Awakenings

Groaning softly, Bloom forced herself to open her eyes. When the world came into focus, she looked around her, her bright blue eyes settling on the sleeping form of the Headmistress beside her, holding her hand. Sighing, she flipped her hand and laced her fingers through the sleeping fairy's. Looking up at the ceiling, she squinted, noting that her eyes hurt. Giving up on ignoring the pain, she closed her eyes once more and listened to Faragonda's even breathing, letting it lull her into a light sleep.

Not too long later, Faragonda started to wake. She squeezed the hand she held before sitting up with a sigh. Not realizing that her movement had woken Bloom once more, she carefully raised the hand she held and kissed it lightly, "I'm so sorry Bloom." She whispered, leaning her forehead against the hand she now held in both her own.

Eyes still closed, the red head waited a few moments, simply enjoying the sensation of the older woman holding her hand before 'waking up'. Groaning again, she turned her head towards the Headmistress.

Faragonda sat up straight "Bloom?"

"Ms Faragonda?" She mumbled, not needing to fake the dry throat.

Bloom opened her eyes again, prepared this time for the brightness, but she still couldn't help but squint.

Faragonda noticed and quickly shut the large window and drew the curtains. "Is that better dear?" She asked, sitting down on the bed next to Bloom.

Pushing herself up, Bloom's surprised at how easy she finds it considering she just woke up, "Yes, thank you Ms Faragonda."

Smiling, Faragonda clasped her hands together in her lap, "How are you feeling?"

"Good." The red head replied, looking around her with a frown. She didn't recognise the room they were in, "Where am I?"

Cheeks stained pink, Faragonda looked around nervously, "Well you see dear…" She sighed, "How much do you remember Bloom?"

"Following the others down the tunnel is the last thing I can remember." Bloom said, unconsciously running her hand over the one Faragonda had been holding.

"Well, before we made it outside dear, you were attacked and bitten."

Bloom frowned, "But that doesn't explain where I am."

Faragonda's cheeks darkened even more, "Well, we didn't know how you would react after being turned, so I had you brought here."

"And here is?"

"My quarters."

"So basically," Bloom said sometime later, sitting up comfortably in the large bed, "I'm still me, but my senses and strength have become better."

"In a nutshell, yes." Faragonda said, nodding.

"Can I still eat food?"

"Of course." The Headmistress laughed at the relieved look the red head got, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Bloom nodded hesitantly, her long bangs bouncing with the movement, "C-Can I tell my friends?"

Smiling at the teen, Faragonda reached out and rubbed her hand comfortingly over her leg, "Of course dear, if that is what you wish."

The girls shoulders relaxed.

"But I do think you should have a room to yourself for now, just until you have a better grasp on being a vampire."

Seeing the reasoning behind the suggestion, even though it went unsaid, Bloom nodded. She didn't want to endanger her friends.

"I also think it'd be best for you to have private lessons with the others."

When the young fairy didn't say anything, Faragonda reached out, taking her hand in her own, "I know this must be confusing for you Bloom-"

Bloom shook her head, "It's not," She cut in, smiling slightly at the look of surprise on the older woman's face, "It's just a lot to take in. I can't room with my friends because I might hurt them, private lessons to control my increased strength," She sighed, "Yesterday I was a normal student, well as normal as I could be being the lost Princess of Domino." She chuckled.

Smiling, Faragonda gave the hand she held a gentle squeeze, "How about this, why don't you join me for tea after your lessons, if you want to talk you can, and if not, you don't have to." She offered.

Looking at her Headmistress, Bloom smiled, "I think I'd like that."

Two weeks later, Bloom sat across from Faragonda quietly sipping from the small china cup in her hand. Every second day she joined the Headmistress for tea, and true to her word, she didn't make her talk if she didn't want to. Looking down into her cup, she sighed. Every time her friends saw her, they asked her what happened and why she wasn't rooming with them anymore, the loudest being Stella. She wanted to tell her friends what had happened when she rescued the teachers, but she wasn't sure how they'd react to the news.

"I think I'm going to tell them."

"Oh?" Faragonda asked, resting her own cup in its saucer, "What's stopping you?"

Bloom shrugged, "Nerves I guess."

Smiling, the white haired fairy leant back into her seat, "You don't have to tell them dear, but if you do, make sure it's because you want too, not because they're pressuring you into answering their questions."

Looking up, Bloom smiled, but even she knew it wasn't convincing, so she let it drop and looked back down at her tea.

That night after dinner, Bloom pulled aside her friends and told them everything that had happened. Although she had hoped they would take it well, she wasn't surprised when Stella blew up, shouting for her to get away from them. She had thought the Solarian Princess would react like that, but she'd never thought she'd cast her aside so quickly and permanently by ordering her to never speak to them again. So she had run, hoping that they hadn't seen the tears running down her cheeks.

Fortunately for the red head, not that far away stood Griselda. Having heard everything, the Deputy turned and re-entered the school, heading straight for the teacher's lounge. The family needed to hear this. After she told them what she heard, she had no doubt that the Winx would be in for a hard year.