A/n: This chapter might be bad; I rushed it since I wasn't feeling right this week.


I was camping out in my closet right now, and not by choice.

It was two days later and I was legit living in my closet in my dorm room. I had no other option; it was either sit in here for the rest of the day or roast alive outside.

See, these past two days had literally been hell on earth—Magix. It was suddenly got hot as fuck out of nowhere, and it was all anyone was talking/complaining about besides Candi's "kidnapping."

Two days ago while Flora, Bloom, and I had been entertaining the Trix at Trillium Moon, Senator Burkett went live on air and proclaimed his daughter had been "kidnapped." I put air quotes around it because I didn't believe it for a second. I had two theories: either this was nothing but a hoax to increase Senator Burkett's ratings, or the senator himself actually had no idea where his daughter was and thought it'd be easier on his reputation to lie and claim his daughter was abducted instead of admitting to/coming to terms with the fact his daughter was an uber slut and was most likely imprudently crashing at one of her boyfriend's house.

Although I didn't believe the senator's sad story for a minute, the rest of the school—and Plant Magix for that matter—ate it up. Suddenly, Candi's "abduction" was all anyone at Alfea could talk about. You know how it was whenever the media presented to the public with a story that was intended to be tragic no matter how slight or exaggerated; suddenly people were drowning in their own tears and acting all sympathetic like they truly cared when, in reality, while a lot of them were being legitimately genuine, the majority actually didn't give a shit was just putting on an act so they wouldn't look like heartless assholes. That was what was happening at Alfea; practically all of the girls were being dramatic and shit and offering the Burketts their prayers and condolences when in truth they all knew they were just being insincere and fake as fuck. 65% of the student body couldn't give less of a shit about Candi's disappearance; they were simply keeping up appearances for their peers and teachers.

I, on the other hand, didn't even try to act or even look sympathetic. In fact, I was the completely opposite. I was thankful the bitch was gone. Apart from the insufferable heat, these past two days had been heaven without her. Flora was starting to actually acknowledge us again, which was great. Things were slowly but steadily returning to how they should've been. Though it was wrong, a part of me actually wished Candi would never come back and ruin this. Alfea was better off without her.

My phone dinged and I checked it to see a new text from Musa.

Musa: Get over here ASAP

Um, not happening. It was too damn hot to—

Musa: And don't give me that BS about how u can't do shit in this heat. Get off your ass & get over here NOW. It's important.

UGGHHHH. "This better be good," I muttered to myself as I picked myself up. I was greeted by a gust of heat the second I opened the closet door. Even with the blinds closed and curtains drawn it felt around ninety degrees in Amaryl's and I's room. It was so hot it fucking smelt like heat. And it was only worse outside in the hallway. Literally no one was in the halls it was THAT hot. And the staff swore they had the AC blasting at full power.

I trudged down the hall, making my way toward Dragontail. The door was unlocked as usual, so I let myself in. The Winx were already in mid-conversation by the time I entered the living room, their voices hushed and heated.

"Please, calm down. It's not a big deal," Flora was pleading to Musa, whose fists were clenched at her sides as she nearly trembled with rage. Oh boy, Musa's anger was flaring up again. This wasn't good.

"What's not a big deal?" I demanded. All faces turned to me. I gave the room a once over. Stella was seated on the couch, looking unnaturally quiet. Tecna was beside her, stiffer and more stony-faced than normal. Bloom and Flora sat on the other couch, both of their expressions unreadable. Oh fuck, something wasn't right. "What happened?" I demanded.

Bloom gestured toward the chair. "You might want to sit down first."

"Fuck that, just tell me what happened," I snapped.

Musa turned and stared at me with eyes burning with hatred and fury. "The police questioned Flora."

I sat down.

There was a moment of silence as I took a moment to process what I'd just heard. The police questioned Flora. But…why? Suddenly, the only logical answer hit me. "About Candi," I said thinly. "But why?" A wave of fear washed over me. "Oh, don't tell me they think Flora had something to do with—"

"No, no!" Flora shook her head. "They didn't ask me any questions like that. They just asked a few questions about Candi specifically for more clues about her disappearance."

….

"When did this happen?" I asked coolly.

Flora bit her bottom lip. "About fifteen minutes ago."

"What I don't get is how they even knew to talk to Flora," spoke up Stella, frowning. "Flora only just recently associated herself with Candi, and there's not even any evidence to prove that."

"Flora went everywhere Candi did," I pointed out, "anyone in this school can tell you they were involved with each other."

"Yeah, but that wouldn't give the police a reason to question her," countered Musa, "Candi has plenty of friends and they aren't getting pulled into empty classrooms by the authorities."

"The only logical explanation is that one of Candi's close friends snitched," said Tecna matter-of-factly, "Candi's best friends weren't in class yesterday, and I heard rumors about them were being down at the police station."

"That would make sense," sighed Bloom, "whenever someone goes missing, the prime suspects are always the boyfriend and the best friends. But what does that have to do with Flora?"

"It's my assumption Candi's friends might of hinted to the police that Candi had something scandalous on Flora," replied Tecna, "in an effort to steer the police off their trail, they probably gave them a list of people that could potentially be suspects."

I frowned. "Since Flora was being blackmailed by Candi, it'd be easy to assume she had something to do with her disappearance."

"Exactly."

"So you're saying they think Flora's a…suspect?" asked Stella.

"Most likely."

"That can't be true," Flora stood up, shaking her head again. "The police specifically told me I wasn't in any trouble. They just wanted some more information in hopes of getting a lead. If I was a suspect they would've taken me to the station like Candi's friends.

"Yes, you're not in trouble. Yet," said Tecna, "the case is still young. The police will probably be back to question you again in the future."

"Wait, but doesn't Flora have the right not to talk to them without a lawyer?" pointed out Musa, almost desperately.

I turned to Flora. "She's right. You should probably tell your parents—"

"No," said Flora sharply, cutting me off. "I can't tell my parents about this. I don't want them to find out about…the pictures. I don't want to disappoint them."

Bloom's eyes widened. "But Flora—"

"I said no!" Flora took a deep breath. "I appreciate you girls' concern, but everything's fine. I'm not guilty and the police don't think so, so that's that. They have no reason to interview me again. Now can we please talk about something else?"

The Winx and I shut up about it, but I knew we were all worrying on the inside. The police talking to Flora was not a good sign. Not a good sign at all.


Temptation was a bitch.

Lifting a cheap handheld fan to my face, I stared at the curtain that divided the backroom from the rest of the store with itching curiosity. It wouldn't hurt to just take one peak, would it?

It was later that afternoon—and still hot as fuck—and me, Flora, and Bloom were doing our regular duties at Trillium Moon. This shift was different, however, mainly because Andelle and Violet weren't here. They had some errands to run so they left us to man the shop in their absence. Azriel was nowhere to be found as usual, so it was just us three.

And now that Andelle and Violet were gone, I found myself fighting the urge to snoop through their sock drawer. And by sock drawer, I was referring to the mysterious backroom. From the beginning the witch sisters had made it perfectly clear it was off-limits to employees, so none of us had a clue what—or possibly who—they were harboring in there. On normal workdays, the pair disappeared back there and never resurfaced until it was time to close up. And although they were usually tucked away for hours on end, we never heard them make a sound, almost as if they'd gone to sleep or something. Whatever it was they felt the need to keep hidden from us had to be epic; otherwise why would they conceal it? Not even Azriel would give a hint as to what we were being kept in the dark about and why. It was all some big secret, one we weren't allowed to be in on. I trusted that the sisters weren't doing anything shady or evil—Bloom's instincts, the Dragon Flame, was what led us here and I was more than positive it wouldn't guide her into the hands of some closet murderer or whatever—but all this confidentiality was really getting under my skin. I'd wanted to peep into the backroom since Day 1—and now that the sisters were out of the picture I had the perfect opportunity to. So why hadn't I already?

It was because although I was nosy as hell, I still had morals. I was having an internal struggle between right and wrong, as corny as it sounded. The impulse to investigate Trillium Moon's forbidden room was nearly irresistible, but at the same time my good conscience was telling me to respect the rules Andelle and Violet had given us. It was a matter of ignoring or satisfying my curiosity and I was leaning more toward the latter. I mean, I didn't have to go IN; I could just sneak a quick look past the curtain. Andelle and Violet would never know, right?

As if she read my thoughts—or simply caught me staring—Flora stopped watering the potted plant on the counter to turn and give me a strict look. "Absolutely not," she said firmly. "Ms. Andelle and Ms. Violet trusted us to look after the store, which is a big honor considering we're only new employees. I won't allow you to betray their trust."

I looked at her and feigned innocence. "What are you talking about?"

"They probably left us alone with the store for a reason," said Flora seriously, "to test us. They want to see if we'll make like the Trix and disobey them behind their backs. Bloom and I really like it here and I refuse to let you ruin things for us."

Her tone had me taken aback for a moment. Ever since the start of the blackmail Flora had shown little to emotion, so it was surprising so get such a reaction out of her. I was so shocked, in fact, that I blinked and found myself apologizing. "I'm sorry."

She simply nodded and went back to nourishing the plants. She even started...humming? Though it was faint and not nearly as deep and passionate as it normally was, she was definitely humming, something I hadn't heard her do in weeks.

Wow. Candi had only been "missing" for three days now, and Flora was already showing signs of reverting back to her old, cheery self. That was why I didn't understand why Flora worried about the bitch so much; she was TOXIC and Flora was better off without her. For crying out loud, Candi OPPRESSED her and did not deserve her concern in the slightest. Yet, Candi and her wellbeing was all Flora thought about. Regardless of what she did to her, Flora still cared, which was both sickening AND admirable.

Me and the rest of the Wind were worried too; not about Candi but Flora. The whole police-questioning thing really raised our suspicion. It bothered the shit out of us to know Flora might be a person of interest in the case of Candi's kidnapping, but we were going to dismiss our fears for now. If Flora herself was okay with it then we were too. Besides, maybe this was just a one-time thing. Maybe the authorities really didn't consider Flora a suspect.

Eh, why was I trying to convince myself with that bullshit? I'd watched and read way too many shows and books about this kind of thing. When it came to these kinds of situations that involved the law, being innocent didn't mean shit. One could still be framed and suffer for a crime they didn't commit. Flora, who was guiltless yet so naive, failed to realize this. And to be honest, it was probably for the best. If she understood the true situation she was in she'd be scared shitless right now. I just prayed the police wouldn't look into her any further so she wouldn't be forced to accept that cruel reality.

Just then my handheld fan's cheap plastic fans stopped osculating. "What the—? Oh, you had GOT to be kidding me," I whined. I tried flipping the switch to off and then on and then off and then on again, but the blades failed to spin. "Great. The battery's dead. Now I'm probably gonna die of heatstroke." And it definitely didn't help there weren't any fans or even AC in this bitch.

"Funny. I'm not hot at all," said Bloom with a shrug. Of course SHE wasn't. Duh, fairy of the Dragon FIRE. She was most likely immune to the heat.

"I'm not hot either," said Flora. And sure enough, there wasn't a drop of sweat on her skin. I on the other hand was perspiring profusely. My skin was all hot and stinky and my shirt was drenched with rings—fucking RINGS—of sweat.

"Maybe you're just dehydrated," said Bloom, eyeing me in my uncomfortable state worriedly. "I'll go out and get you something to drink." Though I knew she was offering to do so out of the kindness of her heart, I also suspected she just wanted to leave the store and stretch out her legs. Ever since we started our shift there'd legit been ZERO customers thanks to this heat wave. The inactivity had made Bloom restless and she was obviously more than anxious to get out and do something—ANYTHING. Fine by me. I wasn't trying to do SHIT in this heat.

"Yes, PLEASE," I groaned, noticing how sandpaper-dry my mouth was.

"Alright, hold tight. I'll be right back," said Bloom before slipping out of the door.

"Thank you," I called out before the door eased shut behind her. Ugh, why couldn't I be a fire fairy like Bloom? Life would've been so much easier. I wouldn't have to worry about roasting in the heat or getting third-degree burns. Plus I'd be able to burn things (and possibly people if I had to) at will.

Nahh. I was better off being a wind fairy. Besides, it'd make the Winx less unique if two people had the same power. Not to mention I'd probably become a pyromaniac—

My thoughts were cut off when the welcoming bell sounded, meaning someone had just entered the store. Flora and I both inclined our heads to greet the newcomers, and our jaws nearly dropped at first glance.

Standing at the entryway were two young women, one with hair like coal and the other like snow, who looked a little older than us and were by the two most gorgeous women I'd ever laid eyes on.

The pale dark-haired girl, who was tall and voluptuous with depthless kohl-accented spider-black eyes and full lips the color of freshly spilt blood, clearly had a thing for blood as she was clothed in it from the large, curved, velvet, badass-looking witch hat that perched atop her head of glossy bone-straight hair to the lace-up combat boots on her feet. The opening down the middle of her cape revealed an obsidian-colored jumpsuit that was paired with a belt—a belt that had a coiled whip fastened to it (oh boy. That couldn't be a good sign). Though her partner wasn't nearly as curvy and sported a simpler getup—a plain dark green dress, slate tights, and gray cowboy boots—she was just as beautiful, if not more. She was tall with grey skin, pink lips, and striking features. Her glowing hair fell down her back like a waterfall of moonlight, making me self-conscious of my own hair (which, mind was, was all weighed down and stringy with sweat). Her most distinctive feature, however, was her fearsome nails. They were long and lustrous and looked metallic—like iron. Just seeing how sharp they were made me realize how easily my soft flesh could yield to them. Though these ladies were undoubtedly stunning, there was something about their auras that was unsettling, intimidating. Like they were capable of horrible things and had no problem doing them.

Suddenly something told me these ladies weren't here to simply browse around.

The raven-haired one outright ignored her and gave Trillium Moon a judgmental once-over. "So this is what has become of the guild hall of the once-glorious White Witches of Trillium Moon," she said distastefully in a light, beautiful accent. Though she wore a calm never-faltering smile, her eyes were welling with obvious disgust as if she was displeased with her surroundings.

Flora managed to overcome her awestruck-ness first. "H-Hi. How can I help you?" she asked, her voice coming out a bit shaky as she finally found it.

Moonlight Hair's sharp eyes zeroed in on us and she took a step toward us, making me want to take a step back. "Where are Andelle and Violet Volreich?" she asked coolly, her voice surprisingly deep and husky in contrast to her partner's. Volreich? THAT was their last name? I didn't even know they HAD one (I mean, you can't blame me. Rainbow never bothered to officially give ANY of their characters surnames).

Flora shrunk under the woman's hard, unrelenting gaze. She was too obviously getting bad vibes from these two, meaning they were unquestionably trouble.

I managed to stop gawking and get a hold of myself, stepping in front of my friend protectively. "Who's asking?" I asked, mirroring Moonlight Hair's tone.

Her eyes bored into me and I resisted the urge to shiver. "Don't test me, fairy. Where are the matrons of the Trillium Moon clan?"

Matrons? I'd always known Andelle and Violet were part of the White Witches of Trillium Moon in its prime during the Great Witch War, but I never knew they were the head honchos. I guess that was another thing they'd failed to mention.

I clicked my tongue. "Sorry, sweetheart. That's classified information." I didn't even know where Andelle and Violet were, but they didn't need to know that.

"We do not have time to play your childish games, fairy. I suggest you tell us what we want to know," advised Hat Lady with a slightly amused smirk, "or things will not end well for you."

Was that a fucking threat? Alright, so we were going there—

I shifted into my fairy form. "Come on, bitch. We can take you both."

Though reluctant, Flora followed my lead. "We were entrusted with watching over the store. We will not hesitate to fight if—"

Hat Lady aimed her pointer finger at the nature fairy and before either of us could react, a long, thick white cord shot out of her fingertip and snaked around Flora. The attack caught her by surprise and caused her to stagger backwards before losing her footing and falling, her backside colliding with the floor. "You were saying?"

I whirled around to find Flora squirming on the ground, trying to break free from the rope of spider web-like substance that had cocooned her from her torso all the way down to her knees. "It's too strong," she said hopelessly through bared teeth, fighting against her restraint to no avail.

Hat Lady gave a satisfied click of the tongue. "Of course it is. My webs are virtually indestructible."

I gritted my teeth. "You're gonna pay for that!" I spat nastily before charging at them, flapping my wings furiously.

"Acadia, no!" yelled Flora, but I ignored her.

I was coming in hot, but neither of them even flinched. The incantation to the Wondrous Wield spell was dangling on the tip of my tongue but before I could enunciate it, Moonlight Hair pointed two fingers at me and a bolt of vapor-like magic shot out of them. It came so fast I didn't have enough time to move, and it ended up hitting me. I expected the spell to hit me like a projectile and send me flying, but my body absorbed it instead. What came next took place in a matter of seconds.
First, this weird twinge of energy shuddered through me and though I tried resisting, the magic coursed through my limbs and completely overpowered me. And then suddenly, my wings felt like they were made of stone and my arms and legs felt like bags of sands were hanging from them. It felt like an avail had been placed on both of my shoulders, and it became harder and harder for me to carry my own weight to the point I couldn't even do that anymore. Overwhelmed by the sudden pressure on my body, I sunk to the ground, landing face-flat.

I tried to get up, but I felt so heavy I could just barely lift my face off the ground. It was like someone had literally stacked a few bricks on my head. "Wh-what did you do to me, you bitch?" I growled through my teeth, struggling against the invisible force that was weighing me down to no success.

Hat Lady laughed lightly. "My cousin put a curse on you. It inflicts an internal burden on her opponent, making them feel too heavy to move."

I attempted to sit up, but it was just too hard to even budge. "D-damn you! I'll—I'll—"

Suddenly, Hat Bitch was towering over me. "You'll what? Stand up and fight us? Yeah, I don't see that happening," she purred, looking down on me. She reached for her whip, but her partner intervened.

"Enough, Arachne. The fairies are irrelevant. We came here with the sole purpose of delivering a message to the Volreich sisters," she reminded impassively, proceeding further into the store.

"Arachne" scowled in return. "Those two disgraces aren't even here. They would've showed themselves by now."

"Search the store to be safe. I wouldn't put it past them to hide like cowards," said Moonlight Hair, making a course for the backroom.

Flora, who was still wrapped in Arachne's web, desperately and powerlessly writhed on the ground a few feet away from me. "No, stop!" she shouted at Moonlight Hair's backside as the sorceress approached the room we were prohibited from entering. My heart and mind raced. This wasn't good. If Andelle and Violet didn't want us to see whatever was behind that curtain, I was more than positive it went tenfold for these jokers.

Arachne groaned and relented to the order, withdrawing her hand from her belt. "Fine. You're never any fun, you know that?" Just as she was walking around me to join her cousin, the sound of the welcoming bell tore through the store abruptly as the front entrance fiercely swung open. From my vantage point on my floor, all I saw was a pair of brown boots dashing into the store. Whoever they belonged to charged at Arachne and I craned my neck around just in time to see Karel landing a blow on the bitch from behind. The crow-haired sorceress let out a strangled yelp before falling forward. She landed with a heavy thunk, her hat slipping off her head as she collapsed at Karel's feet.

The teal-haired young man now had everyone's attention, including Moonlight Hair's. She spun around and set her gaze on Karel challengingly. Karel, who was unmoved by the deadly glimmer in her eyes, approached her until they stood just a few feet apart, his face just as blank as hers. "Leave this place. Now," he ordered calmly.

"You are in no position to give me orders," said Moonlight Hair coldly. She tried zapping him with a spell, but Karel evaded it swiftly. I expected Moonlight Hair to make a second attempt at the spell but much to my surprise she launched at him, readying to throw a fist.

"Watch out!" cried out Flora.

Karel knocked the punch away and before I knew it, they were engaging in a fist fight. I would've watched but my head grew too heavy for me to hold up anymore. I let it slump back to the floor, somewhat exhausted for lifting it up for so long. As I tried mustering some more strength, the sounds of Karel's and Moonlight Hair's battle rung in my ears. From the sounds of things, Karel was purposely steering his opponent away from me and Flora so neither of them would step on us. They eventually ended up on the side of the store to my right, allowing me to see them from the corner of my eye. And from what I could tell, both were clearly experienced in hand-to-hand combat. They moved with a great sense of balance and nimble footwork, allowing them to move quickly in every direction.

Moonlight Hair was landing a blow on Karel's cheek, making him stagger backward a few inches. He regained his footing only seconds later, but not before his backside brushed against a glass shelf on the wall behind him. As a result, a few of the glass vials fell off and plummeted to the floor, exploding into pools of liquid and shards. Karel, caught off-guard by this, slightly inclined his head to rearward to see what he'd knocked into. This gave his adversary an opening for a few seconds and she took the opportunity to unclench her left hand and slash at Karel with her iron nails. Her teal-haired opponent had reflexes that were just as fast and he reeled back, but not in time to fully avoid her metallic claws. They caught his shirt and ripped off a few shreds, but didn't pierce his skin. Moonlight Hair, anxious to draw blood, attempted the same attack again but it was Karel who retaliated this time. He saw the error in her footwork and used it to his advantage, hooking his foot around her ankle and yanking upward. Moonlight Hair stumbled to the ground, giving Karel enough time to correct his posture.

The white-haired sorceress jumped to her feet and locked eyes on her opponent, who maintained his bearing attentively, ready for her to strike again. I thought Moonlight Hair wouldn't hesitate to but she remained perfectly still, her back turned to me. "What is your name?" she inquired of Karel, the slimmest hint of respect in her voice.

Karel straightened, shedding his defensive stance. "Canin Whitesteel," he said, impassive still. A lie. Honestly, I didn't blame him. No way in hell would I give the bitch my real name either, not so she could hunt me down and slit my throat with those horrific nails in the middle of the night. "And yours?"

I heard her smirk. "Veronique* Gulrithius." I assumed they'd get back to fighting, but the woman did not pounce at Karel. Instead, she turned her back to him and started toward me. My heartbeat skipped a beat as she neared but much to my confusion, she went around me and instead proceeded toward her fallen comrade. She hoisted her off the ground and onto her shoulders before effortlessly carrying her over to the glass door.

Wait, she was leaving?

"Veronique" paused and looked us all over. "This is not the last you've seen of us," she said shortly. "Tell Andelle and Violet Volreich that the Shadowmoon Clan Witches have not forgotten our clans' history and are still alive and very much a threat." The hell was that supposed to mean?

"Wait, the hell are you going? Come over here and lift this fucking spell," I barked at her, but it was too late. "Veronique" was already pushing the door open and walking out. Fuck, now what was I supposed to do? Keep lying here until Andelle and Violet came back?

"Karel, are you okay?" asked Flora, her voice laced with concern.

Karel spoke with the same emotionless tone. "I am fine," he replied, scanning the store in search of something. He made a course for the alcove and reached over the counter, seizing the hunter's knife I hadn't realized was mounted on the wall until now.

"What are you doing with that thing?" I spat, eyeing him suspiciously. Sure, the guy just saved our asses and all, but we still didn't know him. Karel didn't answer. Instead, he advanced toward Flora with the weapon in hand and crouched down at her side. "If you hurt her, I swear I'll—" I started and then stopped short when I realized he was helping her. Applying minimum force, Karel ran the tip of the blade down the length of the layer of spider web enveloping the nature fairy, creating a small but decent-sized tear. He then discarded the knife and ripped apart the rest of the web with his bare hands, freeing Flora. Ha, so much for being "virtually indestructible."

Flora arose and looked at her hero gratefully and I swore she was on the verge of swooning. "Thank you so much—"The door suddenly blew open, startling her and alerting Karel. His whole body tensed but then relaxed when Bloom ran in with a plastic bag. "Alright, I'm back," she was announcing, "sorry it took so—" She took one look at Karel, Flora, and then me on the ground. "What happened?"

Funny how people always decided to show up after a fight. "Long story," I sighed. "Just do me a favor and help me up, will ya?"


This is all that damn cat's fault," muttered Andelle with an annoyed edge in her voice as Flora and Bloom swept up the last of the glass. "If he was guarding the store like he's supposed to none of this would've happened. Just wait until I get my hands on his furry little ass." It was later that evening and the Volreich sisters had returned from "running errands." I wanted to cry with relief when they finally came back. Up until then I'd been seated on the stool Bloom and Karel, who hadn't left just in case he had to fend off the witches again, had lifted me up on, still feeling like a sack of a bricks. Thankfully, Violet lifted the spell with ease as Flora explained what happened.

The sisters had seemed startled when we got to the part when Veronique identified herself and the Shadowmoon clan witches. In fact, they were nearly frightened until Flora clarified that Bloom hadn't been present during the attack. That calmed them down a bit, and I just now understood why: they knew Bloom had the Dragon's Flame. When I asked why it was so important whether or not Bloom was there, the sisters simply dismissed my question by insisting they were only concerned because Bloom was new to magic and wouldn't stand a chance against Veronique, but I knew better once they revealed that Veronique belonged to a witch clan called the Dark Sisters of the Shadowmoon, the rival coven to the White Witches of Trillium Moon—I honestly thought their name would be something like the Black Witches of Daffodil Sun or some shit—since before the start of the Great Witch Wars centuries ago. Out all of the clans, the Shadowmoon Witches had been the most cunning and vicious as well as desperate to get their hands on the Dragon Flame. If they'd been that hellbent on obtaining it, I doubted they stopped looking for it after the war. Imagine what would've happened if Veronique saw Bloom—if the Trix could sense her rare magic in the cartoon, Veronique would've been able to in a heartbeat and that would NOT have been good. It would've been more than easy to overpower us all and deliver Bloom to the matron of the Shadowmoon clan, who was probably the same bloodthirsty bitch who massacred dozens of hundreds over the Dragon Flame all those centuries ago during the war.

And though Andelle and Violet appeared at ease now, I knew they were deeply troubled by all that occurred today. Just because we dodged a bullet today didn't mean we were in the clear. Veronique would back, and who heaven knows when. If she ever discovered Bloom's magic, she'd probably bring her whole coven to Trillium Moon's doorstep. That wasn't the only issue either. If it got the Dragon Flame had been reborn in the form of a young, inexperienced fairy, we'd have way more to worry about than Shadowmoon Witches. There was a possibility practically all of the ancient covens would gun for Bloom, triggering a whole new Great Witch War. And who knew what non-witch enemies would jump the bandwagon in addition to that. The Trix, who couldn't possibly stand up to the older, larger, more lethal covens, would be the last of our problems. Just thinking about it made my stomach queasy, and I chose to stop thinking about that for now.

Once we got done cleaning up the mess, Karel finally spoke up. "Forgive me for damaging your merchandise," he said somewhat sympathetically to Andelle, the first emotion I'd ever detected in his voice. "I will pay for it."

"No!" blurted Flora, jumping up. "He was only defending us, so we'll pay for it instead." This caught my full attention.

GIRL, I AIN'T PAYING FOR SHIT—

Andelle simply waved away their offers. "Nonsense. All of it can easily be replaced, but the girls cannot. You protected them and for that we are in your debt. After all, they just became official members of the Trillium Moon crew today."

This surprised us. "What are you talking about?" asked Bloom, "I wasn't here to help fight the witches—"

"Not that, dear," interrupted Andelle. She winked at her. "You passed the test."

Test? What—oh. I ignored the triumphant I told you so look Flora was giving me. Smartass.

While Karel stayed a little longer to talk to the Volreich sisters, the girls and I prepared to commute back to school before it got dark. When exchanged goodbyes and on our way out I paused when I realized Veronique had left behind her partner's fallen, fresh-ass hat. I lifted it off the ground and brushed the dirt off it, noticing the mint condition it was in. It'd be a shame to throw it away and let such a good hat go to waste.

That's when I got an idea.

Instead of tossing it into the garbage can, I simply tucked it under my arm and followed my friends out of the door.

Finders keepers, bitch.


XXX

*Veronique is a witch from season 6 I thought it'd be cool to add into the story. Also, I apologize for the crappy fist-fight scene. I haven't had a lot of practice with writing physical fights.