Soul Fire

2.3

Bloom's gaze darted to the girl next to Icy, with rich purple hair that fell in curls around her porcelain face. Her lips were heart shaped, like a doll. She smirked as she met Bloom's gaze. Bloom shook her head. "Just a wrong turn." She said, taking another step backwards. "I should go."

Bloom tried to pivot but felt a shove on her back, pushing her to the ground. Bloom toppled down onto her hands and knees with an oomph. She slowly raised her head up, breathing heavily from the wind being knocked out of her, and saw the third girl, with dark eyeshadow and golden eyes disappear from before her eyes. The clacking of heels on pavement echoed from behind Bloom as she saw a shadow loom over her. She turned to see the same girl standing over her, her straight brown hair falling towards the floor around her face. The dark haired girl crossed her arms over her chest and grinned. "Guess you took a little tumble."

Darcy stepped around the red-haired girl and resumed a spot besides the others.

Bloom straightened her spine as she glared up at the three girls. "Who are you?"

"We just have a few questions for you. If you'll cooperate." The girl with the purple curls sneered at Bloom, obscuring the beautiful features of her face.

As Bloom beheld the three girls before her, she found herself convinced that they were part of the order Stella has told her about, that they had tracked Bloom here from earth somehow.

"Okay." Was all Bloom said. She steadily lifted herself onto her feet from the filthy alley floor. She would not show fear. Her bravery surprised even her.

"Do you know the Princess of Solariea?" Icy stared the girl down.

Bloom bit her lip, resolving to only give half truths. "Not really." She looked inside for any trace of that humming power that she had. Bloom found nothing.

"But you were just eating with her." Stormy said, taking a step forward.

Bloom narrowed her eyes as she realized with absolute certainty that somehow, these girls were responsible for Bloom getting lost in the unfamiliar city. "We go to school together." Bloom said, her voice unwavering. "Why are you guys so interested?"

"We want something from her." Stormy answered, and Icy gave her a warning glare.

Bloom didn't let the realization show itself on her face. Were they after Stella's scepter? She tried again to summon something, anything, that could give her an edge against these girls. She felt completely normal, no trace of magic in sight.

"So, you're a faerie, huh?" Icy said, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting out her hip casually. "You go to Alfea, so you must be."

Bloom didn't answer, mostly because she really didn't know how to.

Icy lifted her hand casually, swirling something in the air with her finger and whispering something under her breath. Bloom gasped as shards of ice appeared in thin air, darting towards her. Bloom lifted her arms to shield her face and sucked in a breath as she felt the ice sting against her skin.

"We need you to do something for us." Icy said, letting her hand fall, as if she had just summoned the ice out of boredom. Bloom didn't give Icy the satisfaction of asking what they wanted from her. "We need you to get us Sun Weaver. You know what that is, don't you?" Icy narrowed her eyes and stalked towards Bloom. There was something almost feline about the way she moved.

"Stella would never let me anywhere near it." Bloom lied. "She doesn't trust anyone."

"Then make her. trust. you." Icy said matter-of-factly. Ice started coating the pavement around the white-haired girl, slithering over towards Bloom and surrounding the ground around her. It slowly started growing up, up, up, coating the bottom of her sneakers and latching onto her legs with a sting. Bloom's feet started feeling numb with the cold. Her teeth started chattering.