I haven't touched my deliveries that Pulse had gotten for me.
I haven't once noticed when he turned human.
My dog had been taken out but afterwards, I was sticking my nose into my pages and my due assignments after that.
"Hope...?"
Pulse asked for me worriedly.
"Hope... Hope!!"
I jerked my head out of my notebook, tapping on my laptop.
"Pulse..? I'm sorry, but you know, 'Hope' isn't my name.."
I sighed.
"Err, eiher way, I suggest you shouldn't do that to ease your mind off of things. It'll only make it worse... Besides, you should eat. I've got some nice salads and chicken to-"
"Pulse, if I don't finish now, I can't train to be a better Cure later.."
I huffed, my dog whining to Pulse.
Pulse squinted at her, his eyes changing to yellow,
'She will do this when she's upset... Find a way to make her happy to eat?'
Pulse hummed to himself and brushed back his blonde bangs. His pink stripe falling in between his eyes.
"You know, Heart-City is a wonderful place. Lots of people, its' own medical assistants here and there, and they all started up and running after a refracted light had come to shine on Heart-City.
I was just a young fairy, still training to one day assist the new Cures!
They came from the light, all of them,
Fidelity, Veracity, Beneficence, Justice-"
"Wait, why did my name change?"
"I told you, 'be who your heart wants to be' when you transformed. When in the state of want to help, what went through your mind?"
He asked.
"Ah- no, just think about it. And tell me if it is not something that deals with your future and faith in said future?"
He smiled, cutting me off.
I smiled and nodded, Pulse giving a satisfied smile.
"So your Cure name was Hope, a light for a future and the future of others."
I looked at my notes and towards the clock as my stomach growled.
"I guess I wasn't taking care of myself to fulfill that future..
I placed my pencil down, looking over to my dog who had given me a saddened look.
"I know, I gotta eat now. Maybe we'll get some chicken for-"
"I've got you covered!"
Pulse exclaimed, marching happily out the door as my dog ran after him.
I walked behind them quickly, looking at the food on the table. Apparently it was reheated.
"It was for lunch but you wouldn't move from the computer."
He looked down.
I gently patted his shoulder, smiling warmly as I went to grab some cups.
"Thank you, now, how about we eat before it gets cold again?"
-----------------
[6:00am the next day]
Pulse had agreed to stay quiet so he could roam about the school grounds, promising to stay out of sight and out the cafeteria.
Mice were not a pretty picture.
He stood a ways discreetly at the window towards my view point, his ears twitching as he pointed towards the hallway.
The footsteps of dress shoes upon tile was a dead give away.
Octavian walked through the door, almost quickly, his face twisted into a scowl that seemed so unsettling now.
I could feel the cold smooth Heart Pendant beneath my undershirt, almost warning me that danger was close.
To be more precise, he gave me a stare that seemed to know about the whole 'I-can-change-into-a-magical-girl" event that had happened two days in row.
Focus Jess... The more you show you're nervous, the more he'll suspect something!
I managed to discreetly swallow back any fear, looking back at his cold, brown eyes that were twice blue.
His eyes slowly shifted towards my left and he scowled.
I raised an eyebrow and looked at my friend who seemed more fasinated that the teacher was looking at me rather than figuring it was something to do with the world in a loopsy-tipsy mess.
"If you all are done ...Gwaking at friends-"
I snapped my friend out of it with a glare, focusing back at who was now my enemy.
"... I suggest we start before any one else can ogle at idiotic reasons. Now then- our last lesson was upon the structure of the cell. What is it? The cell is made up...."
I was more nervous with the fact that my necklace seemed to be freezing my skin made the class unbearable.
I knew he was bad, I knew he was my rival, but Pulse never explained where he came from. Why was he here? Why was he targeting us? Why is he using this act if he just wants the Precures?
"Ms. Arlyne! Ms. Arlyne, are you paying attention?!"
The sound of my professor rang in my ears as I picked up my head. Apparently he was calling me and I only went off of what I heard for notes.
"Ah- Yes sir. The phrase you told us to remember was that a cell turns into tissue, tissue to organ, organ to systems, systems to a living body. If one doesn't remember, they should be in elementary school, not private school."
He scowled and walked over to my side, taking the seat of a classmate who was absent and sat on it, facing back at me.
"Since you're showing the makings of a bright puple, answer me this.
Name the definitions of Cryo-, Bene-, -Ology, Malign-,and Pyro-."
I gave a quick glance to Nadiya and Paula but Octavians' voice pulled me back,
"Ah-ah, Don't look at them. Just focus on me, and answer me."
My hands were sweaty, a trickle of cold down my spine, and then, my pendant gave me a warm sensation of calmness and I gave a small exhale as my enemys' eyes seemed to glow with satisfaction.
"Cryo- a prefix meaning cold, ice. Bene- a prefix meaning well. -ology, is the study of something. Malign is not a prefix or suffix but a word meaning hostile. Pyro- is a prefix for fire."
I gulped as I finished, my pendant so warm, I almost looked down at it.
Octavians' eyes lingered on me, making me feel like he knew I hid my pendant under my shirt. And yet, his eyes seemed to freeze with recognition of something or someone.
Was it something I said?
"Very well. You've spared yourself and your classmates of coming in an hour early tomorrow. You remind me of... hmm."
The last part was muttered so inaudibly, I couldn't understand.
I felt my pendant was gonna glow through my uniform, a feeling of sadness washed over me from it that I accidentally let out a sniffle.
Octavian looked back with surprise and slight shock at me as my classmates pat my back for my 'bravery'.
"May I be excused?"
I asked in between a small hiccup.
He nodded and I walked briskly out the door, wondering what happened.
The bathrooms would be my safe haven until I graduate...
"Pulse..?" I whispered, not wanting to cause attention or suspicion from the classes nearby or the students. Especially Veracity.
"Hope..? I knew I heard you-... Oh..."
I nodded as the small mouse ran up to my shoulder.
"What happened?"
He asked.
"I... I don't know... I answered Incarnations' questions and I started feeling like my pendant was gonna show and I started crying out of.. well, nowhere."
I ushered, trying to stop sniffling as I sat on a small stool, likely the janitors.
"Your pendant was going to show? As in, activate?"
He questioned.
I nodded and unzipped my uniform, pulling my pendant from my white undershirt.
It was faintly glowing, and it was.. purple?
"What does it mean?"
"I think this is Precure Magic... Based on your strong feelings. Just what happened in there?"
"Incarnate asked me a few questions, and when he got closer and told me to look at him-"
"Wait, wait, how close was he?"
I places my hand a few inches away from my face but not close enough to obscure Pulses' face.
"This.. could be bad. He might have triggered something within the pendant, and maybe... no, I think I should see what our next battle is like before I jump to conclusions. For now, wash up and go back to class. I'll see what this is about..."
Pulse hummed, running from my knee to the window.
I nodded and stood back up, dusting my uniform from any wrinkles. Turning the faucet, I looked to my right, hoping to see if Varacity came up the stairs, but she didn't.
Good... I thought, she'd question why I'm crying and why I'm washing my face again. Just hurry and leave Jess...
I walked back to the classroom and saw the faces of my classmates look on in worry and fear from Incarnation, or rather, he was Octavian as a teacher.
---------
9:25 am:
The bell rang for the next class and our books pocketed away for the next session.
I had my blue notebook for Bioetiquette, and it bittersweetly reminded me of Veracity.
"Hey, everything okay?"
Nadiya asked.
"You're a bold one to make Octavian so shocked."
Paula seconded.
"Just... overwhelmed. He was very intimidating."
Because he was close to me and probably has something to do with my pendant!
I thought, fibbing so as to not raise suspicion.
"Good morning class." Mrs. Charolette smiled, "Now, I want you all to stand, walk downstairs to the patio with me and we'll stretch before the sun. Then, you'll have a breakfast break and afterwards, come back up for the lecture. No later than 9:50, understood?"
We nodded and unanimously agreed.
"From now on, any 'yes' will be saluted and 'no' will be a firm standing in place for me. For now, let's go and wake up our cells and psyche with a nice smile to the sun."
She smiled.
We walked downstairs, leading to the patio quietly as some classes were in session and a few had their doors open.
It just so happened that Veracity was in one of them and the sound and formation of Octavian was heard.
She gave me a glare and quickly started back at the front where Octavian probably was.
I gulped and focused on my front, heading downstairs.
"The older years are super intimidating, huh?"
Nadiya smiled, patting my shoulder.
"Not when you know they were just like us at one point. Nice balance and junk."
Paula smiled.
"You two have certainly gotten along nicely, huh?"
I smiled.
Nadiya smiled and Paula gave a shrug,
"She'll agree regardless so I guess so."
I giggled at the notion, clearing my throat as I walked down the last steps.
The stretching wasn't required for me to have a better morning.
--------
It was breakfast time, I had grabbed a rice bowl with some orange chicken with a side of cabbage from Nadiya's own tacos.
"I don't like those kind of veggies, they look and feel rubbery."
She snickered.
For a moment, it seemed like everything was fine. No danger, no Callous, no Incarnation, just peace.
Actually-
"Ah-!"
Just great.
"Emma's been taken by those monsters!"
A girl shouted.
Monster?
"Caaallous!"
A tall, greyed out surgeon like doll had crashed onto the premises with the students scrambling inside as the streets became vacant.
"That's not good."
Pulse ushered from my pocket, running towards the bushes.
"Girls, you gotta run inside."
I ordered.
"We're not leaving without you,"
Nadiya frowned.
"What will you do, stay here and fight the thing? Let's go and wait for the pink girl!"
Paula scowled, both girls taking my wrists as I dug my heels into the pavement.
"Trust me! Just go!"
I grunted, my pendant feeling the panic that danger was close by.
"We won't! If you're staying, we'll stay too!"
Paula firmly retorted.
"We won't let a friend stay alone without our help!"
Nadiya yelled.
"Wait-!"
Pulse's voice rang from the bushes, his human self running with a large velvet and glass case with three pendants. One was Veracity's pendant.
"You two will use these pendants and help her get rid of the Callous that's rampaging. Nadiya, the yellow pendant of Cure Moral and Paula the green pendant of Cure Charity!"
Paula and Nadiya stared in fear and shock, the Callous snapping them back to reality.
"What about you Jess..?"
Nadiya asked.
"Don't tell me you're..."
Paula added.
I took out my pink pendant from under my uniform and nodded.
"I need you girls to follow my lead and clip on the necklace Pulse gave you with the bracelets in the box.
They did with a small shake, Paula helping Nadia out.
"Now, hold your pendants to your chest, say, 'Precure! Clinical Heart Beat!' and place the pendant in your bracelet!"
I ordered.
Nadiya gave a smile to Paula who seemed hesitant.
"Alright, we'll trust you. Let's go!"
♡••••••••••
In a flash of pink, I held the Crystal in my finger tips,
"Precure! Clinical Heart Beat!"
I slid in the gem as Nadiya and Paula linked their arms together and slid their pendants into their own bracelets.
"Precure! Dual Heart Beat!"
We turned the dial on the bracelets, making them glow brightly.
They shot out Hot Pink, Light Green and Yellow Cards with a design embeded on it.
"Change! Uniform!"
I caught the card and tapped it on my bracelet and my body was enveloped in a spray of pink, making my uniform disappear and replaced with a white version of it with pink lining.
Nadiya had a spray of yellow and her uniform changed into a white one with yellow lining.
Paula followed suite with a white uniform with green lining
To follow the change in top; a skirt of the same pink with slight white on it's hems and white elbow length gloves, a puffed canary yellow skirt and small white gloves, and a jade green skirt with mid-length gloves appeared on each one of us.
"Step! Boots!"
The next card was caught by Nadiya and she tapped her bracelet to have white and yellow boots reaching to her ankles with long white socks to her knees and a feathered, yellow circle emblem at her ankle.
Paula had white laced ones with a green circle at her ankles with green pearls on her lace and I had my pink and white boots with the feathered pink hearts.
"Polish! Hair!"
A final card was given and a white winged Nurse's Cap with a single pink heart on its front appeared for Paula, Nadiya and I.
I placed it on with a slide, watching my hair unfurl and stretch into a large pink ponytail with a heart shaped curl at it's end.
Nadiya had two blonde twintails instead of her brown hair with the same yellow feathered pearls, and Paula had her hair tied back with the green feathered pearl and her silk black hair was jade green.
With a smile and a clap to my chest, the Crystal Heart doubled in size and sat at my chest, making a bow tie itself up as it stayed as a crest for all three of us.
I tapped the bracelet once more and it changed into a pink band at my wrist like the one at my right, so did Nadiya and Paula.
A final heart with a single wing cliped my hair up in place and similar earrings at my ears.
The feeling of lipstick on my lower lip and cold in my eyes made me blink once and I had Pink eyes, Nadiya has Gold eyes, and Paula had Emerald Green eyes, each with lighter blush.
I tapped back to the ground with the tips of my boots as the sound of tile was heard in place of the pavement and the ever recognizable cool of a clinic was felt around us.
♡------
"Now! Introduce yourself! Be who your heart wants to be!"
Pulse cheered from below.
♡------
I smiled, raised my hands and held them to my chest as a small hug, thrusting them in small punches,
"The light of a new day! Hardworking Endurance!"
I smiled and jumped down to the ground, swinging my left arm behind my back and my right in front,
"Cure Hope!"
"Honesty, Integrity, Commitment and Risk!"
Paula moved her hands to define each word, gave a small spin and sat in mid air with her hands to her lap as if holding an invisible staff,
"Cure Moral!"
"Hospitable Care, Generosity and Helpfulness!"
Nadiya gently moved her arms and hands with care, turning her heels and sitting opposite of Nadiya as her hands held her chest,
"Cure Charity!"
We each held out a hand,
"Hope!"
"Morality!"
"Charity!"
"Three of five cores values a Nurse must culture!"
We took a stand together and saluted as a feathered heart sat behind us,
"Healing Hearts! Precure!"
I took a step forward and pointed a finger to the callous,
"The heart longing for the future, we shall set it free and reclaim it's vigor!"
------♡
That was new.
"Whoa! We're magical girls!"
Nadiya giggled.
"Weird, so I represent Charity?"
Paula asked.
"You take the pendant that represents who you are, and since you felt the need to help Hope, it was meant to be so."
I smiled and heard a growl from the side.
"There are three now?!"
Incarnation was there and his attire was his usual with a black vest and darker cape, his shoes were black boots and he seemed more intimidating than the first time.
Is this how he was supposed to look like?
"You!"
Nadiya gasped.
"The power of the heart's desires chooses the Precure! Release that girl's heart, Incarnate!"
I growled.
"You really think, I would hand her over because there's three of you now? Increase in number means increase in force! Callous!"
He yelled.
The doll seemed to groan and swing it's fist towards us, it's chest rusted and a blackened heart with velvet black wings was at it's center.
Different than the first two.
"Cure Moral, try and distract him, Charity, you'll handle getting the heart back and I'll help Moral."
"But, it didn't work if one of us gets it out." Nadiya, or Charity spoke,
"You remember last time."
We jumped out the way as the Callous tried to gain our focus on it.
"True! What if both Charity and I weaken the hold on the heart?" Paula, or Moral suggested,
"This way, you can reclaim it. You're the leader."
I gulped and processed the fact. She was right, I was the leader now. There's a group and I am responsible for their actions.
But what do I do?
"CALLOUSSS!"
The doll raised it's arms upwards to swing down, making us move away rapidly, Moral almost falling as they gave a nod.
"Hope! Leave it to us to make an opening!"
Charity called out.
Moral and Charity ran up to the Callous, avoiding the attacks simultaneously.
They gave a jump to it's head and held their hands, scowling as they held their Heart Pendant at their chest.
"With Help..."
"Comes Risk!"
The yellow and green heart respectively made each their own weapon, Moral having a yellow Syringe about the size of two medium handbags and Charity having her green one almost the same length.
"Precure!"
They swung their Syringes and aimed,
" Dual *Ameliorate Injection!"
(*Ameliorate: to make (something bad, or unsatisfactory, better.)
The Callous groaned and fell backwards, it's heart cracked more than what Veracity made work of and the duo landed back on the ground, looking at me.
"Hope, now!"
Charity urged.
I nodded and ran up to the Callous.
"No! Not again!"
Incarnate ran up to fix the Callous.
I gasped and skid to a stop, making both Incarnate and I rebound backwards opposite of each other as my pendant began to glow as purple.
"What... What is this...?"
I gasped, on the verge of tears.
"Could it be...?"
Pulse murmured.
"Pulse! What's happening?"
Moral called out as I began to be immersed in a similar light like when I transformed but purple.
"I.. I don't know! I think she's unlocked something within the Pendant!"
He called back.
My eyes stung with tears as I gave out a yell, my attire changing into a purple color as well as my hair as it seemed to braid itself and leave the tip as a usual heart but disconnected, almost broken.
"Pulse! We need answers!"
Charity yelled.
"I really don't know! She's transforming but I don't know into what!"
I stepped back down, my lipstick a light purple as well as eyeshadow, and my pendant followed.
"Born of despair, the melancholy of lost ones,"
I outstretched my hand, holding it to my chest,
"Sorrowful Hope.."
Incarnate seemed to fall backwards, the Callous swung an arm in impatience.
"Hope!"
Moral called out.
I outstretched my hand once more, putting it to a halt before letting it drag me to the ground.
Tears sting at the corner of my eyes, making my pendant glow.
"Callous! Finish her off!"
Incarnate growled.
"Ca-llouss!"
In a heartbeat, I stood up and dodged to my left, running towards the Callous and kicked it backwards.
"Llous!"
It called out as it scraped against the floor.
"That heart within the Callous is filled with melancholy. A mere flick of Hope's arrow wouldn't save it."
I sighed.
Incarnate stood flummoxed, balling up his fists.
"What are you saying? Have you finally realized that Hope doesn't belong in the heart of a nurse? Death prevails even in the best intentions of those nurses!
Look at you!"
Charity and Moral gasped, Moral speaking up,
"That's not true! We strive to help everyone, help the next generation grow!"
"Even if we don't," Charity followed, "we want to give a patient their death with dignity."
My pendant seemed to glow towards their words, making the power subside and make tolerable.
"Hope's arrow couldn't save it, because it's more optimistic than downhearted. This girl had her dreams crushed from the core, no doubt You told her different and she saw it truthful. Hearts that are hurt and Hearts that are broken are two different types of Hearts.
Therefore, I can now reverse this harm on the student!"
Incarnation scowled, his Callous standing slowly but surely.
"Enough! Callous, take the two to the left and then... Cure Hope!"
He snarled, my Cure name sounding like poison on his tongue.
The Callous tried to catch Moral and Charity, having them jump and dodge it's cold, porcelain hands.
"A heart without hope is terrible, but a heart without dignity is unacceptable from a nurse."
I held my hand to my bracelet and tapped on it to reveal a fourth card,
"Come fourth, light that has extinguished! Renew my abilities!"
In a twirl, the card changed my attire to resemble a likness in coat and a bow with purple hearts on it's ends,
"This is where we stitch your heart back! Precure! Sorrowful Heart-!"
An arrow with a purple feathered end appeared and it's tip was a thin, sharp purple heart, my bow gaining it's usual string but it was lilac.
"REVIVAL!"
Pulling back, I aimed towards the heart and fired, the Callous groaned and slumped backwards.
"I feel... Alive..."
The porcelain shattered and revealed the young Emma who's uniform was that of a 4th year, her blackened heart returning to me as I gently blew on it to regain it's color.
"Take extra care now."
I smiled, my purple uniform changing back to it's pink one with a salute.
"You... I'll kill you one way or another. All you Precures have a goal, and I'll crush it to pieces!"
Incarnate sneered, returning to the blackened portal and left.
Emma's classmates gathered around as she coughed.
"Take her to the infirmary, she's in shock but will be just fine."
Charity smiled.
"Thank you!"
The same girl that called for help smiled with small tears at the corners of her eyes.
"We should go."
I gently tapped the shoulder of Moral.
"Right, take care now. We'll be back if anything else happens."
Moral smiled.
"See ya."
Charity waved.
We are off with a high jump, finding a place behind the garden to transform back.
"Hah- that was so amazing!"
Nadiya giggled.
"It was close, but now we know Jess has been Hope this entire time, and there's a lot we still need to know."
Paula firmly stated.
"Pulse said he would tell me where he came from and the Precures there."
I reassured.
"I will. I think we should make time to visit Hope's house though."
Pulse squeaked, running to my pocket in a hurry as his human self was no more.
"Agreed. So, shall we get back to class?"
-End Part 4-