A/N: Hello to anyone reading this, whoever you may be.

I haven't written a Winx story in a long time, and the ones I did have I deleted. This story has been in my head for years now, undergoing some revisions, and I finally feel like publishing it. I always used to imagine a Winx story with a wlw thread so this it. Though I should really be working on some other stuff, I keep getting drawn to this one and just want to put it out. I hope you enjoy this second-gen story. :)

~ Meghan

~ Alfea College for Fairies ~

AVA

"What is your name, young lady?"

"Ava of Sparx."

"Did you send your registration in early?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The severe woman with a gray bob checked off something on the clipboard in her hands. "Very well." The woman rifled through a stack of papers. "Here is your class list and your suite assignment. Go on ahead. Next, please!"

I stood up straighter and took the sheet, stepping forward as the line moved forward. All of the girls were congregating in a loose pool near the fountain, some chatting together, but most standing around reading their sheets and trying to look busy. I chose an empty spot and set down my suitcase before peering at the paper.

MISS AVA OF SPARX, Year 1

Suite 11

Class List:

Potionology with Professor Palladium

Metamorphosymbiosis with Professor Zulie

Etiquette with Professor DuFour

Magiphilosophy with Professor Mirta

History of Magic with Professor Daphne

Fitness with Professor Lucius

Self Defense with Professor Griselda

My heart gave a nervous thrill. This is going to be my new life... Studying magic at Alfea. Classes couldn't start soon enough.

A breeze blew through the courtyard, ruffling my hair and cooling my face. I tipped my head back and gazed up at the school. It was even bigger than in the photos, even more imposing standing here so close to the grand staircase. Alfea's cotton-candy pink walls glowed in the sunshine, blue towers rising up towards the sky, windows sparkling... could it have gotten any more magnificent?

"Gather round, ladies," the severe-looking woman's voice called.

I turned as she walked towards us, the line finished checking in. The chatter quieted immediately.

"I'm Ms. Griselda," the woman said. She pushed her glasses up her nose. "I have been Assistant Headmistress and Head of Discipline at this college for decades. I taught many of your mothers. I expect the same respect you'd extend to them."

For a moment, the Ms. Griselda was quiet, surveying us. Satisfied, she continued.

"This school will be your home for the next three years, but this home can cease to be yours at any moment. The rules of this institution are based on discipline. Break any of these rules, and I'll personally escort you to the front gate." Ms. Griselda pointed at the gates I had walked through, now closed. "This is not a magician school, you're not here to learn hocus pocus. Consequently, you may not use your powers in the hallways or other common areas. The only place where you may display your powers is in the classroom under teacher supervision."

The ornate turquoise doors to Alfea opened. Out walked a gray-haired woman dressed in purple that anyone in the realms would recognize.

"Your Headmistress, Miss Faragonda," Ms. Griselda intoned.

Around me, the girls began clapping and I followed suit.

Faragonda was legendary. She was part of the original Company of Light, back before the Winx Club took the reigns. She was arguably the strongest fairy in all the universe. It was almost hard to believe that the elderly woman smiling gently from the top of the stairs had once been a warrior.

"Welcome to Alfea, the best fairy college in all of Magix," Miss Faragonda said warmly. "Becoming a full-fledged fairy requires hard work, but I know each of you has what it takes. Please, come inside and settle into your new home."

The girls all clapped again, and the chatter swept up as suitcases were tugged and the group moved towards the stairs.

I followed suit, staying near the back of the group. As I climbed the stairs and walked through the main doors, my heart jolted. Alfea was even more beautiful than the photos. A grand staircase swept up before us, leading to a massive stained glass window throwing shards of rainbow light around the entrace hall. A pink balcony encircled the room and fairies walked along it, chatting to one another, and casted glances down at our arriving class.

"I have a few rules I must insist on, first of all," Miss Faragonda said. "Curfew is at eleven o'clock. Anyone out on the grounds after curfew will have to deal with detention as decided by Ms. Griselda. We also must strictly enforce no witches and no boys being allowed within Alfea. Now that that's out of the way, I will let Ms. Griselda take over the honors of the tour." For just a moment, Miss Faragonda's eyes landed on mine. "I look forward to getting to know each and every one you. See you all at dinner this evening."

Everyone clapped, and I followed suit.

As Miss Faragonda turns and heads up the staircase, a girl next to me with choppy, short black hair and olive skin, dressed from head to toe in black, huffs. "And here I was worried there'd be some long welcoming spiel."

I give an uneasy laugh, unsure how to respond. I was hoping there would be some opening discussion. It was clear from the way the girls around me talked that plenty of them were legacies.

"My mom said the best rooms are the ones underneath the cafe," one purple-haired girl whispered. "Midnight snacks every night!"

"My aunt said that Professor Palladium is the best teacher," another one with gold jewelry said, "not to mention he's practically three hundred years old."

"My grandma and my mother were both captains of the dance team," a girl with a large duffel bag murmured. "I'm going to try out for it too."

As far I knew, I was the first in my family to even set foot in Alfea. The thought didn't put me at ease.

Griselda clapped twice, silencing the chatter. "Ladies. We'll begin our tour with the botany laboratories. Stay close, because I will not be repeating myself."

The tour wound through the whole school, and down mazes of hallways I couldn't remember. By the time Griselda dismissed us, I was already struggling to find my room. The girls all walked towards a blue wing of the school, and I followed suit, rolling my suitcase behind me and staring at my timetable paper. Suite 11. The hallway we ended up in was wide with vaulted ceiling and frosted glass doors with numbers in golden script.

I paused at the one marked 11.

I can do this. It's just the first day.

Pushing the door open, I couldn't help the smile that blazed across my lips. The suite was beyond beautiful. Tall windows overlooking the courtyard let in bright sunlight, washing over the squishy array of sofas and beanbags. Three pink doorways were on the opposite side of the room. Each had a piece of paper stuck to it with names written across them in sparkly letters.

The first room only had one name: Esme of Eraklyon.

The second one made me take a step closer: Claire of Isis and Ava of Sparx.

The third door was open already. A roommate had beaten me here.

I walked to the door, leaving my suitcase beside my own room, and peeked into the open doorway.

The girl clad in all black from downstairs was sat on an ebony duvet, arranging a bouquet of pink roses on her bedside table. Posters of metal bands decorated the walls, and black ivy was strung along the ceiling with twinkle lights. Judging from the pile of dark clothes still in her suitcase waiting to be hung up, her fashion wasn't straying far from the room décor.

I knocked twice on the door, hoping not to startle her.

I didn't even have to worry. She barely looked up from the flower arranging. "Ava, right?"

Surprised, I laughed. "Yeah. Lemme guess - Fairy of Mindreading?"

"Nope." The girl finally looked over at me. "Heard Griselda say your name. I was behind you in the check-in line."

I can already feel my face turning red, and her bored stare isn't helping. Seeing her closer now, it's easy to make out the dark eyeliner and green eyes, and the eyebrow arching questioningly at me.

"I just wanted to introduce myself," I finally said. "I'm from Sparx."

"Yup," she saids nodding once. Just when I think she won't said anything else, she stands up. "I'm Floressa, and unfortunately from Linphea."

"Oh. I should've guessed, those roses are so beautiful."

Floressa brushes her fingers over them. "They are." One by one, the rose petals curl up in front of my eyes, shrinking and shriveling until they're completely dead.

I'm not even sure what to said, but the door bangs open loud enough I jump and whirl around.

An impossibly pretty girl with shoulder-length, blonde curls stood in the doorway, setting a large suitcase on the floor. Her tan legs were model-long in a red leather mini-skirt, ending in black combat boots. She beamed and folded her sun-kissed arms over a faded, orange band T-shirt. "Well, it's been a while, Miss Essa."

"A little too soon, if you ask me," Floressa responded. She appeared beside me and leaned against her doorframe. "Still grounded for throwing that party in the royal wine reserves?"

"Guilty. Still avoiding mother-daughter bonding time in Linphea's nature reserves?"

"Obviously." A smirk finally pulled at Floressa's dark lips. She turned to me. "Ava of Domino, meet Soleil of Solaria. Soleil, meet Ava of Sparx."

I offered a smile I hoped came across as friendly, and not nearly as terrified as I felt. "Nice to meet you."

She stretched her arms with a cattish grin, in no rush to see her room or unpack her things yet. "You can call me Lila. Nobody but by parents and the press really call me Soleil, honestly. It's so... pretentious. Don't you think?"

I hesitated.

"Anyway," she said quickly, "Sparx, huh? I've spent a few summers there. You guys have some sick hot springs in the north. I did some surfing up by one of the volcanoes on the upper shores. My mom totally freaked out about it."

Suddenly the girl in front of me wasn't just my roommate, dressed for some concert. Now her face surfaced in my memory, on a gossip story about a certain royal-gone-rogue during an ambassador trip to Sparx. Soleil was on the cover of magazines and the news with her family, wearing a golden ballgown, blonde hair pin-straight and long under a sparkling sun-shaped crown.

And her mother wasn't just anyone. This girl was-

"You're Princess Soleil of Solaria," I blurted incredulously. "Your mother is Queen Stella of Solaria! She's a Guardian Fairy from the Winx Club - she's part of the new Company of Light." As soon as my brain started to make the second connection, Soleil grinned cattishly at me, entirely amused. But I couldn't stop as I turned to Floressa. "Your mothers were friends... is your mom Flora from the Company of Light?"

Floressa sighed. "That's mother dearest."

"Took you record time to realize that," Soleil said. She tilted her head, regarding me thoughtfully. "You'd better get used to the whole princess thing, Miss Ava, 'cause your roommate is one royal pain the ass."

I stood there, mind swirling, as Soleil and Floressa cracked up. Claire of Isis? She's a princess too?

Half-wishing I could jump back through the portal and go home, I swallowed. Feeling like I belonged at Alfea wasn't off to a great start. There were no queens or gaurdian fairies to name in my family. Would my roommate immediately ask for a transfer? I tried to rack my brain for any other news I'd heard in gossip blogs and different sites about the Winx Club members. Nothing about a daughter named Claire popped into my head.

"So... Claire... was her mother in Winx Club too?" I asked, admitting defeat.

"Nope," Soleil said. "Not unless you count being archenemies with one of the Winx Club being in, at least. But they were always dramatic, huh?" She snapped her fingers and her suitcase floated beside her as she walked to her dorm door. "Essa, they may have not let me have the single, but I'm not about to deal with your doom-and-gloom makeover either."

Floressa rolled her eyes. "Touch a single thing and I'll fill your conditioner with blue hair dye."

Soleil turned around with a mega-watt smile. "Again? Do you promise? Mother hated it last time."

They broke off into a frenzied discussion about how to divide the room, and disappeared into their room. I stood in the lounge, rooted to the spot, suddenly wishing I had more to unpack.

"By the way!" Soleil's stuck her head out of the door and grinned. "You should have dinner with us."

"Oh," I said, nodding quickly, unsure whether or not was a good idea or not. "Thanks. The cafe sounded great."

Soleil wrinkled her way. "Our first term dinner in the cafe? No way. We're going out into Magix. Be ready at six." She winked and then was gone.

~ Cloud Tower School for Witches ~

CASSIDY

I knew that Cloud Tower was huge but nothing compared to seeing it with my own eyes.

The purple ceiling rose up amid staircase spiraling into different towers, paintings of famous witches through the ages covering the walls above lanters flickering with violet flames. Outside the tall windows, gray fog swirled, obscuring the tower from prying eyes. We had to be near the top of the mountain, perched so close to the edge that anyone who couldn't fly might as well kiss their life goodbye right then and there.

Lucky for me I wasn't scared easily.

I peered down at the paper handed to me by a goblin as I walked through the big black doors of the school.

CASSIDY OF CALLISTO, Year 1

Vile Tower, Room 8

Class Schedule:

Alchemy with Professor Magnus

Mayhem with Professor Zarathustra

Hexes with Professor Ediltrude

Beginner Evil with Professor Nightshade

Basic Witchcraft 101 with Headmistress Griffin

History of Witchcraft with Professor Daphne

Self Defense with Professor Thorn

Each class sounded more devious than the next. It'd be difficult to choose a favorite. Naturally, I excelled at alchemy, but Hexes did sound like the most enticing option so far. Basic Witchcraft was the only concern I had so far - it sounded a bit too rudimentary based on what some of the older girls had said. I was already way past object transmutation, and telekenesis was baby witch stuff.

"You're going to be the best they've ever had at that school," Mom had said as I stood at the portal, about to step through with my bags. "Make me proud and be a horrible girl."

"Always," I'd promised with a grin and stepped into the magic.

Up above on the balconies, witches began to appear, upperclassman by the looks of it. They gathered at the railings and pointed to us below.

A burst of green magic lit up the hall so bright I had to shield my eyes.

Emerging from thin air, a woman in a flowing black dress and burgundy cape flew to one of the suitcases. Her purple hair and rune necklace were unmistakable. This was Headmistress Griffin, one of the most powerful witches in history. As a member of the Company of Light, she'd been responsible for stopping dark forces threatening the Magic Dimension. She'd been one of the witches who fought against the Army of Decay and Valtor decades ago.

"A complete stickler for the rules," my aunt had sighed to me before. "Griffin is all bark and no bite."

"Welcome to Cloud Tower," Headmistress Griffin began. Her voice echoed off the walls, silencing any remaining conversation below. "You have been chosen to shadow these hallowed halls because you all are the best of the best. While here, you will harness your magic and become more powerful than you ever dreamed."

Excitement bubbled in my stomach and I couldn't help my smile.

"But it won't come easily," the woman continued. "You will be tested and challenged. Power is forged in the fires of adversity. But I have full confidence that you all will come out the other side, full-fledged witches."

All of us applauded, a few girls whistling.

"But be warned," Griffin said. "There are rules that must be followed if wish to stay. No specialists may enter Cloud Tower, and under no circumstances may a fairy enter. While jinxes are permitted - and encouraged - hexes are not permitted outside of classes, or I will skin you alive and hang it on my wall as decoration. Understood? Once again, welcome to Cloud Tower."

The girls above us erupted into cheering and Headmistress Griffin vanished in another burst of green light.

"That was wicked," a girl next to me laughed. She was petite with voluminous brunette curls brushing her shoulders, and warm brown skin. Several piercings sparkled on her ears and a single ring dotted her nose. Her gray muscle-tank-top and denim miniskirt are simple, but pretty, along with her red-and-black striped arm warmers. "I'm Zara by the way, from Magix. Witch of Misfortune." She spun a finger in the air and scarlet sparks fizzed around it.

I laughed. "I'm Cassidy, from Callisto."

She widened her big dark eyes. "Woah that's pretty far. Way out in the upper ring, right? You guys have great beaches there though."

"Beaches aren't really my thing." I raised my hand, and she watched intently as snow crystals fell from my palm. "Witch of Frost."

"That's so cool!" She looked down at her timetable. "What room are you in? I hope we're close by."

"I'm in Vile Tower, Room Eight."

Zara gasped with delight. "Shut up! Me too!" She immediately linked her arm through mine. "We're gonna be best friends I can already tell."

Normally I hated being touched, and having anybody be this excited around me, but I couldn't help feeling a little giddy. "Let's go find our room. I don't think Griffin will be back for a tour. Something tells me the older girls are going to enjoy seeing us wander around the school until we're lost."

"My sense of direction sucks," Zara sighed.

"Good for you I'm here," I said and point up one of the staircases. "Vile Tower is that way. My mother went here, so I've been studying Cloud Tower since I was old enough to read. I know everything about this place."

"Wow," Zara breathed, then added sheepishly, "I'm the first in my line."

"Then you're setting a new trend," I said.

Zara grinned up at me and we start on our way. The walk wasn't long, and a few other girls started following us once they notice our trek up the stairs. I didn't bother looking back at them. I kept my chin up high, knowing that the older girls were still watching us from the balconies. Once we turned into a large tower rotunda, it didn't long to climb to the door marked with an 8 in obsidian.

I turned the brass doorknob and it creaked open.

The room was dark with walls colored bruise-purple. Heavy black drapes hung by the window, and lanterns lofted in the arched ceiling glowed. Down to the black wooden floor and the three cast-iron beds, it couldn't be more-

"Wicked," Zara squealed, stepping into the room and spinning around, marveling at it.

I walked to the bed closest to the window and dropped my suitcase on the empty mattress. "This one's mine." I dropped on the bed. "I could get used to this kind of room."

"Looks like we have another roomie," Zara said and nodded at the third bed closest to the door.

Several girls ran by the door, laughing on their way up the tower, trying to find their room. None of them turned into our door. Our roommate was probably still trying to figure out her way around. Hopefully she wasn't so stupid she'd be lost most of the day. If she was anything like Zara, I had a feeling we'd get along. But I've never been good at fortune telling, so I'd have to wait for her to show up.

Zara and I started unpacking our things. She strung up colorful streamers by her bed and hung glittering crystals from her bedframe. Just as she put a sparkly red comforter down and I started to question why this girl was suddenly decorating like a fairy, she pulled a whole deer skull from her bed. Zara sat the skull lovingly on her bedside table.

"Reminds me of grandma," she said. "So many nice nights making potions from deer bones."

I smiled and went back to smoothing my own white duvet. My clothes had been hung up first, and all that was left to do now was tack up all the navy and blue posters I had tucked into my suitcase.

A thump made Zara and I both turn towards the door.

A girl yanked a suitcase into the room, huffing, sweat beading on her olive skin. Clearly someone had gotten lost. She didn't even bother to look at us at first, just glanced around the room.

Zara practically bounced over to her. "Hi!" she said with a huge grin. "I'm Zara, and that's Cassidy! You must be our roommate."

"Obviously," the new girl drawls. She tucks one side of her straight black hair behind her ear, ignoring the side that's almost covering one of her hazel eyes, obscuring half of her face. I had to admit her black cargo pants and ripped-sleeved shirt were cool, but her attitude wasn't.

I didn't get in the habit of giving people the benefit of the doubt - second chances are for cowards - but maybe the first day of school was just too much for this girl.

"What's your name?" I said. I don't make a move towards her, just fold my arms and remain on my own side of the room.

"I'm Jade," she said simply. She turns away and heads to the free bed and starts unpacking.

Zara glances over at me, shrugging.

Someone dashed by and then backpedaled, stopping in our doorway with a smile. Her long gold hair draped over her pale shoulders and with those doe-like blue eyes and freckles, she looked like she belonged in a fairy tale eating a poisoned apple. But the black dress and spiked choker were all Cloud Tower.

"Hey," she giggled. "I'm Sable, Room 1 at the top of the tower. Some of us are going out into Magix tonight to celebrate start of term. You guys wanna join?"

"Yes!" Zara squealed. "I know the best place!"

Jade finally acknowledged Sable, whipping around. "I don't think that's allowed. We can't leave the school during the first week."

"Who said?" I snapped. This Jade girl was becoming a pain.

"The Cloud Tower handbook," Jade said like it's obvious. "Did none of you read it?"

I shrugged. "I took it as more of a suggestion. Besides, rules don't count unless you get caught."

"That's not how it works-" Jade started.

Zara clapped her hands, thrilled. "We're totally going!"

"Great, I'll meet you guys out front at six o'clock," Sable said with a wink and then vanishes down the tower steps.

Jade didn't speak to us again. Once she'd unpacked an array of carnivorous plants and put up some photos of a toad, she laid on her bed and put in earbuds. I could just hear the melancholy music playing loud enough.

Zara and I explored the school in the meantime, almost getting lost in the twisting passage ways but laughing every time. Zara got particularly thrilled about the Potionology lab with its big cauldrons and row up row of ingredients. As we climbed up one of the steeper staircases, it ended in a balcony at the very top of a thin tower. The whole thing probably would've given me vertigo if it wasn't so incredible being able to view the entire mountain range getting lost in fog below.

A girl stood at one edge of the balcony, and glanced over her shoulder as Zara and I walked up to the railing.

The cold wind blew the girl's light pink hair around, and for a moment I was stunned with how pretty she was. Her pale skin was flawless, like marble, and smudgy eyeliner rimmed her amber eyes.

"You two must be first years," she said with a smirk.

"Is it obvious?" Zara asked.

I stood up straighter and raised my chin. "What year are you?"

"Third year," she said and hopped up to sit on the stone railing, swinging her heavy black boots. "I'm Naureen."

We introduced ourselves and Naureen nodded

"I'll see you both in Mayhem class. I'm helping Professor Zarathustra as a teaching assistant for extra credit," she said. She pushed her hair out of her face, a silver bracelet with wilted flowers and thorns glinting on her wrist.

"That's so cool," Zara said. "Can everyone do that in their final year?"

Naureen shrugged. "If they're smart enough. I was the top-ranked witch the past two years in our alchemy competition. Definitely helped."

"I love alchemy," I blurted. For a second I felt like an idiot, but Naureen smiled at me.

"Then I expect you to be the best in the class," she said.

I couldn't help the stupid blush creeping across my face, and turned to the swirling clouds below. The wind is frigid for summer, just like how I like it.

"Are you both looking forward to Headwitchress Griffin's welcoming speech tomorrow?" Naureen said. "The amphitheater is always cool. My friend, Chloe, helped repaint the pentagram on the floor there. Looks pretty sick now."

"I didn't even know there was a welcoming speech tomorrow," Zara laughed.

Naureen grinned. "Now you do. Are you planning to explore the tower tonight? The dungeon is terrifying around midnight, it's awesome."

"We're actually going out to Magix," I said.

"Sounds fun," Naureen said and jumped down from the railing. "I hope you both have fun. We'll see each other at some point this week."

She left back down the stairs, and Zara and I stood on the balcony in comfortable silence, the mountains and their forests rolling with fog underneath us.

~ Magix City ~

CASSIDY

I'd been to Magix once before, but I can hardly remember.

Mom had needed to go for something, and I'd mostly been irritated we'd spent the day in the city archives. But that was years ago. Now I was rushing along the streets, laughing as Sable led us down the sidewalks. The sky overhead was dark but the city was lit up with a rainbow of lights, hovercars zooming by, and people eating outside cafes. Several buildings had lines outside with music sounding from the building inside.

"This one!" Zara said, pointing across the street. "It's the best!"

It was a marble building with gargoyles carved like griffins on top. Written on the outside in marble letters was THE GRIFFIN NEST.

"I've never been to one of these before," Belladonna, one of Sable's roommates, said. She was dressed the best out of us all with a red sparkly red dress that pops against her dark skin and her short black hair dyed half silver.

"Me neither," Crescinda said, reaching a ring-adorned hand to her jagged, brunette bob. A blue tattoo of a lightning bolt along her tan bicep caught my attention for a moment before the line moved up.

The green ogre standing outside glanced at us, and for a moment I thought he might turn us away, but then he stepped aside and Sable led us into the dark hallway.

As soon as I stepped into the large room full of bright lights, I could feel the music pounding in my ribs. A bar glowed blue on one end of the room, with tables across from it, and a dance floor made on glowing tiles took up the rest of the space.

"Let's dance!" Sable said, eyes bright, practically screaming above the music.

Zara and Belladonna immediately rushed with her towards the dance floor.

"I'm gonna find a table," I yelled to Crescinda.

She gave me a thumb up and lopsided grin. We wove our way through the crowd until we spot a free table some people have just left. I sat down onto one of the stools that glowed green as acid. The whole pace was so buzzing it was hard to know where to look, not to mention the smell of perfumes and colognes clouding the air. Over on the dance floor, the other girls were twirling around each other. Zara turned to a guy our age near her and they start dancing, laughing and leaning in to talk.

"Thirsty?" I yelled to Crescinda.

"I could do with some soda," she shouted across the table.

I nodded and got up, moving through people towards the bar.

Some people sat at the stools beneath it or stood around, waiting as the two bartenders took orders and ran around. As I scanned for an opening at the bar, one of the people waiting made me pause.

She was about my height with red hair adored by a little braid going down the side. Her baggy red sweatshirt was balled up in her fists as she leaned against the bar and glanced around. There was something so cute about the way she reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and then rested her chin in her palm.

My stomach knotted from excitement and nerves.

Anytime I'd tried to date anyone back on Callisto, Mom would scare them off before the relationship could even become more. She said she wasn't doing it on purpose, but it definitely put me off trying to ask anyone out the past year. But she wasn't here in Magix.

I checked to make sure my food hadn't stained my white pants, and lifted my chin. The music thrummed as I walked over to the bar, and stepped beside her.

"I love your hair," I said over the music.

She looked over at me, and blinked eyes the color of a frozen lake, all dark blue with chips of gray. She smiled and gloss shimmered on her lips. "Thanks. I like yours too."

I smiled and nodded at her drink. "Something wrong with it?"

"I just wanted some ice for it," she said. "It's so hot in here."

Reaching a hand up, I pressed my fingertips to the glass. Shards of the drink froze inside, clinking against the side of the cup.

She beamed and my stomach knotted even more. "Woah! Your magic is really good."

"I'm Cassidy," I said.

"I'm Ava," she said.

I leaned slightly closer. "Ava? That's pretty. It suits you."

Her eyes widened the slightest bit, and she seemed to realize I was flirting - or trying, at least. Her cheeks turned pink, even the tips of her ears. Then the tiniest of smiles crossed her lips.

"Wanna dance?" I asked. Crescinda would have to wait for her soda.

Ava peered out towards the tables, and back towards me. She opened her mouth to said something.

"Aaaavvaaa!"

A tall girl appeared, and slung a tanned arm around Ava's shoulders. Her warm blonde curls and brown eyes seemed familiar but I couldn't place it. All I knew though was that the smile vanished from Ava's face and her face reddened even more.

"You have to come dance with us!" the blonde girl said. She glanced over at me. "Who's your friend?"

I frowned but Ava spoke before I could.

"This is Cassidy," she said, and despite my annoyance at the interruption, I couldn't help the way I liked how my name sounded in her voice. "Cassidy, this is my roommate, Soleil."

"Do you go to Alfea too?" Soleil shouted over the music.

Alfea? I started to shake my head, confused, and then realization dawned on me like ice in my blood - and not in a good way. "You both go to Alfea?"

Soleil nodded. "Yeah, of course! Best school in Magix. Wait, don't tell me you go to Beta Academy."

"No," I said and folded my arms. "Cloud Tower."

Ava's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"In that case, let's go," Soleil said to Ava, and tossed me a dismissive look. They started to walk away.

I couldn't tell what I was feeling more: embarrassed that I had tried to hit on a fairy, or that this girl had just looked at me like I was something on the bottom of her expensive-looking shoes.

Without a second, thought, I waved my hand and reveled in the small surge of magic that flowed through me.

Soleil gasped as she tripped. Her wedge was frozen to the floor, sparkling around the bottom with ice crystals. She looked over at me, eyes flashing. "Who do you think you are?"

"A witch," I said, and turned my back on her.

~ The Griffin Nest ~

AVA

I looked over at Cassidy but she was already walking off through the crowd, her wavy platinum hair swinging behind her against her black leather corset. For a second, I thought she might turn around, but she vanished between the throngs of people.

"What a... a..." Soleil struggled for the right word, trying to yank her shoe from the ice. "A witch!"

I bit my lip, unsure of what to said. The glass in my hand was cold against my palm. The ice inside had even started to melt yet.

"Ugh!" Soleil finally bent down and a shining ball of light flared to life in her hand. She held it against the ice until it melted enough she could pull her shoe free. "These were a birthday gift from Daddy! She could've ruined them."

"Let's get back to Floressa," I finally said.

Soleil sighed but followed me as we head back to our table. Predictably, no one has even attempted to ask for the free seats across from Floressa. She'd kicked her boots up onto the table, arms crossed behind her head like she came here every night, a bored look on her face.

When Soleil sat down in a huff, Floressa arched an eyebrow. "What happened to you?"

"A Cloud Tower witch decided to freeze my shoe to the floor!" Soleil fumed. She grabbed a fry from the basket we were sharing and chewed angrily.

"What?" Floressa said, bemused.

"Yeah, and for no reason too," Soleil snapped.

I almost pointed out how Soleil had been dismissive to Cassidy, but hesitated.

"Why were you even talking to a witch?" Floressa asked, as if asking why we would decide to wear anything other than black.

Soleil opened her mouth but then glances over at me. "Actually, yeah. Why were you talking to her, Ava?"

"Oh um..." I could feel my face turning red all over again. "She thought she knew me from somewhere. Turns out she didn't."

"Of course not," Soleil said. "Why would you and a witch know each other?" She snorts like it's too ridiculous to consider.

I shrugged. "I mean... why not?"

Soleil and Floressa stared at me like I've grown a second head.

"What?" I said, suddenly feeling defensive. "Miss Faragonda was in the Company of Light with Headmistress Griffin from Cloud Tower."

"That's not the same thing as being friends," Soleil said. "Witches practice dark magic. We use white magic. Besides, you should know better than anybody what witches are capable of. Your planet was destroyed by the Three Ancestral Witches."

Floressa shot Soleil a clear don't-go-that-far look.

"Well it's true," Soleil said.

"I just don't understand why we can't be friendly with witches," I said. "I mean Alfea is fine with specialists. We all go to schools in Magix together."

Floressa finally lowers her boots from the table. "It's just not a good idea. Our magic doesn't mix well with them. Witches will always have an ulterior motive if they try to be friends. But I gotta be honest, they do dress better than fairies."

"Take that back," Soleil teases and flicks a fry at Floressa.

I look down at my drink with the ice floating around in it.

We leave the club an hour later, and head down the street - well, sprint is more like it.

"We can't miss the last bus!" Floressa yells as I chase after her. "If we have to take the next one, we'll be getting back after curfew! I don't know about you both, both I don't feel like detention with Griselda during the first week of school!"

"Why do beautiful shoes always have to be the hardest to run in?" Soleil wails behind me as she struggles to keep up.

For once, I'm glad I picked up running as a hobby the past year. I was so stressed about whether or not my application to Alfea would get accepted, I needed some kind of outlet. Running had seemed boring at first, but now it was saving me. Barely.

I brushed a bead of sweat off my temple as we rounded a corner. Up ahead, waiting by the sidewalk, the blue-and-orange hoverbus stood as people climbed on. Floressa made it there first, bending over and panting as we joined the very last of the line.

"So not worth sweating," Soleil said once she caught up, fanning herself.

I was about to laugh when a voice floated by from another sidewalk.

"Is this the one to Cloud Tower?" A woman in a long red coat with a pearl-dotted scarf covering her hair stood at the bus across the street.

The bus driver said something I couldn't hear before she climbed on board.

Footsteps sounded, and Soleil and I glanced back.

Rounding the corner, looking as desperate as we probably just had, were a group of girls. I instantly recognized one with her white-blonde hair flying behind her, arms swinging as she ran. Cassidy. They were about to miss the bus back to school too.

"Sorry," Soleil said. She waved a finger in the air.

Like they hit an invisible wall, the witches smacked into something I couldn't see. A curly-haired girl even fell on the sidewalk. They all glanced around, realizing at the same time I did that Soleil had just spelled them.

Cassidy looked over at us.

The bus stopping at Cloud Tower rumbled to life, and swept off down the street.

"Are you getting on or not?"

I jumped at the bus driver's voice. She had the same tone as Griselda. I hurried up the steps to her, paying the credits for the fare, and Soleil did as well with a wink.

"Keep the change," she sang, in too good of a mood now.

The door closed behind us and the bus started moving as we wobbled down the aisle. Floressa sat towards the back, having saved us two seats. I sat down beside her, sighing with relief at knowing I wouldn't break Alfea rules my first night there. Soleil giggled as she sat and leaned towards the window.

We zoomed past the witches, who all watched our bus pass with fury in their eyes. Cassidy glared towards us, but I couldn't tell if she was looking at me or Soleil. Probably both of us. Either way I didn't like it. If everything they'd been saiding about witches was true, then it probably wasn't a great idea to be on the bad side of five of them.

"You didn't need to do that," I finally muttered to Soleil as we traveled through the city.

Soleil flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Ava, you're too kind. Fight fire with fire, I always said. Or ice."

I peered out the window and watched as Magix faded into forest.