A/n: Not the original chapter 19. The last one was laced with too many mistakes and stuff, so I re-did it. Enjoy!
For students everywhere, regardless of the realm, universe, or dimension, there was one word that served as an instant stress trigger.
Midterms.
Our first set was coming up in two weeks, and I was already freaking the fuck out. Could you blame me? I mean, look at what I was getting in my classes thus far:
Charms: C
Transmutation: C
Potionology: B
Defensive and Strategic Magic and Mechanics (D&S for short): C
History of Magic: D
Elvish Year 1: B
Academic grading in Magix actually took the form of letters from another alphabet, but I used their English equivalence (speaking of English, did you know it was called 'Basic' in the Magic Dimension? There were thousands of thousands of different languages, but Basic was the most common. I was wondering why everyone spoke English) so you could truly understand how miserable my grades were. See why I was panicking? If I failed my exams I'd literally be failing more than half of my classes. I'd be doing worse than Stella!
And the worst part was that it wasn't even my fault I was doing so poorly. I legit had ZERO knowledge in/experience with magic prior to attending Alfea; in other words, I didn't know shit. So of course my grades wouldn't the best. It was a miracle I was even getting C's.
Scratch what I said earlier—that WASN'T the worst part. What was actually the true worst part was the fact I only had two weeks to turn my luck around. Only two weeks to study and improve in four subjects.
RIP.
With such a small deadline to meet, I had no choice but to devote my heart, body, and soul to evil practice known as binge studying.
I decided to start with History of Magic first since that was my most pitiful grade. Unfortunately, I was not the only one failing the class because when I got to Alfea's library, all the history textbooks had already been checked out. Legit, the shelves were fucking cleared out.
Dammit, I wanted to scream at the world. Just...dammit!
But wait! Not all hope was lost! Magix Grand Public Library was not far away from here and according to Tecna, it was one of the biggest libraries in the dimension with over 15 million different volumes. 15 freaking million. With all those books in one place I'd be in student heaven. But there was only one problem:
THE FUCK WHERE MY LIBRARY CARD?
I'd been looking for it for the past thirty minutes and I had a better chance of finding Nemo. I searched every inch of Amaryl and I's room without any luck, frustrating me to the core. I knew I had one because I had used it to gain access to one of the computers in the library before school started, but now it was gone without a trace.
Please tell me I didn't lose it somewhere. Why is it things always went missing right when I needed it?
Wait. Hold on a second. Could it be...?
I lifted up my mattress.
DAMMIT.
There it was, my shiny metallic library card. And it was sitting among a bunch of other items I'd lost earlier in the year: one of my favorite socks, a pair of earrings, my nail clippers. How'd all this shit end up under here?
Eh, I'd worry about that later. For now, I needed to get some studying done ASAP. I only had so much time before curfew and I needed to spend every minute of it reading my eyes out and cramming my mind with knowledge I'd forget the second midterms were over.
When I exited my room I was surprised to find our hall mistress, Ms. Nikolaeva, standing in the living room. My first instinct was ask, "What did Amaryl do this time?" Ms. Nikolaeva had already visited us twice beforehand, once because Amaryl thought it'd be a good idea to blast R&B at 2:45am on a Monday and once because she had to confiscate the space heater Amaryl had managed to smuggle in.
"Nothing. Yet," said Ms. Nikolaeva with a soft laugh, in an accent that'd be deemed as Russian back on Earth. "I'm here to help your new roommate get settled in." Like most of Alfea's staff, Ms. N was gray-haired, but she was far from being a crabby old woman, unlike Griselda.
"New roommate?" I repeated, just now acknowledging the luggage and bags sitting in a heap on the floor. This was the first I was hearing of this. Besides me, the only ones who lived in this apartment were Ahisa (Fairy of Love), Amaryl (Fairy of Starlight), Alice (Fairy of Ice), and Lolina (Fairy of Electricity), all who had been minor backgrounder fairies in the original first and second seasons of the cartoon. Including me, that made five. The standard apartment could room six people in three bedrooms, so it'd make sense the newcomer would end up here. That would mean she'd end up in the room with Alice, who had been the only one with her own room up until now.
And sure enough, a girl stepped out of Alice's room. And let me just say this: whoa. This girl was stunning. She was Korean—or what we'd call Korean back on Earth since Korea didn't exist here—with soft, flawless skin and even softer glossy pink lips. Her shiny black hair spilled down her back like a waterfall and her eyes were a distinctive color—like a drip of blood spilled in a lake—and were lined with glittery pencil.
She flashed a somewhat shy smile at me. "Hi. I'm Mi-Sun." Whoa, even her NAME was Korean.
I raised my hand in a wave. "Hi. I'm Acadia." I was legit surprised. Me and my roomies hadn't expected a new girl to show up until next semester but here was Mi-Sun, a new student who decided to show up right before midterms. That was a bit unusual, but who was I to talk? I was the same one who just randomly appeared in a another universe—dimension—whatever-the-fuck in my sleep.
As much as I'd love to stay and chat with the new girl, I had places to be. I didn't have time to chat.
Just as I was entering the hallway, my phone tweeted with a new text.
Musa: Dragontail ASAP
Okay, so maybe I did have time to chat for a little. Wait, Dragontail? OH. Yeah, that's right. Every apartment in ALFEA's dormitories had an official name and the Winx's was called Dragontail. I had nearly forgotten about that since everyone rarely referred to their apartment by their formal names. The apartment I resided in was called Whytewich (I think). A severely suckish name compared to Dragontail, which was sounded so badass.
I strode down the hall and on my way into the Winx's apartment I stopped to stare at the name plaque beside the door. It read Dragontail inscribed in a detailed drawing of a scaly dragon's tail. So badass.
Musa was waiting for me inside. She handed me a golden envelope. The seal was already broken meaning she'd already looked at what was inside, which was a black card trimmed with gold. I slipped it out. An invitation. The invitation. OMG.
"It's not even Friday yet," I said, flipping the card over and staring at the address written on it in golden cursive. "You were supposed to get this tomorrow."
Musa shrugged. "I guess 'her people' hooked her up early." She was trying to be nonchalant but I could feel the anxiety radiating off her.
"You know you don't have to go," I said. This wasn't her first time hearing it; Bloom had been reminding her ever since the confrontation in the bathroom. "Candi could just be trying to scare you. She couldn't care less if you went."
Musa bit her lip. "Maybe. But we both know you don't cross her." Yeah. We both knew the rumors and considering how vile Candi was, they were all probably true.
Just then, the door opened and Bloom and Tecna strolled into the living room engaged in mid-conversation. "So we could all have rat heads in one of them?" Bloom was asking Tecna.
That caught my attention. "Huh?" I stared at them.
"Oh, Tecna was telling me about something she learned in physics class," said Bloom. By "learned", Bloom basically meant "reviewed." Being a genius, Tecna was the only freshman in all of Alfea who was taking a senior course. And even so, physics was just barely a step above child's play for her. She already knew all the material and then some. That was probably one of the reasons many of our classmates hated her. Because she was a "know-it-all".
"There are ten different dimensions of space and one dimension of time in reality," explained Bloom.
"I personally believe there are two dimensions of time," said Tecna, taking a seat on the couch and whipping out her handheld. "But the professor refuses to accept my theory. I do not understand why the science department would bother hiring someone so small-minded. I cannot wait until I collect enough evidence and prove him to be the simpleton he really is." RIP Tecna's physics teacher.
"Anyway, Tecna said it's possible there are different versions of us living in the dimension parallel to ours, almost like its twin. Like, we could all be cat people there. Or we could all be evil." For some reason, that sent a shiver down my spine. Imagine a universe where Bloom was evil. There'd be no stopping her. She could desolate the WHOLE dimension. And to make things worse, being the keeper of the Flame, she would probably be able to cross over into other dimensions as well. No universe or realm or ANYTHING in reality would be safe from her. I was definitely more comfortable with the cat people theory. At least that'd be something like a kawaii anime.
WAIT.
"So in one of these universes, could magic be...nonexistent?" I wondered aloud, directing the question toward Tecna.
"Most definitely. In fact, it's my belief magic is only existent in this dimension—the whole reason it's called the Magic Dimension—and the dimension parallel to ours. There's a high chance the other eight dimensions lack the supernatural structure ours has. But I'm not completely sure. Dimension-jumping is currently near impossible."
WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. So did the Real World exist in one of those eight? So the Magic Dimension wasn't a fictional setting, but a real place beyond the science and logic of that in the Eighth Dimension? So instead of being transported into some kind of prolonged dream, I just got transported into another dimension? But if the world of the Winx Club was just another part of reality, how was it a cartoon in my dimension? I WAS CO CONFUSED.
"Hey, what's that?" asked Bloom, eyeing the envelope in my hand. Oh, right. I almost forgot I was holding the damned thing.
"The invitation," said Musa shortly.
Bloom's eyes bulged. "You're kidding. Candi hasn't acknowledged us all week so I was kind of hoping she forgot about it." She paused. "Please tell me you're not going, Musa. Candi's not worth it."
"Agreed. Candi is a outrageously corpulent imbecile and a dreadfully fiendish libertine," nodded Tecna. Bloom and I stared at her.
"She's a slut and she's fucking retarded," translated Musa. "And I think I am going. I just...I don't want Candi and the Trix to think I'm weak." Riven, too. But she was too prideful to say it. "Because, let's face it. Those witches are probably in on it too. And if I don't show they'll just harass me."
"Well, if that's what you want. You're not going alone. We'll all go with you. We can ring up the Specialists too. I'm sure Prince Sky would love to go and I know Brandon will come to keep an eye on Riven. We'll all have your back."
Musa managed a grateful smile. "Thanks, girls," she said, relaxing.
Just then, Flora emerged from her and Bloom's ready. She had probably just got watering her many plants. "Alright, I'm done. Ready to go?" she asked Bloom.
"Go where?" I asked.
"Flora and I have another job interview," replied Bloom, "hopefully, this one will go better." Oh yeah, they were still job hunting. They'd started with Musa a few weeks ago. Musa had been fortunate enough to seize a job at Alfea's Libraries (talk about lucky. She didn't even have to leave campus to work!), meanwhile Bloom and Flora hadn't really had any luck. They'd go on an interview from time to time, but had yet to successfully secure a job.
"Good luck." I checked the time of my phone. "I should be going too. I'm actually on my way to the library in town. Gotta start studying for midterms."
Musa groaned the mention of our exams. "Ugh, me too. I'm probably just going to wait until the last minute like usual."
"Hey, how about Bloom and I meet up with you after our interview?" suggested Flora, "at around four thirty? We can meet on Upolm Avenue and all walk back to school together. It's safer if we travel in groups to and from school. I heard a few schoolgirls from Cloud Tower have gone missing over the weekend."
"Good riddance," muttered Musa. Flora shot Musa a stern look. "I mean, how unfortunate."
"Don't worry, Flora. No one would be desperate enough to kidnap us," joked Bloom.
Musa stared at her. "Don't jinx it."
I needed a fucking Snickers.
When I finally emerged from Magix Grand Public Library, the light from the early evening sun burned my crusty, probably bloodshot eyes. I recoiled like a vampire, retreating into the vestibule until my eyes adjusted to the natural light. Damn, that was bright. I'd spent the past hour and a half hunched over a thicker-than-your-thigh textbook in the darkest corner of the library and my eyes had grown used to the darkness.
And my head…oh my head. It felt ten times heavier from all that studying, weighing the rest of me down. It was pounding like a drum to the degree I could just barely hear myself think. Ugh, I felt like shit.
As I advanced down the busy sidewalk, I checked the time on my phone. I was supposed to meet Flora and Bloom on the corner of Upolm Avenue in five minutes. Wait, where the fuck was Upolm Avenue?
I paused for a brief moment to launch the map app on my phone. Oh, it was just across the street. Convenient.
After I crossed the street and nearly got run over (damned floating car), I touchdowned on Upolm Ave. just as Flora and Bloom were rounding the corner. I immediately knew something was wrong; they looked too…crestfallen.
"What happened?" I demanded the second they were in earshot.
Flora sighed, facepalming. "The interview was a disaster. The owner of the restaurant could barely look at us the whole time."
"Huh? Why?" I wrinkled my nose as we started down the avenue in the direction of Alfea.
"Because we're fairies," said Flora with a deep frown, "that's probably the reason we haven't heard anything from any of the other employers either. For some reason, a lot of people over in this area discriminate against fairies. I don't know why, but I do know it's going to be impossible for Bloom and I to find a job at this rate—"
"This place is hiring," cut in Bloom eagerly. We turned to find she had paused in the middle of the sidewalk a few feet behind us, staring into the window of one of the shops.
Flora and I strode over and Bloom pointed out the printout taped to the tinted window. According to it, the owner of the store was in desperate need of a cashier, an assistant manager, and a stock clerk.
"I don't know, Bloom," said Flora reluctantly, giving the façade of the shop a skeptical once-over. I understood her hesitation; even from the outside this place was obviously weird. For starters, while the neighboring stores and buildings were modeled like structures out of a science fiction utopia with sleek and futuristic glass exteriors, this place had an eighteenth-century-London storefront composed of nothing but chocolate-covered bricks, making it stick out like a sore thumb. And while all the other stores had distinct electronic and holographic display boards, this place has an old-fashioned sign above the door that read Trillium Moon. Wait, Trillium Moon? That name was oddly familiar.
"I've never heard of this place before. We don't know what kind of store is it," pointed out Flora, peering through the window. Unfortunately, the tinted film made it impossible to see what was on the other side of the glass.
I nodded. "For all we know it could be a sex shop and when we walk in there'll be mannequins wearing bondage outfits and shit." Crap, why'd I have to say that? Now I was thinking about Griselda's you-know-what.
Bloom pointed to a paper advertisement (a rare sight in a city ruled by all things technological) posted beside the printout. "It says here they sell things like potions, spellbooks, and enchanted items, so it's a magic shop."
That piqued my interest. Though I'd been in Magix for some time now, I had yet to step into a magic shop like the ones in all those fantasy novels and anime.
"I think we should check this place out," announced Bloom, who seemed just as curious as me. "This might sound weird, but it just feels like we need to be in there."
Flora, however, was still uncertain. "What if the owner is like everyone else and won't hire us because we're fairies?"
Bloom dismissed her suspicions by referring to the help-wanted. "According to this, the jobs are available to anyone who is qualified regardless of background, race, or species. If that's the case, we actually have a good chance of getting hired. We'll just run in, ask for an application, and then we can go back to school."
Flora gave in. "Fine." Bloom smiled, triumphant.
A guy who resembled Helia was exiting the shop just as we were about to enter, and he courteously held the door for us. He was around our age and I wasn't gonna lie; dude was pretty damn cute. Most girls would've been gawking at his muscular build, but it was his hair that did it for me. Colored this dark teal color, his hair was short and shaped kind of weird, flaring out to the sides in a manner that defied all hair logic back in the Real World. And to add on to the abnormality of his hair-do, the bangs that framed both sides of his face were somehow a lighter shade of teal than the rest of his hair. Damn, fantasy hair was so awesome. What was in these people's genetics that made their tresses so freaking bad-ass?
"Thank you." Flora flashed him a sunny smile. I half-expected Teal Hair to gape at her boobs but this guy was indifferent, his face completely blank. He didn't even look at her. Whoa. Dude was respectful. Or gay.
The three of us advanced through the doorway and into a small space, where we descended a small set of steps and into the store, or more appropriately, another world. The shop itself was substantial in size, but had a cozy feeling to it thanks to all the magical merchandise it was jam-packed with. It was like something depicted out of a fantasy novel, a place that only existed in the most vivid of imaginations. Mounted objects and neat rows of shelves, drawers, and glass-front armoires of mystical ingredients, items, and potions lined every wall to the degree you could just barely catch a glimpse of the dark hued wallpaper behind them. And even then, the visible portions were spanned with thick, lush ivy that were dotted with flowers. Heavy mahogany tables, trunks, counters, and bureaus were randomly yet efficiently set all through the space, all their surfaces topped with stacks of thick tomes, potted plants, bottles of colorful substances, and candles.
A sprawling tree that looked it had grown into the very foundation sided the stairs at the entrance, its roots embedding deep into the warm, dark hardwood floors like muscular snakes. . It'd probably gotten so big from all the sun pouring into the shop through the skylights in the high ivy-blanketed ceiling. For a more decorative effect, plants in hanging baskets and spherical lighting fixtures dangled from its higher branches.
Beside the tree was a cozy alcove with a counter and cash register and across from that was a narrow pair of wooden stairs leading up to a balconied mezzanine, where the space was overwhelmed with goods fixed on the walls and stored in display cabinets that were bordered with vines trailed with colorful blooms. Every corner, every inch of Trillium Moon whispered with magic and possessed a pleasantly natural vibe, instantly making it one of the most comfortable places I've ever visited in Magix. The atmosphere in here right different; there was just something about the vanilla-scented air that was lighter, easier to breathe. It made my lungs tingle in a good way and filled me with a tranquility that made me forget all about my hectic school life.
The three of us were so intrigued by our surroundings we barely noticed the elderly woman appearing from behind a curtain in the back. "Welcome, dears," she greeted us warmly. The lady was a little on the short side and slightly hunched over with a wrinkly face and a somewhat pointy nose, where a pair of glasses were perched. Despite her obvious old age, her hair, which was tied in a loose and thick bun atop her head, was a faint natural-looking blond color. "What can I do for you lovely young ladies?" As she neared us with the aid of her walking cane, I acknowledged the distinctive, magical air about her. Judging her aura, this woman was a powerful sorceress. Yet, she wasn't giving off that daunting high-and-mighty, fear-me-or-I'll-turn-you-into-a-toad impression most strong sorcerers in novels and movies were often portrayed to exude. No, this lady's presence was the completely opposite. It was welcoming, just like this store. And apparently, Flora felt the same way because she visibly relaxed. Just like that, her frustration from the unfruitful day dissolved into nonexistence like magic.
Flora gave the lady one of her signature golden smiles. "Good evening, ma'am. My friend and I saw your flyer in the window and we have a few questions about your available positions."
There was a glint in the woman's eyes. "I know. I've been expecting you."
Bloom gaped. "Really?"
"No, I'm just messing with you," she chuckled, "I haven't had a vision in years." She then turned toward the curtain and called, "Hey, Violet. Get out here, you old crone. We have fresh meat."
Fresh meat?
Immediately afterward, another elderly lady shuffled out from the back room. She was noticeably younger than the first, as her face wasn't as creased with age and she walked without the support of a cane. Her grayless brown hair was also fixed in a bun, but her do was more on the neater and elegant side with a braided headband. "Welcome to Trillium Moon!" she greeted merrily. "I'm Violet. You three must be here to apply for the openings we have. Please, ignore my older sister Andelle. She has a way of scaring off recruits, the old fool."
"Recruits? What recruits?" scoffed Andelle, "these are the first ones we've had since we fired our last employees."
Bloom snuck a confident grin at Flora. They were the first in line for the job.
Andelle gave Violet a playfully hard look. "What are you doing just ing around, you old hag? Don't just leave our guests standing about. Get the pillows."
"Only if you get the tea," countered Violet.
"Screw tea. I want a soda. You girls want a soda?"
"Yes," I replied instantly. To be honest, I needed a soda after all the stress I'd just undergone. Besides, who'd be dumb enough to turn down a free soda? (That was slight sarcasm. Don't go around accepting things from strangers, kids!)
Flora shot me a look. "That won't be necessary, ma'ams. We're just here for an application," she informed politely.
Andelle refused to hear it. "Nonsense, nonsense. My sister and I love having company. We'll discuss things over a nice cream soda." And with that, she disappeared back into the back room.
Meanwhile, Violet was using her magic to levitate the furniture in the center of the room out of the way and replace them with plush cushions that had appeared out of thin air. She positioned them in a neat circle, right there in the middle of the store. Wait. What the fuck was going on here? What if a customer came in and found us all sitting in a ring like we were in some kind of book club session or some shit?
Apparently, this didn't cross Violet's mind. Or she didn't care. "Make yourself at home, dears," she said, stiffly lowering herself on a pillow. How her old-ass bones could handle sitting on the floor, I didn't know.
Bloom didn't hesitate to sit down. She seated herself by Violet, smiling comfortably. She didn't seem bothered by how fast things were escalating or the fact these ladies were being abnormally kind to us. I recalled how she said it felt like she needed to be here, within the walls of Trillium Moon (ugh, where did I here that before? It sounds so familiar!). Maybe this all was happening for a reason. Maybe Bloom's instincts—no, maybe the Dragon Flame had purposely guided her here. But for what reasons? Was there something here that related to her destiny? Or maybe someone? That possibility made me see the situation in a new light.
At this point, Andelle was emerging from the back room with a serving tray of soda bottles. After handing them out, she sat down next to Violet, opened her soda with a pop, took a long, slow sip of her soda. It was kind of funny, watching her drink it. I'd never seen an old person down anything but prune juice that fast. Flora and Bloom took small sips of theirs, probably anxious to get this thing started already. I, on the other hand, chugged half the can in thirty minutes. Hey, what could I say? Nothing tasted better than a free soda. Eventually, once Andelle felt like she had enough, finally pried the bottle away from her crusty lips (not to be mean or anything, but they looked so dry). "Nothing hits the spot like a cold soda," she said, to no one in particular. She set her bottle on the floor and gave her crossed legs a slap. "Okay, now that we're all hydrated, let's get down to business. Welcome to Trillium Moon. I'm Andelle and this is my sister, Violet, the severely ancient owners of this magic store. I understand you three are interested in working here?"
Flora sat straighter. Yes. I'm Flora and only me and my friend Bloom are interested in applying part-time. Acadia just decided to come with us. We're all freshmen at the Alfea College for Fairies, so we're interested in working part-time."
Violet nodded. "That's fine. Perfect, actually. My sister and I only need assistance in the late afternoon and evening when the store's the busiest."
"Alfea, huh? How's Faragonda doing? Is she still running the show over there?" asked Andelle.
"You know Headmistress Faragonda?" inquired Bloom, surprised.
Andelle chuckled. "Of course. Don't all old people know each other?"
"I have a question," I piped up. The sisters looked at me expectantly. "Why did you guys name this place Trillium Moon? That names sounds kinda familiar." The question might've been off-topic, but I needed to know where I'd heard that name before. I couldn't put my finger on it and it was driving me crazy.
"My sister and I named it in honor of the coven we proudly used to be a part of," said Violet simply, "the White Witches of Trillium Moon. This very building used to be our original gathering place."
RECORD SCRATCH.
Bloom nearly choked on her soda. "Wait, did you say witches? You're a witch?" She was obviously in disbelief.
Andelle chuckled. "Yep."
I gawked. "You can't be a witch. You're too nice." I was legit confused here. How were these old ladies so good-natured meanwhile practically EVERY witch at Cloud Tower was just a snake made flesh? Unless this was some kind of trick... OMG. What if these old people really were wicked to the core and were just trying to put us under their spell for the sake of some devious scheme? Suddenly, I regretted drinking this soda...Okay, not really (this stuff was refreshing as fuck) but I definitely became a little bit more vigilant.
"Yes. No offense, Ms. Andelle, but you're nothing like a witch," agreed Bloom with a nod. Though we hadn't known them long, that much was obvious. They didn't have that...witch vibe.
Andelle just laughed at her statement, not insulted in the slightest. "What, surprised we don't fit the stereotype?" The amusement suddenly drained from her face and was replaced with solemnity. "Listen, girls. Never judge a sorceress or anyone by the magic they wield. Terms like fairy and witch are just labels. Whatever magic one has does not define their personality. That's one reality people are ignorant of these days."
Violet assented. "My sister and I practice the dark arts, yet we barely refer to ourselves as witches anymore because there are far too many negative connotations to the word these days. We are not Satanists, we are not vile and vicious, and we do not put curses on innocents or oppress them. We don't even seek world domination or any form of domination. In summary, being a witch does that automatically make a sorceress evil. Just like being a fairy does not make one good." I guess that made sense. Good ol' Candi was a fairy but was basically a she-devil incarnate.
"I agree. In fact, one of my oldest friends is a witch," stated Flora with a soft smile. OH YEAH, MIRTA. I nearly forgot about her!
"But to continue on the Trillium Moon subject. The name's probably familiar to you because the White Witches of Trillium Moon was a part of the Great War of Witches," said Violet, "you've probably learned about it in school at some point."
And just like that, everything came flooding back to me.
OF COURSE!
The White Witches of Trillium Moon! How did I forget so fast? I'd literally just read something about them at the library an hour ago. To find some more information on some of the topics that'd be on the History of Magix midterm, I had picked up one of those thick-ass textbooks and while I was skimming through the pages, I briefly read over some of the chapter called "The Great Witch War." That was where I remembered Trillium Moon from. Since I didn't need any information on the particular subject and hadn't bothered to retain anything I read about it, I distinctively remembered seeing something about the White Witches of Trillium Moon.
Flora's eyes widened. "I've been reading ahead in history lately and now that you've mentioned it, I actually remember learning a little about the Great Witch War."
Bloom wrinkled her nose. "The Great War of Witches?" she repeated.
Flora bobbed her head. "Five hundred years ago, the strongest witch covens went to war over the power of the Dragon Flame."
That caught my attention. "The Dragon Flame?" I repeated, stealing a glance at Bloom.
"Indeed. That was a dark time period," said Andelle, "at that time, everyone fought for the power of the Great Dragon. Me, my sister, and the rest of the White Witches of Trillium Moon tried to speak some sense into the other covens because we understood what they did not: that the Dragon Fire was not a power one could simply take." What the—? If that was the case, how the hell did the Trix manage to steal Bloom's power in the cartoon? "It was a very special power, a power the Great Dragon itself had to bestow upon an equally as special magician, the prophesized Chosen One," continued Andelle, "anyone who wasn't this extraordinary individual had no business seeking its power."
"But, unfortunately, they didn't listen." Violet shook her head sadly. "They had already been corrupted by their greed and drove most of the entire Dark Arts community into war, forcing everyone to fight." Whoa. That was some deep shit. Bloom's power had to really be the shit if it forced practically one half of Magix's entire magic population into conflict. Then I became uncomfortable. If the people were willing to go to war for the GF, what would they do when they found out Bloom was the Chosen One? Besides the Trix, who else would be possessed enough to target her, hunt her? What lengths would they go to?
"In the end, no one won the war," went on Andelle with a sad shake of her head , "it was a complete waste of magic, resources, and lives."
Bloom's eyebrows shot up. "Wait. Hold on. If that war happened five hundred years ago, exactly how old are you two?"
Andelle laughed quietly. "I was eighty-five when the war started. You do the math."
Bloom's eyes bulged. "You're over half a millennium in age. How'd you guys live so long?" She was truly amazed. Back on Earth, you were truly blessed to make it to 90, let alone 100. But over 500?
Andelle wagged her finger, making a tisk tisk sound. "A lady never reveals her secrets."
Bloom laughed. "You know, I'm still having a hard time believing you two are witches. You're so unlike all the witches we've had to deal with."
"Not all of us are cold-hearted harpies. Give it some time. As you grow older and meet more people, you'll find a lot of individuals don't fit the stereotype," assured Andelle, "even cats."
"Cats?" I echoed. What did cats have to do with anything?
Suddenly, as if on cue, the bell above the entrance rang as the glass door blew open and someone entered Trillium Moon. I expected a customer to appear and stare at us in bewilderment but instead, a cat lazily strolled down into the store. It was brownish-black with eyes a pretty, pale yellow0ish white color and its hair sprouted from its head more in the shape of horns than ears. I'd never seen a cat like it in my life. It was using its tongue to groom its left paw, which was stained red.
Bloom looked puzzled. "You're going to think I'm stupid for asking, but did that cat just open the door?" Andelle nodded. "But…how?"
"Magic," replied Andelle simply.
? Cats could do magic in this universe?
The cat neared us. Now that it was closer I could see the red droplets beading its whiskers. It almost looked like…blood?
Flora, being the sweet and innocent creature she was, scooped the cat up into her arms and showered it with unrelenting affection. "Aren't you cute?" she cooed, practically smothering it.
And then it was at that moment this happened:
"You're not too bad yourself," it said right back in a masculine voice.
RECORD SCRATCH.
WHAT THE FUCK? THIS CAT LEGIT JUST TALKED. IT LEGIT SPOKE WORDS. I, apparently, wasn't the only one unnerved by this because Bloom startled in her seat and Flora straight up dropped the creature in total shock. It nimbly landed on all fours and arched its back in a hiss. "Watch it, girl. Would you like it if I dropped you?" it said.
"Th-the cat!" Bloom aimed an accusing finger at it, with a gasp. "It just spoke."
"Not something you see everything, ha?" said Violet, amused. "He's one of our servants and he's supposed to guard the store." Huh. I kinda figured talking animals would be the norm in this universe, but I guess not.
The cat gave the old lady a distasteful look. "How many times do I have to tell you? I prefer the term familiar. And what are you people doing sitting around in the middle of the floor? What is this, group therapy?"
"For a familiar you sure have a way of going as you please," said Andelle, "your only job is to guard the store but instead of being obedient like a good familiar, you disappear for days on end. Where have you been?" She acknowledged the red substance on his paws and whiskers. "And what have you gotten into this time?"
"I just came back from the countryside. Lovely weather around this time of year; lots of gophers too. I hit the mother lode; there were tons of carcasses in the woods. It's hunting season and you know how the humans get trigger happy. I bought enough leftovers to nourish me for the next weeks. Gopher, not antelope. Antelopes are too chewy for my taste."
"Wait. You ate a dead gopher?" I gasped. I knew that was blood! But I thought DOGS ate dead things, not cats.
"I swear you humans' brain size is decreasing by the nanosecond. Of course I ate the gopher. What do you expect me to eat? Tuna?"
"Yes," squeaked Flora, still rattled by the thought of a talking, assumed-to-be-corpse-eating cat.
"Sorry, baby. I'm a demon, not a Tom. I don't do fish unless it's the killer, bloodthirsty kind native to the waters of Southern Andros."
Wait. This cat was a DEMON?
"What's its name?" I asked Violet, suddenly very excited. I would literally flip my shit if its name was Sebastian. It'd just be too much for my heart to take if I found out the demon cat's name was Sebastian, my favorite character from Black Butler, who, I might add, was a demon himself with a huge fondness for cats.
''Excuse me, but am I not capable of giving my own name? And don't inferiorly refer to me as 'it' like some kind of animal. I'm a demon in the form of an animal. There's a difference."
"His name is Colby," responded Andelle and I swore my heart dropped to my stomach.
"Colby? Like the cheese?" I asked, failing to mask the disappointment in my voice.
"What can I say? Colby jack makes a mean lasagna."
"I'll have you know my name is not Colby," informed the cat, disgusted. "It's Azriel." Standing with his ears and tail erect, he studied us closely before turning to the old ladies. "Don't tell me you're thinking of hiring this lot."
"As a matter of fact, we are. Got a problem with it?" challenged Andelle.
"Completely. The last thing we need are more adolescences in here. The last trio was a disaster. They made a guy want to hack up a gopher," said Azriel matter-of-factly.
"The last trio?" repeated Bloom.
Violet sighed as if she got a headache just thinking about it. "The whole reason we're hiring in the first place is because we had to fire our whole crew. Apparently, our previous employees thought 'they were too good for this place' and went haywire."
"Never meant a more dislikeable group in my life," muttered Andelle, "those girls thought they were the world and then some. Barely did any work, worked up an attitude with all the customers. They were extremely unpleasant and lazy. What did they call themselves? The Tears? The Ticks?"
"You'd think they were ticks with how bloodthirsty they were," commented Azriel, "I was tempted to curse them with ticks."
OMG. NO WAY. COULD THEY BE TALKING ABOUT—
"The Trix," Flora, Bloom, and I all said in unison, with a frown.
"That's it! You know them?"
"Unfortunately. They're from Cloud Tower and the literally some of the worst people you'll ever meet," I spat.
"Don't we know it," grumbled Andelle, "they barely did their jobs and were always demanding we teach them the stronger Dark Arts. We refused because we've seen their type a million times and trust me, power and girls like them do not make a good combination. This obviously offended them and they proceeded to show their anger by trashing the whole store."
Bloom gasped. "They didn't."
"Oh they did. Took me and Violet a good week and a half to clean this place up even with magic."
Azriel glowered. "It's a good thing I took a vacation. I'd rather indulge on a feast of day-old road kill then clean up after those harpies any day."
"Road kill? I thought you had game," reminded Violet.
"Oh, there was road kill too. Like I said: I hit the mother lode."
"Like you said: those girls are literally some of the worst people you'll ever meet," agreed Andelle, facing me. "That's why my sister and I are going to hire your friends. We've been alive for centuries, so we're masters at reading people. Though we haven't known each other long, it's obvious you are the Trix's polar opposites. Hiring them was a mistake, but we can sense something different in you all, which is a good thing."
Our jaws slacked. "So you mean we got the job?" asked Bloom, dumbfounded. "But…we didn't even fill out an application yet!"
"That doesn't sound very fair. What about the other people who are going to apply after us?" asked Flora worriedly. "Shouldn't they get a chance?"
Andelle snorted, rising to her crinkly old-person feet. "What 'other people?' There are no other people. In case of girls haven't noticed, we're a group of duo conversational witches-slash-war veterans who work in an unattractively ancient building and keep the company of about a dozen overgrown plants and a corpse-eating demon cat. Literally no one wants to work for us. Those three who called themselves the Trix were just desperate degenerates who were too lazy to find another set of sorceresses to harass."
I laughed; l I couldn't help it. The way she said it was just so funny. And apparently, I didn't come across as rude because Andelle laughed too. However, that didn't stop Flora from shooting me a hard look. "This place is not unattractive. In fact, I think it's charming," she said stated matter-of-factly.
Bloom still looked a tad bit unsure. "So…the job is ours?" she asked again as the rest of us stood.
"As long as you and your friend still wish to work here," confirmed Violet, using her magic to put away the cushions.
Andelle turned to face me. "What about you, dear?" She aimed her cane at me. "I know your friend made it clear earlier you weren't interested in a job right now, but would you be willing to reconsider and become a part of the Trillium Moon crew? We could use a girl like you around here. Like Flora and Bloom, you are full of promise. Promise to be something incredible if you learn to harvest your inner strength. And I'm not flattering you either; you all have the makings of skillful sorceresses, ones who will do remarkable things one day. With a little coaching in magic from me and my sister, you could learn to embrace your hidden power and reach your full potential."
"Yeah! We could all do it together," said Bloom, brightening up. "It'd be fun." Flora hummed her agreement. "It definitely beats what you were doing before."
I ignored that last part. I considered the sisters' offer. Let's face it: I needed some major help in magic. Not only so I'd pass my classes, but so I would be more experienced in it when it was time to help the Winx save the dimension. I needed to improve for whatever lay in the road ahead and fast. And this was probably the only chance I'd get to do just that. Besides, this place WAS pretty wicked.
I grinned. "When do I start?"
