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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘

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Classes had finally come to an end and Savannah was on her way to the first day social. It was something she usually attended with Sky and Riven, but she hadn't seen them since they were at the training grounds. Her nerves were on overdrive as she walked by herself into the courtyard. The Silva girl leaned against a pillar as she watched everyone interacting with their friends. Some glanced in her direction and sent smiles her way, but no one approached her. That was the price to pay when your father and friends scared everyone away.

A small sigh passed over Savannah's lips as she turned to leave, deciding that unpacking her things would be a better use of her time. But luck was not on her side that night. Because as the Silva girl turned to leave, she found Sam Harvey standing in her way. Savannah had known Sam for almost as long as she'd known Riven. With their dads working at the school it was bound for them to meet. The two of them became very close very quickly, giving them both another sibling figure in their lives. And while Savannah could go to Sky and Riven for training tips, she always went to Sam for the important things in life.

"Trying to sneak away?" Sam asked after leaning against the pillar opposite her, "the party's just getting started."

"Oh, please. I know you'd rather be somewhere else too," Savannah scoffed while maintaining a playful look in her eyes.

"Yeah, well, my dad told Terra and me to get out of the greenhouse. He said we spent too much time there," the Harvey boy responded before looking around at the crowd in the courtyard, "but I do have to say, I miss my plants."

The Silva girl couldn't hold back her laughter, causing the smile on Sam's face to grow. It wasn't long after that when Savannah's attention returned to the courtyard. Her eyes soon landed on Sky standing on the other side of the courtyard. He too was in the shadows, watching everyone else as they interacted. That was until Bloom appeared beside him. Savannah couldn't remember the last time he wore a smile that big. But that all ended when Stella interrupted them, causing the Peters girl to leave the courtyard.

It didn't take long for Sam to realize where the Silva girl's attention was. If he were being honest, he was always bothered by how much Savannah compared herself to Sky. Even though they grew up together, they were entirely different people. Just like him and Terra. But he knew the Silva girl never saw it that way. She always seemed to think she needed to be just like the Ekon boy, which was far from true. Sam just wished she knew that.

A silent sigh passed over Sam's lips as he looked away from her and at the crowd in front of him. Only a second after that passed when his eyes landed on someone on the other side of the courtyard. It was a boy he had only seen in passing and never had a conversation with. Normally Sam would pay no attention to someone he didn't know the name of. But this boy was staring directly at Savannah, who was completely oblivious to it all.

The smile on Sam's face returned as he gently kicked Savannah's leg with his foot. She looked over at him in confusion before he gestured toward the boy across the courtyard. "Who's the guy staring at you? Do you know him?"

The Silva girl soon followed his gaze to find the boy she ran into that morning staring back at her. Savannah hesitated for a moment before smiling and waving at him, a gesture he instantly returned. It wasn't long after that when she looked away from him to respond to Sam. "That's Royce. I ran into him this morning."

"Metaphorically, right?" the Harvey boy asked, only to receive silence from the girl next to him. He couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Savannah's face. "Well, that's one way to make a first impression."

"It was embarrassing, Sam. And it didn't help that Sky and Riven dragged me away from him like a literal child. They said he was bad news and told me to stay away from him."

"That's gonna be hard since he's walking this way."

Savannah's eyes instantly widened as she looked over at Royce to find him heading in her direction. A wave of panic washed over her as she turned back over to Sam, only to find him sinking into the wall behind him with a smirk on his face. A shaky breath passed over her lips as she turned back around to face the Darnell boy. Royce was wearing a large grin on his face as he took Sam's spot across from her. The two of them just stood there in comfortable silence, something that seemed to surprise the Silva girl. That lasted for what felt like an eternity before the brunette boy spoke, breaking the silence between them.

"I was sad our conversation got cut short earlier," Royce said after crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall.

"Yeah. Sorry about that," the Silva girl sighed while doing her best to keep her nerves at bay, "Sky and Riven can be...a lot."

The Darnell boy couldn't help but laugh, causing a small smile to appear on Savannah's face. It wasn't long after that when he responded. "I never thought Silva's daughter would need a set of bodyguards protecting her. I always thought you'd be able to take care of yourself."

"I don't need bodyguards," the brunette girl scoffed without bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice, something that didn't go unnoticed by Royce, "those two think I need them protecting me every second of the day when I don't. They're amazing friends, they just don't know when to quit."

"I know someone like that too. Like you said, it can be a lot."

"Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one with overprotective people in their life."

Savannah's laughter cut through the air as her smile grew even larger. Her reaction was enough to make Royce's grin double, not realizing until that moment how much he liked her smile. But their happy moment was soon cut short by approaching footsteps. When they turned toward the sound, they found Riven walking toward them with an irritated look on his face. The Specialist placed himself next to an annoyed-looking Savannah and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Riven simply glared at Royce for an eternity before breaking the tension forming between them.

"Savannah needs to go. She doesn't wanna talk to you anymore," the Culbert boy said without bothering to hide the venom in his voice.

Before anyone had a chance to continue the conversation, Riven forced Savannah to walk with him away from Royce. The anger and annoyance within the Silva girl did nothing but grow as they made their way across the courtyard. As soon as they were far enough away from the Darnell boy, Riven took his arm off Savannah's shoulders and leaned back against a pillar. It didn't take long before he noticed the glare he was receiving from his friend. 

Riven couldn't help but roll his eyes at Savannah before letting out a long sigh. "Stop looking at me like that, Sav. You'll thank me later."

"Thank you? Why would I thank you for that?" the Silva girl responded, earning a somewhat surprised look from her friend, "that was more embarrassing than me slamming into him this morning."

"Then you should've listened to what Sky and I said this morning. Royce is bad news. Just stay away from him."

Savannah hesitated as she watched Riven pull a flask out of his jacket pocket. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. "I love you, Riv, but you're the last person who can tell me who's bad news."

The Culbert boy began to retaliate, only for his attention to land on something behind her. When the Silva girl followed his gaze, she found Dane staring back at them. The raven-haired boy quickly averted his eyes and went back to drinking the juice in his glass. A mischievous smirk soon appeared on Riven's lips as he approached the Mallory, with Savannah right behind him. The brunette boy leaned against the wall beside Dane while holding his flask toward the latter. "Want some?"

"Come on. Just leave him alone," Savannah told him after watching the nervous look appear on her training partner's face.

"What's the harm?" Riven responded with a large smirk on his lips before turning back to the raven-haired boy, "there's two types of first years. Cowards and aspiring former cowards."

The annoyance within the Silva girl did nothing but grow as she watched the Culbert boy pour his drink into Dane's cup. "That's enough, Riven. Let's go." 

"Sorta feels like it's less a binary choice and more a spectrum," the Mallory boy said as if Savannah never said a word. The raven-haired boy let out a long sigh before taking a small sip of his drink. "Cheers."

"Cheers when you're done," Riven declared before making the raven-haired boy bring the glass back up to his lips for another drink.

Shock coursed through the Silva girl's veins as she watched Dane chug his drink. However, before she had a chance to stop what was happening, someone else beat her to it. "Are you bullying the first years? Be more basic."

The new voice was enough to make Riven remove his hand from the Mallory boy's glass before everyone turned toward the newcomer. Savannah would say she was surprised to find Terra standing in front of them. She was usually someone who stayed out of trouble. But she was happy there was another person there to help Savannah put a stop to Riven's actions.

"I can't bully the willing, right?" the brunette boy responded, his smirk still plastered to his lips.

"Willing? You practically forced that drink down his throat," the Silva girl scoffed before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, come on, Sav. We were just having a little fun."

"Just ignore him," Terra said to Dane before her attention returned to Riven, "he thinks he's some bad*ss. But you should've seen him last year. He's just a tragic nerd in disguise."

"And she's just three people in disguise," the Culbert boy retaliated without an ounce of hesitation.

Savannah couldn't help but stare at Riven with wide eyes, shocked that he would say something like that to anyone. His comment alone was enough to make her hands ball into fists under her crossed arms. "Riven, that's enough. You need to go back to your dorm and cool off."

"People always think that they can treat the big girl like sh*t because we're...we're sweet, and we're harmless, and we should be happy that you're even talking to us," the Harvey girl ranted, completely unaware of the concerned look she was receiving from Savannah, who had never seen her act like that before, "but sometimes, we've had a really, really bad day, and some scrawny little *sshole says the wrong thing at the wrong time. Suddenly, we're not happy you're talking to us, and we're not sweet, and most of all, we're not harmless."

The next thing anyone knew, Terra's eyes began glowing. Savannah had to take a step back after watching the blonde girl hold her hands out in front of her. Not even a second after that passed when a vine from the wall wrapped itself around Riven's neck. The Silva girl became as still as a stone as she watched the brunette boy gasp for air. He reached up to tear the vines away, only to fail. His face started turning red as he pleaded with his eyes for Terra to stop. It wasn't until a small crowd formed around them that Savannah snapped out of her daze.

"I think he gets the message," the brunette girl said while Riven's face got even redder than before, "Terra, that's enough!"

"Huh? Sorry? What was that, Riven? I'm sure it's really funny, but I can't quite hear it," the Harvey girl mocked the boy in front of her, completely ignoring Savannah's words.

Riven just stared at Terra for a moment longer before his eyes moved to the Silva girl, pleading for her to do something. It wasn't long after that when Savannah stepped in front of the Harvey girl, blocking her view of the brunette specialist. Panic continued to course through the Silva girl's veins as she grabbed Terra's hands. The two girls just stared at each other for a long moment before Savannah began speaking in a calm tone. "You've made your point. Now let him go."

Not even a second after that passed when the vines disappeared from Riven's neck. The smile stayed plastered on Terra's face as the brunette boy stepped forward to stand beside Savannah. "You could've killed me, you freak."

"Missed you too," the Harvey girl responded without an ounce of remorse in her voice.

The Culbert boy just looked around the small crowd surrounding them before walking away. Savannah watched him go before letting out a long sigh. Before anyone could say another word, she left the courtyard and headed toward her new dorm, knowing unpacking would be better than staying there another second. Little did she know someone was watching her until she was out of sight.

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About an hour had passed since Savannah began unpacking her things. She didn't know how she felt about now sharing a dorm with five fairies. It was strange considering she'd always had her own dorm in the Specialist Hall. But the Silva girl knew she'd have to get used to it. After all, it was Headmistress Dowling who asked her to move dorms. And there was no arguing with her. Luckily, Savannah had her own room within the dorm so she still had some privacy.

The only people who had been in the dorm were Savannah and Stella. While the Specialist was busy unpacking her things with her door open, the fairy was on the couch taking selfies. The two of them had never seen eye-to-eye, not even when the light fairy was dating Sky. But the Silva girl knew how to be civil with her...well, most of the time.

Within the last ten minutes, Terra had come into the dorm. She walked through their shared living space without saying a word before going into her room. Savannah would be the first to admit she was worried about the Harvey girl. She was never as close to her as she was to Sam, but they still got along pretty well. Her outburst earlier was so out of character and made Savannah wonder what happened before Riven made her angry. But Savannah had no time to ask. Soon the door opened and two more of their roommates walked in. 

"She's blanking my texts," Aisha said as she and Musa walked into their shared living space.

"Strange. I wonder if it's because she poured her heart out to you and you called her a freak," the girl in red retaliated, causing a wave of confusion to wash over Savannah.

That was enough to make the Specialist stop her packing and walk out into the living room, wanting to know what was going on. When she got out there, she found Aisha and Musa watching Stella. That only lasted for another moment when the girl in blue asked the question bouncing around in her head. "Have you seen Bloom?"

"Not recently," Stella responded while continuing to take selfies without a care in the world.

Musa's eyes soon began glowing bright pink as she stared at the blonde girl. That lasted for what felt like an eternity before she opened her mouth to speak. "Your face is so calm, yet you're racked with guilt."

"You're a mind fairy," the Silva girl said with a hint of awe in her voice.

"A mind fairy?" Terra repeated after coming out from her room to join them, "what's your connection? Memory, thoughts-"

"Not a great time," Musa interrupted before turning her attention back to the girl on the couch.

It was at that moment that the Harvey girl realized everyone was staring at Stella with annoyance in their eyes. "Is everything okay?"

"Not really. I'm looking for Bloom. For some reason, Stella's feeling guilty about it," Aisha explained without taking her eyes off the light fairy.

"Could everyone save the drama for drama club?" the blonde girl retaliated, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice.

"Wasn't she talking to Sky?" Terra said, causing a wave of realization and worry to wash over Savannah.

"And?"

"And you hate when any girl talks to Sky. Remember the last person?" the Silva girl responded, earning a scoff from the light fairy before she went back to her phone, "Stella, where's Bloom?"

Stella's eyes left her phone and met Savannah's gaze. The two of them just stared at each other for a moment before the former let out a long sigh. "She was feeling homesick. So I did a nice thing and lent her my ring so that she could go back to the First World."

The Specialist's worry did nothing but grow after hearing the light fairy's words. "I thought your ring only worked outside the barrier."

"It does. There's a gateway in the old cemetery."

"That's deep in the forest, Stella," Terra said, now having just as much worry in her voice as Savannah did, "you know what's out there, right?"

The blonde girl just stared at them with a blank expression on her face. Savannah couldn't help but let out a long sigh before grabbing her bow and arrows. After slinging her quiver across her back, she sprinted out of the door and down the hall in the direction of Farah Dowling's office.

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Savannah stood with Aisha, Musa, and Terra right outside the entrance to a crypt at the cemetery. Unknown to most, it was used as a gateway to the First World. They had watched the headmistress walk in a few minutes ago, now they were waiting for her to return with Bloom. The Silva girl had an arrow loaded on her bow, ready in case anything other than their teacher and friend came out from the door. Lucky for them, it didn't come to that.

The next thing anyone knew, Bloom came sprinting out from the crypt. Panic was the only thing her eyes held as she breathed heavily. The Peters girl just stood there for a moment before looking back in the direction she came, only for the door to slam shut.

"Are you okay?" Aisha asked, causing Bloom to jump out of her skin before the latter turned to face the four girls. 

The Peters girl continued to breathe heavier than normal as she looked between the group in front of her. After taking a moment to try and catch her breath, Bloom opened her mouth to speak. "Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I think so. What the h*ll was that thing?"

"It's called a Burned One," Savannah responded while her father's story from earlier replayed in her head.

A confused look instantly appeared on her face as she took in the Specialist's words. But it wasn't long before all the emotion faded from Bloom's face. "Wait. Where...where's Stella?"

"She's at school. Why?" Aisha asked.

The Peters girl hesitated for a moment before letting out a shaky breath. "That thing just took her ring."

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