Chapter 26
A Dream Comes True
Stella walked down the hallway, her tiredness weighed forcefully making her stagger a bit. Her wedge heels made dull thuds against the linoleum floor. While the walls were a pastel blue they seemed cold and cheerless. Stella gave a soft sigh and pulled out her phone. She gazed at the device, staring longingly at Brandon's number. She felt like a traitor. Every time she called, the call would rebound, claim she was out of range or the number was unavailable. However, sometimes, there were those rare moments her call went to voicemail although there was never a reply.
Stella wiped away the few escaping tears. She stopped outside a door before entering quietly. The room was small compared to the rest of the palace but cosy. It was a bright and cheery yellow, quite contrary to the inhabitant of the room. The bedside held a few get-well cards, a glass of water and a plate of unfinished food that was most likely cold. In the bed was Ms. Faragonda. At this moment the headmistress looked frail and weak, a stark contrast to the energetic, vibrant woman she used to know. Stella took a seat next to the passed out Griselda.
Griselda had ran herself to bone over the few weeks they were on Solaria. Ever since they came out of the portal Griselda had glued herself to Ms. Faragonda much like a leech would. Stella studied the Head of Discipline. Dark circles ringed her eyes and deep worry lines were etched in her face. Griselda's glasses laid askew on her face as she continued to doze on the starch pressed sheets.
Stella carefully slid the glasses off and placed them in her lap. Stella let the tears fall. So many people were affected by this catastrophe. Losing children, parents, friends and family, it was as if the suffering would never end. Griselda started to stir next to Stella. She sat up and blinked blearily at Stella who remembered she had the woman's glasses. She handed them over to Griselda who proceed to stretch, cracking her vertebrates into place with a crack, and put them back on. She then turned to Faragonda and so did Stella. Ms. Faragonda had a breathing mask to assist her breathing but even with the mask, her breathing seemed slow and laboured as if she was struggling. Her hair was spread out around her like a fan, her skin touched her bones and her face was gaunt and waxy. For the first time in, well, never the Headmistress looked vulnerable, mortal.
"How long were you in here?" Griselda asked when Stella looked away.
"Not long." Stella admitted. She turned to face Griselda. "You're really worried huh?"
"Of course I am." Griselda told her aggressively. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "How could I not. She's all I have."
Stella raised a brow quizzically but Griselda didn't add anything else to it so they stayed in silence for the time being. Griselda took the food laden plate and started to finish it. Stella simply sat and waited for her to finish, taking the opportunity to think. What was Griselda talking about? How was the Headmistress the only one she had? Frankly, to Stella, it was a strange thing to say especially after all they had been through. Her mind then turned to everything that had happened. The pandemonium that had befallen the Dimension, the lost battles, the lives that were lost by the dozens, the destruction…
Tears landed in her lap with a wet plop. Stella swiftly wiped her eyes. It wasn't as if she could do anything about it. It angered her. It was beyond her, beyond all of them. Stella's fists clenched around the material of her skirt. Her eyes burned with both anger and unshed tears. She couldn't help but think it was Bloom's fault. If Bloom hadn't ran away she'd been there to fight alongside them. To inspire, encourage, to give hope to everyone fighting. With Bloom there comforting her, the fighting wouldn't have seemed as bad. But she wasn't.
"Miss Stella, are you alright?" Griselda asked.
"I'm fine." Stella wiped her eyes. She gave her a sad smile. "Just remembering what happened."
Griselda nodded sympathetically. "Our world has been tossed upside down hasn't it?"
"Yeah." Stella replied. She laid her head on Ms. Faragonda's bed. "A couple months ago, everything was fine. Everyone was happy and care-free. Then Bloom disappeared and Valtor appeared."
"Has it really been a year already?" Griselda spoke aloud but seemed to be speaking to herself. Or Ms. Faragonda, at this point Stella wouldn't bat an eye at the thought. "My, time has flown."
Another silence fell over them. Only this time Griselda was deep in thought as she gazed upon the vegetative woman. A thought occurred to Stella. She remembered what Ms. Faragonda told them in her office that day, she remembered the conclusion, the implication of what she had said.
Bloom had to be alive.
The more Stella thought about it, the truer it seemed. She cast a glance at Griselda with the gears still turning. Her and Faragonda were close and Faragonda always confided in Griselda. If anything Griselda knew something about it.
"Ms. Griselda?" Stella asked tentatively.
"Yes Miss Stella?" Was the distant reply.
"Do you know why Bloom left?"
Instantaneously Stella got her answer. Griselda's body froze and went rigid as a plank of wood. Her eyes grew large with anxiety as her pupils dilated to pinpricks. Griselda paled and gaped at the teen who looked at her betrayed. It was safe to assume they knew something and refused to share. Stella probed her some more.
"Please, tell me, anything!" Stella urged.
Griselda began stuttering on and gaped even more. Stella sighed.
"Can you at least tell me where she is?"
Griselda shook herself to get over then suddenness of the question. Rather than try to talk she opted for a simple shake of the head. Stella nearly growled in anger.
"Why not?" Stella exclaimed angrily. "She can help us! She would help us!"
"No, she can't." Griselda whispered.
"She can help us beat Valtor! She can probably help us to kill those things or at least find out how!" It was apparent Stella didn't hear the older woman's words. "She could be fighting and defending Magix, her home!"
"No! She can't!" Griselda yelled furiously.
The two of them were having a stand-off worthy of an old western movie. They stared each other down, glaring daggers. Their chests both heaved trying to get air into their lungs. Stella sat with an angry huff. She hadn't even realized she had stood in their shouting match. Griselda followed in suit and held onto Ms. Faragonda's hand.
"She has newfound responsibilities she must take care of." Griselda said quietly. "She cannot abandon them as easily as we'd like."
"And these 'newfound responsibilities' are more important than her old ones?" Stella asked begrudgingly. "Are these 'responsibilities' more important than the countless lives loss?"
"I will not say that." Griselda told her after a pause. "Her responsibilities are maybe just as important."
Stella gave another huff of anger and was about to reply but was interrupted. A bout of coughing erupted from Faragonda startling them both. Griselda quickly grabbed a glass of water of the table and lifted Faragonda's head with care. Her eyes were still closed but she drank greedily. Stella watched on in pure surprise. Ms. Faragonda had finally woken up. All the questions she had could finally have answers. Ms. Faragonda's eyes finally opened, a shock for both Stella and Griselda. The headmistress' usually steel blue eyes had significantly paled. Now a silver near milky white colour, it was as if she was blind. Faragonda quickly grabbed on to the front of Griselda's clothes. She pulled her second-in-command with amazing strength for a sick woman.
"Varanda!" Ms. Faragonda hissed harshly.
Stella was confused and scared. To see Ms. Faragonda like this was just plain unsettling. Her hair hung down straight its gray colour aging her a thousand years. Bags hung around her eyes that were wide with distress. They looked wide and fevered, her skin pale as paper. Griselda was alarmed and looked at her in fright. She tried to calm Faragonda, put her back to bed but Faragonda ignored her.
"Varanda! It can't happen! It's impossible!" Faragonda cried as she clawed at Griselda. "One of them has to die! It just can't be done!"
"What is she talking about?" Stella yelled scared over the ranting.
Her clawing increased and she was puling Griselda closer and tightly. It was almost to the point she was tearing her clothes. Her eyes were glazing over as her pupils shrank. "Both of them won't survive! The Dimension will correct itself!'
"What is it Fara?" Griselda cried. She was almost close to tears.
She got no reply. Faragonda coughed once more. Blood splattered forth from her icy pale lips, covering Griselda. Her eyes rolled into her head like billiard balls. She dropped back into the bed lifeless and still. All Griselda and Stella could do was stand there truly traumatized at what had just happened. Stella could feel something run down her face. She reached up to touch her face. Her finger came back red.
Stella screamed.