Verboten
Chapter 8
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Disclaimer: What would happen if I said 'Yes, I own the Winx Club?' *gets tackled by the Italian mafia*
Fore Note: Make of it what you will but there is some truth in this piece. It just takes some time to see the whole picture.
Roxy stood near the wall looking between Nabu and Musa's shoulders, trying to understand what was going on. Why did Sky call her in and what did she have to do with any of this? The witch rolled her eyes ceiling-ward as Sky gave a basic introduction. She crossed her arms and stared at her shoes while Sky talked.
Even more interesting than the witch was the room that they had just entered. Roxy's eyes wondered around the room. Did that girl just create this room with the computers inside it with magic? The room was silent from the tension but Roxy felt as if she had just entered a basilica and that silence was a golden rule in the room. She stared in amazement at the technology. The computer panel which the witch was leaning glowed from the dozens of buttons on it.
Sky broke the silence. "This is Astrid Stryker." His voice was calm and almost normal, like the one Roxy was accustomed to at the bar, although his face beheld simmering angry.
Bloom was in the corner of the room hiding behind an angry Stella. She looked like she wanted to strangle him but some of the specialists and Winx girls were in her way.
"This better be a good explanation, Sky," Riven said all of a sudden. The red-haired specialist seemed unusually tense with his arms crossed.
Sky froze from being interrupted for a moment but continued on, gesturing to girl behind him, "Okay, let me rephrase this: this is second lieutenant Astrid Stryker of the Eraklyon Air Force and the people that you were working with were part of her squadron. They are my people." He said the last part, especially to Stella.
Wait! Roxy backtracked for a bit. This girl, who looked barely older than a fifteen year old and she was a ranked officer in an army? The conversation that she had with Riven about immortality and aging came back to her. Maybe she was older than she looked. If that was the case, Roxy was not sure she would like to have that kind immortality. She tried to imagine being thirty or forty years old but stuck in the body of a teenager. She could not imagine it. Roxy left it at that and listened on.
"And let me guess, she's a witch, too?!" Stella accused.
"Will you let me explain?" the blond king shouted at the blond princess.
"No!" she replied childishly. At that, Roxy saw the witch quirk an angry eyebrow at the princess as if she was offended. "How can you stand and let her say those things to Bloom, your fiancée of all people?!" Stella pointed to dark-haired girl as if she were an object but spoke to Sky.
Sky opened his mouth to talk but he was cut off once again.
"My king," Astrid interrupted formally, "May I speak for myself?"
The blond king nodded and stepped aside. He went to lean on the computer panel and brush a hand through his hair as if he were tired.
"Pardon my language," she said mainly to Sky but he waved her off, "But who in the world do you think you are calling me a witch? What is your problem with witches?"
"I don't mean to imply that every single one of you hate witches." Her voice was like acid, subtly implying who hated witches the most. "Some of you are on good terms with them because I know some of you personally but every fucking time some new enemy comes—it's a witch and you all have to go and take him down! Witches have been getting a bad rep because of you people!"
Astrid turned her eye to a certain blond princess huddled protectively over Bloom.
"Even more, I cannot even perform magic without getting bothered! You want me to admit it so you can harass me later for your own little personal entertainment later?! Fine, I'M A WITCH!"
Harass? Little personal entertainment? Roxy tried to keep up with the conversation but obviously she was missing quite a few pieces. It sounded like this girl had been bullied or verbally harassed before. Had this girl, who looked like only a teenager, been harassed in school prior to coming to Earth? They had magic schools in the magical dimension. It seemed all too natural that bullying and harassment would exist as well. People were people and people loved to have the upper hand on other people no matter what. Was Bloom's…accusations another verbal attack? Was Astrid the victim?
Bloom was barely conscious of the conversation happening but she caught the last part.
Astrid turned her head to Sky and quite loudly said, "How can you associate yourself with these people, Sky?! They're the very image of racism."
Latter Note: There, think about that for a while!