TW - suicide mention
And just like that the girl's first term back at Alfea drew to a close. They hadn't heard a peep out of neither Darkar nor the Trix in the weeks since the attack on Red Fountain, and slowly the mystery surrounding what they were after faded from their minds. For Bloom, Layla, and Musa in particular they had enough to focus on, what with Avalon's class proving to be just as hard as he'd said with a new essay due every other week.
They were all glad that the end of term was marked by a week-long break which allowed them all the chance to go home and see their families for a few days. They were less happy about the group research assignment Professor Callas had assigned them to work on in the meantime however.
"This blows," Stella muttered to the others as they trooped up to the front of the classroom to pitch their project idea.
"Would you prefer I set you an essay to write, Miss Haleigha?" Callas' tone was amused rather than stern, and at the sight of his dazzling smile Stella's attitude melted away.
"I guess not," she admitted, and she and the other girls lined up in front of the class.
Callas grinned again and gestured for them to begin.
Flora shuffled her notecards nervously in her hands and cleared her throat. "We propose a field research project that is centered on the Earthen holiday of Halloween, also known as All Hallow's Eve, or All Saints' Eve. Originally a holiday where people dressed up in costumes to scare away the ghosts and spirits thought to linger after death, Halloween in modern Earthen society is a celebration of all things spooky…"
"Why did we choose Halloween again?" Layla whispered to Bloom as Flora continued telling Callas and the class about their project.
Bloom tilted her head towards her and whispered back, "We got invited to the most exclusive Halloween party in Gardenia. I figured why not kill two birds with one stone."
Layla nodded approvingly, already itching to get dancing. "Sounds good to me."
"Halloween is interesting because while Earth does not believe in magic this holiday nevertheless relies heavily on the lore of magical and supernatural entities. Magic has not existed on earth for thousands of years…"
Layla shifted towards Musa on her other side, and tried to say as quietly as possible, "Did you hear about the party Bloom got us invited to?"
"Yeah, Bloom said the music is going to be great," Musa said before looking at Stella on her other side. "Do you know what you're going to wear yet?"
At the end of the line, Tecna picked up the presentation. "We'd like to examine the traditions of Halloween…"
Stella arched a golden eyebrow. "Not yet, but I can assure you, darling, it'll be fabulous."
"Of course," Musa muttered out of the corner of her mouth. "I'd expect nothing less."
"...this should give us a unique insight into the current feelings of Earthens towards magic, as well as a better understanding of their history with that which is supernatural or fantastic in nature."
"For example," Bloom jumped in, picking up her part of the presentation. "Magic is seen as something believed in only by small children or superstitious people, and yet Halloween is a vastly popular holiday…"
"You heard about the party, right?" Stella asked Flora under her breath.
"Bloom told me. She said we should all wear costumes but I don't know where to start."
Stella winked at her. "Don't worry, I'll help you."
"Halloween customs dictate you wear a costume," Layla said to the class. "These can either be magical or non-magical."
"Hopefully, Callas approves our project," Flora whispered to Tecna. "I really want to go to this party."
"A party?" Tecna blurted out, realising too late that she'd spoken too loud as the class turned to look at her. Callas raised his eyebrows and Tecna's face flushed red.
"Uh, right," Bloom jumped in, thinking fast. "Halloween parties are another popular tradition, particularly among teenagers and young adults. Younger children partake in something called trick or treating-"
"I think I've heard enough," Callas said, holding up his hands. "Halloween sounds like an excellent holiday for your project. And any research you happen to do at a party would be helpful I'm sure." The girls grinned and nudged each other, but Callas was quick to continue sternly, "But remember this is a history class, ladies, the bulk of your project needs to be on the history of Halloween. Writing about the modern practices of Halloween should only be included for extra credit, understood?"
"Understood, Professor Callas," they chorused before grinning at each other again and making their way back to their seats.
"It might be a bit squishy, but you all should be able to stay at my house while you're in Gardenia," Bloom told the other girls as she pushed open the door to their dorm.
"Are you sure that it's alright with your parents?" Flora asked, biting her lip.
"Of course," Bloom said, waving her hand casually. "We've got a heap of sleeping bags and air mattresses from when we used to go camping so I figured we'd all just sleep on the living room floor."
"When's the party?"
"Tomorrow night. If we get to Gardenia by lunchtime tomorrow that allows enough time to show you around a bit before getting ready. Then I thought we could work on our project on Sunday and you guys can just head home whenever you want."
"Sounds like a good plan," Tecna said. She went to dump her backpack on the coffee table before noticing that the pixies were already sitting there drinking tea. "Oh, what are you guys up to?"
"Jolly's going to read our tea leaves," Tune informed her, looking very prim and proper with her ankles crossed neatly and pinkie in the air.
Tecna pressed her lips together, fighting down her laughter as she avoided looking at Digit, knowing what her bonded pixie thought of Jolly's parlour tricks.
"You guys can watch if you want," Jolly told them as she waited for the other pixies to finish their tea. "Just no talking, please. I need to concentrate."
The girls exchanged amused glances before shrugging and flopping down onto the lounges and armchairs. Jolly seemed to favour her tarot deck so they'd never seen her read tea leaves before and it seemed like it would be good for a show.
Lockette finished her tea first and handed the tea-cup over so Jolly could peer into its depths. The pixie of portals fiddled with the clips in her hair, fretting as she watched Jolly twist the cup from side to side so she could decipher it's meaning.
"I hope it's nothing bad," she said worriedly while Chatta patted her knee comfortingly.
"Lines," Jolly said quietly, her voice taking on a mystical note. "You're going on a journey."
"Well, duh," Digit said impatiently, rolling her eyes a bit like she couldn't help herself. " It's not like you didn't already know that we're going to Earth tomorrow."
Jolly cut her a sharp glare, eyes narrowed and Digit fell silent, sighing.
"But the lines are wavy," Jolly continued forcefully, her voice growing more dramatic. "That indicates trouble is on the horizon." Jolly shook her head mournfully, bells on her hat tinkling and Bloom tried not to smile, wondering if Jolly wore it for the theatrics. "Ah," she said, gesturing to another section of the cup. "And here, an axe, meaning difficulties or an attack. And finally an envelope. It can mean success, but when you consider these other symbols, I think it's more likely to mean an unfortunate message, maybe even of doom."
Lockette gave a terrified whimper, while Jolly set the cup back onto the table.
"I don't think anyone should travel for a while," she said, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms.
Bloom pressed her lips together to hold back a smile and leant forward, leaning her elbows on her knees. "All due respect to your skills, Jolly, but I think we'll be okay."
Jolly didn't seem offended by her words, and tilted her head, considering. "It is true that tasseomancy is one of the more imprecise branches of fortune telling, far less exact than the tarot or crystal ball, so I could be wrong."
Lockette glared at Jolly with watery eyes, and Musa laughed. "Don't worry, Lockette. No matter what happens, we'll protect you."
"Exactly," Bloom said, getting up and patting her bonded pixie on the head. "But for now, I've gotta go."
"Oh," Stella said, head perking up as they all watched Bloom shrug on a jacket. "And where might you be off to?"
Bloom allowed herself a small smile as she casually said, "Just watching some movies with Sky."
"Just the two of you? How romantic."
Bloom just chuckled and shook her head, before offering them a wave and heading out.
"So, where are your room-mates tonight?" Bloom asked, settling back into the lounge in the common room of Sky's dorm and glancing around at the empty bedrooms. "Did you kick them out or something?"
Sky chuckled and set a bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table. "I think Timmy offered to walk Helia through the ship's controls since it's still a new system for him, and Brandon dragged Riven to the gym to work out."
"Helia decided to stay then?"
"Yeah," Sky said, his eyes twinkling. "I wonder why."
"Yeah, I wonder," Bloom said, unable to stifle her grin. "So, what are we watching tonight anyway?"
Sky handed her a stack of DVD cases and Bloom's eyes lit up at the familiar titles. "Okay," she said, holding the top one up. "How did you know this is my favourite horror movie ever?"
"Magic."
Bloom just smiled as he plucked it from her grasp and went to put it in the DVD player. "But you hate horror movies," Bloom said, expression falling a little as she recalled that Sky's taste tended towards action and even romance.
"I guess you'll just have to hold my hand when I get scared."
"Big, strong specialist-in-training like you, scared? Surely not."
"Not gonna dignify that one with a response," Sky said, flopping down beside her and offering her the bowl of popcorn. Bloom just smiled in response and helped herself to a handful.
They laughed their way through the first movie, a comedic slasher flick that had long been Bloom's favourite and Sky seemed to enjoy. They were so entranced by the second that neither she nor Sky noticed the jump scares nudging them closer and closer until all of a sudden she was leaning into his side and his arm was around her shoulders.
"Tell me when it's over," Bloom whispered, turning her face into Sky's chest as the movie approached it's final climax and the heroine crept through a dark house. His arm tightened around her and she could feel how tense he was. Keeping her face turned away from the screen, Bloom glanced up at him. "You okay?" she whispered even though there was no one else to disturb.
He looked down at her, his eyes seemingly bottomless in the dark. "Yeah," he breathed. "Perfect."
Unbidden, Bloom felt her eyes dart down to his lips, and when they flicked back up to his she knew he'd caught the movement. He leaned down, and she reached up. Their lips were a breath apart and Bloom was realising that she wanted nothing more than to close that distance and feel the rush that she knew would come from pressing her lips to his. Sky shifted a fraction closer, the distance between them shrinking and Bloom thought it was finally going to happen.
Right up until the door banged open, the light flicked on, and the pair of them jumped apart, Bloom retreating practically to the other end of the lounge.
"What are we watching?" Riven asked, striding into the room. He flopped down between them, smelling overwhelmingly like he'd been in the gym for hours. Brandon followed a heartbeat slower, looking apologetic like he knew exactly what they'd just interrupted.
"Horror movie," Sky said, scowling at Riven who remained oblivious.
"About a serial killer clown," Bloom mumbled, her cheeks burning. "I'd better go anyway, the last bus'll be leaving soon."
"Have a good break," Brandon said, obviously trying to make it up to her, while Riven just waved, eyes glued to the television.
Sky's mouth opened, to say what, Bloom wasn't entirely sure, but she just smiled and backed towards the door. "Have a good break, I'll see you next term?"
He sighed but nodded. "Yeah. Have a good break, Bloom."
Once she'd slipped out of the dorm, she took a moment to lean back against the door, bringing a hand to her lips, and remembering how it had felt to kiss him the year before. The rush of it, his lips a warm and visceral reminder of how alive they both were, and how she hadn't felt like that once in the months since.
"How was your date last night?" Stella asked Bloom as they walked through the Magix City Transportus Station the next morning.
"Rudely interrupted," Bloom muttered, remembering again how Riven and Brandon had barged in, wishing they'd taken even half a second longer in coming back to the dorm. She'd spent most of the night replaying the moment over in her head, berating herself for not having the courage to close the distance herself.
Bloom didn't realise her mistake until a moment too late as Stella turned to her, a victorious grin stretching across the blonde's face. "So it was a date?"
"I didn't say that," Bloom said quickly.
"You didn't deny it either," Stella was equally quick to point out. "Did you kiss?"
"No."
Stella must have read something in her tone because she tilted her head, narrowed her eyes and said, "But…?"
Bloom sighed but even she couldn't help but smile a bit as she conceded, "But we were about to… until your boyfriend interrupted anyway."
Stella groaned theatrically. "I'm going to kill him."
"Don't. I think it was actually Riven's fault and Brandon was trying to stop him."
"What was Riven's fault?" Musa asked, overhearing their conversation and dropping back to talk to them. "Besides everything."
"Your boyfriend interrupted Sky and Bloom getting back together last night."
"We were not getting back-"
"He's not my boyfriend-"
Stella sighed sharply and rolled her eyes heavenward. "You two are as bad as one another. Bloom, you said yourself that you two were about to kiss. You're telling me you wouldn't have gotten back together afterwards?"
"Oh, look, there's the gate for Earth," Bloom said, putting on a burst of speed.
Stella pointed at her back. "This isn't over." She glanced at Musa who held her hands up innocently. "It's not over for you either," she added.
The city worker manning the Earth gate had warned them that such a large group would have to split up to avoid detection so it was no surprise that when the swirling grey wind of the transportus gate cleared Bloom found herself surrounded by strangers. She let herself be buffeted along with them as they streamed towards the train doors and caught sight of a familiar head of blonde hair that was sticking up a little above the rest of the passengers. Stella turned, catching sight of her friend as she grinned and winked before stepping off the train into the sunlight. Making sure Lockette was still hanging on and doused with an invisibility potion, Bloom followed, dodging through the crowd of people until she was by Stella's side.
"Trip alright?" Bloom asked even though it had been less than a minute since she'd last seen Stella.
"My sceptre is smoother," Stella sniffed.
"And with six fairies and eight pixies much more of a strain on your magic," Bloom pointed out.
They glanced left and right, Bloom rising up on her tiptoes to try and locate the rest of their friends. Finally they spied Layla, Piff, Flora, and Chatta emerging from a carriage two down from their own, and a moment later they heard Musa call their names, and they looked the other way to see her leading the others their way.
"So, what now?" Layla asked when they were all gathered.
"Well," Bloom began. "If you're up for a bit of a walk, I was thinking I could show you around town before we go back to my place?"
The others thought that was a good idea, and they'd had the foresight to send their luggage straight through to Bloom's house so they had no heavy bags to carry, allowing them to set off with Bloom leading the way out of the station.
She couldn't help but take great delight in their shock as they stepped onto the Gardenian street and took in the explosion of colour and sound that constituted the town's Halloween celebrations. Grim reapers, wonder women, ghosts, and bloody surgeons alike passed them on the sidewalk, carved pumpkins were clustered on the front porches of houses, and paper cutouts of cartoon ghosts and black cats hung from the trees and lamp-posts. Everywhere decorations in brilliant oranges and the darkest shades of black adorned the town.
"We kind of go full-out with our holidays here," Bloom said, looking around with a grin. "Especially Halloween."
"You don't say," Musa said, looking somewhere between surprised and impressed.
"Most workplaces encourage you to dress up, there's half a dozen costume competitions you can enter, and if a store doesn't decorate their front window everyone will talk about it."
Indeed as they walked along the bustling street they saw that each storefront had managed to incorporate their wares in a Halloween themed scene. A bakery boasted tray after tray of spooky treats, an electrical appliance store had posed a vacuum fruitlessly trying to suck up a big fake web and plastic spiders, and they watched in amusement as a puppy in the window of the pet store shook off a pair of cat ears someone had fixed to his head.
"This is excellent," Tecna said, taking photos of it all.
"So Bloom," Stella said in between her friend pointing out landmarks of Gardenia. "Who's this friend of yours that's throwing the party?"
Bloom couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the thought. "I wouldn't go right to saying Mitzi's a friend. In fact she's usually pretty prickly."
'Prickly' was putting Mitzi's attitude nicely, but Bloom didn't want to put her friends on the wrong foot with Mitzi before they even made it to the party.
"If she's so prickly, why are we going to her party?" Musa wanted to know.
"Mitzi throws the most exclusive parties in Gardenia, and her Halloween ones are legendary. I wanted a chance to see one of them now that I'm apparently cool enough to warrant an invitation. Besides, my friends from my old school also managed to snag invites as well and I want you to meet them."
"Well, hopefully the party's big enough that we don't have to run into this Mitzi girl," Flora said, biting her lip a little.
They were distracted as they passed a woman dressed in flowing skirts and floating scarves, offering fortune readings to anyone who passed.
"My magical cards will reveal your future, my dear," she called to Layla, who smiled politely but shook her head.
"Imposter!" Jolly yelled, only the strength of Digit and Chatta keeping her from giving the woman a piece of her mind.
The fortune teller looked around for the source of the yell, and the girls hurried on.
"What are we going to wear?" Flora asked.
"Gardenians take their costumes pretty seriously, so we'd better come up with something good. And we only have the rest of the day to get it together."
"Well," Stella said, tossing her blonde hair. "I might have an idea."
"Well, well, well, look who it is."
At the nasally voice, the girls swung around to find Mitzi strutting towards them, flanked by two girls Bloom remembered from her old high school.
"Mitzi," she said, trying to inject some enthusiasm into her voice. "It's nice to see you. Thanks for inviting us to your party."
"Of course," Mitzi said, fake insincerity pitching her voice even higher than normal. "It wouldn't be nearly as fun without you."
Bloom resisted the urge to ask why this was the first year she'd been invited then.
"These must be your new friends," Mitzi continued, inclining her head towards the other girls behind Bloom. Her eyes raked over them, and Bloom could tell by her slight smirk that she was taking in their appearances, a little rumpled and ruffled from the trip and walking around Gardenia.
"Yep," Bloom answered quickly before Mitzi could say anything rude. "We all go to school together."
"Right," Mitzi said slowly, her mouth curling into a cruel smile. Bloom waited for her to make a crack about reform school, but all she did was remind them that the party started at eight. "And," she added, unable to help but get a final jab in. "Try not to dress so scruffy, alright?" She laughed like it was just a joke, and sauntered off, her two minions laughing and following.
"Who's she calling scruffy," Stella hissed, taking a step after them.
"Just leave it Stel," Bloom said, sighing and resting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "She's always like that."
"That's not 'prickly', Bloom," Tecna said, staring after Mitzi. "That's just plain rude." Musa scowled and nodded her head, while Layla folded her arms, also looking unimpressed.
"I know, I'm sorry, you guys." Bloom bit her lip, suddenly unsure that going to the party was such a good idea after all. "I'd hoped maybe she'd grown up a bit since the last time I saw her, but I guess not. If you don't want to go to the party anymore, I totally understand. We can come up with something else-"
"Oh, we're going," Stella said firmly, and the others nodded in agreement.
"We still have our project to do," Flora pointed out.
"And more importantly, we have to make that Mitzi girl eat her words." Stella planted her hands on her hips, looking fiercely determined. "And I have just the costumes to make that happen."
Several hours later, as they were departing Bloom's house for Mitzi's party, the other girls had to admit that Stella's idea had been a good one. When she'd first said they should go as fairies, every single one of them had scrunched up their noses and shaken their heads.
"So original," Musa had remarked with an eye roll.
But Stella, showing uncharacteristic patience, hadn't bitten back but had merely raised her hands, silently asking them to hear her out. And so they had, listening as she explained that while it might not be the most original idea, it was sure to blow Mitzi away. The costumes were taken care of, a burst of magic and a transformation all that was required, but Stella added mystical makeup in complementary colours to their outfits as well as twisting their hair into dramatic braids and curls. The final effect was stunning; their costumes sparkled unnaturally against the night sky and with Stella's skilled artistry skills they really looked like they could be from another world, which of course, they were.
"Is the party at Mitzi's house?" Layla asked, as they walked down the front path towards the sidewalk.
"No, Mitzi always finds haunted or spooky venues for her Halloween parties." Bloom turned at the end of the path towards the outskirts of town and led them away from the few tall buildings that dotted the horizon. Though they wore mysterious, dark cloaks to ward off the chill of the night air, the occasional flashes of their bright costumes drew the eyes of the trick or treaters clustering the streets and more than a few little girls tugged at their mother's hands and pointed them out.
"Oh, we are going to kill it at this party," Stella said smugly, clearly enjoying the attention.
Bloom smiled before consulting the invitation again. "I think we're almost there." She looked around and sure enough the trick or treaters had thinned out, and the houses came to an abrupt stop as they left Gardenia behind them. "If we follow this road, there should be a turn-off."
"So, what's the story with this place?" Tecna wanted to know as they reached the turn off and started down the gravel path.
Bloom frowned, trying to remember. Being part of small-town America, Gardenia had plenty of old myths and legends, almost all of which Mitzi had used for the theme of her Halloween parties in the past. "I think a bunch of sisters used to live out here in this big house," Bloom told them. "But I can't remember what ended up happening to them, because it's abandoned now."
Carved jack-o-lanterns with a candle placed inside hung from the trees providing a bit of light for the path, but they largely had to rely on the moon shining through the branches to see. The light from a full moon, Bloom realised with a jolt when she glanced up. The further away from town they'd gotten, the mistier the night air had become, and now it snaked between the trees, curling around the girl's ankles, making them shiver and draw their cloaks tighter around them.
A beam of moonlight cut through the branches, illuminating a little black cat huddled at the base of a large oak tree.
"Poor little guy," Flora crooned, moving towards it. But as she got within touching distance it gave a sudden ear-splitting yowl, startling Flora into a scream as she stumbled backwards. "What's wrong with it?" she cried, as Tecna reached out to steady her.
Bloom grinned. "It's not real, Flo," she explained. "It's motion detected."
Flora peered closer and saw what she hadn't at first through the gloom, that the cat was sitting with a stillness unnatural even for a cat. Bloom walked towards it, prompting it into another yowl, before backing away again.
"There'll be stuff like that all over the place," Bloom explained, leading them on.
"That's not very nice," Lockette harrumphed, settling back onto Bloom's shoulder after the cat had startled her into the air.
"But quite ingenious," Tecna said, making a note of it on her hand-held. "It's fascinating how humans have compensated for their lack of magic."
"It's still rather rude, I think," Tune put in. "Scaring people like that."
"Bloom's 'rents said you were welcome to stay home with them," Musa reminded her, but Tune just sniffed, and settled herself into the folds of the fairy's cloak.
"Tune would never leave you alone on a full moon," Jolly jumped in. "None of us would," she added, explaining why all the pixies had accompanied them to the party despite not seeming particularly interested in it. "Did you notice the full moon?" she asked Bloom, coming to rest on her other shoulder.
"I did," Bloom said, her voice purposefully measured.
"Full moons can draw out all manner of beasts and monsters," Jolly continued, while Bloom just hummed noncommittally. "Not to mention, it's a particularly strong summoning time for witches."
"I think we're almost there," Bloom said suddenly, and she quickened her pace while the others eagerly followed.
Sure enough, after one last bend in the path, the forest opened out into a large clearing, certainly big enough for the sprawling three story house that was smack dab in the middle of it. The house might have been impressive had it not been in such sorry shape with it's peeling paint, drooping guttering, and cracked windows. For a moment, Bloom was worried they'd gotten the wrong place for the front porch was deserted and there was only the sound of ghostly wailing, surely coming from speakers set up in the trees. Then she noticed the light coming from the grimy windows, and heard the quiet babble of voices and music.
They climbed up onto the porch, trying to ignore the way it creaked and groaned under their feet, and Bloom hesitated for a moment before grabbing the heavy, ornate door knocker and banging it three times against the wooden door. There was a beat where Bloom wondered if the knocking could even be heard over the music, before the door opened and a woman dressed in a bloody maid's outfit opened the door. The woman had to be approaching thirty, and based on her unimpressed expression, Bloom was willing to bet worked in the Gaynor household.
"Invitation please?" she asked flatly, and Bloom handed the envelope over, glad she'd thought to bring it with her.
"I'm Bloom Peters," she said before gesturing to her friends. "Mitzi said it was okay if I brought some friends."
The maid's expression didn't change, but she inclined her head and gestured for the girls to walk in. "Just straight through the door, that's where the party is."
"Thank you," Bloom said meekly and hurried inside.
"Nice costume," Musa said as she followed, grinning a little when the maid grimaced.
The door clicked shut behind them and they found themselves in a small hall, but when they turned to divest themselves of their cloaks and hand them to the maid they'd found that she'd disappeared without a trace.
"It's pretty cold anyway," Flora commented, drawing her cloak tighter around her.
Indeed, there was a terrible cold stillness in the air that made it little better than the wind outside.
"Besides," Stella said, tossing her hair. "I want to see the look on that Mitzi's face when she sees how good we-"
"Something bad happened in this house," Jolly said suddenly. "I can feel it," she insisted, when the others looked dubious.
"I'm sure it's fine," Bloom said. "Most of the horror stories from around Gardenia are totally made up. Now, let's go join the party."
Jolly shook her head mournfully, not looking convinced, the tinkling of her bells at odds with her worried expression. Bloom reached the door the maid had indicated and pushed it open, and they were immediately overwhelmed by the sound of laughter and chatter, and underneath that the pounding bass of the music.
They slipped into the room, looking on in interest as masked and bloodied people milled around the large room. Tables bursting with platters of food and jugs of drinks were organised on one side of the room, while a DJ that Musa was already eyeing off was set up on the other.
"Upon arriving at a party, it's good manners to greet the hostess," Tune reminded them as they stood there.
"And then we check for cute boys," Chatta put in excitedly, nudging Flora.
Bloom was just about to suggest they get a drink first before going to find Mitzi, when she heard a voice call her name from across the room. Her eyes roved over the costumed crowd trying to pick where the voice had come from before finally catching sight of Mackenzie waving to her frantically.
"My Earth friends," she told the others as she pointed them out, before leading them over.
"You're finally here! I've missed you girl," Mackenzie said, throwing her arms around Bloom.
Bloom greeted her Earth friends with hugs before standing back to introduce the two groups together. "Guys," she said to her Earth friends. "These are the girls from my new school, Stella, Musa, Flora, Layla, and Tecna. And this is Kayla, Bria, Charlie, Mackenzie, TJ, and Jake." She pointed to each of them in turn, and the two groups exchanged smiles and waves.
Bloom's eyes swept over her Earth friends group together, noting who was missing. "Where's-"
"He had a gig," Bria explained, anticipating Bloom's question. "But Dan's here somewhere."
"Yeah," Mackenzie said from beside her, wearing the devil to her girlfriend's angel costume. "And he and Kayla are matching," she said wickedly.
Bloom appraised Kayla in her long black dress and dramatic makeup, dressed unmistakably as Morticia Addams.
"We didn't plan it," Kayla said through gritted teeth, giving Bloom the sense that the others had already been teasing her about it.
"Didn't plan what?" Dan asked, appearing at her elbow in the sharp suit of Gomez Addams.
Kayla's mouth clamped shut, and she shook her head, so Bloom took pity on her and drew Dan in for a hug before introducing him to her new friends. Being Dan and ever a charmer, he didn't settle for a smile or a wave, but took each girl's hand in turn and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
"Tecna," he repeated slowly when he got to the Zenithian fairy. "What an interesting name, or is it a nickname?"
"No, it's my birth name, my parents… they just liked it."
"Meanwhile, I got stuck with 'Dan' - not particularly unique." His voice took on a long-suffering air, making the others laugh.
"How's Mitzi been?" Bloom asked, thinking about their encounter with her earlier. "We had the… pleasure of running into her when we first got into town."
"Lucky you," Charlie said with a grim smile.
"We haven't seen her yet," TJ said. "We're betting she's waiting to make a grand entrance."
"Wouldn't surprise me."
As if summoned by their conversation, the song playing through the speakers suddenly changed, and the lights that were flashing between different colours, all turned to white and converged on the staircase in the corner, just in time for Mitzi to come sauntering down the stairs.
"Wow," Stella said, grinning at TJ. "You called it."
Mitzi's friends in the crowd hooted and hollered at the sight of them, while the rest contained themselves to polite applause for their host.
"Typical Mitzi," Mackenzie said with a chuckle, sounding somewhere between fond and exasperated. "Love her or hate her, at least she's consistent."
Mitzi made her way through the crowd, waving and greeting people until she came to a stop in front of their little group, mouth curling into a dangerous smile at the sight of them. "How is it that you guys have never been to one of my parties before?"
"I don't know, maybe because you've never invited us," TJ mumbled under his breath, falling silent when Jake elbowed him meaningfully.
"And Bloom," Mitzi continued, her smile growing as she took in the fairies in their cloaks. "How nice of you and your friends to make it, even if your costumes are a bit of a disappointment."
"Well, how could we stack up against… actually what are you supposed to be?" Stella asked, taking in Mitzi's outfit. She wore a sparkly crop top and mini skirt ensemble in a dark purple with a little, furry handbag slung over one shoulder.
"I'm a witch supermodel, duh."
Stella arched an eyebrow, looking unimpressed while Bloom was just thinking about the witches she knew and how they wouldn't be caught dead in anything that involved sparkles.
"The fabric is one of a kind," Mitzi said haughtily, when no one complimented her costume. "My parents had to order it specially from Italy."
Italian or not, the fabric looked dim in the room, sparkling only occasionally when it caught the roving lights.
The maid from earlier appeared looking flustered. "I'm sorry," she said to Bloom and the girls. "I completely forgot to take your coats earlier."
"No worries," Stella said with a toss of her hair, reaching for the fastening, the others following suit. "Although I'm afraid our costumes might not live up to Mitiz's expectations."
As one the girls let the cloaks drop from their shoulders, revealing their real costumes, much to the astonishment and delight of the crowd around them. Even without a proper light source, their outfits were practically luminescent and left Mitzi's outfit to shame.
"Where did you get this?" one girl with a fake arrow through her head asked, as she ran her fingers over Flora's skirt.
"These look so real," a guy in a monstrous mask said, as he reached out but stopped just short of touching Layla's wings.
"Seriously," Kayla asked, coming to look closer at where the wings sprouted from Bloom's shoulder blades. "How are these attached?"
Bloom just winked at her friend, and said, "Magic."
Just like that, Bloom and her friends had become the talk of the party, and people she was slowly starting to recognise from her old school mobbed around while Mitzi was left to brood in the corner. They oohed and ahhed over the costumes, asking where they'd gotten them from, how they were liking Gardenia, and what their school was like. After a while the DJ kicked the music up a notch and everyone converged on the dance floor to have a good time. After the stress of the first term with Avalon's new class and the nightmares that hadn't quite gone away, Bloom found herself having more fun than she'd had in a while, and she loved seeing her new and old friends mingling and getting along.
Jolly seemed to be the only one not having a good time, for even Lockette had gotten over her initial fears and was having a good time once Amore and Chatta had dragged her out to dance above the heads of the other party-goers. The pixie of entertainment was still fretting as she drew card after card from her tarot deck and telling anyone who'd listen that they should leave.
"I really think we're going to be okay," Bloom assured her, as she and Flora took a break from dancing. "But if you don't want to stay that's okay, I'm sure Stella or Lockette could open a portal for you to get back to my house."
"No, I really should stay. Maybe my cards can be clearer about what the threat is…" Mumbling to herself Jolly flew off to do yet another reading.
"Do you think Jolly could be right?" Flora asked Bloom, biting her lip at the thought. "She seems so convinced."
"I know," Bloom said, not sounding so sure herself. "But we're on Earth, I'm not sure what could attack us." A tall figure standing on the other side of the room caught Bloom's eyes and she broke into a smile, Jolly's predictions temporarily driven from her mind. "Hey," she said, nudging her friend. "Cute guy checking you out." Bloom inclined her head to the guy in question, recognising him as a talented player on her old school's basketball team, despite the cowboy costume he wore.
Noticing their attention, the guy lifted his hand to the brown stetson on his head, lifting the hat a little in acknowledgement. Flora blushed a bright red, but managed a smile and small wave, before she turned away.
"You didn't think he was cute?" Bloom asked, a little surprised by her friend's reaction.
"Sure, he's cute…"
"But not as cute as Helia?"
Flora's blush deepened as she eyed her friend but all she said was, "You're giving Stella a run for her money on the match-making front."
"I'm just saying… Sky told me he's officially transferred to Red Fountain. He's even joined their squad so we'll probably be seeing a lot more of him."
Flora perked up, looking intrigued, but before she could get a word out, the maid from before appeared bearing a tray of red drinks that looked disturbingly like blood. "Thirsty? Care for a Screaming Mary?"
Bloom and Flora each helped themselves to a drink on the tray, waiting for the maid to leave again to peer into the glass's depths.
"What do you think's in it?" Flora asked, swirling the thick liquid around.
"Only one way to find out I guess," Bloom said, before taking a sip. As it turned out, the taste wasn't bad. Not that Bloom got to try much of it, because just then someone bumped into her back causing her to spill the drink all over herself.
A familiar voice gasped, before saying. "Oops, sorry, I sure hope it won't stain."
Bloom stared down in dismay at her top, now soaked in the red liquid, before glancing at Mitzi who had her hand over her mouth in a show of contrition.
Bloom's eyes narrowed but she forced her voice to say light as she said, "I'm sure it won't." She took the cloth Flora had dug up for her to use, and with some careful angling and murmured words, Bloom swiped the cloth over her chest, returning it to perfect condition. "Oh, would you look at that, it came right off. Isn't that great, Mitzi?"
Mitzi's return smile was venomous. "So great," she snarled before stomping off.
Flora grinned and bumped her hip against Bloom. "Nice one."
"Cards tell you anything new?" Musa asked, walking up the last few stairs to sit next to Jolly.
"Not yet," Jolly said, sweeping her cards back into a pile and shuffling them impatiently. "I thought I saw some people outside before," she continued, glancing worriedly at the nearby window.
"Probably just people from the party," Musa said reasonably, but Jolly didn't look convinced.
"Jolly still consulting her cards?" Tecna asked, coming up the stairs with Digit, Chatta, and Amore in tow.
"Yeah," Musa said, grinning at the pixie, who was mumbling to herself and consulting her cards once again.
"That Mitzi needs to learn about the acceptable application of perfume," Chatta complained, rubbing at her nose. "She passed by me earlier and I couldn't stop sneezing."
"It is a little potent," Amore agreed.
But Tecna didn't seem perturbed by Mitzi's perfume habits, but instead was running her fingers over a deep crack in the wall.
"Have you guys noticed these? They're everywhere, I'm worried that this house isn't structurally sound."
"It is pretty old," Musa said, looking around at the dirty and discoloured walls, creaky staircase, and cobwebs in the corners.
"What I find odd is that all the cracks seem to originate from behind that picture up there."
They followed the cracks in the wall, stopping at the next landing where the picture Digit had pointed out was hanging. The picture, which was actually an old, grainy photograph, showed the house in its heyday, looking impressive despite the poor quality. What was chilling was the three women standing on the grass in front of the house, all remarkably similar with their dark hair and sharp features, all staring directly into the camera with bleak expressions.
"Do you think those are the sisters Bloom mentioned used to live here?"
"Maybe… wait, what's that?" Musa asked sharply, stepping close to the photo.
She pointed to what first appeared to be a smudge on the photo, but upon closer inspection was revealed to be a fourth woman in the photo. She was standing in the shadows of the porch, the only parts of her visible being her long stringy dark hair, and pale face, mouth stretched open in a ghostly wail.
Amore gave a shriek and dove behind Musa, while Tecna gave a full-body shudder, looking uncharacteristically shaken by the image.
"What the fuck…" Musa said, also looking disturbed.
"It could be doctored," Digit said, although her voice wavered.
Musa and Tecna exchanged a look, wordless communication flowing between them. "I'll get Bloom," Tecna said at last, disappearing down the stairs.
Within a few minutes, Bloom and the rest of their friends had assembled on the landing, each taking turns to peer at the photograph.
"It could be fake," Bloom said dubiously. "If this place is regularly rented out for Halloween parties there could be things like this planted all over the place."
The others, and even Bloom herself, didn't look completely convinced by her words.
Bloom glanced at Stella. "Is it even possible…?" She let the end of her sentence hang in the air.
Stella, who's usually sunny face now bore a grave expression, frowned and considered. "Maybe. Even though Earth doesn't have-" she glanced around and lowered her voice, "-magic, supernatural events can still occur. It's hard to know without knowing the history of the house."
"If you're interested in the history of the house," a voice said suddenly from above them. "Mitzi's telling some people about it upstairs."
The girls jumped, twisting around to see one of Mitzi's friends standing further up the staircase. She smiled as she looked down at them, but there was something unsettling about her smile, and Bloom wasn't the only one to wonder how long the girl had been standing there, listening.
They exchanged hesitant looks before finally Layla shrugged, and said, "Why not?"
The girl led them up the stairs, not stopping on the second floor, and only on the third long enough to gesture for them to walk up a narrow set of stairs to the attic.
"Any reason she had to pick all the way up here to tell some scary story," Musa grumbled to Bloom as the stairs creaked ominously beneath them.
Bloom snickered but didn't answer, sure that Mitzi just wanted to make this as dramatic as possible. And she'd certainly picked the right spot for that they found as they emerged into the attic. The roof came to a point with exposed dusty beams, and only two small windows on either end of the room that let in a limited amount of moonlight. Otherwise the room was lit only by a single bulb suspended from the ceiling that threw harsh shadows across the faces of those sitting in the attic and left much of the attic in shadows.
"Welcome," Mitzi said breezily, a sly smile on her face.
She gestured for them to join the others sitting in a loose circle, and Bloom realised with an unpleasant jolt that the other people already in the room were Mitzi's closest friends.
Mitzi waited for them to get settled before beginning her story, voice pitched low and mystical in a way that sounded ridiculous and made the girls stifle giggles.
"Once, many years ago when Gardenia was much younger, there lived a happy couple, who had four daughters that they loved and cherished. During one frightful winter, a dear relative of the family fell sick, and the parents sent their three eldest daughters to care for her. They were there only a few nights when they received word that criminals had broken into their house, killed their parents, and taken their youngest sister, stealing away into the night, leaving not a whisper to where they went."
Despite Mitzi's foolish theatrics, something about the story made Bloom shiver, and she shifted closer to Stella, hoping she could absorb some of her friend's warmth.
"The girls lived with their aunt after that until they came of age, using their vast inheritance to appeal to police and hire private investigators to determine who was to blame for the deaths of their beloved parents and missing sister. But the efforts yielded no results and the sisters soon fell into severe anguish.
"It was said by many that the sisters were haunted by their missing sister, and they often claimed that they would see her phantom on the street, or could hear her cries for help at night. Finally they could bear to remain in Gardenia no longer and used the remainder of their dwindling funds to purchase a house on the outskirts of the town. This very house.
"But the story also goes that they found no peace here. The house was prone to accidents and disrepair that no workman nor priest alike could explain, and the remaining three sisters found themselves destined to live short, ill-fated lives. The second youngest sister was the first to pass on, just three years after moving out of Gardenia. She fell from a third story window, surviving only long enough to claim that an apparition of their missing sister had pushed her, before she succumbed to her injuries. A mere year later, the second eldest sister took her own life, leaving a note behind to explain that she could no longer bear being haunted by her dead sisters. During the final year of her life, the remaining, eldest sister withdrew into herself and her grief, wasting away to practically nothing. It is not known exactly how she died, just that she was found some months after her death in her final resting place, this very attic."
A shudder passed through the group as they realised that the floorboards they were sitting on had once placed host to a dead body.
"It is believed however," Mitzi continued dramatically over the murmuring of voices. "That she was attempting to use black magic to communicate with her sisters, for she was found in a circle of three broken mirrors. It is also said that the very last thing she saw was her sisters climbing out of the mirrors, coming to force her to join them in the afterlife."
As the story drew to a close several things happened all at once: Mitzi let out a bloodcurdling scream, an expression of pure horror on her face as she pointed at one of the windows, while all around them came the unmistakable sound of breaking glass.
"They were right there!" Mitzi shrieked, jabbing her finger at the window.
Heart pounding in her chest, Bloom looked over her shoulder but the window was empty, only the night sky visible.
"I swear they were there!"
"Who?" a girl sitting beside Mitzi asked, grabbing her hand. "Who was there?"
"The three sisters," Mitzi said, before bursting into noisy tears. "The three sisters in the story were at the window, looking at me."
"Are you sure?" the guy on the other side of her asked.
"Did anyone hear that glass break?" another guy asked, and Tecna got up and disappeared into the shadows at the edge of the room to investigate. She came back only a few moments later, looking perturbed.
"There's a bunch of mirrors hanging on the walls, and now they're all broken."
"I knew it!" Mitzi screeched. "The sisters have come out of the mirrors to get me. That's part of the story, you know?! That the three eldest sisters reappear once a year, still trying to find who killed their family and ruined their lives. What if they try to blame me and drag me into the afterlife with them?!"
Mitzi's friends flocked to her, petting her hair and murmuring soothing words, while Bloom and her friends huddled closer together, thinking about the story they'd heard and what had just happened.
"What do you guys think?" she whispered.
"I suppose it is possible," Flora murmured back speculatively. "When magical beings die, especially in horrible circumstances like this, they've been known to leave behind an echo, and sometimes those echoes can be angry or destructive. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the same happens when humans die."
"Or it could be an old-fashioned haunting spell," Layla pointed out. "Those can be nasty."
"Or," Tecna put in pointedly. "It could be some dumb kid's idea of a practical joke."
Bloom looked across the room, where Mitzi was nearing hysteria. "Please," she wailed. "Someone needs to do something, I don't want to die!"
"Whatever it was," Bloom said. "She clearly thinks it was real, and if it was, we need to do something."
The other girls nodded in agreement and stood, all eyes in the room going to them.
"We're going to check outside," Bloom said, trying to sound reasonable; she didn't want to cry ghosts if it was going to turn out to just be some kids in masks. "And make sure no one's hanging around, looking in windows to scare people."
"Thank you, Bloom," Mitzi blubbered.
Bloom looked at her tear-streaked face and felt herself soften a bit. "It's probably just a dumb joke, Mitzi. We'll find them and tell them to get out of here."
"Do you really think it's a joke?" Flora asked her, as they made their way back downstairs.
"I'm not sure," Bloom confessed. "If it was, they went to a lot of trouble to set it all, rigging the mirrors to break like that."
The crunching of glass underfoot interrupted their conversation and they glanced further down where Musa had paused, frowning at a frame on the wall. "The glass from this frame is all broken," she said slowly, something akin to worry starting to creep into her voice.
They hurried down the rest of the stairs, finding the rest of the party was in chaos. Mirrors and glass frames all over the room were shattered, the music had stopped, and voices were rising all over in worry as people wondered what had happened. Moving further into the room they ran smackdab into Bloom's Earth friends, who were all wearing concerned expressions.
"What happened?" Bloom asked them.
They exchanged glances, before Kayla finally said, "I don't know, it was spooky. Everything was going fine, and then all of a sudden all the frames and mirrors broke all at once." An unshakable Kayla, their captain, shivered as she said it.
"This happened a few minutes ago?"
"Yeah."
"The same happened upstairs. One second Mitzi was telling a scary story about the history of this place, the next glass was breaking everywhere, and she was screaming about seeing a ghost."
A bit of Kayla's usual stalwart returned as she laughed a little and said, "Ghosts? Please don't tell me you believe in that supernatural crap?"
Bloom tried not to think about all the things she'd seen over the last year, as she avoided Kayla's eye and lied, "No, of course not. I think it's probably a dumb prank. But I'm going to check outside anyway. You guys stay here and try to keep everyone calm?"
"You got it," Kayla said, nodding at the others to get moving.
Dan touched Bloom's elbow as she headed for the door, his jovial smile now missing. "Be careful out there, okay?" His expression was serious and Bloom had a flash of memory of eating dinner at his house, his abuela telling stories of witches and curses while she cooked.
"We will, scout's honour."
"I know you were never a girl scout, Bloom," Dan shot back, and Bloom was glad to see he was smiling despite his obvious worry.
It seemed to have somehow gotten even colder since they'd arrived at the party, and all six girls shuddered and wished they'd thought to retrieve their cloaks before going outside. Even Bloom and Stella who's fire and light powers made them much less susceptible to cold temperatures shivered a little. They sent the pixies to patrol from above while they moved slowly through the dark yard, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of movement amongst the trees.
"Does anyone know how to disperse a haunting spell?" Musa asked, before nearly jumping out of her skin when another of those motion sensor cats went off. The others laughed as she made a rude gesture at it.
"Or what to do if it really is an echo of the sisters?"
Bloom glanced at Flora, but the other girl looked unsure. "In Linphea usually a local elder is brought in to deal with it, but I'm not sure what exactly that entails. I think it's usually more about banishing the echo than fighting it though."
"We'll just have to wing it once we know what we're up against. Come on, let's keep looking."
Inside, Kayla and the rest of the group were moving through the room, telling people that the mirrors breaking were likely just a joke and that Bloom and her friends were checking outside for the perpetrators. Spirits were rising once again, and they even convinced the DJ to start playing music beckoning a few people back onto the dance floor.
"Crisis somewhat averted?" Mackenzie asked, meeting back up with Kayla.
"Looks that way."
Plenty of people still looked a little unsure, and were casting dark looks at the empty frames, but no one had left, and the panic from earlier was subsiding.
"Huh," Mackenzie said under her breath, and Kayla glanced at her.
"What is it?"
"Does that look like the face of someone convinced they just saw a ghost?" She jerked her chin at the staircase where Mitzi was hurrying down, flanked by her two closest friends. Despite her hurry, Mitzi was looking worryingly satisfied with herself, and instead of drawing attention to herself like she usually would, she slipped through the crowds unnoticed and left through the front door.
"Get the others," Kayla said at once. "They look like they're up to no good."
The girls had rounded the back of the house and were heading back towards the front when Stella stopped dead, her expression growing serious.
"I think we have company, girls," she said, keeping her voice low as she nodded to the edge of the forest where a lone figure was emerging from the mist.
The girls drew closer together, and although they could feel their heartbeats quicken and adrenaline start to pump, they weren't scared. Not after everything they'd already faced so far.
"Sister," the figure said in a hoarse voice. "Where's our sister?"
Although she was trembling slightly, Flora stepped forward and bravely called in a loud voice, "You sister is not here. And neither should you be. You must leave this place at once."
But the figure didn't seem perturbed at all by Flora's words, and indeed a second figure emerged from the trees, walking beside her.
"We want our little sister!"
"Well, that's two," Bloom said in an undertone. "Now where's the third?"
As if conjured by her words alone, a third figure appeared, the trio all starting to walk slowly towards them. As they drew nearer, the girls could see how much they resembled the ghostly face in the photograph with white faces, stringy dark hair, and mouths stretched open.
"Where's our little sister?" the figures asked again, their voices gravelly and harsh.
The sisters separated, backing the girls towards the side of the house and blocking off their exits.
"By the Dragon, these chicks could use some make-up," Stella muttered, as their grotesque faces came closer and closer.
"If we're going to do something, it has to be now," Layla muttered, looking to Bloom for a plan.
But before the redhead could come up with anything, a new fourth joined the fray. "Sisters? Have my sisters finally found me?!"
At odds with their slow pace so far, the three sisters quickly spun around to stare at the new figure coming towards them. But rather than move towards the fourth sister, or even turn their attention back on the girls, the eldest three sisters, in an oddly human movement, lurched backwards away from them all.
"Alright, what is going on?" Musa muttered, looking between the four sisters.
"Sisters," the fourth figure croaked again. "Come to me, sisters!"
But again, the three sisters only moved backwards, something increasingly desperate about their movements. A burst of activity from the front of the house drew the girls attention and they turned to see Kayla and the rest of the group striding towards them, something thunderous in their expressions.
"Kayla-" Bloom began sharply, but her friend ignored her, marching straight up to the three sisters.
"Sisters," the fourth sister moaned.
A familiar, nasally scream rose up from one of the sisters. "No, don't take me!"
Rolling her eyes, Kayla stomped up to the figure, reached up and yanked the mask from her face, revealing Mitzi's terrified face. Mackenzie and Dan converged on the other two sisters, exposing them as Mitzi's friends.
"Turns out the prankster was Mitzi herself," Kayla said grimly to Bloom, holding the mask up as evidence.
Surprising Kayla, Mitzi clung to her, blubbering once more as she said, "Okay, I admit it, but don't let the fourth sister take me. Please!"
Kayla blinked at her. "What fourth sister?"
Mitzi, Bloom, and the girls all turned and looked to where the fourth sister had been standing, but she was gone.
"What-?" Mitzi began, but was cut off but Kayla and Mackenzie yelling at her.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Do you seriously think you're funny?"
But Bloom was too busy looking around at her friends. "But we saw her as well," she said to them in an undertone. "Where did she go?"
"I don't' know-"
"Well, we might have had something to do with that."
The pixies reappeared above them, flying down to settle on their shoulders, and understanding quickly swept through the girls.
"You guys were the ones dressed as the fourth sister?" Layla asked, sounding impressed.
"But how did you know it was Mitzi and her friends?" Tecna asked.
"Her perfume," Amore said simply. "We spotted them from above but as soon as we got closer we could tell straight away. Mitzi wears way too much perfume, you can smell it a mile away. It was a mean trick, pretending to get all scared and sending you out here, so we thought she deserved a little scaring herself."
"Nicely done, guys."
The noise of Mitzi, Mackenzie, and Kayla had drawn the attention of those still inside and they all came flooding out to see what was going down.
"Mitzi's the one who's been scaring everyone," Kayla told the crowd, provoking a lot of grumbling amongst the guests as they realised their host had been playing a prank on them. Bloom noticed that even some of Mitzi's friends, who clearly hadn't been let in on the joke, were looking vexed.
"How rude," one girl complained.
"Yeah, I'm out of here," her friend agreed.
"This party is pretty lame anyway," another guy put in, and suddenly large swathes of the party guests were heading for the road back to Gardenia.
"Not to capitalise on this opportunity," Kayla called to their retreating backs. "But the roller rink is having a party tonight, music, food, and fun until one am." More than a few people looked back with interested expressions, making Bloom think that the roller rink was about to experience a sudden influx of guests.
Soon enough Mitzi and her most loyal friends were the only ones left. She scowled at Bloom and the others. "It was only a joke," she whined. "I can't believe you ruined my party over a joke."
"It was a cruel joke, scaring people like that," Bloom pointed out. "People would have had a really nice time tonight, but you ruined it, for yourself and everyone else." She and the others moved to leave, but at the last moment, Bloom paused. "And next time? Feel free to leave us off the guest list; I have a feeling we won't be attending."
"Whatever," Mitzi sneered and Bloom sighed, wondering if she was ever going to learn from her mistakes. Maybe, maybe not, but Bloom knew it wasn't her responsibility to make Mitzi see the light, not when there was a party to attend.
The Gardenia roller rink was massive and a big tourist draw for the town with it's two rinks - one banked for roller derby and one flat for casual and artistic skating - and it was certainly boasting big numbers when the girls arrived. Party lights flashed from the ceiling bathing the rinks in bright pinks, purples, greens, and blues, tables were heaped with food, and people were everywhere.
While Kayla took the girls to the counter to get skates, Bloom spotted her mum and dad standing behind one of the tables, helping serve food. She sped over and stepped between them, throwing an arm around each of them in greeting.
"What are you guys doing here?"
"We ran out of candy at home," Vanessa explained. "So we thought we'd come down and lend a hand."
"Besides," Mike added, looking amused. "We had a feeling you might end up here and need these." He reached beneath the table and produced Bloom's roller skates.
"Thanks guys," Bloom said with a grin, grabbing them off him and hurrying off, the sound of their laughter comforting to her ears.
She reached the railing and looked across the rink at her friends. Kayla and Tecna seemed to have discovered a shared love of mathematics and were talking about equations even as Dan snuck up and grabbed Kayla's hand in his. Bria and Jake had Flora between them, teaching her how to skate, while Musa and Layla, who were looking much more steady on their feet, were lining up to race with Mackenzie and TJ. The pixies also looked to be having fun as they zoomed through the beams of coloured lights.
Charlie and Stella skated together nearby. They were something of a comical sight as Charlie, who was shorter even than Bloom skated backwards, holding Stella's hands to keep her from falling over.
"I swear I'm usually more graceful than this," Bloom could hear Stella assuring her as the other girl stopped her from falling for the fifth time.
"We all fall a few times when we're first starting out. But I think you're ready to give it a go on your own."
"No, no, no, no- oh hey look, I'm doing it." Stella spotted Bloom at the railing and waved her arms slightly. "Look, Bloom, I'm doing it!"
Despite the pang of melancholy that had shot through her, watching her friends have fun without her, she couldn't help but smile a little at the sight. "You sure are." Stella gestured frantically, looking somewhere between elated and terrified that she was skating on her own, and Bloom's smile grew as she ducked under the railing and went to join her friends.
Hello my lovelies!
It feels so great to be back and probably not with the chapter you were expecting am I right? I'd be surprised if anyone was expecting this chapter considering it's supposed to be chapter 16, but honestly with how the timeline works and since I'm basing the Alfea school year vaguely off the American system, it made much more sense to bring it forward. There's a couple other little changes like that throughout this volume (most if not all the shuffling is of the filler episodes though so the impact on the plot is fairly minimal).
Even if this wasn't the chapter you were expecting, I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless. I both loved and hated writing this one. Loved because it's filler and filler is always a bit of fun, but hated also because I got struck with a lot of writer's block trying to get through this one. I'm pretty happy with the final result though, and I really like a lot of the changes I made.
There's not a whole to say after this one since it was just a filler chapter, but it's looking like updating once a month probably won't be feasible for me, at least until I've finish my Honours course. I'm technically on break now and it still took me a while to get this one done. So I know it kind of sucks but I would be expecting an update once every two months for the next little while (that way if I surprise you and start banging chapters out quicker, it'll be a pleasant surprise).
As always you can always reach me on tumblr gins-potter. I answer quite a few asks and messages about the re-write there so you should definitely check out my Winx Rewritten AU tag for some bonus content. I think that's it, I was hoping to get this out earlier but the day got away from me and now I'm too tired to remember if there was anything else I had to say. Ah well, I can always edit these notes if something else comes to me.
As always I just want to say how grateful I am to my readers and everyone who's stuck with me all this time, I'll never be able to say how much it means to me. Thank you for all the favourites and reviews and if there's something you particularly loved, particularly hated, something you're looking forward to, or just want to say hey please please please leave me a review xxx