Numinous//Sam Harvey//Fate: WINX

IV

The two friends entered their suites to find the rest of the girls standing around Stella interrogating her. Surprised at the hostility in the air, Selene quickly shut the door and walked up to the group.

"What's wrong?" Selene asked, curious at Stella's smug demeanour.

"Stella, here, gave Bloom her ring to go back to the human realm." Aisha furiously answered while glaring at the blonde. She'd taken notice of Bloom's struggle settling in here in Alfea and felt protective of her newfound friend.

"Is that true?" Selene asked her roommate. "That ring isn't yours to give away, Stell. You're mum's going to be furious." Thinking back to how strict Queen Luna was when they were children, Selene looked at her friend with a worried gaze.

Stella stood up in irritation hearing her words. "Don't talk about things you don't know. It's my ring, and I can do what I want with it." She looked down at the girl she once knew and scoffed loudly. "I'm leaving. You lot can have fun doing god knows what."

The princess stormed off with the clicks of her heels following her away from the dorm. Aisha stared off into the forest- the cogs in her brain turning to come up with a plan. "We should tell Dowling. What if she gets into trouble?"

"Wouldn't Bloom be in trouble with Dowling for leaving the realm?" Musa countered Aisha's suggestion. "For all we know, Bloom could still be here somewhere, hiding."

"But, what if she isn't?" Terra nervously rubbed her neck and nodded slightly. "Yeah... Aisha's right. We have to tell Dowling." Selene watched as the two conversed to set up a plan, doubting how much they should rely on Stella's information. Musa could be right. What if they were doing this all for nothing?

"You three find some flashlights, and I'll go meet with Dowling. Meet you at the barrier," Aisha said and swiftly left.

There was a silence as the remaining three looked around the suite. "Can't we use our phones?" Selene mumbled to them and shrugged while raising her eyebrow. "What? That should do, right?"

"Yeah," Musa agreed and they went off to meet Aisha. Starting to feel overwhelmed by the fear creeping up from Terra and Selene, her own rising as well, She quickly put her headphones on and remained silent for the rest of the trip.

"I hope Bloom's alright," Terra thought out loud. She'd never been good at keeping her thoughts to herself and found the need to express her opinions to fill in the silence. Sensing that it was a coping mechanism Terra had gained from years of anxiety, Selene nodded and tried to soothe her with calming emotions.

"If she isn't, I'll kill her myself. I knew she was having trouble with accepting everything, but how could someone be so reckless." Selene said bitterly while clutching her jacket to her body. She shivered and sighed frustratingly. "It's too bloody cold to be walking around right now."

They reached the barrier and saw that Aisha was already standing in front of it, waiting. "Shh, Dowling already went through to get Bloom. She thinks we're all waiting at the suite."

"We really should be there," Selene looked beyond the barrier. The dark and dense forest was eerily silent, giving an uninviting touch. "It's not safe for us with all the burned ones running around, Aisha."

Memories of that fateful night haunted her as the screams of her people they couldn't rang through her mind. Her stomach turned sour at the thought of encountering a burned one, ill prepared.

"We have to help Bloom."

Taking a deep breath, she nodded shakily and followed Aisha out of the barrier. The transparent wall blurred into a hazy light blue hue as they each crossed through to the other side. Once out of the campus, Selene looked around the dark forest anxiously. Now that she had left the protective bubble of the forcefield, the small pressure that formed at the back of her head the moment she entered Alfea grew, forming a tight knot. Her muscles tensed and her heart raced. There was definitely something wrong, she realised feeling the adrenaline rush.

"Come on, " Aisha beckoned the girls to follow her. "Dowling went this way."

They hiked through the forest, following a premade path hoping desperately that it would lead them to Bloom. The group were too afraid to make a sound in case it'll attract a burned one; only Terra had let out a few squeals of shock. After a couple of minutes, they had finally reached a barn and Selene let out a loud gasp that was only drowned out by a crash inside the barn.

She gripped her head in pain as a migraine began to form and heat begun to coarse through her body. Several more crashes could be heard and the girls huddled together, not taking notice of Selene who moved to lean against a tree. Shivers wracked her body as the pain increased and melancholic emotions began to infiltrate her mind.

Seconds later, the barn doors burst open and Bloom ran out in fright. She'd clutched herself and was surprised to see her roommates surrounding the entrance. "Selene?" She asked aloud to the girl who looked like someone had cast the cruciatus curse on her.

"Bloom?" Selene smiled lightly and looked up, glad she was safe. Right behind Bloom, she could see Dowling handling a burned one. Shaking like a leaf, she stared at the monster, entranced, and when it stared right back at her screams shattered through her mind and nothing else could be heard.

Her whole body felt inflamed, like she was being burnt to a crisp. The pressure in her head sky rocketed and she'd let one last painful scream before everything went dark.