Chapter Text
Stella can't help but turn round and see that almost the whole school is after them, including her own mother, who seems to be as merciless as her classmates.
“Oh no, Mum..." she groans, sobbing. “This is a real nightmare!”
The young lady has no choice but to keep running and come to terms with the fact that she has lost her forever.
“Don't look back!" Aisha reprimands her in an authoritarian tone. “We've got to keep moving, whatever the cost!”
However, while Stella is following her advice, Flora is doing as she pleases and turns around to see the extent of the damage: Sam, Dane, her uncle, Silva, the other teachers and the hundreds of students have all become evil creatures.
“They've got Sam and Uncle Ben!" cries the teenager as she stops running, inconsolable.
Her friends, who think she is still following them, continue to run, ignoring the distance that is gradually separating them. Unable to make the slightest move to save herself, static, as if petrified, the earth fairy watches them approach inexorably, ridiculously protecting her head with her forearms, powerless, even though she knows that this will do nothing to change her fate. Musa, who can no longer feel her friend's presence behind her, turns around to realise with dismay that she stopped following them fifteen metres earlier.
“Girls! Flora is no longer with us!”
Stella turns around to watch the herd coming up to the fairy, surrounding her.
“We've got to go and pick her up!" she urges them, refusing to lose yet another loved one.
She is about to spread her wings but Aisha holds her back severely, while the zombies immobilise their victim, who screams and struggles in panic, trapped in tight brambles that cut into her flesh.
“No, Stella, it's too late, there's three of us against hundreds of fairies, we can't save her now!" contests the water fairy in a tone of voice as she lowers her head, ashamed to leave her in the hands of the zombies. “I'm sorry.”
Her friend tries to contain herself and ignore her humanity to prevent herself from turning back and saving her skin. She knows that Aisha is right, she has always been the most responsible of the group, the one who takes the decisions and sets the limits. Flora is trapped in the middle of hundreds of zombies, and trying to do anything with their powers could seriously injure or even kill her. Stella sighs and quickens her pace, taking the lead. There are only three of them left who can hope to escape the terrible contagion, and with every metre they cover, their terror increases by a notch, as they have no guarantee that the rest of the realm has not been affected by the epidemic.
Once in the forest, the three girls hide behind a mound to take stock of the situation.
“There are several paths leading to the road, so I suggest we split up and lose them," suggests Musa.
Aisha turns to her and stifles a cry of indignation.
“What?! Are you mad?! If we don't stick together, we're finished!”
For once, Stella agrees with Musa.
“She's right, Aisha, you've clearly seen that our method didn't work, and besides, if we split up and lose them, at least one of us will have a chance of surviving.”
The water fairy grumbles, unhappy at the idea of having to respect the opinion of the majority. Aware of the urgency of the situation, the three fairies hug one last time before heading off in different directions.
***
Musa has been walking slowly through the forest for several minutes now, trying to avoid being spotted because of her movements and the creaking of dead leaves and branches beneath her feet. Suddenly, she feels powerful arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her behind a tree. Frightened, she can't hold back a scream, muffled by a hand pressing against her mouth. She manages to free herself and her heart misses a beat as she looks back at this mysterious individual, who is none other than the guy she loves.
“Riven?!”
He takes her hand and gestures for her to be quiet.
“Keep it down, Musa, I just wanted to make sure you were all right," he whispers, avoiding her gaze. “What are you doing here on your own? Where are the girls?”
Relieved to see him and to know he's safe, she snuggles into his arms and gives free rein to her emotions and her trembling pain.
“A strange cat moved into our suite, scratched Kat and she became a kind of zombie, just like them... she contaminated Terra and the four of us got out of the window, but they started chasing us and managed to catch Flora. Stella and Aisha and I decided to split up to get away from them," she explains quickly.
The young man caresses her cheek affectionately to reassure her, forcing her to look up at him.
“I'm so sorry," he apologises compassionately. “Don't worry, you're not alone any more, we're going to get out of this forest, get help and save the girls.”
He moves closer to the mind fairy's face, until she feels his warm breath on her lips, before adding, wiping away a tear with his fingertips:
“I'll never leave you, warrior, we'll get out of this forest together.”
Disturbed and moved, the young girl runs her fingers over her friend's chest, his bulging pecs visible under his T-shirt. She's now certain that he feels the same as she does, and it's a magical sensation. Slowly, their lips come together to seal a languorous, emotionally-charged kiss. But the fairy, who, overwhelmed by events, has not checked the colour of her lover's pupils, is unaware that he’s one of them.
***
As for Aisha, she has just collided with Grey, who was apparently wandering alone in the woods.
“Grey!" exclaims the fairy, both surprised and annoyed to find herself face to face with this betrayer. “You shouldn't be here, what are you doing here?”
She asked him this question in a tone as sharp as that of a teacher scolding his pupil after a huge mistake. The young man takes a few steps towards her, looking casual.
“I come in peace, Aisha, I wanted to see you to apologise for my behaviour," he replies calmly. “I behaved like a coward, I'm ashamed of myself and I'd like to redeem myself in some way. I'd like you to forgive me one day…”
Disgusted by his lies and this impromptu repentance, she crosses her arms, her eyes glowering angrily.
“Forgive you?! After everything you've done? What's next?" she shouts, raising her voice, beside herself. “You lied to me, you took us for fools, and you want me to pretend nothing happened? You're a traitor!”
The former Specialist lets out a sarcastic sneer and moves even closer, threatening.
“If I were you, I'd keep quiet and obey, little mermaid," he taunts, brushing the contours of her face with his index finger.
The young girl stands there for a moment, caught off guard. Grey never showed any sign of violence when they were together. She lifts her chin, while behind her, unbeknownst to her, Riven and Musa are approaching without a sound.
“Or else what?”
Her ex-boyfriend gives a quick signal to his allies that it's time to take action.
“Or this!" he yells at the top of his lungs.
While Musa uses her powers to take control of the water fairy's mind and Riven holds her firmly against his body, Grey is free to carry out his mission: to steal the kiss that will make her one of them.
***
In the middle of the forest, Stella continues to wander, alone and lost. She has already tried several times to call her two friends, to no avail. They don't answer any more.
"Something must have happened to them," she sighs, kicking a rock bitterly. "This time, I'm well and truly alone, and lost, on top of it!”
The fairy keeps on walking, aimlessly, her stomach knotted with hunger and anguish. It’s getting dark and she has nowhere to go and no one to help her. Yet she knows that as long as she's alone, she's safe. But she also knows that when night falls, she won't be able to use her light and she won't be able to return to civilisation. Without water or food, she won't last long, and without the warmth of the sun's rays, the cold is really starting to freeze her skin and numb her limbs. Desperate, she sits down on the ground and breaths, drawing her knees up to her chin to keep her body warm until the next day. Lost in her thoughts, the light fairy doesn't even react when a blanket comes to rest on her shoulders.
“Stella..." murmurs the voice of the young lady who has come to warm her.
The Princess of Solaria gasps in shock. She knows that voice. It’s the voice of a loved one who died far too soon. She finally turns around in disbelief.
“Beatrix!”
Her late friend, whom she secretly loves, is standing behind her, hair blowing in the wind, dressed all in black, staring at her with a sweet smile.
“What are you doing here?" she questions, rising to her feet before jumping to her neck, overflowing with joy. “You're supposed to be dead!”
The air fairy clutches the two pieces of blanket, pulling them together so as not to let the cold air through.
“Something brought me back to life, but I don't know what," she tells her, thoughtfully. “And straight away, I looked for you.”
The blonde fairy smiles and leans her head affectionately on Beatrix's shoulder. Her existence has finally regained the meaning it had lost.
“So, you've found me," she says enthusiastically.
Her friend gives her a kiss on the cheek before taking the time to look her over.
“You don't seem well, what are you doing here all alone at this time of night?”
The teenager grabs her whole body, still trembling with fear.
“Alfea was affected by a mysterious epidemic of which I seem to be the only survivor... I've nowhere to go, I've lost my mom and all my friends," she sobs, a lump in her throat. “You're all I've got left to hold on to.”
Beatrix smiles. She knows that Stella would follow her to the ends of the world, even to the Realm of Darkness. She's the only one left to complete the Army of Darkness, and given her loneliness and psychological state, it'll be child's play. Under normal circumstances, Beatrix would feel remorse, but tonight, this is different. Stella is suffering, there's no denying it, and if she gets away with it, she'll be suffering for the rest of her life. Infecting her is the only way to fill the immense void she's just sunk into.
“Let's not stay here, come on, I'll take you with me," she decides, taking her by the hand to lead her away.
“Where are we going?" inquires Luna's daughter, following her feverishly.
The air fairy stops walking to run her fingers sensually through her partner's thatched hair, who shivers in confusion.
“In a place where we'll both be safe forever," she answers in a deep, husky voice. “Just the two of us…”
Beatrix slides her hand up to the fairy's chin and strokes her lips with her thumb, bringing her mouth close to hers. Her eyes mirror the blood on her hands. Soon the two teenagers are one, clinging to each other, seeking for each other, with very different goals, which in a few seconds will become common.