Chapter 10
Jealousy Part One
Josh was missing a point.
- What's the difference if Lzzy chooses to be a fairy or a witch? - he asked.
Bloom answered.
- Let's say that fairies inspire more confidence. -
- Mmmh... I think I'm more oriented towards the "dark side". No offense, but I can't see myself with glittered wings and dresses. I mean, my nickname is Lady Evil! - said Lzzy, causing the laughter of Stormy and Icy.
Still laughing, Stormy said:
- I think many would pay to see you in a tight-fitting witch dress from the first level. -
Remembering the Dark Witch's clothes, Joe said:
- Tight-fitting? Icy aside, your clothes seemed anything but tight-fitting to tell the truth. -
The witch of ice shook her head.
- What you saw was the sixth level, Joe. If Lzzy turned into a first-level witch, she would wear something like this... - saying so, Icy transformed.
"Oh my God" Lzzy thought, sliding her gaze over her body. Beside her, Icy was wearing one of the sexiest clothes she had ever seen, and the fact that she was the one who wore it didn't help Lzzy's concentration. The suit was more than adherent, every twist and every movement of the witch created a complicated game of reflections, especially in places that were not very polite to look at.
- Ok, this is tight-fitting... - said Joe who, apparently, shared her own impression.
- If at fourteen I went around dressed like that my parents would have locked me in the room and then throw away the key! - Lzzy said, feigning a scandalized tone.
Icy smiled, halfway between sadness and sarcasm.
- Well, it wasn't a problem for me. I never knew them. - She saw her interlocutor bite her lower lip and hastened to reassure her. - Hey, don't worry, you didn't say anything wrong. You didn't know, and it doesn't matter anyway. - She felt a flicker of curiosity coming from the girl's mind. "Funny how knowing I am bonded to her affects my perceptions. An hour ago I wouldn't have noticed", Icy thought.
- I grew up with my paternal grandparents - she said, answering the unexpressed question, - and, I would add, unfortunately. They weren't very... affectionate with me. My father disappeared after my mother died in childbirth, leaving me to them. He never showed up again, and to them I was responsible, a newborn girl with the sole fault of being a witch's daughter. And indeed they were not at all happy with my transformation. Then I left for Cloudtower and I didn't see or hear them anymore. -
- I... I'm sorry. - Lzzy said, shocked and even a little troubled by Icy's apathetic tone: it seemed that what she said didn't concern her at all.
Once the transformation was canceled, Icy said:
- I'm not. But let's leave it, we must solve your problem and to do this we must understand something more about your powers. What were you doing exactly? -
- I was playing Amen. What does it have to do with it? -
- Well, controlling something you don't understand is hard enough, believe me. Direct experience. - she glanced at Bloom, but immediately looked away.
Tecna twisted a strand of hair around her finger. To help Lzzy hide her powers, she had to be taught to use them first, it was obvious. But where? The headmistress would have discovered everything if all of a sudden they had started to cast spells on spells, the school was empty and the magic energy would not be confused with that of dozens of young fairies. Hiding the portals was complicated already! Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice that the others were explaining to the brown-eyed girl how to cast a basic spell. She shook herself just in time to stop Lzzy, who was about to try.
- Stop! - she exclaimed, - We can't do it here, Faragonda could feel her magic energy and then goodbye! - she continued addressing the others.
- So what? How do we do it? - asked Stormy.
Aisha brightened.
- We can go to the Winx Club! You three - and she pointed to the Trix, - can go anywhere with us, as long as we talk about Magix. The Club is perfect. -
- Yes, the H.Q. is perfect. - agreed Tecna.
- "H.Q." stands for...? - asked Arejay.
- Headquarters. - answered the fairies in chorus.
- It's the place where we go in our spare time... and when we don't want to be found. - said Aisha - It's a shed that we renovated some time ago. We can go there right away. -
Halestorm looked at each other, then Joe said:
- Okay, let's go to headquarters. This story resembles a detective story sometimes... -
But Bloom pulled back:
- I'm sorry, guys, but I have to go back to Domino. Soon I have a reception and I can't miss it, I'm already quite absent as a princess... Ups! -
Immediately she covered her mouth with her hands, while four pairs of eyes stared at her in surprise.
- Are you a princess? - Josh asked, with the air of someone who cannot understand that a single family could rule a planet.
The redhead first sighed, then answered:
- Yes, I am the princess of Domino. -
- Why didn't you tell us? - asked Arejay.
- Because I am Bloom, before Princess Bloom. I didn't want you to have brakes with me. -
- I understand you, - said Lzzy - it's the same reason why I like being with you. I am normal here. -
- You got the concept. - Aisha intervened, - I'm a princess too and I haven't told you anything for the same reason. -
The earthling nodded as Joe said, amused:
- Are any more of you royals? -
- Yes, Stella, but they will tell you well next time. Now we have to go to the city. - said Stormy, eager to get some fresh air.
- The stop is the next. - said Tecna, preparing to get off the bus that had taken them to Magix City.
Taking Halestorm out of the campus was an easy goal: it was enough to make them invisible, also because the magic barrier was not designed to keep people inside. A few minutes later a bus arrived, of course empty, and now they were coming down. It was the first time Halestorm had seen the city and everything seemed new and familiar at the same time: the traffic was as chaotic as in any city on Earth, but most vehicles had no wheels; in the shop windows there were objects never seen mixed with others more or less recognizable; the buildings had a futuristic design, but in the midst of buildings and skyscrapers, small villas appeared. A group of kids passed by running close to them, in pursuit of an airplane that left behind a cascade of colored sparks. Lzzy followed them with her eyes, enchanted by the lilac hair of a little girl. Icy seemed anxious to get off the road.
- What are we waiting for? Won't we go? - she said.
There were few people on the street, but they were enough to make her feel uncomfortable. She felt observed, examined, judged.
The fairies made a sign to them to follow them. They took a side street and, after a few blocks, they came to an iron gate behind which a lush garden could be seen and, half hidden by the trees, a building that looked more like a villa than a shed. The facade had been painted white, the windows were darkened and hid the interior. Timmy, who had preceded them with the windrider, was waiting sitting under the small porch. The gravel driveway that connected the gate to the structure branched out and disappeared among the plants in the garden. They entered and found themselves in a sparsely furnished light entrance. Aisha led them to a stairway that led into the basement.
- Downstairs we have set up something similar to the Alfea simulation room, since that is not always available and we cannot demolish the gym. - said Tecna.
- What is the simulation room? - Lzzy asked, craning her neck to see the end of the stairs. Useless attempt, the light was turned off and absolutely nothing was visible.
- It's a simulator capable of canceling almost all spells. While you're inside, you can even cast a spell that would normally bring down a building, but you won't be able to damage anything. - explained the fairy of technology turning on the light.
They were in a not very large room, in front of them a glass wall behind which was the computer with which the simulator was controlled. On the right wall, instead, a door opened into the simulator. Timmy entered the control room with Arejay, Joe and Josh, while the girls entered the simulator.
- Okay, everything's ready. - Timmy said after turning on the computer.
- Activate only the cancelers, we don't need a serious simulation. - Tecna told him.
Timmy obeyed and entered the necessary code. Lzzy couldn't wait to try.
- So, I'm going? Do I try a basic spell? - churches.
Tecna nodded and smiled reassuringly, imitated by the others. Darcy said nothing. Her silence disturbed Icy, she had hardly spoken a word since Bloom had discovered the Bonding. Was she jealous? Icy hoped with all her heart for no.
Lzzy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaled and looked into her mind for the energy she had felt as she played. It seemed to have disappeared, but she knew it was there somewhere, hidden inside her, so she kept looking. And here it is finally. She opened her eyes and cupped her hands in front of her face, creating a small white sphere.
- I've done it! - she exclaimed incredulously. The sphere increased slightly in diameter, flickered in her hands for a few seconds and then dissolved.
- Great big sis! - Arejay's voice sounded in the simulator and Lzzy smiled at the glass.
- You were great Lz! Now try again and try to do it faster and keep the ball longer. - urged Tecna.
The earthling carried out with some difficulty and the fairy hastened to scan the magic sphere with her cell phone. She sent the data to the computer and said:
- Let's see what technology can tell us about your powers. -
- Not much, Tecna. - said Timmy, - The data is very confused, as if her powers did not have a precise source. -
Stormy intervened.
- Well, that pile of chips will at least tell you what that sphere was made of, right? -
- No. I mean... I don't know, girls. Analyzing the composition of the sphere it appears that it was made of... emotions. -
- Emotions? - Tecna and Icy asked in choir.
- That's right. Mainly trust and concentration, but there is also fear and... -
- Enough, please. - Icy said, interrupting Timmy's analysis.
Lzzy turned to her.
- What does it mean? I didn't understand anything. -
- Ah, we're not better. At best, your powers are based on your feelings. Nothing wrong with that, for heaven's sake. The problem is that this kind of power usually allows you to use any spell, they don't have many limits. - replied the witch.
- Uh. Is it safe to say "cool"? - Lzzy asked.
- It would be if you were an ordinary person. But you are not and powers like yours tend to be unstable. - answered Darcy, using a harsh tone, - Imagine if you lost control during a concert. How would people react? You earthlings are afraid of anything beyond your concept of normality. -
Lzzy swallowed. Darcy was right, it would have been the end of her and the boys' career. She couldn't afford it. She absolutely had to learn to control her powers, and quickly: a few weeks and they would start another tour. Looking into the eyes of the witch of darkness, she said:
- I can do it. If you teach me, I won't have problems, I'm sure. -
Darcy smiled and a spark flashed in her eyes. She looked like a cat playing with a mouse.
- Very well. Levite. - she said.
- What?! -
Icy was stunned, but Lzzy didn't let herself be discouraged.
- How? - she asked.
- Concentrate. Recall your powers and imagine lifting yourself. - replied Darcy.
- Darcy, it's too difficult, she won't... - Aisha froze in mid-sentence because Lzzy, surrounded by a white aura, twirled almost a meter from the floor.
- It wasn't that hard ... AH! -
The light had disappeared and Lzzy had fallen, if it hadn't been for Aisha's morphix, she would have probably sprained her ankle at least. On the other side of the glass, Joe cursed in a low voice, clinging to Timmy's chair. Icy helped the girl to get up and then stared at Darcy, furious.
- Don't look at me like that! - said the latter, - We will have to start somewhere, right? We have no time to waste and we need to understand what she can and cannot do before teaching her not to do it! -
- Maybe without killing her! - the witch of ice replied coldly.
- I'm fine. - Lzzy tried to reassure her, but the trembling voice with which she said it did not have the desired effect.
Before Icy decided to bury the darkness witch under an avalanche, Tecna diverted the conversation:
- Uh, Lzzy, let's put levitation aside for the moment. Try again with the sphere, please. -
Icy glared at Darcy, who looked away. It didn't end there.