The girls finally had the same day off. It had been hard finding a time where they could meet up outside of school days, as each girl was in a different grade and class. Wanting to go out and celebrate, the girls went to Professor Hart to see what she could do. She allowed them to go with her into town to "help her with errands". When they got to their destination, she set them loose, warning them to meet her at the fountain at 2.

"Ah! I haven't gotten a chance to look around!" Stella called.

"Calm down, girl," Amelia sighed, "you'd swear this was the first time you've ever seen a town."

"I think it's nice see her so happy," Delilah replied.

Stella whirled back around to face her friends. Since they didn't have to wear their uniforms, Stella was finally able to see her friends' street clothes. Amelia wore a light green babydoll dress and a pair of brown wedges with her hair pulled up into a messy bun. Delilah had her hair up in a pair of braids, with a pair of pink shorts and a white tunic shirt. Stella had chosen to wear her hair down, with a flowing skirt and a slim-fit cropped shirt.

We all look so cute!

Running back, she slipped her hands through her friends' arms, and together they headed to brunch. The shop had recently opened up, and Amelia was excited to go. Some of her other friends had gone and said that all the waiters and waitresses were really cute.
They sat down at a table outside, and soon a waiter took their orders. As they waited for their food, the three girls began to chat.

"So, how are things going with Terrance?" Stella asked.

"Well," Amelia began with a blush, "I think it's going well. Vivian said we looked cute together, and he turned into a tomato-faced, stuttering mess. It was adorable!"

"How sweet!" Delilah cooed.

"Well, Delilah, do you have someone you like?" Amelia asked.

At this, the younger girl turned bright red. Intrigued by her reaction, the two girls leaned in.

"W-Well, I... I guess," she muttered, "But I don't think s-I mean, they even know I exist..."

"Then make your presence known!" Stella cried out.

"That's easy for you to say! You already have someone!"

Huh?

Tilting her head, she stared at the younger girl. Amelia and Delilah stared at her in utter shock.

"You have Yukiya!" Amelia all but shouted, "Aren't you two dating yet?!"

"The tension between you two is suffocating!" Delilah added.

Clapping her hands over her red cheeks, Stella began babbling.

"No, no! Haha, he's just a friend! Ha! There's nothing between, ha, us! He, haha, doesn't see me like that!...Ha!"

As Stella babbled on, her two friends simply raised their eyebrows, not convinced in the least. Eventually, they let it go and the three continued their conversation.

...

...

Luca stretched his arms as he made his way through the busy town. He had barely avoided Klaus in his escape earlier. The green haired boy shrugged. He had somewhere to be. As he walked past a shop, he heard a set of familiar voices.

"I'd definitely give my first kiss to him," Amelia replied.

"Ah, you haven't had your first kiss either?" asked the younger of the Peters sisters.

"Nope! What about you, Stella?"

At this, Luca's ears pricked up. He would never dare to do something as low as eavesdropping, but the shop was new and he hadn't brought any breakfast. Besides, he wanted to pick something up. That was the only reason sat down a few tables away from the girls.

"I... I've actually already had my first kiss."

I can't say I'm shocked, but I still wasn't expecting that.

The two girls began squealing as they leaned in, bombarding her with questions.

"Okay, okay!" Stella huffed, "It's one of the guys from La Magnifique. He's a good guy, but he's been cursed to look like the last person he exchanged a kiss with. He has no way of ever going back to his original form, that is, unless his curse is broken."

"H-How long ago was that?" Delilah asked, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"Oh, we were thirteen. We weren't actually together per se, but we thought we might've liked each other. We were wrong, but we're still good friends."

"Was that was your last kiss?" Amelia questioned, curiosity and excitement dancing in her eyes.

Stella scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.

"Well... there was the one from one village, a nobleman's kid from another, and then-," Here, the girl's face went up in flames, "Never mind! That doesn't count!"

"What?! What doesn't count?!"

Ooh, sounds interesting!

Stella buried her face in her hands, shaking her head. Amelia reached out and shook her shoulders.

"You answer us! Who was it?! What happened?!"

"I-It doesn't count! He needed his medicine, but he was too sick to swallow it!"

"Was it... Yukiya?" Delilah quietly asked.

Stella squawked and dropped her head on the table with a bang. She began talking, but her voice had become muffled, so Luca couldn't hear what she was saying.

When it became clear that he wasn't going to be able to gather anymore information, Luca picked up his things and left. There was a noticeable lightness to his steps as he made his way to his favorite art supply shop.

...

...

By the time the girls got back, classes had just ended. Waving goodbye to her friends, Stella headed towards the lake with a small bag in her hand. Today, as soon as he got there, Stella was going to tell him about her childhood. Just a bit.

"Worried! Worried!"

The fat wing rabbit suddenly materialized in front of where she was sitting.

"Ah I'm alright," she reassured him, hugging the magical creature tightly, "Hey, do you have a name?"

"No! No!"

"Can I give you one? I feel weird just referring to you as 'the wing rabbit'."

"Name! Whoohoo!"

Stella giggled before she closed her eyes in thought. For a few minutes, she bounced around some ideas. Finally, she opened her eyes.

"How about Antonio?"

"Too long! Mouthful!"

Stella gave n understanding nod.

"Then just Tonio?"

"Like! Like! Eep! Wolf!"

With that last word, he vanished. Turning her head, Stella found Yukiya's wolf. Not far behind, Yukiya was walking over, looking a touch out of breath. She patted the spot next her and waited for the boy to sit down.

Once he was seated, and she opened the bag. She offered the wolf a dog biscuit, only for him to sniff as though he were offended. Rolling her eyes, Stella set it down on the ground near him. Then, she pulled out a cranberry croissant and handed it to the boy.

"We went to a new cafe, and these scones were really good! I thought you might like one."

"Thanks," Yukiya said quietly as he took it.

As he was eating, Stella began.

"There are... I've hidden things from a lot of people. I've hidden a lot of things from Lucio. Very important things."

Yukiya said nothing as he waited for her to continue.

"I know I'll have to tell him these things eventually, but it seems I'm going to have to sooner than I expected. The letter... it... I have to tell him as soon as I can, but he... Oh, god Yukiya! If he hates me for it- I- Oh, god I messed up! I kept that stuff hidden from him for his protection..."

A sudden warmth enveloped her. Looking up, Yukiya was looking down at her with concern. Stella couldn't help giggling.

"You would seem much more mature if it weren't for the crumbs on your face," she told him.

His cheeks reddened, ever so slightly as she reached up and brushed his face clean. Then, she pulled out of his embrace.

"What are you keeping from him?" Yukiya asked.

"That... I... A lot of things happened, and he was only a toddler when we left. I wanted him to grow up with more freedom than I did."

Yukiya furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Let me explain," Stella began with a light sigh, "My mother and grandmother were traveling apothecaries. Neither could use magic, but they could still make some potions. One of their rarest and most potent ingredients, Fontanesia Auricoma, only bloomed in a distant region, right in between the borders of Gedonelune and Filorune. Only one village lies there. We'll call it the Village of the Evil ones."

"Village of the Evil Ones?" Yukiya echoed, looking concerned.

"Yes, the Village of the Evil Ones is an odd group of people. They still hold the same beliefs as those who lived here over five hundred years ago."

"So they-"

"They knew wizards could be good," she interrupted, "but they could only be good or evil. If they were good, they put the village before themselves and their family. If they didn't, they were evil. And evil wizards..."

Stella stopped here, her face growing pale. She squeezed her eyes shut. Yukiya lightly grabbed her shoulder, and she was pulled back.

"S-Sorry..." she murmured, then shook her head. "Evil wizards were punished. The Village of the Evil Ones also believed that snakes and the color red were evil, and that demons were waiting to attack them just around the corner."

"That sounds horrible..."

"That's not even the worst of it," Stella said with a defeated chuckle, "my father, he fled his home in Filorune. He... He never got the chance to tell us why... Anyway, he could barely speak English, and by the time he crossed the border, he was starving and sick. With wine red eyes, and the ability to use magic, he was seen as a threat. The elders of the village decided that he was possessed and ordered the villagers to ignore him, to let him die."

Again she stopped, clenching her fist. The boy reached out and held her hand. After a few deep breaths, she looked up and continued.

"My mother and grandmother returned to the village for their second time of the year, and came across my father. They nursed him back to health, and my grandmother taught him English. After learning a bit of his story, they invited him to join them in their work, and my father quickly agreed. Fast forward a few years, and my mother and father had fallen in love. When they all returned the Village of the Evil Ones, the villagers were shocked. In their eyes, an evil, demonic wizard had seduced my mother and threatened my grandmother. However, they didn't do much to them, as it was these same people bringing them powerful medicine. It all got worse when my grandmother died. People still weren't cruel to my mother, since she was still the one bringing them medicine, but they were a lot colder and harsher."

Stella glanced up at the boy and snorted. She didn't understand how he'd managed to get crumbs in his hair, but she smiled as she brushed it out.

"That's all for today," she said suddenly, standing up

"What?" Yukiya furrowed his brow.

"Silly," Stella chuckled offering her hand, "haven't you heard the story A Thousand and One Nights?"

Yukiya shook his head as he took her hand. They began walking up the path as the girl explained.

"Well, to make it short, a king keeps executing the women he sleeps with after a single night because of his deceased wife's infidelity. Eventually, he finds a girl named Scheherazade. Every night she would begin a new story, but wouldn't finish until the next night. The king, curious to see how the stories would end. This went on for 1,001 nights, and by that time, he'd fallen in love with her. He granted her a pardon, and she was made queen."

"I'm not going to kill you if you finish your story."

"No, but at least this way you'll still look forward to seeing me."

The boy was about to ask about her comment, but she spoke up before he could.

"Besides, I'm just setting the stage for what's to come. Get yourself emotionally prepared!"

With that, Stella began to hum and walk faster. Yukiya quickened his pace as the wolf licked the crumbs from his snout and casually followed.

...
...

Stella curled up under her blankets. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down.

No going back now...

Sorry I took sso long with this update! I was trying to figure out how to tell Stella's story without seeming like I'm rushing to get it out all at once. Oh, and pretty soon, I'll be going back to the previous chapters and to make some changes. They'll be small and subtle, but they'll offer some clues. Anyway, the next chapter will shed some more light on certain subjects.

Thanks for reading!
Please leave reviews and critiques!

Have a nice day/night!