Vanessa has spent her life believing she was abandoned, shuffling between neglectful foster homes and haunted by strange nightmares. When her suppressed magic resurfaces, she is thrust into the mysterious world of Alfea, a school for fairies. There...
The morning after the explosion, the courtyard was eerily quiet. The scorched stone and charred grass bore silent testimony to the previous night's chaos. Vanessa stood at the edge of the damage, her fingers brushing her locket as she replayed the events in her mind.
"You look like you didn't sleep," Sky said, stepping up beside her. His usual teasing grin was replaced by a softer expression, his blue eyes scanning her face with concern.
Vanessa sighed, her gaze fixed on the blackened ground. "I couldn't stop thinking about it. If I hadn't been there..."
"She's lucky you were," Alexander said, joining them. His green eyes were steady, but his voice carried a hint of the tension that thrummed faintly through the bond.
Vanessa nodded, her chest tightening. "She needs help. Real help."
"And you're the best person to give it to her," Sky said, his grin returning faintly. "Whether she likes it or not."
Vanessa managed a small smile, the bond buzzing faintly with their shared resolve. "Thanks, guys."
"Always," Alexander said simply.
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Later that day, Vanessa found Bloom in the infirmary. The younger girl sat on the edge of a cot, her fiery red hair falling over her face as she stared at her hands. The faint scent of smoke lingered in the air, a reminder of the destruction her magic had caused.
"Bloom," Vanessa said softly, stepping into the room.
Bloom looked up, her fiery temper dimmed but not extinguished. "What do you want?"
Vanessa hesitated, her chest tightening. "To talk."
Bloom frowned, her hands clenching into fists. "About what? How I almost burned the school down?"
"About why," Vanessa said, her voice steady. "Bloom, your magic-it's more powerful than you realize. But you can't control it if you keep shutting everyone out."
"I'm not shutting anyone out," Bloom snapped, her fiery temper flaring briefly before fading. "I just... I don't know what's happening to me."
Vanessa stepped closer, her locket glowing faintly. "Then let me help you. Please."
Bloom's fiery gaze wavered, her shoulders slumping. "Why do you care so much?"
Vanessa's chest tightened as she sat beside her. "Because you're my sister. And I love you, even when it feels like you hate me."
Bloom's fiery temper softened, and for a moment, she looked like the younger sister Vanessa remembered from the human world. "I don't hate you," she said quietly. "I just... I don't know how to talk to you anymore."
Vanessa smiled faintly, the bond buzzing softly with Alexander and Sky's quiet encouragement. "Then let's start over. No more fighting, no more walls. Just us."
