"Now what?" Stella asked. "I so don't like this forest."
"Now, we get out of here!" Musa mumbled.
"We can't just leave her." Layla pointed to Icy.
"I'm sure she can figure her own way out." Tecna decided.
"Yeah, but we can't." Musa pointed out.
Bloom ignited a small fire in her palm. A slight breeze rustled the forest threatening to blow it out. "Someone carry Icy."
"Don't." Icy lifted a hand in protest. "I'm fine."
"You just fell over you're not..." Bloom started.
"We don't have time to discuss this." Icy hissed. "Let's go."
"What do you mean we don't have time." Layla asked.
The witch didn't answer.She simply continued to walk in what Bloom assumed was the direction of the manor. The wind rustled the trees once more. Bloom's stomach knotted once more. It had to be her imagination, nothing was out there. And then her mind went back to the ducks. If nothing was out there how did they die? Some kind of illness--Bloom tired convincing herself. But who was she kidding, she knew that wasn't true. "It hurts." "More than you could ever know." "Find me. Look at me."
Icy's pace quickened. "Damn it! I said don't let it in."
"Find...me...look." "Bloom." "Behind you." "To your left."
"Don't listen to it." Icy...or Bloom thought it was her...cautioned.
"Bloom. Find. Me."
Bloom looked to the trees; it was a blur, a shadow. It loomed there between the swaying trees. But it also appeared to her right, and off in the distance. The shadow was everywhere. It was closing in on her. Closing in on everyone Bloom found herself coming to a stop. Overtaken by more grief than she'd ever felt. More anger than she could contain. The shadow had no face, but she could sense a scowl. It seemed to draw nearer, but yet it hadn't stepped an inch closer.
"Bloom come on." One of her friends urged. But the voice was quickly drown out by a mess of other incoherent whispers. "Come with me, Bloom." Beckoned one. "Follow the creek." The others didn't seem to hear. Where were the others? Bloom looked around, noting their absence. But she could hear one of them couldn't she? Bloom felt her knees grow weak. And then a hand on her shoulder.
**********************************************************
She woke up staring at the ceiling. It was still dark, mostly. A light poured in through the door that was resting slightly ajar. It was the tiniest twinkle of light. It fluttered from the closet to just above the bed before falling into the floor boards. Discomfort fluttered in her belly. The forest still lingered in her head. "Bloom" her name seemed to bounce from wall to wall. The door creaked open the rest of the way. "NO!" Bloom shrieked. "NO!"
The figure loomed over her. "You need to relax." It insisted.
"No, stay away!" Bloom kicked.
"Let Darcy fix what you screwed up." Icy silenced her.
"I screwed up? You were the one who left me to die!" Bloom hollered.
"No. I put my ass on the line in dragging your's out of that forest, after you friends ran off squealing." Icy hissed.
"Perhaps you should go back downstairs." Darcy suggested.
"Perhaps you should teach her to block the forest out. Perhaps you should teach her..." Icy started, only to be pushed out of the room.
"Alright Bloom, I need you to hold still. No matter how much it hurts." Darcy instructed as she uncapped a tiny vial of water. She poured it over the fairy's head. Her whole head exploded in a stinging pain. Darcy continued pouring the water into the gash on her head. Tears prickled at her eyes.
"Stop, you have to stop." Bloom shrieked.
Darcy said nothing. A daze overtook Bloom and she fell back on the pillow once more.
***********************************************************
"What happened out there." Flora asked.
"She let a spirit in." Stormy answered.
"A spirit? No, she let all of the spirits in the area in." Icy hissed. "She almost killed us all. And if she keeps being such a pain...some of those spirits won't ever leave her."
"So this place is haunted then?" Tecna asked. "If only I bought some of my..."
"It's a good thing you didn't, they hate being investigated." Icy spat. "Which is why I didn't want you all to come here. We don't need help, as long as we don't let them in..."
"I'm tired of obeying their rules." Stormy cut in. "It's our turn to make the rules."
"I already do." Icy insisted.
"Maybe if we could figure out who each of them are and what they want we can get them to...cross over." Tecna suggested.
"Don't be ridiculous. Some of them. Some of them were never even alive to begin with. The ones that latched on to Bloom. They were never alive." Icy explained. "And you know what's preventing the ones that were alive from leaving?"
"The ones that never were." Musa filled in.
"Precisely." Icy confirmed.
"So, how did they--you know--get here?" Stella asked.
"They died." Icy rolled her eyes.
"I mean the ones who were never born." Stella mimicked the motion.
Icy started down the hall. "That's your cue to follow." Stormy pointed out.
"Aren't you going too?" Layla asked.
"No way." Stormy shuddered. "Icy's the only one who actually has the guts to go there."
Layla and Musa choose to follow Icy down the hall. They walked in silence, feet constantly finding their way to the most creaky of the hardwood floorboards. Icy flipped the light-switch up. The lights sputtered on. They were now standing in a room it was dimly lit a single large cloth draping over everything. Icy swiftly stripped the cover away to reveal a grotesque display. A few animal carcasses, or what remained of them. Snuffed out candles. An various symbols etched into the ground. All set before what the Winx girls could assume was a bloodstained makeshift sacrificial alter of sorts.
"Now, we get out of here!" Musa mumbled.
"We can't just leave her." Layla pointed to Icy.
"I'm sure she can figure her own way out." Tecna decided.
"Yeah, but we can't." Musa pointed out.
Bloom ignited a small fire in her palm. A slight breeze rustled the forest threatening to blow it out. "Someone carry Icy."
"Don't." Icy lifted a hand in protest. "I'm fine."
"You just fell over you're not..." Bloom started.
"We don't have time to discuss this." Icy hissed. "Let's go."
"What do you mean we don't have time." Layla asked.
The witch didn't answer.She simply continued to walk in what Bloom assumed was the direction of the manor. The wind rustled the trees once more. Bloom's stomach knotted once more. It had to be her imagination, nothing was out there. And then her mind went back to the ducks. If nothing was out there how did they die? Some kind of illness--Bloom tired convincing herself. But who was she kidding, she knew that wasn't true. "It hurts." "More than you could ever know." "Find me. Look at me."
Icy's pace quickened. "Damn it! I said don't let it in."
"Find...me...look." "Bloom." "Behind you." "To your left."
"Don't listen to it." Icy...or Bloom thought it was her...cautioned.
"Bloom. Find. Me."
Bloom looked to the trees; it was a blur, a shadow. It loomed there between the swaying trees. But it also appeared to her right, and off in the distance. The shadow was everywhere. It was closing in on her. Closing in on everyone Bloom found herself coming to a stop. Overtaken by more grief than she'd ever felt. More anger than she could contain. The shadow had no face, but she could sense a scowl. It seemed to draw nearer, but yet it hadn't stepped an inch closer.
"Bloom come on." One of her friends urged. But the voice was quickly drown out by a mess of other incoherent whispers. "Come with me, Bloom." Beckoned one. "Follow the creek." The others didn't seem to hear. Where were the others? Bloom looked around, noting their absence. But she could hear one of them couldn't she? Bloom felt her knees grow weak. And then a hand on her shoulder.
**********************************************************
She woke up staring at the ceiling. It was still dark, mostly. A light poured in through the door that was resting slightly ajar. It was the tiniest twinkle of light. It fluttered from the closet to just above the bed before falling into the floor boards. Discomfort fluttered in her belly. The forest still lingered in her head. "Bloom" her name seemed to bounce from wall to wall. The door creaked open the rest of the way. "NO!" Bloom shrieked. "NO!"
The figure loomed over her. "You need to relax." It insisted.
"No, stay away!" Bloom kicked.
"Let Darcy fix what you screwed up." Icy silenced her.
"I screwed up? You were the one who left me to die!" Bloom hollered.
"No. I put my ass on the line in dragging your's out of that forest, after you friends ran off squealing." Icy hissed.
"Perhaps you should go back downstairs." Darcy suggested.
"Perhaps you should teach her to block the forest out. Perhaps you should teach her..." Icy started, only to be pushed out of the room.
"Alright Bloom, I need you to hold still. No matter how much it hurts." Darcy instructed as she uncapped a tiny vial of water. She poured it over the fairy's head. Her whole head exploded in a stinging pain. Darcy continued pouring the water into the gash on her head. Tears prickled at her eyes.
"Stop, you have to stop." Bloom shrieked.
Darcy said nothing. A daze overtook Bloom and she fell back on the pillow once more.
***********************************************************
"What happened out there." Flora asked.
"She let a spirit in." Stormy answered.
"A spirit? No, she let all of the spirits in the area in." Icy hissed. "She almost killed us all. And if she keeps being such a pain...some of those spirits won't ever leave her."
"So this place is haunted then?" Tecna asked. "If only I bought some of my..."
"It's a good thing you didn't, they hate being investigated." Icy spat. "Which is why I didn't want you all to come here. We don't need help, as long as we don't let them in..."
"I'm tired of obeying their rules." Stormy cut in. "It's our turn to make the rules."
"I already do." Icy insisted.
"Maybe if we could figure out who each of them are and what they want we can get them to...cross over." Tecna suggested.
"Don't be ridiculous. Some of them. Some of them were never even alive to begin with. The ones that latched on to Bloom. They were never alive." Icy explained. "And you know what's preventing the ones that were alive from leaving?"
"The ones that never were." Musa filled in.
"Precisely." Icy confirmed.
"So, how did they--you know--get here?" Stella asked.
"They died." Icy rolled her eyes.
"I mean the ones who were never born." Stella mimicked the motion.
Icy started down the hall. "That's your cue to follow." Stormy pointed out.
"Aren't you going too?" Layla asked.
"No way." Stormy shuddered. "Icy's the only one who actually has the guts to go there."
Layla and Musa choose to follow Icy down the hall. They walked in silence, feet constantly finding their way to the most creaky of the hardwood floorboards. Icy flipped the light-switch up. The lights sputtered on. They were now standing in a room it was dimly lit a single large cloth draping over everything. Icy swiftly stripped the cover away to reveal a grotesque display. A few animal carcasses, or what remained of them. Snuffed out candles. An various symbols etched into the ground. All set before what the Winx girls could assume was a bloodstained makeshift sacrificial alter of sorts.
