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The world was aquiver.
Shaking. Blurring at the edges.
Mor couldn't tell up from down.
Was she breathing? She wasn't sure.
Where was she? She didn't know.
Everything was dark, shrouded in shadows.
She suddenly became aware of her right hand, weighted by something cool and round. Eyebrows pinching slightly, she lifted her hand and opened her palm up.
It was a small medallion.
Smooth and rounded, the gold seemed to glimmer in the darkened place, the shadows melting in its glow. It was old - she knew that somehow, even though it looked brand new - but it just seemed to add to the medallion's appeal. The charm itself was engraved with a decretive, detailed spiral and as she peered closer, she could see the swirl was made of vines. In the centre, there a blooming flower embellished with an emerald jewel for the pistil. A golden chain hung loosely over the side of her hand and Mor realised - with no small amount of awe and shock - that it was pure gold.
As she gazed down at the medallion, an overwhelming sense of familiarity and knowing flooded through her, warming her soul and causing her fingertips to tingle. Her magic stirred, coiling and tumbling waves of power rolling out of her body like a storming ocean.
But it wasn't out of hand, no, in fact it was entirely the opposite.
Morrigan was in complete control.
"Use it. Control it. Master it."
*****
Dreams were usually a strange ordeal for Morrigan Chambers.
Truth be told, she rarely ever dreamt, but when she did, they were vivid, exciting, but most of all, bizarre.
To put it lightly, Mor never forgot her dreams, and as she frowned and blinked back into reality, she knew this one would be no different.
Use it. Control it. Master it.
Those words were last thing she'd heard before she had woken up.
They had been whispered in her ear, and Mor could almost feel the owner of the voice's breath tickling her skin as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.
Use it.
Use what? The medallion?
Mor rubbed a hand over the side of her face. Why did she feel like she recognised the medallion? She'd never seen it before, and the emblem engraved onto the gold didn't ring any bells.
Control it.
Her magic maybe?
She scoffed, rolling her eyes as she stretched.
She'd been trying to do that all her life now; if the mysterious voice wanted her to do that, it would just have to get in line.
Master it.
Again, she assumed the voice was talking about her magic, and shook her head.
Whatever it was the voice wanted from her, it would have to wait a long time before she could deliver.
This was only her second day, for Christ's sake!
Yawning, Morrigan stretched once more and cast her drowsy gaze across her bedroom, and as sleep still struggled to keep her under its hold, it felt as if every eye lash weighed more than it should and gravity had been turned up ten fold. However, her gaze snagged on Stella's empty bed. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't seem to remember the Light Fairy coming into the room last night, and the thought brought a frown to her face.
What time was it?
Groaning, Mor rolled over and reached half-heartedly towards her phone: 7:49.
"Fuck." She hissed.
She was so going to be late.
All of a sudden, the bedroom door burst open, and Mor practically jumped out of her skin. Eyes wide, she snapped her attention to where Terra strode in, a bundle of clothes in her arms, kicking the door shut behind her. Mor exhaled long and loudly, relaxing.
"Terra." She breathed, smiling slightly as she watched the Earth Fairy startling, spinning round to face her, dropping the clothes in shock.
"Morrigan!" Terra squeaked, laughing nervously and rubbing the back of her neck, "Uh, you... you're in here, of course you would be, it's your room! I, uh, I thought maybe you'd be... um, th-that you'd be asleep? But clearly you're not - which is not a-a problem, at all, don't worry-"
"Terra," Mor chuckled, hauling herself out of bed and trying not to let her heartbreak from the action show on her features, "It's ok, relax. I'm going to get a shower anyways, the room is yours."
The Earth Fairy visibly sagged with relief as she smiled, "Thank you."
"No problem." She shrugged, patting the girl on the shoulder as she passed.
Her bare feet thudded dully on the wooden floor as she padded down the steps, closing her bedroom door behind her. It was evident that Autumn was beginning to make itself known as she realised there was a slight chill hidden in the air, making her shiver somewhat.
Mor made a mental note to wrap up warm after her shower.
As she raised her gaze, she noticed Musa - a cup of coffee in her hand - turning to nonother than the missing Light Fairy.
"Hmm, that outfit's so similar to yesterdays. Same designer?" Musa was asking, a smug expression on her face.
Stella narrowed her eyes at the girl, "Do you know how I feel about that joke, or should I tell you?"
"Alright, Evil Queen, dial it down a notch." Mor smirked, "Just because you were too busy to sleep last night having makeup sex with your boytoy, doesn't mean you can take your crankiness out on us."
"Was I speaking to you, flowerchild?" The blonde girl snapped, "No, I didn't think so either."
Mor crossed her arms over her chest, "You do realise calling me a 'flowerchild' is actually a compliment, don't you?"
Huffing, Stella turned back to Musa, "Where's Bloom?"
"She had a rough night, no thanks to you." The Mind Fairy explained, glancing in the direction of Bloom's room.
"Yeah, but Stella here had a rough night for a completely different reason." Mor muttered under her breath.
The girl in question rounded on her, "I wasn't-"
"What? Wasn't fucking Sky whilst everyone else was out trying to fix the mess you so carelessly made?!" Mor scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"No!" Stella exclaimed, her strong and unfeeling façade cracking, "If you really must know, Morrigan, I slept there because I knew you all would bite my head off the moment I walked through the door! I don't... I knew I shouldn't have..."
Maybe she was being too harsh on Stella, maybe she was taking it too far.
But she was angry - furious, even - at how selfish the girl had been. She knew exactly what was currently lurked out in the woods, and yet she still gave Bloom the ring and planted the notion that it was safe to go into the forest, at night, into the Fire Fairy's mind.
And then when things went to shit, she just slunk off to her ex instead of trying to make things right again!
Mor wanted to believe that there was a reason Stella acted the way she did, and it wasn't just because she was just genuinely a lying bitch, but with every passing moment, she was struggling to hang on to that belief.
"What about my ring?!" Stella hissed, slamming up her walls again, and Mor's eyebrows raised as she looked between Musa and the Light Fairy.
Before anyone else could say anything, Bloom came walking out of her room, "That burned... burned thing took it."
"What?!" Stella seethed, eyes widening, and Mor took a subtle step towards Bloom.
"Calm down, Princess." Musa sighed.
Stella snarled, "Don't tell me to calm down, and don't use my title as an insult."
"Wait, are you actually a princess?" Bloom's frowned deepened with disbelief.
"Yes I am, actually." The Light Fairy raised her voice slightly, "My mum is the Queen and the ring you lost, is one of the Crown Jewels of Solaria. Now that might not mean much to a Firstworlder, so feel free to ask your suitemate about how big of a screw up that is!"
"Almost as big as giving it to her in the first place." Aisha snapped as she walked out from the bathroom, towel in hand, "Dowling has the creature locked up, which you would know, if you were here last night when she gave us an earful."
Musa added on, "And if people knew that there was a Burned One even in the Firstworld temporarily? Disaster."
Bloom pursed her lips before bursting out, "I didn't tell her that I lost the ring, and I'm sure if we do, then-"
"We will do no such thing!" Stella declared, glaring at the redhead, "Look, I will figure it out after class, but for now? No one says anything, to anyone!"
Mor stepped out of the way of the frustrated blonde girl as she strode over to their shared room, crossing her arms over her chest.
Personally, Mor agreed with Bloom - they should tell Dowling about the ring. It would save a lot of effort. But, she supposed, it was Stella's ring, and if that was how she wanted to go about getting it back, then so be it.
"Oh and, can someone please tell Terra?" Stella stopped just before the room, and Mor's eyes widened, "She never can-"
"Uh-" Mor began, but Stella had already opened the door.
The door swung open to reveal Terra struggling to get her arm through the sleeve of a red pinafore, a goofy grin on her face as she sent the girls a thumbs up, "Got it!"
*****
The Stone Circle was, truth be told, not what Mor was expecting.
In all honesty, she didn't really know what she was expecting.
Something bigger? Something grander? Some mystical engravings on the stones? Mist surrounding the circle? Precious gems embedded in the rock and ground?
She didn't know.
Instead, the Stone Circle was exactly what the name stated.
A circle of stones.
Shocker.
Biting her lip, Mor felt slightly stupid at her expectation and instead cast her gaze around, examining what was really there.
The circle had two rings. The first was made up of tall, ancient rocks that stood proud in a circle like guards honoured to protect, and if she peered close enough, she could see symbols of all the different elements engraved into each one.
Maybe one of her expectations wasn't such a let-down.
She knew the rocks had been there for centuries, and would be there for centuries more; ever-present, ever-seeing.
The inner ring, on the other hand, was made of long stone benches, each seating three students. And in the centre of the rings, was a small stone altar, a large cauldron-like bowl placed on top: an amplifier.
On her bench, she was sitting beside Musa - with Aisha on the Mind Fairy's other side. Dowling wandered slowly around the altar, glancing at each and every student as she passed them.
"Magic lives in the very fabric of nature." The Headmistress explained, "And here in our circle of stone, it's magnified."
Although the Stone Circle wasn't entirely what she had expected, Mor had to admit that there a certain... touch to the atmosphere that made her senses prickle and her magic stir. It was like the very air she breathed was urging her to open her doors and allow her power to be used.
"The vessel," Dowling gestured a hand to the bowl, "tests your ability to channel that magic. Further down the line, you may learn to connect with other elements, but your first year is all about the element you were born with."
As Dowling proceeded to call up Terra to demonstrate her magic, Mor turned to Musa and leant towards her slightly, gaze fixed on a thin - almost sickly looking - boy directly opposite from her. Musa followed her gaze and Mor gently eased open her metaphoric door, gently allowing her magic to seep outwards in invisible wisps and curls towards the boy, stroking the very roots of his power.
"Water Fairy." Mor whispered, retracting her tendrils.
Musa's eyebrows raised as she nodded, "Impressive. What about her?"
Mor followed her friend's gaze and spotted the girl she was speaking of.
The girl in question was rather short, with gelled black hair with pink tips that was cut close to her head and a nose piercing in her left nostril.
"Air. Mostly rain."
"Her?"
Mor bent her tendrils towards the girl Musa was on about, "Fire. But it's weak. Nowhere near as strong as Bloom."
"Hmm, and him?"
"Fire again. More powerful, but still weak compared to Bloom."
"And her?"
"Earth."
"Him?"
"Mind. " Mor shivered and immediately snatched her tendrils back, closing her door and shutting her magic off, "Oof, I'd stay away from that one."
Musa frowned slightly, turning her face to look at Mor, "What do you mean? How can you tell? I can't sense anything."
"Bad vibes." Mor shook her head, lowering her voice, "His magic... I don't know. It just didn't feel right."
She shuddered again.
The boy in question was tall, his hair dark and reaching his shoulders in bountiful curls. As she subtly peered closer at him, she noticed that his eyes were a silver colour and were cold and unforgiving.
His magic.... when she had stroked her tendrils over it, the fibres had shivered and trembled. It was almost as if they were frightened of her, yet at the same time, the boy's magic had reached out to her, begging for her to let it escape.
Truth be told, she wasn't completely sure if he was actually a Mind Fairy, but the stand-alone fact that his magic wanted to be set free gave her the impression of what element he was born with.
"Morrigan?" Dowling interrupted her thoughts, "Would you care to demonstrate?"
Swallowing, Mor pushed to her feet and slowly approached the altar, her magic stirring with ever step. Sparing a look towards Bloom, who had just sat down from her go, Mor came to a halt. Glancing up at the Headmistress, she carefully placed her hands on either side of the bowl and stared intently down into the ashes.
As soon as she touched the cool, dark metal of the bowl, it began to tremble ever so slightly, the ashes at the bottom shifting and twitching. A surge of energy suddenly coursed through her veins, pulling her magic from deep inside of her and forcing open her doors. Whilst Mor fought against the abrupt tug, the bowl continued to shake.
Dowling watched with narrowed eyes as the girl struggled against the pull, "Don't fight it. Allow your magic to flow through you."
Gritting her teeth, Mor relaxed her hands and closed her eyes, easing open her doors and granting her magic freedom.
Yet the bowl only shook more viciously, shuddering in her hands.
Eyebrows pinching, Mor opened her eyes and almost stumbled back from the altar as she saw the ashes beginning to glow an emerald colour. All around them, the wind began to pick up a pace, whistling through the stones and encircling her with the whispers of the trees.
Use it. Control it. Master it.
The trees' voices were ancient, barely audible, rasping.
They caressed her mind with such gentleness, it was like they weren't even there.
Use it. Control it. Master it.
Images of the medallion flashed in her mind, and the glowing ashes brightened. Murmurs swept through the students, and Mor's eyes widened in fear.
What was happening? Why was it happening? And why her? Had she done something wrong?
Headmistress Dowling took a step towards Mor, her usually calm and collected features warped with confusion and a hint of awe.
The ashes only brightened, and it was reaching the point of blinding as the girl's breathing turned erratic.
Her magic was raging through her now - she had no control.
Surrounding her feet, thorns were sprouting from the ground and wrapping themselves around her ankles, climbing up her legs. The grass where she was standing started to blacken, their lush green life draining from them as the thorns grew ever higher.
They reached halfway up her calf before Mor finally managed to rip her hands away from the bowl, stumbling back from the altar.
Almost immediately, everything stopped.
The bowl stilled, the wind died and the thorns disintegrated. The emerald glow faded into nothing and the ashes settled back on the bottom.
The only indication that the whole ordeal had ever happened was the blackened grass from where Mor had been standing and the whispers of the students.
Without warning, a pounding headache slammed through her forehead so suddenly, it left her slightly stunned as she caught her breath.
Aisha grabbed Mor's shoulders as the girl continued to stumble backwards, steadying her.
"Are you alright?" Terra exclaimed, placing a hand on Mor's arm, "What was that? I've never seen anything like it!"
"Terra!" Musa glanced between the two Earth Fairies, "Just let her catch her breath."
Mor only nodded, the concept of words like a distant speck on the horizon to her at that moment in time.
The class was swiftly dismissed, and whilst everyone else packed up, slinging their bags over their shoulders, Mor stayed put on the stone bench, just staring at the patches of dead grass.
What. The fuck. Just. Happened?
That had never happened to her before. Ever.
Not even when she was extremely emotional.
It terrified her.
Mor had felt every single drop of life drain from every single blade of grass, felt the way their lifeforce fuelled her magic. And the worst part?
A sliver of her had actually enjoyed it.
After her talk with Bloom, Headmistress Dowling strode over to the girl and perched on the bench beside her.
"Do you know what just happened?" The woman asked gently, casting her gaze around the Stone Circle.
Mor scoffed, "You tell me."
"That's never happened before?" Dowling glanced down at the girl.
She fiddled with her hands and gnawed on her bottom lip as she shook her head.
There had been one time where something similar had happened, but that was a memory she never wanted to relive, nor claw it back to the surface. She'd securely buried that memory to the deepest, darkest crevices of her mind, and that was exactly where she intended for it to stay.
"You lost control." Dowling continued, and Mor suppressed an eyeroll, "And I'll be completely honest with you, Miss Chambers, I have never seen any kind of Earth magic like that."
"So what do you think I should do?" Mor asked, surprising even herself with how steady her voice appeared, when inside, she was a nervous mess.
Dowling thought for a moment, "You will continue to attend lessons as usual, but every other day, you will report to my office after school, starting tomorrow. I will personally help you to understand and master this extraordinary gift of yours. I may not be able to provide you with all the answers, Morrigan, but I will definitely help you try."
"Thank you." She whispered, and it was genuine.
Mor never knew her mother, and despite the fact her brother and father tried their best, it just wasn't the same as mother-to-daughter comfort, and although Farah Dowling was far from being any kind of maternal figure for her, it was at least a start.
*****
The sun shimmered down on her as she hurriedly made her way to the Specialists training area. She needed to tell Rowan about what had occurred at the Stone Circle, and whilst her steps were quick, Mor was desperately trying to calm her racing heart.
She ran a trembling hand through her hair.
A chill breeze curled around her as she turned onto the path, caressing her hair and kissing her skin. Glancing up at the trees bordering the pathway, Mor could tell that the summer dancers had taken their rest and autumn was taking to the stage with her rich late blooms, her banquet of berries, her promise to turn green leaves into gold.
Mor ran her hand through her hair again.
She'd always loved the winter months, relished the feeling of the crisp air against her skin and the crunch of frost and ice and snow beneath her feet.
However, the spring was her favourite season.
The springtime never waited upon the perfect ice-free day, yet pushed forth at first chance for the warming light of day. The season greeted the world as butterfly wings greet the air, with a gentle uplifting confidence. Mor always thought that spring sent her rain and warm wind to kiss the rich brown soils, to waken the seeds and sing to them as they grow. That spring blesses the skies with more of the winged creatures, from the mighty eagle to the firefly. The flowers come, each one so much more than any photograph, delicate and strong, a promise for the warmer summer months to come.
Just like how a chilled breeze brought on the trance-like state, it was also the way that shook Mor from her thoughts, and she tugged her jacket closer to her body. She'd decided to let her golden hair flow free today, and the locks fell down to just below her shoulder blades. Occasionally, the wind would scoop up strangling strands and dance with them in the air, frolicking and teasing them before moving on passed her, and the strands would float back down to rest on her back once more.
Suppressing a shiver, Mor shifted her attention to the countless Specialists moving around the training area, all showcasing incredible physical abilities that Mor could only dream of possessing.
Sure, her brother taught her some moves, but it was only self-defence - besides, she had her magic.
After a moment of searching, Mor spotted her brother and Kai sparring on one of the raised training mattresses. Unlike before, when the two were using their swords, this time the pair were hand-to-hand, and Mor didn't even need to watch to know her brother would win.
Although Kai was nimble and slightly leaner, her brother had power on his side. Rowan had always excelled at hand-to-hand combat, ever since he was a young lad - Mor knew first hand just how brutal he could be.
Mor approached without a word, squinting against the sun as she watched the pair battle it out. Kai managed to pin Rowan down on the mat, but her brother arched his hips and somehow - it was too fast for her to really see the details - succeeded in rolling the both of them over, planting a powerful blow to Kai's stomach.
"Good job, Chambers." Headmaster Silva commended as he strode passed, nodding to Mor's brother.
Rowan nodded proudly, "Thank you, sir."
Rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, Mor ran yet another hand through her hair as she waited for her brother or Kai to notice her.
Usually she'd just interrupt their training, but with Silva nearby, she didn't want to risk it.
"Uh, mate," Kai nodded down at her, "Your sister-"
Rowan's face hardened as he watched her flash them a small smile and run a hand through her hair.
Again.
"Right, spit it out." He demanded, sitting down on the edge of the training mat, "What's wrong?"
Mor bit her lip, fiddling with her hands, "I, uh, need to talk to you."
"I gathered that much." Rowan teased, glancing up at his friend, "Give us a sec, would you?"
Kai nodded, and with one last glance at the pair, walked off to get a drink. Once he had gone, Rowan turned to Mor and patted the mattress beside him, motioning for her to sit down - to which she willingly obliged.
"What's wrong?" He nudged his shoulder into her own gently, "You only run your hand through your hair when you're upset."
She sighed, dropping her gaze to the grass below her feet and remembered the deadened blades back at the stones, "I... Something happened, whilst I was in the Stone Circle."
"Ok..." Her brother nodded slowly, "Care to elaborate?"
Mor bit her lip and shrugged, "To be honest, I don't really know what happened. I put my hands on the bowl and it started to shake. A lot. Then the ashes began to glow green, and the wind picked up, and I could hear things. Whispers."
"What, the students whispering?"
"No, the trees." Mor shook her head, "It sounds crazy, I know it does, but it's true."
When she spared a glance in her brother's direction, she was slightly surprised at how soft his features had become. He even placed a hand around her shoulders, tugging her closer to him.
"It does... a little. But what else can I expect from you?" He teased, and Mor's lips twitched upwards, "What were they saying? The trees, I mean."
"I gathered that much," She chuckled, "They said to 'use it, control it, and master it'."
"Master what? Your magic?" Rowan frowned, eyebrows pinching.
She shrugged and shook her head slightly, "I-I guess so? I don't know. Probably."
"So what did Dowling say? I mean, I assume she noticed."
"I'm having private lessons with her starting tomorrow, after school."
Rowan inhaled and exhaled deeply, nodding slowly, "Ok, well, at least there's that. I'm sure she'll figure everything out."
"Yeah." Mor nodded, then repeated more firmly, "Yeah. I'm sure she will."
Still nodding, she leapt off the mattress and turned her to face her bother, picking up her bag from the floor and slinging it over her shoulder, "Thank you, Row."
"What are big brothers for?" He grinned, pushing to his feet, "Stay safe, pipsqueak."
"Don't get your arse beat too much, dickhead."
"Piss off."
Laughing, Mor shook her head in amusement as she spun on her heel and set off back down the path towards the college. Telling her brother was really just instinctive, and although she knew there'd be very little Rowan could do about whatever happened at the Stone Circle, it felt good that she had told him, like a weight had been lifted from her chest.
However there was still that need in the back of her mind, egging her on, poking at her conscious.
What had happened?
The power had been immense, unlike anything she had ever experienced before.
Well, that wasn't quite true, but she refused to think of that.
And it was that small, persistent need that persuaded her to take the impulsive action of turning back off the gravel path and into the forest once more.
Her destination: the Stone Circle.
As Mor emerged from the forest, a new sense of determination washed over her, and she ignored the inkling of fear that caused her hands to tremble when the Stone Circle came into view.
Approaching the altar, Mor dropped her bag on the floor and, with her mouth set in a firm line, placed her hands securely on either side of the bowl.
Almost immediately, she could feel the pull of the amplifier as it tried to pry open her doors. Exhaling long and loud through her nose, Mor imagined all her hesitation and worries and doubts to flow out with her breath, relaxing against the pull as she eased her doors open. Even with her eyes closed, she could see the brightening emerald glow of the ashes and felt the wind picking up all around her.
Biting her lip and keeping her eyes firmly shut, Mor pictured the medallion, the spiral of vines engraved onto the gold. Her eyes fluttered open when she felt her magic bend and mould into the form of the vines. She watched them with her lips tugging upwards as the ashes shifted to make the vines. They curled upwards, the glowing not really brightening further, but never getting dimmer either.
Mor let out a breathy laugh as she felt her magic course through her body, her fingertips tingling and her blood thrumming with power.
She was doing it, she was controlling it.
Ok, maybe not.
Her smile immediately vanished when she felt the thorns crawl up her legs, snaking around her limbs. The vines in the bowl started to grow and grow and grow, not stopping and not listening to her desperate commands. She watched in horror as the vines' brilliant greed faded into a deadened black, and the wind's power doubled.
Shaking her head and her whole body trembling, Mor stumbled away from the altar, tripping over her bag and landing with a thud on the ground. Like before, everything ceased and the wind instantly dropped.
"Wow, that was some powerful shit right there. Totally out of control, but powerful."
Morrigan startled, scrambling to her feet and willing her face to hide her disappointment in herself as her gaze rested on Riven.
The boy was leaning against one of the taller stones, swirling a small dagger in his hand as he watched her brush herself off. His hair was its usual tousled self, and he was clad in his grey-brown hoodie.
"What are you doing here?" She snapped defensively.
Had he seen everything that had just happened? Had he seen her loose control?
Did he notice the thorns that were now disintegrated? Did he spot the black patches of grass that remained from her footprints?
Oh god, what did he think of her now?
Riven only shrugged, inspecting his blade as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, "I was trying to figure out what you were doing here, but I think I just got my answer."
Mor narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly well aware of the skin her clothes didn't cover, "Are you stalking me?"
"Don't flatter yourself, Princess," Riven smirked, as if sensing her subtly attempt to cover her exposed neckline with her jacket, "I merely saw you were upset with your brother and then ran off into the forest, and we both know what happened the last time you came out here by yourself."
Mor rolled her eyes, "Technically, I wasn't by myself. You followed me. And because this is the second time you've followed me, I now class it as stalking."
The boy scoffed, holding a hand over his heart, "First you demand what I'm doing here, and now you insult my want to make sure you're safe? Next time, I'll let you wander off alone and get yourself killed, if that's what you'd prefer."
My want to make sure you're safe.
What did that mean?
Mor fought back the heat crawling up her neck and ignored the slight flutter her stomach gave and instead quirked her lips into a smirk.
"Is that concern concern I hear, Mister Self-Centred?" Mor mocked an expression of surprise.
Riven chuckled, rolling his eyes in amusement as he pushed off the stone and stalked towards her, "Believe it or not, the filthy drug addict who thinks the world was made for him does care about whether you live or die."
She forced herself to stay still as Riven stopped right in front of her, studying her face with darkened eyes.
He was mere inches away from her, and their breath mingled as they exhaled.
Willing her blush to vanish, Mor lifted her chin slightly and raised an eyebrow at him.
Riven only smirked, "Personally, I wouldn't like to have your oaf of a brother pulling a tantrum with me again."
At the insult, Mor rolled her eyes and forced her limbs to take a step back from the boy.
Just when she was starting not to hate him just as much, too.
"Way to ruin the moment, Riv."
"Oh, we were having a moment, were we?" He laughed, head titling to the side.
Mor realised her mistake as soon as the words slipped from his suddenly very attractive lips, and she rolled her eyes, desperately trying to distract herself with anything else.
"I..." She swallowed, rocking on the balls of her feet, "No we weren't, why would you think that?"
Riven scoffed, shaking his head, "I didn't, you did."
"I don't know what you're talking about." She sniffed haughtily, refusing to meet his gaze.
He smirked, trailing his tongue along the tips of his front teeth, and Mor tried not to stare, "Oh, we're playing that game, are we? I see."
"What game?" She tilted her head to the side slightly.
Riven pursed his lips, leaning forwards and whispering, "I don't know what you're talking about."
His eyes captured hers, and as cheesy as it sounds, it was like he staring right into her very soul. Her heart beat raised, and her blush tinted her cheeks.
"You won't...." She began, shifting on her feet awkwardly, "You won't tell anyone, will you?"
"Tell anyone what?" Riven smirked, "About our little 'moment'? You really that embarrassed of me, Princess?"
"No! I mean, of course not, but that's not what I meant." Mor shook her head, "I mean my little.... outburst earlier."
She'd rather not have everyone know about it.
He smiled the most gentlest smile she'd ever seen, "Of course not, Princess. Your secret is safe with me."
Clearing her throat, Mor stepped back again, picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, "I should go."
Riven raised her eyebrow, "Should you?"
"Yes, Riven, I should." She rolled her eyes, taking another step back, "You should too. Dinner's going to be soon, and I will never forgive you or myself if you're the reason I'm late."
He only tilted his head to the sky and let out such a playful laugh, Mor was surprised he even possessed such a boisterous side to him.
Cocky and arrogant, sure, and maybe even caring and protective.
But playful and carefree? That was a first.
"Girls and their food, I will never understand." He grinned, slinging an arm over her shoulder and leading her back up the forest path.
Mor smirked gleefully, "Think of it as boys and their dicks."
That only made him laugh harder.
*****
All eyes were on Morrigan and Riven as they entered the cafeteria, his hand still around her shoulder, and them both still laughing about the little jokes they cracked between each other. At first, Mor didn't really notice the gawking eyes, but as they ventured further down the corridors, she began to pick up on them.
"Riv..." She whispered, dropping her gaze to to the ground.
The boy in question smirked, "Yes, Princess?"
She suppressed a wince at how much his voice carried through the cafeteria, "Everyone's looking at us."
"Soak it up, Princess, this is what popularity feels like." He chuckled, giving her shoulders a squeeze, and leant towards her and-
Mor almost tripped over her own feet as Riven's lips pressed fleetingly against the side of her forehead.
But before she could say anything, his arm had vanished from her shoulders and he disappeared from her side.
Mor was left standing gobsmacked in the centre of the cafeteria.
Clearing her throat and gathering her composure up again, Mor straightened herself out and strode over to where her friends were sitting, Stella and Sky standing at the front of the table.
"It's Alfea!" Terra was saying as she examined the map Stella had lain out across the table, "The little dotted line is the barrier, and that's Crag Creek. Wind Meadow! When I was a kid, I used to spend every-"
"Great story, Ter." Stella snapped, a hand on her hip.
Mor placed a hand on her fellow Earth Fairy's shoulder, "Easy now, Evil Queen. Ever heard of a thing called manners?"
The Light Fairy narrowed her eyes, "We have-"
"Mor!" Aisha exclaimed brightly, "How are you feeling after what happened earlier? What did Dowling say?"
"I'm having private lessons with her after school every other day, starting tomorrow." Mor shrugged, sliding into the seat beside Terra, "She doesn't know what happened."
"-More pressing matters," Stella continued with a glare in the girls' direction, "Than Morrigan's lack of control."
She bit her tongue to stop a retort from sliding from her lips.
"Sky?" The Light Fairy turned to the blonde boy, "Where do you think they're keeping it again?"
"Um," He glanced at Bloom, who just dropped her gaze, "Well, there's only so many buildings outside the barrier they could secure a creature like that. There's the barn, and the mill."
Mor watched with slightly narrowed eyes as Stella slowly placed a possessive hand on Sky's arm, and Terra nodded enthusiastically, "Oh, the barn would be my bet! My dad fortified the beams because he was chaining this wounded horse there when I was little-"
"So we just have to sneak in there and get my ring?" Stella smiled victoriously, and Mor scoffed.
Aisha raised her eyebrows, seemingly thinking the same as Mor, "Strange, how casually you're tossing about the word 'we'."
"Yes, it sounds more like a 'you' kinda deal." Musa added.
"Except," Stella glared not-so-subtly at Bloom, "I didn't lose it."
"When do we go?" The redhead asked abruptly, "I lost the ring, I'm gonna get it back."
Mor just groaned, sliding her arms forwards and planting her head down on the table with a heavy thud. Terra patted her back gently.
"This can only go south," She looked up from the table, "You do know that, right?"
Bloom just nodded silently.
"Well, then, count me in." Mor clapped her hands together in mock enthusiasm, "What? Don't look at me like that, Firecracker, you'll probably get yourself killed if us girls don't come with you. Suck it up, buttercup, and dry your eyes. We're coming with you whether you like it or not."
*****
"I wish I had let you go alone."
Musa snickered at Mor's comment as they six girls came to stop at the barn.
"I didn't ask you to come." Bloom muttered beside her.
Mor's eyebrows raised, "Well, with that attitude, I seriously wish I hadn't!"
As the redhead started to make her way down to the barn, Mor could almost see her roll her eyes.
"You know you sound like a mother, right?" Aisha smirked as she passed.
She blanched, "Oh god, do I?"
All five other girls nodded.
However, before she took another step towards the rusty-looking structure, a strange feeling suddenly flooded through her that made her freeze.
It was a heavy feeling, yet at the same time, it felt empty. Shivers snaked their way through her body and goosebumps pebbled her skin as her senses prickled. It was cold, yet dense and sticky as well.
The trees here.... they were mourning.
Reaching out, Mor brushed her fingers across the closest tree's bark and immediately retracted her hand, wincing.
They were more than just mourning - they were in pain.
In the back of her mind, Mor registered the sudden feeling of something weighted hanging around her neck and something small and cool resting against the bare skin of her chest.
Musa had clearly felt the same thing, and together, the pair of them turned their steps towards the source of the feeling.
"Guys?" Terra murmured, walking after them, "Guys, are you ok?"
"I don't know, I feel something." Musa tilted her head slightly, her eyes glowing purple.
Suddenly, she doubled over and gasped in pain, "It hurts!"
Mor turned her head to the left and stumbled back in shock.
"Uh, guys?!" Terra yelled for the others, "We've got a problem!"
Strewn across the crimson-stained forest floor, their bodies ripped and torn apart in bloody ribbons, were numerous corpses trailing all the way back to the gravel road, where three deserted cars were stationed. Claw marks were engraved into countless trees, and Mor's eyes only widened further when one of the bodies started to twitch.
"The Burned One." Terra breathed shakily.
"It's still here somewhere." Stella finished, stiffening.
Mor peered closer at the moving body, "Is that...? Oh shit, that's Mr Silva!"
"Hey, have you always had that necklace?" Terra asked her out of the blue, and all eyes turned to her.
Glancing down at herself, Mor realised - with no small amount of shock - that the very same medallion from her dream was hanging around her neck, the gold glinting in the daylight.
"Really not the biggest of our worries right now, Ter." Stella huffed.
"Wait..." Aisha turned to the girls, "Where's Bloom?"
Glancing around, Mor realised that the redhead was indeed missing from their little group, and a pool of dread began to simmer in her stomach.
"Right," Terra turned to Stella, "We'll look after Mr Silva, and you, Mor and Aisha go look for Bloom."
Sharing a fleeting look with Musa, Mor nodded with determination and followed after Aisha as she sped back to the barn, Stella following behind her.
Once inside, it quickly became that the redhead was definitely not there, and had instead wondered off into the forest.
Alone.
"I told her," Mor muttered as she trailed behind Aisha and Stella as the girls walked through the trees, "I told Bloom that this would only go south, and did she listen? No! No, she did not. And look where we are now!"
"Hurry up and quit whining." Aisha hissed, scanning the surroundings.
"But it's going to get dark soon!" Stella protested, and Mor could hear a slight tremor to the blonde girl's voice.
Aisha rolled her eyes, "So your magic's useful after all."
"Steady on, Aisha." Mor spoke harshly, not fully believing herself that she was defending the Light Fairy, "Give her a break. We're all a bit on edge at the moment."
"Come on," The Water Fairy seemed to just ignore her and turned to Stella, "Turn it on."
Swallowing, the girl in question snapped her fingers, and when nothing happened, she did it again. Biting her lip, Mor looked at anything but the Light Fairy, instead shifting her focus to peering through the murky forest.
Opening her senses, Mor brushed her fingers against the nearest tree and listened.
Listened for any unusual footfall, any unnatural gait, any strange shift in the environment.
Using the tree as a gateway, Mor channelled her magic down to the roots and through the ground, reaching and searching for anything out of the ordinary. Against her fingers, the tree murmured and whispered, the words muffled and incoherent as she strained her ears to hear.
Too engrossed in her magic, Mor didn't realise she'd been left alone until a soft yet chilled breeze snaked its way around her. But she didn't take her hand off the tree, instead, she only pushed further.
She was just about to give up when a sharp sensation of a twig snapping sent shivers through her body, and she swiftly retracted her hand.
The sudden familiar scream of Bloom echoed throughout the forest, and the whispering trees grew louder as Mor gritted her teeth, setting off at the fastest sprint she'd ever performed in her life. Resting on her chest, the medallion began to emit a pulsating green glow that only brightened as she got closer.
As she neared the roaring fires caused by the redhead, Mor called upon her magic, dragging it from the depths within her and allowing it to flow freely through her body. Her fingertips tingled and her eyes glowed their brilliant emerald colour, yet she was in complete control. The medallion around her neck was like reins for a strong horse.
It provided a safety net - if you will - for her powers, allowing her to call upon her copious amounts of magic without the risk of it getting out of hand.
Eyes narrowing on the Burned One that had corned both Aisha and Bloom, Mor skidded to a halt, raising her hands in one swift motion towards the unnatural creature.
A needle of vines rocketed towards the Burned One, spearing it through the chest and pinning it against a nearby tree.
"And that, my friends," Mor breathed triumphantly, shutting off her magic and the glow of the medallion fading, "is how you kick some arse."
Ohhhhh what do you guys think is going on with Mor then? And the medallion?
Lmao I never really realised just how long my chapters are. Do you guys want them to be shorter? Would you prefer it if I split each episode across two chapters, or do you not mind?
Anywho, I hope you lovelies all enjoyed😘😘