Hey, listen, i didn't know how to spell the lake that Daphne was is, so i just guessed the spelling of it. Sorry in advance ^_^
Chapter 4: The Missing Files
"Scarlet!" I stood up straight and looked at Griselda. "Your turn. Let's see you try to dodge my spells." I nodded and stepped forward. As I prepared myself, I noticed my classmates in their first fairy form, reminding me a little bit of Inter-realms, making me feel right at home. I flew into the air and waved down to Griselda.
"Good Luck, Scarlet!" I heard the Winx Club shout.
"Thanks!"
"Focus Scarlet," Griselda reminded me.
"Sorry. I'm ready." Griselda adjusted her glasses and stretched her arms out. In a semi circle were twenty little glow balls. Of course I knew the exercise from watching the other students, but I knew at some point they start to get harder and if you're hit, it apparently hurts a lot, according to Stella anyway. So I hovered on guard and dodged the first five, leaving fifteen left, and was doing well. When the sixth one was released, I noticed it had split into two more glow ball thingies, and struck at me from two totally different angles. I arched my back as one zipped by close to me and straddled over the other that came right after. The next four was like that, but once I reached the half-way mark, one glow ball would split into two and even if I dodge it, it'll try to stab me in the back, literally. Using some wind attacks I destroyed them, one pair I even tricked into hitting each other by just moving higher as they approached me. The last five were the worst. Each of them were never ending glow balls that loved to not leave me alone. Thinking quickly, though, I created my wind currents and led them straight to it. My favorite part though was when the current that carried the glow balls hit Griselda and she couldn't protect herself against her own attacks. As I landed, she dusted herself off.
"Very clever thinking, Miss Scarlet," she said, "Nothing less from a warrior fairy." I smiled as I flew down to the rest of the class. "Now remember to practice dodging these spells. We've learned from Miss Stella that saying you'll dodge doesn't mean that you will. Class dismissed." We all went back into our normal clothes and Stella pouted.
"Man I hate that woman."
"Oh come on, Stella. You know she's just trying to perfect our powers," Bloom said.
"That's right," Tecna confirmed, "And even though we've achieved our final fairy transformation, we need to perfect it in order to gain full power."
"At Inter-Realms, it was all about perfection, so believe me, it's worth the work."
"Seemed like you didn't need it, though," Musa pointed out. "You got Griselda! That's priceless." We all laughed.
"By the way," Layla said once we'd calmed down, "How're things with you and Matt?" I felt my cheeks get hot as I did my best to deny it.
"W-what're you talking about? That was…like…a week ago."
"A week and a few days, my dear," Stella corrected, "And did you even thank him about taking care of that cut on your leg?"
"I did."
"And have you spoken to him since?"
"No because he's not like that. I'm not like that. We're like that." However, Stella had her hands on her hips and her I-Know-Everything look on her face.
"Come on, fess up."
"There's nothing to fess up!"
"Scarlet!" I looked over and saw Luna flying towards me and waving. I was amazed that even after all this time, she's still happy that she has a bonded fairy, which I now believe is me. Since that fight against the monsters, I couldn't shake off the fact that Luna's touch stopped the tingling in my teeth, which would have led to my condition and that wouldn't have been pretty. Once she reached me, she said, "Faragonda wants to see us."
"Us?" I repeated.
"Yep." I turned to the Winx, who looked worried.
"But why?" Flora asked, "She's a Winx and Winx do everything together."
"It's something that involves Aquila," Luna answered.
"Then I guess there's nothing we can do," Musa said, "Fill us in later?"
"Of course," I replied. I turned towards the school and ran inside with Luna at my heels.
"So did she tell you anything about Aquila?" I asked while running.
"Actually, I lied."
"Huh?" Luna turned to me with a smile. "I needed a reason to make sure the Winx didn't follow you."
"But they're my friends. If it's not about Aquila, then they should have come."
"But it's about your condition." I began to slow down in the hallway until I came to a complete stop. "Scarlet? Are you alright?" I stared beyond Luna, lost in thought before coming back to my senses.
"It's coming, isn't it?" I said as a statement rather than as a question, "The new moon cycle is coming, right?"
"Faragonda wanted to talk about what you're gonna do that night."
"Aw man!" I picked up the pace again and sprinted towards Faragonda's office. After knocking, she allowed me to enter, welcoming me with a warm smile.
"Scarlet. Good. I'm glad that you and Luna are both here." I closed the door behind me and sat down in one of the chairs in front of Faragonda's desk. "Now I'm guessing that Luna told you why I wanted you here."
"She did."
"Well?"
"Well," I repeated.
"What do you plan to do that night?" I didn't answer straight away for I really didn't know what I was going to do. The only thing that came to mind was…
"…I'll just have to leave Alfea for the night." Faragonda and Luna were surprised by my answer.
"Scarlet, that's crazy!" Luna said in protest, "There's an easier solution."
"No there isn't, Luna."
"Man, why're you so stubborn!"
"I'm not stubborn," I shouted back, "I don't want people to know. Is that a crime?"
"No it isn't," Faragonda answered. She sighed and adjusted her glasses, "Alright. I grant you permission to leave Alfea that night."
"Thank you, Ms. Faragonda." Luna crossed her arms and pouted, but I did my best to ignore her. "By the way, any word about Aquila and my people?" Faragonda shook her head.
"The barrier is still up. But since you brought it up…" She snapped her fingers and stood still for a moment.
"Ummm…Ms. Faragonda?"
"Don't worry, I just sent a message to Livy, the pixi of messages, to bring in the other Winx girls."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because now that we've handled your 'condition' situation, it's time to handle the rest of the problem. It involves you and your friends."
"Really?"
"Of course. Do you really think that they'd leave you alone?"
"I guess, but they barely know me. I mean, isn't it a little strange that they welcomed me into their group after one night?" Faragonda began to laugh and I stared at her in amazement. I looked at Luna, who had stopped pouting and was equally amazed, and back at Faragonda.
"Why're you laughing?"
"Because," she began, "Do you really think I'd put you with them if they weren't going to include you?"
"What?"
"I know what happened at Inter-Realms was tragic, but I believe that it happened so you could come here."
"Why?" Faragonda pointed to Luna.
"For starters, you found your bonded pixi here when you were completely convinced that you'd never have one. And the Winx Club is like you. There was no way that they could not accept you." There was another knocking on the door that interrupted Faragonda. She allowed the knocker to enter and in came the Winx Club and their pixies.
"Ms. Faragonda, is everything alright?" Bloom asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Everything will be soon." Faragonda answered, "But the reason I called you here was something about Scarlet's old school, Inter-Realms. The teachers and I did some scouting around and were able to properly remove the late students and headmistress from the school and grounds, but we couldn't do much research. We were attacked by the same monsters that attacked you last week."
"Do you know that those are, Ms. Faragonda?" Tecna asked.
"They are called silent-takers: Creatures that will suck away your magic dry to a point where it'll leave you speechless." We all shivered at the thought of having our powers sucked dry while Faragonda continued. "However, sometimes their victim will try to hold onto their power, causing the silent-taker to try harder. If they try harder, the circle they'd made in the victim's neck will be taken away and the victim soon dies because of lose of blood."
"Oh my," Flora said, her legs shaking at the thought, "That's terrible."
"And gross," Stella added.
"Sounds like something a vampire would do," Tecna mentioned.
"These monsters are actually vampire based," Faragonda said, "But they aren't the actual creatures themselves."
"So where do we come in?" Musa asked.
"I want you seven to go to Inter-Realms and figure out what these creatures were after. Normally, they'd act out of natural behavior, but if they all were there to kill everyone, then that might mean that there's someone controlling them."
"Meaning there might be a new enemy comin' our way," Layla concluded.
"Precisely." I heard Stella grown, placing her hands on her head.
"Can't you send someone else?" She pleaded, "I really wanted a normal year this year. I don't wanna deal with vampire-like monsters that ruin my beautiful skin."
"Please, Stella," I said turning my head towards her, "I really want to know what happened to my school and friends and I can't do it alone." Stella was surprised by my pleading and looked at me, her light brown eyes twinkling. She sighed.
"We wouldn't allow you to go alone," she said taking my hands, "I'll be more than happy to help." I wrapped my arms around her neck.
"Thank you." I let her go and faced everyone else. "And thank you guys too. I know this wasn't the school year you wanted, but I could really use the help."
"Of course we'll help you," Flora said leading everyone into a group hug. I thought I was going to suffocate, but I smiled, knowing that they did want to help and that they really wouldn't let me go alone.
"Alright Ms. Faragonda, when do we leave?" Bloom asked, ready for action.
"Immediately." Faragonda pointed to her mirror, which began to swirl a purple-grey smoky mist. "Don't worry about your classes for now. Just try and see if there's something bigger than an attack. And please, don't use your enchantix or charmix just yet. "
"Why?" We all said in protest.
"Because in order to achieve the full power of your final fairy form, you must take steps in perfecting the stages before it. If you use either your charmix or enchatix, the power they now have will spin out of control and can hurt those around you." We all sighed, upset about not using the highest fairy form.
"Alright then," I finally said walking towards the mirror. I placed my hand through it, feeling the coldness pulling me in. "Let's go Winx." My face and body hit the coldness and it caused me to shiver. I heard the jingle of the pixies and the fall in of the girls. Everyone was reacting the same way as me, cold and wondering where're we going to land. My eyes turned in front of me and I began to feel a familiar breeze. Suddenly, the coolness disappeared and everything felt normal and familiar. The wind wrapped around to the point where it lifted me off my feet.
"You've returned! You've returned!" I laughed as the wind spirits tossed and turned me with their familiar touch, welcoming me back to school. While levitating in the air, I looked down at the Winx, who were completely surprised by my sudden actions. Slowly, the wind spirits lowered me down on my feet and I smiled.
"Wind spirits. They missed me."
"That was cool," Layla commented, "I'd wanna try that out."
"Maybe some other time," Bloom said, pulling in our attention, "Right now, we've got a mission." She turned to face me. "Scarlet, lead the way." I walked in front, leading them towards the gates of my large, less colorful school. The smell of blood was gone and like Faragonda said, along with the bodies. However, just seeing the basic structure reminded me of the bodies lying lifelessly on the ground. I froze for a second once we passed the gates and tried to calm down. Is it possible that there's an actual person that purposely did this? Two hands fell on my shoulder, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked at both sides and saw Layla on my left and Musa on my right.
"We're here this time," Musa said as if reading my mind.
"That's right," Layla second, "And we'll figure out who did this."
"Thanks." I took a few steps forward, then turned to face the Winx. "It might be faster if we spit up."
"But what if there's something waiting for us inside?" Flora asked.
"Nothing to worry about," Tecna assured levitating in a green light a 3-D map of my school, "I've scanned the place and there's no living creatures in nor around it."
"Okay, but we should at least pair off."
"Good idea, Flora," Bloom said. "You stay with Tecna. Scarlet, Musa, and Layla will be the other group, and Stella and I will be the last."
"But where should look first?" Stella asked, "I mean, this is a big place. Is it bigger than Alfea?"
"Maybe," I answered, "But you're right in asking 'where should we look first'. How about Tecna and Flora check out the security system. If I remember correctly, we use both nature and technology to keep an eye on things, so maybe you can figure out what happened." I noticed Flora and Tecna's eyes widen with delight. "And Bloom and Stella could check out the boy's dormitory in the west wing, since Stella's probably dying to know what kind of guy lived here."
"Totally! Sign me up!" Bloom rolled her eyes and smiled at me to continue.
"Musa and Layla could then take the girl's dormitory in the east wing, maybe you can find something interesting to take for your own."
"Wouldn't that be mean out of respect for the dead?" Layla asked. I shook my head.
"At Inter-Realms, we're taught that we shouldn't get attached to anyone or to particular items. We were good about the item bit, but when it came to people, we broke the rule." I paused again, thinking about Jeremy, Celia, and Lucentia. "So by all means, take what you like. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."
"Well," Layla said, still sounding a little insecure, "If you believe they'll be alright with it."
"Absolutely."
"But what about you?" Flora asked, "You can't go alone if that's what you're thinking."
"I'm going to look though Headmistress Isabella's office and see if she left anything behind." I looked at each of the Winx girls and each one gave me their own way of disapproving my plan of going alone. "I'll be fine." I felt that wasn't that convincing, so I tried something else. "I'm sure there's something we can figure out about keeping in touch."
"I've got it," Tecna said right after me. She released another green glow from the palm of her hand and seven little ear mics levitated. They were able to fit perfectly in our ears by the looks of it. We all reached in and placed them in, talking and testing them out. "So if you want to contact all of us in an emergency, just hit the Winx button."
"Sounds easy," I replied, "Thanks Tecna. Now let's check out this dead school." I pointed each group in their direction and led myself towards the headmistress's office.
"You can't forget about me, Scarlet."
"Of course not, Luna. I'm guessing that each pixi is going to follow their bonded fairy."
"Exactly." Luna looked around my school as we walked down the silent corridors. "Wow, this is a big school. Did any fairies here have bonded pixies?"
"You're really curious about the whole bonded pixi fairy thing, aren't you?" Luna smiled as I thought about it. "Well, I don't think so. There isn't a pixi village near here. But I do think there is one on the other side of town."
"And you never went there?"
"Nope."
"Why?"
"Because I didn't want to be disappointed in not finding a pixi of my own, though it is strange that you managed to become mine." I soon began to see the large doors to Isabella's office. "Here we are." It was still open from when I had entered last time, the time when she sent me to Magix. I walked in, remembering how weak she was and how everything was freshly destroyed. My eyes began to fog up a bit, blurring my vision as I lowered myself to where I last saw her.
"Scarlet…" I wiped my eyes and rose up.
"It's alright Luna. Let's just start looking around." The back of my hand wiped away any trace of tears as I began to examine Isabella's desk while Luna checked out the bookshelves. I decided to tackle the bottom right drawer first, knowing that it was probably full of papers, forms, and information about the students that was once here. When I opened it, I was surprised to find it neat and organized with dividers separating each student. My fingers walked over the familiar names, noticing each of them having a form until I reached the girls section. As I separated the dividers, there wasn't a form in between.
[Meanwhile with Tecna and Flora]
Flora: This is amazing! I can't believe that this school can use technology and Mother Nature together.
Tecna: It doesn't seem logical, but it does work. (pushes some buttons). Hey Flora, any luck in finding anything?
Flora: (Looks through some plants) Nope. Haven't found anything.
Chatta: Maybe if you spoke to the plants, they'd tell you something.
Flora: I tried, but they're like soldiers. They won't give anything away.
Digit: (Typing along with Tecna) We're not having much luck with this computer system either.
Flora: (Thinks for a moment) Scarlet said that they used both technology and nature. It's like a convergent spell.
Chatta: So instead of asking separately, you should ask together?
Tecna: That actually might work. Flora, come over next to me.
Flora: (Walks over and examines the buttons on the keyboard near her) These buttons have the name of certain plants from other worlds.
Tecna: Which one controls the main gate?
Flora: The steeldranga, a flower that's as strong as steel.
Digit: The technology here has enhanced it greatly into blocking out not only physical attacks or creatures, but magic ones as well.
Tecna: Except for those of the students.
Chatta: So maybe a student left and accidentally allowed the monsters in.
Flora: Only one way to find out.
[Now to Bloom and Stella]
Stella: I can't believe how many guys are at this school.
Bloom: They were once at this school, Stella. They don't exist anymore.
Lockette: This pl-place give m-me the cr-creeps.
Amore: I feel that there was a lot of love in this school.
Stella: Hey, you think we could find Jeremy's room and surprise Scarlet with something of his?
Bloom: Maybe not. She's a little sensitive about him.
Stella: (pouts) Oh, I guess you're right.
(They walk for a bit until Stella stops)
Stella: Room 475: Ian and Jeremy.
Amore: We should definitely look.
(They enter and see everything on one side of the room torn and destroyed while the other was completely organized.)
Bloom: Isn't that strange. (Looks around the side of the room that's neat.) Wonder which guy this one is.
Lockette: I think it's Jeremy's. Look. (points to a picture of him and Scarlet)
Bloom: But why is his side of the room not like the others?
[So then to Musa and Layla]
Layla: Talk about depressing. And Scarlet had to walk around in it with dead people.
Musa: I know. And these people were to become the greatest warriors around. It's sad how they couldn't beat the silent-takers.
(They walk in a few rooms and are heading towards another)
Tune: This is absurd! These monsters should indeed be taught a lesson for ruining these dorm rooms. It's inexcusable.
Musa: Well, when we see them again, Tune, you let them know.
Layla: (reads the list of roommates) Hey, this is Scarlet's room. (They all enter and are surprised at the mess) How horrible.
Tune: This is definitely most depressing.
Musa: Which side of the room was hers?
Layla: I'm guessing the one by the balcony window.
Tune: (flies towards the open balcony doors) That's strange. Why would they keep their door open?
Layla: Your guess is as good as mine.
Musa: (Wonders over to the other side of the room) And these must have been her friends. (picks up a picture of the three of them, Scarlet's on the right)
Layla: Scarlet's got the same one with her stuff. (looks at it) How tragic.
Musa: But why would anyone or anything want to come here and destroy things? No one here has done anything wrong.
Layla: We don't know that, though.
Tune: This is certainly strange.
[Now back to Luna and Scarlet]
That's strange. I continued to look through it and noticed that Celia's, Lucentia's and my files were gone as well. So only the girl's records and forms are gone. I closed the drawer and opened the one above it. Random office supplies were laid out neatly in certain sections, easy for the headmistress to grab something without looking. The rest were other things like teacher and student applications, lesson plans, a list of the books that circled around her office and another for the library, and other things that didn't seem important. I pulled out the book list and placed it on the desk, noticing one book in particular one with a star next to it. The 350 best schools and colleges in over 500 dimensions for fairies, sorcerers, witches, wizards, specialists, and more.
"Find anything?" Luna asked me, causing me to jump a bit from the sudden noise.
"I think so. All of the girls' file, form, record, grades, everything is missing, including mine."
"But who would want a bunch of girl records and stuff?"
"I don't know." I stared at the book list for a while. "Is there anything missing from the bookshelf?"
"Yep," Luna answered, "There're some random gaps, but the shelves aren't organized in any particular order, so I can't tell what types of books have gone missing."
"Will this list help?" Luna flew over my shoulder and examined the book list for the office.
"Yes it will." She took the list and began her search again. As Luna checked off the missing books, I wondered around to find the starred book. After completing a full circle, I couldn't find it.
"Hey Luna? Can you point out where the book is that's starred on the list?" I watched Luna look down the list and pointed right across from her.
"It's a few shelves down from the top."
"Thanks." I looked up at the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and sighed. Looks like my wind-board's gonna have to help me up. I pointed my right foot and extended it to the side, the tip of my boot gently touching the floor. My arms moved as far to the right as they could (without knocking me down) to wind me up and I focused my magic at the tip of my right foot. With all my energy I swung my arms and spun, drawing a magic circle around me on the floor. Once it was complete, I brought in my extended foot and created a wind platform, or as I call it: my wind-board. I thought about my destination, signaling the board where to go. It gently brought me to the bookshelf and slowly hovered as I reached for it. It was a thick and heavy book with a white cover and a picture of different schools that changed every three seconds. I sat down on my platform, my feet dangling below, and I opened the book, flipping through the pages to find out why it was starred. Eventually, I stumbled on a page in the A section for fairy schools and found a neatly folded sheet of paper. I took it out and opened it, my jaw dropping at what it was.
My letter about my condition from dad. I read it a few times before re-folding it and placing it in my skirt pocket. Before I closed the book, I noticed that the college the paper was placed in was Alfea. I felt a little electricity shock travel through my spin and into my head, making me think whether it was a coincidence or fate. I shut the book, placed it back, and lowered myself to the ground.
"I figured it out!" Luna shouted with joy and flapping the paper around.
"About the books?" I asked.
"Yeah. All of the missing books are somehow vampire based."
"Vampire based? Are you sure." A loud breeze banged harshly against the windows, making a clanking sound loudly in my ears. Suddenly, it opened and the wind pushed me behind a curtain.
"Something evil comes."
Luna followed me to my hiding spot and sat quietly on my shoulder. I faced the window and saw a reflection of the office…and someone was entering from outside.
"This is crazy. Why must I take everything and then bring most of it back? That's why I tell him to just take the ones that he thinks he'll actually need. AGH!" I saw a girl who looked slightly older than me and a dark green outfit. She had on a three-quarter sleeved, off the shoulders, belly shirt that was held together with dark green strings that criss-crossed over her side (I guessed that it was also on the other side of her or that would be weird) Her long, dark green pants flared at the bottom, showing off her matching open-toed sandals with a pointy heel. She had a bunch of papers that she was carrying in one hand while the other opened the bottom right drawer.
The missing files!
"And worst off, he wants me to put them back. What's the point if he sent the silent-takers to kill everyone? Who's gonna notice." She took her time placing everything in the right section of the drawer, mumbling names to herself as she worked. Once she finished, she appeared amused.
"So the only files he kept were Lucentia, Rosalie, Celia, Jenny, and Scarlet."
Some jerk has my files?!
"Well at least he didn't make me carry all those books back. That would have been a pain."
The vampire books? What does she or this 'he' want with them? Suddenly, she transformed. Her clothes were the same dark green, but her outfit was entirely different. Her top was now a tube mini-dress that was low cut in the back. Around her neck was a spike collar with a grey line that was tracing her in half, stopping at the point where and "F" was placed, and continued a bit before wrapping around her hip. She had on sheer dark green tights and knee-high boots with sharp pointy heels. Her hands were covered with dark green gloves that had lighter green bands around them, connecting to something that appeared like a shall or cape, blowing in the wind. I swallowed hard, praying that she wouldn't find me.
"I smell fear in the air," she said as an evil grin grew across her face, "And the fear is being caught!" She threw an attack at my hiding spot, causing me to fall out of it and for her to see. "A little spy here? That's rare." She flew down and forcefully lifted my face, her grip extremely tight.
"Why're you here?"
"None of your concern," I replied. I placed one hand slightly in front of me and created a wind current to push her away from me. She flew far back and crashed into the headmistress's desk. When she rose, she looked really displeased.
"You shouldn't have done that you brat!"
"She's not a brat," Luna corrected, "She's a fairy."
"That's right. Magic Winx!" I shouted. My clothes began disappear and was replaced by my winx outfit. Once I was complete, I flew to her level, ready to fight.
"What was that shout out?" The girl asked mockingly, "A club call?"
"Actually, yes. And what're you? Some chick who can't find any other color to wear?" The girl began to get angry as her cheeks flushed red. Her dark green eyes began to glow and her short blonde hair rose with her power.
"I'm Fury, witch of anger and fear. And you, little fairy, are going to suffer for what you've said!" Fury released a spell that smacked over me, causing me to fall out of flight. As I fell, I launched my wind-whip attack, bringing my magic to the tip of my two fingers and bringing my arm down at a diagonal. The force knocked Fury down along with me. With quick thinking, I pressed the Winx button on my ear piece.
"Winx. Trouble at the headmistress's office. Get here quick. And whatever you do," I lowered my voice so the witch wouldn't hear me, "Don't say my name."
[Flora and Tecna]
Chatta: So like I was saying, it would be amazing if something were to happen. I mean, we've been sitting here trying to find something and it's really making me tired. Hey, Flora, are you tired? If you wanna trade places then-
Tecna and Flora: I found it! (They look at each other with a smile.)
Tecna: You were right, Flora. This gate was under a convergent spell.
Flora: I wouldn't be surprised if the whole school was.
Digit: (Pushing a button in particular) So lets see if the steeldranga gate knows how the monsters got in.
(A video appears and they see students coming in and out. Then they noticed someone flying over the gate into town. Tecna presses a button that stops the video)
Tecna: Did you see that? (everyone nods) I'm gonna rewind it and put it in slow motion. Flora, can you make sure the plant will cooperate?
Flora: (Presses buttons and places her hand on a yellow pad, which glows by her touch) It's ready.
Tecna: Okay. (pushes a button) Rewind. (The video rewinds) Now play in slow motion.
(They watch a girl with short black hair fly though a wind current into town. Tecna presses a pause button)
Chatta: So it was Scarlet who went out into town.
Tecna: Well, she did miss the attack, so that means it happened sometime after she left.
Flora: Let's keep it in slow motion and continue watching. Something important might come up.
(The video continues and as Scarlet is gone, the silent-taker monsters enter. Digit stops it this time and all four are stunned)
Chatta: I was right! Someone left and brought them in.
Digit: But Scarlet didn't allow them to enter. She just created a wind current that the monsters were able to get through.
Tecna: That's why Scarlet missed the attack. It's because the silent-takers used her current as an entrance portal.
(There's static through their ear pieces and Scarlet's voice can be heard)
Scarlet: Winx. Trouble at the headmistress's office. Get here quick. And whatever you do, (in a whisper) don't say my name. (more static and then silence)
Flora: Oh no! I knew she shouldn't have gone alone. We've gotta find her.
Tecna and Flora: Magic Winx!
[Bloom and Stella]
Stella: Isn't it obvious? He's just neater than this Ian guy.
Bloom: (feeling a little annoyed with Stella's joke) No, seriously, what if this is actually something big?
Lockette: Like how?
Bloom: (Thinks for a second) Well, he was definitely here when everyone else was. But I dunno. (Looks through his things and finds a few books) Hey look. (Stella and Amore come over and look at the book) This is a book about vampires and vampire-like creatures, like the silent-takers.
Stella: So?
Bloom: So maybe the creatures didn't bother with his stuff because he's a threat to them or because he knows a lot about them.
Lockette: How'd you know for sure?"
Bloom: I don't.
Stella: But if what you say is true, then what about Jeremy himself? Would the silent-takers attack him or leave him be?
Bloom: I don't know. Maybe we can ask Ms. Faragonda when we get back.
(There's static in their earpieces and it's Scarlet at the other end)
Scarlet: Winx. Trouble at the headmistress's office. Get here quick. And whatever you do, (in a whisper) don't say my name.
(There's more static and then silence)
Bloom: Scarlet needs our help.
Stella: But why can't we say her name?
Bloom: I'm not sure, but we better listen to her.
Bloom and Stella: Magic Winx!
[Musa and Layla]
(There's silence as the two examine the room that was once Scarlet's. Eventually, they all look at Scarlet's torn belongings).
Layla: So what do you think we should do?
Musa: (Thinks for a bit) Well, Scarlet probably wants her stuff back, right? (Layla nods) So do you think it's worth trying to fix her things and give it back to her?
Tune: That would be the best, I think. She would want her belongings in the best condition rather than in a mess.
Musa: Then it's settled. (Starts to casts some spells, repairing things and storing them in Scarlet's suitcases while Tune neatly dusts of the finish products and suitcases)
Layla: (Follows Musa's example and starts to fix and put things away when she stumbles on a book. She shrugs and is about to place it in the suitcase when she notices something) Hey Musa, (takes the book) Check this out.
Musa: (Looks at the book and takes it from Layla) Healing Spells from the Dark Sorcerers and Mythical Creatures. Oh my god, it's a black magic book!
Layla: That's impossible. Scarlet's a fairy. What would she want with black magic books and spells? (Notices another and picks it up.) Here's another. Controlling Your Dark Energy and Producing Successful Dark Magic Spells. This is crazy.
Musa: Well, it's with her stuff. You think we should add it in?
Tune: But what if it isn't hers? Then that would be insulting her.
Layla: I've got it. (Casts a spell on her stuff to be fixed and neatly placed in suitcases. She casts another spell to shrink the suitcases. She picks it up and puts it in her pocket).
Musa: Nicely done. So what about the books?
Layla: (Casts the same spell with the books and puts them in another pocket). I think it's best to ask her if it's hers once we give her back her belongings. That way, we won't be insulting her if they're not and if they are, she'll explain.
Musa: That's right. If those books were Scarlet's, she'd have a good reason.
(There's static in their earpieces and Scarlet's at the other end.)
Scarlet: Winx. Trouble at the headmistress's office. Get here quick. And whatever you do, (in a whisper) don't say my name.
(There's more static and then nothing)
Musa: Scarlet's in trouble. We should have never let her go on her own.
Layla: Well then, we better find her and help her out.
Musa and Layla: Magic Winx!
[Now back to Scarlet]
Fury raised her hands in the air, a dark green glow growing in size, and threw it at me. I stretched my arms out and spun in the air really fast, causing a tornado to throw the spell back at her. Once it hit her, I launched my invisible arrows at her, trying to get her out of the office. They all hit her, but she refused to leave.
"That's it," she said as she struggled to get back on her feet, "I'm gonna find out what makes you tick." Fury threw herself at me, grabbing my neck and placing the palm of her hand on my forehead.
I've gotta think of something!
"Mekhoyphc Hetavthunx Wojuk!" I shouted. I felt the dark magic from Fury being blocked by my spell. She began to look frustrated as she tried harder and harder, but failed. I bent my wrist back so that my hands could face down on the floor on either side of my head, sort of like as if I were about to do a bridge-stand. I shifted my weight onto my hands and brought my knees to my chest, aiming at Fury. Without waiting, I shot my weight at her, kicking her off of me. She grabbed onto the bookshelves and tried to pull herself up.
"How'd you…wait a minute…that was black magic." She turned to face me, angrier than ever. "How could a wimpy fairy pull off that kind of spell?!"
"Simple," said a voice behind me, "A few years back we studied at Cloud Tower for a while." I turned around and saw the Winx Club ready to fight, transformed and all. Stella examined the witch and began to laugh.
"Nice outfit," she said jokingly, "Where'd you get it? Bad-Taste-R-Us?" Fury began to glow green with anger.
"You're ones to talk," she said. She rose into the air and raised her arms to the side above shoulder length, "Spiral of Rage!" The green glow around her began to unwind and became a spiral, aiming for us. We all flew out of the way just in time, but the impact still hit us. Suddenly, she began to launch random attacks at us that were just as strong as the spiral, hitting the books on Isabella's shelves. I began to grow really mad and focused my energy entirely. I placed my arms out on either side of me, feeling the wind wrapping around them from the shoulders down.
"How dare you," I said. She stopped throwing her attacks aimlessly and turned towards me, "You think that you can walk in here and act like you own the place, taking things in and out and destroying them." I looked up at her and gave her a smirk. "Well think again, witch." I raised my arms and then aimed them at Fury, releasing the wind that wrapped around my arms. They shot out and began to wrap around her, like the ribbons around my forearm. She struggled and tried to escape, but the wind held onto her tightly, causing her to struggle with her own strength.
"And that's what I call my ribbon wind binding technique."
"Nicely done!" Layla said. She placed her hands together and a pink light shot around Fury, wrapping her along with the wind. "That'll keep her from trying anything."
"I'll create a dome to put her in," Tecna suggested, shoot her electric green digital beams to form a circular dome that held Fury in place. I stopped the wind from wrapping around her and watched flora and Musa Launching an attack together.
"How about some music to calm your nerves?" Musa asked.
"Or flowers to take that anger away," Flora added. The outline of speakers appeared on either side of Fury and began to boom loudly while Flora's flowers stuck to her like leeches and drained away her rage power.
"Now for a double light convergent spell," Stella shouted as Bloom and she created a bright light that surrounded her. Fury screamed as the light came around and then, it stopped. The light ball was flung back at Bloom and Stella; the flowers flew to Flora while Musa had a taste of her own loud music. Tecna was soon contained in her own digital cage and Layla was wrapped up in her pink rope. Fury crackled an evil laugh and faced me.
"You're 'club' is pathetic. No wonder you're in with them. Are you one of the founders or something?" She began to laugh again, causing me to get angry. My left hand formed its "L" shape and I launched four invisible arrows, causing her to be pined to the wall. Over her shoulders and ankles were little red lines that were formed by my arrows.
"You little…" She looked over at the other Winx girls and smiled, "I'll see you soon. Remember what you've done to me."
"I'll forget it as soon as you leave, Fur, guaranteed." Fury looked annoyed and snapped her fingers. With that, she disappeared. I flew down to the ground and looked around at everyone. They were all back on their feet and came towards me.
"I told you that you shouldn't go alone," Flora said.
"Yeah," Musa second, "At least if there was another person here with you, you wouldn't have to face that psychotic witch alone."
"I'm sorry, guys," I said, "But I was fine. I used Tecna's earpiece and you all came when I needed you. No problem right?" They all sighed.
"So who was that witch and what was she doing here?" Stella asked.
"That's Fury, witch or anger and fear," I answered, "And I dunno. She came in when I was looking around." I knew that the second part was a lie, but I didn't think telling them anything yet was going to help this situation.
"Don't you guys think her costume looked…familiar?" Layla asked us. We all thought about it before everyone but me answered.
"Oh my god!" Musa said, "She's got a similar outfit to the Trix!"
"The what?" I asked.
"There're these three witches that love to cause problems for everyone and used to attend Cloud Tower," Bloom began, "However, they took away my power once freshman year and became very powerful and took over their school, causing themselves to be expelled and sent to Lake Rockaluché for rehabilitation."
"However," Musa continued, "They were set free by Lord Darkar, owner of the dark phoenix, and tried to talk over the realms by taking the codex and turning Bloom into Dark Bloom sophomore year." I turned to Bloom who shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
"Then," Layla began, "The Trix were sent to the O-Mega dimension, which they managed to escape form, and they freed Valtor, the worst villain we'd ever faced. He came out at Andros and completely took over. Luckily, since we all had out enchantix, we were able to beat him easy and the Trix went back to Lake Rockaluché, and we haven't seen them since."
"Wow. Sounds like you've got a lot of history with those three," I said.
"And it gets worse," Flora added, "They're decedents of the three ancient witches that actually once destroyed Bloom's planet."
"Luckily," Tecna concluded, "When the original ancient witches decided to try and attack again, we stopped them in time and was able to reunite Bloom with her birthparents."
"That's a story," I said, feeling my spirits sink, "You guys have tackled so much. It's no wonder this club was created." Stella laughed and wrapped her arm around my neck.
"Well, trouble tends to find us and it keeps getting harder than the last. It's a good thing that you're on our team 'cause it looks like our toughest challenge has arrived." I smiled.
"I'm happy to help." I paused for a second before asking, "So did you guys find anything? Before we see Ms. Faragonda, we might wanna get our facts straight." I turned to Flora and Tecna first.
"We found out how the monsters got in," Flora said.
"That's great," I said, "How?" Tecna pulled out her mini-laptop and held it in front of me, hitting a button to play in slow motion. As I watched, I noticed me flying out into town getting a dress for Jeremy, something I already knew. However, what I did see was something I couldn't even believe. I watched silent-takers, one after another, climbing into the school and through the gate, entering and passing through the toughest security…and it was through my wind current. I staggered a bit and watched it over and over again, not believing what my eyes were seeing.
"So they came in because I left?" I asked, making sure I had all my facts right.
"Yes, unfortunately, that's the case," Flora confirmed, "We know that you weren't letting them in on purpose. You didn't even know it." I suddenly felt the weight of guilt fall over my shoulders, causing my legs to give way and bringing me to the floor.
"Everyone was killed because I wanted to get a dress." Flora quickly sat down next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"No, Scarlet. I'm sure that they would've come in anyway."
"That's right," Tecna said, "They were waiting for someone to leave so that they could enter. So if it wasn't you, it would have been someone else." I thought about it for a moment before sighing.
"Well, we know how they got in." I looked up at Stella and Bloom next. "What about you guys?"
"Nothing really," Bloom testified, "But we did go into Jeremy's room and found something…odd."
"What?" I asked eagerly, surprised that a clue was found near my late crush's stuff.
"We noticed that all of things were unharmed. It was as if an attack had never happened."
"Plus," Stella added, "We found this book that about vampires and vampire-like creatures. Yuck! Talk about nasty." I felt my blood freeze by the mention of vampires.
"Seriously?" I asked.
"Yeah, does that mean anything?" I got back on my feet and pointed to the bookshelves.
"All of the books missing on the shelves are vampire or vampire based books." Flora rose up too and laced her fingers together and resting them on her collar bone.
"That doesn't sound good at all."
"So whatever these creatures are up to has to do with vampires," Tecna concluded.
"Did you guys find anything odd in the girls' dormitory?" Bloom asked Musa and Layla. The two girls looked at one another for a moment, exchanging looks that appeared as if they found something and don't want to say it.
"Really, girls, if you found something, anything, let us know. Please," I said, hoping that they could tell us what's going through their minds. Finally, Musa took a deep breath.
"We did find something…In your room and…by your stuff," she said, breaking up the sentence as if they were separate thoughts. I felt my muscles tighten, worried about what they were trying to say. She looked at Layla, who pulled something from her back pocket (I didn't even know she had one) and dropped it on the floor. As it fell, I watch it grow into the size of books…books that I was well aware were mine. My eyes grew wide as I looked at the two of them, not knowing what to say.
"We found these with your stuff and we didn't know if they were yours or not," Layla replied, "But they were the only things unharmed during the battle in your room." I reached down and picked up the books, holding them close to my chest, and tears forming in my eyes. I really didn't want to tell them anything, especially anything that related to "my other self", but I also didn't want them to think that I was hiding something. As all of these feeling stirred in my gut, I began to think of dad. He gave me these books to study healing spells using dark magic. He wanted me to learn everything and anything that I could get my hands on. My mind began to calm down as I began to realize what to say.
"My father is the advisor to the royal family," I began, "He taught himself every spell be it light or dark magic so that if we were attacked, he can provide something to protect our people. Since I was raised with the destiny of being both a warrior fairy of Aquila and the advisor to Princess Kayla once she took rule, he began to teach me all that he'd taught himself, starting off with dark magic healing spells, which I never knew existed." I looked up at the Winx, feeling some tears run down my cheek. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get all sentimental."
"Don't worry, Scarlet, we just wanted to make sure it was yours," Musa said walking over and looking at the book. "Maybe it's something you could teach us sometime."
"No way!" Stella screamed, "I don't do dark, it makes me turn pale." I giggled.
"It's alright. You don't have to do anything."
"What about you?" Flora asked, "Did you and Luna find anything else beside the missing books?" I thought about for a moment, debating if I should tell them about my file missing along with four others. Would they make a connection between the vampire books, my spell books, and my file? I felt the paranoia fill my mind and I took a deep breath.
"Well…all of the girls' files are missing: grades, personal information, their application, everything."
"Is yours missing too?" Layla asked. I forced a laugh.
"Yep. Mine and every girl student in this school."
"Is that why you didn't want us saying your name? Because that witch might have known?" I nodded.
"That's really strange," Tecna analyzed, "Why would anyone want girl files and vampire books?"
"I dunno, Tecna, but I say we go back to Faragonda's office, tell her what we know, and ask. Maybe she'll know something that we don't." Bloom suggested. Stella nodded and sighed in relief.
"You said it, Bloom. Just leave everything to me." She took of a ring on her finger and flew it in their air. "Solaria!" she called, causing the ring to become a staff. With one wave over all of us, Stella transported us back to Alfea, right outside Faragonda's door.
[But…]
(Fury enters the large, dark hall and bows.)
Fury: Master Cian.
Cian (aka: Mysterious voice): Fury. Have you returned the files?
Fury: (Rises) I have, but there were some little fairies there.
Cian: Fairies? I thought I'd killed them all!
Fury: Master Cian, these weren't Inter-Realms fairies.
Cian: How can you be so sure?
Fury: One of them spoke of Cloud Tower, which is located in the realm called Magix, so I believe that they go to that fairy school there.
Cian: I sent my creatures to Magix to try and find the vampire fairy and they were defeated. However, one was able to get some blood from whom ever attacked them.
Fury: Really? Is it hers?
Cian: I haven't finished my experiments on it, but if it is, then we know she resides in Magix.
Fury: I wouldn't be surprised if she's one of those fairies from this group called "The Winx Club".
Cian: Winx Club? (Furry nods and Cian rises and steps down form his large thrown and begins to walk towards her) I've heard about them. They're very strong. (Fury cringes from his thought, but he ignores it) They created the new company of light after their latest battle with a sorcerer named Valtor. Yes, I can believe that she's with them. They're strong and with proper training, she is too. I've heard greatly about those six fairies but I've never seen them.
Fury: I don't know which group you're talking about, but this Winx Club has seven fairies, not six.
Cian: (Faces her, placing his evil grin and showing his fangs once more). How interesting. When Inter-Realms is destroyed, this Winx Club gains an extra member. (Looks at Fury) Go and find these Winx and study them well. (His smile widens) Bring samples of their blood. If one of them matches the blood from my silent-taker from Magix, then I believe we've found her.
Fury: (Bows) As you wish.