Windy

VIDIA

Vidia had one thing to accomplish. It was the only thing she could focus on it. There was so much ringing in her ears. Sobs that wanted to wrack her body until she couldn’t stand. Her hands continually shook even as she flew out of town.

If she stopped moving it would all come back.

Vidia would see Tink’s body just laying there.

She wouldn’t make the same mistake, she wouldn’t make Gem lose another. She wouldn’t lose someone else.

Not to this damned story again.

It didn’t take too long to find out where Snow was. Everyone still thought she was MAFIA. That she was getting help, that she was telling on people.

Vidia had been loyal to the end.

But that loyalty had to choose, and she chose Gem.

Nearly slamming into the window of the room Vidia wiggled through a tiny corner making sure Snow was alone before turning back into her bigger size. Eyes rimmed with red as she tried not to make eye contact.

“I’m getting you out of here.”

SNOW: 

The clock ticked on the wall. The floorboard creaked with every step down the hall. Hearts beat in every room, Tito’s the loudest of all, just on the other side of the door, a heart like a freight train. Snow counted each and every sound, searching within these rhythms for a slip– a crack– a revolt. She had to believe there was a way out, if only she listened hard enough.

When something smacked against the window, Snow jolted in place, her rhythms scattered in an instant. She stood abruptly from the bed and whirled around, just in time for a faint golden glimmer to zip into the room.

And with it—the wind. 

Snow gasped as soon as Vidia appeared, but then quickly pressed her hand over her mouth. She pointed toward the door, her eyes wide. Surely Vidia already knew about Tito. He was given orders to watch her and only let her go once he received a call from Bill himself. 

She didn’t dare say anything. The walls in this rickety motel were old. Though if he hadn’t heard Vidia…

Her eyes darted from the door back to Vidia. Slowly, she lowered her hand and whispered– “How?” 

VIDIA 

Yeah. Tito.

Vidia knew enough to fear him. How quick he was to the draw. How he wouldn't care it was her. If he saw her taking Snow out of here she would be the enemy.

But Vidia didn't have it in her to build some huge cover story. Her mind was so loud it wouldn't just stop.

She just needed to brute force her way through this.

“Have you ever used Pixie dust to fly?”

SNOW: 

Pixie dust.

No, Snow had never used pixie dust. The closest she’d ever come was as a spectator of the fairy flotilla, watching Enchantra Hollow’s fairies paint golden ribbons in the sky. Otherwise, it existed as a paragraph in her old grimoires back in the day– a rare ingredient that, these days, most sorcerers didn’t use at all because of the fraught history between sorcerers and fairies. In fact, the only mention in Snow’s grimoire had been for alternatives.

But now, Vidia offered it to her. Snow knew how heavy that offer was. Vidia only offered it– Vidia only offered it for Gem’s sake. Not for Snow’s. 

Snow swallowed and she shook her head. “How…how do I use it?” she whispered. 

VIDIA

“You gotta think light, happy thoughts, a clear mind helps. Other than that hold on as I fly us out of here as fast as possible.” They needed to go before Tito decided to check in, before he paid just enough attention that there was a minor amount of sound.

Before he decided to fuck up someone because he could.

“It’ll be hard considering everything but you got this right?” Snow didn’t have a choice as Vidia sprinkled just enough to get them both down to Pixie dust.

SNOW: 

Happy thoughts. 

Snow had barely slept the past few days and when she did, nightmares stalked her. She dreamed she was in the graveyard again with John Cunningham’s hands around her neck–only then when she killed him, it transformed into Gem, and she wept over his body.

She needed the opposite of that now. She needed to revive her dreams— the ones she planted with Gem a long time ago. 

Trembling, Snow nodded. “Give me… just one moment,” she whispered. She closed her eyes and tried to quiet the hotel noises. She pushed Tito’s thudding heart far away from her, tucked her cold fingers underneath her armpits as she held herself tightly. It didn’t have to be a complicated memory. She’d had so few happy moments in the last few months, but the ones she had stood out, bright and miraculous as fireflies flashing their lights, signaling a secret message her way.

She settled on Gem picking her up at prom. His rueful smile, the silly corsage he’d waved at her proudly, before slipping it on her wrist.

She could get back to that place. If she made herself light as flower petals, she could fly away from here.

Snow opened her eyes. “I’m ready.” 

VIDIA

With Snow’s determination, Vidia nodded getting them down to pixie size. There was no more time to wait and honestly, Vidia just wanted to get out of Swynlake. It was making her skin crawl. Even this close was too close.

Testing her wings, one, twice she nodded her head to Snow and held out her hand.

Boom.

It all happened so fast and yet- it didn't. Vidia had expected death and mayhem. There was mayhem but the screams of confusion were screams of death.

A sound she had learned quickly the more she interacted with the MAFIA.

But if that hadn't worked she still needed to jump into action.

Taking a deep breath she pressed into her feet and didnt move.

Wasn't this good? People were okay. Her friends were okay.

“Vidia!” Vidia heard her name and spun around, she expected anger on his face but instead it was concern.

“Tell me the plan. Please. You cant want this? People you grew up with? They'll get hurt.”

“Dont tell me what I want to do you know nothing!”

They didn't. No one did. How did she explain it. The fact she wanted more for everyone. It was never just about her. It was about her friends. It was about them living good lives. It was them being free. It was about everything they deserved. 

And now. Now they were all in danger.

“-Vidia!”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

And so she ran, again.

Blood.

Not only were there screams, but there was blood, people that had been too close to an explosion that went off correctly. 

Yelling as people tried to fight, to stand up for what they believed in.

To do what she had wanted to do. She wanted to scream at them to stop- it wasn’t worth it. Nothing was worth it. There was no way to see it through. Not properly.

Fire was being thrown around, darkness was seeping around her and everyone.

She needed to find her friends, she had to make sure they were okay.

Confusion. 

For a town Vidia knew all her life, it felt like she had no idea where to go, everything looked different in the height of confusion. Tables and chairs knocked over. The structure of the building in question.

Vidia reached out to help someone up before pulling her hand back. - Hadn’t Gem just said, the more you fight out, the more you question or do what they didn’t want the more they would punish you.

Had this all been her fault? Had she caused all of this with her need to be better than everyone. To be right.

She just wanted to feel safe.

“Vidia!”

But Vidia didn’t listen, no matter how many times James called her name.

Death.

No one was supposed to die. No one was supposed to die.

Sure there were bombs but Sywnlake always made it out right? They were always okay. James and other RAS were around. No one was supposed to die.

So why was Tink dead.

Laying there.

Gone.

Tink was dead.

Tink was dead.

Tink was dead.

Tink was dead.

Tink was dead.

Tink was dead.

Tink was dead.

Tink was dead.

Tink was the person that held her together when everything felt like it was falling apart. Tink was the person who challenged her, that made her feel like she could be the best.

Tink was her best friend.

And she was gone. 

All the air rushed out of her lungs, her vision spinning, all the people who has tried to slow her down. All the people who were at risk. Was Herc okay? Aquata? Ren? All the people she worked with at the gym.

Was the staff at Pixies?

What fairies had come?

Vidia was going to throw up.

She needed to get out of here she needed to move but every limp felt heavy, pulled into the floor below her.

“Vidia!” It was James’ voice again, she knew it but she could barely see him, not through all the tears.

“It can still get better, we can work together, I know you. I know you just want to help and this went haywire. That’s all you’ve been doing since day one-” His lecture fell on deaf ears, all his well meaning words blurred out with the ringing.

She had to leave, she had to.

Run.

It was all she could do, it was all she was good at.

Gem popped into her head, there by Tink’s body.

Death.

But there was also Snow.

She had made a promise. Even in the fuzziness. She had one task left, and if she focused on that maybe she could manage to keep moving.

Ripping her arm from James she sprinkled a little pixie dust to change sizes, she felt as heavy as her human form but she could out fly anyone. Especially someone with a broken wing.

She could never be here again. Not where Tink died. Not where all of her friends had fallen apart. She could never face them again.