A/n: Today marks the 10th chapter since the last one I posted all the back in 2016. Time sure does fly. You know, I'm actually thankful I had this story on hiatus for so long. Had it not been for that break my eyes never would've been opened to the true potential of the story. Originally, when I was writing the story back in 2016, I intended for every chapter to be a half-assed spinoff of every episode in the first season. I was being lazy and never truly aimed to rewrite the storyline. Though that was easy, it was also boring. That's why I quit writing for the rest of 2016 and most of 2017; it was getting dull and extremely tiresome clicking through the episodes, finding the transcripts, and copying nearly word-for-word. Because of this, I never planned on finishing this story or even going past chapter 16. Time went on and I deliberately ignored this story. But then, toward the end of 2017, I got into fantasy fiction and my eyes were opened.
I admired how all the authors conveyed magic and their unique supernatural settings, how they brilliantly blended their ideas and literary elements to create the perfect storylines that kept the reader both intrigued and entertained. And I thought to myself: why can't I do this? Why did I have to copy the episodes? Why couldn't I be creative and put my own spin on the storyline? I then started to slowly but steadily take interest in Winx Club and this story again. I even got into the comics, which, in my case, have almost proven to be better than the actual show itself. Oftentimes the plots in the comics are more mature and well-written and the secondary characters introduced are far more diverse than the ones in the cartoon (and actually serve a purpose!). Again, I thought to myself: what would be the result if someone was to merge the elements of both the cartoon and comics? That gave me even more ideas, even more motivation to resume O Wondrous Wielder of the Winds.
And THEN, just recently in fact, I found myself analyzing the cartoon and though I'd been watching Winx Club for years now, I discovered things I hadn't noticed until now. Winx Club was fairly flawed. Though the show was amazing (only the first three seasons in my opinion) there were so many things the writers didn't elaborate on, so many things they turned a blind eye to, so many things they didn't handle correctly. I legit have a list called "everything about Winx Club that bothers me" and it's what I'm using to rewrite the plot. I want to write something BETTER than the creators, I want write something they couldn't in a million years (unless they hire better storywriters.) That's why I took up this story again and will finish it, better than ever.
I have no idea why I just told you all that. Maybe I just needed to get it off my chest. Anyways, here's chapter 26. Hope and you all enjoy, and don't forget to leave feedback at the end! TYSM!
"Bullshit!" exploded Musa as Flora's face sheeted white.
My breath got caught in my throat and I choked on it. "Dead?" I managed to spit out, completely dumbfounded. "Are you sure?" A nod from Tecna made my head spin.
"But wait, that can't be right," protested Bloom, shaking her head. "If a locator spell's supposed to find the target's body, wouldn't it still find her remains?"
"Unless they were destroyed completely," I pointed out, my mouth going Sahara dry. "Like someone incinerated them." Beside me, Flora let out a strangled gasp. I didn't blame her; the gruesome thought of someone murdering a teenage girl—no matter how vile—was just horrifying. Even worse, what if they burned her alive? I shivered and swallowed the lump in my throat, trying hard to not imagine what it'd be like to spend your last moments in scorching, blistering pain.
"That isn't how a tracking spell works. Spells intended to find living things detect and follow the target's specific mana signature," explained Tecna, "a corpse doesn't emit mana, rendering the spell unsuccessful. Based off the data in this report, Candi's most likely—"
"Maybe Candi's just evading the spell," cut in Flora, desperate to hear anything but that. "You said that could be a reason it failed."
"Yes, but I highly doubt it," a matter-of-fact reply from Tecna as she scrolled through the files onscreen. "In order to resist a tracking spell, the target must enchant themselves with a cloaking spell more powerful than it. This is impossible in Candi's case; she's just a freshman at Alfea, an amateur magician who's completely incapable of casting a spell that's strong enough to counter the magic of a professional on the police force."
"Okay, so maybe someone else is cloaking Candi," I suggested. "Maybe someone powerful—more powerful than any sorcerer in the police department—kidnapped her and is using their magic to keep her off the radar." I mean, look at Faragonda, Griffin, and the Volreich sisters. I was more than positive their magical powers trumped the authorities' and that were dozens of hundreds of other skilled magicians just like them out there. Take the Shadowmoon Clan witches, for example. To be Trillium Moon's rival clan, they had to be strong. One of them could've easily ambushed Candi and concealed her presence with a spell. Depending on the witch, doing so could even be child's play.
Tecna confirmed my theory as a possibility.
"And what about distance?" spoke up Stella, putting her hands on her hips. "Doesn't that have something to do with the range of locator spell or something?"
"Actually, Stella, it does," replied Tecna, sounding vaguely surprised that the blond actually used brainpower to make a valid point. "Depending on the strength of the caster, a tracking spell can only go so far. The Magic Dimension is full of different realms and planets, but it's my guess the spell only reached the ones neighboring Magix."
"So Candi could've just ran off to someplace outside the spell's limits," said Musa, calming down. She snorted. "Probably with one of her secret boyfriends."
"That's impossible," supplied Tecna, tapping the holographic screen and launching a new window beside the one she'd been reading from. "The teleportation portals that link the worlds are heavily—heavily monitored and cannot be utilized without proper authorization. According to what the detectives wrote in this report, they got special permission to view the portals' activity logs. Candi didn't show up in any."
"So she didn't get off Magix via portal. That doesn't rule out the possibility she could've left by airship," argued Musa.
"Yes, but that would take much longer. And, mind you, the police attempted the locator spell not even two days after it was announced she was missing. If Candi deliberately tried to leave the realm on an aircraft she wouldn't have got out of the spell's radius in time."
Silence engulfed the room as everyone let this sink in.
Based on the information Tecna just gave us, there were only two conclusions we could draw about Candi's disappearance, two ugly truths we had to come to terms with: either Candi had been kidnapped by an insanely powerful magician or she really was dead. Either possibility wasn't going to make things any easier for us. For Flora.
"So...what do we do now?" asked Stella at last, glancing between us uncertainly as she fiddled with a lock of hair.
"Nothing. We can't do anything," replied Flora gloomily, her head hanging in both defeat and despair. Judging by how crumpled her face was, she had officially lost all hope. It showed in her eyes, in her posture. The way she sat reminded me of a dead houseplant: wilted and lifeless, the complete opposite of how a nature fairy was supposed to be. Seeing her in this state just made me...ugh, I couldn't even describe how pissed and frustrated I was. This was Flora; for fuck's sake, she was supposed to be sanguine, not sulky. Hopeful, not hopeless.
I happened to glance over at Musa to find she looked even more miserable than Flora. And for the first time since this drama started, I didn't have a shred of sympathy for her. Instead, something else swelled in my chest: hate. It wasn't much; just a kernel, but it was definitely there. And it made me start seeing things in a different light, Musa in a different light.
It was HER who'd been so insecure about herself, so in denial about her feelings for batshit crazy Riven.
It was HER who played right into Candi's hands, her trap.
It was HER who Flora was suffering for.
This was HER fault.
This whole time I'd been trying to convince her otherwise, trying to save a sliver of that damaged ego. Fuck that; now that I thought about it, I couldn't believe I'd been feeding her that bullshit. Couldn't believe I'd been pinning all the blame on Candi—even though that bitch was 90.18% at fault—when this was partly Musa's doing. If she hadn't been so fucking self-conscious about her feelings for Everyone's Favorite Asshole, if she hadn't been so hell-bent on looking tough and just dropped the act for a second to get her head on straight, to think straight, none of this would've happened. Maybe then we'd be out on the town enjoying our weekend right now instead of staying cooped up in here giving ourselves headaches.
Musa caught me staring and our eyes locked. We held each other's gaze for a moment and I wondered if my eyes reflected my emotions, if they gaze her any insight into how I felt about her at the moment. They must have because when Musa finally turned away she avoided looking in my direction again.
Whatever. I didn't give a damn about her right now anyway. No, now was the time to focus on Flora. "Don't say that." I found myself blurting. There had to be something we could do. For crying out loud, this was the Winx Club. I grew up watching Winx Club and the thing I'd always loved most about my childhood heroes was their determination. They never chose to give up and nothing—NOTHING held them down for long. They always overcame every obstacle that presented itself regardless of how big or complicated and I refused to believe now would be the exception.
"Maybe we could try the spell ourselves?" suggested Stella.
Tecna snorted at her ignorance. "Are you crazy? That's one of the most advanced spells to learn. The chance of someone with our level of experience successfully casting one is—"
"Okay, we get it, Tecna" interrupted Musa, wrinkling her nose in annoyance "We already know the odds are against us. No need to throw it in our faces and get us even more depressed."
"I'm not trying to make anyone depressed," insisting Tecna impassively, "I'm only simply stating the facts. There's no point in deluding ourselves into thinking we can accomplish things that are outside our expertise."
An idea popped into my mind. "Then how about we go to someone who is capable of casting the spell? Like Faragonda," I said. "I'm pretty sure she has to be a master of magic to be the headmistress of this school."
Stella brightened. "Oh yeah, the headmistress! I completely forgot about her. All we have to do is ask her to—"
"No, we can't," interjected Flora firmly, surprising us all. "If we go to the headmistress for help she'll make us explain how we know what we know. If she finds out we broke into the police's database, that we did something illegal, we could all get expelled. You guys have already gone through enough trouble as it is; I won't let you get kicked out of Alfea because of me." My heart dropped. She still thought she was too blame?
"And besides, it'd cause way too many legal issues if the headmistress got involved in the case," added Tecna.
"The Volreich sisters," said Bloom suddenly. "We can go to them for help."
Musa whipped around fast. "Who?"
I facepalmed. "Why didn't I think of that?" DUH. Centuries-old witches who'd been practitioners in magic nearly all their lives.
"The two ladies who own Trillium Moon, the place where Flora, Cadey, and I work," explained Bloom. "They can try the spell. I know for a fact they're stronger than anyone on the police task force." Stella and Musa exchanged uneasy glances. "Don't worry, we can trust them," assured Bloom, rising to her feet. "We have to go to them for help; it's our only option."
I swallowed the jump in my throat. "And our only hope."
"You give the fools at MCDP too much credit," insisted Andelle distastefully, shaking her head in disgust. "They couldn't cast a spell good enough to find a set of keys, no less a missing person." Not that long later (and after a quick lunch break), the girls and I found ourselves seated around the Volreich sisters in the heart of Trillium Moon. The sisters had closed the shop for an early lunch break the second we all appeared in the doorway, as if they sensed we'd arrived in grave need of their assistance. They'd listened attentively as we explained most of the situation, deliberately leaving off the specific details about the blackmail and the part where Tecna and Timmy hacked the police and unlawfully obtained their information. With this being their first trip to TM, Tecna, Stella, and Musa had been a little dubious about the witch sisters in the beginning, but they were already starting to grow accustomed to them and the shop's welcoming, non-evil atmosphere (and talking cat). Stella was even checking out their assortment of potions, apparently more interested in concoctions that could erase pimples than the task at hand.
Violet nodded. "We've collaborated with them in the past," she explained, "they were completely unprofessional and had the magic experience of a ten-year-old." My chest loosened a bit. Sure, it was pretty sad to hear how shitty and unreliable the authorities were, but it was reliving at the same time. If they truly were that magically inferior, then there was a good chance they did the tracking spell incorrectly and Candi wasn't dead.
Azriel snorted from his lazy perch on Flora's lap. "Don't insult them like that."
I glanced at him. "The police?"
"The ten-year-olds."
Tecna didn't look convinced. "When was this?" she inquired of Andelle.
"Fifty years ago."
My heart dropped. Fifty years was more than enough time for the police to get their shit together. There was even a possibility they were never as inexperienced as Andelle and Violet let on. Remember, the pair once fought in a war against the deadliest covens in all of Magix so there was a good chance they were just holding MCDP to unfairly high standards, as they had a different definition of strong. Maybe they hadn't made a mistake.
Defeat must've been written all across my face because Violet said, "Don't look so gloom. There is still hope. Andelle and I have mastered all the tracking spells in the book, and we would be more than glad to aid in finding your friend." I tried not to wince at "friend." Though Andelle and Violet had no idea we would never dream of being friends with Candi—otherwise our desperation to find her would look suspicious—but I couldn't help but feel a bit insulted. I wasn't alone, either. Out of the corner of my eye I spied Musa trying not to gag.
Bloom brightened. "Really? Thank you so much!" I too felt a flicker of hope. "How can we help?"
"In order for a locator spell to work we'll need something that has strong traces of the target's mana signature," explained Violet, "like one of her personal possessions. Once we have this, the most vital part of the spell, everything else will be a pushover."
I shot off my stool excitedly. "Then it's settled. We'll run back to Alfea, grab something out of Candi's room, and—"
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," announced Tecna. I tried not to look irritated at her habit of killing the mood. "We can't just stroll in Candi's room."
I blinked. "Yes, we can."
"Not without consequences. Candi's side of the room is under investigation for clues, so the police most likely rigged it with runes that will prevent any unauthorized individuals from entering. And even if that's not the case and we did have unrestricted access to Candi's room, they still have advanced equipment that can detect our lingering mana trail in the air even days later. Either way they'll know we snooped through her belongings and might consider us persons of interest in her disappearance."
Ugh, damn it.
Andelle simply waved away the tecnofairy's comment away. "Don't worry; there are cloaking spells to get around this. Runes like those are triggered by mana; they permit access to ones they recognize, prohibit ones they don't. There's a certain charm that conceals mana and therefore would allow you to enter without activating any of the runes embedded in the floor or leaving evidence of trespassing. However, the charm only lasts for a short time. If we were to enchant you with one now it would have already worn off by the time you make it back to Alfea. You would need to be enchanted at the school, giving you just enough time to get what you need and get out before the magic subsides."
Flora frowned. "That's definitely a problem. You two are the only ones capable of casting a spell like that, but it's not like we can just bring you back to school with us."
I groaned, shoulders dropping. "There's always a catch."
"And a solution," added Violet, "though he doesn't look it, Azriel is a master magician and can perform the spell in our place. It would be easier to get him inside Alfea—"
"I will do no such thing," interrupted Azriel firmly, sitting up. "I'm not your little lapdog."
"Actually, you are," countered Andelle, narrowing her eyes. "We have a contract. You have to do as you're told unless you want the hellhounds to come nipping at your heels." It made sense that Andelle and Violet made a contract with the demon (however that works), but the fuck were hellhounds? Whatever they were they had to be no joke because Azriel didn't protest further.
"Alright, so it's decided. We'll take Azriel to Alfea so he can use the cloaking charm to help us get into Candi's room" said Bloom, standing up as well. "We'll grab what we need and run back in no time."
"There's just one little problem," piped up Musa. We all turned to her. "How are we supposed to smuggle a demonic cat into school?"
Easy: through Stella's overpriced, oversized handbag.
Though he hissed and scratched and threatened to consume our souls in the process, we managed to force Azriel's furry frame into Stella's purse to find he fit inside perfectly. He was nothing but a headache the whole way back to Alfea but, mercifully, quieted down when we crossed over onto school grounds. I felt Griselda's beady little shark eyes lock onto us the second we entered campus, but I pretended like I didn't notice. I fought the urge to shiver under her hard gaze as she watched us like a hawk, her eyes following our every movement and boring into us like she saw straight through us, like she knew we were in the midst of some kind of scheme. I half-expected her to storm over and demand what we were up to, but, thankfully, she remained on the other side of the courtyard. We feigned casualness all the way to the dormitory, where we all released sighs of relief once we were safely out of Griselda's sight.
We raced upstairs and burst into the Winx's apartment, closing and locking the door behind us. Azriel nearly flew out of Stella's purse when she finally opened it. He landed on all fours nimbly, tail erect as he scowled up at us from the carpet. "The next time you try to shove me into that dreadful thing, mortals, I'll slit your throats." He huffed. "And if you really insist on toting me around like some kind of toy puddle, at least have the decency to do it in something more fashionable."
I eyed the blond's purse, an undoubtedly expensive tote crafted of golden leather that had a pattern like armadillo skin. "The purse is kinda ugly, Stella." I felt bad for the exotic creature that had to die to make it (because we all knew that was how the rich rolled. Hunting down and butchering rare animals all for the sake of a purse or a pair of heels they'd most likely only wear once).
"Ugly?" repeated Stella, insulted. "I'll have you know—"
"Who cares about the purse," cut in Musa, wrinkling her nose. "Let's cut the bullshit and do what we came to do." Well, sorry. Someone's impatient.
Bloom agreed. "Yes. The sooner we get this done the sooner we find out where Candi is."
"Probably find out where Candi is," corrected Tecna. "We don't know if the witches' attempt will be successful." I saw a flicker of worry in Flora's eyes and I bit my tongue to refrain from snapping at Tecna.
"Yes, yes. Let's get on with it," said Azriel as he stretched out, already bored. His nose twitched. "I'm not too fond of the smell of teenage girl. Or rabbit." His gaze shifted over to the doorway leading into Flora's and Bloom's doorway, where Kiko was literally cowering at the sight of the demon cat. Oh man, Kiko! I forgot all about his furry little ass, even though he legit almost went everywhere with Bloom. Speaking of Bloom, she went over to scoop up her childhood companion and shot Azriel a glare that totally said, Don't you even think of eating my bunny.
Azriel just rolled his gorgeous eyes. "Wouldn't dream of it. I find that domesticated animals taste like antifreeze." Kiko looked about ready to pass out in Bloom's arms and I didn't blame him. The demon cat just released a cute little yawn, dismissing the blue rabbit entirely. "Enough about me. Let's get on with it, shall we? Who all's playing amateur sleuth?"
We all exchanged looks. "I'll do it," offered Flora. "I've been in Candi's room enough to know where she keeps her things."
"I'll go with her," I said, careful not to let my excitement show. Getting entrance to Candi's lair was just what I needed to turn this whole situation around. Think about it: if I had access to her room, I had access to her STUFF as well. Who knew what juicy things I could find if I looked in the right places. Maybe I'd find a clue about her disappearance, or, even better, something I could use to blackmail her with later, like a diary or nudes (a slut like Candi was guaranteed to them).
Much to my dismay, Musa stepped forward. "Me too." She tried to catch my eye but I pretended to not notice.
Azriel's whiskers twitched. "Anyone else?"
Bloom shook her head. "The rest of us will be on lookout."
Azriel made a sound of indifference before mumbling a quick, incompressible incantation to a spell. I felt his magic shoot down my spine before dissolving into the rest of my body. "There. It's done," he said sluggishly, "the clock's ticking so I suggest you be on your way." He leapt up on the couch. "I'll be taking a nap in the meantime."
That was when I noticed some kind of glowing mark on the back of my palm. Flora and Musa had it on theirs too. "What's—"
"That mark's an indication of how much longer the charm will last," said Azriel before I could finish, "when it starts flashing that means the spell is close to wearing off."
Flora nodded. "Right. Thank you." We started for the door, but Tecna hopped in our path.
"Wait," she said, "let me test the spell's effectiveness first." She brushed a hand across her face, summoning one of her futuristic visors. She stared at us through its holographic lens, no doubt using her gadget to analyze us. "Amazing. They aren't showing up on my scanners," she said. "Almost like they aren't even there."
Azriel snorted. "Of course your little doohickey can't see them. It detects mana and theirs is shielded."
"We're good to go then," said Musa. "Now let's hurry. We don't have much time."
OoO
Much to our benefit, the halls weren't nearly as crowded as they had been earlier since it was late afternoon, almost evening; everyone was either getting ready to go out on the town tonight, doing some late-day cramming, or still sleeping in. Because of this, most of the hall mistresses had called it a day, letting us slip through the dormitory without drawing unwanted attention. When we made it to the wing where Candi's room was located, Bloom (with Kiko) and Stella took positions on either end of the hallway to watch out for anyone coming this way. Tecna was stationed in a separate corridor monitoring the entrance to the wing.
Candi's room was one of the only stand-alone rooms—basically a room that didn't belong to an apartment—making things even easier for us. Flora reached for the doorknob, but I stopped her. "What if her roommate's in there?" I pointed out.
"She's not. She's hardly ever in because she can't stand Candi. Besides, she has a club meeting around this time."
I nodded and Flora eased the door open, walking right in afterward. Musa and I followed, cautiously aware of the unknown territory we were entering. Like the rest, the room was split into halves, and they were different and night and day. The left side obviously belonged to a goth; all black-on-black with reoccurring bat and skeleton themes, creepy decorations—there was even a coffin against the back wall—and weird paintings of half decayed-looking women drooling black blood. The right side, however, was its polar opposite and looked like my baby sister had designed it. For starters, EVERYTHING was pink; pink bed set, pink dresser, pink curtains, pink rug, pink wall accents. And whoever owned it clearly had a fetish for stuffed animals; there was an epidemic of plush bears and bunnies lining every shelf, every surface; hell, there were about ten on the bed alone.
I smirked, starting for the left side. "Ha. I knew Candi was a closet emo."
"Actually, this side is Candi's," said Flora, going to the right. "Her dad designed her room. He still thinks she's a little girl." What the…? As cold-hearted as she was, you're telling me the bitch had a soft spot for shit like Care Bears?
Musa rolled her eyes. Of course Daddy Dearest wouldn't know his precious little angel is actually a cold-hearted slut."
"Who cares. Let's just snatch something and scram," I said, crossing over onto Candi's portion of the room.
Musa eyed a necklace on top of the dresser. "How about this?" she suggested, gesturing toward it.
"No," I said. "We can't take anything that's out in the open or someone might notice it's missing—" I opened Candi's closet and found myself staring into another pair of eyes. "HOLY FUCK!" I shouted, leaping backward.
Hiding among Candi's clothes was none other than Mi Sun, who gave me an awkward smile. "Um, hi?"
