In the Heavens

Chapter 15

As the girls waded through the swamp, a terrible smell wafted through the air, and as Kalani felt the urge to gag, Tecna spoke up, "I just hope we don't regret this." She also waved her hand in front of her nose to keep the odorous smell from hitting her in the face.

But as they walked further into the foliage, Flora's hand shot up in the air, a sign to stop. "Don't make any noise. I recognize these plants. They're Quietous Carnivorous. They hate noise." Stella was in disbelief as she moved her hair from her shoulder. "Really? I find it hard to believe." She let a sharp whistle using her thumb and pointer finger.

"See? Nothing happened."

Or so she thought.

While her back was turned, a vine managed to sneak into the sludge and wrap itself around her ankle, yanking her up but leaving her upside down. Stella screamed and wiggled in an attempt to free herself, but it was completely pointless as the vines only tightened around her.

Bloom and Kalani walked up, the latter keeping her still while the former told her to stop shouting. Thankfully, Flora's telepathy with nature managed to come in handy as she was able to communicate with the plant so that it would release the sun and moon fairy.

Stella was dropped on her behind, the mud splattering on her face following her rather harsh landing. Flora looked like a disappointed mother as she spoke to Stella. "Will you keep your mouth shut from now on?!" She whisper-shouted.

Suddenly, a loud and high-pitched cry for help echoed through the air. And seeing as they couldn't just ignore them, they followed the source of the sound, and that's how they came across the specialists tied up by the same vines that held Stella not too long ago.

"There you are," Stella whispered, not wishing to have another experience with the carnivorous vines again. "Keep whispering, by all means. We wouldn't want to disrupt the digesting process of these plants." Riven sarcastically responded before trying to wiggle his way free from the vines.

Musa furrowed her eyebrows as she glared at the specialists. "With you, keep your voice down, Dummy?" Meanwhile, Flora used her magic once again to communicate with the plants. "Everything's ok, little plants. You can relax." The vines retreated into the ground while the ones that were constricting the boys loosened and eventually fell to the ground.

After everyone was guaranteed to have no injuries, the two now united groups continued their hunt for the troll. Brandon rushed over to Bloom, who walked in front of Stella and Kalani, who were talking about their passions and hobbies.

"I danced for nearly fifteen years before coming here. So, all in all, I really miss it. The music pumping through your blood, the countless routines that were choreographed- from ballet to hip-hop." Kalani's grey eyes were clouded, lost in a memory of simpler, happier times, a time before she was submerged into a brand-new world.

"I don't think I can imagine what I would do if I weren't able to create fashions and designs. And without them, I'd feel like another stereotypical princess trying to get her father's attention. I'd be plain." Stella's mood grew somber as she recalled what her life was like before her parents' King Radius and the former Queen Luna's messy divorce.

It ended iwithStella permanently residing on Solaria and seeing her mother on weekends and events that required the attendance of both her parents. That was another huge difference between Kalani and the Solarian princess. While Kalani had grown up in a house with two parents (her foster parents) who loved each other dearly, Stella's parents couldn't even bear each other enough to stay in the same room together very long.

But they were quickly pulled from their own emotions when they heard whispers shared between Bloom and Brandon. "Eh hem, you can speak normally now. We're out of danger." Stella said with a mischievous smile on her face. Both Bloom and Brandon quickly became flustered messes once they realized that all eyes were on them.