"Flora Enchantix!" I felt my magic surge through me as I floated through the air. My school uniform disintegrated and was replaced with a pretty pink dress that resembled flower petals. I felt my wings strengthen and my transformation was complete.

"Flora, concentrate your energy!" We were in the middle of training with Professor Palladium. I looked around and saw large puffer fish-like creatures surrounding me. They absorbed fairies' magic and could reflect them upon the attacker.

This was a difficult test and was almost like a premature assessment for the teachers to understand your skill level, and to help you progress from there.

"Autumn wind!" I attacked the one closest to me, figured out their strength level, and started experimenting with different spells. It was honestly so fascinating since I never saw a power quite like this one.

The spells I casted earlier were shooting right back at me, and I had to counter-attack all of them before they hit me.

I felt beads of sweat accumulating around my temple and felt myself weakening. If I don't start taking them out, and fast, my magic energy will run out and I will untransform, unable to complete the assignment.

I thought of an indirect attack they couldn't throw back at me, and quickly yelled it out. "Grabbing vines!"

The creatures looked confused since they were expecting a direct attack. My vines grew from under and circled around them. Grabbing onto the pufferfishes, they slowly started to squeeze the energy out of them. I focused harder and harder and they finally exploded in fairy dust.

Prior to this assignment, we were informed that they were not actually living beings, but I still felt sorrow watching these magical creatures disintegrate. I heard cheers behind me, and I glanced at the crowd gathering.

My head felt heavy, and before I knew it, I fall falling through the air. I had no energy left in me after that exhausting battle.

I felt the ground approach me as I braced myself for the impact. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the pain. But… it never came. I gently opened them, and the last thing I saw before I fainted was Helia's face.

"Mmm…" I moaned. My eyelids were heavy and I still felt light-headed. I looked around groggily and found myself back in my room.

"Ugh, what happened?" I wondered to myself. The last thing I remembered was falling through the air after attacking those creatures. I was falling… but I didn't hit the ground. I thought even harder and then had a flashback of Helia's face while carrying me back to my dorm.

I checked my body for injuries, but the most I saw were a few bruises and scratches, and most of them were probably from the battle.

I slowly got out of my bed, but fell right back on it a second later. I was too dizzy, and my body felt sore all over. Deciding that I shouldn't get out of bed, I gently called for Aisha.

"Aisha…" I croaked. My throat was parched and I couldn't say a word without sounding like an old witch fused with a toad. Yeah, it was that bad. The door opened, and I called out. " Aish…a." Except it wasn't Aisha, it was Helia.

"Flora! I'm glad to see you're awake. Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, with a sense of urgency in his tone.

He was bringing in food, with Aisha trailing behind him. As Helia brought the food over towards me, Aisha motioned frantically to me, using a variety of facial expressions and hand waving. I gave her a confused look and she sighed.

"Who is he? He's cute. AND he can cook." she mouthed to me. And then she inserted some unnecessary winky faces.

I blushed a bright red and Helia became very confused. "Are you burning up?" He quickly pressed his forehead against mine, wrinkling his brows in confusion. The contact made me blush even more, and I forgot how to breathe for a second. I just got lost in his gorgeous and mysterious eyes.

He sensed my gaze and looked into my eyes as well. "A penny for your thoughts?" I inquired. "Your eyes are beautiful," he murmured. Oh. My. Goodness. It took all the self-control I mustered not to squeal like a three-year-old girl during Christmas.

We both stayed in this position and sort of mutually admired each other's facial attributes. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aisha smirking and quietly slipping out of the room, and now it was only me and Helia.

I felt a tickle in my throat, and as much as I would've liked staying in that position all day, I had to look away and let out my cough.

We both didn't quite know what to do after that… experience, so I quickly changed the topic. "I didn't know you could cook," I mentioned. He blushed happily and looked away. "My dad taught me, he was also the chef in our home."

I smiled, enjoying watching him reminisce about his childhood while I tasted the meal he prepared for me. My eyes widened as my taste buds moaned in delight. When Aisha said he could cook, he could COOK. Even such a simple egg omelet could achieve such a nice texture and amazing flavor.

Helia smiled at me, pleased with my reaction. "I'm glad you liked it, Flora."

I grinned back at him, and shyly said: "Thank you for saving me."

"Flora, I-"

"FLORA!" Aisha came barreling through the door, out of breath. "We need your help! Something or someone has invaded the magic archives! We are holding it back for now, but we are slowly weakening. 6 fairies have already fainted from exhaustion and 4 require immediate medical attention."

Helia and I exchanged glances. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"

He held my hand gently and carefully pulled me up. "Are you up to it?" With a curt nod of my head, we were off, running through the halls.

And as much as I'd hate to admit it, Helia's unfinished sentence never left my mind throughout the battle.