds again.” Tecna pressed a button, and her visor retracted.

She smiled serenely, “No, my friend. I’m talking about a much larger sound, the sound of nature awakening.”

Once we confirmed that the willow was truly campfire fuel, we left the island. I launched off the ground, stretching my new wings to their limit. I flew far above the lake and the other girls. I wasn’t ready to see any sort of water again, and I was sure I wouldn’t be for a long time. Using the wind to push me, I flipped through the air in an attempt to distract myself. The flight only took a minute or two, now that I wasn’t walking the whole way. 

We landed on the same strip of land we had before, then detransformed and sprawled across the soft grass. The queen welcomed us back with open arms, and the nymphs rejoiced as Lusiz swam back to their group.

“How could we ever thank you enough? You brought back our dear Lusiz and saved us from a source of great fear.”

Musa jabbed a thumb back at the lake, “By the way, the turtle, what’s going to happen to it now?”

“Look over there.” The queen pointed a fin towards the horizon.

I shaded my eyes with my hands, and sure enough, the turtle island was wading steadily forward. The turtle’s head rose above the water, breathing in deeply before it lowered back down.

“Hey, it’s moving! Granted, it’s no speed boat, but it’s moving!” Stella cheered.

The queen dipped her chin, “The creature is free now, and so it is following the course that life has laid out. I suspect it will return to the sea, now that it’s awake.”

“But what are you going to do now? You said the Xilith plant only grows on the turtle’s shell.” Bloom asked.

“We’ll be okay for a while,” The queen smiled sadly, “We’ve tried growing Xilith on our soil, but the seeds just won’t take, unfortunately.”

A nymph rose, fins clutched tightly together, “Sooner or later, we are bound to run out.”

“If it is nature’s will, then so be it.” The queen’s shaky smile fell entirely.

Flora brightened, “Hang on, even nature needs a friendly boost sometimes!”

She rummaged through her bag, letting out an aha! as she found what she wanted.

Tecna looked over her shoulder, “What are you looking for?”

“My rapid growth serum! Remember?” Flora showed her the bottle, “Watch this, your majesty.”

She took one of the leaves and squeezed the dropper over it. A single drop fell on the leaf, then hit the soil beneath. A new sproutlet formed, and Flora repeated the action until a small garden of Xilith grew around her.

“Marvellous!” The queen applauded.

The nymphs danced and cheered, flitting close to touch the leaves of the new plants.

Stella threw an arm over Flora’s shoulder, “Way to go, girl!”

“Now, are you going to let her keep some plants in your rooms?” Bloom smiled with a raised eyebrow.

“In light of recent events, I guess I could reconsider…” Tecna avoided eye contact with her.

I chewed on the inside of my lip, “Maybe just the non-magical ones.”

Flora laughed, “Oh, never mind! From now on, I promise to make do with the space I have.”

The queen drew our attention back, “We could never thank you enough for all you’ve done for us. But as a token of our gratitude, we’d like to offer you this.”

A pair of nymphs swam forward, carrying a flower between the two of them. 

“A cheerful gladiolus!” Flora gasped.

“It let itself be picked, just for you.” The queen confirmed.

Flora cradled it gently, “As soon as we get back, I’ll put it in the richest soils.”

“That’s great!” Bloom exclaimed, “Now you’re sure to ace your exam, as usual!”

“So, who’s ready to fly back?” I grinned, the words tasting sweet as sugar on my tongue.

Chapter Text

Wednesday’s finals, Convergence and Basic Studies, were a breeze. Miss Faragonda had gone easy on us, only making us perform a simple partner spell to complete a task. Basic studies, however, took a little bit longer. Miss Barbatea had assigned us three separate tests: an algebra test, a chemistry lab, and a reading comprehension quiz.

“Hey, do you think you can help me with something?” Bloom whispered to me as we left the classroom.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Come check this out.” She led me next door into the library.

Once she got to the search lectern, she placed her hands on it, enunciating her search query.

“Daphne the Nymph.”

I waited for the books to float off the shelves, but nothing happened. None of the volumes so much as shuffled in their places.

“See? You try.” She stepped off the platform.

I took her place and repeated the search. Still, no books landed on the table.

“Huh. And there were definitely books before?”

Bloom nodded, “Yeah, that’s exactly what I searched for when I messed up the library. I remember, because I’d found a picture in one of your books of the Nine Nymphs of Magic, and one of them, the Nymph of Flame, looked exactly like the woman in my dream. So I searched for ‘Nymph of Flame’ and found her name, then searched for that instead. And there were hundreds of books, then.”

“Let me try something else.” I placed my hands back on the lectern.

I tried a few other searches, nymphs, nymphs of Magix, guardian nymphs, but all I ended up with was a textbook opened to a paragraph about the water nymphs.

“Well, that’s not helpful. Return!” I tapped the book, and it fluttered back to its shelf.

Bloom glanced around, making sure no one was listening, “Isn’t that weird? I mean, a few days after I come looking for information on Daphne, poof! All of it’s gone.”

“Definitely. We can try looking manually, see if they’ve just been taken off the search?” I hopped off the podium.

She checked the time on her phone, “Actually, I’ve got to go. Brandon asked me if I wanted to go to this cafe downtown.”

“On a date?” I grinned.

Her cheeks reddened, and she pouted, “No, we’re just hanging out.”

“Sure,” I bumped her shoulder with mine, “Have fun hanging out, then. I’ll check the shelves, see what I can find.”

“Thanks, you’re the best.” Bloom waved in farewell and headed out of the library.

I browsed the shelves for at least half an hour, looking for any sign of the nymphs. I gave up, leaving the library with only a novel I’d been meaning to read for a while.

✭✭✭

“Good news, fairies!” Palladium announced the next morning, “The simulation room is back up and running! The block allotted for the Transformation exam will be cut in half to make room for those who still need to take the simulation test, so anyone who does not take their exam tomorrow will take it after the break. However, if you would prefer to do the simulation test today, you may do so if you complete today’s test early.”

A few of the students around me muttered to each other. I considered my options. Would it be better to get it over with today or tomorrow, or have extra time to prepare over break? 

“You will have forty-five minutes for each portion of the test. The back half of the classroom, from… Eleanor to Dorian, will begin with the lab test. Instructions will be on the tables. Everyone else will start with the written exam. If you have any questions about either, let me know.” 

I was in the front half, so I cleared my desk of everything except my pencil. Palladium began passing out test packets, floating them through the air onto each of our desks.

“I see Stella is not with us today. Could it be an evasive action?” He noted.

Bloom raised her hand, “She wasn’t feeling well this morning, Professor. She told me she was going to stop by the infirmary.”

“She said she might come later, if she could.” I added.

Stella had refused to get out of bed, even after I tried bribing her with pastries from the dining hall. 

“I hope whatever she has isn’t too serious. However, when you do see her, tell her that I’m waiting on those late assignments. She’s welcome to turn them in until the end of the day tomorrow.”

“We will.” Bloom said.

Palladium gestured for us to begin our tests. I flipped through the pages, skimming the questions and counting how many there were. Twenty in total, but several of them were multi-part answers. I started with the first one.

What are the principal elements of magic?

Easy enough. Fire, air, earth, water, light, sound, and energy. But you could also count metal, even though it technically fell under the category of earth, and same with darkness and light. If you were being really picky, you could also count life and death. And that’s before you even get into the age-old argument of whether or not you count humanity itself as an element… 

But no, the question was principal elements. I sighed and erased the others, leaving only the first seven. Next question.

When is it best to use water charged by each of the moon phases?

I tapped my pencil against my lip for a moment, then wrote my answer in a neat list.

New moon: transformation, metamorphosis potions

Waxing: growth potions, healing potions

Waning: uncursing potions

Full moon: any potion that auto-catalyzes

I looked at the clock, realizing that ten minutes had already passed. If I kept this up, I’d never finish on time. I hurried through the rest of the questions at a much faster pace.

Palladium announced for us to switch stations barely a minute after I wrote down my final answer. I had hoped for some extra time to check over my work, but I handed in my test anyway. 

Switching to a lab table in the back, I partnered up with Musa and read over the instructions.

“So, I hope you know what you’re doing!” she joked.

I snorted, “Oh, please, like you’re not running for star student in every class.”

“You got me there. Hand me the instructions?”

I gave her the sheet. While she read, I tied on my apron and put on a pair of gloves and goggles. 

“Stardust potion? Ugh.” Musa put on her own safety gear.

“It’s a good potion for exams, lots of technical steps.” I shrugged.

She clicked her tongue, “I guess. Let’s get started.”

The instruction sheet listed the basic steps, but the real test lay in the execution. Each ingredient had to be measured precisely and added in the correct order, at the correct time, or risk an explosive reaction. 

“Would you rather measure or watch the burner?” I asked as I sorted each bottle of ingredients into the order we’d need them.

“You measure. Want help converting everything?”

“Sure, I’ll do the first half if you do the second.” 

We split the list between us, and soon I had a list of everything in milligrams. Musa measured the full moon water into a round-bottomed flask and set it over the burner to come to temperature. While she waited, I carefully spooned powder after powder into their little ceramic dishes, making sure to keep each one next to its original container. 

“Almost ready,” Musa stuck a thermometer into the flask, which had just barely started to simmer.

I slid the bowl of thermaline over to her, which would keep the water at a steady temperature without the need for an outside heat source. She transferred the flask off the heat source with a pair of tongs as I readied the funnel.

“Wait for it…” She squinted at the thermometer, “Go!”

She ripped the thermometer out of the water, and I switched it with the funnel as fast as I could, pouring in the thermaline with my other hand.

I swore, “Shit, which way do I mix it?”

Musa frantically scanned the sheet, “Clockwise! Clockwise three times!”

I picked up the tongs and swished the liquid inside one, two, three times. I let out a breath of relief as it changed from red to a luminescent gold. Musa stuck the thermometer back in.

“It’s good!” 

We high-fived and got back to work. The rest of the process went smoothly, until only one step remained.

“Are you ready for this?” I quirked an eyebrow at her.

She rubbed her hands together in anticipation, “Let’s do it!”

I positioned the flask under the burette. Musa opened the valve just enough for the starlight to drip into the flask, and we waited in tense anticipation.

“Is it there yet?” Her fingers flexed over the tap.

I tapped my fingers on the table, “No, just a few more.”

“Now?”

“Keep going…”

Musa hummed nervously.

“Now!”

She snapped the valve shut with a twist of her hand. Our potion had reached a bright silvery-blue, a perfect titration. 

We cheered, quietly, at our success. I corked the flask and set it to the side as we cleaned up our workspace. 

“It looks like many of you are wrapping up,” Palladium called, “For those who would like extra time on either portion of the test, you are welcome to stay and finish. Those who have completed your exams, you may either enjoy an early lunch or come with me to the simulation room, but please show respect to your classmates who are still working.”

“So, are you gonna take the test now?” Musa whispered.

I canted my head to one side, “Might as well, since we’re done. One less thing to worry about, right?”

“That’s what I’m thinking. I can’t believe they’re moving one of the finals to after break!”

Flora put a hand on each of our shoulders, making us jump, “Can one of you tell Palladium that I want to take the test today? I have to run and grab my supplies from my room.”

“Yeah, for sure.” I pushed a hand over my chest to ease the sudden burst of adrenaline.

“Thanks, girls!”

She dashed out of the room, toeing the line between fast walking and an actual run. 

Palladium clapped his hands, “Alright, students! Anyone who is taking the simulator test, come with me.”

The test passed in a blur. I had ended up choosing to restore a damaged environment after all, using the bit of storm magic I had to solve a drought. I’d barely managed to stave off a panic attack when rainwater started soaking my hair, but I held out through the end of the test, using a trick I’d learned from Angelica to dry my hair in seconds. I might’ve gone overboard and scalded the back of my neck, but better a bit of sensitive skin than any reminder of The Incident.

 Musa, Flora, and Tecna had also gone today, each of them passing their own tests with ease. Bloom had left to check on Stella in the infirmary, since she had already completed hers. The four of us had brought a light lunch back to the apartment.

Bloom caught up to us just as we were walking through the doors, “You guys know the latest? Stella never went to the infirmary. In other words, she skipped the final on purpose.”

“I wonder why she’s acting like this. The test wasn’t even that difficult.” Flora mused.

Musa slumped into the couch, “We all aced it, what is she afraid of anyway?”

“Maybe all those missing assignments.” I set my plate on the coffee table and curled into the armchair.

“Running away won’t get her anywhere.” Tecna noted, “Sooner or later she’s going to have to make it up.”

Bloom scanned the room, “What’s happened to her, anyway? I was hoping to find her here with her nose in a book.”

“Still in her room, I’m guessing.” I nodded at the closed door.

Bloom knocked and let herself in. I stretched and followed her, since I’d have to change anyway for the Etiquette midterm.

I froze in the doorway, “Stormwinds, did a tornado go off in here?”

The room I had left this morning in reasonable condition was now covered with dresses, mismatched shoes, and every fathomable article of clothing. Not even my side of the room was spared; I spotted no less than ten swimsuits carelessly discarded across my duvet. Even Stella’s vanity, which she had painstakingly set back to rights only a day ago, hadn’t escaped the chaos.

Bloom sniffed audibly, “What’s that smell?”

The sound of heels had me turning to the closet stairs. Stella posed partway down, showing off her maroon tank top and denim miniskirt.

“Infinite sunset! My new perfume, do you like it?”

I crossed my arms, “Feeling better, Stella?”

She tossed her hair and finished her catwalk down the stairs, “I’m in great shape! Never felt better in my life, you?”

“What in the world are you up to? You missed the potions test and the simulator test. Palladium even asked us to remind you about all your late assignments!” Bloom scolded.

Stella rolled her eyes, “Listen, he’s waited this long, okay? He can wait a little longer. Right now, I’ve got more important things to think of.”

“Such as your clothes?” Flora gawked as she slipped into the room.

“Yeah, I’d like to have a word with you about that.” I summoned a gust of wind to blow all of Stella’s clothes off my bed.

I smothered a wince as the strength of the wind tossed a little more than just her clothes away. Stella just picked up a dress from the floor and held it against her, checking herself out in the mirror.

“Indeed. You see, the right dress can make all the difference when one wants to win the title of Miss Magix.” She tossed the dress aside in favor of a new one.

“Miss Magix?” Bloom questioned.

“Yes. It’s an annual beauty pageant to determine the most beautiful and talented girl in the realm. Last year, I came really close to winning, but this year I’m taking the crown!” Stella announced with a flourish.

Tecna and Musa came in, leaving the room a bit crowded with the lack of standing room.

“That is ridiculous. How can you consider a contest more important than school?” Tecna huffed.

“Please don’t let me down, I really need your support,” Stella clutched her hands together under her chin, “This is incredibly important to me! Help me, and I promise I’ll turn in every missing assignment I have.”

Musa raised an eyebrow, “Will you really have time to finish everything if you’re out all night?”

Stella pouted and looked pleadingly at Bloom.

She sighed in defeat, “Fine, but this is the last time, okay?”

“On one condition.” I pointed my finger at her.

“Anything, I’ll do anything!”

“You have to go to the Etiquette final. No more skipping class!” 

“Deal!” She wrapped Bloom and me in a hug, almost knocking us off our feet with the force of her attack.

She skipped away, tossing the clothes on the floor into a messy pile on her bed.

“You’ll see, it’s just an innocent little beauty contest! It’ll be fun!”

“That would be a first. Every time we go into town, we never have fun.” Tecna remarked.

Flora frowned and nodded, “True, we always seem to run into the Trix.”

Stella dismissed them with a wave, “Relax, they won’t be able to get to us.”

“And how can you be so confident about that?” Musa challenged.

“Because, to make sure none of the contestants can cheat, they put up a spell barrier inside the auditorium. Any magical sabotage is strictly prohibited!”

“So, what are the other rules, anyway?” I asked as I flipped my duvet back onto my bed.

Bloom nodded, “Yeah, what are we in for?”

Stella dropped her armload of clothing, “We begin with introductions. First impressions are most important, as you all know…”

She continued telling us the entire itinerary of the evening, complete with her fool-proof plan to win the crown.

“Does anyone else’s back hurt?” Musa complained as we left the classroom.

Madame duFour’s instructions for the midterm had been deceptively simple, ‘wear something appropriate for an afternoon tea.’ On the surface, it sounded like a fun reprieve from written exams. In reality, it had been one of the most demanding tests yet. 

Each student was graded on posture, language, graciousness, and even the way we ate a sandwich. I had watched her dock a point from someone for pouring tea from too high up, and then another point when she winced and overcorrected.

I yanked the laces of my corset free, “Just be glad you’re not wearing anything with boning.” 

It wasn’t the worst corset I’d ever worn, but enough was enough. Bloom and I both had to borrow dresses from Stella, since neither of us had thought to add formal dresses to our packing list. Flora had worn one of her own dresses, while Tecna and Musa had both opted for pants.

“Oh please, I could have passed that test when I was five!” Stella exclaimed, somehow even more energetic than before.

“Not all of us grew up with royal training.” Tecna admonished.

I stretched my arms out in front of me, “I think it’s just Stella, actually. I never knew there was such thing as a dedicated cucumber server before this class.” 

“And who knew there were so many different ways to introduce yourself to people!” Bloom chimed in. 

“I did learn that, actually.” I acquiesced.

Stella grabbed the nearest arms, which happened to belong to Bloom and Flora, and dragged them forward, “Come on, we have a bus to catch!”

✭✭✭

A very short hour later, we raced off the bus and towards the Magix Auditorium. Stella brought us around to the backstage entrance, where a burly security guard blocked the door.

“I already know how this is going to end.” Flora groused.

Musa tilted her head to one side, eyeing the guard, “Let me guess, in a total flop?”

“Yeah, is this going to be televised? I know at least three people who would be livid to see my name in a gossip magazine.” I worried at the ends of my hair.

Stella continued forward, “Don’t be such a wet blanket! Everything is going to go perfectly.”

“Name?” The guard grunted.

“Princess Stellata deSolaria, and entourage.” She nodded toward us.

The guard scanned through his clipboard before checking off her name.

“I’ll need to see inside your bags.”

He examined each of our bags with a flashlight, giving me a strange look at the textbooks inside my tote. I smiled and said nothing. 

It can’t be that weird, can it? Isn’t there a trivia aspect in pageants?

He eventually stepped aside and opened the door, “An attendant will show you to your dressing room.”

“Thank you!” Stella marched inside.

We followed behind her, walking through the door and into chaos. The wide hallway was bustling with backstage staff. People carrying camera equipment rushed past a squad of stylists with armloads of costumes, and others spoke rapidly into headsets as they scribbled away on their tablets.

A woman in tech blacks stopped in front of us, “Princess Stellata? I’m Amani, I’ll be your PA. Can I show you to your dressing room?”

Stella smiled back at her, “Lead the way!”

Amani listed out the schedule for the evening, but I forgot everything as soon as she said it. I was busy trying to tune out the chaos around me. Everyone was in such a rush, it was exhausting to even watch.

“And here’s your room,” she opened the door and motioned us inside, “Your first appearance dress is on the rack. Any questions?”

Stella hummed, “Nope!”

“Perfect,” Amani checked her watch, “I’ll be back in an hour and a half to bring you up to the stage. Good luck!”

She clicked the door shut behind her. Stella set to work unloading her garment bags onto the rack, as the rest of us settled onto the various couches and chairs spread across the room. I opened the alchemy textbook to the test review section.

“When should you add heat during the process of plant growth potion?” I read.

Stella pulled on a strappy pink top, “Trick question, never.”

I gave her a few more questions, all of which she answered correctly while continuing to change.

I snapped the book shut, “See? You know this stuff, you just have to actually take the test.”

“I know, I know,” Stella posed in her new outfit, “How about this one?”

Bloom looked up from her phone, “You have to wear the same outfit as everybody else.”

“That’s the rule.” Tecna concurred.

Flora pulled out the chair in front of the vanity, “We’ve brought everything you need to win!”

“Starting with some relaxing music.” Musa plugged her phone into a speaker.

“And then oil of arabattola for your hair, and a face mask.” Flora screwed the lid off a jar.

Stella relaxed into the chair, “Oh, the things I must bear.”

“Hey, do you guys hear crying?” Bloom asked.

I stopped what I was doing and listened. Sure enough, the faint sound of sobbing came from outside. Bloom and I left the dressing room to investigate. 

“What am I going to do now?” A voice wailed from across the hallway.

We turned the corner to find a girl crying into her friend’s shoulder, her frizzy hair quaking with every wracking sob.

“I’m sure we’ll find a solution.” The friend comforted.

Bloom slowly approached the girls, “What’s happened?”

“A catastrophe.” 

The first girl sucked in a shaky breath, “Look what happened to my hair! Normally, it’s curly. I was just walking down the hallway, and then poof! My whole head of hair puffed up just like that.”

She dissolved back into tears, and her friend wrapped her arms around her again.

“It took us days to perfect her curls, we’ll never have time to fix them before first look.” She shook her head sadly.

“I might be able to help,” I offered, “My, uh, friend taught me this trick.”

“Really?” The girl perked up and wiped the tears off her face.

I hesitated, “Can I use magic to style your hair?”

“As long as you’re not changing her actual appearance, or using it to sabotage someone else. Those are the rules.” Her friend explained.

“Technically, all I’m doing is heating the air, so I guess it’s okay.” I shrugged.

I held my hands up to her hair. Letting just the tiniest bit of magic flow, I warmed the air between my hands. I twisted my fingers slightly, pushing the air through the strands of her hair and forcing the frizz down into their natural tight ringlets. 

“How’s that?”

Her friend held up a hand mirror, and she squealed in delight. Her curls bounced smoothly as she hugged the other girl. 

“You’re a lifesaver, you know that?” She started crying again.

“I’m just glad I could help.” I smiled at them.

Her friend turned her back towards their dressing room, “Come on, we still have to do your makeup. You’re amazing!”

Bloom and I waved as they left.

“Think you can teach me how to do that? It would save me a lot of damage from my flat-iron.” She joked.

Amani came to get us ten minutes before places were called. Stella joined the contestants in the wings, while the rest of us found a spot where we could watch from backstage. 

Soon, the lights dimmed, and an announcer in a gaudy silver sequined suit took the stage.

“Distinguished guests, a warm and magical welcome to this year’s edition of the one and only Miss Magix Pageant! Tonight, fifteen beautiful young ladies will battle for the title. We all know the rules; no magic! This competition is a celebration of natural beauty! What could be more enchanting, folks? And now, without further ado, here they are!”

The announcer swept his arm to present the girls as they strutted onstage. 

“Number one, Miss Lesta! Number two, Miss Heidi! Number three…”

I shielded my eyes from the stage lights, brightening in surprise as I recognized number two.

“Hey, I know her!” I whispered.

Flora put her hands on our shoulders to lean over us, “Look, there goes Stella!”

The announcer continued his introductions, “Number six, Princess Stella!”

One of the producers had warned us not to make any loud noises backstage, so we cheered silently as Stella posed and took her place in the line.

“Number eight, Miss Karen! Number nine, Lady Sabatha! Number ten, Miss Lucy!”

The crowd’s cheering ramped up as Lucy posed center stage. Her raven black hair swished around her hypnotically as she pivoted away. Her skin glowed against the stage lights, and even her dress, the same pink number everyone else wore, seemed to suit her the best. The announcer finished introducing the last five girls, gave a little speech about the merit of beauty and talent, then began to read the itinerary for the evening as the contestants strode off stage.

“Did you hear the audience when number ten came out?” Stella hissed as she rejoined our group, “I’m doomed!”

“It’s only a game.” Bloom chided.

Stella gave her her best pout, “But where’s the fun if I don’t win?”

“Hey, here she comes!” Musa pointed with her eyes as Lucy walked past.

“Congratulations, they like you a lot.” Bloom smiled and gave her a small wave.

Lucy barely glanced toward us, her lip curling up in the barest hint of a sneer. Up close, her beauty radiated even more strongly, almost to the point of being uncanny.

Bloom blinked, “That was a strange reaction.”

“The contestants must also be polite and show some class!” Stella fumed before reeling herself back in.

“Does she seem… too beautiful to you girls?” Tecna squinted at the back of her head.

I cocked my head to the side, “Yeah, there’s definitely something off about her.” 

“Well, there’s no way it’s a glamour, look at this,” Flora wiggled her fingers in front of Stella’s face.

Musa raised an eyebrow at her, “Uh, nothing’s happening.”

Stella raised her own brow right back, “The magic’s been blocked, duh. You can’t use glamours on any of the contestants in here.”

“So maybe she just looks that beautiful on her own?” Bloom asked.

“It’s within the realm of possibility,” Tecna acquiesced, “But I’d like to keep an eye on her as the event progresses.”

“Mira, is that you?”

I startled and turned to face the newcomer, only to be greeted by her familiar auburn braids and golden eyes. 

“I thought it was you! I’d recognize that hair anywhere.” 

“Heidi!”

She gave a theatrical little bow, “Never thought I’d see you away from the palace. What are you doing here?”

“I know, right! I’m actually going to Alfea this year. These are my roommates,” I introduced each of the girls, “How’s Beta Academy?”

“Super cool. I’m actually working on my sports medicine qualifications this year, along with the usual magician training. I might come back and help coach the team once I graduate.”

I laughed, “Airen could use the help. Did you know five more people have joined since you left?” 

“No way! I keep telling him we need to have a team reunion. I’ve barely been gone a year, and so much has happened! Anyway, I’ve gotta run, my talent event’s up next. Miss you!” Heidi made a heart with her hands and ran off in the direction of the dressing rooms.

“So, she’s cute.” Stella elbowed me playfully.

“And?”

“What do you mean, ‘and?’ Haven’t you ever kissed? Or like, what do girls do, gaze into each other’s eyes longingly?” Stella pulled down on my arm with her whole body weight.

I snorted, “First of all, what? Second of all, she’s way too cool for me. Besides, she doesn’t date.”

Stella groaned loudly in disappointment.

“Doesn’t being a princess make you, like, automatically cool?” Musa questioned.

“In Stella’s case, sure. But then it all gets taken away every time someone asks you if you want to go out, and you have to say, ‘sorry, I’m not allowed to leave the palace.’ I’ve never even been to the mall.” I smiled self-deprecatingly.

“Wow, and I thought my parents were strict,” Bloom imitated her father, “If you’re not home before dark, you’re grounded!”

Heidi’s athleta-cubica performance went almost perfectly. I remembered seeing her train with the large blocks, even though it wasn’t an event in competitions. I was glad she had finally gotten a chance to perform the skill she had been training for so long. She flipped onto each cube, executed her transition turns perfectly, all until the dismount. When she unfolded from her backflip, the landing mat shifted, threatening to knock her off balance. She managed to save her landing with a quick turn, but the damage was done. The audience’s applause came hesitantly as she hit her end pose.

“Miss Heidi, everyone!” The host announced, letting her take a second bow before she left the stage, “Up next, Miss Jenny!”

The cube arena blinked away, replaced by a single microphone stand.

Heidi stormed through the wings, “Did you see that? Whoever’s in charge of safety around here is about to get a serious piece of my mind!”

“Yeah, that was a really lucky save,” I agreed, “Need someone to help you talk to them?”

“No, I’ve got this.” She growled.

Heidi snapped at the nearest stagehand, who pointed her towards the offices.

Stella fluffed her hair in a mirror, “What’s the big deal? She tripped, that’s all.”

“She didn’t trip, the mat wasn’t secured to the floor. It’s a pretty big deal when you’re jumping from ten feet in the air, and then you crack your skull open on this.” I stomped on the ground, the solid wood echoing beneath my feet.

Jenny’s performance was cut short when her microphone stopped working in the middle of her song. The next few performances each came with their own problems. Agween’s heel snapped as she was dancing, Sabatha’s dogs refused to even come on stage, and Karen’s cheer routine halted abruptly when the floor actually broke underneath her. 

A pair of stagehands managed to pull her out of the hole her leg had sunk into, and they carried her off in a stretcher. Luckily, she seemed more upset about her routine being interrupted than any injury she had.

The announcer came on stage, smile much more forced than before, “We’ll be taking a short break before resuming the competition, folks.”

Heidi returned with a tight-faced woman in a pantsuit, who I guessed must be in charge. She gestured for all of the contestants to circle around.

“It seems we have a saboteur in our midst. Confess now, and maybe I won’t take you to court.” She eyed each of the girls one by one.

When none of them made a move, she continued.

“Very well. I have people strengthening the magic shields around the building as we speak, so consider carefully if you would rather leave quietly or be exposed live on stage. May the best of you win.”

She spun on her heel and left. Once she was out of sight, the girls began to chatter nervously among themselves.

“Remind me not to get on her bad side.” Musa joked.

Tecna frowned at Lucy, “I still think it’s her.”

“She sure doesn’t look very nervous.” Flora commented.

One of the techs shouted, “And we’re back!”

The announcer straightened his suit and walked back on stage.

“Welcome back, folks! Let’s get right back into it with a ballet performance from Miss Lucy!”

Lucy took her place center-stage with an enviable grace. A slow-tempoed classical song started, and she began to dance.

“So, can you tell if she’s really dancing?” Bloom asked.

Tecna opened her phone to the camera, “If it’s an illusion, it’s a good one. The computer isn’t picking up any anomalies.”

The music came to a crescendo as Lucy spun faster and faster on her toes, her loose hair whipping around her like ribbons in a storm.

“I’d never do a routine like that with my hair down, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s not a dancer.” I noted.

Lucy took her bow and left the stage. The crowd went wild, cheering louder than they had for any of the girls before.

“Does her hair look less shiny to you?” Musa hissed as she strutted past us.

“Oh, forget her. It’s my turn now!” Stella squealed.

“You got this, girl!” Musa cheered.

Bloom gave her a quick side-hug, “Break a leg!”

Each of us gave her a few words of support as she waited in the wings.

“And now, Princess Stella and the Dance of Happiness!” 

A jaunty tune came on, and she danced on stage. Her high-energy dancing had the audience clapping along to the beat. Cheers erupted when she reached the end of the dance, and I could see her grinning from all the way off stage.

Stella bounded back to our group, “I did it! You know, it took me so long to get that little spin-jump-thingy at the end so many times, I thought I was going to have to perform something else. But I got it!”

“You did great!” Bloom cheered.

We wrapped her in a group hug.

“Come on, I have to fix my hair before the next event!” Stella dragged us back to the dressing room.

The interview portion of the night went by much quicker, as all the girls were on stage at the same time. The host asked each of them a few questions, some about the realms, some about charities they were involved in, some about current and past world events. Stella answered all of her questions eloquently, like she had been practicing for interviews her entire life. Lucy, however, answered hers like she had been practicing from a script.

Once the last interview had ended, the host dismissed the contestants from the stage.

“The time has come, dear audience, for the judges to decide on tonight’s Miss Magix. But in the meantime, a word from our sponsors!”

He launched into a speech about the benefits of using some kind of service that protects your data on the internet. Stella made her final outfit change, and we waited in anticipation for the contestants to be called back on stage.

 Stella shifted from foot to foot, “This is it!”

“Oh, I’m so nervous!” Flora wavered.

“And you’re not even going on stage.” Musa laughed.

A stagehand gestured for Stella to line up in the wings. I gave her a double thumbs up as she left to join the contestants with a wave.

Someone handed the announcer a sealed envelope. 

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The coronation of this year’s Miss Magix.” 

He swept his hand out to the wings, and the contestants began their final walk on stage. 

“How about a nice round of applause for all these lovely ladies?” 

He clapped with the audience as each of the girls posed, some of them looking a bit worse for wear after the talent show fiasco. Once the cheering had died down, he lifted the envelope up for everyone to see.

“And our winner is…” He tore into the envelope excruciatingly slowly.

Flora clutched her hands together, “Here it comes!”

He slid his finger under the flap to break the seal.

“Any day now…” Musa gritted through her teeth.

With the seal broken, he lifted the flap at a snail’s pace.

“Okay, he’s definitely doing this on purpose.” Tecna grumbled.

Finally, he pulled a folded slip of paper out of the envelope, “Number ten, Miss Lucy!”

The crowd erupted as Lucy broke from the group and took center stage. Two assistants placed a crown on her head and handed her a massive bouquet. 

I cupped my hands around my eyes, “Hey, she doesn’t look too good.”

Lucy’s previous golden glow had been replaced with a pallid grey, and sweat beaded on her forehead.

Before the announcer could comment, she shuddered violently and doubled over, dropping her bouquet and crown. The crowd gasped when she straightened back up. Her glamour had faded completely; her hair lost its volume, her dress hung limply on her shoulders, and while her face stayed the same, her makeup lost its airbrushed perfection.

Lucy ran off stage without another moment of hesitation.

“Well, folks, looks like there’s been a change of plan!” The announcer laughed nervously.

Another assistant ran on stage and whispered something in his ear, and he sighed in relief.

“As a result, the title goes to Stella, princess of Solaria!”

The crowd, unsure of what to think, applauded slowly. The two assistants scooped up the crown and bouquet, handing them to Stella as she stood next to the host.

“Congratulations, Stella! You are this year’s Miss Magix. Do you have any words for us?”

Stella shifted her bouquet to one hand to accept his offered microphone, “No words can truly express my joy at this moment. But I’d like to thank my friends, who came to support me today, and all of you out there in the audience, thank you!”

“There you have it, folks! This concludes this year’s competition. Thank you all for coming!”

The announcer waved, and Stella blew kisses to the audience as the curtains slid closed. She ran to us as soon as she was out of sight of the crowd.

“I won, I really won!” Stella crowed.

“What an evening!” Stella slung her arms over Musa’s and my shoulders, “I’m so happy, we can’t just go home now! The night is still young, and I know the perfect place.”

Bloom cleared her throat pointedly.

“Bloom, do you have a sore throat?” Stella eyed her.

She eyed her right back, “Do you have a memory problem? We had a deal, girl. After the contest, studies!”

“I’ve got all of your homework right here!” I patted my tote.

Stella groaned, tipping her head so far back I was afraid she’d fall over.

“We don’t have to do it all back at the apartment. There’s a late-night cafe just down the block.” Tecna pointed ahead.

Musa shrugged happily, “Works for me!”

“Sure, I love studying at cafes.” Flora added.

“You guys are the best!” Stella squealed.

Tecna took us into a cozy little cafe, complete with potted plants and neon signs. I ordered a slice of chocolate cake and a milk tea, and we spread out around a booth.

“So, what do you want to do first?” I asked, cutting a tiny cube out of my cake.

Stella sighed, “Oh, the Potions worksheets. I can at least get those out of the way.”

“I can help you with those.” Flora offered. 

“And let me know if you need any help with the formulas,” Tecna opened a calculator app on her phone, “You can use this, too.”

“Well, I guess this isn’t the worst study session I’ve ever had. At least I have coffee!” Stella clinked her caramel macchiato against Bloom’s latte.

✭✭✭

Stella took the simulation test the next morning. Our group had been split; Flora, Tecna, and Musa were off taking the Transformation midterm, while the rest of us went with Palladium.

She yawned her way through repairing a damaged environment, using seeds she had borrowed from Flora to grow a meadow out of a tundra. She had overused the rapid growth potion, but had overall succeeded in her assignment.

“See, was that so bad?” Bloom grinned.

“It was, actually, I got virtual mud on my designer shoes.” Stella huffed, but the spark in her eyes gave her away.

I laughed, “Well, cheer up. Only one more class, and then it’s vacation!”

Chapter Text

It felt strange to leave my clothes in my room at Alfea. It felt strange to have a room there at all. For sixteen years, my whole life had been inside the castle towers, the library, and the forest. Inside a literal bubble, at least during the winter months. The stormglass domes that protected the cities were kept up nearly full-time during the worst of the storm season.

“It’s the smell that really gets you,” I told Kiara, “A new room is easy enough to adapt to, but it’s hard to get used to a place that doesn’t smell like home.”

She took a long sniff, “Really? I don’t think the castle has a smell.”

“Neither did I. I don’t think anyone notices how a place smells until you leave it.” I laughed.

Kiara and I were having tea in the living room, catching up on the past few weeks. She had been officially accepted into the Great Bookening research team, and would be leaving a few days after the new year began. 

“At least I get to stay on Callisto for the first leg of the journey. Familiar territory.”

I hummed in agreement, “Yeah, it’s nice to have a transition period. Do you know any of the other students?”

“Doubtful. There’s a mixer in a few days, though. Maybe I’ll even make a friend or two!”

✭✭✭

“Happy birthday, girl!” 

Bloom grinned at Stella, “Thanks, guys!”

The holoscreens rearranged themselves as Musa and Tecna joined the call.

“Sorry we couldn’t be there to celebrate in person, but it must be nice to see your parents.” Flora added, the gentle rhythm of her knitting needles echoing through my phone speakers.

“And Kiko, too. I missed this little guy!” Bloom held up a blue-grey rabbit, swaying him side-to-side so his legs dangled comically.

I giggled, “Aw, he’s so cute! I wish Caden wanted a pet as easy as a rabbit. All he wants are dinosaurs.”

“Don’t be fooled by his fluffiness, he’s feisty!”

Bloom tapped him on the forehead, and his ears pricked up as he pounced forward.

“So, are you doing anything fun today?” Musa asked.

Bloom shrugged, “Nothing too exciting, I was thinking about taking Kiko to the park this afternoon, and my mom and I are baking a cake.”

“‘Nothing too exciting’ is my kind of birthday.” Tecna glanced up from her video game.

Stella rubbed her hands together, “Oh-ho-ho, don’t think we’ve forgotten that your birthday is coming up too! As your friend, I simply cannot let your birthday go uncelebrated.”

“I’ve resigned myself to your friendship.”

“By the way, does anyone want to go to the mall tomorrow?” Stella flopped onto her back, her head lolling off the side of her bed.

Musa snorted, “I don’t think my scholarship allowance covers your kind of shopping trip.”

“I will literally pay for everything. Please! I’m so bored!”

“Seriously?”

“Yes! I’ll even buy you, like, a hundred pairs of those boots you’re always talking about, if that’s what it takes.”

“Well, if you’re offering. Things are still pretty tense with my dad, it might be nice to get out of the house.” Musa picked at her nail.

“I can’t leave until after Solstice celebrations.” Tecna shrugged a shoulder.

“Same here. My parents are hosting the family dinner, they need all the help they can get.” Flora divulged.

I glanced out my tower window, “I’d love to, but the storms aren’t letting up for a few days. Nobody’s getting in or out of the castle.”

“Wrong!” Stella waggled her ring hand at the camera.

“I’ve been working on my teleportation, I can do up to four people now,” she pointed to herself, then back to the screen at Musa and me, “One, two, three… four?”

She pointed at Bloom, eyebrow raised.

“Maybe once I’m back at Alfea. Faragonda said I should keep the travel between Earth and Magix to a minimum. Something about not wanting to test the limits of the barrier around Earth.”

Stella sighed, “Fine, just the three of us. Unless your sister wants to come, Mira?”

“Sure, I can ask her.”

“Great! I’ll text you the details later. So how’s everyone’s break going so far?”

Flora set her knitting to the side, “Oh, so busy! We’ve got relatives from all over Lynphea coming for Solstice, my grandparents, my great-grandparents, and I’ve lost track of how many cousins will be there. Most of them are staying at a hotel nearby, thank goodness, but they’ll all be coming here for Solstice dinner. But you should see how we set up the courtyard, it’s gorgeous! Here, I’ll send you some pictures.”

She picked up her phone and tapped on the screen a few times, then the bloop! of a sent text sounded. A few images popped up next to the chat boxes, and we oohed at the display. Flora’s house lay in the middle of a woodland clearing, with a large stone courtyard set with tens of banquet tables. String lights and flower garlands were draped over the trees, providing a cozy atmosphere for the future guests. 

“Wow, it looks amazing!” Bloom complimented, leaning her chin on Kiko to get a better look at her screen, “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a party that big, both of my parents are only children.”

“Eh, they’re not always worth the hype.” Stella sniffed.

Musa cleared her throat pointedly.

“Oh, not yours, Flora! I’m sure it’ll be great,” Stella deflated, “My mom’s hosting some kind of revenge party against my dad at the Selene palace. He never liked celebrating Winter Solstice, so she’s trying to get back at him, and she’s dragging me into it!”

“Oh, sorry you have to deal with that?” Musa fidgeted uncomfortably.

Stella waved it off, “A party’s a party. That’s why I want to go to the mall, I need a new dress.”

“Of course, what’s a party without a party dress?” Flora giggled, “Anyway, I have to go. I promised I’d help make the tamales!”

We wished her goodbye, and she signed off the call.

“Stella, you can see auras, right?” Bloom asked, breaking the brief silence.

“Yeah, is there a certain somebody you want me to read?” Stella fluttered her eyelashes mischievously.

Bloom snorted, “Not like that. These two men, Mr. Brown and Mr. Bonner, came into my mom’s flower shop and promised her a business deal out of the blue. It just sounds suspicious, that’s all. I want to know their intentions before my mom goes through with anything.”

“I can’t read auras over the phone, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Yeah, but can you teach me?” Bloom smoothed Kiko’s ears back.

Stella shrugged, “Aura reading is a Stars-given talent, I don’t think it’s as easy as just showing you how.”

I scanned my bookshelves, “Actually, I think I have a truth spell in a textbook somewhere. Give me a sec…”

I found my copy of Metaphysical Spellcasting and opened it to the appendix. Finding the page number I was looking for, I flipped back and held up the instructions for a spell called Fradharc Firinn, so the girls could see.

“It means ‘Truth Eyes.’ It can show you someone’s intentions, but there’s some pretty nasty side effects if you cast it wrong.”

Bloom hummed, “Send it to me, I’ll take a look at it.”

“If you don’t want to take the risk, I may have another option,” Tecna suggested, “If you can get a video of them, I can send it through a body language analysis program. They only have about an eighty percent accuracy, but it might tell you something.”

“Thanks, girls. I’ll give it a shot.” 

The door to my room opened, and Kiara walked in.

“Fin wants to know if you’re joining us for lunch. She said to tell you there’s glass noodles.”

I put a hand on my hip, “And why did you have to come tell me that in person?”

“No reason!” 

She disappeared into my closet.

“Ask her if she wants to come with us tomorrow!” Stella needled.

I shouted towards my closet, “Stella wants to know if you want to come to the mall tomorrow.”

Kiara, now wearing one of my tops, came out and pointed wordlessly out the window. A timely growl of thunder echoed around the storm dome. 

“I can teleport!” Stella raised her voice for Kiara to hear.

“Seriously?” Kiara squeezed in next to me on the couch.

She nodded enthusiastically.

“Okay, count me in. I’ve never been to the mall.”

Stella huffed, “You and your sister both! We have to fix this travesty.”

“We still have to convince our aunt.” I glanced back at my sister.

Kiara scoffed, “That won’t be hard.”

I looked at her disparagingly.

“What?”

“You don’t remember the last time we asked Auntie Fin to go on an outing?”

She gave me a no duh look, “Yeah, we got ice cream.”

I shot her the same look right back, “And do you remember what happened after that?”

“You got me there,” Kiara pointed at the screen, “Just come pick us up tomorrow, I’ll handle the rest.”

She rose and patted me on the head, to which I hissed and swatted her hand away. She left the way she came, crossing the walkway that connected our two towers back to her room. 

“See what I have to put up with?” I jabbed a thumb at my sister’s back.

Stella covered her mouth and Bloom hid herself behind Kiko to stifle their giggles. Musa didn’t bother to hide hers, and even Tecna cracked a smile, though her focus was still on her video game.

“Whatever.” I huffed, but it turned into a laugh of my own.

Stella cleared her throat, “So, I’ll pick you two up around ten? I’ll send you some more details later.”

“Yeah, sounds good. See you then?”

“See you then!”

✭✭✭

I stared at my bathroom sink.

It’s just stupid water.

I turned the hot water on, jumping back as the spray of water hit the basin. A smear of Prussian blue glared at me from the handle, pulling me back down, down, down, into the depths of the lake. The steady flow of the tap compounded into the rushing of water over my head and into my lungs—

I slammed the water off, gasping in air until I could remember where I was. I was home, in my tower room, trying to wash the damned paint off my hands. Groaning in defeat, I pressed my back to the wall and slid to the ground.

I summoned energy to my palms, letting the cleaning spell skate over my fingers, erasing the paint from my skin. It had been my saving grace over the past week, since I couldn’t bear to even be near a shower since the incident. 

I still didn’t feel clean.

✭✭✭

Euphinia, miraculously, hadn’t outright disagreed to let us go out with Stella. She had reluctantly assented after being tag-teamed by Kiara and Brigid, the latter of whom had given a rousing speech about the enrichment of young minds. 

The next morning, the four of us waited for Stella to arrive. She’d warned us that she couldn’t teleport to places she’d never been to before, which meant standing in the massive ballroom where Stella had attended an event some years ago. 

“She told you ten, right?” Kiara checked the time on her phone, which read twenty minutes after.

I shrugged, “Yeah, but she’s more of the ‘fashionably late’ kind.”

“What a great influence she must be.” Fin muttered under her breath.

“Oh, come off it,” Brigid wrapped an arm around her waist, “Don’t you remember being that age?”

A spot in the air before us glimmered, and Stella popped into the room with a flourish of her scepter. Brigid straightened and released Fin with a pat on her shoulder. 

Stella bowed with exceptional formality, “Your Majesty.”

“Princess Stella,” Euphinia dipped her chin in acknowledgement, “I have a few questions before you go.”

“Auntie!” Kiara groaned.

She shushed her with a hand, “Firstly, I want them back before eight.”

“That’s not even a question.” I groaned.

She ignored me, “Where do you plan on going?”

“Adquistes,” Stella supplied, “I’ve been there plenty of times before.”

Euphinia looked to Brigid.

“It’s on Magix. Small city, mainly a shopping district for the Wildlands resort. It’s under its own jurisdiction, but they’ve signed the Accords.”

Euphinia nodded, satisfied with her explanation. 

Brigid flipped her braid over her shoulder, “Are you bringing bodyguards?”

Stella smiled easily, “Of course! Wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without them. Well, except for right now. I couldn’t teleport them with me.”

I narrowed my eyes. I could tell she wasn’t lying, exactly, but there was something… suspicious in the way she said it. And if I knew, Brigid knew, too. I snuck a glance back at her, but she only looked mildly amused at whatever she felt.

My aunt continued, “And who else is going with you?”

“Us three, Musa, and the bodyguards.” Stella counted us off on her fingers.

I cut in before Brigid or Fin could ask, “Musa’s another one of our roommates.”

“Where is she from?” Brigid inquired.

“Melody, she lives in the Yinyue province.”

“We’re going to pick her up next. I told her to meet us at the spaceport, and then we’ll fly to Adquistes.” Stella added.

Brigid scrawled a note into the notebook she always seemed to be carrying, “Alright, that sounds like a good plan.”

“And finally, please try to avoid any paparazzi.” Fin glanced between us and Stella.

Brigid hummed in agreement, “I’m too busy to add ‘taming the media cycle’ to my to-do list.”

“Easy enough,” I snorted, “Is that the end of your interrogation?”

“Very well.” Fin smiled and opened her arms for a hug.

Kiara and I both obliged, each of us tucking under one of her arms as she squeezed us tightly.

She released us after a long moment, “You girls have fun. Don’t spend too much. And make sure you have your phones on, okay?”

“We get it, we’ll be good!” Kiara huffed, giving Fin one last squeeze.

“And bring me back some of those pretzel bites, would you? I haven’t had any in ages.” Brigid waved as we joined Stella.

She held her scepter in front of her, “Hold on tight!”

Kiara and I clung onto Stella’s arms as the world faded around us. I scrunched my eyes shut against the dizzying feeling of the floor being ripped out from beneath me, and I gripped her bicep even tighter. The air warmed, and I worried I would burn up like a meteor in the atmosphere, until Stella patted my hand.

“We’re here!” 

I cracked my eyes open, only to shut them again at the sudden brightness surrounding me. I released her arm to shield my eyes from the light.

“It’s a whole lot brighter here.” Kiara noted, covering her own face with her hands.

“How very astute of you.”

Blinking the last of the sun spots out of my eyes, I took in the scenery around me. We stood on the top of a lush, green hill, one of many small islands dotting the shimmering bay. Rows of boat docks connected the islands to each other, and spaceships landed and took off from the hilltops. 

“Come on, Musa should be here already.” Stella turned us inland.

The top of the hill flattened off, the greenery making way for an asphalt landing pad where a handful of ships waited.

Kiara looked at Stella, “So, where are these bodyguards of yours?”

“They should be waiting for us already.”

I stopped dead in my tracks as I recognized a familiar ship.

“You didn’t.” I gaped.

Stella looked at me, confused, then at the ship, then back at me.

“What? They’re our bodyguards.” She shrugged and kept walking.

Kiara raised her hand, “I think I’m a little out of the loop, here. Whose ship is that?”

“The specialists.” The two of us said in unison.

Kiara’s eyebrows rose, and her lips curved up, “I’ve heard so much about them.”

I elbowed her in the side. We reached the Owl, and Stella walked straight up the open gangway. My sister and I followed her to the elevator and up to the bridge, where we found Brandon, Sky, Sorscha, and Musa waiting for us.

“Hey, guys!” Musa greeted.

Stella made a beeline for Sky, who returned her hug as the other specialists waved hello.

I waved back, “This is my sister, Kiara.”

Before she could finish tucking her right leg back, I whispered, “Don’t curtsy!”

She straightened back up and gave an awkward wave.

“So, you’re our bodyguards today?” She asked.

Sky looked teasingly down at Stella, “Is that all we are to you?”

Stella chuckled nervously, “Well, I thought Queen Euphinia would be more likely to agree if she knew you’d be there to protect us!”

“We are good at that!” Brandon smiled.

I raised an eyebrow at Sorscha, “Still top of the class?”

“Always,” She winked at me.

The butterflies in my stomach were left over from teleporting, thank you very much.

“You must be Sorscha.” Kiara held out her hand.

She shook it firmly, “I am. It’s nice to meet you, your highness.”

Kiara wrinkled her nose, “No need to be so formal, just Kiara is fine.”

“Alright, then.” Sorscha accepted with a smile.

We took our seats, and the three specialists launched the Owl with practiced ease. Kiara easily melded into the group’s conversations, and we landed in Adquistes after a short flight. 

“Where to first, milady?” Sky gallantly offered his arm to Stella.

Stella pointed up the hill, “Let’s go to the main mall!”

She dragged us through the winding streets full of shoppers and up to a building that rivaled castles in size. Inside the mall proved to be just as busy, but several times louder than it had been outside. I covered my ears, wondering if I could find some headphones in a nearby shop, when Kiara held out a pair of earrings to me. I looked at her in confusion, but she just pointed at them and then to my ears. Shaking my head, I pushed them through my earlobes, only for the deafening clamor around me to fade to a manageable hum.

“Ta-da! Can you still hear me?” Kiara asked.

I nodded, “Yeah, thanks.”

She tapped on her own ear, which sported both a dangling orchid and the same milky white crystal stud, “Fin’s invention. I’ve been experimenting with different colors, but the spider silk doesn’t seem to handle any of the pigments I’ve tried.”

“Is that why you begged her for a second ear piercing?”

“Maybe.” She smiled sheepishly.

Musa pointed ahead, breaking our conversation, “Check it out, there’s a music store!”

“Sounds like that’s our first stop!” Brandon held open the door as we filed our way in.

Musa led the way over to a rack of sheet music with Kiara peering over her shoulder, and they quickly fell into a discussion about their favorite composers. Stella absently tapped out a tune on a display piano with one hand.

“You play?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. All part of a proper royal education, am I right?” Stella made a gagging noise.

I laughed, “Kiara and I had to do violin. She actually got pretty good, but I never quite got the hang of it. I always wanted to learn how to play the zither, though.”

Musa and Kiara finished picking out the sheet music they wanted, and our group migrated over to the checkout counter. As the cashier scanned each of the items, Stella tapped her card on the reader before Musa could even pull hers out of her wallet.

Musa blinked, “You don’t have to do that.”

“What? I said I would.” Stella shrugged and slid her card back into her purse.

“Yeah, but I didn’t think you actually meant it.”

“Of course I did. You’re just helping me piss off my dad by spending more money.”

I frowned, “I thought you were mad at your mom.”

“Who says I can’t be upset at both?”

“Hey, I’m all for a bit of rebellion.” Musa grinned.

“So, where do you guys want to go next? I’m voting for the game store.” Sorscha pointed with both hands back at the doors.

“How about some lunch? We could head over to the food court.” Sky suggested.

Kiara clapped her hands lightly, “Yeah, then we can plan out where we want to go next.”

“Well, I know exactly where I want to go. Eternal 20, Elfora, and Sociologie.” Stella ticked off a finger for each store.

I shrugged, “I’m happy to go wherever.”

Kiara snagged a map from a kiosk as we made our way up to the food court. The dining area proved to be just as crowded as the rest of the mall, but Brandon managed to find an unoccupied booth big enough for all seven of us. The food court sat in the center of the top floor, with a slightly domed glass ceiling that provided more natural light than I had seen in days. I had to squint a bit from the brightness, but the large potted plants accenting the area gave the whole space a nice ambiance. 

“How does pizza sound?” Stella asked.

Everyone agreed. We decided on a half cheese, half pepperoni pizza, which Stella and Sky went to get.

Kiara opened her map and spread it across the table, “Okay, what’s the plan?”

The map took up nearly the whole table, showcasing each of the five floors, as well as a complete list of stores neatly divided into color-coded categories like ‘Apparel’ and ‘Home Goods.’

“Stella said she wanted to go here, here, and here.” I pointed to the names of the stores, two of which were listed under Apparel, and the other under Beauty.

Kiara pulled a pen out of her purse and circled the three names, and then found them on the map and circled each of them there.

Sorscha leaned over me to scan the lists, eventually tapping on one, “Found it! Gogames, that’s the only place I really want to go.”

“Ooh, let’s go here!” Musa pointed at another store with a logo made with a spiky, barely legible font.

Kiara circled them on the map.

“Anywhere you want to go?” Sorscha asked Brandon.

He hummed in thought, “I was thinking about getting a new plant or two for the dorm.”

“Looks like we can find some in there.” I pointed to Plants Plants Plants!, listed under Miscellaneous.

Stella and Sky soon returned with the pizza and a stack of paper plates. Kiara shifted the map out of the way so Sky could put the pizza down, and Stella handed everyone a plate. I grabbed a slice from the cheese half and took a bite. 

Kiara pulled a second pen out of her bag, a highlighter, and drew a line connecting each of the stores we wanted to visit.

“Alright, that should be the optimal path. No crossovers, no backtracking.” She capped her pens and put them away.

Stella pointed at her with her pizza crust, “Oh, Tecna would love you.”

We finished our lunch and set off down Kiara’s path. Our first stop was one floor down to Elfora, the makeup store. Stella led the way like she’d been here a million times before, which was probably true. The store was divided by brand, each one displayed on its own shelf, dividing the room up like a powder-scented hedge maze. Stella wove through the aisles, grabbing various products as she went.

“Yes! The new Kat McNath collection is here!” Stella cheered, stopping in front of a shelf with a shiny ‘new’ sign in bright lettering.

“The Shimmer Solstice collection, huh?” Sky appraised the shelf’s contents.

I picked up a sample palette of opalescent highlighters and tilted it from side to side, watching the color shift from a milky blue to a pastel pink. 

“Wow, look at this one!” Musa held up the back of her hand, showing off a swatch of a deep blue glittery eyeshadow.

“Do they have it in green?” Sorscha asked.

Musa handed her a different shadow in a rich emerald. She swiped her finger through the pot, then onto the inside of her wrist.

Sorscha turned to me, holding her arm up to her face, “What do you think, is it my color?”

“Yeah, it uh, brings out the green in your eyes.” I stared fixedly at her wrist.

Kiara let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snort disguised as a cough. I turned and shot her a questioning look, but she smiled innocently. I stuck out my tongue at her and turned back.

Sorscha traded her sample eyeshadow for a sealed one, “Twenty credits for a single color?”

“Yikes, never mind!” Musa made to return the box she was holding.

“A-bup-bup! Not while you’re shopping with me, you don’t!” Stella swooped in, grabbing the eyeshadows out of both of their hands and setting them in her basket.

She then pivoted to Kiara and held out her basket expectantly, “You too, girl.”

Kiara slowly slid the highlighter palette in with the others.

“Excellent. What about you, Mira? Anything catch your eye?”

I examined the palettes on display, “I don’t know. I don’t really like powder makeup, it’s… itchy?”

I twisted my hands together, feeling kind of awkward about having to explain my idiosyncrasies to a large group of people. 

“Why didn’t you say so? I know the perfect makeup for you!” Stella shouldered her basket and dragged me down a few more aisles.

She stopped in front of a new display with neon colors and bubbly branding.

“Ta-da! They’re a Lynphean brand that makes liquid beauty products, everyone I’ve seen who’s tried it says it’s totally weightless! And, they have the cutest packaging,” Stella picked up a jar that looked like a miniature juice bottle, “Here, try it!”

Stella twisted the cap off, revealing a dropper that she used to place a small dot of makeup on my hand. She blended it into my hand with her ring finger, and I was left with a smooth pink swatch on the back of my hand. 

“What do you think?”

I flexed my hand, not feeling anything beyond a slight coolness as it dried, “I’ll give it a try.”

“Perfect! We’ll start with a coral blush, and a highlighter…” She put two bottles in her basket.

She grabbed four more bottles, two in each hand, and held them up to my face. After a moment of scrutinizing, she shrugged and tossed them all in.

We spent a little while longer in Elfora, Stella’s basket growing steadily heavier the more we browsed. The boys had split off at some point to look at skincare, and Kiara had gone to smell the perfumes. Once we finished our round through the hair care section, we gathered the rest of our group and checked out. The cashier filled up three different bags of all of our purchases, and Stella handed one to me and one to Musa, and Sky gallantly took the third.

Our next three stops were all clothing stores. The first one catered more to Musa’s style, with darker colors and more alternative styles of clothing. Musa and Sorscha bonded over the band tees they had both picked out, while I found some accessories I liked. Even Stella managed to find a pair of star-shaped earrings she liked. The next two were both Stella’s picks, and we left with double the number of bags we had before. 

Next up was the shoe store, where Stella got Musa the boots she promised, as well as some for all three of the specialists, despite their protests. We briefly split up after that, Sorscha, Kiara, and Sky going to the game store, while the rest of us went to the plant store. 

“Hey, remind you of anyone we know?” Stella tapped the leaves of a mimosa plant, and the leaves furled in on themselves.

I laughed, “Maybe we should get it for the dorm, for old time’s sake.”

“Oh, please!” 

“I almost forgot! Brigid wanted those pretzel bite things, might as well go get them now,” I set my bags against the wall, “Can you hold onto these for me?”

“Sure, are you going by yourself?”

“Yeah, I’ll only be a minute. I saw it while we were coming in here.” I waved and left the store.

I had seen a sign for the pretzel shop pointing just around the bend as we came down to this floor. Finding it again, I followed it to a stand with a short line, and I scanned the menu.

Did Brigid say what kind she wanted?

The line moved faster than I was expecting, and suddenly I was standing at the counter. I ended up ordering two of the large combo bags, one for us and one for Brigid. A moment later, the cashier handed me two bags filled with the scent of freshly baked bread. I thanked them and turned to head back to the plant store, but I stopped dead in my tracks. I had already forgotten which way was the way back. 

If I had come from the left, do I turn left again? Or is it the other way around? Either way, it’s a fifty-fifty chance.

I picked left. Luckily for me, the building was one big circle, so no matter which way I went, I’d find my way back eventually. I browsed the stores as I went, spotting several toy stores. I was wondering if I should get something for Caden when an outdoor supply store came into view. And in front of that store, a great big display of fountains.

I held my breath and marched determinedly forward. I wouldn’t let a couple of minor water features stop me. The sound of flowing water trickled through my enchanted earrings, and I crunched the bags of pretzels more tightly in my fists. 

Just. Keep. Walking.

I was close enough to smell the water now. The cloying scent flooded my senses, and I choked on the taste of it. I gave in to the hypnotic urge to stare into the water, and it dragged me away into cool, blue oblivion. 

A hand touched my shoulder. I reacted without thinking, lashing out blindly with my hands and my winds. 

“Hey, woah! It’s just me!”

Sorscha gripped both of my hands in hers. She tried to catch my eye, but I stared stubbornly at her collarbone.

Storms, she was tall.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just… admiring the fountains.” I cringed and pulled my hands away, “Wait, are you alright?”

She let me go without protest, holding out her arms to show she was intact, “No harm done. It takes more than that to knock me down.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, my eyes still fixed on the collar of her t-shirt.

She dropped her arms, and I blinked and rubbed my eyes, taking a moment to compose myself.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Fine, I’m probably just tired. I haven’t been getting enough sleep this week.” I yawned, not even having to fake it.

Sorscha laughed, “Me neither. But that’s the fun part about break, right? You can stay up as late as you want.”

“That’s true.” I tried for my own laugh, but it sounds false in my ears.

She snapped her fingers, “Anyway, I came to find you. We finished at the game shop and met up with the rest of the group, everyone’s just waiting on you.”

“Oh. Sorry. I just came for—” I looked at my empty hands, “Shit.”

I spun around to look for the bags, but the reminder of why I had dropped them in the first place caused me to stumble back. Sorscha caught me with a raised eyebrow, but she didn’t ask me if I was alright again. I gave her a tight-lipped smile and picked up the two bags, both of which had landed upright and still sealed, much to my relief. 

“So why are you out this way? The plant store’s on the entire opposite side.”

I blushed, “I’m not exactly stellar at directions. I left my compass at home, I didn’t think I would need it.”

Sorscha nodded in understanding, “Well, you have me now. I can show you the way.”

She took one of the bags and offered me her hand. I took it, and she laced her fingers with mine. Her hand was warm and smooth, and I relaxed slightly as we left the fountains behind. 

✭✭✭

Bloom’s contact photo lit up my phone. I accepted the call, pressing the speaker button and setting my phone back on my desk.

“What’s up? Did you end up trying the spell?”

Bloom scoffed, “No need. They’ve shown their true colors.”

I paused my computer game to give her my full attention.

“They came back to the shop a few days ago with a contract, but when my mom refused to sign it, they started acting really weird. One of them knocked a vase onto the ground and said ‘accidents happen.’ It’s like they’re part of the Mafia or something.”

“The what?”

“Never mind. I was just calling to see if there were any more spells you could give me. Someone broke into the shop and trashed it, but they left the cash in the register. It’s not exactly a leap to guess who did it.”

I hummed, “That’s terrible, but are you sure you should be doing magic on Earth? Why not let your police handle it?”

“American police aren’t known for their effectiveness,” Bloom hmphed, “We filed a report, but the chances of Brown and Bonner actually getting caught are slim to none.”

I blew out a breath in sympathy.

“All I want is a protection spell. Nothing major, just something to keep my mom safe after I come back to Alfea.”

“Alright, I’ll see what I can do. I think I know some passive charms that might work.”

✭✭✭

Bloom sighed up at her bedroom ceiling, “I’ve always known I was adopted. My parents never kept it a secret from me, especially when we started doing Punnett squares in biology.”

She laughed at the memory.

“But ever since I saw that… vision of me, I don’t know what to think. I have so many new questions, and I don’t even know where to start.”

“Vision?” Flora asked.

“Brown and Bonner tried to burn down the flower shop.”

She paused to let the shock sink in.

“I got there in time to stop the fire from spreading to the whole block. I went inside to try and put it out, but when I did, I saw a memory of myself as a baby. I was in a burning building, all alone, surrounded by flames. I don’t know how I got there in the first place, but my dad found me. He pulled me out of the fire, and the rest is history.” Bloom hugged her pillow tight to her chest.

Musa patted her on the arm, “You’re a very lucky girl.”

“I know, my parents are amazing.” A smile ghosted over Bloom’s face.

“So, what do you want to do now?” I asked.

Determination sparked across Bloom’s eyes as she sat up, “Well, I plan on getting some real answers. Where do I come from? Are my birth parents still out there?”

“Are you absolutely sure you want to find out?” Tecna frowned.

Bloom shrugged sadly, “I don’t think I have a choice.”

Flora placed her hand on Bloom’s knee, “It won’t be easy. You might find something you don’t want to know.”

“What would you do if you were me?”

Flora sighed, “I’m only saying this because I care about you, I don’t want you to suffer.”

Bloom slumped back, “Thanks. But at this point, I could never go back. I want to know who I am, now more than ever!”

“And we’ll all be right there with you. After all, sticking my nose into other people’s business is my favorite sport!” Stella quipped.

Musa snorted, “Really, who would have thought?”

“Will you all help me?” Bloom looked to each of us.

“In any way we can.” I vowed, the others also voicing their agreement.

“You have our word,” Musa held her hand out in the center of our group, “Word of…”

Each of us put our hands on top of hers.

“Winx!”

Chapter Text

I crossed my arms at the wrist, pointing my index and middle fingers outward.

“Mira, transform! Magic Winx! Fairy form! Magic powers, go!”

My reflection stared back at me, still wearing the same non-sparkly, non-magical jeans and a tank top I had put on before breakfast.

Stella glanced over from her vanity, “You’re not doing it right.”

“Yeah, obviously. But what am I doing wrong?”

Stella shrugged unhelpfully.

“I’m doing exactly what you guys do. I do the butterfly hands, and then I say ‘Mira, transform’ or whatever, and then nothing happens!”

She spun in her chair to face me, “Well, what do you remember about transforming the first time?”

I bit the inside of my cheek and frowned, “Not that much. I try not to think about it, actually.”

“Fair enough. Try to feel the magic. Don’t just say the words and expect something to happen.”

I blew out a breath, “Oh-kay. I’m going to pretend that your advice actually makes sense.”

“It does. You’ll see.” Stella turned back to her makeup.

“Feel the magic…” I whispered to myself.

I inhaled slowly and gathered my magic at the base of my throat. Crossing my wrists again, I tried to pull up the hazy memory of what it felt like to be in my fairy form. Ultramarine blue, wings, a bunch of glitter…

Nope, nothing.

I sighed heavily, turning it into a growl at the end.

Makeup complete, Stella stood and patted me on the shoulder on her way out the door, “Come on, that’s enough. You can figure it out in class. It’s so much easier when you do it with other fairies, you’ll see.”

✭✭✭

The few of us who hadn’t completed the Transformation midterm before break gathered in the auditorium with Faragonda and Griselda. Until today, Transformation had been divided into two groups: those of us who had our first transformation, and those who didn’t. My class had slowly dwindled over the quarter, eventually leaving only me and two other fairies. 

Faragonda pulled us aside at the beginning of class.

“Now, if the three of you still haven’t reached your first transformation, you may have an extension on the test. No penalties.”

“Actually, I just got mine over the break.” One of my classmates, Judith, spoke up.

Emir raised his hand, “Yeah, me too.”

“And you, Mira?” Faragonda looked at me hopefully.

I twisted my fingers together, “Yeah! I’m still figuring out how to transform on demand, though.” 

“Excellent news.” The look of relief on her face was hardly subtle.

She gestured for us to take our seats, then clapped to get the attention of the rest of the class.

“Alright, students! The goal is very straightforward. Grab the rose, and put it on the pedestal.”

Faragonda waved her hand, conjuring a rose in a floating bubble, a golden pedestal, and a handful of floating obstacles. 

“Griselda and I will both be monitoring your safety, so don’t worry, nobody is getting hurt.”

A wave of nervous laughter spilled across the room.

“Now, who would like to go first?”

Stella went first, acing the test with a flair only she could manage. I zoned out after that, half-listening to Stella’s latest gossip update. Apparently, one of the council members on Solaria had been sending stolen funds to a secret girlfriend. This had only been discovered after his wife tried to access their bank account in order to pay for a divorce lawyer, also in secret. 

“You know, it’s not even the first time this has happened. Years ago—”

“Bloom, would you like to go after Judith?”

The three of us shot to attention at the sound of Faragonda’s voice.

“Um, sure, headmistress!” Bloom smiled sheepishly. 

Faragonda nodded, “Mira, do you feel prepared to go after her?”

I stumbled to my feet, almost tripping on the riser in front of me, “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Good luck, girls!” Stella whispered to us as we made our way down to ground level.

I curled my index fingers together, bending one as far backwards as it could go, “Should we transform together?”

“Yes, please. It’s still hard for me to transform on my own.” Bloom deflated in relief.

I snorted, “That makes two of us.”

We were off to the side of the arena, plenty of space on all sides around us. I released my finger and crossed my hands over my chest, and waited for Bloom to do the same. She faced me and did the same, both of us taking in a breath.

“Magic Winx, transform!”

The transformation felt different this time, of course it felt different. This time, I was fully conscious, far away from the clutches of death, and I could feel everything. The world faded into color, edged in brilliant light. I felt my clothes shift, my hair lengthening and being swept up into a half-bun. It was like a dance, the way each piece of the transformation fell into place. I spun on my toes as the final piece, my wings, took shape behind me, before reality regained its form.

Bloom and I still faced each other, both of us slightly winded and in our glittering fairy forms.

“Woah,” I laughed quietly, “Feels a lot better when you’re not in mortal peril.”

Judith had already begun her test. Her flight was a little shaky, but she placed the rose on the pedestal without hitting too many of the light beam obstacles.

“Well done, Judith!” Faragonda congratulated, “Bloom, it’s your turn.”

“You got this!” I gave Bloom a double thumbs up.

She grinned and took her place in the middle of the arena. The obstacles reset around her, the beams of light shifting like stage lights into position, and she transformed. Bloom launched into the air, flipping out of the way as one of the beams tried to hit her. She grabbed the rose in both arms. The lights continued to block her path, but she avoided every single one of them and landed in front of the pedestal. Just before she could place it in, Faragonda conjured a looming bubble of magic above her head. Bloom reacted on instinct, striking out with a burst of fire that exploded the bubble into a burst of sparks. She set the rose onto the pedestal and detransformed, resting her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

Stella and I cheered wildly, while the rest of the class clapped politely. Griselda sniffed disdainfully next to me.

Faragonda held up her hands, “Settle down, fairies. Excellent performance, Bloom. You may return to your seat. Mira, you’re up!”

I shook out my hands and blew out a breath. I walked out to the starting mark, turning in a slow circle to gauge my surroundings.

Just like a gymnastics competition, right?

On my next inhale, I took off. 

The test started the moment my feet left the ground, and I dodged the first three beams that came at me, but the fourth clipped my ankle. It didn’t hurt, but tingles rushed over my skin where it had hit me. I flew backwards, steadying myself at the edge of the arena and shaking out my leg. I took a second to look for a pattern in the way the lights moved. I waited for a clear path, then shot forward towards the rose. 

I crashed into the orb at full speed, faster than I meant to fly, and I managed to wrap my arms around it as it hit me square in the stomach. I tumbled awkwardly through the air, clinging onto the orb like it could save me from disorientation. Unhelpfully, I thought of the way the dragonflies back home would get thrown about by the winds, only stopping when they bonked harmlessly off a tower or two.

Please don’t let me hit a window.

I beat my wings frantically, unsure of which direction I was even trying to go. At least I had stopped spinning. I turned to find myself inches away from the far wall, nose-to-nose with what could have been a very painful collision. I shook my head to clear it and pushed off the wall back towards the pedestal. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Faragonda raise her arms in preparation for a spell. I was still halfway across the arena, but if I pushed hard, I could make it to the pedestal before she had a chance to cast her attack. 

Thirty feet, twenty feet, ten feet…

A wave of energy barrelled towards me. I ran through every type of spell Faragonda covered in her lessons: shield, attack, freeze, something, anything?

I dropped the rose and shielded my face with my arms, releasing my magic in a great big directionless surge. The force of it knocked me to my knees, and I tucked my chin in tighter and waited for it to be over.

“Mira! Mira, stop!”

Stop what?

I sent out more of my magic, defending against the whirling energy closing in on me. A new magic emerged, calm, clear, and steady. It soothed the chaos until the air stilled, and I could breathe again. 

I rested my head on my knees, sudden exhaustion weighing me down. Maybe I could stay here for a while, just close my eyes for a minute…

“Do you have any idea how much damage you could have caused? That was utterly reckless, young lady!” Griselda shrilled.

I snapped my head up, blinking black and white spots out of my eyes as the blood rushed from my skull. 

“Not now, Griselda,” Faragonda crouched down to my level, “Are you alright?”

I parted my lips with my tongue, “What happened?”

“You sent out your magic without focusing it into a spell. We’ll work on this next class. Why don’t you go back to your room and rest for now?”

She offered me a hand and pulled me up. I locked my knees to keep them from shaking, I felt like I had been running for hours.

“We’ll make sure she gets back safely, Headmistress!” Stella slipped under my arm to support me.

Faragonda nodded, the slightest hint of worry creasing her brows. Stella steered us towards the double doors. Bloom hovered at my other side, ready to catch me at the first sign of a stumble.

“What happened back there?” I looked between the two girls.

Bloom shook her head, “We don’t know. You got the rose, Faragonda cast her spell, and then you made a tornado that almost swept away the whole room!”

I wrinkled my nose, “I don’t do tornadoes.”

“Hurricane, typhoon, cyclone. Whatever you want to call it, girl. Big. Storm.” Stella gestured with her free arm. 

“I didn’t realize transformation increased your power so much. I’ve never felt so much power all at once.” I marvelled, chewing on the inside of my lip. 

“Not really,” Bloom held up her hands, conjuring little sparks at her fingertips, “For me, it kind of feels like I can use more of my magic, but it’s always been inside me, you know?”

I sighed, “Maybe so. I just feel so behind whenever I have to actually use my magic. I’ve been studying magic all my life, but without practice?”

I lifted my hand and let it fall limply back to my side. 

“Tell me about it.” Bloom laughed.

I winced, “Sorry, Bloom. I can’t even imagine what it must be like for you.”

“Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that! I just meant that we’re all in the same boat.”

Stella squeezed my side, “Remember what I told you before the Welcome Ball?”

“When I made my hair glow and then smacked myself in the face with a shoe?” I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Exactly. I told you that we’re all still learning. Nobody’s perfect, and trust me, I know.”

“Not even you?” Bloom teased.

“Oh, I come pretty close.” Stella fluffed her hair and winked.

Stella and Bloom helped me up the stairs to the dorm floor. I was feeling better than I had, but that brief bit of exertion had me straining for air. Bloom opened our apartment door, and we all piled onto the couch.

“It’s still too early for lunch,” Bloom grabbed the remote, “Wanna watch something?”

“Whatever you guys want.” I settled into the cushions, tucking my legs in and resting my head on the arm of the couch.

Stella listed a few of her childhood favorite shows, and Bloom scrolled through the TV’s offerings to find one. I drifted into unconsciousness soon after.

✭✭✭

The girls woke me up for lunch, and History class after that. Miss Barbatea went over the new syllabus for the semester, including a bigger focus on Civics and Economics. She even hinted at a possible field trip to some of the government buildings on Magix.

After that, we went back to our apartment to watch more TV, since we didn’t have any homework yet. Bloom had left for a “definitely not” date with Brandon and hadn’t come back until nearly dinnertime.

“He told me about this thing called a ‘Lost Book.’ It’s a magic book that holds secret prophecies written ages ago! Apparently, there’s one at Cloud Tower!” Bloom whispered excitedly as we sat at our usual table in the dining hall.

I raised my eyebrows, “Seriously? We have one in the library at home, but I’ve never actually seen it in person. It’s kept in the Twilight section with all the other ancient and one-of-a-kind books.”

“You think you might find something about yourself in this Lost Book?” Musa asked.

Tecna typed a quick search into her phone, “Judging by all the prophecies that have so far come to pass, there is a high likelihood that information about a fairy brought to Earth would, in fact, be in one of these books.”

“It’s worth a shot, anyway. It’s not like I have a lot of leads to follow.” Bloom tapped the tines of her fork, making it bounce up and down.

“Why don’t you tell Miss Faragonda? I’m sure she can ask Miss Griffin if you can see it.” Flora suggested.

Bloom’s expression turned guilty, “Well…”

“I know that look!” Stella pointed accusingly, “You’ve been plotting!”

“Keep your voice down!” Bloom pouted.

We leaned in to hear what she had to say for herself when the food appeared in front of us. All of us startled back as the serving dishes popped into existence.

Bloom pressed a hand to her chest, “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

“Don’t try to change the subject!” I hissed.

“You’re planning to sneak into Cloud Tower again, aren’t you?” Tecna narrowed her eyes.

Bloom hid behind the salad bowl as she served herself, “Well, yes, but—”

Flora put on her best disappointed mom face, “You can’t possibly think that’s a good idea after last time.”

“Shall I make a list? Giant spiders, getting trapped in a dusty old room, almost burning to death, detention...” Stella counted on her fingers.

“And don’t forget, last time you tried to look at a book at Cloud Tower, it turned out to be a trap.” I reminded.

Musa pointed a piece of bread at Bloom, “So what makes you think this time will be any different?”

Bloom sighed, but determination lit her eyes, “Brandon and Timmy are figuring out how to fly a Windrider straight up to the castle. I’ve been practicing an illusion spell that will hide us just in case, so all that’s left is finding the book itself. But once we do, it’s in and out.”

“Wait, you weren’t planning on taking us with you?” Stella dropped the serving spoon back into the dish of pasta.

“Of course not, I don’t want to put you girls in danger again. Besides, I didn’t think you’d want to come.” Bloom shrugged.

“Just because we disapprove, doesn’t mean we don’t want to go with you.” Tecna said matter-of-factly.

Flora reached to place a hand over Bloom’s, “We’re your friends, Bloom. Of course we’d go with you.”

“Winx Club forever.” Stella bumped fists with Musa.

“Thanks, girls. I appreciate it, but like I said, I don’t want to put you all in danger.”

I chewed on my lip, “I hate to say it, but it might be better if we don’t all go. A smaller group is less likely to get caught.”

“Exactly. Which is why I have to do this on my own.” Bloom stabbed a piece of lettuce onto her fork with finality.

“Oh, not alone…” A grin spread over Stella’s face.

Bloom blushed, “It’s not a date! It’s a… research trip!”

“Sure, and all those evening strolls you take with Brandon are what, exercise?” Musa teased.

“We’re friends!” She cracked and smiled.

“Might I remind you that you’re the one who used the word date.” I leaned over and bumped her with my elbow.

Stella wiggled her fingers, “Come on, you know you want to tell us about your little coffee shop outing today!”

The conversation shifted into easy chatter about crushes and dates as we ate our dinner. Once that was finished, we made Bloom tell us more about her plan over again before we went to bed.

✭✭✭

I couldn’t sleep.

I had been tossing and turning for the better part of an hour, even after trying all my usual tricks. Hot tea, listening to an audiobook, having a snack, the most monotonous stretching routine I could come up with, and even after lying completely still and counting to four thousand, I was still awake.

“Stella?” I whispered, “Are you still awake?”

The sound of steady breathing was my only response. I sighed and crawled out of bed. Slipping my headphones around my neck, I went in search of my painting kit. I had brought a set of brushes, a sketchbook, and as many tubes of acrylic paint as I could fit into a pencil pouch. 

It had to be somewhere in my dresser. All of my clothes were sorted by type into the six drawers on the right, and everything else was haphazardly thrown into the left three drawers. I carefully slid the top one open, trying not to make any noise. I riffled through its contents, and there, underneath a handful of empty notebooks, were my painting supplies. Grabbing them, and a cup I hoped nobody would mind being a bit more colorful, I tiptoed out of the room and onto the balcony.

The night air was crisp, but not too cold. I tipped my chin up to look at the nearly full moon. I set my things down on the small table and flipped open my sketchbook, wishing I had thought to pack a small easel. Putting my headphones on, I turned on the audiobook I had been listening to earlier. I scanned the courtyard for something to paint. 

The moon reflected off the well, providing a perfect focal point. I sketched the outline of the courtyard, drawing the basic shapes of the well, the surrounding benches and hedges, and the moon. Next came ultramarine blue, which I diluted with a little bit of water and spread over the entire canvas. I gave it a moment to dry as I picked out the rest of my colors. Raw sienna and apricot, a dash of crimson, cobalt, lilac, all mixed with a little more ultramarine for cohesion, and plenty of titanium white. I checked to make sure the background was dry, then began blocking in the night sky. 

My mind wandered away from the book, and I realized I had completely missed a major plot point somewhere between mixing the right shade for the stone benches and detailing one of the rose bushes. I sighed and switched to music.

Should I go back to therapy?

The thought popped into my head unexpectedly, but not uncalled for. I had seen a counselor until I was about ten, to help manage my meltdowns and to make sure the magic suppressants weren’t doing any damage, but we’d slowly tapered off visits after I started gymnastics. Maybe a therapist could help me process what happened that day in the lake.

Or maybe I can just get over this stupid fear on my own.

I stabbed my paintbrush into the water cup. Droplets splashed onto my hand, and I glared at them. I shook them off and shook my head at myself. I knew therapy was probably a good idea, but the problem lay in actually getting said therapy. 

I had three options. 

One, tell my aunt I wanted to see my counselor again. Easy enough, except telling her I wanted therapy meant confessing that I needed therapy, and she had enough to worry about without her ward being literal worlds away and undergoing unseen traumas. Maybe I could just wait until after I graduated from Alfea and she couldn’t pull me out.

Two, ask Faragonda if there were counselors at Alfea. But once again, this required telling a figure of authority that I needed therapy.

Third, and best option in my opinion, find a textbook on talk therapy and simply teach myself how to do it.

Yes, that could work.

I nodded to myself, content with my solution. Who needs professionals when you have library access? I went back to my painting, adding the next layer to the water in the well. I wasn’t getting the texture quite right, so I looked up to study how the moon reflected into the pool.

But then I saw a figure at the other end of the balcony.

Climbing over the railing.

“Breath of the mother!” Brigid’s favorite oath slipped out of my mouth as I scrambled backwards.

The mysterious figure raised his arms and shushed me frantically. I threw my headphones onto the table and wielded my paintbrush like a blade. 

“Don’t come any closer!”

“Mira, it’s me!” He hissed, pulling off his helmet to reveal shaggy blonde hair and an increasingly nervous expression.

I lowered my paintbrush-sword a fraction.

“Brandon? What in all the realms are you doing here at—” I glanced over at my phone, “Two thirty-six in the morning?!”

Brandon’s posture relaxed. Evidently, I needed to find something more threatening than a detail brush.

“Bloom didn’t tell you? We’re going to find the Lost Book at Cloud Tower.”

I changed the angle of my brush from stabby to accusing, “You’re doing that tonight?”

“Um, yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck.

I chose to stare at him blankly.

Brandon started to fidget, “Look, would you mind telling her I’m here? I tried to text her, but I think she’s asleep.”

I relented and put my paintbrush into the water cup, “Yeah, just wait here.”

He sighed in relief, “Thank you.”

I slipped back inside, keeping one eye on Brandon while I opened the door to Bloom and Flora’s room.

“Bloom!” I whisper-yelled, hoping I wouldn’t wake Flora up too.

I crept deeper into the room and shook her lightly until she started to stir.

“What?” She groaned and rubbed her eyes.

“Your boy is here. He’s waiting on the balcony for you.” I said, a little more snappishly than I meant to.

Bloom didn’t seem to notice. She shot upright, fervently smoothing down her hair and wiping at the corner of her mouth.

“Brandon’s here?”

I nodded once.

She jumped out of bed and straightened her clothes. I took pity on her, straightening a snarl of hair as she jogged past me to the balcony.

Brandon’s face brightened as he set eyes on Bloom, “Hi Bloom! Sorry, I had to sneak in.”

“Good thing, imagine if Griselda had gotten her claws on you.” Bloom giggled.

I pointedly slid the balcony door shut.

Brandon cleared his throat and glanced away, “We’d better hurry. A round trip to Cloud Tower is gonna take a while.”

“Do you think three short minutes will jeopardize the mission?” Bloom looked down at herself.

He frowned, “I don’t think so, why?”

“Because I’m still in my jammies.”

Bloom cracked a smile, and they shared a laugh. The corners of my own mouth tipped up, until I noticed I had left my paintbrush in the cup of water. Bloom went back inside to change while I carefully reshaped the brush bristles. 

I heard Brandon shift from foot to foot.

“Timmy helped me plan the route up the tower.”

I smoothed a stray bristle into place. 

“It’ll be fine as long as we stick close to the castle and zig-zag our way up. The Windrider can handle the stress no problem—”

“If she gets hurt, I’ll kill you myself.” I glared up at him. 

Brandon’s eyes widened in actual fear, even as he stood well over a foot taller than me, “No, yeah, understood.”

“Sorry,” I deflated, “Just, be careful, okay? There’s a lot that could go wrong.”

“I never would have agreed to take Bloom if I thought I couldn’t guarantee her safety.” 

I met his gaze again, seeing only sincerity.

I spun the brush in my fingers, “You really care about her.”

The moment broke, and he returned to stumbling over his words.

“Well, yes, I— but— Ah, Bloom! There you are!”

We both looked up as Bloom returned to the balcony, dressed in embroidered jeans and a warm hoodie printed with text I couldn’t read. I’d have to ask her what it said later. 

“I’m all set!”

“Actually, one more thing.” I slipped past her back into the living room.

I walked toe to heel back to my room, opening the door just enough that it wouldn’t creak. My alarm clock lit up the contents of my nightstand, and I scooped my compass into my hands before returning to the balcony.

“Here.”

I held out my compass and dropped it into Bloom’s hand.

“Are you sure? I can’t just take this, it’s your focus!” She tried to hand it back to me.

I shook my head, “And it might mean the difference between finding the Lost Book and searching Cloud Tower for hours with no luck.”

“Will it even work for me?”

I shrugged, “Give it a shot. Just ask it to point at something nearby.”

“Okay…” Bloom uncurled her fingers and looked at the face of the compass.

The three of us leaned in in anticipation until the needle swiveled to the right.

“What’s it pointing to?” Brandon asked.

She smiled mischievously, “My secret Earth chocolate stash.”

“That’s what you’re hiding in that box?” I gasped.

“I’ll never tell.” Bloom looped the chain over her neck and tucked it beneath her sweatshirt. 

Brandon picked his helmet up, “Are we ready to go then?”

Bloom nodded, and I pulled her into a hug.

“Be safe, okay? And remember, no matter what you learn, or don’t learn, we’ll all be here for you. Winx forever.”

“Winx forever,” She echoed, then turned to Brandon, “So how did you get up here, anyway?”

“Grappling line. The Windrider is parked just beyond the gates, I didn’t want to risk anyone hearing it. Do you think you can make it down?”

“Sure, it can’t be that different from the firepole at my dad’s work.” Bloom said nonchalantly.

“I’ll go down first so I can spot you. See you later, Mira.” Brandon put his helmet on and climbed over the railing.

I waved belatedly, a second before his head disappeared below the balcony. 

“I might still be awake when you get back. If not, I’ll keep the door unlocked for you.”

“Thanks, I’ll see you later.” 

We hugged each other one last time before Bloom followed Brandon over the railing. I heard a muffled squeak as she slid down the rope, and once I saw that she had made it safely to the ground, I waved goodbye and sat back down in front of my painting.

I watched them disappear beyond the courtyard as I returned to the water in the well. Nearly two more hours passed until I finished the final details, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Bloom still hadn’t returned by the time I cleaned up, so I left the balcony door open just a crack and finally went to sleep.

✭✭✭

“Your eyebags look terrible.” Stella commented as I rolled out of bed, over half an hour after the alarm went off.

I grabbed the outfit I picked out yesterday from my dresser, “That’s what happens when you only get two hours of sleep.”

“Come. Sit.”

Stella vacated her vanity seat, and I trudged over and took her place. She took out the bottles of makeup she got for me, which had so far remained untouched, and sorted through them. 

“What would it take to convince you to wear your hair up to sleep, girl?”

“A comfortable hairstyle to sleep in.” I yanked through a ball of tangles with my fingers.

Stella audibly winced, “I’ll think of something.”

She grabbed the bottle of concealer and a clean sponge, blending it into my undereyes. Once it met her standards, she took a pink bottle and dabbed it onto my eyelids, cheeks, and lips.

“What do you think?” Stella turned me to face the mirror.

I scrunched my face, expecting to feel the usual itchy, uncomfortable feeling of dry makeup, but I felt nothing.

“Wow. I look like I’m actually rested.” I tilted my face to admire the way my eyelids now complemented my hair.

Stella brightened, “I knew you’d love it!”

A knock sounded on our door, and a second later, Flora came in.

“Have you girls seen Bloom? She wasn’t in bed when I woke up.”

“Oh, shit.” I slumped back in the vanity chair.

“What?” Flora blinked. 

I tried to rub my eyes, but Stella swatted my hands away.

“She went with Brandon to Cloud Tower last night.”

Stella stormed over to her phone, “I’m calling him right now!”

I tossed my clothes onto my bed and went to check the balcony door. Still open, just how I’d left it.

“What’s going on?” Musa looked up from pouring herself coffee. 

I laced my fingers together, “Bloom left with Brandon in the middle of the night to go to Cloud Tower, and she never came back.”

Tecna choked on a sip of her own drink, “They went last night? I thought they were still planning.”

“Well, apparently,” I gestured helplessly.

Stella leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, “Brandon says he dropped her off just outside the gates. But it sounded like there’s something he’s not telling us.”

“So what do we do?” Flora worried at the hem of her top.

Musa set down her mug with a thunk, “We’ve got to go and find her.”

“We’ve still got an hour before class. With any luck, we can find her before then.” I agreed.

Those of us who were still in our pajamas got dressed, and we headed down to the forest.

“If you were able to contact Brandon, that means they made it out of Cloud Tower. That means she must be somewhere in the woods.” Tecna reasoned.

I groaned, “I wish I hadn’t given her my compass, that would’ve made this a whole lot easier!”

“So, the only way to find Bloom now is through our powers.” Flora crossed her hands, preparing to transform.

“Right!” Stella cheered.

“Magix Winx! Transform!”

The transformation came even more easily as a full group, like I was being swept along with them instead of fighting my way into the magic. The glitter haze fell away, leaving the five of us winged and ready to search for Bloom. 

“Now, let’s get down to business!” Stella launched herself into the air, “Which way are we going?”

Flora smiled, “Easy. Something has seen Bloom walk through here, and we’re standing right on it.”

“The grass?” Tecna stared at the ground in front of her.