The water fairy (Farah Dowling )

12.

Weeks had passed since the intense encounter between Farah, Luna, and Stella. Farah and Yara hadn't seen or heard from Luna since that day, and the school had slowly returned to its usual peaceful atmosphere. Farah had officially been reinstated as the headmistress, and she and Yara had slowly begun to explore the feelings they'd been denying for so long. Farah's office was calm under the soft light of the evening, the last golden rays of the setting sun streaming in through the windows. Farah was seated at her desk, engrossed in some paperwork, the scratching of her pen the only sound in the room.

A knock on the door made Farah look up, her expression softening as Yara poked her head into the room. "Hey," she said, a soft smile on her lips. "Got a minute?"Farah returned the smile and gestured for Yara to come in. "Of course," she said, setting her pen down. "I always have time for you."

Yara closed the door behind her and moved closer to Farah's desk. She perched on the edge, her hands fidgeting nervously in her lap. Farah noticed this and gave her a quizzical look. "Everything alright?" she asked, her voice soft with concern. "You seem a bit nervous."

Yara let out a small sigh, her eyes darting around the room before settling back on Farah. "It's... it's just been a weird few weeks, you know?" she said. "Between Luna, the power surge, and everything else..." She paused, her gaze locking onto Farah's face. "I've been thinking a lot about... about us,
and..."

Farah's heart skipped a beat as she saw the unspoken question in Yara's eyes. "And?" she prompted, her voice barely above a whisper. She could feel the tension in the room, the air thick with anticipation. Yara took a deep breath, her hand reaching out to touch Farah's. "And I've been wondering... what if we stop pretending?" she asked, her voice quieter, more vulnerable. "What if we stop resisting what we feel for each other, and stop trying so hard to ignore it?"

Farah's gaze softened at Yara's words, her heart skipping a beat. She knew what Yara was talking about, what she was implying. The feeling had been growing between them for so long, slowly and steadily, no matter how much they tried to deny it, to ignore it. She swallowed, her own emotions rushing to the surface. "Yara..."

Yara's hand tightened on Farah's, her fingers intertwining with hers. "We keep trying to act like what we feel is just friendship, but... we both know it's not," she said, her eyes searching Farah's. "We're more than friends, Farah. We've always been more than that, even if we've been too afraid to admit it."

Farah's heart thumped louder in her chest. Yara's words were like a confession, an admission that they'd both been trying to avoid. She felt the truth in them, the certainty, and it scared her as much as it thrilled her. "Yara, we can't..." she began, her voice catching in her throat. "Our positions, our roles, our responsibilities..."

Yara's grip tightened on Farah's hand, her eyes pleading. "I know," she said, her voice soft yet firm. "I know it's complicated. But... I can't ignore this anymore. I can't keep pretending that what I feel for you is just friendship. It's more than that. Much more than that. And I think... I think you feel the same way."

Farah's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't deny it any longer, not after hearing Yara lay it all out, not with the earnestness in her eyes, the truth in her words. Farah sighed, her resistance slowly crumbling. "I... I do," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You know I do. But, Yara... things are so complicated..."