Light invaded Vidia's vision as she blinked. Raising a hand, she shielded her eyes, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Iradessa stop it…." she moaned, lowering her hand. The mattress creaked under her weight as she moved, and she glanced down to see a white bed sheet pulled over her, wrinkled and bunched up in random spots. What the heck? she thought, running her fingers along the soft cotton, the mattress feeling a but bouncy as she sat up. Looking around, she saw a dresser next to the bed, a vanity table across from it with a large mirror.
"Who's Iradessa?" asked someone politely. Vidia gasped- sitting casually next to the bed was a girl, her skin tanned to perfection. Her light brown hair had blond streaks in the front, and she wore a green frilled crop top with a pink mini skirt, roses decorated the bottom.
"Just a friend," she answered tentatively, "no one you know." The girl handed her a mug, steam rising from it. It burned Vidia's fingers as she took it, the brown liquid inside sloshing a bit over the top, running down the side.
"I'm Flora, by the way," the girl introduced herself, then pointed to the door, "the others are waiting in the living room." rolling her eyes, Vidia took a sip of the drink- it burned her throat as she swallowed, but it was sweet and savory, making her body tingle. She placed it down on the desk, throwing off the sheet.
"Okay," she sighed reluctantly, "go ahead." Smiling, Flora ushered her to the door, swinging it open to reveal five other girls all lounging in weird shaped chairs. A coffee table sat in the middle of the room, a plate of muffins sitting atop it. Vidia suddenly felt her mouth water- how long had it been since she ate something?
"Oh, you're up!" one of the girls said. Vidia focused on her. It was the girl with red hair she had seen earlier. A small rabbit sat in her lap, nibbling on a rather large carrot.
"Yeah," Vidia said bluntly, crossing her arms.
"This is Bloom," Flora gestured to her, "and that's Stella." A girl with long blond hair winked at her as she fixed the strap to a rather tall orange wedge shoe, going to sit next to a girl with short black pigtails on the couch. Flora pointed to her, "That's Musa- sorry if her music was too loud earlier, by the way- and that's Techna." A girl with her fuchsia hair cropped into a pixie cut nodded at her, pulling at the hem of her purple and electric green top.
"Nice to meet you," she said with an obviously British accent- it was just like the humans when she heard them talk, during her visits to the mainland back in Pixie Hollow. Finally, Flora pointed to a fifth girl, with long dark brown curly hair. She was sitting cross legged on the floor next to Bloom, scratching the little rabbit behind the ears.
"And this is Layla," Flora said, "she just arrived today, so of course, she missed your big entrance from yesterday." Vidia scowled, jutting her hip. Her wings were splayed proudly outward, the fluorescent light refracting through the thin membranes. Musa pointed to her wings.
"How come you're in your transformation?" she asked, Vidia detecting raspiness in her tone. It was common amongst the Singing-Talent fairies back home to often be resting their voices, lest they obtain a raspy quality. And it wasn't great for signing.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Vidia quipped, "but I would rather go back home before a human catches me-"
"You sure talk funny!" Stella exclaimed, "I mean, we're all fairies!" Out of the corner of her eye, Vidia noticed Bloom and Layla snickering- and most likely at her and not the rabbit, as he currently tried balancing his now half-eaten carrot on his nose.
"What's so funny?" she snapped at them.
"I think you hit your head pretty hard, "Layla said, "they told me you crashed through the classroom window-"
"And? What's it to you?" Vidia asked. Layla raised her hands in defense, and for a moment, she looked just like Iradessa, the same irked expression on her face.
"Listen," Musa cut in, "I dunno why you decided to make such a grand entrance, but maybe you should talk to Headmistress Faragonda. She might be able to help." It took Vidia a moment to realize that she was talking about the old woman from earlier, the one with the white pouty hair. Shrugging, Vidia sighed.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," she said, "where can i find her?"
"Her office is actually just down the hall," Musa said, jabbing her thumb behind her, "but first, you might want to take a bath or something. You're still covered in dirt." Vidia looked between the girls faces- were they insane?!
"Is that what happened to you guys?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip.
"What do you mean?" Flora said.
"You guys don't have wings," Vidia pointed out, "and yet you say you're fairies. Did your wings get wet?" The girls exchanged confused looks before Flora piped up.
"Um, no," she said, "but our wings still work. We just need to transform to use them." Vidia raised an eyebrow at her.
"That makes no sense," she said, "you can't have wings once they get wet or break. There's no cure for it." Now it was the girls turns to be confused.
"I think you should talk to Miss Faragonda, Vidia," Bloom said cautiously, "she might the able to help you grasp the situation better." Rolling her eyes, Vidia jerked herself away from Flora, who had the same clingy tendencies, it seemed, as Tinker Bell.
"Whatever. I just want to go home."
"She can help you get there," Bloom said, "just go to her office and maybe-"
"I said I'd go, okay?" Vidia yelled suddenly, her face turning red. There was a strained silence hovering through the air as she stalked out the room, slamming the door so hard it may as well have come off its hinges.
Sighing, Vidia stayed by the door for a moment, looking around. The ceilings were high, with pretty glass chandeliers hanging overhead. Large windows let light stream in, and the floors were made with black and white tiles. She caught sight of a scroll hanging outside on the wall, listing the names of the girls who occupied the room. Shaking her head, she began to make her way down the hall, shoes clicking angrily against the floor. Vidia hoped she was going in the right direction, since that Musa girl had pointed to her left when giving directions. She tried her best to ignore other girls as they stared and pointed- most likely at her wings, which were still splayed widely against her back in their full glory.
Once she rounded the corner, she saw it; the polished oak doors to Miss Faragonda's office. Vidia suddenly took a step back. The only reason she had been there earlier was to hide from humans, and that didn't end so well. Lifting a hand to her head, she let her fingers lightly brush the bruise that had begun to form.
"Get over it," she told herself, going to touch the door handle. The door itself seemed much bigger and more intimidating now that she wasn't running for her life. Grabbing the handle, she pushed the door open, and Faragonda, she saw, was sitting patiently at her desk, hands clasped as if she knew she was coming.
"Come in, dear," the old fairy said, "I had a feeling you would come." Silently, Vidia approached the desk, standing proudly in front of her.
"Yeah, sure," Vidia smirked, "anyway, do you know a way back to Pixie Hollow or what?" For a moment, the woman was speechless, pushing a pair of pale pink glasses up the bridge of her nose.
"Unfortunately I've never heard of such a place, dear-"
"The name is Vidia."
"Right," Faragonda said, "Vidia. Unfortunately I've never heard of it." Vidia nodded- the girls back in the room hadn't heard of it either. And they hadn't explained the whole wingless situation as well.
"Okay," Vidia said, crossing her arms, "then where am I?"
"In the realm of Magix, currently at Alfea, the school for fairies to master spells and magic."
"Uh-huh. That's cute, and I'd believe you, but no one here has any wings. How do I know you guys aren't humans trying to catch me instead?" Vidia narrow her eyes at her.
"I assume the girls told you about Winx? Faragonda asked. Vidia shook her head- it sounded fake, made up.
"I see," Faragonda mumbled, then louder, "Winx is their magical ability to transform into fairies. While out of this form, however, they are still able to use magic." The pixie felt her legs start to tingle with pins and needles as she stood there. One: this woman was starting to get boring, and two: she had no idea where she was or what this woman was talking about. She averted her gaze- the couch was starting to look extremely comfortable right about now.
"Well, we don't have that in Pixie Hollow," Vidia said, condescension in her tone, "we all just fly and there's no need to transform or whatever you call it. We have our wings with us all the time."
"So it seems," Faragonda gestured to Vidia's wings. They were thin and veiny, completely transparent.
"So if you don't know how to get back to Pixie Hollow, what am i supposed to do here?" Vidia asked, "ust sit and wait for someone to pick me up?" Faragonda shrugged, pondering her question.
"Unfortunately yes, that would be the case," the Headmistress said, "unless you can all someone?" The pixie shook her head, chuckling to herself.
"I don't think they would hear you from here," she pointed out, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.
"You don't have phones in Pixie Hollow?" Faragonda asked. Vidia shook her head.
"Nope," she said.
"Then how is it you contact one another? E-mail? Letters?"
Listen, Lady," Vidia said smugly, "do you even know what Pixie Hollow is? Or where it is for that matter?" Faragonda snapped her fingers, raisin an eyebrow at the visitor. A map popped up out of nowhere, small traces of brown pencil depicting trails and rivers, mountains and valleys. Dotted lines circled off what looked to Vidia to be different countries and towns and islands.
Peering at the map, Faragonda shook her head, "Where is Pixie Hollow?"
"Never Land," Vidia answered, her eye tracing the dotted lines. She said I was in Magix or something like that… She smiled to herself once she saw it drawn on the top-left corner, and it looked very big, according to the piece of paper. The Headmistress scanned the page, then shook her head.
"Never Land doesn't appear to be on the map, Vidia," she said, "Are there any famous landmarks?"
"Mermaid Lagoon," Vidia said, "as well as Skull Rock and Pirate's Cove." Vidia leaned over the desk to look along with the old woman, sighing as she found out it wasn't on the map either. Rolling it up, the map disappeared in a flash, leaving Faragonda empty-handed.
"It seems you'll have to stay for a while until we get things sorted out," she said, and Vidia slumped her shoulders. That was the last thing she wanted to hear.
"Really?" she whined, "I can't stay in a tree or something?" She knew that was the wrong thing to say once Faragonda gave her an uncomfortable look.
"What makes you think a fairy lives in a tree?" she laughed, "that's in books, dear-"
"I'm pretty sure they do," Vidia nodded, "I mean, after all, Pixie Hollow is a large, hollowed out tree, thus the name Pixie Hollow…"
"You'd have to be tiny in order to live in a tree, don't you think?" Faragonda sputtered.
"Duh!"
"But look at you! you're of normal size-!"
"No, I'm not! I'm supposed to be this big-" Vidia held her index finger and thumb a few inches apart, "-not some giant!" Faragonda looked tame aback for a moment, taking off her glasses and wiping them on her shirt.
"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly. Vidia nodded.
"Yes," she said, "I was not made to be this big- I'm a fairy! Not a human!"
Faragonda took a moment to process this- it had to be a spell. There was no other way to explain how she had gotten to this size- but who would do such a thing?
"Just tell me one thing," Faragonda help up a finger, "you say Pixie Hollow is a tree that resides in this place called Never Land, along with the Mermaid Lagoon, Skull Rock and…. Pirates Cove." The former fairy godmother gulped down the names as the fairy nodded.
"If we are to get you home," Faragonda clasped her hands in front of her on the desk, "how does one get to this Never Land? Is it a country, or-"
"It's an Island," Vidia said coldly, "and to get there you need to follow the second star to the right. Then it's straight on till morning." Nodding, Faragonda sighed.
"Well, I suppose I can look more into it," she said, "but if you say you are not supposed to be this size, I can have Professor Palladium whip up a transformation spell for you." Vidia wrinkled her nose.
"Um, sure?" she said, clearly confused, "I'm sorry, but is that an actual name?"
"As real a name as yours or mine, dear," Faragonda smiled softly. Flicking her wrist, the door to her office flew open. Students were making their way to their next classes, the bell just petering out. Faragonda jutted her chin at the door; more specifically at the couch. By now, Vidia's legs were jelly, making her unable to stand any longer.
"Wait- I can't go back out there-" Vidia began to protest.
"No, no," Faragonda shook her head, "you can wait here until Professor Palladium arrives." Grateful, Vidia walked over to the door, sneaking a quick glance into the hallway before plopping herself down on the couch, wings folded gently against her back.
The fabric of the cushions felt like the finest silk that was made from one of Fawn's best silkworms. The pillows felt like clouds, and Vidia couldn't help but burrow her face into one, reveling in the comfort. She was kind of happy that Tinker Bell was not there to point out her momentary smile. Vidia felt a sudden twang of worry in her heart at the thought of her friend- Are they worried about me? she thought, running her hand along the side armchair. she shook her head- they would be fine without her for a few days, she was sure.
For now she would sit in this strange office, waiting for this mysterious Professor Palladium to whip up a spell and hopefully set things the way they should be. After a few minutes of sitting there, however, she was fast asleep, curled up carefully so as not to break her wings.