Brainstorm

...and the Wild

I entered our suite, where I found Stella in our room. "Where's everyone?", I asked and started to put my clothes in the wardrobe. "Terra and Musa are still in the great hall, I guess. And you're the one who was with Aisha. But I have no idea where Bloom is", she told me, while swiping on her phone. "Well, I do. Aisha and me found her burning the ground in the forest. She's still mad, so better be careful", I explained and she assured: "Oh, I am very charming." Just a second later the redhead entered the suite and rushed in her room. "Speaking of the devil", Stella whispered, put her phone down and walked to the Fire Fairy.

A while later, I already had taken place on a couch and was studying for school tomorrow, Bloom left the room. Stella came out of the room, too and sat down on the other sofa. "What did you tell her?", I asked curiously. Stella looked at me and tilted her head. "Just what she needed to hear." I nodded and directed my attention to the book again. "I'm not a bad person", Stella said and faced the floor. I sighed. "I never said that", I assured. "No, you didn't, but I see the look it the people's faces when they see me", she meant, but I didn't understand what she was talking about. "People love you. They look up to you, they want to be like you. You are the princess of Solaria, aren't you?", I spoke and caught her look. "You're probably right", she just said, leaned back on the sofa, created a lightball and started to play on her phone. I was confused. What was the reason of this conversation? I know, she's not a bad person, I don't even know her. I wasn't sure about what to say, but I felt a feeling of hunger.

Since I was too lazy to went back to the hall and get a meal there, so I checked out out fridge. As I opened it, I was surprised about the number of fruits and vegetables from the First and the Otherworld. I couldn't decide between these, so I ended up with a mix of nuts and went back to the living area. Stella looked up. "Wow, we have so many different foods and you choose nuts?" I smiled. "Well, sometimes it's best to choose the familiar way." This was probably a weird sentence, so I continued and asked where the fruits were from. "From me, basically. My servants travelled around the worlds to get them", she said proudly and took some nuts, which I judged silently. "It strengthens the brain, they say, so I can need it tomorrow", she justified and I giggled. "You could just read the books", I suggested and shrugged, but she shook her head. "If you haven't noticed, I'm a second year. I already went through these books several times and they're just garbage." I raised my eyebrows. "Why did you have to repeat the year?", I asked, but quickly corrected myself: "Sorry, that was inappropriate." Stella shook her head. "It's okay, but I don't really like to talk about it", she said and pressed her lips together, as if it was something more complicated. Understanding, I nodded at her and cleared my throat. Then I closed the book and looked at her challengingly. "So, how do I do real magic?" The Light Fairy put her phone down and narrowed her eyes before she asked: "What exactly do you know about your powers?" I let out a sigh before I started talking. "I'm a Weather Fairy, I have literally no control over what I'm doing. In order to have control, I really have to know what feeling I have and only feel this one feeling. You might know, that I'm multiple elements in one. I can make light, rain, wind, and most of the time it appears when I don't want to. Happiness and light. Sadness and rain. Rage and thunderstorm. Sometimes I want to be alone and blow people out of my sight." I chuckled and ended my speech with: "At home I trained a little bit, but only got to make a little sun on command." Stella listened and seemed truly interested. "Fascinating, you could be very powerful", she murmured. "Scared?", I joked and caught a small smile on her face, then she snapped. A glowing bubble appeared in front of us. "Emotions", she whispered. I nodded, breathed in and out, closed my eyes and formed my hands to fists. Happiness was the emotion I needed. What was I happy about? Family, the new friends I found here, of course. My little frog friend. The opportunity to go to such a great Fairy College. The honour to be friends with a literal princess? Why not. A smile showed up on my face and I snapped my hands open. A gasp appeared and I slowly opened my eyes. Next to Stella's light bubble there was a small, yellow sun. "Glorious", Stella exclaimed and we grinned at each other. "Is it possible to combine magic?", I asked enthusiastically and the blonde frowned. "Theoretically it is, but the first year is all about your own element. In the second year, however, we will learn it", she explained. "Cool, I hope we will get our wings then", I said excited, but noticed Stella's uncertain look as she sighed. "That's only possible in the ancient magic, which we don't get taught here." "Maybe we find a way to.", I winked and smiled mysteriously. "I didn't think you're such a bad girl", Stella looked seriously confused. "And I didn't think you're a good girl", I replied and shrugged when her phone vibrated. She immediately picked it up and leaned back in the couch. My sun had already faded away, so I dedicated myself to the book again. When I felt Stella's judging look, I just giggled.

It was already dark outside when Aisha and Musa, chatting indistinctly. I only heard Musa say "Strange, I wonder if it's because she poured her heart out to you and you called her a freak?", which made me look up. Aisha looked at me and Stella, who was looking at herself in her phone, put it down when Aisha asked, if we had seen Bloom recently. "Not recently", the blonde answered and I added: "She went outside around an hour ago. I thought she was with you." Suddenly I noticed how Musa's eyes turned pink and she focused on Stella, who noticed it, too. "Your face looks so calm, yet you're racked with guilt", Musa stated and Aisha observed: "You're a mind fairy." In that moment, Terra left her room and asked some questions about her connection, which Musa rejected. "Is everything okay?", Terra asked, and Aisha denied it. "I'm looking for Bloom. For some reason, Stella's feeling guilty about it." Stella shrugged and scoffed: "Could everyone save the drama for drama club?" She probably expected us to laugh, but no one did. Terra remembered, that Bloom was talking to Sky. The Earth Fairy focused on Stella. "I know what happened to the last person who was talking to Sky", she said in a mysterious tone. "I was here last year, remember? Stella, where's Bloom?" We were staring at her, which made it made her visibly uncomfortable and break her silence. "She was feeling homesick, so I did a nice thing, and I lent her my ring so she could go back to the First World", she explained and Terra asked: "Doesn't it only work outside the Barrier?" "Yes, and there's a gateway in the old cemetery." I was rather creeped out. "A cemetery? That's so creepy." Terra looked scared, too. "That's deep in the forest, Stella", she said and we got nervous. "Come on", Stella said and stood up. "She's a brave girl, she will come back save." Aisha looked angry. "It is dangerous out there. Someone died out there and you just send her outside alone. We have to tell Ms Dowling. Now!" The Water Fairy hustled, but Stella didn't seem to come with us, so I asked. Her only answer was "I think I've done enough already", then Aisha grabbed the sleeve of my sweater and dragged me outside.

In front of the headmistress's office, we stopped and panted. Terra knocked and a moment later, Ms Dowling opened. "Good evening ladies. What can I do for you?" "Bloom is outside the barrier", I exhaled, the woman didn't ask for more and just ran. We followed her silently, hoping that everything would end well.

A long time later, we were at the end of your tether, we reached the cemetery. "Stay out of here", the headmistress commanded and went into the building. A shiver ran down my spine as I looked around and noticed multiple gravestones, the dark trees and cold fog, surrounding us. Suddenly we heard a loud, scary noise behind us and when I turned around Bloom passed the door. Behind her, I saw Ms Dowling and a dark, black, humanlike creature in front her. Bloom panted, shivered and turned to us frightened. "Are you okay?", Aisha asked calmly and the Fire Fairy nodded. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think so. What the hell was that thing?" Terra was the only one who had an explanation. "I'm pretty sure it's called a Burned One." "So that thing killed the shepherd?", I combined and realised the shock in Bloom's face. "Huh", she whimpered, before she asked: "Wait... where where's Stella?" "She's at school. Why?", Aisha clarified and I rolled my eyes at Stella's stupidity. Then Bloom stuttered something which made us all gasp. "That thing just took her ring." We looked at each other, and I tried to break the awkward silence. "Well, it's actually her fault", I said, but no one replied anything. Musa only stated: "We should go home now. There is so much negative energy here and I'm freezing." Silently nodding, we made our way back to the Winx Suite.

When we got back, we were hardly alive anymore and I felt how with every step my body got weaker and weaker. "The headmistress will take care of the Burned One, Bloom", Aisha assured, and the redhead went straight to her room. "She won't leave it in the first world. Don't worry. Your parents are safe." Bloom smiled and thanked us, yet I thought she felt guilty for what happened.
"I'm dying, I'll go to sleep", I murmured and wished a good night. When I entered my room, I expected Stella, but she wasn't there. So, I changed and after I took my vanity bag to go to the bathroom. She wasn't there either, and I was curious and disappointed in her. First, she let's Bloom go in the dangerous forest all alone and now she leaves her alone and doesn't even apologize.

When I went back to my room, a silent, somber music came out of Terra and Musa's room. With that sound in my ears, I fell into a more or less peaceful sleep.

~ Julia_Aries