A/N: Hey guys! Long time no see! I haven't updated in a while, but I'm back and ready to jump back in the saddle!
World of Winx is so cool! The animation is so clean and mature, and everything was just so…different. I really liked seeing the Winx as spies—they were so athletic, stealthy, and badass. We've never seen the Winx like that, and it was nice to see them being kickasses in a different, new way. But I was disappointed when they got Dreamix. Sure, the transformation was beautiful, but there was really no need for the spy element afterward. When I saw the trailer, I thought the show would be about the Winx fighting crime as spies, not fairies. I just wish the entire series would've focused on the spy element. Hmm. Wait a second. That gives me an idea…..
Sorry if this chapter isn't good. I'm going through some stuff at home.
Homesickness is a bitch.
I rolled over onto my side, sighing loudly. We had the day off school and my roommate along with most of the school was out, leaving Alfea near vacant. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. And honestly, I was thankful for the silence. It gave me a chance to think.
Magix was cool and all and I liked having magic, but this universe was just outright…weird. I was looking at the situation oddly. Being in Magix had been a dream come true—still was—but I hated it at the same time.
Magix had a lot of things the Real World didn't—magic, fairies, wizards, floating vehicles, good quality high-speed Internet. But there was one thing I didn't have: my family. I missed Mom and my six siblings. I kinda missed my hillbilly neighbors across the street. I missed my school, I missed the Plastics. I missed reading Sailor Moon, I missed watching anime. I missed everything about the Real World. Reality.
Reality. Was this reality? I pondered this question as I stared up at the ceilings. I was in the world of the Winx Club, where trolls wreaked havoc and dark, plotting sorcerers lurked in nearly every shadow. Where anything could be manipulated by magical means. Was this reality?
What if this was all just some kind of illusion? What if I was really psycho or mentally unstable? What if I was simply making all this up in my head? What if this whole thing was nothing more than a dream, fantasized by my own imagination?
I pinched my arm. I felt the pain tickle my arm. I felt it. That had to mean something, right?
Magic wasn't real where I came from. But magic was real here. Scientists worked tirelessly in hopes of finding wonders and miracles in the Final Frontier, yet in this universe every inch of the galaxy, every celestial body was inhabited. In Reality, what lay in space was a mystery unknown. But in Magix, the reality and truth of space and time had been fully recognized to the point of common knowledge.
Was this reality? Was this my reality?
My family crossed my mind again. I'd give anything to hold little Stephanie again. To see her laugh and big eyes twinkle. I missed my older brothers—even the deadbeat West. I missed Mom, although she was a definite piece of work. But then again, so was I. I allowed myself to smile. Mom. Damn, I never thought I'd miss her like this.
The two of us…we had a weird relationship. It was already bad enough the two of us shared the same name—Acadia. See, my mom's family had a dumbass tradition stating the eldest daughter had to be named such. Thus, my great-grandmother was Acadia, my grandmother was Acadia, mom was Acadia, I was Acadia, my firstborn daughter was supposed to be Acadia. Like there was a chance in hell I'd torture my daughter like that. That's why I never went many places with my mother—I hated it when we met knew people and we both had to introduce ourselves as Acadia, especially when that new person happened to be my mom's newest boyfriend.
I mean, being an Acadia wasn't so bad, however. Because there were so many Acadias in the family, we all had two first names so it'd be easier to address us. For example, I was Acadia Renee and Mom was Acadia Majesty, so within the family, we were just addressed as Renee and Majesty. However, I hated my second-first name, so my family just called me Reign. I was Reign, Mom was Majesty.
I felt the corners of my lips tugging up into a smile. Mom.
There was a lot to say about my mom. To begin, she was irresponsible. I could remember a few times when she'd run off with one of her boyfriends and stay gone for a week on end. And whenever that happened, responsibility for the family automatically ended up being my burden. The major role swap always made me hate Mom—she was the adult, I was the kid. Yet while she ran around and had fun, I had to look out for the rest of the family.
I bit my lip. I wondered how Bailey and Stephanie were doing without me. Hopefully, Mom had taken my disappearance as a cue to calm the fuck down and keep a closer eye on her kids. Hopefully, she was playing mother for once, instead of running around with guys from the crack house.
Sadness washed over me. Shit, I missed everyone at home, even my deadbeat brother. I missed kicking his ass for bringing girls to the house. I kinda missed doing his laundry. I missed the shithole he called his room. Everything. Part of me wanted to cry, but I didn't. It hurt to know there was a possibility I'd never be able to see my family again.
Was this reality?
I kept asking myself that over and over. I felt pain, I experienced different emoticons. I thought normally, I spoke normally. But this world…this world wasn't normal. Was it?
With one yell, I could become a fairy. I could defy gravity and sail the winds, things I could only dream of doing in the Real World. But that was normal here. What was it reality?
I knew I sounded crazy, but I was legit confused here. I was even more confused than that time me and my friends read Fifty Shades of Grey back in sixth grade (like I said. Middle school was a dark time). My reality and Magix's reality were two totally different things. But the question was, which one was real? Were both somehow real, or was I imagining one or the other? What if my life in the Real World hadn't been real to begin with? What if this was the natural order of things?
No. My life before coming to Magix couldn't have been fake. But at the same time, this didn't feel fake either. Could both somehow exist simultaneously? I had so many questions. Questions I didn't have the answers to. But then again, that was life. Life was full of things and occurrences we couldn't explain no matter how much we tried. Some things were simply meant to be inexplicable.
And you know what? Who the flip flop cared about what reality really was? If this was my fate, then this was my fate. I was here in Magix, and after all this time, it was obvious I was staying. No ifs or ands about it.
I sat up, glancing toward the window. It was a clear, sunny day out. Why not enjoy it? Besides, I had the day off school so—
Wait a minute. Why did we have the day off school? It wasn't the weekend. Maybe it was a holiday or something. I had learned that Magix had a lot of peculiar holidays and festivals. I crossed over to Amaryl's side of the room, avoiding all the dirty clothes and homework scattered all over her floor. I glanced at her wall calendar, reading past all the stick notes taped to it. I ran my fingers across the page, locating today's date. And sure enough, there were a few words written in small print, marking the day to be—
"Shit!" I swore, whirling around on my toes. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! I staggered around my room in search of my pants.
Today was the Day of the Rose! That's right! The day Darcy would supposedly trick Riven into partnering up with her and the Trix! But since she and Riven were obviously together already, what would the day bring? Would the Trix try to pull away another Specialist from the group?
Fuck. How did I let this happen?! For crying out loud, I saw Flora packing to leave for Linphea! I heard her discussing the Day of the Rose with Bloom and the other Winx! How the heck did I forget?
I hoped around the room, struggling to slide my leg into the pant leg of my sweats. Dang it, dang it, dang it.
Grumbling to myself, I got into the rest of my clothes and scrambled out of the door.
The bus ride to Magix City was quiet, since I was the only one on the floating bus. Whether they were visiting home or the city, everyone had left early. Alfea wasn't far from the main city, so I arrived downtown around twenty minutes later. Magix City was rosy, literally and figuratively. Today being the day of the Rose, everything was patterned and adorned with roses—girls wore roses in their hair, guys wore roses clipped onto their tie, every decoration was shaped like a rose. The place even smelt strongly of roses.
My eyes darted around in search of my friends, ignoring the loud parade slowly progressing down the street. My guess was that the big bike race hadn't happened yet, meaning Bloom hadn't fucked up with Riven yet.
At least, my eyes caught the bright green of Stella's sundress, so I crossed over the lawn and over to them. She was with Bloom, but Brandon and Sky were nowhere to be seen. "Hey guys," I called over to them with a little wave.
They both looked up at me, and I startled at how gloomy Bloom looked. "What happened?" I asked automatically.
Stella yawned. "Nothing, really. She only had a fight with Riven," she said like it was nothing, palming her hair.
My heart sank. I was too late. Bloom had already gotten off to a bad start with Riven. But she still hadn't fallen for the Trix's little scheme. I could still prevent that from happening, though there would really be no use. Riven had already sided with the witches, so they had no reason to seal his deal. But what if they tried something else? Considering Bloom was currently the weak link with her being new to magic and all, the Trix would most likely try to use her to put their plan in motion. And I couldn't let that happen. I'd just have to keep Bloom in my sights at all time.
"Well, Riven is kind of a creep," I pointed out, "he gets into it with everyone. Not even Icy and Stormy like him. So there's really no bother in feeling bad about it. Why don't we just forget all about Idiot Riven and enjoy the Day of the Rose?"
Stella perked at that. "Ooh, on our way here, I totally saw some bounties I want to check out. They're having a one-day only sale and I can't miss it! So what do you say? Shopping spree?"
"Do we have a choice?" I asked dully.
"Uh, duh! Besides, Acadia, this could be your chance to actually invest in something feminine for once." She looked me up and down, scowling at my sweats.
"Hey, it's comfortable, so I don't give a damn," I said, waving away her criticism.
Stella continued to throw shade at me and my fashion sense all throughout our trip to the market place. For the most part, Bloom seemed to be getting over Riven, which was a good thing. In fact, she even laughed at one of Stella's corny jokes as we entered one of the fancy shops Stella had been talking about.
The place was completely modern with shiny black floors and a sleek, crème interior. Pop music was blaring from the speakers and all kinds of teens were leafing through the clothes racks and talking about teenager things. Stella immediately disappeared into the store, bubbling with excitement.
Bloom and I idly strolled the store, and I cringed when I saw the price tag dangling from one of the blouses. Yeah, it looked like I wouldn't be shopping here. I was learning that stuff in Magix City was expensive—even more than usual.
Bloom and I spent the next near hour wandering after Stella, who just kept piling clothes into our arms. Eventually, she decided to try on a few things before we left, so we ventured into the stylish dressing room. And unfortunately, we weren't alone.
Two witches were sitting on one of the benches, one dressed in blue that matched her eyes and the other in all purple. "Oh, great. Just our luck," hissed Icy sarcastically as Bloom and I dropped Stella's stuff onto the bench across from them.
"Shut up," I snapped at her as Stella rummaged through the pile of dresses, pondering which one to try on first. "This is a free world, you know."
Darcy snapped her gum and rolled her eyes. Icy just snorted and Stormy, who was changing in one of the stalls, gave an audible smirk.
I hissed. Seriously, why were the Trix everywhere we were? They were like leeches! For real, they stalked us more than my mom's ex-boyfriend—well, one of them—who always smelt like pot and fresh-out-of-the-ass shit.
"Where's your lapdog?" I snapped at Darcy as Stella proceeded into one of the stalls, swinging her curtain of blond hair over her shoulder in an eff-you-guys manner.
Darcy just shrugged like she didn't give a damn. I wasn't surprised, honestly. The Trix were just using him to ruin the relationship between Red Fountain and Alfea.
Icy laughed coldly. "And what about you? Where are your little bodyguards from Red Fountain?" "Okay, for one, they are NOT our bodyguards," informed Bloom matter-of-factly. She held up two fingers. "Secondly, we aren't like you witches. We don't use people all for the sake of a sneaky little scheme."
"Oh, honey, please." Icy rolled her eyes. "You fairies think you got us all figured out, when you really don't have a clue." Stormy emerged from her dressing room with a rose-printed dress on. Icy yawned to emphasize her disapproval, waving her sister away. Stormy hissed, but disappeared back into her changing stall.
"Right back at you." I furrowed my brows, leaning against the wall. "Just because we're fairies doesn't make us stupid."
"I beg to differ," smirked Icy.
Serving as a distraction from the Trix's rudeness, Stella came out of her room, twirling around in an orange sundress. "How do I look?" she asked proudly, posing.
"Like a sundried orange," said Icy harshly, "it looks horrible on you."
Stormy, who'd happened to come out at the same time as Stella, nodded and rolled her eyes. "Yeah. You wear orange so much, it hurts my eyes." But from the angle as I standing at, I could see inside Stormy's dressing room. And the exact same dress was hanging off the rack inside. Hypocrite.
Stella glared at the witch. "Insults are compliments from a witch," she said lowly, returning back into the dressing room.
"FYI, they boys don't even hang out with us that much," I insisted, going back to what we were talking about. "We don't even like them like that."
"Please. You aren't fooling anyone," said Icy, flashing an icy grin. Her even colder eyes locked onto me. "I know your secret."
I kept my face still and calm. Part of me felt uneasy—did Icy know I wasn't from this universe? Did she know I didn't belong here? No, that couldn't be the case. No one knew about me because I rarely spoke about my life before Alfea. Besides, even if she did know I was from a different dimension or whatever, would that really be abnormal? According to Headmistress Faragonda, there were dozens of galaxies and alternate dimensions, so me being from one of them shouldn't be considered odd.
The entire room got quiet, everyone looking at me. Though Bloom's face was twisted in discomfort, I could tell she was curious. And I didn't even have to say anything about Stella—the blond had already emerged from her stall, staring at Icy with eyes filled to the brim with interest. "Secret? What secret?" she asked in a somewhat pressy tone, dropping the mound of dresses she'd already tried on onto the bench beside Bloom. She put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow. "How do you know about one of Acadia's secrets and not me?"
"What? You think that just because we go to different schools, I don't know what's going on?" Icy wagged a finger at Stella. "Remember this, blondie. Never underestimate a witch, especially one of the Trix." She grinned scarily at me. "Anyway, as I was saying, don't think I don't know about your little crush on that Red Fountain boy."
"Which one?"
Okay, now I was gonna say something. "I don't know who the hell told you that, Icy, but trust me, I'm not interested in any boy."
"Wait, so you're into girls?" Stella's eyebrows shot up.
"What? No, idiot! I just meant I'm not into any guys right now."
Icy made a "pfft" sound. "Yeah, right. That's specifically why I've seen you checking out that Brandon guy." Stormy came out of her changing room. "Ew, pink isn't your color, Stormy. Besides, you look like a grandma trying too hard to be hip."
"Tch, whatever."
"Wait. Our Brandon? You know. Blond, blue eyes, six pack? Prince Sky's guardian?" Stella's eyes were huge now. She sent me a sly grin. "Wow, Acadia. I had no idea. I always thought Riven was more your type but—"
"Stella, cut it out! Just because Icy says so doesn't make it true." Bloom's face was so red. Poor girl.
"You're just jealous because he's your crush too," countered Darcy, finally looking up from her phone. "That much is obvious."
I was angry. Simple as that. These dumbasses were over there starting rumors about me to my face. I rose to my feet, preparing to go all out on them. "Listen up, bitches," I sneered, sounding just like one of those housewife heifers off Bravo or E!. "You're either stupid or naïve, because I DO NOT have a crush on Sk—Brandon. First of all, I don't do blonds."
"Hey!" squeaked Stella, sounding a bit insulted.
"Second, Brandon? Really? I can do better than that. Firstly, that guy has zero personality." I meant it too. Ever since I first started watching the Winx Club, I could never stand Sky. I always hated how out of all the Winx's Specialist boyfriends, they made Sky the only prince to make Bloom look super special and lucky. And then to add on top of that, they made him blond to add onto that "Prince Charming" thing.
And when I said he had no personality, that was basically true. Since he was the main character's boyfriend, the scriptwriters did their best to make him look perfect. He always swung to the rescue and somehow always outshined the rest of his squad, though they all always put in just as much effort as him. The scriptwriters had focused so much on making him look heroic, they made his actual personality dry. He was always the paragon, the stereotypical good guy. He was just soo selfless and always said the right things, did the right things, and acted the right way. There was nothing wrong with doing the right thing, but c'mon! No being was that perfect. At least all the rest of the Specialists had their faults. Riven was arrogant, Timmy was awkward, and Brandon was also a tiny bit cocky and also humorous. But Sky? Sky didn't have any faults. The only bad thing I could ever remember him doing was punching Riven in the gut out of jealousy. But I never counted that because the scriptwriters only added in that little stunt to glorify how much Sky loved Bloom and how "perfect" they were for each other.
The other boys had their own thing that made them unique and respectable: Riven was the rebel, Timmy the socially-awkward but super-intelligent nerd, and Brandon was the laid-back flirt. But Sky? He was just the perfect leader. I didn't like him. Hell, I liked Riven more than Sky. At least he actually had a personality.
Sky never made mistakes. Every time he had a suspicion or something, he was right. Every time he made a decision, it ended up being the right one. He was hardly realistic. I just loved how people just pushed aside the fact he cheated on his fiancée and caused her pain. They made Sky's only screw-up totally irrelevant—just waved it away like it was never really there. And of course, everyone just excused Sky because apparently, he was just the shit.
"Secondly—" I held up two fingers. "—that motherfucker ain't even who he's claiming to be. Thirdly, he doesn't even have a legit social life and just barely has friends, fourthly, that guy's probably a player, fifthly, he's probably not even naturally blond, and sixthly, Stella wears heels that are bigger than his dick."
"Wait, how do you know that last one?" Stella looked at me suspiciously, and Bloom wouldn't even glance at me.
Icy let out a snort. "Wow. Are you sure aren't a witch?"
I matched her smirk. "Honey, just because I'm a fairy doesn't mean I'm a saint."
Bloom suddenly stood up, looking downward. Her bangs were casting a shadow over her face as she said, "You shouldn't talk about Brandon like that! He's never done anything to you!" She was clenching her fists at her side.
"Bloom, chill. You badmouth Riven all the time," I pointed out, putting my hands on her hips. Now all of a sudden I trash talk about a guy she likes and she gets offended?
"Yeah, but we all know how Riven is. Brandon on the other hand hasn't done anything wrong!"
"That you know of."
Bloom ignored me. "And you just talk about him behind his back! That's not what friends do! I'm more than positive he wouldn't do that to you."
"Yeah, because Brandon's such a saint, I know, I know."
Bloom gritted her teeth. "No. You don't." And with those words hanging in the air, Bloom stormed out of the dressing room.
I scowled. "Drama queen."
Icy rose from her seat, giving me slow-measured claps. "I'm impressed, fairy. You hurt poor little Bloom's feelings, and I thought goody-goody fairies always 'honored and respected each other'. It was my belief that all of you fairies stuck with that useless code."
Something without be broke. I was a fool to say all those things in front of the Trix. They were nothing but no-good witches who were hellbent on my undoing. Hm, almost like my grandmother on my dad's side. BUT ANYWAY, creating drifts between us was what they had been aiming for. And I let them accomplish their goal.
"Shut the fuck up," I hissed at Icy before sprinting out after Bloom. Dammit, I was no better than Riven. The both of us had played right into the witches' hands. But in the end, we'd both fix our mistakes and set the record straight. The right way.
"Hey, Bloom." I gave Bloom a little wave as I approached her. We were in the park across from the bouquet. Bloom was sitting on a bench, staring off into space. I could hear cheering and singing in the distance, meaning the rose parade was still going on. I shoved my hands in my pockets, remaining a few feet away from Bloom. "Bloom, I'm sorry—"
"I know, I know. You didn't mean anything harm." Bloom looked up, biting her lip. "But sometimes, you just need to think before you start…"
"Talking shit about somebody else?"
Bloom nodded weakly. "You could hurt someone's feelings. One day you might offend the wrong person and…" She didn't finish. She sighed. "But I guess there's no harm done since Brandon didn't hear any of it, right?"
Just then, I coincidentally happened to look up to see the blond approached us, his lips pressed together tightly. He was grasping his phone in his right hand so hard, his palm was turning red.
"What's up?" I asked casually as Brandon (Sky) approached me. I knew nothing good was going to come out of this conversation when I saw how serious he looked. He looked grimmer than my deadbeat brother on laundry day.
"Look, I know we haven't exactly been 'friends', but I don't understand," said Brandon (Sky) with a deep frown. Before Bloom or I could speak, he swiped his finger across his smartphone's touch screen and a recording started to play:
"Listen up, bitches. You're either stupid or naïve, because I DO NOT have a crush on Sk—Brandon. First of all, I don't do blonds. Second, Brandon? Really? I can do better than that. Firstly, that guy has zero personality. Secondly—" I held up two fingers. "—that motherfucker ain't even who he's claiming to be. Thirdly, he doesn't even have a legit social life and just barely has friends, fourthly, that guy's probably a player, fifthly, he's probably not even naturally blond, and sixthly—"
Sky tried to stop the recording before the last part played, but wasn't fast enough.
"—Stella wears heels that are bigger than his dick."
At the mention of that, Brandon's (Sky's) face went red. "You've never even seen it!" he exclaimed, trying hard not to look at Bloom, who was blushing just as hardly.
My mouth dropped open. Those sneaky little witches! They recorded what I said and sent it to Brandon (Sky)! Talk about dirty! And my mom was right. You could talk trash about a guy all you wanted, but it was a whole other story when you criticized his manhood. That was the way to offend a dude.
"Uh, I'm sure it isn't that little," I laughed nervously, "but there are always growth supplements and—"
"I'm not upset about that! I'm upset that you'd say these things about me behind my back. You know I wouldn't do that to you." Brandon (Sky) frowned, staring at me with hurt eyes.
A tiny bit of guilty tugged at my heart, but I didn't let it get to me. I realized how he didn't mention the part about me nearly calling him his real name and how I said he wasn't who we thought he was. But of course he wouldn't say that in front of his crush and raise suspicion.
"You'd talk about Riven like that," I said slyly.
"We all know how Riven is. And this isn't about Riven. And if anything, I thought you had more sense than Riven." Brandon (Sky) glared at me.
"Okay, okay. I know I messed up," I said quickly, "but just let it go, okay? I'm sorry. By the way, are you aware of who sent you that?"
"It doesn't matter. And how can I just let this go?" Brandon (Sky) knitted his eyebrows. "I have feelings too, you know." And with that, he turned his back to me and started away.
"Brandon, wait!" called out Bloom. But he didn't stop. We watched him disappear. "Well, I think I spoke a little too soon," said Bloom lowly, biting her lip. "He's upset."
"I know, I know. But I tried apologizing, and he didn't accept, so that's his problem," I insisted. "Besides, he's such so 'perfect', he probably won't—" I stopped when I spotted Brandon (Sky) again. He was coming back. Maybe he had second thoughts and was coming to forgive me anyway. As I said, he was too big of a good guy to turn a blind eye to me. But as he got closer, I knew I was sadly mistaken.
I raised an eyebrow as Brandon (Sky) marched across the grass, face twisted with anger and fists clenched at sides. The fuck was wrong with him? "Uh, yo?" I called regardless, taking a step back. Seeing him so triggered reminded me of Riven, and Riven wasn't afraid to throw a few punches, so I thought I'd just take a safety precaution.
"You can be a real bitch, you know that?" snapped Brandon (Sky), his face hardening even more when he was within earshot.
I heard a shot fire somewhere. "What?" My mouth dropped open and beside me, Bloom gasped with horror. I burst out laughing immediately. I know, the dumbass just called me a bitch to my face, but I couldn't help myself! It had been my unrelenting belief that Brandon (Sky) never did anything bad, cursing included.
"Brandon! What's gotten into you?" Bloom took a step back, probably sensing the blond's negativity.
Brandon (Sky) pointed an accusing finger at me. "Don't think I was gonna let that little rant of yours slide. You think you can just say crap about me like that?"
I managed to calm down a little. "Look, bro, I already tried apologizing to you, but you wouldn't take it. I offered to make things right, but you wouldn't listen. You can't get upset anymore."
Brandon (Sky) laughed icily. "Yeah, right. You might not give two shits—" I started laughing harder, and Brandon (Sky) ignored me. "—but I care about what others think of me." His hard gaze snapped onto Bloom. "And you! How can you keep such vulgar company around you? I thought you were better than that!"
Okay, time to shut this down. "Listen, buddy, don't blame Bloom for my actions," I warned, suppressing a giggle. I stepped in front of Bloom defensively.
"I bet you have no problem with what she said about me," Brandon (Sky) went on angrily, staring right past me and at Bloom. "In fact, I think you agree with her! The both of you are just nothing but trash!"
I furrowed my brows. "She doesn't give a shit about your dick," I said matter-of-factly. I looked over my shoulder. "You don't, right?"
Bloom stammered, her eyes welling up with tears. "Why are you being such a jerk all of a sudden?" she yelled at Brandon (Sky), "she tried apologizing to you, but you just turned your back to her! And now you wanna come crawling back and start something else?" She bit her lip. "I-I was wrong about you, Brandon. I thought you were kind and nice, but you're obviously just like your buddy Riven." She turned away so Brandon (Sky) wouldn't see her tears.
Seeing her so worked up triggered something within me, because I all of a sudden went from amused to pissed. "Ya know, I was wrong about you," I said slowly and coldly, putting my hands on my hips. "You do have a personality! You're a loud, cocky, arrogant douchebag!"
Brandon's (Sky's) face went super red. "Bitch!" he snarled at me before whirling around on his heels and storming off.
And just as he was marching away, Stella decided to make her appearance. "Heyyyyy girls," she called, sauntering over with about a dozen shopping bags dangling from her arms. "What did I—"
"Go eat a dick!" I shouted at Brandon (Sky) as he disappeared into the crowd. A few people gave me us looks, but I didn't give a fuck.
"Wait, was that Brandon? Bloom, why are you crying?" Stella was at our side, staring at the redhead.
Sure enough, Bloom was sniffling and crying lightly, looking down at her feet. Her tears trickled down her face and landed on her sneakers. "Oh, nothing. Brandon just told us off, called me a bitch, and insulted Bloom," I said sarcastically, pressing my lips together.
"Yeesh. Sorry I asked. Wait. He what?" Stella's mouth dropped open. "He didn't!"
"He did," whispered Bloom, looking up as she wiped her face with her sleeve.
Stella snorted. "I'll give it to him, I never thought he'd flip out like that. Maybe Riven rubbed off on him. Or maybe he's just been two-faced this whole time. But anyway, he does know he's on our hate list now, right?"
"Apparently, he doesn't give a fuck," I grumbled, shoving my hands into my pockets.
Stella looked a little taken aback. "Wow. I really could've sworn he was better than that. I guess you really don't know a guy until you've badmouthed his size."
I blew out my cheeks. "Tell me about it. So what do we do know?"
"I'll tell you what we do know—we confront the guy obviously," said Stella in a duh! kind of way. "He's not getting away with that. It's already bad enough Riven went at it with Bloom this morning. We're not going to blow off Brandon that easily."
"Damn straight. I'll go find that assface right now," I insisted, kicking at a patch of grass. I wasn't upset over what he said to me—trust me, people have said way worse about me. I couldn't get over how rude he was with Bloom. I thought the bastard liked her for crying out loud! Who did their crush that way? Something told me Brandon (Sky) wasn't paying hard to get either.
I'll come too," spoke up Bloom as Stella struggled to go through her purse with all those bags hanging from her arm.
I eyed her. "You sure? I ain't gonna lie, we might get into a fight." I was prepared to get into a fight if I had to. I wasn't afraid to kick blond add.
Bloom nodded weakly. "Please, don't fight him. Maybe he just said all those things out of anger and will apologize. And if not, he's still not worth fighting."
"If you say so but if I gotta kick ass, I will," I warned as the two of us started away from Stella, ignoring her "wait up!"
"Maybe he's just having a bad day?" suggested Bloom lowly as we walked down the snaking concrete path. "We all have those every now and then."
I couldn't deny that one. There was this one time my brother woke me up early and I wouldn't buy him cigarettes for a week. Ah, good times. "Maybe," I admitted. I paused when I spotted Brandon (Sky) sitting on the bench by the rose-adorned carousal, staring down at his clenches hands. After remaining still for a moment, he finally stood up and started away.
"Yo! Brandon!" I called out, pushing through the crowd with Bloom on my heels. The blond paused and turned around. Storming up to him, I snapped, "We need to talk." I put my hands on my hips and got all in his face. "Did you really mean all those jerkass things you said about me and Bloom?"
"What? Bloom? I didn't say anything about Bloom." Confusion painted Brandon's (Sky's) face. "And I wasn't being a jerk. That was—"
"You're totally being a jerk," I interrupted rudely, "and what the hell do you mean you didn't say anything to Bloom? You literally just confronted us a few minutes ago and called us both trash. You can't tell me you don't remember that."
But the face Brandon (Sky) was making totally implied he didn't remember. For a second, part of me wondered if he had a split personality and didn't share his dark side's memories, but that was just…outrageous. Besides, I've been around Brandon (Sky) plenty of times and he never acted like that before. Maybe he was bipolar? I didn't have a damn clue. But I did know what he said about us, and I wasn't letting it slide.
"Look, I would never say anything rude to Bloom," insisted Brandon (Sky), glancing at the redhead. "You do know that, right?"
Uncertainty stretched across Bloom's face. She was just as confused as I was. Something wasn't adding up here. Something was very fishy (fisher than that hooker my brother had been dating at one point).
"You're mental," I laughed harshly, shoving him away. "Bloom was straight up crying. You hurt her feelings and you know it!"
Brandon (Sky) looked shocked. "Wait, you were crying?" he asked, his gaze locking on Bloom. The girl immediately dropped her gaze, aiming it at the ground again. At her quietness, Brandon's (Sky's) eyes grew wider. "There's a misunderstanding here. Bloom, I would never hurt your feelings like that! The same thing goes for you, Acadia. Let's just—"
"Let's just what? Laugh all this off? Forgot about it, bucko. I tried to apologize, you blew me off, and then talked shit about us. Quit trying to play the victim."
"Look, I didn't accept your apology right then because I was angry," Brandon (Sky) tried to explain, "I needed some time to cool off. In fact, I was just about to look for you and—"
"Shut the fuck up!" I hissed, "I've heard enough! You're mental or something and we don't want to be around you." I grabbed Bloom's wrist and started to pull her away.
"Wait, girls—" Brandon (Sky) reached out for my hand, but I shook him off.
"Back the fuck up, big man!" I scowled, steering Bloom further away. "But don't worry—we got you, bro. This ain't over!"
He tried to follow us, but I yanked Bloom into one of the crowds for cover. As we traveled through the bodies of people, I could hear Brandon (Sky) calling out to us. But we didn't stop. I could hear Bloom sniffling sadly, enraging me even more.
I motherfucking meant what I said. This wasn't over. Acadia Renee Valerie Jones never ran away from a fight. I was gonna get Brandon's (Sky's) ass. Count on it.
"He's just toying with your emoticons," informed Stella knowingly, licking the ice cream off her spoon. "Guys love getting into girls' minds like that. Makes them insecure and easy prey." The three of us was sitting outside a café enjoying (well, trying to) sundaes. Brandon and Sky were nowhere to be seen and I really didn't give a fuck about Riven and the Trix. Another parade was passing down the street, but none of us were in the mood to enjoy it.
Bloom was idly and glooming stirring her sundae, sighing. "I don't know—I dated someone back on Earth before. But other than that, I don't know much about boys. And I really didn't think Brandon would turn out like this."
"This is why we never should have trusted any of them! I mean, look at Riven's ass! He's the Trix's lapdog now and who knows what's going on in Sky's head."
"Hey, Prince Sky's decent. Trust me," insisted Stella, "Timmy too. Brandon….I don't know what's up with him. One minute he's being the good boy, the next minute he's someone completely different. And you obviously can't talk to him or he'll just fall into a character again."
"So what should we do? Let him get away with it?" I snapped, "no well in hell! We're not falling into his trap like idiots."
"Then I don't know what to tell you." Stella shrugged.
"I do. I say we track that fool down and kick his ass." I grasped my spoon firmly, slamming my other fist onto the table. Stella was about to say something, but paused when Sky's (Brandon's) voice rang out.
"Hey, ladies," he called out smoothly, approaching our table. He pulled out a chair from one of the other tables and positioned it beside Stella's, sitting on it backwards. Stella giggled lowly, twirling a lock of hair around her finger flirtatiously. "What's happening?" he asked, his gaze drifting from Stella to Bloom and then to me.
"Save it, Casanova," I snorted, "we don't want anything to do with you."
Sky (Brandon) wiggled his eyebrows at me. "What's gotten into you?"
"It's Brandon," admitted Bloom with a loud sigh, pushing her sundae away like she didn't want the rest of it.
"What about him?"
"He's crazy," I replied simply. "He totally called me a bitch and Bloom trash."
Sky's (Brandon's) face twisted with disbelief. "Our Brandon?" He laughed. "Yeah, right. He'd never do that."
"But he totally did, that's the thing. After Acadia badmouthed him, he got all psycho. Acadia tried to apologize, but he just acted rude," said Stella, finishing off the rest of her sundae.
"Trust me, that doesn't sound like Sky," insisted Sky (Brandon) in a joking manner, "he'd never say those things." See, even he knew Brandon (Sky) was too much of a good guy.
"Wanna bet?" I asked, glaring at him. "Let's find your boy right now."
Sky (Brandon) took out his phone. "I'll just dial him up and—"
"No! Definitely don't call him. We need to catch him off guard," I said like it was obvious. "I bet he's still somewhere around here. He probably hasn't left the park yet." I rubbed my hands together. I loved a good plan.
"Aren't you girls taking this a bit too far?" Sky (Brandon) looked so amused, I wanted to punch him in the face. But I refrained from violence. This flirt was going to learn soon enough.
I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
Here I was strolling through the park trying to look normal, with three unprofessionally stalking me from a distance. Without turning around, I could hear Bloom and Stella whispering sharply to each other and trying to stealthily jump behind different objects with Sky (Brandon).
"Not the lamppost! We can still see half your body!" I heard Stella hiss.
"Stella, be quiet! We can't draw attention!" was Bloom's soft whisper.
"Hey there, beautiful." (Sky (Brandon).
"Prince Sky, quit flirting and pay attention!" (Stella).
I just kept walking. I didn't see them. I didn't hear them. I was just taking a normal stroll, trying hard not to draw attention to myself, just as the others were supposed to be doing.
That's when I spotted him. Brandon (Sky). He was sitting on the edge of the fountain, staring off into space. This was it. I heard my friends duck into a bush as I proceeded over to the blond.
"Hey, dude," I called, trying hard to sound casual.
"Just get effing lost, Acadia. All you do is cause problems," hissed Brandon (Sky), scowling at me. "Why are you even here? To criticize my body again?"
I couldn't help but feel guilty about that last part. "Look, I was just joking. I don't really give a fuck if your dick's small or big. And I came here to talk."
"Talk?" Brandon (Sky) laughed like a hyena. "Yeah, right. I'm not stupid. I know you got your friends with you. You're just trying to make me look like a fool, but the fool's really you."
"Okay, that's it!" Bloom jumped out from the bush with Stella and Sky (Brandon) hot on her trail. She stormed up to us, pointing a finger at Branson (Sky). "You are literally the biggest hypocrite ever! Not long ago, you were trying to make nice with us, even after what you said! And now you're being a jerk again! What's your problem?"
Brandon (Sky) just snorted and waved at Bloom in a bye-Felecia manner. "Back off, little girl. You don't know anything."
"Brandon, dude. This is going too far." Sky (Brandon) frowned grimly. "What's going on with you, man? You told them you wanted to make things right, but now you're being like this?"
Brandon (Sky) shot his buddy a look that said shut the fuck up. "Whatever. I don't need you assholes," he jeered, standing up. Stella tried to catch his arm, but he shook her away, storming off.
"See! What did we tell you?" I barked at Sky (Brandon). "He's a dick!"
He shook his head. "No way. No way that's the Brandon I know. I've rarely heard him swear like that. And his face? Brandon never looks like that. Something's off. It's like…he's a whole different person."
That's when I froze.
"It's like…he's a whole different person."
Or maybe that wasn't the real Sky at all. My mouth dropped open, realization dawning over me. Could it be that really wasn't Sky? Wait a second. The Trix. They were hellbent on ruining Alfea's relationships with Red Fountain. This could be just another one of their tricks. They already had Riven, so they were trying to pry another Specialist away from us.
"That isn't Brandon," I whispered to myself quietly.
Stella shot me a look. "Oh, don't tell me you actually believe that too. He literally just called you a fool! You must actually have a crush on him."
I shook my head. "I was a fool for not realizing before. But guys hear me out. What if that's not really Brandon? What if this really is just a trick?" In the actual series, Icy had managed to disguise Knut as Timmy. So what if they were doing the same thing, except using Sky's appearance?
"Look, it was the Trix who sent that recording to Brandon, right?" I pointed out, "witches like them don't do stuff like that for the heck of it."
"Uh, yeah they do. They're just jerks like that," insisted Stella.
"Wait, Acadia's on to something! Perhaps this is all just a major trick!" Bloom brightened up with hope. "Think about it. They were hoping to gain something from sending Brandon that message. What if this is just another phase?"
"What, so you're saying they brainwashed Brandon?" asked Stella sarcastically.
"No. That's not it. We've run into Brandon separate times. Sometimes he was nice, other times he was not. Maybe there are two Brandons." I was getting exited now.
"Huh?" Stella, apparently, was not.
And there was only one way to prove my theory. "You guys go find Brandon," I directed the three, "and I'll go find Brandon."
"You're not making any sense," deadpanned Stella.
"Text me when you find him," I called over my shoulder, running off in a different direction. I was a genius! How did I not think of this before? Hehe! The Trix's plan was about to blow up right in their face!
I finally found Brandon (Sky) eating ice cream under the oak tree, looking lonely. I plopped down on the patch of grass beside him, relived by the shade underneath the leaves. "Hey," I said casually.
Brandon (Sky) looked at me with his sad eyes. "Hey."
Okay, so this was the right one. "Look, about earlier, I just wanted to apologize again," I said, plucking a daisy out of the ground. "It was wrong of me to say those things."
Brandon (Sky) licked his ice cream slowly. "It's okay. But I thought you and Bloom were angry at me."
I took a deep breath. "I know what I'm about to say sounds crazy but you know how me and Bloom accused you of those things? Well, you did and didn't say them. We think the Trix are trying to get between us, and that they've created a double of you to ruin our relationship. Wow, that sounded weird. I didn't mean a relationship-relationship but—"
"Wait, so Bloom doesn't hate me?" Sky (Brandon) perked up.
I nodded quickly. "I just need you to—" My phone buzzed with a text from Stella.
We found Brandon! the playground near the carousal.
Yes! My suspicion was right! "Okay, come with me," I said quickly, grabbing Brandon's (Sky's) arm and pulling him up. Without explaining, I yanked him across the park, my mind racing. As we approached the playground, I grew anxious when I spotted Stella, Sky (Brandon), and Bloom. And they were with a Brandon (Sky).
My Brandon (Sky) apparently noticed him too, because he instantly asked, "What's going on?"
"Wait, so there really are two Brandons?" gasped Bloom, her hands flying up to her mouth. "But how?" Her eyes darted between them, bulging with all kinds of emoticon.
"And more importantly, how do know which one's ours?" piped up Stella.
I kept my Brandon (Sky) close to me. "This is the right one," I assured, squeezing his arm.
"No, he isn't! I'm the real Brandon!" The other Brandon (Sky) pointed at himself, growling.
And without warning, the Brandon (Sky) at my side leaped out and pounced on the fake one.
Bloom screamed as the Brandons (Sky) brawled each other, rolling around on the ground, trying to land punches on one another.
Shit, shit, shit.
Sky (Brandon) and I raced over and yanked them away from each other. Once they were separated, I immediately realized we had a problem. "Great. Now we got them mixed up," I frowned, stepping away from the two. "We have to find out which one's the real Brandon."
"I'm the real Brandon," both blonds chorused. The one on the right shot the one to the left a hard look. "Look, I'm the real Brandon. Sky should know."
"That's what fucked up—he doesn't." I rolled my eyes. "Anyways, one of you is a fake, so no one's leaving until we go home with the real Brandon." Okay, this looked so much easier on television. "So let's start by asking a few questions."
"I'll ask the first one," spoke up Stella, appearing by my side. "Okay, you two. Who am I?"
"Stella, Princess of Solaria," answered both Brandons (Skys) simultaneously.
I facepalmed. Of course they'd know that. Stella was a freakin' princess! It wasn't like someone with such a title could go unnoticed. And I believed that's what Stella thought too. "The one and only," she giggled, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder.
"What are the names of your closest friends?" spoke up Bloom.
"Timmy, Riven, and Prince Sky," answered the Brandon (Sky) on the left.
The one on the right protested, "You didn't give me a chance to think!"
"You shouldn't have to think about who your best friends are," I countered.
"That's not gonna cut it, though," pointed out Bloom, pacing around us. "We can't just make random decisions based off a right answer. We need to be smart."
Sky (Brandon) stepped forward. "I'll handle this," he announced like he was the bad cop or something. He looked at the First and Second Brandon (Sky). "Okay, only the real Brandon would know this: what is my middle name?"
A plane conveniently soared over head, droning out the Brandons' (Skys') answer. We girls exchanged confused glances, but Sky (Brandon), apparently, had heard because his face went red. "This is going to be harder than I thought," he muttered.
"They both share the same memories," frowned Bloom, "so we can't question them. We need another way."
"Water," I said almost instantly.
"What?" the others echoed.
"Don't you remember? According Professor Paladin, most dark spells have a weakness—water and fire. They're both purifiers. If something is enchanted with dark magic, either water or fire can reverse the spell."
Both Brandons (Skys) startled. "Don't worry, don't worry. We're not gonna burn you or anything," I reassured. "But there is a fountain over there…"
"No!" shouted one of the Brandons. He jumped back, his face twisting with hate. "That would destroy me!"
"It's him!" I shouted, "Bloom go get—" A fat raindrop melted into my clothes. I looked up at the sky. It was getting cloudy. One by one, more raindrops fell out of the sky as a light drizzle.
Just then, the fake Brandon (Sky) screamed as the rain down poured on him specifically. "NOOO!"
I jumped back as the fake Brandon (Sky) started to glow with darkness. He then morphed into some kind of shadow being, completing ditching his previous appearance. He grew bigger and bigger, wider and wider, more horrifying and more horrifying. Eventually, he was a massive shadow creature looming over us. Stella, Bloom, and I readied to transform, but the beast started to evaporate, screeching terribly. We along with a few other passerbys watched as the creature disappeared into thin air, fading away completely. And as soon as the creature vanished, the rain just stopped.
"Well, that was weird," declared Stella, "so, anyone up for more ice cream?"
We all laughed. "It's good to have you back, Brandon." Bloom winked at him friendlily. "I'm sorry I doubted you."
"It's okay." The blond smiled kindly. "It's good to know you don't really hate me." The both of them smiled and looked away to hide their blush.
"Hey, isn't that big bike race happening in a bit?" spoke up Stella, "the parade's finishing up, meaning it's about to start soon. You guys better hurry if you don't wanna be late. Can't let Riven have all the fun, right?"
I frowned. Now that Darcy already had Riven under her spell, she had no reason to cheat, right? No, she would still probably cheat. But Riven was already a lost cause, so there was really no point in me jumping in to save the day.
I stayed behind as the four raced off. I'd let them have their fun.
I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked up at the sky. Besides, I had some thinking to do.
I fingered the petals of my rose as the speaker onstage continued with her speech. The rose was beautiful. It was all white, yet had swirls of pink and red creating a pattern on the petals. I'd never seen such a unique rose. That's why I had to pick it. See, at the end of every Day of the Rose festival, it was tradition for everyone to choose a rose from Magix City Grand Park's garden and bring it to the end-of-festival celebration.
I looked up at the dark sky. There were countless stars in the sky, and a delicate white crescent shone brightly among them. I glanced over at Stella, who was staring up at the moon with a distant look in her eye.
Oh, yeah. While her father was the sun, Stella's mother was the moon. The celestial body's perfect beauty must've reminded her of her mom. My eyes drifted down Stella, stopping at Stella's midsection where she was clasping her rose in her hands. Her flower was pure white, a moon rose. The perfect rose for her mother.
I bite my lip as Musa crossed my mind. Part of me wondered if and hoped she was in the crowd somewhere, clenching her own chosen rose. Just because her mother wasn't in this world anymore didn't mean she couldn't celebrate her. Though I knew Musa's mother's legacy lived on in her memory, the fairy of music didn't have to be so…so cold when it came to her. She could talk about her openly, she could mourn her openly, she could celebrate her openly. Concealing her feelings wouldn't solve anything.
I then thought about my own mother. Who the hell knew what she was doing right now. Maybe she was out with one of her boyfriends or girlfriends. Maybe she was yapping about deadbeat West again. Maybe she was thinking about me. Was she unaware of the fact her oldest daughter had suddenly disappeared? Was she worried sick about me? Being here in Magix, I had no idea what was going on in the Real World—if anything was going on there at all.
I'd been here in Magix for weeks and weeks, but it wasn't until now I started to think about all I'd left behind at home. My brothers, my sisters, my mom. I was ashamed to say that I hadn't really thought about them. I'd been so excited about the whole I'm-in-m-effing-Winx-Club thing, I'd barely given my family any thought.
Harsh, I know. It was like…I…I had outright forgotten about them. That wasn't fair. At all. Sure, they were major pains in the ass, but they deserved every bit of my respect and love.
"Ladies and gentlemen," announced the speaker, strolling around on stage. "Today is all about the women that hold everything together—today is all about our mothers. Mothers are like flowers—each one is beautiful and unique. I know that among us are lots of people who don't have mothers. Some of us have mothers who have passed away, some of us have mothers we don't even know. Some have mothers who neglect them. Some even have mothers who have abandoned them, gave them up to pursue a different life. Those kinds of women aren't mothers. What is a mother? A mother is one who nourishes, one who uplifts, one who finds happiness in her child and raises them to be their very best. That is a mother."
Sure, my mom often acted wild and childish and she sometimes disappeared days on end, but she never neglected us. She'd always call us to make sure we were okay, she'd always encourage us to be true to ourselves, she'd always make sacrifices for our greater good. And sure, she usually made crappy decisions, but she always tried to do what was best for us. That was a mother. She might not have been perfect, but she was still a mother. My mother. And no matter what universe I was in, no matter where I was, that would never change. That was reality.
"And today, we'll honor those mothers, no matter where they are, no matter who they are. Regardless of what our situation is with our mothers, we owe them more than we think. They are one of the main reasons we're all standing here today, and we'll recognize and celebrate all that they've done for us. That's why we've all chosen a rose—to lace it with love in honor of our mothers. And we'll send that heartfelt love to them, no matter what part of the galaxy we're in. So everyone, please, let go of your flowers."
Within an instant, everyone weakened their grasp and hundreds of delicate flowers rose into the air, all the different colors and smells lacing the nighttime sky. And just like magic, all the floating flowers started to crumble away as golden sparkles, lighting up the sky. From the stem up, each and every flower faded into glittery gold magic.
It was so beautiful. I felt tears welling in my eyes as all the sparkles drifted away in different directions. Love was in the air, literally. I wondered. Would the magic from my flower reach my mom, even if she was in a different, magicless realm?
I smiled to myself. Of course she would. Love had no limits. I loved my mother, and she loved me. The magic from my rose would travel across the universe, ceasing only until it reached its destination. And somehow, deep down inside, I knew Mom would receive mine. I just did. She was still my mother, and nothing would change her. I wanted her to know how much I loved her, even if I wasn't there.
Sure, me might've had our fights and disagreements, but no perfect relationship was actually perfect. There would always be bumps in the road to overcome, challenges to face. But love had no limits. Mom would always be my mom, and I'd always be her daughter. We could be hundreds of light years, but nothing would change that.
That was reality.
