Chapter Eight
A Great Secret Revealed
Luella walked slowly to match the pace of her dad as he trudged with his walking stick, her hands stuffed in her pockets as they made their way to the greenhouse at the back of the school.
Silva didn't seem to show much hurt when teaching or was trying his best not to, but Luella knew it stung much more than what he showed in public.
Of course, she had heard from her brother and dad about the stories and read a few books about the Burned Ones. She also knew that her dad had already come across one before, when he was young, but hadn't gotten hurt. Instead, Luella's grandfather did. Silva avoided the topic most of the time.
"How bad does it hurt?" Luella asked, looking over at him as they continued to walk around the college building, avoiding the rest of the students.
It took a moment for him to look over at her but he did. "You need to stop worrying about me," he declared in a lower voice than usual.
Luella took her hands out of her pocket and crossed them other, eyeing the doodle she marked on her hand. "You don't get it, dad, do you?" Luella stated. She had stayed silent throughout the week after Saul scolded her, but she was still there next to him because she couldn't possibly let him be alone in pain like she had been. "I can't. You were there for me when I needed it and now I'm here for you, all of your fuss and fluff isn't going to stop me so you may as well suck it up," Luella spilt tiresomely.
They arrived in front of the greenhouse and took a seat on one of the steps, Luella helping her dad as he placed the walking stick to the side. The greenhouse had sandy-coloured stone walls with a glass roof which let the plants inside absorb their need for sunlight.
"The Battalion have tracked it, they'll engage it soon and kill it. I have every confidence they will complete the mission," Silva replied in a sore voice.
Luella nodded a few times, Looking anywhere else hoping tears would've to stride out. "I'm sure they will, dad," she muttered quietly. "But will they do it before it kills you? That's my question."
Silva stood up steadily, without her help, groaning in pain. He faced her as she stood up slowly too.
"I've spoken to my seconds about your future, Luella. They know what I want," he spoke, looking down. "But there's something else we need to talk about."
"What?" Luella questioned.
"What happened over a year ago," Silva started.
Luella bit the inside of her cheek and this time was the one to look down. He was talking about when her fire powers turned to ice. When one day, she wasn't able to do anything.
She remembered that day, she had woken up with a sunken empty feeling gaping in her chest. Like those rare ones they described in books when something was wrong: the calm before the storm. And by the time she made it down the hallway, she had collapsed.
Doctors and specialists well-known in the area of magic and health couldn't even explain it.
She spent all day and night in her room, blithering cold. Luella thought she overused her fire powers even if sounded ridiculous, but others started suspecting more than that.
"What is it?" She asked again after he paused.
"Headmistress Dowling and I were looking over the students and records and it — Luella, there isn't another ice fairy in existence."
Luella's body froze and snapped her gaze over to him, if now wasn't the time to be overwhelmed with so many emotions, she didn't know when was.
"That- That can't be true," Luella contended. "How did no one ever spot that?"
"Look-"
But before Saul had the chance to speak, Mr Harvey had walked over to the Father and Daughter muttering that he had just gone to get bandages. He seemed to be a nice teacher from the looks of it, probably passing down his trait to Terra who Luella spotted near the corner of the greenhouse.
"We'll talk about this later, go have your break," Silva said, following behind Professor Harvey inside using the walking stick to balance himself, leaving Luella no chance to reply.
It was, almost, impossible. Luella had heard many stories lurking in this world but most came from the first world, where Bloom had lived, about ice; it was a common power told in tales and even movies. And for her to be the only one in existence seemed unattainable. How could it take a year to find out there was no such thing as an ice fairy?
Uncommon, sure. Is only one in existence? Unattainable.
Too much was fearing Luella: her dad, the Burned One loose and being a fairy with the power no one else had. Luella had no idea if she could contain everything within her, especially her powers, she'd only learnt the slightest bit of control.
She then noticed Terra walking up to her who had approached her dad before. The earth fairy wore a green shirt with her mousey-coloured hair down against her shoulders.
"You okay, Luella?" Terra asked with curiosity, probably spotting the worried look that Luella tried to contain.
Luella swallowed and nodded slowly, fiddling with the hem of her bag as the girls walked to the cafeteria.
"How about headmaster Silva, how is he?" She questioned.
"I wish I could answer and say that he's healing, but he's getting worse and he's trying to hide it from me when I just want to be there for him," Luella explained sincerely.
They walked through the back entrance of the school, and over to the cafeteria with chattering voices and a hot atmosphere as they grabbed a tray from the stack, getting their food.
"I'm sure he'll be okay in the end," Terra reassured giving a smile.
Luella nodded at her thankfully before rolling her shoulders back and taking a deep breath, "I'm sorry for pulling you into my problems, anyway, what about you, you okay?" Luella asked, consciously changing the topic to the pretty fairy.
"You know, doing good. Feeling genuinely happy without all the drama involved." Terra expressed. "Never thought my year at Alfea would be like this."
Lue smiled at the happy earth fairy, blocking her feelings out, "you are," she responded.
"I'm what?" Terra questioned in confusion.
Luella looked at her playfully trying to ignore all the questions running in the back of her mind as she replied, "a genuinely happy person."
Terra gave a small laugh as they waited for their trays to be filled, leaning against the railing. They watched the students talk and eat for a moment before a shout came from one end of the room.
"Get off me, you massive pedo!" The two looked over to the shout and saw Beatrix speaking to the assistant of the headmistress then turning around, walking away with Riven as they bit into the same apple.
Luella didn't know if anything had happened or if Beatrix did it for a different reason, but she decided not to question it, having enough to worry about.
"Are they sharing an apple?" Terra said as Riven and Beatrix walked out of the canteen. "That's so weird."
"Bit weird," Luella commented, an odd pity feeling in her chest. "She was almost the only one answering questions in class."
The two then picked up their trays, making their way through the crowds of fairies and specialists to find their friends.
"Riven has questionable taste," Terra stated as Luella hummed to agree. "Did you hear about the party tonight?" Terra asked, switching the subject.
"No," Luella answered.
"It's a Senior Specialist party, they do it every year," Terra informed the girl. "I was thinking that maybe, we could go. Only if you wanted to come - with me."
Luella gave a countered look, she didn't mind parties and maybe she thought it could distract her, but she couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities that could happen while she was gone partying. "I'm not sure, Ter."
"Come on, we'll keep each other company," Terra pleaded.
"But-"
"We'll just see how the vibe is, how about that?"
Luella tittered, "is this about a boy?"
They spotted their friends and Terra quickly walked ahead of Luella so she couldn't reply which gave her an obvious answer.
"How about a girl?"
She sat down next to Musa while Bloom was on the opposite side, no other of their suitemates there.
"I have a question," Terra stated, sitting down at the end of the table. "Since when is it cool to be a nerd? I mean, don't get me wrong. It's great. Amazing. Power to the nerds. But now it's cool to talk about fairy history?" Terra rambled on.
"What?" Bloom asked muddled, rubbing her arms together.
Terra continued to prattle, "Well, like, you know, I... I like school. I like getting good grades and reading alone with a cup of chamomile, but no one shares a frickin' apple with me, even though... gross."
Musa laughed, "we're gonna need so much more context," putting her chin on her hand, her eyes glowing for a second.
"Beatrix," Luella answered simply for them.
-
Luella sat troubled on her bed, now in the Winx Suite rampaging on her phone anything about ice fairies; typing questions and rephrasing them to try to get an answer but couldn't find anything other than fiction stories and facts. The library would probably do her better.
She groaned switching off her phone and lying back on her patterned duvets, staring up at her ceiling. She had come to Alfea to learn how to control her powers after a misuse.
It had been a long time since Luella had felt warmth and the trickling of heat. Excluding the handshake with Bloom. She did miss the flames sometimes, it was how she grew up.
Luella thought of the possibility of telling her suite mates what had happened, and now that her dad had unravelled more truth to her, she'd have to get it out at some point.
And with that, she heard a cry for help coming beyond her room which she made out to be Terra, "Does anyone know how to do a good cat eye?"
Luella swiftly walked to the bathroom where she had heard Terra shout from, Bloom and Aisha came out of their shared room too, to see the rush.
When they walked into the bathroom which had mint green walls and a few shared sinks, they saw the earth fairy with a change of outfit. She now wore a dress with an ornament of designs and a thin cardigan while her face dripped with eyeliner.
Terra looked at the girls for help, "I've done like fifty tutorials, and this is what I get. What does Huda Kattan have that I don't?" She sulked as the three girls placed her back into the chair to help Terra.
"Talent."
"Taste."
"Style."
"Millions of followers."
"Wait," Terra said interrupting them. "Why is no one getting ready for the party?"
Their was a moment of silence before they all replied with an excuse of homework, stuttering a lie.
"Cool - I don't care. You must come. I need full suite support." Terra declared as Bloom and Aisha wiped their eyes as Luella looked in the makeup bag for another eyeliner.
Then a knock came on the door, "Is that Musa or Stella? Musa or Stella?" Terra asked, worried that Stella would judge her since the fairy was not fond of her.
Fortunately, Musa came in, "well this is weird," the mind fairy announced.
"Get dressed. We- we have to go, we're gonna go to the party," Terra stuttered. "We're gonna show everybody that we're cool... and... and... fun and-"
"Hot?" Musa added which made Luella laugh and the other girls chuckle. Luella finished the girl's eyeliner and placed the lid back on, moving back and allowing Terra to stand and turn around to look at herself while the other girls smiled at her in support.
-
The Suite, excluding Stella, walked past the swarm of teenagers dancing to songs and drinking from classic plastic red cups, hot bodies colliding together making it already smell like sweat and alcohol.
Due to Terra's demand, all the girls were now wearing a change of outfits, make-up, some more than others, and jackets for the cold weather, except for Luella, of course, who was immune to the low temperature. She wore a white top, embedded with a floral design and loose black jeans along with her favourite earrings, picked out by Bloom.
They entered the inside area of the party, where purple and pink neon lights glowed and flashed and where even more people were. The music played loudly, not to Lue's taste. She was sure that at least one teacher could hear it.
"This is what, exactly?" Bloom asked, looking around.
"This is the east wing of Alfea," Terra answered knowingly. "It used to be used for war preparations, but there hasn't been a conflict for a while so no one comes down here. Except for tonight."
"You need a beer," Aisha motioned to Bloom with her blue-themed make-up.
Bloom nodded, "I need a beer."
Luella stared for a second wondering why she decided to come as the music drummed in her ears, "I'm way too sober for this."
❆
It's international woman's day today, and a time to show that women need equality. I hate how society continues to expect me to be 'lady-like'.
Women of every ethnicity and race are powerful and strong. Love all of you.