Soul Fire

2.2

Bloom wasn't sure what she expected to see when she stepped off of the bus, but it certainly wasn't a sparkling modern city. Bloom hiked her purse up on her shoulder and allowed her eyes to trail up, up, up, to the tips of the skyscrapers in the bustling downtown.

"What... is.. this place?" Bloom eventually choked out, turning to the four girls who stood beside her. She grasped the strap of the purse slung around her body as she spun around slowly, taking in her surroundings.

"This is Magix, of course. What did you expect?" Stella said, sauntering away from the bus stop.

The girls began walking alongside her. "I don't know, honestly." Bloom had been to downtown LA before, of course. It was huge and fairly modern. She hadn't expected her hometown to look so... outdated when compared to the gleaming buildings that stretched tall into the sky. There were multiple levels of the city in the air, with walkways of glass twisting through the sky around the buildings. There was a fountain at the level above the girls ten stories up, with a waterfall cascading over the edge of the walkway and down into a pool that the girls stood before. Floating benches littered the space around the fountains, and lots of natural foliage shot into the sky on the multiple levels of city.

"Part of me expected like, cobblestone streets and old brick buildings." Bloom confessed. like Harry Potter or something.. The unspoken words rang through her mind. She shrugged apologetically. "I just expected the capital of the magic realm, the most enchanted city in the universe, to seem a little.... I don't know. Older. Ancient."

"Trust me, it's ancient, if you venture to the old town you'll see. But this city is one of the best in the entire realm, actually. It's evolved substantially." Xenia explained.

Bloom did have to admit as her eyes followed the strange flying cars and motorcycles that their modes of transportation were actually pretty cool. She didn't know flying cars were even possible.

"Let's eat!" Flora said, nudging Bloom. The girls enthusiastically agreed and started making their way through the city.

Bloom followed Flora and the other girls, her white sneakers scuffing over the shimmering sidewalk. Bloom had been thankful for the opportunity change into her favorite pair of Levi's and white sneakers. She eyed the range of clothing that the girls before her wore. There were definitely stylistic differences that Bloom noticed in their outfits, but Bloom hadn't expected the faeries to look so... normal. She surprised herself when she realized that the group would have fit right in on Earth, despite growing up in entirely different realms.

Stella led them to a food court type of place, and they stood in line to order. Bloom grimaced when she tried to read the letters on the menu. Some of them were familiar, and she found herself recognizing a few words, but the majority of the words were an alphabet she couldn't decipher.

"I can't read this." Bloom whispered to Stella, while Flora told the other girls about an experience eating a specific dish back home.

Stella had ordered for Bloom, claiming that she absolutely had to try this. While the other girls ate and chatted, Bloom poked the weird piece of bread that sat on her tray with her fork. There was a type of meat inside that Bloom was too terrified to try.

"What is this weird thing?" Xenia grabbed the strange black brick from atop the table and inspected it. She pressed one of the bulky buttons protruding from the side and saw the piece of technology light up with a dated style of physical screen.

"Don't touch it, you'll break it." Bloom snatched her iPhone out of Xenia's hand and slid it into her purse.

"I'll say, it's ancient tech."