A/N: I wish I could thank you all individually but it would take me a whileeee : ) . So I want to thank everyone who commented and supported me this past week, I truly appreciate it more than you know. You´re all aboslutely right, the last thing we need is more negativety in the world. So thank you so much.
As for my other stories, Stella´s secret and Confessions of a Wall flower, i will try to update soon, i just dont know how soon because I start my ´on-line´ mid-term exams this next week, not sure how that´ll work, lol. Anyway, please R&R!
Chapter 3
Marion smiled and shook her head at her daughter's antics.
"Do all princesses have to wear this...?" Bloom asked, biting her lip.
"They do, I'm afraid" she said, reluctant, "But you may be an exception, after all, you've never worn one. I can't imagine how strange it must feel" Marion admitted, gazing at her tenderly.
Bloom felt a pang of guilt. Her mother was already letting her have her way with quite a few things. For one, she wasn't required to be present during those tedious Council meetings. That was Daphne's department. She also hadn't been required to learn the several other languages that her family spoke, just Domino's dialect. But today, her grandmother had insisted that she wear a corset around the palace so she would get used to it, because apparently 'it is customary!'
Now she had a better idea of why Layla and Stella were so disciplined when it came to etiquette, this sort of training was actually hard. And she couldn't imagine going through it as a kid. No, her childhood was spent being nothing more than a happy-go-lucky kid, wearing knee pads and a helmet. And man, was she grateful.
In any case, Marion was already patient enough, so Bloom didn't want to push her too far or give her any trouble. Since basically, she was asking her mother to go against her mother-in-law's wishes. So Bloom put on her best smile. It was good enough to fool her biological mother, anyway. Vanessa wouldn't have fallen for it.
"It's fine. I can wear it, it's not so bad"
"Very well then, this afternoon we'll have your gowns fitted and ready" her mother said, unable to hide her enthusiasm.
"Thank you…" Bloom responded, and let her voice trail off. She still wasn't entirely comfortable calling Marion 'mom'. She should've been by now because that was who she was, her mother. But it still felt strange on her tongue. Marion claimed not to mind. In fact, she even gave Bloom permission to call her 'Marion', just as if they were buddies. Bloom used her given name once or twice, but it didn't seem right. This was still the Queen of Domino she was talking to. So sometimes, if possible, she avoided using any names, altogether. Simply saying things in general, not directing herself to one person in particular. She was thankful when there were several other people in the room. It made things easier.
But of course, her sister had noticed this and called her out on it one afternoon while they sat in her office.
"Sweetheart" Oritel poked his head in through the door and smiled once he caught sight of Marion.
"Bloom, how's the dress-fitting coming along?" he asked, casually.
"It's all good" she replied, grinning. He nodded once.
"I'm pleased to hear it" he said, smiling broadly, "Honey, may I have a word?" he asked Marion, his tone light. She excused herself with Bloom and the maids and walked out of the room swiftly.
Since Bloom was living there, she'd noticed that no matter how big of a softy Oritel was with his daughters, he had an even weaker spot for his wife. It was sweet, actually. Until another noble approached her with flattery. That changed everything. About a month ago, King Garomius of Melody had attended Bloom's 'welcome home' party. And he never missed a chance to praise her mother's splendor. But far from minding it, Marion seemed fond of him considering that the man had become a widower not too long ago, and like she often put it, he meant no harm. Marion felt sorry for him, if anything, she was a sensitive soul. The King of Domino, however, wasn't having it. He'd subtly taken her by the arm, and led her away with a forced smile. Though she couldn't make out what he whispered in her mother's ear as they passed. Bloom still found the ordeal quite amusing. Not that she would ever say that out loud. Apparently, getting possessive was one of the few drawbacks to her father's temper.
"Where should I put these...?" her boyfriend asked her. Daphne placed her hands on her hips and stood in the middle of the massive room, looking around.
"How about over there" she pointed. Avalon moved at her signal and set the boxes down.
About a month ago, the Council stated that they needed a representative in Magix, someone who could be their eyes and stand at the front of the administration, since Magix was the only city in the Magical dimension without a King or Queen, governed by the council itself. And being that Daphne was the Nymph of Magix, and one of the strongest known fairies, she was offered the job right away.
Not much had changed except that now, she spent a great amount of time in her luxurious office. A large, modern-looking headquarters on the fourth floor of a fancy building, with a spectacular view of the city. And everyone was talking about it.
He grinned and walked toward her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"You could use a break" he noted, sympathetically. Daphne sighed and shut her eyes briefly as he rubbed her shoulders.
"I wish I could…", when Avalon spoke again, his voice was full of amusement,
"Ah, the beauty of being your own boss", she smacked his flat stomach playfully.
"I'm still required to work, besides, if I don't fix this place up today, it'll all get pushed for tomorrow and I plan on spending the weekend with my family"
"Humor me, why hasn't Bloom come over to give you a hand?"
"She volunteered to help me out tomorrow, but, I rather not. She has a lot on her plate, I think it's finally starting to get to her" Daphne explained, but her voice was strained. A crease appeared between his brows, as he watched her move anxiously from one side of the room to the other.
"What are you talking about?"
"Bloom…hasn't been herself lately. I mean, it's like one moment she's fine, and then she's completely out of orbit, the next". Avalon chuckled in response, obviously unbothered by this.
"She's a teenager, I'd say its normal behavior"
"Is it..? I mean I met Bloom even before I knew she was my sister, we even hung out a few times but I've never seen her like this before"
Avalon shifted uncomfortably and moved away from Daphne to lean again her desk, arms crossed over his broad chest.
"A lot of things have happened to Bloom since you met her Daphne, from Diaspro stealing her identity to Valtor's interference in her life, maybe this is her way of coping" he told her, in his deep, velvety voice.
"..Has she told you anything?" Daphne asked, raising her eyebrows. She remembered asking Stella the other day about her sister's whereabouts, and she'd vaguely mentioned seeing Bloom with Avalon. But Bloom hadn't said a thing so she figured it wasn't important.
Her boyfriend sighed and rubbed his chin.
"She hasn't…but I'm her professor and I see her on a regular basis. It's not difficult to notice a change sodrastic"
Daphne didn't know how to respond to that. She'd already suspected that she wasn't the only one to see it. She'd even considered speaking to Stella, who Daphne felt closest to out of all of Bloom's friends. But speaking to her friend behind her back felt like a betrayal to her privacy and trust. Marion and Oritel wouldn't understand because Bloom only took on this behavior at school. But she never considered Avalon.
"I just wish there was something I could do to help" she said, biting down on her lip. The motion seemed to distract the man in front of her momentarily but she held back her smirk, not wanting to diminish the seriousness of the matter.
"I'd say you already are" he smiled, finally. Daphne mimicked his expression and walked the short distance between them.
"I apologize for complaining, I must be annoying you, I just-"
"Hey, hey" he interrupted, gently, his smile intact. "I'm always interested in what you're thinking. But you don't always want to share your thoughts with me and I wish you would", he said, caressing her cheek gently.
"I can try" she offered, blushing. Abruptly, she wrapped her arms around his waist and tucked her face into his neck, seeking comfort. Perhaps Avalon was right and there really wasn't anything to worry about. It'd been a while since she remembered what it felt like to be a teenager, so his opinion on Bloom's attitude made perfect sense. In fact, everything about this moment did.
Bloom unwrapped her sandwich and bit into it hungrily before raising her brows. Rather than sitting with the rest of the teachers, today Professor Avalon sat alone in one of the long white tables, reading a book. He usually looked more…lively and charming. And even when he wasn't smiling, he still looked composed. Now he just seemed tense. Bloom wouldn't have given it much thought if it wasn't for the way he was gripping whatever it was he was reading.
"How long has the professor been here...?" she asked. Musa looked at him over her shoulder.
"Since the beginning of our lunch period, why...?" Bloom shrugged.
"I spoke to my sister over the phone and she said he was with her. I guess he had to come back" she said, offhandedly.
"He could've used a portal" Stella pointed out, then sighed, "Whatever, nothing like some eye candy to make the afternoon go by faster"
"Where's Layla?" Tecna asked, changing the subject briskly. Although she tried to hide it, she'd been moody over the past couple of days due to her differences with Timmy. It was absurd really, considering how much they actually had in common. But when it came to the most important issue, they couldn't seem to see eye-to-eye. Tecna wanted a confession of love and Timmy…well, it was kind of hard to tell.
Which reminded Bloom of her own love troubles, with Sky. It wasn't that there was anything wrong, but between him being crowned Prince and Bloom's incorporation into royal society, the amount of time they got to spend together was almost null. Mostly on her part though. Sky would call and text, but lately she was so out of it. She was tired more often than not, partly because of Layla's nightmares, but still, it didn't seem like a good enough reason to feel so drained. And that worried Sky even more.
"With Nurse Ofelia, she hasn't been sleeping well, you know…" Musa said, her voice trailing off.
"Ughh, I'm so ready to get rid of lord Darkar, Layla won't feel safe again until he's gone"
"Hold it Stella, it's not that simple. Faragonda says we need convergence to defeat him and frankly, we're all over the place" Tecna cautioned. Stella scoffed.
"Speak for yourself"
"She's right" Musa agreed, dryly. "We're a mess, you didn't see me and Layla in our last convergence class" she said, shivering at the memory. Bloom lay her head against the table, enjoying the feeling of the cold wood against her forehead.
"I've gotta go", she told them suddenly, Musa raised her eyebrows at her promptness.
"Where to...?"
"I have to see Sky" she told them and all but ran out of the cafeteria, and opened a portal to Red Fountain. The portal left her standing a few meters away from the school, but it was close enough. She dialed his number with no response.
Bloom sighed, "Come on, Sky"
As she entered the school, she caught sight of two witches talking to a specialist, or flirting rather. Internally, she was grateful. It made her feel less awkward about being in a school full of boys, by herself. Suddenly, she spotted a familiar face in the distance.
"Brandon!" she called out. He looked up and squinted momentarily before waving and trotting over. His hair was more tousled than usual and he seemed worn-out.
"Bloom, hey! What a surprise", he said, kissing her cheek,
"What are you up to...?" she asked him, bemused. Brandon wiped his brow, sheepishly.
"Just fixing up my hoverbike, I sort of crashed it when I was racing Riven, just don't tell Stella that?" he pleaded. Bloom giggled,
"Don't worry about it, I haven't seen a thing", Brandon patted her shoulder, in response.
"So, does Sky know you're here?"
"Actually…no. I wasn't really planning to come; would you mind calling him?"
"No need, he's up in his room. Codatorta's cool, just go on up" he said, offhandedly. Bloom suspected he was more worried about his bike at the moment. Stella mentioned they had a date tonight and no hoverbike meant no ride for Stel and her high heels.
"Got it, thanks Brandon" she waved and made her way to Sky's room. Of course she'd been here before, quite a few times, just never by herself. And much less as a surprise. When she arrived, the door was shut and there was nothing but silence coming from the inside. Bloom stood still for a moment, not knowing if she should knock first or just barge in…he could be changing his clothes or something…
With that in mind, she decided to knock. Once, twice…a couple of seconds passed before he finally came to the door.
"Bloom...?" Sky asked, confused, "What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming...?" He seemed surprised, but not upset, she noted.
"I tried calling you" she said, shifting her weight from one foot to another.
"Sorry about that, I was in the shower, come here" he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her against him in a tight hug. Bloom inhaled deeply, appreciating the sudden sense of relief.
Lately, all they spoke about was Darkar and yes, he was a potentially dangerous enemy. But there were times when it felt like too much. And her friends seemed to feel the same way. That would definitely explain their fowl moods, recently. But Faragonda insisted, even more so than usual, that they had to be careful. It was as if she felt they weren't taking her seriously enough. And maybe she was right.
"What's wrong?" Sky asked, noticing how she didn't loosen her grip.
"I'm just glad to be here" she said, finally looking up at him. Sky grinned,
"I was actually going to call you... I've missed you like crazy" he breathed, gliding his nose over her hair. Bloom took a quick look at his room, over his shoulder. Sky and Brandon's room was probably one of the most organized, contrary to Timmy and Riven's which usually looked like a tornado had stopped by. But that was mostly Riven's fault. Although whenever someone teased them about it, Brandon would step in claiming that they never had any girls over, so what was the point?
"Me too…is it okay for me to be here...?" she asked, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.
"We´re only talking. Unless you had something else in mind...?" he asked, not understanding. He spoke so sternly that Bloom felt the heat rushing to her cheeks almost immediately.
"No, no! Just talking is fine" she stuttered, and it wasn't until Sky smirked that she realized he was teasing her.
"Come on, if it worries you that much I know somewhere we can go" he sounded amused as he took her by the hand and led her out of his bedroom.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Bloom nestled herself between his legs, with her back pressing against his chest and Sky's arms wrapped around her waist. They spent the entire afternoon that way, just talking and laughing and enjoying each other's company. Bloom couldn't remember the last time they'd hung out like this. No worries, no stress.
"How are you feeling?" he asked suddenly. A cool breeze touched her cheeks and neck, making her shiver. But Bloom didn't mind in the slightest. Instead, she sank further into him, enjoying the warmth.
"Great. Better every day" she replied.
"…I'm sorry things have been so off lately", he blurted all of a sudden. Bloom twisted in his arms to look at him,
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I haven't been here for you like I should. I just keep thinking that everything is going to go back to normal soon", he said, sounding stressed.
"You're a Prince, Sky, that's hardly normal" she said, teasingly. But she completely understood what he meant.
"You're the Princess of Domino, and I've seen you manage just fine" he replied in the same tone. Bloom scoffed.
"That's nowhere near the same! I have my mother and sister to thank for that. I see Daphne running around in heels all day" I can't remember the last time she had a break, Bloom thought glumly. Her sister would've had some time off if only Bloom could get the hang of this faster. She would've been able to take at least half of Daphne's duties and lighten her weight. But as always, her sister was an eternal optimist and simply shrugged it off whenever Bloom tried to apologize.
"Diaspro is pleading with my father for domiciliary arrest instead of jail time"
"What...?" this time she sat up in pure shock. Was he serious? Well, Bloom never could picture a flashy princess like Diaspro in a jail cell. But it was where she belonged. Sky´s jaw was set.
"And I'm fighting against it. That's probably why I don't have time for anything else" he said, flustered.
"What does your father say?" she asked. Sky's expression remained stoic, but his voice hard, like he was doing his best to contain himself.
"He's known Diaspro all her life, I know he doesn't want to admit it, but it's hard for him to see what Diaspro turned into. He knows she was wrong, but that doesn't make it any easier"
Bloom listened quietly, leaning her head against his chest once again, "And what do you say...?"
Sky shrugged, "It doesn't matter what any of us has to say. She's paying the consequences for what she did" he told her.
After a short moment, he answered her question, "But I can't say that I mind. She hurt you Bloom. And my place is with you"
His words did little to ease her tension. But it was good to know that he was on her side, even if it meant going against his father. Not that Bloom would´ve asked him to, definitely not. But the fact that he was doing it on his own accord really meant something to her.
As if he were reading her thoughts, Sky pulled her close and planted a kiss in her hair.
"My father is a good man, Bloom. He would never free someone who´s done so much harm. Especially to you. He likes you" he said, calmly. She kind of doubted that. The few times she´d encountered the King and Queen, the most she´d gotten was a ´hello Bloom´, and she was given the cold shoulder immediately after. So she knew for a fact that Sky was only saying this to make her feel better. Either that, or his parents were very good at pretending in front of him. But Bloom didn't tell him this. If anything, his heart was in the right place.
"I know it´s not any of my business" Sky said, hesitating briefly, "But there´s this roommate of ours bugging us for Musa´s number",
Again Bloom found herself twisting to see his expression. Surely enough, he looked uncomfortable. So much that it was funny.
"Which roommate?"
"Jared. Just don't tell Riven" he told her. Bloom giggled and turned to kiss him on the cheek.
"I´ll make sure to pass on the message", she told him, and furrowed her brows when Sky´s gaze remained on her, intense.
"What...?"
Without warning he pressed his mouth to hers and kissed her like they hadn't in weeks. It wasn´t that they lost control a lot, Sky was an important royal and overall, a gentleman. He was always watching his step, just as she did. But being away from each other seemed to be taking its toll on them both, and so this kiss wasn't romantic or soft. It was fierce and hungry, and she couldn't say she felt any differently.
Little did they know that they were being observed.
They all were.
