Chapter 13: Discovery and Battle at Cloud Tower
(Cian's playing around with the now three viles of blood he has in the usual common place with the witches present and bowing)
Cian: So the power of Blood worked I see.
Fury: Yes, master. The young specialist that we sliced was in no condition to fight.
Cian: That's because we controlled his blood. We used it to freeze the heart.
Icy: Did we kill him?
Cian: Unfortunately no. You didn't use the full power of blood, which is for the better at this point in time. (Walks passed the witches and places the three viles in his pocket) The time has come to pick up the pace in our blood hunt. I'm creating something that will help you get more than one person's blood. Keep your blades and make sure to be on your guard when you next face them. (Leaves the common place and walks into another room. Inside lies the Royal family, Princess Kayla, Lolita, and Damian. Cian grins) And how're my guests this fine evening?
King: You monstrous fiend! You will regret what you've done to my people!
Cian: Your majesty, you speak so bravely to defend your people. However, your words mean nothing to me. (his eyes turn to the Queen, who was holding Kayla tightly) There's no reason to hold on so tightly to your daughter, your highness. She will not be harmed here.
Queen: (In disgust) She's my only daughter and I refuse to let her go. I've read about your kind. You suck the blood from any creature dry! You really think I'll put my daughter at risk?
Cian: You've had a vampire living on your planet for many years. It's clear to me that perhaps you don't look so lowly at my kind.
Damian: She does. We all do. The whole vampire race does. It's your kind that we don't like: The vampires who wander the universe giving the rest of us a bad name. I've read the legend about you. You're no mystery.
Cian: Then you, wise advisor of the Royal family of Aquila, can tell me where my Balance is?
Damian: I don't know. If I had found him or her, I would've prepared them to fight you.
Cian: Stop kidding yourself. You know who the Balance is and you will tell me where he or she is.
Lolita: (says with annoyance) Please, if Damian knew we wouldn't be tied up like this. You're just keeping us alive till find this Balance. The longer you're searching, the longer we're alive.
Cian: What a sharp tongue coming from a warrior of your league.
Lolita: (rolling her eyes) You think you're so clever standing there grinning with your pointy fangs shining on us. Why don't you villains ever understand that when the balance is tilted, the weaker side's prepared for anything.
Cian: The way you speak reminds me of someone we're hunting down. She's always says comments like that to lighten the mood of even the bloodiest of battles. (thinks for a moment) You know, when I destroyed Inter-Realms, I thought that I destroyed everyone. (Lolita's jaw tightens and Damian shows his teeth like an animal, fangs grown and sharp)
Damian: (Spits out words) What's your point?
Cian: The Balance can withstand the power of my silent-takers and the smell of blood should have driven them into madness. Did I ever tell you that one…escaped?
Lolita: Let me guess, the Balance.
Cian: Not quite. (grabs Lolita's face, still grinning) A senior female student who loves the wind allowed my creatures to enter the school when she left. Does that ring a bell? (Lolita reveals nothing, so he turns to Damian) You both don't remember a student who used the wind for everything? (He turns to Kayla, who's eyes are wide open as they filled with tears) You seem to know, dear child. Does it make your blood rush with hope that she's safe?
King: Don't listen to him, Kayla. He wants us to believe that there's a survivor, but there're none. No one could have withstand that attack.
Cian: That's right, Princess Kayla, listen to your father. After all, anyone could play with the wind like this student…but there's one thing that caught my *chuckles* companions' attention: On the night of the new moon, this one wind fairy transformed into a vampire.
Kayla: (Squirms out of her mother's arms and stands up) Scarlet's alive!
Cian: (Steps towards her and nods his head) She traveled to the realm of Magix and is attending Alfea College.
Kayla: How'd she get there? Is she alright?
Cian: (Places a hand on her shoulder, but Lolita swiftly pulls the princess back) There there, warrior. (Focuses on Kayla's questions again) I don't know how, but Scarlet Avila had entered Magix and is now within a group called "The Winx Club"
Damian: The new Company of Light.
Cian: Very good! You and I are now on the same page. The new company, or rather, this club has opened their arms to welcome her in.
Lolita: And what of the fairy's vampire transformation? Does the Company of Light know of it?
Cian: Yes they do. (Lolita looks at Damian, which he understands is her worried look) However, they do not fear her in any way.
Lolita: (cautious to believe him) You're kidding.
Cian: When do I kid?
Damian: Leave our daughter out of this. She's nothing to you.
Cian: Oh I disagree, Damian. Once I heard that an Inter-Realms student escaped, I asked for blood. Then I got one sample from my silent-takers and discovered that this new girl appeared from a different place and is a wind fairy and a vampire. Her name: Scarlet Avila. Now, in an ideal world, I would ask my companions and creatures to attack only Scarlet so I can compare blood samples…but where's the fun in that? By having the blood of the new Company of Light, they will be under my control, I can easily draw out Scarlet's blood and see if this vampire is the one I'm looking for.
Damian: She's not, Cian, she's only half vampire. The Balance has to be a full blooded vampire with light and dark magic.
Cian: Damian, you astound me. You of all people should know that there's no such thing as a "half" vampire. Our venom's too strong to take over half a person. (starts laughing) I must say, it's funny how you've deceived yourself all these years.
Lolita: There is such thing as a half vampire. She's called my daughter.
Cian: Lolita, do you really believe that Scarlet's only half vampire? Did I also tell you about this new power erupting through her?
Lolita: (Swiftly places her fingers around Cian's neck, beginning to choke him) Get out. You insist on keeping us as your prisoner, fine. But don't you dare speak of my daughter like you know her better than we do.
Cian: (Gently lowers Lolita's hand as she lets him go) Very well. (he leaves)
[Meanwhile, back at Alfea…]
A familiar sound echoed within my ears. This song again? Why am I hearing it now? The silver mist that was around me disappeared as I found myself at the Lake of Wonders. I looked down at my body and noticed my vampire winx outfit. My vampire winx? Can't I just be in my regular clothes? I followed the song till I saw a girl with long, wavy, blonde hair playing song. She was in a pink halter top with a green skirt that had purple lining. As I got closer to her, I noticed that she was playing the flute. It's a pretty wind instrument that was perfect for this melody. As usual, the wind was blowing our long hair in the same direction, carrying her song with it. Suddenly, she stopped playing and lowered her hands. She turned to looks at me with her dark, black eyes and smiled.
"At last, we meet," She said in the wind, "How I've dreamt of this day…" The wind suddenly picked up again and I tried to go after her, but as I reached out shouting,
"Wait!"
I find that I'm sitting up in my bed short of breath (again) and drenched in sweat (again), but this time I was reaching for something…and again I couldn't remember what!
This whole not remembering my dream thing is driving me crazy. I took a deep breath as a familiar scent filled my nose. I turned to my left and found Flora's pitcher of Floro Vapian blood and a glass next to it filled to the brim with the crimson colored liquid. Without hesitation is chugged it down. It was apparently chilled a bit, for it was thicker and cooler than usual. Either way I helped myself to another helping. Once my thirst was quenched, I slowly got out of bed and wandered around the room. I noticed that the curtains were drawn closed with a crack allowing the sun ray to pour into the room.
Probably mid-day or something, I thought as I approached the ray of light. Once it hit my skin, I felt its warmth. Another good thing about being only half vampire is that I don't have to worry about spells to protect me while I'm out in the sun. I kept it away from my eye though, since they were super sensitive to the light.
My feet wandered around and guided me towards the common room, which was empty. There were spell books lying around open to different pages. A smile grew across my face. I guess the girls were looking through the books to find something useful for themselves. As I approached my books, I heard the front door open and voice traipsing in. The Winx said my name at different times and came towards me, Flora in the lead.
"Sweetie, are you hurt anywhere? Are you feeling better?" She asked as she inspected me for cuts and bruises.
"I'm fine Flora."
"Did you drink my potion?"
"Yes I did. I had two glasses." Flora sighed in relief. I looked over to Stella and smiled. "How're you feeling?"
"I feel perfectly beautiful," Stella answered, flicking her long blonde hair and winking at me. "Thanks for the save."
"You're very welcome."
"You did lose a lot of blood," Tecna reminded us, "Because of the mysterious liquid, none of us were able to go near it to stop the bleeding."
"It's funny you mention that," Stella replied, "I still feel like I've lost something, or rather, that something's missing."
"That's odd, considering that you heart should be pumping in new blood to replace whatever you've lost. It's the most logical explanation."
"Although it is, it doesn't feel like it."
"You know, Stella, maybe tonight you can talk to Ms. Griffin about whatever it is you're feeling," Layla suggested
"Why?" Musa asked, "I don't remember Ms. Griffin being the type of person to talk about feelings."
"I'm not sure, but there might be something in that liquid that's causing you to feel like you've lost something. Like something lowering your defense for when the witches attack next."
"Well I think it's something we should talk to Ms. Griffin about," Bloom agreed, "But for now we've got something else to worry about."
"What's that?" Musa asked.
"Our final trimester one exam." We all groaned, especially Stella.
"A final exam? All we've been doing is fighting witches and figuring out vampire spells and traveling to Cloud Tower so late at night. How the hell do we have time to prepare for our exam?"
"It doesn't sound so bad," I said, twirling my long hair, "It's only our first fairy stages, right? We've already passed a year of it, so it shouldn't be that difficult."
"Easy for you to say," Stella replied, "You're school whipped you into shape for tests. Here it's so easy to not do work and do more important things."
"Stella, this is an important step to perfecting our enchantix. It's a big deal."
"Easier said than done, Tecna," Musa pointed out.
"After this is our charmix, right?" Flora asked, "But we've already conquered our biggest tasks. Do we have to do that all over again?"
"Nothing to worry about," Layla replied, "For now let's just past this exam. We can worry about Charmix later." She then turned to me, placed her hands on her hips, and smiled. "You're hair looks really good long. You should consider keeping it." I shook my head as she sighed in disappointment. I ran into the bathroom, cut my hair, and came back out.
"So, what happened yesterday? I don't remember anything passed catching Stella." Bloom (as leader I guess) took the liberty in telling all that happened and what Nabu had told them.
"You mean he can sense my intensions whether good or bad?"
"That's right!" Layla said with pride, "He can sense your magic, which can help us tame your vampire side if you go berserk on us again." I felt a wave a relief flow over me. "So all this monster crap should be out of your head for good." I nodded and looked up at my friends.
"I should probably get ready for a night at Cloud Tower. Now, again, you don't have to come with me if you don't want to."
"What're you talking about?" Tecna asked, "the fact that fairies are working with witches is a major point in time. It's history that we're makin' here." I smiled and decided to give up. They wanted to go, then that's great! A light ringtone suddenly filled the room. My body temperature rose as Stella gave me a sly look.
"Now who could that be?" I glared at her for a second before relocating in my room for some privacy while reaching my hand in my pocket to find my phone. Once I found it, I took a deep breath and hit "receive".
"Hello?" I said.
"Since I didn't think that you'd call me anytime soon, I thought that I'd be the mature one and call first." The heat in my body stirred with annoyance.
"Mature one?" I repeated, "I'm not the one who kisses a girl and leaves her hanging with mixed feeling for about a week, Matt." I heard him chuckle on the other end. His chuckle made me feel relieved, especially since his weird attack that happened yesterday. None of us know the cause yet, but I was worried.
"How're you feeling? From yesterday, I mean."
"Better. The nurse here told me to take it easy. He said if he catches me doing any heroic stuff that he's gonna tie me to my bed. I think he's hitting on me."
"I'm just glad that you're feeling better. Do remember at all what happened?"
"All I remember was that I was standing and breathing normally one moment and the next I'm gasping for air because my heart had trouble functioning. Then I passed out."
"You and me. I keep fainting and I worry my friends."
"Well you're allowed to faint. I can catch you that way." Another heat wave traipsed over my body.
"I'm not used to you saying stuff like that."
"Well think about it, if I don't catch you, you're gonna leave an imprint wherever you land. It would be embarrassing." I didn't even respond. He was laughing on the other end as I interrupted,
"Did you only call to mock me?"
"No. I actually called to ask you out on a date."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. There're places we can go to in town to eat, catch a movie, maybe do some combat battles to see who's better, etc." I couldn't help but laugh.
"You're on."
"Great. How about later this week? I can call you later with what days and time."
"Sure. Oh, wait…I can't go out on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and any night of the new moon."
"Why?"
"If we're up against someone with powerful magic, it's in the Winx's best interest to learn both light and dark magic. So three times a week and at the point when dark magic is best is the time to practice dark magic." I pinched my lips together because I slightly lied about the last past. Dark magic is just better at night and works with the moon, period.
"How daring. Good to know. So I'm thinking Saturday night then."
"That sounds great."
"Good. I'll talk to later. Oh, and wear something sexy. "
"WHAT?" With that I heard a click on the other end and I felt my face become on fire. Suddenly, all six girls fell into my room looking at me with curiosity.
"What happened?" Musa asked, "We heard you scream."
"Matt just asked me out on a date." The girls screamed with joy. "And…" They all stopped and leaned in to listen. "…he wants me to wear something sexy." Stella's smile turned into an evil grin.
"Darling, I'm more than happy to help."
[Meanwhile…At Red Fountain…]
(Matt leaves his room and starts to wander. He then bumps into Riven)
Riven: Hey, you shouldn't be walking around. The nurse told you to relax.
Matt: Don't worry, I am. I'm just talking a little walk. Clear my head. (Riven nods, but it's clear that he's not listening) Is something wrong?
Riven: It's just that…It's that Scarlet's girl's fault that you're hurt.
Matt: (Rolls his eyes) Oh god, not this shit again.
Riven: Listen, Matt, I know you don't wanna believe me, but you have to! Because you defended her, you got badly hurt. And why was that? Because she was weak.
Matt: She's not weak. Sometimes hiding and creating a dark magic spell in order to protect your team is more important than a head on attack.
Riven: Why did you defend her?
Matt: Because I wanted to.
Riven: You shouldn't have, Matt. Because of this now-
Matt: Hey, we had a deal.
Riven: What deal?
Matt: I told you that I'd stop being interested in Scarlet if you stopped dating Musa. It was clear when you offered yourself in her place that you'd made your decision. And because you chose Musa, that means that I can do whatever I want to Scarlet.
Riven: (Grits his teeth with his hands clenched in fists) Musa's a part of me.
Matt: Clearly. I applaud you for choosing a girl over me. It shows that you're growing up.
Riven: Just stay away from Scarlet!
Matt: (begins to walk past him, but Riven prevents him from passing through) Step aside.
Riven: No.
(Matt punches Riven in the stomach and the two start fighting. Nabu appears and breaks up the fight)
Nabu: What's going on with you two?
Riven: Nothing.
Matt: Yeah, nothing. (He leaves and then bumps into Brandon)
Brandon: Hey Matt. You look pissed.
Matt: Well when Riven gets in the way of you and a girl you're interested in, you get pissed off easily.
Brandon: (places a grin on his face and nudges Matt) So you finally made a move on Scarlet?
Matt: Yeah, I asked her out on a date.
Brandon: Well done. When Stella and I first went out, I had to pull some strings to impress her. You see, at that time, Sky and I had to switch places for his own safety, so when the two of us found our girls, we felt bad lying to them about who we really were.
Matt: Stella must've been pissed as hell with you.
Brandon: She was. Luckily, we were in battle with the Trix, so her focus was more on Bloom and her friends than anything else.
Matt: Well look at that. A princess will love anyone.
Brandon: I was a bit worried because I truly loved her, so the thought of losing her because I wasn't rich broke my heart. Luckily Stella loves me for me and wants me in her life.
Matt: (Laughs a bit) That was corny of you to say.
Brandon: True. But what about you? I know you two are just starting, but how're you and Scarlet doin'?
Matt: Riven keeps saying that she's a monster of some sort. I just don't get it.
Brandon: Well Scarlet learning black magic freaks Riven out. You of all people know the frustration and anger he feels towards people who practice dark magic. Maybe that and the whole club learning it scares him.
Matt: He doesn't wanna lose Musa.
Brandon: None of us wanna lose our girl.
Matt: (Pauses) What do you think about Scarlet?
Brandon: She can get a little outta control with her black magic, but her heart's in the right place. Plus, she saved Stella. That's enough proof for me to know that she's a good person.
Matt: (Nods as he processes Brandon's answer) Thanks.
Brandon: And if you need help with how to dress for your date, Stella gave me some tips that I can pass on to you.
Matt: (laughs) No thanks, man.
[Back to the Winx Club…at Cloud Tower…]
"This is the second time I've seen the beauty of Cloud Tower," I commented.
"What beauty are you talking about?" Stella asked in disgust. "It's a living creature that teaches girls how to not dress properly."
"Come on, Stella, we can't think negatively this time," Bloom pointed out, "Remember how two years ago when we were here to protect the codex we couldn't because of our lack of team work?"
"We have to work through the negative energy in order to learn black magic properly," Layla added.
"Well, we're not learning anything by standing around," Musa replied as we all started up on the bridge.
"I'm glad that we left the pixi's behind," Flora mentioned while looking behind her.
"All except for me and Zing, of course."
"Luna and Zing: The two pixies that can withstand the negative energies of Cloud tower."
"Flora, you give us such an introduction."
"Though why can't the pixies follow us to cloud tower now? I mean, they were able to head down towards Lord Darkar's layer without much of a problem."
"That's because the magic that surrounded Darkar's place wasn't made of pure dark magic. It was just surrounded in it," Tecna answered, "Cloud Tower, on the other hand, was made by ancient witches long ago and is alive."
"The alive part makes the difference," Layla added. As we continued walking, I froze and placed my hands over my teeth. I began to feel them aching again. The girls carefully surrounded me, Bloom and Musa on either side of me.
"This is weird," I said as I got use to the aching pain, "Why's my body ready to transform when there's no blood present?" Tecna pulled out her ladybug gadget and had it scan me. Once it returned to its main source, she examined it.
"It appears that the negative energy here is affecting your vampire traits, thus causing you to transform."
"That's never happened to me before."
"Actually, your two vampire break outs were based off of built up negative energy. I'm actually not surprised that you're changing now."
"So now whenever I use dark magic I'm gonna transform?" I felt my stomach tie itself up in a knot, "That's so unfair."
"But Scarlet, that's why we're here. To figure that out." Tecna took my hand and pulled me forward. "Maybe if you just allow yourself to transform when your body wants to, you won't feel as much pain anymore." With a push from Musa and Bloom and a pull from Tecna, my feet carried me closer to the castle and I just allowed myself to change. I've never done that before, actually. Normally I contain it and explode with a quick transformation, but as we walked and I stopped holding back, I noticed my teeth slowly growing along with my hair.
"This is fascinating to watch," Flora mentioned behind me, "You're hair just grows longer every time I see it."
"How're you feeling?" Tecna asked.
"Alright, actually. Nothing's hurting and everything's taking it's time."
"See, isn't it much easier transforming when your body wants you to?"
"I guess, but I can't do it often."
"Let's worry about that later," Layla replied, "You've gotta learn how to worry about only what's in front of you. And if that's nothing, then enjoy being here. This in and of itself is an adventure, right?"
"Yeah, I've never been taught by a professional professor. Only by my dad." Throughout the rest of the walk, Layla kept on making me focus on going through the night without killing myself.
"I just hope that this potion's really gonna work," Stella whined.
"It will," Flora said in her defense. "I've tested it out already by studying for our final and I did it successfully."
"Well if I find one wrinkle from lack of sleep-"
"-Do you think turning on your own teammate is going to help anything?" We all looked around our surroundings at the sound of Ms. Griffin's voice. "We witches never rely on teammates for that exact reason. Over here girls." Before the front doors of Cloud Tower was Ms. Griffin in all her glory. "I see that you've already transformed, Scarlet."
"According to Tecna, the negative energy here triggered my transformation."
"Tecan's absolutely right. Now, let's head on over to my office. There we can discuss the night's schedule." The grand doors of Cloud Tower opened and the seven of us followed the head witchress into her school. I noticed some students still up and about looking at my friends with disgust. However, whenever their eyes met mine, I noticed that there was respect rather than disgust, though they were probably wondering why I was with fairies and not with my own kind. Oh boy.
We finally reached Ms. Griffin's office, which was like every other headmistress, witchress, or master's office: Big with books and objects to spy on students. Once Ms. Griffin sat in her big dark chair, she said, "Now, I'm going to work with Scarlet on certain techniques to help her out in her vampire form. What do you girls think you're going to do in the mean time?"
"Actually, professor, I was wondering about this mysterious liquid that I'm having trouble analyzing. I found it on one of the specialist's when they were wounded and the same one on Stella yesterday."
"If you can't figure it out then that must mean that it's an ancient dark magic spell of some sort. I'd start by looking in the library here. Look through our basic spell history books first and from there you can work back in time to find the exact purpose of that substance." Tecna nodded. "Anyone else?" We all turned to Stella, who looked like she didn't want to say anything. Ms. Griffin looked at her and asked, "Stella, is there something you want o practice?"
"Come on, Stella," I heard Bloom whisper, "Tell her about what you told us." Stella whined as she stepped forward. She explained how she felt like something was missing from her, even though she felt perfectly healthy.
"Unfortunately, I can't help you. If we know more about why you feel this way, then maybe I can help." Stella nodded in disappointment as Ms. Griffin rose from her desk. "Now then, besides Tecna I assume you girls wish to learn some dark magic of your own." They all nodded as she looked through her shelves of books.
"We've used some spells from Scarlet's books before, Professor," Flora mentioned, "Or rather I have for a potion I was working on." Ms. Griffin finally chose a book and flipped through the pages quickly before snapping it shut and putting back on the shelf.
"There's only one professor teaching this late and that's me. I can't teach you all along with Scarlet and her vampire needs."
"Then why're we here if you can't help us?" Stella barked. Ms. Griffin faced her and glared her down.
"Because you girls seem to really want to work together and trust each other enough to be there for one another." Stella crossed her arms and began to pout while Ms. Griffin's facial expression changed. "This is what I was looking for." She pulled a fat old book from the shelf. Following it was a trail of dust, indicating that the book had not been touched for many years, maybe even centuries. As she looked through it, with the leather binding falling apart, I turned to the girls, who seem to have braced themselves for whatever Ms. Griffin was going to perform.
"There it is," she said, carrying the book in one arm. With her free hand, she plucked one strand of her dark purple hair. She held it as far away from her as possible and recited, "Copyonous creaturite." Her little strand began to shine and grow. As she let go, my mouth fell wide open as I saw the strand take the shape of a person. Not just any person, but Ms. Griffin herself. Griffin two opened her eyes and smiled at us.
"Now I can teach the five of you while also teaching Scarlet," she said.
"Two Ms. Griffin's?" I heard Stella mutter, "Again, one headwitchress is bad enough." Luckily, none of the two Griffin's heard. The first one stepped around the table and to my side.
"Now Scarlet, shall we begin with your training?" I nodded and followed her out of her office, quickly waving bye to my friends. I'll admit that it was awkward walking behind Ms. Griffin than Griselda (and that's saying something). Luna was flying next to me and I couldn't help but noticed that she felt as tense as I was. Finally we reached what I assumed was her classroom. It was large and ever step had chair backs on them. Once I was at the bottom of the steps, Ms. Griffin told me to stand there. She took a few more steps before turning around and facing me.
"I'm glad that we're doing this," She began, "I can now see how you fight and what spells you're using."
"It's not much."
"Our goal here is to try and unlock your vampire powers that appear to be seeping through you. However, since you're not a student here and you're new to the Winx girls, I don't know your power very well. Since your appearance here in Magix I've been doing some research about vampires and their power. Like witches and fairies, each vampire is different with different powers. The question here is what's yours?"
"Is it possible that my vampire powers could be wind related?"
"Very possible. But I won't know for sure until I see you use dark magic." Ms. Griffin had her hands open as dark purple glow balls appeared. "Let's begin."
[Meanwhile…with Tecna…]
(Looks through the messy Cloud Tower library)
Tecna: Thanks for coming with me, Zing.
Zing: No problem, Tec. You also never know when witches will wanna fight you for kicks.
Tecna: (Rolls her eyes) Well I'm glad that I've got you around. (Looks through the shelves) Man these witches are beyond messy. Stella would have a field day in just cleaning this stuff up.
Zing: More like Tune would. She hates messes.
Tecna: (continues to search when she pulls out a book called Forever the Spell of Sacrifice) "Spell of Sacrifice", huh. (Opens the book and looks through it)
Zing: (dresses up as Indiana Jones) Did you find anything?
Tecna: I'm not sure. (Pulls out her hand computer and types away while looking back and forth through the book) I'm seeing a lot of spells about the user giving up something in order to cast a spell, whether it's hair, or flesh, or blood- (stops mid-sentence) Wait a second! (searches through the book to the sacrifices involving blood. Zing hovers over, protecting Tecna in case the book or her discovery was a trap) I think I found it. (reads) "Blood control: dip the weapon of your choice (preferably something with a blade) in a jar of your own blood completely while reciting the incantation below. 'Blood of mine, coat this blade, and let it do its task: replace a creature's blood with mine and let their life be in my grasp.' After this, lift your weapon from the jar and allow your blood drip from it. Slowly, the blood should turn clear and harden around the blade. Then use this weapon on the victim of your choice. Once their blood has touched the blade, then you're ready to control them. Recite, 'By the power given to us by the vampire sorcerers from long ago, control the mortal whose blood has touched our blade.'" That's what the Trix said before Matt collapsed.
Zing: This doesn't seem good at all.
Tecna: (types some more before closing both the computer and the book) I've gotta warn the girls. Stella was cut by that blade. She might be now under the blood control.
[Back to Scarlet…]
I was stuck in a negative energy dimension and it was my goal to get out. I first tried to absorb the negative energy to create an opening, but that only hurt me. I tried using my ribbon strike to cut the dimension open, but that only worked for about ten milliseconds. The negative energy began to sink into my body, weighing me down and causing me to not think clearly. I took a few deep breaths and began to see color spots sparkle before my eyes.
Maybe I'm thirsty. I don't have any of Flora's potion with me, so my blood will have to do. I brought my fang to my wrist and quickly drew it back, feeling the burning pain of the new cut and my warm blood dripping out. I placed my mouth over the cut and began to drink the sweet syrup liquid that ran down my throat. The negative energy that seeped into my body quickly evaporated and I began to feel powerful again. When I pulled my mouth away from my wrists, I wiped away the blood running down my chin. Suddenly, an idea came to mind.
I took off the ribbon that was in my hair and wiped it on the bleeding cut. Once my silver ribbon was stained scarlet, I pulled it back and shouted, "Ribbon Strike!" Using my ribbon as a whip, I slashed open the dimension once again and said, "Jomox." With my speed increasing drastically, I was able to get through the dimension and back in Ms. Griffin's classroom.
"Well done, Scarlet," She said while writing down her notes, "You're doing much better than I thought you would."
"Thank you," I replied while tying my ribbon back in my hair.
"I think a break's in order. I must go over my notes and you must rest up for more training."
"What type of notes are you taking?" Ms. Griffin gave me a confused look as I awkwardly shifted in place. "Last time you mentioned that I had the strength of a full vampire. Is that true?"
"I'm pretty sure it's true. However I'm not one hundred percent sure. That's what I'm trying to find out." My heart sank and I lowered my head. "Scarlet, I want you to know that if you do have the strength of a vampire, it's not something to be ashamed of. Once you're able to control it, you'll have a large amount of power that might be strong enough to save your planet. Now let's go." I followed Ms. Griffin out of her classroom and transformed back into my normal clothes. As I followed her, I noticed more witches looking at me in awe. Probably feeling how much negative energy was through me and believed me to be something special than a fairy (which is fine with me as long as there's no fight).
Finally we ended up in where I believe was the dining hall. The Winx were in the center and came running towards me when I entered. They appeared tired, but smiles were still blooming on their faces.
"How'd it go?" Musa asked.
"She did very well," Ms. Griffin answered for me, "And you five?"
"They also did extremely well," Answered the second Griffin.
"Excellent. Now if Tecna's done in the library, you girls may take a break and then it's back to training. The two of us must compare notes." As the Ms. Griffins left, Stella plopped into a chair.
"Man, this is so hard. I'd rather just take my final exam now than do what we're doing."
"What'd she make you do?" I asked.
"Torturous things!"
"It actually wasn't that bad," Bloom answered as we all ignored Stella and her complaining, "It was a lot of random attacking and spell creating and dealing with negative energy. You know, stuff like that."
"It was harder than the spells in your books," Flora added, "I didn't have trouble using those at all."
"Well that's because those books are like beginners books. It's basic spells that anyone could do."
"Girls!" We turned around to face the entrance and Zing and Tecna ran in.
"What's up?" Luna asked.
"Tecna just found a blood control spell," Zing answered.
"You what?"
"It's true, I found out about the mysterious liquid."
"Well what is it, Tecna?" Bloom asked eagerly.
"It's Cian's blood. In order to work the spell, the user has to give up blood to wrap around a weapon."
"GROSS!" Stella shouted while jumping out of her chair, "I had Cian's blood on me?"
"I couldn't even smell it," I mentioned, "Are you sure."
"Yes. I'm one hundred percent sure. See, when Icy's blade cut Stella, Cian's blood entered Stella's body."
"EW!"
"And the same thing happened with Matt. When he grabbed the blade and cut himself, Cian's blood entered his body."
"What does this mean, though?" Layla asked.
"Blood control. Cian's blood is inside Stella and Matt. That's why after the witches recited their incantation, only Matt was affected." My stomach began to move uncomfortably in my body as my heart pounded with anger.
"Are you telling me that if those witches use the spell again, then I could end up like Matt?"
"Unfortunately, yes, Stella. However, what the Trix have been doing is nothing compared to the major spell, which can only be used once."
"The major spell?" Musa repeated, "So what has he been using this whole time?"
"I'm not sure."
"It sounds like he's figured out a way to only use a little bit of it to weaken us," Bloom thought allowed.
"And that lowers our numbers," Layla pointed out, "It seems that he's trying to weaken us one-by-one."
A sharp negative electrical chill ran through my body. My vampire instincts kicked in and I sensed darker energy around us.
"We're not alone," I announced quietly to the girls. Without saying a word, we faced our backs to one another and looked around the dining hall.
"Is it possible that Ms. Griffin's testing us?" Flora asked.
"Maybe, maybe not," Said a familiar chilling voice, "It doesn't matter though because we're here." Around us came the Trix, pouring through the walls. Fury was in front of me with a grin on her face.
"Perfect. You're in your vampire form and we can get revenge on you from last time."
"Last time?" I repeated.
"Don't play innocence with us, it's pathetic." She came closer as I raised my fists prepared to fight. "You and your vampire powers tried to fight all four of us."
"But you fled before she could finish you off," Musa added, "So there's no reason for you to hold a grudge when she hasn't done anything drastic towards you."
"Enough talk," Stormy replied, "The sooner we get your blood the sooner that you'll be out of our way." I watched as Fury (and I'm guessing the other witches) followed Stormy's example in summoning their blades.
"Be careful," Tecna reminded us, "We've gotta stay away from their blades."
"Alright girls," Bloom said, "Let's transform."
"Magic Winx!" Ribbons and faint winds wrapped around me as I found myself in vampire winx form yet again.
"This might be a good time to put what we learned into practice," Flora advised.
"I'm cool with that," Layla second, "Scarlet, you in?"
"I'll do my best to follow." The seven of us flew in the air, keeping our circle together. I watched the witches starting to move counterclockwise with their evil grins on their faces. As they began to pick up speed, their different grins and evil eyes formed as one blur. Together I heard them say, "Illusion!" Suddenly, we were cloaked in darkness.
"Stay close together!" I heard Bloom cry out. I flew backwards towards the center of the circle and felt shoulders on either side of me.
"Is this that darkness spell again?" Stella asked, "Because I can certainly shine some light in."
"It's different," I said, feeling my heart shake with fear. "The negative energy here, it's different from the one in Cloud Tower." I closed my eyes tightly while praying, I hope I don't transform again. I need to protect my friends.
"I do feel the difference," Flora mentioned, "It's very contained, like the energy is trying to break through because this place is too small for it."
I suddenly began to hear my heart beat grow.
"No!" I shouted, placing my hand over my chest and rolling my body into a ball.
"Scarlet, are you-" But Musa was interrupted by the crackling of the witches.
"So out of all of you, the weakest and the fairy most terrified of this atmosphere…is Scarlet."
"She's not weak!" Layla shouted in my defense, but that only made the witches laugh harder.
"Oh no?" I heard Darcy say, "Then watch this!" I felt a familiar pulse that filled by body with tons of negative energy. It slashed the inside of my body as I screamed in pain.
"Sun Strike!" The negative pain slowly began to cease within my body as I heard Stella shout out, "You dare try to torture her again and I'll make sure it's you I burn with the Solarian sun power." The four witches crackled again as Stella began to glow with anger.
"By the power given to us by the vampire sorcerers from long ago, control the mortal whose blood has touched our blade!" Stella's glow quickly faded as she suddenly fell into the darkness. Bloom flew after her while I did my best to control my anger.
"They're using the blood control spell to weaken Stella," Tecna announced.
"Alright," I began as I gathered up the negative energy around me, "Time to get outta here."
"Right, let's show these witches how we Winx can use black magic."
"Well said, Layla," Musa chimed in. I felt some of the negative energy wrap within her hand as a dark pink ball grew.
"I don't know what type of magic to use," Tecna shouted, "But I can enhance your powers greatly."
"Then power us up!" I shouted.
"Power boost!" Tecna said. I began to feel a slight buzzing underneath my skin as my powers began to grow.
"We're not gonna let you knats get in the way!" Stormy shouted from all around. Lightning struck us and I screamed in pain. Still, since I was absorbing energy already, Stormy's lightning was sucked in. It shocked me all over and tears gather in my eyes because of the pain, but soon I was able to place Stormy's electricity within my hands. I stretched my hands out and released the electric shock outwards into the darkness that surrounded us.
"Ow!" I heard all four witches scream. I stared at the darkness in confusion as I looked over at my friends. Tecna's face began to light up.
"I got it!" Tecna shouted, "Aim your attacks outward. The witches are spinning to the point where they're surrounding this whole place.
"Can we stop them from spinning?" Flora asked.
"It's worth a try." Before anything could happen, everything grew really cold and I noticed my limbs not being able to move.
"Shit," I muttered under my breath. My eyes fell upon my right wrist, which had a scarlet colored line across it. That's right! I never healed my wound! Maybe I can… For the first time in my life, I focused on my heart beat. I focused on its pumps, inserting negative energy into it, so that with each flow of blood, the negative energy allowed me to control it. It actually burned, me beneath my skin and I felt beads of sweat forming throughout my body. The ice that had captured my arms and legs began to sizzle and slowly began to drip.
"GAH!"
"Layla!" Musa cried. I turned my head as Layla continued to scream.
"It's burning me! It's burning me."
Faster! Come on! Faster! I focused more on my energy and felt the ice slipping faster.
"AH!"
"Tecna" Flora shouted.
"Shit, I didn't see their blades coming…"
Shit, they're winning! My blood was boiling now, turning the ice into nothing but steam. They're hurting my friends, but I can't lose my focus. I felt myself slipping away as I tried to control the power within me.
"Easy, Scar, you're gonna hurt someone if you don't calm down."
That voice!
"Just breathe in the air surrounding you. You can stop this circle."
Who are you? Why're you even helping me? A vampire of all creatures.
"Because I know you're not killer. If you don't calm down and destroy this circle, it'll be more than Layla and Tecna that you're going to lose."
What're you talk-
"Just do it!"
I took a deep breath and felt my magic calming down once more. This negative energy is changing me into a monster. I can feel it…wait a second! I began to remember the witches talking about weakest and most scared member. They said that it was me.
"There's so much negative energy because I become a monster if I'm exposed to too much of it." My friends looked at me with confusion. "This is my fear. The witches are able to see who's scared by them the most. I'm guessing that's me." Tecna and Layla screamed in pain once more. I felt a familiar method creeping into my mind. "Alright, Bloom's got Stella safe somewhere, Musa, you've got Layla and Flora Tecna. I'll stop the circle." With my back facing the girls and my Inter-Realms attitude in place, I was ready to fight. I outstretched my arms and formed an "X" with my right over my left. Because of Icy's ice, my cut reopened and the smell was enough to awaken something within me. A silver light of a circle formed in front of my fingers as I followed them, unwinding my arms. As I followed the lines, I noticed my blood replaced the silver color and shone a bright scarlet color. My arms eventually re-crossed with my right arm under and the now bright scarlet circle began to spin. I pulled my arms back in total shock.
What the hell was I doing just now? The scarlet ring continued to spin in a clockwise direction.
"Scarlet, what're you doing?" Flora asked.
"To be honest, I have no idea."
"Can you heal Layla and Tecna first?" Musa asked, "We can't touch the clear liquid stuff." Quickly, I grabbed the ring and flew towards my friends. Layla and Tecna were slashed by their sides and I saw the clear liquid, which stayed away from the blood like always.
"And this is supposed to be Cian's blood?" I asked, trying to think of a way to get the liquid off.
"That's what Tecna said, right?" Flora asked back.
"Well, let's try vampire blood with vampire blood." I brought the circle close to the liquid on Tecna's side and before it could even touch it, Cian's blood rose onto the ring. We all watched as Tecna's blood began to fill in where Cian's was. I did the same thing to Layla's wound and the results were the same. Their blood smelled so good that my mouth began to water, but I had no time to think about drinking my friends' blood.
"I hope it's off," I said as I placed the ring on my left arm and brought my right hand to my fangs. My healing ointment poured out like it was coming out of a faucet (which surprised me a bit) and as I rubbed it on both hands, the witches spoke,
"We're not gonna let you leave until we've got all your blood!" I heard blades being summoned and I was ready to protect us, but an orange glow surrounded us instead.
"You're not gonna take us down that easily," I heard Bloom shout. I looked below me and noticed that she was carrying Stella with her left arm and launching the shield with her right.
"Scarlet!" Musa replied, grabbing my attention. I placed the ointment over Layla and Tecna's cuts and watched it heal.
"You guys handled that pain very well," Flora commented.
"Doesn't matter," Tecna replied, "Now they've got my blood."
"And mine," Layla added, "That really hurt." She looked at me with a questioning look and pointed to my scarlet ring. "What's that?"
"I don't know. But I used it to take Cian's blood off of you."
"How'd you do that?" Tecna asked.
"Girls," Bloom said, interrupting the conversation flow, "We need to get outta here. Stella can't breathe." I watched Stella turning blue as she tried to gasp for air. I took the scarlet ring off my arm and grasped it tightly in my hand.
What can I do? It's because I was the weakest and most scared that we're in this mess. There must be a way! I closed my eyes and tried to look through my library of spells when a memory popped into my head instead. It was when I forced the silent-takers to go away. My blood did that.
"That's it!" Before the girls could respond, I held the ring in front of me, turn it counterclockwise as if winding it, and spun it clockwise. It spun fast as I smeared some of my blood from my right wrist onto my left hand. Palm facing the ring, I used my magic to push the ring into the darkness in front of me.
At first nothing happened, but then the witches began to shout, "What's happening?"
The darkness that surrounded us slowly disappeared as I saw Cloud Tower's dining hall appear before me. It looked as if we hadn't flown anywhere except a few feet off the ground. The Trix were on their hands and knees, holding their heads because of the dizziness of spinning.
"W-what happened?" Darcy asked as she tried to walk straight and wobbled on the way.
"I dunno," Stormy answered like she was drunk. She walked like one too. The two crashed into each other and landed on their butts.
"I don't think I'm feeling that well," Fury said, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Her spinning eyes tried to focus on me as she spoke, "You bitch. What the fuck did you-" But she fell over before she could finish her sentence.
"Cian didn't mention anything about counter spinning," Icy replied to Fury weakly, "But at least we got what we needed. Let's get outta here." I launched myself towards them to try and stop them, but they had disappeared before I could get to them.
"Damn it." My ears suddenly picked up deep groaning from behind me. I turned around and saw the specialists standing up from battle.
"Agh!" Riven shouted, "I got…sliced and…it burns like hell." Musa quickly ran over to his side and examined his arm. She looked at me with tears gathering in her eyes. Without another word, I flew to Riven and took care of his wound.
"Scarlet, Helia needs you too," Flora cried.
"And Sky." One by one I went to the specialists who were injured.
"Why're you guys even here?" I asked as I finished healing Sky.
"Matt said that he sensed the witches attacking Cloud Tower and said that you girls were gonna be here," Brandon answered, carrying Stella within his arms.
"Matt?" I asked in fear that he'd see me like this.
"He passed out again," Nabu replied. I turned to face him as he shook his head. "The witches recited that incantation and he began to have breathing problems."
"The same happened to Stella," Bloom added. Brandon's grip on her tightened as he pressed his cheek against her head.
"Are they gonna be alright?" I asked, my voice getting a little higher by the second.
"I was able to place a spell to supply oxygen into their lungs," Nabu answered, "They'll be alright. While you heal one set of patients, I try to heal the other." He smiled to make me feel better, but I looked away.
"How'd you guys hurt yourselves?" Bloom asked, helping Sky sit up.
"Well, there was this black thing that you girls were in. It was like a black tornado," he answered. "Nabu said that the tornado was the witches themselves, so when we attacked, they had their blades ready and got some of us." I noticed Bloom's eyes filling with tears as she hugged Sky.
"Hey, I'm alright. I can handle this sorta thing." I turned to Flora, who had tears streaming down her face.
"You shouldn't have come, we can take care of ourselves." Helia placed his hand over her head and pulled her in for a hug.
"We don't regret coming, even if we hurt ourselves in the end."
"Where's Matt?" I asked, not being able to handle everyone's sadness anymore. Nabu nodded his head towards my left and behind Helia was Matt, passed out on the floor. I quickly ran to him and was able to get him in my arms. My hand was over his faint beating heart as his beautiful dark brown hair fell over my arm.
Even unconscious because of me, he's still really hot. I tried to smile, but tears gathered in my eyes instead.
"Why," I muttered, "Why am I the one always causing the problem? Why can't I save the people I care about? I failed Aquila, Inter-Realms, Lucentia and Celia, Jeremy, mom and dad, even you guys." I felt everyone's eyes on me as I held Matt close.
"I'm so sorry."
Eventually, Ms. Griffin entered the room and sent us back to Alfea, though the concerned look on her face bothered me. Actually, a lot of things bothered me. Since when did negative energy cause me to transform? Since when did I have powers of a full blooded vampire? How can I be both fairy and vampire when I've got the equal strength of both? Why do I have so many fucking questions rolling around in my mind?
"Scarlet?" I looked behind me to see Flora standing in the doorway of our balcony holding a floral cup in her hands. Steam rising above it, but didn't cover her warm smile. "I made some tea for everyone. Would you like a cup?"
"Maybe later, Flora. I've got too many things flowing through my mind right now." I heard her approach me and passing me the cup.
"That's why I made it; to help ease your mind a bit and relax." When I took the cup she looked up at the sky. "We're really worried about you, Scarlet. Please don't try to go through this on your own." She stepped back and extended her hand towards the balcony door. "Come on inside. It's a little chilly out here at night." I slid off the railing and took a few steps. Suddenly the wind wrapped around me. Flora screamed as I listened to the wind spirits.
"Follow us. We know what might help ease your pain. You and Winx must follow us."
The wind suddenly disappeared as I felt my wind current being created on its own.
"What was that?" Flora asked.
"The wind spirits want us to follow it somewhere. They said that they know a place where we can feel at ease."
"Drink up your tea and I'll tell the girls." Flora ran inside as I took a sip, which turned into gulps. My body felt warm by the tea and my mind calmed down. By the time I finished, the Winx Club was ready to ride. We followed the current not knowing where they were leading us. Thanks to the tea, I was more focused on the ride, the wind blowing through my long black hair, the beautiful scenery below me, the laughter of my friends as they did flips, everything!
Finally, the wind current ended and the spirits lowered us to the ground. The girls gasped beauty before them as I remained silent. We were at the Lake of Wonders, where Matt took me before he kissed me. The girls ran forward and few played around in the water, each commenting on different things. As I took a few steps, I heard a new, yet familiar voice in my head.
"Go have fun. Don't worry about the stuff rolling in your head. Hang out and play with your friends." I looked around me to see if anyone was there. When I saw nothing but the dark trees and the navy blue sky, I headed towards my friends.
"Scarlet, what is this place?" Stella asked with a grin on her face while splashing water to surround her, "Because this water's doing wonders for my skin."
"The Lake of Wonders," Tecna answered, "It one of the purest spots in Magix."
"Mother nature is very pleased here," Flora commented, "I've never seen trees and plants so happy before."
"And this water is crystal clear," Layla added, "Even in Andros there aren't lakes as beautiful as these."
"It's like a symphony playing," Musa mentioned, "The wind, the water, the trees, everything."
"My magic is humming at its purity," Bloom replied, "Can you all feel it?" Everyone paused and focused. I tried it too. I closed my eyes and focused on the magic within me. My wind magic was stirring with pleasure and sent out such positive vibes throughout my body. Somehow it replaced and dark energy left within me from the attack at Cloud Tower.
"I feel it," I said suddenly. I looked up at the girls in disbelief, "Such a wonderful feeling of happiness and life. I've never felt something like this before." Stella splashed around some more before shouting,
"Alright! Let's have a water fight! Everyone in!" Everyone began to take off socks and shoes as I watched. Musa noticed that I wasn't following and ran towards me.
"Come on, Scar, let's get you in." With her sound wave, she gently pushed me towards the other girls. I stumbled a bit, surprised by what she'd called me.
"Scar can work as a nick name," Layla mentioned as I started taking off my navy boots. "We've got Stel and Tec, for Stella and Tecna."
"Scar doesn't sound bad at all," Flora concurred. Bloom was the first in after Stella and ran some water through her hair.
"Have you noticed that our names except for Scarlet's and mine end with an 'a'?" She asked. I thought for a moment before realizing that she was right.
"How weird," Musa said, "But it makes sense. I mean, let's face it, Bloom's the one who evil is always after-"
"-And she acts as a good leader," Flora added."
"And Scarlet's now the one who people are after," Layla replied.
"All-in-all," Tecna concluded, "We were meant to form the Winx Club."
"Names and powers and beauty told us that much."
"Names, powers, beauty, and strange strength is more like it, Stella." She thought for a moment before nodding.
"Scar's right! Our names, balance of power, dazzling beauty (though I believe mine shines the most), and mysterious strength is what makes the Winx Club special." I smiled at the thought. Funny how I now accept the fact that these girls love me as much as each other, even though I still felt new and couldn't feel the bond that the mention every now and then. But somehow, that thought rested well with me. If they treat me like they treat each other nothing else should matter.
"You believe that YOU'RE the prettier one?" Bloom questioned.
"But of course, darling, there's no comparison." Layla got up, ran into the lake, gathered some water, and threw it at Stella.
"And I officially declare the water fight to begin!" With that, we all ran in. With my wind powers, I was able to pick up the water to launch it at my friends. Musa created sound waves in the water, which caused legit waves. Flora used underwater plants to soak us in water while Tecna simply position her firewall at an angle to drench us in water from the water fall. Bloom and Stella couldn't use much of their magic in the water, but they were able to make large waves to "drown" us all with the dark spells that they learned. Swimming also occurred in the deep end of the lake. My clothes were filled with water and were so heavy whenever I stood up, but the warm breeze somehow made them feel lighter.
For the first time since my first day at Alfea, even with those question rolling around in my mind and the guilt I had for causing everyone so much trouble, I felt truly happy.
No…I felt like I belonged.