Fate: The Winx Saga: Shadows & Soldiers

Chapter Two

"I know, right." Bloom replies, "easy solutions."

"Hey, you wanna video chat?" The man asks.

Bloom is quick to decline that offer. "I just wanted to check in 'cause we got cut off before, and..." She explains before trailing off.

"You must be jet-lagged." A deep voice reasons. Bloom hesitantly agrees. "Is everything okay, Bloom?" I note a hint of concern in his tone, even through the phone.

Both voices go on to reassure Bloom, but when she speaks again she stutters with tears in her voice. "Um..." her voice breaks, "what if I- what if I...like, made a mistake?"

"You're too special for here. It's not who you are."

"What if you don't know who I am?"

"Hey, we are your parents, Bloom. If we don't know, nobody does." The man tries to reassure, though from what I can espy of the red heads visage, his efforts appear to have fallen short.

Due to Bloom's ensuing silence, they enquire as to whether there is something else she needed to tell them. The fire fairy, however, is quick to agree that they are 'right'. "Alfea's where I belong now." The phone call continues for a few more minutes, ending with encouraging words and exchanged 'I love you's. Then Bloom sets back off in the direction of the warehouse with me not far behind.

𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒌, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅'𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔, 𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏.

During my musings, we have made it to our destination. Although, instead of going straight back to the Other World, Bloom enters another smaller room, that looks lived in, I'm assuming by the red head herself.

From my position just outside the door, I've been observing an upset Bloom for a short while, hoping to get her back to Alfea, when I am distracted by the sound of familiar whispers. My eyes glaze over as my mind travels to another time.

"They are out there, in the trees, I can hear them." Whispers a soldier from the most recent camp I was assigned to as resident 'freak'. Improved soldier achieved through experimentation- that's all they see me as now- a weapon to be used. It's all I see now, I don't believe much of the old me is left.

"So what? Let the abomination handle it. It's what she's here for. No use us dying when we've got her for that." Another soldier replies just as quietly, earning titters from some of those in camp. I can feel their stares burning into my back. I'm tempted to turn and glare. Until, I hear it. The whispers. The echo of people that were once simply experiments like me, now only merciless, mindless monsters. Hunting only to maul, mutilate and massacre. I rise to my feet gracefully like the predator I am and look to the trees that surround the clearing where we set up camp, motionless and alert. "What's wrong, Bloodhound? Caught a scent?" The soldier earns more chuckles from his comrades in arms. Then the trees rustle and creak engendering an eerie silence to blanket the camp. More soldiers- fairies and specialists alike- join me in standing.