To: Lucy, Flora, Bloom, Layla, Tecna, Musa, Stella
From: Mirta
Subject: Checking In
Hi, all!
It's been a week now since summer started, and I hope you're all doing what you want to, and having a great summer vacation!
Mr. Knut and I have been busy, cleaning the campus, straightening the library, and so on. You wouldn't believe what some people leave in their dorm rooms. Having to keep track of who it belongs to and getting it returned is a real hassle.
Prof. Wizgiz consulted with me, and because of my knowledge of dark energy, he increased the strength of the school's protective shield by 5 percent!
I've spent some time at Cloud Tower, too. Prof. Griffin was sympathetic in her own way. She told me not to let my ex-family's betrayal destroy me, but to use my emotions to make myself stronger, more self-sufficient, and maybe someday seek revenge. It isn't fairy-like, but I'm going to give that last idea some thought.
Lucy, thank you so much for keeping the things in our dorm room that I forgot when I left! I've brought them back to Alfea, so now I have a few more personal possessions.
Flora, I'm so glad I didn't sever our bond. At night here it's very quiet, with hardly anyone around, and it feels like I'm alone again. But then, I can sense the link between us, and it's been a source of comfort.
Oh, and guess what? I've finally found the source of my winx! It was so obvious I should have realized it a long time ago: pumpkins! That's right! A pumpkin has always been my symbol (like my favorite t-shirt), and when I was young I collected them. But now all that's gone...
Everyone, I'm looking forward to another chat session, that was a lot of fun! Since we're all on different times, Tecna's scheduling for it works great!
Got to go, Ms. Faragonda wants me to run some errands in Magix for her.
Hope to hear from you all soon!
Mirta
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Bloom and Flora were in Bloom's room in Gardenia. The Fairy of Nature had come for a visit, and to help Bloom's mom with some problems in her flower shop. They had just finished reading Mirta's email.
Flora had a wide smile on her tanned face. "She found her winx source! I'm so glad for her! And she's a Fairy of Nature, like me! That might explain why the bond is so strong."
"I guess it also explains why she's in-between fairy and witch," said Bloom, "Pumpkins can be associated with evil, but aren't evil by themselves. Remember last Hallowe'en?"
Flora smiled at the memory. "That reminds me, I have an idea that might let your parents see the pixies."
"Really? That'd be great, they really would like to meet them. It's too bad non-magical beings can't see them," replied Bloom with a smile. "So, what's your idea?"
"Magically-grown and enhanced carrots," said Flora, "They're good for the eyes, and should help your parents see the magic we use better."
"Wow, I love it!" exclaimed Bloom.
"I already have some planted and growing in the flower shop," said Flora, "They should be ready in a few days."
"We hope they work too," said Chatta, "We're getting tired of having to dodge them because they can't see us."
"Come on, let's see how the carrots are doing," said Flora with a smile, standing up.
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Meanwhile, Layla and Musa were reading the same email in Layla's suite in the palace on Tides. She had invited Musa to experience the ocean and its music. The Fairy of Music had spent hours walking along the shore, listening to the ever-changing call of the water, and occasionally speaking to the mermaids that surfaced. There was serious inspiration here, and she planned to take full advantage of it.
"It sounds like she's really happy," said Layla, after reading the email.
"Yeah, it does. I've been worried since we left. Maybe now I can stop worrying, and get back to ocean music," replied Musa.
"Getting some inspiration?" asked Layla, taking a drink of soda.
"Oh, yeah!" said Musa with enthusiasm, "You were totally right, the ocean has magical sounds!"
"Which reminds me," said Layla with a snap of the fingers, "The mermaids are planning a concert for late next month, and the Queen wanted to be sure you were invited."
"Oh, that's wonderful! Thank you!" said Musa. Her brow furrowed. "I'm going back home in a week or so, but I'll make sure to be back for it."
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After reading Mirta's email, Stella smiled to herself. She was glad the friendly ex-witch was adjusting to the sudden huge changes in her life.
She sat back and thought. She really missed her friends, even more than she thought she would. Defeating that Lord Darkar had brought them all even closer together, and that bond was still strong. Of course, if she really wanted to see them, all it would take was using the Ring of Solaria.
Unfortunately, she had obligations here at the Palace. Her dad was making her become familiar with the defensive systems for the Palace and the rest of Solaria. And tonight there was a small get-together with the baron of an outlying region and his wife. They had a son about her age, and she hoped he was cute. Brandon was her guy, but as the saying is, just because you're on a diet, it doesn't mean you can't look at a menu.
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Tecna was riding public transportation to her summer job when she got the notification of a new message. She finished reading Mirta's email, and turned off her laptop. Her stop was coming up soon, and didn't want to miss it.
The email had reminded her of her friends, and the environment of Magix. She had found the wild forest surrounding the school to be rather exciting, because it had grown naturally, rather than planned down to the last millimeter as were parks here on Zenith.
She looked around at her fellow passengers, and outside the windows at her home city. After being exposed to the emotional and spontaneous students of Alfea for two years, she found her perspective had changed somewhat. The city now seemed to be rather cold and unfeeling to her, and she had never noticed that before.
She notified the driver her stop was coming up, and a minute later left the bus with a few other people. She took a minute to look around at the buildings and people surrounding her. Everything was working with the customary efficiency, and she used to take pride in that. But now, for some reason, that wasn't enough.
She was going to have to think about this.