Chapter Two
The Alfea Code of Behavior (Abridged)
Last updated by Deputy Headmistress Griselda Fordollo
1. You must follow all of the rules in the Code of Behavior.
2. There will be absolutely no unsupervised use of magic in the corridors, empty classrooms, or Potions laboratories.
3. Stay away from the Witches of Cloud Tower. This particular rule lacks a punishment, since the ones that the witches inflict will almost certainly be worse.
4. Curfew is at 28 o'clock (which is four hours before midnight on Magix.) Lateness will not be tolerated.
5. Classes start at 8 o'clock. Again, lateness will not be tolerated.
6. No marriages shall be conducted between an Alfea student and another student at any school while said student is under Alfea tutelage.
7. Usage of the secret passages underneath the school are forbidden, in the unlikely event that any of these passages exist.
8. It is strictly forbidden to open any unmarked doors in the Potions wing of Alfea, especially if one sees a sticky pink goo oozing from beneath the door.
9. It is strictly forbidden to open any unmarked doors in the old classroom wing of Alfea. Especially if one sees blood or hears screaming coming from inside.
10. It is strictly forbidden to open any doors marked "Labyrinth," "Griffin stables," "Dungeon," "Brain," or "Enter Please," no matter their placement within the school or how nicely they may ask you. Be aware that Alfea is classified as a Type-A Sentient Edifice under the Magic Historical Council, and so its less-used rooms may be prone to movement, depending on how the building feels on a particular day.
11. Forbidden magical substances, spells, and potions found in any fairy's possession will be instantly confiscated and, as necessary, reported to the local law enforcement. See Code of Behavior Section ቡ, subsection ሚ for the complete list.
12. No physical weapons of any kind are allowed on the premises. As a school that teaches magic strictly for the purpose of self-improvement and social preparation, Alfea prohibits tools of war.
13. No classrooms may be used by a student unless a teacher is present for supervision.
14. No fighting between students of any kind will be accepted outside of self-defense class, and even then must be strictly supervised.
15. No alcohol, smoke-able substances, or non-magical drugs are allowed on the school premises. Any student found in possession or to be using such substances will meet the same fate outlined in rule 11.
Etcetera...
Consequences:
A single violation of the above rules will be punished with transmogrification into a frog; a double violation will result in the revocation of one's power. A third will result in immediate expulsion, no exceptions.
The bright star hung high in the sky, shedding warm light onto the small planet. Magix was mainly green, covered in magical forest, but it was also home to the most magical city and three of the best colleges in the entire dimension.
At the time, it was noon. Down in the valley between the Barrier Mountains, a pink castle sparkled, but not as brightly as the assembly of people who gathered in its courtyard. Fairies from every corner of the magical dimension were forming a circle, because it was Alfea College's first day of school. New friends and old acquaintances chatted happily. In the center of the quadrangle, Deputy Headmistress Griselda waved her hands for silence, which she received immediately.
"This school will be your home for the next five years. But this home can cease to be yours at any given moment. The rules of this institution are based on discipline, and we adhere to a strict Code of Behavior. Now, the first rule in the Code of Behavior is, you must follow all rules in the Code of Behavior..."
The fairies looked on, sufficiently cowed as Griselda continued. They had come from realms far and wide to attend the most prestigious institution for fairies in the Magic Dimension. Most of them were rich, noble, or both. They were the daughters of royalty, presidents, or top barristers and nearly all of them had gone to exclusive finishing schools before enrolling in Alfea.
Some, however, weren't any of the above. Alfea did have a scholarship program for high-achieving commoners. The requirements were stringent; grades, base power, and (despite no one admitting it) attractiveness were numbered among them.
Flora, Linphean Fairy of Nature, was one of these lucky peasants. No one needed to tell her that she was in hopelessly over her head. She now realized she'd stumbled into a crowd of unreachable sophisticates. All of them probably knew each other from the same private school.
"Break the rules once, and you will be turned into a frog..." said Griselda.
Were there side effects to being turned into a frog, mental or physical? Flora supposed that the Headmistress wouldn't allow it as a punishment if students were, say, eating flies for days afterward as a result, but still. She'd have to read up on that.
Just then, the Headmistress came out onto the lawn, flanked by three of her teachers. The famed Faragonda was barely taller than Flora,with white hair that sparkled in the noonday sun. If one watched, one would see a twinkle of intelligence in her squinting eyes. She was someone who radiated tranquility, mixed with genuine love of life.
"I hope Griselda didn't scare you too much," she said, and around the circle, the other girls visibly relaxed. It wasn't a spell, Flora noted. Just kindness and a surprising sincerity.
"Welcome, one and all, to Alfea. I'm Ms. Faragonda, your headmistress. I'm an Alfea alumna and a former fairy godmother." She turned and led them past a fountain to a part of the castle that faced the gate. With a snap of her fingers, the two double doors at the entrance sprung open. They entered a large, open foyer with stairs that disappeared off to the left and right.
"This year we have quite a wonderful class. Some of you will fight evil, some will grant wishes, and many of you are princesses who will take over your realms, but our goals are the same for everyone: to help each of you become the very best you can be; to become the beautiful, graceful butterflies that I know you all are."
From the corner of her eye, Flora saw the infamous Princess Stella mouthing along to Faragonda's words. It looked like she had everything figured out.
She cringed. Flora hoped the girl didn't blow up anything this year. Especially if she was in the room with her.
"This is the end of our orientation session, seeing as all of you had taken the tour before you applied. Now, feel free to explore the grounds, meet your roommates and enjoy the campus. But remember: the last bus in is at 27:30, and curfew is at 28 o'clock! Breakfast will be at seven tomorrow morning. Please be punctual! Now go on and have fun!"
There was a slight buzz in Flora's ears as the translation spell worked out all the numbers, making them into figures she could understand. Flora wasn't sure how the process worked, but it had involved an intergalactic alliance between the powers of the time, five thousand years before. Somehow, several hundred planets had banded together to cast a spell that broke the barrier of communication. It was one of the better accomplishments of the magical race.
Maybe she could find a book on it later. It wasn't like she would be doing anything else. In the meantime, she would go to her room and see if she would be making any friends this year. She hurried up the stairs to the dormitories, ahead of the crowd as usual, alone as always.
The apartment was light and airy. It was arranged in a U-fashion around a central lounge with a door to the hall. Her particular door was on the left side of the lounge, and, according to the sign, she was sharing an apartment with a girl called "Varanda of Callisto" – and, (her heart sank), the Princess Stella would be bunking in the same dormitory.
But she had more immediate issues to deal with: namely, the problem of Varanda of Callisto. People didn't get titles that mentioned their planets unless they were important. In a dimension with millions of realms and trillions of beings, it didn't matter where you came from...unless you were somebody special.
She wasn't anti-royalty or anything, it was just that she had been hoping for someone a little more like her. What was she supposed to do with a princess?
Nothing, it seems, she thought with a sinking heart upon opening the door. Clearly, she and her roommate had nothing in common.
Her room was a study in contrasts. Rich and poor. Light and dark. Flora's space, on the closer side of the room, was painted a calm lilac and shaded with a lily palm; Varanda's was a bright pink made even brighter by the open window. The princess's area was crammed with books and paper and pictures of things she'd never get to see. All of Flora's possessions (her suitcase of clothes, her books, her talking plant, Mariel) fit in a corner, clothing hardly taking a third of her vast closet space.
Seeing that she was the first to arrive, Flora went ahead and peeked into the other rooms. There was another non-princess across the hall, so there might be promise in that relationship – and besides, Teen Fairy said that your room reflected your personality. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to be compatible with hers. The first room clockwise around the hall was done up in blue and green, with a decor that could only be described as spaceship-meets-punk-rock. She sensed a clash in personalities here. Would it even work between those two?
The only other room, a single which belonged to the infamous Princess Stella, was so bright and sunny that it blinded her upon first glance. When her eyes adjusted, she saw that it also happened to be decked out with every amenity: wall-to-wall wardrobe, high ceiling, even floating stairs that led up into what could only be more storage space. Back on Linphea, there could have been an entire family living in a home this size!
Well, look on the bright side. Maybe she'll spend all her time in there and not in the Potions Lab, blowing things up.
She walked back to her room, closed the door, and stroked Mariel's stem sadly. "Looks like I'll be spending a lot of alone time in the library again. You think my roommate would be my friend if I traded her something?" She looked down at her meager belongings. "Not like I have anything worth trading."
"You got a room all to yourself?" said a high, childish voice from behind the door to her apartment. "Lucky, I got a roommate." A moment later, a redheaded girl in a short blue top and light blue pants entered the room. Flora stayed in the corner, watching as blue-pants came closer.
Blue-pants moved strangely. Her expression was very hard to read. On the surface, it seemed almost childlike, with her exaggerated gestures and wide eyes. But something about it wasn't right.
Suddenly, she came barging forward. Flora stepped to the side. Surely she'd stop before she reached Mariel - she wouldn't step on the plant, would she?
The silence was shattered by Mariel's piercing scream.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" said the girl who must be Varanda. "I didn't see you there." She looked up and saw Flora. "Or you!" She smiled. "Is this yours?"
Flora suppressed a stab of annoyance at that – Mariel is a 'she,' not a 'this'! – but soothed it away quickly. She's not from Linphea, she wouldn't know, she told herself.
"Mariel is a talking plant. She's my latest creation," Flora said. "Oh, and I'm Flora! So nice to meet you!"
"So nice to meet you!" said the redhead. "That's so cool! Stella, come in here! My roommate's plant talks! You have to see!"
The princess in question entered the room with a flourish, swishing her blond hair behind her. There was a smile on her face that masked a barely-suppressed disinterest. Why is she making that face?
"It's nice to meet you, Flora," said Stella. She directed her gaze at her friend, the redhead. "I've seen this a couple times at the Solarian harvest festivals." She looked back at Flora, that challenge still in her gaze. "You used a talking enchantment, right? That's cool. You'll have to tell me which spellbook you got that from."
Hardly, thought Flora. A 'talking enchantment' barely described the lengthy process of cloning, planting, repotting and fertilizing she'd had to go through to help Mariel grow, not to mention the research and spellcasting that it took to make a sapient talking plant. But Flora lowered her head and nodded. "I'll be sure to tell you."
The redhead (who must be Varanda) looked between them, not appearing to notice anything amiss. "Oh, silly me! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Bloom." Princess Stella nudged her in the ribs.
"I mean," she said, laughing lightly and backing away to glance at the door, "Bloom is a name I like a lot, but it's not my name. My real name is...Varanda, of Callisto."
"Oh my!" said Bloom/Varanda, bumping into someone in the doorway, and then a newcomer entered. She had to be about the strangest person that Flora had ever seen. She was about a hand's width shorter than Flora. Her hair was a violent shade of magenta, and she wore a purple ensemble with capris and a top that showed her midriff, all made of some kind of shimmery synthetic fabric. Her skin was the strangest: the other girls were a bit pale by Linphean standards, but still showed signs of a healthy glow. This one looked like she'd been living underground.
"Walking backward is illogical," said the girl. "You're from Callisto, in the fourth realm of the Magic Dimension's upper ring, correct? That is quite a long way away."
"Yes, that's me!" said Varanda. "What's your name?"
"I am known by Tecna."
"Hi, I'm Stella!" said the blonde princess. Tecna frowned a bit, noticing her.
"I know. You've been mentioned. According to the older students, you are quite notorious." Apparently,Tecna shared Flora's sentiments about their roommate. The difference was that Flora knew how to hide her irritation. Tecna's appeared plainly on her face, making Flora cringe.
"Hey, they paid all the damages," Varanda said, rather cheerily, considering the situation. You would think that she was discussing the weather and not a potions accident.
"That was mentioned in the information session as well." Tecna abruptly turned away from them and knelt, opened the blue suitcase that she was carrying. She rummaged in it for a few seconds before snapping it shut and standing up with a few leaflets.
"Griselda distributed these during our orientation. They're copies of the Code of Behavior. I took the liberty of taking extra, in case my roommates were unprepared. Would you all like some?"
"Um, Tecna," Flora said quietly, then stopped. How was she supposed to explain this? No one read the Code more than once, except if you were a scholarship kid like Flora, and even then she had almost fallen asleep during the process.
"Thanks a bunch!" said Varanda, and took all of them from Tecna's hands, and distributed them to Flora and Stella before they could do anything. "Thanks," said Flora without meaning to.
"You're welcome," said Varanda, as if she thought Flora was actually grateful. "It's always good to be careful about the rules: coming here is a dream come true and I'd just be so upset if I got expelled." That doesn't begin to cover it, Flora was thinking, when a rough voice interrupted her.
"Yeah, I'd be pretty pissed, too."
The statement had come from a newcomer who stood in the doorway, a tall fairy with a streetwise glint in her eyes and headphones around her neck. The girl turned toward Stella, grinning in a not-so-nice way. "But seeing as we've got the expert on the topic right here, we could ask her."
To Flora's surprise, Stella did not immediately jump down the girl's throat. Instead, she smiled, overly-bright. "Oh, I was upset for a while. I got over the embarrassment pretty quickly, though. Some of those old books were so worn, you know, that you couldn't see the print on some pages. I imagine that I skipped over a few tiny details."
"Like which ingredients combusted when added together," said Tecna. Everyone looked at her, surprised. She raised her eyebrows. "What? That is a probable example of what she missed: after all, the potion left burn marks on the wall and not water damage."
The new girl snorted. "I like the way you think."
Tecna looked pleased. "Thank you."
"Anyway," said the new fairy, "How'd you spin it? Getting back in, I mean." She took a step forward.
Stella stood her ground, still smiling. "I just told Daddy what happened, and he paid all damages in full. We've got some spiffy new textbooks now, and some brand new laboratories. I think Griselda seems happy I'm back!"
The new fairy smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. "I can see why."
"Yeah, I know. Can you imagine facing Alfea every day without seeing this face?" Stella illustrated her sentence by pointing to it. The girl looked irritated.
"No, I think she's probably hoping you'll get expelled again, bring some money into the school. It's worked before, hasn't it?"
The tension built. Flora felt sick to her stomach. Why, oh why, did I think it was a good idea to come here? The pigtailed fairy and Stella faced off, looking for all the world like they were about to fight, and then –
"Hey, why don't we go for pizza?" said Princess Varanda in her highest voice yet. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her.
"You know! It's the royal dish of Callisto. It's super-delish. I'm sure they have it in the city somewhere. We should check it out! As roommates, we'll be eating all our meals together anyway, so let's start now, just for practice!"
Everyone stared. Flora wondered if they had run into an irregularity in the translation spell. She hadn't really said that, had she? You'd have to have the subtlety of a brick wall to miss the tension in the room, with Stella and the new girl practically growling at each other.
"Well, let's introduce ourselves, then," said Varanda. "I'm Princess Varanda of Callisto," she said without even a twitch, oddly enough.
The new girl and Stella looked at each other and slowly separated, Stella sporting that same irritating grin, the other one scowling darkly. This much drama and we haven't even had lunch.
"I'm Musa."
"Charmed. I'm Princess Stella of Solaria."
"We've heard," said Musa and Tecna at the same time. They smiled, surprised.
"And I'm Flora," she said, tapping her chest with her hand as she introduced herself, as was polite in interplanetary diplomacy. They all shared an uneasy smile, and in the following silence, they walked through the winding halls to the bus that would take them out of Alfea.
It's going to be a long day, Flora noted.
But it wasn't until three hours later that Flora realized how right she was.
After they left campus and rode the bus out to Magix, the course of the day took Flora and the rest of the girls through the center of downtown, and eventually out to dinner, where Varanda left them to make a call on a strange device called a phone. She didn't return, not even as hours passed, and the girls walked down the street to sit at a fountain in Verox Square just as the second sun sank below the horizon.
"I'm a little worried about Varanda," said Stella off-handedly. "This is kind of a bad neighborhood."
Musa gave her a look. She was the one who had brought them there.
The blonde shrugged. "Just saying, darling. This place can be pretty sketchy, especially when the witches from CT hang out here after school."
"Well, if you're scared, I suggest you lead us somewhere else," Musa said, but at the same time, Stella said, "But the ones you really need to watch out for are the Trix."
"...What?" said Musa, temporarily surprised.
"Yes, who are the Trix?" Tecna put in.
Stella put on what seemed to be her gossip face. She leaned in. "They're these three senior witches. Nobody messes with senior witches, that's one thing. But they're also like, freakishly powerful. No one at the school can stand up to them. There's something different about them...they're clever. They're cruel." She looked thoughtful. "I heard that they're keeping tabs on every fairy and witch in the school. I wonder..."
A shrill scream pierced the air. It was coming from the alleyway behind the group. Stella raised her head. "That's Bloom's scream! I mean, uh, Varanda's!"
"Wait, what?"
"Never mind! Let's go!"
They entered the alley to a scene of destruction. Ice lay scattered in piles all over the pavement, the cement was broken and trash cans were overturned. In the midst of it all stood a giant yellow Ogrus horriblis, pinning Varanda down with his foot.
And then there were the witches. They shared similar facial features, a kind of deathly beauty, like that of a black widow or a poisonous plant. They wore dark jumpsuits with harnesses that each held a letter: maybe their first initial.
"It was you!" said Stella suddenly. She seemed to recognize the ogre, and vice versa. She might have said something else, but Flora was watching Varanda. She seemed to be sweating and shivering at the same time, and was definitely in some degree of pain. Had Varanda done something to provoke these people?
"What happened?" Musa gestured towards the ruin. "Does everyone here go around destroying-"
"Bloom!" Stella screamed again, not even bothering to correct herself this time. She looked back at the witches.
"And you! Who the fuck do you think you are? Do you get some sort of pleasure out of attacking m? First you sic this ogre on me and try to steal my scepter while I'm somehow on Earth of all places, which would have killed me if I hadn't run into Bloom right here! And now you're kidnapping her in an alleyway? What is your obsession with me? Why-"
"Well, aren't we vain?" one of the witches replied. Her brown hair was longer than Flora's, though similar in coloring. "Long time no see, little fairy."
"What brought you and Varanda to Earth?" Tecna inquired, seeming to forget about what was happening in the face of unknown information. "I thought she hadn't ever left Callisto."
This caught the witches' attention. One of them laughed. "Stupid fairy. Let me spell this out for you: your friend is an Earth girl."
Tecna's gasp of surprise was drowned out by a frustrated growl that came from Stella. She pointed at the ogre. "Now listen here, you massive yellow zit! Get your foot off my friend before I kick your ass!"
"Shall we wager on that fight?" another witch questioned, fingering her pale hair. "You lose, we get your scepter."
"Oh yeah? Well my friends and I are..."
This is bad, Flora 't Ms. Griselda told them they weren't supposed to use magic without supervision? Or interact with the witches of Cloud Tower?
'We don't have a punishment for this particular rule, because nothing we can do is as terrible as what the witches will.' Griselda's words echoed in her mind as the three seniors prepared for a magical attack. Stella looked like she actually wanted to take them on! And Bloom looked like she was in so much pain...
Flora wanted to duck. Or run. Or-
"Hold it right there!" A man's voice shouted from behind.
A whistle sounded. "Break it up, girls!"
"Shit," one of their aggressors said.
It was the Magix police. Two of them – plainclothes officers, judging by their lack of uniforms– had come to see what all the commotion was about. "Alfea fairies and Cloud Tower witches. Remind me whose bright idea it was to keep both these schools on the same planet."
The other surveyed the nine of them, making sure they really had given up on their magical fight. "Now listen good, ladies. Break it up, now. First person to attack gets arrested. We don't tolerate fighting in this city."
"Now, it's your first day back, so we'll let you off with a warning. However, your headmistresses will be notified." He pulled out a notebook, "now please give me all your-"
Crack! Faster than the eye could blink, the three witches and the ogre vanished, leaving the policemen behind. Unfortunately, if they didn't have identification, they couldn't press charges.
Stella looked ready to follow their lead, when the man closest to her grabbed the fairy's wrist. "Oh no you don't. First, you're all going to give us your names, and then we're-"
"Please, officer!" the Earth girl screamed. "Those witches lured me into this alley, and then a monster attacked me! My friends here only came to save my life!"
"It's true," Flora felt obligated to add. "She was in a lot of pain when we arrived."
The two men glanced at one another, trying to decide what to do. "Hmm… since we can't prove it either way, and since those witches fled, we won't take you in for questioning. However," the first one said sternly, "we still need your names. Your headmistress will be notified. She can decide what to do with you."
"Also," added the other, "since you clearly can't spend your afternoon in Magix without causing trouble, we'll be escorting you back to Alfea. Don't try anything."
They rode back to Alfea in a squad car.
The atmosphere inside was totally silent. Musa leaned against the window, looking stormy, and Tecna stared at her hands while Bloom gazed off into space. Even Stella, who had the least to lose, looked like she was going to cry.
And Flora? Flora didcry; quiet, bitter tears that soaked into the collar of the short peasant top she'd bought especially for Alfea. No one looked at her all the way back to school.
By the time they arrived, it was around twenty-nine o'clock, which was one hour past curfew, and Flora was ready to die. It didn't help that the police officers had left the siren on. But approaching Alfea and watching the lights flicker on in the windows, while Headmistress Faragonda and Head of Discipline Griselda waited out on the grass – that made the humiliation complete.
The officers drove the car right up onto the lawn and parked it outside the gates that were shaped like wings. They got out and waited while the officers explained.
"Thank you, I'll handle it from here," said Headmistress Faragonda when they were finished, and then she gestured at the girls to follow them, not once looking back to see if they did. Flora had a sudden urge to bolt into the woods and never stop.
Only when they were standing within the gates, flooded with the lights from the lamps, did their headmistress look at them.
"It isn't the fact that you've deliberately disobeyed my orders on the first day of school, or that you broke curfew, or even that you were escorted back in a police car because you were in an altercation with witches," she said in a mild, quiet tone that made Flora want to conjure a hole in the ground and bury herself in it.
"It is the fact that you were representing Alfea which makes me disappointed in you. In all of you," she added. Her eyes made a quick sweep over Flora, taking in the redness of her eyes and the dots of tears on her shirt. They held no expression.
"Moreover, you put yourself in danger. You left what you knew to be the safe part of Magix to the territory which you should know is inhabited by witches. Worse, when you met them, you antagonized them – and I don't care whose idea that was, Miss Musa," she said in response to Musa's noise of objection.
"In so doing, you showed a disregard for your own safety and that of the other girls in your group, and that is true no matter who started it. I cannot have girls here who are dangers to themselves or to their friends, regardless of their good intentions. I hope you can serve the school better in the future." She pinched the bridge of her nose, as if she was tired of the lecture.
"Now. Go to bed."
They began to trudge off in the direction of their dormitories, when Musa's voice echoed through the silence.
"Wait. There's something that you need to know, Headmistress Faragonda."
Behind them, Bloom stopped in her tracks. Musa refused to look at her.
"Yes, Miss Musa?"
"It's about Varanda. I don't want to be a snitch, but I don't want to lie, either – so I think she should tell you herself."
The silence following Musa's declaration was ominous. Bloom's voice cut through it quietly, unwillingly.
"Well...I'm not Varanda, and I'm not from Callisto. My real name is Bloom and I'm from planet Earth."
"I knew it!" Griselda burst out. "I knew you weren't a real princess. You've lied to us, young lady!"
"Yes," said Faragonda, "but if you weren't a fairy, the barrier would have kept you out. So, tell us, why did you come here under a false name?"
Stella stepped forward, looking desperate. "Headmistress, it was all my idea –"
Faragonda shushed her with a wave of her hand. "Go on."
"I come from a little town on Earth called Gardenia. I've wanted to be a fairy for all my life. To fly like a fairy, to use magic– being one is my greatest dream." She stared earnestly at the two women, clasping her hands in front of her. "I love this place with all my heart and soul! I just know that if I have the chance to stay here, I can succeed!"
Griselda spluttered. "Surely you don't expect us to listen to that, after you lied and tricked your way into the school!" But Faragonda put her hand on Griselda's arm. "However, she showed a great tenacity, and a good deal of passion. Both are things we teach our students to strive for, hmmm?" She turned her face away from the girls, so that Flora could not read her lips as she whispered something in Griselda's ear.
"Well, Bloom," she said, turning back to her, "I suppose you can stay and take Varanda's place. You can meet me tomorrow morning before class to discuss your scholarship." She was already smiling again; the twinkle from earlier was back in her eye. "And do try not to make any more noise!"
Later, they stumbled back into their dormitory, exhausted but alive. A feeling of mingled fear and relief hung around them like a fog. Flora felt it too. We could have died tonight, she thought. Every beat of her heart reminded her.
Just as they reached their rooms, Bloom told them to come into the one that she and Flora shared. "I've got something special to show you guys," she said, smiling brightly. They watched as she rummaged in her bed, turning over the pillows until she finally pulled a piece of not-parchment (something different and strange) out of her pillowcase.
She turned around. Written on the scrap was a strange word, so strange that it was hard for Flora to understand even after the translation spell worked its magic.
Winx, it said. Except –
"That's an old Runic word for magic," Musa said. "But why's the last letter so big?"
Bloom smiled widely. "It's shaped like a butterfly! To represent beauty, fragility, innocence, obedience, goodness, and forgiveness." She beamed at Musa, who looked guilty. "It represents everything we are supposed to emulate. Everything we are supposed to be."
Out of the corner of her eye, Flora saw Stella flinch. She empathized. She knew, of course, that everything Bloom had told her was right; she'd heard it said a hundred times before in junior school; she'd read it a hundred times in books of manners and diplomacy. Fairies were sweet. Fairies were gentle. Fairies were nice. So then why did she feel like she was the one being imposed upon?
"Everything we are supposed to be, huh? " The voice came from behind Flora. She turned: it was Musa who had spoken. She was leaning against the wall, as far from Bloom as she could get.
"But you didn't mention hard work, did you? Or practicality. Loyalty. Cunning. Toughness." Her voice was very quiet, but it sounded scratchy, as if she was fighting to hold back her emotions.
"I didn't come here to make friends, Earth girl, and especially not your kind of friend."
This declaration was met with complete silence. To the left of Musa, Tecna was having her own reaction. She appeared to be struggling with something; she opened her mouth, then closed it, as if she was debating whether or not to say something.
"Oh, come on," said Bloom, speaking with an edge of desperation. "We'll grow on each other. Who says we can't be good friends?"
"You...repulse me," said Tecna. It appeared she had finally figured out what she wanted to say.
Everyone stared at her.
"When I came here," she said, I was told not to come back unless I had made friends. I rode thirty hours in a galactic starship to be here. I drank five different potions to acclimatize myself to magic and the different gravity and radiation levels here. I did everything I could to integrate with you. And yet," she said, voice trailing off, "There are some things even I can't stand to do."
A heavy silence filled the room, until it was broken by a soft chuckle.
"I think we're going to get along, roommate," said Musa, and then, seemingly in synchronization, they turned and left. Bloom looked stricken.
"Flora? Stella?"
"I just don't think it'll work out, hon." Flora tried to be gentle. "We'll see."
Stella offered Bloom a smile before she left. "You know I'm your friend. And I'll always be grateful to you. It's just that...it's too much, too fast, for them to handle. Myself included." She turned to leave.
"But I'm still right, right?" she said desperately as Stella left.
Stella turned. "Sweetie, you're what every fairy aspires to be. Never forget that."
That's the problem, Flora thought, without knowing why.
Could a person be...too good?
The question haunted her all the way to bed, until she tucked herself in and fell into an uneasy sleep.
Coming Soon:
"Tecna sighed. She needed to do something to stave off boredom before she set her phone's laser function to atomic deconstruct and caused an interplanetary incident. That would probably be breaking class rules, anyway."
A/N:
To Die Upon A Kiss
This chapter, and the ones that follow, are basically the equivalent of sneaking up on canon in the middle of the night and hitting it with a shovel. Whatever. Canon can take care of itself. It'll certainly be fun to put our ideas in motion.
PierceTheVeils Speaks: Yes! We've finally gotten the chapter up! So happy school is out, because now we can spend more time on fanfiction.
(laughs) I just love that imagery! So fitting for what we have in mind! (throws up head and laughs evilly at the sky)
Sorry everyone. This is what you get when you deprive Pierce of sleep. But in all seriousness, we have a lot of ideas for how to change canon into something more… plausible. If you would like to contribute any ideas of your own, simply leave them in a review or message one of us. (Back in mad scientist form) Together, we shall create… A new reality! (dun dun dun!)
(Back to T-Duck, while Pierce takes a moment to stop maniacally laughing)
I see what you did there.
Anyway, we aren't the ones in the wrong – canon should have done it our way in the first place.
This fanfiction is also available on AO3: the link is on my profile. Tell us any thoughts you might have about the plot, characterization, or even grammar and spelling! That said, T-Duck out. I need some quality sleep before I wake up on a couch I don't recognize.
(We finally return to Pierce, who is still giggling at something that probably isn't funny)
Oh hey, I just walked into my room and realized I left all my books on my bed. I have a lot of heavy books, so I'm now in a sleeping bag on my floor.
What? Oh right-fanfiction. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I agree with T-Duck: feel free to review on anything you wish for us to know. Your thoughts matter.
(Once again over-dramatic (why? Because it amuses me)) And now… I shall see ALL OF YOU… on the far side. (Points) Way over there.