After falling asleep at quarter past twelve the following morning, I was shook awake by someone at seven.
"Bloom, sweetie, wake up." I heard Flora's voice penetrate my very, um, detailed dream. I opened my eyes to see her sitting on the edge of my bed, smiling down at me. I glanced at the clock. I groaned.
"Flora, it's seven o'clock in the morning! On a Saturday!" I complained, turning away from her to bury my head in my pillow and get some more sleep. A nagging voice in the back of my head told me that I had something important to do this morning but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Sweetie, you have to go to your meeting with Diaspro today, remember?" She shook me again. I gave up and sat up.
"OK, OK, I'm up!" I looked around the room to see the others looking curiously at me. I sighed. "Look guys, I don't know what this meeting is about."
"Why are you going then?" Musa asked pointedly.
"I... don't know, girls. Honestly, I'm as much in the dark as you are." My head started spinning and my vision went blurred. When it cleared, I saw exactly what Baltor had described to me the previous afternoon.
Sky was yelling some random things with an old fashioned whip whirling about around him. Beneath the wrath of the whip was indeed, a redhead. As I caught a glimpse of the redhead's front side, I saw myself, screaming and yelling, trying to squirm my way out from the torture.
As I came back to reality, tears were streaming freely down my cheeks. "Bloom, honey, don't cry. He won't do anything to you." Musa sat next to me on my bed, wrapping her arms around me. I found it unusual that she would use the word 'honey'. I thought that went to show how much she cared. But then I realized that the girls didn't actually see the vision. They just assumed it was Sky. And they assumed correctly.
"Thanks, Musa." She let me go and I wiped my tears away. "I need to go." I grabbed my bag and walked out of the dorm.
As I walked round the corner, I came face to face with Miss Faragonda. "Hello, Bloom. I trust you are on your way to Eraklyon?" She asked when she saw me.
"Yeah. I'm totally in the dark when it comes to what the meeting is about." I explain.
"Well, be careful. I can't say I trust those Beta girls." She said coldly. "Or that Prince Sky, for that matter." She muttered as she walked away. I shrugged but couldn't stop myself from smiling. Miss Faragonda actually doubted someone. I walked out of the school and bumped into Baltor.
"You're not going without me, sweetheart." He said as he acknowledged my presence.
"I wasn't planning on it. I'm not sure I trust that guy anymore." I mumbled into his shirt as I wrapped my arms around him.
"Neither do I, Bloom." We started walking, hand in hand, to the portal station.
"Where would you like to go today?" The automated voice asked us. We looked at each other and I nodded slightly.
"Eraklyon, please." Baltor said.
"Have a safe journey. We hope to see you again soon. Goodbye!" We chuckled at its enthusiasm.
As we were teleported to Eraklyon, I started to get jittery. My stomach whirled and I felt like I needed to throw up, even though I had nothing in my system to get rid of. When were were dropped on a random Eraklyon street, I sighed. "Seriously? What's wrong with the navigation on this Goddamn planet?! Oh well, I don't need to be there in a hurry." I started walking but Baltor grabbed my wrist. At least, I thought it was Baltor.
"Maybe I can help Bloom?" I turned my neck to see Sky smiling at me and Baltor a few steps behind, frowning.
"Sky? What the hell?! Let go!" I tried to wrench my wrist free but Sky's grip was as strong as steel.
"Please, Bloom. Can't you forgive me?" He asked.
Just leave him. He knows you and he are over. He just wants to play two-time. Very dirty two-time.
You think?
Why else would he give you and I the same vision? He wants to take you back so he can use you.
Wait, how do you know I had the vision?
Our emotions are connected. When you feel anger, sadness or fear, i can feel it and vice versa. Refuse him, Bloom. You saw what he wanted to do with you. Those visions never lie. And I'm pretty sure they won't start lying now.
You're right. I love you.
I love you too.
"Bloom?" I heard Sky ask. As I was pulled from our thoughts, I realized my hand was still in his. I yanked it out and stepped back.
"Sky, you betrayed me. Even after you were un-spelled. You can't expect me to take you back after you threw me out the window. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have somewhere to get to." I reached for Baltor's hand and I entwined our fingers.
"You're becoming more and more of a sass queen every day." He told me as we walked away, leaving the Eraklyonese prince dumbfounded.
"Oh yeah? How come you're becoming more afraid each day?" I countered. He slumped back, defeated.
I felt a strong negative aura flow through the air. But when I closed my energy in on it, I couldn't feel anything. But then I felt the same negative aura, in my soul. "I feel... like there's a negative aura in - in my blood."
"What? How is that possible?" He turned to me as I fell onto my knees. "Bloom!" He was immediately beside me, holding me upright.
I heard a faint cackle but didn't think much of it. Right then, I had to focus on living. I felt something trickle down the front of my arm and I turned my hand palm-up. There was a deep gash in my hand but instead of pouring blood, there was a black goo flowing freely down my arm. "Poison!" Baltor recognised the substance and all of a sudden, the cackle grew louder.
"That serves you right, Bloom!" I heard a female shrill. It was too high-pitched to be the Winx or Aquarius and too low-pitched to be Stella. There was only one other girl I knew who could scream like that. Diaspro.
"Diaspro, what did you do to her?!" Baltor thundered.
"It wasn't me! Sky was the one who poured the poison into her when he asked for her to forgive him." She smirked.
"You'll pay for this, Diaspro!" Baltor frowned at her.
"No. You will." She shot gems at us, but Baltor took the blow, gently pushing me out of the way. "Aww. Isn't that sweet? Maybe it's time to attack again." I stood up shakily, ignoring Baltor's protests.
"No." I said firmly. "You're gonna have to deal with me."
"Bloom no. You can't risk losing the last of your Dragon Fire energy!" Baltor warned.
"Yes she can." I heard Diaspro mutter.
"I have to. I can't put anyone else in danger for this. This is my battle. Magic Winx! Enchantix!"
I transformed and flew up into the air. "Try dodging this, Miss Isis. Fire Ray!" A dragon-like beam left my fingertips and made its way over to her. It was racing towards her, and at the rate she was moving, she'd be toast in two seconds flat. At the last second she rolled away and the attack dissipated as it hit the wall.
"Ha. I may be a Beta girl but that doesn't mean you can underestimate me." She stood up and transformed.
"So I see." I muttered darkly. "No matter. I'll gain the upper hand in this! Dragon Energy!" A beam of fire shot out from my hands, quickly enveloping her in a flame layer. She screamed and twisted.
I suddenly saw myself in her position, with Sky's whip whirling above my head. I didn't want to be a torturer. I didn't want to hurt purple; even if they were my enemy. I loosened my grip on her slowly, and eventually let the attack fade away.
"Why did you do that? You could've finished me off. You're more than capable of it." I flew back down and de-transformed.
"I'm not a torturer. You're safe for now." I walked away, feeling a sense of pride and a tiny bit of anger.