Chapter 23

A Grieving Moment

After everyone, except Musa, was finished eating, they discussed a plan to research infections in Alfea's library. As the others were talking, Tecna felt light-headed again and tried to reach out for Timmy's hand to let him know. Unfortunately, she fell and passed out on the floor. Timmy was the first to notice, he and the others gathered around her.

"Bloom, can I borrow your sweater?" Timmy asked. Bloom took off her blue sweater to reveal her regular blue and white striped shirt underneath. Timmy carefully lifted Tecna's head and laid her back down on the sweater.

"Please tell me she'll be okay." Flora asked with a tear in her eye.

"She will be, if we find a cure in time." Timmy responded, troubled.

"Well don't expect me to sit here while one of my closest friends is suffering!" Stella spoke angrily.

"Enough Stella, we all can't take the thought of this happening, especially Timmy. But if we can pull together we can get her through this." Bloom encouraged.

"I know you love her, so your love and confidence will set her free." Amore told Timmy.

"I'll remember that." Timmy thanked Amore as he gently lifted Tecna in his arms, "I'll take her back to her room while you girls begin to research in the library."

"No, we're coming with you." Layla stood up and followed him. The rest of the girls followed Timmy back to Tecna's room.

Everyone gathered around the bed as Timmy rested Tecna down carefully, and then he felt her forehead with the back of his hand.

"She feels feverish." he concluded.

"No!" everyone gasped at once, especially Musa, who then after collapsed on her own bed across the room and pounded her fists on the pillow.

"It'll be okay Musa, let's just hope for the best." Tune encouraged as she flew to her. Meanwhile, Timmy took a thermometer from the first aid kit in his backpack.

"You brought a thermometer with you?" Stella asked.

"Just in case I needed it." he answered as he took Tecna's temperature.

"103." he read worriedly. On the other side of the room, Musa kept on pounding her pillow.

"I can't take it! Don't tell me anymore!" she was almost shedding tears, which was usually uncommon for her. A few minutes later, Timmy checked Tecna's temperature again.

"105." his heart sank, he had to find a treatment, but he wasn't going to leave her side, not while she was extremely sick.

"Well I'm not going to just sit here and hope for the best! I'm going to the library!" Stella stormed out of the room and the rest of the girls expect Musa, who was still upset, followed.

"I'll catch up; I just need time to grieve." Musa yelled after them. Hearing that, Flora and Bloom ran back to get her.

"Don't say that Musa!" Flora nudged her elbow as she lifted her head.

"C'mon Musa, we are going to help Tecna and she will be just fine." Bloom encouraged.

Chapter 24

The Cure

As everyone left the room, Timmy was the only one left. He laid his eyes on his beautiful admirer. All he wanted was for her to recover, she meant everything to him.

"Oh Tecna, I'm sorry for everything I've done wrong, if I could do it over I'd try harder to show you how I felt for you before. I know how frustrated you were before when all I talked about was computers, I don't blame you for being so mad, but I was only trying to impress you. Now I know how fed up you were, that's way I mostly stuck to reality when I told you I loved you lately. I'll never forgive myself if I lost you, so just please... please wake up, please." Timmy talked on and on of his admiration for her, he missed those glistering teal eyes and that sweet sounding voice that he loved so felt her forehead again, this time she was getting colder. If this was true, then the fourth stage of the infection had already begun. Timmy felt as if he could do something drastic, because time was of the very essence.

In the library, the girls frantically searched every book of healing spells they could find. All with anxiety in their hearts, they heard Musa's cell-phone ring, it was Timmy with the heartbreaking news.

"No!" Musa yelled as she heard this, it was too much for her to accept. The other girls tugged at her arms and bagged to hear what Timmy had said.

"The fourth and final stage, if we don't hurry, one of our best friends could be gone by tomorrow." she cried.

"Get it together Musa, all we need to do is find the right counterspell book and the spell will heal her in no time." Stella explained. Meanwhile, Bloom had an idea that would make their search much easier and faster.

"Sickness caused by infections." Bloom told the magical library catalog, two books flew down from the selves. One was about infection information; the other was a book of counterspells.

"Guys I found something!" she informed as the others raced over to her.

"S, scrapes, scratches. Here it is!" Bloom yelled, searching through the information book.

"Great, just one problem, we don't know what kind of infection it is." Stella pointed out.

"Yes, but this book has everything we need to know." Bloom read a page on dream infections, as Musa had said that Tecna had a dream about being scratched by a hideous creature and woke up with the same scratch.

"It says that a monster can infect a person with a potion in it claws which causes a series of symptoms. And that if something is not done by the time the final stage worsens, then that person..." Bloom couldn't continue, until reading the next paragraph, "There is no easy counterspell for this infection, but there is a special counterpotion found in the Healing kingdom."

"That's an odd name." Layla thought.

"Who cares about the name of the place, we have to go, now!" Stella grabbed the book and ran back to their dorm as the others ran behind her. They couldn't wait to tell Timmy the incredible news.