Bloom & the Wolf

by MarieVS

You know that saying "careful what you wish for"? I wished my whole life for better parents, and then hijacked the body of one of my favorite fictional characters. But nothing is like the Winx Club I had watched as a kid, everything is more grown-up. Ugh, it's like I'm stuck in some bad fanfiction. AU & SI

25. Death By Too Many Things

Hello everyone,

I'm back with an extra long chapter to apologize for the year and a half I've been absent.

The previous chapter I updated rather quickly, mostly because I had just finished it and felt so bad for not posting a new chapter sooner. So allow me to explain a bit more what has been going on with me.

The last update before I went AWOL I mentioned about my original stories I've been working on. Still working on it, but at that time my project I was working on (my job from home) ended and I had to figure out what I wanted to do next. By June I had made the split decision to start a new bachelor, Forest & Nature Conversation at Wageningen University & Research. I got accepted, had to move to Wageningen because the commute wasn't doable otherwise, and-well, a lot happened in a single year, I had to adjust to a lot of things. Living on my own fulltime without any pets, fulltime school and lots of people. It was a lot, and not everything has been easy sailing, hence why the writing took a back burner.

On to the good news: I've finished my first year and will start in September on my second one. I really like my new study and I love Wageningen. So in theory I should have more time to write again :D I'm planning on taking more time to write, because I've missed it terribly.

The other good news is that I'm becoming an aunt, three times over. One of my best friends is expecting her little boy in the next two weeks, and one of my sisters is pregnant with twin boys, the due date being at the end of October, but they will probably be born earlier. I'm really looking forward to meeting all three boys :D but it could impact my writing a bit (like I'm too busy playing auntie Marie to write XD).

So yeah, that's pretty much what's been going on with me.

The responses I got on the last chapter were astonishing once more. I've said I before, but I will say it again: the love this pic gets blows my mind. Someone even told me I should get a Ko-Fi account, which I never considered myself a skilled enough writer for to dare open. But since I'm a poor student again, I've created an account. Whether I truly get anything from it, I doubt it but it is a nice motivation to continue writing. I will post the link to my Ko-Fi account and Tumblr in the notes at the end.

I've kept you long enough. Enjoy the new chapter and let me know what you thought!

---

Flora didn't push me to talk, not like Stella would. No, she held me, my head cradled in her lap, and comforted me as I cried, and cried, and cried, until I was too exhausted and too wrung out to shed even one more tear. My eyes were red and swollen, stinging like dozens of wasps had used them for target practice, and my limbs—unresponsive and like someone had poured lead – or maybe a better description in my case would be iron – into them. I should do as Flora had quietly suggested and drag myself upstairs, to my bed, and get some proper sleep. God knew I had barely gotten any the last few nights.

I remained right where I was, unable to move and unwilling to surrender my anxious mind to sleep. I had had about enough weird dreams and nightmares to last me a lifetime. The last thing I wanted was to endure more of them, or to unconsciously incorporate the last few hours into a whole new batch of them.

I was about ready to commit murder simply to be able to descend to Dream Domino and beg Valtor for his magic fingers, to finally get some decent dreamless sleep. I would even – albeit temporarily – forgive and forget his deceit and betrayal. I was that desperate. My wounded pride and hurt feelings could take a backseat and wait until I was feeling better, more like myself, before they got to lay into him.

Flora's hand – which had been combing steadily and reassuringly through my hair for the last hour – paused briefly, almost as if she could sense the direction my thoughts had wandered. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really…" My throat sounded like my eyes and body felt: dry, raw and wrung out.

"Okay."

The hand resumed its steady path and that was that. Acceptance. Flora would never push me or anyone else to talk about what bothered them, not like Stella and Musa would. She was so patient and kind, never forcing anyone to do anything they might be uncomfortable with and backing off when even the merest hint of unease was shown.

She had been the first to notice my struggle with the auras, but rather than force me to talk about it, she tried to help and accommodate a problem she knew was there but had no idea what exactly it was. The same was true for when I had barely gotten any sleep. Once, only once, she had suggested I ask Ofelia for help, but after I had dismissed it, she hadn't mentioned it again and instead settled on providing me with whatever natural remedies she could think of. I also suspected she had caught on about the discrepancies to my stories very quickly, same as Stella, but whenever she questioned it and I froze up, she would change the subject. Firm in her belief that when I was ready to confide in someone or to ask for help, I would approach her. She had even forced the other girls to do the same, because that was who she was. She didn't go looking for conflict or trouble, and if there was a peaceful solution to a problem, she was adamant about trying that before choosing violence.

Out of all of us, Flora was the voice of reason, and quite possibly the smartest. Musa and I had often jokingly called her Hermione, but if anything, that was a compliment. I knew – and I suspected Musa did as well – that Harry and Ron wouldn't have survived, let alone succeeded in their quest, without Hermione.

The same applied to Flora.

A wave of guilt and shame crashed into me, dragging me into its depths. Flora had covered and accommodated for me and my secrets possibly even more than Stella had, and how had I repaid her? By brushing every and all of her offers of help aside, and doing everything in my power to keep her somewhat at arm's length. So as not see behind the mask. I had succeeded with her, where I had failed with Stella simply because Stella wouldn't have it. In her opinion, friends were honest with one another, even if one of them didn't want to be.

It wasn't fair to Flora that my default setting was to brush her off once more and then confide in Stella when push came to shove. She deserved a better friend, so I should try to be that.

"When I had that nightmare –" I started slowly. "– the one after I had sneaked out of Alfea?" She hummed in confirmation. "And afterwards when I had that terrible migraine? Valtor helped me through that, used some of his magic to help me sleep and keep the dreams away. I was just thinking how nice that would be right now." To her credit, Flora's hand didn't pause or falter once, like discussing the actions of the most feared criminal in the dimension was akin to conversing about the weather. "And then I started thinking that I shouldn't want or accept anything from him because he is Valtor and has proven he can't be trusted, which reminded me of how he had to have known what I am but never said anything, and—" My breath hitched, my voice trailing off. "—with everything that has happened, and all that I've lost—it's stupid to be so upset over his actions—"

"Of course it isn't." Flora's hand slipped out of my hair, to be clasped in front of my throat along with the other in some semblance of a hug. "You two have a bond, one you strengthened over weeks. You came to trust him unconditionally, assumed he did the same with you. Now that you've discovered that isn't quite the case, that he hid such important details from you—He betrayed your trust, Bloom. You're more than allowed to be upset about it."

I clasped one hand over her folded ones, drawing strength from her to fight the urge to curl into a ball. "—I should have known better—"

"Oh, sweetie…" Her floral scent enveloped me as she rested her forehead against my temple. "I wish you wouldn't be so hard on yourself. Regardless of your foreknowledge and power, you were still dealing with a master manipulator, one who outwitted and outsmarted authorities for decades. If they could not best him, then what chance would any of us have?" My lips parted to argue, but she beat me to it. "Sometimes it is easy to forget how young we still are, especially with everything we've gone through and the responsibilities we've been given, but we should keep it in mind. We're barely out of our teenage years, old enough to make our own choices and decide where we want to go in life, but not old enough to seek a seat of power and actually make a difference in the grand scheme of things. There's a reason for that."

"I still should have known better…" I whispered, new tears clouding my sight despite my utter exhaustion.

"You're not infallible," argued Flora quietly, lacking the punch that Stella's usually held. "None of us are. We're allowed to do irresponsible things and make mistakes as we stumble our way through this new life. It's to be expected. We're only human."

"Except I am not really, am I?" I couldn't keep the bitterness out of my voice. "I'm Fae, so in the opinion of the wider public, I am not human."

Flora sat up, turning me a bit more on my back so she could look me in the eye. For the first time since I had known her, there was a certain stubborn and rather defiant set to her jaw, and a fire in her eyes that would force any sane person to step back.

"You are as human as Stella and I are—" she gestured to the pictures on the mantle "—as human as Mike and Vanessa. Don't ever think otherwise." Once again, I was on the verge of arguing, but she shook her head, effectively silencing me. "There is so much hate in this world, so much pain and anger…" Agony flashed through her eyes. "It seems to be easier to live our lives excluding one or more groups, to forget or dismiss that we don't differ all that much. When we fall, we bleed. When we starve, we require food. And when someone we love dies, we grieve and experience loss. Yes, we do all those things in our own way, but at the core of it, none of it is different." She shook her head, biting down on her bottom lip as it trembled along with the shake in her voice. "What does it really matter where our powers come from, or in which realm we were born? The conception and birth remain the same no matter what your heritage is, and after we've taken our last breath, we return to the same fastness from which we came." I could barely breathe as I listened to her. "Your soul might have been infused with Fae magic, but that doesn't make you unhuman. You were born human, as are all Fae, therefore you remain exactly that."

Sadness and pride crashed into me with the next tidal wave of emotions as I stared up at her in wonder. We could use more Floras in this world. "You should be the one with my power and knowledge, Flo. You're so much wiser than I could ever be."

Flora laughed, an insecure, quiet noise. "Don't be ridiculous. I am the least suitable person in the dimension." I wrinkled my nose in disagreement, and she smiled warmly. "If you ask me, I think the Dragon chose exactly right."

"Agree to disagree."

Flora shook her head. "No, not this time. This time you're going to have to agree with me." My brows shot up. "You have your faults, but so does every other person. What distinguishes you from the rest is your loyalty, protectiveness, intelligence and—" She tilted her head, contemplating something "—and your resilience, though it goes to the point of maddening stubbornness."

My jaw dropped. "Did you just—did you just call me thick-headed?"

"Hush." Flora slapped a hand over my mouth, tutting disapprovingly. I could only blink up at her in complete bafflement. "Don't argue. For once, simply listen." My brows rose even further. Who was this person and what had she done with Flora? "Since you shared your story, I think it's only fair I do the same." She nibbled her lip again, her eyes focused on the wall I had been previously staring at. "I'm sure that by now you've caught wind of the overall opinion on Linphea. Weak-minded, nature lovers, push-overs, no backbone." I flinched. I had heard most of them, yes. A handful even from Stella herself. "They are not entirely wrong." She hesitated briefly. "You see, Linphea's magic isn't overly powerful, or very useful outside the realm, and it'scertainly not meant to be used as offence, but that doesn't truly matter for at its core it represents and strengthens Linphea's core values: to love, cherish, look after, and live in harmony with the natural world and all that is tied to it."

I couldn't help but think that that sounded beautiful, honourable. Rather than nature being subservient to humans, Linphea flipped it around and lived like humans were subservient to nature. A lot of the problems Earth struggled with wouldn't have developed if they had lived by the same sentiment.

"That's is the culture I grew up in. To serve my family, my realm, and use my powers for good, to live in harmony with nature and to never upset its delicate balance. It's beautiful—" She hesitated "—albeit a bit constricting. Thinking outside the box is strongly discouraged. After all, it is dangerous and could lead to someone getting hurt. For that reason alone, not many of Linphea's residents leave the realm, but with the overall opinion not in our favour either…" She drummed her fingers on my cheek, though I doubted she realised she was doing it. "To promote its people to stay home, Linphea has a more thorough and extensive educational system than other realms. Men and women with magic are expected to attend one of the schools in the realm itself, rather than leave it for a time to study abroad. Because of this, schools from outside the realm don't exactly bother to send representatives in a mad desire to win them over, not like they do to the more powerful realms."

Yet Flora had decided to attend Alfea.

She must have seen the question on my face and smiled, a light returning to her beautiful green eyes. "I was but a pre-schooler when I was introduced to Alfea. My parents had come down with the troll pest, a highly infectious disease that has either deadly or devastating consequences to children. To keep me safe, I temporarily went to live with my cousin. While I was there, she had to attend an exploratory presentation on higher education. Since the troll plague was going around, she couldn't find a sitter, therefore decided to take me with her." Her smile brightened. "I barely remember the other presenters, just that they were dreadfully boring, but Alfea's… Professor Farryn – they were Professor Palladium's predecessor and mentor – was responsible for it, and they had taken their young trainee with them."

"Palladium," I guessed, my words muffled behind her hand.

She nodded, her eyes shining like one of Stella's spells. "I was enthralled, not just by the spells they and Palladium used but by the stories that were told. But it was their magic that truly drew me in. It was so pure and inviting that I simply wanted to bask in it. It complemented what little I knew perfectly and I couldn't stop myself from participating, though I had no idea what I was doing." A faint colour adorned her cheeks. "Poor Professor Palladium was completely thrown for a loop, but Professor Farryn was ecstatic. They invited me over, asked me who I was and—and they gave me their undivided attention, listened to every peculiar thing I said, and answered all my naïve questions. I think my cousin and her peers simply thought it was adorable, a clueless little kid being singled out by one of Alfea's professors. For me it was the start of a dream."

I could all but picture it: a small version of Flora sitting on the lap of someone who looked like an older version of Palladium, eyes shining in devotion and wonder, babbling away as they stared down at her with a warm smile. How starry-eyed and special she must have felt. How seen. Had anyone ever noticed her like that before, or after? Paid that much close attention to her dreams and ideas? Had the girls and I?

I couldn't speak on their behalf, but much to my shame, I had to admit that I hadn't. I saw Flora, listened to her, and loved her, but had I ever truly noticed her dreams? She had once mentioned offhandedly that attending Alfea had been a lifelong one of hers, but I had never bothered to ask why, or what she wanted to achieve by attending. I had assumed it was simply to study at the finest school in the dimension and become a Guardian Fairy, but now I wondered if that was truly all.

"Ever since that moment, I've dedicated all of my time to fulfilling that dream, to be accepted and attend Alfea. My parents… They never quite understood, or asked. Whenever I talked about it or expressed my desire to leave Linphea for a time, they dismissed it. All teenagers have, at one point or another, expressed their desire to leave Linphea. It's practically an essential stage of puberty." She swallowed, her lips thinning. "It became real after I had taken Alfea's admission test. Ms. Faragonda delivered my results in person, wanting to congratulate me herself on achieving one of the highest scores in history and invite me to attend Alfea after graduation. Mom and dad weren't happy." Sadness crossed her features. "Almost everyone who leaves Linphea doesn't return. They find new lives elsewhere. I suppose—I suppose they aren't exactly stimulated to return either. Leaving is considered a selfish act, and selfishness contradicts the core values."

"That's not even remotely true…" I started, my voice once more muffled by the hand she had still clamped around my mouth.

"I know, I know." She smiled reassuringly, but the sadness dripped from her eyes like tears. "I don't agree, but I can't deny that I've experienced some—" Her eyes flitted around, searching for an answer, or some insight. "—coldness?"

My heart ached for her. Flora loved Linphea, no one in their right mind could ever doubt that, but that she was treated differently and with disdain simply because that love had driven her to Alfea, to learn more and become a true Guardian Fairy of her beloved realm? It was wrong, so wrong.

"I'm not a fighter by nature, not like you, Stella and Musa are," continued Flora, her eyes still searching the room for an epiphany. "If studying hadn't come so naturally to me, I would have given up on my dream years ago. The slightest breeze or setback is enough to make me second-guess myself and give up. The discouragement of my parents was almost enough, would have been enough if Miele – my little sister – hadn't encouraged me to follow my dream." Her eyes shuttered, fear flitting over her features so abruptly that I was half-moving towards her, to help her, before my mind had properly processed it. "Our first day—our first encounter with the Trix did as well."

"Oh, Flora…" I tightened my grip on her wrists, pushing her hand away from my mouth, trying to free myself so I could hug her. "I can't imagine how…" The hand slapped back over my mouth and, with surprising strength, I was forced back down.

"Let me finish," she pleaded, gently but with a certain force as well. It caught me too off-guard to argue. "When I came to after that…" She shuddered and didn't finish. "My mind was made up. I would tell Faragonda I was returning to Linphea the moment we got back. But then—but then Tecna told us what you had done." Her voice wavered, pitched. "How you had put yourself between the Trix and us without a second thought. You, a girl from Earth who had only just discovered she had magic, magic she couldn't access and was discouraged from using because of the dangers it posed to your health, dangers you had experienced already. Still, despite all of it, you didn't turn tail and run, not like I would have if our roles had been reversed." For the first time since she had started, her eyes truly met mine. "I would have bolted out of that alley and screamed for help the second I had watched you fall by their hands. I wouldn't have stepped in; I wouldn't have risked my own life or endangered my health like you had, believing I was useless. No, I would have searched for someone more adequate to deal with it, and you all would have died."

I couldn't speak, only stare up at her, muted by her words, her honesty, and her admission.

"I guess—" She paused briefly. "I understand now that you weren't as clueless and blind as I originally assumed, with the knowledge you gained from your previous life, but still—what you did was—it wasn't something I could simply dismiss." Once more she fell silent, this time for a few heartbeats longer. When she spoke again, I started at the raw emotion in her voice. "I remember staring at you after Tecna filled us in. You were—you were still unconscious and so pale, so motionless. Stella and Musa were freaking out, Tecna was trying to calm them down by stating the obvious, like you were still breathing, and I just—I just stared, trying to wrap my head around what you had done. Not just protecting us, but saving us, healing us, all while not knowing what you were doing and—" Her voice wobbled, broke. "I was in awe, but even more than that, I was jealous." My brows shot up. What was that now? "Jealous that this cheerful, kind young woman who had only just been thrown headfirst into an utterly foreign world, was not just so hopeful and optimistic, but also so brave. Braver than I had ever been…" She took in a slow deep breath, every gulp shaky and fragile. "I swore to myself that night that I wouldn't let my life be ruled by fear, that no matter how frightening things would get or how many setbacks I would experience, I would stay at Alfea and try to be a bit more like you: brave, stubborn, and persistent." She laughed, and the sound was so abrupt, so different from her previous tone that I flinched in reaction. "Though I quickly learned that there were setbacks to those qualities. The Willow knows I've cursed you for those exact traits as often as I've admired them. Your tendency to always push back, to never take the easy way out or to back down from a challenge or fight… Honestly, your inability to admit defeat…"

I snorted. "Yeah, I don't exactly possess the talent to 'read the room' and react accordingly." Flora removed her hand briefly, arching a brow. "What was that?" I smiled and repeated the words. Her own smile widened. "Retreat, hold your tongue, let someone more qualified handle it," she enumerated almost casually. "It is as much a strength as it is a flaw. You got us out of awful situations." She cocked her head. "Got us into them as well."

"Tell me something I don't know," I muttered, relaxing back into her embrace. "I've been working on it. Or well, I've been forced to work on it. Valtor has been trying to teach me how to play chess, the objective here being trying. Safe to say, I suck at it."

"Hmm…" I arched a brow at Flora's thoughtful murmur. "I understand it better now, where it comes from." I blinked, and she chuckled, catching my confusion. "In your previous life, it sounded like your mother didn't exactly grant you much freedom. Not to do anything in the heat of the moment, or decide out of the blue to pick up a new hobby, or even to say what was truly on your mind. When you were freed from her influence, you gained this freedom…"

Realisation dawned on me. "—and I went completely overboard." A deep, resigned sigh slipped past my lips. "You might be onto something."

"I've been told that admitting you have a problem is the first step to rehabilitation." I shot her an unamused look, and she chuckled. "You just need to find the proper balance. You don't always have to push on, or do everything yourself. Admitting defeat and accepting you can't do something aren't failures." I yelped when she unexpectedly bent forward again and tightened her grip on me. "I know I said it before, but I'm so proud of you, Bloom. Daring to take the risk and telling Stella the truth, then telling us… It's no small thing, and I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you." I squeezed her wrists. "You should be proud of yourself too, you know. In comparison to me, you have grown so much these last couple weeks."

"We all have," whispered Flora wistfully in my hair. "I think none of us are the girls we were when we initially faced down the Trix. And I'm glad for it."

We remained like that, holding each other tightly and basking in this newfound honesty and trust. But eventually, my curiosity put an end to it.

"Are your parents still against you attending Alfea?"

"No, they've come around." I could hear the relief in her voice, feel the way she smiled. "They've seen now first-hand how much I've learned and grown at Alfea in such a short amount of time, and I've told them how happy I am with all of you. I suspect they still aren't entirely comfortable with me being so far away, but they're learning and, dare I say, even proud of me now."

"As they should." I relaxed once more, relieved to hear at least she and her parents had made up. "Another question, one that's been plaguing me since you told me—" I pushed her a bit up, enough that I could see her face. I arched a brow, grin tugging at my lips. "Does Palladium know you were that little kid?"

The blush she had originally adorned returned with a vengeance. "I-I don't believe so? He certainly never hinted at it, and it was so long ago…"

I grinned. Or maybe he did and it was one of the many reasons why Palladium favoured Flora above all his students. Their magic spoke to one another, like it had done years ago when he had been but a young trainee and she but a pre-schooler.

She wrinkled her nose. "What does it matter?"

" Nothing." She answered my innocent reply with an unimpressed look. I laughed, tugging her back down for another hug. "I'm glad you stayed, Flo. My life wouldn't be complete without you."

She buried her face in my hair once more, tightening her own grip one me. "Love you, Bloom. Recklessness and stubbornness and all."

---

When Stella burst through the door an hour later – several hours after we had expected her back – she was fuming and encased in a golden glow. Flora and I turned to her simultaneously. My shoulders lost some of the tension when I noticed her unscathed appearance.

"Stella. Thank God. We were starting—" I blinked, trailing off at the murderous intent on her face. My heart sank. "What happened?"

"Nothing!" she seethed, her eyes starting to glow like her hands. "Not. One. Fucking. Word!" Flora and I exchanged a weary look. "I laid into her the whole way to Zenith, and she didn't. Say. One. Fucking. Word!"

I pursed my lips. Ah, that explained the fury. She had tried to change Tecna's mind. "Stel, we can't undo centuries of indoctrination in one afternoon—"

"Well, we fucking should!" she snapped back, the glow around her brightening. I had to squint to keep looking at her or get a pair of sunglasses. "It's not like any of what we were taught was based on the fucking truth!"

"We don't know that for sure—" I started.

"Stop it, Bloom!" She glared at me. "Those bitches –" Flora and I both flinched. "– turned their backs on you, on US! They don't deserve to be defended by you!"

"Stella…" I tried again, shoulders slumping.

"No!" Stella's glower brightened the whole room. "Just no! Not another word!" I shot Flora a helpless look; she petted my hands reassuringly. At least someone was on my side. "I swear if either of them so much speaks a word about your Fae heritage, I will take a page out of the psychopath-encased-in-ice's book and start wringing a few necks!"

Flora's jaw slackened, and I stared aghast at our blonde friend. "Stella!"

But she was on a roll. "Tecna didn't look at me once, not even when I pleaded with her! And then— then!" She jabbed a finger into the air. "I tried to find Musa, because obviously, she is still on Earth with how weak her transportation spells are –" Flora and I exchanged another look. "– and what did I get?! A shitload of nothing once more! I've been trying to find her for hours, and it's like she disappeared into thin air!"

"I know this isn't what we wanted to happen—" started Flora.

"It's the exact fucking opposite of what we wanted!" She started to pace. The glow around her brightened and dimmed like a malfunctioning light with each turn. "After all we've been through, how could they just leave?!"

"This isn't how we expected things to go –" tried Flora once more, the previous sympathy wavering just a little. "– but that doesn't mean we should give up on them." She shot her a stern look. "Or lower ourselves to violence."

Stella pointed a furious, glowing finger her way. "Don't give me that! You know what will happen if they open their big mouths! I don't need to explain to you as a resident of Linphea, what monsters those hunters are!"

Flora flinched, the cup in her hands rattling on its saucer. I took it from her and set it on the table, squeezing her hand in support as I did so. Both our fingers were shaking, indicating that neither of us was as calm about the threat Musa and Tecna potentially posed as we pretended to be.

"I don't think they will ever stoop that low, no matter how conflicted they might feel," argued the flower fairy softly. "Being our friend might be asking a bit too much from them right now, but that doesn't change what we've been through together. I can't see them revealing Bloom's heritage, no matter how torn they are." Stella scoffed, rolling her eyes and conveying without words just what she thought about that. Flora shot her a disappointed scowl. "And I still believe that they will come around. We just need to give them the time and the space to sort through everything. We can't forget that they did grow up on Zenith and Melody."

I cocked my head curiously, not sure what that meant. "Why does that matter? I thought Zenith was rather progressive."

"It is. In some ways, Melody is as well." Flora squeezed my hand, smiling sadly, while Stella scoffed once more. "Unfortunately, the scars of the past run deep, and neither Zenith or Melody have the best experience with the Fae."

I glanced at Stella, the question clear on my face. "What she means to say is that they hold a grudge like no other." She sneered. "Melody claims that there is a type of Fae that thrive off creative minds, Fae who literally drain the creativity along with the magic from artists, and that once upon a time, Melody's population was almost decimated by them."

I shuddered, brows furrowing. That sounded a lot like the Leanan Sídhe. Carson had told me stories about them. Their gift was to inspire their mortal lovers, help them produce their finest work, but the more they inspired them, the higher the toll on the mortal body. Feeding off them drained the mortal's vitality, which either led to the artist burning out and dying or going mad after the Leanan Sídhe left to find a new victim.

Carson had made it sound like not all Leanan Sídhe had intentionally caused their mortal lovers such grief. They tried to leave before they had taken too much, but they couldn't stop themselves inspiring artists any more than anyone could stop their heart from beating.

If a type of Fae similar to the Leanan Sídhe truly did exist, and they had liked to visit Melody, then it was no wonder Musa had reacted so badly.

"Zenith is a different story," continued Stella, still with a scowl. "They were neutral during the Great Haunt, claimed both parties were in the wrong, and therefore they wouldn't pick a side. Naturally, both the Fae and the hunters took advantage of their neutrality and did thorough business with them. The Fae were just better at disguising it for what is truly was—namely, manipulation."

Flora pinched my hand, drawing my gaze to her once more. "Remember, these are all stories. We have no idea how much of it is true." I smiled wanly at her, appreciating her words, though it didn't exactly make me feel better about what the Fae – it was weird to call them my kind – had once upon a time inflicted on the people I was now so desperate to protect from evil.

"It doesn't matter if it is true or not. People believe it to be true; therefore, it is considered truth." Stella rolled her eyes dramatically. "Supposedly, the Fae fed the egos and arrogance of the brightest minds on Zenith, putting ideas into their heads about developing bigger, nastier and more devastating weapons. In the name of science, of course, and all hypothetically. Those weapons were never meant to be used." She rolled her eyes again. "Idiots."

"They were used," I guessed, lips twitching down. This sounded like the equivalent of the atomic bomb—something that was created because it could in theory, but wasn't supposed to be used. Not really. Until it had, and the consequences proved to be devastating—worse than Einstein and Oppenheimer could have imagined.

"On innocent people rather than the hunters," confirmed Flora with a tiny flinch. "The massacre was one of the bloodiest and most ruthless attack that happened during the Great Haunt, and a tipping point for many to support the hunters, assuming that they at least would never turn on their own."

"Whether that is true neither here or there," added Stella with a scowl. "Some conspiracies claim that the weapon was used by the hunters rather than by the Fae since no Fae bodies were found. Others claim that the Fae who used it died in its blast, were completely obliterated, and had used it as a last resort to protect themselves, oblivious to the devastating results that would follow. Some even say neither the Fae or the hunters were responsible, but that Zenith's scientists were the ones who had deployed it, as a test. Regardless of the theories, the end result remains the same: Zenith was held accountable. Its scientists had created it; therefore, it bore the blame. The realm had to pay for the damage houses and fields sustained, and compensate the families not simply for missed income but also for their losses. Their economy took a major hit, was declared bankrupt no less than six times, and only survived because other realms were willing to lend them money. It took centuries before they had properly recovered from the blow and repaid all the loans with interest."

"All magical creatures grow up hearing stories about how terrible, cruel, and selfish the Fae are –" I turned my attention to Flora when she spoke once more. "– but some realms like Melody and Zenith go one step further. Their stories are told as absolute truths. Tecna and Musa didn't just grow up with stories like Stella and I did; they grew up with facts and witness accounts of what happened centuries ago. What you revealed and proved to be clashes with everything they were ever taught." She squeezed my hand once more, offering me a reassuring smile. "You already made it clear that you won't pressure them into anything. We will keep our distance and give them all the time they need, so they can make sense of it all. You will see—they will come around."

I got the feeling the last part was more directed at Stella than me. Stella seemed to agree because she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You two be optimistic. I'm still cutting those bitches if they so much as look wrong at Bloom." Her face darkened. "Starting with Musa the second she shows up."

And that reminded me of Musa's disappearance. Stella's tracking spells might not be the finest in the dimension, but she should have been able to track her down. Especially in a magicless place like Gardena.

"Do you think Musa is alright?" I nibbled on my lip nervously, meeting Flora's eyes and finding the same worry in hers. "Maybe we should all go out to look for her."

Stella had been teaching all of us her transportation spells, and while Tecna had significantly improved to the point she could now jump small distances, Musa and Flora still struggled with them. Musa still had to be on Earth, so the fact that Stella couldn't find her was worrisome. It wasn't like she could call a magic cab, with Earth being off-limits for magical creatures.

"Who cares?" scowled Stella. "She's the one who walked out of the door without a word. She will come crawling when she needs something from us, like usual."

I stared once more aghast at her, unable to believe the words falling from her lips. Out of all of us, Stella and Musa did butt heads the most, but to say Musa used us—wasn't there offering help and support whenever something happened?

"Stella!" Flora glared at her. Well, she glared as best as she could, which was the equivalent of a puppy scowling: cute and not intimidating at all. "That's hardly fair! Musa has always been there for all of us, regardless of the situation. She even helped you during the Miss Magix contest, even though she absolutely loathed it." Her features softened when Stella crossed her arms and jutted her chin in the air. "I understand you're upset; I am too –" She gestured at me "– so is Bloom. We all are, but that isn't an excuse to slander their names or actions."

Stella twisted on her heel, deliberately turning her back at us, and marched towards the kitchen. The glow still surrounded her, but I got the feeling—no, not a feeling. The turmoil of her aura was so palpable that if I squinted, I could see the faint outline of hazy colours. I just couldn't decipher what colour they were. I'd expect grey with a bit of yellow and blue: grief, instability, and sadness.

Flora wrapped an arm around my shoulders, gently manoeuvring my head to her shoulder. "Don't listen to her, sweetie. Your loyalty and concern are exactly why I believe Musa and Tecna will come around. They will realize soon enough that despite being Fae, you're still the Bloom we love, the one we are lucky to call our friend."

I closed my eyes, momentarily allowing myself a moment of weakness in the safety of her embrace. The bone-deep fatigue hit me like a wrecking ball. "I'm tired—" I admitted to her in a whisper. "—so, so tired."

"I can only imagine." Flora pressed a loving kiss atop my head. "What you've been through the last months, these last years—" She smoothed her hand over my hair, and I all but turned into a puddle. "But you're not alone anymore. I meant what I said earlier: we're here for you, we'll help you in any way we can, and stand by you no matter what." I couldn't help but think that Flora really would have been a more suitable host for the Dragon.

Stella reappeared, now with a drink in hand, and dropped into the armchair opposite the couch. Flora eyed her for a moment before nodding at whatever she had decided. "So—what's our next step? I would prefer if it didn't involve homicide."

"Ease up, Flo." Stella rolled her eyes once more. "I'm not actually going to take a page out of Wolf's book. I'm a fairy, not a witch." Her hand stilled as she raised her glass to her lips, her head cocking to the side as she considered. "I would probably be less work and a whole lot easier if I just melted him and let him have his fun."

"Stella!" Flora's entire body went rigid underneath me. "You can't be serious!" She sounded appalled, justly so, but I couldn't keep a tiny smile from tugging at my lips. "We're talking about Valtor! While I do believe we should give him the benefit of the doubt since he cares so deeply for Bloom –"

"Debatable," I muttered, only slightly bitter.

"– he is still an evil wizard. His definition of a good idea should be our definition of a bad one. You shouldn't even be considering requesting his help or assistance, especially not when it involves breaking him out of the Omega Dimension. His connection to Bloom doesn't pardon him from the crimes he committed against the innocent people of the Magic Dimension."

"I'm not saying we should instantly start planning a prison break," argued Stella haughtily. Flora seemed to relax just a little. "I'm just—we should keep an open mind, alright? He might be an evil fiend and lying bastard, but we can all agree that he seems protective over her. At least that would make him willing to assist us in disposing of any and all threats."

I lifted my head, arching a brow. "Will that be before, after, or during his conquest of the Magic Dimension?"

"Something tells me you would rather enjoy watching him do so, hon –" snarked Stella back, her lip curling slightly over her upper teeth. "– with your thing for powerful men and all."

A rather unsettling image popped up: Stella and Valtor visiting unsuspecting department stores and burning all the fashion atrocities to the ground before finding a quiet café to sip expensive wine and have intense political discussion. Jesus, wouldn't that be a sight. The tabloids would have a field day.

I scowled. "Alright, that settles it: you two are never meeting, not as long as I have something to say about it. I swear, if I have to invent a spell that will ensure his popsicle status for a few more decades, I will. With my luck, you two will become BFFs and go about destroying all who you believe have wronged me in one way or another."

"Oh, absolutely." Stella shot a maniac grin and sounded absolutely gleeful. "Starting with your mother."

Dear God, it was starting already.

"Stella!" both Flora and I snapped.

"You two are no fun," huffed Stella indignantly, her nose wrinkling. "What's the fun of having my best friend hook up with a scary motherfucker if I can't reap the benefits of his scary-dog privileges?"

My eyes widened. "His scary-dog—" I sputtered, barely able to believe what I was hearing. "Where did you even hear about that?! And don't –" I jabbed an accusing finger her way "– say Mike and Vanessa, because they wouldn't know a damn thing about it!"

"I wasn't going to say Mike and Vanessa." Stella shot me a saccharine sweet smile. "Andy told me."

"Andy?" I repeated, flabbergasted. "When? How? Why?" I narrowed my eyes. "Great Dragon, do NOT tell me you discussed my love life with my ex!"

Stella twirled a lock of hair innocently around her finger. " Lack of a love life, hon." I glared, baring my teeth at her. "And of course we did. He worries about you, so I tried somewhat to set his mind at ease. We even exchanged contact information." Her face sobered. "You should probably give him a call. He regularly pesters me for updates on your health. I think he knows something is up, especially since you dropped off the face of the Earth for a while after Vanessa's shop burned down."

I winched at the stab of guilt. With everything that had happened and the rollercoaster ride my life had been turned in to, reaching out to Andy hadn't exactly crossed my mind. Andy who had been a witness to my frantic flight from Vanessa's shop alongside Stella, who had tried to call but gotten voicemail when I had been lying unconscious in a hospital bed, and who had heard alongside the rest of Gardena about the all-destructive fire that had destroyed Vanessa's shop. Andy, who had no doubt freaked out even more after neither Mike nor Vanessa had been home the days following the fire.

Had anyone other than Stella responded to his messages?

"God, I'm such a bitch."

"No, you're not," Flora disagreed at the same time Stella said, "Yes, you are." The two looked startled looks—Flora unamused, and Stella sceptic.

"You're not a bitch," disagreed the girl beside me, placing a comforting hand on my wrist. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You've had a lot on your mind. It's understandable that some things might slip through the cracks or take a back seat."

"Exactly," chimed Stella in. "Though, I still think you're a bitch sometimes." I arched a brow, and she shrugged. "But that's a good thing. Bitches don't let anyone dictate their lives or walk all over them. Since you're a future Queen, that's actually a good trait to have."

I cocked my head. " You are currently dictating my life."

She waved her hand dismissively. "That's different. I'm protecting you from yourself."

"Agree to disagree."

Stella glared. "We are not doing this again."

"Girls," Flora interjected, raising her hands. " Please. Can we get back on track?" I wrinkled my nose at Stella, who rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "What's our next step?"

"She wants to get herself arrested."

My blonde friend beat me to answering by a heartbeat, but it had the desired effect. Flora's eyes widened and she squeaked, "What?" in absolute horror.

"Who is the bitch now?" I leaned over the table to flick Stella's knee, scowling. "That's not even remotely true. Way to exaggerate." Stella threatened to kick me, so I fell back onto the couch, turning to face Flora. "I can feel something is wrong with Domino," I explained, watching her brows furrow in concern. "But since I'm currently powerless, I can't open my own portal to investigate. We had hoped Tecna could provide some insight in why I can transport myself to Domino without any problems or encountering any restrictions, despite Domino being heavily warded. Neither Stella nor I are willing to risk opening one of her portals to Domino until we have more information."

"Tecna's talents certainly would have been helpful," Flora said thoughtfully, wetting her lips and resting her fingers against her chin. "But we can research the matter ourselves. It'll just take a bit longer. Surely there have to be records on Domino's wards?"

"I checked," I replied sorely. "There's nothing except a public statement that the wards were created by order of the council and constructed by the finest magical creatures to protect Domino's heritage. From that day forward, any trespassers would be severely punished severely. The details are sealed."

"Which means," added Stella, swinging her legs over the armrest, "that if we want access to them, we have to file a request, which will definitely raise some eyebrows. We'd rather get to Domino without anyone noticing or forcing Bloom to reveal her identity to those council jerks."

"Alright," Flora mused, brushing a finger over her lips as she frowned. "But surely the wards weren't a completely new design? No matter how powerful the creators were, they had to base them on something. If we can find records on similar wards, we will gain some insight into the restrictions and loopholes that Domino's wards could have."

Stella cocked her head, clearly impressed. "Good thinking, Flo."

Flora smiled and dropped her hand into her lap. "So that's one thing. What else?"

I slumped in my seat. "Let me just get my notebook—"

Stella snapped her fingers, and the familiar book landed in my lap. She shot me another saccharine smile. "You're welcome."

"Thanks," I replied dryly, giving her an unimpressed look as I opened the notebook to one of the last pages. "Okay, I've been working on several things. The most pressing was preventing the Trix from stealing my powers. Initially, I planned to bind the Dragon to me to stop that from happening, but since I'm powerless, that's off the table."

Flora's eyes widened. "There's a spell for that?"

I grimaced as Stella sang, "She got it from Valtor."

"Will you stop?" I glared at her. "I'm starting to wonder which of us has the crush here."

"This is payback for all the times you teased me about Sk— Brandon," Stella said with a maniac grin, twirling her finger. "Bed. Lie in it."

I should have seen that coming. She had sworn she'd get back at me for that. I should have known better than to assume it was an idle threat. Karma's a bitch.

I stuck out my tongue, which she eagerly mirrored.

"Anyway," I flipped a page, "that spell doesn't just require magic; I can only do the binding on a specific date called Opes Lasairtaich, which is fast approaching. And when I say fast, I mean it's next week."

"What is the backup plan?" Flora asked.

I grimaced. "I don't have one." Flora's eyes widened. "The binding spell was my backup plan. The original one was to expose the Trix and have the authorities deal with them. Since that failed and I doubt they'll risk another outing like that, giving us the opportunity to use the revealing spell… well, I've got no backup plan, except maybe trying the original one again."

Flora pursed her lips, her hand inching toward her chin again. "Oh, it gets better," Stella drawled sarcastically. "Tell her what will happen if they do get their greasy black fingers on your powers."

I scowled at her. "You're enjoying this way too much." She shrugged innocently. "I mentioned Darkar earlier. Do you remember who he is?"

Flora frowned, nodding slowly. "He was the one who cursed Domino alongside the Ancestral Witches, wasn't he?"

"Yes. Well, Darkar is the embodiment of the Phoenix, which is the opposite of the Dragon. Where the Dragon represents light, the Phoenix is darkness. That's why a curse was needed to cover Domino in complete darkness so he could to join the battle. Now Darkar is after my powers too, along with something called the Codex. The Codex consists of four keys that essentially open the door to something called the Relix Realm. But to use the Codex, one needs the power of the Dragon. Don't ask me why; I have no idea." Flora's mouth snapped shut, clearly on the verge of asking just that. "The Relix Realm holds some kind of power that Darkar wants. He's obsessed with it, and has been for centuries." I hesitated. "Most of Valtor's crimes were committed under his orders."

Flora's eyes widened even more, almost popping out. It would be hilarious if it wasn't in reaction to something so serious. "Both Valtor and the Ancestral Witches worked for this Darkar?" I nodded. "Then why haven't I heard of him before? Surely learning about the true master behind the scenes is essential?"

I bit my lip. "Wolf thinks the council and the Company of Light deliberately kept his existence a secret to prevent dimension-wide panic. The rulers of the realms knew about him and the threat he posed, but to tell the public about an all-powerful, practically immortal being that's basically evil personified? Valtor and the witches instilled enough fear without the public knowing they were just the foot soldiers."

Flora opened her mouth but quickly closed it with an audible snap. "That—yes, that makes sense." She tilted her head. "What do the Trix have to do with Darkar?"

"The Trix want to use my powers to summon something called the Army of Darkness, which they plan to use to conquer Magix. The Army of Darkness is one of Darkar's creations, and I've been told one of his favourites. If they succeed in stealing my powers and summoning it, Darkar will instantly know, and he'll choose them as his new minions."

Flora pinched the bridge of her nose. "And then they'll you again, this time on his behalf."

I nodded. "Me and the pieces of the Codex. Valtor had them when he was captured during the Siege of Domino. The original protectors didn't even realize they were gone, and now the four pieces are scattered across the magical schools."

Flora raised an eyebrow. "You know where they are?" I nodded. She wet her lips, staring thoughtfully into the distance. "That means if the Trix do succeed in summoning the Army, we could retrieve them and hide them somewhere safe. In theory."

My jaw dropped at Flora's suggestion, and Stella barked out a laugh. "We're a bad influence on you, Flo."

Flora blushed. "I would never suggest to do this under normal circumstances, but—in my defence, no one else seems to be listening to our warnings or taking action. I guess that means the responsibility falls on us."

I picked my jaw up off the floor, shaking my head to clear it of the shock. "If the Trix succeed despite all our efforts—then yes, in theory, we could do that. But I think that's a discussion for another time."

"Yes, let's revisit that later." Flora straightened up. "What else are you working on?"

I flipped another page and started to read out loud. Valtor's history and possible connection to Domino; visiting Pyros to retrieve the dragons and finding one to bound with; toying with the idea to freeing Red Fountain's dragons; defrosting my realm and bringing life back to it; rebuilding the castle, or at least making it more accessible, aka liveable; figuring out why got the post-mortem title of Nymph of Magix and who the other nymphs might be; dealing with Nex, Eraklyon, and its annexation of Isis through Diaspro and Sky's marriage; learning more about my Fae heritage, Fae history in general, and testing out strengths and weaknesses and—

"—and my current side project is discovering why Earth is magicless, and why there's a clearing in Gardena that's steeped in dark magic. If you ask me, that's a bit too coincidental. Barbatea also mentioned that if the Earth fairies were still around, my life would have been very different, but they were driven to extinction by someone called Arthur. Except, Tecna checked it out, and apparently a group called the Wizards of the Black Circle are documented as the real perpetrators. I'm investigating because around the time magic disappeared from Earth, a lot of legends about King Arthur started circulating. He's seen as a folk hero here on Earth, but if he's partly responsible for the disappearance of magic – if he actually existed – than why do the people put him on such a pedestal? You'd think they'd despise the man responsible for wiping out something so precious and beautiful as magic." I lifted my head and found both Stella and Flora staring in utter astonishment. I blinked. "What?"

"How are you still standing?" Stella blinked, a mixture of pain and disgust crossing her features. "Better question, how are you still alive?"

I rolled my eyes at her dramatic antics. "It's not that much."

Stella raised an eyebrow and added in a deadpan voice, "You forgot about your quest to learn etiquette, the customs of different realms, and basically how to be a Queen."

"—right—" I frowned, holding out my hand. "Can you summon a pen so I can write that down?" Something heavy landed on my head, and I yelped, catching it as it tipped forward into my lap. "What the—" It was one of the old tomes she had borrowed from her father's library. I glared at her. "I said pen, not book!" I waved the tome as best as I could—it was ridiculously heavy. "Does this look like a pen?"

Stella raised her hands in mock surrender. "I hoped it would bash some sense into your thick head, but alas." I bared my teeth at her again.

"What Stella is trying to say –" cut Flora in, once more jumping at the chance to keep the peace, "– is that you're taking on an awful lot, Bloom."

"It's not that much," I argued again, wrinkling my nose. "Honestly. And it's not like there's a deadline for any of it. It's just—"

"Where do you even find the time to research all of that?" Stella interrupted. "We're neck-deep in homework and assignments most of the time."

I gritted my teeth. "I will admit a lot of things have been added in the last few weeks—"

"Oh, so this is a recent development?"

"Stella." Flora shot her a stern look. Stella rolled her eyes, which Flora seemed to accept as confirmation. She turned back to me. "How recent is recent?"

"A month? Barbatea casually dropped the Arthur thing before we left Alfea for the break. The mystery of Daphne's nymph status, along with the whole healing Domino and visiting Pyros, was thrown in my lap the night I snuck out of Alfea, and the Isis-Eraklyon debacle I discovered the night of my date with Sky. Honestly, my biggest concern has been protecting my powers, so most of my time has gone into that." I turned to Stella, shooting her a nasty look. "And yes, a lot of that time has been at night." Stella glared right back.

"No wonder you've been so exhausted these past few weeks." I blinked at Flora, who gave me a shy smile. "Sorry, sweetie, but Stella has a point. It—it's a lot. And on top of all our schoolwork." She shook her head. "Even if we divide all those subjects equally among the three of us, we still wouldn't have enough time. Especially not once school starts again."

I swallowed against the heaviness in my chest, the weight of expectations, and the fear of not succeeding. "I know that—"

And I did, I truly did. Even before everything had gone wrong and I had lost my powers, I struggled with not being able to meet all the responsibilities I had taken on, all the questions that remained unanswered.

Now I was back at square one: trying to find a way to keep the Dragon safe. My biggest accomplishment – finding and learning that binding spell – had turned into my greatest failure. The irrational part of me had hoped that with more people involved, and therefore more help, I'd finally get things done instead of constantly delaying them.

To have that hope crushed after all the setbacks…

"—but you're disappointed," Flora finished softly, her hand squeezing mine sympathetically. "I understand. I'd be disappointed too, but well have so little free time once we return to Alfea. We're starting our second semester, and it's said to be even more brutal than the first." Something about her words loosened the knot in my chest, and I rested my head on her shoulder again, melting into her embrace. "We can aacomplish a lot between the three of us, but we'll still need to prioritize."

"I suggest you stop trying to kill your last brain cells by reading up on Fae history." Stella took a long sip from her drink. "Let's face it, none of us are made to read that kind of dry, boring material."

I scowled at her, growing tired of her attitude. "You're the future Queen of Solaria. I hardly think your father's daily reports are any better."

"Emphasis on future Queen." She waved a hand dismissively. "Until I take the crown, I'm avoiding exhausting texts like they're an infectious disease."

I sneered. "Well, I don't exactly have that luxury."

"You don't exactly have a people to rule over either," Stella shot back, "which saves you the paperwork. Don't know what you're complaining about."

Flora's relaxed demeanour vanished, her back going rigid. "Stella!"

"What?" Stella shrugged casually. "It's true, isn't it?"

I could feel Flora's outrage. "That doesn't mean you should—how can you—her entire realm was decimated! Show some respect!"

Something flashed in Stella's eyes, but she recovered quickly, her expression once more a mask of indifference and annoyance. Her attitude was back in full force.

So was the faint outline of her aura.

Grey. I was sure of the colour now. With yellow edges and red-blue centre that seemed to coil inward, just like the edges. It was pulsating and writhing, not outward as I had seen before but inward. Andy's aura had clawed at the space around him; Stella's aura seemed to claw at itself.

I blinked, and the air cleared. Nothing remained of the brief glimpse I had caught of Stella's true feelings. Had I truly—of course I had. I couldn't make that stuff up, and I had never seen anyone's aura claw at itself like that. And for some reason – despite this being my first experience with it – I knew instantly what I meant.

Stella might talk a big game, but she was heartbroken. To shield herself from revealing how deeply Tecna and Musa's reactions had affected her, she was talking shit and acting like she didn't care. When push came to shove, I doubted she would truly hurt either of them.

It cut through my own sour mood and provided me with some clarity.

I was exhausted from barely sleeping the last few nights, but so was Stella, who had slept as little as I had. Meanwhile, while Flora and I had been comfortably cuddling on the couch, grieving our broken friendships and comforting each another, Stella had been teleporting from one realm to another, using magic that didn't come naturally to her for damage control.

Damage control she thought was her responsibility, her doing.

"Flora," I whispered, cutting off her scolding. "It's alright." Flora's mouth snapped shut, and she actually pushed my head off her shoulder to stare at me in shock. I smiled weakly. "Neither Stella nor I got much sleep, which you know makes us both cranky."

I turned to Stella and saw the sneer, my heart breaking for how hard she was trying to be strong and pretend everything was fine, all while punishing herself internally.

I held out my hand to her, beckoning her forward. "Come here." She went rigid. My eyes burned, though no tears fell. "You don't need to hide how upset you are, Stel. You're allowed to cry. We did."

"I'm not—"

"I've known you longer than today," I interrupted, wiggling my fingers in an urgent invitation. "You're upset about Musa and Tecna. How could you not be?" Not even a brow twitched. I pressed on. "You're blaming yourself because you pushed me to meet the girls and tell them." She flinched, and that tiny movement cracked her mask. "Stella, get over here right now or I swear to all that is holy I will—"

I didn't need to finish my threat. She rose to her feet and stumbled towards us, sinking into the space Flora and I made for her. Flora seemed to have understand what was truly wrong and beat me to pulling her in a bone-crushing hug.

"I'm glad you forced me to come clean," I whispered into Stella's hair, leaning against her as she leaned against Flora. "It hurts, I won't lie, and it will continue to hurt for a long time. But I think Flora is right: with time they will see sense and come back to us. If not—" My voice broke, the possibility crashing into me like a wrecking ball. "—if not, then they weren't truly our friends." Stella's body curled into itself, and I tightened my grip, exhaling slowly. "I'm glad Flora knows, and glad that Tecna and Musa now know as well, regardless of what they do with that knowledge. What I'm not doing is blaming you. Nor should you." The sound that escaped Stella's mouth was akin to a choked sob. "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. We've just—we've been dealt a shitty hand."

"The worst." And with that, Stella's mask finally cracked, and she cried, grieving our friends as Flora and I had done earlier.

---

I found myself alone for the first time since my near-death experience two days later, sitting on the couch and flipping through one of the etiquette books Stella had left for me. She and Flora were in Magix, conducting their own extensive research: Stella on the Isis-Eraklyon crisis, and Flora on Domino's regrowth. They had taken on these responsibilities since Flora was the expert on nature, and Stella, as the future Queen of Solaria, could investigate the annexation without immediately being disposed of.

We had agreed to put the Earth-Arthur thing on the backburner, along with Pyros and anything involving dragons. Our priorities were Domino, putting an end to the Isis annexation, and keeping my powers safe. Everything else would have to wait.

I was focussing on the laws and cultures of the Magic Dimension, paying special attention to the punishments for breaking those laws and how one might get absolved. It was like reading a guide on "how to get away with murder," though so far the best advice I could find if we ended up breaking the law and getting caught was seek legal counsel. Good, and likely very expensive, legal counsel.

I wasn't supposed to be doing any research. According to Flora and Stella, I had done more than enough and should be focussing solely on recovering. Joining them in Magix was still out of the question; I could barely make it to the front door without fainting. Just two days ago earlier, I had rushed down the stairs when Mike and Vanessa finally returned home, eager to hear what the insurance company had said, and promptly fainted at the bottom. After some insistent prodding and them calling my name ever more urgently, I returned to consciousness only to respond to their offer to "get me settled on the couch" with a "no, I'm okay, leave me here, the floor is really comfortable."

That had been the wrong thing to say, and I was now on strict house – read bed – arrest. Which was why I wasn't supposed to be doing any research or even be downstairs. But I had been going stir-crazy doing nothing – seriously, after just one day, the bugs on my wallpaper started to move – and since no one was home, there was no harm in coming downstairs to do some research.

What they didn't know couldn't hurt them.

Laws weren't exactly my thing, but I enjoyed reading about the different realms. There were so many of them, and not one was the same.

Solaria was a monarchy – obviously – but it hadn't always been one. It started as a republic with a leader called the Prime, until one Prime and his inner circle got greedy and changed the law to stay in power. This resulted in a civil war that lasted three centuries, ending only when one of Stella's ancestors united the various groups against the corrupt Prime. For this, she was chosen as their monarch.

The largest faction of the monarchy's opposition was granted their own realm to prevent further unrest and settled on Noxidian, Solaria's largest moon. They experimented with different forms of government until they settled on electing a new queen every generation, forbidding the title from being inherited. It reminded me a bit of what Star Wars depicted on Naboo, except the ruling term was much longer. Noxidian's current Queen was Stella's mother, Luna, chosen long before she and Radius had gotten together. It was why she had refused to be crowned Queen of Solaria after their marriage, and why her ex-husband had never accepted the title as King-Consort of Noxidian.

Linphea was a democracy. Every five years, the people elected twenty-one new representatives, each from a different district, giving every corner of Linphea a voice in the realm's government. They were overseen by another governing body called the Council of Ancients. The Council didn't hold any real power, but protected the realm's integrity intervened when it was threatened. They were the adjudication branch of Earth's Trias Politica, in more ways than one, as the Ancients also acted as judge, jury, and executioner. The Council of Ancients was shrouded in mystery, and I couldn't find any records or information on its members—not who or what they were, where they came from, how they were chosen, or even how many of them there were. I decided to ask Flora to indulge my curiosity when I saw her.

Melody was a monarchy, similar to many on Earth: existing but powerless. The monarchy had no influence over the laws that were made, lived on a modest salary, and served only a ceremonial function. The monarch made speeches when required, travelled to other realms on diplomatic missions – mostly as a figurehead while real diplomats worked behind the scenes – and smiled and waved during celebrations. The current monarch was King Garomius, who was on his fifth wife. The only one of his twelve children who hadn't abdicated in search of a life with more freedom was his youngest, Princess Galatea of Melody.

I wrinkled my nose. A man that old shouldn't be allowed to have a wife and daughter that young. He was old enough to be his wife's grandfather and his daughter's great-grandfather. Disgusting.

To my shock, Zenith turned out to be something of a theocracy, except instead of a supreme ruling God, they had a supreme ruling Artificial Intelligence. The AI was "overseen" by four prophets – lacking a better description – who bore the title Speaker. These prophets were chosen by the AI and provided it with intel, which it then used to further develop, assess the needs of the people, and track/prevent crime. In return, the AI communicated its concerns, decrees, and selected changes to the prophets, who then relayed this information to the people. The prophets remained in power until the AI dismissed them and chose new ones.

The idea of being ruled by an AI was more than a little disturbing, especially when I read that law and order were also enforced by the AI. It used some kind of robocops to patrol the streets and punish troublemakers, sometimes even before they committed a crime. The AI even decided when it was lights-out since Zenith, and its neighbouring realms in the Binary System, didn't have a sun. It dawned on me then why the concept of "time zones" had been foreign to Tecna. And why she usually dressed like she was bracing for extreme heat; according tot his book, Zenith was in a permanent frozen state.

"Definitely not a summer retreat," I muttered to Kiko, who was sprawled over the decoy book beside me on the couch, purring like his life depended on it. "That goes on the 'never in a million years' list."

I had only just flipped to the chapter on Andros – one of the few empires in the dimension, an old one and definitely still in power – when someone knocked on the door. I chuckled, already expecting the knock. Mike's keys were hanging on the key chain beside the coat rack. He had rushed off in a hurry that morning, his boys even coming to pick him up from home, and he'd forgotten the essentials as usual. If I were to open his nightstand, I'd likely find his phone safely tucked away in it as well, though I wasn't about to check. That was one set of stairs too many to climb.

The knock came again, hesitantly, like Mike was afraid he'd wake me. "Coming," I called outm, rising unsteadily to my feet and wobbling to the door. I grabbed the keys as I passed them. "I was expecting you ear—" My breath caught in my throat when I opened the front door. Because it wasn't Mike that was standing in front of me. "Tecna."

Seeing her again after everything that had happened was like a punch to the gut and being swept away by a tidal wave at the same time. One part of me wanted to recoil, to put some distance between us. Another part of me was frozen in place as emotion after emotion washed through me.

Joy. Trepidation. Grief. Anger. Fear. Confusion.

She was one of the last people I expected to show up on my doorstep. Not only because of what had happened and how she had reacted to my bared soul, but also because—how had she even gotten here? Why was she here?

" Are you here to kill me?" burned on my lips, but I swallowed it back. She wouldn't react well to such a question. But what else was I supposed to say?

" What are you doing here?" No, that sounded too accusatory.

I could just settle for "hi," but after everything, that felt so lame, so timid and insecure.

We stared at each other in silence. She was dressed in—my eyes stung. She was wearing the pair of leggings and sports bra that Musa, Stella and I had gotten her. Was that intentional? Was she here to apologize and reconcile? I barley dared to hope.

I swallowed against the lump in my throat, my breath coming out in quick, shallow puffs as I struggled to keep it together. Maybe I should just tell her I understood her initial reaction, that I didn't blame her for it. Or I could point out that Stella and Flora weren't here, that they were in Magix if she wanted to talk to them. Better yet, I should ask her if she'd heard anything from Musa. The music fairy hadn't just dropped off the face of the Earth – literally – but hadn't returned home either. Stella and Flora had made a pitstop on Melody before heading to Magix and messaged me with the news that Musa's father was the only one at home. He didn't know where she was either, except that she was staying with "friends".

I swallowed again. "Hi, Tec."

"Hi…"

My heart ached at how unsure and broken she sounded. She was as pale as I was, which was saying something, and dark shadows lay under her eyes, like she hadn't slept at all since leaving Earth two days ago.

"Are you alright?" I tightened my grip on the door to stop myself from reaching for her. "You don't look—" I stopped myself. I was the last person she would want to talk to. "Stella and Flora are in Magix, if you need someone to talk to. I'm sure that whatever is troubling you, they'd be willing to help."

Tecna pursed her lips but said nothing. I could only imagine she was calling bullshit, which wasn't entirely unfounded. Stella most likely wouldn't want to listen, but Flora…? Tear blurred my vision at the mere thought that Tecna might break her friendship with Flora and Stella because of me. That was—no, that wasn't right.

"Don't shut them out," I pleaded. "I understand you have a problem with me, that you don't want to be friends, but Stella and Flora are still your friends. Don't shut them out because of me." Still nothing, and my heart ached. "I—I can ask Faragonda for a change of dormitory if that would help?"

Something cracked in Tecna's expression. It wasn't a deafening crack, just a little fissure. "I have questions."

"Okay?" I blinked, not expecting that, but on second thought, kicking myself for not considering it. Tecna always had questions. "I understand. I would—I would be more surprised if you hadn't?" My gaze flicked over her shoulder, taking in the street. There was no one around to hear or see us, no one except Roxy and her dog. I frowned. I was pretty sure Roxy was supposed to be at school, and judging by the flush on her cheeks and how quickly she rushed off when our gazes met, I had just caught her red-handed. "Would you like to come inside?" Tecna hesitated. My throat tightened once more. "I can call Stella or Flora if you don't want to be alone wit—"

"None of it was a trick, was it?"

I blinked at the interruption, at the brief flash of emotion on her face. "None of what was a trick?" I had no idea what she was asking me.

Tecna straightened, schooling her features back into that passive mask. "Just tell me straight, no emotion, no elaborate explanation: was it all an elaborate scheme?"

"I don't underst—"

"Fae are tricksters," Tecna interrupted, her jaw clenching. "They like to confuse people, make them question everything and nothing to properly ready them for the taking."

I gaped. "The taking? Tecna, I don't go around killing or kidnapping people. Surely you would have noti—"

"A confused mind won't notice what is right in front of them until it's too late," she interrupted again. "It makes people desperate for some clarity. Fae use this to their advantage, muddling people's brains so that when they offer them with a deal, it can presented as a gift."

I blinked, my jaw half hanging open.

I blinked again, wetting my lips.

"Tecna –" I hesitated briefly. "– is that what you think I did? That I confused you just to make it easier for me to trap you in a deal?"

Tecna's fingers curled into fists. "I'm Zenithian. We rely on facts. We trust in them. But you? You introduced me to emotions, and they clash with the facts. You've—you've confused me, and now you offer me all these options…"

My heart broke again. She wasn't here to reconcile, just to get clarification.

I swallowed, steeling myself for the blow I was about to deliver. "I swear on my life, on my magic, and on all I hold dear that I didn't know I was Fae until Stella told me not even three days ago." No reaction, not even a blink. "But if I had known, and my plan had been to trick you into a deal, I wouldn't have bothered first with confusing you. I would have just straight up glamoured you, and there would have been nothing you could have done about it." Tecna pursed her lips even more and the tears in my eyes overflowed. "And I like to think that even if I hadn't been in the picture, you still would have learned to deal with your emotions because of your friendship with the other girls. So no matter what you decide to do— please, don't involve them. They are only guilty of being good friends."

The passive mask slipped. No, it shattered into millions of pieces right there on the floor. For the first time since I met her, all her emotions were openly on display. Agony crossed her features, tears gatehered in her eyes, and her bottom lip quivered.

The indifferent stoic robot turned into a being of flesh and blood.

"It wasn't a trick."

I shook my head, tears rolling down my cheeks. "No. It wasn't. The only thing I wanted was to be your friend. I didn't kno—"

"Can I—can you—" She swallowed. "Can we hug?" I all but attacked her, the weight lifting from my shoulders like my wings had unfolded themselves and I was flying through the air. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know what to think. I should have stayed like Flora said. The moment I left, I knew it was wrong, but my head—I couldn't think straight. I'm so, so sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive," I whispered. "Absolutely nothing. I never blamed you."

Tecna's entire body trembled in my arms. "You should."

"No," I disagreed. "Because that's what best friends are supposed to do: see things from each other's point of view and accept it." But she just kept sobbing and begging for my forgiveness.

She was still doing that an hour later when Mike finally came by to get his keys. And if he was confused about why I was standing in the doorway with a crying girl in my arms while bawling my own eyes out… He didn't say or let it show. He just accepted the keys I still had in one hand and not-so-subtly backed up again.

---

Having Tecna back on the team had its pros and cons. The biggest pro was how much faster our research went. Tecna would crack her knuckles, design an algorithm, and let it run, providing us with answers as soon as it was done. It saved a lot of time that we could now spend on other research or planning. The biggest con? Her habit of waking me at ungodly hours of the night or interrupting whatever I was doing during the day to ask me questions—often the second a new one popped into her head.

She usually showed up a few hours later, regardless of the time, insistent that I read what she had written down and confirm its accuracy. She was determined to write a report on the ints and outs of being Fae and publish it anonymously because, as she put it, "no one should live in ignorance or with false facts like I have".

I admired her determination, though I dreaded the moment we would start exploring my Fae strengths and weaknesses. I doubted she would be satisfied with just one test.

Through Tecna, we also gained access to sources we otherwise wouldn't have been able to consult, even if that access wasn't exactly legal. With her help, we had managed to get our hands on the full report on Domino's wards, and, like Flora and Stella had discovered on their first day of research while I had been left all alone on Earth, they were based on the basic wards most castles and government buildings were equipped with. To gain access, someone had to receive permission—except those with a blood tie or connection to the building. Castle wards were connected to the blood of the family, and anyone without a direct blood relation couldn't enter without permission. Government buildings usually weren't as restricted for obvious reasons; their wards allowed anyone entrance if someone had a purpose in the building and their intentions were pure.

The Company of Light had mixed the two, but instead of blood, they had used Domino's magic—or rather, the remnants of its magic that only the handful of survivors still possessed. As that wasn't enough, they had then used the magic of Saladin's dragons to further strengthen the wards. This was also why Saladin had refused to release the dragons after the last caretaker from Domino had passed away—they regularly needed samples of their magic to keep the wards up.

The wards' loophole was the Power of the Dragon. As its Keeper and currently the sole holder of Domino's magic, the wards didn't recognize me as foreign or as something to be kept out. It also meant that Stella – in theory – could transport herself and us to Domino, since the Dragon had originally created the Sword of Power. To be on the safe side, though, Tecna suggested that the first time we travelled to Domino, I, as Keeper of the Dragon's Flame, should be present, and everyone else should hold on to me. Once we made the jump, we could test Stella's ability there. She should be able to feel the wards' restrictions if she jumped from one place to the next without being hindered by them since we would already be on Domino. If she didn't feel them, then she could safely travel to and from Domino.

My suggestion to make the jump immediately was overruled since no one else believed I had recovered enough to travel such a large a distance, even though I had been adamant about needing to go there as soon as possible. So I waited – not so patiently – for them to give me the green light.

Another downside to Tecna joining us was Stella's hostility, though that wasn't the right term. Hostile resentment packed the right punch. While Stella was as happy as Flora and I were about Tecna's return, she wasn't ready to forgive her just yet. I suspected it had more to do with how fragile and insecure Tecna's choice to leave had made her feel rather than the actual decision. Needless to say, things were a bit tense between Tecna and Stella. Tecna tried to stay mostly out of her way and not say the wrong thing – or anything at all – around Stella, and Stella mostly ignored her, but the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. It was a problem, especially since both of them were staying over.

Tecna had used some invention of hers to make the jump from Magix to Earth—an invention that was less than legal. Given how she was hacking into classified and secured files, I suspected Zenith's Supreme Motherboard might have a thing or two to say about that. Tecna was on the same page, as she had asked if she could crash with me or with Flora for the remainder of the break to avoid getting into trouble at home.

Mike and Vanessa were happy with her presence. While I had been unconscious, they had gotten to know all the girls, and Tecna – struggling to handle the onslaught of emotions my near-death had caused, along with her apparent uselessness – had offered to help them rebuild the shop. With the insurance company having accepted that the fire was arson and approved our claim, that rebuilding could now start. And Tecna proved to be not only savvy with computers but also quite capable on a building site.

Two days after Tecna had shown up at my doorstep, I found myself observing her from one of the four folding chairs we had set up. We had arranged them, along with a camping table, I nthe remains of the shop to have somewhere to sit, eat and catch our breath while working. Vanessa and I mostly busied ourselves with cleaning, while Mike and Tecna tinkered with the electronics. Shockingly, all the wires had melted in the fire, but luckily, the two of them knew how to replace them, even if Tecna complained nonstop about how outdated everything was.

A hand landed on my shoulder. "How was Andy?" I tore my gaze away from Mike and Tecna, smiling up at Vanessa as she placed a cup of tea and a sandwich in front of me on the fragile, wobbling table. "Mike, Tecna, lunch." They made noncommittal sounds and continued working. Vanessa shook her head in disapproval but left them to it. If they didn't listen to her second call, she would chase them out of the shop and demand they take a walk.

I nibbled on my bottom lip, trying to decide how best to answer. I had listened to Stella and called Andy, which led to a coffee date at the café across the street. Despite feeling utterly drained and my eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets from the sheer pressure behind them, I survived the date without blacking out. I considered that progress.

Unfortunately, I hadn't escaped the date unscathed. Andy, with his keen eyes, noticed everything – every little flinch when I overreached or moved too quickly, every dizzy spell I suffered when other patrons were particularly loud, everything I dropped due to my fingers losing strength.

"He knows something is wrong with me," I told Vanessa. "That something happened. I tried to steer the conversation away from it, but he wouldn't let me. I could barely get him to talk about Ama's funeral and how it was, and he certainly wouldn't listen when I tried to apologize for missing it."

Vanessa took the chair beside me, squeezing my hand. "Andy has always been clever, and you two have been friends since high school. He knows you better than you know yourself, sweetie. Of course, he's going to pick up on things that are wrong or don't make sense. We feared he would ever since he stopped by last Christmas and we had to tell him you'd been accepted at a boarding school in Europe."

I sighed deeply, my shoulders slumping. "I feel awful about lying to him."

"I know, sweetie." Vanessa rubbed my hand soothingly. "I do too. But he wouldn't believe us if we told him the truth."

"Or he would and it would blow his mind," I muttered gloomily. After losing two best friends in the last few days and gaining only one back, I wasn't emotionally stable enough to risk losing another – especially not someone a precious to me as Andy. "He's prolonging his stay here," I informed her, changing the subject not-so-subtly. Not that I was trying for subtlety. "Juilliard's given him a pass despite only being a freshman. They understand his need to properly grieve and help his mom get things in order. So when he is ready to go back, he'll be welcome."

"That's very kind of them." Vanessa sipped her tea. "I'm sure his mother will be glad to have him around."

I nodded absently, staring at Tecna and Mike as they continued working together to insert the new cables. It sounded so simple, but it was a real nit-pick. They were on opposite sides of the shop, Tecna's head swallowed into a gaping hole while Mike was pushing the cables her way, listening as she directed him to move them left, then right, then back a bit because they were stuck on something. I wouldn't have the patience for it.

"Now are you going to tell me what's really going on with you?"

Her question, along with the gentle way she ran her hand down my neck, startled me out of my observation. I blinked at her. "What? I don't—nothing is—"

Vanessa smiled tenderly. "Bloom, I'm your mother." There was that tiny inward flinch again. How I hated that instinctive reaction to the mere mention of "my mother". "I know when something is troubling you, and you haven't been yourself in days. Whatever you and Stella talked about seemed to help somewhat, but only briefly. And now…?" She cocked her head worriedly. "Did you have a falling out with the others?"

I blanched. "Why would you—do you think—?"

Her gaze flickered to Tecna, her features softening. "Your father said he found the two of you crying and hugging."

I wrung my hands. "—it wasn't that big a deal—"

Vanessa arched a skeptical brow. "She and Stella are avoiding each other like the plague. I rarely find them in the same room together, and usually one leaves if the other enters." I flinched just a little. "Not to mention that Flora is practically living with us as well. She might not be staying the night, but she's certainly spending her every waking hour here." I cringed at the inquisitive gaze she shot me. "It's nothing to be ashamed of if you did. All friends argue from time to time, and with everything that has happened this last week, it's only natural emotions are running high."

Great Dragon, I wanted nothing more but to rest my head on her shoulder and tell her everything – unburden all my worries and fears on her and let her comfort me. But could I truly do that? If I explained the whole Changeling thing – when she learned that the daughter she had raised for sixteen years was dead and I had taken her place, it would break her heart.

"Mom, I—" She waited patiently as I struggled to find the words. "I—I—" I couldn't tell her. I was too selfish, too afraid to lose her, especially after Tecna's and Musa's reactions. "I found—I—" I grasped for anything. What had Valtor said to do in a situation like this? Something about omitting certain facts and letting others fill in the blanks? "I discovered where I come from." She flinched visibly. I cursed, mentally pulling myself into a boxing ring and going a few rounds. "That came out wrong. I didn't mean—I mean—this is where I come from—what I meant—"

"It's alright." Vanessa shook her head, raising a hand to stop my rambling. "Your father and I knew this day would come ever since we told you the truth." She tried to smile, to make me believe this wasn't hurting her. But the quiver in her voice, the way she audibly swallowed, and how unnaturally fast she was blinking gave her away. "Did you—did you find your real—I mean, your birth parents?"

I inwardly curled into myself at her slip-up. My real parents…

God, what would it be like to tell her that she and Mike were my real parents and believe it? Who would I be if my predecessor had perished earlier and I had grown up in their loving embrace, rather than spent sixteen years as a glorified accessory? Would I have opened up to her about all that troubled me without a second thought? Would my failures weigh as heavily on me as they currently did?

In a way, Mike and Vanessa were my real parents, or at least the first proper parental figures I had had. Carson had tried to fill those shoes as well, but no matter how much I loved and needed him – and how much I missed him – I could never think of him as a father. Not after he had crushed my dream of secretly being that, and not when he couldn't protect me or effectively shield me from my mother and father.

No, the first proper parental figures – the ones I had started to call Mom and Dad almost effortlessly, even if my feelings had needed time to catch up – were Mike and Vanessa. They had taught me unconditional love, helped me heal, and rise above the years of neglect and abuse. Through them, I had come to understand that the journey was just as important as the destination, if not more. With them, I found a safe haven, one I could always return to, no matter how badly I fucked up.

But to call them my real parents?

Who even were my real parents? Was it Oritel and Miriam, whose blood I was born from and who I apparently resembled so much in both looks and personality? Was it my creators, who had stolen my soul and infused it with Fae magic? Was it Leonard and Caroline Blackburn who had raised me for sixteen year and left me with lifelong traumas? Or was it Mike and Vanessa, who had nurtured and loved a broken girl unconditionally for the last two and a half years, unjustly believing her to be the daughter they had loved and raised since she was a baby?

God, I had too many parental figures. No one needed four pair of parents. Or was that three pairs and one single Fae one? I had no idea how the whole infusing a soul with Fae magic worked, and I couldn't find much information on it either.

Vanessa was staring expectantly at me, waiting for an answer. What had she asked me again? Right, if I had found my birth parents.

"No, I—they're believed to be dead." I shook my head. "Everyone is—" Vanessa's eyes widened, her hands clasping in front of her mouth in horror. Guilt twisted in my gut. Yeah, not the happiest story to share, nor had I framed it very tactfully. "I—my realm was destroyed and—and it seems—it seems I only survived because of the sacrifice my older sister made. So yeah…" I tore my gaze away, focussing on the lose string on my jeans. "…I'm considered the sole survivor…"

"Oh, Bloom." She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me like she wanted to squeeze all the hurt from my body. "I'm so sorry, sweetie."

I tried to shrug. What else could I do? The unfairness of it all—I couldn't deal with that on top of everything else that was happening. It wasn't like I had actually known anyone. Being alone, the sole survivor, hurt like a bitch, and I grieved for my people and my culture, but it was a different kind of grief from what I felt when Musa and Tecna had ended our friendship. Seemingly ended, in Tecna's case.

"But I don't understand –" She smoothed a hand over my head and I sighed, resting against her, "– how that is tied to you having a falling out with the girls."

It wasn't.

"When I told them the truth—the sole survivor thing isn't exactly the problem." I fiddled with the neckline of my shirt. "—more the powers I inherited? They're not normal, and they're feared, have a bad reputation—" Vanessa gently pushed me back to keep me at arm's length. I cringed under her scrutinizing gaze, the disbelief in her eyes. "—it's complicated—"

"Maybe. Possibly. I'm sure it is." She pursed her lips, her brows furrowing. "I might not fully understand this new world you're now a part of, but I do understand people." She brushed a lock of hair out of my face. "Sweetie, those girls—you could tell them you're the reincarnation of Christ, or a bloodthirsty, cannibalistic serial killer, and none of them would have walked away. If you had to descend down to the pits of hell, they would be right by your side without even blinking."

I swallowed against the well of emotions. "—but they did—" My eyes flickered to Tecna. "—well, two of them did, and Tecna just needed time to think. But none of us have heard anything from Musa."

"Musa?" The shock in Vanessa's voice recaptured my attention. "Musa walked…?" I nodded, cocking my head in puzzlement at her reaction. "I can't—no, that's not—" She fell quiet, her gaze shifting over my shoulder to the boarded windows, her brows furrowing. "That doesn't make any sense."

"What do you mean?" Vanessa's didn't answer, just stared and stared with a deep frown. "Mom?"

She blinked, her head tilting slightly my way. "I can't see it, Bloom." Her gaze flickered back to the door and boarded windows. "I really can't. The girl you brought home, who almost started crying when I hugged her in greeting, who practically melted into a puddle whenever Mike or I complimented her, who refused to give up on you when you were unconscious and was furious on your behalf—that isn't a girl who turns her back on her friends, least of all on you. I can't help but think that she feels indebted to all of you, for showing her kindness and supporting her through all her troubles and struggles, who practically forced their help on her even when she hadn't dared to ask for it." Vanessa blinked and, finally, some clarity came to her eyes. She smiled softly as she met my gaze. "If she truly walked away, then she must have had her reasons, though I doubt they had anything to do with who you are or what powers you possess." She brushed both hands over my hair, cupping my face gently. "I imagine she is beating herself up over what she did, which might have been an instinctual reaction, just like Tecna's, and that she's talked herself into believing she's unworthy of your friendship and trust."

"She won't talk to us," I whispered. "We've tried calling—"

"This isn't the kind of conversation you handle over the phone," Vanessa reminded me. "You know that as well. Which makes me wonder why you're still here instead of tracking her down and figuring it out."

"I have no powers—"

"That has never stopped you before." Vanessa's smile was somewhat cunning, like it had been when Stella and me had been grappling on the ground. "And I doubt it will stop you now." I nibbled my lip, which she took as encouragement. "Just think, sweetie. Where would she go? Who would she ask for help if not any of you? Who would be there for her and makes her feel safe?"

The penny dropped almost instantly, and I scrambled to get my phone. "Mom, you're amazing! I can't believe I didn't think of that before!"

"That's what we mothers are for," laughed Vanessa, pressing a kiss on my forehead. "Now go kick some sense into Musa."

Not an hour later, a tall figure stepped into the shop, letting out an impressed whistle. "Damn, and I thought Cavidid's temper tantrums were bad." My head snapped up, my eyebrows shooting up at the unexpected presence of Nex. He winked at me, that easy, somewhat feline smirk pulling at his lips. "Hello, gorgeous. Aren't you just a sight for sore eyes?"

His companion – the one I had called and had been expecting – didn't agree. "Fuck." Riven's lips quirked down. "You really do look like death warmed over."

Nex playfully smacked the back of his friend's head. "Don't be a dick." Riven scowled at him, rubbing the back of his head. "And don't listen to this grump, beautiful. You're still prettier than all the blokes that usually damage my sensitive eyes."

An odd warmth fluttered through my stomach at Nex's easy-going nature, the playfulness between the two, and at how happy I was to see both, even if I had only expected Riven. I needed this, more than I had realised. Someone who didn't hover or baby me, but just teased me. Someone I didn't have to tiptoe around as they and I learned how to deal with everything being shared.

"No need to lie, Nex." I couldn't keep the smile from my face. "I'm pretty sure I look like a walking corpse. But what did you expect? I did almost die."

Both Riven and Nex flinched, grimaced, and then scowled. In. Unison. Like they had rehearsed it. It was hilarious, and my smile grew.

"Yeah, we heard," grumbled Riven, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "We tried to visit, but Faragonda wouldn't let us past the gate."

That was news to me, so much so that my jaw slackened. "You did?" This was the first time I'd heard of it, and I was positive the girls didn't know either, or they would have told me as well.

Fucking Faragonda.

Nex abruptly appeared before me, his long legs crossing the distance easily, and it was my turn to flinch. "Of course, we fucking did. What kind of question is that?" He flicked my nose. I swatted at his hand like it was an annoying fly, wrinkling my nose in displeasure. "Don't fucking do it again, gorgeous, or else…"

I arched a skeptical brow. "Or else what?" The unimpressed stare he shot me, paired with the crossed arms – biceps straining against the red leather of his jacket – told me I wouldn't like the answer. I waved a dismissive hand in his face. "Well, you can rest easy: I wasn't planning a repeat perforomance. The experience was less than pleasant."

Nex scoffed. "I could have told you that. Fuck, anyone with a brain and some experience with magic could have told you THAT." A shadow fell over his eyes. "Fucking Faragonda should have told you that on your first fucking day."

My heart leaped to my throat, hope blooming in my chest. I recognized those words. Musa had held the same resentment. The only reason she hadn't told me herself what an overuse of magic could do was that she had assumed Faragonda and/or Barbatea had explained it thoroughly. It confirmed what I had started to suspect after my talk with Vanessa: Musa was staying with Riven.

And apparently with Nex.

I had no idea how she had gotten to Magix, but at least she was alright. And staying with friends. It was the best news I had heard since Tecna had explained Domino's wards.

"I'm really happy to see you, Nex –" I cocked my head, still trying to get my sincerity across. "– but I can't help but be a little confused as to why." I turned to Riven, not waiting to hear Nex' reason for being here. There was something more pressing on my mind. "How is she?" Riven pulled a face, and my heart sank, shattering and mingling with the ash and soot on the floor. "That bad?"

"She doesn't sing, Bloom." Riven straightened, features hardening into something rather terrifying. Not a scowl or a frown, but something animalistic, like a snarl. "Doesn't even look at any of her instruments. Fuck, she yelled at Nex yesterday because he was playing his guitar."

"Which was really rude," Nex piped in, eyeing the burned-out husk we were occupying. Vanessa had indeed chased Mike and Tecna out half an hour ago. I was thankful for the privacy. I doubted Tecna would be happy to see Riven and Nex, and Mike would demand to be introduced, most likely embarrassing the hell out of me by asking inappropriate questions. "As the benevolent creature that I am –" Riven and I both rolled our eyes. "– I open my home to them and she has the nerve to yell at me. I mean, my playing isn't that bad."

I nodded at the male drama queen, arching a questioning brow at Riven. "You're staying with him?"

Riven shrugged. "Beats going home."

"I'm feeling the love here, buddy."

Riven flipped him the bird but otherwise ignored him. "I'm really glad you called. Musa has been tight-lipped about what happened, but since we picked her up from here, we guessed it had something to do with you. I—" Nex glared at him and he coughed. "—sorry, we would have reached out sooner, but she made both of us swear not to contact you."

"A magical swear," added Nex. "So it wasn't like we could promise one thing and then do another behind her back."

Musa had them magically swear not to contact me? That was serious. Maybe I shouldn't visit her to try and talk… I dismissed the uncertainty before it could take root. No, Vanessa had been right. This wasn't like Musa. For her to have reacted like this could only mean there was something more going on, and I wouldn't let her deal with it alone.

I chewed on my lip, going over his words in my head. A magical swear. I hadn't even known those existed, but that did beg the question: "Isn't this technically in breach of contract then?"

"No." Nex turned in a circle, taking all the damage in. "She wasn't specific enough for that. She made us swear we wouldn't contact you, but she didn't say anything about not mentioning her if you contacted us. Left some other loopholes as well, ones we were trying to work with to contact you, except you called first." He whistled again. "I know Riven said your aura is like a punch to the gut, but damn, woman. I really thought he was exaggerating. This—" He gestured around. "This is not an exaggeration. No wonder Cavidid took to you like a fish to water if this is the damage you can do when you get pissed. Kindred souls and all of that."

I nearly laughed at how close Nex came to the truth. If only he knew.

I looked at Riven curiously. "Didn't you tell him about the Magix incident? I assumed you did."

Riven scoffed. "Do I look stupid? Of course I didn't tell him. He's been on my case ever since I mentioned our first meeting. I would have delayed you two meeting for at least two more years if I could have, but no, you just had to go and befriend his dragon."

"Asshole," Nex grumbled Nex sourly. "Truly feeling the love here. Don't come crying to me if your bed suddenly becomes infested with your favourite creepy crawlers."

Riven actually paled and shuddered.

"Wait—" My brows shot up, a grin spreading over my face at the tiny revelation. Like a shark sensing blood, I couldn't resist. "Riven, are you scared of bugs?!"

A flush spread across his cheeks, his eyes widening as he shook his head violently. "No! No, I'm not!"

"Oh, he is. Absolutely terrified," Nex chimed in with a maniacal grin. "Had nightmares for weeks after your little trip to the swamp. Said giant mosquitos were hunting his ass."

"That—" Riven jabbed a finger at Nex. "—that's not even remotely true. I said I would have nightmares for weeks if we'd prolonged our stay. Don't fucking exaggerate, you fucker."

"I think the giant mosquitos were one of the least deadly things in that swamp." I wrinkled my nose, trying to hide the smile. "Does that mean you were terrified of the spiders in Harry Potter as well?"

"Spiders aren't insects." Riven crossed his arms and stuck his nose into the air like a petulant child. "And while I hold a healthy respect for them and prefer to keep my distance, they do not freak me out as much as—" He shuddered. "Well, I just don't like bugs, alright?"

I raised my hands in surrender. "Not judging."

"Totally judging," snickered Nex, winking when I shot him a "shut up" look. "But what was this about a Magix incident, and why am I only just hearing about it?"

Riven rolled his eyes. "You heard about it."

"I did not," disagreed Nex.

"Yes, you did. It was all over the fucking news, and everyone was freaking out about it."

Nex's gaze flickered between me and Riven. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he sifted through the news stories he'd heard. I When the penny dropped, his eyes went comically wide. "The Valtor story?!" We both nodded, and something akin to pure delight and awe crossed Nex's face. "That was you?!"

I shrugged, grimacing slightly at his excitement. "We got into a small scuffle with Riven's ex."

"Small?!" He barked out a laugh. "You call that small?! You single-handedly caused dimension-wide panic because some idiot mistook you for the dimension's scourge and proclaimed he had escaped from prison!"

I crossed my arms, mimicking Riven's earlier stance and sticking my nose in the air. "In my defense, they threatened my friends, and I have a very short temper."

Nex let out an impressed whistle. "No need to get defensive. I'm all for it. She is a first-rate bitch with more than a few screws loose. Next time you want to go beat her ass, you better call me. I demand to participate and help in the dimension-wide panic."

Riven slapped a hand to his forehead, like he couldn't believe what his friend was saying. I bit my lip to hide the growing smile. God, I really liked Nex. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. He had bonded a dragon, and if anything, they seemed to be as chaotic as cats.

"Fucker, we're supposed to discourage her from doing that kind of stuff since it usually leaves her in a bad shape, not cheer her on."

"That's why I'm insisting she call next time. Friends don't let friends do stupid things alone."

Riven's brow twitched. "How is it that between the three of us, I'm the sanest here?"

"Good question," echoed Nex and I as if we'd rehearsed it a million times. We hadn't, but when our gazes met, we both burst out laughing.

"I'm ditching you both," scowled Riven. Nex made a kissy face at him. His scowl deepened. "I need better friends."

"With your attitude?" sniggered Nex. "Good luck, buddy." Riven flipped him the bird again, which earned him another kissy face before he turned back to me, all bright smiles and sparkling eyes. "So, what can we help you with, lovely lady?" He bowed dramatically. "I'm at your beck and call."

My mood sobered instantly despite his theatrics, which I now recognized Riven had fallen back on a few times. Seemed Nex rubbed off on him whether he liked that or not. "I need to talk to Musa. In person. I guessed she had been staying with Riven, which you two already confirmed." I cocked my head, frowning at the both of them because something had just occurred to me. "How did you even get here?"

Riven jabbed a thumb at Nex, who smiled brightly. "I'm a paladin, remember?" He wiggled his fingers through the air, pretending to spread fairy dust. "Magic."

"Hilarious," I deadpanned, internally giggling. "I wasn't aware you were that powerful."

Nex winked. "Oh, I have all kind of tricks up my sleeve that will blow your mind." Riven pretended to throw up while I lost the battle to suppress my amusement and chuckled. "Honestly, a little transportation spell isn't that difficult."

"Did you tell Musa that?"

Nex grimaced, one hand moving to his crotch. "I prefer my balls where they are, thank you very much." The chuckles turned into full-blown laughter. He bowed elaborately again, holding out his hand. When our gazes met, his were sparkling with mischief. "Milady. Your chariot awaits."

I took it, grateful for the assistance. Even more so when my legs wobbled and my knees nearly gave out as I put weight on them again. Nex's grip instantly tightened, his other arm moving to curl around my shoulders. I shook my head, smiling in gratitude but dismissing the help. I had it, even if I felt a bit unsteady.

"I should probably mention that, strictly speaking, I'm not supposed to be here, or travel long distances." Two pair of eyebrows shot up. I offered them a hesitant grin. "I haven't fully recovered yet, but this is more important than my recovery. I really need to talk to Musa. I should have gone after her days ago."

Riven and Nex exchanged a look. Unspoken words passed between them, and I could only guess at the topic, though I had a pretty good idea when it ended with one shaking his head (Riven) while the other shrugged (Nex).

The former scowled. "Nex…"

Nex shrugged again, curling his hovering arm around my shoulders. "If she faints, I'll catch her."

Riven bristled. "That's not—"

"I don't mind your girlfriend staying over, but even I have my limits," shot Nex back, sounding laid-back though I doubted it was sincere. "And the mood she's been in? I'm at my breaking point here, buddy, and don't you dare say you're not." Riven's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Attaboy." Nex removed his arm and curled my hand around his biceps like we were in a Jane Austen novel rather than a cartoon. "Scream if you start feeling lightheaded, yeah? I've always dreamed of sweeping a damsel off her feet."

---

I hadn't considered that being bonded to a dragon – especially a dragon belonging to Red Fountain – came with certain responsibilities, privileges, and restrictions. Nex and the other caretakers had to stay close by, regularly assist the staff with feeding the dragons, calm them down when tempers flared (which happened often), and exercise them. I hadn't realised just how caged the poor dragons were when I first met Nex and Cavidid. I'd been too busy basking in the awe of meeting a real dragon and then being swept up in a whirlwind of revelations. But as Nex explained the ins and out – why he had his own apartment in Magix and how he could afford it – it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I couldn't leave those dragons there, not in those conditions. I had sworn to Cavidid I would look after him, take care of him, and I intended to keep that promise.

Stella would get her prison break after all.

Nex earned enough money from his caretaker role to rent a studio at the outskirts of Magix. According to Riven, it was a joke as everyone else who regularly dealt with dragons, was filthy rich due to the enormous hazard pay they received. Still, Nex claimed it was enough. He had his own place, one he didn't have to share with others, where he could just be himself. He spent his weekends and holidays there since his mother lived nearby. But mostly, he used it as a place to practice his magic since Saladin didn't allow his students to practice on campus.

When we stepped inside Nex's studio, I immediately understood why Musa's presence was wearing on Nex's patience, despite his laid-back nature. His studio was as small as my bedroom on Earth, and not exactly fit for three people to live in. There was no privacy, except for the single bathroom, which I doubted the others would allow to be used for long periods since it was the only one.

I also suspected that Nex had given up his own bed to Riven and Musa and was currently sleeping on the couch, judging by the blanket and pillow in a heap on the floor beside it. It didn't look like a comfortable couch, either.

And then there was Musa's foul mood, which he had been constantly subjected to.

What a foul mood it was. The second her empty, tired gaze moved away from the window – Nex's view was a lovely dirty brick wall, how wonderful – and landed on me, nestled safely between the two guys, her eyes blazed to life. I had to give credit to both of them – balls of steel, these two men had – because neither of them as flinched or stepped back when Musa charged at us like an angry bull, profanities and curses spilling from her lips.

Like Tecna, she was pale with deep shadows under her eyes. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her hair, usually pulled back in neat pigtails, hung limply in greasy strands around her face. She looked like she hadn't showered in days.

When she was within reach and cursing up a storm – words I wouldn't repeat, but which essentially boiled down to her calling Riven and Nex traitors and scolding them for bringing me here while I could barely stand – I pounced. She froze, her arms suspended in the air, mid-gesture, but I didn't care and hugged her.

"Good God, we've been worried sick about you," I told her. "Musa, I understand you need time to think, but—you can't just walk out of a house on a magicless planet and disappear without leaving a message." She made no movement to reciprocate the hug, so I decided not to push my luck and released her, taking a step back. Her features were a pale mask of shock. "Stella and Flora spent the entire day looking for you on Earth, but you had just—" I snapped my fingers to indicate her sudden disappearance. "They even visited your father." Still no reaction, except that pale shock. Like literally all colour had drained from her face. "You can't do that." I swallowed against the lump in my throat. "No matter how angry you are with me—you can't do that. That's not what friends do!"

"I—I—" She seemed to change her mind about speaking, her jaw snapping shut with an audible "click".

Something snapped inside me, something vicious, ugly, and demanding. It had reared its head briefly when I came face to face with Tecna, but I had bit it back, kept a lid on it. That was the right thing to do. I should do the same now, but after dancing around my feelings and the truth twice today already, I couldn't put on a brave face for the third time. I was tired, and no one was listening to me or understanding how important it was that I get to Domino. Instead, they were babying me.

And now Musa – one of my so-called best friends – refused to acknowledge me? Hug me? Talk to me? After having the audacity to lecture her host and her could-be-would-be boyfriend about how reckless and cruel they were to bring me here in my state?

"You're allowed to hate me," I snapped, anger rekindling and burning through my veins. "You're allowed to sulk and be angry and not want anything to do with me. But I'm not your only friend in this." I waved a finger in her face. "Ghosting me is one thing, but ghosting Stella, and Flora, and even Tecna?! They've been there for you as much as I have, they are your friends as much as I was, and they didn't deserve that!" Musa flinched and took a step back. I didn't care, gesturing at Nex and Riven. "Neither did they! For fuck's sake, Nex let you crash here and you've been on his ass about playing the guitar?!" I scowled at her. "You're allowed to be upset and angry. At. Me." Musa flinched again. "Don't take it out on others! Or if you really want to, go find the Ugly Ducklings! They at least deserve it!" I crossed my arms and glared at her. "And bloody hell, don't be such a stuck-up bitch and call at the very least Flora! She's been worrying herself sick!"

It was the wrong thing to say. Instead of pushing back like I was used to, Musa, the fairy of music, burst into tears, turned on her heel, and ran into the bathroom. The slam of the door and the click of the lock were deafening.

Silence followed, only broken by her barely restrained sobs. The impact of my words hit me like a grumbling twenty-story building.

Nex was the first to speak, clearing his throat. "Not to be a dick, but—that's not what I imagined happening when you said you wanted to talk to her person."

"—yeah—" I groaned, rubbing my eyes. "Fuck, that—fuck. Just fuck."

"In Asaaic's name." Nex bent at the waist to catch my gaze, his brow furrowed. "What happened between you two? I assumed you two had a row, but that—" He pointed at the bathroom. "—that's more than just an argument." He arched a brow. "She's allowed to hate you?"

Again, wrong thing to say. But this time, I wasn't the one saying it—I was the one receiving it. The familiar fire ignited in my chest.

I pushed his head away. "Butt out. It's none of your business" He scoffed, gesturing around the tiny studio with an arched brow. I rolled my eyes. "It's complicated."

"Hmm-hmm." Nex gestured at the bathroom door. "I figured as much."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, silently counting to ten while reminding myself that Nex was just worried. He wasn't the one at fault and shouldn't bear the brunt of my wrath. "If you have to know –"

"We do," insisted Nex. Riven remained oddly quiet, though I could feel his eyes on me.

"– I told the girls a big secret and—" I swallowed. "Musa and Tecna didn't take it well."

Nex arched a brow. "What secret?"

"Well, if I just up and tell you, it wouldn't be much of a secret, now would it?"

Nex raised his hands. "No need to get snippy."

The real wrong fucking thing to say.

My eyes blazed. "Then. Butt. Out."

The fire in my chest burned hotter, furious and demanding to be let out. The emotions were overwhelming my rationality, the faint little voice warning me that I was doing exactly what Musa had done—taking it out on the wrong persons. But I didn't have the energy to wrestle with those emotions anymore, not after the last few days, not now that they had a foothold.

I whirled on the two. "I don't fucking need this right now!" They both reeled back. "I've been working my fucking ass off, juggling so many responsibilities that I can't even remember them all! And still, people demand more and more! This was supposed to be my VACATION! Instead, all I've gotten is yelling and scolding me for things I had no control over! And guess WHAT?! I was the one who nearly died! I was the one who tried to stop the bleeding of the ONLY person who ever gave a FUCK, and I couldn't do ANYTHING!" My breathing was fast and laboured. "I was the one who watched him die! He died, and I have all this power, and I could do NOTHING!" Riven and Nex stood frozen. "You think I want to be powerless?! To not be able to even summon a fucking spark?! Of course I don't! But I'm still here and he—" My breath hitched, the words stuck in my throat. I couldn't say them. I didn't want to.

" But you have to, a thaisce." My eyes burned at the echo of a distant memory. " To say them is to acknowledge their truth."

I had to say them. Out loud. "Carson is dead." The wound, barely starting to heal, tore wide open, blood and pus pouring out. The fragile remains of my heart rattled in my chest like sharp shards of glass. "My hero, the only person who has cared and loved me unconditionally since I was born—he is dead. And I—"

And I relived it every single night. The light leaving his eyes. His smile as blood poured from his lips. The dagger flashing through the air, landing with a sickening crunch in his chest. The pale imitation of his corpse grabbing my wrist, demanding to know why I hadn't saved him, calling me a monster like my mother for not trying harder, for being a failure just as she had always said I was.

"I don't get to grieve, because there's work to be done. Problems to solve. Threats to eliminate. And I just want—" My chin dropped to my chest. Something rolled down my nose, and only then did I realize that the burning in my eyes had spilled over. I was crying. "I'm tired. So. Fucking. Tired. I just want to rest. But instead, I'm dealing with my best friends hating me for something I have no control over. It's not—it's not like I can change it. Or had a say in it." I closed my eyes against the pressure of my grief. For once, I didn't swallow it back. I let it out and sobbed. "So forgive me if I'm not saying the right thing or acting like you want me to. I'm well aware, but I've a lot on my plate and—and it really hurts when your friends suddenly hate you for what you are."

"I don't hate you."

I whirled on Musa, eyes blazing, my face etched in pain. I didn't register the tears streaming down her own cheeks, or how she had opened the bathroom and come closer during my breakdown.

"I bared my soul to you, all my broken pieces and greatest fears, and you walked out of the front door without saying a FUCKING WORD!" Musa flinched, and I faintly registered Riven and Nex turning shocked gazes towards her. "How was I supposed to take that, Musa?! Because the message was pretty damn clear if you ask me!"

Her bottom lip quivered. "I-I'm sorry…"

But this time, a simple apology wouldn't cut it. "Why? What exactly warranted that reaction? I'm trying to understand here, but I—" I shook my head, barely able to look at her. If my gaze lingered too long, the pain and sorrow turned into blinding fury. "Please, just explain it to me. Am I truly that monstrous in your eyes?"

Musa shook her head, bravely taking a step forward. "It wasn't that. I swear."

I wanted to scream. "Then what?!"

"Bloom—" She swallowed, her eyes briefly flicking over my shoulder. I waited, but nothing happened, not until she shook her head once more and bowed it. "—Stella got there first—"

"—wh-what?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What does that—"

"Stella of all people figured it out first," she snapped, her head lifting, fire burning in her eyes. "Stella, who has only ever heard stories, figured it out while I –" she pointed at herself. "– am the one with personal experience. She—" Her voice broke. "—I should have seen it first. I shouldn't have had to listen to you crying and telling us your story with this resignation, like you were mentally preparing for us all to abandon you. What kind of a friend am I if I'm so absorbed in my own life that I didn't see the signs right in front me?"

Her words echoed in my head, growing fainter as the ringing in my ears grew louder. Personal experience? She had personal experience? Were it—? I remembered the story of her mother, the sudden illness, the expensive medication. My stomach turned.

"No, no, Bloom. Not like that." Musa appeared right in front of me, hands clasping mine. "Yes, I grew up with stories, but it—they weren't—" She swallowed. "My father—he was desperate when my mother was dying. He looked everywhere for a cure. It brought him to a Fae. He was willing to give up anything for her, just to have her survive."

My eyes widened. "—wh-what…?"

Musa nodded. "Initially, the Fae agreed. But—" She swallowed. "—I was so young, but I still remember the eyes so clearly and the voice. He sat with my mother for so long, simply talking to her. I hid in a closet—it had a hole that connected it to my mother's room. His voice was so pleasant that I just sat there and basked in it—" The fire in my veins sizzled out, replaced by a deep numbness. "—I fell asleep, and when I woke, he was there, carrying me to bed. H-he—" I couldn't move. "He gave me his condolences; said he was sorry for my loss. I didn't understand. I wouldn't, not until I woke up the next day and heard my father—my father scream and cry…"

My lungs constricted, refusing to let me breathe. "He…he killed her?"

Musa shook her head, then hesitated. "Yes? I think? He—I think he said this wasn't a deal he could make, not when two of the three participants were either unwilling or too young. I think—" She gulped in air. "Bloom, I think I was the price for my mother's life. My soul. Like yours was taken. My mother didn't want that, and I wasn't exactly a baby anymore. So instead… instead, he eased her passing."

My mind whirled. "Why? What did he—what did he get in return?"

"Nothing?" She sounded unsure. "I think he was like you, a good Fae. He seemed… kind, gentle?" Her face crumpled. "And he had eyes like yours—warm and kind." I hissed between my teeth as her fingers tightened around mine. "Do you see now? Why I walked out? Why I couldn't bear to contact any of you? I should have realized it first! I should have known who and what you were, but I didn't because I was so self-absorbed! You deserve a better friend!"

A snarl tore from my throat. "I don't want better friends! I want you and the other Winx! Girls who are just as fucked up as I am, who get me because of it!" I punched her in the arm, not too gently. "I want friends who accept and love me even if I'm a fucking Fae! Who don't run off when I tell them my darkest secrets, even if it makes them feel like shitty friends for not figuring it out themselves!"

Musa flinched, her face twisting like I'd broken her nose. "I deserved that."

"Yeah, yeah, you fucking did!" I snapped through my tears. "Do you have any idea—I cried my eyes out after you and Tecna left! I truly believed that you two wouldn't want anything to do with me anymore because of what I am! It fucking hurt, Musa!"

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed.

"You'd better be. I took a chance, despite everyone warning me that if anyone found out I was Fae, they'd hate me and try to kill me. I took that chance because I trusted you to have my back. Because I trusted that Stella was right and we wouldn't be alone in this." I tried to rein in my tears, but they wouldn't stop spilling, even as the anger and hurt slowly replaced the grief. "In case you missed it, I have trouble trusting, and you—you broke that trust. I understand why you did it, just not the way you did."

"I know it means nothing, but I am really sorry. It's not an excuse, but I was overwhelmed and mad at myself for not seeing it, for not being by your side like Stella was, and I just—all those memories came flooding back and—I'm so sorry, Bloom."

I wiped the back of my hand under my nose. "I believe you."

And I did. Maybe it was because, after Stella, I'd spent the most time with Musa, but I swore I could see a faint aura around her. There one moment, gone the next. It was filled with sadness, self-loathing, and guilt. So much guilt.

"But you really hurt me, Musa." She curled into herself. "You and Tecna both did. And not just me, but Stella and Flora, too. And like I said, I don't blame. I understand why, but it doesn't make it hurt any less." I took a deep breath in, trying to calm myself, but it rushed out, bringing a new wave of pain. "I almost died trying to save Carson, lost my powers, and then lost the most important person from my past life after finally finding him again in this one. I learned I was some mythical, hated creature that caused misery for thousands, and—and—" And I'd just figured out that Valtor had known and hadn't told me.

God, it was all curling around each other like a toxic mix which no beginning or end, just there, existing and threatening to explode at the worst possible times.

"Tell me about him," whispered Musa. I stared blanky at her, and she shot me a watery smile in return. "I once read that on Melody, they used to share memories of deceased loved ones to keep their memory alive in others. It—it went out of fashion eventually," she admitted, her lips quirking downward. "Replaced by the belief that speaking of them would bring bad luck. I like the former custom more." She squeezed my hand. "Tell me about Carson. Truly tell me about him. Keep his memory alive." Her voice wavered. "I'll tell you what my mother was like, if you like."

"I—I'd like that." I nodded, half numb and half hopeful. Numb from the onslaught of emotion. Hopeful because—because maybe this was the start of something new. The first step towards truly giving what had happened a place and moving on. "—yeah, I'd really like that."

---

No Valtor in this chapter but he will make an appearance again the next one. Promise. I also promise Bloom will give hell. Who knows what else will come from it? Maybe some sexual tension, maybe some fighting, maybe Valtor impressed by Bloom, maybe Bloom being crossed by Valtor, maybe some kissing? Maybe none of it, or all of it? I'm still working on it, but what I have so far, I love.

Let me know your thought on the chapter.

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