Disclaimer: I own nothing except Mara and a few other ocs, and I never will! So, don't sue me please!
It was a beautiful mid-morning in Gardenia. The sun was shining brightly in the light blue sky, and the city's majority was awake and bustling. It seemed that only one person still slept at this time, but that wouldn't last any longer. Vanessa was walking up the steps in her home, heading to wake up her daughters. She stepped into the room the teenage girls shared, quietly slipping past the door. She looked over to her younger, red-headed daughter, who slept peacefully in her bed, and smiled.
"Good morning, Mom." a smooth voice sounded out from the other side of the room.
Vanessa jumped back slightly at the voice. Her heart rate sped up, and her breathing became uneven; then Vanessa's mind registered whose voice it was and began to calm down. Still, with a surprised expression and one hand over where her heart is, she looked over at her daughter, Makantagara, Mara for short. Vanessa wasn't, really, surprised that she was already dressed ready for the day. For some unfathomable reason, the girl always awoke at dawn every day, with no aid from an alarm or wake up call. As her heart beat slowed back to normal she stared at her oldest child.
The sixteen year old was sitting on her bed with her bare feet tucked underneath her. The teenage girl wore what had become her favorite outfit. It consisted of a half black, half red tank top in the front of the shirt a triangle of midriff showed, as the shirt cut in diagonals downward. A black skirt that's hem slanted to the point where if it weren't for her metallic silver, knee-length leggings, she would not be allowed to wear it at all. Mara's flawless skin was a dark, golden brown, a tone that was slightly darker than her own. Her thick, dark brown, almost black hair was left down and brushed against her lower back; few long bangs fell around her face framing it perfectly. Mara's dark brown eyes steadily gazed at the older woman. Mara certainly did look an Egyptian queen, or rather what most people think of as one.
"You'd think I'd be use to that." Vanessa sighed, making Mara chuckle lightly.
"At least you didn't scream this time." Mara stated.
She shifted on her bed to where she was facing her mother and her feet were on the floor next to her favorite boots. How she walked, and even ran, in those boots was a mystery to Vanessa. They were six-inch heels that went up halfway up her calves. The thick soles and heels were blood-red; the rest of the shoe was shiny black leather. A black zipper ran down the inner sides of them, and two false buckles wrapped around the boots. Silver, star-shaped studs came from the buckles in a perfect row. Mara slipped them on with practiced ease.
"Why don't you wake Bloom up in the morning?" Vanessa asked walking over to the still sleeping girl.
"We both know how loud she is when you wake her up. Would you like me to wake up the entire house at sunrise, Mom?" asked Mara with slight sarcasm in her voice.
"No way," answered the older woman immediately, before she turning to Bloom. "Wake up sleepy head, the sun's been up for ages."
"Ugh... five more minutes Mom." Bloom mumbled.
"You're late Bloom." Vanessa said.
With that Bloom, awoke with a start and yelled, school. She hopped from her bed and into the bathroom that attached to the girls room, waking Kiko in the process. With an unnatural speed Bloom took a shower, dried off in her robe, and got dressed. All the while yelling at the two others in the room.
"Oh no! Mara, why didn't you wake me up before! My alarm didn't even go off! I can't believe this!" Bloom ranted.
Once Bloom had gotten her shirt on she paused and looked over to Mara. She was smirking and had a look in her eyes that said "I can't believe you fell for that." Vanessa was smiling in silent victory as Bloom turned back to her.
"Hang on a sec; school's out. The alarm didn't go off because we're on vacation. Oh, Mom your joke is not funny." Bloom complained.
"But you did fall for it, didn't you?" Vanessa said, laughing a little.
"I'm sleepy. I'm going back to bed." said Bloom, crawling back under her covers still in her day clothes.
"You should try to go to bed earlier. You were up all night reading." Mara interjected, before standing and walking over to her mother and sister.
"Who's side are you on?" Bloom shouted jokingly.
She threw a pillow at her sister's face. It seemed to stay on Mara's face for a few seconds. Mara stood completely still and let it fall to the floor. The Egyptian girl had an emotionless expression when she looked at Bloom. Then the two girls put on fierce glares and enraged looks, to where anyone that didn't know the two would have supposed a few fists thrown in a matter of seconds. But both of them busted out laughing instead.
"Girls, come down stairs in a bit, alright?" Vanessa said chuckling at her two daughter's antics.
After their five-minute laughing fit, Bloom grabbed her cell phone and Mara grabbed their wallet. Both girls got an allowance, but kept both of theirs in one wallet since it was a very rare occasion when one was found without the other close by. Kiko hopped around on the floor, staying close behind Bloom. Mara and Bloom went down to the kitchen to see their dad, Mike, sitting at the table, and reading the newspaper. As if on cue he looked up from it and looked in their direction.
"Good morning, sun shines."
"Good morning." the two teens replied.
"Why do we have to spend every summer working in the shop with Mom? Why can't we go somewhere fun with our friends?" Bloom wined at him.
Mara shook her head at her sister's persistence; this was the same conversation as every summer since they entered high school. The brown-eyed girl looked over at Vanessa, they both shrugged, and Mara huffed in slight annoyance. Vanessa smiled at her eldest and handed Mara a mug of hot tea as she took a sip of her coffee. The younger woman sipped the honey sweetened drink as she watched the all too common scene.
"When you two are older, you can go where ever you want." Mike replied.
"When's older? We're already sixteen, Dad." Bloom asked.
"Only sixteen, you are still my little girls." insisted their dad.
"Dad, it's not fair." Bloom said.
"Listen, in a few weeks we'll all be going to the beach, like we do every year." Mike said reassuringly.
"But all our friends go on holidays by themselves. That would have been the best present ever." Bloom protested.
"Well speaking of presents, we have a little surprise for you two." Vanessa stated setting down her coffee.
"Just a little something to help you both get around Gardenia." added Mike.
"Really? Thanks Dad!" Bloom said with excitement clear in her voice.
Bloom grabbed hold of Mara's arm, and with Kiko hopping in pursuit, started dragging her outside. Mara ran a few steps behind the green-eyed girl, with her tea still in her hand. Without spilling a single drop of Mara's drink, the two hopped down the front steps and stood in their front yard. Bloom only barely held back her look of disappointment, and Mara had to agree with her; the sight was a major let down.
"Is this it?" Bloom whispered to her sister.
"I think so." Mara whispered back, just before the girl's parents appeared behind them.
Two bikes stood in the walkway. The one that they assumed to belong to Mara was on the left. It had a shiny, silver-colored frame with white tires. A basket held blue irises. Bloom's presumed bike had a metallic, bright red base with similar white tires. Instead of irises Bloom's basket held some unnameable purple flowers and a small ball. The two teenager's guessed it was for Kiko, because he went everywhere with Bloom.
"Nice huh?" Mike said.
"Uh well..." Bloom started.
"Yeah... thanks." Mara finished.
Bloom slowly walked over to her bike to check it out, she got on it, and then waited for Mara to join her. Kiko bounded after her and jumped into Bloom's basket. Mara finished her half full cup of tea in two gulps, and handed it to Vanessa. Mara walked over to her bike and got on it. They waved to their parents before taking off. The two pedaled a short distance before stopping at a cross-section in the road. They got off of their bikes and walked with them some way.
"Ugh, he'll never change. Dad will never let us ride anything faster than a bicycle." Bloom sighed.
"Don't worry about it, شقيقة (sister). I have a feeling that something amazing will happen today." Mara said, placing a reassuring hand on Bloom's shoulder.
"Well, I hope you're right. Thanks Mara." Bloom said smiling at her.
"Hey Bloom!" Mitzi yelled, catching their attention, "Mara. Vacationing in Gardenia this year?"
"No." Mara said firmly.
Mara had never liked Mitzi; even when they were children the girl was and bratty, and age had certainly not tempered her better-than-you attitude. The feelings were mutual it seemed, so the active dislike in both parties caused the two to only interact if necessary, making all their reluctant conversations or encounters cold. Bloom was always willing to try to be polite to everyone at least, though that only seemed to make her more a rival and target of Mitzi's. It has never gone any farther than petty and superficial schoolyard childishness however. Mara was very protective, and could be downright frightening when angry.
"Actually, we'll be going away very soon." Bloom added.
"The same old beach, huh? I'll send you two a postcard from our vacation place. That will give you two a chance to see something different." Mitzi said.
Bloom's face twisted in anger, and she growled under her breath. Mara simply glared at Mitzi, her brown eyes began to gain a faint gold color, as they always have done when she felt strongly about something. Kiko, being no fonder of the snobbish girl, blew a raspberry at her in a mocking way. Bloom and Mara both laughed quietly at Kiko's actions.
"Hey! Careful with that scooter. It's brand new you know." Mitzi said to two men unloading a pink electric scooter.
"Have a nice summer Mitzi. See you in school." Bloom said.
She waved goodbye as she got back on her bike. Mara followed suit and without a word rode away beside Bloom. They traveled down the road a short way before either spoke.
"What a show off." said Bloom.
"Just figuring that out?" teased Mara.
"Yes I am." Bloom responded sarcastically.
The girls looked at each other, and began laughing. They rode through the some of the town, talking about anything and laughing together.
"Hey, we should go to the park." Bloom suggested.
"Sounds like a plan." Mara agreed.
The girls pedaled to their favorite spot and stopped. Mara propped hers on her kickstand a few feet away from them, and Bloom rested her bike ageist a nearby tree. The Egyptian girl laid in the grass in the small clearing with a relaxed sigh. Bloom sat under a tree about four feet from her sister. Kiko leaped out of Bloom's basket and scampered off.
"Keep close Kiko." Bloom called out at the small rabbit.
"Yeah, we won't protect you from those scary squirrels this time." Mara said jokingly.
The little bunny was gone barely a minute before he came running back again, screaming bloody murder. He ran over to Bloom, paused for a moment, and then fell on his face. Mara stood up in concern and walked over to the bunny and her sister. Bloom looked down at him in confusion, with wide eyes. Kiko bounded back up to his hind legs and began pulling on Bloom's jeans, pointing in the direction he had just come from.
"What's the matter Kiko?" Bloom asked, still confused.
"Has something happened?" Mara asked.
Kiko was shouting something so fast and frantic, that what he was saying sounded like nonsense even to himself. He finally gave up on bunny speech and hopped in the direction he had come from, looking back at the girls expectantly. Mara and Bloom looked at each other and silently decided to follow the light blue bunny. They went a short way and found a larger clearing than the one they were just at. The two girls hid behind some trees, and Kiko hopped on a small tree stump. Both hidden girls stared in shock at what they saw. A blonde teenage girl who had wings was fighting off a bunch of small, red and black, creepy looking creatures. With a light blue staff in one hand, she held out her other one towards one of the creatures.
"Rising Sun Burst!" the blonde girl yelled.
A bright light collected in her hand and shot out at the creature. The light vaporized the small thing just before it faded. Behind the one creature, a large shadowy figure stood surrounded by more of the odd creatures. Bloom was about to speak before Mara clamped a hand over her mouth; the blonde made another attack, and Kiko fainted on the stump.
"Solar Wind!" the girl shouted.
The orange clad girl took her staff and struck the ground with the bottom. Both her and the staff glowed a bright yellow. Where the staff and the ground met sparks of light rained out and two of the creatures hit the trees hard. A shadowy figure caught one in its massive yellow hand. The giant creature clinched it's hand and the small monster evaporated. The large creature stepped out of the shadows. At this moment Kiko finally woke up from his fainting spell.
"Go away, or you will feel the magic of the sun and moon fairy!" the blonde girl yelled at the monster.
The huge creature gave a wordless yelled and charged at the blonde. He hit her hard and she flew back several feet. She landed on her back, and the creatures drew closer to her. Mara let go of Bloom, and tensed in anger; her eyes turning gold. The bigger monster stepped forward.
"Ah, your time's up fairy. Ghouls take the scepter!" the yellow creature said.
The small creatures jumped at the blonde and took hold of her arms, legs, and head. One of them grabbed hold of the scepter. The larger monster yanked the staff away from the ghouls and stepped closer to the blonde. He leaned down, leering at her. The sisters could no longer stand by, so they stepped out of their hiding spot. Mara stood to the right of the stump Kiko perched on, with Bloom on the left.
"Not so big now, are ya?" he said.
"Let her go!" Bloom shouted.
"Our else!" Mara added.
"What... what are we going to do?" Bloom whispered to Mara.
The yellow monster stood up, and turned his head their direction. Mara go into a fighting stance, and did not show any fear on her face. Bloom, however, looked freaked out and stood there. The monster turned all the way to the girls and glared at them.
"Get them!" He yelled at his minions.
The ghouls ran towards the two. Bloom cringed backward slightly, and Mara stepped in front of her. The ghouls gained some speed and got about three feet from the girls.
"Get back!" Mara yelled.
Mara stuck her arms out to the side in defense. One of the ghouls that had a good head starts on the others leaped up and bit her hard on the arm. It's teeth were small, but they were sharp like razor blades and easily cut into her flesh.
"عليك اللعنة!(Damn it!)" Mara cursed.
"Mara!" Bloom shrieked in alarm.
The redhead punched the ghoul on the head as hard as she could and yanked it off Mara's arm as it loosened its jaw. Blood dripping from her arm, Mara grabbed the red creature and slammed it on to two pouncing ghouls making all three disperse. Keeping herself directly between the attacking creatures and Bloom and Kiko, she held her arms out in front of her. Fear and anger rushed through her body and she began to glow a dark green color. Three ghouls jumped at her, but they never go that close. Three huge, translucent, green snakes shot from her outstretched hand and coiled around the ghouls. The small creatures fell to the earth struggling to break free of the bind. Bloom stared at Mara for a moment and mouthed the word wow. Mara looked at them, then without thinking she clenched her hand. The translucent snakes grip on the ghouls tightened until the snakes and the ghouls burst into yellow light. Both girls looked at Mara's hands with matching expressions of surprise.
Kiko, who was shaking in fear on the stump, jumped up suddenly. Seeing that the danger was supposedly gone, he began to box with the air. Mara and Bloom shook out of their mutual shock and Mara ran to help the apparent "fairy". She only got two feet away before another ghoul attacked. A ghoul prowled up from behind the stump. Bloom saw it and quickly grabbed a stick from the ground. Just as it was about to pounce on the little bunny, Bloom poked it to get its attention.
"Hands off Kiko!" Bloom yelled.
She swung the stick like a baseball bat; she hit the ghoul in the head with a tremendous amount of force. The stick shattered on impact, and the ghoul flew several feet back hit a nearby tree and disintegrated. Bloom stood with half the stick in her hand, smiling at the awestruck Kiko. Somehow the big yellow monster walked up behind Bloom, and with one huge hand, grabbed her by her forearms. He lifted her up and swung her around some, then faced Mara, who had just reached the formerly knocked-out girl.
"Bloom, no!" Mara yelled.
"I'll smash her like a china doll." he said.
"No!" Bloom yelled.
The teenager began to glow a bright orange-yellow color for a moment. Then Bloom's entire body shined with an intense, bright white light. A figure that looked like a Chinese dragon formed of the light and flew around her, causing the yellow monster to shout in pain as he and all the ghouls were forced back. Mara had to plant her feet into the earth to stay standing from the blast and that only barely worked. The dragon, that was now a faint orange, flew at the sky and exploded like a firework.
"Bloom!" Mara yelled, rushing over to her, "Are you okay?"
Bloom nodded and grabbed her sister's offered hand. Kiko hopped over and into Bloom's arms, cuddling close to her. The blonde stood up also, grabbing her scepter, she walked over to the girls.
"Wow, that was powerful!" she said.
The yellow monster got up and growled at the four and the winged girl turned to face him. She got into a defensive position with her scepter pointed to the ground and her back slightly hunched forward. Her hair seemed to move as if blown by a non-present wind.
"I have my scepter back," she stated, "You don't scare me anymore."
And with that, a bright ball of light shot at him from the top of the scepter. The large creature flew back from the impact. Ghouls surrounded the three girls; six in all, three were behind them, and three to the front. Bloom panicked and frozen, still in shock over whatever she just did, holding on tightly to as equally petrified Kiko. Mara turned and faced the three behind them, keeping mind to stay close to Bloom, and got into a fighting stance. Silently hoping she could trust the winged girl to watch her back as she will watch hers.
When the ghouls in the front pounced, the blonde began to glow once more. She spun her scepter like a baton and made a curve in the air; a stream of light shot out and struck the three ghouls. Mara, not knowing how she did the snake thing from earlier, relied on her sandan* in Karate. With fast reflexes she grabbed hold of the two ghouls that jumped at her and tossed them at two trees. One of the ghouls slipped around Mara while she was tossing the other two. It came up to Bloom and bit her pant leg. The girl yelled in shock as she tried to shake it off. Kiko hopped down from Bloom's arms and landed on the ghoul's head. Tearing some of Bloom's pants off in its mouth; the ghoul let go and ran back to the yellow monster.
"We'll meet again blonde." he said, before placing his hands together and escaping in a beam of purple-pink light.
"الحمد لله على إعفائي.(Good riddance.)" Mara muttered.
Without warning the blonde collapsed to the ground. Mara, Bloom, and Kiko rushed over to help. In a small, brief flash of yellow light the blonde was in a different outfit. She looked like a fashionable princess with decorative wings. Mara took note that the scepter was now a ring on her finger. Both girls knelt to her side.
"Hey, are you alright?" Bloom asked shaking the blonde's arm.
"She out cold, seems like it's from exhaustion." Mara said, examining her with rudimentary knowledge.
"We need to get her some help, but how do we explain all that?" Bloom asked.
Mara sighed, and looked around thinking. Her eyes landed on her bitten arm and she scowled.
"Here." Bloom sighed, handing Mara her handkerchief.
"Thanks." Mara hissed as she put pressure to the still sort-of bleeding marks. They sat there thinking for a few minutes until the blood stopped. Mara tied the bloody fabric around her forearm.
"Let's just get her somewhere safe for now. We don't know if that thing is going to come back." Bloom said finally.
Mara agreed nodding, and Bloom helped pick up the blonde girl and place her on Mara's back. With the unconscious girl in place, the pair set off for home. Kiko hopped into Bloom's waiting arms. They stopped by the clearing they were in earlier and retrieved their bikes. Bloom placed Kiko in her basket and pushed both bikes, through the town. The girls were silent during the walk, each caught up in their own thoughts of what just transpired. Once the girls got home they separated, with Kiko bounding off to eat. Bloom put the bikes in the garage, and made sure they had everything locked and secure before going back inside. Mara had placed the blonde girl on the couch, and after checking her over again, tucked her in with a spare blanket. The girls both let out tired sighs, and practically collapsed on the floor next to the light yellow-green couch.
"We need to get you wrapped up." Blood said after a while, pointing to Mara's wounded arm.
"Yeah, I really don't need it to get infected." the other girl said as she examined the teeth marks.
Bloom got up and walked away. Stopping at the laundry room and kitchen to grab towels and water to clean the wound. She walked around looking for the First Aid Kit.
"Kit's in the hall closet, I think." Bloom said to herself.
"No, it's in the kitchen." Mara countered.
"Why would it be there?" the younger questioned, slightly raising her voice from the distance between them.
"Dad burned his hand making dinner last week, remember?" Mara semi-shouted, trying to be quiet even though the blonde was very unlikely to wake up for a bit.
"Right, right." Bloom said.
It was quiet for a bit, with only the rattling sounds of Bloom rummaging through the kitchen to disturb it. After a few minutes, there was the sound of a forceful closing of a drawer.
"Sis?" Bloom called, annoyance seeping through her voice. Mara chuckled.
"Underneath the counter, third cabinet from the right."she answered.
"Thank you!" Bloom quipped.
A minute later Bloom returned to the living room with the First Aid Kit, a bottle of water, a wash cloth, and three clean, fluffy towels. Bloom sat down next to Mara and gently grabbed her wrist. Untying the handkerchief, she took one of the towels and placed it underneath her arm. Mara held it in place while Bloom poured the water over it; Mara hissed in slight pain.
"Sorry. It'll be over in a minute, just breathe." Bloom whispered.
Mara closed her eyes and did her best to focus on her breathing instead of the washing of the bright red and slightly swollen bite mark. The antibiotic ointment pulled another pained hiss from Mara, as well as another whispered apology from Bloom. While Bloom banged her up, Mara snickered and smiled at her sister.
"You know, I should be use to this." she said. Bloom scoffed.
"Yeah, like if I didn't see it happen you wouldn't have hidden it." she scolded lightly.
"I don't like worrying you." Mara mumbled with an exaggerated pout.
"We're sisters, dummy. We're suppose to have each others back, tick each other off, and worry for each other. That's how it works!" Bloom laughing.
"Yeah, yeah. Man, I'm tired." Mara complained.
Bloom yawned and nodded, "Let's relax for a bit, I think we've earned it."
The two sisters were grateful that both of their parents were at work as neither of them had the energy to try to explain what happened at the park at the moment. Neither of them understood most of it anyway. As Bloom put away the First Aid Kit and other supplies, Mara checked on the blonde girl once again. Finding her no worse than before and still unconscious, there wasn't much she could do. Bloom reentered the room and immediately curled up in one of the recliners opposite the couch; Mara crawled to the recliner and propped herself on base. So drained of almost all of their energy, they both slipped into dreamland right there in the living room.
Meanwhile...
In space filled with almost nothing but shadows and mist, three pairs of glowing, green, faceless eyes floated in the thick air.
"Knut, come forward." a harsh, female voice sounded from the mist.
The giant, yellow monster from the clearing slumped into view.
"So, you failed." said a different female voice.
"Not my fault Your Highness. I had the scepter in my hand, but then these earthling girls appeared and messed everything up." Knut protested.
"Earthling girls?" a third feminine voice questioned.
"Oh, but they were not your ordinary earthlings. They have power, these girls. One defeated my ghouls just like that." Knut explained.
"Interesting. Describe them!" the first voice said.
"Um... well... let's see... she was a..." Knut fumbled with his words.
"Knut, your glasses, where are they?" the third voice asked.
Knut fished in his pocket and pulled out a pair of thick rimmed, clunky, black glasses.
"Right here Highness." He said.
"Well put them on you dolt!" yelled the third voice.
"A nearsighted ogre, how ridiculous." the second voice muttered.
"If only he'd wear his glasses he'd be alright." explained the first voice.
"Oh, would you stop defending him!" the second voice shrieked.
"An ogre with glasses, looks kinda lame." Knut mumbled.
"Quiet! Those girls could mean something to us!" yelled the first voice.
"Don't worry your Highness's one of my ghouls grabbed this," Knut said, pulling the torn cloth of blue jean pants from his pocket. "It's a piece of one of the girls clothing. To us this is nothing, but to a hunting troll it's an important clue."
A blue creature, that was bigger than Knut, with long black hair stepped out from the shadows. Knut handed it the cloth, and the hunter troll began to inhale the scent.
"See." Knut said.
"Good, then go back to Gardenia and find the girls. And this time..." the third voice said.
"Don't let us down!" all three said.
Back with the girls...
Four hours after the girls had returned home with the strange blonde they woke with a start by the sound of a car parking outside. Mara and Bloom looked at each other with matching looks of disbelief on their faces. They simultaneously realized that morning was no dream when Bloom looked around and saw the blonde still laying on the couch, and Mara noted Bloom's torn pants and the almost rhythmic throbs of pain from her arm. The door opened and in walked their parents. Mike stopped short noticing the stranger. He stood there looking confused as Vanessa walked over to the blonde concerned.
"Girls, what's going on?" Mike asked.
The girls looked at each other, and took a deep breath and said everything in seemingly that one breath.
"After we were riding for a while we decided to stop at the park. When we got there Kiko ran off to explore," Mara started.
"But he came back screaming! We went to investigate and there was this girl," Bloom said pointing at the blonde, "And she was fighting these little red ghoul things, with magic!"
"A large yellow ogre-like creature seemed to be in charge of them."
"And he was all, "Get her! Get the scepter!", and Mom, Dad, she had wings! Actual wings!"
"Both the yellow ogre and herself called her a fairy."
"Then the ghouls had her pinned, and the ogre guy got her scepter!"
"We had to help her somehow, so we made ourselves known."
"Then the ghouls attacked us. And Mara got hurt! But she showed them, she started glowing and made magic snakes get them!"
"I don't know how that happened. We were going to check on the girl, but a ghoul attacked Kiko, and Bloom protected him."
"I whacked it with a stick and it went flying. But then the ogre guy got me!"
"When that happened Bloom started to glow, and she summoned a dragon."
"I don't know how it happened either, but it was incredible!"
"The girl got her scepter back, we fought again, and that made the ogre and ghouls run away."
"But then the girl collapsed, and we didn't know what to do, so we brought her here." Bloom finished their tale.
Bloom and Mara took deep breaths to even out their respiration. They looked to their Mom and Dad for any sign that they believe them.
"Bloom. Mara. I'm not sure I understand. Could you run that by me again." Mike said.
"We already told you, Dad. She was attacked by some horrible creatures. She is some kind of fairy." Bloom said.
"I know it sounds crazy Dad, but I didn't get bitten by a fantasy." Mara added, lifting her arm up.
"Hm... I see." said Mike.
"You believe us then?" Bloom asked.
"No, I don't. I think we should call the police and take this girl to a hospital." Mike responded.
"N...no please...don't tell anyone." the blonde mumbled, finally waking up.
"She's coming to. How do you feel dear?" Vanessa asks.
"I'm alright. Thanks for helping me out." said the blonde girl.
"Oh, it was nothing." Bloom said.
"Don't mention it." said Mara.
"My name is Stella." said the blonde, introducing herself.
"Hi Stella, my name is Bloom."
"My name is Makantagara, but just call me Mara."
"Should we call your parents, Stella?" asked Vanessa.
"That would be difficult; I come from a place a bit far from here. Have you heard of Solaria? It's a kingdom far far away. I'm a fairy you know. I was trying to get to Alfea castle in the realm of Magix." Stella explained.
"Oh, but of course. I'm calling the police. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the this girl is out of her mind." Mike said.
He walked over to the phone. Stella's face scrunched in anger at what Mike had said. Bloom stood by her mother, and she looked at Mara, who was standing a few feet from their father. But before he could dial the number, or Mara could stop him, sparks of light shot out of Stella's finger and the phone turned into a carrot and a cabbage. Mike made a dumbfounded face.
"Well, you believe me now." Stella said in a mocking tone.
"I saw her, and I believe her." Bloom said.
"Can't really argue, Dad, I mean, the phone's a carrot." Mara added.
"Those creatures attacked me, and I was forced to land here, on your planet. Your daughters saved my life. Mara took down three ghouls with a single constriction spell, and Bloom pushed back an Ogre with a burst of magic." Stella explained.
"We don't actually know what we did." Bloom said.
"A fairy doesn't need to know, she just does it." said Stella.
"We're fairies?" Bloom asked.
"Of course you are, don't tell me your not. Have you registered for the new program at Alfea castle? It's the best school for young fairies like us." Stella said.
"Stella, we have a lot of talking to do." Mara said, looking over to Bloom.
"No, no, stop talking nonsense please." Mike begged.
Meanwhile...
An old abandoned warehouse sat on the edge of Gardenia. Behind the building in the silence of the night two flashes of purple lightning struck. In deep purple, misty silhouettes two large figures and several small ones emerged from thin air.
"Ah, here we are," Knut said. "troll do your thing."
The gigantic troll took several more sniffs of the cloth in his hand, and then looked around.
"Find that girl. And where one of them is, the other must be close by." Knut ordered.
"This way." the troll grunted before walking off.
Back with the girls...
"So this is your room, huh? Wow, who drew these?" Stella said referring to the sketches hanging around the room.
"I did." Bloom said.
"They're amazing! Sorry, I'm a bit nosy." Stella said.
"Don't worry about it." Mara said.
"The thing is we still don't know what happened at the park." Bloom said, gesturing to her torn jeans.
"Look, you two used your powers to save me. You should be proud of yourself. In my world magic is a part of life, and powers such as yours are perfectly normal." Stella assured.
"Your world is like that?" Bloom asked amazed.
"I still don't understand what happened or why." Mara stated.
"Strong feelings, such as fear, have summoned up the wonderful powers that are in you. They were always there. You just didn't know it. It's just a question of concentration. With your energy you two can do anything." said Stella,gazing out the window.
She then turned to the girl's computer desk. Stella spun her hands in small circles, and a the pencils in a cup on the desk glowed yellow. The pencils floated in the air and came together to form a huge, white and pink pencil.
"Okay, now it's your turn Bloom. Get them back in their original shape." said Stella.
Bloom held out her arms to the pencil. She tried, obviously concentrating as best she could, but it simply fell to the floor.
"Well?" Stella asked.
"Nothing. You try Mara." Bloom said.
Mara nodded and held out her arms stick straight towards the pencil. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, remembering what her Karate sensei* taught her about concentration. Mara felt a strange surge of energy run through her and in visioned it in its former form. The pencil lifted in the air a few inches and slowly split into two pencils -one pencil was orange and blue, the other was green and purple- before falling to the floor. Mara opened her eyes again and looked at Stella and Bloom.
"I told you to take those Karate classes with me." Mara teased Bloom. The three girls laughed.
"That was pretty good, Mara. Anyway you both should come with to Alfea castle, the school for fairies. A new session is about to start. You two could learn to really control your powers. I'm sure you'll make excellent fairies." Stella said, changing the pencils back and making them float into the cup.
"Where's Alfea?" Bloom asked.
"It's in the enchanted realm of Magix. A place beyond time and space, where everything is possible. If you want to see the school I'll show it to you." said Stella.
A small gold card with a picture of a castle on it appeared in her hand. Stella let it float to the floor like a leaf. When it was an inch from the floor it froze in place and grew to the size of a rug.
"This is a bottomless postcard. Magix!" Stella explained, she began to sink into the card. "Now, follow me."
Mara and Bloom looked at each other in surprise what they had just seen.
Meanwhile...
A darkened alleyway hid the two monsters and many ghouls from view only for a moment. The group of creatures stepped out into the moonlight.
"She's not far. The smell is strong. There are two other fairies." grunted the hunter troll.
"It's Stella, and that other one. Their together." Knut said.
With the girls...
"You ready?" Bloom asked her sister.
"As I'll ever be." Mara replied.
The girls held the others hand and stepped onto the card. They began to phase through it.
"Hurry up before the gate closes!" Stella yelled from the other side of it.
A few seconds later both Mara and Bloom were gone. The troll, who was just outside the girl's home, suddenly came to a complete halt. He sniffed the air a few times, then turned to Knut.
"I've lost the scent. She's disappeared." he grunted.
"Huh, fairies, it's totally ridiculous!" Mike's voice came from inside the house.
The group of creatures hurried away. Vanessa stepped in front of the window, creating a silhouette.
"Mike, it's not ridiculous, it's true. Come on admit it. You and I both know Stella is a real fairy, but you're afraid to believe it." Vanessa said, pointing to her husband, "Mike if this is our daughters true nature, who are we to stop them."
With the girls again...
Bloom and Mara looked up at the card the now hovered above them. They both looked around at the beautiful forest they now stood in. A tan and light pink castle was in the distance.
"This is Alfea castle. Nice huh? I'm sure you both would like it here." Stella said.
"But what about our high school in Gardenia? I mean everything's happening so fast." Bloom said.
"Then think about it. I've got to leave tomorrow- with or without you two." said Stella.
"Don't worry شقيقة (sister), We'll sleep on it and have our answers tomorrow." Mara assured.
"Thanks. Now, how do we get out of here?" Bloom asked.
"That's easy. All you gotta do is jump up." Stella said.
The three jumped up and appeared back in Mara and Bloom's room.
"Wait a minute! The scent is back! There in that house!" the troll grunted, pointing at a nearby home.
"Good work troll. They can't escape us now," Knut said, "We'll go in through the back door and take the whole happy family by surprise."
Kiko was hopping about in the kitchen looking for Bloom. He turned around toward the window and saw some ghouls. The small bunny screamed, and raced to Mike and Vanessa.
"What's wrong Kiko? We'll play later, we're really busy right now." Mike said, exhausted.
There was a banging on the back door, and nether adult noticed far too caught up in their thoughts about their daughters and magic. Kiko pulled on Vanessa's pant leg and pointed to the door. He hopped a few times toward the door and pointed to it frantically.
"Hungry again? You just had your dinner. You're gonna have to wait." Mike said.
Kiko hopped back into the kitchen and over to the door. He tried to hold the door closed himself, the creatures on the other side still banging on it. Then Kiko had an idea he grabbed a bunch of the kitchen furniture and tried to barricade the door with them. It worked at first, then the structure fell. Mike and Vanessa, hearing the crash, walked toward the kitchen.
"What is that rabbit doing? Trashing the kitchen? Kiko come here immediately!" Mike yelled.
A loud roar echoed through the house, alerting the girls to the creature's presence as well. The hunter troll broke down the door and smashed the couch. Ghouls ran into the house with Knut close behind. Mike and Vanessa held each other close at the other end of the room, shaking in fear.
"Those girls must be around here somewhere." Knut said, while ghouls terrified the adults.
"We're right behind you." Stella said from the stairwell.
"What?" Knut yelled, looking over.
"Now let's settle this." Stella said.
Stella transformed into the way she was when Mara and Bloom first saw her. The hunter troll stepped forward to fight. The now winged girl jumped from the stairs hovering above the floor for a moment, her smallish wings fluttering like a humming birds. Stella rocketed at the beast and landed a kick to his face, knocking him back a foot.
"You really going to get beat by a ditsy bond?" Knut yelled at the troll.
"But, I no ordinary blonde," Stella said with bravo before whispering to the sisters, "Mara, Bloom, we're outnumbered. We're going to have to split them up."
"I have an idea. We'll take care of the ghouls." whispered Bloom.
"Alright. Come at us, ghouls!" Mara yelled, grabbing Bloom's hand and pulling her outside; the ghouls followed them.
"Alright blonde, wanna see what me and the troll can do? If I were you I get ready to like my wounds, know what I mean." Knut said. Mike and Vanessa crept out the window while the Ogre spoke.
"Very well, let's see what you two can do against me." Stella said.
Mara and Bloom succeeded in leading all the ghouls outside, but unfortunately that is as far as Bloom had planned. Eight ghouls surrounded them in a half circle. Bright flashes of light came from the fight inside the house. Both girls looked around for something to strike the ghouls with, then out of no where an upside down pot moved across the ground in the girls direction, distracting even the ghouls. Bloom picked it up to see that nothing was under it, she tossed it aside, and at that particular moment another flash of light came from the house. Knut fell from the back door with a thud, landing on the ghouls. For a minute both of the sisters thought that the fight was over and that Stella won. That is until, of course, Stella was thrown out the window, shattering the glass. Both girls ran to her.
"Stella!" Bloom yelled.
"Girls, don't worry. I've called the Specialists." Stella said.
"Who?" Bloom asked.
The hunter troll came through the back door with a furious expression, lumbering towards the trio of girls. Mara, taking action, stood in front of the other two as a shield. With one swing of his arm the troll hit her and sent her flying several feet away.
"Mara!" both Bloom and Stella yelled.
The troll was about to strike at the other two girls when a whip with a purple ball at the end of it wrapped around its neck. Bloom and Stella turned to find four boys all dressed in a type of blue and white spandex uniform. Bloom looked over them quickly, silently hoping they were the ones Stella had called: one with short brown hair leaning lazily on a large, green, glowing sword, another with short orange hair, glasses, holding what looked like a high-tech gun, a third that had long blonde hair and a glowing blue shield and sword, and then another with dark purple hair with a whip in hand.
"Guys, I'm ready." said the one with glasses.
"Okay, let's take him to jail where he belongs." said the blonde.
"What's the matter, don't you guys wanna have a little fun first?" the guy with purple hair asked.
"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you. After all this is only our first mission." the brunette said.
Right after the brunette spoke the troll jerked and sent the purple haired boy flying in Stella and Bloom's direction. Landing right in between the girls he huffed in annoyance. The troll turned to the guys and Knut stood up ready to fight. Unnoticed by everyone, except Bloom who was just waiting for a moment to see of she was alright, Mara stood up slowly from her place on the ground. Before anyone could move another muscle, Mara let out a savage screech. Moving at a pace to fast to be normal, she kicked the troll in the side of the face and into Knut sending them both toppling.
"You have destroyed my home, terrorized الداي وأضرت أختي. سوف تدفع!(my parents, and hurt my sister. You will pay!)" Mara hissed with rage, slipping into her native language by accident.
A dark poisonous green light surrounded Mara and she twirled around on the tip of her right foot. Sand that came out of nowhere swirled around her form; Mara's hair flew up and twisted into a long braid tied off with a red ribbon. The twisting sand then joined with the green light around Mara's shirt and leggings, then dispersed leaving behind a halter made of pure white bandages and a white, mid-thigh length skirt. From her back a pair of translucent gold, red tipped beetle-like wings spread open. Mara brought her crossed hands up to her neck and pulled them up in a wide U shape; a thick gold necklace -that looked more like the top of a turtle neck- with a blood-red scarab gem at where her hands were crosses appeared. With another twist accessories were added. A gold belt with the Eye of Horus on the buckle tightened around her hips. White bandages wrapped around her arm from her wrist to her elbow, and a gold bangle appears on her other wrist. Mara's boots stayed the same except for the coloring; the black turned white, the stars became red, and the heel turned gold. When all this ended Mara stood in her fighting stance.
"Whoa!" Stella said.
"No time for admiring. We have to get out-of-the-way." Bloom said.
The girls grabbed hold of the purple haired guy and ran around Mara. Once they got to the other side with the other Specialists, they let go of him. Looking back to the fight they saw the troll and Knut stand up to fight Mara.
"Um, shouldn't we help her?" the one with glasses asked.
"No. I know my sister, and you don't want to get between her when she's mad." Bloom said.
A loud roar interrupted any other questions that might have been asked. The troll charged at Mara, but she flew up swiftly dodging him. She let her wings go still at around ten feet in the air and plummeted down kicking the giant in the head once again. Once she landed from her attack she held out her arms out from her sides, a dark green magical energy crisscross down them. When they got to her wrists snake heads formed. The snake heads opened to reveal sharp fangs as the magic shaped in her hands; from the magic two Khopesh* formed. The Khopesh were silver, twenty-one inch long, hook-like swords. Each blade was sharp on the outside and smooth inside; both of curved tips pointed like the fang of a cobra.
Knut tried to slam her into the earth the moment she landed, but her Khopesh blocked it. The tips dug into his fists, and made him cringe backward. By this time the troll had gotten back on to its feet, and once again charged at Mara with his fist raised ready to punch her. Mara was too quick for him though; she turned around and slid between his legs and tripped him with her weapons. Once Mara was on the other side of the troll she stood with both Khopesh held over her struck them into the ground in one swift motion and a crack formed underneath the beast, but it wasn't enough to trap it. The brunette, catching on to what Mara was trying to do also struck the earth with his weapon, making the trench wider, but it was still not enough. The one with glasses also understanding the plan shot at the ground directly beneath the troll. That was all that was needed and the hunter troll fell into the chasm.
"Bulls eye!" shouted the Specialist with glasses.
"Yeah, well done, but it's not over yet." said the blonde male.
The remaining twenty or so ghouls attacked the group, and the Specialists jumped into action alongside Mara. The guy with the gun shot at several without missing a shot. The blonde guy fought off eight while protecting Bloom and the worn out Stella. The purple haired guy charged into a cluster of five and took out two with one swing while another attacked him from behind. Mara hooked the ghoul on his back by the neck with one of her Khopesh and slammed it to the ground, making it disappear. The guy and Mara locked eyes for a moment nodding at each other, they began to take down ghouls once again. The brunette was taking out four at a time. Knut punched the purple haired guy and was blasted in the back by a beam of magic, courtesy of Bloom and Stella, knocking him out for a few moments. After all the ghouls were taken care of all that was left was Knut. Knut had stood once again and looked around, finding they had him surrounded on all sides. Weighing his options, Knut turned to Mara, Bloom, and Stella and glared at them.
"I'll get you next time girlies." Knut hissed, just before he vanished again.
"Finally this is over." Stella said.
Bloom and Stella ran over to Mara. Bloom hugged her sister tightly, and Stella gave her a high-five. Once Bloom let go of Mara, the Specialists walked over to them.
"Wow, sis that was incredible!" Bloom shouted.
"Yeah, nice work." added Stella.
"No big deal." Mara said casually.
"Anyway, girls meet the Specialists. Boy's introduce yourselves please." Stella said.
"Riven." said the purple haired guy.
"I'm Prince Sky." said the brunette.
"My name's Timmy, nice to meet you." said the one with glasses.
"And I'm Brandon." said the blonde.
"Hey you where do you think you're going!" Timmy yelled at the troll.
The troll popped its head out from the cavern in the ground, a poor attempt to escape. Timmy placed a strange collar around its neck. Mike and Vanessa walk around the corner, right when rings of light formed around the troll and lifted it about three feet into the air. The boys all stood around him, and as a spiral of blue light engulfed them the waved goodbye to the girls.
"See you later." they said in unison.
After the guys left the girls turned to Mike and Vanessa. Stella and Bloom calmly explained to them what happened. After a little while Mara changed back into her normal self and found that, oddly, her bite wound had healed. The sun began to rise and the family, with the addition of Stella, began preparing for the day. Mike started cleaning up the house and the women gathered in Bloom and Mara's room. After a few minutes Stella came back down the stairs. Mike was sweeping at the time.
"You know, it would be easy for me to clean this up with a little magic." Stella offered.
"No thanks, but I prefer it this way." stated Mike.
"They're ready." Vanessa said, standing behind the two girls each holding a suitcase.
"You're sure about this sweethearts?" Mike asked.
"Yes Dad." Mara stated.
"Yes, we are going with Stella to the realm of Magix, and to Alfea." Bloom agreed.
"Call us as soon as you two get there, and let us know everything. I still can't believe we agreed to this. What if you two get sick? What if you run into the monsters again?" Mike panicked.
"Mom, Dad, don't worry about us. I'm not going to let anything happen to either of us any time soon." Mara said.
"Girls we love you, and please come back home when the session is over next summer. We'll miss you both." Vanessa said.
"We're gonna miss you two so much." Bloom assured.
"Ah ah ah, Did you really think we'd let you go just like that? No, we're coming with you." Mike said.
"What? You don't trust us Dad?" said Mara teased.
"No, that's not it. I just want to check out this place. Just to see if it's okay for my little girls." Mike said grabbing his jacket.
"Alright, are you ready?" Stella asked, taking her ring off and changing it into her scepter.
"We were born ready." Mike said.
"To Magix!" Stella shouted.
The air around Stella and the scepter began to glow a bright yellow. A purple swirl of magic spiraled out from her feet. The group disappeared in a blinding flash of white light. They were pulled into a purple tunnel-like space. The five Guardians, including Kiko, yelled as the fell through the space. A shimmer of light formed at the end of the space and the group vanished again. The six people fall out of another purple vortex. Mike, Vanessa, and Kiko land on their buts, while the three fairies landed gracefully on their feet. The adults looked around at the forest in amazement.
"Wow, it really does exist!" Mike exclaimed.
"You believe us now." the sisters said in unison.
"We have to go. Classes are about to start." Stella said.
They all walked a short way through the forest. In silence, Mike and Vanessa each took in where they were. Even they could sense a small bit of the magical energy in the ground. Over a cliff and past a crystal clear lake stood Alfea castle. Two blue topped towers jutted out of the bright green forest. The path they were walking on led to the side of the castle.
"Wow!" Mike exclaimed.
1) Sandan- dan are the ranks in Japaneses arts. It is what a 3rd rank black belt is called.
2) Sensei- teacher in Japanese.
3) Khopesh- the Egyptian name of the Canaanite "sickle-sword", in Assyrian know as sappara. It's origins can be traced back to Sumer of the third millennium BCE.