Hey there!
It's been a while since I last posted a story here. This time I've decided to turn a fic of mine called Crónicas de un desertor into a collection of one-shots about Helia before the events of the series. I hope you enjoy them, though I'm not sure when I will update.
Remember I do not own Winx Club.
Once upon a time, nobody ever paid attention to the raven-haired child who used to hide in the monstrous wooden cupboard of the longest corridor to seek adventures in the pages of the tales he read under the flashlight.
Therefore, Helia got fairly surprised the day it was decided his future was worth enough to be the main issue of their sudden family reunion. Having just turned sixteen, his beloved grandfather had come to spend some days with the Cavalcanti household before Red Fountain opened its gates after the summer.
But the evening had not started as delightfully as his mother had planned. She had had to send the butler to drag him out of one of his "painting sessions" and she had been glaring daggers at him ever since he had manifested in the living room in a wrinkled dress shirt and hands-stained. His father, as usual, preferred to pretend he didn't exist, though his big brother had not been so merciful.
Marcus, ever the paradigm, manoeuvred the conversation straight to the point he desired; worse still, he had the nerve to smile mischievously a second before his masculine lips let the infamous question escape.
"I was wondering, little brother, if you had finally chosen which school you are going to apply for this year".
The clutter of the cutlery stopped and Helia tensed up, not daring to meet anyone's eyes. His answer would be a death trap.
"Red Fountain, of course. One must always aim for the best." replied Mr Cavalcanti, who ignored his youngest son's reaction in favour of tasting the red wine the maid had served with the roasted meat.
"That's wonderful news!" Saladin exclaimed "I didn't know we were having another Specialist in the family"
His grandfather's cheerfulness was a shot through the heart. He had been looking up to him all his life, being the only member of his family that showed genuine interest in him. Nevertheless, he supposed, then and there, he deserved the truth.
"Well… I'd like to attend Art School"
The moment the statement was said, he could hear the scowl coming from the other end of the table.
"Nonsense! It's time for you to put your feet on the ground, Helia"
"Yes" agreed his brother "Art School is for losers"
A second wave of uncomfortable silence invaded the dining room. Saladin, worried about the sullenness written all over the face of Helia, kindly asked if he was alright, but it was the eldest brother who took the reins of the conversation once more.
"He's perfectly fine, grandfather. He is always like this when Art School comes up because he doesn't want to listen how he is going to forfeit his life".
"Shut up!" Helia interfered, disregarding Mrs Cavalcanti's voice reprimanding him. "I'm fed up with you all talking about me as if I weren't listening! Listen carefully: I am not attending Red Fountain in October"
And when the world around him came to a halt, he ran upstairs.