Alright! I took so long to write this... I'm really sorry! It was holidays time and all Christmas and New Years for me took all of my time. On the same note, Happy New Year everyone! I hope it's filled with happiness for you and your loved ones :)

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 14: The Day of the Rose

It's been a few days since the incident. I haven't seen the witches since, and that's the only thing that's keeping them alive right now. Next time I see them, they're in for a world of pain. I don't even care about the consequences at this point. Apparently, Faragonda sent a letter to Cloud Tower's headmistress, demanding her to take disciplinary action concerning the three witches. I bet she won't do a thing about it.

These days, every time I see professor Palladium, my heart starts beating really fast. Yeah, I'm aware that I like him more than a teacher, and that's a problem. Student teacher relationships are not appropriate in a school environment. As if I'd ever be in a relationship with him… It's probably one-sided anyway.

"You're already awake, Onyx?"

Stella yawns and stretches her arms as she gets out of bed.

"Yeah. Did you sleep well?"

She nods as she stretches some more.

"Are you going somewhere today?"

She asks me. Oh yeah… Today is the Day of the Rose. The day we're supposed to celebrate our mothers. Too bad mine doesn't even consider me her child.

"No, I won't be going anywhere. You?"

"Me neither."

We change and get out to say goodbye to Flora and Tecna who are both going back to their home planets. On the way out, we see that everyone else is also leaving.

"Hey, Onyx!"

I turn towards Professor Palladium who's heading towards me with his luggage.

"Professor…"

I feel a bit awkward around him… But I should at least properly face him before he goes.

"I just uh… wanted to say goodbye before leaving."

"Yeah… Bye…"

"Are you going to see your mother too?"

I shake my head, not really knowing how to answer.

"Oh. Do you… want to talk about it?"

"It's okay. You should go spend time with your mother while you can."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then."

I smile and wave at him while he leaves and waves back.

I head back inside with Stella, Bloom and Musa and we head for the cafeteria to eat breakfast. There's literally only the four of us.

"You're not going to see your parents back on Earth, Bloom?"

Stella asks her while putting some jam onto a piece of toast.

"You might think this is silly of me, but… I just feel like I'll be even more homesick if I go back for just one day."

Understandable, I guess.

"How about you guys? Why did you decide to stay here?"

After swallowing a bite of her sandwich, Stella took the liberty to answer Bloom's question first.

"Well, the King and Queen of Solaria haven't exactly been on good terms recently… When I go back to visit, it feels as though I'm unwanted in the middle of their bickering. I'd rather just spend my time in peace."

"That must be horrible…"

Bloom answers with concern.

"Enough about that. What about you, Onyx? Why are you staying?"

How should I even begin to explain…? I should just keep it concise.

"My parents don't exactly consider me their child, with me being a dark Ankelon and all."

"What? How can they even do that?!"

Stella retorts in indignation.

"What about you, Musa?"

I ask her, hoping to get the attention away from myself.

"Oh… I just don't have a mom. I mean, I lost her when I was still very little."

"Oh Musa, I'm so sorry."

Bloom says as she pats her friend's back. Seeing such a usually cheerful person being so sad makes me feel sad as well. It must've been really hard on Musa.

After finishing up with breakfast, Stella invites us to go attend the festival in downtown Magix. Bloom decides to tag along while Musa says she isn't in the mood. I'm not a party person either so I decide to stay as well.

After the girls leave, Musa and I part ways, wanting to each spend some alone time. I head to the library, trying to keep my mind off of things. The Day of the Rose… It would be nice to have someone to celebrate. I wonder if my mother ever once felt love for me after finding out what I am. No, no! I came to the library to get my mind off things!

…This isn't working. I should've just gone with the girls. If I go now, I should make it on time to watch the end of the bike race that the Specialists are participating in. Might as well, I guess. Anything is better than to get depressed because of my negative thoughts.

I head out as soon as I can and take the bus to Magix. I can already see the festive decorations from far. Balloons and roses everywhere. It brings a small smile to my face. When I arrive, I walk to where there's a big crowd. That must be where the race is. That's when I start hearing people's chattering.

"What's going on with the race?"

"There's a fairy flying on the tracks!"

"Was this all planned or something?"

By the time I make it to the front, I start to understand what the fuss is all about.

"Bloom?"

Bloom is in her fairy form, flying after one of the riders who's helmet is going haywire. Just as his bike crashes and he's sent flying in the opposite direction, another rider catches him. It looks like it's a woman. Her long hair is familiar… It's the same as Darcy's. But what would she be doing here?

When the race ends, I see Stella running to Bloom. Brandon and Sky, who were both in the race, also catch up with them. The one who's helmet was going haywire turns out to be Riven. And… The female rider is Darcy! As soon as I see her, my blood starts to boil. I immediately jump over the bar separating the crowd from the race tracks and run to where everyone's gathered. Stella's the first one to spot me.

"Onyx! You're here!"

As soon as Darcy hears my name, her eyes widen and she hurriedly stands behind Riven.

"You."

I say in a low menacing voice. Just as I am getting closer, Riven blocks me.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"What do YOU think you're doing?!"

"Darcy here saved my life and I can clearly see that you mean her harm! I won't let you get any closer to her!"

My eyes widen in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? I'm not letting that witch go!"

Riven, looking a lot angrier than usual, grabs me by my collar.

"I said back off!"

I frown menacingly at him.

"Let go of me."

"H-Hey, guys! Let's all calm down now."

Sky says as he tries to break us up. Riven shoves me away.

"Watch it!"

Stella yells at him as she helps me keep my balance.

"Tch. If anyone is to blame for all of this it's Bloom! She's the one who gave me that helmet! She tricked me! All she wanted to do was to give her Brandon a chance at winning!"
"That's not true! I didn't do that! I didn't know! Timmy gave me that helmet-"

"Timmy? Enough with the lies! Timmy's gone to his home-world for the day!"

"Riven!"

Brandon stands between him and Bloom.

"What? Now you're taking her side? I'm the victim here!"

"No! That's not what I meant! I just think we should listen to what Bloom has to say."

"Forget it! I'm done with you losers and your pixies! And you better stay away from Darcy, you creep!"

He yells that last part at me before heading off with Darcy. This whole situation is just odd and irritating. I ask Bloom about what happened and she tells me all the details. From what she's saying, I'm assuming that Darcy and the witches tricked her into giving Riven a dysfunctional helmet. To what purpose though? All they succeeded in doing is tricking Riven into thinking that they're the good guys. If you ask me, then good riddance. But then again, if Musa finds out, she'll be quite sad about it. Especially since it seems that Riven's falling for Darcy. And here was my chance to take my revenge on her, too…

The girls and I head back to Alfea after parting ways with the Specialists. When we get there, I notice that some people are already back. I wonder if… probably not. Why am I even thinking that? It's not like he'll want to see me as soon as he comes back. Professor Palladium would probably want to relax and prepare for his classes tomorrow. I shouldn't even be having such thoughts about my teacher. He's just my teacher. He should be just my teacher…

Anyway, let's just head to the library again.

"Oh! Onyx!"

I turn around, fully recognizing the voice. I feel a smile forming on my face. I can't even control it!

"Professor Palladium! You're back?"

He's also smiling brightly.

"Yes, I just got back. Are you heading to the library?"

"I am."

"May I join you?"

I nod shyly. I'll be very happy if he joins me. What a nice coincidence. We both head to the library while making small talk about how our days went. I omit the event about Darcy and Riven, not wanting to worry him. Maybe I'll tell him later.

There's no one but us in the library. For some reason, it makes me a bit nervous. It's not like it's the first time that I'm alone with Professor Palladium, but it feels different this time somehow.

"What kind of books do you come to read here, Onyx?"

He says as he looks through one of the shelves.

"Well, I mostly read some books about light magic."

He turns his head towards me. Our eyes meet and I immediately look at the floor, not able to maintain eye contact.

"Is that what you enjoy reading?"

I hesitate a bit before shaking my head.

"What do you enjoy reading then?"

"Um…mostly occult books."

"It's hard to find that here, isn't it?"

I nod.

"Come with me. I'll show you a section that's usually off-limits to students unless they have special authorization."

I follow him, eager to see where he leads me. We go up some stairs and arrive at a locked room. Using some magic, Professor Palladium opens the door, leading the way in. As soon as I step inside the room, I feel an overflow of dark magic. It feels familiar and close, unlike light magic which feels foreign and distant to me.

"This… Can I really read these books?"

I turn to Professor Palladium, awaiting his confirmation.

"Of course you can. Besides, you'd probably understand these better than anyone else here."

"Thank you so much, Professor Palladium!"

"I told you to just call me Palladium when we're not in class."

I giggle at him.

"This is the happiest I've seen you so far, Onyx."

He smiles at me.

"I'm just so grateful…"

Palladium pats my head affectionately.

"Onyx, don't force yourself to be someone you're not. You're amazing just the way you are and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

These words… For some reason they touch me deeply. Especially that today is the day when I'm supposed to celebrate my mother. One of the people who doesn't want me to be myself… Tears start flowing down my cheeks. I bring my hands up to try to dry them up.

"I-I'm sorry! It just happened all of a sudden-!"

Before I could say more, I feel Palladium's warm arms wrapping around me, bringing me close to his chest. The hug just makes my tears fall down more. I'm both happy and sad. We stay like this for while, without any of us saying a word.

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