Author's Note: Truth or Dare chapter is next.
My legs were trembling.
I was literally shaking like Jell-O.
All around me, girls with suitcases and luggage were passing through the barrier into school grounds, chatting bubbly amongst one another about their fantastic or shitty summer. And I just stood there, completely frozen. Not because Perverted Guy was watching all of us girls from the forest, but because I was at ALFEA. The college for fairies! And I was a student thanks to Strawberry.
The minute I would decide to pass through the barrier onto campus, my life would change forever. No more "lazy slacker" scolds from Veraminta. No more hauling Stella's fashion haul (hopefully). No more conversing with shitty-ass customers. No more-
"You! Young lady! What is your name?" a voice called out to me.
I shook out of my daze to see Griselda staring at me with those beady little eyes of hers. "Uh…Acadia Jones from Magix," I spoke up, approaching the unattractive (I'm sorry Griselda, but you're just not that cute) older lady at the gate.
She checked over her list, adjusting her glasses every time she glanced me up and down. "Yes, yes. Acadia from Magix. You're on the list," she said in the most unenthusiastic tone my ears were ever cursed to hear. "You may enter. Next!"
"Th-thank you," I stammered, biting my lip. With shaking legs, I slowly proceeded past her into the central courtyard. Girls my age were all over, gossiping about the hook ups and social events that occurred over the break. Gripping the handle of my suitcase, I scanned the crowd for any familiar faces.
Much to my dismay, I saw those girls who called me a slut at that restaurant, but I paid them no attention. Bingo! My eyes landed on Stella not far from the entrance gate. Feeling hopeful, I hurried over. "Stella!" I called out happily, approaching her. As I got closer, I noticed she was with a girl with carrot-red locks. BLOOM!
"Oh. Well, if it isn't Acadia Jones," announced Stella as I joined her and Bloom. "Long time no see."
Seriously? "I saw you every day at the mall I work at," I reminded her in a dull tone. I turned my attention to Bloom. "And who is this?" I asked, hiding my glee.
"This is Princess Varanda of Callisto," replied Stella effortlessly, thinking I didn't know she was lying.
"Um…hi." Bloom waved at me shyly. Seeing her so timid and nervous made me wonder if she was actually the Bloom I saw in the cartoon. Kiko, her famous pet rabbit, chirped (or whatever noise that was) at me from his owner's arms.
"So you're a princess, huh?" I smiled, going along with the little lie. "Hopefully, you aren't anything like Stella here."
"Hey!"
"Uh…no. Hardly," was the best Bloom could come up with.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Stella was offended for some reason. She put her hands on her hips and huffed, holding her chin high. "If you must know-"
"Alright, ladies! Everyone gather around," announced Griselda's voice, interrupting the no-doubt sassy remark Stella was about to drop on us. The three of us and the rest of the Alfea students obeyed, forming a large cluster before the head of discipline.
"As fairies attending this school, you all should know Alfea will be your home for the next five years," announced Griselda, beginning to pace back and forth like she was a drill sergeant giving orders. "But this home can cease to be yours if you dare break the rules. You must follow all the rules in the code of behavior. Break the rules once and you'll be turned into a frog. Break the rules again and your magic will be suspended. A third time and I will personally escort you to the front gate." She pointed at the main entrance with the fiery eyes. "This is not a magician's school and you certainly aren't here to learn 'hocus pocus'. Consequently, you may not use any of your powers in the halls or other common areas unless instructed by a teacher. In order to prevent chaos, you are only allowed to cast spells and use magic in the classrooms under a professor's supervision…"
Behind me, Stella, and Bloom, a few girls giggled. "Look at the Grizzly's outfit. No way she'll attract anyone looking like that," said a voice I recognized to be Candi's. While Griselda was scolding Stella about breaking that classroom window last term, I held back a snicker. "The Grizzly" was a good nickname for Griselda. Hehehhe…
"Good morning, ladies. Pardon my tardiness," announced a voice. We all looked to see Headmistress Faragonda approaching us with the rest of the school's faculty.
"Everyone, here comes your headmistress. Attention!" ordered Griselda. At the sound of her commanding voice, we all straightened up.
Ms. Faragonda simply laughed as she appeared beside Griselda. "There's really no need to be so stodgy." And then to us, she said: "I hope Griselda hasn't scared you too much." Candi and her friends snickered. Faragonda gestured towards the giant pink-and-blue castle behind her. "Welcome to Alfea, the best fairy school in all of Magix. Mind you, it's also the only one." Chuckling at her own joke, she crossed her arms behind her back and started for the large staircase leading up to the castle's grand entrance. "Come in, ladies."
"Whoa. This place is so huge," I breathed as we started up the stairs after the headmistress. Bubbling with anticipation, we passed through the large doors into the wide, beautiful entrance hall.
"Now we'll start our orientation session," announced Faragonda, "by the end of which we should all know one another much better." The elder lady stood before the wide, long staircase. "Becoming a fairy is hard work, but I know each and every one of you will be able to do it." She put on a serious face. "Keep in mind that you can always ask me or the teachers for help." She clapped her hands together. "Okay, enough with the boring stuff! You are all now free to explore Alfea, but I must warn you: there are dangers about and you need to be careful."
Stella giggled and put a finger on her temple. "Stay away from the witches of Cloud Tower," she mimicked, shaking her head side to side in a silly matter. "Watch: that's what she's going to say next."
"Stay away from the witches of Cloud Tower," said Ms. Faragonda seriously, adjusting her glasses and looking at us with honest eyes.
"Alright, the speech is over," announced Ms. Griselda, clapping her hands as if saying "chop chop". "You're all dismissed until dinner." The crowds began to disband within seconds.
"Good luck everybody. I'll see you all tomorrow. And remember, classes start at 8Am sharp," called out Ms. Faragonda from behind as Stella directed me and "Varanda" towards the dorm.
"You guys'll like the headmistress," assured Stella as we traveled down a crowded hall, "she's always repeating herself, but she's super nice."
"Who are…?"
I answered before Bloom could even ask the question. "The witches Ms. Faragonda was talking about are from Cloud Tower, a magic school like us except for girls with the dark arts," I informed her, feeling proud that I got to explain things to the Fairy of the Dragon Fire (though she didn't know it yet). "There are two other schools in Magix. Alfea and Red Fountain where the squad boys go."
"Whoa," breathed Bloom, "witches." She said it like it was a new word she'd just learned.
"Yeah, it's best we stand clear of them," advised Stella, making that the first smart thing I'd ever heard her say.
We stopped at a pair of doors that had a parchment pasted beside it, reading: Varanda, Stella, Musa, Flora, and Tecna in swirly gold cursive. "Well, it looks like I'm not rooming with you," I said, though I'd known that from the beginning.
"Why don't you find your apartment and then come back?" suggested Stella, opening the door. "You can help me sort through all my luggage. Remember how I said it'd need a bunch of outfits for the new school year?"
I wanted to tell her that I wasn't her personal shopper anymore, but didn't feel like explaining it. "I'll see you two later, alright?" I told her quickly, starting back down the hall. I kept walking through the endless halls until I found the ones that belonged to my apartment.
I opened the pair of green doors to see the layout of the apartment was just like the Winx's. On the doors to the right was a scroll that said: Acadia and Amaryl. Sweet! So I was rooming with her. I knew her from the original Winx Club, but wasn't that familiar.
"Uh…hello? Amaryl?" I called, slowly opening our creaking door. I entered to see the room was divided into two halves. The half to the right was cluttered with stuff, meaning Amaryl had already been here and claimed that side for herself. But by the looks of things, she wasn't around at the moment. That was good for me, because I didn't have time to lose.
Once again feeling excited, I crossed over onto my half and threw my luggage into the closet. I would unpack later. As for now, I needed to hurry and meet up with Stella and Bloom before they and the other Winx went out for pizza.
Feeling like I was floating on air, I backtracked all the way through the corridors back to the Winx's apartment. "Hey guys! I'm back!" I announced happily, walking in. Seeing Flora, Tecna, and Musa nearly startled me.
"Hello." Musa, who had her bag slung over her shoulder, waved at me friendlily.
"Everyone, this is Acadia," introduced Stella, flipping her hair over her shoulder and pointing at me. "Acadia, this is-"
"Flora, Tecna, and Musa," I accidentally blurted. The other girls stared at me questioningly. Thankfully, I had an excuse. "Uh…it said it on the door outside," I explained quickly. I didn't want them thinking I was some creepy stalker or something.
"Well, since we're all together now, I suggest we go out for dinner tonight," suggested Stella just as planned, putting a hand on her hip. "Besides, the food here isn't so grand." Seeing the disbelief on our faces, she sighed. "You'll see once you force down a spoonful or two of Griselda's famous pasta."
"I think eating out is a wonderful idea," smiled Flora, "it'll give us all a chance to get to know each other." While everyone seconded their agreements, I looked each girl up and down. I thought I knew them all pretty well from the cartoons, but I apparently was wrong. Musa was about a head taller than the rest of us, Tecna was the shortest, Stella was the skinniest, and Flora…Damn, her jugs were huge. And her body was really on the curvy side. Out of the six of us, she would definitely be considered "the hottest".
"How about we have pizza?" suggested Bloom, distracting me from my observations.
"What's that?" asked Flora, turning to glance at Bloom.
"Yeah, what is it?" Tecna raised an eyebrow.
Bloom smiled and played with her fingers nervously. "Uh…the national dish of Callisto."
"'Pizza' is a weird name, but I say we should go for it!" Musa let her bag slip down her arm and onto the floor. "Let's head out before we miss the bus."
"The bus?" repeated Bloom as we proceeded out of the apartment.
"Yeah. It makes daily stops here," yawned Stella, observing her nails again.
"You seem surprised. Aren't there buses in Callisto?" asked Tecna curiously. We traveled down the stairs into the entrance hall. I knew Griselda was spying on us from somewhere, but I wasn't going to do anything about it. If I did get involved and try to stop her, I could negatively change the storyline and Bloom would have to keep playing her role as the princess of Callisto.
"Yeah, but I was expecting people in Magix to travel around in horse carriages or something," explained Bloom confusedly. Oh, Bloom. Your ignorance was so cute, I could just pinch your cheeks (the ones on her face).
"So Acadia, what magic do you have?" asked Stella quickly so the others would get suspicious of Bloom's cluelessness. We entered the crowed courtyard and started over to the front gate.
"Wind magic," I responded, though I knew she already knew that.
"Wind magic, huh?" Tecna was typing something on her handheld as we passed through the magic barrier. "So what realm or dimension are you from? I don't believe there are many wind fairies in this part of the magic universe."
"Uh…" Shit. I didn't know where my powers originated from.
"Who cares?" yawned Stella as she, Bloom, and Musa sat on the bench at the bus stop right outside the tall pink gate. "Magic's magic regardless of where you come from."
"And speaking of where we come from, we're the bus going to take us?" asked Bloom, finally looking up from her shoes.
"Magix City of course. It's the capital city of the planet," explained Flora patiently. "You've never been there before?" Bloom shook her head.
"You're going to love it," I assured Bloom as the floating bus pulled up. "It might be a little different at first, but you'll get used to it." We boarded the near-empty bus.
"Close your eyes until we get there," suggested Flora as she sat down beside Bloom. "So it'll be a surprise." Tecna and I sat behind them. I cringed as Candi and a few of her friends climbed aboard the vehicle.
"I'm surprised you've never been to Magix City," stated Tecna, not looking up from her handheld as the floating bus started down the dirt path. "Or that you've never heard of a bus for that matter. Callisto must be very old-fashioned."
"You know what's old-fashioned? Your outfit!" laughed Candi rudely across from us.
"Oh no she didn't," giggled Stella, twirling some blond hair around her finger.
"Fuck off!" I yelled at Candi harshly.
Candi's eyes widened. "Hey, you're the slut from that restaurant! How'd you end up at a top-notch school like Alfea? Did your clients slash boyfriends pay for your enrollment?"
And it was at that moment, I wanted to knock the hell out of her. And I was going to if Tecna hadn't grabbed my arm and pull me back down into my seat. "It's not worth it," informed Tecna knowingly, "I've already done the calculations. Resorting to violence will lead to disaster multiple ways."
"Who are you calling a slut anyway?" Musa rose from her seat beside Stella. She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. The other passengers were staring at us, quietly waiting to see what would happen next. "That's not nice."
"Unless it's true," giggled Stella slowly.
Forget Candi. Now I wanted to strangle Stella! "Why you…" I turned around to give her a shut-the-fuck-up look.
"What? I'm just saying," insisted the princess, holding her chin high as she continued to play with her hair.
"Hey, guys? What's going on?" wondered aloud Bloom, who had her eyes shut.
"Some bitch's about to get her ass kicked," I responded, glaring death at Candi.
"Just forget about her. She's just jealous because you're pretty." Flora flashed me a charming smile that almost made my heart melt.
"Ha! Pretty? In all of your girls' dreams," smirked Candi. Her friends giggled as she looked down at her phone.
"Excuse me?" Stella was furious now. She stood up, clenching fists and putting on a what'd-you-just-say-to-me-bitch? face like she was ready to cage fight. While Candi and Stella began arguing back and forth, I noticed a male passenger in the opposite row of seats was staring at Flora's boobs yearningly.
"Hey, jackass?! Who're you staring at?" I barked at him. Startled by my voice, he quickly turned his head to face the window.
"That's what I fucking thought," I muttered under my breath.
"How dare you talk to the princess of Solaria like that!" raged Stella, who was trying to shake away from Musa and pounce on Candi. The princess looked about ready to claw Candi's eyes straight out of her skull. That was, if I didn't do it first.
"Um, guys? Is everything alright?" Bloom (who still had her eyes closed) asked worriedly.
"You're a princess?" scoffed Candi, looking up from her phone at Stella. "You act like a toddler who hasn't taken a nap in days." She rolled her eyes and her henchmen laughed.
"That's right! Keep rolling your eyes. If you're lucky, maybe you'll find a brain back there!" I insulted harshly.
"Ooooh," went Candi's henchmen as their leader's face turned red.
"Dammmmmnnn," whistled a man from somewhere in back.
"Haha, good one!" Stella held out her hand, and I smacked her palm high five.
"Magix City!" announced the bus driver before Candi could fire an insult back at me.
"That's our stop!" Flora was up in seconds. "Let's go, guys!"
"This isn't over, witch," growled Stella as me, her, and the other girls disembarked the bus onto the sidewalk. Thankfully, Candi and her friends didn't share the same stop because they didn't get off the bus after us. "Well, that was fun," declared Stella, brushing off her skirt.
"Here we are, Bloom. You can open your eyes now," announced Tecna, who leading the redhead by her shoulders. "Take a look at the city."
Bloom obeyed. After taking a quick look at our surroundings, she frowned. "You look disappointed," observed Musa.
"Of course I am! This is it? Magix City, the most enchanted capital city in the universe?" Bloom obliviously stepped out on the street and stretched out her arms to emphasize the universe's vastness.
"Well, what did you expect?" chuckled Musa.
"I dunno. Dragons, gnomes, knights, wizards , shops full of magic wands." Oh, Bloom. Poor, poor Bloom. Always living in a fantasy.
"But that kind of stuff's only in fairytales. This is the real world," pointed out Stella as Bloom hopped back on to the sidewalk before being run over by a floating car, "here, everything lives off its own magical energy. Magic is everywhere." She gestured around us. Floating television screens were levitating about, blasting TV shows and the local news. Parking spaces were spawning within their lots, and robots were even walking dogs.
"Good heavens!" Bloom seemed overwhelmed by it all.
"That's a place that girl on the bus is never going," I joked as we started down the sidewalk. We all laughed. As the girls conversed and chatted, I stared into the window of each and every shop we passed. If my memory was correct, Knut was inside one of them and was going to call the Trix when he spotted us.
I could try to stop him but this was only the beginning and its occurrences were all critical (that's right. I was being smart). If I tried preventing him from contacting his mistresses (that sounds wrong, doesn't it?), I could really mess up the timeline.
Right before we turned a corner, I spotted the yellow ugly-as-shit ogre inside an eyewear shop. Just as we were passing by, he turned around and our eyes locked for a split second. I knitted my eyebrows at him, but remained quiet as we walked around the corner, disappearing from his sight.
I didn't need to worry about him now. Because later on, we were going to beat the shit out of him and his mistresses (still didn't sound right).
"I don't see what the problem is. I've dialed the number multiple times but it's not ringing," said Bloom frustratedly as she fiddled with her phone. It was dark out and the six of us were sitting outside a café, finishing our meal.
"Let me take a look. I'm really good with electrical devices," assured Tecna, taking the red phone from Bloom. After taking one glance at it, she laughed.
"What's so funny?" asked Musa, raising an eyebrow.
"This device is very primitive and ancient. Where did you even get this thing?"
"But it's the newest model," reasoned Bloom, pouting a little. Stella whispered something to her (something about Earth if I remembered correctly).
Tecna eyed them. "I'm sorry—I shouldn't have laughed. But you won't be able to call anyone with that thing. How about a phone booth? There's one just around the corner."
"Yeah." Bloom stood up and smiled. "I'll be right back; I just gotta call my parents right quick."
"She's an odd one," giggled Flora as we watched Bloom disappear onto the crowded sidewalk.
"Aren't we all," I chuckled. I rose from my seat, pushing aside my plate. "I gotta do something right quick, too. I'll be right back."
"Yesh. If it's the bill you people are avoiding, don't worry about it. I'm the princess of Solaria, okay? I can take care of it," insisted Stella as I started away. Pushing through masses of people, I jogged in the opposite direction Bloom went in. When I finally found an alleyway, I disappeared into the darkness engulfing it.
It was time to do this thing. I raised my hand up to the starry night sky. "Acadia, Magic Wind Power!" I shouted upward. And just like that, a breezy wind circled around me, replacing my casual attire with my fairy-form outfit. The cool air took shape on my back and hardened, forming my wings. Alright! Time to save Bloom!
I leaped high and the wind embraced me. Ever since the Ethereal Fairies gave me their power, I'd been practicing my transformations and spells. Though I could never summon my ethereal mode, I was pretty much comfortable with turning into a regular fairy.
I soared above Magix City, my wings fluttering madly. All the buildings were illuminated, casting a bright glow on the streets and sidewalk. I kept my eyes on the ground below until I spotted the Trix, Knut, and helpless Bloom in another alley. I gasped when I saw how Bloom was hanging on to the edge of a roof for her dear life.
Eager to leap into action, I swooped down and caught the girl just as she lost grip. "You okay?" I asked her, setting her on the ground feet-first.
"Yeah," breathed the girl, moving some hair out of her face. Her lip was bleeding and the rest of her hair was sticking to the sweat on her face.
I got in front of her and stared unhappily at the Trix and their pet ogre Knut. "How dare you attack innocents! Such injustice will not stand! In the name of the wind, I'll punish you." I struck a Sailor-Moon pose (c'mon. Give me a break. This was an appropriate time). "Prepare to be blown away by the winds of justice. So which one of you jackasses wants to go first?"
"Ugh. Who is this?" yawned Darcy, looking extremely bored.
"She's probably here to help this wannabe sorceress." Stormy hissed aggressively at Bloom. "Don't worry. I'll handle them both." She shot a magenta lightning spell at us.
"Wind's Protection." I held my hands up high and a shell of air formed around me and Bloom. However, Stormy's spell zapped it out of existence.
"Ha! Is that all you got?" she smirked, readying to throw another spell. "You're pitiful!"
"Right back at ya!" I manipulated the air into a wind blast and shot it at the witch of storms.
"Hmm. So she has wind magic," observed Icy, folding her arms across her chest as she eyed me.
"And so does Stormy." Darcy was matching her sister's stance. "Something tells me things are about to get gusty." Seriously? That was the best reference joke she could make? That was so obviously, shesh!
Using both hands, Stormy generated some magenta lightning again and aimed both bolts at me. "Watch out!" Bloom shielded her face, but I stood my ground. "Wondrous Wind!" I chucked my whispery blue spell at her. The spell sent Stormy flying all the way into a dumpster at the end of the alley.
"Who's next?!" I laughed.
Darcy stepped forward, but Icy stopped her. "No, sister. I'm getting tired of this. So what she defeated Stormy? She's weak anyway. Ice magic, however, isn't so easy to beat."
"Tch. The cold never bothered me," I told her, jumping into a defensive stance.
"And I don't mind a little wind in my air," countered Icy. And without warning, she took a deep breath and exhaled deeply, blowing flurries my way.
"That's it?" I laughed as the somewhat cold snow stuck to my arm. "Just a little—WHAT THE?" The snow on my arm was starting to expand and harden, engulfing my arm in a thick icicle. It was kind of heavy, weighing down one half of my body. "SHIT!" I began pounding on the ice in an attempt t free my arm.
Darcy and Icy cackled as Stormy pulled herself out of the dumpster. "Never underestimate me!" laughed Icy evilly. While I was trying to free myself, the ice witch zapped the ground near my feet with a blue bolt. Next thing I knew, ice was beginning to spawn out of the ground, encasing my feet in it.
"DOUBLE SHIT!" I swore as the ice rose higher, swallowing my knees and legs and stopping at my waist.
"Acadia!" Bloom ran to my side, but Icy picked her off the ground with a ray of flurries. Laughing, the ice witch used her ray to throw Bloom onto the brick wall. The girl screamed and landed on some cardboard.
"Now, it's time to add the final touch!" Icy outstretched both hands and pure ice shards emitted from them at Bloom. I watched helplessly as shards expanded all over Bloom's body, rising up into a thick ice prison in which Bloom was trapped.
"What a pity you had to meet us, sweet little fairy," taunted Icy, walking over to her new work of art. She ran her nails against the ice, creating a terrible sound.
Shit, I needed to get free. "Trying to escape," giggled Stormy wickedly as she watched me attempt to break Icy's ice. "Sorry but there's no escaping that. But I'd be more than glad to shock you out of this world." I squeaked as she began to generate my lightning.
"Leave them alone!" cried out a voice. I looked over my shoulder to see the other girls standing in the alley. "Take us on instead!" dared Stella, pointing at Icy.
Icy yawned. "I wouldn't even bother wasting energy on you." She looked at Knut. "They're all yours, Knut. Have fun."
Knut looked confused for a moment (stupid ogre) and then realized his mistress was giving him an order. The yellow beast then roared and charged straight for the girls. Right as he was about to bring his fist down on them, the girls jumped out of the way. While they were in the air, they all transformed into their glittery fairy-forms.
"Her! She's the one with the scepter!" realized Stormy as Stella and the other girls landed with their new wings.
"Static Sphere!" Tecna shot green lines out of her hands at Knut, trapping him in a green cage.
"My turn! Sonic Blast!" Using her sound waves, Musa summoned two amplifiers beside Tecna's cage. They began to blast sound waves into Knut's ears.
"Golden Pollen." Flora blew sparkly flowers towards the ground and it exploded into glitter, growing ivy that wrapped around Knut. The Trix facepalmed as the ivy chucked the ogre overhead, sending him sailing over the rooftops.
Seeing they had to do the work themselves, the Trix stared at the four. "Alright! You asked for this!" Icy expanded her cape like wings and icicles began to fly out if it at the girls.
"Everyone behind me!" ordered Tecna. After they obeyed, she summoned a neon-green protective shield. All of Icy's icicles shattered against it.
While they were fighting, I thought of a good way to get rid of the ice I was trapped in. "Hot Pressure Power," I whispered, closing my eyes. I focused on the air pressure around me and manipulated it into rays so it'd melt the ice.
"Don't worry, sisters. I'll handle this." Stormy held up a finger and it worked as a lightning rod, summoning magenta lighting. She aimed it at Tecna's shield and it disintegrated, throwing the Winx onto the ground.
"And now, your end is near!" Icy glowed with snowy magic.
OH SHIT. The hot air pressure managed to melt the ice on my hand, so I attempted to throw a spell. But Stella was already throwing her wing into the air, screaming "Solaria!" Next thing I knew, she was swinging her scepter in our direction.
In a blink of an eye, all of us including a shivering Bloom were in some kind of park. "Well, that was a fail," I commented, realizing Bloom and me were no longer imprisoned in ice.
"Bloom, are you okay?" asked Stella, using her powers of the sun to warm Bloom, who was leaning against the fountain. "I have to say, I didn't think you'd survive for an Earthling . Most people would've already frozen to death-"
"Stella!" Flora, Musa, and Tecna hovered over Stella with angry looks on their faces. "Is there anything we should know about Bloom from Callisto?" asked Flora, frowning (which I didn't think she was capable of).
Seeing she was caught, Stella slouched. "Well, I might have been fibbing a bit about Bloom's background," she laughed nervously. Noticing it was no use, she gave in and sighed. "I'll explain everything on the way back."
"Alright. I think it's alright," announced Stella in a whisper as we snuck back onto campus. "No one will ever know we were gone," she insisted as we started for the main entrance. And just like in the script, a bright light (almost reminded me of a jail light) shone down on us. "We're screwed," muttered Stella as the headmistress and Griselda approached us.
"Young ladies, we were worried sick. Go to bed immediately." Though Faragonda's expression was neutral, worry was clouded in her eyes.
Stella and the other girls started for the dorms, but I didn't move. "Wait a second." Griselda got in front of Bloom. "Isn't there something you'd like to tell us, Princess of Callisto?"
Bloom looked down at her feet shamefully. "Well, I'm Bloom and I'm from Earth."
"Ha! I knew it! You thought you could get away with tricking us!" Griselda seemed proud of herself like she just hiked Mount Everest or something. "You don't belong at this school!"
"Now, now. Bloom managed to get past the magical barrier, so she must be a magical creature." Faragonda took Bloom's chin gently and looked into her eyes. "Now, why didn't you give us your real name earlier?"
"Well, I-"
"Ma'am, it was my fault!" spoke up Stella. Like heck it was.
"That's okay, Stella." Bloom managed a smile at her. "I'm from a small town on Earth," she tried to explain, "I-"
"But that's outside the realm of Magix!" Griselda snorted. Ha! I guessed Earth and Griselda's fashion sense had a lot in common. "That's simply impossible."
"Please! Don't send me away," pleaded Bloom, "I've always wanted to be a fairy with all my heart and now I can make my dreams come true."
Griselda looked offended. "But you lied to us." She pointed at Bloom. "And that's-"
"But she also has a dream." Faragonda lowered the Grizzly's arm. "She has displayed a great tenacity and that is every quality a fairy should possess, right?"
Seeing she was defeated, Griselda sighed. "Yes ma'am."
Faragonda looked at us all closely. "It's time to go to bed, girls. And don't make any more noise."
"Yes, ma'am." We all saluted her and jumped for joy. While Griselda and Faragonda wondered about Bloom's origins, the rest of us ran towards the dorm with newfound glee.
"I can't believe I get to stay!" enthused Bloom as we entered the quiet entrance hall.
"I can't believe that girl from the bus managed to get away with her face intact," snorted Stella as we started for her and the other girls' apartment. I was tried and wanted some rest, but I didn't want to miss out on what was about to happen next.
"And now that we're friends, I think we should have a name for ourselves," decided Bloom as we entered the apartment. "Winx." And it was at that moment I was floating on air again.
"Actually, that's a good idea. A name's good for a quick reference," agreed Tecna, leaning on the wall.
"Ooh! The three witches are the Trix, so we should also have a super-cool name. We could call ourselves the Super Six! Or the Stella Six! What about the Airy Fairies?" enthused Stella, suddenly getting excited.
"The airy what now?" Musa wrinkled her nose.
"The Airy Fairies! It's sweet, it rhymes, and everything! Don't you like it, Musa?" I was all about air, but didn't say anything. Not yet.
"Nah. Sounds boring." Musa, who was side-leaning on the doorway, looked away and snorted.
"I vote Winx!" Flora raised her hand.
"Us too!" seconded the rest of us.
"Perfect!" Bloom reached out to open the drawer, but I beat her to it. "You see-"
"She already created the logo!" I declared, yanking the drawer open and removing the picture Bloom had already painted. I held it high for everyone to see. "Simple yet catchy."
"It's perfect!" Stella grabbed the picture and studied it closely.
"I like it too. But what does 'Winx' mean?" Tecna was obviously confused.
"Nothing. Just Winx." Bloom did the little thing with her fingers, creating red sparkles to float around the room.
"Now that that's settled, we should probably go ahead and get to bed. Classes are tomorrow," reminded Tecna, "and we don't want to be late."
"Hold on! We can't go to bed yet!" I protested, standing atop the chaise. "It's too early!" It really wasn't but who gives a fluff.
Stella snapped her fingers. "She's right. There's still one more thing we have to do before school officially starts: throw a pajama party. It can be our first-day-of-school tradition." The other girls exchanged looks.
"Oh, c'mon! Don't you guys know what a pj party means?" I hopped down from the chaise. "Truth or dare!" Stella and I exclaimed at the same time.
"Truth or dare? I've heard of it, but I haven't really played it," admitted Flora.
"That's why we have to!" insisted Stella, twirling around. "It'll start the school term with a bang."
"We won't be doing that will we?" Flora seemed panicked for a moment. We all just stared at her blankly.
I facepalmed. "She didn't mean that kind of bang, Flora."
The girl calmed down. "Okay, good. Just had to make sure."
"Eh, what the heck? I say let's go for it." Musa seemed excited too.
"Great! Everyone go get dressed and hurry back," directed Stella, starting for her room. "We don't have a moment to lose."
Something told me this night was going to be spicy. Very spicy.
