A/N:
Hey Guys! Sorry for the extremely overdue update. I started this chapter ages ago, and just never got it finished. Some minor writers block, shall we say. But hopefully I wont leave it so long again (no promises, but hey, fingers crossed). Enjoy the read!
Gemma Cane xx
"Stella is on her way now. 8 minutes away." Griselda informed.
"Thank you, Griselda." Ms Faragonda sighed. "She's going to have questions. Questions that...that I just can't give an answer to."
She looked over the top of her glasses at the stern faced housemistress before her. They were both faced with a difficult task. A sensitive one. It was more than just a naughty student, and not something with a clear answer, where a simple plan could be devised. It was a personal subject, and although Faragonda would prefer not to get involved, she knew that she had to. Just...a gentle nudge in the opposite direction. Intervening but...subtly well, as subtly as possible. Faragonda knew that it couldn't be. But she also knew that when it finally came to an end, it would break Stella's heart.
"Headmistress, really, I don't think we can pull this off!" Griselda said. "I don't believe that Saladin's plan is the best. Stella won't be deterred so easily. Keeping them apart doesn't mean their hearts will stop loving one another."
"I know that." She replied. "But for now, it's the best we can do. For now, it's a step in the right direction."
Griselda folded her arms. "I don't mean to be argumentative, but this is hardly the right direction. We could just be making them more determined to be together. Did you think of that?"
"Well yes, of course, but-"
"Does this really feel right to you?"
"No, but-"
"So why do it? I think we should just give it to them straight."
"Griselda, please!" Faragonda held up her hand. "For now, it is a step in the necessary direction. If we just told them, there would be war. Both of their fathers are strong willed men."
"You mean damn right stubborn." Griselda snorted.
"Exactly. If we sent Brandon and Stella after their fathers, it would be good for no one. It's better to set it up for them to say their goodbyes on their own. To save them from even more heartache."
Sighing Griselda turned away. "I know. It all just seems too much though. Inhumane! We're not living our lives how we used to. Times have changed, traditions have been modified. Why can't Radius and Asher see that?"
"They like to stick to their ways." Faragonda replied simply, not having the strength left to argue anymore. "And unfortunately there's nothing you or I can do about that. Stella and Brandon will just have to-"
"Ms Faragonda?" Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in." She called.
Stella strode into the room, closing the door behind herself.
"Ah, Stella." Ms Faragonda began. "Now, before you-"
"Oh Ms Faragonda!" Stella cried. "Our magic? Really? It was one night! I'm already gated and stuck with detentions and now this?"
"Stella! I was going to say before you freak out."
"But-"
She held up her hand. "Listen to me. Miss Griselda and I came to this decision together with your best interests at heart."
"I don't understand." Stella whined. "How is this going to help me at all?"
"Stella, you cant go on behaving like this." Griselda continued. "Sneaking out in the middle of the night, making your friends lie to protect your secret, it is just unacceptable!"
"And extremely dangerous." Faragonda warned. "You and the Winx have seen first hand what is out there. The Magic Dimension is full of many wonders, but also many evils. What if something happened to you?"
"But it didn't!" Stella pointed out.
"It might have." Snapped Griselda. "I can count many people who have you up there in the top 6 of their hit list."
"I can take care of myself."
"What if you couldn't?" Griselda asked.
Stella staggered backwards in exasperation, running her hands through her long blond hair.
"Oh come on, it's not like I was alone!" She burst out.
Faragonda and Griselda both fixed a well timed, stern glare on Stella. She became suddenly uncomfortable, shuffling her feet.
Looking at Griselda, Faragonda nodded her head. It was bound to come out sooner or later.
"That's not what you said earlier, Stella." Griselda reminded her.
"Is there something you're not telling us?" Pressed Faragonda.
"Oh all right!" Stella cried. "I was with Brandon, okay? And he wouldn't have let anything happen to me!"
Faragonda glanced at Griselda, who turned her attention to the floor.
"With Brandon?" She tried to keep her voice steady. "Stella..."
She stopped. She had no idea what to say next.
"I know it sounds bad, but all we did was talk. I love him. Surely you were in love once? I just wanted to spend some time with him, that's all."
Griselda looked at Faragonda, her eyes full of sadness. Guilt crashed over the headmistress, and she could hardly bear to look at the student that stood before her.
"I know Stella." She said at last. "I know about it all. Saladin contacted me earlier. This is very serious."
"But why? Loads of fairies here have boyfriends. What makes me any different?" She asked accusingly.
"No one else has taken off into the night to see their boyfriend. No one else has put their safety at such risk." Griselda stated.
"We were only at Lake Roccaluce!" Stella explained. "Please, I won't do it again. You don't have to take our magic. I promise!"
"I'm sorry Stella." Faragonda sighed. "I really am. But Professor Palladium will be along soon to do the job. He shall take the magic from each of you, and when we feel the time is right, it shall be returned."
"Ms Faragonda-"
"You may return to your dorm now Stella." Faragonda said sharply, looking down at her hands on her desk.
She heard the door being wrenched open, followed by Stella's footsteps running down the corridor.
"The others will have questions too." Griselda said, closing the door again.
Faragonda sighed, burying her face in her hands. She just wanted a break from it all. But there were too many issues to take care of. "Of course they will. 'Why am I taking their magic too?' 'They only covered for Stella.' 'They don't deserve it.' And all of those statements are true, and the question unanswerable. All I can say, is that you never know what one would do for the other. If Stella is stuck without magic, so must everyone else be. If none have their powers, none can assist the other with getting away. Stella and Brandon just cannot be together. The sooner they learn that and give themselves the time and space needed for their hearts to heal, the better and easier their lives, and certainly ours too, will be. Magic can do much. And right now, there is no space for it in the Winx Club."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Her friends looked at her hopefully as she entered the dorm. She looked back at each one of them, her eyes full of sorrow. She shook her head.
"Great." Musa huffed. "No more magic then."
"I'm sorry!" Stella cried. "I tried to get Faragonda to let all of you have it! Even if I couldn't."
The girls sat in their miserable silence.
"At least you tried, Stel." Flora tried.
"It was all a trick!" Stella burst out angrily. "All of it!"
The Winx were taken aback.
"W-What was a trick?" Bloom asked.
"When I told Griselda what had happened that night, she didn't say anything back. Then she announced that she was taking our magic."
Musa scoffed. "It's called a punishment. You of all people should know about them."
"Oh shut up Musa!" Stella snarled. "When I went to Ms Faragonda's office just now, they tried to explain the punishment. They said why my going out alone was bad. But they knew! They knew the whole time!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Aisha soothed. "Stella, calm down! They knew what?"
"About Brandon!" Stella sobbed. "Saladin told them. The punishment was for him! They don't want me to see him."
"I'm sure that's not true. Ms Faragonda would have better reasons to take our magic than to stop you from seeing Brandon." Bloom pointed out.
"Yeah, well, they filled it in with some bullshit about my safety being at risk, but I know the real reason." She sniffed.
"Stella..." Bloom sighed. "I think they're right about your safety. I'm sure they have no problem with you and Brandon being together. I think...I think you just took it too far this time."
"Yeah, and you dragged all of us down with you." Musa muttered angrily under her breath.
"I'm sorry!" Stella cried. "I didn't think this would happen! It wasn't supposed to turn out like this."
Musa frowned and came to sit beside Stella. "Hey, it- it's okay."
"What?"
"At least we can go through it together. We're all in the same boat. I'm sure that we can take this. What's the harm? A short while without magic wont kill us, will it?"
Stella smiled a small smile. Musa sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything else.
"Yeah..." Stella said distantly.
But she thought it might just kill her. Already her heart was aching. First, no ball. Then no magic. And now this too? They're going to keep her away from Brandon? Her friends might not believe her about Ms. Faragonda's reasons, but she knew she was right. It was as if the whole world stood in the way of her happiness. As if no one wanted her to be with Brandon. But he was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Since she met him, her heart had soared, and she'd felt like the most special person on the planet. If she couldn't be with him, what was left to live for? A life without him was a life she didn't want to live, not ever.
So there it is! Sorry it was quite short, but yes, hopefully next chapter should be up soon. Don't forget to leave a review if you liked the chapter, or indeed, if you didn't like it! Constructive criticism always welcome! Thanks guys xx
