The dirt blotted out the distant sky. It clogged up her mouth and nose. Breathing was becoming harder and harder. She couldn't scream out for help. She couldn't do anything to help herself. Her life was slipping away from her, the darkness closing in around her.
Suddenly, a tremendous rumbling struck the earth. It shook wildly, and she was thrown through the drowning dirt. The shaking didn't stop, and her body shook violently with the earth...
Bloom shot up with a scream, gasping for breath.
"Sky!" She cried out.
"Shh..." He soothed. "I'm right here, you're alright."
Sweat poured from her forehead. Her hands gripped the bed covers. Sky was sat on the edge of the bed. His hands were on her shoulders. He must have shaken her to wake her up. Frowning, he combed her hair back from her face and took her hand in his.
"It's okay, it's over now." He murmured. "You're alright Bloom. Everything's alright."
She didn't say anything, but breathed deeply, her heart pounding out of her chest. She shivered violently, and tears stung her eyes. She looked up into Sky's face, and a strangled wail escaped from her mouth.
He moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. She leant against him, her body shaking.
"The same again?" He asked.
Unable to speak, Bloom nodded her head, clinging on to him. She was so afraid. It just kept coming back, every time she slept. Silent tears slid down her cheeks, as she buried her face in Sky's chest. The pale, early morning light shone through the blinds. It was a comfortable change from the pitch blackness of death. She was so close to it. It was as though it was always right there beside her, waiting for her to fall so deep, that there would be no way she could ever climb back out again.
Sky rocked her gently. "It's gonna be okay. It's all over sweetie. Nothing's gonna hurt you now."
Bloom sniffed, her breaths shuddering with the tears.
"I'm here. I'm right here..." Sky murmured.
She clung on to him tighter.
"Oh Sky..." She whispered. "It was awful!"
"I know, I know." He stroked her hair. "But you're alright now."
He went to pull away from her, but she gripped him ever tighter.
"No!" She cried out. "Don't go. Don't leave me alone!"
"Hey, I'm here, I'm here." He said, embracing her again.
She hugged him back, her tears soaking through his shirt.
"I'll always be here..." He whispered into her hair.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Diaspro shifted uncomfortably. She'd been sat in a small crevice high in the wall of a narrow passageway for most of the night. Before that, she had watched the door to the King's chambers for a good few hours, waiting for her target to leave. But no one left the room. This had confused her. Surely someone had to leave to fetch more equipment or carry messages to the queen. It took her some time to realise that there was another door, inside the chambers. That was where everyone had been coming and going. So, after locating where it lead, she had hid inside. All she could do now was wait. Wait for the head nurse to walk by, and then she would strike. Then she could get to Erendor. Sky would be here very soon.
Below her, she heard the door creaking open, and footsteps rushing down the corridor. She peered down into the passage, and saw one of the nurses scurrying by. Diaspro rolled her eyes. She didn't know how much longer she could stay in here. Besides, someone was bound to go and see why the guard never returned from his trip to her cell. Soon her escape would be discovered, and the king's defences intensified.
As though in answer to her prayers, once again the door swung open. Diaspro watched closely as a woman in a mint green nurse's outfit strode purposefully down the corridor. She smiled. Once the nurse had walked past her, Diaspro pushed herself from the crevice and jumped down onto the ground. She landed on her haunches, and slowly rose to her feet. The sound of her feet hitting the ground echoed subtly through the cavern. Up ahead, the nurse's footsteps slowed down and stopped. Diaspro pressed herself against the wall, hiding in the shadows. But the nurse didn't stop for long, and continued along the corridor. Diaspro slunk along the wall after her. Someway down the passage, the nurse disappeared through a small door on the right. Diaspro approached to see that there was a green cross on it and a no entry sign. It must be where the medical equipment is. All the nurses that Diaspro had watched pass by that day had all returned. And so, she stood at the side of the door, and once again, she waited.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
The streets of Magix city rushed by. Everyone getting on with their lives. It was about time Bloom got on with hers. She couldn't let this dream hold her back forever. She leant her head against the window, finding the vibrations from the engine relaxing against her forehead. Beside her, Sky focused on the road. It had been a very quiet journey.
Finally, Sky broke the silence. "You alright?"
"Mmm..." Bloom mumbled, not turning to face him.
"C'mon Bloom." He tried. "We're going to see Joel. The doctors said he can come home soon. We can finally settle down and have a family."
"I know." She sighed, burying her face in her hand.
"Don't let this dream ruin that for you." Sky pressed. "I miss you, Bloom."
"What?" She asked.
Sky put the brake on as they slowed at another red light. "You've not been the same, Bloom. Ever since this dream...I get that you're scared, I mean, I am too! But I miss the old you. I hate to see you like this. You're fading away, and I feel like there's nothing I can do but watch. I can't live without you. Don't make me have to."
"Sky, I can't help the way I feel..."
"I know that! I get it, honestly I do. But you're letting this whole thing take away your happiness. I haven't seen you smile in days. I miss your smile. I've seen you cry more than I've seen you laugh. I miss your laugh. And your eyes! They have lost the light that I knew and loved. I miss that. I miss you Bloom."
"Sky, I..." Bloom began.
But she didn't know what to say. He was right. Everything he said was true. She just didn't know how to change that. Her fear had consumed her, it controlled her! And try as she might, she couldn't shake that fear.
"I miss myself too." She whispered.
"I'm sorry Bloom." Sky said. "I didn't want to make you feel bad, but it's tough for me too. Your pain hurts me as well."
She didn't reply, but just nodded her head, continuing to look out of the window.
Sky sighed, knowing he had just made things far harder for both of them. "Forget I said anything."
But he knew just as well as Bloom that it couldn't be unsaid. His words hung thick in the air around them, weighing Bloom down. They drove the rest of the way to the hospital in prickly, miserable silence.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
The door handle turned, and the door swung open. Diaspro pressed herself against the wall, silently alert. The nurse stepped out into the corridor and hurried back towards the king's chambers. As soon as she was in front of her, Diaspro sprung from behind, clamping her hand over the nurse's mouth and nose and dragging her backwards. The bottles of medicine in her hand fell to the floor, their contents spilling across the stone, and she let out a muffled scream, kicking out and fighting against her attacker. Diaspro pulled her back into the medical room and threw her to the floor, quickly locking the door and removing the key from the lock behind her.
"Get away from me!" The nurse screamed from the floor, not even looking to see who had grabbed her.
"Hush now, I really don't want to have to hurt you...yet." Diaspro spat.
"If you think that-" The nurse stopped speaking with a sharp intake of breath.
She was still on the floor, and looked up at Diaspro, her eyes wide with terror.
"Diaspro?" She choked out.
"So you do know me?" Diaspro chuckled in mock surprise. "Well then you should also know that I'm not the nicest of people."
"What the hell are you doing here?" The nurse rose to her feet.
"Excuse me?"
"You...did you do this to the king?" She gasped.
Diaspro held a hand to her heart. "Me? Would I ever do such a thing?"
The nurse clenched her fists.
Diaspro laughed. "You caught me."
"Why? Why would you do something like this?"
Diaspro walked towards her. "I don't have to explain myself to you. But I do, however, need you."
"Me?"
"Oh yes, you see, without you, I can't get to the king. Without you, my plan fails."
The nurse backed up against one of the metal shelves full of medicines and equipment that were stored in the room.
"And what makes you think that I'll actually help you? That I will betray my king to assist your evil?"
Diaspro laughed cruelly in her face. "And what makes you think you have a choice in the matter?"
The nurse pressed herself against the shelves as Diaspro advanced on her. Then, she ducked out of the way and ran to the door, desperately pulling on the handle. But the door remained closed.
"Looking for this?" Diaspro mocked, holding up the key. "You might as well give up. You're not getting away."
"I won't give up so easily." The nurse screeched.
Diaspro smiled. "I should hope not. It makes things a lot more interesting. For me."
The nurse turned away for a moment, and then suddenly, a burst of blue light resonated from her, filling the room. Diaspro smirked.
When the light cleared, the nurse stood in a shiny, pale blue petal dress that floated around her knees. Her feet were bare, apart from a blue material that wound around her toes and then halfway up her calves. Her blonde hair had grown from being shoulder length and now almost reached her feet. Around her neck, a swirly blue necklace hung and on her back, huge butterfly-like wings had sprouted, a shimmering blue and gold colour.
"I see you're a fairy." Diaspro said simply. "Doesn't really come as a surprise."
"Still need me in your little plan?" The nurse scoffed.
Diaspro ignored her. "An Enchantix fairy no less."
"Worried Diaspro?"
"Not at all. I've faced far worse."
She didn't move from the middle of the room, but eyed the nurse carefully. She didn't feel like she should waste her energy on such a pathetic cause.
The nurse summoned a ball of electric blue energy to her hands, and fired at Diaspro. The fugitive raised her hand at lightning speed, caught the attack, and crushed it in her palm.
"I'm afraid you're going to have to try harder."
Diaspro pushed her hands forward, and an invisible force sent the nurse flying backwards into one of the shelves. It crashed to the floor, spilling the medical equipment and smashing the bottles and jars.
The nurse staggered to her feet, stunned. Again, she fired an attack at Diaspro. Again, Diaspro batted it away like a kitten playing with a ball of string. Again, Diaspro had the upper hand.
When the nurse had been knocked to the ground for the hundredth time, Diaspro backed off. A metal shelf had landed square on top of her, and she struggled under its weight. She was trapped. There was no way she could get out. She was weak, and had neither the physical or magical strength to help herself.
"Somehow, I think it's you who should be worried now." Diaspro murmured, crouching down beside her and stroking her hair. "Such a shame. You were only trying to be brave. Look where bravery has lead you."
"Please Diaspro, I'm begging you!" The nurse cried. "Please, let me go! Please...ah!"
She cried out in pain as the shelf shifted slightly, applying more pressure to her body.
"Oh, shhh..." Diaspro soothed, running a hand down her face. "Soon, I assure you, you'll feel no pain at all."
"What are you going to do to me?" She whined, her eyes filling with tears.
"All I can say is that it will hurt like hell, but when I'm finished, pain will be a distant memory. Just a bad dream."
"What? I don't underst-"
Her words were cut off and she screamed out in pain, her body writhing under the heavy shelf.
Diaspro held out her hands and slowly brought all the energy out of the nurse's body. Her body began to flicker between her fairy form and her human form. Sweat poured from her face, her eyes screwed shut in agony. Through the glare of light, Diaspro smiled. Eventually, the light dimmed, and the nurse lay in her human form beneath the shelf, breathing heavily, crying quietly in pain.
Diaspro felt the nurse's energy flowing through her veins, slowly merging with her own. She felt herself become even more powerful. She was going to need all that power for the next stage of her plan.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Bloom and Sky made their way through the corridors of the hospital. One of Joel's doctors met them at the front desk, and now he walked with them.
"Joel's condition has improved dramatically." He explained. "We think that in the next day or so, he can be discharged and go home."
Bloom breathed a sigh of relief. Beside her, Sky took her hand and squeezed it.
"I understand that this has been incredibly tough for you both, and I commend your bravery."
Bloom smiled and nodded her head. "I just can't wait to have him home."
They reached the NICU and entered the ward. Bloom approached Joel. He was already getting so big, and now less wires were hooked up to him. He was fast asleep and didn't even realise her and Sky were there. Bloom sat down on the chair by the incubator. Just being there beside him made her feel so much better. Sky rested a hand on her shoulder.
"He'll be home soon." He said with a small smile.
"I know, I can hardly believe it." Bloom sighed. "I've just gotten so used to looking at him through this plastic...I can hardly even imagine him in my arms."
"Well, maybe you just need to see him in your arms?" A nurse approached them, a huge smile on her face.
"You mean I-I can hold him?" Bloom asked, reflecting the nurse's face.
"Yes, you can. We've already taken him out a few times to make sure he was ready during his latest tests."
The nurse removed the lid from the incubator, and Joel stirred as the air around him changed. He opened his little eyes, two brilliant blue circles gazing up at the nurse. She reached in and lifted him gently out of the incubator. Bloom reached out her arms and took her son for the first time. He was still so small, so fragile. But he was getting better. Soon he'd be home with her and Sky. She held him close to her, smiling down at him. His little hands were balled into fists as he squirmed in her arms. Bloom shook her head in disbelief. In her arms. She never thought she'd see the day...
Sky also grinned from ear to ear. Bloom looked up at him. He reached down to Joel, and Bloom held him until he was safe in his father's arms. Watching them together, Bloom felt like bursting into tears of utter joy. It had been an immensely difficult few weeks, and finally, something good was happening. They could get their family life back on track, live the life they had always wanted to, together.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
The nurse cried in pain. She still lay beneath the shelf, her body even weaker now her magical energy had been pulled from her.
"Please Diaspro!" She wailed again. "Please! Why are you doing this?"
Diaspro ignored her. "Ever heard the expression, 'drained the life out of me'?"
The nurse's eyes were wild with terror as she watched Diaspro.
"Well, that's exactly what I'm going to do to you."
The nurse struggled under the shelf.
Diaspro reached out her palms, summoned all her power, and began to draw the very soul, the essence of her life from the nurse. She screamed out in agony, tears flooding her face. Diaspro didn't even flinch. A stream of energy flowed from the nurse's chest to Diaspro's hands. The nurse's screams got quieter and quieter. Until finally, the flow of energy snapped to a halt. The nurse lay there, her breathing shallow. In her hands, Diaspro held her life, a swirling ball of silver and blue. She snarled, and compressed it in her hands. It resisted for a short time, shaking under the pressure. And then it could fight back no longer, and collapsed in on itself, destroyed and dead. The nurse took in a sharp breath, and then lay still, her body completely empty. No life, no soul. Nothing. Diaspro breathed deeply, worn out from using so much of her power in one blast.
She approached the nurse's body, and used her power to remove the shelf from it. She waved her hand over the lifeless corpse, healing the skin. All the cuts and bruises faded away, all the blood stains lifted, until she looked almost perfect in death, pristine and clean. She looked almost peaceful.
"I told you." Diaspro murmured, running a hand across her cold, pale cheek. "When I'm finished with you, pain will be a distant memory. Just a bad dream."
