Fire and Ice - Riven | Fate: The Winx Saga

Chapter Thirty-One: California

"Girls!" Bloom shouted. We all smiled at each other and started walking towards the white panelled house where Bloom was standing at the front door with her parents.
"Lovely to meet you." Terra smiled.
"Hello." The rest of us added as grew closer.
"Hello." Mr Peters replied.
"Hi." Mrs Peters added.
"Uh, can my friends crash here this weekend?" Bloom asked her mum and dad who grew smiles on their faces as they nodded.
"Sure." Mrs Peters said.
"Cool. They're gonna go chill in my room for a while because, um... we need to talk."

***

"What's taking them so long?" I asked. "Musa? Can you tell how their feeling?"
"All I can feel is how anxious you feel." The girl said.
"Just relax. They're gonna love you, Eira." Terra told me.
"Do you really think so?"
"Why are you so nervous anyway? It's not like their you're parents." Aisha said.
"They're Bloom's and well... I'm her sister. In some ways we're family."

I then heard Bloom call my name from the bottom of the stairs and I took a deep breath as I headed to the door. "Wish me luck." I told them before making my way downstairs. Bloom's parents were sat beside each other on the sofa surrounded by old photo albums filled with pictures of Bloom.
"This is Eira." Bloom introduced me.
"The sister?" Bloom's dad asked. I nodded.
"It's nice to meet you." I smiled.
"I can see it." Mrs Peters grinned. "You look like sisters."
"So can you make fire come out of your hands too?" Mr Peters questioned.
"No." I laughed.
"So, what can you do?"
"Why don't I just show you?"

***

Bloom went upstairs and got Terra, Musa, Aisha and Stella and we all went outside. "Are you ready?" I asked Mr and Mrs Peters. They nodded and with a tap of my foot, I turned their garden into an ice rink. I then waved my hands and it started to snow, lightly.
"How come we've never done this before?" Musa asked.
"You never asked." I told her, smiling.

We all started to skate around the garden, laughing, talking, falling over. For this one weekend everything was perfect. I had some new friends, all of whom were girls which meant I could talk about girl related things and do girly things with them. Even my former enemy was now one of my closest people. And I had a sister. Something I thought I never would say.

We went in when everyone else had gotten cold and I took the magic I had created away before joining them inside. Us girls were sat around the table laughing and talking and when Bloom's parents entered the room, I could tell they were happy. Bloom was finally feeling like herself and she had us to thank for that. All of us.

"You burnt him?" Stella questioned. "Like actually burnt him."
"Yes, I'm telling you my hand print was there on his face. It was blistering."
"Oh, my god." Stella laughed.
"I told you you had it bad." Musa smiled.
"We haven't even had a chance to talk about it." I said. "I mean I haven't seen him since."
"You kiss one of your closest friends, burn him and you don't even talk to him?" Aisha asked me.
"What am I supposed to say?" I asked them. "I like you. I'm sorry I burned you when we kissed."
"Yes. Exactly that." Musa grinned. "Word for word."
"I hate you all." I claimed. "Besides... there is more to the story."
"Oh, my god, Eira. You have to spill." Terra told me.
"Okay, okay. As long as you all promise not to tell anyone. I already know Bloom over here can't keep a secret."
"Hey!" Bloom said.
"I'm sorry but it's true. I did kind of tell you not to tell them about the kiss."
"Just tell us, Eira." Stella told me. 

I took a deep breath before taking a sip of my drink. "This summer, when I was with Riven. He told me that he loved me and... I couldn't say it back."
"No, way. Riv has feelings?" Stella questioned, smiling. 
"He's not all bad, you know." Terra said.
"Anyway, it was the night Kenna and I broke up. We had been drinking and he said all this stuff to me and... I might have... had sex with him."
"I cannot believe you didn't tell us sooner." Bloom told me. "What was it like?"
"I'm not answering that." I laughed.
"Oh, come on."
"No." I told her. "And Sky doesn't even know so I'd appreciate it if nobody told him." I added looking straight at the redhead beside me.
"Don't look at me. My lips are sealed." She said, making us all burst into laughter.
"So..." Aisha began when the laughter died down. "What fun things are there to do in California?"

***

We arrived back in the Otherworld and made our way to Alfea. The six of us all carried our bags towards the barrier by the main gate entrance of the school. We had spent the weekend going shopping, going to the beach, the cinema. For once, we got to know a weekend as a normal person. One without magic and it's not hard to say that I kind of preferred it. "Do you remember when Eira fell asleep on the beach so we buried her in the sand?" Terra asked, laughing.
"Yes, Terra. It was yesterday." Stella stated before looking at me. "But it was quite funny when you woke up."
"I wish someone had recorded it." Aisha grinned as she pulled out her phone. "Oh, wait. I did."
"You better hide your phone well because I am going to sneak into your room and delete it."
"How are you gonna do that when you don't even know my password?"
"I'm sure there's a genius fairy around this school somewhere who can help." I grinned.

I looked down at the floor and noticed that my shoelace was untied. I then stopped walking and bent down to tie it up. "Are you coming?" Musa asked me.
"You lot go ahead. I'll catch up." I told them. The girls nodded and soon disappeared through the magical barrier and through the gates of Alfea College.

When I had tied my shoelace, I stood up and pulled my bag onto my shoulder. I couldn't even scream when someone grabbed me tightly from behind because they had their hand over my mouth and nose, so hard that I couldn't breath. "You killed my daughter." The man said angrily in my ear. "So it's only fair, I kill you."

I groaned when the knife in the man's other hand went straight through my back. The man then let go of me and I fell to my knees before falling into the floor and watching him run into the forest as my vision grew blurry. I could see the blood dripping down the pavement and all I could think about it that moment was how I was going to die.