What Will You Fight for? (RT Volume 1)

Chapter Four

The group walked through the glass door to the Virtue building.Inside was an indoor flower garden and butterflies, which, if they got close, could hear music and children's laughter. A section of the circular room was glass, allowing them to see out to the ocean and outdoor garden.
They walked past until Mew lead them to a door with shifting carvings swimming on the glass. The trio watched as a rose turned into a dragon, into a star. Mew knocked on the door and it opened immediately.
A magical girl dressed as a witch answered the door and let in the group. She had a strange belt that held a golden wand, golden scissors, and three small vials of pink liquid.
"Okay, so I'm Wicca, I'll be making your rooms today getting you guys settled in and stuff!" She talked quickly, with a stereotypical Valley girl accent.
"So how do we do this?" asked Annabelle.
"Simple, all things made by magic use ordinary objects, like a flower or some hairs and whatever to combine and when used, turns into a building or a room, y'know things like that. "You can go first, I just need to see your pendant and ask you a few questions, it's just a bit of customizing, this place should be like another home," she explained while heading over to the cauldron and a second room full of drawers and shelves which held jars and vials containing dusts and liquids with jars of miscellaneous objects such as scales and cookies. Annabelle was lead to the cauldron looking confused. Wicca filled the empty cauldron with boiling water and uncorked the vial of pink liquid, pouring all of it in. The others watched while it refilled itself.
"So, sorry for forgetting to ask but what're your names?"
"Annabelle."
"Addy."
Clarissa."
"Can I see your pendant?" Annabelle handed over the necklace with a dazed expression, staring in wonder at the now smoking liquid. "This is a lot to take in."
"You like cats?"
Annabelle nodded as Wicca waved her wand and a jar of cat hairs flew off the shelf. Mew gave her a cheeky grin.
"Anyways, you seem to have a lotta magic for someone so small, do you eat? Sorry if that seems a little rude." She plopped in a whole jar of crystals, Annabelle looking uncomfortable at the waste of the expensive stones.
"Don't worry, I got a lot more of these, magic manifests in jewels, there's actually a little stone next to your heart, which allows you to perform this stuff. Pendants help you control it and give you certain abilities, like water powers or talking to animals," she spooned in some honey and sprinkled in a small handful of blue flowers. Annabelle said nothing as she started to look for more jars.
"So the most important bit, what do you like to do and just, I dunno? What works for you?"
"I like reading in the park and in cafes, I guess. I also help out when some people need cases to be solved, mostly stolen objects and things," Annabelle shrugged. She looked bored, but curious, her eyes slowly looking around the room while her mouth was drawn into a tight frown.
"So you're a kid detective?" Addy joked.
"No, I just do what's needed, little things," Annabelle said without turning to her.
Wicca ripped off some sage and put it into the now amber liquid speckled with blue. She opened up a jar of gray clouds and poured in the water vapor. Coffee flew from the tip of her wand and into the cauldron. The potion turned gray with swirls of amber and sprinkles of blue, like a funfetti marble cake. She ended it with chanting something under her breath and a web of magical runes spread over the pot and the liquid condensed into a powdery sphere.
"You just chuck this into the water and your room will appear, 'kay?"
"So this is a magical bath bomb," Annabelle deadpanned.
"Basically, yeah. So Clarissa, I already have yours ready! Any changes?" She pulled out a pot of orange liquid that was noticeably thicker than Annabelle's.
"My favorite color is purple, can you add some of that in?" She tried not to let her disappointment show at not being able to customize her own base.
"Mmhmm," Wicca threw in a spoonful of purple flower petals and chanted the spell again, the mixture turning into another small sphere.
"So Addy, I don't think you'd be using any magic," she said as she eyed her ribbon on her neck. Her stare was judgemental and she looked over her black outfit with suspicion. Addy pretended not to notice.
"Yeah, I can't do that stuff." She raised her chin a little higher and smiled, a bit snooty, but pleasant enough to look like she wasn't bothered. Clarissa frowned but said nothing, Addy did not look bothered.
"Blackbird and ballet motif? I could think of someone like that. Well, there's like a thousand magicals now since the first, so I guess repeats would show up in powers."
Addy nodded her head, her fake smile plastered on her face.
She got two black feathers, a raven and a black swan's and snipped it into the warm water, less smoky and pink than Annabelle's. She then brought out a pointe shoe and snipped off the ribbon, the potion appearing an inky black. Addy watched in curiosity, like a child going to the zoo for the first time.
"Weapon, please." Addy brought out her sword, which she held at her side the entire time. "Nice, looks dangerous, don't want to be on the end of that thing,"
"She is quite good," said Clarissa.
"Thanks." For a girl who tried to kill them two hours ago, she can be quite polite.
She added in a mirror shard and repeated the spell, making the black and turquoise solidify.
She pulled out her wand and a list of rooms by number appeared.
"You guys are in 711, 712, and 713, seventh floor. See all of you at the gathering!"
"Thanks!" Mew said as she lead them back to the Defense building, the girls holding the orbs in their hands awkwardly as they passed by lots of others magicals. They received flurries of good lucks and welcomes and twirls to face them. They gave back awkward thank yous and a "you too" on Addy's part.
They reached an old fashioned elevator, the doors a golden lattice that lets the trio and their mentor see the outside.
The group did not talk, creating an awkward silence around them.
"So...I guess we're magical girl team now," Addy said, trying to break the awkward silence.
"This is insane!" Clarissa exclaimed.
Clarissa laughed from the shock, these last hours seemed like a fantasy. Nobody joined in. The elevator opened on the seventh floor, breaking the awkward silence. They all walked at different paces through the orange hotel-like hall.
"711...711," Annabelle muttered under her breath, walking at the speed of a jog. Mew flew to keep up with her. "Why are you walking so fast?"
"Nothing, I just don't want to be here with them," Annabelle scowled. They reached the door.
Addy caught up with her, "Neither do I, but can you be at least try to be a bit nice?" They stopped walking. Addy seemed to get mad, it was as if shadows radiated from her, even though her face was blank.
"No, you're forced, I'm supposed to be with you because we work well together or something, even if we never worked with each other in the first place."
"Then why did you accept this job? We could always just say you backed out, if you're so sour about it."
"Well, we need someone to watch over you." She said this without faltering, only telling the truth.
Addy faltered, her eyes going wide a little before raising her chin and giving a strange, haughty smile with something more. Clarissa could had sworn that she was hurt.
Addy turned to Mew. "So why did you choose her again? Didn't you say she was kind or somethin'?"
Mew sighed, "Can you two try not argue, I get this situation is uncomfortable, but no need to start attacking each other."
Clarissa interrupted, "Let's just get settled in." There was still tension in the air as the door was opened.
The group opened the door to see a four by four room with plain white walls and still water like glass where the floor should be. Addy walked up to it and stuck her arm in and shivered.
"It's like ice."
Annabelle rolled her eyes.
"What's wrong, glumshoe? So we're not allowed to have fun around you?" Addy raised her eyebrow.
"Don't call me that," Annabelle snapped.
"Annabelle, you should throw your room in," Mew suggested, oblivious to the tension.
The effect was instant. The walls turned gray with shadows of cats roaming around and the water transformed into a blue floor embedded with small yellow jewels. Various plants hung from the ceiling. Some were recognizable: sage and succulents and ferns. Others were stranger, like a bulbous flower with light seemingly trapped inside. Bookshelves were filled with spell books, novels, and forensic guides. In the center of the room was a circular table draped in yellow. A cup of coffee sat next to various magical instruments, steam still coming from the mug. Annabelle tried not to look impressed.
"So cool..." Clarissa mumbled under her breath.
"I thought you were already a magical girl, didn't you do this before?" Addy said.
"I come from an older family, everything's already established. This is way more fun."
"But are you okay? How long have you been practicing, you seemed pretty banged up back there."
"Two months," she mumbled.
"Oh..."
That was all that she could say.
"Let's go." Annabelle already turned her heel and took a swift step to the next door. Clarissa opened the door and threw the orb in. It looked exactly like her mother's, but with a small vase of purple flowers and a few violet jewels hanging off the chandelier. She looked disappointed.
"Looks exactly the same..."
"As your mom's? Are you going to join the other Rainbow Ladies after this? They're pretty cool." Annabelle said, a bit milder after the silence.
"Really? Is there something wrong with just me? I don't get how you could be mean with me and then try to make conversation with Clarissa after a few seconds, so it's definitely not the 'I don't want to be a magical girl' bull," Addy snapped.
"Break it up!" Mew finally looked angry. "Can you two stop arguing for just a minute? The city depends on you, any of you could be killed by not working together on a team! I know you guys have not started on the best terms, but you need to play nice! The council are looking at your progress!" Mew was loud and was attracting a few girls to peek out their doors and quickly shut it to avoid getting involved.
"Oh so now you talk? Where were you these past few minutes?"
"Try not to fan the flames, Addy. You're being really immature."
"More mature than being mean to someone when you just met?"
"Well you almost killed us, Miss Why is Everybody Being So Mean To Me?" The team stayed silent for a minute, looking at each other tensely.
"Let's just go," Clarissa sighed. "We should go into our rooms and cool down a bit."
They shuffled to their respective doors and went inside to think. Mew went in with Clarissa, her ears drooping.
Addy sighed and dropped it in the cold water. Turquoise walls, a black, shiny floor, and a wall of mirrors bloomed from the potion. A black barre covered in silver filigree was attached to the mirrored wall and extra swords were displayed on the opposite. There was an alcove with a small bench and table with a sheer black curtain pushed to the side. Silver birdcages hung from the ceiling for decoration. The room brought a small smile to her face, the turquoise walls reminding her of home.
She transformed back into her normal clothes, her costume being replaced. She was getting a bit dizzy, the magic was starting to make her blood pump faster and faster. It did not flash back, like the other magicals' reverse transformation. She didn't have a pendant either, the thrum of her magic slowing down in her veins.
She added this to her mental list of what she needed to hide and sat down on her bench, thinking about that girl who wouldn't stop scowling. The words that Annabelle said had stung. "Well, we need someone to watch over you." It felt like small needles were poking the back of her eyes, but she managed to hold in her tears.
She did not do anything to Annabelle, did she? Did Annabelle even read the letter? Or was she just so evil that Annabelle hated her on first sight? But she did suppose almost killing them would aggravate her.
But it's kill or die. Her micro-earpiece guaranteed that. If she wasn't careful, it could cause a large enough explosion to blow out her brains. Whatever careful means.
She could still feel the satin gloves gently tucking in her stray lock of hair and inserting in the device. A lady dressed in a grand, gray dress decorated with blue and yellow jewels with a porcelain cat mask kneeled down to her and sent her out with a sword.
She shuddered, the room seemed ten degrees colder whenever she thought about her kidnapper. The same colors Annabelle and Mew wear.
There was something familiar and frightening about the stern girl and the cat. The odd colors brought her back half a year ago. It could be a coincidence or they could be connected, she wouldn't know. Despite this odd connection, Addy would wait. She won't sink to Annabelle's level and start avoiding her just because of costume color. Because unlike her, she'll play nice. She'll be the bigger person.