Three Weeks Later…

"I'm going to do it," I said matter-of-factly, rising to my feet.

Bloom seized my shoulder, preventing me from leaving the table. "No! You can't," she hissed, shooting a glance in their direction as if checking to make sure Candi hadn't overhead. "You'll just make it worse."

"It's going to get worse if someone doesn't do something," I retorted in an equally hushed tone.

"What can we do, Acadia? What can we possibly do without hurting her even more?" asked Bloom in a pleading whisper. Though we had practically had this same debate every day for the past three weeks now, it always hurt to hear the defeat in her voice, to face the cruel reality of our situation once again.

I sighed and sat back down, surrendering just as I knew I would. This was how lunch period played out now, with either me or Musa swearing we were going to stand up to Candi only for our friends to act as the voice of reason and dismiss our audaciousness.

Heavy silence fell over our table as we continued our meal. None of us were in the mood to talk. In the beginning, Stella would try to make a witty remark or crack a joke in hopes of lighting the mood or encouraging us to readopt our usual lunch routine we had prior to the blackmail, but gave up when none of us took the bait. We all knew her intentions were good, but how could she possibly expect us to act like ourselves when everything was shitty, when we were missing one of our own?

I couldn't help but glance longingly at the empty seat beside Musa. Flora's. Even after all this time it still felt weird—wrong not seeing her there, not having her here with us. It hadn't been until recently I noticed just how significant each of us was to the functionality of the Winx. Take one of us out of the equation and life seemed abnormal, incomplete. Like a giant crater of emptiness had appeared in her absence, making you feel hollow and raw on the inside. Now I understood why a lot of people were reluctant about making friends; they feared the possibility of getting too attached and forming a bond, a bond that when severed left you depressed and with a waning, cold void of a heart.

I glanced in the direction of floor-to-ceiling windows and stared out at the dreary world outside. The sky was dark with masses of gray clouds, and the central courtyard was glossy, muddy, and near flooded from the nonstop downpour we'd been experiencing. The rain had been coming down relentlessly for almost two weeks now, almost as if the clouds themselves were extensions of our sorrow and wept alongside us.

I tried to focus on sounds of the rain battering the glass, desperate to drown out the surrounding sounds. All around us tables were bustling with activity, crowded with our classmates who had the luxury of spending lunch break like normal, carefree teenagers. Their persistent chatting, gossiping, and giggling rang in my ears, welling me with envy. How I missed the days when all the Winx were together and we could enjoy lunch break like typical lighthearted and untroubled teenagers instead of having to sit in this lonely, insufferable silence.

That feeling of lonesomeness transformed into sheer anger when Candi's light laugh—the most annoying sound in the world—rang out, somehow louder than any other sound in the dining hall. Fury bloomed in my cheeks. Typical. Everything that bitch did was for attention. Everything she did and said was just to draw attention to herself, to have all eyes on her. Although I was tempted to glance over there just to catch a glimpse of Flora, I refrained from doing so just for the simple fact I didn't want to give Candi the satisfaction. And then, as if she somehow knew I resisted, Candi aggravating laughed out loud a second time as if commanding the people who'd ignored her the first time to stop what they were doing and feast their eyes on her.

Even though it was against my better judgment, I gave in and craned my neck in their direction, doing just that. Like every reigning clique, Candi and her entourage sat at the centermost table doing the absolute most. Candi and her top two henchmen were flipping their hair and being all extra, relishing in the attention their new groupies and the rest of the dining hall was giving them. Fuck them—my focus wasn't on those harpies at all. Instead, I was staring at Flora, who quietly sat among them. She was staring down at her lunch, absentmindedly picking around her mashed potatoes. Though from my vantage point I could only see her backside, I was more than positive her deep green eyes were pooling with sorrow and loneliness. Judging by how she sat slumped in defeat, she was broken. She'd given up.

The anger that had blossomed in my cheeks surged to my fists. I was so, so tempted to storm over there, punch the holy hell out of Candi, and then whisk Flora back to where she belonged with must've sensed my exasperation because she gave me a small nudge, one that reminded me I wasn't alone in my frustration but that I needed to act sensibly for Flora's sake. Sensibly. I'd come to resent that word over the past three weeks. In case you hadn't noticed, I never did anything "sensibly". Like Riven and Musa, I had a temper and it made it hard for me to act levelheadedly. When I was angry at someone I wanted to take it out on them specifically. Fuck what Nereus suggested—I wanted to make Candi pay. Fuck sitting around and doing nothing—it had gotten us nowhere and only forced Flora into more despair. I was a person of action, and this had gone on long enough. I was going to fuck that bitch up in front of the whole damn—

"That is not the way of a fairy, Acadia," said Bloom quietly, interrupting my thoughts as if she'd read them.

I whipped my head around to challenge her, a retort dangling on the tip of my tongue. As badly as I wanted to speak my mind, much to my own surprise, I ended up biting down on my tongue so hard the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Bloom was not the enemy here. And she was right. All Alfea Fairies were expected to abide by the same code, one that insisted a true fairy did not always use violence as a first resort.

Though I yearned to march over and kick Candi's ass, I managed to channel enough willpower to keep me glued to the bench.

The rest of lunch was not easy for me.

Though I'd managed to rein in my violent impulses, the anger was still there. And it flared up tremulously when I saw how Candi bossed Flora around. Every few minutes the bitch would tell Flora to go fetch her and her friends something irrelevant like napkins or something just for the hell of it, and Flora would have no choice but to obey.

Candi was obviously making use out of Flora now that she had the girl at her beck and call. The bitch had wasted no time in transforming Flora into her little servant—she'd put the blackmail into full effect not even a day after we found out she had Flora's nudes. Flora was whisked away from us immediately and before we knew it she was doing Candi's homework and running small errands for her. It only got worse over time. Eventually, Flora was around Candi 24/7 and following her around wherever she went, catering to her every need. She had to go where Candi went regardless if it was the mall, a bar, etc. Candi was in complete control of her actions, even her voice.

I was ninety percent sure the bitch had told Flora to stop talking to us, because she just started avoiding us out of the blue. Originally, Flora would always make time for us at the end of the day when Candi was finally finished with her, but she didn't go anywhere near us now. She didn't even talk to Bloom, her own roommate.

Candi knew we were close and was trying to detach Flora from us while she simultaneously threw it in our faces. No, the bitch legit tracked us down during random parts of the day to blow her own horn and taunt us with all the "wonderful things" she was making Flora do for her. Musa and I had nearly gotten into a fight with her three times so far.

I hated her. I hated more than the Trix, I think.

The Winx and I were going to find a way to make her pay. I didn't care what we had to do; Candi was going to suffer tenfold for this shit. Some nights sleep I even imagined the most cruel, horrific things happening to her to put my mind at ease long enough so I could fall asleep. I was that hellbent on making Candi hurt.

That bitch was going down. Soon, I hoped.

Because of karma didn't give it to her soon, I would.


Um, quick question.

WHY IN THE FUCK did Trillium Moon sell shit?

I wasn't joking. I was staring into a vial of some this very moment. I knew what you were thinking: what kind of retard just stares at shit? I knew it was creepy and weird as fuck, but I couldn't help but stare at it. I mean, what kind of shit was blue? Yes, blue.

I was the stock clerk, meaning I was in charge of stocking the shelves (obviously) with Trillium Moon's mystical merchandise. It generally carried and sold more ingredients for potion-brewing than anything, so most of the goods I handled were in flasks and vials. I'd been in the middle of unloading one of the new packages that'd been shipped to the store just this morning when I came across this weird lumpy blue stuff—shit.

I turned the bottle over and read the small label. "Sunray spider waste? The hell? I didn't even know spiders shitted." Shitted was the correct past tense, right? Or was it shat?

Azriel, who was lying on the counter nearby the cash register, lazily lifted his head and rolled his eyes. "Of course they do. Every living thing has to expel waste."

"Yeah, but who'd wanna use spider shit in a potion?" I didn't know which was worse: the fact some poor soul had actually tracked down a sunray spider (whatever the fuck that was) to collect its shit, or the fact people actually bought the shit to use in a concoction (which, hopefully, was NOT meant to be edible. Remind me to never drink a potion unless I had the word-for-word list of ingredients).

Azriel yawned. "I don't feel like explaining it to you. Ask your friend," he said, bobbing his furry head in Flora's direction. "She's not completely ignorant in potioncraft, unlike you and the red. You two couldn't even brew a simple remedy for a common cough." He then curled into a ball and was snoring softly once again. I scowled at him. Some "supervisor" he was. All he'd been doing was napping and frequently throwing insults at one of us (and by one of us, I meant all of us).

I stole a glance over at Flora, tempted to make my sixth attempt at starting a nonchalant conversation since we'd started our shift. I ended up biting my tongue. I didn't want to look like I was desperate for her attention (even though I was). Instead, I turned around on my stool and resumed supplying the shelves with the sunray spider shit.

Although Flora, Bloom, and I had just started working here two weeks ago, we'd already got comfortable with our new responsibilities and fallen into a routine. After classes ended we had thirty minutes to ourselves to get whatever we needed done (usually just a little of our homework. Or in Flora's case, Candi's homework. Or whatever errand-of-the-hour the bitch made her run) before we all caught the 3:15 bus and commuted to work together. Though Magix City was legit a few miles always, traffic was always chaotic in the afternoon so it typically took a good thirty minutes just to get to the downtown station. From there, Upolm Avenue was only a five-minute walk away so we always arrived at Trillium Moon precisely ten minutes before our shifts started.

Upon our arrival and getting settled in, Andelle and Violet would always relent power of the shop to us before disappearing into the backroom (where employees were not allowed) until we had an issue with a customer (which was rarely) or it was time to close up. In their absence, Azriel was tasked with supervising us as well as guarding the shop. He sucked at both of them.

While as I was TM's stock clerk (ooh, fancy), Bloom was the cashier (ha, poor her), and Flora and the assistant manager (lucky). I was completely content with my position. In fact, being the stock clerk was actually pretty sweet. Not only did I NOT have to deal with the customers or their messes, but since I handled the merchandise I got to marvel at TM's wide variety of magical goods firsthand. Every new shipment gave me something to wonder at whether it be a jar of dragon drool, or, in this case, a vial of sunray spider poop (still couldn't get over that). Plus I was constantly active so my legs couldn't cramp.

If anything, it was Bloom who got the short end of the stick. Being a cashier seemed SUPER boring. All she did was stand in the same position the whole shift, working the same machine, pressing the same buttons over and over. I'd be bored senseless if I was her but Bloom seemed content with her job, which was good enough for me.

Flora had the most responsibility out of all of us. It was her job to make sure Bloom and I stayed on task (since Azriel was so obviously doing a great job at that) as well as handle the customers when minor issues arose. Sometimes, when the store was having a rare moment of peace, she'd often take up a broom or help me load the shelves. She'd also taken it upon herself to water and nourish Trillium Moon's vast assortment of plants every day. She never missed one; if one of the pots were atop an impossibly high shelf she'd simply retrieve a ladder or use her wings. If one of them was in an awkward position, Flora would somehow wriggle into any tight space she needed to. Anything for the sake of the plants.

Flora.

There was so much I wanted to do for her, say to her. But I couldn't. Thanks to the Winx and I's many merciless efforts to get through to her, Flora had started to steer clear of us all together. And it was all because of Candi.

Fuck her.

It was because of that bitch Flora was so depressed (or something close to it). And she was only getting worse. Originally, when Candi first started blackmailing her, Flora hadn't been too unlike herself. Sure, she'd be a little dismayed, but she would always find time for us at the end of the day. And when we went to work, all of that drama with Candi would momentarily become nonexistent. Flora would revert back to her usual self again. But things were different now. Now, Flora wouldn't talk to us after classes or even come near us. She would no longer elaborate on the shit Candi was putting her through, nor would she even smile at us. Or even look at us. And to make things worse, her despair had followed her to the workplace. She didn't even attempt to talk to me and Bloom about anything outside of work and she straight up avoided us whenever she got the chance. She didn't even make eye contact anymore.

Candi was obviously putting her through hell.

The Winx and I constantly worried about her, but there was ultimately nothing we could do to change her predicament at the moment. We were stuck. She was stuck.

I watched Flora out of the corner of eye. She was circling the room with the watering can, nurturing the plants. Her face was blank, but that was the closest she'd come to looking happy in a while. When she was with the plants. Or when that person visited the shop.

I turned my attention back to the task at hand. Just as I was shelving a jar of Creatarian troll drool (which had the thick, white consistency of mayonnaise. Gag. It was beyond me how anyone could tolerate looking at that stuff, let alone use it in a potion), the entry bell rang as the glass entrance opened. I didn't have to look up to know who'd just entered Trillium Moon.

Flora whirled around, her face brightening just a little at the sight of the new customer. "Good afternoon, Karel," she greeted him with the faintest—faintest hint of cheerfulness.

Karel. That person I'd mentioned two paragraphs ago.

I glanced over my shoulder at Trillium Moon's most regular customer. Karel was the same guy who'd held the door open for us the day we'd first visited TM, that young man with the flared teal hair. I hadn't occurred to me when I first saw him, but Karel was actually a character from the Winx Club comic series. Though I'd never read the comic he stared in, I found out about him from surfing the Winx Club Wikia pages like a true superfan. From what I'd read, Karel debuted in one of the early comics that was either set later in season one or after it, but definitely before season two (I never really understood how the comics worked. Since they followed the timeline of the cartoon I always just assumed they were just the lesser adventures of the Winx in between major events.)

For some odd reason, Karel was the only person who could bring something close to a smile to Flora's face in her time of gloominess. I think it had something to do with the fact Karl had been Flora's love interest in the comic canon. Although practically all the Winx had a string of non-Specialist love interests in the comic series, Flora only had one from what I remembered. That was Karel. He was meant to be Flora's potential lover prior to Helia. Considering they both looked the same, it was my theory Karel's character design had been based off Helia's. Sure, Karel's comic came out first, but only a month or two before the season-two episode with Healia's first appearance aired. For that matter, Helia had definitely been in the picture first considering his episode had come pretty early on in the season, meaning he'd been written into the storyline months prior to Karel's comic. Apart from that, Karel had actually been a backgrounder in the cartoon a few times, though he'd never had an official speaking role. (Yes, I kept up with this stuff. Don't judge me).

Karel didn't smile at Flora, or even say anything to her. All he did was give a small nod of acknowledge before proceeding to pick up his weekly ingredients. Karel was a distant one. He didn't talk much and never smiled or opened to Flora's friendly advances. We didn't know much about him beside the one thing Azriel had told us: he was good with potions.

He came in every few days to buy a few things for his concoctions and though he usually bought an assortment of things, he always purchased peppermint, this doughy-looking pink crap with a name I couldn't pronounce, this foamy white stuff with another name I couldn't pronounce, and this bubbly purple substance with yet another name I couldn't pronounce (Azriel was forever calling me illiterate since I couldn't properly enunciate half of the names of the ingredients Trillium Moon carried).

I watched with keen interest as Karel silently commenced with his routine shopping trip. His trips to TM were always short and precise; as soon as he came in he always made a course straight for the potion ingredients, collected what he needed without so much as showing interest in the other merchandise or us for that matter, paid for his shit, and then left. I observed him every time he came in and I knew he knew it—he just ignored me. I couldn't help myself; Karel was just so mysterious. As new employees, Flora, Bloom, and I started to become familiar with the store's regulars—like that teenage who came in every week to buy an anti-pimple potion or that hot vampire who kept getting hexed by his girlfriend and stumbled into Trillium Moon every once in a while for Andelle or Violet to lift the curse—but Karel was one guy who remained a stranger.

I spied on him as Flora tried to start a conversation with him. Part of me wondered if she liked him. I wasn't gonna lie, dude was pretty fine. He was muscular like the Specialists and though he looked around our age, there was something about his intriguing air that made him seem older, more mature. I couldn't explain it. I wouldn't mind if Flora did like him, but I leaned more toward the HeliaxFlora pairing (Okay, I adored it. Helia and Flora were the best WC couple in my opinion. SkyxBloom was too annoying and stereotypically cliché in that we're-the-main-characters-so-our-relationship-is-supposed-to-be-perfect aspect, StellaxBrandon was alright but I always felt like they were only the "it" couple after Sky and Bloom only because they were their best friends, TecnaxTimmy was pretty solid but I oftentimes preferred to see T and T have a romance outside of technology, and RivenxMusa was kind of fucked up considering Riven's douchery).

Too bad Helia wasn't around yet. Maybe he'd be able to help Flora emotionally. Hmm. I wonder what would happen if he'd been part of the first season's storyline. How much would the story change, and would it be for the better or worse? Were the Specialists even acquainted with him yet? I doubted it. That'd just be weird to have him show up out of the blue. Would Flora even like-like him then? I didn't know. For that matter, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to track him down and throw him at her. Not that I'd been considering it. Okay, so maybe I had, but I was not about to take my chances and throw off the storyline even more off course.

But still. Maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea…


Although our shifts at TM lasted four hours, it always only felt like one. Time flew by and before we knew it it was time to leave. Azriel disappeared into the night to do whatever the heck demon cats did, and Andelle and Violet emerged to help with the after-hours cleaning. After exchanging goodnights with them, Bloom, Flora, and I grabbed our jackets and proceeded to head out.

Bloom was the first to get to the door, pushing it open and allowing some of the crisp, clean night air to waft into the building. However, instead of walking out, Bloom remained frozen in the doorway, her whole body tense as she stared out at what awaited us on TM's doorstep.

You had got to be kidding me.

Loitering under a streetlamp on the sidewalk in a suffocating mist of lavender perfume was none other than Candi and her nameless pair of loyal groupies. Though the three of them were always scandalously dressed, they looked extra skimpy tonight in slutty crop tops, mini-miniskirts, and hooker heels. Their hair was glimmering with glitter and their makeup was applied so flawlessly it looked airbrushed. They were bent over their phones but snapped to attention when they saw us, their mouths upturning into cruel, identical smiles at the sight of Flora.

Oh hell no.

I pushed Bloom aside and stormed outside to confront them. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked thinly.

"Don't worry, we're not here for us," purred Candi. She stared over my shoulder me and smirked at Flora, who was lingering in the doorway with Bloom. "C'mon, Flora. We have somewhere we need to be." Behind her, her minions snickered evilly.

Flora's eyes widened. "Now?"

"Yes, now. The boys invited us to a party and we're gonna be late if you don't hurry up."

Oh, I'll be damned. "No hell. You're not taking her anywhere this late," I spat, stepping in front of Flora and gesturing up toward the early night sky. It was five minutes past eight, and the curfew for freshmen on school days started at ten. And judging by how these bitches were decked out, they were planning on staying out wayyy later than that.

Candi rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Like curfew every stopped you and your friends. Now c'mon Flora. The boys are waiting."

"Fuck that. Flora's going back to school," I growled, "we just got off work and she needs to rest, not to mention catch up on all the homework she's been missing because of someone." I feared for Flora's safety. Now that Candi had Flora under her control who knew what the bitch would try to make her do. What if she forced Flora to strip for the perverted partygoers? What if she had her smoke weed or snort coke or do Ecstasy? No, I was getting carried away. Flora wasn't that stupid. But still. Something could go disastrously wrong.

Candi gave a small laugh that was somehow both nasty and beautiful. "So? That's not my problem so I don't care. And last time I checked, Flora does what I say so run off back to school before you make things worse for her."

A threat, plain and simple.

My nostrils flared. "Bitch, let me tell you something—"

"Stop," interjected Flora wearily, stepping around me and sidling up to Candi's friends submissively. She wouldn't even meet my eyes as she said, "It's okay, Acadia. You and Bloom should get back to school before it gets too late."

My heart dropped to my stomach. "Flora—"

"Just go. I'll be fine. Stay safe, okay?"

Bloom and I just stood there, completely helpless as Candi spritzed some lavender perfume on Flora before prancing down Upolm Avenue, Flora obediently trudging close behind. We remained frozen in the middle of the sidewalk well after they disappeared around the corner.

"C'mon. We're going to miss our bus," reminded Bloom gently, taking my hand and guiding me down the avenue in the opposite direction.

I was a bit hesitant at first because I wanted to follow them, but then I yielded when I remembered there was someone at Alfea I wanted to talk to. That someone had something to do with the game plan I'd been formulating to take down Candi, one I was dying to put into motion.

I'd had it up to here with this "doing nothing is doing everything" cougarshit ('bullshit' is sooo overused). This crap had gone off long enough and it was time to act.

Now.


Later, I stormed into Whytewich and made a course for Alice's room. Just as I was about to knock on her door, it opened and Mi-Sun came out.

She blushed. "Oh, Acadia! I, uh, was just coming to ask you something…"

"Yes?" I inquired halfheartedly, peering over her head (she was a short ass) and into her and Alice's room. The lights had been dimmed and about two dozen candles were arranged around Alice's half of the room, emitting the sweet aroma of vanilla. Alice herself hovered a few inches over her head with her legs crossed and eyes closed, meditating in the shadows formed from the wavering candlelight.

"Oh, well, um…" stammered Mi-Sun, fidgeting and staring at the carpet bashfully.

"Yes?" I repeated, wishing she'd just spit it out so I could walk in and talk to Alice.

There must've been an impatient edge in my voice, because Mi-Sun quickly and apologetically said, "Er, never mind. I'm sorry." And then she quickly stepped around me and exited the apartment. A wave of guilt washed over me. I didn't mean to scare her away. Mi-Sun was the shy type and had barely held a conversation with any of us. Eh, I'd worry about her later. I was on a mission right now.

I entered the room, stepping around the candles strewn around Alice's side. "You wanted something, Acadia?" she asked without opening her eyes.

I took a deep breath. How could I explain this? "I need your help," I started.

Before I could explain, Alice calmly said, "A bully is blackmailing one of our closest friends and you want me to use my future vision to glimpse into their future to see if they're going to do something despicable so you can use it against them in exchange for your friend's freedom."

That's a precog for you. Always one step ahead of you. "Pretty much," I nodded. The only way to fight fire was with fire. If Candi wanted to blackmail Flora, I would just to have to blackmail her back to level the playing field. I just needed some good dirt on her. And I figured, who better to have some then the girl who knew what you were going to do even before you did it? All I needed was for Alice to give me the date, time, and place of the next time Candi was going to fuck up and you'd best believe I was going to be fucking prepared for that day.

"You already know your answer."

"Yes?"

"No." Alice opened her eyes, training her stunning eyes on me. "For one, that's not how recognition works. I can't choose what visions I see. Second, you know that is not the way of a true fairy," she reminded gently. Ugh, not this shit again.

"Yes, but I'm not going to sit around and let Flora be used like some kind of puppet. The only way to put the bitch in her place is to give her a taste of her own medicine."

"Fairies don't seek revenge, Acadia. I know you are frustrated, but attempting to 'fix' the situation this way will only lead to more chaos." There was no scorn in her voice—only tranquility and patience. Hours-long meditation could do that do a person. "Trying to dish your opinion of justice will only worsen things. Have you ever heard the expression 'doing nothing is doing everything?'" I had a feeling she knew I had. "Sometimes it's best to sit back and let justice serve itself naturally."

Ugh, double not this shit again. I threw her the same cold question I'd given Nereus when he suggested the same thing: "And how long is that supposed to take?"

"Take it from the girl who can see the future: justice will come for Flora. In time."

Translation: No time soon.

Man, fuck this shit.

"Thanks, but I don't exactly feel like waiting that long," I scowled, turning to leave. She wouldn't help me? Fine then. I'd just have to uncover some shit on Candi by myself. This school was full of chicks who hated the queen bee as much as me. I'd sure they'd be more than happy to spill.

Like I said earlier: I was done waiting around. It was time to shut this shit down for good.