Boiling Isles: The Next Generation - Act I.

Chapter XII. - Memories

It was five o'clock in the morning and Zelmira was lying in bed staring at the ceiling while thinking about the evening ahead of her. Tonight is the Grom ball, where Paulina fights Grometheus the Fear Bringer. Zelmira didn't like this at all. The three-eyed witch didn't even understand how Principal Bump could think of Paulina as this year's Grom Queen. The ash blonde witch had always been good at healing spells rather than combat magic.

Zelmira hit her bed nervously.

How the hell could William, as Vice Principal, let Paulina be the Grom Queen?! As if he doesn't know what Paulina is capable of. Then there was Lucia, Axel, Kevin and Caleb too. Zelmira was very angry with them because instead of dissuading Paulina from this madness, they supported her. They trained Paulina every single day, but Zelmira refused to take part in this madness.

But the three-eyed witch was most angry with Paulina herself. She tried to talk to her and offered to stand up to Grometheus instead, but Paulina wouldn't hear of it. After the conversation, the atmosphere between the two girls became so tense that they hardly spoke to each other. And if Zelmira wanted to be honest with herself, it hurted her a little. She missed Paulina's sweet smile, her ruddy face as she enthusiastically tells her what kind of new magic she has learned and the way she looks cheerfully at her with her beautiful olive green eyes.

Zelmira tiredly ran her hands over her face.

The three-eyed witch had no idea how to reconcile with Paulina without taking part in the fight. Zelmira recalled to herself how she had met Paulina.

***

Zelmira was eight years old at the time and wanted more than anything to be like her mother, Boscha. For her, her mother was a true hero, a role model she looked up to. That's why she tried to act and look like Boscha, although Zelmira couldn't stand the rubber band in her hair, as it was uncomfortable for her. The day Zelmira met Paulina was also very important for Boscha, as it was the day she played her last grudgby match before retiring.

That morning, Zelmira was having lunch in the kitchen with her mom, Skara, when Boscha entered the room. The red-violet haired witch was shaking in nervousness.

"Are you okay, Mother?" asked Zelmira worriedly.

"Of course, my star, I'm fine." Boscha waved, although her voice revealed how tense she actually was.

Skara stood up and took her wife's hand.

"Hey, calm down! It won't be a problem!"

"Easy for you to say!" snapped Boscha unexpectedly. "You're already over your last Flyer Derby championship and won the match for that half-a-witch!"

Skara's eyes narrowed for a moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Boscha apologized. "I didn't mean to offend you! Just my nerves..."

"No problem." Skara said, but it could be heard that her wife's previous sentence was a little too much for her.

Zelmira's gaze went back and forth between her parents. The little witch knew her mother couldn't stand Willow Park and she could understand why. Zelmira saw the Park couple from a distance only once, and they didn't seem likable to her either, rather they looked like snobs who were so full of themselves for saving the Boiling Isles that time. That's why it was surprising to her that her mom used to be a member of Willow's team. She couldn't imagine why she might have joined them. She didn't even dare to ask about it, because no matter how many times this topic came up, it always ended with her mothers arguing with each other.

"Hey, I'm really sorry." Boscha hugged Skara. "I know well that the Emerald Entrails were important to you.

"Yes, they were." answered Skara quietly, then hugged her wife back. "However, I am aware that today is also important to you and I also know what you need right now."