Strife - Chapter 1 - An Unexpected Event
The clock struck twelve. Vanessa glanced at the clock and sighed. She walked down the hall to a room and knocked. No answer came as she knocked again. She opened the door into a dark room. She felt around to avoid stepping on open books and other oddities thrown about the room. She stopped by a twin-sized bed and looked down at a teen girl with fiery red hair still fast asleep.
“Bloom. Bloom, wake up,” Vanessa said.
Vanessa frowned, then smiled. “You’re late, Bloom.”
Bloom’s eyes fluttered before they shot open. “Late? Oh no! School!”
Vanessa stepped back as Bloom hurried around the room, getting ready. Bloom got into her clothes, a crop top and jeans, before she stopped.
“Wait, the alarm didn’t go off. There isn’t school. Mom!” Bloom whined.
“Now, Bloom, it may be summer holiday, but you can’t spend the entire time staying up late and sleeping all day,” Vanessa said.
Bloom groaned and flopped back onto her bed. Vanessa shook her head and threw open Bloom’s curtains, letting sunlight in. Bloom shielded her eyes as she turned over away from the window.
“It’s a beautiful summer day, Bloom. You should be out there hanging out with friends and making memories,” Vanessa remarked.
“All my friends are out on their on holidays away from Gardenia. I told you and Dad this last week. A few asked me to go with them, but Dad wouldn’t let me. Says I’m still too young to leave the city without you guys,” Bloom countered.
“Then you can work in the flower shop with me.”
“So, I’m old enough to work, but not old enough to go on trips with my friends? How is that fair?”
“Bloom, I know it may seem harsh, but we just want what’s best for you. We just don’t think it’s quite time for you to have grand adventures yet. Give it another year, ok?”
“That’s what you all said last year too. You said when I was sixteen, that I’d be able to have my own adventures. I’ll be sixteen soon, and I’m still stuck here. Now I need to wait another year again? And I’ll have to wait again, and again, and again, until eternity, won’t I?”
“Just forget it. I’ll stick with my books for another year. Again.”
Vanessa sighed and headed for the door, then stopped. “Maybe you could head to the park and get some fresh air?”
“And the flower shop?” Bloom asked.
“Will you drop me off or will I be walking?”
“Better. Your birthday present arrived and your dad is waiting to give it to you. It’ll help you get to the park.”
Bloom sat up as hope flickered in her eyes. She had asked for a scooter for a while now, but was always met with excuses why she couldn’t have one. Maybe this summer wouldn’t be so bad.
Bloom jumped out of bed and put on a pair of platform sneakers. She grabbed the book she was reading, her wallet, and a few other necessities before shoving them into a bag. She hurried out alongside Vanessa to the front of the apartment. She stepped outside as her excitement plummeted when she saw Mike with a bicycle.
“Happy birthday, Bloom. What do we think? Nice ride, yeah?” Mike commented.
“Oh, uh, yeah. Sure,” Bloom remarked.
“Go on. Take it for a spin,” Mike encouraged.
Bloom sighed and took the bike. She rode off towards the park when she heard her name called. She hit the brakes and looked around. Anger boiled in her seeing Mitzi on the sidewalk next to a new scooter.
“Hey, Bloom! Think it’s time to send that relic to the junkyard?” Mitzi called out.
“There’s nothing old about this bike. My parents just got it for me,” Bloom countered.
“Another year without a scooter then? You poor, poor thing. Forever a child, never a grown up.”
“I’m not a child to them. They just… want me to be safe.”
“Keep telling yourself that. Why don’t you run along to the playground and play pretend with all the other kids? It’s the one thing you’re good at.”
Bloom seethed and hurried off. She muttered under her breath the entire way to the park. She got off her bike and haphazardly pushed it into the bike rack. She stormed off into a dense, forested part of the park, as far from anyone else as possible. She kicked rocks and twigs when she found a stick the perfect size and shape to be a wand or a sword.
Bloom scooped up the stick and held it up. She grinned as she imagined the world around as a magical, enchanted forest. She danced about as she waved her stick wand, imagining brilliant fire and colorful sparks erupting from the wand. She laughed and spun when she tripped and fell on a root. She groaned and looked out back at the real world and the stick still in her hand.
Bloom frowned and sat up. She stared at the stick. Was this why her parents didn’t see her as an adult? Were her daydreams and imagination holding her back? Maybe it was time to let them go. But she wasn’t quite ready. They were the only things that got her through life. They filled a void in her that longed for the magical. A void that told her she never belonged.
Bloom sighed and leaned back against a tree. She raised the stick up and waved it lazily around. She loved it here in Gardenia. It was her home, where her parents were, her friends, her school, her everything. Even so, deep down, she longed for so much more than a normal, boring life. She wanted to be free from Gardenia and explore the unknown. She wanted to find a place where she felt like she belonged.
Bloom lowered the stick and clutched it. She held it close to her chest as she looked up at the sky through the canopy.
“Please, please, I wish for things to change,” Bloom begged.
Nothing happened as a breeze lazily passed by, carrying the sounds of bird calls. Bloom sighed, put the stick beside her, and grabbed her book. She started to read when she heard shouting in the distance. She rolled her eyes and tried to block it out, only to hear more yells. She growled, stuffed her book back into her bag, grabbed her stick, and headed in the direction of the noise.
Bloom stomped through the growth, fuming along the way. She reached the edge of a clearing when a bright flash surprised her. She stumbled back and raised her hands to her face. She waited a moment before she looked in the clearing and saw a girl about her age wearing an orange, sparkly outfit, small fairy wings, and long blonde hair pulled back in low pigtails. The girl was surrounded by dark imp-like creatures with a troll/ogre monster towering over the girl.
Bloom watched from the shadows as the imp creatures jumped the fairy girl. The fairy girl threw orbs of light around that collided with the creatures. Some evaporated from the impact while others wandered, disoriented and blind. The fairy girl took the opportunity to toss her ring up as it turned into a tall staff. The fairy girl yelled and slammed it into the floor. Bright light washed over the clearing. It cleared to reveal just the fairy girl and the troll/ogre remained.
“Last chance, beast. Walk away or face the wrath of the Solarian princess!” the fairy girl yelled.
The monster responded with a roar and charged at the fairy girl. She flung more orbs of light, but the monster shrugged it off. She slammed her staff onto the ground as spears of light shot off and struck it, but they did no damage. She hesitated as she looked around. She thrust her staff up into the sun’s light. It shone brightly and struck the monster with a concentrated beam of light. The monster staggered back as it snarled and roared. She turned to run but was caught by the monster. It took the staff from her and discarded it. It grabbed her head and smashed it into the ground with a loud crack.
Bloom gasped at the sound and alerted the monster to her presence. It dropped the fairy girl and scanned the trees. She hid behind a tree while it searched. It snorted and turned back to the fairy girl. She glanced out from behind the tree. She watched it reach for the fairy girl again as fury blazed through her. She stomped out from her hiding spot and faced the monster.
“Hey, ugly!” Bloom yelled.
The monster turned as Bloom threw her stick at it. It bounced pathetically off its shoulder onto the ground. It looked at the stick, then at her.
“Leave her alone,” Bloom demanded.
The monster laughed and approached Bloom. She grimaced and jumped back, but the monster grabbed her arms and lifted her up off the ground. She squirmed and fought against its hold while it laughed.
“Look what I gots here. A new little pet. Or maybe lunch. Never had human before. I wonder what your kind tastes like,” the monster remarked.
Bloom sneered as her body burned hotter and hotter. She clenched her fists as the summer air around felt like a winter wind.
“You’ll never find out, wretched fiend!” Bloom screeched.
Fire erupted from Bloom in deep, crimson blaze. It lashed out and consumed the monster. The beast screamed as its body burned away to ash. Bloom hit the ground as the flames extinguished in an instant. She gasped and looked herself over.
Bloom had just seen her body erupt in flames, but there were no burns and her clothes fully in tact. How did all that just happen? Was any of this real? Was she still asleep in her bed? She reached down and pinched herself. She flinched at the pain. She wasn’t dreaming and this was all real.
Bloom glanced up and saw the fairy girl strewn out on the ground. She rushed over to see the sparkly outfit and wings had vanished. Now the fairy girl wore an orange tied crop halter, green short skirt, and green and orange platform wedges.
“Oh, no. Can you hear me? Please, please be awake,” Bloom begged.
The girl stirred and looked at Bloom. “My scepter. Where’s my scepter?”
Bloom looked up and spotted the scepter. She ran and grabbed it, returning it to the girl. She stood back as the girl grabbed it and was enveloped in light. She watched as the light faded and the girl stood up.
“There. That’s better. Nothing like a little fairy magic to bring you back from death,” the girl remarked.
“You are a fairy then?” Bloom asked.
“Of course. I am Stella, Princess of Solaria, and the Fairy of the Sun and the Moon.”
“Wow. I’m Bloom of, uh, Gardenia.”
“Bloom, eh? Tell me, what’s a magical creature doing here on Earth?”
“Are you talking about those things that attacked you?”
“No. I’m talking about you.”
“Me? Oh, I don’t know. I was born and raised here.”
“That’s unusual. Well, are you at least enrolled at Alfea? It’s the best place for magical creatures to learn.”
“It’s a school in the realm of Magix. The best of its kind. Fairies like us go there to learn magic. Witches too, I suppose.”
“Probably. I don’t see why you’d be one of those horrible witches.”
Bloom gasped. She was a fairy. She had magic powers. And there was a school she could learn to use her magic. This could be an adventure she wanted. Maybe she could even find where she belongs at this school.
“How does a fairy enroll at Alfea?” Bloom asked.
“You just need your parents to enroll you, like any school,” Stella said.
“Then we just need to convince my parents. Let’s go.”
Bloom grabbed Stella’s wrist and took Stella back to her home. She led Stella into the living room where she found Vanessa and Mike.
“Bloom? Back so soon? And who’s this?” Mike asked.
“Mom, Dad, you won’t believe it. This is Stella, and she’s a fairy!” Bloom announced.
Mike and Vanessa shared a questionable look.
“It’s true. I was in the park, trying to read, then there was all this yelling. I went to see what it was and there Stella was, fighting strange, evil creatures. She was overwhelmed and I stepped in to save her. Then, whoosh! I was engulfed in fire and saved her,” Bloom explained.
“So that’s what happened to the ogre. Good job scaring it off,” Stella praised.
“Huh? Oh, right. Anyway, Stella told me about this school is a magical realm where I could learn magic. I just need you both to enroll me. You will, won’t you?”
“Bloom, sweetie, are you sure you saw all that? Are you sure you didn’t just imagine it?” Vanessa asked.
“What? Of course, I did. Why… why would you think I didn’t?” Bloom asked.
“It’s just… you know we’ve discussed your daydreams. They have gotten in the way of reality before. I just want to make sure this wasn’t another case of that.”
“Either way, I’m calling the police for you, Stella. They’ll help you figure things out after whatever actually happened,” Mike said.
Mike raised his cell phone to his ear. Stella pointed at it as orbs of light surrounded it and transformed it into a carrot. Mike yelped and threw it onto the ground.
“Was that all in your imagination?” Stella taunted.
“See? Magic! I’m telling the truth! This wasn’t some episode. It was real!” Bloom protested.
“Mike, I think she is telling the truth here,” Vanessa said.
“What? Seriously?” Mike asked.
“Your phone turned into a carrot, Mike. Explain that.”
Mike struggled for an explanation while Vanessa stood and approached Stella and Bloom.
“Bloom, give your father and I some time to discuss this. It is a lot all at once. The story, Stella, Mike’s phone,” Vanessa said.
“How long is some time?” Bloom asked.
“Just until tomorrow morning.”
“Perfect. I have to be gone by that time. And I’m leaving with or without Bloom,” Stella announced.
Bloom’s eyes widened as she looked at Vanessa with pleading eyes.
“We’ll try and get an answer to you sooner. Until then, you’re welcome to stay the night, Stella.”
“You can stay with me in my room,” Bloom offered.
“Thank you. I’d love to,” Stella said.
“C’mon. I’ll show you to my room.”
Bloom took Stella’s hand and brought Stella to her room. Stella moved around the room, stopping first at a bookcase.
“Wow. That’s quite a private collection you have. What do you like to read?” Stella asked as she grabbed a book.
“Oh, those? They’re just a bunch of fictional stories. They help make things easier,” Bloom said.
Bloom fidgeted. “Have you ever… felt like you don’t belong?”
“Can’t say I have. I’ve always known where I belonged.”
“I wish I could say the same.”
Stella put the book back and put an arm around Bloom. “Hey, chin up. If your parents agree, you can get a fresh start at Alfea. A place I know you’ll belong at.”
“How can you be so sure? What if I don’t?”
“You will because you’ll have me. And then you’ll have a bunch of others. Just you wait and see.”
“And I know so. Now, got any good romances in your private collection? I’m always a sucker for a good romance.”
Bloom smiled and approached her bookcase with Stella. She was anxious for her parents’ verdict, but until then, she was happy being in the presence of a fairy like Stella.
