Don't worry I didn't forget about you guys! Thank you so much to the two people who are still reading my story! Thank you so much Maeve111999 and FloraFanS! You guys literally made my day! Here's another chapter just for you guys!
_
After Amber's talk with Bloom, Amber fell right back asleep. She hadn't had a decent night's sleep in weeks. What with old and new enemies teaming up against her and making sure her objectives were safe, there had been no time to relax and little time to sleep.
It was now seven thirty in the morning and only one Winx was up. No matter how late she stayed up, Flora always got up at seven thirty. It helped her feel like she wasn't wasting the day laying in bed doing nothing.
Flora looked over to make sure Bloom was still sleeping soundly in her bed. When she saw her sleeping roommate still tucked away in bed, Flora tip toed out of their room. She quietly closed the door behind them and preceded to the kitchen to make herself some morning tea. She filled the kettle up with water and out it on the stove.
After she made sure the stove was turned on, Flora walked out towards the balcony. The morning always made her happy and calm. They were rarely people out, especially on a Sunday morning. Flora loved to sip her tea and watch the sun rise over the horizon.
Flora was jerked form her thoughts when she heard the kettle whistle it's shrill tune. She quickly walked over to it before it woke anyone up. As she placed the kettle beside the burner she heard a dull thump behind her. She turned around and looked across the room to find the origin of the thump.
"You really shouldn't scare me like that," a voice said behind her. Flora whirled around in panic to try and see her attacker. Her heart beat slowed down when she saw Amber's familiar figure leaning against the counter.
Amber pushed her body weight off the counter and stood up straight. "I was about to attack you. You're lucky you were far enough away for me to realize who you were before it could be worse," Amber said apologetically.
Flora shook her head in amazement, "How did you get from the couch to right behind me with me seeing you?"
Amber smiled, half slyly, half sadly. "You pick up a few things when you travel around as much as I do," she said.
"I can imagine," Flora nodded as she opened one of the cupboards above their heads.
"Would you like some tea?"
Amber nodded. Flora grabbed two mugs and poured hot water into each of them. Flora out in the tea bags and her "special ingredients". She handed one of the mugs to Amber and took a sip of her own.
"So how did you sleep last night?" Amber asked, attempting to make conversation.
Flora smiled at Amber's interaction. "I slept really well actually. I guess all that dancing and partying tired me out. How about you? Did you sleep well?"
"I woke up a little after I fell asleep, but I fell back asleep quickly," Amber smiled. She replayed her conversation with Bloom in her mind. Amber was happy she and the Fairy of the Dragon Flame were on good terms.
Flora smiled and said, "Well at least you fell asleep quickly." Flora took a sip often before nervously continuing, "By the way, I never got a chance to thank you properly. I'm sure that Helia has already talked to you, but it want to thank you personally. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't save us from the Trix. Actually, I do know what would happen, and that makes me so much more grateful that you saved us. Thank you Amber."
Amber blushed and looked down bashfully. "If I had gotten there sooner then you wouldn't have gotten so hurt, and don't give me any back talk," Amber scolded when she saw Flora about to protest, "I know that you were hurt, and you still are hurting. I can see it in your eyes. You put on a brave face in front of your friends so they don't worry, but inside, you're hurting." Amber's eyes were completely glazed over by the time she finished speaking. It looked like she was lost in memories, like she experienced what she was talking about.
Flora picked up on this too. "The more you spend time with us, the bigger the mystery you become," Flora thought. She walked over to the living room with her tea in hand and sat down on the plush couch. She motioned Amber to do the same, which the Fairy of Time and Dreams did somewhat robotically.
"Do you want to talk about something, sweetie?" Flora asked gently, grasping Amber's hands in her own. When she saw Amber's reluctant face she added, "You can trust me."
Amber looked down, shame and fear swirling in her eyes.
"That's just it Flora, I don't know if I can trust. Not just you, everybody. I've spent my entire life running and putting my life on the line, it's like I'm numb."
Flora could feel her heart breaking. Everything that Amber had just revealed about Flora had been true. She was in pain and she was hiding it from her friends, but what hurt the most was hearing how Amber couldn't trust anyone, nor had she in the past. The difference between Flora and Amber was that Flora had all her friends and family her entire life; she was never alone. With Amber, she had no one to count on, to help her in time of need. Flora couldn't even imagine not having her friends by her side during all the hard times, or losing her sister, Rose. They were the people who helped her and kept a smile on her face. Flora couldn't bear the thought of going sixteen years without them.
Flora rubbed Amber's hands soothingly and gently said, "You don't need to run anymore. You're safe with us."
Tears threatened to fall in Amber's eyes. "I am never safe, Flora. Whether I am battling an enemy, or battling myself, and Fate isn't exactly the easiest opponent. Somebody somewhere is trying to figure out how to kill me. My mind is so jumbled I don't even know who I am anymore. And it seems like Fate has my entire life stretched out with nothing but pain, stress, pressure, and loneliness in its wake." Amber shook her head before scoffing bitterly at herself, "Listen to me, I'm complaining about all the problems that life throws at me and I'm being selfish about taking your time. You've been through Hell a couple of weeks ago and I have the nerve to complain about my life. I'm sorry, Flora."
Flora shook her head vigorously. "Amber, you are being far to hard on yourself. It's true that I'm still shaken up and even a little scared about the whole ordeal. But you are the one who save us. You're one of our friends now. Whenever you need to talk, I'll be here for you, and all the other Winx will too. From now on, you are never alone."
A few tears leaked out of Amber's swirling gray-blue eyes. She quickly wiped them away before Flora could see. "Why does Fate want my life to be so damn complicated?"
Flora was about to respond with sisterly love, but Tecna decided to walk in at that exact moment. Tecna rubbed her eyes sleepily before saying to the two fairies, "Good morning! I see the others are still sleeping. It's nice to have a little peace nd quiet in the morning."
"You can say that again, Tec." Amber murmured with a slight smile. Amber reached under the couch and pulled out her drawstring bag and took out her journal and pencil.
Flora sighed and stood up to walk over to the balcony, enjoying the nature and the early crisp, morning air. Tecna went over to her computer and logged on to her email and gaming program.
Amber got so caught up in her writing that she didn't even notice Musa, Layla, Bloom, and Stella wake up throughout the morning. The Winx had seen her writing intently in her journal, but none of them wanted to disturb her. Instead, they all lounged around in the common room and chatted aimlessly.
Amber smiled as her mind wandered over to Alex and a happy tune sparked up in her mind. Amber's grin grew wider as she began to write down all her thoughts about Alex and all the moments they shared, all the while playing the happy melody in her mind. She finally closed her journal, the small smile still plastered on her face. She put her journal carefully in her bag and dropped the pen in there as well before sliding the bag underneath the sofa.
Amber stretched her arms wide over her head and looked around the room, realizing that all the Winx were up and chatting with each other. "Oh, I didn't even hear you guys wake up. How long has everyone been up for?"
Layla smiled and answered, "With the exception of Stella, everyone's been up for about an hour now. I woke up a little after Tecna and Musa came out pretty quickly after me. Bloom woke up not to long ago and Stella woke up about ten minutes ago."
Amber chuckled quietly before standing up and walking over to the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower, haven't had one in awhile and I'm starting to smell." Amber closed the door after hearing Layla laugh. As she stripped of her clothes, Amber began humming the tune to her happy song, lyrics beginning to form in her mind. She turned the shower on until it felt warm to Amber. She stepped in the shower and kept humming the song. Hot water poured onto Amber's still bruised and battered body.
Let's make this fleeting moment last forever,
Amber sang quietly, smiling as she washed shampoo out of her dirt covered, tangled hair.
So, tell me what you're waiting for.
I'm gonna keep it frozen here forever.
There's no regretting anymore
Amber paused for a moment, trying to figure out the next line of lyrics. She washed away all the bubbles that the soap had made after she washed the dirt and grime from her body, taking care not to aggravate any of her still healing injuries. She twisted the shower nozzle until no more water was pouring out. She wrapped her body with a towel before singing quietly and slowly
All alone, just the beat inside my soul.
Take me home, where my dreams are made if gold.
As Amber sang, she couldn't help but think of how drastically her life changed in the past two weeks. Two weeks ago she was tracking down the Winx and helping the Specialists rescue them. Then she was held "prisoner" by Griselda last week. Ms. Fargonda had returned and Amber had shared her story to the older lady. The Winx took her under their wing and let her party with them and sleep in their dorm. And on top of all that, Alex had asked her out.
Amber chuckled slightly as she thought, "If anyone had told me three weeks ago that I would find a true, genuine, caring boy who would help me instead of trying to kill me, I would have laughed in their faces." Amber passed for a moment, murmuring a spell to clean her dirty clothes and then continued thinking as she dressed, "And to think, that I was going to meet people as pure hearted as the Winx and such noble men as the Specialists." Amber shrugged in her white shirt, the last article of clothing, and stepped out of the bathroom with a towel in her hands to dry her hair.
Amber walked into the living room and immediately noticed the Winx staring at her. "What?" Amber asked, feeling self conscious.
Musa was the one who answered, "You've got an awesome voice! And coming from the Fairy of Music, that's saying something."
Amber blushed a bright, cherry red and quickly diverted the conversation, "So what are we doing today?"
Most of the Winx Club looked like they weren't going to let the topic drop, but Stella jumped and her face began to glow with excitement. "Today, we're going to go shopping! And don't you dare protest!" Stella added when she saw Amber's face drop and open her mouth, "You need your clothes that your blue shirts and white shirt and black ninja suit. Plus, those are so three years ago! You need an up to date wardrobe!"
Amber sighed as Stella began dragging her towards the door with the rest of the Winx trailing behind. "I can take assassins, scientists, perverts, villains, and even an entire army, but I can't say no to Stella."