Chapter 4
The ride to Alfea was longer now that they were going by ship instead of magic carpet. Bloom didn't mind though. She spent her ride in silence, compiling thoughts in her mind as she crafted ways she could save her parents. She refused to think of the final outcome as grim. She couldn't handle that, not now that her world was falling apart and changing by the second.
Everyone gave her her space too, which was nice. The blond guy with the blue eyes kept looking her way, as if trying to decide whether to talk to her or not. As cute as he was, Bloom was glad he kept his distance. He was not the kind of distraction she needed at the moment.
Eventually the familiar forests appeared outside the ship's window and they started their descent, landing just a few minutes outside of the Alfea campus.
"Here we are ladies, the Alfea College for Fairies," announced the ginger pilot, his voice far too chipper for Bloom's liking, especially given the situation, but she supposed someone had to stay on the bright side of things.
"Thanks Timmy," Stella said on her way out. Bloom gave him a curt nod, not capable of much speech yet.
"You two stay safe, you hear?" the brunet instructed, though mostly to Stella. He seemed taken with her, and she with him, and Bloom did not have time for it.
"We will," Stella assured him, stepping a bit closer. "Thanks for the save, my hero."
She pecked him on the cheek and dashed off, Bloom close by her side as they boys reloaded the plane and soared away. Bloom wished she could be more excited for Stella, but the blatant display of affection was callous and rude. Bloom had just lost everything and there Stella was, flaunting a possible new romance right in front of her face. It made her mad enough that the red edges came back into view, but as soon as Bloom saw them, she shocked herself into seeing straight. It didn't take an idiot to figure out that anger was her trigger, but she would have to be a lot more careful if even tiny things were enough to set off the red.
The pearly pink gates of the college were just as Bloom remembered them from her short trip, though this close up, she could see just how large they truly were. They were much bigger than the tallest tower of the college, though they stood without a fence. Bloom wondered what the point was, but then realized as she passed under the wings that the fence was not only magical, but alarmed.
Lights immediately flooded the campus green, causing Bloom to squint and flinch away from the assaulting brightness. A moment later, two older women appeared in front of them, both cross though one far more than the other. It was the tall brunette lady that looked scary, the smaller silver haired woman looking more disappointed than anything.
"My office, now," the older woman commanded, her voice strong despite her age, and Bloom felt the urge to comply. Stella looked like a dog with its tail between its legs, caught in the act of something it shouldn't be doing. That's when Bloom realized that sneaking off to Earth, causing property damage, and then sneaking back onto campus at two in the morning was most likely against every rule the college had. Bloom wondered how quickly they would be kicked out before they even got the chance to settle in.
They all walked back to the woman's office in heavy silence, no one daring to speak up until the double doors were shut and they were left alone in the vast office space.
"Headmistress Faragonda, this is Bloom Peters of Earth," Stella introduced, gesturing for Bloom to step forward.
"Hello dear, I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to your parents," the old woman said, her sympathy genuine.
"Thank you," Bloom said barely above a whisper, taking a seat across from the large desk Miss Faragonda was sitting at. Stella followed suit and sat down next to Bloom so that the only person standing was the stern brunette woman who was still glaring at them.
"Miss Griselda and I have been made aware of your current situation, and given the severity, you are welcome to stay here for as long as you need. You can even choose to enroll in classes for the new year if you wish, as it so happens that Princess Varanda of Callisto has declined to attend Alfea this year."
"Thank you Headmistress. That's kind of you," Bloom said sincerely, though the idea of picking up a new life so quickly was dizzying.
"She'll take it," Stella answered for Bloom, who shot her a desperate look. Bloom needed to find a way to help her parents, not waste time flying around a magic fairy school regardless if she was one or not.
"I know what you must be thinking Miss Peters, but believe me when I say you are doing your parents more good remaining here and strengthening yourself rather than falling into the line of fire out there. I encourage you to enroll in classes so that you will be prepared for whatever happens next," Miss Faragonda said with conviction, as if trying to convince Bloom to stay.
"But my parents...will I learn how to heal them?" Bloom asked desperately.
"I will do everything within my ability to find a way to reverse what has been done to them."
"Miss Faragonda has insane magical abilities Bloom. Don't worry, your parents are in the best hands in the Magical Dimension," Stella assured, seeming far too nonchalant for Bloom's liking.
"Thank you Stella, though flattery will not make me forget what you did to the potions lab last year," Miss Faragonda replied, her patience growing thin at the constant commentary. "Going off on an unsanctioned mission, involving the Red Fountain Specialists, and calling attention to magic on Earth is not a good way to start off this school year either."
"That's my fault, not Stella's," Bloom stepped in, trying to save Stella from too much shame. "I shouldn't have tried to stop the ogre. I had no idea what I was getting into, and because of my failed attempt at heroics, I made myself a target."
"But you also saved my life," Stella countered, looking at Bloom gratefully.
"Regardless, what's done is done and nothing can change that," Miss Faragonda settled the subject, folding her hands thoughtfully on her desk. "Though, you have yet to tell me what kind of powers you possess."
"I'm...not sure..." Bloom stammered, already afraid of the looks she was getting from the two older women.
"Oh?" Miss Griselda asked, her eyebrows raised and one eye squinted in scrutiny, perhaps thinking if she stared hard enough she could deduce the powers Bloom possessed. Miss Faragonda looked skeptical as well, her kindness harboring an edge now.
"Yeah. I actually didn't even know I had any until yesterday," Bloom confessed, thinking she might as well come clean if she was already half way there.
"But they're super strong. She took out that ogre and most of the ghouls pretty much singlehandedly," Stella added, as if trying to validate the existence of Bloom's powers.
"Technically the ogre ran away..." Bloom reminded her, recalling how it dissolved in a beam of light right in front of her eyes, leaving Bloom to deal with its mess.
"Yeah, after you whooped it's butt. I saw that blast of power you dealt him before I blacked out, and then again at your house" Stella bragged, making Bloom more and more uncomfortable. "This girl has some major Winx Miss F. You should've seen it."
"Yes, I should've," the Headmistress agreed, looking at Bloom pensively. "We've gone through a lot tonight. Perhaps it's best if the two of you got some sleep. It's late, and classes start in the morning. We can continue discussing this at some other point."
"Sure," Stella agree, getting up and stretching. "I could use some beauty rest. Come on Bloom, I'll show you to our room. Varanda was supposed to be my roommate, so I guess now that's you."
"Goodnight girls," the two women dismissed them, the double doors opening with a wave of the Headmistress' hand.
Bloom did not miss the old woman's eyes on the back of her head as they got up to leave, nor how they stared and stared and stared until Bloom could feel her skin prickle. She didn't like being watched, and when she turned around, she could see Miss Faragonda and Miss Griselda talking quietly to one another, all the while looking at Bloom until the doors shut behind them.
"I don't think Miss Faragonda likes me very much," Bloom said once they were down the hall from the Headmistress' office, mostly to herself but loud enough for Stella to hear.
"Don't be silly Bloom. If anything, it's me she can't stand," Stella said dismissively, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"She was staring at me when we left like something was wrong with me. There was a frown and everything."
"She's probably just confused how a fairy was found on Earth," Stella explained, though the way she said it - as if the answer was obvious - grated on Bloom's nerves. "You have to realize that until now, Earth was considered a dead planet. No magic whatsoever. Then you show up and completely change the game. It's gotta be a lot to take in when you're as old as Miss F."
"I guess you're right," Bloom sighed, not wanting to get into anything this late at night and especially as exhausted as she was. "She must be what, seventy years old?"
"Seventy? Think bigger dahling," she drew out dramatically, shaking her head at Bloom. "Miss F is well over a century old and will still probably outlive us all."
"Wow..." was all Bloom could say. Did magic give people the power to live forever? If so, she hoped that she had not been granted that ability, not with how her life was going so far. "How is that even possible?"
"She's a fairy godmother amongst dozens of other things. Basically she's so powerful that not even death can stop her," Stella said nonchalantly, though there was an underlying mix of awe and pride. "There's a rumor going around that she's being scouted as the next Nymph of Magix but I don't think she'll ever leave this school. She's like, the heart of this place. If she left, the school would fall apart."
"Nymph of Magix?"
"My goodness you really don't know anything do you?" Stella asked, as if that question and not the dozens she'd asked before were enough to give that away. "We will have to have a serious Magix 101 crash course in the morning. But not now. Now, it's bedtime."
Stella stopped in front of a door identical to all the others lined on the hall. She double-checked the number before pulling out her key and twisting the doorknob open, letting Bloom step in first. The room inside was large and spacious, a common area set up in the middle with couches and tables and chairs scattered about. There were green doors along the walls, most likely leading to bedrooms and the bathroom.
"That room has already been claimed," Stella pointed to the green door off to the side of the common space, the door already tightly shut for the night. "Your room is on the other side."
Bloom looked across the living space and saw a door identical to the shut one, but this one was cracked open as if awaiting her arrival.
"Where will you sleep?"
"I requested the single room," Stella pointed to the intricate double doors at the back of the space. "I have a hard time sharing. That, and my closet is far too big to be shoved in a shared wardrobe. This way, I can bring my entire collection with ease."
Of course Stella would do that. She was a spoiled princess after all. Sharing must be a foreign concept to someone who was given everything since birth.
"Goodnight Bloom, see you in the morning!" Stella said, walking over to her door, making a show of how tired she was as she yawned and stretched.
"Goodnight," Bloom waved Stella off, her blonde head disappearing through the door.
Bloom made her way to her room, sneaking inside as to not wake up her roommate. When she shut the door and looked around, she was surprised to see that instead of a normal dorm room, it looked like she had stepped into a greenhouse. She went over to the unoccupied bed and placed her duffle bag down on it, sorting through her meager belongings. She didn't want to pack too much; there was no need to act like she was going to stay here for long.
What Bloom needed after this hell of a day was a long, hot shower. She grabbed her pajamas, toothbrush, and towel out of her bag and walked over to where she assumed the bathroom was. Only, on her way there, she tripped over something that caused her to stumble forward.
"Hey, watch it!" came a whiny, deep voice. Bloom down and noticed she had stepped on a rather thick vine, then looked up to see a plant the size of her head actually scowling at her. Freaked out, Bloom took a few steps back, only to run smack into someone else. The girl went sprawling on the floor, as did her cup of water which spilled all down the front of her sleep blouse.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you," Bloom apologizing profusely, placing her own things aside to reach down and help the girl up. From this angle, she could see straight down the girl's ample cleavage, the see-through wetness of her blouse clinging to her every curve. She was very beautiful, Bloom noted, and she had to physically shake her head to clear her wandering thoughts.
"That's fine sweetie," the girl said kindly, her voice soft and sugary like honey. "You must be Bloom. My name is Flora, the Fairy of Nature. I can see you've already met Boris. I hope he hasn't been giving you too much trouble."
"No, he's fine. I was just surprised to see so many plants inside," Bloom said gesturing to the room around them. "Do all of them talk?"
"That's my fault," Flora replied sheepishly, lovingly stroking Boris' leaves. "I've been using this space as a place to conduct a few experiments. And no, not all of them talk, but a few do. They make great company."
"Experiments?"
"Harmless things. Testing which plants grow in which environments best. It's a passion of mine," Flora explained, a blush lightly coloring her cheeks as she kept talking. "But I'll be sure to get this all out of your way."
"It's not a big deal. Hopefully I won't be here long anyway."
"You're not a student?" Flora asked, her cheerful expression clouding with confusion.
"Not technically..." Bloom said, rubbing the back of her neck as she tried to find a way to explain. "I was offered a spot here for as long as I need it, but I'm planning on going back home as soon as I learn how to heal my parents."
"That's too bad," Flora lamented, looking genuinely sad. "I was looking forward to being friends."
"We can still be friends," Bloom suggested, not wanting to hurt Flora's feelings. "I'm still going to be here for the foreseeable future."
"I'd like that," Flora smiled widely and gave Bloom a tight hug. Flora's skin was warm despite the dampness of her top, and she smelled like roses and vanilla. Bloom had the feeling she didn't want to let go, but social norms dictated that she had to, and so reluctantly released the Fairy of Nature.
"Well, I was just gonna take a shower," Bloom gathered up her things and nodded towards the door.
"It's the smaller door near the back of the common space," Flora said, her smile wide. "Do you want me to show you?"
"No," Bloom insisted, perhaps a little too vehemently. Flora looked curious, almost hurt, and cocked her head to the side questioningly. But Bloom really couldn't tell her it was because there was something about Flora that made her want to stare at her supple curves a little too long, and the context that surrounded a bathroom was a bit too much for Bloom to handle at the moment. "I mean, no thank you. I'm sure I can find it."
"Okay sweetie," Flora said, the kindness unfazed. "I'll probably be asleep by the time you get back, so goodnight."
"Goodnight Flora," Bloom replied. The girl smiled back before padding off to her own bed and getting in.
Bloom let out a sigh of relief once she locked herself in the bathroom, leaning up against the door and groaning. A cold shower was exactly what she needed. She was just confused, caught off guard after such a long and strenuous day. There was nothing appealing about her very beautiful, busty, and pretty much perfect roommate. There was nothing appealing about how her hair fell in soft waves over her tanned shoulders, nothing appealing about those brown doe eyes, and definitely nothing appealing about the way her nipples stood out in her blouse, practically straining against the damp fabric. Nope, nothing at all.
Fuck, Bloom swore both mentally and under her breath. Get yourself together. Focus on what's important: your parents.
A cold shower was definitely what she was going to do. Then she was going to tuck herself into bed and promptly ignore Flora for the rest of the hopefully brief time she spent in this magical freak school. It would be easy, right?