The Queen of Shadows - World of Winx rewrite S.1

Chapter 4: Are we dreaming?

"Annabelle!"

Musa woke up, feeling cold and sweaty. It was only a dream, but at the same time, it felt so real. She didn't know what to think. Bloom flew up from her bed. "What is it?!" as if she was ready for a fight.

"I had a nightmare..."

Through the door, the other girls came in. Flora held a pink teacup and approached Musa. She took the teacup and took a sip, feeling the warmth of the tea calming her down. "Thanks, Flora."

"What happened?" Stella asked.

"I had a very weird nightmare. I saw Annabelle. She was in a dark forest... She seemed to be in danger and was very scared. The forest seemed to be magical, and she was trapped there..." Musa felt awful for witnessing someone in distress, even if it was just a dream. The thought of Annabelle being kidnapped weighed heavily on her mind. The more talents that went missing, the harder it became, and people's lives might be ruined forever - not being able to break free from whoever had kidnapped them.

Outside the bedroom, the vignette played for the WOW program.

"Oh no, the program is about to start," Tecna said.

"But we've got to do something. We must find Annabelle..." Musa exclaimed.

"Musa's right..." Flora agreed.

Stella was about to go out to the living room, but Bloom stopped her. "Stel, wait a sec..."

Musa tried to come up with a good plan that would allow them to sneak out without being followed by any cameras. She had an idea that might work. "Hmm, Stella, what if you could—"

"— play sick? The thing I've always been good at?" Stella finished, her face lighting up like a rising sun. "Abso— "

"— no... Stella, you need to distract the cameras by being in the show. Musa, Tecna, and I will try to find more clues about Annabelle while the rest of you join Stella," Bloom said, laying out the plan. Everyone agreed by nodding. Stella, Aisha, and Flora went out to the living room, ready to put on a convincing act.

"It's time for some acting," Bloom said, determination in her eyes as they prepared to carry out their plan to find Annabelle and stop the talent thief once and for all.

— 

On the TV-screen:

"Hello, Winx!" Ace exclaimed.

The camera tried to find the Winx in the living room, but no one seemed to be around. Suddenly, Stella appeared on the screen with a big, bright smile. She waved to the camera and blew kisses to the audience.

"Hello, my beloved fans!" Stella said, putting on her usual showmanship.

"Hi, Stella. What's the latest update?" Ace asked.

"On my smartphone?" Stella quipped, earning laughs from the audience. Ace playfully crossed his arms and shook his head. "No, I meant the news about our latest Talent, Annabelle."

"Oh, right... Well, the thing is that Annabelle won't be back on WOW," Stella said, trying to maintain a somewhat awkward smile.

The crowd gasped, giving confused looks to each other. Ace raised an eyebrow. "But she could've been in our final contest?!"

"She told me she has already realized her dream, performing in front of an audience."

"But... now we have one less contestant?"

Aisha and Flora came into the scene, joining the conversation.

"No problem, Ace," Flora said with her usual calming demeanor.