In an ideal situation, the Heart Holders would have a secret base. Instead, they had a designated picnic shelter in Alexandria Park. By the time Zoe got there, Ildri, Evanne, and Adaline were already waiting. They eyed her formal outfit, Ildri and Evanne looking amused and Adaline looking nearly starstruck. "Did we ruin a date?" Evanne quipped.

"No, no, just dinner with my family. My cousin came to visit from the United States," Zoe assured. "So, what's the urgency for? Ildri, you said it couldn't wait, right?"

Suddenly, the girls were serious. "We tried to do it on our own, really, but you're right, we need you. It's… it's not like anything we've done before," Ildri said quietly.

For some reason, Zoe's blood ran cold. "You sound like it's life or death," she said, trying to keep her voice carefree and confident. The Heart Holders had never done anything so serious, only minor things. The one time they had been faced with a weapon, it had even turned out to be fake. What could be so serious that even Ildri could seem worried?

"Her name is Megan. She's five years old, and she's dying," said Adaline, and suddenly, Zoe knew exactly what she was expected to do.

"Will Avalon be alright?" Julian asked. "She seemed a little…"

"Just a little disoriented, probably," Saf covered smoothly. "She really is quite adverse to mushrooms, and I'm sure the uh, jetlag doesn't help." Next to her, Leilani nodded smoothly as she cut carefully into her salmon.

Khadijah looked around the table and laughed. "We've lost a good chunk of our party, but I'm sure it's fine. We can still catch up just the few of us."

Julian pursed his lips. "It's not ideal, but I'm sure we can still salvage the night. That said, Zoe will be hearing about this when we return home. There's absolutely nothing she can be doing right now that is more important than spending time with her family."

The hospital was white and bland and smelled too sterile. It didn't seem like the kind of place that four colorful magical girls would find themselves at eight in the evening. The halls were eerily empty and quiet, the silence only broken up by the occasional beeping of equipment. "It feels like we shouldn't be here," whispered Adaline in her Ocean Heart form, clutching onto her sparkly outfit anxiously.

"By all accounts, we shouldn't," Evanne… or, Void Heart… confirmed. "I think they only let us in because we're the Heart Holders. Visiting hours have been over for ages."

"Why are we even here?" Zoe's voice cracked behind her Mindful Heart persona. "I can't save everyone, and there's so many people to save."

Fire Heart… Ildri… reached out and gripped the leader's hand tightly, reassuringly. "I'm sorry I'm making you do this," she said, more seriously than the rest of the group had ever heard her be. "I just…"

"You want to save everyone that you tried to. Nobody wants to fail, especially not with a little girl on the line." Zoe was gentle. "I understand. No promises, but I'll do my best."

Ildri sniffled, and was obviously attempting to hold back tears, and Zoe couldn't blame her. After not initially getting a response from a busy Zoe, the rest of the group had attempted to rescue a family from an out of control natural fire. The two adults and two kids had been delirious and unable to speak for a few minutes after they were rescued. It wasn't until almost flying off that the Heart Holders heard the mother of the family choke out two words: "Where's Megan?"

They hadn't seen the third child in the house.

Even with Ildri using her fire powers to hold the blaze back, with Adaline pushing water onto it, even with Evanne trying to push it into a void… some disasters cannot be fully stopped.

Evanne led her friends into a room. The little girl inside did not look like a little girl, but more like a science experiment. She was hooked up to an IV and much of her skin was leathery and too dark in color. Her hair was short and completely shaved in places, and an oxygen mask was strapped to her face. Still, her breathing was shallow.

Next to her bed, a woman sat, talking to the little girl through tears. As she saw the Heart Holders enter, she smiled the saddest smile Zoe had ever seen. "Heart Holders!" she exclaimed. "Thank you all for… for trying your best. You saved Merissa and Michael's lives."

Michael. A jolt went through Zoe. Though she knew the woman meant her own son, Zoe couldn't help but think of her little brother, who was a total pain, but a reluctantly loveable total pain.

"Melanie, are you and Miles okay?" asked Adaline softly.

"Yes, Ocean Heart." Melanie smiled wearily. "Or rather, free from injury. I won't be okay until…" She trailed off and looked at her daughter, then over to Zoe. "Mindful Heart, I've seen you heal people before. Can you heal my daughter?"

Zoe bit her lip and walked over to the little girl. It was clear it was going to take some sort of miracle, be it of science or magic, if little Megan were going to survive. "I've never done anything this bad," she whispered. "I can try, but I don't know if it will work."

"I understand," said Melanie.

With a careful, composed breath, Zoe walked over to Megan and carefully hovered her hands over the little girl. Her wings fluttered anxiously as she focused all her magic. Please let me do this, she prayed desperately.

Then, she felt someone take her hand. She looked next to her to see Ildri, who was holding Adaline with her other hand, and Adaline was holding Evanne's hand. Evanne had even brought Melanie into the circle. Zoe took Melanie's other hand. "Channel all your good thoughts and magic," she ordered lowly. "On my count… one… two… three…"

A blast of rainbow magic swirled around the room. Red fire of passion, blue water for tranquility. Black void for thought. Zoe's own white power, the power of all things alive.

As the magic touched Megan, the little girl's face grew soft and natural again. Her breathing steadied. Spots of red burns still remained on her body, and her hair did not grow back, but she seemed far from the verge of death.

For a moment, all was silent. Then, Melanie sobbed and hugged Zoe without any warning. "Thank you," the woman whispered. Then, she seemed to collapse.

"She's asleep," Adaline whispered. "I can't imagine how exhausted she must be. She was probably only staying up for her daughter's benefit."

"Should we call a nurse?" asked Evanne.

Zoe nodded. "I think so."

They managed to flag down a nurse to help Melanie out, then excused themselves and left. As soon as they walked out of the hospital, Zoe couldn't help be become grumpy. "It's really late, isn't it?" she asked her friends.

Evanne looked towards a large clock. "It's about eight in the evening," she said.

Zoe cursed. "My parents are really going to kill me for ditching on Safeyah and her weird finishing school friends."

"Are they trying to send you off to learn how to be proper and all that again?" asked Ildri.

One brusque nod from Zoe, and her friends all grimaced sympathetically. "Well, at least you're over eighteen now. It's harder for them to give you the boot when you're an adult," Evanne said in her usual blunt, logical fashion. "My parents would do the same if we were in the socioeconomic position yours were, and I'd be just as against it."

Adaline reached into her transformation dress and pulled out a shining blue locket. "I don't know if our transportation devices would work if you were outside Australia. The range between Botany Bay, Melbourne, and Sydney is already so large…"

Zoe rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. I'm not leaving. Nobody can make me."

The wind seemed to pick up around them, carrying a voice to Zoe's ears. "Nobody?"

"Who's there?" asked Evanne, looking around sharply.

There was a laugh. "Well, Light, if they think nobody can make them go to our school… they're wrong!"

The four Heart Holders stared as two magical girls fluttered directly above them menacingly. There was a beat before Zoe spoke. "Heart Holders!" she ordered, "Prepare to fight!"

Lying in her hotel bed, Safeyah stared up at the ceiling. Next to her, Leilani read a large book on Earth fairy history that she had the foresight to have Light summon for her before dinner. "Where do you think Avi and Light are?" asked Saf. "Will they be okay?"

"You don't want me to answer that," murmured Leilani as she turned the page. "Knowing those two, they're never okay."

Saf rolled onto her side and clung to a pillow nervously. "Now I'm worried."

"Probably a good thing," Leilani said agreeably.

"Maybe I should go out and find them."

"Actually, I agree."

One eyebrow raised, Saf looked to Leilani. "What'll you do if I decide to go out?"

"Read. Like I've been trying to do in between attempting to dispel your worries, no pun intended."

Saf decided not to ask how agreeing with every stray concerned thought was an attempt to dispel the bad gut feelings, rather than enforcing them. She stood and transformed in a flash of light blue light. "If I'm not back by ten, call the Headmistress."

"Mmhmm, have fun."

For a brief second, Saf considered asking Leilani to come with her. They could have found a way, and the sixteen year old felt safer with her older sister figure by her side. She opened her mouth to suggest it, but seeking how absorbed in her reading Leilani was, she let it pass.

Depending on outlook, that was either her best decision or worst mistake. For while a human may not fit into a battle between fairies, wisdom may have been the only thing that could calm it.

"Elusive Darkness!"

As the world around Light of Solaria began to grow dark, she smirked and snapped her fingers. "Magicae Digito!" she retorted, using one of her easiest spells, completely confident that the small amount of light from the miniature stars could reverse the growing darkness, much as it always did.

It didn't. In fact, the darkness seemed to literally swallow the light up. Light bit her lip and inhaled sharply before trying a slightly more advanced spell. "Luminaire!" she cried, and the large ball of yellow energy in her hands did manage to push the approaching void back. With that small victory, she glanced next to her, to where Avi was fighting.

The fairy of tools had a very different battle style than Light. Light's magic was sourced from all over… there was almost no place you couldn't find some form of light. For Avi, she had a much broader spectrum of powers, but they were also sometimes harder to use. She was also at an unfortunate planetary disadvantage… while all Solarians had powers related to light and space, and were therefore easy enough to train, Earth was so diverse that Avi had not yet had training in her specific brand of magic.

That made Light extremely proud when Avi managed to do something unique. With no words, no spells, no declaration of her intent, the girl managed to pull visible sparkles of magic together into a sword, an energy blade that glowed silver. Avi's brown eyes gleamed as she beheld it, and then she stuck out her tongue at the attacking Heart Holders. "Oh, y'all are gonna get wrecked now!" gloated the girl as she swung the blade experimentally.

Two of the Heart Holders… Ocean Heart and Fire Heart… looked at each other with a grin and a nod. "Time to reforge our fate then, huh?" asked Fire Heart as she aimed a blast of magic at the sword. "Wrapping Flame!"

Fire engulfed the sword and melted it down, and Avi dropped it, shocked by the heat. As she did, Ocean Heart yelled "Cooling Mist!" and the sword became a useless hunk of metal.

The Heart Holders looked to each other, satisfied. Until Avi levitated the metal off the ground and telepathically molded it into a hammer. She made it look almost effortless, but Light could see the gleam of sweat on her skin. The shine almost distracted her from a bolt of magic that Void Heart aimed at her head. Light easily pushed it away with a solar shield, only to be hit from behind with a white energy beam. Mindful Heart, fairy of biology, smirked.

It seemed to be a standstill. Two trained fairies against four self-taught ones. A battle that might have been destined to go on forever, were it not for a low, estuary accented voice yelling "Stop this at once!"

However, it should be noted that at first, no one heeded. Avi had dropped all weaponry and was more or less mindlessly throwing beams of energy at Ocean and Fire, while Light ducked and evaded the attacks of Void and Mindful. Only when the lightning bolts began coming down from the clear sky did everyone look up.

Saf Hafeij narrowed her eyes at the battle below her. "What has this trip come to?" she said lowly, and the group strained to hear her words over the continuing sound of thunder. "Avi, Light, we did not come here to make any more enemies."

"But Saf!" whined Avi, "they started it!"

Mindful Heart drew in a sharp breath. "Saf? Avi? Light? You're all… you're those freaks!"

The six other fairies looked to Mindful Heart. "Freaks?" asked Light dangerously, just as Ocean Heart said "You know these people?"

Saf pursed her lips. "So it is you, Zoe."

"How," asked Void Heart, "do any of these people know your secret identity?"

Zoe didn't answer. She seemed to be thinking. After a moment, she closed her eyes and issued an order. "Heart Holders. Go home, now. I don't want them to find out who you are. Detransform as soon as you feel you aren't being watched or followed, and wait to hear back from me. If you don't… assume it isn't safe to continue our work."

Fire Heart looked like she was about to argue. However, the other two Heart Holders took her hands and led her away.

Soon, Zoe was alone, more or less. She was alone, minus the few people who knew her greatest secret.

Saf, decked out in a magical girl outfit of her own, smiled what seemed to be a genuine smile. "I know this must be difficult for you. The transition was bad on all of us in one way or another. It's important to know that you're not…"

"Not what? Not normal? I got that, thanks," spat Zoe. "Not able to keep normal secrets from my parents? Yeah, got that too. Apparently, now I'm not even able to do my destined job without being attacked by some finishing school freaks either."

"You're not human," finished Saf weakly. She looked hurt. Zoe couldn't bring herself to care that much.

Zoe glared. "Do you think that's what it is? Or do you think that will scare me? I'm not afraid of these powers, not anymore. The only thing I'm afraid of is that my parents will hate me, and guess what? You're only making it worse. Dead old Khala Kalila's daughter, finally actually caring after over a decade of no contact. Oh, and now she's a princess and a genius too, and Zoe, you could be that as well if you stopped being a normal kid and started being PERFECT!"

The eighteen year old watched as her cousin's hands clenched into fists. She did not know her cousin well enough to understand what that meant. She didn't realize that Saf did not often get angry.

Her voice was calm, even, perfectly British the first time. "It hurts." Then, she broke, and the estuary accent slipped away almost completely, falling back into the Arabic accent she'd had as a child. "It hurts more than you can understand. When I look at your mother, I see mine. Only I can't have mine. I look at your family, I see what mine could have been, only my father is too obsessed with his work, and Rashid hasn't visited in a year. When I look at you, I see the kind of person I could be, and might still be… the kind of person I never thought I'd be until I met Avi. A leader, a friend."

Saf took a deep, sobbing breath, then finished. "You have it all, and you accuse me of being a freak. You're correct, of course. But never, never, assume I have it perfect, or I will throw it back at you."

Despite herself, Zoe felt a little guilty. The feeling, however, was overridden by her continued annoyance. "What do you even want? Are you going to try to convince me that I need to go to your school?" She almost said "stupid school," but censored it quickly.

"Of course!" Avi exclaimed. "All fairies have to go, it's the rule. You ain't got a choice in the matter, Miss Mindful."

Zoe narrowed her eyes. "I'm eighteen, an adult, and I can do whatever I want. Besides, Fix-It, I wasn't asking you."

Saf blinked. "That's it."

"What's it?" said Light.

Saf ignored her. "Zoe, can you prove that your magic is all intentional and well-intentioned?"

"Right now?"

"No, but if someone asked you to."

Zoe shrugged. "I guess. Why?"

"Because," said Saf. Her eyes gleamed, and she wiped away the remainder of her tears to give a small smile. "I have a way for you to continue your work here and maybe not have such a hard time."

"And why should I listen to you?"

"You should because if I'm correct, your parents will get off your back."

"The Royal Academy's special projects are very spur of the moment," Saf lied easily as she ate dinner with the Bartons the next day. "They're worth it, though, and oftentimes those who participate have a higher acceptance rate to the college. I'll be happy to text Zoe when an opportunity comes up."

Khadijah practically had stars in her eyes, stars that only got shinier when Zoe said, "I don't guarantee I'll attend, but I'd love to participate in these events."

"Could I come and observe?" asked Julian with an inquisitive look. "These events sound incredible, and I'd like to…"

Saf cut him off with a shake of her head. "To promote sisterhood, only prospective students are allowed to attend."

"So, Mum, Dad, can I?" Zoe asked. "I'll try to keep it to a few things a week, but Saf has me convinced that I should at least keep the school in mind."

"Of course," Julian agreed. "On one condition. Don't just run off with an angsty look, tell us you're doing one of these workshops. We'll be happy to let you do things if you're only kind about it."

Saf smiled. "Kindness is, after all, one of the first lessons you have to learn at the Royal Academy."

As they packed up the last of their things from the hotel room on Sunday night, Avi turned to Saf, Leilani, and Light. "This was fun!" she said.

"Definitely!" agreed Light.

"I'm glad I finally got to go on a mission, though I wish I saw more of the action," Leilani admitted. "By the way, maybe because I was out of the loop, I have two questions. Why didn't anyone just tell Mrs. Barton that we're all fairies?"

"Khala doesn't approve of magic. In her religion, magic is the cause of hubris and evil, so until she better understands that fairies aren't like that, we're trying not to alarm her," Saf said. "What was the other question?"

"What are we going to tell Lysis when she finds out about the Heart Holders? I know anyone older than eighteen who is proficient in magic doesn't have to attend the Academy, but Lysis will want the Heart Holders to anyway… plus, with them being in worldwide media, she'll find out sooner rather than later."

There was no answer. Avi ended up speaking for her best friend, "Well, we'll have to have that adventure when we come to it then, right?"

AN: Happy fourth birthday to the original Fly or Fall concept! I'll be doing something special almost every day from now until the birthday of the rewrite, starting with this chapter and a really, really cool AUTHOR'S CUT! The Author's Cut is a Google Drive document where I have placed not only the entire published FoF, but a bunch of pictures and commentary that go deeper into the reasoning behind my writing, pop culture references, and real life places. I'll post a link on my profile sometime tomorrow.

It's a good day to post chapter 18 because that's as far as I got in the original Fly or Fall. What took me 4 years before took me less than one now!

My short story Werewolf Seeking Werewolf is out in Werewolves Versus Romance. Please check that out if you enjoy my writing, but be warned, the zine is 18+, though my story is rated G.

This chapter's review question: If you could talk to characters in Fly or Fall (besides your own), who would you talk to and what would you ask them?

Thanks for reading, as always!