Chapter One - Settling In at Alfea
She gazed out the window of the shuttle bus headed to the Alfea College for Fairies. Rain slid down the window, like tears. Her gaze shifted to the landscape racing past the bus. Beautiful green trees rose up, walling in the road that went from Magix to the college. The skies were a dark gray, threatening, when they were suddenly lit up with a flash of lightning. She jumped and hugged herself tightly. Sliding further down in her seat, she fought off tears of despair and focused instead on her upcoming years of fairy training. They would be hard, especially with the current events.
Finally the bus rounded a curve in the road and the Alfea college came into sight. The school stood tall and graceful, it's overall atmosphere clashing with the dangerous weather. Everything about the Alfea school screamed "all girls school." The pale pink walls and the blue rotundas along with the unique doors shaped to give the image of wings gave the school a delicate beauty. Some relief flooded her as the bus pulled up to the Alfea main gates. The driver called out the name of the stop, and the shaken passenger snatched her bags and hurried her way off the bus. She was happy to be at the Alfea School, hopefully safe from the terrors the universe currently faced.
"Miriam!" The shout made the girl jump for the second time that day and she turned to see the source of the voice. Up ran a beautiful girl, her pale blonde hair flowing behind her like a moonbeam, light blue eyes wide and happy. She wore a fashionable jacket colored pale blue with a white skirt and white rain boots. In her hand she held an umbrella. "You're crazy! It's raining like cats and dogs out here and you're not even wearing a raincoat!" The girl got close to Miriam so that the umbrella covered the both of them and Miriam cried out in happiness.
She dropped her bags and threw her arms about the girl. "Oh Luna!" Miriam cried.
Luna hugged Miriam back then grabbed one of the dropped bags. "Let's get out of this yucky weather, shall we?" Miriam snatched her remaining bags from the wet ground and allowed Luna to lead her toward the main gate.
"Name and realm?" A woman wearing a long cloak like rain coat gazed over her spectacles down at the two girls before her. Her violet eyes smiled, her pink hair was pulled up into a simple up do.
"I'm Miriam of Sparks." Miriam stated.
"Welcome to Alfea Miriam. I'm called Miss Faragonda." Miss Faragonda looked down at her clipboard. "Yes. You're on the list. You'd best get on inside. This storm is something fierce indeed." She cast a look cautiously at the sky. "Go on in." Miriam nodded, gazing at the woman until Luna grabbed her arm and dragged her into the Alfea grounds.
Miriam observed the scene of the Alfea grounds. There were few students, and even they were hard to spot because they were sticking to the covered parts of the school. Paved pathways and benches provided the grounds with a park like feeling. Miriam tried hard to imagine a beautiful sunshiny day where she could just walk those pathways and enjoy herself. But it was hard to with the flashing lightning and the rumble of thunder.
"Stop daydreaming Miriam." Luna tugged again on Miriam's arm. Miriam obliged and followed her friend into the school itself.
While the outside of the school screamed all girls school and one with nature, the inside of the school shouted proper and orderly. The halls were spacious and the walls were covered with tall portraits and pictures. The windows would've typically let in copious amounts of sunlight on Miriam's dream day, but now only the gray skies outside could be seen.
"Gather around now first years! Come along now! Headmistress Heatherue wishes to give you a warm welcome." Miss Faragonda called. Luna and Miriam joined a throng of teenage girls who obviously felt similarly about being here as Miriam.
"Welcome to Alfea! I am your headmistress, Heatherue and I wish to welcome you all to this proud, esteemed school! Alfea is not just a school. Alfea is beyond a school. Alfea is an actual experience that I hope you girls will come to receive openly. It will be here where you will learn about your powers, learn what you need to survive as fairies, and meet countless allies and friends that should last you a lifetime. Now I understand Alfea started early this year, and the last thing any normal person wants is to go to school a lengthened period of time, but I hope you will come to love being here at Alfea and that you will cherish everyday here. Yes, I hope you'll even cherish those pop quizzes and end of the term tests. Now go and begin your Alfea experience."
The group of teenage girls applauded the headmistress politely, then dispersed. Luna smiled at Miriam reassuringly. "It's going to be fun here."
"Yes." Miriam murmured to herself. Fun here but warring elsewhere. Miriam continued to think while Luna took hold of her arm and led her up a set of stairs leading to dorm rooms. Luna continued her mindless chatter during this and Miriam only caught bits of what she said, including the words "boys" and "Red Fountain."
"Miriam. Are you listening to me?" Luna shook Miriam's shoulder and Miriam snapped out of her daze. "I said that this is our dorm room! We're sharing! Isn't that fantastic!" Miriam gave her friend a smile and nodded.
Their dorm room was planned to be a haven, for it was built beautifully and spaciously for its resident fairies. The walls were pale blue, Miriam supposed for Luna's liking, and the floors a lighter wood. Beautiful scenic pictures were hung on both sides. Bookshelves and beds were available to both girls, but there was only one closet, which Miriam could see Luna had already claimed.
"Shall we unpack your luggage?" Luna asked and was already doing so before she asked. Miriam chuckled and Luna clapped her hands and Miriam's things went to their respective places. "Oh dear me! What an exhausting chore!" Luna sighed dramatically. Miriam shook her head and sat calmly on her bed. Luna drifted over and sat down next to her. "How bad is it on Sparks?" Luna asked gently.
Miriam let out a breath of air and fell back on her bed. "There were several attacks on the mansions of officials. When ours was attacked, my parents finally made me go to Alfea. I fought them of course, but they won. Parents always win you know." Miriam looked out the window. "Why Sparks?" Miriam of course knew the answer.
"Because Sparks is important. Sparks to the universe is like…shoes to me!" Luna joked. Miriam gave her a serious look and Luna went quiet. Finally Luna spoke again, this time without a joking comment. "The attacks on Solaria got out of hand too. My parents made me leave. I told them I would fight, but they just said I was being crazy. Daddy told me that I needed to become a full-fledged fairy before I truly fought the universe's evil. It was logical of course, and I had to obey their wish after that." Luna gazed at Miriam. "I heard even the Solarian king had his son moved from Solaria to Magix."
Miriam gave a nod. She too heard that rumor. Whether or not it was true, she didn't know. "I know the Sparks king had his son moved to the Red Fountain school a week ago."
"Never met him. Do you think he's handsome?" Luna asked obnoxiously. Miriam rolled her eyes and grabbed the pillow at the head of her bed. She swung it and smacked Luna, who shrieked at the shock of being hit. The two fell silent as the door to their room opened and someone peered in.
"What are you two doing?" A girl stood in the doorway of their room.
"Hello Niobe!" Luna grinned. "About time you showed up!"
Niobe smiled back then looked at Miriam. She was eyeing Miriam, so Miriam took this time to examine the new girl. Her dark brown hair was pulled back, unlike Miriam and Luna's free flowing locks, and Miriam saw lighter brown streaks accented Niobe's curls. She had a dark brown skin tone and her teal eyes gazed hard at Miriam. Miriam stood up and strode over to Niobe, holding out her hand. "Hello Niobe. I'm Miriam of Sparks."
Niobe took Miriam's hand and they shook. "I'm Niobe of Tides." Niobe smiled. "I'm taking the dorm room across the hall."
"All by yourself! Lucky!" Luna smirked. "At least I didn't get paired up with Semara. She's so…"
"Witchy?" Niobe suggested. Luna nodded. "I know. I feel for the girl who did. I'm going to try and help her out as much as I can." Niobe said. "So you two are talking about the wars huh?"
"Yes. Miriam and I were shipped out unwillingly because of them. Even the various princes of the realms were being forced to go to safety." Luna looked at Niobe. "What of your fiancé? Teredor, was it? Was he forced to go?"
"No. He was already going to Red Fountain, so they didn't really make him go." Niobe sighed. "I've never even met him face to face. Now, with me going to Alfea, we're bound to meet, right? Oh Luna! I want to get to know him before I marry him."
"You're in an arranged marriage? How awful!" Miriam gasped. To marry someone, not because you loved them, but because it will raise your family status was horrible. Miriam couldn't imagine her parents ever doing that to her. She believed her parents wanted her to be happy, and if she fell in love with a bum, so be it.
"I don't want to think of it that way. I've never met the boy, so I can't judge him off the bat." Niobe pointed out. "Maybe I'll come to like him."
"Maybe." Miriam said. Though she still didn't agree with the idea of arranged marriages. It just seemed so…restraining.
"Oh Miriam. You're always for equality…and equal treatment…and rights for all!" Luna said.
"Uh, Luna. You just rephrased 'equality' twice." Niobe laughed.
"I'm not much for words ok?" Luna pouted.
"Except when it comes to clothes." Miriam sang and she and Niobe fell into a fit of giggles as Luna tried to smack the both of them with Miriam's pillow. "Or boys!" Miriam added, earning her another smack.
"This will be long year with the two of you picking on me!" Luna moaned. "You two just met and now you're ganging up on me!" Miriam laughed and she and Niobe just hugged Luna.
"We're just joking. No need to get all emotional!" Niobe said. She looked at Miriam and Miriam nodded. "We'd never be mean to you Luna. You're too nice. Well, except when our appearances are involved. Then you have a total heyday of unwanted advice giving." Luna threw Niobe a glare and Niobe raised her hands in surrender. "I'm done. I promise."
"Annoying, mean friends." Luna grumbled and stood up. "I've got to go and see this Professor Wizgiz guy." Luna wandered out of the dorm room, mumbling angrily.
"Oh. I hope she'll be okay." Miriam said watching her friend go.
"She'll be fine." Niobe said. "She's a bit of a dramatist. I almost feel for the guy she'll date. Their relationship will probably end up as a soap opera." Miriam smiled and nodded. "So Miriam, how do you and Luna know one another?" Niobe asked.
"She and I ended up going to the same finishing school together. We just hit it off." Miriam shrugged. "It's been that way for a few years now."
"Yeah. Lord knew she needed finishing school. Was a total clutz from birth I tell ya." Niobe sat down in Luna's spot. "She and I have been friends since we were little kids. Our parents apparently had ties to each other from their high school years."
"Wow. I've never really made a friend quite like that. I was more of a loner." Miriam said.
"Surprising. I mean, you seem really nice. I'm a pretty good judge of character, and honey, you've got character." Niobe insisted.
"Thank-you." Miriam blushed. "I don't know. I just have a hard time of connecting with people, that's all."
"That's funny. You just made a connection with me, here and now." Niobe pointed out.
Miriam thought about this and contradicted her statement. "Well what if you're just a very outgoing personality?" Miriam countered.
Niobe just shrugged. "You can either take my judgement or throw it away. I'll still have that same opinion on you until I see you turn purple." Miriam looked at her funny. Niobe laughed. "Change your character. But seeing you turn purple would freak me out."
Miriam laughed then. "Yes. And it would clash frightfully with my red hair. Luna would have a hey day!" The two of them had another moment of chuckles.
Niobe stood up then. "I have to go down to the library and check out some books. I'll see you at dinner." Niobe waved as she too vacated the room, leaving Miriam there to herself and her thoughts.
Miriam fell back down on her pillow and stared again out the window across the room. Homesickness and worry filled her as she thought about her family and her realm. She prayed they would both be safe and this dangerous war would be ended before something terrible could happen.