Chapter 42

Amnesia

Sky was once again driving his windrider and again he pushed it to the speed limit, but this time he was heading to the witches' school, where the only chance to save Bloom was. That possibility was a first-year witch, Yami, it sounded incredible. Just as incredible as the fact that, some years earlier, freshmen such as the Trix had evoked the army and that a group of fairies just as inexpert as them stopped them. He only hoped that Griffin would allow the girl to leave, she had to! For what other reason would destiny make Maria and Desirè get to Alfea just when he was about to leave? Why make them talk to him and have them remember there was a freshman who controlled extreme natural events, if the headmistress wouldn't allow her to leave? No, there was no space for that possibility.

§§

She hadn't had news for hours now, and even though she tried in every way to persuade herself that it wasn't inherently bad, Lzzy was very worried. As if it wasn't enough, the crew was still distrustful. They promised to keep the secret at least, but it hurt to be treated like a stranger from her second family, it really hurt. The boys tried to console her as best as they could.

- You'll see, everything will be alright. Soon Icy will appear in front of you and you will insult her for making you worry again. -

- Thanks Josh. -

- As for Justin and the others don't worry, they'll get used to it soon. -

- Mhmh. -

- Come on sis, you really can't make a tiny smile? - asked Arejay walking to the bus door.

He had to take his phone, his wife would have been mad if he didn't respond to her calls.

- Sorry Jay, I really can't. I have this oppressive feeling, of something coming at us. -

The seconds that followed stayed impressed in the eyes of Lzzy, Joe and Josh with a terrifying clarity: Arejay reaching out to insert the code to open the door, Arejay shivering like an electric bolt ran through him, Arejay falling down with no other sound than a thud.

Immediately, the three run to him. Lzzy put his head up and looked for the heartbeat on his neck, which she found easily. The heart was beating strong, whatever happened it didn't seem to have damaged it.

- That looked like… a spell? - said Joe, uncertain.

- I don't know. - replied Lzzy, - Oh please, please Arejay, wake up! -

- Let's bring him inside. - Joe said, but Lzzy stopped him.

- No! Don't touch the door, the spell could still be active. -

- He's waking up. - Josh said.

Arejay winked a few times, then he sat up. He looked very confused.

- Thank goodness you're fine, Arejay. - exclaimed Lzzy hugging him, but he didn't hug her back.

Lzzy pulled away and noticed that he looked at her like it was the first time he ever saw her in his whole life.

- Who are you? Who is Arejay? -

Lzzy felt her blood freezing in her veins.

- Ah-ah. That isn't funny mate. - said Joe.

Arejay noticed him and Josh, and he panicked even more.

- Who are you? What happened, why am I here? Where is here?! - he asked, more and more anxious.

Lzzy forced herself to breathe and hold back her tears. It wasn't the right moment to cry, she had to think of a way to help her brother.

First of all, they had to get off the road. She got up and offered her hand to Arejay.

- We'll explain everything, but we have to move from here. - Before he objected, she added: - You can trust me. I'm your sister. -

¬- I... I don't remember... -

- You'll have your memory back, I promise. - "If it's the last thing I do".

§§

A few minutes later and light years away, Darcy's phone signaled an incoming message. The witch would've gladly ignored the world for a little longer, as she was secure in Walter's arms, but she knew that it had to be important so she forced herself to read.

- Oh no! - she exclaimed, suddenly getting up.

- What's wrong? - asked Walter, worried.

- I'm sorry, I can't tell you now. It's not about me. I must tell the others… we really didn't need this! -

While she spoke she sent a telepathic message to Flora, Tecna and Stormy telling them to reach her in the back of the shuttle. The three arrived in no time and Walter discretely walked to the other room.

- What's going on? - asked Stormy, and Darcy showed them Lzzy's text.

- Holy heavens! - shouted Flora covering her mouth.

- What do we do? Do we send them to Aisha and Musa? - asked the witch of illusions.

- No, they're busy with Rebecca and Faragonda. - replied Tecna.

- Well, we can't bring them here. - Darcy pointed out.

- It would be perfectly useless, we don't know what spell Valtor used. - replied Flora.

- They must go to Xavier, there's no other soloution. - said Stormy, - If it's a simple memory spell Lzzy herself will be able to lift it, instead, if it comes from the Mystérion the professor will help them. -

Flora was in doubt.

- Is it safe to send them there on their own? They can't teleport to the Wildlands and Lzzy's powers will be at their minimum. -

- Timmy and the others are in Magix, they can help them. - said Tecna, - Speaking of Specialists, Sky is coming with a witch. She could be able to stop the sandstorm, at least for the time necessary to take off. -

- At least one problem is solved. - mumbled Darcy, starting to write a long series of instructions to Lzzy.

§§

The backstage had never felt so suffocating. Of course, they had never considered it like a safe place where there aren't spells on doors (who reassured them that there weren't spells on everything they touched?), but it was the only close place where they could find some privacy. Luckily the concert wasn't that night and the venue was close to the public...

- Darcy replied. - said Lzzy, starting reading, - "There are two possibilities: either the spell is normal, and you can easily undo it since you know the formula, either it comes from the Mystérion. DO NOT try to undo the spell if you aren't sure it comes from the book, you could make it worse. We can't help you, we're in a big mess, so go to Magix, to lake Roccaluce. Helia and the others will bring you to Xavier, who will visit Arejay and will be able to go back to the spell that was casted on him. Lzzy, in the Wildlands your powers will be practically level zero, don't freak out if you feel weak, it's perfectly normal. Tell Xavier we sent you, or name the Mystérion, he will help you for sure." -

Lzzy, Joe and Josh looked at each other: everything was crystal clear. Although it was weird that it was clear to Arejay as well… in fact, he wasn't in the room with them anymore. Cursing, the three of them began looking for him, calling him.

- He's here. - Josh called shortly after.

He was just behind the pit, from where a familiar sound of drums came. Arejay was sitting at his place and was experimenting any possible combination of sounds that struck his mind. It was a sight so damn familiar and for a moment Lzzy hoped that it was like the movies, when the character with amnesia goes back to an important place or finds a meaningful object that brings back all the memories, but the illusion didn't last long. Noticing he had an audience, Arejay stopped playing and said:

- Sorry, I don't know why I did that. I hope I didn't do anything wrong. -

He didn't remember anything.

- That is... yours, Arejay. You're a drummer. - said Josh, a knot tied in his throat.

While Arejay observed surprised the drums, Joe whispered:

- That's in his DNA. Now we have to get the rest back. -

- Yes. - replied Lzzy in the same way, then, speaking louder: - Come, Arejay. We're going to someone who can restore your memories. -

- Ok. - he said simply, putting down the sticks.

He trusted those people, they transmitted calm, even though he had no idea who they were. He had decided to trust them, if anything because they showed so much interest in him. He remembered nothing, absolutely nothing, thus he had decided to trust his instinct and do everything it said: it said to trust the young woman and her friends and he trusted them, it said to play the drums and he played. Simple.

Everything was overly weird, thus nothing was. Why would he remember vortexes of green and white light that instantly brought you on the shore of a blue lake, if he didn't even remember his own name? That quick movement wasn't stranger than the name they used to call him. And why would he be surprised if the bikes of the guys coming towards them had no wheels? Snowmobiles had no wheels either. Wait a minute, what was a snowmobile exactly?

While Arejay focused on the concept of snowmobile (ok, a bike and a sled put together, but what were those objects separately? They didn't evoke any image in his mind), Lzzy explained the situation to Brandon, Nex, Helia and Timmy with surprising coldness, since they only knew they had to take them to Xavier as soon as possible.

When she finished Helia said:

- Let's be fast then. The more time goes by, the more this kind of spells strengthens. -

They got on the bike in pairs, put on the helmets and left. Even at the highest speed they wouldn't have reached their destination before ninety minutes. Helia felt Lzzy shiver when they rose up high, brushing the top of the trees.

- Everything alright? - he asked.

- Yes. Just a little cold. - she answered, without telling him that the cold didn't come from the outside, but from the inside.

It expanded in her chest and froze every fiber of her body, it made her stiff to make her more controllable, she had to have control over everything. Control, control, control on every electric pulse that crossed her brain, nothing superfluous, no emotions, tears or sobs. Only control. Lzzy knew what was happening. It was , coming in through the backdoor.

§§

- You want me to stop the storm?! Are you crazy?! -

Yami stared shocked at the waves of sand crushing on the shuttle. Extreme natural events were her thing, but that absolutely did not mean she had absolute power over them: at best, she could reduce the intensity of the storm, but nothing more.

- That's enough. - Stormy told her, - I'll do the same. -

- We can fly during a storm, the main problem is to start the engine without sand getting in. - Vanir intervened, - You must grant us five minutes to bring the shuttle high enough. Just five minutes. Can you do it? -

Yami bit her cheek to avoid showing how tense she actually was but nodded. But she wanted something in return: good will and spirit of collaboration aside, she was a witch after all. They couldn't knock on her door, drag her in a desert, ask her to execute an absurdly difficult spell and then just send her back home.

- I'll do it, but then I'm staying. If it happens again, you'd be lost again without me. - she said.

- It's dangerous... - Takeshi tried to object, but he was shut down by an unexpected voice.

- Please, we did way more dangerous stuff at her age. - said a gracious deer entering the room followed by a wolf, a fox, a dragon and a goose.

- Undeniable. - confirmed the dragon, to then stop to stare at Sky.

Bloom didn't know whether his presence annoyed her, pleased her or just left her indifferent. She didn't feel like talking to him in that moment, if not to know how he ended up there: she couldn't kick him with all those claws on her paws, and she wasn't eager to find out if she could breathe fire when she got nervous. Something that, knowing herself, she thought was highly possible. It was better to procrastinate, and Sky probably took the hint from her gaze because he didn't even try to speak. In a way, that was complicity as well.

If Bloom was unsettled, the same couldn't be said regarding Icy, who found her new form much more comfortable and was thus more tolerant with the rest of the world. If she felt extremely vulnerable as a puppy, now she didn't feel defenseless anymore, she became potentially dangerous. It was also for this reason that Darcy didn't think at all about informing Icy of Arejay's condition. It would have been better if she ignored it as long as possible instead of mentally torturing herself without being able to intervene.

Satisfied for having the permission to stay, Yami transformed. Her short sleeveless suit was of the same blue of Icy's first level suit, like the short boots and the gloves that barely covered her hands.

In an instant Stormy transformed too while the Specialists heated the engine, already cleansed with a spell, and Yami casted her own spell. Trying to hinder the violence of the storm was above her possibilities: the wind's energy couldn't be nullified, she needed to create an alternative outlet. So, she began to absorb herself part of the energy while transforming other in heat, while Stormy modified the currents' direction so that they run around the shuttle without directly running over it. It was a non-indifferent effort.

- Hurry up. - said Yami through her teeth, - I won't resist much longer. -

- Hold on tight. - Vanir recommended before he started the takeoff.

The engine's roar sounded different from the usual, but only because everyone was careful to pick up any anomalous vibration. The shuttle took off without many difficulties, flying over the sandstorm: they were on their journey again.

§§

Andrea gave up on reading her crime novel for that day: there was another group of aspiring bookends about to ring the bell, and her conscience imposed her to intervene before the professor's rage rose. She considered the idea of suggesting Xavier to remove the bell or cut the cables or make it invisible.

- Don't ring the bell! - she yelled from her bench, predilected place for her readings.

The strangers turned surprised to her, who got up lazily. She hated deja-vu and she was almost glad to the muscular brown-haired dude for making things a bit different from a few hours earlier.

- We're looking for professor Xavier. Our friend is victim of a magical amnesia and... -

- And you found no one in the magic schools who knows the counter spell? - Andrea interrupted him, with a look that said, "make up a better story dude".

She wasn't in the mood for kindness. A young woman in her thirties intervened, she was dressed in black and was very pale.

- It might not work. We're afraid that it could have something to do with the Mystérion. -

That book again!

- What do you have to do with that book?! -

- We are some of the targets of who stole it. - replied the man by her side, dressed in black and with short brown hair.

Before Andrea could ask more the door opened.

- Does the bookworm want some tea? - asked the professor, noticing then that there was someone else along with the bookworm, - What, is today the world unexpected visits day? Ah. Explain everything while you follow me. -

Saying so, he walked down the three steps in front of the door and led the group in the back of the garden, where a big gazebo casted its shadow on a small table and some couches.

While Lzzy explained the situation again, Helia was surprised by how easily Xavier had listened to them. The collector had given a whole other impression.

Under the gazebo there was already a tall guy in sporty clothes, with long blue curls. Andrea took him away and explained briefly the situation, while Xavier caressed his beard silently.

- Come here young man. - he told Arejay, - Normal pupil. Mhmh. Look up… yellow. Well, you were right to be worried, but there was no need to. The Mystérion contains spells of recovery and reinforcement of memory, not others. This spell won't be broken with the memento spell, he would have enlarged pupils in that case, but any third level fairy will easily break it. -

- We can't ask Alfea for help. - said Lzzy, more and more worried.

She was having a hard time holding herself back, showing the others to be strong, she felt part of her mind going against her: it was her fault, her fault, solely her fault.

- How come? - asked the professor.

- We shouldn't be here. We should know nothing about the Mystérion or about this whole planet. We should be home. -

- What Lzzy is trying to say, - intervened Josh, - is that we were involved in this in a particular way, and if it was known it could cause trouble to some. -

- Really? - asked Arejay.

They didn't tell him that. He didn't want to trouble anyone.

- I'll do it. -

Everybody turned to Andrea, who transformed shouting "Enchantix!". A black bubble spotted with purple sparkles enveloped her and when it dissolved, she was totally different from before. Her first short hair now nearly touched the ground, a tiara of pearls with a blue stone in the middle was on her forehead. Violet eyeshadow was on her eyes, purple lipstick, the dress had a generous cleavage and went around her neck to form a cape that almost reached her knees and was black on the outside and purple on the inside. The dress was composed of two overlapped veils that gradually passed from the black of the upper part to lilac on the bottom, going through purple in the middle, the same color of the Enchantix laces on her feet. But the wings were the thing that caught the most attention: big, high, the white borders drew sections that resembled feathers, inside of which black stretched to the lilac inner side.

She walked to Arejay and took the silver bottle on her neck, she opened it and drew the elements' cross in the air. The shiny cross enveloped Arejay, who instinctively closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he stared at Andrea as if he was wondering who she was, then looked around. Joe, Josh, Lzzy, Helia, Brandon, Nex, Timmy and a pair of new faces.

- What did I miss? Weren't we at the bus? -

- Do you remember who we are? - Joe asked.

- Why shouldn't I? -

- He's fine. - sharply said Andrea gently pushing Arejay and cancelling her transformation.

Joe e Josh hugged Arejay, who was just there suffocating without understanding the reason for such sentiment, while Lzzy stayed on her own. Timmy noticed her eyes were wet and she was shaking.

- Are you alright? - he asked her.

Lzzy nodded, but Timmy wasn't having it.

- It doesn't seem like it, are you sure? -

She couldn't take it anymore and hissed her answer:

- Of course. I am sure I am fine. After all, my brother has only lost his memories, the girl I am bound to is looking for a counter-spell on the other side of the galaxy and recently almost died bleed dry, the people I have been working with for years treat me like a stranger and are afraid of me. My life went adrift in less than two months because I developed powers I didn't know I had, that I can't control, that put in danger the people who are most important to me and everything I worked for in the last eighteen years, and a crazy wizard threatens to kill us and my brain, thanks to which even putting an odd number of clothes in a suitcase is impossible, does nothing but reminding me how all of this is only my fault because I am the one who's outside of the box, I was the one who brought the others in this world, I am the one who can't protect them, who has secrets to hide, who is on top of all the problems because I shouldn't have been in that street that night, so yes, I'm fine! -

She had progressively spoken louder and louder, shouting the last two words, making everyone look at her, but she didn't notice. She couldn't stop talking now.

- I can't live two lives, they're too much! Too much! I have to choose, no, I chose already: no more magic, no more alien worlds, enough with all of this. There must be a way to take my powers away. I don't want a longer life if I have to live it like this, I can't take it, it's not fair! - then, turning to Joe, Arejay and Josh while her eyes filled with tears: - I am sorry for everything I made you endure and I promise you it will end as soon as we get home. We'll go back to two months ago, no magic, no Icy, no dangers. I can't let this happen again. I can't, I can't... -

She suddenly shut up, breathing fast, she seemed to be having a panic attack. She had never felt so sick in her life, her head seemed to explode, the lungs and the eyes were burning, she was shaking restlessly and felt her magic looking for a way out of her body. But she was too weak, and in the attempt the magic absorbed energy weakening Lzzy, who couldn't breathe normally anymore.

Joe went close to her, but she pulled back.

- No, I'm... dangerous. - she spoke out hardly.

- You're not. - he replied holding her hands.

While he tried to calm her down, Arejay turned to Josh.

- What the hell happened?! -

- You lost your memories due to a spell, you didn't remember us, you didn't even know your name. -

Arejay cursed. Lzzy would never forgive herself something like that, she felt responsible for her little brother, she wanted to protect him and help him in any way. But she didn't have to take on herself guilts that weren't hers. Arejay searched in all his pockets. Empty.

- Lzzy, - he said, - it's not your fault at all. I forgot the stone with the spells... -

- You shouldn't... need... that. - Lzzy breathed out.

- I don't need it because of you. There's an aspiring serial killer around! -

Donnie, who until then had absorbed information from his corner, timidly walked to Lzzy and put a hand on her shoulder.

- You have no reason to feel guilty. Even if you were responsible for what happened, my sister did worse and I forgave her. I don't think you have to worry about this. -

- Absolutely not. Lz, your powers are part of you, and you can't throw them away. You would feel even worst. It's hard, it's true, and these first weeks were some of the hardest in your whole life, but it can only get better. And regarding your mind, you and I know that Hyde is wrong. - Arejay said, walking to her with Josh.

Lzzy was breathing normally again and stopped crying, although she was still shivering. She let her brother hug her, hugging him back and wishing to go back to when she was thirteen, when she didn't know how hard it was to fight with herself and the others at the same time yet.

- I love you lil' bro. - she whispered.

- Me too. Never change. - replied Arejay.

Since the situation seemed in control, Donnie asked the question that was tormenting him.

- So... How do you know Icy? -

§§

In Altaduna the shuttle got closer to its destination. The speed was the highest possible, but even that way the distance was big. However, Icy wasn't particularly worried, she knew she was closer and closer to the solution and the only thing that kept annoying her was depending on Roxy to speak. Boredom was pretty annoying to tell the truth: who wasn't driving tried to sleep, taking advantage of the momentaneous stasis.

Suddenly Icy felt a stabbing pain in her head and a mixture of fear and remorse and concern took over her. It took her a second to understand it didn't depend on her and regret the boredom that just ended. She got up from her corner and walked to Darcy, still awake together with Stormy.

- Reach out to Lzzy. - she whispered, so softly that Darcy almost didn't hear her, - Something happened. -

- I don't need to reach out. I know already. -

- And you didn't tell me?! -

Darcy rolled her eyes.

- You're a fox. What do you want to do? -

Icy flattened her ears, furious. It was true, she was completely useless in those conditions.

- I hate you. - she mumbled almost growling.

- I know. - Darcy replied ruffling the fur on her head, a gesture that irked Icy even more.

She quietly jumped away, going back to lay next to a sleeping Bloom. She closed her eyes too, but she couldn't sleep a second.