Farah's Bloom

Part Fourteen - Unfamiliar Gazes

Part Fourteen - They Need Me, Dragonflame."

The blood witch squints her dark and mysterious eyes at Bloom. She looks Bloom up and down before responding.
"I needed to get to you. You have the magic we need." This makes Bloom shudder all the way down to her spine. She adjusts her expression and puts on the bravest face she's ever used.
She realises that Farah had guessed that she was after her, and she had tried to protect her. She had risked her life for Bloom, a selfless act out of love. Bloom's heart suddenly hurt as she thinks of this.
"You hurt my mother to get to me?" Bloom can't resist anymore. She stands up tall and her brave face makes an appearance.
"She got in the way. She defended the dragon flame. She had to die." The blood witch doesn't hesitate to answer Bloom.
Bloom tried to compose herself and stop herself but the rage explodes from inside of her.

"In the way? My mother is NEVER in the way! She was right, you blood witches have no souls. No love, no nothing. All you care about is sacrifice and power." Bloom closes her eyes and flames shoot from her hands and surround them both. The witch looks around and smiles. She takes a step closer to Bloom and she meets her gaze. Bloom feels her eyes fixated on the witch and before she knows it, images are flashing before her eyes like a movie being fast forwarded. Bloom can't move, look anywhere or speak. Her sight is gazed into space and she trembles as images spin through her puzzled mind. She sees images of her mum and her, of flames starting to cover them and of herself and her mum running from something, with flames following them. Bloom sees images of Alfea in ruins and Rosalind standing behind burned ones, with Bloom running towards the ruins of the school. The images flash by inside Bloom' mind until she can't take anymore but she's unable to stop them. Bloom shakes her head and puts her hand to the side of her head to try and rid these awful sights. Moments later her mind appears blank and she wheezes as mind comes to an ease.
"What was...that?" Demands Bloom, as she shakes her head blinks repeatedly to try and forget what she saw.
The witch laughs with a croaky kind of laugh, and she sneers in Bloom's face.
"We've made a connection. Everytime you have a vision, you will be giving power to us from yourself. Your power may get weaker one day and strong the next. Although you won't lose it, myself and the other witches will gain more strength. You can get these visions at anytime. You will not keep the dragonflame for yourself." The witch turns around away from Bloom, and just as Bloom demands to know more, she disappears.  Bloom sees the fire spread around them starts to fade to a dim.

The fire disintegrates around her and disappears. Bloom stands in the middle of the woods, looking around her as if ready to fight. She can't shake off the feeling inside her...the feeling of the unknown.  Bloom can't imagine having another vision, she felt paralysed, almost like she couldn't move or look around. The images took control of her body. She can't begin to think of having another one of those sights. Bloom rubs the sides of her head slowly and she begins to make her way towards the barrier to Alfea.
She runs as fast as her legs take her , desperately seeking comfort. Desperately seeking her home, where she felt safe and comfortable. She reaches the gate and her legs continue to move, almost like she's determined to win some kind of race.
When Bloom reaches the greenhouse, Professor Harvey and Mr Silva sit by where her mum, Farah Dowling is sprawled out on the floor. The blood seems to have cleared up since Bloom had escaped through the barrier and Farah's pale look had dimmed to a slightly normal shade.
"Oh, there you are. Where did you go?" Saul glances at Bloom and legs go of Farah's hand as he stands up. Bloom rushes to her mum's side and holds her hand. She doesn't meet Saul's gaze.
"What's the deal?" Bloom asks, though she isn't sure she wants to know. She can't imagine a world where Farah Dowling isn't in it.
"Ben's managed to stop the bleeding fully. He's administered the doses. We just have to wait. We will give you two some time." He says and Bloom sees him look at her through the corner of her blue eyes. Mr Silva and Professor Harvey leave the greenhouse, closing the door behind them.

Bloom looks at Farah and tears start to roll down her face. She's surprised there are any tears left. She felt like a desert with the amount she had cried.
"You are the most powerful fairy, I have ever met, mum. You've helped me more than anyone has done in my whole life. You can't die...you just can't." Bloom grasps Farah's hand tightly and closes her eyes. She looks back at the glimpses of images she had seen in her vision, the horrible sights that she had seen. She's distracted by something tight around her pale freckled hand.
It's her mum, she's holding lightly on her hand. Farah's eyes remain shut and her expression remains motionless, but her hand wraps softly around her daughter's. Bloom wipes her eye with her other hand and looks at her mother. She hopes that things will be ok.