Chapter 77: How Long Can the Magic Last?

All things must come to an end, and just as soon as it began, the school year is drawing to a close.

Many of the students are wrapped up in their little groups, planning what to do for the summer, or cramming in last minute studies for the final tests.

The rest are loners who didn't really find their place this time around, but are mostly content with that fact hanging over their heads.

For Stella, known to this school as Selina, however, the end of the year feels…bittersweet, and she can't plainly explain why.

She sighs in melancholy as she wanders the halls, bereft of her usual perkiness.

Hearing fellow kids "her age" plan out their summer days left her feeling a knot in her chest.

She recalled the days of old where she'd go to the beach with her family, and laugh, smother her face in BBQ sauce from Uncle Mew's ribs, and end the days tired but happy after an ice cream cone from the shack.

Perhaps that'd be fun to go by herself for once. Explore those sunny beaches in a whole new light.

Alas, she is ill-equipped. Her former garb was left at home, and purchasing a new one felt intimidating to say the least.

Even if she had what made her comfy, she could only go to the beach as Selina. Stella would be seen as too young to be by herself.

As her thoughts continued to wander to continue the next chapter of her extraordinary life's story, she was tapped on the back by the guiding hand of Violet and made to quicken her pace.

"Hey, Selina! Haven't seen ya in a while!"

"O-Oh…! Violet!" Stella stirred with surprise, meeting her eyes to find that she was enjoying a glow of warmth and happiness at the moment.

"You seem well!" Her melancholy seemed rude when faced with this positively good news.

Violet giggled, "Heh heh, yeah! I had a really good time at the prom. Aaaand, I sorted out all my feelings, like you said I should!"

Violet tucked her hands behind her head and took the lead, before promptly spinning around and stamping one foot down in front of Stella.

"Speaking of, I didn't see you there? Got cold feet?"

Stella tilted her head in an abundantly ditzy manner and remarked, "P-Prom…? I heard many words of this 'prom', but I don't quite understand…"

"Seriously?" Violet's surprise came across playfully, "You go and dance with other students, maybe bring a boyfriend/girlfriend along, and if you're lucky…"

Violet leaned and laid a hand on Stella's shoulder with a wink, "Get your first kiss."

Stella blushed a great deal and erupted in delightful confusion, "K-Kiss…?! Oh my golly goodness! That sounds…illuminating!"

Stella then clapped her hands, her curiosity at a peak, "Tell me, my friend, did you get a kiss?"

Violet held back her disappointment with a steady lean and a click of her tongue, "Eh…if only. But…I think I got something better out of the deal."

Stella paused to turn her head in confusion, "And that is…?"

Violet wagged her finger out and grinned, "That's MY spicy little secret."

Stella puffed her cheeks, "Harumph! I thought we were beyond that sorta thing, Violet!"

"Hey, I may be open but I ain't looking to expose it all bare. 'Sides, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Stella cast a little bluntness following a brief sigh, "You say to a magical girl…"

"E-Eh…" Violet's expression cracked and she itched the side of her face, "Ya got me there…"

"But enough about that!" Violet flailed her arms out and then brought them before her chest, fists clenched, "Eeee…! Summer vacation's almost here! WOO HOO!"

A few of the nearby students celebrated that fact as they passed them by.

Tragically, Violet's enthusiasm was juxtaposed by Stella's descent back into melancholy, "Ah, of course…Summer."

Violet twitched, "Ah, I take it you're not a fan?"

Stella shook her head, "I-It's not that. I'm just unsure of what to do with my time."

Violet blinked like what she heard was the silliest thing, "Pffft, anything you want! Binge movies, gorge on ice cream, catch up on your backlog…The secret spice though, is to do it with friends!"

"So let's do what we shoulda done a long time ago and exchange phone numbers, and I'll invite you to hang out!" As Violet pulled out her cell phone she chuckled, "God knows I could use some company…"

"W-Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the exchange of phone numbers require that…both parties have a phone?" Stella murmured.

Violet's eyes widened, "Stella, you ain't gonna tell me you don't have a cell phone in this day and age?"

"But it's the honest truth, Violet." Stella said nonchalantly.

"...Huh," And Violet looked her in the eyes and bought every word, though this wound up making the mood serious, "Stella, come with me."

"O-Ok…" Stella followed her friend to the nearby abandoned classroom and Violet propped up a chair to keep anyone from prying in.

She then sat in her own chair, flipped around and laid her chin on her arms, "Are you under a witness protection program?"

Stella's expression went blank, "A…what?"

"...Ok, that was probably a long shot," Violet confessed and bobbed her head, before flicking her right hand out and asking, "Are you hiding from a magical being?"

"...Technically, yes?" Stella averted her gaze elsewhere while pressing her lips shut. But sadly, Violet's father being who he is rubbed some sleuthing skills onto her.

"You ARE, aren't you?" Violet stood up.

"Ummm…." Stella's efforts to try and keep silent were just adding more layers of guiltiness in Violet's eyes.

"Well why didn't you say so?" Immediately upon asking, Violet snapped her fingers and smiled confidently, "No no wait. I've read enough stories to guess. It's because 'you're worried I'd get hurt'."

And with an expression that signified further thinking, Violet did her paces while Stella was left frozen and dumbfounded, "Violet is very, very good at this…"

Then with a mighty gasp, Violet conjured up her answer, "Oh! It's Leo isn't it? That's why you've been so evasive around him!"

Stella had to leap at his defense, "Absolutely not! Leo's a true gentleman, he'd never lay a hand upon a fair lady such as I!"

"Tsk…!" Violet felt ashamed, "Ok, but I WAS on the right path."

"Violet, please…" Stella said, breaking into a nervous sweat, "I know I ask much, but can you pull it back a little? You're so very, very smart, and I'm so foolish. I fear I may say something that would…damage our relationship forever…"

And saying that with her head hung low, Stella realized that she had come to call Violet a true friend.

"..." Stella raised her head and nodded, "I swear, it is not my intent to lead you astray. Just that…my lot in life is a lot more complicated than what you see on the surface."

"A-Alright, but can you be honest with me on one thing?"

"Sure?" Stella replied with her head tilted.

"No one's trying to hurt you, are they?"

"Of course not!"

"Ok good, cause I'd GLADLY kick their ass for you." Violet said with a fist pumped up.

"Hee hee, I wouldn't doubt that for a second, my friend!" Stella said, feeling a bit of relief on her back.

"Still…" Violet itched the side of her face with an embarrassed blush, "I don't think I wanna have to wait three months to hang out with you again."

She leaned forward and swung her fists up, "You've gotta have a lot more magic to show me, yeah?!"

"O-Of course! There's no limit to what I, Selina Perlwhite, can perform!"

"Soooo…isn't there some way we can work out an arrangement?" Violet shyly poked her fingers together and giggled, "Please?"

"I…" Stella was ready to disappoint her, but found something inside of her telling her to go the other way, "I will…try and think of something at home."

Violet squeezed her mouth shut and held back a delightful squeal.

"Awesome! For now though, let's try and survive the last couple weeks of school!"

"Mmm hmm!" Stella nodded in agreement, albeit suspecting already that her test scores would come out…average.

After that wonderful encounter, the rest of the day sped by like a midsummer's dream, and Stella got back on the bus and returned to the warehouse she called home.

She slipped past the magic barrier and let out a slight yawn. She saw Cu'u lying on her stomach on the couch, her drool dripping off the edge of the bed.

"Cu'u, I'm back!"

"GWAH!" The homunculus jumped a few feet into the air and then hovered in place, turning around to face here with a drowsy tone, "A-Ah, Stella…welcome back."

Once she reached the ground she rubbed her eyes and perked up with a smile, "I was just enjoying a quick nap…for four hours, apparently."

As Cu'u lingered on that with a disappointed look, Stella passed her by and put her backpack down in the usual spot.

Then she flipped around and clapped her hands together, "Cu'u! I was thinking…ummm…if it's alright with you…would it be ok to invite Violet over to our home?"

Cu'u stretched and let out a yawn, spreading out her wings super wide in particular, "That's your…punk friend from school, yeah? Ehhh, I dunno. I mean, ya already spilled the beans on magic to her so I guess there's no putting that genie back in the bottle, but…"

"But what?" Stella tilted her head.

Cu'u got the last of the crud out of her eyes and glanced at Stella with a pout, "Mmm, I-I don't think mom would be happy if we brought someone into our safe zone."

"She wouldn't?" Stella tilted her head in the other direction, "Are you sure?"

"P-P-Positive…! Yeah!" Cu'u put on a very confident looking stance and smiled.

"I think…we should ask her."

Cu'u puffed her cheeks, "Don't be ridiculous! She's a busy woman!"

"But-"

"Stella!" Cu'u proclaimed rather hastily, "Perhaps you've forgotten, but I'M your boss here! And I say, I ain't risking it!"

"Mmmmmr…!" Stella puffed her cheeks in a mighty fine pout.

Cu'u pouted back, "Hmph!"

The two began a staredown in the hopes either would relent. Stella crossed her arms and firmly put her foot down, "Then I don't want to practice magic with you anymore!"

Cu'u shook and declared, "F-Fine, you SUCKED anyways!"

Stella shook harder, looking at Cu'u with heavy disappointment in her eyes, "I-I did…? Nuh uh! I-I've gotten better!"

"Pffft, please…!" Cu'u daintily crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "I could magic circles around you any day."

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

Stella's face turned a light shade of red, but no matter how much she puffed her cheeks her frustration couldn't look anything but adorable.

"W-Well if I'm so bad at magic, it's because you're a cruddy teacher, Cu'u!"

"W-What?! You can't pin the blame on me!" Cu'u exclaimed, fanning her hands against her chest.

"I totally can! Every time something messes up, it's your fault! You're a klutz!"

Cu'u's pupils shrank and she stood her ground firmly with her hand waving at Stella, "You take that comment back right now Stella."

Stella crossed her arms tighter and turned her head, "No."

Cu'u grit and ground her teeth together, then threw her fists down and screamed, "A-At least I'm not living life vicariously through my SELF INSERT!"

Stella was completely dumbfounded by that accusation, "W-What do you mean by that…?"

Cu'u tightened her fists and looked at Stella with an expression of worry and anger, "Oh please, Stella, look at yourself! You haven't de-aged since you came home!"

Stella held her hands against her chest and murmured, "I-I haven't had the time!"

"Baloney! You've been waking up as Selina. You've been going out on walks as Selina. Heck, you've even been snacking on copious amounts of popcorn as Selina!"

Stella countered with, "You're just jealous that I can grow up, and you can't!"

She then stuck her tongue out.

Cu'u stuttered "Y-Yes…!" then rapidly shook her head and flapped her wings in frustration, "T-That's not the friggin' point! Stella is Stella, NOT Selina!"

Stella pumped her fists and shook them up and down, "Selina can make friends, actually is useful to others, and is praised for her efforts! She's way better than the pitifully average and dull Stella!"

"Do you hear yourself for even a moment?! You're acting like you're two different people!" Cu'u cried out.

"I. Want. To. Be. Selina! And that's final!"

"You. Can't. Be. HER! Cause you're you!" Cu'u threw her hands up and started angrily ruffling her hair, "Auuuugh! You're so friggin' STUPID! I can't even…! AUGH!"

Stella crossed her arms again and puffed her cheeks, "Hmph! You're stupid."

Cu'u turned her gaze back onto Stella and exclaimed, "Oh real mature, Stella!"

"If this is how you feel, maybe I oughta just leave!" Stella declared.

"Oh suuuuure," Cu'u said, dripping with sardonicism, "Run run run from the people who actually give a SHIT about you! Go live out your little self-insert fantasy forever for all I care!"

"Fine, I WILL! Cause Selina is LOVED by all!"

Stella marched towards the warehouse exit, passing by the homunculus as her frustrations continued to grow and grow, her face getting beet red.

"GAAAH!" Cu'u screamed and then turned around and flew straight at Stella, hitting her with a debilitating slap across the face.

Stella soon fell onto her butt and looked to be in a daze.

Cu'u landed on her knees and grabbed Stella by her puffy sleeves and sat her upright, shaking her violently and gritting her teeth, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Y-You don't get anything! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

Tears started to swell in her eyes, "Y-You're loved already…! A-All that food we keep getting monthly is cause your mom is sending it here! And she always sends postcards asking how you're doing, m-making sure you're getting enough sleep…"

"S-She…huh…?" Stella was paralyzed by her naive world view shattering.

"A-And if you ran away and something happened to you…I-I…" Cu'u squeezed her eyes shut and stopped playing the fool, "OH are you are going to make me say it?! You're MY friend, Stella!"

Stella remained silent and dizzy, with Cu'u letting her drop onto her back as she stood up with wings drooping.

"...Dummy."

Stella slowly rose to her and stuttered, "I-I don't understand. Why would mom…? S-She…knew where I was?"

"Duh!" Cu'u blurted out, before murmuring, "How could she not…?"

Stella hung her head and couldn't take this news to heart, "But I'm…nothing special…"

Cu'u turned bluntly and shouted, "You're still her daughter for crying out loud!"

"...Bah, who am I kidding?" Cu'u sighed, "The moment my mom saw an opportunity to drop me out if her life she took it."

"Cu'u…"

Cu'u turned the other way and summoned her top hat with a flick of the wrist, "I…am a homunculus, and daughter of the greatest magician and the strongest dragon in the whole wide universe…"

"No matter what, I gotta live under the shadow of greatness. So I-I…it's not like I don't get your feelings Stella."

"But look at me…" Cu'u patted her chest, "I've been stuck in a 13 year old body for 7 years now, cause my mom doesn't see me as a grown up, heck, she's downright ashamed of me."

Cu'u's wings hung low, "I-I…just can't understand why you'd want to not be Stella anymore. To me Stella is…magnificent."

Cu'u passed off her hat and then turned and limped away, "I'm just a joke…"

"...I don't think you're a joke." Stella whispered.

"Ha, yeah right…" Cu'u hung her head, "You already called me a klutz."

"I was upset…" Stella murmured.

"Then what's so great about me, Stella, huh?"

Stella went silent, until she thought of something else to say on the subject, "...Maybe we still need to figure that out?"

"Mmmrrrr…" Cu'u puffed her cheeks, "That doesn't help at all."

After a few seconds of letting this linger, Cu'u turned around and rubbed her right arm, "S-Sorry for yelling at you."

"Well…I'm sorry for calling you a 'klutz'." Stella said with a nod.

"Heh…" Cu'u gave a lopsided smile, "So…we're good?"

Stella clapped her hands together, "Yeah."

Cu'u lifted up her wings and scratched the side of her smiling face with one of them.

Stella then had a briefly blank expression, followed with a remark of, "...I still want to be Selina though. At least until I know who 'Stella' is. Cause…I don't think Violet would like her."

Cu'u looked at her with worry, "Can you…at least be Stella when you're around me?"

Stella nodded and then pulled out her wand to cast off the aging magic.

And immediately she was blindsided by some of her bangs flopping down in front of her eyes, "Eek!"

"Pffft…! See, look at that, you've been neglecting your hair!" Cu'u laughed and then gestured at her.

"C'mon, lemme give you a makeover."

Once they were on the couch, Cu'u stood behind her and pulled out a comb from her top hat and got to work straightening Stella's hair out.

She was surprisingly gentle with her touch.

"You're pretty good at this, Cu'u."

"H-Heh…thanks," Cu'u was blushing, "Both my moms have long hair, so I kinda…picked up on their technique after a while."

Stella tilted her head back and murmured, "...Maybe you could be a barber?"

"Are you kidding? I'm gonna be a famous performer one day!" Cu'u puffed her cheeks and chest in pride, but then puffed her enthusiasm out, "If I ever get off this planet…"

"A performer? Wow! That sounds fun."

"I-It is. I really…really wanna make people smile. Children especially."

"How come?"

"I dunno it just…sounds nice."

"Hmmm…" Stella did something she rarely did, and stopped to think about her goals in life, "I wonder if I've been selfish for wanting to learn magic?"

"Ok, you lost me." Cu'u muttered.

"Lunalei is smart. Zelene is strong. Xander is creative. And my mom and dad are extraordinary. I…wanted to learn magic to stand out."

"Aaaah, I getcha. I dunno, Stella. You put your heart and soul into learning, and I've NEVER seen you want to give up even after…" Cu'u cringed, "All the…times you've caused me comical amounts of pain…"

Cu'u shook her head and smiled, "Point is, you've got focus and determination, and that's a good trait!"

"And I'll admit…you HAVE improved…a little, don't get your ego swollen now."

"Well maybe I'd improve faster if I set a goal for myself!" Stella proclaimed.

"Heeey, not a bad idea!" Suddenly, Cu'u stopped combing and took a step back. Stella was about to turn around when she felt something get pushed down atop her head.

"There we go, a headband to keep your hair in place. Why don't you go take a look?" Stella got up and walked over to the piece of reflective glass they had stored in the corner.

She was taken aback by how well Cu'u had combed her hair. It looked lavish in length much like a princess', but still felt like "hers".

But upon further examination, she noticed her face and body had matured just a tiny bit, becoming closer to Selina's looks. It had been a year since she left home, after all.

Holding the sides of her face with a blush, Stella turned around and saw Cu'u staring at her with a tiny flap of her wings.

"S-Sorry I couldn't cut it."

"It's OK! I like it!"

Cu'u perked up, "R-Really?! Then…we're cool?"

Stella held her hand out, "Yeah. Friend."

Cu'u shook hands, "A-Alright, I guess I can upgrade your rank, Stella!"

After pulling their hands apart, Cu'u proclaimed with determination, "Now, let's find our futures!"

"Yeah!" Stella proclaimed.

As they readied themselves to have fun, they didn't realize that a shadowed figure stood outside the warehouse.

And with that conversation over, they walked away…

Next Time: Love? Or Truth?