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My entire body hurt as I sat in the warm embrace of Mike and Vanessa. Stella was standing in front of us, her face pulled away in worry as she pressed a handkerchief against my head. It was the second one, the first was thrown to the floor all bloody. Just behind her a group of guys busied themselves with the troll. The unconscious troll.

"I can't believe I forgot about all of this," I lamented as I watched the four bind his hands and feet. "The first episode is also where Bloom meets the specialists."

Stella knelt down before me, blocking my view on the guys. Her lips moved, her eyes drilling urgently into mine, but no sound reached me. I shook my head and her bottom lip trembled. Her eyes shot to Mike the next moment, her brows furrowing, and I realised they were talking. Probably about me.

I swallowed back the urge to scream in desperation, to claw at my eyes and cry. I wanted my hearing back. I was utterly useless without it.

"Please," I begged whatever higher power there was. "If this is the prize I have to pay for magic, then I don't want it. Give me back my hearing and I will never use any magic again. Please!" Nothing happened and I pinched my eyes close, the tears burning behind them. I couldn't cry. I wouldn't! Crying made someone look weak and I was NOT weak.

One of the specialists appeared behind Stella and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She instantly rose to her feet and turned to him. I observed them closely, watching as they stood mere inches apart and their hands brushing every now and then lightly. He towered out above her, standing almost at an astonishing 6'2, yet the way he stared down at her – with the gentlest look in his eyes that I had ever seen – made him seem so much smaller.

"He must be Brandon," I concluded. "No wait, first season. He is still pretending to be Sky." I tilted my head slightly as I watched them. Brandon's gaze was solely focussed on Stella, the firm set of his mouth telling me he was more than a little worried. "I wonder if he has already realised that he likes her more than just a little."

Stella nodded to something he said, his eyes flickering to me for a moment and shooting me a tight smile. I forced a smile back, but I guessed it was more of a grimace. Here I was hearing nothing but my own heartbeat, unable to understand a word of what was being said around me and not knowing if I would ever hear anything again. Smiling just felt wrong.

Brandon – no, Sky… What the hell was I supposed to call this guy? – mentioned towards someone and another guy appeared. Instantly I knew who it was. No buff, standing at Stella's height, shabby amber hair, face full of acne and some big glasses on his nose. Yep, he couldn't be anyone else but Timmy.

Timmy smiled at me as he joined whatever conversation Brandon and Stella were having. This time I didn't even try to smile back. A tight and heavy blanket made solely out of numbness had wrapped itself around me once it had hit home that my hearing wasn't returning any time soon. I knew the feeling well. Usually when I woke to that feeling, I crawled back into bed and pushed the covers over my head. Medication or not, the bad days were never truly gone and when I had a one, it was easier to hide away and wait until it passed then get up and force myself to be productive. Even if my therapist disapproved with those actions.

Timmy handed Stella something and from how her lips moved I guessed she was thanking him, but I couldn't see what he had handed her. It was revealed seconds later when she did something – it almost looked like typing – and then showed me.

I let out a joyful laugh as I saw the words floating on the little screen and for a second the blanket lifted. I smiled at the geeky young man, pouring all my gratitude in it. Timmy flushed bright red and nearly toppled over. Brandon threw his head back in laughter as he steadied him, slapping a hand on his shoulder and saying something. Damn, I still wanted to get my hearing back. I was isolated, left out without my hearing. I was an outsider, a bystander, an observer.

Timmy coughed and shoved his glasses up his nose, a handful of times. Judging by the way his cheeks continued to flush, he wasn't used to girls smiling at him.

"Thank you," I told him, then turned to Brandon. "Both of you." A grimace settled over my face. It was odd, speaking without hearing yourself. It was like I was talking, but underwater. I couldn't hear myself, but I experienced an inward pressure that made me aware that I was talking. But I had no idea whether I was shouting or whispering, or even articulating right. I shot Stella a questioning look. "Am I speaking too loud?" Stella smiled, her eyes overflowing with pity, and shook her head. I swallowed against the lump in my throat again. "What am I going to do now? I can't go with you to Alfea like this."

"I can't do anything like this," shot through my head and I blinked back the tears.

Stella knelt down before me again, squeezing my leg with a reassuring smile, before starting to type. It took forever for her to finish, and I realised that this – while being a good solution temporarily – would not work if my hearing never returned.

"The boys are taking us with them to Magix," she wrote. "They agreed to drop us off at Alfea so we can see Ms. Faragonda. If anyone can help us get your hearing back, it is her." She petted my knee with another reassuring smile as I gazed back up after finishing reading it.

"What about my parents?" I asked, despite already knowing the answer.

Stella did too as she shook her head and then started typing again. "They can't come. Magix is protected by a barrier that keeps all none magical creatures out. I'm sorry, Bloom. I wish they could come, but I swear I will get you back to them after we have seen Ms. Faragonda."

I nodded and then turned to Mike and Vanessa. Mike was clutching one of my hands tightly into his. Vanessa was running her fingers through my hair while pressing a new handkerchief against my head. Where were those things coming from? Had one of the guys a stash of them, or was Stella magically making them appear?

Vanessa smiled sadly at me as I met her gaze. Her cheeks were covered in tears. The pain in her eyes was like a stab wound and made my own eyes water. This wasn't supposed to happen. They weren't supposed to be worried for me or fear I had sustained some injury. That was the whole reason I had decided to change this part, so that they wouldn't have to worry.

"You did this." I cringed at the cold voice of my mother. "You have no one to blame but yourself. You never consider the consequences of your actions. Always you charge in head first, never stopping for a moment to wonder if you should." Unfortunately those words were as familiar to me as breathing. I had heard them often, both in person and in my head.

I turned to Mike. His blue eyes were shimmering but he was keeping it together. "My hero," I realised as my bottom lip trembled. "My protector. Always determined to keep me safe, from all types of dangers including my own mind."

I swallowed at the lump again, guilt gripping at my throat as I recalled the harsh words I had spoken earlier, in my desperation to get them to leave. "I am sorry for what I said earlier. I just didn't want to see either of you get hurt. But I shouldn't have said it."

Mike instantly started to respond and this time I couldn't bite back the sobs as nothing but silence greeted me. His face fell, his mouth pausing in what seemed midsentence as he too realised. He mouthed something at me before hugging me tightly.

Stella allowed us one final hug before she tugged me out of their arms and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Vanessa handed me the handkerchief and I pressed it against my head. She then turned to Stella. A tiny twinge of annoyance shot through me. I hated this, being the topic of conversation but not knowing what was being said. Hell, they were treating me like a child, a cripple, a simpleton.

"You are," scoffed my mother. "Now even more than usual. You better pray that this headmistress can fix you up, dear daughter, or you will end up in a ditch just as I always said you would."

"What if she can't?" I cringed at my own thoughts. "What if she can't and I will be deaf for the rest of my life?" I instantly pushed those nasty thoughts away. "No, remember what Stella said: magic can heal much. And if anyone can help me, it is Faragonda."

I smiled sadly at Mike and Vanessa as Stella led me away, still keeping an arm around my shoulders. Mike was holding his wife tightly and both were blinking rapidly.

"Get a grip on yourself, Sybil," I scowled as my own tears rolled down, wiping furiously at them. "You will see them again. This isn't goodbye. You are just going for a quick trip to the doctor and then you will go straight home. It is not like you are going to die."

"But you will probably never hear them again." I wanted to punch my mother for sounding so haughty and indifferent. "And neither will Bloom. She will return to her body and find she has gone deaf. Poor thing. I can already imagine the confusion, the grieve." My nails dug into my skin as I tried to keep my anger in check. I always had been a bit of a hot head. "You really can't do anything right."

No matter how infuriating the voice was, she once again had a point. If I hadn't forced everyone out of the house in a desperate attempt to keep Mike and Vanessa safe then I wouldn't have had to make this trip. Instead I could have gone back to my room and finished packing, and when morning came, Stella and I would be off to Alfea. Sure, Knut and the troll would have attacked the house but no one was hurt in the progress.

"What if this is not a consequence of using magic, but of changing the story?" Panic clawed at my throat, squeezing it shut. "If this is what happens after a small change, then what do I have to endure when – if – I manage to prevent the Trix from getting their hands on the Dragon's Flame?" I had the urge to run back to Mike and Vanessa and forget any of this had happened simply by considering that option. I would wish Stella could luck and wave her off and never use magic again.

I gazed around to distract myself from those dark thoughts, Stella and I following Brandon and Timmy. My feet were heavy and every step a struggle. The other two specialists and the troll were nowhere in sight, and I had no idea where we were even going. We weren't far from our house and our street was deserted. It was on the edge of Gardena and relatively new. Construction sites surrounded us, and during the weekdays they were buzzling with people building new houses.

Usually the remote location bothered me more than a little, mostly when I came home late. Construction sites weren't exactly the safest places and there were a lot of spots someone with bad intentions could hide and wait for the perfect moment. Right now it was a blessing. It meant no one had seen or heard the fight, thought that was a miracle in itself.

That still didn't explain where we were going.

I got my answer not long after, when out of thin air the cute blonde guy from earlier appeared. He seemed to be walking on air and greeted us with a smile and words. I gave him a little wave in response. He shot me a dazzling smile in return.

"That has to be Sky." He was the only blonde guy among them, thus he had to be. I gave myself a mental kick. "Cute, Sybil? Really? Snap out of it!"

As a child, the aspect of "shipping" hadn't quite sunken in yet. But I liked to see characters together, which I now knew was shipping. Brandon and Stella for example, and Timmy and Tecna. Riven and Musa as well, though I wasn't the biggest fan of their weird on-off-thing.

When they had introduced Helia as a love interest for Flora in season two, I had been so excited. Everything about him screamed he would be a perfect match for Flora. But the two had started pining after one another without barely exchanging a word and he barely seemed to have a personality. Was he a passivist? Then why had he returned to Red Fountain to become a warrior? Why had he even started there if he was a passivist? No one knew. And I had been sorely disappointed.

Bloom and Sky together I had never understood. Bloom was one of the most powerful fairies in the universe but Sky was babying her, always trying to be her knight in shining armour and safe her. As I grew older I realised the Sky from season two reminded me of one of those controlling boyfriends, who never trust their girlfriend's word and went as far as following them to see what they were up to.

The two together also reminded me of my parents. My mother and father were married and had a child together, but why they had ever gotten married was a mystery to me. When they were home together, they constantly fought. They couldn't be in the same room without throwing insults at one another. They had no overlapping interests and even their personalities were opposite: my father didn't care what others thought and took nothing seriously, my mother lived for their opinions and had no sense of humour at all. They simply didn't match. And in my opinion, neither did Sky and Bloom.

I hadn't minded Sky too much until it had been revealed that he had been lying: that he was the prince and not the squire, and had even been leading Bloom on since he had a fiancé. And how he had treated Diaspro was another thing I had something to say about. All in all, that was when I started to hate him.

I was more than a little frustrated when Bloom just forgave him for all the lies when he came to her aid at the end of the first season. My dislike only grew further when in season two he acted like a jealous prick, rather than supporting her in her decisions. He didn't even defend her in front of his parents! Yet she still claimed she loved him and he ended up saving her from Darkar, proclaiming she meant more to him than anyone. Hello, they had been at odds with one another basically all season! That was NOT how a healthy relationship worked!

I just didn't understand why the writers had put the two together. They had no overlapping interests with Sky being a macho man and Bloom being a rather insecure girly-girl. Not to mention there was no chemistry or sexual tension. Hell, in my opinion Stella and Bloom had more chemistry than Sky and Boom.

I eyed Sky critically. He didn't seem like a douchebag and he was rather cute. "But if you are anything like you are in the cartoon, you are totally not getting any sugar. No matter how cute you are."

Timmy and Brandon stepped onto the air and mentioned towards Stella and I. Stella tugged me with her while I eyed the air cautiously. Their ship was probably invisible, but I didn't like not seeing where I was placing my feet.

I followed Stella's example. I instantly wished I hadn't. My knees buckled a little and I nearly fell flat on my face. I was as if I had missed a step on the stairs. Luckily Stella kept me upright. Brandon laughed, I guessed at me, but quickly shut up as Stella shot him a terrifying glare. I couldn't hold back my own snort as the "oh, shit! I fucked up!" look flashed over his face. And judging by Stella's expression, he had fucked up badly. "This ought to be interesting."

Stella let go of my shoulders and took an intimidating stance in front of him, hands switching from being perched on her hips to flying through the air as she gave him a piece of her mind. Sky shook his head with a chuckle – or I thought it was a chuckle – and offered me a hand. I murmured a thanks and took it, allowing him to lead me further up the slope and into the ship. A final glance back showed me that Stella was waving a finger at Brandon, who had his hands up in surrender and was even flinching back.

"Yeah, Stella is definitely the one in control. I almost feel bad for him." I grinned, enjoying the tortured look on his face. There was nothing funnier than watching someone else's unfortune. "Almost, but not quite…"

The ship itself wasn't all that fascinating. It was like any war aircraft I had ever seen.

We stepped into the back of it, which was clearly where the tinkering happened. Work benches took up most of the space, above them hung different types of weapons. Beside the entrance we had just come through hung some packs that I guessed were the parachutes. "Probably jetpacks. They don't look like parachutes…"

An unpleasant shudder ran up my spine, as if someone had walked over my grave. I quickly twisted around to pinpoint this new sense of danger. My eyes found a dark corner at the other side of the room. There were gaping openings nestled in it, some type of metal shimmering in the dim light. They were all empty, minus one. The troll was locked away in one, being restrained there by bars made out of pure electricity.

I tensed as I noticed that the troll was conscious and staring at me once more, its ugly tongue flicking out over its lips. The hunger was still there, but after what I had seen earlier, I doubted it was the type of hunger that required a sandwich to satisfy. I didn't even dare to glance away, afraid I would catch another eyeful of its bits.

I shuddered, taking an unconscious step back as it seemed to inch closer to the bars. I didn't like the way it was staring at me, not one bit. I barely dared to think about what would have become of me if Stella and the specialists hadn't saved me from it.

It seemed Sky didn't like it staring at me all that much either: he placed himself strategically between us, blocking me from the troll's view. He was quite a bit taller and wider than me, therefore it was easy. Taking my hand in his other, he placed his right hand on the small of my back and guided me towards the narrowing ahead.

My shoulders tensed the moment I had my back turned to the creature. I could feel its gaze on me. It was basically drilling holes in my back. Sky tensed beside me as well and quickened his pace, basically pulling me away. I glanced up at him and saw disgust and fury written all over his face.

"I wonder what that thing is doing…" I shuddered. "No, never mind. I don't want to know."

The moment we stepped into the narrowing up a head, a door slid close behind us and I let out the breath I had been unconsciously holding. My shoulders refused to relax, however. Even being on the same ship as that thing made me more than a little anxious.

"I hope I will never have to see that thing again."

Sky gently nudged me on, smiling as I gazed up. He seemed to try and assure me, which instantly sparked a flare of annoyance. I pushed it down. "Settle down, hothead. Let's not judge the guy just yet. So far everything you have seen is rather different. Maybe they haven't swapped identities and he isn't an overprotective asshole."

The narrowing proved to be as exciting as the back. There were seats plastered against the sides, much like a combat plane on earth had. There were even those harnesses for safety.

When we stepped out of it and another door slid close behind us, I found myself in the cock-pit, though it was more like an operational control centre. And it was certainly impressive, perhaps even a little much.

The first thing that caught my attention was the 280-view provided by the glass walls. Under the windows were consoles and lots of them, each different from the rest. At the front of the ship was a more ingenious console with a single chair in front of it. That chair was occupied and turned around as we stepped inside. Dark eyes, a skin almost as pale as mine, mahogany hair that was styled into spikes, and an arrogant grin. "Riven."

I glanced at Sky when we came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the cockpit. He was almost as tense as before and an angry scowl was pulled on his face. My eyes darted to Riven, who was leaning back and grinning arrogantly. I huffed in annoyance. I was missing something again. Damn my deafness!

A gust of air had me glancing back and I found Stella and the other two specialists entering into the cockpit, Stella stomping straight to us. She practically slapped Sky's hands away – I felt a little bad for him when he practically jumped back – and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, dragging me to one of many empty chairs. I glanced concerned at her, finding fury written over her face but hurt in her eyes.

I tugged the computer out of her hands and typed "Are you okay?" in it, before showing her. Her bottom lip trembled but she nodded, causing me to grasp her hand tightly.

Stella reminded me of myself in more than one way. Wanting to make friends but struggling with it due to not knowing whether they liked me for me, or for the family I came from and therefore the money I had. Keeping a brave and cheerful face while crying inside, not showing it because I was scared what others would think and refused to show any sign of weakness. Pretending to not care for others, while the loneliness was suffocating and all I wanted was someone to hug me and assure me that no matter what happened they would always be there for me.

The list went on and on.

I wasn't sure what Brandon had said to her that had upset her, and I hated how I couldn't straight up ask and comfort her. How I couldn't just sit and listen to her as she got it off her chest.

My eyes flickered to him. He was observing us. An odd sense of overprotectiveness and anger settled over me as I held Stella's hand, the girl clearly upset over something he had said, while he was studying us as if we were a bloody science project.

I glared at him and Brandon practically jumped a foot in the air before quickly making himself scarce. As I watched him disappear from the cock-pit, he passed Sky. He was pressing a fist against his lips while his shoulders shook. When he caught my gaze, he lowered his fist and showed me his own amusement, before winking. I rolled my eyes a bit dramatically before turning back to Stella.

She mouthed something to me, gratitude filling her eyes, but I couldn't make it out. I huffed in frustration. She laughed, taking the portable computer from me. "Thank you," floated in the air. I smiled at her.

We took off not long after, and I discovered I hated flying. My stomach did little flips with every little corner we took, and I was clutching the console in front of me as hard as I could. Stella thought the whole thing hilarious and was constantly laughing at me, which had me glaring at her. That only tended to make her laugh even more.

Luckily the flight wasn't too long. We had only just taken flight when we flew straight into what reminded me of a black-hole, except it was dark blue with flashes of white lighting. My jaw slacked as I watched the blue swirl around the ship. It was stunning.

My lips quirked down when light appeared ahead and within a blink we flew out of the blue portal. I caught sight of a handful of impressive buildings in the distance, before I screamed and grabbed my chair as the entire ship dove down.

This time Stella wasn't amused and I saw her lips move furiously as she glared at our pilot. Riven of course was laughing his ass off. "He isn't that much different from the cartoon then."

For the remainder of the flight, I clutched my chair with all my might and kept my eyes close. The downside was that that made me nauseous, especially since I heard shit.

I was the first on my feet when the ship landed and making my way to the back before anyone could stop me. I found Brandon already opening the ledge which was black this time and not invisible. If he shouted something after me as I hurried down it, without waiting until it had hit the ground, it fell to deaf ears. Literally.

I froze as soon as my feet touched solid ground, my eyes instantly drawn to the castle before me. "Alfea…"

Alfea was as stunning in reality as it had been in Stella's postcard. No, it was even more stunning. Despite it being night, the white walls shimmered as if they were made out of stars rather than stones. Now that I was standing in front of it, I noticed the castle was shaped in something of a V rather than a U. Surrounding it and continuing far beyond what I could see, were fields of flowers that bloomed happily in the moonlight while luminous insects flew above them.

My eyes drank in everything, from the outer stone walls separating the outside world from Alfea to the lone gate that allowed entrance. It was made out of a type of metal that seemed to be alive somehow, and was by far the most impressive piece of art I had ever seen. The metal was bend and twisted, creating swirls and flowers and trees and even little creatures. They swirled up to the sky, higher and higher until finally it collied with the flower canopy above it. There the metal turned into actual wood and flowers and mingled with the canopy.

I jumped when a hand landed on my shoulder and huffed a little annoyed when Stella shot me a wide smile. Behind us Brandon, Sky and Riven were getting off the ship as well.

My heart leaped into my throat at the thought that they would all come with us, or that poor Timmy would be left behind all alone.

I grabbed Stella's hand in a panic. "The troll…"

She blinked and then smiled, petting my hand reassuringly. I wasn't reassured, not even in the slightest, and glanced back at the ship. If that thing escaped, I had a pretty good hunch which way it would head: straight after me.

Stella nor the three specialists seemed to share my concerns, the three boys walking ahead to the gate while Stella grabbed my arm and forced me with her. "But…" I protested. Stella shook her head pointedly and continued to tug me along.

A weird feeling twisted in my stomach as we neared the gate and my heart beat painfully against my ribcage. My free hand absently came to rest on top of it. "What the hell?"

The hair on the back of my neck stood straight, just as it had done that morning in the clearing. Danger was near. I shuddered. Was it the troll? Was it already escaping? Or were the Trix nearby? I was not ready to face them yet.

My sight blurred the closer we came to the castle. In front of me the gate swung open for the boys. The world grew hazier and hazier, my stomach turning unpleasantly. My heart was beating way too fast and my legs were threatening to give out from under. I couldn't take another step.

"Stella," I begged. The girl finally stopped pulling me with her, tilting an eyebrow at me. "I don't feel too good…"

Her lips moved as she stared worriedly at me, but still she tugged. I stumbled forward, the gates towering above me on either side and the courtyard – the one that Stella had assured me I would love – dooming up in front of me. I tripped on air and fell forward, right into the embrace of utter darkness.

A pain like I had never experienced before ripped me out of the darkness. It was as if my ears popped, only my eardrums exploded at the same time and hundreds of needles were jabbed into my nerves.

I screamed, shooting straight up and grasping my painful ears. They throbbed, burned, rang, and all of that at once. As if I was in a can and people were slamming on the sides.

"Stop! Stop! Make it stop!" I clawed at my ears, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Oh, God! Make it STOP!" Someone grabbed my wrists, tugging them away from my ears. I struggled harshly against the grip.

"Bloom! Bloom!" A voice was calling out to me through the pain. "Bloom, it's alright! The pain will pass! No, darling, don't do that!" Fingers pulled my fingers away as I dug my nails into my ears in a desperate attempt to get rid of that pain. "Bloom, you are safe! Calm down! You are safe!"

"Safe?!" I shrieked, my eyes snapping up to the person holding me, talking to me. "Somebody fucking blew up my ears! How is that safe?!"

A hurtful expression slipped over a familiar face. A familiar face with hazel eyes that reminded me of the sunset.

It all came rushing back: Stella, the specialists, the fight with Knut and the troll, my deafness, the terrifying flight, Alfea's gate…

"Stella?" I blinked at the tears which continued to stream down. "What happened?" I gazed around, panic squeezing my throat shut as I recognized nothing. Not another unfamiliar room. I was growing tired of finding myself in unfamiliar rooms. If I ever found myself waking up in one again, I would seriously lose it. "Where am I?"

Stella relaxed a little. "You are safe, Bloom. You're at Alfea."

I gaped, her words echoing through my head. Had I…? "Did you just talk?" The corners of her lips tugged slightly up. My heart leaped. "And did I just…" Stella nodded and I squealed in utter delight, practically flying around her neck. The force nearly knocked her over. I didn't care. I could hear! I had never been happier! "Oh, thank Jesus fucking Christ! I can hear again! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are utterly amazing, Stella of Solaria!" I pulled back, laughing as I held on to her shoulders. "I could bloody kiss you right now!"

Stella's cheeks flushed, her eyes widened. "What?!"

I laughed. Never had my own laugh and voice sounded so beautiful. "Not really. Rest assured, I don't swing that way. It's an Earth thing. We say it to express our happiness."

"You are welcome to kiss me," piped a new voice, a deep smoky voice dripping with arrogance.

I didn't even need to follow it to know who spoke, shooting Riven – who was grinning smugly at the end of the bed – a unimpressed smile. "I am not that desperate." Riven pulled a face as if I had just slapped him while the room filled itself with laughter. I almost started crying again. I could hear! "Oh, sweet beautiful sound! How I have missed you."

I closed my eyes, just letting it all in. I could hear someone walking not too far from us, and the wind was howling. There were birds singing despite it being night, and I heard my own breathing, and Stella's… Never would I take them for granted again.

"Speaking about bad first impressions…" snarked my mother. "Shame on you, daughter."

She was right. I should be ashamed, very ashamed.

I grasped Stella's hand, biting my bottom lip to keep it from trembling. "I am so sorry I snapped like that. I had no idea what was happening and you were just trying to help…" I violently shook my head, my throat tight with guilt. "God, I am a heartless bitch."

Stella wrapped her arms around me, hugging me close to her. "No, you are not. And I don't want to hear you talking like that again. I understand, there is really nothing to forgive."

I melted into her embrace, squeezing her just as tightly. "Have I really met this girl only this morning? It feels like I have known her for years."

"Thank you," I repeated, softer this time. "Thank you so much, Stella."

She shook her head, rubbing some tears away. "I didn't do anything, silly." She twisted around. "It is all them."

As I finally gazed up, I noticed we were far from alone with only the guys as our company. Beside the bed Stella and I were sitting on stood three women. The first was about my height, dressed in a purple skirt, white shirt and grey jacket. Her blonde hair was barely tainted with age and twisted in a bun on top of her head. Her dark eyes radiated kindness and reminded me of Vanessa's. They had a few laugh lines around them and stared at me over a pair of half round glasses. She had a healthy tan, and her heels… Oh, I loved her heels! They were adorable and had actual wings attached to them.

The second one was towering above everyone – she had to be at least 6'3! – and stared down with a scowl that was a mixture of disapproval and sternness. That was even more enhanced by the sharp glasses on her nose. Unlike the first woman, her dark eyes did not remind me of Vanessa's while they did share the same eye colour, and she had dark hair that was perfectly short-trimmed. Not a hair was out of place. Even her long dark skirt and white blouse were spotless. I got a strong McGonagall vibe from her and bit back a grimace. This was not a woman I wanted as my enemy. I didn't even want to cross her.

The final woman was standing closest to the bed and observed the whole scene with a bit of a frown. The first thing that hit me were her eyes, an astonishing blue that was enhanced by the dark blue earrings she was wearing. If I had to guess she was the eldest of the three, as her strawberry blonde hair was losing it from the grey streaks, and I could observe that despite it being curled into the tightness bun ever. She was dressed in a white doctor's coat, her hands tugged into the pockets, but under it she wore a cheerful summer dress that flared out.

"I think introductions are in order," continued Stella cheerfully. "Bloom, meet Alfea's headmistress: Ms. Faragonda; Alfea's head of disciplinary: Ms. Griselda, and Alfea's healer: Dr Ofelia." She pointed first to the kind woman, then to the stern, and finally to the woman in the doctor's coat. "It is them you have to thank for getting your hearing back."

I couldn't help myself. The fact that Stella was talking to me and I could actually hear was like a high I couldn't shake off. I jumped out of bed and hugged the three women one by one, rattling out as many thank you's as possible.

All three reacted differently to my show of affection and gratitude. Ms. Faragonda laughed and welcomed my embrace. "Oh, don't mention it, my dear."

Ms. Griselda stiffened at first but then relaxed a little and petted me awkwardly. Her words were a lot kinder, though, and even a little emotional. "There, there."

Dr Ofelia let out a chuckle. "It's quite alright, sweet girl. Now please get back on the bed. You were in a terrible shape when they brought you in, and all this excitement is not good for you."

"Not just yet, Doc," cut Stella in, wrapping her arm around mine with the brightest smile. "Let me introduce you to our heroes first." She mentioned towards the four guys behind the bed. "Riven –" As I expected the mahogany one smirked. "– prince Sky –" The guy I had pecked as Brandon saluted at me. "– Brandon, Sky's squire –" The cute blonde one winked at me again. "– and last but not least Timmy. They are students at Red Fountain."

My smile faded the moment my eyes landed on Timmy. If he was here then who was on the ship? "What about the troll?!"

"Bloom, calm down." Stella grasped my shoulders and stared urgently at me. "One of the teachers from Red Fountain came to pick him up. He is safely locked up and can't do anymore harm."

"Oh, thank God." My shoulders slumped in relief. "I never want to see that thing again."

Stella chuckled, draping another arm over my shoulders. "You and me both, darling."

"Back to bed," cut Ofelia in, shooing Stella away and urging me to the bed. "You are as pale as a ghost."

"Actually, that is her normal skin colour," chirped Stella in cheerfully, falling beside me on the bed. "It is when she is all red you need to worry." I glared at her, though there was not real malice behind it. Stella nudged my shoulder with a bright smile. "Welcome to Magix, Bloom."

I smiled back, the giddy feeling instantly back. I was in Magix. At Alfea! I could barely believe it! Oh, tonight when I was alone I was so screaming happily into my pillow!

"And I barely didn't make it."

I sobered instantly, turning to the four guys behind the bed. "I owe you guys a thanks as well. For what you did back on Earth. I honestly don't want to think about what would have happened if you guys hadn't shown up." I smiled at them, my eyes watering a little. "Thank you."

Sky – well, Brandon since that was Stella had introduced him at – grimaced. "I think none of us like to think of what would have happened if we hadn't." I glanced at all them, seeing the same disgusted look. Brandon was the first to shake it off and smile at me. "Buy us a drink and we call it even."

I nodded brightly. "Deal."

Faragonda took a seat in front of me, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Where had that chair had come from? "How do you feel, my dear?"

I chewed my lip. "Well, how to best explain that?"

"Like I am dreaming," I finally admitted. I shot Stella a small smile. "It is a good thing you don't need to crash at my bedroom, because my dreams are going to be beyond weird."

Stella's smile faded a little, her brows furrowing. "We better get you back to Mike and Vanessa. They will be anxiously waiting our return."

"Not yet, Stella," cut Faragonda in, folding her hands in her lap. "Bloom, can you tell me what happened today?"

I glanced at Stella in uncertainty, but she nodded with an encouraging smile. "Well, honestly it doesn't feel like all of this happened in one day, more like a week…" I chewed my lip. "And I still have trouble wrapping my head around it…" I took a deep breath in before nodding. "Okay, so it all started when I went to the park for my lunch break…"