A/n: HAPPY NEW YEARS 2018! I was lazy as hell in 2017 and barely updated this story (I legit only added 3 chapters, I believe), but this year is going to be different. Starting today, January 1, 2018, I am going to put my whole heart into my writing, into ALL my stories starting with O Wondrous Wielder of the Winds. Part 2 officially starts now. Enjoy and have a kick-ass New Year!


"Hot date?"

I couldn't even get out of the door before Ahisa, one of my roommates, hurled the question at me faster than I could blink. I whirled around to come face-to-face with my curious, love-obsessed roommate. Ahisa cocked her head and gave a confident smile, the dark-blue-almost-black framing her ears falling into her face. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. For some reason, the chick felt inclined to ask the question whenever anyone in our apartment was on her way out in anything above a tee and a pair of jeans, like it was her duty to know everything that was going on in our love life, even if it was nonexistent. It was a Love Fairy thing.

I shook my head. "You know I don't date." For crying out loud, I'd been telling her the same thing ever since the start of the school year.

"Oh yeah? Then why are you dressed up?" challenged Ahisa, keeping her grin.

I stared down at myself. I was in nothing but a pale-blue, round-neck denim dress that was the very definition of casual. "I'm not dressed up," I protested. Though, to be fair, I was kind of dressed up for me, one who wore cut-off shorts to five days out of the week.

"So who's the lucky guy?" inquired Ahisa curiously. "Does he happen to be tall with flowing black locks?"

I froze. "Wait, is that how my..."

Ahisa laughed. "Nah, that isn't how your true love looks. I'm just messing with you." See, Ahisa here was a matchmaker. Whenever she made eye contact with someone she instantly saw visions of their destined true love. That being said, she already knew who all of us were destined to be with, if anyone at all. However, she refused to reveal our matches to us because she felt like that was "cheating" the system. She wouldn't even so much as drop a hint.

But to answer her question, the reason I was "dressed up" was because tonight was the night of the party. The party. I was supposed to meet up with the girls in a few minutes so we could head out. However, I was interrupted again before I could leave Whytewich.

"Acadia? Can I speak to you for a second?"

I turned to find Alice lingering in the doorway of her room, her grave blue-grey eyes boring into me. This was random, but Alice was the favorite of all of my roommates. There was just something about her that seemed so elegant, so sophisticated. In a way, she reminded me of Sailor Neptune's civilian identity, Michiru Kaioh. Considering Winx Club was inspired by Sailor Moon, I figured that was what the creators intended. The two were almost one in the same, except Alice's blue hair took on a more grayish hue and she was a fairy of ice instead of water.

A dart of panic shuddered down my spine at Alice's serious face. Oh no. "Is it about tonight? I'm not gonna die, am I?" I asked, panicked.

Alice managed a small smile and shook her head, much to my relief. "No. No one is going to die. Butsomething terrible is going to happen, and to one of your friends."

My heart dropped to my stomach. I pretty much suspected some shit was going to go down tonight, but the reality seemed so much realer and scarier when Alice confirmed it. See, in addition to being a fairy with ice powers, Alice was also a precog, meaning she could see the future. She couldn't see-see it, but every now and then she'd have visions that gave her glimpses of what was to come. So far, every since I've been rooming with her, none of her visions had been super serious. Usually, her power of foresight gave her revelations about trivial stuff, like who'd get the highest grade in Potionology (always Flora) or who was going to get their period in gym class (unfortunately, always Flora). This was her first time coming to one of us with a forewarning of something ghastly in the road to come and considering the disastrous shadow that was destined to soon fall upon Alfea and the rest of the Magic Dimension, this certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Which one?" I inquired, though I already had a clue of who the "lucky" victim was. Musa. It had to be her. It only made sense. She was obviously the next target of Candi's unrelenting cruelty.

Alice gave a remorseful shrug. "I don't know. The vision wasn't very clear, and I apologize for this. Perhaps if I hadn't refrained from using my powers, my premonitions wouldn't be so hazy."

I bit my tongue and glanced at her hopefully. "It's okay. Did you manage to see what, exactly, is going to happen to one of my friends?"

Alice winced, pained. "I didn't. I'm so sorry. I started blocking my visions, so they don't come as fast or comprehensible as they used to." It was a known fact Alice saw her precognition powers as a somewhat nuisance, and could you blame her? Having the ability to see the future must've been daunting and not to mention extremely draining. According to Alice, when she was younger, her premonitions used to come to her fast and furious. They'd regularly leave her with a headache and depending on how formidable they were, they'd even frighten her into unconsciousness, so it was no wonder she'd try to obstruct them.

I tried not to look disappointed. "Oh. That's alright. I already kinda figured out something was wrong. I'll just keep an eye out on my friends."

Yes. I'd make it my mission to look out for them. After all, that was the whole point in me going.


The party was huge.

I knew it the second we rounded the corner onto the Van Rensselaers' street. Floating cars were lined down the entire block and we could hear the music blaring from here. And by "we", I meant me, Bloom, Flora, and Stella. Tecna had made a smart decision and decided she wouldn't do, and Stella (who never got her invite) jumped at the chance to take her place. While the rest of us were dressed in simple dresses, Stella was dressed for some kind of fashion show in a small tube dress, five-inch heels, a big-ass handbag, and way too much jewelry. And with the several layers of makeup she donned, she was basically suffocating her face. She'd been perplexed when she saw what we were going in, but we all ignored her ass.

We arrived in front of the Van Rensselaers' impressive-ass mansion. The whole modern façade was lit up and whole thing seemed to shudder from the party going down inside.

There was a perplexed-looking butler stationed at the grand entrance checking invitations. I guess they weren't lying when they said the party was exclusive.

"They're not paying you enough for this, are they?" asked Musa sympathetically, handing him her invitation.

The butler accepted and inspected it for half a millisecond before handing it back. "You have no idea," he said with a tired sigh. We proceeded past him and into the mansion as a pink-skinned girl behind us was being denied access.

We stepped into the grand marble foyer, immediately greeted by the fused/putrid smells of smoke, pot, and liquor and an assemblage of stereotypes. This place had all the necessary components of a typical all-teen bash; deafening eletrco boosted with too much bass, attention-starved girls in flirtatious tops and bras that practically pushed their boobs up to their chins promenading around in five-inch heels in hopes of catching a lustful eye or two, jocks irresponsibly splashing and spilling their beer as they openly hit on the hotties, drunkies dancing out of tune with the music like idiots because they were just too wasted to give a fuck. The only thing that didn't make this party a complete cliché was the setting. I'd been to many rich kid parties in my day, but none thrown in a place as luxurious as this. The floors were a lustrous black-and-white checkered marble, two glass chandeliers dangled from the high ceilings, double curving staircases were centered by a sparkling white-and-gold trimmed fountain, and looming beams rose from the floor to the ceiling in an extravagant fashion. Every inch of the entrance hall was truly gorgeous. I would've even marveled at its sheer exquisiteness if every inch of it weren't contaminated with disgusting microscopic, bacterial teen particles.

"Bloom! Girls!"

Our heads turned to see Brandon (Sky) wounding around a crowd of people, waving.

Bloom's face brightened. "Brandon! What are you doing here?" I silently made note of Stella, who was slipping off to join a group of girls that were flagging her down from the other side of the room. I needed to keep track of all my friends' whereabouts just in case.

"I'm here with Sky. Being a prince, he got an invitation and basically forced me to come with," explained Brandon (Sky) with a nonchalant shrug. "And like I expected, this party isn't my type. I was actually about to leave.."

"Well, know you don't have to," butted in Flora with a lovely smile. She nudged Bloom forward. "Why don't you and Bloom go dance? You're both more than comfortable with each other and it'd be a waste to come all the way out here just to stand around, right?"

Bloom's and Brandon's (Sky's) cheeks flushed pink and they both sprung into fidgety, embarrassed stutters. Shit, this was almost painful to watch. Flora sensed the shy (and somewhat romantic) tension between them and smiled encouragingly. "Oh, c'mon. Why so timid? It's okay for friends to dance with each other."

Brandon (Sky) blushed hard and openly. "Uh, if Bloom wants to..."

Bloom nodded shyly. "Yeah. That is, if you want to..."

OH GOOD UNICORN MEAT. JUST GO DANCE ALREADY.

It was almost a relief to watch them finally drift over into the room with the other dancers. I made a mental note of where they were. Again, you could never be too safe.

"Your turn, Musa," announced Flora in a singsong, latching onto the girl.

"Huh?" Musa startled awake, from whatever daze she'd been in. Up until now, she'd been on a completely different planet. Nearly the whole time her eyes had been glazed over with this really distant look and they kept darting around the space in search of something, that person. Riven. "My turn for what?"

Flora took hold of her arm. "C'mon. Let's go find you a dance partner." So Flora had taken it upon herself to play matchmaker tonight. Not surprising. I had better watch out before she decided to pair me up with some bonehead.

Musa recoiled. "But..."

"Candi wants to see you moping around miserably, so it should be your mission to have fun tonight," said Flora matter-of-factly, giving Musa's hand a squeeze. "That'll teach her to mess with you."

I expected Musa to protest but much to my surprise, she easily relented. "Yeah. You're right," she agreed, her shoulders relaxing. "I shouldn't let irrelevant bitches like her get under my skin."

Suddenly, I understood. Complying with Flora's request would give her something to do, make her take her mind off Riven, the center of all her worries. I watched as the two girls sauntered into the room after Bloom and Brandon (Sky), either ignorant to or ignoring all the guys checking out Flora's boobs in the process. They were okay for now.

Since they weren't in any apparent danger (at the moment), I took this as an opportunity to nab a beer. I strolled into the grand marble double-island kitchen and my jaw nearly fell off at what I'd just intruded on.

Standing nearby the double ovens was none other than Stormy, her back turned obliviously to me as hardcore-flirted with an unnaturally handsome young man. He was tall with broad shoulders, an athlete's body, and finely chiseled features they'd land him a job as a model in a half a heartbeat. He was obviously only half-listening to Stormy, seeming more interested in whatever he was drinking from his red cup than the witch.

I lingered at the archway, curious as to how this was gonna play out. I'd never known Stormy to bother with boys; I thought all her and her sisters thought about was power and their reflection in the mirror. Basically, I had no idea she could be genuinely interested in anyone but herself.

I watched in slight awe as Stormy fiddled with her lighting-bolt bang, trying her absolute hardest to look sexy. I guess her outfit alone wasn't doing it, even though she did look pretty fierce. She was decked out in all black tonight; black tube top, black fashionably ripped leggings, strappy black sandals, big black hoop earrings. Even the jewels decorating her storm cloud were a glittery night-sky color. Her dark cherry-colored lips and coal-shadowed eyes pulled her look together.

From my vantage point I could hear what she was saying, which was just a load of bullshit. "I'm one of the top students at Cloud Tower," she was untruthfully boasting, "I'm the top of my class." Gah, the lies people tell.

Apparently, Handsome wasn't buying it either because he just replied with a noncommittal, "Oh really?" Stormy proceeded to gush about her "outstanding academic achievements", completely blind to her target's conspicuous boredom.

This was a total cringefest.

I must've said that alone because Handsome's eyes flitted to my face and Stormy whirled around on her heels, finally acknowledging my existence. "You," she spat, zeroing in on me in disgust. "What are you doing here?"

I countered her question with a question. "Why does anyone come to a party?" I asked sarcastically, heading straight for the assortment of bear cluttering the countertop. Actually, having fun was the last thing on my agenda, but Stormy didn't need to know my business. For all she knew, I was just about guest who leaped at the chance to party in a celebrity mansion.

"Friends?" guessed Handsome, glancing between me and Stormy.

"Hell no," was our simultaneous reply.

"I don't even know what the tree licker's doing here," said Stormy with an eye roll.

Tree licker? The fuck did that come from...?

"Ah, so you're a fairy then?" inquired Handsome.

"Is that what they're calling us now?" I furrowed my brows, appalled.

"'Fraid so. It's better than what they're calling us, though. 'Stick magicians' is even more belittling," chuckled Handsome. My eyes immediately wandered down to the ebony wand fastened to his belt. A mage. Mages were magicians who required a wand or staff to utilize magic, unlike wizards, witches, and fairies, who only needed their hands.

"No, I'm sure tree lickers is worse," I insisted. Handsome said something else but I blocked him out, mostly because Candi had just entered the room. She paused in the doorway, her sharp gaze shifting between me and Handsome. She gave me a fierce look and a menacing smile before turning and gliding right back into the foyer.

My danger senses started tinkling. Bitch was up to something.

Forgetting all about Stormy and Handsome, I zipped after her. I clicked into the foyer to find she'd vanished. What the...? Where'd she get off to so fast? She couldn't have gone upstairs or I would've seen her ascending the stairs. That was when I noticed a pair of wide-open doors off to the other side of the foyer. I automatically advanced in their direction.

I heard their voices before I saw them. The French doors lead into a living room and as soon as I entered, I saw what—who Candi had ran off to. She was standing over the couch, whispering into the ear of the lone black-gowned girl seated on it. She looked around my age, with a mane of curly black hair and vibrant green eyes that widened at whatever Candi was saying to her. She fierce gaze sharpened on me and a smug smile painted her face.

"Did you know I've mastered all of the ice spells?" she announced to the adoring crowd surrounding her. She flashed a chilly grin at me. "Watch."

Before I could react, she took out a wand like Jude's. Another mage. She aimed the tool at my feet and before I could leap out of the way, she muttered a spell and a thin blue line of light emerged from the tip and collided with my feet. Cold seared through my legs, making me draw in a sharp-as-knives breath.

My legs wouldn't move.

My gaze shot down to my feet, which were now embedded in thick ice, freezing me to the floor. "You fucking jerk! What was that for?" I barked at her.

Curly Hair smiled with smug satisfaction. "See. I've mastered the ice spells. I can demonstrate a few more if you're not convinced." My eyes widened and Curly Hair gave me a cruel grin. "That's what I figured." She rose to her feet. "Let's go see what my brothers are doing." And with that, she and her crowd made a dramatic exit into the rest of the mansion. Candi smirked at me before following.

So here I was in a room all by myself, trapped in ice. With no way of freeing myself.

Oh, this was just great...


The bitch's name was Blair. Blair Van Rensselaer. Little sister to Blake and Byron Rensselaer, the hosts of the party, and an absolute witch. Well, technically, she was a mage, but had the heart of a true-blue witch.

Some compassionate bystander was nice (and strong) enough to undo Blair's spell and free me from her ice. In the process of reversing her magic, he gave me a brief rundown of everything I needed to know about Blair and the rest of the Van Rensselaers.

In short, they were a powerful clan of mages (hehe, stick magicians) whose ancestry ranged all the way back to the beginning of the Magic Dimension. Their clan was one of the Four Great Mage clans that were said to be the progenitors of wand magic and all of magekind as well as the most powerful mages in all of the dimension. This put the Van Rensselaers on a very high pedestal, easily making them one of the most influential and elite families in the magical realm. And according to my rescuer, all the Van Rensselaers were of a similar nature: entitled snobs with a prodigious amount of power (not a good combination in my opinion). He also said Blair and her brothers went to Meknerth University, the all-time best-ranked college for mages on planet Callisto. There, they were the top of their class and designated Level Five mages, which was basically the highest ranking among mages. They were currently on break and the whole reason they threw a party was because they got bored (word had it they even bought the mansion specifically for the party).

Another thing: the dude Stormy was flirting with was Jude Embermore and, spoiler alert, Blair was hot for him. He too was a student at Meknerth University and one of the many Level Five Mages of the Embermore clan, the second of the Four Great Mage Clans (I knew there was a reason Stormy had thrown herself at him), technically making them "equals." Word had it the two dated a while back but Jude called it off (gee, I wonder why). And though Jude currently had no feelings for her whatsoever, Blair was still territorial of him and head-over-heels in love. My rescuer told me though they both possessed many magics, Jude leaned more toward fire magic and was renowned for it, meanwhile Blair had an affinity for ice (as proven). If you asked me, that was sign enough they didn't belong together, but whatever...

Blair's possessiveness for Jude was the whole reason the bitch even iced my ass in the first place. Apparently, Candi LIED to Blair and said I was flirting with Jude and Blair called herself getting "revenge" by using magic against me. It bothered the shit out of me how Stormy managed to get off scot-free and she had ACTUALLY flirted with Jude. Life was so unfair...

Now, free from the ice, I surveyed the whole downstairs for my friends. I'd been frozen to the floor for a good fifteen pride-wounding minutes, so I'd basically lost track of all of my friends, which was NOT a good thing, especially with Candi on the loose. I noticed that the crowds had thinned out, which didn't make sense considering the still-early hour. It was Saturday night. Parties didn't start clearing out until at least midnight and it was only a quarter past nine.

I regarded a few partygoers who were occasionally slipping in and out of the French doors in the kitchen and realized the action had relocated to the backyard. As the doors blew open and a bunch of laughing drunk goths stumbled in, I slipped past them and out into the crisp night air, which was laced laughter and music. Rope lights snaked between the trees, illuminating the expansive lawn. Nearly every square inch was occupied by some kind of dancing individual. Masses of people bordered the pool and fountain, all moving and shaking their bottles to the remix blasting from the leather DJ booth set up on the portable lantern-lit stage that overlooked the crowd on an elevation on the edge of the yard. And...wait!

OMG.

Working the turntables was none other than Musa. A pair of headphones fitted snug on her head as she professionally worked the records with gusto, producing the desired, energetic beats. Musa herself was openly and passionately engrossed in her work, bobbing her head, swaying her hips, and rocking her body in time with the catchy rhyme, occasionally shouting with the crowd at certain parts of the song. Her unrelenting beam seemed to amplify the song even more, making everyone go crazy (in a good way).

From the deck, my eyes scanned the hordes. I pinpointed Bloom and Brandon (Sky) along the outskirts having a good time. Any tension that had once existed between them had apparently diffused because the two were dancing with each other, laughing as they somewhat moved in sync with each other. Though they looked a bit silly, they were obviously having a good time and that was all that mattered.

Next, I located a blur of hot pink. Flora. She was sitting with some school friends on the patio furniture nearby the pool, engaged in what was evidently an amusing conversation. A few feet away, Sky (Brandon), was reveling in all the female attention he was getting by the fire pit. Females of all species and colors were encircling him, latched on to his arms and giggling at whatever dumb shit he was passing through his lips. Judging by the lopsided, carefree grin on his face he was drunk. Stella and her friends were leisurely lounging under an umbrella just a few feet away, sipping on martinis. Though she was feigning ignorance of Sky's (Brandon's) presence, I caught her sneaking a few (jealous) glances in his direction. He didn't even turn in her direction.

Okay, all my friends were accounted for. I exhaled in relief. All was well for the time being.

Relaxed by the fact my friends were safe, I allowed the music to draw me toward the party in the yard. I happened to brush by Candi, who was too busy complaining to one of her friends to register my freedom from Blair's ice. "Does Blair even know she didn't hire her?" the bitch was snarling to an idiot-looking brunette who seemed more interested in her cocktail.

The brunette gulped down the rest of her drink. "Who cares? She's fucking awesome."

A wave of triumphant satisfaction waved through me. Served the bitch right. She invited Musa in hopes of watching the girl humiliate herself but instead she was forced to witness her become the life of the party. Ah, how the tables turned. (Get it? Because Musa was literally turning tables? Ha ha ha...Pretend I never made that joke).

I spied Blair, who was lapping in the attention of her own clique. She was flanked by two young men who shared the same features as her, all of their faces reflecting the same smugness. Blake and Byron. I steered clear of them.

I aimlessly wove around the crowds, sipping from a beer I'd swiped off a refreshment cart. My eyes caught a bluish-white blur; Icy. However, I only saw her momentarily before she was engulfed in the circulating crowd. I'd already seen and ignored Stormy, who was across the yard openly glaring at Blair, who was now threading a possessive arm through Jude's. Ha, good luck with that one, Stormy.

Musa DJ'ed a bit longer before another disc jockey took the stage. He wasn't as good as Musa, but his beats were decent enough to keep the crowds hyper. Musa sprung over to me, practically glowing. All the traces of worry that had previously creased her face had faded into nonexistence. Her anxiety had been replaced with sheer

"Musa! You were awesome!" I shouted at her over the music.

"Thanks!" She gave me a quick hug that sent a wave of energy rippling through me. Whoa. Thanks to all the sound energy pulsing in the air, Musa's magic had flourished tremendously to the point it was radiating off her. The combined vibrations from everyone's voices and the continuous music had given her a major power boost, temporarily making her one of the strongest fairies here. Sounds could do that to a music fairy.

"I had so much fun," she said. Though she was talking to me, her eyes were focused on something behind me. I turned to spot the Lone Wolf and my mood immediately darkened. What was that bastard doing here? The Trix. He had to be here with the Trix (how did THEY get invited?). If so, they had abandoned him because he was alone. He was under the gazebo leaning against one of the columns, looking like a true loner. I couldn't make out his face from here, but I could image it twisted in the usual scowl.

"I'm going to ask him to dance," said Musa with a faint smile.

?!

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked cautiously. Musa was in a rather good mood and I'd hate for some dumbass like Riven to spoil it.

Musa nodded assertively. DJing had obviously given her a boost of confidence. I wanted to protest, but I didn't. What could I do? Musa's mind was set. With her back straight and her face glowing self-confidence, she advanced toward Riven. I trailed a few feet behind, a sour feeling swirling in the pit of my stomach.

Alice's warning echoed through my head once more.

Something terrible is going to happen, and to one of your friends.

My eyes veered in Bloom's and Brandon's (Sky's) direction. They were still dancing. They were still okay. I searched for Stella next. She had abandoned her friends and was slowly slinking over to Blair's group, like she was trying to become a part of it undetected like some kind of desperate groupie. Oh, right. Blair and her brothers were the ones who blacklisted her. So why would Stella try to warm up to them?

"Hi, Riven. Would you like to dance?" asked Musa, pulling my attention back to the situation at hand. Her voice didn't waver and she didn't sound one bit shy. I couldn't help but fit a tad bit proud of her.

Riven glared at her momentarily before turning his face away. That should've been answer enough, but Musa wouldn't be discouraged. "Oh, c'mon. Don't be like that. Why come to a party if you won't have fun?" she said, teasingly.

Darcy's voice suddenly floated out of nowhere. "What's going on here?"

RECORD SCRATCH.

Before Musa and I could react, Darcy was abruptly appearing at Riven's side and looping an arm through his territorially. What the…? The hell did she come from? Much to my amazement, Musa looked Darcy straight in the eye. "What does it look like? I'm asking Riven for a dance."

Darcy too seemed a little surprised by Musa's audacity, but that shock was immediately replaced with sick amusement. "Well, would you look at that? The fairy has balls after all. But just because you have a bark doesn't mean you have a bite."

I was ready to intervene at this point, but Musa didn't need my help. "Whatever, Darcy," she said thinly, "I was talking to Riven, so sod off."

"You really are stupid, aren't you? Riven doesn't want anything to do with you," sniped Darcy.

"Um, are you Riven? No, so don't tell me what he wants."

Darcy flashed a wintery smile. "Oh, would you prefer it if he told you instead?"

SHIT.

Okay, THIS was when I stepped in. "C'mon, Musa. Let's get out of here," I spat, stepping forward. I reached for her am, but Musa swatted me away.

"No!" She stared at me sharply before turning to Riven. "Riven. If you have something to say to me then say it." Oh no. I could already hear the insecurity slowly creeping into her voice.

"Yes, Riven," crowned Darcy, stroking his arm. "Why don't you tell our favorite little music fairy what you really think of her?"

Riven hesitated. For a split second, I saw doubt flash across his face. Was he thinking for himself for once? Was he somehow fighting Darcy's magic?

"Go on, Riven," urged Darcy, but it was more like ordered. There was a faint, cold edge in her voice. Like she was reminding Riven who was really in charge here.

Whatever emotion that had just flickered across Riven's face vanished and replaced with a menacing scowl. "You wanna know what I really think about you, Musa?" he growled lowly. Nothing good was going to come out of his mouth and I think Musa knew it because her shoulders tensed.

"I think you're a fucking stalker," spat Riven, "you're always watching me, always following me. You're always weaseling in my business, just like Brandon."

Musa flinched.

Riven kept going, much to Darcy's obvious delight. "You're annoying. I try to be nice to you but that's near impossible since you're always on my fucking case."

"Shut up, Riven!" I barked. "Musa, let's get out of here."

Musa wouldn't budge. Her shoulders slumped. She was breaking down. Riven was slowly but steadily cracking her wall of confidence. And now he was about to deliver the final blow and make it collapse completely.

"You wanna know what I really feel about you, Musa?" fumed Riven. Here it comes— "I fucking hate you."

Musa took a wobbly step back. Darcy laughed lightly and Riven looked indifferent. He stared at Musa with cold, unadulterated disgust, making her recoil. She whirled around to face me and my heart split in two at the silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

It was at that moment I was nearly overwhelmed with anger. FUCK Darcy, FUCK Riven. I HATED I HATED I HATED THEM. I just wanted to storm over and fucking snap a few of their fucking fingers. I wanted to shove them to the ground and stomp on their bodies like fucking trash. I wanted to—

No. That's not the way, Acadia, something told me deep down inside.

I inhaled deeply, fighting to calm myself. Shaking with fury, I seized Musa's hand and guided her away.

We were leaving this bitch. NOW.

Bloom and Brandon (Sky) intercepted us after we put a good distance between us and Darcy and Riven. Bloom's eyes bugged with concern at the sight of Musa, who was letting the tears fall quietly. "What happened?" she cried out, automatically reaching to pull Musa into a hug.

"Riven," I replied thinly. Though I was brimming with anger, my voice was oddly void of emotion.

Brandon (Sky) clenched a fist and looked back, eyes immediately landing on Darcy and Riven under the gazebo. "That's it. I've had enough of him."

"Wait, Brandon. No. We don't need to make a scene," said Bloom firmly as Musa buried her face in her shoulder, her back rising and falling as she wept silently. "Let's just go."

Brandon (Sky) pressed her lips together, but didn't protest. "I'll go get Sky."

"And we'll get Flora and Stella," said Bloom. As Brandon (Sky) disappeared into the masses, Bloom looked around. "Wherever they are…" My gaze skimmed over the guests to locate our friends.

OH FUCK.

Gone! They were gone!

Flora was no longer on the patio furniture, and Stella was nowhere to be found either. My eyes darted over to Blair, her brothers, and their clique, but Stella wasn't with them.

SHIT, WAIT A MINUTE.

I did a double-take. Candi was gone too. Last time I saw she'd been with the Van Rensselaers, but she was missing from their group.

Something terrible is going to happen, and to one of your friends.

OH MY G—

I made a break for the mansion. Bloom called out to me in confusion, but I didn't look back. I burst through the doors and into the kitchen, pushing people out of my way as I scrambled for the foyer. I checked every room on the bottom floor without any luck.

I was about to charge upstairs but then I became of one door I'd missed.

The bathroom.

I marched over and wiggled the doorknob, but it held tight. I took a deliberate step back. There were only ever two reasons behind a locked bathroom door. Either someone was hooking up or drowning in their own vomit on the other side. I raised a hand to knock, but froze when I heard muffled sounds coming from the other side. Sounds that didn't sound like violet retching or sloppy smooching. I focused on the noises, not caring if I being a total creepazoid right now.

I concentrated on the noises, making them out to be…soft sobbing? It legit sounded like someone was crying in there.

Oh fuck.

"Stella?" I called softly. "Are you in there?" I mean, it could always be Flora, but Stella was a more likely candidate.

No reply. The crying got a little louder, though.

"Stella?" I tried again.

No reply.

Fuck this. I was going in. I aimed my pointer finger at the doorknob. I muttered the words to a unlocking charm and my whispery blue magic illuminated the knob before it made a soft click, the unmistakable sound of the lock being turned.

I pushed the door open completely, smelling Stella' before I saw her. The air in the bathroom (which was fancy as hell by the way) was thick was a lavender-y mist, Stella's signature scent. My eyes immediately landed on Stella, who was sitting on the floor against the wall, her arms wrapped her knees and burying her face. Her back was slumped in defeat and rising and falling with near silent sobs.

Crap. She was a mess.

I reclosed the door and locked it. "What happened?" I demanded, keeping my distance. Mind you, the two of us were still on bad terms. And though I was concerned, I didn't want to play the role of the overly sympathetic friend and make her think I was surrendering.

In between sobs, Stella gave a strangled-sounding choke. "Like you care."

"Why else would I ask? Of course I care, you dumbass," I said, my voice softer than I anticipated. I whipped out my phone and forwarded Bloom a quick text: find Flora. I already knew I was going to be in here a while.

Stella lifted her face, surprised. Her mascara was running, making her look more than a mess. She was a hot mess. "But I've been a total bitch to you this whole week," she said, sniffling.

"Obviously. But you're having a breakdown in a stranger's bathroom, Stella. There's clearly something wrong and I'd have to be pretty cruel to leave you like this. Why are you in here? What happened?"

Apparently, something horrible happened because Stella broke into hysterical wailing at my asking. "You guys were right," she sobbed, "I was blacklisted. Those people hate me!"

"People?" I repeated, though I already knew exactly who she was talking about. It had to be the Van Rensselaers. "Why?"

Stella's head shot up, her eyes zeroing on me with eyes clouded with all kinds of emotions. "Why else? Because I'm a fucking screw-up," she snapped at me, like the answer was obvious.

She just realized? "By whose standards?"

"Everyone's." Stella tried to sniffle back her tears but ended up bursting into another strangled-sounding sob anyway. "Everyone thinks I'm a fucking disgrace!"

Whoa. That made the second time Stella used the F word. That was a first. Now that I thought about it, I'd really only heard Musa curse. Stella must've really been pissed. "Why?" I asked cautiously.

"Why do you think?" demanded Stella, "I'm a bitch!"

Okay, though she was right, she still wasn't making a lot of sense here. "So? The Van Rensselaers and their whole crew are eighty-five percent worse. You look mild as shit compared to them."

"Yeah, but there's a difference. Their clique isn't bitchy to them."

Oh shit. "Stella, what did you say about them?" I inquired.

"To them," corrected Stella with a sniffle and a deep breath, as if preparing for a long monologue. "I have a history with the Van Rensselaers, you know. Our families have been acquainted for a while now. Although our parents our friends, me and the Van Rensselaer kids…we don't get along. No, we hate each other, to be exact. They constantly patronize and belittle me over everything. My parents' divorce, my getting held back during my first freshmen year. They did whatever they could to make me feel like garbage." An image of Blair's smug face flashed in my mind. Yep, I'll believe it.

"And then one day I had enough," continued Stella, bitterly. "I couldn't take their crap anymore. Before school started, I said a few things I should've and now…" Stella sniffed. "They turned everyone against me. They're making me look like some of tier two princess! And now because I couldn't keep my mouth shut, everyone's opinion of me and the Royal Family of Solaria is tainted."

I remembered how Stella had been chilling with a group of girls before she went over to join/be degraded by the Van Rensselaers. "They didn't turn EVERYONE against you. I saw you with some girls earlier."

Stella laughed coldly. "Yeah, and that was so fun. It's not like they didn't try to humiliate me even more," she said sarcastically. Well, shit.

My insides warmed against my will. "You do know that doesn't make you a bitch, right?" I pointed out. "Sure, you said some shit to them, but those fuckers deserved it. I've had a run in with Blair and she's fucking cancerous."

"Her brothers are even worse," said Stella, her voice barely audible. Of course they are. Where else would Blair have gotten her bitchiness?

"But the thing is, who cares about what those dumbasses say," I said, speaking with a confident edge in an attempt to encourage the blond. "You wanna know why they really pick on you? Because you're fabulous. Because you're proud. Because you're royal and they're not. Sure, their family might have rank, power, and money, but your family has even more. They try to make themselves look superior to you because deep down in the inside, they're actually quite inferior. They might be destined to do great things, but you're destined to do things even bigger. Trust me, I know." For crying out loud, Stella was eventually going to become Solaria's Guardian Fairy. She was going to save her whole freaking planet on multiple occasions! Was Fallon or her crummy little clan capable of such impressive feats? Yeah, I think not.

"I mean, yeah, you can be mean at times but everyone has their days. At least you're not a tried and true bully like the rest of them. At least you have good qualities. You're everything they are plus more. They can say whatever the hell they want to you but in the end, you'll always be the better person. You'll always be number one."

There was a moment of silence as Stella let my words sink in.

"I don't get it. Why are you being so…nice?" Stella was reluctant to ask after a moment. "I was a total creep to you. I don't deserve your concern." She stared at me with eyes glazed over with tears and confusion.

Her sincerity stabbed my heart and for a second, I thought I was going to cry. But I don't. Instead, I simply state, "We're friends. Friends don't let friends break down in a hysterical fit in a stranger's bathroom. That would be a shitty thing to do."

Stella let out a laugh, making me relax. "I guess you're right. Not even I would do that."

I grin. "I know. Now get yourself cleaned up. We're about to leave. Everyone's had enough of this shitty party."

Before Stella could say anything, there was a knock on the other side of the door. "Um, is anyone in there?" called a somewhat dorky masculine voice. "I really gotta go…"

"Um, just a minute," I called as Stella scrambled to her feet. It took roughly five minutes for Stella to fix her makeup. "I'm sorry, you know. For everything I said," she said quietly as she applied a fresh new coat of mascara. She glanced at me in the mirror.

I nodded. "Apology accepted." And just like that, the tension between us faded into thin air.

When Stella was finally done, she looked every bit as flawlessly as she had when we first arrived. I unlocked the door and the two of us departed from the bathroom. "Just so you know, we weren't doing anything," I said matter-of-factly to the nerd who was standing at the door with his mouth hanging open at the sight of us.

"So where is everyone?" asked Stella as we quickly dissolved into the sea of guests.

As if on cue, my phone chimed with a new text. I expected it to be from Bloom, but it was from Musa.

Musa: COME UPSTAIRS RN

Followed by:

Musa: IT'S AN EMERGENCY

What the fuck was the problem now? And then I swore my heart stopped. Flora. I could feel the color draining from my face. Alice's warning hammered in my mind over and over.

Something terrible is going to happen, and to one of your friends.

Horrific realization dawned over me. What if Musa wasn't the one Alice was talking about? What if it'd been Flora all along?

"What's wrong?" asked Stella, sensing my alarm.

"Something's wrong. We need to get upstairs. NOW."

My mind raced as we dashed for the double staircase. I took the stairs two at a time while Stella struggled to keep up in her towering heels.

Something terrible is going to happen, and to one of your friends.

Something terrible is going to happen, and to one of your friends.

Something terrible is going to happen, and to one of your friends.

Musa sent us another text telling us where upstairs they were. After we ascended to the top floor Stella and I followed her instructions, navigating through the labyrinth of bedrooms until we stumbled upon a lone pair of double doors at the end of a hall.

We burst in to find a huge bedroom. "Lock the door," ordered Bloom upon our arrival. She and Musa were gathered around the four-poster bed, where something lay limp across it. I nearly screamed in horror when I made it out to be a body; a naked, tan body. Light brown hair concealed the face, though I already knew who it belonged to.

Flora.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.

"What the fuck happened?" I yelled, rushing over as Stella took care of the door. "What happened to Flora?"

"We don't know. We just came up and we found her like this!" replied Musa, panicked. "She's knocked out cold!"

OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT. This was NOT good. A girl passed out in a stranger's bed, naked? That could mean she was—Someone could've taken advantage of her—

I fought the urge to barf. I couldn't think about that now. For now, we just needed to focus on getting her out of here.

"Where are her clothes?" hissed Bloom. All of our heads snapped in different directions in search of Flora's garments. We all went in separate directions; Stella ran over to the closet, Musa scurried into the bathroom, and I dropped to my knees to check under the bed. I half-expected to find a condom, but I found nothing.

"They're not in here," reported Stella, emerging from the walk-in closet after a moment.

In the en suite, we heard Musa swear in frustration followed by the sound of sloshing water. "Musa?" called Bloom, her voice laced with uncertainty. "What's wrong?" Stella and I were already heading in that direction to find out.

We found Musa doubled over the bathtub, fishing out…oh shit. The tub was filled with water and floating in it was none other than Flora's missing garments. "Shit," Stella and I swore simultaneously, hurrying over. Everything Flora had worn to the party was in the water, even her jewelry. While Stella grabbed her earrings and bracelets, Musa went for the bra and shoes while I extracted the dress. Since the fabric had absorbed so much liquid the dress felt a good two pounds heavier.

"What are we gonna do? We can't put these wet clothes on Flora," panicked Musa unsteadily. She was scared shitless. You could hear it in her voice. She was so unnerved she wasn't even thinking straight or she would've remember—

"Fairy of the Sun," reminded Stella, "I got this." She zapped the dress I held with a bolt of yellow energy and just like magic, it returned to its lighter, dry state in a matter of seconds. While she casted the spell on everything else, I carried the dress back into the bedroom.

"Help me get it on," directed Bloom. I obeyed, holding a limp Flora upright, adjusting her limbs accordingly so they'd ease back into the dress as Bloom yanked it past her shoulders and down her body. I could tell Bloom was doing her best to be gentle but the sheer desire to shield our friend's nakedness was making her a bit forceful. Flora's head lolled to the side and I bit back a frightened cry.

"Someone call the boys," I instructed instead as Musa and Stella came out of the bathroom with the rest of Flora's stuff. We worked quickly; while Bloom and I finished dressing Flora, Stella stuffed the rest of Flora's things into her large bag, and Musa whipped out her phone. Musa shot Brandon (Sky) a quick text and roughly two short minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Musa unlocked the door with her magic and Brandon (Sky) burst in, ready to handle some shit. A drunk-ass Sky (Brandon) staggered in seconds later.

Their eyes bugged when they caught a glimpse of Flora. "What happened?" they both demanded. "Who did this?" Brandon (Sky) nearly shouted.

"We don't know. We just came up and found her passed out naked," explained Musa shakily, trembling. "We have to get her out of here." Her eyes were glazed over with tears and, poor girl, she couldn't stop shaking. She was overwhelmed with fear. Hell, we ALL were.

She didn't have to say anymore. Brandon (Sky) was already on it. He hurried over and wrapped one arm around Flora's back and the other around the bend in her knees before lifting her out of Bloom's embrace.

"C'mon." Stella waved us all toward the door. "We need to take her to hospital. NOW."