"So what happens now?" Bloom stepped forward to catch Faragonda's full attention. "Is it possible that Griffin's just ignoring you?"
"I'd like to think Griffin and I have a better relationship than our students," she said, drumming her nails on the edge of her desk. "If she's not answering me then there is something wrong."
The door opened behind them and all of the girls and their headmistress turned to look as Griselda walked in. Her eyebrows shot up her forehead when she saw the Winx, but addressed Faragonda anyway.
"I did what you asked, I tried to message the Justice Department on Dyamond but I am being blocked from reaching anyone off-world." Griselda sounded concerned, and she was eyeing the girls for their reaction to this news.
"What the hell?" Stella's jaw was on the floor.
"Quite, Miss Stella," the deputy head said dryly.
"So they are isolating us," Faragonda said, ignoring Stella's outburst. "Have we heard from the City of Magix yet?"
"Yes but they're being about as helpful as ever. The mayor's secretary wouldn't let me get past her; just told me that the attack on Bloom was a matter for the police department and Griffin was probably just avoiding us out of embarrassment over her ex-students." Griselda's arms folded over her chest at that last part, a vein in her forehead pulsing.
Faragonda shook her head and closed her eyes as she absorbed that information. Her nails were still tapping and the polish was starting to chip.
She sent the Winx back to their dorm while she discussed the ramifications of this latest development with other members of the faculty. Flora was under strict instruction to make sure Bloom took the right medicine at the right time. Bloom normally would have protested this kind of babying but she couldn't actually remember what she was supposed to be taking.
In her room, Bloom flopped on her bed as the others gathered around her. They were all clearly still worried, but at least now it wasn't just about her. As selfish as that was to say. Mirta joined them soon after and put her arm around Flora, Flora absentmindedly stroking the hand on her waist. Bloom let Kiko lick her face after he climbed onto the bed after her. He seemed insistent that she needed to be cleaned and taken care of. She scratched behind his ears.
"What the hell is going on?" Musa asked, fidgeting with the ends of her pigtails. "We're cut off from the rest of the universe and the Trix have, what? Taken over Cloud Tower?"
"They're making a power play," Tecna observed, crossing her arms as Stella lay down next to Bloom. "They've secured a highly defensible base and they stopped anyone requesting help. I'd say they want to take over." Flora shuddered at that and Mirta held her tighter.
"That's insane." Stella shook her head.
"They were fully prepared to kill me and my parents," Bloom said. After that look in Icy's eye she fully believed that the Trix would follow through on their threats. "Is it really that crazy that they'd break other laws and disregard other people's lives?"
She should be more afraid, but she didn't have room for fear anymore. She felt like an outside observer watching as a disaster unfolded in slow motion. Bloom looked up at the others as they digested what she'd said. Mirta, out of all of them, was the only one who didn't look horrified. Even Stella, who was trying to comfort Bloom, was starting to twitch with nerves.
"Icy always wanted to be treated like royalty," Mirta observed, her face was serious. "She wants power and prestige, just like the other two."
They were all in danger. It was surreal. Bloom watched as the others looked at each other, the danger they were in still dawning on them all.
"Musa?" Tecna asked finally, breaking the silence. She put a hand on her shoulder to get her roommates attention. "I have a spell I'd like to discuss with you, if that's okay?"
Musa looked surprised but nodded and went with her back to their bedroom. That left the other two Winx and Mirta in the room with Bloom who still felt like she was some sort of exhibit they were all staring at. None of them were saying anything, even Stella had nothing witty to add. She was beginning to find their pity unbearable.
"I'm tired," she announced. "But I don't want to go to sleep again, can we do something please?"
"I know!" Stella said, sitting up sharply and grinning with glee. "Why don't we do some relaxing pampering? Then we can do some make-up because, Bloom, you'll feel better when you're made up and I want to see Mirta looking like a fairy rather than a witch."
They all looked to Bloom and she nodded. Stella dashed to her room to collect a selection of make-up, face packs, wipes, brushes, and hair towels. She tasked Flora with cleansing and then applying a clay mask to Bloom's face while she personally attacked Mirta's face with a wipe. Stella had to use more than one to get all of the dark, heavy make-up off her and she held them up when she was done.
"You must go through so much product," Stella said in amazement. Mirta shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed.
"That's just kind of how witches do it."
"Do you even like this style?" Flora asked, midway through brushing mud across Bloom's forehead.
"No, not at all actually, but I had to do it at Cloud Tower and I don't know what else to do on my face."
"Well then," Stella said, looking far too excited by this situation. "Let me show you some of my palettes and you can choose the colours that you like."
Flora was giggling in Bloom's ear as they watched Stella wrap up Mirta's hair, smear clay on her face and start to show off all the different eye shadows and contouring kits she had. The princess was doing swatches on the back of Mirta's hands and spraying her brushes with cleaner so that she could make a start as soon as it was time for the masks to come off.
Kiko settled on Bloom's lap once she was still and quickly found that he disliked the taste of the mud pack, but still tried to lick her face anyway. He snorted and shook his head each time.
They washed off and Stella was halfway through priming Mirta's face when Tecna poked her head around the door to ask her to come help with whatever spell discussion was going on in the other room. Stella's eyebrow twitched at the interruption. She'd been planning this makeover in great detail for a while, Bloom was sure of it.
"I've just started a very important makeover, can't this wait?"
"Fine," Tecna said, looking equally annoyed. "Then just lend me your sword-ring and tell me how many people you think you could transport with it. Preferably by weight if you could."
"Urgh, fine." Stella pulled off her ring and tossed it to Tecna. "Look, I can't really guess weight but I can take five 'mes', four if you want to take any kit that's significantly heavy. But that also depends on how far you want me to go."
"Thank you," Tecna said flatly, accepting that she'd got everything she could out of Stella and deciding to end the conversation. She disappeared back to her room, closing the door behind her.
Stella went back to rubbing primer on Mirta and then started on some foundation. Bloom guided Flora through her usual make-up routine and she did feel more confident when she saw herself in the mirror. She still didn't quite recognise the person in the mirror - her eyes were too dull, her skin too sallow - but at least she looked more alive than when she'd been in the hospital.
By the time Stella had finished with her, Mirta looked very different. Her face was a completely different shape now that it wasn't half taken up with eyeshadow. She seemed brighter and happier in the pink tones she'd chosen.
"You look great!" Stella said, half congratulating herself. "Don't you think so, Flora?"
"You're beautiful," Flora said, and kissed the top of Mirta's head. Stella grinned and widened her eyes at Bloom in glee.
"Let's go to dinner," Stella said, checking the clock. "It's about time and I'm starving after all my work. Hopefully the others are done with whatever homework they're doing and they can start being fun again."
They met back up with the other two and all six of them went down to the cafeteria to grab their food, but Tecna didn't sit down after grabbing her sandwich, instead making a bee-line for the teachers' table. Stella watched her go, puzzled as the rest of them sat down together. Flora held onto Mirta's hand between their plates and squeezed it tightly.
"What's she doing?" Flora asked Musa. "And Faragonda looks like she's seen a ghost."
Bloom struggled to focus on either the conversation going on around her or the food she was supposed to be eating. Her meal tasted like ash, she barely even knew what it was she was eating. The cafeteria around her was packed with people and the background noise made her ears ring, everyone was too loud and too close.
"Tecna thinks she's worked out which spell the witches used to cut off Magix, and she thinks there's a way for us to circumvent it and get a message out," Musa explained. She looked like she was thinking hard too, and it was clear that the other two girls had been getting serious while the pampering had been going on.
"Wow, you guys were busy," Mirta said, her thumb rubbing on Flora's knuckles, trying to soothe her.
"That's just how Tecna deals," Musa explained. "She always has to be doing something when she's worried or scared."
Bloom watched her friend talk to Faragonda. The headmistress frowned at what was being said, and then frowned deeper as Tecna carried on. Eventually she was offered a seat and Griselda joined in the conversation. Bloom had to wonder what it was that Tecna was saying because after a minute Palladium pulled his chair over to listen in and was immediately followed by DuFour and Bittersmoke. Once they had finished their discussion, Tecna got up and came back to sit with the rest of the Winx.
"And?" Stella demanded.
"She wants to talk to all of us after dinner. The teachers want to double check I'm right and they want to discuss your sceptre with you," Tecna said. "I think she's inviting the rest of you too because she knows we'll tell you what's going on anyway."
"And what is going on?" Bloom asked. She was tired. Why couldn't they just explain everything properly?
"Okay, so the spell the witches used appears to only cut off interaction with planets that have life on them. It targets populations of people rather than putting a blanket around the whole of Magix. So that means it blocks neither transport nor communication to dead planets," Tecna explained. "If we could get to a barren world we could set up a beacon and broadcast a message."
"The only problem is getting to a planet like that," Musa interjected. "Stella's ring can teleport people but it's hit and miss at best."
"Hey!"
"It is! And if it went wrong we'd run the risk of alerting the Trix to someone leaving the planet."
"Which would be dangerous," Tecna continued. "But we can use the Simulation Chamber to help."
"Isn't the Simulation Chamber just, you know, a simulation?" Stella was getting frustrated. Like Bloom, she wasn't following what Musa was saying.
"Yes, normally," Tecna confirmed. "But when it replicates environments like in our tests it works by forming a link with the place so that it can recreate the area. With a little tinkering we can use it to bridge the gap and have a springboard for the sceptre to get us to a planet outside of the Trix's control."
"Damn… that... might actually work." Stella's eyes were wide as she tilted her head thoughtfully. She was actually taking this seriously.. "I can do it, I'll just need to be on my game."
Tecna showed them the map of the planets, the hologram from her palmtop getting in the way of Francine and Ortensia as they tried to eat. They got up angrily to sit somewhere else as Tecna went through the options that were both close enough and dead enough to reach and cross-referenced them with the environments that were already loaded into the Simulation Chamber. Ortensia shot her a pointed glare which she ignored. Tecna highlighted the three closest to them and Bloom's heart dropped when she saw Domino. It was close, far closer to Magix than she had ever really noticed.
Bloom pushed her food around her plate until the rest of them were finished eating and the six of them headed up to Faragonda's office to discuss Tecna's idea. Some of the teachers joined them too and listened to the proposal, nodding at some parts and shaking their heads at others. Bloom was impressed that her friend had managed to put together a full on presentation from her palmtop so she could demonstrate what she meant. There was a pause after Tecna finished.
"That's an incredibly dangerous plan," Faragonda said after a moment of silence. "It would require at least two of you to travel to a planet that is inhospitable. And not to put too fine a point on it, no parents would ever approve of this."
"How else are we going to get the word out?" Tecna asked. "The faculty needs to protect the school and the other students - we know that Icy, Darcy and Stormy are planning on taking over Magix now so we have to be prepared for that."
"We know what now?!" Stella interjected. Bloom was confused too, as far as she knew they only suspected that.
"I received a call from Icy earlier," Faragonda said calmly. "She was using the Cloud Tower signal. If we, the schools, and the City of Magix don't surrender she will bring her forces down upon us."
"Surely the council is taking this seriously now," Flora said. "That was an actual threat."
"They think it is a prank." Griselda had her arms crossed, scowling out of the window.
"There are three suitable planets, I have the right tech for a beacon, and no one here wants to let the Trix just walk through and take Magix," Tecna said as if she hadn't heard what Griselda had said. She was focusing on her plan rather than the ignorance of the Magix Council.
"And at least two of us are willing!" Stella stepped forward to put an arm around Tecna's shoulders. Faragonda put her head in her hands.
"We should go to Domino." Everyone in the room was looking at Bloom after she spoke. At one point in her life this kind of attention would have freaked her out, but things had changed. She was far too numb and far too… bored. Waiting around listlessly for things to go wrong was unbearable; she'd rather be frozen in fear than whatever this was.
"Absolutely not." Faragonda was incensed.
"It's the closest of all three, we know the Simulation Chamber goes there, and I know there is still a spark of the fire there. I felt it during my exam. It may be the only chance I have to regain my power." Bloom met the headmistress' eye firmly.
"No way," Griselda shook her head vigorously. "Not only are you currently powerless, but you're not even in good physical condition. Domino is a winter wasteland that is filled with traps and curses that have killed hundreds of people."
"What's the alternative? We wait here until they make their move, hoping that someone will notice and then come rescue us? Or do we try to launch an attack on Cloud Tower knowing that there are students and teachers still in there?" Bloom's numbness was giving way to something resolute as she spoke, and she clung to it. None of them were in no position to turn down plans. "The City of Magix won't help us, outside help could be weeks away - we're a demilitarised zone so no one is sending troops until they're sure it's necessary - we're on our own."
They were all still looking at her so she kept going.
"The Dragon Flame was my responsibility, it's my fault that the witches took it so I have to be the one to set that right. The whole planet isn't totally uninhabitable because there are records of the Company of Light setting up a base camp first," Bloom tried to make sure that her voice didn't climb to a shout because she was desperate to be taken seriously.
"All of us can go," Flora said. "We can make sure that we fulfil our mission and look after Bloom."
"Yeah," Musa chipped in. "Stella can take the five of us and the beacon no problem, right Stella?"
"Of course," Stella nodded. "You would have to stay here, Mirta, sorry, I won't be able to manage you too."
"That's okay, I only have half a year of training and my magic won't be much use there anyway. You will stay safe though, right?" She swallowed hard, going a little pale as she turned to Flora, who nodded and reached out to squeeze her hand.
All six of the girls turned to look at their headmistress and Faragonda's shoulders slumped a little as she shook her head.
"I suppose I should congratulate myself on having such accomplished, wilful girls as my students," she sighed and held up a hand to stop Griselda from saying anything. "If I said 'no' you'd probably find a way to do it anyway… At least this way you can have the faculty's help. We'll go ahead with your plan then, but you will have to come up with a solid escape plan and we will kit you out as best as we can before even looking at the Simulation Chamber."
The Winx were excused to get busy making sure they were ready. Stella was digging out all of her warm clothes and skiing gear to see what they had to protect them from the freezing weather, Tecna and Musa were making sure their plan for a return would work as intended, and Flora went down to Sfoglia to pack up food before visiting Ofelia for potions. Bloom felt way better now that they were doing something. It wasn't the same as before, she couldn't say that she was happy by any stretch of the imagination, but she wasn't miserable anymore and feeling angry was a marked improvement over feeling nothing at all. She hugged Kiko close to her
"Please take good care of him," Bloom said as she handed her dog over to Mirta so that he could get used to her. Kiko planted his nose in Mirta's t-shirt and, upon deciding that she smelt acceptable, presented his belly for scratches. "He has a cup of kibble in the morning and the evening, the bag's under my bed, but he'll always ask for more so don't let him beg. He'll happily follow you around if you call him to heel and pet him when you sit down and if he..."
"Don't worry, Bloom.I'll make sure he's happy while you're away," Mirta promised. "We're both going to be inconsolable until all of you get back, but we'll manage." Maybe Kiko could do something good while she was away and keep Mirta company.
After an hour or two they were summoned by Griselda and their work inspected. She gave the go ahead to Musa and Tecna's return spell and she added two cases of protein bars to their ration packs to make sure they would have enough. The deputy head was far more critical of Stella's clothing, though.
"If you're not close to passing out from the heat here, you won't be warm enough on Domino," she said sternly. "You'll need more than long johns and hats."
"They are double-layered Mihirian goat wool," Stella huffed. "But we could do with heavier coats, can you get us some of those?"
Griselda muttered something about being ungrateful but went out to source them heavy, quilted down jackets and fleece-lined boots for the next morning.
Bloom struggled to sleep that night, her heart was pounding but that wasn't coming with any of her other usual anxiety symptoms. It was like her body knew that she was so close to returning to her home and now she couldn't stop trembling in anticipation. She rolled over and stared at Flora's bed on the other side of the room. No one had said anything about it, but Mirta was in there with Flora too. They hadn't done anything that evening, certainly nothing while Bloom had been there, but they had their arms around each other and were sleeping peacefully. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine she had someone to hold her before she went off to a dangerous dead planet. She fought the urge to picture Sky lying next to her but she couldn't suppress that for long; however complex her feelings towards his conduct were, she still missed him.
Sky always listened to her and stayed calm when she went down one of her anxiety rabbit holes. When it got too much for her he'd pull her attention to their dogs and that always distracted her. She'd probably burnt that bridge by now. She rolled over; thinking about Sky was not helpful when she had so much to focus on.
The next morning they put their thermal underwear and first layers on in the dorms before grabbing their last catered breakfast of everything the kitchen had to offer, supplemented by hot chocolates with two sticks of butter floating in each, and then heading to the Simulation Chamber to don their heavy outerwear. Griselda was right - it was sweltering in the coats, boots, hats and goggles. Bloom was pretty sure she heard Stella whisper a complaint about how difficult it would be to pee in this get up.
"Okay girls," Palladium's voice came through on the speakers. He was standing at the controls with Mirta beside him. She was chewing her lip as she watched them assemble below, and she waved and blew a kiss to Flora while Palladium spoke. "This won't be a Simulation for long so treat it as if it's real. Stella, get your sceptre ready so that you can travel as soon as you get close enough."
Stella threw her ring up in the air and caught it after it transformed. She waved it at their teacher to show that she was ready. Palladium hit the controls to retract the walkway, and almost immediately they were plunged into darkness. There was a rushing of wind before Stella gathered them up in a shock light.
When Bloom opened her eyes all she saw was white. It was so bright in comparison to the darkness of the chamber that she had to cover her face so it didn't feel like she was being blinded. The next thing she registered was the cold that was already seeping through her layers upon layers of winter clothing and she gasped in horror. For that moment she was convinced that the cold water was back and that it was going to drag her under, but then she felt the soft glow from the centre of the planet and she could breathe normally again.
As she lowered her arm she started to be able to make out faint features in the distance. Everything was covered in a thick blanket of snow but she could make out mountains on the horizon and the skeleton of some stone building on higher ground a mile or so away from them. The sky was overcast with thick, dark clouds that threatened a blizzard in the near future.
There was still that small flame somewhere in the heart of the planet beneath her feet and as she stood there, a feeling began to creep over her and Bloom realised it was the first time she had felt content since she had faced the Trix alone. She let tears fall from her eyes, obscuring her vision through her goggles.
"Bloom?" Flora sounded worried as she put a gloved hand on Bloom's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"I'm home," she breathed, staring out across the snowy wasteland. "I'm home."