06 : season 1 episode 2
No Strangers Here
part 2
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"I mean, the Vessel just lit up for you the moment you touched it." Aisha told Musa as the three of us collected our lunch.
"My magic's pretty much always on. Makes crowded spaces a nightmare." Musa replied.
We moved out of the way as Musa looked around the room.
"Doris is in physical pain. That kid? Scared and stressed, like a bunny when hawks circle." Musa spoke as we walked through the cafeteria.
"Worried and tentative." Musa listed as Harvey walked passed us. "But that might just be heartburn. It's hard to tell a lot of them apart."
Musa stopped walking as her eyes followed a boy who looked to be a year older than us.
A smile appeared on her face as he turned a corner, disappearing.
"What just happened?" Aisha asked, noticing Musa's shift in emotion.
"I'm not entirely sure." Musa replied receiving a hum from both me and Aisha.
I sat down next to Bloom with Musa on my other side while Aisha sat across from me.
"So here's what we should do. Maybe we can make a list of emotional triggers-" Aisha started.
"Aisha, um, I appreciate what you're doing but I can figure this out on my own." Bloom cut her off.
"I'm sure. I just think you might be in your head about the whole changeling stuff and overthinking." Aisha replied.
"So everyone knows." Bloom sighed.
"Is that why you freaked out at the Vessel? That makes more sense. That's gonna be the easiest assignment we'll have, and I'm making it worse." Terra stopped talking when she noticed Musa's hand signals telling her to shut up.
"What's a changeling?" I asked, unaware of what's going on.
"It's a-" Aisha was about to explain.
"It doesn't matter." Bloom gave Aisha a look which made her stop talking making that side of the table quiet.
"Okay." I accepted Bloom's privacy as Aisha kinda invaded it telling us in the first place.
"So we have a plan to get my ring back." Stella joined us with Sky following after her.
"What's this?" Musa asked as Stella rolled out a large map over our table.
"It's Alfea. The little dotted line is the Barrier, and that's Crag Creek. Wind Meadow!" Terra started to get excited as she pointed to different parts on the map.
"When I was a kid, I'd spend every-"
"Great story, Ter." Stella interrupted her before she could ramble off.
"No no, it's a really good story. Listen." Terra replied before starting the story making me sigh.
Sky sat down next to Bloom making me and Musa shuffle up to make more space.
Instead of listening to Terra's conversation, I decided listening to theirs might be more interesting.
"Um...Stella told me what happened last night. Are...are you okay?" Sky asked her.
"What do you think?" Bloom replied, her leg bouncing under the table.
"I...I think you're freaking out and pretending you're not." Sky told her.
"That obvious?" She asked.
"I'm just really good." Sky replied making Bloom laugh a little.
"Hilarious. Um, Sky? Where do you think they're keeping it again?" Stella asked him, breaking up their conversation as Terra finished her story.
Sky stood up to get a better view of the map, Stella placing her hand on his shoulder.
Sky glanced at Stella's hand before looking at Bloom then the map.
"Uh, there's only so many buildings outside the Barrier they can secure a creature like that. There's the barn and the mill." Sky pointed to two different places on the map.
"Oh, the barn would be my bet. My dad fortified the beams because he was chaining this wounded horse-" Terra started.
"So we just have to sneak in there and get my ring." Stella stopped her talking.
"Strange how casually you're tossing about the word 'we.'" Aisha pointed out.
"Yeah, sounds more like a 'you' kinda deal." Musa added.
"Except I didn't lose it." Stella replied.
"When do we go?" Bloom asked, making everyone look at her.
"Gonna be blunt. Sorry. Bloom, you have zero control over your magic. That is, if you manage to channel it. Bad idea." Aisha spoke.
"I lost the ring. I'm gonna get it back." Bloom told her.
"Guys, maybe we should take a second-" Sky tried to speak but Stella jumped in.
"I think everyone is making a way bigger deal of this than it needs to be. You said the Burned One's locked up, right?" Stella turned to Terra.
"Oh, and subdued. I'm pretty sure my dad is distilling this oil that'll subdue it. It's...it's called Zanbaq. I could probably make some more." Terra offered.
"Thank you, Terra, for being helpful." Stella thanked her making Terra happy for being included.
"I'll come." I volunteered.
"Great. Thank you for thinking of others and not just yourself." She smiled at me before glaring at Musa and Aisha.
"And thank you, Bloom, for taking responsibility." Stella added.
"And thank you, everyone else, for...well, nothing, I guess! Thanks for nothing." Stella picked up the map from the table.
"Let me know when you wanna do it." Bloom told Stella before leaving.
Sky grabbed his bag before going after her making Stella roll her eyes.
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The rest of the day went by quite fast.
After we finished our lessons I went out to the Specialists training area and spent about two hours with the punching bag.
After I got back to the suite everyone else was asleep meaning I had to be quiet.
As soon as my head hit the pillow I instantly fell asleep.
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I had a good nights sleep and didn't wake up until my alarm went off for class.
I only had one class today and it was history. Which has to be the most boring class I could think off.
I reluctantly got out of bed, got dressed and headed to class having missed breakfast.
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As predicted history class dragged on.
So when we were dismissed I headed straight back up to the suite.
I pushed the door open and almost walked straight into Stella, Aisha and Bloom.
"Good you're here. We need to go now. Sky said they're moving it to the capitol." Stella explained.
"Give me a second." I told them, running into my shared room before grabbing my bow and quiver from under my bed.
"Okay let's go." I told them as I joined them by the door.
The four of us left the suite with Aisha locking it behind us.
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"Where are we meeting Terra?" Bloom asked as we walked through the school.
"At the Barrier." Stella replied, pushing the main doors open letting the warm air hit our faces.
We all headed towards the meeting point.
"So, what's the plan, Army Barbie?" Aisha asked as we walked across the grass making Stella scoff.
"Bloom, I'm curious. Did you ask Aisha to come?" Stella asked.
"I don't think you did, and if you didn't ask Aisha to come, Ava didn't Aisha to come, and I didn't ask Aisha to come...it's official. No one asked Aisha to come." Stella glared at Aisha as Bloom and I walked between them.
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"You don't have to be here, Aisha." Stella and Aisha were still arguing with each other while Bloom and I stood closer to the Barrier.
"This is idiotic. You need me. What are you gonna do? Dazzle it with light while Bloom struggles to light a fire? I mean Ava and I are the only ones keeping you alive." Aisha replied.
"I'm right here!" Bloom chimed in.
"I fixed her." Stella told Aisha.
"Negative emotions are unreliable. They have limits. Your method won't help her in the long run." Aisha spoke.
"Neither of you are helping right now. Can we please just do this?" I asked them, bored of their arguing.
"Oh good, everyone's calm and collected." Musa joined the conversation as she walked over with Terra.
"Finally!" Stella sighed.
"Sorry. I needed help with the Zanbaq. We're all good now though." Terra explained.
Bloom and I walked through the Barrier with the others behind us.
"Do we know where the barn is?" I asked, looking at the large forest that sat in front of us.
"Um, yes. North. There's this little stump that looks like an old-" Terra started.
"Show. Don't tell." Stella cut her off.
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It didn't take long for us to find the large barn.
The six of us stopped outside it, looking at each other before walking closer.
"Ready?" Bloom asked, her hand on the door handle.
I strung an arrow onto my bow just incase it wasn't sedated.
Bloom pulled the door open and we all walked inside, not realising Terra and Musa weren't with us.
"Oh, it's not here." Bloom spoke as we realised the barn was empty.
"They've taken it already. Look." I walked over to the wooden pillar that stood in the middle of the barn.
Chains hung down from a hook but nothing sat at the end of them.
"No! No, no! My mum's going to kill me." Stella picked up the end of the chains.
"Guys!" Before any of us could say anything else Terra's voice rang out through the barn. "We've got a problem."
I gripped my bow tighter as we walked outside, following the sounds of Terra's shouts.
Aisha, Stella and I joined Terra and Musa while Bloom stayed in the barn, unbeknownst to us.
The five of us stood, shocked at the scene in front of us.
Two four-by-four cars sat abandoned a couple meters away, but that wasn't the surprising bit.
The bit that shocked us most was the six bodies that lay in the moss, covered in blood and scratches.
"The Burned One." Terra was the first to speak.
"It's still here somewhere." Stella realised.
One of the bodies that was propped up against a tree moved slightly, catching everyone's attention.
"That's Mr. Silva." Terra told us.
"Wait, where's Bloom?" I realised we were missing someone.
"Bloom!" Aisha ran back to the barn.
"All right. We'll look after Mr. Silva, and you two and Aisha go and find Bloom." Terra turned to me and Stella.
"Bloom!" Aisha shouted again, this time in the barn.
Stella and I ran after her.
The three of us ran out of the barn, trying to find Bloom.
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"Hurry up Stella." Aisha spoke as we walked through the many rows of trees.
We had been looking for the past 5 minutes but hadn't found Bloom yet.
"It's gonna get dark." Stella complained.
"So your magic's useful after all." Aisha told her. "Come on. Turn it on."
The three of us stopped as Stella clicked her fingers, trying to get her magic to work.
"Seriously?" Aisha sighed as it wouldn't work.
"Just hang on a second." Stella replied.
"I don't have time for this. Just go back to school and get help." Aisha ordered.
"You go that way, I'll go this way." I told Aisha, pointing in separate directions.
Aisha headed right while I headed left, leaving Stella by herself.
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"Bloom!" It was starting to get quite dark now and I hadn't found her yet.
I heard a stick snap behind me and I spun, bow raised.
"Bloom?" I called out.
A low growl made me freeze, by the sounds of it the creature was right behind me.
"Please be a bear." I muttered before turning slowly.
Instead of a bear a Burned One stood right in front of me.
"Oh, fu-" I was cut off by the Burned One's claws slicing through my shoulder.
I screamed, dropping to the ground in agony.
The Burned One went to attack again but I raised my arm in an attempt to block it, like I had the night my mum and dad died.
The same blue shield appeared, the Burned One turning to ashes at its touch.
"Ava?" Bloom's voice echoed round the forest.
"Bloom!" I tried to shout back but it wasn't as loud as I wanted it to be.
I tried to stand but stumbled, catching my balance with a tree.
I picked my bow up from the ground where it had fallen.
I ran in the direction of Bloom and Aisha's voices.
I stumbled every few steps, my shoulder burning with pain as I went.
"Ava!" Bloom ran over to me as I collapsed, blacking out.