Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to update, a lot of things have been going on lately. Thank you Kagura16 for helping me with this chapter and the story up to this point. Also, please see the footnote at the end of this chapter for an important anouncement requarding this fanfic. Please enjoy the chapter and don't forget to comment!


Meanwhile Darcy walked over to the room her sisters and she shared and went in without a knock or some other form of notice that she was entering. Her sisters looked up at her expectantly. "Hey, you guys," the dark witch greeted, closing the door shut behind her.

"Hey Dar." Stormy said. "How's it going?"

"Good. What are you guys up to?"

"Flora's wrapped around my finger, she gives me a flower every day." Stormy said with a grin.

The dark witch grinned. "Good news, then. What about you, Icy?"

"Bloom keeps taking me shopping." Icy smirked.

"Anything else I've missed out on? I seem to be out of the loop at times now."

"Not really, how about you? Ready to give up yet?" Stormy asked.

"No, I'm not planning on giving up now. I'm at a cross between getting in over my head and getting under her skin. I've already gotten a numerous amount of information from her that would be wasted if I didn't continue using her as my project. The problem is, while you guys have seen immediate results, I haven't got a clue whether I'm going in the right path or walking into a brick wall."

"She's very guarded, The girl's been treated like shit since she started here. I've helped her once or twice, she was thankful but..." Stormy trailed off.

"But...what?"

"Jumpy, as though she was expecting a trap or a price."

"She's probably reacting out of instinct. So many people are out to get her here, and most of them start out nice in the beginning but end up dirty and deceiving."

"Knowing that, what will you do?" Icy asked quietly.

"I don't really have to do anything other than what I should be doing. If I have to guard her because others are threatening her, I'll do it- if only to gain her trust." She noticed she sounded as if she were hiding something, but didn't dwell on it just in case her sisters hadn't noticed.

"And after the project?" Stormy asked, veiled concern in her eyes.

"Well...after...I'll..." Darcy stopped. What would she do after the project was over? She had told herself before that she'd simply drop the friendship, but it was getting harder to even think about that. "I don't know what I'll do, yet," she answered honestly.

"Would you like some advice?" Icy asked.

"Gladly if you'll offer."

"Keep her around, she's one smart cookie. If you don't disappear on her, you'll have someone loyal to you for life."

"So are you suggesting that I make the friendship...real?"

"Yeah. I hacked into Giffen's personal file about her. She's got big plans for Rose."

Darcy thought about that. A real friendship with Rose? It seemed like a whole new path to view the project from. It both intrigued her... and made her cautious. If she permitted the friendship to be real, she wouldn't have any excuse for her actions other than her being herself. She couldn't say the information was only for the project, because she'd keep the knowledge far beyond the deadline of the school assignment. Trying her best not to stay on that thought, she questioned Icy, "Did you find any details on the plans?"

"Griffen's considering adopting the girl and training her to be headmistress of Cloud Tower when she steps down!" Stormy snapped in hot jealousy.

Darcy's eyes widened to the size of watermelons. She stared at Stormy before blurting out, "What did you say? Adopting?" She turned to Icy. "Is she really considering that?"

"I think so, From what I gather, Rose's parents really pissed her off, Griffen cursed them for almost three full pages."

"Why would she adopt her though? Isn't letting her attend enough?" She practically shivered at the thought of Rose becoming the daughter of such a powerful witch to begin with. It was asking for even more trouble.

"We don't know, Stormy's computer died before we could find out."

Darcy rubbed her head in frustration. Suddenly, she thought of something. "Do you guys know what kind of witch Griffen is?"

"No, why?" Icy asked.

"Well we read that Rose is a Twilight witch, right?"

"I think she just made that up, there's no such thing as a Twilight witch." Stormy snapped.

"Either way she might have said that for a reason. Maybe that's why Griffen is so overprotective of her," the middle witch reasoned. "That and how much power she can create."

"It could also be possible that she's bluffing to scare other witches away. For all her power, she's still a cripple." Icy mused thoughtfully.

"Don't call her that." the witch said initially. She looked a bit surprised at herself once it had left her mouth.

Icy sat up, looking surprised. "Why? She is. If it wasn't for her power, she wouldn't be worth the time or effort you spend on her."

Darcy sighed. "I can't disagree on that. But she does have power, so she's not worthless or useless. I've already heard that word enough today from Bavalon and her little followers, anyway."

"What happened?" Now it was Stormy's turn to sit up, only she looked alarmed.

"It's a long story," Darcy warned. "And it starts right at the beginning of the day during gym class."

"How many bruises does she have now?" Stormy demanded.

A smirk formed on the middle witch's lips. "Why so interested in her all of a sudden?"

Stormy glared. "You know as well as I do how difficult it is to control a strong power. Do you really want to be in the way when your little Rose finally snaps and decides to show her fangs?"

"I can handle myself, Stormy. If she decides to do anything nasty, I'll slap her out of it. While I can't help her control her power, I can help her get back to normal if she should falter." She grinned. "But it's nice to know you care."

"I have a strong feeling that if she snaps, you might not be able to help her."

"Maybe not," Darcy agreed, "but I've already gotten in too deep to turn back now. I wish it was as easy as simply letting her solve all of her own problems, but then I wouldn't have that much of a project going for me, nor would I gain trust."

"How far deep are you? Has she...?" Icy asked nervously.

"Has she what, Icy? She hasn't tried seducing me if that's what you think."

Icy looked relieved. "Do you think she'd try?"

"She might if she can't control it anymore..." Darcy shook her head. "But I highly doubt it." 'Unless she has no other choice...no, I won't let that happen.'

Stormy frowned. "Still, I'd be very careful Dar. From what you've told us, Rose is pretty affection starved..."

Darcy nodded. "I'll be careful, promise. Now are you guys ready for a truckload of information?"

"Just don't say anything she asked you not to." Stormy warned, ignoring Icy's glares. "You'll be able to use that later."

Darcy looked surprised at Stormy's advice. It was almost as if she expected Rose to have said something that she wanted kept secret! Either way, she tried making it seem a mystery whether she actually did or didn't. "I won't," she promised.

Meanwhile, in Rose's room, the redhead was waiting impatiently for her tea to seep.

Darcy walked out of her room and started for the stairs. She was wearing another one of her deep purple sets of clothes- a tank top with small swirls of white and pants a deep shade with a gold-like belt holding it up. Dinner had ended a few minutes ago, the girls having chatted on the subject until then. Icy had been doubly alarmed than Stormy, specifically because she was still a little cautious whether or not her sibling was hiding some things. Both of them had agreed that Bavalon was a threat, and had warned her to keep an eye on Rose's actions towards them, not only for the sake of everyone else but for her own safety. Now that their talk had ended, Darcy was ready to meet up with Rose and go to the jewelry store.

She arrived at her door soon enough and raised her hand up to knock.

A silver shield buzzed into life, but vanished at the dark witch's touch. "Come on in Darcy." Rose called.

The witch entered the room, greeting, "Hey there. Ready to go?" She looked over the witch's attire as she stepped in.

Rose was wearing a pair of dark blue pants and a matching blue shirt, she wore no jewelry except for a pair of small diamond earrings. "Yep, just let me choke down this last cup and we'll be set to go Darcy."

The witch nodded as she got into the room completely, leaving the door slightly ajar. She waited patiently for Rose to finish, occasionally glancing around the room every now and then.

Shutting her silver eyes, Rose shuddered as she drained the hot contents cup with no pause for breath. "Gah! Nasty!" Putting the cup on her desk, she shook her head as she grabbed her purse.

Darcy smirked at the witch. "Why don't you just put some sweetener in if it tastes so bad?"

"Because I have to be able to taste it to know if I did it right.

"You could just take a sip and then if it tastes like it should, add some sweetener into it afterwards. Save yourself the bad aftertaste."

"Sugar only makes it worse actually." Rose said as she held the door open for Darcy.

Walking through the door with a nod of thanks, Darcy replied evenly, "In that case, let's just get your mind off of the taste with some jewelry shopping."

With a smile, Rose shut and locked her door before following Darcy.

As they advanced the entrance, the dark witch inquired, "Have you have any problems with Bavalon, lately?"

"I caught her prowling outside my door after you left to have girl time with your sisters."

"Did she talk to you?" Darcy asked.

"No, but the way she looked at me..." Rose shivered before moving again. "I think there's something warped in her."

"But she hasn't tried anything on you yet, has she?" the amber-eyed witch pressed. "And what do you mean by warped?"

"No, but I have the feeling that she's waiting for the right time to strike. When I was in her mind... it wasn't pretty."

Darcy opened the entry door for Rose, continuing, "What was in her mind? Some foul plot to hurt you?"

She rolled outside. "It went deeper than that. From what I gathered, she's like me, but she hates it... and I've become her scapegoat somehow."

"Her scapegoat...?" Darcy closed the door behind them subsequent to saying this, grasping the handles of Rose's wheelchair. What she didn't notice was that she had closed the door on someone. A mass of blonde hair swayed as the girl peeked from the door at the other two, eyes narrowed and lips pursed.

Rose was frowning in thought. "Yes, she can't deal with her emotions, so she takes them out on me."

"How is she like you, then? I mean, that must be the reason she picked you of all people to take her emotions out on."

"Because I am a lesbian, and I don't hide it."

Darcy paused at the corner. Suddenly getting what she meant, the witch asked disbelievingly, "Are you saying she's a lesbian like you?"

"More or less, yes."

"But all those things she said about you! She wanted me to be with her because she knew you were a lesbian and she said she hated that!"

Swallowing, Rose tried to explain. "Darcy, she can't accept who she is, she hates herself for being that way."

Darcy turned at the corner to her right, thinking up something to say. It was enough shock with learning that Bavalon was a woman seeker, but that she would hide it so evenly because she hated it? This whole thing seemed unreal.

Rose shook her head "It happens sometimes..."

Just as the two had rounded the corner, the blonde-haired girl followed quickly behind, hiding behind passersby if need be. She frowned and cursed to herself. "I don't know why I'm doing this," she said out loud, ignoring the people who looked at her oddly, "but I need to follow them. I need to know what she's doing..." She tried advancing them, listening to see if she could hear them. Unfortunately, their voices were muffled by the other neighborhood noises. "Damn, I can't hear what she's saying! I guess I'll have to keep following."

Getting to the jewelry store a few minutes later, Rose grinned at Darcy. "We're here."

The two continued towards the front entrance of the store, entering in after a few short moments spent opening the door and getting through. Following them without a sound, Bavalon cursed when she saw how small the jewelry shop was. If she entered, it'd be a definite that the other two would notice her. She took to peeking through the glass window, hoping that they wouldn't glance her way.

Rose smiled quietly as she rolled into the shop. "I know the shop is small Darcy, but I've never been fond of the larger more popular stores."

"I'm fine with small stores," Darcy replied, looking over at a case filled with necklaces. "They usually don't have that high of a price than a popular one."

"Come here Darcy, there's something I want to show you. You don't have to buy it if you don't like it, but I thought that it should belong to you when I first saw it." The necklace that she gestured to was a finely crafted shimmering silver chain that held a perfect dark purple amethyst that contained swirls of a lighter purple shade as well as some very fine lines of white.

Darcy looked at the necklace with awe. It was perfect- just what she had been searching for. The purple shades were exactly how she liked them and the lines of white made it look even more gorgeous. To top it off, she'd always wanted such a beautifully woven silver chain to go with it. For the first time in a long time, Darcy could only stare with wide open eyes and jaw slacking.

Rose smiled softly. "I used to have a good eye for jewelry, it's nice to see I haven't lost my touch."

"Do you have any jewelry? I mean, with a good eye like that you must have a lot," Darcy said, touching the glass case that concealed the necklace within.

"I only had a few pieces, but the only jewelry I could take with me were my earrings. The rest were destroyed, pawned, or put away for my brother when he found a wife."

"Why would your parents destroy your jewelry?"

"Because they were Wicca related."

Puzzled, Darcy asked, "How could pieces of jewelry be Wicca related?"

"Do you know what a pentacle is?"

Slowly, the dark witch shook her head. "The five elements? You mean like water, fire, earth, wind, and lightening?"

"You have the first four elements right, you even said them in the correct order, but the fifth element is Spirit."

Darcy thought on that a moment. "What significance do those have to the religion, though?"

"Wicca is a nature religion Darcy."

"So basically they're just there because the religion is nature and all of those happen to back it up? That's not really persuading."

"You need all five to live Darcy." She replied calmly.

"Well, I guess that's true," Darcy agreed. "Aside from that, though, let's get back to shopping." Although it seemed she had let the topic slide fairly quickly, she wasn't quite finished learning about it yet. 'I'll have to research about it later on...' she thought as she looked back at the necklace Rose had pointed out to her.

Smiling, Rose nodded and rolled away.

After gazing at the piece of jewelry for a little longer, she finally decided to buy it. Luckily, it wasn't as expensive as it looked and she was able find enough money in her wallet instead of using one of her credits. She went up to the front desk with it, paid, and came back to where Rose was with the necklace in her hand. "Could you put this on for me? My hands always fumble with the clasp."

Nodding Rose took the necklace, fighting a blush.

Darcy kneeled down in front of her and waited as she gently pulled the chain around her neck and began locking it in place.

She blushed as she carefully made sure the necklace was on right. "Too tight?"

"That's perfect," Darcy replied, getting back up and arranging the stone. She smiled in thanks. "Have you found one that you like yet?"

"They are all beautiful." Rose answered with a smile.

"Any you like the best? Surely there's got to be one at least." She glanced around the room at the jewelry in the boxes. "Red would probably go well with your hair, though you might want your favorite color or birthstone..."

"Emeralds or any green stone looks well on me, or so I'm told."

"I think they'd look well on you, too," Darcy rejoined. She picked up a pair of emerald tear drop earrings. "What do you think of these?"

Rose pulled her hair back, revealing a pair of small dull diamonds in her ears, which she carefully took out.

Bavalon peeked through the window and was startled as she saw Darcy was adorned with a new necklace. She peered closer and saw Rose take out her earrings and wait for the dark witch to put in a pair of emerald ones. 'What are those two doing? Buying jewelry...? Why would they want to do that?'

The redhead held the diamond earrings carefully in her hand. "What do you think Darcy?"

"They look great on you," Darcy complimented, pulling back strands of Rose's hair back to better view them. "You were right, this color looks gorgeous with your face."

Rose gave Darcy a genuine smile that lit up her entire heart-shaped face. "You think?"

"Of course. Would I lie to you?" She stood up straight and looked around, barely missing Bavalon's head quickly whipping around the corner in a flash. Staring at the window in slight confusion, she finally let it go and turned back to the witch in front of her. "You gonna get them, then?"

Rose blushed and nodded. "I think so." She answered, waiting for Darcy to take them out again.

The dark witch took the hint and reached over to carefully slip the pieces of jewelry out of her earlobes and held them tightly in her hand. She put them back in the small container in which she found them while Rose put her diamond studs back in.

Smiling, Rose put the diamonds back in. She didn't seem to care the diamonds looked dull and lifeless when compared to the emeralds. The price made her blanch slightly, but she did pay for them.

The shopkeeper smiled. "We have a lovely necklace and twin bracelets that would match the earrings ma'am."

"Perhaps another day." Was the redhead's calm answer.

Shall we go then?" Darcy suggested, already headed for the door. From outside, Bavalon ducked a second time, heart pounding ninety-eight miles a second. She quickly scrambled to the bushes and hid there, crouched down and out of sight. She just hoped a dog wouldn't come by and mistake her for one of the oddly formed buds.

Nodding, Rose protectively held the box with her new earrings. "It's been a good day."

The two left the store, passing by the blonde without even noticing her in the slightest. She breathed a sigh of relief once they had rounded the corner and quickly hopped to her feet. Not wanting to get back to the Tower right after the two for fear of uprising suspicion, she decided to walk through the jewelry shop to kill any leftover time that she could afford. The inside felt warmer than outside, so she allowed herself to relax and look around. Her eyes caught a familiar design and she quickly yanked up the necklace and bracelets that matched the earrings Rose had just purchased. 'No way!' she thought. 'She didn't get these too?' A thought suddenly entered her mind. 'Then she won't mind if I snatch them before she gets a chance, right?'

Rose was actually humming under her breath softly as she and Darcy made their way back to Cloud Tower.

They made it towards the Tower easily enough with Bavalon following behind, pausing every here and there to conceal her presence. She had exited the store soon after purchasing the items and was slowly making her way, avoiding every possible confrontation with the other two witches. Darcy seemed not to notice as she strolled Rose through the main doors and brought her up to her room entrance.

"Thanks Darcy, I had a great time today." Rose smiled. "I'm glad you like the necklace."

"Yeah," the witch replied with a grin of her own. "We've had an... interesting day today. Try and get a good night's sleep, though."

The redhead grinned. "I'll do my best Darcy."

After another round of goodbyes, Darcy made her way up the stairs. She stopped for a moment once she was up, sighing. By the time she'd have gotten back to her room, she knew she wouldn't feel up to spilling out the information just yet. Not that she wasn't used to this feeling by now, though. It was what she should be calling "normal", especially since Rose's mere being had altered her sense of normality already. Breathing in a couple times, she made it all the way to the witches' room and opened it.

"Hey Darcy." Stormy said, trying on an outfit in the mirror.

"Hey," was her simple response. She walked off towards the bed, shutting the door behind her, and sat down abruptly. With a small tilt of her head, she surveyed her sister, and noticed the clothes she was putting on. "Where'd you get that?" she inquired nonchalantly.

Stormy actually blushed as she smoothed down the tan pants and emerald top. "Flora bought them for me."

"So I'm guessing your project's going pretty well then?" She turned her body to get into a more comfortable position, facing her younger sister fully now.

"Yes actually. I've learned a lot from her." Stormy replied. "She's actually helping me."

"Would you like to explain?" she urged, anything to keep her mind on something other than Rose. "I've yet to hear in depth about you and your Flora manipulations."

"I'm actually uncertain about if it's even a manipulation now. She's really helped me learn more about myself and taught me how to control my temper." Stormy said, chewing on her lip and not daring to look at her older sister.

Darcy straightened. "Well...that's good. Icy and I have always tried to persuade you to contain your temper and all. This Flora must really have made an effect on you if she's able to do that, though."

"You tried pushing it. She... doesn't..." Stormy said softly. "I really think the fairies are onto something sometimes..."

"The fairies are always onto something," the dark witch sighed. "They just spend most of their time gathering together than they do plotting, like we used to constantly do."

"No... It's not that... It's something else..." Stormy bowed her head. "It's like their power doesn't... damn..."

If you've got something to say, then just say it! What is it with you people and keeping everything to yourselves?" Darcy exploded, jumping up from her seat on the bed. She quickly realized her sudden reaction just as images of Bavalon and Rose flashed through her mind. Shaking her head, she sat back down. "Never mind...just keep talking. Or don't. Whatever you want to say, I'll listen." 'Damn...I'm losing it now...'

Faltering, Stormy tried her best to put her real feelings into words. "The fairies. They know themselves, their power comes from inside themselves. Not though a Crystal or other object. We fight them to get stronger, but I think that the only thing we are doing is exposing our own weaknesses..."

Our weaknesses, eh?" Darcy thought on that for a moment. Lately, everyone had preoccupied with weaknesses and reputations. Bavalon seemed the most preoccupied, and the most corrupted from it, but she supposed that by hiding the "true Darcy" from Rose and by trying to "lure her in", she was covering up her weaknesses as well. Everything was slowly starting to come together...

"Maybe we'll have to invite Icy into this conversation," the older sister suggested. "It's been a while since the three of us have focused our time on the fairies and that sort."

"I'm not even sure if I'm making any sense Darcy. You know how much she wants that Dragon Fire... that's why she chose Bloom in the first place!" Stormy's face has paled. "She's pretty mad as Rose too because of what we read in Griffen's journal."

"Well, all right, we'll keep this as a two-sister conversation. I've wanted to hear about your stories anyway and one will have to do for now." She paused. "Back on track, though, you mentioned us exposing our weaknesses. I'm not saying I like them getting any stronger, but if what you said is true, then it's really our fault why we haven't already gotten everything we want from them, right? Meaning, all that planning and plotting is wasteful because we just fight with no regards to the fact that every time we lose, they win at something more than just the battle."

Stormy ran her hands though her hair, pacing now, as she spoke. "They've learned how to be a real team and count on each other, not just in battle, but outside of it too."

Darcy watched her sister pacing and responded with, "We're sisters. I'd imagine we'd have the stronger bond since we've been together longer. As much as they might get to know each other, it's nothing compared to our natural connection, right?" She half hoped her sister would reply in the affirmative.

"That is true. I never thought about it that way." She said, slowly, thinking rather carefully about this. "I suppose that it just depends on how you look at things." Stormy frowned in thought. "Still, if we are stronger as a group, then were would a loner like Rose fit in? Even the Fairies stick together."

She thought about that, thinking back to all the conversations she had with the red-head, as well as the time they had battled against Bavalon and her crew. Even though she could claim her turf in battle and produced a good amount of knowledge in other areas that the dark witch herself had barely even contemplated on, she didn't know if someone like her could fit in anywhere completely. "I don't know," Darcy answered reluctantly. "I'm not sure she can, even if she wanted to."

Stormy thought in silence for a moment. "She reminds me of a wolf in a way. A wolf looking to form her own pack when everyone else is already paired up."

"Kind of makes you think up some kind of fable or something, huh?" Darcy suggested out loud. "Something like a lone wolf and how she finds her way in life. I don't know if there is such a fable, though." She pondered on what it would be like if Rose ever found a place where she belonged. It almost made her uneasy to think of the witch finding a place other than with her, but she let it go with a shake of her head.

"Maybe it's just because she's disabled. She can't fit in because on the basic everyday level, she can't compete with other people. There's not common ground because she has to think and use her magic in a way we don't think about." The younger witch said slowly.

"You're right," Darcy admitted. "But there could be a way for her to fit, if people around here got used to her being that way. I mean, think about it. We're accepted because there's three of us, right? If there were to be more disabled witches she'd probably be accepted as well." She stopped to think over what she had just said. Not only would that require disabled women with enough stamina and intelligence to hold up a witch's requirement, but also it would imply that Rose wouldn't fit in with anyone other than those who were disabled like her.

"Darcy, we're using her. There is a difference. Face the facts, if it weren't for this project, none of us would give her the time of day." Stormy corrected her, although she didn't look happy about it. "Besides, there are some things that only another disabled person would understand. Rose is the only disabled witch I know, and I've never heard of a disabled fairy. I think her only choice would be to go back to earth after she finishes schooling unless Griffen gives her enough status to make the others think twice, and I don't think even that would help her Darcy."

Darcy looked away momentarily. She knew her younger sibling was right- the project was the only thing that connected her to Rose in the first place. And forget about finding another disabled witch, let alone any disabled person near here. She sighed. "So after this project is over, I'm supposed to dump her, right?" She didn't like the terminology used, but it fit with what she was trying to get across.

"It depends on how truthful you want to be Dar. Do you really want to be living a lie? People know that she's not exactly normal. How long before other people start thinking you are actually friends, if not lovers?" Stormy countered ruthlessly. "That's only the best case scenario. The worst case being that somebody is going to tell her that she is being used, and it won't be another student either."

"I'm not sure how truthful I want to be at the moment. I know for a fact that I'm past the thought of hurting her, but I'm not sure if that means I'd be spilling my guts all over the floor at her feet." Darcy paused. "Even though I'm not sure about that, I know I don't want to be caught in a bind by having someone else rat me out. I'd rather tell her myself, if I could think up a way to do so without making it seem absolutely obvious that I'm telling her a secret about her."

"Do you want my advice? You won't like it." Stormy said, looking oddly serious and sad.

The dark witch cringed, but forced herself to calm down. "Sure," she replied. "I'm not exactly eager, but I'm willing."

"If you're in it just for the project or the power, get out while you still can. Sooner or later Griffen is going to figure out what is going on even if you don't turn your reports in. If you get out now, you won't hurt her as bad as you would otherwise, and Griffen won't tear strips out of your hide." Stormy said firmly. "Rose might not be my friend, but I understand what she must be going though with her powers. You're the first person besides Griffen whose been kind to her, and Rose might not be able to help it if her feelings for you turn into something deeper than friendship."

Darcy ground her teeth together as the words sunk in. She wanted to deny that could happen, wanted to believe that for once life could actually be right. She didn't like the hole she had dug herself into, neither did she like the fact that she had used Rose to help dig it up. She may have been evil, but it was getting pretty tough to sink this low. Heaving a sigh, the witch said, "I'll tell her the truth, but I'll need your help for preparation. I don't want to crash it all down on her and risk potential harm, but I do want her to know, and I want to be ready for her reaction."

The storm witch nodded her head slightly. "If you need help, all you have to do is ask Dar. Do you have anything in mind, or do you want to sleep on it for the night?" She asked, since night had fallen since their talk. "In this case, I don't think Icy's going to be a lot of help."

"I'll sleep on it," Darcy said, glancing at her bed. "Maybe some rest will help clear my mind up so I can think properly." She stifled a yawn and looked towards her sister. "You're going to bed, too?"

The younger witch shook her head. "I'm going to get a snack, then get to work on my homework. I'm starting to get behind again and I'm not about to get caught in detention when I could be busy doing other things." Quickly hugging Darcy, she walked out of the room saying: "Make sure that you know what you are doing, whatever you decide sis."

The dark witch watched her sister depart and sighed. She fell onto her mattress, overcome in her thoughts, and pulled the pillow up under her chin. Remaining there for a while helped a little, but she knew she'd have to get ready sooner or later so she got back up and left for the bathroom. As she brought her toothbrush up to her teeth, she looked at herself in the mirror. 'What am I going to do, anyway? I know I'm going to tell her. But how? Asking her out for a while will be easy, she's always ready for a break to tour the shops or just roam the city. Then, we can get into some conversation about a teacher or something. But bringing up that I've been merely using her and meant no real intention in a friendship...' She shook her head vigorously. 'I'll figure something out.'

She spat in the sink and washed up her face, proceeding to undress and put on her night clothes. Combing out some tangles in her hair, she turned off the bathroom light and crawled into her bed. It took only a while before her breathing deepened and she fell into a light slumber, dreaming about ways for the conversation to go as well as some other things that had been on her mind.


Second note: I deeply regret having to say that due to personal and artistic differences, Kagura16 will no longer be my partner with this piece, so it might be a while until the next update. If anyone would be interested in helping me continue this story, please leave a message in your review or send me a pm and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have working on it.