Chapter 2: A Different Kind of Sickness

For three days, Zarina remained in the healers' wing of the Pixie Dust Tree. In that time, her illness had come to the point of being more than a fever and a cough. She began to suffer from pounding headaches accompanied by a feeling as though her chest was being compressed by a twenty-pound weight. The healer fairies soon confirmed that the dunking Zarina had gone through resulted in a bad bout of flu. Fortunately, it would last no longer than a week, so she would soon be back to her job in no time.

On the fourth day, Tinker Bell and her other friends came by for another visit. On that day, Zarina was looking a little better, but she was still coughing hard and even had a couple fits of sneezing, not to mention the pressure she still felt in her chest. Nevertheless, she sat up in her bed and smiled as they approached.

"Hi, girls," she moaned.

"How are you today, Zarina?" inquired Fawn.

"Well, the healers say I still have a few more days to go before I can get back on the job," Zarina explained. "I am getting better, though."

Tinker Bell grinned and said, "That's good to hear, Zarina. By the way, there's someone else we know who wants to meet you."

Then Tink brought her sister Periwinkle to the front. The young winter fairy gave Zarina a smile, and Tinker Bell said to her, "Zarina, allow me to introduce my twin sister, Periwinkle."

"Hello," Peri said sweetly.

Zarina was intrigued. She had never heard of any fairy or even a sparrow-man having a sibling before. Though she was sick, she extended her hand to Periwinkle and the two gladly cemented their greeting with a handshake.

The first thing Zarina could think to say was, "So you and Tinker Bell are actually related?"

"We sure are," Periwinkle grinned. "The dandelion seed that carried us divided on our way to Pixie Hollow and Tink's end of the seed was carried to the Pixie Dust Tree while mine was carried to the Winter Woods."

Zarina liked Periwinkle already. She could already see a hint of Tinker Bell's liveliness in the young winter fairy's sparkling eyes and her smile along with a hint of the same enthusiasm Tink got when she had an idea up her hair bun.

I wouldn't be surprised if she shared Tink's sense of humor, she thought.

Then Silvermist kindly asked, "How's your head, Zarina?"

"Still a little pounding," the dust-keeper admitted. "I do wish I had something to help calm it down."

That's when Tinker Bell whispered something to Periwinkle, and her sister chuckled softly, "Ooh, jingles! That's a great idea!" Then Peri said to Rosetta, "Say, Ro? Could you bring me some flower petals wrapped up in a leaf?"

"Whatever you say, sweetheart," replied Rosetta. She went and fetched the flower petals and bundled them up in a leaf, then brought it to Periwinkle. Then Periwinkle froze the petals and then placed the bundle on Zarina's head.

"You think that'll help?" asked Periwinkle.

"I feel more comfy already," replied Zarina with a contented smile.

"Good to know," said Tinker Bell. "Would you like us to ask the healers to bring some dandelion tea?"

Zarina nodded, and so Tink sent her request immediately. In a few minutes, another healer fairy entered Zarina's room bringing the tea. Rosetta added a few hibiscus petals to bring out the flavor, and Zarina drank until the dregs remained. Then the friends all gave Zarina a hug and then left to make sure she got some rest.

…

By the end of the week, Zarina was just as healthy as she was before. She was discharged after a thorough check-up and was to resume her duties among the dust-keepers the next day. Tinker Bell and the others all gave Zarina a welcome-back party and spent the afternoon playing fairy tag and volley-bug*. It was all great fun for Zarina, but the memories of her past still troubled her. For the next few weeks, the poor girl began dwelling so much on her past that the present just seemed to be losing its value to her. She started wondering if she could truly call Tinker Bell and the others her friends after everything she had done. Zarina even began to question if Pixie Hollow was truly where she belonged.

These troubled thoughts lingered with her for such a long time that Zarina soon became less happy. She still performed her duties, but wherever she went, she wore a face that spoke of deep sorrow.

Fortunately, Zarina's distress did not go unnoticed, for Tinker Bell had seen how sad Zarina seemed despite the company she had received when she was sick and soon brought the news to the rest of her friends.

"Girls, I think Zarina's still not all well and good, if you know what I mean," she said to her friends one day.

"I hate to say it, but Tink's correct," Vidia said with a disconcerted look. "Something really doesn't feel right. Zarina's hardly been smiling these past few days."

"I wouldn't blame her if she stayed in the Pixie Dust Tree a whole week," added Iridessa.

Tinker Bell was set to thinking about how to find out what was troubling Zarina so much. She knew it wouldn't be wise to crowd her, so the best thing to do would be to approach her at a time when she would be willing to talk to them as friends.

Then she said, "I suggest we wait a few more days to see if Zarina seems any happier. If not, we'll have to find out what's happening."

The others nodded and Rosetta said, "I just hope we can help her. The poor little sproutling is gonna need us more than ever."

…

For the next week, Tinker Bell and her pals kept an eye on Zarina, and Bobble and Clank also agreed to help out. Each day, they noticed Zarina's spirits weren't lifting, and Tink began to wonder what could possibly be troubling her. When Silvermist suggested that they try talking to her, Tink and the others all agreed.

When the next week came around, Tinker Bell and the others were searching for Zarina when they found her sitting by the Pixie Dust Well, as sad as ever and all alone. Fluttering closer, Tinker Bell saw that Zarina was almost in tears. It was so heartbreaking to see that even Vidia couldn't help looking on in empathy. Rosetta was the first to approach and she asked compassionately, "You all right, honeydew?"

Zarina looked at her with a morose expression and shook her head, prompting the others to sit beside her, and Tinker Bell immediately hugged her and asked with worry growing in her voice, "Zarina, what's wrong? Won't you tell us?"

At first, Zarina was afraid of what Tinker Bell would say. Worse still, how would her other friends respond? But in the end, her conscience prompted her to tell, and Zarina said, "Tink, have you ever felt like Pixie Hollow wasn't where you belonged?"

Tinker Bell admitted to being surprised by Zarina's response, but if it was something that deep, it was definitely a situation she was familiar with. "Believe me, Zarina, I have. I suffered from those same feelings the first time I was living in Pixie Hollow."

Zarina took a deep breath and said, "Ever since I came back to Pixie Hollow, I couldn't stop thinking about how I nearly got drowned back on the pirate ship. When I brought the pixie dust to the pirates, I thought they would really make me feel like one of them. But then that pirate James was preparing to drown me and they were all waiting for him to do it like it was funny. That's when I took the hint: they intended to get rid of me as soon as I wasn't…" Zarina nearly sobbed. "…useful to th-them."

Then she cried, "Perhaps if they had, I wouldn't need to earn your trust so badly. I knew I wouldn't be welcomed back if I hadn't restored your talents."

Now Tinker Bell and her friends were almost crying too. They wanted to just give their new friend enough hugs and kisses to make a hawk feel happy, but they knew to take the comfort slower. Iridessa gave her a sympathetic look and asked, "Zarina, did we really seem that shallow?"

"I couldn't take the risk," the dust-keeper sniffled. "When I first started experimenting with pixie dust, I endured rejection and offense from so many in my own guild. . I couldn't bear going back unless I had done something right for once, and yet I still don't think I belong here anymore."

Tinker Bell hugged Zarina and said, "We're sorry, Zarina. We really are. But you've gotten something better than all that now that you're here. You're a dust-keeper again, you get to show your talent at creating new kinds of pixie dust, and you've made new friends in us."

"Besides, if there's one thing Tinker Bell's taught me, it's that every fairy belongs here," Vidia added with a firm warmness.

The seven friends came together in a group hug and they remained embracing Zarina until she smiled and dried her eyes.

"Thanks, girls," said Zarina with a watery smile. "Well, I'd best get back to my regular duties. Fly with you later."

Tinker Bell and the others called after her, "Fly with you later!"

Then the six fairies began to think about ways to cheer Zarina up, but even the fun-loving Fawn couldn't think of a good idea. Tinker Bell said, "There's got to be some way we can show Zarina that she's appreciated here."

"Yeah, but what?" wondered Silvermist.

Surprisingly, it was Vidia who spoke next. "Queen Clarion would know what to do about this. We must go and see her."

"You sure, Vid?" asked Iridessa. "I'm pretty sure the Queen is juggling a lot at this moment with the preparations for spring."

"Yeah. You think she'd had time to handle a problem with just one fairy?" inquired Silvermist.

"Well, it's her duty to take care of every one of us. She's the Queen, after all," Vidia explained with a remarkable degree of understanding. "Besides, we said it ourselves. Zarina's just as important as any other fairy in Pixie Hollow. We have to do it."

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to offer your opinions, and keep an eye out for Chapter 3. It's a sweet one for sure.