Chapter Ten: Dance With The Devil(s)

"Though generally attributed to witches, many fairies have adapted the viewpoint of the law of return. In other words, that's the idea that whatever you do- good or bad- comes back to you three times. Now it may not be in the same form. You could, for instance, hold a door open for someone, but maybe instead of having a door held for you three times, instead you get, oh, I don't know," mused Professor Avalon, "a puppy, maybe?"

Story smiled and took down notes, though her mind was only half in the classroom. The other half was thinking about her dream. Morning glory seeds to stop nightmares, she remembered from when she was little and her mother would calm her and cast spells to stop the dreams. It was a witch solution, not a fairy one, but it worked well.

Maybe she belonged at Cloud Tower. It was in her blood. Her grandmother (named, in word-power tradition, Poesia, Faragonda being like the guardian fairy titles) was technically a witch, but practiced a unique mix of the two types of magic. She never transformed or anything, and her magic was rather frightful, but she didn't use it for evil. And her mother Fable was a full-fledged witch, though she had studied at home rather than in the dark school.

But she was a blonde. And she liked ponies and bunnies and stuff. Story was tough and had incredible power (and she knew it), but the witches would chew her up and spit her out like a shadow demon eating a pixie.

"Some of you seem doubtful. 'How could this apply to us?' you ask. 'How could it apply at all?' 'If witches believe this, why are they, well, witches?' Remember- this is philosophy, not fact. Treat it as such."

Avalon smiled. "That said, I believe it. Think of it this way. If you short sheet the girls in the dorm, you'll likely get three very angry roommates bent on vengeance, and maybe one forgiving one. They'll give you three times what you gave them. But if you make breakfast for the girls in your dorm, you'll get three willing to do you a favor, and that damn neutral one again who doesn't seem to care about her bedding or her breakfast. She's probably emo or something."

The girls laughed for a second, and Avalon continued. 'Your homework is to do something and see if it really does affect you threefold. Record your actions today, by memory or on paper. And tomorrow, we'll see who gets their just desserts- whether they be a smooshed cockroach cupcake, or creme brulee."

Claire wrung her hands nervously as she waited for instruction. It was just her in the small office, unless you counted the furniture. Then it was her, a desk, black walls, and some very gloomy candles that seemed to be deciding whether or not they would stay lit. The decision looked like it was leaning towards a "no."

"Lampara," said a voice at the doorway. Claire looked up. As she saw who it was, her eyes widened. "No way!" she exclaimed.

The woman smiled. Her pure white hair framed her face, and square glasses perched on her nose. Her face was stern, but caring. "You must be Claire of Espero," she said.

"Yeah," Claire said, almost jumping up and down out of excitement. "And you're Faragonda, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"I so wanted to go to Alfea! I had the application filled out and everything and I visited last year but you weren't there. I ended up not applying though... my boyfriend ripped up my app and told me to apply here instead. By the time I could get another, it was too late and you really should do an online application process and I'm babbling, aren't I?"

Faragonda looked a little weirded out, for lack of better term, but smiled and got over it. "Well, from what I hear, your Supernatural Aptitude Test scores were high. Alfea would be proud to have you, and you're welcome to apply for a transfer at the end of the year. Until then... we have some work to do."

"You're seriously going to be working with me? You didn't get the wrong office or something?"

"No, I'll be teaching you on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Alyxa... sorry, Ms. Griffin... called in a favor, but I would have done it anyway. I can't stand in the way of a young, powerful, witch who actually wants to learn the path of goodness." Faragonda winked, pulled up two chairs, sat, and motioned Claire to follow. The girl did.

"First thing we'll be doing is white bubbling. Surrounding yourself with positivity. Now, to do this you pull both from inside yourself, and outside forces. A powerful bubble should be something you see- literally a white bubble. A less powerful one you can only feel. Try it."

Claire pulled her power around her, brought in the energy from the candles, making them flicker even more. And she formed it into a sphere, pushing it outwards. She could barely see it, but there seemed to be a distinctive glimmer in the air. It was magic, alright, different magic though.

Claire loved it. She smiled and made the sphere bigger.

An air witch, Rainier was the first to pick up the waves of positivity that traveled through the twisting hallways of Cloud Tower. "You feel that?" she asked Iksana, her roommate.

Iksana frowned. "Feel what?"

"I don't know," Rainier said impatiently. "It's like a fairy is here. But not. There's too much love and sunshine in the air."

Iksana sniffed the air as if she could smell it. Idiot, Rainier thought. To think she wants to join The Company. And she can't even feel magic in the air. Thinks she can smell it like some sort of bloodhound. But then Rainier was surprised... "The candles smell different, too," Iksana noted.

Rainier didn't get how Iksana noticed this and she didn't. Maybe because she was a fire witch from Domino. Candles would be in both of their domains. "What the hell is going on?" she wondered aloud, commenting on both her thought and on the bright magic that was polluting the air.

Bloom Peters, queen of Domino and Erakyon, burst into the office, looking like the bright nineteen year old girl she had been at her own Alfea graduation, and not the forty year old woman she was now. Her skinny jeans and frilly yellow tank top did nothing to dispel the image. "Hi, Griselda," she said to the old Mistress of Discipline. "I'm here to pick up Dafne for her... special appointment."

Griselda shifted her weight carefully. "Ah, Bloom. I'm not quite sure how to tell you this, but Dafne has been getting into some trouble here already."

Bloom laughed. "Of course she has! She's my daughter! Remember how I broke, like, thirteen rules before classes even started?"

"Not that sort of trouble. She was harassing... one may say bullying... one of her classmates. Miss Story of Romula, the fairy of words. She looked like she was about to go at her, with fists or magic or both. I managed to stop it before damage was done, and she has been punished accordingly. I usually don't tell the parents- this is, after all, college- but I believe you have more influence over the young fairy than I do."

The queen sighed, rubbed her temples. "Where is she?"

"In her dormitory, now. This was yesterday. She and Story do share the same apartment, and I thought about removing Dafne. But I believe her friends will be a positive influence on her, as the Winx Club was for you and Stella. Besides, one of the most powerful lessons we teach at Alfea isn't the magic of a fairy..."

"It's the magic in a fairy," Bloom finished. "The magic of her heart, her mind, her judgment. Overcoming adversity. Learning to get along with her peers. Learning to believe in them, and in herself."

Griselda shook her head. "I don't even care to remember how many times you had to have gotten into trouble to have that speech completely memorized. But I admit, you give me hope for Dafne. I'll call her down."

Lunch found Lara, Morgan, Grace, and Story together again. The Botany teacher hadn't yet made an appearance, but they had put a substitute in the classroom for the moment. Still, most of the period was spent talking and getting to know each other better. Mostly through random questions that Morgan had dreamed up in her earlier lessons.

"Number fifty-three," she said through a mouthful of egg salad sandwich, "Favorite band?"

Story considered. "Ironically, I am crazy into the Love and Pet Band."

Grace smiled. "Mom would love that. It's not my type of music, though- I like The Magix Effect."

"Werewolves of Isis," Lara said automatically.

"Me too!" Morgan exclaimed. The two exchanged a high five before the fairy of wild animals continued. "Something you've never told anybody, but that isn't necessarily a secret."

"My hair is naturally black. It's not dyed. I just happen to have the personality to match it."

"I always wanted to have a horse; but they don't exist on Zenith."

"Um... I like the Love and Pet band."

Morgan sighed. "Those are all really lame. Except for maybe Grace's, but I knew that so it doesn't count anyway. Retry."

Lara frowned. "My mom died when I was little, in an attempt to try to domesticate carnivorous plants. I know she was really important in the magical biology community, but not much else about her. People say I look like her with darker hair."

Morgan nodded. "Wow, that sucks. Maybe after we've discovered the secrets of Grace's family, we can get to work on yours."

"I don't know," Lara shrugged. "I have Dad and Mirta and the brothers of doom. I don't want to dig up anybody else and end up in Grace's position. No offense, techno girl."

"None taken." Grace smiled. "But I'm afraid I'm an open book. No secrets, besides the whole horse thing."

"I'm the first fairy in my family," Story said suddenly. "My mom's a witch, my grandma's a witch, everybody as far back as I can trace... witch. But my grandmother paid tuition for me to go here. And I think I like it better anyway."

"Why did your grandma want you to go here if she's a witch, too?" Lara asked.

"Long story. No pun intended. Anyways, I should have a couple secrets, don't you think?"

Morgan didn't look too happy about that, nor did Lara, but they let it drop. Morgan sighed. "I'm a lesbian. I guess you knew that. So, um. I want to own a preserve for predatory wild animals, especially wolves. I love, love, love wolves. Okay, item number fifty-five..."

"Attention!"

The girls looked around. "Attention!" a voice called again, and they realized the sound was coming from the teacher's platform.

As the dining hall quieted, Miss Faragonda stood and addressed the school. "Many of you know that we have a traditional back to school ball every year. We usually invite the specialists from the Red Fountain School for Heroics, Bravery, and Magics, and we continue to carry out this tradition. However, after meeting a few of their spectacular students today, I have decided to extend an invitation to another school."

"Not Beta, not Beta, not Beta," Story heard a girl at the next table chant.

"The student witches of Cloud Tower Academy will join us as our guests. I expect you all to treat them with the same respect and love you would treat each other with."

The entire cafeteria seemed to be completely silent as the girls absorbed the news. Lara was the first to break the silence, and as a result her voice echoed throughout the room. "I think it's cool."

Immediately, the dining hall buzzed with excitement, and maybe a little fear. "What if the bitch witch sister comes?" Morgan asked.

Lara shrugged. "All the better to spy on her, my dears. See if she has any scary friends."

Grace fiddled with her earrings. "I don't know about this."

"What's there not to know? It's not suspicious or anything. It's better than sneaking into CT, though we're gonna have to do that too." Lara smiled, a little bit evilly. "Nobody will have to know a thing about this. After all, it's a dance. It's fun. And girls just wanna have fun, no?"