A/n: YES! 95 story follows, meaning I'm only 5 away from one hundred! This is a big deal for me considering most Winx Club fan fictions, especially ones featuring OCs, from unpopular writers like me don't usually get that far. And to make things even better, my amount of story alerts has doubled since I came back from hiatus at the end of last year. At chapter 16 I had about 40 favorites and 46 follows. Skip up to chapter 26, only ten chapters later, I'm at 91 favorites and 95 follows. I can't even explain how special this makes me feel. Thank you guys so much for all the support! I can't wait until we hit 100!


"Cadey, not so loud," scolded Flora in a hushed tone, giving me a lecturing look. "Someone in the rooms next door might hear and get suspicious."

I ignored her. "Mi-Sun, what the hell were you doing hiding in Candi's closet?" I demanded as the small Korean-looking girl scampered out of the closet. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Musa's eyes bored into Mi-Sun. "Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in here?"

Mi-Sun started to fidget, refusing to meet our gazes. Upon seeing how nervous the girl was, Flora's face softened with sympathy. "Girls, calm down. You're scaring her," she said gently.

I ignored her again. "How did you even get in here?" I asked my roommate impatiently, my voice stony. "Why are you even here?" My eyes swelled. "Were you trying to steal some—"

"No!" blurted Mi-Sun, head snapping up. "I'm not a thief!"

I scowled. "Oh really? Then let's see what that bulge in your pocket is, shall we?" I reached the fairy, but Musa pulled me away nearly as fast as Mi-Sun lurched backwards.

"Why are you being such an asshole?" the music fairy hissed at me as I shook free from her grasp. "So what if she is stealing? It's from Candi so it hardly matters."

I bit down on my tongue in repentance. She had a point. "Right. Sorry. I'm just...confused." And then, in a more levelheaded tone, I asked, "What are you doing here, Mi-Sun?"

She bit her lip. "I'm..." She hesitated, shifting nervously and taking a sudden interest in the carpet. "Looking for something." Pause. "Something Candi stole," she clarified.

I clicked my tongue in disgust. "On top of being a bitch, slut, and future home wrecker, she's also a thief. Who would've thought?" I said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry," Flora said to Mi-Sun, sympathetic. "We'll help you look for it. What was it?"

Mi-Sun hesitated, as if debating whether or not to trust us. It wasn't like we'd rat her out to the headmistress for trespassing; after all, we were doing the same thing. My roommate must've realized this because she at last replied, ""A...piece of jewelry my dad gave me a while back, before he died. I always carry it around as a good luck charm. Before she disappeared, I...said something Candi didn't like and she stole it. I would've come to look for it sooner, but the detectives were constantly in and out." Wow, they had detectives come out already? MCPD didn't fuck around. Well, at least not when the senator was involved.

"Okay, so what does it look like? I might've seen it around somewhere," said Flora.

"It's a necklace. It's got a big glass pendant that's decorated with floral gemstones," explained Mi-Sun. "It's really important to me; I've held on to it since I was little." Her eyes bulged, panicked. "What if Candi threw it out or something? I'll never forgive myself if—"

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's in here somewhere" reassured Flora. "If Candi knew you valued it she probably stashed it away to use as leverage later. We'll find it."

Musa cut Flora a look. "But we have to—"

The nature fairy cut in. "This shouldn't take long. Once we're done helping Mi-Sun we can grab what we need and leave before time's up." I expected Mi-Sun to question why we were in Candi's room, but, thankfully, she didn't say anything. But I did see her eyes drift down to our plastic-gloved hands (did you really think we'd be stupid enough to leave behind fingerprints?), specifically Azriel's rune marking the back of our palms. She didn't comment on that, either.

We all spread out, each girl taking a different corner of Candi's portion of the room (to be honest, I was surprised they hadn't given her her own like Stella. I guess since she was only a senator's daughter she didn't qualify for such treatment). Musa and I didn't hesitate in snooping through the bitch's possessions; we yanked drawers open and shamelessly dug through its contents (seriously, how many pair of thongs did that slut own?). Meanwhile, Mi-Sun and Flora were more... conscious of the fact we were violating someone else's personal space and selectively investigated spaces that were more out in the open.

Not long after we started, I thought of something. "Wait. Mi-Sun, how are you even here?" I asked, pausing and turning to look at the fairy. "How'd you get past the runes?"

Something like panic flashed across her face. "Runes? What ru—"

"Hey, I think I found it," announced Flora, drawing our attention. Standing on her tip-toes, she reached for something on one of the shelves and lifted up Mi-Sun's necklace. The glass trinket caught the afternoon sunlight pouring into the room, sending an unnaturally blinding flash across the room and my mind. I couldn't explain it, but seeing that vibrant light triggered some kind of distant, fragmented memory all the way in the back of my mind. I pushed it aside, deeming it as nothing.

Mi-Sun didn't seem to notice and hurried over, gratitude painting her face. "Thank you so much!" she nearly cried out in relief, snatching it from Flora, who beamed in return. I, on the other hand, just stared at Mi-Sun's backside dubiously. That was way too easy. It'd literally taken Flora two seconds to find her precious belonging, meanwhile Mi-Sun had been searching for it for at least five minutes before we arrived. Candi had stored it in a super-obvious place too, so there was no excuse as to why Mi-Sun hadn't located it earlier. Unless she'd been looking for something else...

"And I think I just found something even better," said a pleased Musa from the cluttered depths of Candi's closet. She emerged and I couldn't help but crack a small grin at the laptop she waved around triumphantly. We just hit gold.

"I could kiss you right now," I said, truly meaning it. I was still a bit pissed at her, but I could overlook that for now.

Musa returned my grin. "Let's open it, shall we?"

Flora looked skeptical. "I don't know, guys. We shouldn't look through her computer. That's wrong."

"And you know what else is wrong? Stealing other people's shit and blackmailing them into serving you," I reminded impatiently. "Trust me, this is the least the bitch deserves. Open it, Musa."

Musa was more than happy to oblige. Dropping to her knees, she set the laptop atop Candi's queen-size bed and opened the lid eagerly. I was at her side a millisecond later and though she hesitated at first, Flora curiously joined me. Mi-Sun, who was clueless as to what was going on and what she was supposed to do next, just hovered by the door awkwardly.

It took about thirty seconds for Candi's laptop to power on and, much to my delight, it opened straight to a kawaii screensaver. For a second I thought we'd have to get Tecna to hack into it but to our luck, Candi hadn't been smart enough to set a password.

"Alright, we're in," said Musa, tapping on the Start button. "Let's see what Her Royal Bitchiness has been up tp."

"Hurry," I urged, "we don't' have much time."

From the selection menu, Musa clicked 'Documents' first. There were about five folders, all of them labeled 'New folder.' Musa went into each one to find them all empty. She skipped over 'Music' and forwarded into 'Pictures' to discover a full library, triggering my excitement. "Now we're talkin'," I said.

"Wow. I didn't think this was possible, but she has even more photos than Stella," said Musa, scrolling the dozens and dozens of pictures. She clicked through a few of them. One was of her and a trio of stoned-looking girls in scraps of clothing posing in what I assumed to be a nightclub. The second was taken at a beach and featured Candi in a skimpy bikini, scandalously posing beside a tattooed eff-boy on a strip of sand bordering the ocean.

"Hey, isn't that Neil Whitethorn?" wondered aloud Flora.

"Who?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You know, that model from that underwear commercial. The one with the Gretchen Scottoline." Who?

I shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. I don't watch TV."

Musa kept going through the pictures and for the most part, they were all similar to the first two. "They're not here," she frowned.

"What aren't?" Flora and I asked in unison.

"The pictures of...you know. I thought for sure they'd be in this folder."

Oh yeah. The pictures of Flora. I didn't even think about them. "Maybe they're hidden in some kind of secret folder."

"I wouldn't matter if they were. Even if we deleted them, Candi probably has them backed up somewhere else," reminded Flora, voice cracking.

Musa tapped on a random photo file and what popped up made her make a strangled noise, like she just choked on a sob.

Riven.

And Candi.

Together.

They were standing in a crowded, fancy-ass club. Candi had her arm thrown around Riven's shoulder, caressing his neck with her long, decorated fingernails. She was holding him extremely close—boobs-pressed-against-chest close. She had a smirk on her face as she stared into the camera tauntingly, like she could see Musa on the verge of bursting into tears. Then it occurred to me: that was her intention. She had this taken specifically for Musa, to fuck with her emotions even more. To add on to the damage done by Darcy. And Riven...Like usual, the bastard didn't realize he was being played and wore a smirk that matched Candi's, most likely proud of himself for "scoring" such a hot date. Who knows how long he gloated about it. But this didn't make sense; Riven was Darcy's bitch, not Candi's. Unless the witch was in on this? I didn't know and I really didn't care. All my ill-feelings for the music fairy faded and I poked her shoulder gently. "You know this doesn't mean anything," I said softly.

Musa managed a nod and clicked out of the picture. And deleted it. I knew her emotions were all over the place, but now wasn't the time to have a breakdown. "I just got an idea," she said.

She opened another file and yet another picture of Candi took up the whole screen. The first thing I saw was her super-small string bikini. It was impossibly tiny; the thing just barely covered her nipples. The rest of her boobs were exposed. She had a summer tan going on and all her hair was swept to the side, spilling over her shoulder. She stared into the camera lasciviously, her glossed lips playing into a seductive smile.

"I wonder what would happen if this got out," said Musa darkly, "and how the public would react when they realize their beloved senator raised a slut."

My mouth dropped open. "Musa, you're a fucking genius."

Flora caught on. "I don't know, guys," she frowned, "that sounds a bit extreme. Candi's whole family shouldn't have to suffer for her actions."

I disagreed. "They totally should. After all, it's their fault she's like this. They let her run around unchecked, and now they have to pay the consequences."

The corner of Musa's lip tugged up into a cruel smirk. "Candi's not the only one who knows how to play the game." I could barely contain my excitement. This was perfect, and just what we needed. If Candi dared leaked that photo of Flora, we could retaliate by releasing these to the media. It'd be a burn for several burns.

"I'm going to send this whole folder to my email," said Musa, launching the internet. "So we can use it to—" She stopped short when a new page popped up. Instead of taking us to a web browser, we were directed into an email address. One that was already signed in."What the...Is this...?"

"Candi's email?" I finished. "Looks like it to me." So let me get this straight: not only did Candi fail to protect her personal files with a password, but she was too stupid to even log out of her email? This day just kept getting better and better.

Musa went into her inbox, where only 15 messages awaited. In one of them, someone claimed they'd found Candi's ID and was charging two hundred credits to return it. In another that was sent two weeks ago, someone else was telling Candi to meet them "in the usual spot" so they could "work on a physics project."

"But Candi doesn't even take physics," said Flora.

"Because they're not actually talking about physics, Flora," said Musa slowly, realization dawning over her. "It's code."

"What?"

"I've...heard rumors about this convenience store in the city," explained Musa, "called Physics. According to some of my classmates, there's this guy there—the owner, I think, who sells...things to people who are underage." OH. So he was Candi's drug dealer.

"The other email about Candi's ID is code too, I think," went on Musa, "whoever sent it probably doesn't have her ID. I think they're offering to make one for her."

Then it hit me. "Of course. That's why the computer was hidden; it's not her personal one, but her secret one. The one she uses to do her shady side shit so her dad won't find out."

Musa nodded in agreement. She went back to Candi's inbox and froze. "Guys," she said, "look." She pointed at the screen, specifically the most recent email. It was titled "can't wait to meet you" and sent...the day Candi was last seen.

!

Musa didn't hesitate in opening it and Flora and I peered over her shoulder anxiously. The only thing inside was an address for someplace on Steass Avenue. Flora paled. "Steass Avenue. Th-that's where we went that night..."

My breath caught. "You were there? At this address?"

Flora looked weak. "No, but the party we went to wasn't that far away. Candi probably...that could've been where she went after she sent me home." My heart skipped a beat. Finally, a clue!

"Musa, send this to your email too," I ordered, suddenly very hopeful. "We can check this place out after—" The runes on the back of our palms all started to flash at once. Oh shit.

"Hurry, we're running out of time," I said. Azriel's spell was going to wear off any minute now.

"What about the locator spell?" asked Flora as Musa got to work, eyes wide and panicked. "We still haven't—"

I threw open a drawer and snatched up the first thing I saw: a pair of thongs. I didn't care how ridiculous it was; as long as it was Candi's personal possession it didn't really matter what we brought back to the Volreichs. And let's be honest. What was more personal than underwear? I stuffed it in the plastic bag we'd brought along and stuffed that in my pocket. "There, happy?"

Musa, who was apparently lightning-fast with a keyboard, shut the laptop when she was finished and reburied it under the heaps of clothes in the closet. "Let's bail," she said. Our job here was done.

On our way out I grabbed Mi-Sun's arm—I'd forgotten she was even there—and pulled her out of the room with us. Just in time too; Azriel's marks faded from our hands the second we made it out.

Bloom and Stella were still the only ones in the hall and their faces were an absolute picture when we emerged with Mi-Sun. "Where did she come from?" Stella raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the short fairy as she and Bloom abandoned their positions at either end of the corridor to regroup with us.

Bloom looked just as confused. "Yeah. No one's even came this way since you three went in."

"This is Mi-Sun, one of my roommates," I explained, the word 'roommate' odd on my tongue. I rarely discussed—mentioned my roommates to the other Winx, so it felt weird bringing the subject up now, much less actually introducing one to my friends. "She was already in Candi's room looking for a gift Candi stole from her."

"Well, I found it so I should probably get going," announced Mi-Sun quickly and awkwardly, giving us all an embarrassed smile before fleeing down the hall in a rush.

"She's...shy," was the best I could explain after she disappeared around the corner.

Flora smiled. "She's cute."

"Enough about her. What did you guys take?" asked Stella curiously.

It wasn't until we reconvened with Tecna I showed them the thong. In the bag, of course. No way in hell I was touching that thing again. And, as expected, Stella cracked up the whole trip back to the Winx's apartment, even as Musa tried to explain our findings (excluding the Riven thing).

We returned to Dragontail to find Azriel had disappeared from his perch on the couch, much to our dismay. "Where'd that dumb cat go?" I demanded, scanning the living room. "Don't tell me he left without us."

"Um, Stella? Did you leave your door open?" asked Flora, raising a curious eyebrow at Stella's room door, which had been left ajar.

Stella narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "No…" She started for bedroom, all of us close behind. The blond hit the lights and all eyes immediately landed on Azriel, who was curled in a ball atop Stella's bed.

The demon cat lifted his head and blinked against the light, growling like a wolf. "Do you mind?"

Stella wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "Do you mind?" she countered, storming inside. "What do you think you're doing in my bed? Now it's covered in filthy cat hair! Didn't the devil ever teach you to respect other people's things?"

"Technically, we demons aren't born from the devil," corrected Azriel, yawning and stretching. "He's just the guy in charge. And what, did you actually expect me to sleep on that dreadful couch? It reeks of rodent," he said, glancing at Kiko pointedly. The rabbit cowered in Bloom's arms. "This is much more comfortable. Anyway, I'm assuming you got what you needed?" We all nodded. "Good. Then I can finally leave this dump. See you back at Trillium Moon." And before any of us could react, there was a poof and the cat disappeared in a swirl of smoke.

Our mouths dropped open. "Where'd he go?" asked Bloom.

"I think he teleported," said Musa, a little dumbfounded at the animal's effortless use of the super-advanced spell.

"What?" I growled. "Then why didn't he just teleport us all here to begin with?"

"That's not how teleportation spells work. In most cases, they can only be used to teleport to places you've been before," explained Tecna, "so having never stepped foot in our apartment, Azriel never had the means of teleporting here."

Something occurred to me. "Wait, so doesn't that mean he can teleport here whenever he wants now?"

Tecna released a heavy sigh. "Technically. Though Alfea is protected with magic wards that are supposed to prevent this, with the level of power Azriel possesses it would be easy to slip through them." I imagined Azriel sneaking into the Winx's apartment whenever they were in class, sleeping in their beds and snacking on the birds that often gathered on their balcony in the morning.

"Well, it's a good thing I don't live here. Wait. If he can teleport why didn't he just take us with him? That would've saved both time and energy. Now we gotta walk back."

Bloom just shrugged as Stella whined about all the hair Azriel had left on her comforter and pillows. "Tough luck. We should get going before it gets too late." There was a knock at the door just as we were exiting Stella's room. Being in closest proximity, Bloom made it over first and opened the door a crack. "Oh, hi Alice!" she exclaimed, opening it wider to the familiar face. Alice? As in my other roommate? What was she doing here? I knew she and Bloom were lab partners in potionology, but they were hardly acquainted enough for her to…

I knew there was something wrong the second I laid eyes on my other roommate. Her usually serene face was now twisted with worry and her eyes were brimming with worry. "Acadia, have you seen Ahisa?" she asked, eyes skipping over Bloom and locking on me.

Ahisa, my other-other roommate. My breath caught. "N-no. Why?"

"She went out Friday night and I haven't seen her since. I've been trying to get in contact with her all day but she won't answer her phone. I think something's wrong."

Beside me, Flora went still. She slowly turned her head to look at the ice fairy. "Friday night when she went out. Do you know where she went?" she asked slowly.

Alice nodded. "There's this place she works at in the Steass district—"

"Oh no." Flora blanched. I just closed my eyes. Steass. The same place that party was held, the one Candi had dragged Flora to that night. The same place she most likely met the recipient of that email. The same place she disappeared.

Alice looked between us. "What's going on?"

I groped for an explanation, but I couldn't find the right words. How could we possibly explain everything without confusing her, without revealing too much? Even if there was a way it wasn't like we had that much time to spare...

"Alice," I said at last, "I need you to listen to me. Do you think you can run to our apartment right quick and grab something of Ahisa's?"


"Ahisa's the sort of fairy who's always punctual, so something had to have gone extremely wrong for her to be so tardy," explained Alice as we came to a halt at a dangerously busy intersection and Musa poked the crosswalk button. We were en route to Trillium Moon and, unfortunately, we hadn't been able to beat the evening crowd. The amount of people out had doubled, almost tripled since we left for TM the first time. Though it was later in the day, the city itself was just waking up. The streets on the ground and in the sky were teeming with activity as people commuted from work and got ready to go out on the town for the night.

"Oh yeah, now I remember who she is. We have fourth period together," recalled Stella over the roaring sounds of traffic as it raced by. "We have fourth period together. She's swears she can see people's true love, but I honestly think she's just a scam. I asked if she could reveal who my true love is, and can you believe she had the nerve to try to charge me four hundred credits?"

Musa shrugged. "Probably because you're the High Princess of Solaria and she knows your cheap-ass can afford it. She usually only charges fifty credits." Realizing her error, she quickly added, "I know some girls who paid for her services." Yeah right. Musa herself had probably sought out the love fairy, if for no other reason than to find out if You Know Who was her soul mate. She probably had high hopes too until she found out there was a fee.

Alice shook her head. "She's not a fraud. Ahisa has a rare talent: love magic. That being said, she can see use visions to see anyone's match. She often uses this to her advantage and gigs as a matchmaker every now and then. That was what she went to do Friday night."

The stoplight turned red and the holographic sign on the curb signaled us to cross the street. Once we all safely made it to the other side, Bloom fell into step beside Alice. "How do you know Ahisa just isn't staying over a friend's?"

"Oh, she always does," replied Alice as we walked past a row of street vendors. "It's really late when she gets done working, so she usually spends the night at a friend's and makes sure to call and inform me about her plans so I won't get worried. That wasn't this case this time. I haven't heard from all at all."

"Maybe she had a family emergency?" suggested Musa.

Alice frowned. "Highly unlikely. Ahisa isn't on good terms with her family. There's no way she'd go back home for anything. And even if she did she'd still call me." The concern lacing the ice fairy's voice made me stomach twist with guilt.

I was a terrible person and an even more terrible roommate. I never knew any of that stuff about Ahisa, never bothered to get to know her better although she'd made several friendly advances toward me. My association with all my roommates was confined to an official "good morning" and an occasional conversation about our coursework. That was it. I'd been so hell-bent on being around the Winx 24/7 I blocked out everyone else as if they didn't matter, as if they were irrelevant and inferior in comparison to the other Winx members. They weren't.

"Do you really think this has anything to do with the senator's daughter's disappearance?" asked Alice. Bloom had explained to her how we were searching for Candi, leaving off the specific details concerning Flora and the hacked police report.

"I've been pondering that possibility," said Tecna, "at first I assumed Candi had specifically been targeted because of who her family is but if Ahisa has indeed been abducted, that could mean a serial kidnapper is on the loose and setting his sights on Alfea students. We could all be at risk."

My head snapped up from the concrete I'd been dumbly staring at up until now. "You honestly think so?" I asked, my mouth going dry.

"That's just an assumption for now. I need more clues before I can form a proper conclusion."

My mind reeled. The situation was direr that we thought. If some sick individual(s) really was snatching high school students off the street that meant all of us could possibly be in danger. I found myself scanning the street, looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was suspiciously tailing us. Were we being watched right now? When would the mastermind strike again? Would we be his/her/their next victims? No, impossible. There were seven of us. No way would anyone be stupid enough to try something when there were so many of us, so many of us to fight back or scream for help. I kept my mouth shut and dismissed my fear, although that didn't stop me from taking a mental note of everyone and everything I saw. Just to be safe.

We turned the corner and after a few blocks, the high-tech, futuristic skyscrapers yielded to groves of lush, fluffy trees bordered by tall iron wrought fencing. Magix City Public Garden. "Hey, how about we cut through the garden?" suggested Musa, slowing down as we neared the entrance. "It'll save time." Though that was true, I knew the music fairy was only trying to cheer up Flora, who'd been silent with worry, no doubt about the unknown results of the upcoming locator spell that would determine her fate.

Tecna nodded her head. "Yes. The grounds has a secondary entrance facing Upolm Avenue so instead of going around and enduring traffic, we can use the garden as a short cut." We all echoed our agreement and proceeded through the entrance, a wide, arching arbor that was decorated with tendrils of flower-dotted vines.

If Flora wanted to stop and smell the flowers and absorb the beauty of the garden she didn't say anything. Part of me wanted to make that suggestion, but I knew it'd be a waste. Nothing would put Flora at ease. Not until we knew the status of this Candi drama.

"So if you're friends with Acadia, how come I never see you two hang out?" Stella aimed the probing question at Alice in a nosy-ass attempt to steer the conversation elsewhere.

I sucked in a breath, preparing for the awkward silence that was bound to ensue. Alice and I weren't exactly friends; I just didn't neglect her as much as my other roommates. Thankfully, Alice gave one of her signature elegant, effortless smiles. "Our schedules contrast each other so our friendship is usually limited to our dorm room."

Stella raised a sly eyebrow. "Oh really now? Where no one can see? I wonder why that is."

"She just told you why, dumbass," I snapped. Stella shot me an impish grin. What was she...OML.

"For the last time, I'm not a lesbian," I hissed lowly.

Stella gave me a mischievous grin over her shoulder. "Then prove it."

I wrinkled my nose. "What—" Stella inclined her head to the left and we all looked in that direction to see a group of five guys a little older than us swaggering over, chests puffed out.

Great. Time for a healthy dose of sexual harassment. Just what we needed. Apparently, Stella seemed to think so because paused in the middle of the walking trail, forcing all of us to stop too. Bloom grabbed the blond's arm and frowned. "Stella, what are you doing?" she asked quietly, "Ms. Andelle and Ms. Violet are waiting for us."

Stella flashed a flirtatious grin in the guys' direction as they approached. "Don't worry. We won't be here long. We'll have a little fun and then go straight to Trillium Moon. I promise." Ugh, we didn't have time for this shit. I wanted to leave her stupid ass behind and keep going, but Stella wasn't exactly the brightest and it would NOT be a good idea to leave her alone with these douches. So I just growled at the princess and stepped in front of Flora protectively. Musa followed suit.

The leader of the group, the buffest and biggest, winked at us. "Hey ladies," he said smoothly, giving each and every once a thorough—thorough once over. An uncomfortable Flora squirmed under his gaze, making him, whom I was now calling Dick #1, smirk in a disgusting matter that mirrored his aura. "Going somewhere?" There a haughty gleam in his eyes. Easy prey, I knew he thought. I resisted the urge to dropkick his ass.

Stella, who was in full out flirt mode, stuck out her glossy bottom lip and pouted. "I wish. Can you believe it? It's Saturday and we have nothing to do. We literally had to drag ourselves all the way out here just to look for some fun." Gag me.

The corner of Dick #1's mouth tugged up into a cocky grin. "Well, here it is. How about you all come party with us at Club Obelisk tonight?" And get drunk, and do drugs, and possibly get raped. No thanks.

I answered on behalf of the rest of us. "No thanks. We're not interested in boys whose brains are smaller than their dicks," I drawled, "if that's even possible."

Dick #1 matched my tone. "Be my date tonight, babe, and find out for yourself." Die.

The small-eyed black-haired one—Dick #2—stepped out from behind his boss and looked Alice up and down, sizing up her like a juicy steak. "Wow, girl. You're hot." Really? That's the best you can do you narrow-eyed buffoon? Alice was obviously the first girl he'd ever flirted with. And probably the last.

"Actually, I'm an ice fairy," corrected Alice, politely yet frostily, through a tight-lipped smile.

Dick #2 smirked. "Even better. I'll need something to cool me off when we're through." Though Alice's face had gone blank, I knew she was debating whether or not to plunge an ice dagger straight into his heart.

"Don't you fucks have somewhere else to be?" I growled, not bothering to fight the scowl playing on my lips.

"Relax, Acadia. They're harmless," giggled Stella, batting her thick, possibly false eyelashes up at Dick #1.

Bloom was getting impatient now. "But Stella, we actually have somewhere else to—" She startled when Dick #1 appeared just inches away, towering over her.

"Where are you trying to run off to so fast, red?" he purred. "Stay and play with us." He reached out to tug a lock of her carrot-red hair, but Bloom recoiled in disgust.

She glowered at him. "Don't touch me." It was at that moment I realized it was just us on the trail; all the other civilians had vanished. Of course...

Dick #1 just laughed. "Why not? There's no need to be shy." He proceeded to reach for her again, but Musa jumped in the way and slapped his hand away.

"Didn't you hear her, you perverted shit? She said don't touch her," the music fairy hissed through bared teeth.

"Ooh, this one's feisty," smirked Dick #3, setting his predatory gaze on Musa.

Musa didn't even flinch. "Don't get any ideas, pal."

"You're awfully quiet back there," said Dick #1, preying eyes skimming over me and landing on Flora. "Why're you hiding? I won't hurt you~"

"Back the fuck off," I spat as Flora shrunk behind me.

"How about you come out of your shell and join me and the blond tonight?" offered Dick #1, still devouring Flora with his eyes. "We'll show you a good time."

All the amusement faded from Stella's face. "What?" she snapped. Wow, this backfired on her way quicker than I thought.

"That's right, sweetheart. You're coming home with me," smirked Dick #1, grabbing Stella's arm.

Musa wasn't having this. "Let go of her, you piece of—"

Dick #3 snuck up from behind and seized her shoulders. "Calm down. You'll get your turn~"

Stella tried to break free from Dick #1's grip, but he was too strong. "Get your dirty hands off me, you foul-breathed halfwit! I'm a princess! I'll have my father throw you in prison for this!"

"A princess, huh? Even better." When Dick #1 proceeded to grope her, Alice and I reacted in sync. I readied to hurl a wind spell at his ugly ass and Alice lifted a hand, summoning a crystalline glyph to attack as well, but a voice cut through the park:

"Enough." Calm, yet authoritative. Impassive, yet soft steel. Everyone turned to see none other than Karel coming over, hands folded across his chest and face menacingly blank. Much to my astonishment, Dick #1 dropped Stella's arm like it was hot. The blond flinched back, looking ready to pounce and draw blood.

Karel neared, staring a hole in Dick #1. Pathetically, Dick #1 couldn't hold his gaze and spat. "Whatever. C'mon guys. We have better things to do than waste our time on used goods."

Stella's mouth dropped open. "Used goods?" she repeated, repulsed and insulted. "Why you—"

"Hush, Stella," reprimanded Flora, poking the blond in her side as the Dick Squad retreated, each one giving Karel the evil eye.

"Greetings, Karel," said Alice at the same time Flora was gushing, "Thank you so much, Karel!" They traded surprised glances.

"You girls know this cutie?" asked Stella, winking at the newcomer. Unbelievable. It unnerved me how quickly she reverted into Flirt Mode, as if we hadn't just been the victims of sexual harassment. Thankfully, Karel didn't acknowledge the advancement.

Alice started, but Flora talked over her. "This is Karel, one of Trillium Moon's regulars," explained Flora. "He's nice."

Alice didn't seem bothered by Flora's uncharacteristically rude interruption. "Yes. We took a potionology class together during the summer."

Unlike Flora, I wasn't happy to see the near-stranger. "What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded. "Were you following us?"

"Acadia, stop!" cried out Flora. "Karel saved us."

Saved? Hardly. "Don't you think it's a bit odd this is the second time it's happened? I'm starting to think he's stalking us."

Before Musa could accuse me of being an asshole for the second time today, Karel, composed as usual, directed those intense eyes on me. "Don't get the wrong idea; I have no reason to follow you. I was only passing through this place because it's a shorter route to Upolm Avenue."

The same direction we were headed. "Why do you need to go there?" I asked suspiciously, much to Flora's dismay.

"That's none of your business."

"Um, I'm pretty sure it is," I snapped as Bloom tugged on my arm. "Or I just might get the wrong idea."

Karel stared at me for a long moment. After realizing I was holding him up and wasn't going to back down, he sighed, making me feel both triumphant and guilty. "I was on my way to Trillium Moon."

I knew it. Flora tried not to look pleased. "Why?" I pressed. "You already visited once this week and you're not one to break your routine."

"Yes, but I need to discuss something urgent with the sisters. It cannot wait." He proceeded to walk away, but I side-stepped in his path.

"Something urgent?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Like what?" Tecna shot me a look. I was wasting time, I know, but I just had this inkling.

"Nothing that concerns you."

I dared to voice my suspicion. "It doesn't have anything to do with...disappearing people, does it?" Bloom sucked in a breath.

Karel went unnaturally still and he pinned me with a sharp stare. "What do you know?" he demanded quietly.

I tried not to smile at the fact my hunch was right. "Oh, nothing, " I shrugged, "just that girls are going missing from Alfea too. And as crazy as it sounds, that's why we're also on our way to see the Volreichs. To find answers."

Karel took a second to process this information. "Was...it someone you knew?" Bloom asked at last.

"No. They were just my classmates at Red Fountain. Three of them, all freshmen." Red Fountain? I didn't know Karel even went to school, much less at our brother institution. And he was in the same year as us? He looked so much older...

Alice's eyes went shadowy. "Strange. The girls missing from our school are both freshmen as well."

Stella was smart enough to look disturbed. "Definitely not a coincidence."

"Indeed," mused Tecna, "it seems the same culprit or culprits are targeting Red Fountain. Could they have their sights set on all three of Magix City's top academies?"

"Possibly, but there's no way to be certain. All three went missing without so much as a clue. That's why I require the Volreichs' expertise." Me and my nosy ass wanted to pry deeper. Why did he care if his classmates, ones he weren't even acquainted with, went MIA? Why did it matter to him? As much I was wanted to know, I refrained from pushing him any further. Just like us, he had his own reasons. Private reasons.

But still, wasn't it weird how many paths had crossed today? First Mi-Sun, then Alice, and now Karel. Us running into all three today couldn't be a coincidence, either. I know it was corny, but though multiple factors were in play, it was like the same force was at work, behind everything, pushing us all down one particular path. I wondered what awaited us at the end…


The closing sign was still in Trillium Moon's window when we got back but we ignored it and burst into the shop, the welcoming bell baring overhead. Azriel, who was lounging on the counter next to the register, turned his head toward us. "I was beginning to think you all got lost. Enjoy your trip?"

I scowled at him as everyone filed into the store. "No thanks to you, asshole."

Azriel opened his mouth to retort, but stopped when the Volreich sisters shuffled out from the Backroom. "You're back, and you've brought company," said Violet, her face brightening at the sight of Alice and Karel.

Much to my surprise, Andelle walked over and gave Alice's shoulder a squeeze. "It's been a while since you last paid us a visit. How've you been, girl?" I looked at Alice inquiringly. She hadn't mentioned the fact she knew Andelle and Violet. I guess that was why she agreed to come with us to Trillium Moon so willingly. This proved everything wasn't merely happening by chance.

Alice managed an apologetic smile. "My apologies. Between school and meditation, I've barely had leisure time."

"Ah, so you've finally decided to take up precognition again," said Andelle understandingly, "that's good. It's not healthy to keep suppressing your powers. But enough about that. What brings you back to Trillium Moon? You too, Karel. I don't think there's even been a time you visited on the weekend."

Alice explained the situation with Ahisa, and Flora the part about the missing Red Fountain students. By the time they were finished, the witch sisters' faces were grim. "We fear these kidnappings aren't a coincidence," concluded Flora, "some group might be purposely targeting students from Magix's main schools."

Azriel snorted. "I don't get that. What good is a bunch of high school halfwits? Maybe they're harvesting their organs." I could practically fell the fear flaring in Flora. I shot Azriel a stern look.

Andelle did the same. "We'll worry about that later. For now, let's focus on finding those girls. She turned to Alice. "I assume you brought along a personal possession of your roommate's?" Alice nodded, using the levitation charm to lift the small plastic bag containing Ahisa's heart-shaped locket out of her purse. "Good. Let's begin." As if on cue, all the furniture in the center of the space moved aside. Andelle snapped her fingers and the candles strewn around the shop all became aflame, emitting scents of vanilla and casting a golden glow. Fire magic. I wonder if she'd be Bloom's teacher later on.

I pulled our bag out of my pocket. "Um, clothes will work too, right?" I asked with a nervous giggle. The old ladies gaped at the thong and Azriel chuckled. I would've laughed at their reaction too if my stomach wasn't so tight and twisted with anxiety.

Flora tried to explain, her face flushing. "We got distracted and we ran out of time—"

Violet simply lifted a hand. "No need to explain. This will do."

Andelle turned to us as Violet arranged some pillows in the open space. "We may require one of you to assist us. Adding in a third magic source will hasten the speed of the spell."

I got an idea. "Why don't we all converge our magic?" I suggested hopefully. "That way the spell will be even be even more powerful and increase the chances of being successful." With Bloom's Dragon Flame thrown in the mix there'd be no spell we couldn't get past.

Andelle shook her head and my stomach dropped. "Too risky. If your theory is correct and those girls really were kidnapped, their abductor would be able to detect a magic that strong pushing against their wards."

"I'll do it," offered Alice, stepping forward. No one objected.

"Very good. Now let's get this damned thing over with," said Andelle, taking a seat on a pillow.

The girls, Karel, and I quietly and attentively watched from the sidelines as Violet and Alice took their positions on the other pillows, forming a circle. Andelle then used magic to remove the locket and panties from their bags, putting them in the center. The three joined hands and I sucked in my breath. Showtime.

As Andelle started muttering an incompressible incantation, I saw Bloom take Flora's hand in her own and give it a squeeze. This was it, the moment we'd all been waiting for. The results of this spell would change everything for either the better or worse.

With their eyes shut, the three sat silently and motionlessly for a good few minutes, making worry creep up my spine. Was something supposed to be happening? Why wasn't—

Suddenly, Ahisa's locket started to give off tendrils of golden light. The fabric of Candi's panties, as weird as it looked, began to glow golden as well. Hope swelled in me once again. This was a good sign, right?

I studied Andelle's face, searching for any indication that the spell was or wasn't working. However, her face was as blank as stone. Violet's too. And Alice—

"Oh my gosh! Alice!" I exclaimed when my gaze shifted to my friend. The ice fairy's face was trapped in some kind of voiceless gasp and her eyes were wide open, spinning in their sockets. Something was wrong.

"What's going on? What's wrong with her?" asked Bloom, sounding genuinely worried. "Should we do something?"

"No," replied Karel and Tecna sternly. Tecna explained, "Interfering could break their link, breaking the—"

Flora's scream cut her off midsentence. I almost asked why she was screaming, but then I saw why. Alice was starting to tip backward, completely unconscious. Luckily, I lurched forward and caught her before she could collide with the floor. She was limp in my arms.

"Alice?" I nearly shouted, shaking her.

No reply.