Summary: Stella, Bloom, and her parents arrive at Alfea and go through a lengthy process to enroll while learning about some untold history about why Earth is unknown to the Magix realm.

A/N: OMD, I'm back! I returned to publish the next chapter of my magnum opus lol, okay it's not a magnum, but I like it so far. As stated before these will be posted in parts to give y'all some breathing room, this will run a bit slow because it's Bloom going to register Alfea, but you'll learn a little about the world I'm setting up, and hopefully like these characters.

Now in this, episode 2 is split into parts, one of these school registration, so this chapter and one where she goes to magic with the Winx... yeah I know, but the original chapter with all that together was too long plus how I wrote it, it made sense to have the next chapter be next day. You're going to hopefully love it.

I know this is a lot to take in change-wise, especially since I essentially split one episode into two for this, but it's a pleasure to post these, and writing this story gave me a new life, so I hope you enjoy it and I love you all. Now divvvvve in and see Bloom get to know more about Alfea!

This is a rewrite. Changes have been made that conflict with the original canon, characters are different so please go in knowing this, whether you like it or not please understand this is a rewrite.

Edit: This story was originally in parts, but I decided to just make them whole chapters instead of two-parters because the other format was a phase I was trying and not one I liked. So enjoy my long-ass chapters now lol.

Co-writers:

Ditzy_Diva_315

Nadia

Chapter 2: Welcome to Alfea

Bloom fought to keep her eyes open, running off the little sleep she picked up the night before. But could you really blame her for not being able to? The looming thoughts of all she had seen and learned would not stop racing through her mind. Magic was real. She'd gone head to head against an ogre and its imps. And to top it all off, she was a fairy. Yet despite all this knowledge, she had no idea where to go next, much less how to figure it all out. The only thing she knew she could do next was to check up on her magical guest, Stella.

Bloom peeked inside the guest room, fully expecting to see the Princess fast asleep. To her surprise, the girl was wide awake, sitting up on the guest bed and texting away on her phone like she hadn't just gotten the shit kicked out of her yesterday. The only signs of her fight were the bandages wrapped around her legs and arms.

Raising her fist, Bloom knocked on the door. She leaned against the door frame as Stella looked up to find the source of the noise.

"Morning," she greeted.

"Good morning, Bloom!" Stella responded. She stood up, slightly wobbling. She limped her way over to Bloom, throwing her arms around her host. Bloom couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as she was pulled into a tight hug. Seriously, how did this girl have enough strength to make it feel like all the air had been squeezed out of her lungs? "I can't believe you came in to check on me!"

Bloom stiffened. "Uh, it's nothing; I just wanted to see how you were doing-" she took a sharp breath of air. "-can you stop hugging me?"

"Oh," Stella's face flared bright pink. She let go of the girl, and Bloom could feel the air return to her lungs. "Sorry about that," she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Still a little loopy from the medicine Timmy gave me yesterday. That stuff packs a bloody strong punch, ya know?"

"Really?" Bloom snarked, a smirk curling up on her face. "Didn't notice." The smirk disappeared as quickly as it came once she noticed Stella's legs shaking. "You know, you should sit down. I think those guys told us you wouldn't wake up fully healed."

"I'm fine," Stella assured. "I mean, my body's still a tad bit sore, but I feel leagues better compared to yesterday. Thank goodness the Specialists came as fast as they did, or we'd both be goners. They were quite amazing, weren't they?" She elbowed Bloom, winking.

Bloom simply rolled her eyes at her guest. Her mind couldn't erase the giant gaping hole in her once furnished living room, and that wasn't even the worst part of that situation.

"Oh, don't be all miffed," Stella said, ushering Bloom over to the guest bed. They both sat down, and Stella let out a bunch of giggles. "I was a tad irritated when they got here late, but they did a great job saving us. And that's all that matters. Trust me; it could have been way worse." She then flashed a mischievous smile, to which Bloom just stared back. "Oh, don't give me that look." she continued, "I saw how gobsmacked you were when they started fighting. You couldn't keep your eyes off Brandon especially. When you grabbed him by the collar and stared into his eyes, your cheeks turned red." The Princess nudged Bloom again, who was now blushing bright red and scowling. "See? Like that!" Stella held out her hands as if she was displaying Bloom on a stage.

"Not responding to that," Bloom mumbled, shifting the weight on her feet. "Though," she continued, "believe it or not, there is one thing you're right about."

"You're gonna have to be more specific," Stella flipped some of her hair over her shoulder like she was posing for a photoshoot. "After all, I'm right about so many things!"

Bloom gave her guest a cold, hard stare. "As I was saying, you are right about one thing: that medicine they gave you? It's making you mad." Bloom forced her eyes to cross, trying and failing, to hold back her laughter. Stella simply shook her head with a small smile on her face.

Finally getting out the last of her chuckles, Bloom wiped away a stray tear from her eye. "Oh, before I forget, I came to ask if you wanted anything to eat."

Stella clapped her hands together, and her face lit up like the sun. "Finally! I've been waiting for-bloody-ever for someone here to ask that! I'm surprised no one came sooner. You should really look into improving your room service. It's terrible."

Bloom sighed, crossing her arms together. What about her parent's home screamed hotel to this girl? Then again, perhaps her home looked a lot like the hotels back in the dimension Stella was from. "You're staying in a two-story house in the middle of the suburbs. That means no room service," she paused, "your highness."

"No need to lay on the sass," Stella's radiant expression quickly turned to a more serious one. "Though, I still would like a proper meal. Unless those don't exist on Earth's suburbs." She flashed a cocky smile at Bloom, which only flared up anger in the latter.

"Luckily for you, those do exist," Bloom dipped down into a mock curtsy. "Now, what would you like, Princess?"

"Let's see," Stella tapped her finger on her chin. "Do you by any chance have basted Moussaka with blanched mushrooms and a side of saffron pudding? Oh! And a cup of peach-pomegranate tea. I do adore a good cup of peach-pomegranate tea."

Bloom, who was positive her mouth was hanging open, stared at the Princess. She had never even heard of half that stuff! And whoever heard of peach-pomegranate tea?! Either that was some special drink only the rich drank, or it existed only in Stella's dimension.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but we don't have any of that," Bloom answered.

"Brilliant." Stella flopped back down on the bed. "It's just like staying in a hostel."

"How about a cup of yogurt?" Bloom suggested.

"Yoghurt?" Stella wrinkled up her nose, clearly underwhelmed. "Will there be an array of freshly crushed and assorted berries mixed in?"

Bloom felt her eye twitch the longer her guest kept talking. She certainly was used to the lap of luxury, wasn't she? "No. Just plain yoghurt."

Stella let out an overdramatic groan, lifting her arms into the air before flopping them back onto the bed. It took every ounce of Bloom's will to not roll her eyes. Stella let out one final groan before sitting back up with a pout. "Fine," she relented. "My mum taught me to be at least somewhat respectful as a guest, so I will give your plain yoghurt a try."

"I'm so glad you have decided to give my humble commoner food a taste." Bloom stood up, bowing like she was one of those servants that carried napkins on their arms. Her voice was higher pitched than normal, as she was doing her best mock posh accent. "Now, please, your royal highness, remain seated as I fetch the delectable snack."

Stella gave her a curt smile. "Thank you, love."

Bloom slipped out of the guest room and went downstairs. As she made her way to the kitchen, hoping that the food was not destroyed last night in the chaos, she heard her father's voice. Following it, she poked her head into the living room, where she found her father talking with an official and stern-looking man. Said man was looking at Mike like he had grown two heads.

"Um, let me get this straight because... let me just try to get this straight," the official man said, "Last night, a group of drunk teens broke into your house assuming it belonged to them, and then they proceeded to ransack the place?"

"Yep," Mike nervously nodded. He scratched the back of his neck.

"They did this much damage?" The man asked, sweeping his arms over the room, stopping at the hole in the wall. "Those have to be some pretty strong teens to create a giant hole in your house!"

"It's hard to believe, but it's true!" Mike shrugged. Bloom swore she saw sweat dripping down his face. "They were some wild and uncontrollable kids!"

"Um, okay…" the officer scratched the back of his head, likely unsure of what to say next. He was silent for a little bit before continuing. "Anyways, some of the neighbors reported explosive sounds and bright flashes. Do you know about those?"

"Illegal fireworks!" Mike blurted, frantically rubbing his hands. Bloom surmised he just came up with that part. "The kids had illegal fireworks! They even used them to burst a hole in the wall!"

"Right, of course," the man took a step back. "By any chance, did you know any of the kids?"

"N-no!" Mike tensed up even more; something Bloom didn't know was possible. "They were just a bunch of random hoodlums drunk from partying! A bunch of random, drunk, human hoodlums! Certainly not an ogre, troll, or a bunch of demons! And they certainly weren't fairies or crazy men in costumes!"

A sigh echoed from the kitchen. Bloom turned around and saw her mother sitting down at the kitchen table, drinking coffee as she listened to her husband's cover story.

"Right," the official said, unconvinced. "Anything like that would be…odd," He started taking a few steps back, and Bloom couldn't blame him. Any sane person that didn't know the truth likely would view her father as a crazed man who lost his marbles years ago. She couldn't fully see her father's face, but she was sure his left was twitching.

The official cleared his throat. "Anyways, all the damage should be covered by your insurance since it technically counts as vandalism. Albeit a very bizarre type of vandalism, but vandalism nonetheless. You'll just need to wait a day or two for someone to come by and help fix the wall."

"That's good to hear," Mike said, sighing from relief. He reached out his hand, and the official shook it. Once the handshake was over, Bloom couldn't help but notice the man leave just a little bit faster than any normal person would.

After the official left, Mike scanned over the destroyed living room. Knowing her father, something told Bloom this wasn't the first time he had done so today. He slowly sat down on a section of the couch that wasn't destroyed. "Thank God that's all over with," he sighed, putting his face in his hands.

Vanessa walked into the living room carrying her cup of coffee and a fresh new cup. She handed the new cup to her exhausted husband, who graciously accepted it. "You can say that again," she said before taking a sip from her own cup. "After everything that happened last night, we needed some good news."

"I can't believe I just lied to an official," Mike whimpered, the coffee nearly splashing out of the cup with how much his hands were shaking. "Our house is destroyed, I'm scared out of my mind, and I had to lie to an official about what happened because the truth would likely get me a one-way ticket to a mental asylum!"

A pang of guilt hit Bloom, and she frowned. If she hadn't brought Stella back home, there would have been no fight at her house. Granted, she had no idea what would become of Stella if she hadn't stepped in, but any attempts to put a positive spin on the situation didn't absolve her of her guilt at all.

"There is a bright side," Vanessa reasoned.

"Oh yeah?" Mike said. "What kind of good can come out of this mess?!"

"We now have a perfect opportunity to remodel the living room and the kitchen!" Vanessa said, placing her free hand on Mike's shoulder.

Mike turned toward his wife, shaking his head. Then he burst out into laughter, the kind of laughter you give when everything's gone to shit. "Oh sweetie, always looking at the positives… I really need that right now."

Vanessa sat down next to her husband and rested her head on his shoulder. Mike gazed lovingly at her, and it seemed like his stress was melting away.

Bloom let out another sigh. She opened her mouth to greet her parents but stopped, unsure of whether or not she should speak up. Ultimately, she decided to leave them be, get the yogurt, and leave – hopefully without being noticed. Unfortunately, the moment she stepped into the kitchen, her father looked at her and smiled.

"Morning, Bloom," he said. "Glad to see you've finally decided to come out of the shadows."

So, he knew she was there the whole time. "Morning," Bloom greeted, looking around the demolished room. "Wow, sunlight doesn't help any of this. It looks even worse than it did last night." Bloom averted eye contact with her angry father after saying that.

"I'll give your compliments to the designer," Mike said sarcastically. "Speaking of our interior designer, how's your fairy friend doing?"

"She's doing well," Bloom answered while walking into the kitchen. "I offered to bring her something to eat— that is if I can find something in this mess."

Bloom stepped over some discarded pots and pans that were scattered across the floor. Pantry doors hung from their hinges. Everything looked worse for wear. The only thing that seemed to be unscathed was the refrigerator. Bloom opened up the door and saw a cup of strawberry yogurt right away. She pulled it out, closed the door, then grabbed a spoon from the partially intact kitchen drawer. As she walked out of the kitchen, she noticed that her parents were staring at her. Like they had something important on their minds.

"Is everything okay?" Bloom raised an eyebrow. "Is mom pregnant?"

"No!" Mike exclaimed before he quickly turned towards his wife. "You're not, are you?!"

"No!" Vanessa exclaimed. "You know we need to talk to Bloom about the thing… school."

"Right, right, sorry. I just have so much on my mind right now," Mike said, taking a long sip from his coffee like it was a pint of beer. "Um, so, that school the girl mentioned," Mike looked Bloom directly in the eye. "The magic one. You think you might be interested in going there?"

Bloom's eyes shifted as she mulled over the question. "Maybe," she eventually admitted, tapping the top of the yogurt with the spoon. "It does seem like a cool school to attend. An entire place dedicated to learning magic and helping me understand…" She gestured down at herself. "Whatever I am. It sounds so cheesy and cliche, but I always felt sorta… different from everyone else. Like there's this small fire deep inside me, waiting to come out." She paused, staring down at her feet.

"Even after what happened yesterday, I still want to check this place out. Yes, those monsters did destroy this place, and yes, those guys took forever to get her and–" She looked up at her parents, both of whom had looks of exasperation. Bloom felt her face flare up as she stopped rambling. "Um, my point is, I wanna go. I don't want to ignore any possible powers I have. Even though magic was only a dream I hoped existed, I never thought I'd be a part of it, and I can't ignore it. I have to find out more about what I am."

Silence filled the room as Mike and Vanessa looked at each other.

"Are you sure?" Vanessa said, looking at Bloom.

Bloom nodded.

Vanessa turned back to her husband, and they began whispering. They mastered the art of whispering, able to hold secret conversations that no one else could hear. Bloom simply looked at the ends of her hair while she waited for them to finish. Perhaps she should just leave them alone? After all, it had been a while since she went to get the yogurt. Stella was probably furious with her right now and–

"Bloom," Vanessa said, snapping Bloom out of her thoughts. "We know you're growing up– a lot faster than we thought you were– and now you have this…" Vanessa bit her bottom lip, the silence only making Bloom more anxious. "Let's call it a special gift. We don't want you to have all these powers and not be able to use them. So, before we agree to anything, we want to visit this school and get more information. See if it's what you really need."

"Really?" Bloom exclaimed, almost dropping the spoon.

"Really," Mike said. "Knowing how to use possible powers would be a good thing, especially after what happened yesterday. If we think the school will be able to help you, we'll let you go for a semester."

Bloom stared at both of her parents as she felt a wide grin spread across her face. It took every ounce of her will not to bounce around eagerly. She'd never heard the end of it if she did. That didn't stop her excitement from leaking into her voice. "I can't believe it!"

"Not to burst your bubble," Mike interrupted, "but we haven't said yes yet. We don't know anything about this place. Don't get your hopes up."

"You say that now," Bloom squealed. "But I bet that after you see Alfea, you'll change your minds. Oh my God, I'm going to a magic school! I'll get to meet other fairies and witches and elves and pixies! I literally never thought this would happen–"

"Bloom, take a breath," her mom giggled.

Bloom did as she asked. Man, was she seriously rambling that hard?

"I've never seen you this excited before," Vanessa said.

"How could I not be?" Bloom asked. "Just yesterday, you wouldn't let me go on a simple vacation by myself. Now you're letting me leave the entire planet!"

"All right, all right," Vanessa stood up and grabbed the yogurt and spoon from Bloom's hands. "Why don't you go back to Stella while I make breakfast?"

"Sounds great," Bloom eagerly said. She prepared herself to run upstairs but then paused and rushed to her father and kissed him on the cheek and then did the same to her mother, surprising them both. Before fully racing up the steps, she poked her head back down after a second and said, "You're gonna love this place!" She rushed back up to the guest room, leaving her mother to breakfast and her father to clean up.

...

"Breakfast is ready!" Vanessa called. "Hurry up before it gets cold!"

Bloom and Stella descended the stairs. As soon as Stella got a whiff of the goods, she began sniffing the air and following the trail to the table. It was almost like she was a dog finding a bone. Bloom held back her laughter and followed right behind her guest. As soon as both girls arrived at the dining room table, they found Mike and Vanessa waiting, along with a makeshift buffet.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise," Stella said, placing her hands on her hips. "From basic yoghurt to an assortment of treats!"

"I'm glad this is better than some cup of plain old manufactured yogurt," Vanessa said as she pulled out a chair for Stella. "Now sit down and eat before it gets cold."

"I don't usually eat stuff like this," Stella said, gingerly lowering herself into the chair. "But I'm absolutely famished right now."

The Mason family took their seats at the table, proceeding to take some of the food off the serving plates. Stella simply stared at them as if she didn't know what to do, which wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility, in Bloom's opinion. She was probably given all her meals on a silver platter.

"Stella, dear," Vanessa said, "would you like some eggs?" She handed over the plate to the Princess. The girl hesitantly took the plate, setting it down on the table, before scooping a small bit of scrambled egg onto her plate. She pushed it around with her fork until she shrugged and took a small bite. Her face lit up like the sun as Vanessa's breakfast filled her taste buds. Bloom couldn't help but smile. Her mother was the best cook in all of Gardenia. Not surprising, her mom was a kick-ass cook; after all, she made everything from scratch. Apparently, it could surpass a royal's quality check. Stella scooped a large amount of egg onto her plate.

"Pass me the other plates!" She said, mouth-watering. "I wanna see if they're as amazing as these eggs!"

"Sure thing!" Mike said, passing her the pancake plate. Stella eagerly accepted the plate and helped herself to at least four pancakes, all stacked on top of each other. Bloom simply stared on, flabbergasted. Was this all because she was weak, or did this Princess have a black hole for a stomach?!

After Stella placed a generous helping of sausages onto her plate, Mike cleared his throat. "So, Stella… what else can you tell us about this magic school you go to?" He was twirling his fork in the air, and his voice was slightly shaking.

Stella was about to place a large bite of egg into her mouth but lowered it back down to her plate. "Of course! Its full name is Alfea University for Fairies, but everyone calls it Alfea for short. The building was designed to resemble a castle, though it isn't quite the same as my home. The school hosts many classes, plenty of fun places to relax, and excellent dorms. They're no royal suite, but they aren't too bad." She picked back up her fork and shoved the eggs into her mouth.

"That's good to know," Mike said, pushing around his own helping of eggs. "But how does everything work? What are the classes like? The people? The food? And is there a hospital near the school?"

"I can see where Bloom gets her ability to ask nonstop questions," Stella drawled, eating the last of her eggs. "Like father, like daughter, as they say." She placed her fork down and grabbed her cup full of orange juice.

Bloom, who was busy chewing on a pancake, simply gave her guest a death glare. Stella didn't notice as she continued drinking her juice. She nearly dropped her glass after a long sip.

"Oh, my Dragon!" she squealed. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted! Absolutely scrummy!" She chugged down her entire glass, completely unaware of three sets of eyes staring at her. Stella wiped the corners of her mouth. "Vanessa, whatever you put in this orange juice is making my tongue so happy. I've never tasted freshly squeezed orange juice this magnificent!"

"Oh, she didn't-" Mike attempted to correct until his wife covered his mouth.

"I try my best," Vanessa humbly replied. Her husband groaned, rolling his eyes. Bloom shook her head, amused; she knew her mom was riding on a cloud that a Princess liked her food.

Stella grabbed a napkin as she took another swallow from her eggs. "As I was saying, at Alfea, you attend classes to learn about magic, practice it, study it for hours, and when you're not doing all that, you hang out with your mates."

"That sounds a lot like how schools run here," Bloom said, pushing around a piece of pancake. "Just, ya know, without the magic stuff."

"Maybe," Stella said, "I wouldn't really know." She took a bite out of her pancake stack. "Even when you put aside the fact I grew up in a completely separate dimension, I was homeschooled most of my life. After that, it was a public boarding school when I started grade seven. I don't really view myself as the best person to ask any school-related questions. It's best to meet with Headmistress Faragonda for those." She wiped away some spare crumbs on her cheeks.

"Headmistress Faragonda?" Bloom asked, quickly swallowing down a bite of pancake. "Is she, like, the principal of the school?"

Stella mulled over Bloom's statement, pushing around some of the food on her plate. "Principal… I've heard that word before. The Headmistress pretty much holds the entire university together, so I suppose she counts as a principal." She began cutting into her sausage. "Either way, she'll be the one to provide all the proper information you need."

"Especially the price," Mike mumbled, looking miserable.

Stella, however, was completely oblivious to Mike's expression of despair, instead continuing to stuff her face with sausages. "I keep forgetting about that little detail," she quickly swallowed the food in her mouth. "I don't know a ton about money myself. My father tends to spend however much he pleases him. Like just recently, he donated a set of computers to Alfea, and in my name too?" She shrugged as she ate more sausages.

Bloom desperately struggled not to roll her eyes. It likely wasn't Stella's intention, but her casual flaunting of money was beginning to remind Bloom a little too much about Mitzi. And she didn't like being reminded of Mitzi. "Not all of us have that luxury," she said, quickly stuffing her mouth with eggs before she said something she'd regret. Finally, after swallowing down her food and bitterness, Bloom pushed her now empty plate away from her. "Now, when can you take us to the real Alfea?"

"Hopefully after I'm finished eating," Stella said, raising her index finger. Bloom sighed as she pulled her plate back to her. Hey, if she was going to be stuck at the table longer, she might as well make the best of it.

Stella cut into her last pancake. "I need to refuel a lot. I feel right knackered. Which is peculiar, as I had assumed my energy would return after some rest and that medicine." She dove into her last pancake. "It's like the magic here…" she swallowed her current bite. "…is sparse, ya know? Smothered, even."

"That's probably it," Vanessa hypothesized, placing down her glass of orange juice. "Your type of magic isn't exactly existent here. It likely is smothered. That would explain why we don't see magicians using magic like yours."

"Yeah, if magic were real, your sisters would actually be witches!" Mike quipped. Vanessa frowned at him, but it faded into laughter.

"Quiet, you," she said, playfully hitting her husband's arm. "Or I might just reveal my own magic and use it on you."

"I just ate," Bloom complained, gagging slightly.

"Hm, you may be onto something, Vanessa. Earth seems like quite a fascinating place. Especially hearing about your own kind of witches!" Stella giggled. "Though, Faragonda would know more about this than I would. I apologize for my lack of knowledge in this field."

"That's fine," Bloom shrugged. "Besides, I'm pretty sure no one can fill us in on magic knowledge in an hour."

"True," Stella replied, giving a wink for good measure. She went to grab another bite of pancake, but much to her surprise and disappointment, there was none left. In fact, there was nothing on her plate. Or on the serving plates, for that matter.

"Vanessa," she held out her plate while looking at her hostess. "Could I have some more, please? These griddle cakes of yours were most scrumptious! A bit fluffier than I've had, but certainly not an issue. Oh, and these bangers are to die for!"

"I'm glad you like them. I'd be happy to make more," Vanessa replied. She grabbed one of the serving plates, stood up, and made her way back into the kitchen.

...

Bloom and Stella made their way back down the stairs, the former struggling to carry a completely packed suitcase. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her dad place his plate in the sink while looking over his shoulder.

"But how?" He asked. "How can you be all packed when you were up there for barely two minutes?!"

"Simple," Bloom said, struggling to roll the rose print luggage down the stairs. "Magic."

"Packing spells make everything so much easier," Stella said.

"Magic," Mike sighed. "Of course, it's magic."

Bloom stopped halfway down to catch her breath. Her luggage felt like it weighed a ton! Granted, she had packed a ton into it. Perhaps Stella left out an itty-bitty detail that while everything would fit in there with magic, it would still have the same weight as the items she put in there.

"Can somebody help me?" Bloom begged, taking in deep breaths.

Her father hurried over. As he grabbed the suitcase's handle, he gave a small smirk. That smirk quickly went away when he picked up the suitcase. She flashed her own back at him.

Bloom grabbed one end while Mike grabbed the other. They slowly struggled to bring the luggage down the rest of the stairs; they were both grunting while struggling to support it. Stella watched them from the bottom floor, checking her nails every few seconds. Vanessa walked into the room, her eyes widening as she watched her family walking down the stairs. She quickly rushed over to Mike's side and helped to bring it down. Finally, after what felt like forever, they had reached the bottom of the stairs.

Bloom let out a sigh of relief, though it was cut short by her father's ear-piercing scream. She looked down and let out a small, panicked squeak of her own as she saw her father's left foot crushed under the weight of the suitcase. She quickly pushed it off, and it fell to the floor. Mike grabbed his foot in pain, sitting down on one of the stairs to keep himself from falling over.

"What's in this thing?" Vanessa asked as she looked at her pained husband.

"Oh, a little bit of this… a little bit of that," Bloom muttered. She looked over at Stella, who had just been watching them the whole time. "Mind helping out, Stel?"

"Hey, I told you my hands are far too delicate to lug around heavy items," Stella defended.

"You could levitate it," Bloom countered.

Stella averted eye contact. "I have to save my energy for travel."

"Right," Bloom grumbled under her breath. She let out a quick sigh before turning to her parents. "By the way, you guys are gonna have to send Kiko's stuff later."

"You're bringing Kiko?" Mike and Vanessa both asked.

"Of course, I am," Bloom said. Then, right on cue, he walked in from the kitchen and next to Bloom. "After all, he's my pet, and he'd be lost without me. Just look at him."

Her parents stared down at the large, fluffy orange cat that sat patiently on the floor. He was busy licking at his paws, seemingly unaware of everything going on. Bloom simply smiled at him like he was a baby. She couldn't just leave Kiko alone; she was one of the few people Kiko seemed to tolerate.

Mike sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Bringing Kiko along… there's no way we're gonna talk you out of this, is there?"

"Not really," Bloom replied, picking up Kiko. "But hey. Maybe this place will actually be terrible, and we can rush back home and play Monopoly."

"That probably won't happen," Stella chimed in before turning to Mike. "Oh, Michael, if you'd like, I could spruce up your living room with a little magic before we leave. I should be able to spare enough energy to reassemble a few things," she offered, slipping off her ring. "It's the least I can do for–"

"No!" Mike jumped up from the step he was sitting and clasped Stella's hands, keeping the ring on her finger. "I've had enough magic for today! No, forever!"

"Forever?" Stella cocked her head confused. "That might get a bit awkward with your daughter attending Alfea and all."

"Don't remind me," he sighed.

Stella shrugged. Slipping her hands out of Mike's grip, she walked closer to Vanessa. "Are you ready to go, ma'am?" She removed her ring off her finger before transforming it into the sun motif staff.

"Ready as ever!" Vanessa eagerly answered.

"Are we flying there? On your staff?" Mike asked, sounding completely serious. "Like a broomstick or something?"

Stella and Bloom just stared at each other before staring at Mike. Bloom could hear her mother's facepalm with a small groan.

"Broomstick?" Stella repeated while glaring at Mike. "Does the Staff of Solaria look like a broomstick to you?"

"Dad," Bloom said, "Broomsticks are for witches, not fairies," she let out a sigh. "Trust me; there is a difference."

Stella nodded, adding in a hmph! sound.

"Right…," Mike muttered, slowly backing up behind Vanessa as if she could shield him from embarrassment. She simply shook her head with a smile. He cleared his throat. "Well, how do we get there then?" He paused for a moment. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Gate jumping," Bloom and Stella answered at the same time. Bloom simply waved her hand. Better to leave the explanations to the experienced magic user.

"It's the safest option for non-magi," Stella continued. "I'll just be using my scepter. Make sure to keep all arms and feet close. If any unforeseen circumstances happen… don't blame me."

Mike and Vanessa gripped each other's hands as their eyes widened.

"Don't worry; I'm a master at this!" Stella chucked, crossing her fingers.

"Didn't you teleport here by accident?" Bloom asked. Stella simply shot her a death glare.

"So, we might end up at a magic school or somewhere else. Like an alligator-filled swamp," Mike muttered. Vanessa squeezed his hand, and he took a deep breath before sighing. "Okay, whatever. Let's just get this over with."

"Right-o," Stella said. "We'll be there in a flash!" The family gathered around her. She spread her feet apart, placed the scepter in the middle, and closed her eyes. She scrunched up her face, making her look slightly constipated to Bloom.

At first, nothing seemed to be happening. Bloom opened her mouth to ask what was going on before a strange feeling engulfed her body. It felt like she was being turned inside out, which was not a comfortable feeling. Colors flashed before her eyes. Her ears popped. Her brain rattled. Her body felt like it had become a giant spring that a child threw around. Then, as fast as everything happened, it suddenly stopped. Instead of being in her house, she was on fresh grass in the middle of a large forest. Bloom swayed back and forth, feeling like she had just ridden a roller coaster. Meanwhile, her father collapsed face-first onto the ground.

"Drat, my aim was a tad off," Stella said, looking out at the horizon. "We shouldn't be in the Enchanted Forest," She transformed her staff back into a ring, slipping it back on her finger. "I did get us near the school, so it should be only a short walk from here. All in all, I count this as successful teleportation."

Bloom placed her hand on the Princess's shoulder, smiling weakly as she tried to regain her balance. However, her stomach wasn't feeling so hot. She quickly rushed over to a bush, dropping Kiko to the ground, pushed some of it away, and proceeded to lose her breakfast. Honestly, not that surprising, considering it felt like she'd been put through a blender on the ride here.

"I can taste green and smell glue," Mike mumbled, lying face down on the ground. "Somebody, please tell me when the world stops spinning."

"Everything has a twin!" said Vanessa, spinning on her heel. "I think… I'm just going to sit down until I stop seeing doubles!"

With that, Vanessa plopped down on the grass while her head bobbed from side to side.

Even Kiko was affected by the interdimensional jump as he stumbled back and forth on his paws before collapsing on the ground next to Mike.

"Oh, I think I know what happened," Stella said, snapping her fingers. "Trans-dimensional travel can be somewhat overwhelming for the first few times. I couldn't stand for an hour after my first time jumping. But don't worry, you get used to it." She paused, presumably looking over Bloom and her parents. "I probably should have warned you all about that before we left."

Bloom heard her dad spit out something. "No, no, it's fine! I love being surprised by feelings of nausea and now knowing what colors smell like! You know what, I'm upset you told me about the side effects because then they won't be a surprise the next time you rope me into this! Let's do it again; this time, I'll vomit on your shoes!"

Damn, her dad was not pulling any punches.

"Calm down," Stella said, offended. "I said you'll get used to it. And if you're still feeling bad later, maybe the Alfea medical staff can help."

"God, I hope so," he said, his voice groggy. "'Nessa, are you okay?"

"I think so?!" Vanessa shouted, holding her hands out as if she was trying to grip parts of the air. "I'm not seeing doubles anymore, but my ears still haven't popped!" She paused for a moment. Perhaps her ears had finally popped? "Bloom?" She asked, plugging one of her ears with a finger. "Bloom, Bloom?! You okay over there?"

"Just a moment," she coughed. Some leftover vomit finished making its way up from her throat. "Oh, okay, I, uh, I think I'm done…" she caught an unfortunate glance at her breakfast. "So that's what partly digested pancakes look and taste like. Who knew?" She stood up, backing away from the bush.

"Sorry about this," Stella winced. "I mean it. I should have mentioned this all before, but I guess I was so eager to get going that I forgot. And I may have forgotten you're all still new to this stuff."

"It's fine," Bloom coughed. She felt her stomach finally settling as she staggered back to the group. "Not like telling us would have stopped me from puking. It was an honest mistake."

"Yup, mistake," Vanessa agreed. Her eyes darted towards Mike, who angrily had his arms crossed, scowling at the Princess. She elbowed her husband with an equally aggravated expression towards him.

"I will not apologize for being pissed. I know what green tastes like now!" Mike replied as he struggled to keep his balance. "Now, how far away are we from the school?"

"Not too far," Stella said avoiding eye contact with the man. "I recognize this part of the forest. It's a popular nature trail. Also great for getting exercise. It will take about ten minutes to get to Alfea," she nudged Bloom with her elbow. "Cool, huh?"

"Yup…cool…" Bloom weakly said. Hey. Just because she wasn't throwing up her breakfast didn't mean she was feeling peachy-keen.

"Oh!" Stella randomly shouted. "Almost forgot!" She turned towards Mike and Vanessa and wove her hand over them. As she whispered something under her breath, a white glow enveloped the couple before fading away. "Glad I got that out of that way," she said, brushing her brow clean of imaginary dust.

"What just happened?" Mike asked, looking over his body. "What did you do?"

"Nothing bad, love," Stella replied. "You see, I just happened to remember the magical barrier around Alfea that keeps non-magi out. Not sure why they have it in the first place," she shrugged. "Not like a non-magi could do any real damage."

"Is that why we landed on this hill instead of at the school?" Vanessa asked.

A lightbulb went off in Stella's head. She snapped her fingers together. "That might be it! Vanessa, you're a genius!"

Vanessa blushed in response then smiled.

"Getting back on track," Stella said, "that barrier would've been a disadvantage for you two non-magi. I didn't want Bloom to have to say goodbye so soon, so I just cast a little spell to let you through!"

"That-," Vanessa clutched her stomach. "That was really sweet of you."

"Yeah, thanks!" Mike added. He paused for a moment. "This won't have any negative side effects, will it?"

Stella, irritated, just shook her head at him.

"Just checking," Mike said, holding up his hands like he was under arrest.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Bloom asked. "Let's–" Suddenly, she felt her stomach act up again. "Oh no, not doing that again. I'm fine. Let's… go."

Vanessa tried taking a step forward, but her eyes immediately rolled into the back of her head as she fell backward, only to be caught by her husband.

"The dizzies are back again," she gurgled.

Mike opened his mouth before quickly covering it. "I don't feel so good." He quickly dropped his wife, causing her to fall to the ground. He ran over to the bush Bloom was at before and puked into it. Bloom gulped hard to keep down any more bile, but she ran over to the same bush and let her body do its thing. Again. Dammit, why couldn't her stomach settle already! At least she wasn't alone this time.

"You know what?" Stella said, bumping her fist together nervously. "Why don't we all just... relax for a bit before heading off?"

...

After resting on the hill (and giving Bloom a chance to recover from both nausea and embarrassment), Stella led Bloom, Mike, and Vanessa down the well-worn trail of the Enchanted Forest. The forest lived up to its name, with the golden rays of sunlight that peaked in through the lush green leaves and all its vibrant flowers. Yet, the most exciting presence wasn't the flora or fauna. No. The most exciting sight was the majestic towers of Alfea which became more and more visible as she got closer to the school. She couldn't hold her excitement in and kept squealing the closer she got. All her dizziness and stomach pains left her mind with the simple thought of actually attending a real magic school. Her dreams and drawings were coming to life!

Alfea was a large, stone, U-shaped, complex castle-like building with pink walls and blue roofs. In the center, there was a large courtyard boasting a glistening crystal fountain with a fairy sculpture emerging from it. Right next to the fountain was a beautiful well. Massive palatial buildings faced the front wall, and a wrought iron gate was placed right at the front entrance.

As she stood in front of the gate, Bloom stopped walking and simply stared at the marvel in front of her. She almost dropped Kiko in shock. "It's real… is this really real?" She turned towards Stella, doing her best not to jump up and down like a little kid. "It's real! And I'm really here! And this is actually happening!"

Stella simply nodded at her. "Yes, yes, it is quite amazing. Though, just wait until you see the rest." She kept walking forward.

"There's more?" Bloom exclaimed, picking up her pace and trailing behind Stella. Kiko voiced his annoyance when her grip tightened about his body as she continued to walk. She rubbed his head to calm him down, but she couldn't contain her excitement at this point. Standing before her was a magic school, one that she once thought could only exist in her imagination!

"Stone buildings? Cobblestone road? Iron gate? Lanterns?" Mike grunted as he rolled the suitcase behind him. "This is mystifying to see! It feels like I'm in a fairy tale. Especially with everything looking so ancient!" He paused for a moment. "Not to be rude or anything!" He nervously added on.

Stella just sighed. "Trust me, darling, you aren't being rude. The walkway here alone is murder on my feet. The castle look is considered traditional, especially since so many royals, such as myself, attend classes here. Don't be fooled though," She raised a finger and gave a wink. "Everything here isn't all as old-fashioned as it looks. Such as those lanterns." She pointed to a set of lanterns. The closer Bloom looked, the more it appeared that they lacked candles.

"Where are the candles?" she asked.

"Ah," Stella said, "You see, they don't need them to emit light. A simple spell lights them up brighter than any flame could."

"Wow," Mike said. He let out another grunt as he struggled to roll the suitcase over the cobblestone. After a series of grunts, he stopped to catch his breath because the wheels were getting stuck in between the cobblestones. He cursed how easily he was tricked into rolling the cumbersome suitcase, damn daughter and wife and their puppy dog eyes. He wiped his brow and took in several deep breaths. "Bloom, why did you bring so much? We haven't even said yes yet."

"You might," Bloom sang as she gently stroked Kiko's head. "And then you'll thank me for saving you a trip!"

"I just love your excitement," Stella said, leaning on Bloom's shoulders. "It happens a lot to newcomers. Even I was all giddy with glee last year."

Bloom feigned a gasp. "No! Not someone as regal as yourself!" She added in a faux bow for extra effect. When she stood back up, Stella playfully elbowed Bloom. Both girls broke out into laughter. Bloom saw her mother smiling and her father grumbling out of the corner of her eye as he resumed his challenge of rolling the luggage. All four of them kept walking along the courtyard. After passing the well, Bloom bumped into Stella, who had stopped moving, and nervously looked at something in her eye view. Or someone. After all, an imposing woman was standing at the front entrance.

Said woman sported a short brown bob-style haircut and her eyes were framed in blue cat eyeglasses, reminiscent of the 1950s. She was quite tall and her height was accentuated by her navy-blue sailor dress. Her pointy boots were a perfect match. There was a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. The mysterious woman spotted Stella and began storming over, giving Stella a glare that chilled Bloom's spine.

"Ah, Miss Davenwood. So glad you decided to arrive," the frightening woman said. Her voice was devoid of warmth. Unlike Stella, she had an American accent. So, this magic world had different dialects as well; even though it was minor, Bloom couldn't help but still be amazed. "I was beginning to think you simply chose to ignore your requirement to arrive earlier than the others," she judged as she impatiently tapped the pen on her clipboard. From what Bloom could make out, peering over towards the clipboard, in bold text that read, Arriving early: Stella Davenwood. It had been circled with a red pen. "Just because the order came from a mere peasant doesn't mean you can simply ignore it."

"Ms. G!" Stella waved at the woman. "Good to see you too!" She crossed her arms. "I see you've kept your wonderous personality since I last saw you."

"You haven't changed either, Miss Davenwood," the woman– Ms. G– said. She scribbled something on the paper. "It's a shame. I thought you might have grown since that little," she adjusted her glasses. "Incident last year. It's still beyond me how your parents convince the school board to un-expel you."

"I'm a Princess, darling," Stella replied, flipping her hair. "Royalty has its ways."

"Right," Ms. G said. "Now before I report your tardiness, can you try explaining why you were so late?" She began tapping her clipboard again.

Stella scratched her head while avoiding eye contact at all costs. "I may have been sidetracked by an ogre."

Ms. G just stared at Stella. She seemed to stare at the Princess forever before clearing her throat and scribbling something down. "That's a new one. No one ever makes bold excuses anymore. I kinda miss them. Well, except for yours."

"I'm not lying!" Stella insisted, slamming her fist into her open palm. "Call Red Fountain to confirm it! I contacted them after I was attacked!"

"Is there a reason you didn't call Alfea first?" Ms. G raised her eyebrow.

"I–" Stella cut herself off. Everything was silent for a few moments before she facepalmed.

"You were pretty out of it," Bloom placed her hand on Stella's shoulder. "It's okay if you forgot to call this place."

"And who might you be?" Ms. G asked, looking right at Bloom. An intense chill ran down her spine. God, it was like this woman could stare into people's souls!

"My new friend," Stella said, motioning to Bloom. "She witnessed the whole thing. Clearly, I was injured too badly that I simply forgot to contact the school. So, I contacted some blokes at Red Fountain. Right, Bloom?"

"Right," Bloom said, doing her best not to tremble in place.

Ms. G shifted her glare back towards Stella, sending relief coursing through Bloom's body. Ms. G tapped her pen to her chin before sighing. "All right. If you're actually telling the truth– and I will definitely be calling Red Fountain to check– then I guess I can hardly blame you for being late." She scribbled something else on her clipboard while Stella hugged Bloom. "Lucky for you," Ms. G continued, "this means no disciplinary action shall be taken. However," she said, adjusting her glasses. Stella let go of Bloom and stood up straight. "If it turns out you just told another one of your crazy stories, you'll have to face me. Trust me, I'm way worse than an ogre."

Bloom nervously gulped. Even if the punishment wasn't directed at her, she was still terrified of what Ms. G might do.

After delivering a stern warning towards the Princess, Ms. G turned her attention to Bloom and her family. "I apologize for you all having to witness that. Now could you tell me who you are?"

Bloom opened her mouth to speak, but she felt a warm hand land on her shoulder. She looked up and saw her dad walking towards the woman, which she had no problem with. Her dad could probably handle this woman better than she could.

"I'm Mike," he said, placing his hand on his chest. "This is my wife, Vanessa," he gestured over towards her. "This is our daughter, Bloom." He placed his other hand on her other shoulder. "Yesterday we found out our daughter, for some crazy reason, has magic. Stel– Miss Davenwood?– Princess Stella? Whatever you call her, she told me and my family about this school. She said it could help Bloom control her powers. So, we're here to find out about the registration process."

Stella just stared at Mike, looking utterly offended. How dare he not know what to call her? Mike moved his wife in between him and the girl while avoiding eye contact.

"Wait a minute," Ms. G asked. She sounded panicked and skeptical. "You only found out about your daughter's magic yesterday?" She looked at Bloom before staring at Mike and Vanessa. "She appears to be in her late teens. How could you have overlooked her magic? Surely you started noticing it when she was at least six!"

"Yeah," Mike said, "So about that–"

"Her planet kinda made that impossible," Stella interrupted. Ms. G turned towards her, staring at Stella like she had two heads unless that was a normal thing here.

"I beg your pardon?" Ms. G asked. "I don't recall asking you for an answer."

"Just trust me," Stella said. "I know what I'm doing."

Ms. G stared at Stella before sighing.

Stella cleared her throat. "When I was on Bloom's planet, I had such a difficult time recovering my magic. So much so that even the tonic the Specialists gave me wasn't really working. The magic on that planet is pretty much smothered. It could be that Bloom's magic was finally able to show itself when she was in mortal danger." Stella began absentmindedly twirling a piece of hair on her finger. "Quite simple reasoning, really. I thought you would know that, Ms. G."

Ms. G let out a long, annoyed groan. "Miss Davenwood, surely you have–" She stopped as her face turned from annoyance to surprise to anger. "Wait, mortal danger? What trouble did you cause this time? Is this why you called Red Fountain?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Stella raised her hands like she was under arrest.

"Sure," Ms. G said, once again annoyed. "Just like blowing up the potions lab while in there with no authorization wasn't your fault." She pushed up her glasses. "Thanks to your antics, that room won't be accessible for the next month at the earliest!"

"You blew up a potions lab?" Bloom smirked.

"That's not important right now," Stella grumbled. "Anywho, what happened was that I simply tried to gate jump from that barmy ogre I mentioned, but I got in a bit of a scuffle and accidentally ran into my new mate here on…" She tapped her finger on her chin. "Bloom, what was the name of your planet, again? Planet Dirt?"

"Earth," Bloom sighed, "planet Earth."

Before anyone could say anything, a large thwack rang through the area. Bloom looked over and saw that Ms. G had dropped her clipboard and looked like she saw a ghost. She stared at Bloom while slowly reaching down for said clipboard. "Where," she asked, her voice shaking. "Where did you say were from again?"

"Earth," Bloom repeated, clicking her tongue at the end of her statement. Why was this woman acting so odd about this one word?

"Earth…" Ms. G tapped her chin with her pen. "Like the Earth? The planet that has numerous realms and several inhabitable neighboring planets?"

Mike nodded. Ms. G gasped, almost dropping her clipboard again. Bloom simply stared at the woman's strange behavior.

"Not the reaction I expected," Stella stated. "Who knew she'd be so starstruck?"

"Actual Earthlings," she whispered. She dashed over and grabbed Mike's hands. "This is so unreal! I haven't seen real live Earthlings in so many years." Something must have registered in her brain as her face turned from happiness to disappointment. "I wish I had my camera for this." She shook her head before smiling again. Letting go of Mike's hands, she made her way over to Vanessa and grabbed her arm. "Is your daughter really a fairy? Or are you here for something else?"

"Yes, our daughter is a fairy– are you pinching me?" Vanessa asked, looking bewildered as the woman did small pinches around her arm.

Ms. G let go of Vanessa's arm, her face bright red. "Excuse me for my curiosity. It's just been such a long time, not to mention the confusion from your presence on campus. How did you get in? The barrier should have halted you at the edge of the Enchanted forest."

"Just a little Stella special," Stella snapped her fingers and winked. "Couldn't let Bloom come here without her mum and dad."

Bloom simply rolled her eyes at Stella's flare.

"Why am I not surprised?" Ms. G muttered before she cleared her throat. "Miss Davenwood, you can go to your room. Same one as last year. And follow the rules this time."

"I make no promises," Stella replied, crossing her fingers. "Cheerio, Bloom. Good luck with registration." She waved at Bloom before walking away. Bloom watched her leave, doing her best to ignore the nervous lump in her throat. Out of all the times for Stella to leave, it had to be now. She had to leave Bloom and her family with a crazy woman.

Ms. G turned toward Bloom, who waved nervously. "You. Come with me. As well as your parents. We'll have to meet with Headmistress Faragonda about this." She grabbed Bloom's hand, dragging her towards the main building. Bloom could hear her father grunt as he once again battled against the suitcase.

"Just leave that here," Ms. G said once she reached the front door. "No need to bring it along." She let go of Bloom's hand and checked her watch nervously.

"What about Kiko?" Bloom asked, holding up her cat. The cat was mere inches away from Ms. G's face. Kiko simply let out a tiny meow at the woman.

She looked at Kiko before leaning to the side and looking Bloom in the eyes. Leaning back in, she once again faced Kiko, who stuck his tongue out slightly, unsure of what was going on.

"I suppose you can bring him along," she said. "Just don't let go of him."

"Yay!" Bloom pulled Kiko back to her before grabbing one of his paws, squishing the toe beans. "You hear that? You get to come along."

Kiko let out another meow in response.

Ms. G opened up the front door, gesturing at Bloom and her family. They walked through the doors, and Ms. G made her way back to the front of the pack.

"I can't believe this is happening. Earthlings in Magix!" She muttered as her heels clicked on the floor.

"Yes, because complete and utter shock is exactly the kind of reaction you want to hear when mentioning where you're from," Mike grumbled. Bloom couldn't care less about her father's complaining when the main hall hosted several well-done landscape paintings on pillars and tapestries. She'll have to come back and study those paintings closer, see if she could pick up an idea of what techniques they used to look so good.

"I do apologize for my behavior," Ms. G said. "I simply didn't expect to see Earthlings. Not like that's a bad thing," Out of the corner of Bloom's eye, she could see Ms. G bite on a nail. "Headmistress Faragonda will be able to explain everything… hopefully."

"All right then," Mike said as he made his way up the large staircase. "Since we have time, mind telling us who you are?"

"I am Ms. Jeanie P. Griselda, head of discipline and deputy headmistress of Alfea," she answered. "I'm not sure what traditions you currently have on Earth, but here in Magix, it is considered respectful to refer to faculty members and such by their last names." Bloom could see her push up her glasses as she turned to the right. "Typically, you do that unless you're of equal or higher authority. Or, in rare cases, you have one of those free-spirited teachers," she curled her fingers around the last three words. "I expect the same level of respect from your parents."

"So, is this a planet-wide thing or a dimensional thing?" Bloom asked, her voice slightly cracking.

Ms. G– Griselda turned around and gave Bloom a cautious look. That single glance sent Bloom back down a few steps.

"Both," she said, pushing her places up. "Both the planet and the dimension are called Magix." She made her way further up the stairs.

"Huh," Bloom muttered before rushing back up.

At the top of the stairs were two wide doors. They had glistening stained glass windows with wooden floral patterns etched on underneath. The glass sparkled with rainbow colors; it was something Bloom had never seen before. It seemed to be hypnotizing her, as she could not look away. The glass so enriched her she didn't even realize she had begun reaching for it until Griselda swatted away her hand.

"Allow me," she said before knocking on the door.

"Come in," an elderly voice sang.

The door opened right on cue, a cool breeze sweeping through the area. Bloom and her family walked in to see a spacious office. Large bookshelves covered each side, and the large glass windows glistened around the room. In front of the windows was an impressively large desk with an equally impressive black chair. The chair was currently occupied by an older-looking woman with short, white curly hair, gold hooped earrings, and horn-rimmed glasses. Her smile widened at the guests entering her office. She wore a navy blue vest over a long-sleeve, pink shirt with ruffles.

There was a large stack of forms on her desk, likely the stuff she was dealing with before welcoming her guests. She pushed them to the side and smiled at her company. "Welcome!"

"Headmistress Faragonda," Griselda began. "These people–"

"In a minute, Jeanie," Headmistress Faragonda said with a high-pitched British-speaking tone similar to Stella. She stood up from her chair and made her way to the front of the room. Without the desk in the way, Bloom noticed her long, pink skirt and navy blue heels. "First we need to treat our guests," she looked at Bloom and her family. "I don't recognize your faces, so it must be your first year. Please, take a seat!"

She waved her hand in the air, and three chairs moved from the walls to the front of the desk.

Bloom couldn't stop smiling, and judging by the looks on her parent's faces, neither could they. Faragonda's first impression was, in Bloom's opinion, a big step up from Griselda's. Bloom didn't need to be told twice to take a seat, happily making her way to the desk and sitting in the center. Her mom took the left seat while her dad took the right seat.

"Now before we begin anything, I must know your names," Faragonda said as she made her way back to her chair.

"Um, well," Mike began, "I'm Mike Mason," he pointed at himself. "This is my wife, Vanessa," he gestured towards her.

"Hello there," Vanessa said, giving a small wave.

"And this is our daughter, Bloom," Mike said, placing his left hand on her right shoulder.

"Oh, such nice names," Faragonda said, her voice ringing like silver bells. She almost sounded like Mary Poppins of all people, and that made Bloom smile even more.

Griselda cleared her throat again, and Bloom nearly jumped out of her chair. Quickly looking around the room, she saw that Griselda had moved up quite a bit, as she was now right next to Vanessa's seat. "Faragonda, these–"

"In a minute, Jeanie," Faragonda interrupted. "First, we have to offer our patient guests a snack." Griselda let out a huff while Faragonda waved her hand over a blank spot on her desk. Out of thin air, a plate of cookies appeared. They smelled so good like they had just been taken out of the oven. Bloom was positive if she wasn't biting her lip, she'd be drooling over them. "Would you like a cookie?" The headmistress asked.

Bloom didn't waste a second taking a cookie. She held herself back from eating the whole thing in one bite. The more she restrained herself, the more cookies she'd have left to enjoy. Upon her first bite, her eyes widened as far as they could stretch. She closed her eyes as everything faded away, only leaving behind the sweet, sweet taste of the cookie. Warm chocolate melted in her mouth and danced on her tongue. Soft cookie chunks dissolved away. Everything tasted like Heaven. God, she was probably smiling like an idiot at how good they were. She abandoned any restraint she had before and ate the rest in one bite.

Faragonda let out a soft chuckle. "I take it that you like them."

Bloom nodded as she licked the crumbs off her lips.

"You wouldn't be the first," Faragonda said. "My family's toffee and chocolate chip recipe tend to win people over in one bite.

"Chocolate?" Bloom said even though her mouth was full. "You have chocolate here?"

"Of course," she said. "It's a incredibly popular delicacy here. I do love to use it for my baking." She picked up a cookie herself. "I'm always happy to see people like them. If you ever need a quick snack, just drop by my office. I always have a plate out." She took a polite bite out of her cookie. "If you want another cookie, please, have one."

Bloom's excitement burst through the roof. She couldn't help but picture a little cartoon version of her with literal stars in her eyes. She turned towards both of her parents, constantly rotating her head to see both of them. "Can I please go here? Pretty please with a cherry on top? If you do, I promise to always help out at the flower shop when I'm on holiday!"

"Hold on," Mike said, rubbing his forehead. "We're not letting you come here just because they have chocolate. Now can we please get back to the matter at hand?"

"As I was trying to say–" Griselda said. Bloom jumped in her seat again, as she had forgotten Griselda was still in the room. "–Headmistress Faragonda, Princess Stella Davenwood arrived a short bit ago and brought these people with her." She pointed at Bloom. "According to the Princess, this young lady right here has discovered her magic exactly yesterday. To add more to the mystery, the young girl and her family are apparently from Earth." She held no punches with that last word, strongly emphasizing it.

Faragonda's warm and sunny expression shifted into a deeply concerned frown. Hints of curiosity were sprinkled throughout her expression. "Oh my," she raised her hand to her mouth.

"Okay," Mike stood up, pushing his chair slightly back. "This is getting ridiculous," He pinched his forehand with his hand as if he had a headache. "Why is it whenever someone mentions the simple fact, we're from Earth, everyone responds like we just mentioned we're in a demon worshiping cult? Is there some kind of context I'm missing?!"

Faragonda blushed, a rosy pink gracing her cheeks. "My apologies, Mike. I had assumed Jeanie'd filled you in."

"I just remembered I need to make a phone call," Griselda blurted out. Her face was bright red, almost looking like a kid with their hand caught in the cookie jar. "To confirm Miss Davenwood's story. I was just staying behind in case you needed me." She slowly began backing up to the door. Fumbling for the handle, she opened the door, slipped out, and closed the door with a small 'click.'

"Did anyone else just see that?" Bloom asked, swallowing a bite of the cookie.

"Of course, Bloom," Faragonda chuckled. "She's just the type that gets embarrassed by mistakes. A rare occurrence from her, but her reactions are hilarious."

Mike slipped back into his chair, letting out a long sigh. Bloom grabbed another cookie and handed it over to him. Sitting up, Mike slowly took the cookie from her.

"Now then," Faragonda pushed up her glasses. She opened up a desk drawer, pulling out a cup of tea that was miraculously steaming hot. Perhaps she just kept a kettle down there? Or was this another magical trick?

"Did Jeanie or Miss Stella ever mention Ancestral Witches around you?" she asked. A small frown crept across her face, and the room seemed to turn eerily cold.

"Witches? Yes. Ancestral? No," Mike took a bite out of his cookie, his face lighting up at the taste.

"Neither of them did," Vanessa said. "and judging by your reaction, it can't be anything good."

"I see." She picked up her teacup, taking a slow sip before placing it back down. She folded her hands on top of her desk. "I'm going to tell you a story. A story where magic once lived in harmony with your home before reaching a tragic end.

"Over a thousand years ago, there were fairies, witches, and wizards on Earth. They lived and walked beside the rest of humanity. To preserve balance and harmony between all groups, a band of magi came together to form the White Circle. The White Circle's purpose was to settle disputes between the various races, working towards a peaceful, productive future.

"But not everyone liked this peace. Some magi thought of humans as lower life forms that would prevent true peace just by their mere existence. Three witches banded together to create that true peace for all to enjoy. Donning the name Ancestral Witches, they traveled across the Earth to begin assembling their paradise.

"These witches cultivated a powerful army of devoted followers, a ruthless collection of magi that slaughtered humans without remorse. Their hatred knew no bounds, as these people murdered any magi that opposed them. But for some, murder was not enough. The fiercest of the followers found ways to steal magic from magi, ripping wings off fairies, and sucking the power from witches and wizards. The creators of these horrid skills called themselves the Black Circle, a force that would demolish the White Circle they preyed upon."

The white-haired woman paused for a moment, placing a finger over her lip; she seemed to be having trouble continuing with the story and took a deep inhale. She took a quick sip from her teacup before continuing,

"For many moons, this horrid war raged on. Countless lives were lost, with neither side free from bloodshed. Eventually, the White Circle emerged victoriously. The highest-ranking members of the Ancestral Witches, including the Black Circle, were imprisoned under many chains, far away from anyone they could hurt. Sadly, the damage was done. Even with the Ancestral Witches locked away, tensions between non-magi and magi did not cease. The non-magi harbored resentment; resentment that had grown with every life lost to a magis' hands. Those hurting the most began hunting any and every magus around, leading them to painful deaths regardless of their innocence. Fearing for their sanity, freedom, and lives, the remaining magi fled Earth, retreating here to Magix. To ensure no hunters would follow and bring their chaos, all ties to Earth were cut clean, with travel there heavily discouraged or even outlawed.

"Time continued to pass, but from, what I read the White Circle still were wary about the non-magi finding magi again and hunting us, so they performed a spell wiping the existence of magic from history. It was simply a thing of make-believe, the stuff for children. Without any magi left on Earth, the magic left on earth weakened. Any records of magical persecution were marked up to insane delusions about innocent people. A few brave magi have tried hiding, only using their magic in secret. We don't know much about them. Most people assume these magi were eventually found and taken away, or worse, killed like their ancestors. Whatever the case is, magic, was wiped from Earth."

"What does that mean for me?" Bloom finally questioned, slightly shaken.

Faragonda stared at her straight into the girl's cyan eyes. "It means if you were to return home, you might be in grave danger." The white-haired paused once she noticed the family shared the same reaction towards her statement. "And by your horrified expressions I realize that was not the best thing to say. We have no reason to not believe the Ancestral Witches don't still exist there, but we just want you to be safe if you are telling the truth about your powers."

Vanessa started breathing erratically. "We can't let our pumpkin get hurt," She turned towards her daughter, who was staring at her oddly, then immediately smothered Bloom in a hug. "We can't risk something bad happening to her!"

"Mom, I can't breathe!" Bloom shouted, flailing her arms around.

"Darling, please calm down," Mike comforted. "You really took that story to heart."

"Why wouldn't I?" Vanessa replied, releasing her frazzled daughter from her grip. "Those poor beings, driven away from their home because of the damage of the Ancestral Witches. Losing trust with the people they once lived in peace with, how could people be so evil? The thought of Bloom being in danger of those Witches? It's terrifying just to think about it!"

Faragonda looked on at the display with curiosity. "If you don't mind me asking, do either of you have any sort of magical powers?"

"Not really." Mike shook his head. "I can juggle."

"And are you absolutely sure neither of you possesses any powers whatsoever? Neither of you is a witch, fairy, wizard? Just normal non-magi?" She lowered her glasses while her eyes shifted from Mike to Vanessa.

"I assure you, Ms. Faragonda, my wife and I aren't magical like our daughter. Just regular ol' humans," Mike replied.

"And Bloom, if you don't mind me asking, are you sure you have powers?" Faragonda questioned, turning to her.

"I am." Bloom nodded. "Something happened in the forest yesterday and this fire just… came out of my hands."

"Fire?" Faragonda questioned.

Bloom nodded, staring down at her hands. "I haven't been able to turn my powers back on since then. If that makes sense."

Faragonda smiled. "It does, and if that's the case, we want to protect you at all costs. I think it might be safe if you stay at Alfea. Not only will she be able to hone her new powers, but she'll be protected from any informants from the Ancestral Witches. Although, if she doesn't want to enroll here, we can gladly contact other schools that might fit her."

Bloom's eyes widened at the mention of other magical schools; she had to resist the urge to bounce in her seat, much to her parents' amusement.

"That sounds good," Mike said, glancing at his excited daughter and then back to Faragonda. "Can you tell us what your school might provide for her?"

"I'd be glad to," Faragonda replied, her jovial tone returning. "Here at Alfea, we teach young girls how to utilize their powers by using positive energy such as good memories or feelings. We also teach them how to protect themselves against dark powers and how to fight. We pride our school on helping out every girl who attends, to be the best fairy they can be."

Bloom smiled upon hearing that. Even though she was still wary about having powers and being a fairy, she still wanted to learn more about what she was and what she could do.

"There are two other schools located in the area," the headmistress continued. "Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery for Specialists and Wizards and Cloud Tower for Witches and Warlocks. Our schools frequently have big get-togethers during the school year and cross-school friends and dating are allowed."

"From what I saw yesterday, Red Fountain seems pretty militaristic, and I'm not sure a military school is for me," Bloom replied. "What about the witches? Why are they so different from fairies?"

"Well, witches aren't really known for using positive energy when drawing magic. They use negative energy like personal trauma and negative emotions, such as anger or depression to harness their magic." Faragonda explained. "I would never want to experience that, but the students are trained to use their powers for fighting enemies much like here at Alfea. I've fought with a few in the past."

"Was it awesome?" Bloom asked eagerly.

Faragonda nodded. "Very."

Bloom couldn't help pumping her fist in triumph, causing the elderly lady to laugh merrily. On the other hand, Bloom's parents were alarmed at the prospect of their daughter fighting monsters again.

"If these schools don't interest you, there are other ones such as Beta Academy, although they are exclusive. Sierra Grove Academy is a pleasant school to attend, but very strict. There's also the co-ed school, Linphea College, but they're mostly similar to Red Fountain, and there's also the Golden Auditorium, but that's a music school." Faragonda chuckled as she looked through her desk. "There's more but curse my old age, I forget where I put those brochures."

"That's not necessary. I think I'll go here," Bloom said, trying not to giggle as she watched the old woman struggling to keep a large stack of papers from toppling over. "This place seems interesting, plus Stella is here. So, I know someone here."

Faragonda gasped. "Did you already make a friend?"

"Um, I guess you can call it that. After battling an ogre, imps, and a troll, we sort of bonded." Bloom shrugged, chuckling.

"I couldn't agree more. Dragons are also pretty good for that. That's how I met my first best friend," the elderly woman said with a tiny twinkle in her eyes.

Mike sighed, rubbing his forehead. "That's fantastic to hear when I'm about to leave my daughter here."

Vanessa giggled as she patted her exhausted husband's back. Bloom, on the other hand, became even more excited at the prospect of dragons existing.

"There are dragons here too? You've fought a dragon? You fought a dragon with another person?" Bloom exclaimed. "No, wait, answer the second question first."

Mike cleared his throat before Faragonda could answer Bloom's questions. "If you don't mind me interjecting before we sign anything, I have two concerns I'd like to address."

"Yes?" the headmistress asked, turning her attention back to the man.

"Okay, to start, the money issue and possible admittance fee… I doubt our money will even work around here."

"Stop right there!" Faragonda said, putting up a hand. The older woman bounced in her chair, much to the confusion of the family. "I have something perfect to help you: The Alfea Scholarship Program. Normally we use this helpful scholarship for poor or low-income families to help them out. Seeing as you don't really have money that will work here, that counts. She will also receive a lump sum of money from it every month. So, everyone wins!" She clapped her hands. "But I do advise students to look into part-time work, just so they won't blow all that tuition money in one go… I've had so many students make that mistake it's not even funny."

Faragonda retrieved her teacup again, this time pulling out a teapot as well. She casually poured the steaming hot liquid into the cup as the family looked on, unsure why she had a tea set in her desk drawer, but Mike continued with his grievances after a second passed.

"Okay. Second concern: Bloom— or, for a matter of fact, all of us —were only introduced to all of… this, literally yesterday," he said, gesturing towards the window. "Will Bloom be at a disadvantage when it comes to training or studying here?"

"Oh, Mr. Mason, people come from all over the realm to study at Alfea. Their skill sets in terms of magic range from student to student. Some are late bloomers like your daughter and get their powers a year or two before turning fifteen, some were homeschooled, others went to public school, some were taught at private schools, and some have never even gone to school. For them, the first semester is specifically dedicated to making sure all of them are on the same page. And if Bloom starts lagging behind, we have plenty of tutors who can help. Trust me, she's not the first of my students to have a lack of knowledge about magic."

"I'm just the first from Earth," Bloom mentioned.

Faragonda nodded. "Now you are, of course, welcome to stay on campus until courses officially start in two days. Until then, do whatever you like and I shall take care of the necessary paperwork," she said, still giddy. "Mr. and Mrs. Mason, I assume you'd like to still keep in touch with Bloom and you're probably wondering, 'But how shall I ever contact my special magical daughter?' No worries, we can give you a one-line phone, on which you will only be able to contact Bloom."

"Do you think it could look like a carrot and a head of lettuce?" Vanessa asked, giggling.

Bloom covered her mouth while giggling as well. Mike's left eye began twitching as he slowly turned toward his wife.

"Don't ever bring that up again," he hissed.

Vanessa shrugged with a sly smile on her face.

Mike groaned as his eyes went back to the confused yet still smiling older woman. "Just make the phone as normal as possible or whatever a normal-looking phone looks like here."

Any further conversation was interrupted by a few knocks on the double door. Faragonda cleared her throat before singing, "Come in!"

Griselda popped her head into the room before fully walking in. Her cheeks were a slight red as if she was flustered. "Headmistress Faragonda, I contacted the Red Fountain administrators and... Miss Davenwood did indeed report an ogre attack. Four students there encountered the monster in person," she reported, scratching her head. "Some of the staff weren't so happy about this, but everything else checks out."

"Excellent." Faragonda clapped her hands again. "With that settled, could you bring the proper paperwork for student registration and an Alfea Scholarship form while I finish up with the Masons?"

Griselda gave a polite nod before heading out of the room.

"While we wait for that, Bloom, is there anything else you'd like to know?" Faragonda asked.

"Um, well …" Bloom paused. "I bought a couple of my things here in a suitcase and I was wondering," she bit the bottom of her lip, "could I bring them to my new dorm room, or do you want me to wait? Also, Stella told me that pets might be allowed here. I really don't want to leave him with my parents; he'll miss me a lot."

"It's technically her pet anyways," Mike added, "and I could go a few months without cat hair everywhere."

Vanessa lightly slapped her husband's arm, but Mike simply shrugged in response.

"My father's already on board," Bloom said eagerly, cuddling Kiko close to her chest.

Faragonda giggled before saying, "Pets are allowed on campus, but you'll need to fill out a form for him. Which is right…"

She began frantically opening drawers around her large desk, searching for the form she mentioned. The white-haired lady placed an index finger up to tell the family to wait while she searched silently for the paper.

Bloom tried looking over the desk, but her father pulled her back. After about a minute passed of scrambling through her desk, she retrieved the form, fully cleaned and fresh as if it had just been printed, from the bottom drawer of her desk.

"Ah, here it is! Right where I usually leave it. Here you go, darling." Faragonda handed the paper over to Bloom, who stared at it as she took it from her hand. "We just like to know what animal the student brings with them and if they need special accommodations. Just fill that out and return it to me, but until then you are welcome to keep your precious feline here."

"Yes!" Bloom cheered.

Kiko let out a soft chipper meow as he placed his paws on the desk. He stared at the Headmistress whose smile grew wider at the presence of the adorable fluffy cat.

"And Bloom," the white-haired lady said, getting back to the previous discussion. "I'm assuming you left your suitcase downstairs?"

Bloom nodded.

"You can leave that there; I'll help bring it up later."

"Awesome, thanks," Bloom thanked with an earnest smile. "So, what do I do now?"

"Right now," Faragonda said, shuffling through papers. "I have a few calls to make while you and your parents are escorted to your new room. I'm assuming you'd like to be in an apartment with your new friend?"

Bloom pondered about that decision for a moment. While she and Stella had a rocky start, she didn't dislike the girl. She was only unsure if she'd be able to deal with the Princess and hadn't had many friends like her, but she wanted to try and get to know her. Plus, it'd be pretty cool to be friends with a Princess of a planet.

"It would be nice having someone I know rooming with me," Bloom admitted. "I think that can work."

"Okay, well, in that case, you're very lucky you met me today. There is a room available in the apartment adjacent to her."

"That sounds great. Thanks, um, Headmistress... Faragonda?" Bloom awkwardly said.

Faragonda rolled her eyes. "Oh, Headmistress Faragonda sounds so strict. I always hated calling my headmaster that when I attended Alfea. Just call me Faragonda."

Faragonda moved her finger across her head, and a flurry of sparkles danced around her as she said that. Bloom and her mother looked on in amazement while Mike just slumped back in his chair.

Bloom elbowed her dad.

"I've had enough magic for today," Mike replied.

Faragonda made a feigned shocked gesture by placing her hand on her heart.

"Don't mind him, a troll destroyed his TV last night," Vanessa excused to Faragonda.

"You said that… like it was a normal thing!" Mike hissed.

"Oh, Mr. Mason, I know that unpleasantries like that can sour your view on magic, but I swear to you, that your daughter will be learning fun magic like-"

"Like turning things into other things, she can't change back?" Mike questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Why yes exactly like that," Faragonda said with a small gulp. "May I offer you another cookie?"

The elderly lady was trying to ease the tension and doubt within Mike, but he simply snatched the cookie off the plate, slumped back in his chair, and ate it.

"Seriously... ignore him, he's just cranky," Bloom advised grabbing another cookie as well. She had eaten the small stack she made only a few minutes ago, much to the older woman's surprise.

Faragonda shrugged.

The tension was eased when the door opened one more time. Ms. Griselda strolled in, walking directly towards Faragonda's desk. She handed her a couple of text-heavy filled papers that the older woman quickly scanned over.

"Well Bloom, all you need to do is sign the bottom line," she said, passing the papers and a pen over to the young girl.

"Let me just look over these," Mike said, snatching the forms. He scanned over the pages carefully, checking for rules that might change his daughter's mind. "This seems legit, so long as there isn't anything written in tiny, unreadable print."

Griselda grumbled, offended at those claims.

"You don't have a complicated and convoluted uniform policy, do you? That involves wearing nothing but plaid?" Mike asked.

Bloom's eyes widened at that comment; she detested the dress code at her high school, and that was casual attire; she wasn't prepared if the school had an ugly plaid uniform, she'd have to wear every day, and her father knew that.

"N- no? Not that I'm aware of," Faragonda answered, confused.

"I wanted there to be one, but somebody thinks students should express themselves instead of dressing like respectable adults," Griselda said, crossing her arms.

Faragonda giggled, "Oh, Jeanie, you always know how to make me laugh."

Mike sighed as Bloom stared at him impatiently. "Well, Bloom, it's up to you." Somberly, he passed over the papers and a pen to his daughter.

The girl nodded and, without a second thought, signed her name on the dotted line.

"Welcome to Alfea, Bloom," Faragonda said. "Now, Jeanie, would you kindly escort our new student and her parents to her apartment while I deal with other matters?"

"Yes, Headmistress," Griselda said with a bow. "You three, follow me."

Bloom and her parents reluctantly stood up and followed behind the lady.

"So, can we call you Jeanie, now?" Bloom asked.

Griselda groaned. "Don't push it."

...

As the group was led down a long hallway to the dorms, Bloom glanced at every new painting or sculpture. Straining her neck as she did so, she was making a plan to grab her phone and take pictures of them later. After another few minutes of walking, the group arrived at a red-tinted door.

Griselda turned towards Bloom and showed her a small, golden key. "This key opens both your apartment and your room respectively. Try not to lose it; we charge a fee for replacements." Then without another word, she opened the door and ushered them inside.

The living area inside seemed surprisingly normal to Bloom. The floor was adorned with beige carpeting and walls, but everything else around it was pretty impressive.

Two green sofas surrounded a rectangular glass coffee table. A large flat-screen television was hanging on one of the walls, facing one of the sofas. A medium-sized furnished mahogany wood desk occupied the left corner of the room. Some potted plants were spread out across the room, but Bloom wasn't sure if they were fake or not. An impressively large bookcase halfway full of books was in between two of the rooms. There was even a small kitchen behind the countertop.

Although it wasn't as majestic as the school itself, Bloom was still excited to be living in a dorm, something she didn't expect until college at most.

"Damn, this is nice," Bloom said breathlessly.

Griselda flinched at the profanity, but Bloom didn't seem to notice.

"I recognize that voice," a familiar voice said, and in a second, Stella came running up to her from one of the common rooms. She looked more vibrant and energized than she had before, a slight shimmer glowed on her body, but not as much as it had when they first met. "Blimey, you're here. Does this mean you'll be rooming with me - because that would be totally ace - or are you just visiting because you missed me?"

"Please, being away from you was quite refreshing," Bloom said jokingly. "But to answer your question, yes, I'm going to be in the same apartment as you. Something about a lack of rooms and they had to pair me up with an annoying Princess."

"Suuuure," Stella said, stretching out the word. She bumped her hip next to Bloom's before adding, "Welcome, either way."

Bloom smirked, rubbing her hip. It would take her a while to get used to that. "You look much better than before."

"Why, thank you," Stella said, casually posing in front of the group. "After I left you guys, I rushed to the nurse and got myself healed right up. I needed that after the messy battle we went through, but I feel great now!" She grabbed Bloom's hand. "Enough about that, though. Would you like to check out my room? It's a single. Absolutely perfect for me! Plus, you can check out some outfits I've been working on."

Bloom looked at her parents to ask them before Vanessa replied. "It's fine. We'll be talking with Griselda while you get to know your second home."

Bloom nodded before being led away into Stella's room. "Well, seeing as we're alone for the moment," Griselda said, breaking the silence. "I would like to know more about your family."

Mike looked at Vanessa before asking, "What would you like to know?"

Griselda double-clicked her pen and readied her clipboard. "It's obvious you and your wife possess no magical powers whatsoever, but it must run in your blood. It has probably been suppressed in your bloodline due to the low ambient of magic. So, I must ask, do you think you have any ancestors that possessed magic?"

Mike's eyes shifted to his wife, who had sucked in her bottom lip nervously.

"Um, about that," he started. "We're not entirely sure where she could've gotten her magic powers from. I don't know a lot about my family, but I'm pretty sure there's no magic in it."

Griselda's eyes shifted towards Vanessa. The startled woman tensed up when the deputy headmistress's eyes met hers. "What about you?"

"Oh, she doesn't-" Mike started before Vanessa placed her hand up to silence him.

"I don't have any magic powers, that's true, but a lot of my family does know about magic… sorta," Vanessa answered, fiddling her fingers. "You see, I come from a family of faery Wiccans."

"What?" Griselda stared at the woman, confused.

"Yeah, what?" Mike questioned, turning to his wife. He placed his hands on his hips, shocked. "You told me only your sisters were Wiccans, not the entire family."

"Faery Wiccans, I've told you once or twice in the past," Vanessa said, waving away her husband's surprise. "You just weren't listening."

"Because you barely tell me anything about them," Mike whispered angrily. "That's not something you just ignore. Nessa, we've been married for over seventeen years and you neglected to tell me that your entire family are freaking Wiccans!"

"Does it help that my father isn't?" Vanessa hesitantly asked with a shy smile.

Mike shook his head, "No!"

"Stella was right, you do yell a lot," Vanessa said, with a coy smirk.

"Vanessa-" Mike started.

"Excuse me," Griselda interrupted smoothly, snapping the couple's attention back to her. "Now Wiccans, I've heard that before, it's basically witchcraft, right?"

Vanessa laughed, much to the deputy headmistress's surprise, "Not exactly. This is pretty complicated to explain, and I'd rather not go into an entire history lesson. You see, faery Wiccan just emphasizes the fae, you know, fairies, goblins, pixies, and the sort, and their relation to the natural world." She paused for a moment, "It's kind of a broad spectrum that's hard to explain without pulling out the Wikipedia page for it, you know?" Griselda stared at the brunette blankly along with Mike.

Vanessa coughed nervously before continuing, "Anywho, I know it's kind of occult-ish, but I don't think anyone really knows or agrees on what Wicca is at this point. Then there's a ritualistic practice that isn't very necessary with a lot of Wiccans, my family included. Most of my family practice the Wicca religion except for my dad and me. Some are more dedicated to the craft than others, my mom and sisters are still practicing Wiccans, but don't worry they aren't insane or anything... well sort of... my mom isn't totally insane... is that weird to admit? Anyways, my mom and sisters never really had me practice, so I just never really did it on the regular. So yeah, that's my family."

Vanessa never liked talking about her family, but if it meant helping her daughter, bringing them up was the best thing she could do.

"Hm, fascinating," Griselda said, scribbling down every word on her clipboard. "My first meeting with a human and Wiccan. This is more exciting than when I got that pleated pantsuit on sale."

"Yeah… something like that," Vanessa said, trying to sound equally impressed.

Meanwhile, Mike stared at his wife, shocked, his mouth agape. He knew his wife's family was weird, but all he ever seemed to know was her sisters were practicing Wiccans, and that was it. He wasn't sure what to say, but he knew one thing, this was probably the weirdest day of his life.

The brunette simply rolled her eyes and closed her husband's mouth. "I keep telling you my family is weird."

"We are talking about this later," Mike said, stamping his foot.

"Of course, sweetie," Vanessa bopped Mike's nose with her index finger.

His face turned bright pink.

"Some like me didn't buy into all that Wiccan stuff… until now," Vanessa admitted. "Shame I can't tell anybody else this, they'll think I'm crazy. No offense."

"None taken," Griselda said, unfazed. "This new information does make it more difficult to track her bloodline, but your family should be safe."

The couple breathed a sigh of relief.

Griselda's eyes moved from her clipboard after a brief second of writing to the family. She stalked closed towards them, making the couple cower in fear.

"I will only repeat this once, so I expect honesty," she said, her eyes narrowing. "You are unquestionably, positively, one hundred percent telling me the truth right now? Not leaving anything out?"

"N- nothing at all," Mike and Vanessa stammered in unison.

"All right then." Griselda stepped back and then jotted down more notes, keeping a watchful eye on the couple. They both smiled nervously. "I will inform Faragonda, and we'll keep this information confidential for the time being."

"And you'll keep Bloom safe?" Vanessa questioned, clasping her hands together.

Griselda nodded. "We will."

"Oh, bless you!" Vanessa exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the woman into a tight hug that startled Griselda and Mike.

"I'm only doing my job, Mrs. Mason," Griselda replied while struggling to breathe. As Vanessa lingered with her hug, the uncomfortable brunette's eyes shifted towards the blond man. "Get her off me."

"Come on, 'Nessa, you've hugged her long enough," Mike said, tapping his wife on the shoulder.

Vanessa pulled back, a wide grin on her face.

Griselda's face was flushed as she adjusted her glasses. "I do not like physical contact. A note for next time, Mrs. Mason."

"Got it, sorry I just don't want my precious little baby girl to get hurt," Vanessa said with a slight blush on her cheek. "Oh, my goodness, I forgot to mention she gets stressed easily and can run herself ragged. We should probably send her those vitamins to take."

Mike patted his wife on her back. "She hasn't taken those since she was twelve."

"Does not take vitamins," Griselda mumbled, jotting this down as well, still visibly uncomfortable. "Anything else? No. In that case, we'll consider all this information for her social life and education at Alfea."

The couple nodded as Bloom and Stella returned from the Princess's room, with Bloom chuckling as Stella's face was bright pink.

"It's not that funny!" Stella exclaimed, crossing her arms.

"You're right," Bloom said, continuing to laugh. "It's hilarious! You honestly thought you'd create a new shade of pink and it literally blew up in your face."

"Right, whatever," Stella said, putting her hands on her hips. "Anyways, Michael, Vanessa, how is the interrogation going?"

"Why do you keep calling me Michael?" Mike questioned, scratching his head.

"The 'interrogation' has concluded and went perfectly, Miss Davenwood," Griselda replied, going back to the former subject.

"Now that it's over," Mike said, changing the subject. "I have to ask, how are we going to get back home?"

"I can take care of that," Stella said, playing with her ring. "Just have to open another portal."

"No!" The Mason family exclaimed, startling the Princess and deputy headmistress.

"I never want to go through that whirlwind mind screw trip again," Mike said, still feeling queasy.

"My ears still haven't popped yet," Vanessa said, sticking a finger in her ear.

"Blimey, I said I was sorry," Stella pouted. "You'll get used to it."

"Even so, the school will be taking care of their travel back to Earth," Griselda said sternly. "It'll be much safer, Mr. Mason. We can do it as soon as Headmistress Faragonda has finished the other business. I will give the three of you approximately two minutes to say your goodbyes."

The deputy headmistress walked out of the room, leaving the Masons and Stella alone. Bloom noticed the shimmering girl still standing there, swaying on her heels.

When Bloom glared at her, Stella took the hint. "You know what, I should work on those modifications for my outfits."

She waved before scurrying back into her room.

"Um…" Bloom slowly said, shuffling on her feet. "I'm going to miss you or whatever, but don't worry, everything should be okay, even though it started out as a bit of a hassle to get through and-"

Bloom stopped talking as her mother pulled her into a tight hug. Mike followed by enveloping both women in his arms.

Bloom could barely breathe, but this time she didn't mind, knowing she'd be a universe away from her parents. The family stood there silently hugging each other for a long minute before pulling apart. Vanessa and Bloom had small tears in their eyes.

"Whew, there must be something in the air that's making me tear up," Bloom said, rubbing her eyes.

Vanessa chuckled lightly, squeezing her daughter's hand.

"I honestly don't know what I'll do without you guys," Bloom admitted, trying to hold back her tears.

"Just remember that we love you," Mike said, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "And that we're always here for you."

"We're so proud of you," Vanessa said, her eyes shining. "And remember to always brush your teeth, wash your hair, shower, keep your room clean, and if they have a laundromat here, do what I taught you. Also-"

Mike silenced Vanessa with a finger to her lips. Bloom bit back a laugh as Mike looked fondly at his daughter.

"Just remember, we're one phone call away if you're having any trouble." Mike reminded her.

"I know," Bloom replied. "And I love you guys." She gave them an earnest smile knowing she meant every word.

Faragonda entered the room a second later, breaking up the tender family moment. She had a wide grin on her face, as usual.

The Mason's didn't share the same cheerful energy, for it was time to go. Bloom would soon be by herself for the next few months.

"Good news, Mason's, the team that was sent to your house reported no negative findings and your house is in great condition!"

"How great can it be when there's a hole in it?" Mike asked.

"Oh, you'll see," Faragonda said excitedly. The family stared at her oddly as her joyful expression stayed the same. "Also, before you leave, here's your new phone." Faragonda pulled out a black and silver cell phone from her pocket. "It will only be able to call Bloom, but she can call the number from any phone. The number is on the back. I made it as basic as possible since I am not sure how advanced the technology is on Earth."

"A flip phone?" Bloom asked, staring at the phone. "This is old even for our dimension."

"Oh my, really? Well, I can get it exchanged for a higher mode-" Faragonda said, reaching for the phone, but Mike swiftly swiped the phone out of her hands, surprising the old woman.

"This is perfect!" he said, putting the phone in his pocket. "Nice and simple. Nothing weird."

"A fairy Princess turns one phone into vegetables and he's sworn off magic," Bloom whispered loudly to Faragonda, making the woman laugh.

Once she was met with a glare from her father, she simply stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to stick his back at her. He was going to miss her more than he realized.

Faragonda clapped cheerfully. "Now are you two ready to return home?"

"Yes," Mike answered, taking Vanessa's hand in his. "We've said our goodbyes and all that."

"Okay then," Faragonda said, clasping her hands together. "All you two need to do is stand completely still. It's the safest option. Don't want to accidentally gate anything near you. Bloom and I will just step a few feet back." Faragonda grabbed Bloom's hand and ushered her back, much to Mike and Vanessa's confusion.

"Gee, you guys sure know how to give someone reassurance," Mike griped.

When Bloom's parents took their place, Faragonda brought up one hand, and a bright light started to manifest from it. She closed her eyes and furrowed her brows in concentration, and after a moment, a blast of dazzling colors fired from her palm.

Mike and Vanessa's eyes widened before the light hit them, and then in a flash, they were gone.

"They're okay, right?" Bloom questioned, sounding monotone but concerned.

"Of course, dear," Faragonda said confidently. "I've been at this game before you were born. They'll be slightly dazed when they get there, but no puking, rashes, hives, or anything missing."

"All right, then that was awesome," Bloom admitted.

Faragonda nodded at the compliment before saying, "Oh, and Jeanie informed me you used some colorful language earlier, it doesn't matter much to me what you say, but just watch using it in front of certain faculty, like her."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I couldn't care less." Faragonda waved off that concern as she led Bloom out of the room to head downstairs to retrieve her suitcase. "I've heard worse, used worse, and done worse. A few swear words won't ruin my morale."

"Faragonda, I think I'm going to like you."

"I'm glad." Faragonda's bright smile widened. "Now let's get that heavy suitcase of yours so you can get some proper relaxation." She and Bloom silently went downstairs, and the headmistress used her powers to make the heavy suitcase float in the air, much to Bloom's relief.

...

After a few seconds of traveling through a portal of flashing and colorful lights, Mike and Vanessa found themselves standing in their living room. Their eyes stayed widened as the room felt as if it was spinning in a haze.

"Well, that was much better than the first time," Mike said before walking into the kitchen. "I need a beer."

"After that, I can see why-" Vanessa paused, looking around the room. "hey, Mike, do you notice anything different?"

Everything in the destroyed living room and the kitchen was restored to their normal conditions. Vanessa turned around, unsure if it was real, but it was. The shelves in the built-in bookshelf were repaired and held all its books and knickknacks. The couch and armchairs were reassembled. The shattered black glass coffee table was back in one piece. The television that was recently partly broken in half was reassembled to its original condition and mounted back on the wall. Even the discarded pots and pans that covered the kitchen floor were back in in the furnished cabinets, but most importantly, the gaping hole that stuck out the front of the house, like a sore thumb, was entirely restored to the normal wall it once was.

"Not really," Mike called from the kitchen. "Everything looks fine."

"Exactly. Our house is back to normal, they actually repaired everything!" Vanessa said, nearly squealing.

Mike walked back into the room with an open beer bottle and looked around the living room. He noticed everything that was tossed, broken, or knocked over was back in its original place and in one piece. He grinned from ear to ear.

"Oh, thank God, I don't have to spend thousands of dollars to get this place fixed!" Mike cheered. "They did all of this with magic?"

"I guess so," Vanessa said, touching the bookshelf. "Wow."

Vanessa plopped down on the couch, letting out an exhausted sigh as her head fell back. "Should we focus on how we're going to explain this to the neighbors."

"Shush," Mike said, sitting down next to his wife and kissing her. "Let's just focus on the good things right now."

Vanessa giggled. "Of course, dear."

Mike sighed, "This has been the longest two days of my life and that's saying a lot."

"If someone told me even half of this would happen, I'd probably call them crazy." Vanessa bit her bottom lip after a second. "I just wish we didn't have to lie to that woman about Bloom."

"Well, what were we going to tell her? 'Hey, that girl over there isn't our biological daughter. She's adopted, but doesn't know it yet so stay hush-hush about it?'" Mike reasoned. "We told her as much as we could without her being suspicious."

"Because she definitely wasn't skeptical at all," Vanessa said sarcastically.

"Well, I wonder who's fault that was," Mike said, his head slowly turning to his wife. She simply rolled her eyes before grabbing his beer bottle and taking a sip. "Look, this isn't something we can tell some random stranger, especially before we tell our own daughter."

"That's true," Vanessa said, resting her head on her husband's shoulder. "We have to tell her soon, once she gets settled in at Alfea. When that happens, she might be… I'm not sure."

Mike groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"I think she'll have fun there… that might make it easier to tell her…" Vanessa paused, scratching her neck. "She's adopted."

Mike stared at his wife with an incredulous expression. "I doubt it," he replied.

Vanessa clasped her hands happily. "You gotta admit though, our special baby having powers is pretty amazing!"

Mike rolled his eyes. "Yup… Great."

Vanessa slapped Mike's arm. "Oh, stop it, like you've never thought about magic being real."

"I have not," Mike shrugged. "I don't want to be a wizard, witch, or whatever. Bloom can have all that magic nonsense. I'm just glad to be a normal human man married to a beautiful human woman."

Vanessa smirked with a raised eyebrow. "You mean Faire Wiccan."

Mike laughed. "Of course, my lovely Wiccan wife. I'm still not over that. Out of all the things you could've told that woman, why that?"

"Who knew having a strange family would pay off," Vanessa winked. "And you definitely knew."

"I did not, I may not be the best listener, but that's not something you just forget," Mike defended. "Are you secretly a witch as well?"

"Wiccan and witch are different things, get it right," Vanessa said with a snap of her fingers.

"Yeah, well, you sure did your research," Mike noted. "I always thought you were joking around. I didn't think your ent- most of your family was into that stuff, but I guess it's not that weird. We do live in California. At least it bought us some time."

"Hopefully." Vanessa sighed.

"I can't believe this is real."

"Well Michael, it's in our lives now, whether we want it or not." Vanessa kissed her husband and then rested her head on his shoulder.

...

"Welcome back to your humble abode!" Faragonda cheerfully announced, resting Bloom's luggage in her new room. She wiped some imaginary sweat off her head before adding, "That was quite the workout."

Bloom looked around her room in awe. Unlike Stella's room, Bloom's had two unprepared twin beds, two closets, two dressers, and two desks, one on the left and the other on the right. The walls were a simple beige, and many shelves adorned the room.

"I get this room to myself?"

"Well, you get one side," Faragonda said, motioning her arm to one side of her room. "Make sure to leave space for your roommate."

"I don't think I have enough to fill up half of this place," Bloom joked, looking at the second bed. "My roommate's not coming until tomorrow?"

"Yes, most will be arriving then since classes start next week."

"Cool." Bloom shuffled her feet nervously. "By the way Faragonda you seriously think I belong here? My powers still haven't come back yet."

"Bloom," Faragonda said with a sigh. "I've been through exactly what you've been through and it wasn't easy, that much is true, but you do have powers. I can feel it in you, you just need to practice and believe in yourself. I know it's cheesy, but it's also true." Faragonda patted the girl on the back. "I do have to say though, fire?"

"Yup, fire from my hands," Bloom admitted, staring at her hands for a second. "It didn't hurt but felt… tingly."

"That's… fascinating," Faragonda stared at the teenager for a few seconds, making her uncomfortable. She felt like the woman was studying her.

"Everything okay?" Bloom questioned.

"Yes, dear, just got lost in thought," Faragonda said with a gentle smile. "Oh, also there's a mandatory assembly meeting early in the morning for staff introduction to new and returning students. Aside from that, the rest of your time will be free for you to do whatever you want until classes start next week… within reason of course."

"Of course," Stella said, sliding into the front entrance of the doorway. Faragonda and Bloom stared at each other, trying to decide whether Stella had been eavesdropping the entire time or just appeared out of nowhere. "Faragonda, you know I love you, but can't you let Bloom and I go to one or two clubs, she has to get to know this place better."

"I don't agree with that," Bloom interjected.

"Miss Davenwood, you know we have to enforce this rule especially since you started attending here," Faragonda sternly said. "You go to Alfea for an education, not clubbing... although we can have fun here, Bloom."

The redhead shrugged in response. Having fun at school wasn't currently something she had stuck in her mind.

"But-" Stella started, before being cut off by Faragonda grabbing both her hands.

"And I know you'll be glad to show Miss Mason around the school tomorrow morning so she'll know about all the fun she can have right here on campus."

Stella's eyes shifted towards Bloom, who waved at her with a mischievous smile. The perturbed Princess crossed her arms. "Fine, whatever."

The older woman shook her head. "I'll be off. Have a wonderful evening, Bloom, and again welcome to Alfea." With that, Faragonda waved to the two girls and left the apartment, leaving Stella and Bloom in the room. Bloom smiled at how earnestly kind the headmistress was so far; she hadn't seen that a lot at her old school.

"Can you believe that?" Stella said, walking closer to the redhead. "It's like they don't want us to have any fun."

"I just think she doesn't want you to repeat a third time."

Stella smirked. "Don't worry though, I'll sneak us off to this little club called Strawberry Fields that is such a euphoric experience."

"No, thank you," Bloom said, pushing the girl out of her new room. "I'm perfectly fine staying in my dorm all day."

"You're such a stick in the mud, no worries though. I'll work that out of you," Stella said confidently. "Oh, in fact, I have fabulous dresses perfect for partying. I must show them to you. Stay right where you are, we'll have a little party here." Stella ran off to get her dresses.

Bloom groaned but smiled in exasperation. She looked around her new room and then plopped down on her new bed on the left side of the room. Kiko strode in, and once he noticed the redhead, he eagerly jumped onto her lap, trilling. She sighed, stroking the cat's head. "This'll be our new home for a while, little guy."

...

End

I do hope y'all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you so much for all the hits, kudos, and bookmarks. You guys rock!