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Sometimes all it takes is a look, a smile, a sparkle. Sometimes a single face can brighten up a dull day, light up the night like a beacon.
Kat brushed her fingertips across Terra's forehead, pulling aside a few strands of hair that were hiding her left eye.
She had the face of an angel and a smile so pure and innocent that in a fraction of a second it could sweep away all the cruelty of the world. Since her arrival at Alfea, the earth fairy had always been her ray of sunshine, even before they fell in love with each other. Seeing her lying in that bed in such a state of exhaustion made her heart ache. With all the deaths, fighting, too many negative emotions, her dad and brother who had moved away to another school, and Bloom's farewell, the girl had finally wavered. It had been a few days since the doctor had advised her to miss classes and rest until she regained her strength. She could count on her cousin and her friends to catch up. In the meantime, Kat would keep on spending every evening with her in her room to support her.
"How are you feeling today?" she questioned, worried.
Her girlfriend smiled slightly before answering to avoid alarming her more than she already was.
"I'm not in great shape, but I'm a little better than yesterday."
The young fairy didn't want to bother the one she loved with her moods, besides, she always thought she was bugging the others if she told them about her problems. Terra was not okay. Even though physically she had regained her strength in the last few days, she still felt very fragile mentally, as she had never been away from her brother and dad for so long. However, Kat wasn't fooled, she could feel that, despite the candid smile she was wearing, Terra was at her worst, regardless of the small attentions shown by Flora, her friends and herself.
"My little lychee, I feel that something is wrong," she began in a mellow voice, placing her hand on hers gingerly. "Do you want to tell me about it?"
The girl let out a long sigh, almost relieved that her partner had asked her to confide in her about her torments, because she wouldn't have done it on her own. She wished to discuss it with someone she could trust, and Kat was just the person she needed. She felt closer to her than to Flora or her friends. She had been her driving force for the past few months, and without her presence by her side, she might never have held on after all the students had been through.
"Well, since they left Alfea, I've missed Sam and my dad dreadfully," she admitted wistfully, with a certain nostalgia for the many moments spent with them. "Since the disappearance of my mother, we became very close and swore we'd never part and stick together, whatever it took. We had a happy childhood here, my dad made sure we had everything we needed, and Miss Dowling was like a second mother to us. She looked after us and Sky like a mother would have done and she was always there for my dad. I remember she used to spend most evenings with us, at our place, and every now and then we had Silva and Sky over. When we were small she helped us cut our food, played with us, dried our tears when we were sad or missed Mom, and told us bedtime stories. Once we were asleep, she sat on the couch next to my dad for the rest of the evening to keep him company and try to cheer him up a bit."
Kat already knew that the mind fairy had been an important part of Terra's family, but Flora's cousin had never gone into such detail about her childhood memories. She realised how much this spiritual mother meant to her and that mourning would take a long time, as the gaping wound of her abrupt disappearance from the world of the living was not about to heal. All at once, the Specialist, having thought about Farah's constant presence in their family, began to wonder about her relationship with the botany professor, speculating that they might have had strong feelings for each other and been more than just close friends.
"My dad and Miss Dowling?" she replied with a nervous, embarrassed laugh. "No, not at all, they got on like brother and sister...and I don't think my dad will ever be able to get over my mother. As long as no body is found, there is always a hope of seeing her alive again."
Kat glanced at her sadly, affected, and laid her hand on her cheek to caress it tenderly, protectively, before saying the only words that occurred to her right on the spot: an apology, even though she was not responsible for the misfortune that had befallen her family.
"I'm so sorry for you and your family, I don't know what to say, it must have been so hard and awful to grow up without her..."
Terra closed her eyes for a few seconds, the time to enjoy the soothing touch of a hand cuddling her face; but also, with unfeigned emotion, to remember her mother's angelic face, a brown fringe almost stroking her emerald eyes, which sparkled with happiness when she lulled her children with stories or songs until they fell asleep.
"Yes, especially as I have little memory of her and the police never found any leads to follow, she disappeared one evening on her way home, after making a purchase," Sam's sister explained ruefully. “Making sure that we lacked for nothing was her priority but Sam and I were out of milk for breakfast the next morning, and as it was the holidays, the canteen was closed, so she went to buy some in a minimarket and never came back. The forest was searched, the rivers were searched, the cemeteries were searched, as well as every place in the realm where a body could have been hidden. They told my dad that it was like looking for a piece of gold on the floor of a raging ocean. He was very brave, he never gave up and he fought against the dismissal order, so that the case would remain open. Otherwise, they would have closed it as if she had never existed."
"And you have absolutely no idea what could have happened to her on the way home?" the Specialist asked, shaking her head in dismay at this implausible and unusual lack of clues and leads.
Her girlfriend slid her hands to hers and wrapped them around her wrists, clutching them as if they were a lifeline, forcing herself to hold back tears. Over the years, telling her story had become a torture that consumed her from the inside, as did not knowing the truth and imagining every possible scenario imaginable.
"My dad always thought she was kidnapped and taken out of Solaria to supply a prostitution ring, otherwise her body would have been found eventually," the fairy answered bitterly, her eyes growing misty. "And she couldn't have left on her own, she wasn't even carrying her identity papers, no extra clothes, she had a husband, two young children, and she loved us too much for leaving. When she went missing, Sam and I were four or five years old. We didn't understand anything, we were too young. Until one day we had to get used to the idea that she would never come back. My dad sank into a severe depression, he took refuge in alcohol for a few years, and fortunately Miss Dowling was there to help him get back on track and raise us. We owe her a lot, I don't know what our family would have done without her and Silva. They were exemplary and honorable."
With these last words, Terra's voice broke and merged in tears, as if all the emotions that had been buried for too long in the depths of her being were released in unison, devastating, willing to annihilate the misery of the world as well as to take their revenge on life. Soon the inexhaustible spring turned to a river that became a torrent.
"I would give anything to have my mom again, and to bring Farah, Sam and my dad back," she sobbed, clinging desperately to her partner's neck, her body shaking with hiccups. "I'm so lonely without them, it's as if they've abandoned me. Rosalind broke up our family, and by killing Farah, she took my mother away from me a second time."
Upset by her beloved's pain and grief, Kat smoothly kissed her forehead before wiping away the many tears that were running down her plump cheeks with her thin fingers. This gesture, as insignificant as it was, took her back to a distant past of carefree happiness. She saw the faces of her mom, her dad, Farah, but also Sam, succeeding one another in front of her, instead of Kat's. Each of them had once been brought to dry her tears.
For a moment she wondered if madness was just around the corner, but then she came to her senses. Now there was no one but her lover sitting on that bed comforting her and covering her with warm kisses. She smiled. Another thing Kat had in common with her loved ones.
"I understand, Terra, it's perfectly legitimate to feel lost after what you've been through," the girl comforted her in a gentle voice, hoping to reassure her somewhat. "They haven't abandoned you, the atmosphere here has become unbearable for them...I'd like them to come back too, but unless the Queen fires the new botany teacher or makes your dad headmaster, it's unlikely to happen. Besides, Sam's graduating soon, and it won't be long before you see the light at the end of the tunnel either. As for Miss Dowling, unfortunately, I don't think anything can bring her back to life. But I'm sure that for your mother, someone will eventually come forward, or the police will find a clue that will lead them to her and solve the case; it won't be easy, but the truth will come out sooner or later."
The Specialist's hands moved to those of her fairy, which she clasped tightly in her own before bringing her lips to them with finesse and elegance, as if to show her some form of devotion.
"I'm here for you, sweetie, the girls and Sky too, and I promise to do everything I can to help and support you," she added confidently. "It's not right that life has mistreated you and your family, to the point of depriving you of the people you love most. "
Her companion could not hold back a chuckle. It was not life that had deprived her of her mother, let alone Farah. No, evil people were responsible for these tragic events and the immense and permanent resulting pain.
"Only life?" scoffed the young earth fairy, sarcastically. "I have the impression that Rosalind helped it a little, if she hadn't resurfaced or if she hadn't existed, Farah would still be alive and my dad wouldn't have requested his and Sam's transfer."
Kat smiled fondly, but it wasn't enough to light up her pale eyes, which remained lustreless. She didn't feel like laughing at all, seeing the girl she loved suffer since her early childhood following the many blows of fate that had punctuated the course of her life hurt like hell. Softly, she intertwined her fingers in those of her fairy before confiding to her what she exactly had in her heart and that she needed to know.
"What I mean is that all you've been through is a terrible injustice, you deserve so much to be happy, whether it's with me or with someone else," the Specialist told her compassionately. "You are a golden person, the best I have ever met. You're bubbly, sweet, funny, adorable, strong, brave, and most of all, screaming with sincerity and spontaneity. I can tell you that if a guy like Dane tried to humiliate you right now, he would be in great danger of finding a sword stuck in a place I won't mention tonight to spare you nightmares."
Terra breathed out in disbelief. The wave of love Kat had just sent her was far too much for her, and she felt like she didn't deserve it. She was so unaccustomed to receiving so much love, and what's more, a different kind of love than that of a brother or a parent, that she felt embarrassed and even had scruples, because she also felt guilty for not having succeeded in saving Farah, guilty for living when so many people around her had perished, including this woman she adored, and eventually her mother too.
"You know, you don't have to do all this for me," she whispered humbly, shrugging her shoulders and running her hand through her darling's thick curly hair.
This sentence seemed to infuriate the latter, who did not understand why she refused her support whereas they were together. A couple can only survive if both partners are united. Kat was not angry with her, she knew how bad the teenager felt about herself, and she had sworn to herself to always remain calm, never to rush her. She intended to reason with her and make her understand that, if she wanted to move on with her life and get better, she had to accept her help. However, hurt by her reaction and with tears in her eyes, the young Specialist lost her temper:
"All what? Support you? Protect you from the cruelty of the world? Please, Terra, I'm your girlfriend and I love you. It's normal to protect and comfort each other, don't you think?"
The fairy nodded and then lowered her head in shame, her cheeks turning a crimson colour. She sensed that Kat was determined not to give up and to make her realise that, just as other girls her age, including her friends, she had the right to be loved and to live a beautiful love story.
"Yes, of course, and I'm here for you whatever happens, but I'm not sure I'm worthy of your love...," the teenager stammered, extremely uncomfortable, showing an obvious lack of self-esteem. "I mean, look at us, you're gorgeous, smart, sleek, athletic, you're not afraid of anything, and I have no self-confidence, I make a lot of blunders, and despite my tendency to be talkative, I often have difficulty relating to others and making friends. To top it all off, I look like an apple."
Notwithstanding the seriousness of the girl's words, Kat couldn't help but burst out laughing at this original comparison. Admittedly, complexed since puberty, Terra used to complain constantly about her overweight, being very hard on herself, often scornful, but from time to time, wasn't it preferable to play down the situation?
"It's cute, an apple," she joked gently.
Still stubborn, the fairy didn't react to her humour and grunted, rolling her eyes, trying to find an even less flattering comparison.
"Okay, a barrel if you like..."
This time, Kat gave her the stink eye, deeply annoyed to hear her constantly belittling herself. The cup was full. She would have tried to get her away and she wouldn't have acted differently. The Specialist was more than tired of seeing her doubt her love for her, which was more than true, because she was in love with her, she loved her, no matter her little faults and complexes.
"Stop talking nonsense and devaluing yourself, you know very well that I love you as you are," she lectured her, sternly waving her index finger in front of her lover's eyes. "Whether you're small, tall, round, flat, yellow, blue or have a mole covered in hair on the nose, we don't give a damn about other people's opinions, if that's what concerns you. And believe me, you won't get rid of me any time soon, my little bunch of grapes."
The fairy sat up weakly with a smile, moved by the power and sincerity of her partner's words. Kat loved her unconditionally despite all their differences, and she was the luckiest girl in the world. So much for Dane, Riven and the other guys of their kind. She had wasted enough time trying to find herself. Now she knew that Kat was the only one who mattered, even if she had been in a state of denial during the last two years.
"Really? I'm not a lychee anymore?" she retorted, frowning, amused.
With a falsely thwarted look, her beloved Specialist seized the fluffy purple pillow on the desk chair before hitting her with it. Her fairy could be a bit of a pain in the ass when she got going.
"Heck!" she scolded her, as if to put an end to this conversation full of emotions and heartbreaking memories.
Her girlfriend burst out laughing at the pillow punches that took her back a few years, when she was having pillow fights with Sam and Sky. Kat might be relatively mature for her age, she had kept her inner child. The Specialist, who had joined her in her giggles, calmed down and thoroughly replaced the sheet and duvet, which had suffered from their impromptu fight, to ensure that she would get the best possible sleep tonight, which heralded the end of the evening.
"Come on, time to rest," she urged her, glancing at the alarm clock, which was displaying almost eleven p.m. "Anyway, I've only got a few minutes to get back to my room before lights out. I don't want to get detention for hanging around in the corridors after lights out."
Frustrated, Professor Harvey's daughter fell limply back onto her bed and exhaled like a deflating balloon.
"Oh, that's right... Pfff, honestly, they could give us until midnight."
"You're not wrong, but there's no point in griping, I'll see you in eight hours," reassured her dearest and sweetest, touching the tip of her nose affectionately with her index finger in a teasing manner.
She leaned over her lips to place a tender kiss on them, hoping to give her strength and courage until the next morning. The fairy hugged her Specialist, holding her close to her heart to keep her a little longer, dreading their imminent separation.
It was Kat who, in spite of herself, broke apart from their embrace after a last kiss on her girlfriend's neck, before getting up and walking slowly towards the door.
"Well, I won't say it again, I'm off," she added, placing her hand on the door handle. "Goodnight, my angel."
They exchanged a gaze full of both love and sorrow, for leaving each other, even for a few hours, had become as arduous as reaching the snows of Kilimanjaro.
"Sleep tight, queen," whispered the earth fairy, looking forward to seeing her the day after.
Kat gave her a knowing wink before walking through the door and closing it, heading for the small lounge.
"The angel should be asleep soon," she said, standing in front of the four fairies sitting on the sofas around the coffee table, a blissful smile on her face, lighting it up with a thousand lights.
She rushed for the door, before leaving and going back to her suite with quick steps.