by Ava Corrigan
Then I spun on my heel, and took the coffees up to Ms. Dowling’s office. Actually, just outside Ms. Dowling’s office. Aisha was filling in for Ms. Dowling’s secretary, Callum, while he was away.
While she was there, I’d asked her to do one little thing for me.
I sat down across the desk from her, laying down coffee and breakfast offerings. “You haven’t found anything?”
Aisha was almost hidden by stacks of paper files as we drank coffee and ate breakfast from the containers.
“I’ve only been at Callum’s desk for two days, Bloom. Also, kinda doing you a favor, so maybe try being grateful?”
“Come on, you didn’t take Callum’s job for my sake.”
“Weird, ’cause I remember you—”
“Making a helpful suggestion—”
“Begging me to volunteer so I could snoop for info on your past,” Aisha said.
“That seems like something I might do. But it also seems like you might jump at the chance to earn brownie points with Ms. Dowling.” I coughed. “Suck up.”
“Suck up? Really? Suddenly, I’ve lost the ability to read the files.”
“Wait. Did you think I said suck up? Weird. I actually said …” I coughed again. “Suc-h a good friend? Who is smart and beautiful? Also kind and—”
Aisha’s smile as she watched me flounder faded a little.
“Isn’t sure she can help,” she finished softly. “These records here only seem to go back to Ms. Dowling’s start as headmistress. Everything else must be archived somewhere.”
“Or shredded because Dowling loves withholding information.”
Aisha shot me a look. Perhaps I hadn’t done a good job hiding my bitterness on the Dowling front.
“Even if I knew just a little more about Alfea back then, I could piece together why Rosalind put me in the First World—”
Aisha sighed. “I’ll keep looking, promise. I have to read every file in this place, anyway. Don’t know who taught Callum how to run an office, but he was terrible at it. And I can’t even call him to ask questions.”
“Why not?” I demanded.
Aisha sounded doubtful. “He apparently left for a family emergency. Dowling doesn’t want to bother him with ‘trivial nonsense.’ ” She turned to her breakfast. “Thank you for this, by the way. I mean, since you’re using me as an excuse not to eat in the canteen, it’s the least you could do.”
“I’m not avoiding the canteen,” I claimed. Aisha just looked at me, and I doubled down. “So everyone’s talking about me being a changeling? So what? That’s literally the least weird thing about me.”
“True. They don’t know how bad you snore.” Aisha threw me a grin. I tossed a piece of granola at her grinning face just as Musa entered, food in hand. She plopped down immediately on the floor.
“’Sup?” Her eyes glowed briefly. “Is Bloom still pretending she’s not upset about the gossip?”
“Are you still pretending you’re not dating your roommate’s brother?” I shot back.
Aisha stifled a laugh as Terra walked in with her breakfast.
Terra blinked. “Who’s pretending what?” She continued, smiling, “I mean, other than Stella pretending she’s not dreading being outshined by her mom all day.”
“You could enjoy that a little less,” Musa pointed out.
“Could I, though? I guess we’ll see at the assembly.”
As Terra dug into her food, I looked around at my Winx suitemates, who had turned this little office into a cafeteria. For me. It was so kind, but it was going overboard. They’d already done far too much for me.
“I don’t need this.” I spoke so loudly everybody looked at me. “I don’t need you all to change your breakfast plans to eat with me like I’m some weird loser mess. I’m fine.”
No one seemed convinced. I scrambled to my feet and walked away, mumbling excuses about potions and papers.
I knew, and they knew, that I was anything but fine.
Light
“It’s one day, Stella,” said Stella’s maybe-still-boyfriend. “Half a day.”
Stella sighed. “Half a day of everyone adoring her like she is literally the sun.”
“She is the Queen of Light,” Sky reminded her, a little wry. A lot charming.
She knew she hadn’t been great to Sky lately, but she was sure she could do better and fix what was wrong between them. Stella repaid his effort with a small smile.
“This whole Burned One assembly she’s doing … I know she’s really here to check on my progress.”
“Did you tell your suitemates you need a buffer? I bet Bloom could use a distraction about now—”
She was tired of hearing Sky talk about Bloom, or wondering if he was thinking about Bloom. Stella knew she’d done Bloom wrong. She was the one who’d spilled that Bloom was a changeling, and she hadn’t owned up to it. Guilt wouldn’t let her ask if Bloom was all right.
Instead, she blurted out, “I don’t need them. I have you.”
Then she caught herself, realizing she was doing it again. Leaning on him too much, when she hadn’t let him lean on her. But despite the recent past, Sky stepped up to her side, laying a hand on her arm in a comforting gesture. Maybe he didn’t know how to stop letting her lean, just like she didn’t know how to stop leaning. This was how they’d always been.
“I’m a text away. But you can handle this. You can handle her.”
Stella wasn’t so sure, but now it was time to find out. Two black SUVs pulled up to the curb. Between them was a pristine black Rolls-Royce.
Sky gave her a reassuring look and walked away.
Alone, Stella took a deep breath and drew herself up so her posture was perfect, just like her mother had taught her. A Solarian royal guard, a bow sheathed on his back, exited one of the SUVs and opened the Rolls’s back door.
A five-inch-heeled, red-soled Louboutin emerged from the SUV. Then the body it was attached to.
Queen Luna of Solaria stepped into the sunshine. Stella used to ask, as a child, if she’d be as poised and powerful as her mother when she grew up. Nobody ever answered her. They just seemed embarrassed that Stella didn’t realize it would never be possible.
“Stella,” said her mother. “You look stunning.”
Stella stepped forward, trying to smile bright enough to outshine the sun.
Specialist
Not only did Riven have a girlfriend, he had a gang. He and Beatrix and Dane were hanging out a lot, the three of them.
While Beatrix spun tales about dangerous changelings to an overly credulous Dane.
“Changelings were a way for pissed-off fairies to get revenge on the First World. Swap a fairy for a First World baby. Wait for it to wreak havoc.”
“What does wreak havoc even mean?” Dane asked innocently.
Beatrix glanced at Riven. He rolled his eyes at her, but Beatrix smiled and went for it.
“Heard of the Great Fire of London?”
As Beatrix elaborated, sweet gullible Dane was wide-eyed and buying every word of it. He was clearly about to ask for more info when he spotted Terra walking in the direction of the greenhouse. Riven noticed how Dane suddenly went on the alert.
“Changelings are bad news. That’s why we stay on their good side,” Beatrix finished.
“Or try to, at least …” said Riven.
Were he and Beatrix trying that hard, though? If Bloom heard how they were discussing her, she’d be within her rights to set their hair on fire. That would be so bad. Beatrix had really pretty hair. And Riven’s was even prettier.
Eyes on the greenhouse, Dane mumbled, “I’ll see you two at the assembly.”
Whatever, Dane. Terra wasn’t going to let this go. She hadn’t liked Dane that much. And the girl was proud. Dane could just get used to not having Terra in his life and stick with Riven and Beatrix.
Dane rushed off on his hopeless mission.
Riven glanced over at his girlfriend so they could share the joke. “I’m not sur
e what’s more tragic. That he thinks Terra will forgive him for the video or that he believes all that changeling garbage you spoon-fed him.”
“It’s not all garbage. Changelings can be dangerous. You did everyone a favor—”
He wished Beatrix would quit acting as though it’d been Riven who did all the talking. Yeah, Riven had spread it around, and he was a jerk. But he hadn’t been the one pouring poison into Dane’s ears about changelings.
But no, it was fine. They were in this together. That was what Beatrix meant.
“Technically, Stella let the cat out of the bag. But the fact that nobody can trace it to either of us is probably a good thing,” Riven remarked.
He hadn’t known how intense and nasty the gossip would get. The whole castle was buzzing with rumors. Every time Riven glimpsed Bloom, she seemed braced for more bad news.
Sucked to be poor little redheaded Bloom. If she burned down Alfea, Riven wouldn’t blame her.
Earth
Ah, family time. Terra’s dad was looking worried about a project, while Sam harassed Terra about whether she was done with her homework or not. None of your business, Sam!
Terra was still trying to squint at what her father was working on. He had a specimen jar, and inside it were Vessel Stones. He was tipping them surreptitiously into a glass cylinder. If Terra recalled correctly, Vessel Stones were used to trace magic, so—
Her train of thought was derailed by a knock. The Harveys turned as one to face the door, and beheld Dane. He stood nervously on the greenhouse threshold.
“Hey, Terra,” began Dane. “Can we—”
Just then, both her dad and her brother stood up. The ultimate mild-mannered professor and Terra’s almost terminally laid-back brother, both suddenly looming with their faces turned furiously cold.
Everyone in Alfea had seen Beatrix’s story, or heard about it. Everyone knew what Dane had said about Terra.
“While I appreciate that the historical perspective of the patriarchy is that women need to be saved from upsetting situations …” Terra told them, “I got this.”
She gave them the Stand-down-boys stare, and they sat back down. Still, she was fighting off a smile as she met Dane at the door. Dane didn’t matter, not really. Her family did.
Dane looked lost, in the same puppy-dog way that had appealed to her so much at first. “You didn’t answer my texts.”
“I’ve been busy.”
Dane could barely meet her eyes. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. You’ve been great to me, and—”
Past the hurt, Terra mostly felt amazement. He thought they could be friends again, after his little mockery and make-out session with Riven and Beatrix? He couldn’t possibly think she was this much of a pushover. If he did …
Boy, had he got her wrong.
“I know I have,” she told him. “Because I’m a good person, Dane. I think you are, too. Not sure I care to find out anymore. But a word of advice. Be careful who you trust.”
She shut the door in Dane’s face.
From behind her, Sam said, “Still kinda want to punch him.”
She and her annoying brother didn’t often share a smile, but they shared one now. Terra kinda wanted to punch Dane herself.
Water
What had Aisha got herself into? She couldn’t make heads or tails of Callum’s paperwork. Callum didn’t seem to have been a team player.
She was doing this for Bloom, but she wanted to do a good job for Headmistress Dowling as well. Maybe then she’d feel less sneaky, less like she was doing something wrong.
The door opened and the queen walked in. Professor Harvey and Specialist Headmaster Silva were with her, but Queen Luna was the type of person you couldn’t look away from. She had far more presence than any picture could convey. She was the most magnetic person Aisha had ever seen.
“Queen Luna, if there’s anything you need during your visit—” Aisha offered.
“So sweet, Aisha. But I’m far more low maintenance than you’d imagine.”
Wow, the queen knew Aisha’s name.
Ms. Dowling entered just then, walking with purpose as she always did. Aisha admired that, though she wasn’t sure she admired Ms. Dowling’s attitude to administration.
“Ms. Dowling, I have a few questions about this filing when you have—”
“If you can’t figure it out, then create a new system.”
Ms. Dowling’s tone was sharp. Aisha winced, feeling as though she must have deserved the reprimand, though she didn’t know how. She nodded, and the door closed behind Dowling and Queen Luna.
Aisha took a deep breath, and decided to devote herself to her task. As she turned, she knocked over a stack of files, undoing hours of work. Hours of work she’d undertaken for her roommate, and was Bloom even grateful?
Aisha wanted to scream, so instead she shut the drawer of the filing cabinet too hard. A piece of trim came off.
“Perfect,” Aisha muttered, and bent to remedy the situation.
Only the piece of trim hadn’t fallen off. It had been cut away to create a secret compartment. There was a metal ring inside the compartment, no bigger than a quarter, and as soon as Aisha reached out and touched it, the ring filled with crackling static.
She held it up to the light. Nothing.
Then Aisha held it up to her ear.
Instantly Queen Luna’s voice, sounding totally different and far less warm, snapped out: “Your assistant died here. In your office. You must have a theory about what happened.”
FIRE
I was walking through the courtyard, trying to keep my head down while other people failed to keep their voices down, when Aisha ran over to me.
Aisha, not usually excitable, was having a hard time keeping her own voice down.
“Bloom!” she said. “You will not believe what I found in my desk!”
I tensed. “Files?”
“A ring that acts as an eavesdropping device!” Aisha almost yelled. “It must have been Callum’s. Queen Luna came into the office—she looks just like Stella, except even more intimidating—and I knocked over some papers. I only meant to put things away. Then I found a metal ring in a desk and I just picked it up and I heard a little static. So I put the ring to my ear. And, I swear this is true, Queen Luna’s voice in my ear said, ‘Your assistant died here. In your office. You must have a theory about what happened.’ ”
“Wait,” I said. “Callum’s not visiting family? Callum is dead?”
Aisha and I kept walking, with Aisha in full voluble storytelling mode.
“And Dowling told me he left for a family emergency. So they’re—”
Oh, Ms. Dowling was the worst. I couldn’t believe I’d ever trusted her. I couldn’t believe I’d wanted to.
“Lying. Shocker. So something happened to Callum. What did you do with the listening thing?”
Aisha said, “I put it back.”
I stared at my poor, sweet, innocent roommate.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to just put it away and forget about it.”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do. It felt … wrong.”
“Callum clearly didn’t agree. What do you think he was after?”
Aisha gave me a meaningful look. “Maybe he had a friend who needed him to spy on Dowling, too?”
I ignored the snark.
“Or he was on to one of Dowling’s secrets and wanted to know more.”
Callum had always been quiet and unobtrusive. If only I’d caught on to something about him before it was too late. Maybe he could’ve helped me.
He’d been killed in Dowling’s office. Who could have done it? The only student I was aware of who kept slipping into Dowling’s office was me, and I wasn’t the murderer. Though no doubt everyone at Alfea would be ready to believe I was.
As Aisha and I walked, the stares increased in intensity and the buzz of conversation rose. I lowered my voice so other people wouldn’t hear Aisha and me talking about murder and sneaking aroun
d.
“You’re sure she didn’t shred those old records …”
Aisha looked confused by this hard left turn in conversation.
“What?”
“The Alfea records that predate her,” I reminded Aisha. “You don’t think she destroyed them?”
“Are you kidding? That woman loves paper. I offered to start scanning the files into the computer system, and she looked at me like I had two heads. The records are somewhere.”
I stopped walking. That was the moment Aisha visibly registered that a disaster was about to happen.
“Bloom,” said Aisha. “The assembly is mandatory.”
“Which means everyone is distracted.”
“Bloom—”
“I’m not asking you to come,” I assured her.
“It’s a bad idea!”
“A bad idea is going to that assembly where everyone will stare at me like I’m a freak.” I paused, trying to marshal my arguments. “I can’t sit around and listen to people make stuff up about me. Especially when I don’t know what the truth is myself.”
Aisha opened her mouth to object further, and then saw my face. Perhaps she saw how serious I was.
She sighed. “Fine. You had a terrible migraine. Could barely stand up. Good?”
I smiled.
Fire
I had an idea about where to search for the lost records. Where better than the place where they’d stored Rosalind’s picture, where they had all the old artifacts of war hidden away?
I made my way back to the abandoned East Wing.
I hadn’t expected the East Wing to be eerie, but it was a million times creepier when it was empty of party people and music. Without the blazing bonfires, it was dark in here, and the hallways seemed narrower and more winding. Mazelike. I negotiated cautiously around corners.
I moved toward a door and tried the knob, only to find it unlocked. As good a place to start as any.
I smiled, and pulled the door open.
Then a hand slammed the door shut.
I jolted back, scared out of my mind, and looked up to face someone who didn’t seem happy to see me.
