Alfea - A Rare Magic (ARM)

Dreams

~ Saul has weird dreams and Farah notices a strange power in Liora ~

When Liora comes back from Miss Dowling the others are curious. However, Liora mutters something about extra tuition, gets her things and quickly leaves the room, before they can question her further. "Well, that was odd!", Aisha says, looking at the door, Liora closed behind her seconds ago. The others nod. "Somethings causing her anxiety, I felt that", Musa tells the others. "What for? Surely, she would tell us if she is in trouble or has any other problems?", Terra asks. Stella doesn't say anything, but thinks about how long she kept her worries with her mum a secret. Only in great despair she told the others, and how different they reacted than she imagined they would. "She'll tell us, when she feels ready. And until that we just have to prove we are her friends... And probably she is just anxious because she gets extra tutoring?"

The days are going by more quickly now it seems. Liora does her enema using the private toilet of Miss Dowling every second day and sometimes goes for real tutoring to her in the evening. Most of the time she spends with her friends, who came to the conclusion that Stella was right and she probably was just anxious about private tuition with the headmistress and don't give it a second thought anymore. They are getting more and more skilled in controlling their elements. Liora has started her old hobby again, and once in a while spares with the specialist, continually making progress there as well. Together with Musa and Aischa she has started to meditate in the morning, helping them being more mindful during the day, which benefits their magic. Musa also senses growing self-confidence in Liora and is happy about it. What puzzles her is that she detects on two more occasions (after the one in the forest, when they found Mister Silva) a radiating love from her friend, once wrapping Stella during the visit of her mother and once towards one of the specialist, both feeling better instantly. However, Liora doesn't seem to do it consciously, as she seems to have no idea what Musa is talking about and is honestly confused about Musa's suggestion. So Musa drops the topic.

Mister Silva seems as good as new after just a few days. Nobody would have guessed that something wasn't right based on his behavior, but Farah as a long friend and mind-fairy can't help but notice. At first she puts it as aftermath from the attack and accepts his brave face, but after some weeks she decides it is time to talk. The next time she catches Saul alone she confronts him:"Saul, you are not as well as you pretend to be. Don't attempt to lie, I can feel that you are constantly tired and sometimes I can feel your worries till my office! What's the matter? It's not only the attack and the re-appearing od of the burned-ones, is it? You certainly would have told me if this is the matter, but you didn't. You know you can talk to me about everything?" If Saul is surprised by the question, he doesn't show it, in fact he seems relieved. "I'm not worried, rather confused Farah, that's why I haven't talked to you about it. Ever since the attack I got those weird dreams of us, together. First I put it on the infection, that I am hallucinating, but they haven't stopped and are becoming more intense, like the infection just triggered something inside what was already there. You know I love you and you're my best friend, but in those dreams we are far more, we are couple and Rosalind and Andreas are still there. Rosalind always seems so happy when she watches us in the distant, it gives me creeps just thinking about her. And sometimes I feel sure that we are expecting a baby...it's weird. The dreams are not bad themselves, but afterwards I feel like I have lost something I didn't even know I had in the first place. Those feelings confuse me and I am always exhausted after these dreams, because they feel so real... Sorry, I know that sounds really crazy." Awkwardly, he strikes through his hair. Farah puts her hand on his. "No, it doesn't sound crazy just weird that they are occurring now after the attack and with such regularity... And we have talked about us becoming a couple so often, but always found reasons not to. Partly, I am to blame. First I wanted to concentrate on my studies and the hunt for the burned-ones and then, suddenly we became the heads of a whole school and had so much responsibility. Maybe, the dreams just show some of you unconscious desires? I'm not mad if it is, because I feel similar. Nevertheless, I still think as headmistress and headmaster we shouldn't have that kind of a relationship... What's weird is that Andreas and Rosalind are also present in your dreams, and I'm certain you wouldn't wish for them to be here..." "Maybe it shows what could have been if things were handled differently", Saul says and a sudden wave of grief comes over him at the thought of the past. They don't get to discuss it further because students enter the room chattering excitedly about something and interrupt them. Farah just turns to walk away, when she notices something beside her. A power radiating from Liora to Saul and as she looks at Saul she notices that his sadness is gone. From one second to the other, she can't feel the emotion she felt just a moment ago in her friend. Instead he know feels calm and happy. She looks through the room, but no other mind-fairy, except herself is in the room, who could've done it. What was it? Was it Liora? But how? She shakes her head confused and exits the room.

During her talk with Saul a horrible thought crossed her mind and she has to check if her worst nightmare is becoming a reality.
"Don't let anyone enter my office!", she orders Callum, her assistant and closes the office-door behind herself. Quickly she is by the entrance to Alfea's underground, making her way towards the room which has been a prison for 16 years to one of her former idols and now enemy: Rosalind.
After they realized what she did, what they helped her to do without knowing...She shudders when she thinks about Aster Dell and the people that lived there, before...before Rosalind made the decision that victory over the burned-ones is more valuable than the life of countless civilians. She didn't make that decision only for herself, but she decided for her fellow combatants, too. When Ben, Farah and Saul realized what they did, it was already too late. Andreas, who was in on the scheme, betrayed his friends like Rosalind as their colonel betrayed them. When Saul found out he tried to warn them and even killed his best friend, who tried to stop him from doing the right thing, but too late. The damage was already done. Most of what happened afterwards is a blur. Rosalind wasn't around for a few days and when she came back, with zero regrets and no satisfying explanation for what she did to the settlers of Aster Dell, they used their joined powers and skills and imprisoned her.
When she heard Saul's description of his dreams she suddenly became worried Rosalind had found a way out of the prison or the prison is becoming permeable for Rosalind's magic. However, a fast magic scan shows no signs of permeability or other damages and Rosalind is certainly still inside. Relieved Farah makes her way back to her office through the hidden passage in her bookshelf and starts to work on some homeworks of her students.