My Secrets and Horrors

Chapter 12

Previously

"She may not have, she may have been captured" Musa spoke up thinking it through, "there is no hard evidence to say she ran, we don't know what has happened to her but we have to keep our heads held high, we have to stay strong.

Helia sighed and turned to look out the window, "oh brother, oh Flora why? Just why?"

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"Again Jade, Again" a voice bellowed out across the abandoned hall, Flora forced her legs to continue running as she was forced to sprint around the eight hundred long meter hall again, while the coach just sat on the bench and watched. The coach was at least fifty years old and showed it with his grey hair and stress lines etched into his forehead after thirty years of teaching youth that exercise and a balance diet was important...sadly he failed most of the time.

Her heart was beating faster and harder within her chest, she thought she had kept herself fit while her time at Alfea, turns out she was not as fit as she thought. "Come on Jade get those knees up, your time at that fairy school has made you soft. There was a time you could run circles around everyone here now I bet you could not win a race against one of the eight year olds that stuff their face with sweets and don't care about their fitness levels... now run Jade run."

Flora sighed and forced her legs to go faster than they were causing a sense of dull pain to soar through her thighs. "That's more like it Jade come on one more lap and then you can hit the showers." Upon hearing the end of her hell, Flora found a sudden burst of energy and quickly finished the lap. "Well done Jade" a strong slap on the back brought Flora back to where she was and she looked up while desperately trying to take control of her breathing once more.

"Thank you Sir"

"You deserve it, you need a little bit more training but you should be back taking missions within a couple of months" the man smiled warmly at her and Flora took this as her cue to leave. She nodded her head in respect to him and left heading for the showers.

A content sigh escaped her lips as the hot water hit and slid down her back relieving her aching muscles. Nevertheless, the problem at hand soon came back to the front of her mind...what was she going to do?

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Helia sat on an old tree stump on the edge of the forest, staring deep into the trees letting his mind wonder. His eyes were red and sore from all the tears and lack of sleep, every time he closed his eyes the only thing he saw was Flora. Every dream started the same way, him and Flora out having a laugh when the sky darkens and Flora turns to attack him but each time he wakes before the spell makes contact...and it scared him greatly.

Suddenly a wave of anger washed over him, his hand picked up a rock from the floor, and he screamed as he threw it as hard as he could into the trees before collapsing to his knees and allowing the tears to fall hard and fast into his hands, the hands that held her while she cried...

The tears fell so hard from the young man's eyes he never heard the fluttering of wings or the soft thuds at footsteps moved towards him. "Helia?" upon hearing the voice he immediately and harshly wiped the tears from his face before turning around.

"Oh Layla, it's you... I'm fine"

"It doesn't look like it...I know what you are feeling" Helia's anger one again showed and lashed out viciously.

"No you don't, none of you do...I love her, I loved her with everything I had, I gave her everything she could ever want, I kept no secret but she...she did." Layla knew that Helia was in pain but could not think of anything that would help.

Layla walked up to the specialist and before he could do anything she slapped him hard and fast across his cheek before doing the same to the other, leaving him with two aching cheeks with red handprints. He looked back at Layla in complete and utter shock to see tears flowing down her face, "I may not know exactly what you are feeling but we all were cheated by her, we all feel some anger towards her for not telling us but we still care...we still want to help. Helia put this behind you when Flora is safe at home then you can bring this all forward but sulking about it now is doing no good at all."

Helia lowered his head in shame knowing that Layla was indeed right; with a heavy sigh, he caressed his right cheek before replying. "Then what do I do Layla, I still love her but it hurts to know that she has been lying to me about something so big..."

"Did it ever concern you that she kept it hidden because it hurt to think or even talk about it, did you ever consider that she kept to quiet to protect us... we know so little about what is going on but we need to know the truth, and to know that we have to find and ask Flora." Layla paused for a moment to let the information sink in before speaking once more. "And to find Flora we need you at the top of your game."

The specialist placed both of his hands on his head and took several deep breathes while bending over, he stood up straight and looked into Layla's eyes. "Your right Layla, I don't know enough about the situation to just forget about Flora, I need to know the truth and make sure she is okay...I need to find her!"

Helia and Layla both walked back through the forest towards Alfea, the air no longer thick between them and both having their minds set on one thing, to find Flora.

When they entered the dorm room they found the girls all sat around the fire discussing what they were doing to do to try to find Flora, silently they took the last two remaining seats and joined in the conversation. "So do we have any ideas on how we can find Flora?" Layla asked causing Tecna to look at her with a smile on her face.

"Yes we do, using technology I have developed a technology that can scan the realms through satellite dishes in each realm to search for Flora's power signature. We managed to gather a magic trace off one of her plants and put it in to the system. Whenever Flora uses her magic the satellites will pick it up and pin point her precise position."

"That's great Tecna so now all we have to do is wait?" Helia asked his voice happier since they were one-step closer to finding Flora and the long awaited truth.

"Yes Helia so now all we have to do is simply wait" Bloom added.