Luna Nova Auditorium
Amanda watched Diana standing by herself at the large window that overlooked the campus grounds. It is clear that the ace student wanted to be alone after her furious rant against her mother just now.
Everyone in the auditorium, including Doctor Cavendish herself, decided that they should give Diana some alone time, and so went back to their own businesses.
Amanda is wondering if she should be the one person who won't be minding her own business in this case.
"Go ahead, Amanda." Heather told the redhead with a grin on her face as she approached from her left. "You know you want to have a chat with Little Miss Perfect." She teased for a bit.
Amanda turned to glance at Heather. "No, I don't." She responded to the teasing. "What makes you think I want to talk to that Cabbage?"
"Because you've been paying more attention to her than everyone else?" Rachael Summers, another one of Luna Nova's American students, pointed out as she approached Amanda from her right.
Amanda quickly recognized what her fellow Americans are getting to. "Oh, no, no, no!" She denied as she threw her hands up. "I ain't falling for that stuck up Cabbage who has a stick up her ass! This is real life, not a third-rate anime!"
In response to that, Heather started invading Amanda's personal space. "Are you sure about that?" She teased the redhead. "How about we find it out for sure?"
Heather, with Rachael's assistance, then dragged Amanda toward Diana's position, stopping just short of immediately grabbing the ace student's attention. After that, Heather and Rachael moved away to give the space that they think Amanda needs.
Amanda stared for a bit at Diana who is still looking out the window toward the campus grounds, then looked over her shoulders at Heather - who shot her a teasing wink - and Rachael - who gave her a thumb up.
She sighed. Is there really a... thing... between her and Diana? Only one way to truly find out...
The redhead took a step forward - a very difficult step no thanks to the dress and stilts given by the Cinderella Magic Set - toward Diana. Then she swallowed a breath.
"Some mommy issues you had, eh?" She began.
Diana didn't turn around to face Amanda, but the hostile aura radiated by the ace student is enough to tell the redhead that she should tread very lightly.
...
Meanwhile, the Red Coven and Mary-Ann stood at their own little corner in the auditorium as they watched Amanda attempting to awkwardly start a conversation with Diana.
"Not even ten seconds in, and Amanda is already in a position where she wished she never bothered with Diana..." Lotte noted the situation with the ace student and the redhead.
"This snooty rich girl has an even worse animosity against her own mother than the one I once had against being Annabel Creme..." Mary-Ann said as she jolted something down on a notepad. She then proofread what she just wrote, frowned, and tore the page out before continuing writing on a new page. "No, this is worse than the Dragon Alphabet text from Season 17 Episode 5 of the Nightfall show..." The author mumbled to herself.
"Not even the worst arguments my sisters have ever had could compare to Miss Perfect Cabbage's animosity against her own mother..." Sucy duly noted.
Akko, of course, is still confused about it. "I still don't get why Diana is so angry with her mother."
"It's because of her mommy issues." Mary-Ann clarified for Akko. "And I think it's best that we don't bring it up around her."
Akko stared at Diana for a moment, while popping another piece of Umeboshi pickled plum into her mouth. She decided that any questions she has for Diana's "mommy issues" can be answered later.
Sucy decided that Diana's issues with her mother is none of her business. She decided to go spike a bowl of marshmallows with a potion that makes people's noses grow in length, only to have that thought be shoved to the back of her head when she laid her eyes on Akko's Umeboshi jar.
The pale girl already has suspicions about the jar and its content when she first saw Akko snacking on some a few days ago, when she noticed that one of the plums has something unusual that only her eye and affinity for potions could see. But after pulling an all-nighter of the previous night analyzing Akko's spit that she obtained because of that suspicion, she can finally come to the conclusion that the Umeboshi Akko's been snacking on is not merely a jar of pickled plums.
In fact, what Sucy found was enough to make her feel really bad for wanting to use the Japanese girl as her Guinea Pig.
Maybe she should tell Akko what is really in that jar?
...
At the same time, Bernadette was feeling distraught about getting backhanded and then yelled at by her own daughter, and is being comforted by her sister.
"I know you want to reconcile with Diana," Daryl told Bernadette. "but Detta, apologizing to her isn't enough. She is still grieving for her father..."
"But I didn't mean to be absent when Arthur needed me the most..." Bernadette said sadly.
"Detta..." Daryl placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Some sacrifices are not worth it, even if it is for the greater good." She then told her, but then cringed. "I know me and my daughters' lifestyle would make me a hypocrite for saying that, but-"
"Will Diana ever forgive me?" The WHO Director asked wearily.
Daryl let out a sigh at that. "If Paul can reconcile with his father, then you can reconcile with your daughter." She said. "Just not anytime soon..."
Bernadette was about to say something, but was interrupted when the lights in the auditorium flickered in an unusual way.
The flickering of the lights lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to make everyone fall silent and stop what they are doing.
...
Amanda's multiple attempts to start a conversation peacefully with Diana stopped abruptly when the lights flickered.
"What the heck was that?" Amanda asked, surprised by what is going on.
Diana did notice the flickering lights, and seem concerned about it. "I'm not sure. But it seems as though the lights are being tampe-"
The ace student paused when she looked out the large window and saw something unusual off the distance.
"The Sorcerer's Stone..." Diana uttered in worry.
"You mean the big, glowy rock that is basically the power supply of this entire school?" Amanda wondered as she turned her attention toward where Diana is looking. "What abou-"
The redhead's eyes went wide when she saw what appeared to be a fireball approaching her position, fast.
"Look out!" Amanda shouted as she immediately threw herself in front of Diana and raised a magic barrier, just in time to intercept the fireball as it tore through the window.
Unfortunately, the fireball proved to be powerful enough to shatter the magic barrier as it exploded on impact, sending both Amanda and Diana flying off their feet.
...
Most of the students of both Luna Nova and Appleton started to panic in reaction to the explosion by the large window, with the faculties of Luna Nova and Appleton trying their best to calm everyone down. Senator Hanbridge's bodyguards drew their guns instinctively and pointed at the direction of the explosion. As did Vice Chancellor Dorlin's own bodyguards. The American alumni of Luna Nova, owing to their training in the US Military, reacted similarly as they drew their wands which then shifted into the shape of assault rifles.
Constanze and Jasminka, worried about Amanda, ran toward where she and Diana landed.
"I'm alright!" Amanda called out to her Coven mates between coughs. "But I can't say the same for Cavendish!" She then added worriedly.
The redhead is right to be worried for Diana. The ace student is unable to get up, for her respiratory illness flared up at the worst possible moment, causing her to struggle to breathe.
Thankfully, Diana was able to reach for her inhaler and take a puff from it, stabilizing her breathing before it could get much worse. "What in the Nine's name is going on?!" She then exclaimed.
"Someone or something launched a fireball at us! That's what happened!" Amanda shouted back in response.
...
Just as Sucy was considering spilling the beans to Akko, the lights flickered in an unusual way and then an explosion erupted from the large window overlooking the campus grounds.
Worse of it all is that Diana and Amanda were standing right where the explosion erupted.
Luckily, it seems that the two were unhurt thanks to Amanda throwing up a magic barrier in time.
"What just happened?!" Akko exclaimed.
"A fireball came out of nowhere and impacted inside the auditorium." Sucy explained to the Japanese girl. Her saying that at a higher volume than what she usually speaks with is a clear indication that she is panicking internally.
"That looked like a deliberate attack from the outside!" Mary-Ann also exclaimed. She was caught so off guard by the explosion that she dropped her pen and notepad on the floor without realizing it.
"A terrorist attack?!" Lotte shrieked in panic. "Like the one in the plot of the Nightfall: Valor game?!"
"Yes, like that one!" Mary-Ann confirmed for Lotte.
Akko, on the other hand, rushed straight toward Amanda and Diana without a thought to see if they are fine, breathing a sigh of relief upon confirming it.
...
Bernadette would call this her worst day of the year, ever.
First, she gets violently backhanded by her own daughter. Then said daughter furiously yells at her for not being present at her late father's final moment. After that, her daughter adamantly states that she doesn't want to see her ever again, complete with calling her "Bernadette" instead of "mother"...
And finally, the WHO director had to bear witness to her daughter getting caught in an explosion.
In spite of Diana's demand from moments ago, Bernadette's mother instincts kicked in as she worriedly went to check on her daughter's condition. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Diana is unscathed and is able to use her inhaler to stave off her respiratory illness.
"Diana, are you alright?!" Bernadette sked worriedly as she extended a hand out to help Diana get up.
Diana angrily slapped her mother's hand away. "I don't need your help, Bernadette!" She angrily said as she got up from the floor with the Green Coven's help.
Soon, Hannah and Barbara arrived, worried about Diana and wants to see if she is fine.
"I'm fine, girls..." Diana told her Coven Mates.
"Diana!" Daryl soon arrived as well. "What in Beatrix's name was that?!" She asked her niece.
Before Diana could answer her aunt, an ear-piercing screech suddenly came from the direction of the fireball.
...
The auditorium fell silent as the panicking students stopped in their tracks. Senator Hanbridge's and Vice Chancellor Dorlin's respective bodyguards as well as the US Military witches tensed themselves in preparation for a hostile engagement.
"I have a bad feeling about this..." Mary is heard uttering from somewhere among the crowd.
It's been about what, three months since I last updated this story? But no worries, as here's a new chapter! On the other hand...
Man, 2022 is already setting itself up to be worse than 2021. Especially with the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. What a mess this year is going to be...
Anyway, this escalated in an unexpected way, huh? Now Luna Nova is seemingly under attack by... something. While there are many high-profile personalities there, including a British senator, a US Air Force general, the vice chancellor of the East Morgiana Republic, and the Director-General of the World Health Organization.
This is going to be quite a pickle. But the question is: who or what's attacking, and why?
We'll find out in the next chapter!
"Just remember: a believing heart is your magic..."