New fairies on the block
Liatris stepped forward, noticing Willow did not move. She turned around, a smile appearing on her face despite her raging nerves. Willow seemed glued to the ground, breathing going fast and eyes wide.
'Willow? Are you coming?' Liatris asked, Willow seeming to burst out of her stupor and swallowing hard. She cleared her throat and nodded, clasping her arm with that of Liatris.
'I'm so nervous.' Willow whispered, legs trembling with every step she took. 'We'll be fine. What are they going to do? Change us into toads?' Liatris said, but it was spoken with a confidence she did not feel.
A stern voice rang out over the grounds, both Liatris and Willow looking up. 'Come on, ladies. Stand in line! Liatris Mistydrop, that is also meant for you! It is not because your mother is a witch that you are above the rules.' Griselda called out, Liatris blushing and hiding behind Willow as several girls turned around to look at her.
She heard the whispers start already, about her mother being a witch. 'And you are?' Griselda asked. Willow looked up, but Liatris was proud of her friend. Her best friend's voice came out without wavering. 'Willow Waterhouse, fairy of silverlight.' Griselda nodded.
'Ah yes, you're the sister of the fairy of rainbowlight, if I am not mistaken. Headmistress Nebula was very impressed with Indigo's powers. If you are anything like her, you will do just fine. You and Liatris share a room.'
Griselda's gaze fell on Liatris who was looking up timidly, hidden behind her long hair. 'We thought that was best considering Liatris' powers.' Griselda threw a stern smile at Liatris, who smiled unsurely back and than followed her friend into the school.
Both girls were happy to find out they shared a room, just the two of them. They were quick to unpack, both girls giddy.
Their clock rang way too soon the next morning, Willow hopping out of bed, Liatris having it a bit more difficult. 'Come on, Liatris. It is the first day of school!' Liatris sat up in her bed, Willow's happiness dimming at the unsure expression on her friend's face.
'It does not bother you that we will be sharing classes with girls who are sixteen?' Willow shrugged as she sat down next to Liatris on the bed. 'Well yes, but those are just some classes. You forget Headmistress Faragonda gave us a special curriculum? We also share classes with people our age.'
Liatris sighed and nodded, finally getting up. She had gone for a simple dress with sandals that day, and her hair in a lose ponytail, not sure what to expect from their classes. Willow's hair was in a bun atop her head, in dungarees with sneakers. Simple but effective she said.
Liatris started to notice the stares of people passing them in the hallway, unsure of what was going on. When she went to breakfast and saw all the girls around them staring at her collarbone, she understood why.
The dress she had put on had a bit of cleavage, and the rubyred stars were very visible. Liatris cringed but Willow shook her head. 'You are the fairy of the Dark Stars, and those also belong with that. Own it.'
Liatris relaxed, thanking her friend for her peptalk. From that moment on, Liatris ignored the people staring. And in the days to come, she would remark the attention would waver.
'What is our first class?' Liatris asked, as Willow walked ahead. 'Winxology.' Her friend said, Liatris' heart jumping. 'Joy...' Willow grinned at her and walked in, Liatris following her friend. Both sat at the end of the class, Liatris doing her best to blend in.
The Winx walked in, several first years gasping at the girls of legend. The lesson began, and Liatris was sure that everything was fine, until she felt someone's eyes boring into her back.
They were doing a simple exercise, but for Willow nor Liatris, it was easy. They had not even tested their powers yet, and they did not know how to start.
'Well? Why are you not starting?' a voice asked. Bloom stood next to them, the normally friendly girl changed into a stranger made of ice. Willow and Liatris looked up, Willow noticing her friend was looking down in embarassement.
Willow was having none of it. 'Well, if you need to know, Professor, we both have never used our powers. So we have no idea where to start.' She answered, the sarcasm clear in her voice.
'You have not used your powers yet? How come?' Flora asked, having joined Bloom at their table. 'My powers were awakened under strange circumstances. I have been too scared to try and use them.'
'Oh yes, because we all want to be cowards.' Bloom sniped, Willow's mouth falling open in shock. Did she just?
'Oh yes, because being the wielder of the Dark Stars, the opposite power of the Dragon Flame and born out of darkness itself, is not scary.' Willow snapped back. A collective gasp fell over the room.
'You have the gift of the Dragon Flame, Professor.' Willow bit out again. 'Liatris has been cursed with a power that could bring eternal darkness over the Magical Dimension. How would you feel?'
Bloom opened her mouth to retort, but Tecna intervened. 'This is not the time or place. If you have a problem, we will discuss it after class.'
Bloom huffed and retreated to the front, Flora giving a warm smile to Liatris and sitting next to her. Flora helped Liatris and Willow the next hour with their exercises, and Liatris finally felt something.
'You need to imagine you are bigger than your powers, that you control them, that you have a standing of equality with them. Than, and only than, you will be able to control them fully.' Flora explained.
'Try to imagine something in your head, an image and order your powers to make it.' Flora encouraged. Willow closed her eyes as a gasp fell from Liatris' mouth. A rose, which seemed to be made of silver light, appeared.
'Very good. Now you, Liatris. You can do it.' Liatris took a deep breath and concentrated, but nothing happened. She sighed and shook her head. 'It is hopeless. Maybe I should...' 'Liatris, look!' Willow said.
Liatris looked at her arm, the rubyred star on her left arm starting to burn. A red glow came over her hand, and a small star appeared at her fingertips. Small and not very clear, but it did.
'Is that what you imagined?' Liatris grinned and nodded, thanking Flora for the help. She and Willow walked out of class, but they were stopped by Headmistress Faragonda.
'I would like to talk to you two. You as well, Winx.' Liatris shared a look with Willow, both girls walking into the Headmistress' office. 'I would like to talk about the confrontation you had in class. I understand you and Bloom did not part well, Liatris, but I would ask for you two to stay professional.'
Liatris blinked. 'I said nothing!' she shouted in disagreement and shock. Now she was being blamed for something she did not do?! 'She did not Headmistress. It was I that talked back to Bloom.' Willow admitted. 'You are her best friend, I presume?' Willow nodded.
'And why would you talk to a Professor in such a way? We do expect some respect towards your teachers, Willow.' Faragonda said, eyebrows raised. 'I have always been taught a simple lesson by my parents and I have tried to live by it: Respect those that respect you. With all due respect, Bloom did not show any respect to Liatris, being arrogant and condescending. Professor or not, I could not let that slide. As a teacher she should know better. She should keep her private business private.' Willow sneered at Bloom, said girl blushing and looking at the ground.
'Is that true, Bloom?' Bloom sighed. 'I may have been more aggressive than I thought, Headmistress. Liatris and I have a past.'
'Yes, a past that happened three years ago! Get over it. I did.' Liatris snapped finally.
Bloom raised an eyebrow. 'You betrayed me! What could you possibly have had to get over?' she hissed. Liatris groaned and closed her eyes.
'What I had to get over? You ignoring me, not letting me explain no matter how much I begged. Seeing my other friends, which I had known for years, ignore me and leave me behind. Being left behind and alone, until I felt like I was worth nothing!' Liatris hissed as well, tears collecting in her eyes.
'You think you had it hard, but you have no idea what I went through. No idea at all.' Liatris said, a lone tear falling from her eye. Bloom, stupified and taken aback, closed her mouth, the Winx also falling silent.
'There is too much bad blood between us, Headmistress. But I will try to be civil with Bloom. That is all I can promise.' Liatris said, Faragonda sighing and nodding. 'So will I. I will try to keep my temper in check, if Bloom can try to be civil to Liatris.' Willow offered, Bloom silently agreeing.
'You may go than, ladies.' Willow threw one last look at Bloom, following her blondhaired friend out of the room. 'Phew.' She said, walking next to Liatris. 'Thank you, Willow. More than you'll ever know.' Her friend silently said, Willow hugging Liatris and shaking her head.
'I promised we'd be friends forever and that we'd protect each other, right? That also means protecting you from arrogant teachers.' Liatris laughed, shaking her head at the grinning Willow.
'What is our next class? Any idea?'
Flora saw the two girls leave, as old as them but so different. She looked behind her, a pensive look on Bloom's face following the two first years.
She could feel something was coming. She did not know what. But she knew something was.
'You think you had it hard, but you have no idea what I went through. No idea at all.'
It seemed that the confrontation between the two fairies had opened old wounds on both sides. Flora could only hope they would find a way to work with each other.
Something told her they would need each other's help in the future to come, and she hoped by than, Bloom and Liatris would be able to forgive each other. For everyone's sake.
