DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN WINX CLUB. (Bummer) *sigh*
Hey, guys! So this was a story that was revolving in my head for a few weeks now. Can't believe it took me this long to publish it xD
Anyways...I hope you enjoy this attempt?
Nearly Ten Months Ago...
~ Somewhere Unknown - 7:30 PM ~
"...Happy 20th birthday, Brandon," a soft, broken voice whispered, her voice being lost somewhere amidst the howling winds. Crystal tears fell from her molten gold eyes and travelled further down her cheeks before disappearing in the folds of her black collar. A few loose strands, too little to be tucked behind her ears, clung to the sides of her face as she cried. Her ponytail simply fell down her back like a dead meat, not that the fashion-loving fairy cared.
Dark clouds seeped into the atmosphere, but it wasn't a sign of rain. No. Not to her anyway. It was a clear comfort and shelter to a girl who grieved over her lost love.
Stella fell to her knees and sobbed into her shaking hands. Why...?! Her cries were unheard and her pleas for him to come back to her fell on deaf ears.
Twelve months...
It's been a year since Brandon Shields died. Twelve months since he left her broken and withered with no hope for recovery. They've started dating since she was in her first year at Alfea and their love only blossomed each day.
Even though he died while leaving her behind, she never gave up on their love. She never gave up hope. Even though it's been a whole year since his lofty demise, she was unable to get over him.
Stella shut her eyes tightly as she remembered his death as clear as yesterday. Opening them again, she gently caressed his grave with her hands and placed a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers. He told her once that flowers were never his thing.
"Sunflowers," he replied after a long pause.
"Oh. Okay, next question-"
"You're not going to ask why?" he cheekily grinned.
She scratched her head. "Should I?" she looked at him in confusion.
He laughed at her cuteness before stroking her blonde hair affectionately. "They're the brightest ones in the field. They stand out beautifully. And in my universe, you're no different."
Her eyes widened as she blushed at his words.
Stella wistfully laughed to herself as she remembered that. They were both playing 20-20 questions which somehow ended up hilarious, save for a few cheesy one-liners from Brandon.
Tears violently stormed into her eyes as realization dawned on her that she was still stuck in the past. She refused. She absolutely refused to believe it that Brandon had died. It wasn't like him!
"You bastard!" she furiously whispered, too exhausted to raise her voice any further. "You were supposed to live!" she sobbed.
She came here everyday. By doing so, she tormented herself and shattered into a million pieces. But she couldn't help it. She'd rather die than go without seeing him even for a day. "Please come back to me..." she whispered even though she knew it was futile.
She placed her head on the dull grave and stared dead ahead at his name. She realized that she, too, died along with him on that day.
~:~:~
Here Lies
Brandon Alexander Shields
August 31, 1998 - August 14,2017
Died A True Hero and Specialist, Trusted and Loyal Friend, Beloved Son, Caring and Loving Boyfriend
No words can express how much we miss you. You may not be with us anymore, but our memories of you will forever be treasured in our hearts.
May Your Soul Forever Rest in Peace
~:~:~
Present...
~ Alfea Grounds - 9:00 AM ~
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A certain honey-blonde fairy groaned sleepily and wrapped the sheets tightly around her to keep the annoying sounds out. Sunlight beamed through her light crème curtains and illuminated the room. Despite proudly being the Fairy of Sun and Moon, it was no secret that the Princess Stella of Solaria despised the mornings.
The young nineteen year old princess yawned slowly as she opened her eyes. Just then, loud and incessant banging on her bedroom door interrupted her morning laziness. She nearly jumped out of the bed, messily sprawling up the sheets on the way towards the door.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" she screamed while turning the knob open.
"What's with the banging?!" Stella yelled in annoyance while moving towards her personal bathroom to tidy herself up.
"Helloooooo! Today's the last day we're gonna spend as roomies at Alfea! We need to cry and become a puddles of mush," Bloom stated as a matter-of-fact before making herself comfortable on Stella's bed.
"And your room is the only one big enough to fit all of us," Layla jumped onto a bean bag while stretching her legs leisurely. Flora sat cross-legged on Stella's fluffy carpet. Musa plugged in her ear plugs while humming to some song. Tecna, for once, put away her palm-top as she joined Bloom on the bed.
"Can't believe it's been three years already," Musa sighed sadly while looking at her friends.
"I know. It hardly feels real," Flora remarked somberly.
Stella listened quietly while splashing cool water on her face before wiping away the moisture with a white cotton towel. She honestly didn't feel like giving any input. Out of the six of them, she's the only one who has gone through the shittiest time period of her life. None of them went through the same pain as she did.
None of them, except for Musa, knew the pain of the loss of a loved one. Even Layla, who grew up alone for the most part, empathized with her.
When Brandon died, the two fairies, especially Musa, were Stella's strongest confidants. They're the only ones who fully understood Stella's pain.
"When my mother died, I hoped that someone would crash my barriers and comfort me. I was alone when I grieved, but I promise you, I won't leave you alone, Stell," Musa softly said as she hugged her crying best friend. Stella sobbed sorrowfully in her arms as Musa let down a few tears for her brave and fallen friend.
When Stella had gone randomly missing one day, everyone else, including Bloom despite being the closest to the blonde at that time, decided that maybe it was the best. Everyone thought that Stella wanted to be left alone.
Musa was the only one who put up a fight and yelled at everyone before searching for hours to find the heartbroken blonde.
Layla was new to the club at that time. Despite being part of the Winx for only a few days, she stood up for Stella and lashed out openly at everyone who dared to leave her shamelessly alone at such a time.
Brandon's unexpected death affected Stella the most and in so many ways that the enthusiasm and cheerfulness inside of her visibly dulled over the months. She no longer made suggestions to shopping or demanded everyone to spend time outdoors.
It was no secret that Musa, Layla, and Stella became the closest out of the six of them.
"I can't believe we have to split up," Stella stated sadly while walking into the room. A few tears pooled in her eyes as she joined the rest of the girls.
"Let's make a pact!" Bloom chirped.
Layla nodded vigorously. "Amen. We sure as hell are not gonna go our separate ways," she huffed.
"Of course not. But it'll be hard since all of us belong to six different and far away realms," Tecna informed.
"We'll meet at least once every month in one of our realms," Flora suggested.
The five cheered at the idea.
Musa smirked. "How about the three elite princesses over here? Do you think you'll be able to skip out on your royal duties?"
Stella rolled her eyes. "My father told me that I need to live like a Solarian citizen for a few months before I can be a queen."
"What? Why?" Bloom asked.
"You need to learn to be a little humble, young lady," Stella mimicked her dad as she puffed her chest and coughed a few times for a deep voice. The five broke down in peals of laughter as she walked like her father.
"Oh rest it already. You'd believe I'd be a little humble after earning my Enchantix. Which I got after saving his spell-stricken life! So much for being royal," she stubbornly crossed her arms, making everyone laugh again.
"What about you, Bloom?" Flora asked, shifting the attention towards the redhead.
"I don't know, Flora. My parents are insisting on some stupid princess training or whatever, so I'll have that."
"Good luck on that," Stella and Layla snorted at the same time. They turned to each other and started to laugh while high-fiving each other.
"Is it really that hard?" Bloom pouted.
Stella and Layla looked at each other with the same knowing look. They distinctly remembered Bloom being ultra horrible on learning how to stand (let alone act) like a proper princess during her crash course while preparing for Eraklyon's 1000th anniversary a few months ago. The same place that Stella earned her Enchantix.
The first grand party I attended without Brandon, Stella sadly thought to herself before letting out a small sigh.
"What about the rest of you girls?" Stella asked, turning to Flora.
"I'm going to see Miele. My parents are admitting her into Linphea College," Flora smiled at the thought of seeing her younger sister again. Linphea College was a prestigious school primarily present to enhance the nature-based abilities of fairies of Linphean blood.
"Nabu and I are going to see the island he grew up on," Layla said. The young wizard spent most of his life in solitude and Layla was no different. The dusky brunette's only friend, Anne, moved away when she was just a child, leaving her to raise herself with no friends. Maybe that's why Nabu and Layla grew up to be so independently confident. They both have powers, yet both can live and survive without them.
Musa smiled in excitement. "I'm interning at the Golden Auditorium," the musical fairy happily gushed.
"And I'm working on a security firewall protocol for Zenith's top-secret military base," Tecna informed proudly.
"Classic Tecna," Musa teased at her friend's supernatural fetish for technology, earning laughs from the others as well.
As her friends continued to converse and laugh, Stella excused herself to get some breakfast. Actually, she just wanted a quiet moment to herself.
"I'm worried about Stella," Bloom said when the blonde was out of earshot.
"Me too. She hasn't been herself since...you know," Flora added with another sigh.
Musa crossed her arms. "Maybe not, but she's better now," the musical fairy defended her blonde friend. What else did they expect? Sunshine and rainbows?!
"It's been two years, Musa. Don't you think she ought to move on by now?!" Bloom raised an eyebrow with a little impatient huff escaping from her lips. The Winx turned to her with a disfavoring glance.
Tecna raised a disapproving eyebrow at Bloom's raised tone. "That's not fair. Bloom, not everyone has healing powers like you," she informed with a frown.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Bloom asked with an acute frown, obviously offended.
Tecna shut her phone before fully turning to face her. "Meaning that when Icy killed Sky with an icicle, Sky died. He was dead. Period. End of story. But YOU revived him. You brought him back to life. You can't possibly know what Stella is feeling," the technology fairy gently explained, trying not to cause a spat on their last day at Alfea.
Tecna continued to defend the blonde fairy. "Do you have any idea how hard it has been for her? You have an incredible gift. You can restore life. Seeing you use your powers every day...it was really hard for her, Bloom."
Bloom fell speechless. She saw the rest of the girls who looked as if they agreed with Tecna, but chose to kept mum. She didn't think of this angle. While she didn't exactly know she had healing powers at that time...she only grieved for Sky for about ten flat seconds. "I suppose you're right," the redhead mumbled, feeling a little ashamed of herself.
Sky was 'dead' a month after Brandon died. But when Stella heard that Bloom somehow revived the specialist, she felt as if she died once again. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't.
"Bloom...hey, it's not your fault for what happened back then," Flora said calmly, being the voice of reason as ever. "Let her take her time."
Musa nodded in agreement. "Yeah. These things take time to forget. Maybe she did get over Brandon's death. But she doesn't have to be ready to move on to someone else."
The rest of the Winx nodded solemnly in understanding and simply changed the topic before Stella barges in.
Many, many hours later...
~ Alfea's Campus Quad - 9:50 PM ~
"See you, Musa," Stella sniffled while hugging her best friend. "I'll miss you so much."
Musa sniffled as well and dabbed her eyes. "What's with the long face? We'll see each other real soon again."
"Damn right we will," Layla pointed out.
"Tec...I couldn't have asked for a better roommate," Musa cried while hugging the magenta-haired fairy. Tecna, who normally had a stoic composure, started to brew tears as well. "Same goes to you, Musa."
"One last group hug?" Musa asked while extending her arms. The four girls hugged each other tightly before letting go. Musa hopped on the shuttle bus to Melody and the remaining three watched as the bus disappeared out of view. Bloom and Flora left just a short while ago.
Soon, Layla and Tecna left as well. They first insisted that Stella leave first, but the blonde reassured them that she could teleport herself home instantly.
Stella smiled tearily as she waved her friends goodbye. The smile from her face fell less than a moment later when she realized that she's alone. Again. Tears strolled down her cheeks. The last piece of her...the remaining remnant of her happiness just left.
Dejected and alone once again, Stella silently roamed through the walls of Alfea. Her home for three years...
The corridors were nearly empty. Most of the students either graduated or left for their homes for summer vacation.
Stella opened the door to the dorm the Winx shared. Her eyes vacantly scanned the area. Every room was empty and was deprived of belongings. She gently touched everyone's bed as if silently reminding herself that things will never be the same ever again.
She has changed so much in such little time that it's scaring her. "Goodbye, girls," Stella smiled through her tears. It really wasn't a goodbye. They'll see each other again soon. She dragged her feet towards her own room and sat on her bed. She looked around the room and smiled sadly at the emptiness of it.
But if there's someone she won't see again...
"Brandon..." she tearfully whispered his name. She pulled out the locket she always wore around her neck and opened it. His picture still resided there innocently. How could he die on her like that? It was just days before his 19th birthday.
She honestly had no idea what to do now. While everyone listed out their plans, she had nothing to do except for train to be a queen. She...she wasn't living anymore. It's been a while since she did something for herself but she just couldn't find enough will in her to get up and do something crazy. Like the old her.
"Well...goodbye, old me," she said while standing up and taking one last look at her room. She closed her eyes and took out her ring before feeling the all-too-familiar feeling of dissolving away. She found herself standing at the entrance of the school with her luggage.
Facing her school and home for the past three years, she allowed a few nostalgic tears to escape from her golden amber eyes. She burned the image forever into her mind. She'll never forget any moment spent here. Good or bad, this was her home.
"Goodbye, Alfea," she whispered before turning around and disappearing into the night.
...
AN: So...I'm curious to what you guys think...? Before you start flaming away, this is not a Stella story. It's a Brella story. I have a weird plot in mind and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.
It'll be great if you let me know what you think :) Good/bad...fire away!
Note: I'll try to update my other stories as well, but I can't give a guarantee/promise on the 'when' part.
Thank you for reading!