Chapter 37

Hold Me Tight

Lzzy appeared into Icy and Darcy's room, but found no one. Then she opened the door and went into the living room where, despite the film of tears that made the world devoid of certainties, she recognized the figure of Icy on one of the armchairs. Icy saw her too, and out of surprise she jumped up and dropped the book she held in her lap. It couldn't be Lzzy the one in front of her! Lzzy was never so... so destroyed as was the young woman in jeans and white shirt that stood before her.

Only when Lzzy ran to meet her and threw her arms around her neck, burying her face in her shoulder and sobbing relentlessly she snapped out of it. The black aura that enveloped Lzzy hurt her. A burning pain that forced her to push Lzzy away.

- Lzzy control yourself, you're hurting me! What happened? - she asked worriedly.

- They found out about me and they're afraid of me. My friends, do you understand? My friends are afraid of my powers and now I don't even know if it makes sense to call them friends! - Lzzy answered to then take a deep breath and reabsorb her own aura, then she threw herself back in the arms of Icy who, after a moment of loss, held her tightly.

She knew that for Lzzy the most important thing was to be surrounded by people she could trust and, at that moment more than ever, accepted her, so she went to her. This time it was her role as a column, it was Icy who had to support her.

But in Lzzy's mind there was something strange, beyond the barrier of pain and sadness there was something throbbing, hidden in depth. It took Icy some time to realize that it was a repressed anger that was digging to come to light, and somehow it reminded her of the embers of an extinguished but not dead fire, those that burn more to touch them, or a dormant volcano but not switched off and therefore very dangerous.

She moved a hand from her back to Lzzy's head, stroking her hair.

- It will pass, Mae. Everything goes sooner or later. - she said, leading her to the couch and sitting beside her, still without leaving her.

- I thought that years and years spent together all over the world counted something, and instead I discover that they're worth less than nothing for them, and certainly they're not worth a shred of understanding or trust! - sobbed Lzzy.

Attracted by the commotion, Bloom poked her head out of her room. Before she could open her mouth Icy spelled a "later" and shook her head. Icy's phone rang, but the witch refused Joe's call and then turned off the phone. It was not the right time to listen to the other version of the facts, whatever it was, she still had no clear ideas about the first one.

- Do you want to tell me well what happened? - she asked.

The thoughtful tone with which she asked gave a little relief to Lzzy, who launched into her story trying to sob as little as possible. Icy tried to orient as best as she could among the names of the various collaborators of the band, also not to focus too much on their behavior, so hard and close-minded towards Lzzy. She seemed to relive her experiences, everyone had treated her like that, like a dangerous animal, since she was fifteen. However initially Icy had done everything to get that fame, while Lzzy tried to be the opposite: sweet, kind, always cheerful and well disposed towards others. And this only added to her, to their indignation at the treatment she had received.

- You know what? Fuck them! - Lzzy snapped at the end of her story, - I'm not going to suffer for them. I will continue to sing, whether they're afraid or not, because I can do it. And the Lzzy they knew, they can just forget her since they won't see her until they recognize their mistake! -

Icy thought for a long time about what she was about to say: she didn't want to be impulsive or partial, but to examine the situation and try to get as close as possible to a solution. She took a deep breath and said:

- Mae, I can't tell you how far they're wrong. They treated you unfairly and you don't know how angry this makes me, but it must be said that for your planet magic has become something foreign. What is normal here for the Earth is unthinkable, and it has been for centuries now. You have to accept the fact that things will change, but in due course. Take your crew and move their reactions on a large scale: this is what you and those like you will face. Distrust, fear, perhaps hate. I'm not trying to discourage you, but people like Arejay, Joe and Josh, able to understand and immediately accept a new reality, are very rare and you shouldn't push them away. If you want to put a barrier between you and those who do not accept you, my answer is: build a tower and lock yourself in, but give a copy of the key to the one who deserves it. I didn't do it, and you know the results. -

- I'll try. Now it still burns too much for me to agree with you. - Lzzy answered, admitting that her mind was not clear enough to make any decision. - Thanks Icy. I know it isn't easy for you to support the role of the sweet and apprehensive girl. - she added.

Icy smiled.

- It comes to me easier than you think, especially the apprehensive part. Tell me, is there anything I can do to make you smile? I can't stand tears. -

To that question Lzzy would have liked to answer "a kiss would be perfect", but she would never have done it, she was too afraid of losing Icy too with a statement like that. She wanted it immensely, she wanted something to happen between them, but at the same time she realized that it wasn't possible, because for Icy she was like a sister. Of course, she also called her "sis", but in the end she had been immediately attracted to the witch. She had tried to get it out of her head by reminding herself that Icy was much younger than her and that she wasn't even remotely bisexual, but it hadn't helped. Her dreams kept coming back, whether she had her eyes open or closed. However strong her passion was, however, she had decided to suffocate it, not let it come out into the open, and incredibly Icy had never had the slightest suspicion. Being so close to her, head resting on her shoulder, was really more than Lzzy ever dared to ask.

- Can I stay here for a few hours? - she said finally.

She didn't want to face all those people, it was still too early.

- You can stay as long as you want Lz. But warn the boys, it isn't fair to make them worry. -

- I didn't take the phone. I didn't take anything, I just wanted to leave. -

Icy put her cell phone in her hand.

- Problem solved. - she said, in a tone of "no excuses, I solve everything".

- Well, you should turn it on. - said Lzzy.

It was already a lot if she could find the phone book with that phone, the operating system was naturally different from that of terrestrial cell phones. Once she had the cell phone in her hand again, she typed a dry, apathetic message:

"I'll stay in Magix for a few hours. Don't look for me. I need time to calm down. Lzzy."

Icy was sorry for the boys, who judging by the amount of calls lost in that few minutes were very worried about Lzzy, but she didn't say anything. She just hugged the girl a little harder, hoping to untie her tension. But she didn't do it just for Lzzy. She wasn't even aware of it, but deep down, the witch of ice wanted to melt herself first. She was the first to be frightened when, after the adventure in Downland and the chat with the Griffin, she came back to shut herself up in her shell. For a few days she even seemed to be divided into two entities.

The first cold, detached, false and incapable of reacting to stimuli, had locked up the second in a small room of her soul, and this Icy, much more emotional and impetuous than the other, had a nice beating against the walls of the room: not only they didn't show signs of the slightest damage, indeed, with each stroke they seemed to tighten more around her, suffocating her. Through the eyes of the detached Icy the other saw her life escape her hand again, and she had no intention of letting this happen. Once she understood that the change had been evident and that the people around her suffered from seeing her this way she had rolled up her sleeves and had engaged in an inner struggle in which the only external help she had accepted was that of the girl who was now crying on her shoulder. All the girls had tried to stay close to her, of course, but Icy had confessed her desire to fight only on the singer, who had given her support. Only the simple fact of continuing with Lzzy's training had given her the strength to fully awaken. If Icy needed comfort Lzzy was always there for her, ready to give her what she needed, whether it was a smile, a hand on her shoulder, a hug or even a scolding. In those days Icy had felt an immense gratitude for the warmth that Lzzy was able to give her, not only psychologically. As for Tritannus she had learned to love water, now she was learning to love warmth. This gave her a lot of thought to tell the truth, because she had made this comparison herself and it had seemed strange to connect Lzzy to Tritannus. She had had such different relationships with the two that putting them in the same sentence seemed heresy, they had nothing in common. Nothing but her.

- Icy? - Lzzy called, turning the witch away from her thoughts.

- Yup? -

- Could we practice a little? Or go somewhere, just to walk around? I don't like crying too much, I have to do something. -

- We can go to H.Q. with Bloom, if you want. Otherwise... where would you like to go? -

- I don't know, you tell me about so many places and I'd like to see them all. Here in Magix I would like to go to the White Horse, but I think they would recognize you and wonder who I am, so it's out of the question. Ditto for all of Magix City. I would like to see the Red Tower, but I'd willingly avoid the Guardian centaurs. The swamp does not attract me, in the Wildland it isn't possible to arrive by teleportation, the Lake would be a bad idea given that the monastery, as far as I understand it, hovers over it... Please tell me that I am forgetting something. -

- How about the Pixies village? - asked Bloom, looking out of her room.

Icy raised an eyebrow.

- Since when is eavesdropping characteristic of a fairy princess? -

- Never, that is, always. Then? Acceptable proposal? -

Icy was not convinced, the Pixies could not have liked her presence (after all, she had frozen the whole village), but surely Bloom had already thought of it and if it could be done for her, then there was no problem.

- What about you Mae? - she asked.

- That's fine with me. - Lzzy answered, getting up and wiping her eyes.

- Well, then give me a minute to get ready and let's go. - said Bloom.

- Lz, most of the Pixies are like a five-year-old girl, they have a rather vague idea of how the world goes, if you understand what I mean. - said Icy.

- I'll hold my tongue, okay. - Lzzy answered with a smile, then she frowned and asked: - Do I really make so many jokes to deserve this warning? -

- Actually no, but I prefer to be provident. And, in this regard, do not be surprised if they aren't very kind to me. I'm not on good terms with those little pests. -

Bloom returned to the living room.

- Don't worry Icy, the Pixies don't hold grudges... even if there are exceptions. -

- Exceptions like the microbe that talks to bugs? - Icy asked rhetorically.

- Zing, exactly. - smiled Bloom.

§§

"I should have stopped her. Or run after her, say something, defend her, protect her... Damn, why didn't I do any of this?!" Joe thought as he sat in the corner of the room staring at the list of rejected calls.

Icy had to be in that too, of course. Not that he had anything against her, but why had she switched off the phone again after that message? She was such a reasonable girl usually, one who could listen to others, why didn't she want to listen to him now? Had Lzzy asked her to ignore him? Maybe yes. Perhaps she no longer wanted to talk to the man who had not moved a finger in her favor while everyone attacked her, witnessing impassively to the destruction of her world.

Impassively his ass, he had made an immense effort to refrain from punching Mike and Justin to make them swallow every single word they had said about Lzzy! It didn't take long to start arguing with him when topics that were dear to him were touched, and Lzzy was very dear to him. He was so ashamed for disappointing her, he hated himself. He always thought he was willing to do anything for her, yet he hadn't done anything earlier. If he could he would have beaten himself, he deserved it. What was the song she sang for him when they were alone in their home in Nashville? "You're a scary looking guy who's quick to jump into a fight, but when I have a bad day you know just what to say, I'm so glad that you're mine" that's what it said. Well, he had just proved that he was no longer worthy of those words.

It had been very clear: going away she had said that she preferred the support of Icy rather than his or that of her brother or her best friend. His behavior was unspeakable, he had been... weak! Yes, weak, weak! He had let himself be taken by amazement, then by disappointment, finally by anger, and he had thought not to be overwhelmed by it, convinced that this would have simplified things, or at least he would not have made them worse. Deluded, deluded, deluded! Lzzy had escaped into a world where she wasn't pointed out as a public danger, Arejay and Josh kept arguing with the rest of the crew and the situation wasn't the best.

As usual Josh tried to be calm and not to raise his voice too much, faithful to his role as a glue-man who mediates and holds the group together, but Arejay... he was as furious as ever, he answered everyone badly and screamed, he defended his older sister with his nails and teeth.

Instead Joe had pulled himself out of the discussion, he knew he didn't have self-control strong enough to let him ignore all the idiocies he would have heard and heard without listening.

- Is there someone who can help her... not to be like that? -

- SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT! -

- Arejay, calm down! Detroit, you don't choose to "be like that". It's genetic. -

- Like cancer. -

- Justin, I swear I let you swallow drumsticks after having put them... -

- Try it kid! Your wife will find it hard to recognize you when I'm done with you! -

- Stop it, both of you! -

- Leave me Josh, I'll show him! -

- Why don't you show me the storybook? I bet you reopened it since Lzzy became a fool who poses as a witch! -

- DON'T YOU DARE TALK LIKE THAT ABOUT MY SISTER! -

- Otherwise what happens, does she curse us? Does she set us on fire as before except then say "quiet Sue, it's all right"? -

- Susan you've known her for years, you know she would never do it! -

- Josh, she's not the same person anymore, she can't be! Open your eyes! -

This was too much.

- Shut up ALL OF YOU! - exclaimed Joe, jumping to his feet.

He looked closely at the forest of eyes that watched him with bated breath.

- You are a horrible sight. I look at you and I can only call myself a fool for having considered you as a family, because a family does not behave like that! A family speaks, listens, understands, supports. You have only thought of defending yourself from a danger that does not exist, if not to blindly attack! And as much as I may feel betrayed and disappointed, I can't help but be horrified because there is someone who feels definitely worse than me! Lzzy is a wonderful person, I don't need to tell you, and she didn't deserve the treatment you gave her! She worked hard to learn to use her powers: training for hours and hours that often ended up with bruises and that always left a tremendous fatigue on her, but she still came back to train the next day, for you! Yes, for you, for you to be safe from the accidents that, I admit it, there could have been at the beginning. And what she got in exchange for her concern was simply disgusting. Now I understand why she's gone, here it was too bad! Think about it, but do it yourself, because I follow her example and I go! -

Having said this, he turned and strode towards the exit, looking for fresh air. He didn't want to hear answers, he didn't want to stay with those people a minute more!

The sidewalk was wet with rain under the soles of his shoes, the sticky noise that accompanied his steps irritated him, thus he stopped about ten meters from the door, his hands in his pockets clenched in a fist. He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Arejay. They said nothing, they just looked at each other before passing an arm around their shoulders in a fraternal gesture. Josh joined them shortly after.

- We will be here for her when she returns. - said Arejay.

- Yes Arejay. We'll be there. - Joe replied.

§§

- You need to talk to her! -

- She owes me an apology! -

- Not that you are really without faults, you could also calmly explain your reasons. -

Sky glared at Helia.

- You're good at giving advice, but if Flora treated you that way, I don't think you'd have succeeded. -

Helia rolled his eyes. He was tired of always hearing the same answer to the same discussion, so he started wearing the flight suit.

- That doesn't mean you shouldn't talk to Bloom. - Brandon repeated, carefully pulling on the strings of his boots.

- She doesn't want to talk to me, why should I look for her? She didn't reach out anymore, right? -

Brandon let out a disconsolate moan.

- Ah, it seems to hear Riven. You know her, she is as stubborn and proud as you are, plus she's a girl who thinks a lot about what she did, but when she did it, exactly. What if she wanted to apologize but didn't have the courage to come looking for you? -

This was a hypothesis that Sky had already examined, considering it very probable. Knowing Bloom, at that moment she was walking uneasily in her room, torn between love and pride. Perhaps his friends were right, it was up to him to take the first step towards reconciliation. The problem was that he still hadn't been able to swallow the very cause of their quarrel: in short, they couldn't really be in that situation because Bloom defended the Trix, specifically Icy. Just the witch who had given her most problems.

The locker room door opened and a third year boy rushed inside, his tawny hair flattened by the helmet that he quickly threw on the wooden bench. His team followed more calmly, laughing and making fun of him.

- Look at him, a wild dragon seems to be chasing him. - said a pale-skinned boy with straw-colored hair.

- I believe it, he must go to his beauty. - replied a boy with African American features, his chin highlighted by a goatee, black like his curly short hair.

- Oh yeah, I had almost forgotten about it, he talked continuously about it only for days. - replied the first, causing an outbreak of hilarity.

Alec, the subject of the comrades' jokes, shook his head, amused.

- You're just envious because no girl wants to go out with you two clowns, admit it. -

The second boy brought a hand to his heart and a hand on his forehead, making his blond companion laugh even more.

- Oh, Alec, how can you be so cruel to us, your faithful companions in adventures? -

- I don't know, maybe I think that because David and Maurice, who have a girlfriend, leave me alone? -

- Don't worry, buddy, nobody steals your witch. Jeremy and I are training to laugh at the next mess you'll get yourself into for her. - the blond scoffed at him, taking away the sweatshirt he was about to put on.

- Gregorio! I'll be late! - the other protested, chasing him around the locker room bench.

- Seriously Al, how did it occur to you to fall in love with a witch? Have you become a masochist? - Jeremy poked him again, slyly.

He was however retorted by one of the boys who had not yet spoken, Maurice:

- Jeremy, what do you miss when I say "the heart is not commanded"? If you fall in love you fall in love, whatever school your love attends. -

- The romantic dude is right. - said the other boy, who seemed the exact opposite of the first: if Maurice was of almost small build and had delicate features framed by long, wavy hair, David was a bundle of muscles and surpassed him by a good head, his face was square and his military-cut hair made his figure only more formidable. At least until the gaze rested on the sincere smile he offered to anyone.

- And then don't forget that Aire is different from the usual witches. - intervened Alec, getting back his sweatshirt.

- If you are convinced... The neck is yours, Latin lover, and the heart too. - said Gregorio shrugging.

Alec was about to answer when Timmy approached him.

- I haven't had a chance to talk to you since reporting to Saladin, - he said, - but I have to compliment you on your maneuvers, even if you took a big risk stealing that crawl. I have seen few able to take off like that, I have seen the security footage. -

- Oh thanks. I don't think anyone will put me in charge for a while, though. - the boy joked.

He was his uncle, but Codatorta was still Codatorta. The only thing he could drive until the end of the quarter was his bike! Timmy looked at him amused.

- Well, it was the least you could get after all. -

Alec shook his head, chuckling.

- Yes, I know. -

- For love we are willing to do anything, isn't it right Alec? - Gregorio once again intervened, passing an arm around Alec's shoulders and ruffling his hair.

- Won't you close that big mouth, you talking mongoose? - Alec snapped without being able to get rid of his assailant, who laughed with the other boys.

§§

- Lu, look at this rubber mudball, it seems real! Can you imagine what it's like to put it in Ediltrude's wardrobe? -

- It would be hilarious! This basket of mechanical snakes, on the other hand, is perfect for playing pranks on freshmen... it doesn't take much with them, they scream for nothing! -

The Joker's Bazar, the more or less innocent joke and freak shop more stocked in Magix City, housed two of its most loyal customers at the time: Mirta and Lucy.

The two friends had a great time examining every single object and imagining who would be the victim, and often came out with some packages. Sometimes they were satisfied with pens that wrote programmable sentences on their own, decidedly spicy sweets and fake animals, at other times they threw themselves into far more complicated and satisfying jokes, such as staging a gathering of ghosts terrorizing the unfortunate company that camped by the lake. They visited the store once a month, and for at least two weeks you could not rest easy, especially in Cloudtower.

The funniest part of any joke, however, was not being identified. The person responsible for those jokes was for everyone a certain Laughter, such was the name that Mirta and Lucy made appear, unseen, in front of the victims, together with an irreverent tongue. No one would have ever thought that two people signed themselves with a singular, much less would they have thought that one of them was a fairy. To be even safer, they occasionally organized jokes for each other. In short, two true hooligans.

Only one thing they never used: firecrackers. Mirta remembered well what had happened to Flora at the beginning of the fourth year and her friend had been lucky to not be hurt. Bad girl yes, but there is a limit to everything.

- I don't understand why your favorite victims are freshmen. - said Mirta, digging her finger into a jelly with a horrible appearance.

It was very slimy, who knows what screams to put it in the shoes of some picky girl.

- Are you kidding me? - Lucy laughed, shaking her bony shoulders, - It is very easy to make fun of them, they have just come out of cotton wool and are not used to watching their backs. -

- Exactly, it's too easy. For me it's more fun when it's difficult. - Mirta replied letting go of the jelly and observing a kit to create voodoo dolls.

- And when you have to take revenge on some viper. - said Lucy, giving a look of agreement to the fairy.

- Yes, I admit it. - Mirta replied carelessly.

- Thank goodness, that's why you wanted to come here today! So, you told me that she's a sour perfection, a bit like Stella, so... -

- Stella is not a sour perfection, she is just a little frivolous. -

- If you say so... listen, what do you think of this? "Apply this filter to the tap and it will seem like you're in a swamp." -

- What does it mean? -

- It says here that the filter releases a powder that makes the water look muddy. -

- Cool, I already hear the screams through all of Alfea! -

- Shh! Do you want to get caught? Rather, some nice pranks for the Trix? -

Mirta winced, taken aback. The idea had never even touched her, nor was it attractive. She didn't want to use the same cruelty they used against her on the three witches: to ridicule them, marginalize them more than they already were... for what purpose?

- I'd let them be, Lu. - she said, but before she could continue, the witch with the green hair interrupted her.

- You're not afraid of them, are you? -

- There is nothing to be afraid of Lucy, they are just girls like me and like you. Indeed, they are even more fragile, they always walk on the brink of an abyss and they do not need other problems, not even stupid like the ones we could create. -

The peremptory tone of the fairy did not entirely convince Lucy, who nevertheless dropped the subject. After all it was better to stay away from those three, and she disapproved of the way Mirta was getting close to them, but it was her choice after all.

§§

- I have absolutely nothing to wear! - cried Aire, throwing behind her yet another dress.

For at least half an hour she had tried to choose what to wear for her date with Alec, but nothing satisfied her and consequently the previously neatly folded clothes were thrown around the room. "I knew it would end like this, but obviously I couldn't think about it yesterday or the day before" she thought disconsolately, turning to the door when she heard some laughter.

- Damn Aire, it looks like Yami has summoned a hurricane in your closet. - Henna laughed.

- Do you need a hand? - asked Yami instead, as always kinder than her friend.

- I don't like anything and in an hour I have to be in the city. I'm desperate. -Aire sighed, dropping in front of the desk.

- That's all? Let me do it. - Yami assured her, immediately starting to collect and examine the clothes.

She found something she liked, a very simple turquoise dress with a pouch on the front, and threw it to her.

- Put it on. - she ordered, looking for something to embellish the simplicity of the dress.

She picked up a silver sleeveless shirt that came just below the breast and a pair of gray leggings and passed them to Aire who, doubtfully, put them on. Yami looked at her critically, then said:

- It can do for me. Put the amphibians you had yesterday in class and it's perfect. -

- Are you sure? - asked Aire, looking at herself in the mirror.

- If you want to arrive on time, yes, the bus is in six minutes. - replied the witch, raising her eyes to the sky.

- Oh my, I didn't think it was so late! And I have to put everything in order... -

Henna put the amphibians in her hand.

- Move, you walking mess! We'll think about it. And if you don't hurry you will find frogs among the shirts. -

- Thank you girls, I owe you one. - exclaimed Aire, hastily slipping on her ankle boots and tightening the laces as she left her room.

When she heard the apartment door close, Henna said:

- Can we put in some frog anyway? -