The only thing that could be heard was the sound of boots echoing off the stone floor. A few minutes passed and the footsteps stopped, but only long enough for the sound of a door opening. Within the darkness was a lone figure, that seemed to hover in mid-air. The footsteps drew closer as a single torch suddenly ignited and illuminated the hovering figure.

"It's such a shame that you couldn't make it to your precious school." A male voice said. "And to think that you missed the very first day. They have no clue where you are and they don't care. This, however, works in my favor. I'll be taking your place and destroy that worthless school from the inside."

"They will see right through you." The figure slowly lifted its head to reveal a young boy. He had black hair tied in a ponytail and brown eyes. His outfit consisted of a black t-shirt, brown jacket, black gloves, dark blue pants, and brown boots. The appearance of the young male was broken and bruised. There were rips and tears all throughout his clothing, along with bruises on his face and chest. The boy had obviously been through a lot and was in dire need of help. Dark purple threads held the boy in the air and tightened whenever he tried to break free.

"I'm not the prisoner. They don't even know what you look like. It will be easy for me to blend in if I look just like you. No one will suspect a thing."

More time passed and the sound of stilettos could be heard echoing off the stone floor. The door opened to reveal a female figure, but nothing more. "Are you ready? It's almost morning and they will be starting soon."

The male smirked and walked over to the witch. "Let's get this over with. We wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting. It's not like anyone would come looking for this pathetic loser."

Dark purple energy surrounded the male and engulfed him. When the magic cleared, the male walked back over to the prisoner and laughed. "We're just like twins you weakling. By the time those fools figure me out, it will be too late." With that, he turned and left the room with the witch. Within seconds, the torch went out and hid the face of the prisoner.

Red Fountain

A mysterious male stood in front of the school and smirked. 'This will be too easy. All I have to do is act like that fool and everything will fall into place. I'll take down this school and my brother all at once. I'm coming for you.' With that, he made his way inside and up to his dorm. Everything else had already been taken care, so all he had to do now was wait. He wasn't quite fond of the uniform, but he would put up with it in order to blend in.

The boy had found the classes and training to be quite entertaining. For the most part, he kept to himself and remained quiet. Once everything was over, he made his way back to his room and stared out the window. A few minutes passed and another male walked in.

"You must be new here. I'm Gale."

Turning around, the boy leaned up against the wall and just stared at Gale. "You can call me Zane. Some things came up and I couldn't make the first day. It is nice to meet you."

Gale smiled a little and walked over to the window. "I'm sure that you will be just fine here. Would you like to get out of here? A couple of friends and I were planning on heading into Magix to grab a bite to eat. You could come along if you like."

Zane nodded, walking off and changing clothes. "Sounds good to me. Anything beats sitting around here right now." Time passed and the boys were off to Magix. 'This is way too easy. They really have no idea that I'm an impostor. I just hope that I don't have to keep this charade up for long.'

Alfea

"Come on girls." Carmen said as she rushed to get dressed. Classes were over for the day and she was in a real hurry to leave.

"What has gotten into you Carmen?" Rachel asked.

Catarina and Rosella began to giggle, watching as Carmen ran back and forth across her room. They had a feeling as to why she was in such a rush.

"Does this have something to do with Rexx?" Catarina asked.

Carmen could only smile and giggle a little before answering Catarina. "You got that right. He invited me out to lunch and I just couldn't go without you girls. The rest of the guys will be there as well."

The girls quickly got ready and got on the bus to Magix. It was a cloudy day, although the sun was still able to shine through. After arriving in the city, the girls walked down the sidewalk to a pizzeria and took a seat in a large booth. After a few minutes of waiting, the guys walked in and took a seat beside them.

"It sure took you boys long enough." Rachel said annoyed. 'This had better be worth it or I'm so going to get Carmen back for waking me up.'

Rexx chuckled a little and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. It took a lot to convince these guys to come along with me." 'I really didn't want to be the only guy with all these girls.'

Zane, who was sitting the furthest from the girls, remained quiet and listened to their conversation. 'This is far too easy. As long as I keep up this guise, they will never suspect what I'm really up to. I just have to keep this up long enough to take out my foolish brother.'

Rosella took notice to Zane and smiled. "Hello there, I don't remember meeting you."

Gale glanced over at Zane and then back to Rosella. "This is my new roommate, Zane. He just arrived today."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Zane." Rosella said. "My name is Rosella."

Zane smiled and nodded, "The pleasure is all mine Rosella." 'She's the one that Splendora is after. It wouldn't be too hard to capture her, but I can't allow that to get in the way of my mission. Besides, I can't do anything with so many people here.'

"Zane, that's a nice name." Rachel said smiling. "I'm Rachel. These are my friends, Carmen and Catarina."

Zane chuckled a little and stretched out. "You are quite lovely my dear Rachel."

After a few minutes of talking, the food arrived and they all started eating. Once everyone was done, they decided to take a walk through the city. Rosella and Catarina walked with Gale and Colton, while Rachel stuck close to Zane. Carmen and Rexx were off in their own little world and drowned out everyone else.

"Where are you from Zane?" Rachel asked.

Zane had been keeping an close eye on Rosella until Rachel caught his attention. "I'm from Tempesta beautiful."

"Tempesta. That's interesting to know."

Catarina glanced back at Zane and couldn't help but feel something off. She decided that it was best to keep quiet about it until she was absolutely sure. 'Something isn't right about that guy. His aura seems to be corrupted or something.' "Hey Gale. What do you know about Zane?"

"Not much really." Gale said. "This is the first time we've actually met. All I know is that he was supposed to have been here yesterday, but something came up. Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious."

'It's almost as if Catarina is hiding something.' Rosella thought. "He doesn't seem like a bad guy."

Gale sighed and turned his head, facing forward. "We'll just have to get to know him better. I'm sure that he's not so bad once you get to know him."

" Would you like to help me pick out some fire proof outfits Rexx?" Carmen asked.

Rexx couldn't help but laugh a little and nod his head. "I would love to beautiful."

Carmen just about jumped ten feet off the ground before grabbing Rexx's arm and taking off into a nearby clothing store. "This is going to be great."

The first outfit was a red strapless dress that flowed down to her knees. Yellow and orange bangles hung on her wrists with a flame emblem hanging off. She wore sparkly red high heels and a volcano necklace. The dress itself had a flame pattern going down the sides, fading from orange to yellow.

"How do I look?"

Rexx couldn't believe his eyes at what he was seeing. For a few minutes, he stood there in complete awe. "You look beautiful Carmen. That dress really works for you."

Carmen smiled and ran over to him. "I'm glad that you like it Rexx. I believe that I will buy it." With that she took off and came back with three shopping bags. "Let's get back to the others."

"Sounds like a good idea my lovely."

"I would like to know more about you Zane." Rachel said smiling.

Zane chuckled and stared at the sky, then back to Rachel. "I'll be happy to tell you everything your radiance. What else would you like to know?"

Rachel giggled and clung on to Zane's arm. "What do you like?"

"Let's see. I love moonlight, especially if there's a full moon out. The stars along with the moon create a perfect shine, but they are not as lovely as you my dear."

"That all sounds wonderful." Rachel said. 'This guy really knows to charm a girl. I would really love to spend more time with him. Maybe we'll get a chance to spend some time alone.'

Colton had hung close behind Gale and kept to himself. He had to laugh a little when Carmen took off with Rexx. Something in Catarina's voice had really started to worry him. There was nothing to indicate that Zane was a bad guy at all. Perhaps Catarina could see something the rest of them couldn't.

"Perhaps there is more to this guy than we realize."

Rosella stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. "Oh Colton. You were so quiet that I forgot you were even there. Maybe you are just cautious because you've just met Zane."

"Maybe you are right Rosella." Catarina said smiling. "It could be possible that we're just jumping to conclusions. Let's just get to know him and go from there." 'Still, his aura is very off. It's almost as if he's a completely different person.'

Gale looked up at the sky and noticed that it was getting dark. "It's been fun girls, but we should really get back now."

"As much as I don't want to, Gale is right." Rexx said. "We need to get back and get our new friend settled in."

Carmen slumped down and sighed. "I guess if you have to go then you have to go."

"We need to get back as well." Catarina said. "It's almost curfew anyways and we wouldn't want to be caught out after hours."

They all said their goodbyes and headed off to their respected schools. The girls had barely made it back to their dorm when curfew was called. Once they were back in their room, they sat down and stretched out.

Alfea

"Well that was fun. You made a great call Carmen." Catarina said.

"It truly was a great idea to bring you girls along. You should've seen Rexx's face when I tried on that dress. I left him speechless."

Rosella smiled and chuckled a little. "You two really seem to like each other. You're in love with him aren't you?"

Carmen smiled and jumped up out of her seat. "I've always had a crush on him. He's become so handsome. I like him just as much as Catarina likes Gale."

"Gale is just so sweet and wise." Catarina said. "I love to listen to him talk. I've never met anyone that could stay so calm. How about Rachel's crush on Zane? I want to know more about you Zane."

Rachel blushed a deep red and sent a small glare towards Catarina, "He's so mysterious. Of course I want to know more about him. That helps me get to know him a lot better than you. And I don't have a crush on him."

"Well, you were clinging to his arm for a while." Rosella said. "He really seems like a good guy and a romantic."

Catarina smiled and stood up, "Zane seems really interested in you Rachel. Especially by the way he kept complimenting you. What about you Rosella? Colton has taken an interest in you."

"Colton and I just happen to be from the same place." Rosella said. "It's not that we like each other at all. We're just friends and I'm sure that he is happy to meet another survivor. I'm just glad that I'm not the only one left. The planet may be gone, but there could be more survivors somewhere."

The rest of the girls smiled and walked over to Rosella, hugging her. She was finally starting to open up a little and it felt good. Rosella had been running for so long, that she forgot what it was like to have friends. She would still worry about their safety, but believed that they could get through this. Splendora was still out there somewhere and that was what frightened her the most.

Catarina smiled and pulled Rosella to her feet, "That's some positive thinking Rosella. I promise, if there are more survivors, we will find them one day."

"And we will put a stop to Splendora's plans as well." Rachel said.

Carmen nodded and threw a fist in the air. "Just let that witch try something. We'll show her just what we are made of. Together, we are one. Now, how about a party?"

Rosella was happy to have friends like them. They were each unique in their own way. Catarina could calm down anyone. Carmen was always happy, until you made her mad. Rachel might have been mean at first, but she was the toughest girl Rosella knew. It was just the four of them and the thought of two new roommates was exciting. Within seconds, the girls started throwing pillows at each other and laughing. They continued their little party until about midnight, when they decided that it was time to head to bed.

Red Fountain

The boys had finally made it back their dorm and helped get Zane settled in. Zane didn't really have much to put away, so it took no time at all. Afterwards, they sat around and talked for a few hours. For the most part, Zane was really quiet and just wanted to lay in his bed.

"What do you think of everything so far Zane?" Gale asked.

Zane sat up and glanced over at Gale, "I think that I will like it here. The classes are great and I really like being so close to those girls."

"Speaking of girls, you have a thing for Rachel." Rexx said.

Zane sighed and threw his arms up in defeat. "It's true. That girl truly is something else. She seems to shine just like a diamond."

Colton had been staring out the window and listening to the conversation take place. "You should focus more on Carmen Rexx. I can tell that you have a crush on her."

Rexx laughed and flopped down on his bed. "What can I say? That girl was always beautiful. We actually pretended to date when were kids. Is there anyone that you like Colton? You sure get along well with Rosella."

"Rosella is one of the kindest girls you could ever meet." Colton said. "I don't have a crush on her. We're just friends and nothing more. At least now, she knows that she isn't alone and I'm happy for her."

Gale laughed and stared out the window. "Rosella is definitely different from the rest of the girls. She seems to be a little more distant."

"And Gale has a crush on Catarina." Rexx said sitting up. "She likes talking to you buddy and I guess that she finds it comforting."

Gale sighed and turned his attention to Rexx. "Catarina is so calm and somehow knows exactly what to say people. She's definitely a good friend to have. So what if I do like her?"

They continued to talk for a few more hours before heading off to bed. Zane had been lying down his back, staring at the ceiling as everyone else drifted off. The first day had gone surprisingly well, but he wasn't quite finished yet. He had yet to find his brother and that would be his goal.

'Perhaps if these fools spent less time worrying about those fairies, they would be able to figure me out.' Zane thought. 'That Catarina could be a problem if I don't do something. She's the fairy of Aura, so I'm sure that she could sense something from me. If I'm going to keep this up, I'll have to find a way to block that power of hers. I can't allow anyone to figure me out just yet.'

Splendora's Base

Splendora was once again watching the events unfold from her tower and smirked. Once everyone had drifted off to sleep, the orb disappeared and she leaned back on her throne. Blood red candles illuminated the area enough to show her face. She had black hair with crimson bangs and deep blue eyes. Her outfit consisted of a black dress with a single strap on the right side and a long sleeve on the left arm. The skirt itself was black and had a spider web pattern that reached just below her knees. She wore a crimson bodice that was strapless and stopped at the top of her skirt. The boots she wore were black with red heels that reached just above her ankles. She had one strip of hair that went down to her waist and crimson tentacles coming out her back. Her makeup consisted of pink eye shadow that rose past her eyebrows.

"Those fools have no clue what's really going on. That boy has infiltrated that worthless school with great success. And he's even gotten close to that fairy, Rachel. Now, all he has to do is convince her that her so-called friends are out to get her. Echo."

Within an instant, a cloud of dark purple smoke appeared in front of her. The smoke cleared to reveal another witch. The woman wore a dark purple dress that reached her knee caps with a dark red halter strap. She had short black hair that reached a few inches below her shoulders and yellow eyes. Around her waist was a blood red sash and she wore black gloves that reached past her elbows. On her feet were dark purple ankle boots with dark red heels.

"What is it you wish of me mistress?"

Splendora smirked and stared directly at the witch. "I want you to make it so that little aura pixie can't sense Rave. We do not need those goody goods finding out about our plans. For this to work, he needs to blend in without raising suspicion."

"As you command." With that, Echo disappeared, arriving below red fountain. "This will be easy.
Qui mi onde sonore delle tenebre . Usa il tuo potere e nascondere la verità da occhi indiscreti ." Within seconds, a wave of dark purple energy shot through the school and was absorbed into Zane's body. "It is done." All that was left of Echo was a cloud of purple smoke.

Zane smirked as the energy entered his body and closed his eyes. 'This will make sure that little fairy doesn't figure me out.'

Echo Translation: Here me sound waves of darkness. Use your power and hide the truth from prying eyes

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