Fairy Turned Specialist
Chapter 2
Ember opened the door of her closet like room to find it absolutely trashed. Well, that hadn't happened in a while. She wondered which idiot had started it this time. On her now ripped sheets were the words "leave now or worse will happen" in dripping red paint. Oh please, was that the best they could do? She started cleaning while humming a song about a phoenix. That night, she tattooed a phoenix on her other shoulder and felt something stir in her. Phoenix was her mom's name.
Ember and the other specialists were on their way to Alfea and Ember was slightly nervous. Nervous because people would ask why the transfer and no one knew about it except the teachers at Alfea. Not even the teachers at Red Fountain knew and she planned to keep it quiet. Unfortunately though, it was required that every student come to this particular event. She finished putting her cloak on and brushed her slowly growing red hair out of her face, making the old burns on it stand out. When she first came out of the hospital wing, she was teased and bullied relentlessly about her short hair and scars. Tonight she wanted the girls who had bullied her to see how strong she had gotten.
She smiled slightly when she saw Stella and a group of girls who must have been her friends, but where was Bloom? She shrank back into the shadows and stayed near the window but chuckled when she saw the exchange between Brandon and Bloom. Her eyebrows furrowed when Bloom whispered something to Stella and the other girls and they ran off, Brandon looking confused. She followed them silently and as she approached the corridor, she heard snatches of their conversation. "Trix… eggs… ring… Stella" she stepped into the corridor. "If y'all want to sneak out of somewhere, you can't look so nervous. One would think y'all have never snuck out before." She said jokingly but stopped when she saw the tense looks on their faces. "What's wrong?" The girls exchanged glances then Bloom stepped forward and explained what was going on.
"Well that's not good." Ember said at the end and the girls nodded, formed a circle, and recited a spell. Ember watched as a trail of glitter made its way through the crowd and disappeared inside the trunk. She made her way through the crowd and helped pass the eggs out, hoping the spell had worked. She smiled slightly when the fairies opened the eggs and butterflies came out. She nodded in the girls' direction and they smiled back. She went back to the window and stayed there.
The party was in full swing but Ember couldn't shake the growing feeling that something wasn't wrong. Her instincts had never failed her. She glanced out the window and what she saw made her wish she still had her powers. She walked over to Stella and the other girls, and grabbed Stella's shoulder. "Bloom is outside being attacked by the witches you talked about! I won't be much help in a magical fight, but you girls are her friends and have powers!" She whispered fiercely and the girls' smiles faded from their faces and they ran to the window. They were approached by Faragonda, who practically pulled them away. Damn! Ember ran down the stairs, pulling out the small disc that expanded into a shield. She was surprised by when she got out there to find that Bloom had transformed and was flying above the witches, who didn't seem to be very pleased. She winced when Bloom was sent flying and fell in the bushes and ran to find her behind the bushes. Ember covered them both with the huge shield until the witches were gone and they breathed a sigh of relief. "You OK?" Ember asked Bloom and Bloom nodded and smiled at her. "Thanks for coming to help." Bloom said and Ember nodded. The girls came running out and they crowded around Bloom and Ember slipped inside.
Ember was back in her usual spot when Brandon asked Bloom to dance and Ember smiled sadly. It was very alike to a painful memory. Finally, Ember couldn't take it anymore and went outside.
Kay watched as Ember watched Bloom and Brandon and finally went outside, shoulders slumped. Good. She was remembering him. As long as he held domain over her heart the way he did now, she would never love again. Whether she loved him or hated him, her heart was dominated by him and him alone. He smiled and the fairies near him edged away from him. He went out onto the balcony and watched as she walked across the grounds. Jeez, she was the perfect target and how better to remind her that she was never free of him than by using her as target practice? Glancing around, he pulled his crossbow from its holster, loaded it, aimed it at her, and fired. Somehow, she glanced up at him, she could see her now brown eyes widen and she leapt away from the arrow. But not far enough away and the arrow entered her arm and stuck there and he smiled at her cruelly, waving. Instead of crying or screaming in pain like he had hoped though, she ripped a large piece of cloth from the bottom of her cloak, put it between her teeth, and ripped out the arrow from her arm. His eyes widened as he watched her wrap her arm, not making a sound of pain once. When she was done, she came back up and he made his way back inside the ballroom. The specialists were getting ready to leave and Cortatorta and Salamin were looking for him and Ember. She walked in, came right up to him, and said loud enough for Cortatorta and Salamin to hear her: "This is yours, I believe." and presented him with the still bloody arrow. He watched his teachers as they connected the dots and he saw her team members connect the dots.