Just because I didn't put this in the author's note in the first chapter, I'll put it here.

All Episode Dialogue (c) Winx Club - Iginio Straffi and Rainbow S.r.i.


Chapter Two: Welcome to Magix

I woke up at nine thirty to the sound of an alarm clock, an annoying buzz. I had no idea how it worked, however I was able to figure it out in no time. I was so used to being woken up by Dr. Tonson's colleagues, I was usually forced to get up by six thirty every single morning, even on weekends. I struggled to open my eyes, for a few seconds I forgot where I was, and how I even got here. Then I remembered the previous day, and the long bus ride to Magix. Today was the day I finally got to see Alfea for myself, in all its magical glory. After covering up with the magical powder once again, I went across the road for breakfast. The woman at the counter led me to a table near the window and I waited for my server. It didn't take long before she came, and I had decided on a drink.

"Can I start you off with something to drink?" She asked me.

"Water please." I answered, it was the only thing I was allowed to have with my meals, I haven't tasted anything else and I was skeptical to do so. All I focused on was the price as I read the menu, and in the end I ended up deciding to have a fruit salad, and despite the fact that I picked the least expensive meal on the menu, it was the best thing I had ever tasted. I didn't know there would be anything better than the food I was given in that windowless building I called home, but the food at this diner made the food I had eaten everyday look and taste bland. I wasn't sure what to think of my old life at that moment, it was as if my whole world had been put into question.


After breakfast, I walked down the street near the inn, watching many other fairies my age wandering around, some with their families, others by themselves, and others with friends. I always wondered what it was like to have some kind of a friend. T2 was the closest person I had to a friend, but I created her, so logically, and sadly, she didn't really count. My bus pulled up to the Magical Sleep Inn approximately forty five minutes later, and once I saw it, I took a deep breath. This was it, this was the path to my freedom, a chance for me to see the real Magical Dimension, and not from inside an endless building or through articles on the Realm Wide Web. I knew it was going to be hard for me to keep my abuse a secret from everyone. I didn't even want Headmistress Faragonda to know about my personal life, with my logical decision making and tendency to over analyze everything, I was certain that would prove me more than capable of handling things on my own. Boarding the bus, I saw many of the same fairies that were wandering Magix, and as I searched for an empty seat, I saw one right next to a girl with jet black pigtails, she wore a red halter top - I think that's what it's called - and baggy blue jeans. It appeared that she had earphones in, so I didn't bother her. In about an hour, the bus approached Alfea, and I looked out the window to see the school itself. I've seen the wonderful school in photos on the Realm Wide Web when I first researched it, but nothing was as breathtaking as the real thing. It was like a castle of pink, with sparkling blue windows and roofs, and the quad was very spacious, I could not believe that this was hopefully going to be my new home. Stepping out in front of the wing shaped gates, I felt like this was the biggest step of my entire life. I looked around to see the line of students and stood by a girl with long, dark blue hair. Ms Griselda was at the front of that line, she was Alfea's head of discipline.

"What is your name, young lady?" Ms Griselda questioned the girl in front of me, she looked nervous, but unlike her, I stood tall, hiding all insecurities. At that moment, I decided that whatever happened will happen, that was the only logical outcome.

"Uh, Elinore of Dolona," The girl stuttered, " I.., I.., I sent my registration for-." but before she could continue, Ms. Griselda interrupted. I signed up online secretly, and forged Dr. Tonson's name for parental consent... I know it was immoral, but if it meant escaping his horrible experiments, I would do anything in my control to get in to this school. And if I couldn't, there would be nothing more I could do after that.

"All right, let's see if your name appears on the list," Griselda began, "Elinore.., Elinore, are you nervous young lady?"

"Uh.., a little, I-" The girl answered, stammering even more as time went on.

"There you are," Ms Griselda finally spotted the girl's name on her clipboard; and she suddenly showed great signs of relief, "Elinore of Dolona, you can go in." The girl thanked her as she walked past.

"Next!" Ms Griselda shouted, I was up, and I had to keep calm and think logically, and whatever happens after this, I could not change. If I was turned down, that would be it. I would walk away knowing that I tried to the best of my ability, "And your name is?"

"Tecna Logica of Zenith." I answered, hiding all the fear and uncertainty I had in me. Though, the feeling deep inside of me was growing as I faced the head of discipline.

"So you're Miss Tecna, Of course you're on the list, you're the honour roll student from Zenith. Ms Faragonda insisted that you were accepted into Alfea." Ms Griselda replied proudly. She suddenly gave me a look of curiosity and slight worry. This made me wonder why the headmistress was so insistent on accepting me into Alfea, did she suspect anything from my registration form? It didn't matter now, I was in, and it was so easy it was too good to be true, but low and behold there I was, standing on Alfea's quad. Everything was so beautiful, and I had never seen the sun shine in my entire life, the morning breeze felt refreshing on my bare arms, although it made my covered up scars tingle with the exposure. After a few minutes of enjoying the scenery, I followed a group of freshmen who were led by Ms Griselda, she was going to explain the rules of the school to us. The group included the girl I sat next to on the bus and the infamous Princess Stella of Solaria, I read that she blew up the potions laboratory last year. It looked like she had a friend with her, the girl was a redhead wearing blue. Joining the group, I stood by a few fairies and waited until Ms Griselda spoke.

"This school will be your home for the next five years," she began with a stern voice which I was used to, "But, this home can cease to be yours at any moment. The rules of this institution are based on discipline. Disregard these rules and I'll personally escort you to the front gate!" she continued sharply, pointing in the direction of the forest outside of the school. That made me a little nervous, I did not want to fall under the influence of anybody who decided to disobey Ms Griselda, "This is not a magician's school, you are not here to learn 'hocus pocus', consequently you may not use your powers in the hallways or other common areas. In fact the only place where you may display your powers is in your classroom under teachers' supervision. Is that clear Princess Stella?! Thanks to you and your antics the potion laboratory will not be accessible until next month at the earliest. Now I think you know what not to do if you wish to stay? Huh?" Everyone looked at the blonde princess of Solaria with looks of shock on our faces. Ms. Griselda was really giving me the same uneasy vibe that I got from Dr. Tonson when he was mad at me.

"You did that?" The redhead asked Stella quietly.

"So, my father paid for all the damages." Stella answered, I couldn't believe how vain she sounded, as if she could get her father to bail her out of everything.., well at least she had a real father. Suddenly, we all turned to see Headmistress Faragonda herself, along with three other Alfea staff members, walking towards us.

"Sorry I'm late, I hope you'll excuse me." She replied casually.

"Ladies, here comes your headmistress, attention!" Ms. Griselda announced strictly

"Oh really, there's no need to be so stodgy. I hope Ms. Griselda hasn't frightened you too much." Ms Faragonda said with a slight laugh. "Welcome to Alfea, the best fairy school in the whole of Magix." As we began walking up the steps to the main doors, she continued, "Mind you it's also the only one. Come on the in, ladies!" And as our group reached the main doors, the headmistress began to open them.

"Here we are," she swung open the doors to the enchanting school, "And so, we began our orientation session, by the end of which we should all know each other better. Becoming a fairy is hard work, but I know that everyone here can do it. Keep in mind that the teachers and I are always here to help you." I continued to follow the group of freshmen to the grand entrance room. It was even more amazing than I could ever believe a school for fairies could be.

"Okay, enough with the boring stuff, feel free to explore your surroundings, but be very careful, there are dangers lurking about." Ms Faragonda continued her speech, even when Stella mimicked what she was going to say next.

"Stay away from the witches of Cloud Tower, listen, that's what's coming up." Stella whispered to her new friend with a quiet giggle.

"Stay away from the witches of Cloud Tower." Just as predicted, Ms Faragonda said those exact same words. Naturally Stella memorized the quote by heart after her previous year of attending Alfea.

"All right, speeches are over. Everyone's dismissed, you're free 'til dinner time." Ms Griselda announced with a clap of her hands.

"Good luck everybody, I'll see you all tomorrow." Ms Faragonda added cheerfully, "Oh, and classes start at eight O clock sharp, do be punctual." Finally my magic was actually going to have a better purpose. I had a chance to transform every once in a while, just to keep me in shape, but now, I was going to use it everyday, the way a fairy was meant to use them. I was about to go up to the dorm wing when Ms Faragonda stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Tecna, I'd like to speak to you in private." She told me, that, and the look that Ms Griselda gave me, made me begin to worry. Without question, I followed the headmistress and the head of discipline up the stairs to her office, and I sat down in a chair in front of her desk.

"Now, Ms Griselda and I have some deep concerns about you? It is not uncommon for a fairy from Zenith, or any realm known for advanced technology for that matter, to submit her registration form online. However it is very odd that you did it all on your own without any assistance from Dr. Tonson." Ms Faragonda stated, "And another thing, I have come across many fairies who attempted to forge signatures for parental consent, I knew that was your writing."

"Then why did you accept me in?" I asked, confused. From the way she was saying this, it sounded like I was in trouble.

"Because I have reason to suspect that there is something wrong at home. Tell us Tecna, what are you trying to hide?" Ms Faragonda admitted, was it really that obvious? Visions of every day of my life clouded my mind, the needle, the pain, the bland food and having the same thing every single day. Now that Ms Faragonda knew that something was amiss, I had to get out of there before they discovered anything else.

"Excuse me..." I quickly rushed out, feeling hot tears rush from my eyes down my face, I didn't know what was happening to me, but one thing was for sure, I didn't like it. I buried my face from sight behind my hands as I ran down the hallway to find the nearest washroom. All I needed was a few minutes to collect myself so I could go back to Ms Faragonda and Ms Griselda and try to convince them that nothing was wrong. Once I saw one, I slipped into a stall and stood there... taking deep breaths to stop from crying.

"Come on Tecna, this is totally illogical! You're better than this!" I thought to myself before I heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Tecna, are you in there?" I could hear Ms Faragonda ask me. I stood silently, hoping she would think I wasn't here, "Tecna?

"If you're not coming out, then we have no choice but to come in. This is for your own good." I heard Ms Griselda add, and moments after not responding later, the bathroom door opened, and there was a knock on the stall that I was hiding in. They had very concerned looks on their faces, and my current actions were not helping my case.

"Tecna, look at us, tell us what is going on." Ms Faragonda encouraged me, I sighed and lifted my head to face them.

"Ms Faragonda, I think you should see her arms." The head of discipline told her, and I snapped my gaze toward my right arm, the magical powder was coming off, revealing every bruise and scar there was.

"Oh Great Dragon, this is serious," Ms Faragonda gasped in complete shock, I had no idea what they were going to do now, "Tecna, you better come with us." In a few minutes, I was back in Ms. Faragonda's office, with what she said was cinnamon tea placed in front of me. It smelled so comforting and tasted sweet. After a few sips, I felt calm again. I was so embarrassed and scared of what they would have to do. Would they take me to the authorities, if so then it would only be a matter of time before Dr. Tonson figured out that I was here.

"I want you to be completely honest with me, Tecna, has this Dr. Tonson abused you?" The Alfea headmistress continued to ask me. I didn't know what to tell her, I suppose it was obvious that I had been, I had no choice but to tell her the truth.

"Yes." I confessed as my throat closed up.

"Miss Tecna, whatever you have to tell us does not leave this office," Ms Griselda reassured me evenly, "but because you've been physically abused, we are obligated to go through any means necessary to protect you." This is what I was dreading the most, a pity party. If I was going to start crying like this more often, I would prefer to do it in solitude so I didn't appear weak and illogical. Now I had to explain all I could ever remember, every excruciating detail, everything from Dr. Tonson's creation, to the needle, and how I was locked in my room for most of my life. I even told them about the bland food and how I had the same thing every single day. By now, the hot tears in my eyes had returned, and I couldn't stop them.

"Oh you poor thing!" Ms Faragonda exclaimed.

"That's all the proof we need to go to the authorities; this is a very serious situation we have-" Ms Griselda began.

"No!" I shouted uncontrollably, the last thing I needed was for Dr. Tonson to find out that I escaped, "Please Ms. Faragonda, if he finds out that I came to Magix, he could actually kill me if he wanted to!"

"There's no need to worry, Tecna, we'll make sure that you won't be taken back there. That part of your life is over now." Ms Faragonda reassured me as she placed her hands on my shoulders.., there it was, the same reassuring feeling I got last night, those were her hands I felt, "Unfortunately this does mean for you that I have to take over all your legal responsibilities, those that a parent would usually have."

"I think I'm very capable of taking care of myself, Ms Faragonda." I protested defensively.

"Miss Tecna, the Magical Dimension can be a very dangerous place if you're not too careful." Ms Griselda advised me firmly, "As of right now, this matter is out of your hands, and besides you can't legally take care of yourself until you're nineteen."

"But-" I tried again to protest, however the headmistress and head of discipline wouldn't have it.

"No buts about it, this is for your own good," Ms Faragonda insisted as I sighed in defeat, "All you have to do is focus on learning about your magical abilities, just leave the rest to us. Although there are a couple things I want to mention, I'm going to keep your money safe here in my office and help set you up with a bank account in Downtown Magix, and secondly, you are not to leave this campus unless accompanied by someone else, even a roommate." I thought about those conditions for a moment, and finally agreed that it was only logica for me to follow these terms.

"Now go to your dormitory and meet your new roommates, get yourself settled in and we will let you know everything you need." Ms. Griselda instructed. As I walked out of her office with my luggage, I couldn't help but wonder exactly what Ms Faragonda insisted on doing for me, taking on my legal responsibilities, and if a roommate is required to be with me at all times when I'm off campus, other students could start to ask about me.


I walked down the hallway in the dorm wing, and spotted my room, my name was at the bottom of a list which included Princess Stella and another princess, Veranda of Callisto. I stepped slowly into the common area, no one seemed to be around yet, and so I looked around to see what room was mine. The bulletin by the door read that I was sharing a room with a girl named Musa from Melody. I walked into the room, and to my surprise, I saw the girl I sat by on the bus. The room itself was split in two, with a side for me and a side for her, they were already furnished with a bed, dresser, a few shelves and computer desk.

"It's you, the girl I sat next to on the bus." I began, the girl was unpacking at the moment, and she turned in my direction as I acknowledged her.

"Hey yeah, I thought I recognized you when you walked in, you must be Tecna." The girl answered, setting down a huge saxophone.

"Yes, I am, and you must be Musa." I replied as I opened one of my suitcases and took out my bedding, which included a green blanket with a circuitry design on it.

"Yep, hey I guess we'd be bunking with Stella. Did you hear what she did?" Musa asked me.

"Unfortunately, she doesn't even seem to care, she made her father pay for the damages." I told her as I took out my computer and placed it on the desk in the corner. I cast a miniaturization spell on everything so it could all fit in only two suitcases. Once all my belongings were unpacked, I sat in the chair beside my new desk.

"Hey, why don't you check out who else we're bunking with, I'll meet up with you in a second. I just have to grab the last of my luggage." Musa told me, and she left the room. I went out and suddenly heard voices coming from the other room. Stella's friend came out of her room to look at the name on the bulletin.

"In fact… uh, my real name is...Veranda...of Callisto." She said hesitantly to a tanned brunette, "Yeah, that's it." Something was suddenly suspicious about her, she was uncertain, so logically I could tell she was lying. I had to speak up, or else she was going to bump right into me.

"Callisto, fourth world of magic realm's upper ring." I informed the red head, I could easily tell she wasn't the real princess of Callisto, just by the look on her face, "Wow, that's quite a ways away." I researched a little bit of Callisto in my spare time, so I knew a little bit about where she claimed to be from, "Hi, my name's Tecna." Then, the Solarian princess walked over to us, along with the brunette.

"Hi Tecna, I'm Stella." She began, of course you are, Stella, Princess of Solaria, everyone knows that.

"Hey, I've heard about you." I looked at her with an expression that had a subtle bit of aggravation. Just then I heard Musa come in.

"Me too," She added as she came in with a bag over her shoulder, "by the way, before you blow up your room, give us time to duck and cover, okay." Everyone began laughing, except for me and Stella, who was not very amused.

"Uh, it was just an accident if you really want to know." Stella insisted as I walked over to her; I would have guessed that her father pulled some strings to get her into Alfea for a second year.

"An accident that got you expelled, how did you manage to get re-admitted?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Well, the truth is they couldn't do without someone as gorgeous as me." Stella boasted, in other words, my hunch about her father was right on. Suddenly we all heard a high pitched yelling from the bedroom, a bunny was being grabbed by a plant; I just hope I wouldn't be its next victim.

"Bad plant!" the tanned brunette ordered with a surprised gasp, "Put him down right away!"

"No, Flora, don't scold your plant." Veranda knelt down and picked the bunny up, "Kiko probably tried to eat it, it was just trying to defend itself." The brunette, named Flora, came over and took a bowl off the table.

"You hungry, little bunny?" she asked as she sprinkled seeds in the soil filled bowl, they suddenly grew into carrots, "Here." I was fascinated by this instant magical growth. Coming from a technologically enhanced realm, seeing nature magic was something completely new to me. It was incredible to see such a thing.

"Speaking of food.., what do you say we eat out tonight?" Stella replied. "It'll be our way of celebrating the new school year."

"Great idea," Flora agreed, "That'll give us a chance to get to know one another."

"Anyone for pizza?" Veranda asked.

"What's pizza?" Musa answered, I had no idea what pizza was either, this was going to be a new experience for me, and there were a lot more to come.

"Yeah, what is it?" Flora asked Veranda.

"It's the national dish of Callisto.., more or less." Veranda answered. If pizza was the national dish of Callisto, we would know what it was.

"Well, let's try it out!" Stella cheered as we ran out the door. As we walked down the hallway, we spotted Ms Griselda with a skeptical look on her face. I ignored it as we continued down onto the quad and past Alfea's gates.

As the bus stopped, I heard the driver announce the last stop of the trip. We told Veranda to close her eyes and I guided her to the sidewalk as the others followed. She had never been away from Callisto before, or so she claimed, so we wanted to surprise her.

"Are we there yet, can I open my eyes?" She asked as I guided her to a safe place on the sidewalk.

"Yes, go ahead, take a look." I told her. She uncovered her eyes, and for some reason, she didn't look too thrilled.

"You look disappointed." Musa thought.

"Of course I'm disappointed. This is it, Magix, capital of the realm of Magix, most enchanted city in the universe?" Veranda answered. Yes, this was it; and even I was more fascinated by it in person. Even being locked up all my life, I knew that this was what you'd expect from Magix City.

"Well, what did you expect?" Musa asked Veranda.

"I don't know. Dragons, gnomes, wizards, shops full of magic wounds." Veranda replied.

"But that's fairytale stuff, this is the real world." Stella explained to her, "Here, everything lives off its own magical energy, magic is everywhere." Suddenly, a car whizzed by Veranda, and was about to park in the lot. The driver couldn't find a space, so he snapped his fingers, and an extra space appeared right before his eyes. That looked so interesting that I wondered if using magic was going to be that easy in the distant future, if so, it seemed to me like it would be worth the effort in learning how to use it. Unfortunately, Veranda didn't look too impressed by this simple yet effective use of magic.

"Good heavens!" She gasped. I didn't understand, how could I, who was a lab rat for my entire life, know more about Magix than a princess that hasn't left her realm? This made my theory about her not being the real Princess Veranda of Callisto seem to be even more true by the minute.

"If you wanna see it, you just gotta look." Stella told her.

"And now, lets eat!" Flora reminded us; I nearly forgot why we were here in the first place. I was just so captivated by the marvels of Magix and the people using magic for simple things.

"Yeah, let's go." I added as we started walking again. We walked down the street to an outdoor pizza polar. I had never seen such a nice place, it sure seemed pleasant enough. Veranda went to order our pizza while we all sat around a table. When we got our pizza and I took a bite of my first ever slice; it was the best thing I had ever tasted in my life. I began to think that I was missing out on so much of life's experiences, and I could not wait to find out more. As we were eating, Musa noticed that I was eating very fast. I never ate this way; it was just that this pizza was so good.

"Tecna, slow down. Its like you haven't eaten for days." Musa replied.

"It's not good for your health to eat so fast." Flora informed me. I would have to do some research about these different foods before I got out of control.

"Not to mention your waist line." Stella added.

"I'm sorry, but this is so much better compared to what I usually have!" I told my new friends, I knew I wouldn't be giving away too much if I told them what I usually ate.

"What do they give you?" Stella asked, "Obviously a machine made it, and it probably tastes like metal." She could be right, about the food being made by a machine at least. Flora looked at her as if Stella had just insulted me.

"Stella, that's not very nice!" Flora scolded the Solarian princess.

"It's fine, Flora." I told her sincerely, "She could be right. What I have every day is eggs for breakfast, canned soup for lunch, and meat loaf, peas and potatoes for dinner. Although sometimes they change the way it's cooked, and the type of soup I have." I explained.

"You have the same thing everyday?" Musa asked me, and I nodded.

"Wow, I thought you technology fairies were kinda cool, but now I pity you." Stella replied, and I welcomed that because she had every right to feel bad for me, but for me only. Unfortunately, she received another scolding look from Flora.

"Don't pity all of us just by how I live. A lot of technology fairies live a much better life then I do." I told them.

"So, what exactly is a technology fairy?" Veranda asked, and we all were left speechless. Stella whispered something in her ear, which I had no idea what she told her.

"Oh, sorry, I understand now." Veranda suddenly said, leaving me, Flora and Musa baffled.

"What was that about?" Musa asked.

"I can be a bit clueless sometimes." Veranda giggled nervously.

Timmy's Point of View

Today was just a slow day before the start of classes in the morning, and just like the year before, I overheard Sky and Brandon talking about Alfea's back to school gala. The freshman fairies were not yet aware of it, and the headmistress was going to announce it at lunch time in a couple days. Last year it didn't even cross my mind to attend, the very thought gave me social anxiety, and I didn't think the rest of the guys would make me go, until now.

"Hey guys, let's make a bet that we can get Timmy to go to Alfea's dance this Friday." Riven joked.

"Riven, he is in the other room, he can hear you." I could hear Brandon scold him.

"Oh come on, the geek's a total shut in, he needs to grow some balls."

"Either he is going to be seriously pissed at you, or completely humiliated during the dance, no matter how you spin it, it won't end well for him." Sky advised.

"You're passing up five bucks each, that's an easy fifteen bucks right there." Riven pressed. Inside, I was irritated by the fact that they were talking about me behind my back, but I chose to ignore them in hopes that Brandon would talk some sense into the spiky haired rebel.

"Well, it is five bucks each." Sky chuckled, and then I heard footsteps coming in my direction. Perhaps this was a good opportunity to find Tecna and actually see what she looks like in person. I still needed an approach to protecting her without attracting any unnecessary attention. Then again I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of her either.

"Hey Timmy, we think you should come to Alfea's school dance with us this year." Brandon began.

"Oh, quit beating around the bush, Brandon!" Riven continued, "Listen, mainframe, you're going to that dance, rather you like it or not."

"So who's going to get the fifteen bucks?" I asked sarcastically.

"Damn he's got good hearing." I heard Riven mumble under his breath.

"Fine, I'll go if it makes you all happy, just don't expect me to socialize." I pointed out, crossing my arms seriously.

"First one to set up Timmy with a chick gets the pot." I heard Sky whisper to the rest of the guys as I turned my back.

"I heard that!" I shouted, leaving the room and shutting the door. If I could spot Tecna in the crowd of Alfea students, I could make it look like I'm talking to her just to get the others off my back. It would also give me a chance to possibly get to know her a little, the information might come in handy later on in my mission.

Tecna's Point of View

By the time we were finished eating, it was dark, and I wanted to go back to Alfea and get my room ready for the year. Veranda had been playing with her cell phone for at least fifteen minutes before finally speaking.

"I don't understand why my cell's not working. See, I press down the number and nothing happens." She explained. Although I was trapped in an endless building all my life, it had been my favourite past-time to take apart electronics. I was deeply fascinated by the mechanics of technological advancements, and secretly studied their interior structure, so I knew how they worked and how to fix them.

"Let me have a look." I offered, and she handed me the cell phone, "I'm very good with electronic stuff." As I saw the internal design of this primitive thing, I began laughing uncontrollably. I could not believe how old this phone was, no wonder it didn't work.

"Tecna, what's so funny?" Musa asked me, I hated insulting Veranda, but her phone didn't even use magic.

"This is prehistoric technology, where did you get that thing?" I tried so hard not to start laughing again, being a technology fairy, I couldn't help it, even if I didn't know much about the outside world, I knew enough to know this phone was too primitive to exist anymore. Something was definitely off with "Veranda" and I was getting so close to exposing her as a fake.

"But, it's the most recent model." Veranda replied, then I heard Stella whisper in her ear again.

"Sorry.., I shouldn't have laughed, that was rude." I admitted, closing my eyes, so as not to look at her immensely primitive cell phone, and then I slipped her my phone card as she went down the street. Once she was out of earshot, I continued my apology.

"I'm sorry for how I acted, but I couldn't help it." I pleaded with the girls as I put the pieces of Veranda's cell phone back together.

"Don't worry about it, Tecna. She didn't know." Stella told me.

"But I could've been more discrete about it." I insisted, I made myself feel bad for laughing at how primitive her phone was. This was another emotion I was not used to, guilt.

"Don't feel bad about it, I know Veranda will forgive you." Flora gave me a smile of reassurance. There was something about her sweetness and positive out-going attitude that made me feel like I wanted to be around her more, it was as if she could never be mad at me.


We sat by a fountain waiting for a long time, by now we started to worry about Veranda. I was almost worried something must've happen to her.

"Where's Veranda, she should be back by now?" I asked.

"I don't know, maybe she got lost." Flora thought, and my worries began to increase.

"Well, I know where the pay phone she used is, just around the corner." I told them. You must be wondering why I would have a pay phone card when I'm known to always use my pager, well if I were to misplace it, at least I'd have a back up means of communication. So I showed them the way, and sure enough, a block from there, we saw three witches and an ogre, and they had frozen Veranda in ice completely! I was horrified as I watched them surround the ice. I could imagine that witches were the most heartless of magical beings, but this was beyond too frightening to witness.., possibly even more frightening than the things I've already had to endure. Seeing what was in front of me, I began to shake nervously as we waited for the perfect moment to reveal ourselves.

"What a pity you had to meet us." A witch with long white hair scratched the ice with her fingernails, the sound was irritating for our ears, so it must've been torture for Veranda, "Sweet little fairy." That was our cue to jump into action, at least that's what I assumed as Stella sprung from her hiding place, as did Flora and Musa, so I followed.

"Leave her alone!" Stella shouted, "Take us on instead!" I had to stop shaking long enough to look strong to these three senior witches. I only hoped I would survive this, they looked ruthless, and I of all fairies couldn't be killed when there was a whole magical dimension of discoveries I wanted to see.

"Pathetic," The witch with white hair shrugged, "Knut, they're all yours, have fun." Then, the ogre roared and stomped toward us, and we jumped out of the way just in time and transformed. My Magic Winx outfit was a purple full body suit with powder blue glove-like sleeves and matching knee length boots. On my head, I wore a pointed purple helmet with powder blue outlining where my forehead was revealed, and in the centre of the helmet was a green tear shaped decoration that matched the same one on my chest. And my green wings had a wire looking design that, if needed, expanded into a glider. I couldn't remember the last time I transformed, even for exercise, I needed to spread me wings, literary.

Flora's Magic Winx outfit was a pink one piece dress which appeared to have a petal design on the bottom, and a darker pink top. Her ankle high boots matched the colour of her dress and her gloves were above the elbow and a few shades lighter than the rest of her outfit, and she wore a collar with a flower around her neck. Her wings looked like green leaves.

Musa's was another one piece dress, this time in red. It was a halter top like her everyday shirt, but had translucent material where her stomach showed. She had knee length red boots and purple ribbons around her arms right above her elbows that matched decorative headphones of the same colour. Musa's wings looked like that of a dragonfly in a dark blue, with purple lines near the top of the upper set.

Stella's Magic Winx outfit was an orange two piece halter and shorts combination with matching knee high boots. Her sun blonde hair was tied in long pigtails by orange hair ties, and the Solarian princess wore a light blue headband that matched wrist bands on either arm. Her wings were a little harder for me to describe but were like stretched ovals of three sizes in light blue with darker blue outlining. Now that we had finished transforming, which I will point out right now, it only takes us a millisecond to do.

"Now it's our turn, you animal!" Stella announced, staring down the ogre with a fierce death glance.

"She's the girl with the sceptre." I heard a witch with blue hair that resembled a storm cloud tell the other two witches, obviously referring to Stella. She must've crossed their path before, or they wouldn't have noticed her as much. Before the ogre could charge again, I attacked first, only because I was too afraid that I would be knocked out cold before I even knew what happened. Hopefully I could be able to fight, I mean, I'd never know until I tried.

"Static Sphere!" I shouted, trapping the ogre in a ball of digital energy. I did it, I actually did it! That was the first step to knowing whether I could fight or not, being able to defend myself against an opponent. After he was trapped in my ball of digital energy, Musa attacked him next.

"Sonic Blast!" Musa shouted, and two magical speakers appeared in between my web. The sound was so intense that my digital web disappeared, and it left the ogre disoriented. Next, it was Flora's turn to attack the confused ogre.

"Golden Pollen." She blew pollen at the ogre's feet, and it grew into magical ivy. The ivy began to wrap around the ogre's feet, and swung him quite a distance away from us. I was fascinated by Flora's powers, they were very effective, yet harmless. Unfortunately our defending attacks on the ogre seemed to make the witches angry, and I anticipated as much.

"What a blockhead," The witch in blue scoffed, then she turned to us with an evilly frustrated look in her eyes, "All right, you weaklings, you asked for it!" She began to shoot shards of ice at us with her powers, and in a completely fearful instinct, I attempted to save the girls.

"Everybody, come behind me." I told them, but inside, I felt panicked, I wasn't sure if I was strong enough to hold off the witches attacks all on my own, but I was willing to try for my new friends, "Fire wall!" Shards of ice hit my shield, and I tried hard to force myself to stay on my feet. I knew I could be stronger than this, I just needed to keep my ground and focus.

"Sisters, leave them to me!" the witch with blue hair gathered lightening in her hands from the sky, and aimed straight for us. I tried to fight it but before I knew, I was shot backward, and hit my head, I felt so dizzy afterward. At that moment I knew we were done for, my life was so short, and so miserable. The one time I try to make a better life for myself and I barely last two days on my own. I had gotten this far and it wouldn't matter, we were goners. As we lie helplessly on the ground, the ice witch was going to finish us all off.

"And now prepare for the worst." the witch of ice had an evil, cold gleam in her eye, she was conjuring up her magic for the final strike when Stella managed to stand up, and threw her ring in the air.

"Solaria!" Stella shouted as her ring transformed into her sceptre. I could barely watch, but I wondered if she would be able to save us. The witch was ready to freeze us all, but before she could attack us, Stella used her sceptre. "Let's get outta here, girls!" A blinding yellow light shone around us, and we relocated far from the three witches.

"Stella? What was that?" Musa asked, confused.

"Just an emergency spell." Stella replied. I was still unsteady, so Flora helped me up as Stella continued to warm up Veranda.

"Are you all right? You look sick?" Flora asked me. I did feel incredibly dizzy, but I shouldn't have been sick.

"I'm fine Flora, I'm fine." I insisted as I had finally got up, and watched Stella warm Veranda, she was definitely worse off than I was.

"Bloom, are you all right? It's okay, you're safe now. You know Bloom, for an Earthling, I must admit you did really well. You were very brave." Stella rambled while using her magic to warm up her friend. I knew she wasn't Veranda of Callisto! I just needed Stella to say something like this and that would blow her cover. Though, to know this girl was from Earth was more shocking, how could she manage to get through Alfea's magical barrier?

"Stella?" we all yelled in unison as we leaned over her with scolding looks on our faces.

"Is there anything we should know about 'Bloom' of Callisto?" Flora asked her, with her hands on her hips.

"Uh, well.., I may have been fibbing a bit about Bloom's background. I'll explain everything on our way back to Alfea." Stella admitted as Bloom laughed a little.

"I knew it! Right from the start I had a hunch that you weren't Veranda of Callisto!" I shouted, "I just played along until I had enough evidence, and now I do."

"Please Tecna, don't rat me out." Bloom begged me helplessly.

"I won't need to do that, I'm sure Ms Griselda has already figured it out by now." I told her evenly, "No one can pull the wool over her eyes."


On the bus, Stella explained the whole story of this strange red head.

"So, I was being attacked by Knut, the ogre, in a park on Earth, and then I saw her. She totally kicked his ass with power that was out of that world. So I insisted that she go to Alfea. After a bit of convincing and a fierce battle between me, her, some Red Fountain guys, Knut and a troll, her parents let her go." Stella explained. I heard that Red Fountain was a boys' academy for Specialists, and it was across the forest from Alfea.

"Whoa, wait, you sent Red Fountain boys to Earth?" Musa asked.

"It was an emergency, plus I think Brandon had his eye on her." Stella smiled, "But anyway, we knew she wasn't going to get in, and it was a good thing that I just happened to have that note from the parents of the real Princess Veranda of Callisto, saying she was home schooling this year. So I told Ms Griselda that Bloom was Veranda and we were all set."

"Alfea's entry requirements should include photo identification." I replied, voicing the thought that was crossing my mind since I saw Bloom.

"Yes, then this wouldn't happen again. You know you can get in a lot of trouble for this, Stella." Flora added. Bloom looked like she regretted ever coming to Magix. And now that Flora had mentioned trouble, I had a sinking feeling that all of us were going to have a very unpleasant talk with Ms Griselda when we got back.

E


We quietly tip toed into Alfea's quad, we were all very tired, and I still needed to get ready for tomorrow. Today's ambush was definitely an interesting experience which I hope never to happen again, and I expected that we would be caught out here, sneaking back in.

"All right, the coast is clear." Stella slowly tiptoed toward the door. Suddenly, the quad lights came on, and Ms Griselda and Ms Faragonda stepped out from the school side doors.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Ms Griselda asked sternly after clearing her throat. I was only waiting for this to come, and as I anticipated, it did.

"Young ladies, we were worried sick." Ms Faragonda added, "Go to bed immediately, we'll discuss the rules again tomorrow." We walked past them to the doors, until Ms Griselda stopped Bloom.

"Not so fast, Princess Veranda!" she snapped, "Isn't there something you forget to tell us." We stopped cold in our tracks as we heard Ms Griselda's voice.

"All right, my name is Bloom and I'm from Earth." Bloom admitted.

"Ha, I knew it, you're not a real princess!" Ms Griselda scolded her, "Young lady, you have tricked us." I knew she was going to get punished, but at least her telling the truth wasn't as severe as it was for me. If I told anyone about my home life, they wouldn't treat her me the same, they would feel the need to help me any way they could, even if I didn't need it.

"True, but still, she must be a magical creature, or the barrier would've kept her out." Ms Faragonda pointed out, then she walked up to the redhead. "Now tell me Bloom, why didn't you give us your real name?"

"Well, I-" Bloom began before Stella interrupted her.

"Ma'am, this whole thing was my idea!" Stella confessed finally.

"It's okay, Stella." Bloom insisted, "I come from a small town on Planet Earth called-."

"Outside the realm of Magix?" Ms Griselda asked in shock, "Utterly impossible."

"I beg you, don't send me away. I've always wanted to be a fairy with all my heart, and now I can make my dream come true." Bloom pleaded. We all had to give her credit for the determination she had, going to another dimension just to fulfill a lifelong dream.

"You lied to us, and that is unforgivable!" Ms Griselda replied sharply.

"But she also has a dream and she totally believes in it. She has displayed a great tenacity, and isn't that a quality that every fairy should possess?" Ms Faragonda asked the head of discipline, I was glad Ms Faragonda was less strict than Ms Griselda. And I was happy that Bloom's lies where forgiven, and she could stay with us at Alfea. Despite my suspicions I liked Bloom.

"Yes, ma'am." Ms Griselda answered, defeated by the superiority of the headmistress.

"Now go to bed.., and don't make any more noise." Ms Faragonda told us.

"Yes, ma'am!" We all cheered as we headed to our dorm.


By the time we got to our dorm, I was very tired, but I managed to stay awake long enough to finish organize my things for the year. Then, Bloom announced a meeting in her room before we went to bed.

"Who?" we all asked in unison, curious at what she had just proposed. She asked us what we thought of the name 'Winx.'

"The Winx, us, I mean if we're going to be a group, we should have a name." Bloom explained, "Don't you think?"

"Actually, it's not a bad idea." I agreed, "A name is good for a quick reference."

"Its true, the three witches are the Trix, and we could be called something like… The Super 5, or The Stella 5… ooh I got it, the Airy Fairies!" Stella suggested, and I'm not lying when I say that Stella comes up with the worst ideas for group names.

"The.. the what?" Musa asked.

"The Airy Fairies, its short and sweet and it rhymes. What's wrong, you don't like it, Musa?" Stella asked our musical friend.

"Naw, sounds terrible." Musa admitted to Stella.

"I vote for Winx." Flora chimed in.

"Me too." Musa and I agreed together.

"Perfect.., because, you see, I've already come up with a logo, simple yet catchy." Bloom pulled out a piece of paper from her nightstand drawer, and Kiko snapped his fingers in approval and pulled out his own piece of paper that he painted on.

"This looks fantastic!" Stella cheered, assisting Bloom with holding it up. All I wanted to know was how she came up with it.

"Yes, but um… what does Winx mean?" I inquired. Was there some kind of meaning behind the name, did it stand for something, was it an acronym?

"Oh, nothing, just… Winx."

"I think what Bloom means to say, is that Winx is the power of friendship and the power of our magic together in one group." Flora explained.

"As great of a meaning as it is, you just made it sound really cheesy Flora." Stella told her bluntly, without thinking.

"But Flora did have a good point, it is a wonderful meaning, friendship and teamwork." Bloom agreed.

"Well, I'm going to bed, good night, girls." Musa began to walk out of Bloom and Flora's shared room, and I followed her. After saying good night to the girls, I put my pyjamas on, they consisted of a simple purple T-shirt with a double sided green arrow and matching green shorts, and slipped under the covers of my new bed. I could easily get comfortable, and I buried my face in the soft pillow, and took in all the changes of the last twenty-four hours. I suddenly had the same rush of emotions that I experienced last night, the feeling of anticipation, excitement, curiosity... I was in Alfea now, I had four new friends, and I ate pizza for the first time and loved it. Suddenly it hit me, everything that I was experiencing had finally caught up with me, and I felt my eyes water again. I couldn't be crying, I wasn't upset, it didn't make sense.

"Tecna, are you okay?" Musa asked from her bed, how could she hear me, I learned to cry silently since I was seven.

"I'm fine, Musa." I said simply.

"Hey, I can tell you're crying." She came over to my side of the room, and sat on the side of my bed.

"How did you know?" I asked her.

"Being a fairy of sound, I was born with sonar hearing; I could hear your sniffles loud and clear." Musa explained to me, "Now, what's going on?"

"Musa, can you cry when you're overwhelmed?" I asked her, I wasn't sure what to expect.

"Yes, you can, this is totally normal for anyone going through big changes in life?" Musa smiled at me warmly.

"Thanks, Musa." I answered as she got back into her bed, "Good night." I turned to my side as Musa returned a good night, and it seemed like I drifted off to sleep in seconds