When In Doubt, Go With Blue

When All Is Calm

A healthy green forest surrounded a stone-stark castle. An off shade of blue covered the air around the castle, contrasting from the sky blue above where you stood now.

A war cry alerted you to an amateur surprise attack. You stepped back and stuck your leg out to trip the blonde girl-named boy. His insufficiently planned sneak attack failed again and he had to drag himself off the ground. You had helped him up in good nature the first few times. However, his failing sparring quickly got on your nerves so you stopped. It never took any effort to take Sky down so it felt like a waste of your time, even if Saul Silva had practically ordered him to. It felt like a game and therefore a waste of an order. Sky worshiped his father and his father figure in unequal measure. Maybe he wanted someone else to hand with. Terra and Sam Harvey were much in the same in that respect and energy, but you declared yourself too old for that shit when really you hated the reminders of your Home. Former home, you corrected yourself.

You'd tried thrusting into your new reality. You'd met every inhabitant of Alfea on-campus over summer.

Saul Silva was an intimidating man and the fact that you were of-age seemed to encourage him. He's invited you to spar with him, but you insisted on only fighting those who deserved it. He didn't like that answer. He started with the surprise attacks first, but you'd nearly given him an aneurysm every time, Ben having to use herbs to stop the blood flow. You'd started avoiding everyone when it became too regular. Farah made him stop.

Ben Harvey was a sweet man you happened to spent the most of time with, if you didn't count your summer lessons with Farah - which your 17-year-old brain didn't. He was usually doing some magic project while you tended to his plants like an ordinary person. His thoughts were calm and tranquil, much like his son's. His daughter was chock-full of energy, hormones, and anxiety. She was easily calmed by a few gentle words and any migraine she borne would fade. Sam liked to screw with you. Though you knew if he was around and usually what he was planning, sometimes he got the drop on you and sometimes he just stole your shit when you weren't around. It would usually turn up in under a week or you'd have to gently beat it out of him. Or tell Farah.

Ooh, Farah Dowling. She kept you guessing. But she was also reliable and she took everything you threw at her during your more unstable moments. She hadn't known what to make out of when you first arrived. First, she'd been suspicious, even she'd been the one to bring you in. Your first week in the OtherWorld, you were supervised the entire time, whether you knew it or not. She'd been worried to sleep until she was sure how innocently ignorant you were. If you, as a natural Mind Fairy, had had any training, you'd have hidden your thoughts from her better. That first night, she'd stayed away, but kept a magic eye on you. You'd been as nervous and damn near terrified as Farah. You'd gone to the kitchen, fretted as all Alfea really had was tea, and finally found something to warm up. The headmistress felt you calm more during the preparation of your drink than actually drinking it. Nevertheless, you eventually fell asleep. Farah didn't dare for fear it was a trick. But two hours in, nearly midnight, she felt your fear return. Farah almost dismissed it as a re-awakening and unawareness of a new place. Only, you were still asleep. So taken by the fear you were a spy or something of the like, she failed to notice the muddled over-coating of a nightmare. It wasn't until parallel screams echoed in her mind and her ear that she realized. She wished to race and re-awaken you, but Terra was already on the move. She instinctively sought out the trauma behind your nightmare. There wasn't one. That wasn't so unusual. Some nightmares just happened. But a sleeping body didn't scream like so from a typical bad dream. She thought for a moment. Terra was getting closer. She didn't have a moment to think! She reached for your nightmare, submerging herself. Nothing.

You screamed again, long and loud. Terrified. Muddled veil over your feeling: you were still asleep, but she couldn't even touch your dream. You were nowhere near proficient enough to block her; you two hadn't even started yet. This wasn't a block. She simply couldn't touch the dream. The most you'd even tried to keep from her was the beginnings of a crush you were fearfully stamping out with every thought of her.

Terra was just down the next hall, a bundle of nerves herself. She was about to turn the final corner to reach you when you jerked yourself awake. Your screams suddenly silenced and Terra stopped. On accident, Farah felt her wonder whether or not to knock on the door to your private rooms. The decision was made for her when your door jerked inwards and you raced from it like a bat out of Hell. The Earth Fairy never even had a chance to show herself before you were gone. Concern washed over the girl and Farah checked, double checked, Hell, triple and quadruple checked she wasn't crushing on you before she returned to bed.

Farah couldn't leave well enough alone and followed you, scared you'd wander into the Stone Circle or past the Barrier in your addled state, despite her earlier warnings. That night, neither of you slept and the teacher Ms. Dowling showed you a new sky with new constellations.