Chapter 10
Returning to the front gate of the school Bloom and Stella found Ms. Faragonda looking around nervously. Bloom quickly glanced at Stella and could see that her friend had a confused look on her face. "I wonder why Ms. Faragonda is there." Stella stated.
"Is everything alright?" Bloom asked as she and Stella approached the Headmistress.
"No Bloom everything is not alright." Ms. Faragonda replied as she looked at the two fairies, "Roxy collapsed at the hospital."
"Serves her right," Stella stated, "for everything that she has put us through."
"She deserves this?" Faragonda snapped, raising her voice and making Bloom's shoulders jump while Stella's sunk. "No one in the world deserves to be going through what she is! How can you be so selfish?"
"I…I'm not being selfish," Stella replied sheepishly.
"You're not being selfish?" Ms. Faragonda asked as she raised her eyebrow, "You are not acting like a princess or future queen right now."
"What!" Stella said, "I am the princess of Solaria and will some day lead my people."
"Yes but the way that you are acting right now my dear I am not sure you will be good at it."
"Isn't that a little harsh Ms. F?" Bloom asked.
"No Bloom it is not harsh," Ms. Faragonda replied as she shook her head, "As of right now Stella is showing that she is not ready to take over for her father. She is showing that she has not progressed as far as I had hoped to be a truly good ruler. She needs to learn to show compassion and forgiveness, I know that she is worried about Brandon but he will heal right now we still do not know what is wrong with Roxy. All Brandon had were a few broken ribs…Roxy, well, she's suffered a lot more then any of you will ever understand. And I have a feeling that it's not over yet."
Just as Stella was starting to open her mouth to reply Tecna and Timmy ran up to the group holding the three items that had been gathered so far. "You wanted us to bring the Volcano Dragon tooth, Pure Moon Crystal and Life Lilly." Tecna said as she approached.
"Yes," Faragonda nodded, "We need to take them to the hospital to heal Roxy there."
"But what about the fourth item?" Timmy asked.
"I received word for Ophelia, Musa and Riven successfully retrieved it, she has it with her. We need to get there, quickly, and end her suffering." The Headmistress turned to Stella. "If you are going to be supportive then you can come."
Stella stood still as the Faragonda opened a portal and one by one each of her friends entered. Turning to see Stella standing a few feet away staring at the portal the Headmistress shook her head, "Are you coming or are you just going to stand there all day?" Reluctantly Stella walked toward the portal and entered.
The bright light dissipated and the five people found themselves at the hospital. Faragonda charged ahead with Tecna and Timmy close behind, Stella trailed less then excitedly behind the group as they made it to the ward and saw Flora sitting outside on a chair, her head in her hands while Layla paced up and down nervously.
"How is she?" The Headmistress asked.
"S-she," Flora stammered as she lifted her face to look at the people that had just arrived. "She tried to kill herself."
"Wh…what did you say!" Bloom replied with a shocked voice.
Tears began to flow from Flora's eyes before she buried her face back into her hands. Layla walked over and sat down next to her friend wrapping an arm around her before looking at Bloom.
"After Galatea had saved Roxy we…we tracked her to Magix." Layla answered with tears in the corner of her eyes trying to force themselves out, "Someone ran up to us and told us that we needed to follow him, he had said that someone was on the top of a building preparing to jump. When we arrived Roxy jumped. We caught her as she feel and took her back up top. After talking to her we decided to come here and find out how Galatea was doing and when Roxy heard that Galatea had died she collapsed."
After hearing what Layla had just said Ms. Faragonda rushed toward the door that would lead farther into the ward, Tecna and Timmy closely behind her with the three items in their arms. Stella stood in shock for a few moments before sitting down in a nearby chair; she could not believe what Roxy had tried to do.
Faragonda had been right. She had been selfish and her selfishness had been slowly beating Roxy into the ground to the point where she felt that suicide was the only option. She felt sick to her stomach, realizing that she and Brandon had been through nothing in comparison to what Roxy had been.
"Why all the gloomy faces?" A voice asked.
Everyone turned to see Musa standing in a door way using the door frame to support herself. She had a weak smile on her face as the others looked over at her.
"It's Roxy and Ga…Galatea," Layla choked out.
"What about Roxy and Galatea?" She asked, wondering why Layla's voice had chosen to quiver when she said her best friends name in particular.
"Musa, please sit down." Bloom said as she took a step toward her friend.
"No tell me what happened to them!" Musa said as she raised her voice.
"Roxy collapsed here at the hospital," Bloom replied as she continued to move toward Musa, "Were not sure how she is doing."
"What about Galatea?" Musa questioned.
Bloom stopped moving and turned her vision toward the ground. Musa could see tears threatening to flow from her friends eyes.
"Please tell me what happened!" Musa said with sadness in her voice.
"Musa I…I'm sorry." Bloom replied as the tears began to slowly flow from her eyes.
"She's gone, Musa," Layla sighed, looking up to her friend as Flora's shoulders shook again beneath her arm. Musa's mouth opened as tears formed in her eyes and her breathing stopped.
She looked to the ceiling for a moment when her legs gave way. Bloom quickly moved to her side and took her arm, supporting the music fairy against herself as she shook. Carefully she lowered her to the ground. "I'm s-sorry M-Musa," Bloom whispered into her ear as tears cascaded from her eyes and her breathing labored.
"Tel…Tell me what happened." Musa stuttered.
"H-How could this happen?" Musa sobbed. "Roxy ran through the quad…out the gate and…" Flora tried to explain but her voice failed her. "The bus was pulling away from the school…and Roxy didn't see it in time so," Layla paused. "Galatea pushed her out of the way.
"She saved her life, Musa," Bloom sighed, hoping that it would be of some comfort but it hadn't been. Her hands were now clenched into fists, as rage burnt through her core. She attempted to stand to her feet but felt lightheaded again making Bloom help her back down. "You're in shock, Musa you need to take it easy."
"But…she…my best friend…is dead," she wailed sobbing harder then she had before, pulling her knees to her chest and cradling them in her arms. Holding them tight as tears fell from her cheeks down her chin and landed on her knees.
Bloom reached her hand out and touched her friends back, rubbing it in small circles to offer the only comfort she could, knowing that it would never be enough.
As Musa quietly sat sobbing into her knees the door that Ms. Faragonda had entered slowly opened to reveal the Headmistress. "How is she doing?" Bloom asked as she looked up at the Headmistress.
"It's still too early to know," Ms. Faragonda replied, "Ophelia is still waiting for the test results to come back."
"What about the spell?" Stella asked.
"We can cast the spell here," Faragonda answered, "It will be weaker but it should still heal her."
"Good," Stella replied as she looked toward to floor of the waiting room, "No one deserves to go through what she has."
A few moments later Tecna peaked her head out of the door to tell everyone that she and Timmy had finished. A few moments later everyone arrived at a room in the back of the ward with a single bed in the middle. Lying on the bed was Roxy; around it on four separate tables were each of the items that her friends had risked their lives to retrieve.
"Everything ready?" Layla checked and Tecna and Timmy nodded, the Headmistress doing the same. "Now girls, there are a few important things that I need to explain before you start to cast the spell," Faragonda said.
"Like what?" Bloom asked.
"You will only have one chance at casting it." Faragonda replied, "The four items will burn up in the process. Also when you begin under no circumstance should you stop."
"Why?" Layla asked.
"It will result in the death of Roxy and the people casting the spell."
"We won't stop!" Bloom spoke courageously. "We can do this."
A smile appeared on Headmistress' face, "Musa, because of your state I think its best if you stay with Tecna and help her while the others cast the spell." Musa nodded, too tired to argue.
Bloom and the others walked to the four tables surrounding the bed. Slowly turning her vision toward each of her friends she nodded at them one at a time before turning to look at Roxy. "Everyone ready?" Bloom asked.
Bloom slowly moved her hands over the item before her, channeling her powers into the tooth she could see it begin to glow a pale orange color. A smile began to form on her face as the energy slowly moved down the tables legs and across the floor toward the bed.
A laughing sound caused Bloom and the others to look up and see Icy materialize above Roxy. "Long time no see Bloom," She laughed as she looked down at Roxy, "I see she has had better days."
"What do you want Icy!" Bloom yelled.
"Oh," Icy smiled as she lowered down to the ground next to Roxy, "Not much." She lifted her head to see Musa, Tecna and Timmy heading toward her. Using her magic Icy lifted Roxy up off of the bed and threw her body at the three people rushing toward her.
The collision of Roxy into Musa and the others sent them falling to the ground. After lifting her head she could see Icy lying where Roxy had just been and the spell slowly entering into the ice witches body. A bright flash of light caused Musa to cover her eyes; after the light dissipated she could see that her friends with beads of sweat covering their foreheads.
"Icy you don't know what you have done." Faragonda said as she watched the ice witch slowly sit up.
"Yes I do," she replied with a smile on her face. "I have just secured victory!" Faragonda was met with a blast to her body sending her to the floor.
"Can't…we…stop?" Bloom asked.
"No!" The Headmistress yelled. "Even though Roxy has been moved she's been replaced by Icy, if you stop all of you will be killed!"
Flora's arms began to shake uncontrollably as her magic erupted through her and out toward the flower which burnt and slowly began to disintegrate. Bloom's fang burned as Icy's laughs echoed around them. Stella closed her eyes and tried to stop the overwhelming burn from her arms but it wasn't working.
"Girls!" Tecna yelled suddenly when they were all blasted backwards from their positions and landed weakly on the white tiles. Bloom forced her eyes open as she rolled onto her side, completely exhausted.
"Fools!" Icy smirked while watching Musa try and help Roxy.
"Icy, if you hurt Roxy I will never-" Bloom yelled before being hit in the chest with a ball of energy.
The blast sent Bloom flying back into the wall behind her. As soon as she felt the hard surface hit her back she could feel a large amount ice form on her chest.
"Bloom you need to be worried about yourself," Icy glared at the Dragon Fire fairy, "Not some lost cause that will never amount to anything."
"She is not a lost cause," Bloom yelled as she released a large amount of energy sending shards of ice flying every direction before a scream was heard.
Whipping her head around Bloom yelled as the shards entered Stella's body, pinning her to the back wall. "No!" Tears welled up at the corner of her eyes as Bloom watched the blood slowly flow down the Sun fairies arms and legs. The sight that truly broke her heart was the three shards that surrounded Stella's head and the scratches on her face staining her hair red.
"Wow," Icy giggled before turning to look at Bloom, "Never thought that I would see the day when you would hurt one of your friends like that. I wonder if she will ever forgive you."
A wicked smile grew on Icy's face as she walked toward Bloom. "Get away from her!" A voice yelled from behind the ice witch. She turned to glare at Tecna before waving her hand causing everyone in the room to freeze to the floor.
"Now that your friends have been taken care of," Icy said as she turned her vision back toward Bloom. "It's just you and me."
Icy's hands rose along with the smirk on her face. Bloom closed her eyes in preparation, being too weak to lift a finger let alone defend herself. But, after a moment, she opened them again to see Icy waving her hands widely, trying to make something happen. "What!" She yelled.
"What's happening?"
"You must not have read the spell fully dear." Ms. Faragonda said as she looked at the witch.
"What do you mean?" Icy yelled turning to look at the Headmistress.
"It is true that spell does give you a power boost like you said." Faragonda replied, "But unless it is used to heal someone it causes the person that the spell was cast on to have their powers build up inside of them. That is why no one uses the spell any longer."
"W-What?" She stammered, feeling her temperature suddenly begin to rise. "What's going to happen to me!"
"The only logical thing, that occurs when there is a build up of water in a bucket or of air in a balloon."
"Stop with your riddles old woman!" Icy snapped when she realized what she meant, she looked down to her right hand to see it beginning to bulge, her left doing the same.
Icy watched as the bulge in her hands continued to expand up her arms. By the time that she looked at Faragonda with worried eyes her arms were twice their normal size. "Is there anything that can stop this?" The witch asked as her chest began to swell.
Faragonda could see the pain in Icy's eyes as her body continued to increase in size; a few tears escaped the elderly woman's eyes as she shook her head. "I am sorry but there is nothing that can be done."
"Th…This can't be hap…happing." Icy choked out as her neck grew in size.
Tears slowly fell from the witches eyes as her body had swelled to four times its normal size. A gurgled scream echoed through the room just before a light mist of crimson red covered the walls and everyone inside. Bloom wiped her eyes to clear her vision to see that Icy was no longer in the room.
Quickly turning her head Bloom checked on the others in the room to see that all the ice had melted. Musa and Tecna were checking Roxy to see how she was doing, Faragonda over by Stella trying to heal the wounds on her body, Flora and Layla sitting on the ground breathing heavily.
"Is everyone okay?" Bloom asked as she used what strength she had to stand up.
"Stella will be fine but she is going to have a few scars on her face." Faragonda replied as she turned to look at Roxy.
"How…how is Roxy?" Bloom asked with fear in her voice.
"She is the same that she was before we tried to cast the spell." Tecna answered.
Looking around the room at the four tables that had burn marks on them tears started to form in the corner of her eyes. "How do we heal Roxy now?" Bloom asked.
"I am not sure." Ms. Faragonda replied as she stood up and made her way over to Musa and Tecna.
"I know of one way." Tecna said, "But no one in this room is going to like it."
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