Chapter 8 – Conversations
"So, he survived?" Diala asked Sophie, while she entered the room.
"Yes, Miss Diala. Astrid came back and healed him with a single spell." Sophie bowed before Diala, who was still wearing the same expressionless face.
The witch didn't reply. She just started pacing the room.
"The technology fairy is alive too." The pink-haired woman added. "No one is dead."
Diala still didn't say anything. She just continued walking throughout the room without any direction, a hand on her chin. "I don't know what to do." She finally muttered to herself.
"Sorry, Miss Diala?" Sophie raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing." The witch finally stopped walking. "Can you leave the room? I'd like to be alone."
"But…"
"Please, Sophie." Diala looked up in her eyes. The pink-haired woman nodded, bowed and walked away, leaving a tired Diala on her own. The witch sat on a chair and put her elbow on the table next to her.
I can't do anything against Astrid. If she had been able to heal him with only one spell, then I'm completely lost. What should I do?
The room was quite silent. The only noise which could be heard was the potions boiling on their phials or test tubes. Diala felt tired. Really tired. It was like she hadn't slept in days. Maybe the others were rights. Maybe she was too much into revenge. But she couldn't restrain. Since her daughter Cely died because of him, every human became the only way to take revenge on him. Seeing a human reminded her of him.
She closed her eyes, and let out a huge sigh. Then, she heard the noise of an opening window, followed by a noise of footsteps. But this didn't make her move from her position, neither opening her eyes. She just let out a:
"Get out of here, Astrid."
Astrid jumped on the room and closed the window behind her.
"I'm glad to see you too, Diala."
"Don't make me say it twice, Astrid." The witch stood up. "I'm not in a mood for that."
"Then don't say it, why would I care?" Astrid shrugged and lifted her hands. She passed next to Diala and, strangely, she didn't react at all. She just looked down, while the healer took a glance at the potions on the table.
"You still have your lab."
"Maybe."
Astrid looked at a potion in particular.
"An Indrengea Spell right?" Diala didn't answer. "It stinks."
"Then why do you smell it?" Diala sighed.
"No reason." Astrid looked to the potion next to it. "This one is made of Loncinera. Mortal poison right?"
The witch shrugged. "Maybe."
"Greeny-yellow is awful."
"I don't care."
"Oh."
There was a small silent. Astrid raised an eyebrow.
"Tell me; isn't the Loncinera made for weapons? For example… Don't we use it for poisoned arrows?"
I caught her… "Maybe."
"Can't you say other things?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe what?"
"Maybe I can say others things than "Maybe"."
"So, can you?"
"Maybe."
"So, did you use it to poison an arrow earlier?"
"Yes."
"Okay. That's all I wanted to know."
"When are you going to leave?"
"One day. When I'll want to." Astrid looked to a flower on the table. "Nice black rose."
"When will it be?"
Astrid walked towards Diala slowly. Because they were the same height, it was easy for her to look at her directly in the eyes. "I'll leave if you're ready to speak with me without fighting or using magic. I just want to talk with you."
Diala laughed a little. "If this is the only way to get rid of you… What do you want?"
Astrid looked more serious than before. "I think I should be the one asking that. What do you want, Diala?"
The witch raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"Are you going to continue ruining the lives of innocent people only because they're humans?" Astrid took another step towards Diala. "It's not Flora's fault if Gaël killed Cely!"
"How can you dare saying these names in front of me?" Diala screamed with an ear-piercing voice. "You didn't lose anything special to you this day! How can you understand what I feel now?"
Astrid shook her head. "Please, don't scream. My ears are bleeding right now." Taking a good look at Diala's face, Astrid kept talking. "Listen, Diala. We've been friend at a time. I know what you feel."
"We've been friends a long time ago, Astrid." Diala showed her her back. "You weren't in the same situation. I've lost all my family. My parents, my husband, Cely… I didn't have anything left after Gaël came!"
"That doesn't mean that every human you will see has to pay for him, Diala." Astrid sighed. "No every human is like him. Not every human is born for killing."
"I know that." Diala finally admitted.
"Then, what did Flora do to you? Remember that it's only because you tried to kill her that King Eyal banished you from the village."
"She's human. I can restrain myself of wanting to kill her only with this idea. Each time I see a human, I remember him. I can't help it. Seeing her there, accepted and welcomed in the village after his attack made me hate her so much." Diala sighed, realizing that she was about to confess to her enemy.
"Really? Then why didn't you try to kill her and ruin her life when she was at Magix?"
Diala looked down. She caught her. She really caught her. Astrid was somehow right: they had been friends at a time, and, even if it was a hundred years before, she still knew her well. Did she really have to lie to her?
"I didn't want to kill her. That's why I threatened her to leave the village or I'll kill her family: because I knew she would run away. So, I wouldn't have this desire of revenge on my mind." Diala looked down. "But I can't help it! Every human reminds me of him! When I saw Flora coming back with her friends, it was like… as if… I don't know how to say it, Astrid."
"Not all the humans, Diala."
"I know me better than you do, Astrid."
"Really? So, what about Sophie? Isn't she a human too?"
Diala gasped. The truth hit her. Sophie was human, and never the idea of killing her crossed her mind. But Sophie was different: Years after her banishment, Diala was hurt on her leg, and didn't know how to walk on a huge forest. That was when she met Sophie: the little girl was homeless, covered with dirt and was too joyful for her, but she really wanted to help her, and seemed as lost as her. Sophie was the first one who wanted to help her after she became emotionless and heartless. But did she really become that heartless?
Because, heartless or not, Sophie was the only one Diala felt attached to. And she was human.
"So?"
"Shut up, Astrid." Diala turned around. "Now, get out of here. Leave me alone." Her voice was almost a whisper.
Astrid smiled softly. "Okay then. It was a pleasure to see you." Turning heels, she opened the window again. "Oh, and Diala!" She did not turn around. "These girls might fight Gaël one day. If you want to help us to take your revenge, feel free to come!"
Diala's eyes opened widely. "Get out of he-" she started to say, pointing her finger on Astrid. Too late, she already had jumped out.
Diala sat down again. She put her hands in front of her eyes.
God, what's happening to me? I shouldn't be so upset! I just talked to Astrid after all! It wasn't like…-
Someone knocked and entered. Sophie fully showed herself in front of the witch's surprised eyes.
"I-I'm sorry Miss Diala. I heard you scream and I was worried. I'm going o-"
"Wait, Sophie!" Diala called after her. This conversation made her realise something after all. She may have hurt people, she may have killed others, she still had some feelings. Maybe it wasn't too late to make it up?
"Yes, Miss Diala?"
"Why don't you just call me "Diala" after all these years? I think that you're not my slave."
Sophie's eyes grew wider. "Sure M-Diala."
"Thank you, Sophie."
"For what?"
"Nothing." For the first time, Diala smiled softly, without any bad reason. It was just a smile of happiness.
Layla was sitting on a rock next to the house she would be sleeping in for another night. It was hard to sleep after knowing danger was all around her and her friends. She knew she had to sleep, but it was hard to realise that the next day will be full of danger, of revelations, and maybe of deaths? But, even with danger, the sky was completely empty of clouds, and the stars were shining like they never had. She could have identified every constellation, even if it wasn't really her cup of tea. It was still entertaining.
"The stars are beautiful, aren't they?"
Jumping, Layla turned around. Roy was standing there, his hands on the pockets of his jean. He had the same smile on this face, the smile she always used to know.
"Roy? You're still not sleeping?"
"Well, I saw you outside, and Flora told me to go and speak to you, so… here I am."
Layla smiled at herself. Flora really took her words seriously and helped her. She really was a friend.
"So, Layla… About what happened this morning…"
"Let me speak first!" Layla quickly stopped him. She was the one who had to be forgiven after all. She cleared her throat before speaking; "Listen Roy, I-I really feel guilty because I didn't you how I felt before. Since the time spent I didn't want to hurt you, so I gave up… But, right now, I don't want you to be sad because of that. I really like you Roy, but not the same way as you like me. I see you as a brother and a friend, but nothing more. When I saw you mad at me this morning, it made me sad, so I hoped that we could talk about it and be friends again…"
The fairy of fluids really dreaded Roy's reaction. But, at her surprise, he smiled softly at her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Layla. In fact, I wasn't mad at you. I was just thinking that you didn't want to be friend with me anymore." Layla looked at him in the eyes. "Layla, I was really honest when I said I liked you. But if you don't feel the same way, that's not a problem. I want to be friend with you."
Layla smiled, very relieved that he wasn't mad at her. "Of course we can be friends, Roy. And I'm sure someday you'll find someone who will love you this way. You deserve it."
"Thank you Layla. Thank you so much."
The two friends didn't speak after that. They just remained there for almost an hour, watching the stars shining like diamonds on a beautiful sky, avoiding remembering that something terrible was waiting for them the next day.
"This Chocolate fondant is the best I ever ate in my life, mum!" Flora said with her mouth full. "How can you be so good with cooking while I'm not even able to cook a hot chocolate alone?"
"What is that?" Nassima asked.
"Chocolate and Milk! This is really good to eat on the morning!"
Michelle, who was cleaning some plates, laughed. Flora always acted like a child when she was eating chocolate, even if she was now twenty.
"I cooked it yesterday. I thought I failed onto it, but apparently not!"
Flora smiled brightly since she began to eat. Nassima saw it. "You look quite happy since you went to see your boyfriend."
Flora blushed fiercely. "R-really?" Michelle nodded with a smile, and Nassima elbowed her adoptive sister to tease her. "And you pretend not knowing what we're talking about, hum?"
"H-hey, he's my boyfriend." Flora was embarrassed. "I-Isn't it logical to be in a good mood after seeing you boyfriend?"
Nassima smirked. Flora saw it immediately. "Oh you…! Don't look at me like that!"
"So, how does he feel?" Michelle asked while looking through the window in front of her. Flora felt thankful that her mother wouldn't make her feel more embarrassed.
"He feels better. He looks tired, but his wound is healed. He will stay in the infirmary tonight."
"That's why he kissed you, hum?" Nassima whispered in her ear, her smirk still on her face.
"N-no!" Flora stuttered. She didn't remember the last time Nassima felt in a mood for teasing her like she was doing. "I-it was not for that and…" Something then hit her. "Wait a minute… you're spying on me?"
"I was passing by. I was curious." Nassima lied. She raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Why do you remind me of Stella so suddenly?" Flora whispered to herself.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Nassima." Her mother sighed with a smile. "If she doesn't want to talk to you about this…"
"But she has to!" She wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm her sister and she has to tell me everything!"
Flora looked at her with concerned eyes, and then stared at her mother. "Is she drunk? She had never looked so happy before!"
Michelle shook her head. "She's just happy to have you back."
"Sooooo- If he didn't kiss you because he doesn't sleep here tonight, why did he?"
Flora stared helplessly at the floor, as if it was her only hope to get away from the embarrassment. And Michelle wasn't really helping her with her smile which hadn't really disappeared…
"W-well, he…" Flora hesitated, but realising that her sister wouldn't give up easily, she was the one who had to tell her everything.
"He told me he loved me." She said quickly, wishing that she talked too fast for Nassima to understand. But unfortunately, she understood. Michelle heard it too, because she turned around and raised her eyebrows. "Really?"
Flora nodded quickly. "I-I'm going to sleep. G-good night mother! Good night sis'" With that said, Flora ran into her room.
Nassima laughed. "I knew she was shy, but really that shy?"
"That's love, dear."
"I HEARD THAT!" Flora yelled from her room.
The two women laughed. "I missed her, you know mum." Nassima said, with a nostalgic smile. "I did too." Michelle said while she put the last plate down. "She didn't change, and that's great."
"We're not the same spaces, but she's like my real sister." Nassima sighed. "It's weird."
"It's not, sweetie. It only proves that you are kind hearted. You two grew up together and she sees us as her family, as we see her as my daughter and your sister. That just proves that we are good hearted."
"You're right." Nassima sighed. "I think I'm going to sleep too. Astrid told us that they will need help tomorrow. Good night mum."
"Good night sweetie."
It was now eleven o clock passed, and Michelle was still sitting at the table, not able to find sleep. All the lights were off, the only light in the room was the moon, and she was alone with her cup of tea. She really had a bad feeling about all this.
She jumped when she heard a door creaking. She sighed when she saw it was just Flora. She had her hair on a braid, and was wearing a black T-shirt and shorts.
"You're not sleeping?" She asked her on a whisper when she sat in front of her.
"I can't." Flora sighed. "I just spent two hours and more staring at the ceiling. I'm oppressed by a bad feeling. I know I don't have any reason but… I'm scared."
"It happens sometimes, sweetheart." Michelle smiled softly. "You are not alone; you just have to remember that."
"I know mum. I know that I have a lot of people surrounding me. But I can't help it."
There was a silent. The only sound which could be heard was the sound of the needles of a clock. A song made them understand that it was half passed eleven.
"In less than half an hour, we will be the 10th of March." Flora sighed. "I don't want to imagine what will happen to us. But after fighting against witches, dragons, trees and fishes during four years, I don't think I'll be surprised."
Michelle laughed. "Maybe this time you'll have to fight insects?"
"I fought against spiders once. I know they are not really insects, but still."
"Vampires?"
"I did once, on earth, with the Winx during one of Stella's fashion show."
"Centaurs?"
"I also did once. On earth again."
"Mummies?"
"Already did." Flora laughed with Michelle. "I don't think I can fight new enemies, including earth or magic dimension."
Michelle smiled. "You had always been surrounded by people you loved, right?" Flora nodded. "So you don't have to worry. The evil never wins on the light. And I'm sure that if something attacks you, someone will be there to save you." She continued, referring mainly someone to Helia.
Flora nodded. "You're right, mum." There was another silent, but Michelle was staring at her adoptive daughter with concerned eyes. "You should get some rest, sweetheart. Remember what Astrid told you."
"I know, mum." Flora stood up. "Thank you."
"Not a problem, sweetheart." Flora went up and hugged softly her mother, before going back on her room, slowly closing the door behind her. Michelle stared again at her tea, while sighing again. Even if Flora helped her to relax, she still had this bad feeling. In less than ten minutes, it would be the 10th of March.
Flora slowly lay down on the sheets again. She didn't feel better at all. She was staring at the ceiling again, while the only thing she heard in her room was her own breathing. She was really scared about what would happen in less than ten minutes. Would it be the end of the world? Would it be the hugest storm the universe ever had to fight? Would it be someone who would kill the people one by one?
Lost in her thought, Flora slowly closed her eyes. Her breathe became deeper and deeper as she slowly fell into the world of sleep.
The alarm echoed in the whole house. The castle clock rang. It was midnight. It was the 10th of March 2014.
Flora's eyes suddenly widened in a second. She sat up abruptly and gasped. Sweat was running down on her forehead. Her breathing was quick, her eyes were full of tears and her hands were gripping the sheets which were beneath her tightly. She couldn't believe it.
"No… please no… All, but not that… Please!"
I think it will be the longest chapter of my story (I know it's only for almost 500 words, but still! XD)
I wrote this chapter in one day, and this is not the one which contains the most revelations! I wrote the end at 11 p.m; it was dark, my room was silent, and instead of my breathe, I was only hearing the keyboard keys (and "Give me a reason" by the Corrs, but that doesn't count). :P
I hope you liked it, and two next chapters will be the revelation of what is Astronomia! :D Reviews?
