Author's Note: Hey guys! All right, so last time, we had Layla successfully escape from Nezaro after an aquatic confrontation. This chapter is going to have her and the rest of the girls plus the guys try and think up a place for her to hide. I'll bet you'll never guess what they'll come up with.
Let me also make a little remark first. My last chapter only got two reviews. I realize it's only been three days, but I usually get way more response from readers on the Quest for Power Series than this. So if you read this chapter, please leave a review. Thanks guys. Happy reading!
Chapter 5: Arrangements for Hiding
On Sunday morning, all the girls, except Layla, were up bright and early. They went into her and Guinevere's room and sat quietly waiting for her to wake up. While they waited, they chatted quietly about how Jason had come in carrying Layla and wondering how she had gotten to be at the bottom of the lake like that. Fortunately, they didn't have long to wait. She began to stir about twenty minutes after they'd all gathered.
"Layla," said Bloom. "Layla, wake up."
Her eyes fluttered open and she said, "where am I?"
"In our room at Alfea," said Guinevere. "What's going on? What happened?"
Layla sat up and it all came flooding back to her. Everything that had happened the previous night and her fears of what her parents might do to her.
"Oh my gosh, you guys I have to leave immediately," she said. "If I know my parents, they'll already have sent someone out looking for me. Who knows how long it'll be before they get here."
"Whoa, Layla calm down and tell us what's going on," said Musa.
"All right, but it's a long story and I don't know how much time I have to explain," she said.
"The boys are on their way here, is there enough time to wait so we can clue them in?" asked Flora, who had just gotten off the phone with Helia.
"I don't know," said Layla. "I hope there is, considering Jason's going to want an explanation as to why I was in the lake last night."
"We want an explanation as to why you were in the lake last night," said Stella. "You almost drowned and you almost ruined that gorgeous dress you were wearing. It's a good thing I was able to dry you off, otherwise the water would have done some huge damage on the fabric."
"Stella," said Bloom with a groan. "I don't think her dress was in any danger of being damaged. Besides, it's her we should be worried about, not a stupid article of clothing."
Layla looked down at herself and saw that she wasn't wearing her bridesmaid's gown anymore and was wearing her usual nightgown. One of the girls must have changed her the previous night. She went into the bathroom to wash up and change her clothes and by the time she was done, the boys had arrived. They were waiting down in the quad for the girls.
"Do you think it's all right to go out and talk in the garden?" asked Nirvana.
"It might be," said Layla. "Just as long as we put protection spells and shield spells and stuff like that around us." The girls all exchanged shocked glances. Layla was never this nervous, nor this paranoid about putting up protection spells. Whatever had happened must have been shocking and dangerous for her to be acting so unlike herself. They all walked down to the quad together and when they got there, Layla immediately found herself enveloped in Jason's arms.
"Layla, thank goodness," he said, his voice muffled because his face was pressed against her shoulder. "I was worried sick about you last night. It's good to see you on your feet."
"I'm all right, Jason," she said, taking a step back from him. "Really I am."
"Jason explained what happened to us last night," said Timmy. The boys had also explained to Andrew and Carlos about the danger the girls had been in recently and what was still to come. Carlos had been particularly upset to learn that the trouble hadn't ended when Paritho was defeated. Timmy continued by asking, "What's going on, Layla?"
"Come on, let's go in the garden and talk," said Layla. They all walked down the familiar path to the garden, chose a secluded little clearing where they could talk privately, the girls putting up protection spells and they began to listen to Layla's story.
"When I got back to Tides two nights ago, everything seemed fine. I saw my cousin Ariel, got through the rehearsal dinner and after that, things went downhill."
"That's when you talked to your parents to find out why they wouldn't let you take Jason to the wedding?" asked Tecna.
"Yeah," said Layla. "They gave me a reason all right, just not one I was expecting."
"You mean you were serious?" asked Jason. "You wanted to take me to that wedding with you?"
"More than anything else," she told him.
"See Jason," said Helia. "We told you you were overreacting."
"What did your parents say to you Layla?" asked Sky.
"You won't like it," said Layla, staring at Jason, a scared look in her eyes.
"Whatever it is, it can't be that bad," said Nirvana.
"Ask Guinevere," said Layla. "She guessed it before I left."
"What are you talking…" began Guinevere, but her voice trailed off as comprehension dawned on her face. She remembered what she had said to Layla when they were alone in their room and Layla was packing her suitcase to leave. Stuttering slightly, she said, "oh lord, I was right? I wasn't even being serious and you're telling me I was right?"
"Right about what?" asked Andrew.
"That my parents set me up with an arranged marriage," said Layla, tears starting to form in her eyes again.
"What?" said everyone except Layla and Guinevere.
"They said they've already agreed to it and needed my approval to start planning, but I said no. But they are so stubborn, they'll force me down that aisle, kicking and screaming if they have to. Then Ariel helped me come up with a plan to get out of Tides for a little while. I'm telling you it won't be long before some royal scouts get here."
"It's all right," said Tecna, checking her computer. "They aren't here yet and I've set my computer to go off when they enter the realm."
"So, what was the escape plan?" asked Riven.
"I was going to go through that day as though nothing had happened, then I'd escape after Ariel's wedding. During the reception, she made an announcement, so I could sneak out without anyone noticing. The palace is surrounded by water on three sides so I knew if I could get out to sea far enough, I could reach a point, where they wouldn't be able to sense any spells I cast. I went down to the western shore where I'd agreed to meet some mermaid friends of mine. You know, some backup in case something went wrong."
"And something did go wrong?" asked Helia.
"Naturally," replied Layla. "I transformed and we started swimming away but before we could get very far, Nezaro attacked. He's the Prince of Fergal, and the guy I'm supposed to be marrying. Why Mom and Dad set me up with him, I don't know. He's a total creep. But, anyway he started attacking us underwater. And he deflected my attacks with a wave of his hand."
"But your attacks are supposed to be stronger underwater," said Bloom.
"I know, so you can imagine how scared I was," said Layla. "I swam as fast as I could, with the elite mermaid guard trying to hold Nezaro off. I managed to reach the point where I could cast the spell to get back here but he caught up with me and knocked me out of my Winx form. Luckily, one of the mermaids managed to restrain him and I used a transportation spell which got me back in the lake. I could sense Jason was out there so I called out to him and thank goodness he heard. The last thing I remember is my oxygen spell wearing off and passing out."
"The question now is what are we going to do?" asked Nirvana. "I mean, you're right. Eventually your parents will search for you here and you did say before you left that you'd rather doom yourself to eternal torment from the witches before agreeing to an arranged marriage."
"Where are Icy, Darcy and Stormy when I need them?" asked Layla sarcastically.
"Layla, that's not funny," said Jason.
Suddenly, a shiver ran down Layla's spine as she felt the presence of guards from Tides enter the realm. A second later, Tecna's computer made a funny beeping noise, which wasn't necessary any longer to alert Layla of danger any longer.
Tecna pulled out her computer and said, "oh no, they're here. What do we do now?"
"Is there someplace we could hide out until we can think of a plan?" asked Guinevere.
"If there is, we have to get there and fast," said Helia. "Once they find out you girls aren't in your rooms, they'll come looking out here."
"If we can get out of here, we might be able to sneak back to Red Fountain," said Sky.
"But how can we get to the levabikes without them seeing us?" asked Carlos.
"We can't," said Brandon, peaking out from behind the trees that were shading them from view. "They're already heading this way. They'll be on us in just a few minutes and considering they're headed straight for us, it looks like someone told them we were out here."
"Ms. Griffin probably, she wouldn't know not to," said Stella, keeping a tight, fearful grip on Brandon's arm.
"Layla, hold still," said Nirvana. "I'm going to cast a spell on you that will make you invisible to the scout's eyes, but visible to the rest of us. All you have to do is hold still and don't speak until I tell you to, otherwise the whole thing will be ruined." Layla just nodded so Nirvana waved her right hand in a circle and said, "visibeles particularis." Layla felt another shiver run down her spine, as though the air had suddenly turned cold. Apart from that, she didn't feel any different, but she knew better than to ask Nirvana if the spell had worked.
"Everyone, whatever you do, don't look at Layla or they'll know she's here," said Nirvana. There was no more time for them to converse because the guards appeared in the grove of trees at that moment, bearing the royal emblem of Tides, and all of them looking as stern and grumpy as guards could get.
"Can we help you with something?" asked Bloom politely.
"We have reason to believe Princess Layla of Tides came here last night," said one of the scouts. "Where is she?"
"She's not here," said Flora. "What makes you think she left Tides?"
"She hasn't been seen since her cousin's wedding reception last night," said the scout. "And after a thorough search, it's obvious she's not on Tides. This is the only place she could have come."
"Well, she's not here," said Nirvana. "We haven't heard from her since she left on Friday. Come to think of it, it's weird that she didn't call. I thought for sure she would."
"So did I," said Musa. "She promised she'd call but I guess she had other things to do. Maybe she forgot."
"Our princess is more responsible than that," yelled the scout. "She doesn't just forget anything and if you were her friend you'd know that. Now tell us where she is!"
"Hey calm down!" said Riven, angry that they'd dared yell at Musa. He stood in front of her and said, "what part of 'Layla isn't here' don't you guys understand?"
"Yeah, if she'd come last night, we'd have seen her or heard her," said Guinevere.
"Where else could she possibly be then?" asked another of the guards.
"Obviously she doesn't want to be found," said Tecna. "That's very unlike her, but if she doesn't want anyone to find her, then I think we should respect her wishes and leave her alone."
"So you're not going to do anything about it?" asked the first one, raising an eyebrow at them.
"We didn't say that," said Jason sharply. "If she doesn't contact us within the next day or so, then we'll go out and look for her. But if she hasn't told me or the girls where she is, then that means she's hiding for reasons of her own and you won't find her." The last part was said with such conviction that it almost gave them away. The guard looked at him suspiciously before deciding that Layla wasn't hiding in the clearing and leading his companion away from the group.
Nirvana waited several minutes to ascertain that they were gone, then said, "all right Layla, it's safe."
Layla let out a deep sigh of relief and said, "thanks Nirvana. That was close."
"What do we do now?" asked Bloom.
"We come up with a plan to keep Layla safe, then start keeping a lookout for those thugs," said Sky. "They didn't believe us, it was obvious. So, they're going to be watching us like hawks."
Tecna did a quick scan with her computer and said, "they're nowhere close to us now, meaning we can speak freely about our plans. They must have gone to search for Layla someplace else. I wonder where they went after they got through with us."
"Who cares as long as it's far away from here," said Riven.
"I always heard Tides was a hospitable realm," said Nirvana. "Those guys were terrible, it was as though they didn't have any goodness in them."
"That's because, they weren't from Tides," said Layla. "They had the royal seal on them, but I know every single guard both on land and in the water and I've never laid eyes on either of them before. They were Nezaro's goons, sentries from the Realm of Fergal."
"What are we going to do about that guy?" asked Guinevere.
"I don't know," said Layla. "Guys, I honestly think I should leave."
"Why?" asked Musa.
"Because Nezaro knows if I'm not on Tides, I'm somewhere in Magix and he won't rest until he finds me," replied Layla. "He's dangerous, the way he just absorbed my attacks, he can take on anyone and win."
"We'll just see about that," said Jason.
"No Jason," said Layla. "I'm going someplace safe. Somewhere I can hide for awhile until I can find out what's going on. I don't have the power to fight Nezaro, not yet. And until I get it, I'm not gonna be able to defeat him."
"Maybe that's why he tried to set up an arranged marriage," said Bloom. "He wants your powers. I'll bet anything he spelled your parents to make them agree with him."
"You're probably right Bloom," said Layla. "Because whenever Nezaro came to Tides, my parents went to great lengths to keep him away from me."
"Wait, you mean he's been to Tides before?" asked Andrew.
"Yeah," replied Layla. "Tides is the only realm that has diplomatic relations with Fergal, though my father's tried to sever them many times. That's what's got me so worried. When I was younger, my parents took pains to make sure I was never left alone with Nezaro and I had to have an armed escort at all times until he and his father left Tides. I wondered why, but all they'd say is that I was too young, I wouldn't understand. When I asked them why we'd never been to Fergal, Dad forbade me from asking him that again. He said there were reasons of his own that he didn't want us going to Fergal."
"But the question now is, where are we going to hide you?" asked Guinevere. "It's not safe at Alfea. Are there any other places in Magix where you'll be safe?"
"There are dozens of caves and underground tunnels," suggested Brandon.
"And a secret room behind the waterfall next to the lake," said Sky.
"Places like that, I doubt I'll be safe for very long," said Layla. "Nezaro has resources and connections to just about everything. He'll have maps of everything in Magix, and he'll have his goons patrol every single inch of land in, around and under the realm. They'll even explore the caves."
"There's one place the scouts will never think to look for you," said Tecna.
"Where?" said everyone together.
"Cloud Tower," said Tecna, simply.
There was a moment of silence when everyone just stared dumbfounded at Tecna, then the silence was broken with Stella jumping and shouting at her friend.
"Are you crazy?" she yelled. "She can't hide at Cloud Tower! Even if we get Ms. F. and Ms. Griffin to agree to it, the witches there will be furious! You saw them when we had to take classes there for a week. I'm still getting nightmares from that."
"Stella's right, who knows what they'll do?" said Bloom. "Last time, they put a catfight spell on us. I don't even want to think about what'd happen if any of us show up there again."
"But on the other hand, a witch's school is the last place anyone would look for a fairy," said Flora.
"What do you think Layla?" asked Musa.
"I think it's a great idea," said Layla.
"What?" they all said together.
"You honestly think it'll help things if you go and hide out at Cloud Tower?" asked Jason.
"At least until Nezaro's cronies leave," said Layla. "Eventually, they'll have to think I'm hiding in another realm, so they'll go and search for me someplace else. Hopefully, they'll think I'm still on Tides and Ariel found someplace there to hide me."
"But they might not leave, they might stick around for weeks," said Guinevere.
"And what happens if Icy, Darcy and Stormy show up?" asked Nirvana.
"I hadn't thought of that," said Layla. "I'd probably better not use any magic until it's safe to come out of hiding. If I do, I have a feeling Nezaro will be knocking at my door."
"You have to admit though, no fairy would go to Cloud Tower unless she absolutely had to, making it a great place to hide out for a little while," said Tecna.
"I don't know Tecna," said Timmy. "It still sounds pretty risky to me."
"Do you have any other suggestions?" she asked him. He just kept silent. "That's what I thought," she said.
"Then it's decided," said Layla. "Let's talk to Ms. Faragonda and Professor Griffin and arrange for me to stay at Cloud Tower for a couple days."
"Any chance we can get back to the school entrance without the goon patrol spotting us?" asked Musa.
"No problem, I'll cast a quick transportation spell, with a cloaking spell on top of it," said Nirvana. "They won't sense you traveling with us Layla. They won't even know we cast the spell." Seeing the apprehensive look on her face, she said, "relax. I've done this spell dozens of times. I promise you it works."
"Okay," said Layla. "You guys had better go back to Red Fountain. We'll tell you guys if something develops."
"Are you sure, Layla?" asked Jason. She nodded. The girls all said goodbye to their boyfriends and stood together in a small group.
Nirvana raised her hands and said, "lenatsa transporta closecka bardena." The girls suddenly felt the world spinning, everything became blurry and unfocused.
"How do we get off this thing?" asked Guinevere.
"Yeah, my hair's getting messed up!" yelled Stella.
"Pipe down!" yelled Nirvana. "I'm trying to concentrate and get us back in Ms. Faragonda's office. If you break my concentration field, not only will we not get back to Alfea, but there's no telling where we'll end up. We could land right in those scout's arms." The girls all kept quiet and after another minute, they landed right back in the headmistress' office.
"Girls," she said. "What's the matter? What are you doing here? Is everything all right?"
"We need your help Ms. Faragonda," said Bloom. The girls quickly explained the situation and how they wanted Layla to stay at Cloud Tower for a few days. When they got done, none of them liked the look on Ms. Faragonda's face. It was a very pensive look, as though she wanted to help them, but didn't know if their idea was one that would work.
"So you want Layla to stay at Cloud Tower until this man Nezaro sends his men away to look someplace else?" asked Ms. Faragonda. The girls nodded. The headmistress looked at them and said, "What happens if they don't leave? You might not be safe here, but I doubt you'll be much safer there. They might still find you, if they look hard enough."
"They won't find me there," said Layla. "It's a witch's school. The last place one would look for a fairy is at a witch's school."
"Point taken," said the headmistress. "But there might be opposition at Cloud Tower. Surely you girls realize that."
"The witches won't have to know," said Tecna. "The only one who can be in on it is Professor Griffin. She can find someplace for Layla to hide there and no one else at Cloud Tower will be any the wiser."
"Are you sure about that?" asked a voice from the corner. All the girls jumped, but breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Professor Griffin walking out of the shadows. "My witches are very clever, it would be hard to hide a fairy staying at my school for a few days."
"Can you cast a spell so that no one will find out?" asked Bloom.
"Not without the rest of the staff knowing," said Ms. Griffin. "But I can persuade them to leave you alone if I have to. Are you sure you want to do this?" The girls nodded again. "All right then. I heard the entire story, so I know some spells that will keep this Nezaro from finding you. You'll be allowed to stay at Cloud Tower for three days, and if his men aren't gone by then, I'm not sure I can justify you being there longer."
"You mean, you're just going to toss me out if they stay longer?" asked Layla.
"I'll send you back to Alfea if they stay longer," replied Professor Griffin. "You girls will have to think of something else to do. But in the meantime, you'll have three days and not a second more."
"Thank you Ms. Griffin," said Layla.
"Go back to your room, get some clothes and anything else you need," said the head witch. "Then come right back here and I'll take you to Cloud Tower. I have an empty dorm room you can stay in for those three days." Layla did as she said and was back in ten minutes.
"I'll see you soon girls," she said. "Tell Jason, everything's all right."
She hugged her friends and went to stand beside Professor Griffin. She raised her hands, and said, "transportus andacus." In a moment, they were standing in the hallways of Cloud Tower.
"There are classes in session right now. No one knows we're here." They walked through the halls and came to a room in the middle of one hallway. Professor Griffin opened the door and said, "welcome to your new home for the next three days." It was a very gloomy room. There were no pictures, a small window on the far wall, a bed in one corner and a dresser opposite it. There was also a bookshelf under the window, so she would at least have something to do while she was there. There was a door across the room, which led to the bathroom.
"Now," continued the head witch. "There are some rules you must abide by while you're here. "One, you are not to leave this room, no matter what. I'm going to cast some spells on this room, so no one will know you're in here. If you leave, that spell will be broken, and everyone in the school will know where to find you. Two, you're not to use any magic. That will break the spell too. Food will be sent here three times a day until you leave. Do you understand?"
"I do," said Layla simply.
"Good, enjoy your stay," said Professor Griffin. She laughed at this, but Layla didn't. She lied down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She wondered if this plan was going to work as she hoped it would, though she knew better than to just hope and pray that it would. But no matter how much she prepared herself by thinking that something could go wrong, she had no idea just how wrong things were going to go.
Author's Note: All right, so we have Layla staying at Cloud Tower for three days. I'll go ahead and tell you, she isn't going to last the full three days. Now where would the fun be in that? So how many of you guessed that she was going to go to Cloud Tower to hide? I can't wait to find out how many did and didn't get it when you leave reviews *hint hint*. All right, now you guys won't want to miss this next chapter, because it's going to explain everythingand I do mean everything! Everything that's happened so far in the series is going to come together to explain exactly what's happening to the girls and why so many bad things are happening to them, which makes it by far the most important chapter in the entire series. And it's all coming up next! Stay tuned!